Royal Guard
The Royal Guard are a group of monsters dedicated to defending the underground, protecting Asgore, and searching for a human to acquire the last of the 7 SOULs. They are supposedly an "elite" group of guards, but many of their members appear laughably incompetent.
- Undyne (Leader)
- Sans (Sentry)
- Doggo (Snowdin Canine Unit)
- Lesser Dog (Snowdin Canine Unit)
- Dogamy and Dogaressa (Snowdin Canine Unit)
- Greater Dog (Snowdin Canine Unit)
- Royal Guards
- Papyrus (Sentry, Leader in the Family Ending)
- RG 03 and RG 04 (cut from the final game)
- Doge (presumably; cut from the final game)
The Royal Guard is first mentioned by Papyrus stating his desire to capture a human, believing that by doing so he will earn a rank among the guard. Throughout the protagonist's travel through Snowdin, they encounter a faction of the Royal Guard known as the Snowdin Canine Unit (comprised of Doggo, Lesser Dog, the Dogi, and Greater Dog), whose name is revealed by Undyne if the protagonist killed them all before her battle. On the border of Snowdin Town and Waterfall, Papyrus initiates a battle with the protagonist, intending on earning a rank among the Royal Guard by capturing them.
In Waterfall, the only Royal Guard actively patrolling the area is Undyne, the leader of the Royal Guard.[1] The protagonist has many run-ins with her as she attempts to take their SOUL and bring it to Asgore. At the end of Waterfall, the protagonist fights Undyne, and, if they spare her and gain no EXP, they can choose to befriend her. During the hangout, Undyne talks about Papyrus and his Royal Guard training and confesses that, despite his surprisingly adept combat ability, she secretly does not want him to join as he is too kind and friendly, believing these attributes may get him killed in battle.
In Hotland, the protagonist encounters the last of the known members of the Royal Guard, RG01 and RG02, who are under orders from Undyne to seek out and destroy any human that attempts to pass through. Calling Undyne in the Laboratory Entrance while the guards are still present reveals that she cannot retract her orders because she told them that she might be under mind control if she ever defended a human.
The fate of the Royal Guard varies depending on the Neutral Route ending the protagonist achieves. In the endings where Toriel becomes queen (Family Ending and Betrayed Undyne Ending), the Royal Guard is disbanded as there is no more need to collect human SOULs. In the Family Ending, Papyrus is appointed to be the figurehead "captain" of the guard, but in the Betrayed Undyne Ending, the disbandment of the Royal Guard leaves Papyrus without any aspirations. In the Undyne Ending, the Royal Guard is massively expanded as part of Undyne's declaration to destroy any human that enters the underground.
During the True Pacifist Route epilogue, Asgore announces that there is no more need for a Royal Guard now that the barrier is broken. This leaves Papyrus outraged, and he declares this "the worst possible ending".
Artwork from Undertale's 5th anniversary.
