Surface
The surface (JP: ちじょう) is the region of the Earth where humans live separate from the monsters, who reside in the underground. Both species are separated by the barrier on Mount Ebott since The War of Humans and Monsters.
During the True Pacifist ending credits, parts of the surface are shown: a beach, an urban city, a school where Toriel and Asgore work, and Mt. Ebott.
Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return.
Undertale intro sequence
Mount Ebott (JP: イビト山) is a mountain on the surface of the Earth. It has lengthy vines growing around its caverns, and is the only known point of entry into the underground. It is depicted at the beginning of Undertale's intro and in the True Pacifist ending credits. Starting from the year 201X, eight humans fell through Mt. Ebott's barrier and entered the underground's Ruins.
Mount Ebott seen from afar.
The fallen human approaching Mount Ebott.
Toriel and Monster Kid in front of a school.
Mount Ebott's tarot card as Major Arcana XXI, "The World".
- "Ebott" spelled backwards is "ttobe", a derivation of Toby.[1] This is a reference to the official English localization of the game Mother 1 / EarthBound Beginnings, which renamed a mountain after its creator, Shigesato Itoi.[1]
- Furthering this connection, the Japanese name for Ebott is Ibito (イビト; ibito), which is Toby (トビイ or トビー; tobii) backwards.
- While it is never directly stated where Mount Ebott is, Vegetoid's check text reading "Not monitored by the USDA" suggests the location could be somewhere in the United States.[2] However, in Legends of Localization Book 3: UNDERTALE, Toby proposes USDA could instead stand for "UNDERGROUND SALAD DEMON ASSOCIATION".[3]
- In the Undertale Kickstarter's Story section, it describes that in the year 201X, a child had climbed Mt. Ebott and sought refuge from the rain.[4]
- 1 2 "Undertale begins when the main character visits a mountain known as “Mt. Ebott”. It’s not obvious at first glance, but this isn’t some random name - it’s simply “Toby” backwards, spelled in a roundabout way.
This naming choice was inspired by a similar mountain in EarthBound Beginnings known as “Mt. Itoi”, which is a reference to Shigesato Itoi, the game’s creator." — Clyde Mandelin, Legends of Localization Book 3: UNDERTALE, pg. 78 - ↑ "A monster named Vegetoid lives in the ruins. In the English script, Vegetoid’s in-battle description is a parody of the text commonly seen on real-life food labels. Specifically, the description contains a reference to the United States Department of Agriculture:
- Serving Size: 1 Monster
- Not monitored by the USDA"
- ↑ "Theory: Mt. Ebott is in the United States because the game references the USDA. Toby’s response when I asked: “USDA could be UNDERGROUND SALAD DEMON ASSOCIATION”" — Clyde Mandelin, Legends of Localization Book 3: UNDERTALE, pg. 98
- ↑ In the year 201X, a small child scales Mt. Ebott. It is said that those who climb the mountain never return. Seeking refuge from the rainy weather, the child enters a cave and discovers an enormous hole. Moving closer to get a better look... the child falls in. Now, our story begins. - Undertale Kickstarter