Human
Humans (JP: ニンゲン) are a race in Undertale. They live on the surface of the Earth, beyond the barrier on Mount Ebott. The only humans seen in-game are the fallen human and the protagonist.
Humans have lived on the surface ever since they won the war. Eight humans are known to have fallen into the underground: the fallen human, the protagonist, and the six humans whose SOULs are stored in New Home. Humans as a whole are seen as evil by monsters, especially since Asgore declared to kill any human who enters the underground, yet most monsters do not know what a human looks like. The job of patrolling for humans is entrusted to the Royal Guard.
Humans indirectly affect the monsters' society. Waste from human society flows through rivers into the garbage dump.[1] This waste has influenced monsters' technology and media; for example, anime and manga remain one curiosity to monsters. This waste has also distorted monsters' perception of human society, such as Undyne believing anime to be human history. Acculturation of human customs occurs as well, such as Mettaton's interest of keeping his resort's standards similar to those of humans.[2]
It's also shown humans are able to cast magic, due to using a magic spell to seal the monsters underground; from one of the humans being shown with a presumable magic staff, humans can be thought to use artificial magic. However, they cannot use this magic to express themselves like monsters can, and cannot use bullet patterns like monsters do.[3]
Human bodies are composed of physical matter, as opposed to monsters' more magical bodies. Because of this, human SOULs are not attuned to their bodies like monsters are.[3][4] This trait allows their SOULs to persist after death.[5] The physicality of human bodies also allows humans to carry higher concentrations of determination than a monster.[6]
During the 10th Anniversary Stream, Gerson mentions a rumor that humans expended all of their magic in the creation of the barrier.[7]
- ↑
The garbage dump!! So many great things come from there!!
— Undyne
The only reason we have modern technology...
Is 'cause of all the human junk that flows from the surface! - ↑
And every time we try to change something for the better, he vetoes it and says "that's not how they do it on the surface."
— Burgerpants
Oh! Right!
Humans are always eating hamburgers made of SEQUINS AND GLUE. - 1 2
While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water.
— Book in Snowdin Library
Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us.
But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic.
They'll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card... - ↑
Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their SOUL.
— Book in Snowdin Library
If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken.
And the crueller the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us.
Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill...
Um, let's end the chapter here... - ↑
When a human dies, its soul remains stable outside the body.
— Monster History Part 7; unused
Meanwhile, a monster's soul disappears near-instantly upon death. - ↑
You see, unlike humans', monsters' bodies don't have enough...
— Alphys, True Lab
Physical matter to take those concentrations of "determination."
Their bodies started to melt, and lost what physicality they had.
Pretty soon, all of the test subjects had melted together into... Those. - ↑ Fangamer 10th Anniversary Stream - Day Two on YouTube