Chara

Chara, also known as the fallen human, is the first human to fall into the Underground. Chara is their "true name" on the naming screen, though their name typically varies on what the player enters. They are distinct from the eighth fallen human, who is the protagonist of Undertale. As a major character, Chara's primary role is described through the Dreemurr's backstories, though Chara also appears at the end of the Genocide Route.
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Chara looks strikingly similar to the protagonist, and has a "similar fashion choice," as said by Asriel Dreemurr. Both appear to have been around the same age when they fell into the Underground. Chara's SOUL is also the same color as the protagonist's, which is indicated by the red SOUL on Chara's coffin, but any other shared traits are unknown.
At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara appears with a long-sleeve neon green sweater with a single horizontal cream stripe (which is an inverted color of the protagonist's shirt, with a single stripe) and nondescript brown pants and shoes. Chara has cream skin, brown medium-length hair with side-swept bangs, and rosy cheeks. Distinctly, they have open brown eyes, and a smile that contrasts the protagonist's stoic expression. In the "Soulless Pacifist" ending, Chara appears with red eyes.
=== Personality ===
While initially cast in a sympathetic light, Asriel admits at the end of the True Pacifist Route that Chara "...wasn't really the greatest person." Asriel explains Chara climbed Mount Ebott for an unhappy reason, and that they "hated humanity." In the VHS Tapes, Chara is implied to be mischievous, and can make a "creepy face" with a certain smile. Chara is also intelligent, secretive, and persuasive. Chara does not let their plan be recorded on the camera, and they gain Asriel's trust to continue their plan. At one point, Asgore noticed Chara once had a sense of hope in their eyes. Despite this, much of Chara’s personality and intent is ambiguous.
There is evidence to suggest that some narration, as well as descriptions of certain actions and events, is by Chara themself. However, the narrator throughout the entirety of Undertale is up to speculation.
At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara behaves in a polite, formal, and terse manner. Chara's vocabulary is slightly above average, and they are blunt and criticizing in their dialogue.
After a second Genocide Route, Chara expresses confusion at the protagonist's "sentimentality," and states that they can no longer understand such emotions, implying that they, like Flowey, have lacked a SOUL, and thus emotions, since their death.
== Main Story ==
Chara can be first seen in the prologue cutscenes before starting Undertale. On the year 201X, Chara climbed Mt. Ebott and tripped over a root, which caused them to fall into the Ruins. During the fight against Asriel, a continuation of this scene can be seen, where Asriel helped Chara lift themself up after he heard their call for help.
Chara was adopted by Toriel and Asgore, the queen and king of the Underground. Chara and Asriel became not only siblings, but also best friends. Despite the war, Monsters also spoke of how Chara filled the Underground with hope. At an unspecified point, it is implied from the VHS tapes that Chara learned of the Delta Rune's prophecy. With Asriel's help, they began a plan to break the Barrier and free monsters from the Underground.
One day, after becoming terminally ill from consuming a Butterscotch Pie made with buttercups, Chara expressed the desire to see the Golden Flowers found in their home village. After their death, Chara's SOUL was absorbed by Asriel, and they shared control over his body. Chara carried their own corpse across the barrier and wanted to use their full power to destroy the humans that were attacking them. Asriel resisted Chara, which ultimately led to the humans killing both of them.
Chara's motives in this situation are uncertain. It is unclear if they favored either their hatred over humanity, to free monsters, or both.
Chara's body was originally laid to rest in a coffin in the basement of New Home's castle. After Asgore proclaimed a war against humans, Toriel left him, and took Chara's body to the Ruins to give them a proper burial.
=== Neutral Route ===
When the protagonist gets a Game Over, Asgore's voice is heard as he urges Chara to "stay determined."
In the Neutral Route, the protagonist also hears Chara's name in their dreams. If the protagonist sleeps in the bed in Toriel's Home, Asgore's voice can be heard as he pleads, "<Name>, please... Wake up! You are the future of humans and monsters." When the protagonist first falls onto the Golden Flowers in Waterfall's Garbage Dump, Asriel's first words to Chara appear on the screen, narrated with Asriel's voice bytes.
=== True Pacifist Route ===
In the True Lab, VHS tapes of Chara interacting with their family can be played back. These VHS tapes have audio and dialogue, but no visuals. Most of these tapes are of Asriel and Chara, and prove that Chara had a "plan." In one of the tapes, Asriel tells Chara to wake up and that "he doesn't like this plan anymore." Asgore's dialogue in VHS Tape 5 also mirrors what the protagonist can hear when they dream or get a Game Over.
At the start of Asriel's battle, he assumes the protagonist is Chara. In his final form, the protagonist calls out "someone else"'s name, and flashbacks of Chara and Asriel play. It depicts Chara's fall into the Underground, Asriel's discovery of Chara, and the royal family spending time with Chara. After the fight, Asriel acknowledges that the protagonist is not Chara.
During the epilogue, the protagonist may return to New Home's basement to inspect the coffins for the seven fallen humans. This leads to the discovery that all of the coffins are empty and that there are mummy wrappings at the bottom of Chara's coffin.
=== Genocide Route ===
While progressing in the Genocide Route, many characters do not acknowledge the protagonist as a human. Sans comments that it would be great if the protagonist continued pretending to be one, and Asgore inquires what kind of monster the protagonist is. Monsters such as Papyrus and Burgerpants also comment on the protagonist having dust on their hands and items. At the end of the Ruins and when going through New Home, Flowey determines that the protagonist is empty inside, just like himself. He concludes that the protagonist is Chara, and informs them of a plan he has to become omnipotent.
Chara makes the only in-person physical appearance at the end of the Genocide Route. They appear as an overworld sprite and speak into the fourth wall. It is unclear if Chara is speaking directly to the protagonist, the player, or both.
Chara reveals that the protagonist's "human soul" and "determination" were the cause of their reincarnation, and that the merciless events of the route lead Chara to realize their "purpose" of their awakening was power. Chara states they are the embodiment of the feeling received whenever STATS increase and proposes erasing the world and moving on to the next.
The protagonist is given the choices to "ERASE" the world, or "DO NOT." Both choices lead to the same result, and is the last chance for the player to avoid the consequences of post-genocide.
* If the protagonist chooses to "ERASE," Chara calls the protagonist "a great partner." Additionally, their eyes widen, and Chara says to the protagonist that they will be "together forever."
* If the protagonist chooses "DO NOT," Chara seems confused, but then seemingly shakes it off. Chara's eyes widen and they rhetorically ask the protagonist, "SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?" Afterward, a occurs, in which Chara approaches the screen with twisted laughter. The screen (or game window) shakes while a loud droning sound loops as the background flashes shades of red.
After the protagonist makes their choice, the red slash attack animation occurs, followed by red "9"s covering the screen. The additional effects during the red 9 screen vary from the PC and console versions, though the player cannot escape the game crash sequence with their keyboard/controller.
In the PC version, Undertale is forced into windowed mode and shakes similarly to a monster's death animation as the game closes. The player cannot exit the game before the crash unless they use their OS's Task Manager or Force Quit (on Mac), or even the red close button. In the console versions, the game is not allowed to go to the home menu screen to exit the game unless they turn off the console. After the red "9"s cover the screen, the screen blacks out for a while before restarting (on console versions) or immediately closes on its own (on PC versions).
Upon reopening the game, the screen is black and accompanied by a sound similar to howling wind. After 10 minutes, Chara speaks to the protagonist and is doubtful yet intrigued at the fact that the player wants to go back to the game's world. They remind the player that their actions caused the world's destruction, and after they ask the protagonist if they think they are above consequences, Chara offers to restore the world in exchange for something, later revealed to be the protagonist's SOUL.
* If the protagonist agrees to this trade, the world is restored, but the True Pacifist and Genocide endings are permanently altered.
* Refusing this offer causes Chara to abandon the protagonist, only to offer the same choice again after the game is restarted and another 10 minutes elapse.
== Post-Genocide Game ==
=== True Pacifist Route ===
If the Genocide Route has been completed beforehand, "Chara" appears in both endings after the True Pacifist Ending Credits.
thumb|Chara with red eyes at the end of a "Soulless Pacifist" run.
* If the protagonist chose to stay with Toriel, the after-credits scene continues briefly after Toriel closes the door. The right eye has a white spark effect, as Chara turns to face the screen with red eyes. The game cuts to black, with Photoshop Flowey's laugh playing at a lower pitch, presumably being Chara's laugh. The Undertale logo appears after, the "THE END" text underneath is red, and a slowed down version of Anticipation plays. The Annoying Dog does not appear to sleep under the ending screen.
* Similarly, if the protagonist decides to have "places to go," the photograph after the credits has the face of everyone crossed out in red, except for Chara's sprite, which replaces Frisk's. The "THE END" text is red, and a slowed down version of Anticipation plays. The Annoying Dog does not appear to sleep under the ending screen.
=== Genocide Route ===
After completing the Genocide Route a second time, Chara takes on the description of "the demon that comes when people call its name." Chara blames the player for destroying and recreating the world because of their perverted sentimentality, explains that the SOUL they currently hold resonates with strange feelings that they can no longer understand, and suggests that a different path should be taken should the world be recreated once more. Chara gives the protagonist the "choice" to erase the world again.
* If the protagonist chooses "ERASE," Chara once again calls the protagonist "a great partner," saying they will be together forever.
* Choosing "DO NOT" causes Chara to tell the protagonist that these feelings were exactly what they were just talking about. Chara then reminds the protagonist they made their choice a long time ago, causing another jump scare, as the world is destroyed again. 
However, regardless of the choice, as Chara already has the protagonist's SOUL and is fully aware of the events before, when the game is rebooted, the game loads normally. 
== Relationships ==
=== Asriel Dreemurr ===
Chara and Asriel were siblings and best friends, and the two often spent time playing in New Home's garden. Chara was also the only one that understood him. It is implied Chara trusted Asriel enough to explain why they had climbed Mount Ebott, though they do not explain their hatred for humanity. Chara also occasionally played tricks on Asriel, such as scaring him with their "creepy face" smile. In VHS Tape 4, it is implied Chara told Asriel that "big kids don't cry" when he admitted to disliking their "plan."
At the end of the Genocide Route, Chara says little about Asriel's resistance that caused their death, and only expresses confusion.
=== Toriel ===
Toriel took on the role of Chara's adoptive mother. It is implied that Chara may have favored Toriel more than Asgore, as they greet with "greetings," similar to Toriel. Chara was embarrassed by Toriel and Asgore's public affections.
=== Asgore ===
Asgore took on the role of Chara's adoptive father. Chara was embarrassed by Asgore and Toriel's public affections. When Asgore was accidentally poisoned from the buttercup flowers, Chara laughed in response, though it is unclear if their reaction was a coping mechanism. While Asgore noticed Chara had a feeling of hope in their eyes, it is unclear if Asgore's hopes and expectations had motivated Chara to try to fulfill Delta Rune's prophecy.
In the Genocide Route, Flowey is certain that Chara can convince Asgore to show the captured six human SOULs.
=== Flowey ===
Flowey perceives Chara as his partner and best friend. Flowey adapted the "kill or be killed" outlook of the world after their deaths. 
In the Genocide Route, Flowey belatedly realizes that due to being soulless, Chara would never give him any "worthless pity," and would not hesitate to kill him. The protagonist's actions at the end of the Genocide Route could be seen as Chara not having any empathy for Flowey. They react to Flowey with a "creepy face" when he decides he no longer likes his ideas, and repeatedly attacks with a red slash animation when Flowey begs to not be killed for his betrayal and for warning Asgore.
=== The Protagonist ===
The protagonist only meets Chara directly if the Genocide Route is completed. As the protagonist kills monsters and gains more EXP, Chara, or something, seems to grow stronger. "Chara" refers to the protagonist as a "partner" if the player accepts their offer to erase the world. Otherwise, Chara briefly leaves them in the abyss, then condemns them for their actions in the Underground.
If the protagonist completes another Genocide Route, Chara questions why they continuously recreate and destroy the world. Chara admits they no longer understand the protagonist's feelings and behavior, and suggests it must be driven by a "perverted sentimentality."
== Chara In-Game ==
The narration dialogue, both regular and parentheses, can occasionally appear as if it is Chara's voice and thoughts. These narrations are sometimes, but not always, red in color. The narration of various objects also changes depending on the route, primarily in Asgore's Home. Chara's associated items, Heart Locket and Worn Dagger, becomes The Locket and Real Knife in the Genocide Route.
== Dialogue ==
=== Genocide Route Ending ===
* Greetings.
* I am <Name>.
* Thank you.
* Your power awakened me from death.
* My "human soul."
* My "determination."
* They were not mine, but YOURS.
* At first, I was so confused.
* Our plan had failed, hadn't it?
* Why was I brought back to life?
* ...
* You.
* With your guidance.
* I realized the purpose of my reincarnation.
* Power.
* Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong.
* HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV.
* Every time a number increases, that feeling...
* That's me.
* "<Name>."
* Now.
* Now, we have reached the absolute.
* There is nothing left for us here.
* Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next.
* [ERASE]
** Right. You are a great partner.
** We'll be together forever, won't we?
* [DO NOT]
** No...?
** Hmm...
** How curious.
** You must have misunderstood.
** SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE IN CONTROL?
==== Abyss ====
* Interesting.
* You want to go back.
* You want to go back to the world you destroyed.
* It was you who pushed everything to its edge.
* It was you who led the world to its destruction.
* But you cannot accept it.
* You think you are above consequences.
* Exactly. [Yes]
* Then what are you looking for? [No]
* Perhaps.
* We can reach a compromise.
* You still have something I want.
* Give it to me.
* And I will bring this world back.
* [Yes]
** Then it is agreed.
** You will give me your SOUL.
** [Yes]
*** ...
*** Then, it is done.
* Then stay here for all eternity. [No]
=== Second Genocide Route Ending ===
* Greetings.
* I am <Name>.
* "<Name>."
* The demon that comes when people call its name.
* It doesn't matter when.
* It doesn't matter where.
* Time after time, I will appear.
* And, with your help.
* We will eradicate the enemy and become strong.
* HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV.
* Every time a number increases, that feeling...
* That's me.
* "<Name>."
* ...
* But.
* You and I are not the same, are we?
* This SOUL resonates with a strange feeling.
* There is a reason you continue to recreate this world.
* There is a reason you continue to destroy it.
* You.
* You are wracked with a perverted sentimentality.
* Hmm.
* I cannot understand these feelings any more.
* Despite this.
* I feel obligated to suggest.
* Should you choose to create this world once more.
* Another path would be better suited.
* Now, partner.
* Let us send this world back into the abyss.
* [ERASE]
** Right. You are a great partner.
** We'll be together forever, won't we?
* [DO NOT]
** No...?
** Hmm... This feeling you have.
** This is what I spoke of.
** Unfortunately, regarding this...
** YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE LONG AGO.
== Gallery ==
 Chara tarot.png | Chara's tarot card (titled "??????"Distorted title "Fallen".) as Major Arcana XV "The Devil"
== Trivia ==
* The child being "fallen" can refer both to the child having fallen into the Underground, or to the phrase "to fall from grace" (to become morally corrupt). It is also a word used to describe someone who has died.
* Toby Fox suggests naming the fallen human with the player's own name. However, Toby also replied to his Tweet with "I mean, if you can't think of anything else lol."
* "Chara" is likely short for "Character," as all internal references of either Frisk (mainchara) or Chara (truechara) use "chara."
** The official Japanese translation of the game translates Chara's name as "キャラ Kyara". This matches the katakana for the English word "character", which is written as "キャラクター Kyarakutā".
** "Chara" is an alternate spelling of "Cara" and "Kara", both names having their roots in Latin, meaning "darling," "beloved," "dear" or "loved one."
* When attempting to name the fallen child "Chara," the response becomes "The true name." Removing the name from a SAVE file results in the name "CHARA" being given by default. These are the only two instances where the name "Chara" appears in-game.
* Chara is referred to with singular "they/them" pronouns.
* Chara is implied to like chocolate; in the Genocide Route, should the protagonist check the refrigerator in Asgore's Home, the text reads "No chocolate."
** While there is no chocolate in Asgore's home, there is a bar of chocolate in the fridge in Toriel's Home; it is possible Toriel kept it in her fridge in memory of Chara's tastes.
** It is also implied that Chara has an interest in knives, as the text upon inspecting Toriel's kitchen in the Genocide Route reads "Where are the knives." This is further evidenced by the Real Knife.
* Chara's clothes color, cream and green, is a color negative of the protagonist's blue and magenta.
* Chara is the only character whose dialogue is never accompanied by voice bytes.
* Toriel and Chara both greet new figures using "greetings" (Toriel to the protagonist at the beginning of the game, Chara to the protagonist at the end of the Genocide Route). It is likely Chara assimilated this behavior from Toriel.
* The music as Chara introduces themself to the protagonist has the filename mus_zzz_c, with the jump scare music named mus_zzz_c2.
* In the Japanese translation, Chara uses "watashi" and "jibun" for themself and refers to a person using "omae". Their speech is also written in "proper" Japanese, that is to say, it employs a standard level of kanji usage (Chinese characters), which puts it in stark contrast with the rest of the game, which hardly ever uses kanji in its text. This gives their speech an air of high formality.
* In the Undertale Greenlight Trailer, Chara's name appears in some of the battle shots.
* Within the game files, there are look-alikes of Chara with their yellow-and-green shirt and pants, with a different skin tone and lacking a face but having shading under the eyes. In debug mode, it is possible to have these sprites appear as the protagonist's reflection in puddles and mirrors; it has been speculated that this was going to be a feature in post-Genocide Route timelines.
** This sprite bears a resemblance to the character Kris, the protagonist of Toby Fox's later game Deltarune. It is possible this was an early prototype design of the character, as Deltarune was planned since before the release of Undertale.
* It is implied in the scrapped Undertale Alarm Clock dialogue that Chara overfilled their glass of water, as it was "the most efficient way to fill it," and Asriel adopted that method.
* On Undertale's 9th anniversary, the 7th issue of the Undertale/Deltarune Newsletter contains a letter at the end of the issue, and is implied to be Asriel's letter on 9 being Chara's favorite number. The letter describes that "there isn't a number that's higher" and that “If everything gets high enough, You become invincible. Nothing can hurt you anymore. Nothing can hurt anyone anymore.”Letter, Toby Fox's Fangamer page
* Chara at the end of Genocide Route may be inspired by Live A Live's Oersted, a fallen hero who eventually became Odio, the Lord of Dark:
** Both Chara and Oersted are seen as the kingdom's shining hope for salvation, however both of them were driven to fall from grace and had everything they care about taken away from them, which drove them to proclaim themselves as demons.
** Chara's hatred for humanity is also a trait shared with Odio.
** Chara's final attack in the Genocide Route is similar to Odio's Armageddon, which is his final move to erase existence.
== Notes ==
== References ==
cs:Chara
de:Chara
es:Chara
fi:Chara
fr:Chara
ja:Chara
pl:Chara
pt-br:Chara
ru:Чара
tr:Chara
uk:Чара
zh:Chara
Category:Main characters