Sans

For the song named after this character, see sans..

i'm sans. sans the skeleton.

Sans introducing himself

Sans (JP: サンズ) (/sænz/) is the older brother of Papyrus and a main character in Undertale. When the protagonist exits the Ruins, Sans monitors them in Snowdin, then throughout their journey through the underground. At the Last Corridor, he delivers his judgment on the protagonist's actions. Afterwards, Sans always gives an ending call at the end of the Neutral Route. On the Genocide Route, Sans serves as the final boss when confronted in the Last Corridor.

Profile

Appearance

Sans appears as a relatively short and paunchy skeleton, with mitten-like hands. He has white dots for pupils in his black eye sockets that disappear when he is serious or angered. When Sans uses telekinesis, his left eye flashes light blue and yellow, the colors for patience and justice, and his right pupil vanishes. No matter the mood Sans is in, he is always seen with a wide, toothy-grin on his face. His clothes consists of a blue hoodie with a gray hood, a white t-shirt underneath, black shorts with white stripes on the sides, and a pair of slippers.

Personality

Sans is lazy and relatively laid-back. Sans's dialogue reflects his personality, as he speaks in all lowercase, not even capitalizing names or sentence starters, with a few exceptions, such as the initial beginning of his judgments and other more typical changes to his style of speaking for the sake of emphasis. His laziness is a combination of fatalism and apathy due to being self-aware and knowing of timeline resets. Conversely, he suggests that this knowledge could be "a poor excuse for being lazy."

Sans's fake telescope.

Sans enjoys being mischievous, primarily acting this way towards those he is on good terms with. His antics range from an assortment of illogical, juvenile, and slightly inconvenient pranks; examples include selling fried snow, using whoopee cushions, sharing an unscrewed ketchup bottle, and eye paint on a telescope. He is not above utilizing his teleportation or other magic for practical jokes either. Sans is also fond of making the occasional low-brow puns. He enjoys making others laugh in general, as he also performs at the MTT Resort as a comedian.

Despite Sans being apathetic towards his own life, he is considerate to those he cares for. For example, Sans is a regular at Grillby's, and the monsters and Royal Guard dogs treat him kindly. Sans has informed Big Mouth about "all kinds of incredible foods", yet Big Mouth comments that "he always orders the worst burger off the menu". Although Sans dislikes making promises, he respects Toriel's request to watch out for any humans. Even if the protagonist kills people that were close to him, Sans refrains from broaching the topic until the Last Corridor. In Neutral Route endings where Papyrus or Toriel are alive, Sans does not tell them that the protagonist is responsible for killing monsters.

Sans is also observant; he can often tell that the protagonist has already done certain tasks, such as SAVING and reloading, by reading their expressions. Though Sans is usually agreeable, he can become serious to emphasize a subject. On the Genocide Route, he does everything in his power to kill the protagonist, even feigning mercy. It is implied that this is because he knows the consequences should the protagonist succeed.

Sans may have a scientific background. Evidence includes the quantum physics book, his workshop, affinity for science fiction, his ability to teleport and taking part in timeline research at one point. He is also actively employed as a sentry by the Royal Guard, citing the pay as a reason, although it's unknown who hired him.

Sans has implied he once longed and searched for a life that he cannot go back to, as he "gave up trying to go back a long time ago". As a Lost Soul during the battle with Asriel, he tells the protagonist that "you'll never see 'em again." However, as Sans' statements in this case are vague and nonspecific, it is currently unknown what he refers to.

Etymology

Sans's name is derived from the typeface in which he speaks, Comic Sans. This is a reference to Helvetica, a webcomic about a skeleton named after a font. J.N. Wiedle, the author of the webcomic, is listed as special inspiration for Sans and Papyrus.

In Japanese phonetics, Sans's name is also homophonous with the name of the Sanzu River, a boundary between death and the afterlife in Buddhist lore which, like Sans, judges all who cross it for their deeds.

Main story

History

Prior to the events of Undertale, Sans and his brother appeared in Snowdin and asserted themselves. At some point, per Papyrus's insistence, Sans became a sentry in Snowdin to watch for humans. However, Sans instead reads car magazines, and his station has hot dog condiments. At an unspecified point in time, he discovered the locked Ruins door and used it to practice knock-knock jokes. One day, Toriel responded to him, and they made sharing puns into a routine. Eventually, she asked him to promise to watch over and protect any human that leaves the Ruins.

Neutral Route

heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick.
it's ALWAYS funny.

Sans

Sans's first appearance in Snowdin.

Sans first appears as a silhouette, trailing after the protagonist before interacting with them near the gate. Sans explains that he has no interest in capturing humans, but that his brother, Papyrus, does. Past the gate, Sans tells the protagonist to hide behind a conveniently-shaped lamp. Shortly after, Papyrus finds him, and the brothers discuss Sans's laziness and the importance of puzzle upkeep. After Papyrus leaves, Sans asks the protagonist to be seen by Papyrus, as it would make his brother's day.

Throughout Snowdin, Sans appears multiple times. He occasionally accompanies Papyrus, offers a hint for blue attacks, observes, and comments during his brother's puzzles. Sans does not engage in any japery, except for the Word Search. If the fun value is 40-45, Sans may prank call the protagonist nearby Papyrus's cardboard sentry station.

Sans's sprite in the Dog Casino.

Before the battle with Papyrus, Sans is absent in Snowdin. However, if the protagonist spares Papyrus, he briefly appears in Papyrus and Sans's house. During the date/hangout, Sans opens his door and plays his trombone after the Annoying Dog flees. Post-date/hangout, Sans can occasionally add on during a Cell Phone call to Papyrus. In the Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S version of Undertale, Sans can also appear in the Dog Casino. If Papyrus was killed, Sans does not interact with the protagonist until the Last Corridor.

A spotlight falls on the protagonist and Sans, as Premonition plays.

After entering Waterfall, Sans is found manning a sentry station near the Checkpoint SAVE Point. He asks the protagonist if they want to take a break with him. If the protagonist agrees, he takes them to Grillby's via a "shortcut".

The patrons warmly greet Sans, and he treats the protagonist to a burger or fries. He talks about Papyrus and Undyne, then asks the protagonist about a talking flower. He seemingly implies an Echo Flower has been tricking Papyrus, and warns the protagonist to "keep an eye out".

When the protagonist returns to Waterfall, Sans can be found at his sentry station again. Past the Crystal SAVE Point room, he can prank the protagonist with a red-eye telescope. If the protagonist does the Hum ACT twice in Shyren's encounter, Sans sells concert tickets made of toilet paper. If Papyrus was killed, Sans is implied to silently spectate from afar instead.

Sans telling the protagonist the limit of head-dogs.

Past the Hotland sign, the protagonist and Undyne find Sans sleeping at his sentry station. Undyne stops mid-chase, then scowls angrily before continuing. If Undyne was killed before this sentry station, Sans does not appear, even if Papyrus was spared.

Later, the protagonist finds Sans selling Hot Dogs for 30G. Interacting with him for more leads to additional dialogue. If the protagonist attempts to buy a Hot Dog when their inventory is full, he stacks a maximum of 30 Hot Dogs on their head for free.

Near the CORE, Sans waits outside of the MTT Resort. He asks the protagonist if they want to grab a bite to eat. If the protagonist agrees, he escorts them inside via another "shortcut".

Sans and the protagonist at the MTT Resort's restaurant, as It's Raining Somewhere Else plays.

Inside, Sans acknowledges that the protagonist's journey is nearly over, and suggests that they could instead stay in the underground. He then disregards the idea, explains how he befriended the woman in the Ruins via puns, and that she is the reason that he did not kill them.

He dismisses this as a joke immediately and says that he has done a great job protecting the protagonist. If the protagonist has not died before, Sans takes credit for their success. If the protagonist has died, Sans questions the validity of his statement. Before leaving, he tells the protagonist to take care of themself, because someone really cares about them.

Judgment

So you finally made it.
The end of your journey is at hand.
In a few moments, you will meet the king.
Together...
You will determine the future of this world.

Sans's introduction in the Last Corridor

The protagonist finds Sans waiting in the Last Corridor. Discarding his Comic Sans typeface, Sans explains that EXP and LOVE are acronyms for "EXecution Points" and "Level Of ViolencE". He judges the protagonist for their current EXP, then reverts to the Comic Sans typeface and reveals his opinion.

If the protagonist gained no EXP, Sans skips his judgment, instead praising the protagonist for their compassion and actively choosing to be merciful to monsters. He then reinforces that the protagonist's actions shall decide the fate of the world in one of two ways:

• If the protagonist refuses to fight Asgore, he will take their SOUL, break the barrier, and take revenge on humanity.
• However, if they take Asgore's SOUL and go home, monsterkind will stay trapped in the underground.

Sans admits he would give up if he had to make this decision, and muses that the protagonist's determination and pacifism has led them this far. As such, Sans believes the protagonist can do the right thing, and wishes them good luck before leaving.

Sans's workshop.

If the protagonist has heard his speech before, Sans notices their bored expression and offers a secret codeword that he uses to prove that they are a time traveler. After the protagonist loads their SAVE a few times, Sans's suspicions are affirmed and he gives them a key to his room. Inside Sans's room is a key to his workshop.

If the protagonist gained EXP, Sans gives them a moment to think about their actions. He then emphasizes the importance of integrity and, if Papyrus is alive, concludes that whatever happens next is up to the protagonist. If the protagonist killed Papyrus, Sans expresses his suspicion that they have some special power. He then asks if the protagonist thinks it is their responsibility to do the right thing. Regardless of their answer, The Choice abruptly stops. Sans once again discards the Comic Sans typeface to remind the protagonist of his fallen brother before leaving.

If the protagonist returns to the Last Corridor after loading a SAVE, Sans judges the protagonist on their earned LV. Subsequent attempts to talk to Sans after judgment prompts him to tell the protagonist to "consider [their] session over."

Dialogue

Sans's judgment occurs after he re-explains LOVE and EXP, and after he tells the protagonist to look inside themself.

(Before judgment)

• huh? you look bored.
• i get the feeling you aren't gonna learn anything from this.
• well, guess I gotta judge you then.

(Failsafe text; can occur if the protagonist is at LV 1 with EXP but has previously been judged at a higher level.)

• come on. really?

(One LV higher than the previous judgment, or LV 1 with EXP if it is their first.)

• ... huh?
• what's with that look in your eye?
• did you go through and kill someone...
• just to see what i'd say about it?
• wow.
• you're a pretty gross person, huh?

(LV 2)

• lv2... seems like you messed up the slightest amount.
• welp. that's pretty sad.
• you probably weren't even aware of what you were doing...
• and when you learned, it was too late.
• nah, just kidding.
• who gets to lv2 on accident? get outta here.

(LV 3)

• lv3...
• 3's just an ok number, i guess.
• i'll give you a C+.
• you can do better, right?

(LV 4 – LV 9)

• hmmm... over lv3, huh.
• you killed some people on purpose, didn't you?
• that's probably bad.
• though, maybe some of it was in self-defense...
• i don't know. help me out here.
• i wasn't watching.
• anyways, don't do that.

(LV 10 – LV 14)

• hmmm... over lv9, huh.
• that's over halfway to lv20, the maximum.
• but don't think that means you're still 50-percent good.
• 50-percent, 20-percent.
• those are both still failing grades.
• besides. chances are...
• i've already tried to steer you in the right direction.
• so what can i say?
• what can i say that will change the mind of a being like you...?

(LV 15 and above)

• hmmm... over lv14, huh.
• well, hmmm... judgment-wise...
• you're a pretty bad person.
• you wander around, looking for people...
• killing them to take their money.
• that's just plain messed up.
• and what's worse, is that as bad as you are...
• you aren't anywhere near as bad as you could be.
• you pretty much suck at being evil.
• honestly, it's super embarrassing.
• but maybe you'd be better...
• at not killing anyone?
• crazy idea, huh?
• let me know how that one goes.

Endings

Sans's dialogue in the Neutral Route ending.

Sometime after the protagonist defeats Omega Flowey, Sans calls and informs them of the underground's fate in the Neutral Route's epilogue. The content of this phone call varies depending on the protagonist's actions.

True Pacifist Route

huh? you haven't beaten this guy yet?
come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you.

Sans

Sans and the rest of the protagonist's friends trapped by Flowey's vines.

Sans does not re-appear in the Last Corridor on the True Pacifist Route. When Papyrus arrives to intervene during Asgore's battle, Sans arrives shortly after and greets everyone. He meets Toriel face-to-face for the first time, and enjoys her company. As Toriel reassures the protagonist on staying in the underground, Flowey appears and restrains everyone. After Sans and the others protect the protagonist from Flowey's attacks, Flowey absorbs the SOULs of all of monsterkind.

During the battle against Asriel, Sans appears as one of the Lost Souls alongside Papyrus. In this state, he expresses pessimism and doubt. Once he remembers the protagonist, he states he is rooting for them.

Epilogue

After defeating Asriel, Sans stands alongside the other main characters. He informs the protagonist that Papyrus was crying over them. After Toriel's suggestion, the protagonist can talk to him. Sans's dialogue varies depending if the protagonist chose certain conversations topics with Toriel back in the Ruins. If the protagonist interacts with the other main characters, Sans occasionally interjects with his own comments. When the protagonist leaves the room, Sans sends prank texts on Toriel's phone instead of aiding her.

When the protagonist exits through the Delta Rune arch, Sans and the rest of the main characters go to the surface and see the sun rising. Once Papyrus leaves to introduce himself to the humans, Sans says that someone must keep him away from trouble, then seemingly goes back to the underground, presumably to use a "shortcut".

Sans riding a tricycle in the True Pacifist ending credits.

In the credits, Sans rides a tricycle on a highway and overtakes Papyrus's sports car, much to the latter's annoyance.

Genocide Route

if you keep going the way you are now...
...
you're gonna have a bad time.

Sans's warning to the protagonist in a Genocide Route

Sans disappears in front of the protagonist.

On the Genocide Route, Sans stalks the protagonist, then introduces himself with his whoopie cushion prank. However, he becomes confused when the protagonist does not react to it. Sans assumes they have a different sense of humor, then attempts to aid the protagonist by telling them to hide behind the lamp. The protagonist does not, which further confounds Sans. When Papyrus arrives, Sans simply admits he found a human, and Papyrus leaves satisfied. Sans then requests that the protagonist continues to pretend to be a human for his brother.

Further in Snowdin, Sans only goes along with Papyrus's japery, and does not appear as an NPC. When the protagonist walks through Papyrus's puzzles, Sans either tries to excuse them by assuming they dislike puzzles, or changes the subject.

If the protagonist tries to interact with Sans after each bypassed puzzle, he suggests they try the puzzles, and notes their lack of reaction to puzzles or comedic moments. After Papyrus puts The Gauntlet of Deadly Terror away, Sans warns the protagonist to not fight his brother, or else they will "have a bad time". He then disappears and is absent until the Last Corridor.

If the route is aborted by sparing Papyrus, Sans re-appears at the Waterfall sentry station and expresses his respect for the protagonist's mercy towards his brother. Sans continues to appear as he does on the Neutral Route, but does not take the protagonist to Grillby's due to Snowdin Town's evacuation.

Sans quoting Papyrus on the Genocide Route.

If the route is continued, Sans avoids judging the protagonist at the Last Corridor, instead dryly noting that they must have been busy. Sans states Papyrus's pre-battle positive belief as a question, to which the protagonist only takes a step forward.

Sans chuckles and then questions, "do you wanna have a bad time?" He threatens the protagonist with force should they proceed. When the protagonist responds by immediately advancing towards him, Sans apologizes to the late Toriel for breaking his promise, and begins an encounter.

If the protagonist reloads their SAVE after losing to or defeating Sans, he remarks on their expression. Sans either ridicules them, keeps it simple, or refuses to describe their expression.

In battle

For the Genocide Route in-battle description, see Sans/In battle.

For the 10th Anniversary in-battle description, see Sans/In battle (10th Anniversary).

Relationships

The protagonist

take care of yourself, kid.
'cause someone really cares about you.

Sans after his rendezvous at the MTT Resort

Sans's attitude towards the protagonist depends on their actions. Due to Toriel's request, he does not immediately kill the protagonist when they exit the Ruins. After silently gauging and intimidating the protagonist, he trusts and is on friendly terms with them. Sans also expresses gratitude that they partake in Papyrus's puzzles. Overall, Sans enjoys pranking them and supports them during their adventure. He passively follows the protagonist, and gives them the option to interact with him. Sans offers advice, supplies information, takes them to restaurants, and sells food, unless they kill Papyrus. If his brother was killed, Sans keeps his distance until the Last Corridor.

Sans often observes and comments on the protagonist's expression. His awareness of time travel makes him scrupulous, and he recognizes when the protagonist is behaving unusually. Sans knows if they have experienced events before, and if they are repeating them.

If the protagonist remains a pacifist, Sans begins to lose his previous apathy and comes to genuinely support them. Initially, Sans tries to reason that the protagonist could stay in the underground, but he encourages them on their journey. If Papyrus was not killed, Sans is quick to excuse his hostility, except during judgment. If the protagonist has earned no EXP by the time they reach Last Corridor, Sans encourages them and states his belief that they can free monsterkind.

If the protagonist has earned EXP in a Neutral Route, he expresses his disappointment and encourages them to do better. If the protagonist killed Papyrus, Sans emphasizes that they should be responsible, and reprimands them for killing his brother.

On the Genocide Route, Sans attempts to support the protagonist, but becomes confused by their lack of reaction. At Last Corridor, he attempts to reason with them one last time. In battle, Sans admits he considers the protagonist to be an "anomaly". His intentions of befriending them were in hopes that they would stop resetting the timeline.

Papyrus

here, i'll give you some advice about fighting my brother.
don't. capiche?

Sans if the protagonist is about to fight Papyrus after having previously killed him

Sans and his younger brother Papyrus live in the same house, which Sans pays for. They are close, and Sans deeply cares for and admires his brother. He keeps up with Papyrus's temper tantrums and knows how to deal with Papyrus's childish outbursts. Sans also reads him bedtime stories and gives him presents under the identity of Santa. Nonetheless, Sans likes to mess with Papyrus, sending him bad puns on the UnderNet. He also leaves a dirty sock in their living room for Papyrus to fuss over.

Sans worries about others hurting Papyrus or taking advantage of him, and acts insulted when the protagonist claims his brother is uncool. In the Papyrus Ending of the Neutral Route, Papyrus states that Sans is handling the paperwork and puts in unusual amounts of effort compared to his usual lethargy. To avoid bothering Papyrus with other characters' deaths, Sans lies about them going on a vacation. He also conceals this to Papyrus in other Neutral Route endings where the latter is alive.

Toriel

oh hey... i recognize your voice, too.

Sans after meeting Toriel in person for the first time

Toriel and Sans share a love of bad jokes and are friends even though they never see each other face-to-face until the epilogue, the Family Ending, or the Exiled Queen Ending. Before the protagonist's arrival, Sans and Toriel shared jokes through the door to the Ruins.

In the Exiled Queen Ending, Sans becomes Toriel's roommate if Papyrus has been killed. He does not inform Toriel of the protagonist's slaughter to uphold his promise. If Papyrus is alive, the brothers visit Toriel often, play board games together, and sometimes convince Toriel to leave the Ruins.

While not being one to make promises, Sans complies with Toriel's request to watch over and protect any human that exits the Ruins. Near the end of the Genocide Route, he indirectly apologizes to her, as he is forced to break his promise to stop the protagonist.

Sans and Toriel are only seen together on screen on the True Pacifist Route. If the protagonist decides to go back through the underground before going to the surface, Sans sends them texts for Toriel since her thumbs are too big for the buttons on the phone. It is implied that they soon fight for control of the phone when they begin to send embarrassing texts of each other.

Alphys

It is implied Sans is friends with Alphys, as he sends her dog food to help her feed Endogeny. However, he does not inform anyone of his actions. Their friendship is emphasized in the True Pacifist Route epilogue, where Alphys preemptively responds with a joke before Sans does.

If Papyrus is called just before entering the Lab, Sans appears in the call and suggests that there may be dogs inside the lab. This hints that he may be aware of the True Lab since Endogeny, an Amalgamate composed of several dogs, is found there. In the ending of an aborted Genocide Route, Alphys is forced to rule the underground and Sans assists her; she calls Sans "a good guy".

W.D. Gaster

Several clues found within the game and the game files hint at a connection between Sans and W.D. Gaster. Evidence includes the blueprints and veiled machine found in Sans' workshop, as well as his weapons' internal labels, spr_gasterblaster. Sans and Gaster are also both named after fonts, with the latter likely named after the Wingdings font, further hinting at their connection.

Creation and development

Creation

Toby Fox states that Sans's character was partially inspired by Zacharie and The Judge, from the game OFF. Toby describes Sans as someone who "never stops smiling", is reliable, friendly, humorous, and enigmatic, similar to both OFF characters. Toby also alludes to Sans sharing The Judge's role.

Development

In a deleted tweet, Toby Fox stated that Papyrus would use the term "aniki", a Japanese slang term used for older brothers or superiors. However, In the game's official Japanese translation, Papyrus refers to Sans as "Nii-chan", a somewhat immature way of addressing one's older brother.

During the process of Undertale's translation from English to Japanese, Toby was consulted by the translator for details. Thus, it was definitively revealed that Sans is the older brother and Papyrus is the younger brother.

Outside of Undertale

Undertale Demo

In the Undertale Demo released on May 23, 2013, Sans makes an appearance alongside Papyrus at the credits screen if the protagonist gained no EXP.

As Sans speaks, his typeface is not pixelated. He suggests a favor to the player.

Kickstarter

Sans combing his skull.

On the Undertale Kickstarter page, Sans sleeps while standing in the "Thank you very much!" banner underneath the listed Stretch Goals.

Sans also appears with Papyrus to commentate in the UNDERTALE Reward Tiers Explanation video. He lays down on a lounging chair, passively filing his fingertips, suntanning, and combing his nonexistent hair. At one point, Sans's mouth changes when he sips from the straw, and the liquid goes through his clothes and drips onto his lounging chair. In the video, Sans's typeface is not pixelated, and he responds with proper capitalization once during a banter over "Papyrus's Cool Song".

UNDERTALE Alarm Clock

The Winter Dialogue for the UNDERTALE Alarm Clock was announced on Undertale's 5th Anniversary. Sans has his own Winter Dialogue, where he describes events that occurred at Papyrus's winter party. He also cameos in some other character's winter dialogues.

In Toriel's excerpts, he jokingly assumes she would use her fire magic on a dog. Toriel also reminisces about his dedication to one of his pranks.

Papyrus's excerpts mentions that Toriel was drawing hair on Sans's skull during the winter party. When the party ends, Papyrus finds Sans sound asleep. Papyrus admits he has never seen Sans so happy to celebrate with friends. He lets Sans sleep, as he assumes Sans is having a pleasant dream.

In Undyne's excerpts, she relates a story about a hockey game everyone had played against her. After hearing his brother lament, Sans suddenly scores a goal. Sans goes over to Alphys and does a "finger-pointy arm-crossy dance", implied to be the Fortnite emote Dance Moves, more commonly known as the Default Dance. He is implied to be using his magic to continue scoring points for Papyrus's team.

In Asgore's excerpts, Sans notices that Toriel filled a cup of warm soup to the brim.

UNDERTALE 10th Anniversary Stream

In the 10th Anniversary Stream, Sans appears near the end of the dog-shaped elevator in the lower Snowdin area. He also appears in the empty version of the Dog Shrine, exclusive to the build of Undertale used in the stream. The protagonist fights him in the empty Dog Shrine several times.

In Alphys's date at the garbage dump, Sans rises from the trash in his "Dr. Jogboy" outfit before Papyrus appears.

Newsletter

Sans driving a bulldozer, pushing countless valentines gifts.

In the ISSUE 5 - Winter 2024 of the Newsletter, three random Valentine's Day cards were included in the email version of the Newsletter. Sans has a total of three different Valentines, each with a varying rarity. All three of them are of Sans pranking the recipient.

The first is a super rare card, which is a card meant to be sent around to the recipient's mother. The second is a common card, where Sans acknowledges the recipient has no dates. Thus, he reassuringly offers the recipient a "fistful of wrinkly fruits". The third is a rare card, where Sans's card border is instead Halloween-themed, and he does not acknowledge the day as Valentines.

Deltarune

Main article: Sans

Prior to the events of Deltarune's Chapter 1, Sans recently moved into Hometown and befriended Toriel after sharing some jokes. He owns a grocery store, the exterior of which resembles the Grillby's restaurant.

Sans's "blue stop signs" advice is also referenced by one of Tenna's "funnytext" images.

Super Smash Bros.

On September 4, 2019, due to Undertale's success and Sans's popularity, a Mii Gunner outfit and a unique arrangement of MEGALOVANIA was revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the gun, the Sans costume features a Gaster Blaster instead. The costume model is similar to the 3D model used for the "Sans Inaction Figure" sold on Fangamer, including pink slippers, though it differs with the aforementioned Gaster Blaster and no visible neck. The MEGALOVANIA arrangement was created by Toby Fox, and also features leitmotifs from Heartache and Bonetrousle.

The reveal trailer for this costume is in homage to Undertale, with Sans appearing on the Omega form of PictoChat 2, representing his encounter screen, Sans dodging attacks from two Villagers, representing the humans, and Sans fighting a yellow Piranha Plant, representing Flowey.

The Sans Mii Gunner outfit was acknowledged on Undertale's 4th anniversary on September 15, 2019, and in Papyrus's 2nd Q&A, where Papyrus explains that Sans would not actually fight and would more likely trick another fighter into wearing a costume of him.

Pop'n Music

On December 22, 2022, Toby Fox announced Sans appears as a guest character in the Japan-exclusive rhythm game, Pop'n Music UniLab, with an altered interpretation of him. In the game, Sans's design is similar to his Steam trading card, as he has a blue hood, a lavender shirt, and blue and white untied sneakers. Sans appears with unique arrangements of Hopes and Dreams, by m@sumi, MEGALOVANIA, by BEMANI Sound Team "Yvya", and Battle Against a True Hero, by BEMANI Sound Team "Power Of Nature".

Touhou Danmaku Kagura: Phantasia Lost

Sans makes an appearance in Touhou Danmaku Kagura: Phantasia Lost as part of the second collaboration between Toby Fox and ZUN. He appears alongside Yukari Yakumo in Necrolovania, a remix of Necrofantasia by Toby Fox, as well as Megalovania of the Empty Corse, a remix of Megalovania by ZUN, in a free DLC released on February 13, 2025.

Shop dialogue

Sans selling Hot Dogs in Hotland (only available if Papyrus was not killed)

• hey buddy, what's up? wanna buy a hot dog?
• it's only 30G.
• [Yes]
  • thanks, kid. here's your 'dog.
  • yeah. 'dog. apostrophe-dog. it's short for hot-dog.
    • another h'dog? here you go...
    • whoops, i'm actually out of hot dogs.
    • here, you can have a hot cat instead.
      • another dog, coming right up...
      • ... you really like hot animals, don't you?
      • hey, i'm not judging.
      • i'd be out of a job without folks like you.
        • cool. here's that ''dog.
        • apostrophe-apostrophe dog.
        • it's short for apostrophe-dog.
        • which is, in turn, short for...
          • another one? okay.
          • careful. if you eat too many hot dogs...
          • you'll probably get huge like me.
          • huge as in super-popular, i mean.
          • i'm practically a hot-dog tycoon now.
            • thanks, kid. here's your hot dog.
  • [Full Inventory]
    • you're holding too much. ... guess i'll just put it on your head. [Head-Dogs #1]
    • [Head-Dogs #2]
      • here's another hot dog.
      • it's on the house. well, no. it's on you.
    • here. have fun. [Head-Dogs #3-30]
    • [Head-Dogs #31]
      • i'll be 'frank' with you.
      • as much as i like putting hot dogs on your head...
      • thirty is just an excessive number.
      • twenty-nine, now that's fine, but thirty...
      • does it look like my arms can reach that high?
    • sorry, thirty is the limit on head-dogs. [Head-Dogs #32+]
  • [Not enough money]
    • whoops, you don't have enough cash.
    • you should get a job. i've heard being a sentry pays well.
• yeah, you've gotta save your money for college and spiders. [No]

Gallery

• 
  Sans's Steam Trading Card.
• 
  Sans's speech if the protagonist earned no EXP.
• 
  Sans as a Lost Soul.
• 
  Sans's death on the Genocide Route.
• 
  Sans's "Dr. Jogboy" outfit from the 10th Anniversary Stream.
• 
  Sans chilling from the 10th Anniversary Stream.
• 
  Sans using a comb from the 10th Anniversary Stream.
• 
  Sans dancing from the 10th Anniversary Stream.
• 
  Sans riding a bulldozer from the 10th Anniversary Stream.
• 
  Sans's official tarot card as Major Arcana XX, "Judgment".
• 
  Sans, as seen in Grillby's tarot card.
• 
  Sans Inaction Figure sold on Fangamer.
• 
  Sans plush sold on Fangamer.
• 
  Sans Nendoroid sold on Fangamer.
• 
  Bonus group postcard made by Gigi D.G. for Fangamer.
• 
  Artwork from Undertale's 5th anniversary.

Trivia

• If the player attempts to name the fallen human "Sans", the narration reads "nope." and the game bars the name from use.
• Sans's face sprite in his lines differs slightly from his battle sprite's face. When he speaks in the overworld, the top of his head is slightly larger and his mouth is less wide.
• Despite most official appearances of Sans depicting him wearing pink slippers, such as his Mii costume in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he is never seen wearing pink slippers in either Undertale or Deltarune.
  • Sans's tarot card depicted his slippers as blue, and his Steam Trading Card depicted him wearing blue and white sneakers with untied shoelaces.
  • Due to the low resolution of the game, Sans appears to either have white slippers or no footwear in his in-game overworld sprites, despite wearing slippers in his battle sprites.
• Sans's sound bite originates from a small clip of SpongeBob SquarePants from the S2 episode 'Something Smells', where Patrick Star says "Maybe it's the way you're dressed."

Sans drinking ketchup.

• Sans appears to be left-handed. Evidence includes:
  • Greeting the protagonist with a handshake using his left hand.
  • Holding and drinking a ketchup bottle with his left hand while dining at Grillby's.
  • Steering a tricycle using his left hand in the True Pacifist Credits.
  • Manipulating gravity with his left hand in his battle.
• Sans is the only boss whose Check stats accurately reflect his stats in the code.
• Sans's line "on days like these, kids like you... Should be burning in hell." is similar to a line said by Captain Strong in EarthBound, "At times like this, kids like you should be playing Nintendo games."
  • In addition, the first part of this quote is a direct reference to a quote of Asgore's on the Neutral Route.

spr_sans_dangerous_0

• There are two unused overworld sprites of Sans in the game files, one showing him with his pupils (spr_sans_dangerous_0) and one showing him holding an ice cream.
  • In the ISSUE 3 - Summer 2023 Newsletter, Toby Fox revealed that the ice cream sprite was meant for a special scene before Sans's judgment if he was reached fast enough, in which he would slowly eat the ice cream for a full minute accompanied by silly music.

Sans's unused battle sprite with clenched fists.

• Sans has an unused battle sprite that's similar to his shrugging pose, but with clenched hands.
• The firing sound of the Gaster Blasters is made by layering two sounds used by Asriel. The text sound when "ASRIEL DREEMURR" displays at the beginning of the battle (mus_sfx_a_gigatalk), and a beam sound used by Asriel's Chaos Buster and final attack (mus_sfx_rainbowbeam_1). They're pitched up, sped up, layered and slightly offset from one-another to make the Blaster's firing sound.
  • Additionally, the "Wind-up" sounds for the Gaster Blaster and the Chaos Buster are also similar, being named (mus_sfx_segapower) and (mus_sfx_segapower_2) in the game's files respectively.

Version history

Version tag	Changes
v1.00	Fixed a glitch in which Sans would walk up off the screen at Grillby's when he took the protagonist there. His dialogue still appeared normally.

See also

• Sans article on the Deltarune Wiki
• Sans article on the Pop'n Music Wiki