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| “ | i'm sans. sans the skeleton. | „ |
| ~ Sans introducing himself. |
| “ | take care of yourself, kid. 'cause someone really cares about you. | „ |
| ~ Sans motivating Frisk. |
Sans the Skeleton is one of the two deuteragonists (alongside his brother Papyrus) of the 2015 indie RPG Undertale and a supporting character in it's 2018 episodic parallel story, Deltarune.
He is a skeleton and older brother of Papyrus. Lazy but with a love for humor, Sans barely helps his brother capture Frisk and instead spends most of the Snowdin area serving as a comic relief friend. In the Genocide Route, however, it's revealed Sans harbors deep power and knowledge about the Underground that leaves him a depressed, nihilistic wreck that is too apathetic to intervene when anything bad happens.
Quick Answers
What is Sans' role in the Genocide Route of Undertale?
How does Sans' humor contrast with his hidden powers?
What makes Sans a fan-favorite character in Undertale?
How does Sans' relationship with Papyrus affect the story?
What is the significance of Sans' knowledge about the Underground?
Appearance[]
Sans is an extremely short and big-boned skeleton that wears mittens, a blue hoodie that is unzipped at all times with a white tank-top underneath, black shorts with white strips, and salmon slippers (according to his official Fangamer plushie and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mii Gunner costume). He has a huge round skull shaped similarly to a slice of bread and has large bags under his eye sockets, which have white glowing pupils floating in it. He is seen with a very large toothy grin at all times, and hardly moves the corners of his mouth.
His white pupils tend to disappear when he is serious or angry, and a bright cyan and yellow iris flashes in his left eye during the battle against him when he uses telekinesis.
Personality[]
Sans is shown to be very laid-back and flippant, sleeping on the job as often as he takes breaks. He does just enough work to avoid being fired by Undyne. He enjoys making bad puns, usually relating to skeletons, to the annoyance of his brother. He is kind and reassuring, but becomes eerily serious at abrupt moments (particularly when angry). He deeply cares for and admires his brother, Papyrus, and reads him bedtime stories. He likes to mess with Papyrus, as he sends him "bad puns in a goofy font" 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. In some Neutral Endings, Sans is afraid to tell Papyrus about other characters' deaths, so he lies about them going on a vacation.
He is also very observant, and his lines and actions change the most through the path and the way of playing the game. He knows the number of times he had defeated the player (in Genocide Route). He tends to say he hates to make promises, this is likely a result of having to harm a human, as he promised Toriel he would protect humans. He will deeply resent Frisk if they kill Papyrus. In the same case, he also seems to go missing, nowhere to be found until the end of the game.
Despite this, he only fights Frisk on a Genocide Route, when they are a threat to the timelines. This is possibly due to his promise to Toriel to protect humans, as killing Frisk would obviously break the promise and he figures he has no choice but to do so on a Genocide Route.
His laziness is noted again during the final fight in the Genocide Route - he is unsure if being somewhat aware of the timeline resetting has broken his spirit, knowing that everything he does will mean nothing... or if he's just using it as an excuse to slack off. He also seems to be quite patient, as shown by his willingness to use his "Special Attack" (which is nothing) until the end of time in order to bore the protagonist into quitting the game.
As shown during his fight on a Genocide Route, Sans isn't above using underhanded tactics in battle, as shown when he tries to manipulate Frisk into sparing him, then killing them if they yield. Granted, Sans knew that Frisk would very likely end all timelines if they get past him, so this may be out of desperation to stop them, or out of spite for their murder of Papyrus and other monsters.
Somehow, Sans knows that he's really in a video game, because if the player gets an "Impossible Ending" by somehow meeting none of the requirements for completing Undertale or by hacking the game, Sans will explain in his phone call that the call is an error-handling message and will suggest contacting the developer so he can fix it or add another ending. Sans then says "chances are, though... you're just a dirty hacker, aren't you? yeah, get outta here" before hanging up.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Genius-Level Intelligence: Despite being the comedic relief of the game, Sans has shown to be extremely intelligent, as evidenced by the multiple quantum physics books he owns, his secret workshop, his affinity for science and space (as stated by Papyrus), and his timeline research. He is also shown to be exceptionally observant as he reads the protagonist's expressions to tell their emotions and can often tell when they have already done certain tasks.
- Teleportation: Sans can quickly travel or teleport using what he calls "Shortcut".
- Skeleton Physiology: Sans is a living skeleton.
- Temperature Immunity: Sans can survive in the freeing cold of Snowdin and the boiling heat of Hotland with no problem.
- Gravity Manipulation: Sans can throw you around the walls of the Bullet Board using telekinesis and make you heavier by turning your soul blue.
- Gaster Blasters: Sans can fight by summoning and moving telekinetically magical dragon-like skulls that can activate and make them shoot a blue laser.
- Time Manipulation: In the Grillby's pub Sans will stop time around himself and Frisk to ask them "have you ever heard of a talking flower?".
- Deception: Sans is an expert at tricking people into his pranks such as using whoopee cushions in unexpected places, sharing an unscrewed ketchup bottle, eye painting a telescope, and the most extreme example, pranking you across time and space. However there is a more lethal version of his deceptive skills as he lulls you into a false sense of security by pretending to give you a hug so that he can kill you in the Genocide run, ending the run by saying "geeettttttt dunked on!!!".
- Clairvoyance: Sans is able to sense the EXP (Execution points) and LOVE (Level of Violence) of Frisk at the end of the game.
- Rule Bending: Sans is able to break the rules of Undertale's battle system by dodging your attacks and attacking outside of the Bullet Board. Sans's agility is presumably what allowed him to best Flowey, who admits that Sans has forced him to reset numerous times.
- Bone Manipulation: Sans can create an apparently limitless amount of bones of various sizes that damage you if you collide with them.
- Karmic Retribution: In Sans's final boss fight when you get hit by an attack your HP will be under a poison like effect because of the LOVE you have collected.
- Aerokinesis (Possibly): Sans may have the ability to manipulate wind as shown by the self-sustaining tornado in his room made of garbage (however this may be explained by Sans's gravity manipulation power).
- Indomitable Willpower: Sans possesses a strong willpower by single-handedly saving the timeline from various reset attempts from Flowey prior to the events of the game and even putting himself at risk of trying to talk sense to the player to change their root.
Other media[]
Deltarune[]
Sans, like many other characters from Undertale, returns as a resident of Hometown in Deltarune, being one of the many friendly faces living in the neighbourhood of Kris Dreemur. He lives in an identical replica of his house from Snowdin, as well as running a grocery store right next door. This grocery store, on the outside, is identical to Grillby's, albeit with the first seven letters scribbled out and "ans" written after the S.
Chapter 1[]
Kris can talk to Sans while walking home from school, who is standing outside his shop. Sans will tell Kris that them and his brother would get along well, and should Kris bring up their mother, Toriel, Sans will say that he "befriended" their mother last night.
Chapter 2[]
Sans can once again be seen after the main adventure, actually running his shop this time, and flirting with Toriel.
Chapter 3[]
Sans isn't seen in Chapter 3, although his explanation of Blue Attacks from Undertale is referenced when Tenna says "stop", which is stylized as a blue stop-sign.
Chapter 4[]
After attending church, Kris (now with Susie in tow) can once again spot Sans standing outside his shop. Susie asks if he's open, but Sans says he's closed despite having an "OPEN" sign in the window. Susie tells him to change it, and Sans will change it to "CLOPEN". If told to change it again, Sans will change it to a sign of his face, prompting Susie to refuse to indulge Sans' nonsense any further. He can later be seen selling cattail "hot dogs" like his previous counterpart, something so disgusting even Susie refuses to eat it. Seeing as he quickly warps between the two panels, it's possible that this is a sign Sans retains his teleportation powers.
After their adventure in the "Dark World" at the church, Susie will ask Kris if she can sleep over at their place again, but will quickly change her mind when the two come home and find Sans & Toriel drinking and dancing together. Sans tries to invite them to unwind with him but Kris, looking more mortified than at any other point in the game, goes to bed, unable to sleep well as Toriel and Sans continue "hanging out" downstairs.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Sans was added in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a downloadable costume for the Mii Gunner character in Wave 3. He uses a Gaster Blaster as his arm cannon. (Which has received universal acclaim)
Theme[]
MEGALOVANIA[]
Quotes[]
Neutral Route
| “ | Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand. | „ |
| ~ Sans' first words and encounter with Frisk. |
| “ | heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny. | „ |
| ~ Sans pranking Frisk with a whoopee cushion in his hand. |
| “ | anyways, you're a human, right? that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm supposed to be on the watch for humans right now. but... y'know... i don't really care about capturing anybody. now my brother, papyrus... he's a human hunting FANATIC. hey, actually, i think that's him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate thingy. yeah, go right through them. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone. | „ |
| ~ Sans introducing himself to Frisk. |
| “ | Sans: 'sup, bro? Papyrus: YOU KNOW WHAT'S "SUP" BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS ANY YOU STILL HAVEN'T... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?! Sans: staring at this lamp. it's really cool. do you wanna look? Papyrus: NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?! I WANT TO BE READY!!! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! RESPECT... RECOGNITION... I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY "FRIEND?" AND I WILL ACCEPT WITH VERVE! I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING. Sans: hmm... well, maybe this lamp could help you. Papyrus: SANS!!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!!! YOU LAZYBONES!!! Sans: hey, take it easy. i've gotten a ton of work done today. a skele-ton. (rimshot) Papyrus: SANS!!! Sans: come on, you're smiling. Papyrus: I AM AND I HATE IT! SIGH... WHY MUST SOME AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION... Sans: wow. sounds like you're really working yourself... down to the bone. (rimshot) Papyrus: UGH!! I SHALL REATTEND TO MY TRAPS... AS FOR YOUR WORK...? PUT A LITTLE MORE... "BACKBONE" INTO IT!!!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!! HEH! |
„ |
| ~ Sans' conversation with Papyrus. |
| “ | The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you'll meet the king. Together... You will determine the future of this world. | „ |
| ~ Sans's introduction in the Last Corridor. |
| “ | you never gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naïve. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced... you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a smile. you never gained LOVE, but you gained love. does that make sense? maybe not... | „ |
| ~ Sans if Frisk never killed anyone through a Neutral Route |
Genocide Route
| “ | heya. you've been busy, huh? ... so, I've got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change...? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try? heh heh heh heh... all right. well, here's a better question. do you wanna have a bad time? cause if you take another step forward... you are REALLY not going to like what happens next. welp. sorry, old lady. this is why I never make promises. | „ |
| ~ Sans before fighting Frisk/Chara in the Genocide Route -also his most famous quote. |
| “ | it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming... on days like these, kids like you... Should be burning in hell. | „ |
| ~ Sans before using his first attack and effectively beginning his battle against Frisk/Chara. -also his second most famous quote. |
| “ | you can't understand how this feels. knowing that one day, without any warning... it's all going to be reset. look. i gave up trying to go back a long time ago. and getting to the surface doesn't really appeal anymore, either. 'cause even if we do... we'll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right? to be blunt... it makes it kind of hard to give it my all. ... or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy...? hell if I know. | „ |
| ~ Sans revealing his knowledge of the Resets and the truth behind his lazy demeanor |
| “ | all I know is... seeing what comes next... i can't afford not to care anymore. ugh... that being said... you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh? ... listen. i know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been... a friend? c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening... let's forget all of this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier. | „ |
| ~ Sans trying to convince Frisk/Chara to stand down. |
| “ | .. you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you've worked up to. i want you to know... i won't let it go to waste. ... c'mere, pal. | „ |
| ~ Sans killing Frisk/Chara if they spare him. |
| “ | geeettttttt dunked on!!! if we're really friends... you won't come back. | „ |
| ~ Sans on the game over screen if they spare him. |
| “ | welp, it was worth a shot. guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?/woah, you look REALLY pissed off... heheheh... did i getcha? well, if you came back anyway... i guess that means we never really WERE friends, huh? heh. don't tell that to the other sans-es, okay? | „ |
| ~ Sans if the player does not spare him. |
| “ | i know your type. you're, uh, very determined, aren't you? you'll never give up, even if there's, uh... absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever. if i can make that clear. no matter what, you'll just keep going. not out of any desire for good or evil... but just because you think you can. and because you "can"... ... you "have to". but now, you've reached the end. there is nothing left for you now. so, uh, in my personal opinion... the most "determined" thing you can do here? is to, uh, completely give up. and... (yawn) do literally anything else. | „ |
| ~ Sans to the trapped protagonist. |
| “ | ... ... ... so... guess that's it, huh? ... just... don't say i didn't warn you. welp. i'm going to grillby's. papyrus, do you want anything? | „ |
| ~ Sans last words before he dies in the Genocide Route. |
Trivia[]
- Sans's boss fight is widely considered by fans to be the hardest boss fight in the game despite only having 1 HP, 1 AT and 1DF and the game literally describing him as "The easiest enemy. Can only deal 1 damage."
- Sans is the only enemy in the game who starts his turn before Frisk does in battle, which can catch unwary players off-guard. He is also the only enemy who dies off-screen after his battle, which can lead people to question whether or not he really died.
- This theory is debunked by Frisk becoming stronger after the fight, meaning they gained EXP from his death. The monster death sound effect also plays shortly after he leaves the screen, displaying that he did turn to dust.
- Sans is the only enemy in the game who starts his turn before Frisk does in battle, which can catch unwary players off-guard. He is also the only enemy who dies off-screen after his battle, which can lead people to question whether or not he really died.
- Sans will count your deaths if you die against him up until the number 13.
- According to Papyrus, Sans has a pet rock that he forgets to feed. You can actually see it in their house, where it appears to be covered in sugar sprinkles which means Sans puts at least some effort into feeding it.
- If Papyrus is killed, Sans won't appear at all until the Last Corridor. In the same case, a flavor text in Shyren's battle mentions that a hooded figure is watching the battle from afar. Given that this text only appears if Papyrus is dead, the hooded figure is most likely Sans, showing how he deeply cares for his little brother
- Sans's dialogue is shown in all lowercases, not even capitalizing sentence starters and names, with a few exceptions. This probably represents his laziness.
- His name is also a pun on the Comic Sans font, as that is used whenever he speaks.
- Sans occasionally speaks in the Sans Serif font, usually when trying to get a serious point across. When this happens, Sans's text includes capital letters, appears on screen slower and with no sound. Notable instances of this include Sans's line "You'd be dead where you stand." and the start of his judgement.
- If Frisk spares Papyrus instead of killing him, Sans will appear in Hotland, selling hot dogs. The second hot dog bought will be a hot cat instead. If Frisk tries to buy one when their inventory is full, Sans will start stacking hot dogs on their head, free of charge. He will do this up to 30 times. In one of the endings, it's revealed the hot dog stand is illegal.
- Sans is implied to have a scientific background, as he has a book about quantum physics, a lab behind his and Papyrus's house, is implied have history with Alphys, owns a telescope and mentions researching into the spacetime continuum. As well as that, he uses Gaster Blasters in combat, which may be related to W.D. Gaster, the former royal scientist who was "lost across time and space" following an experiment backfiring.
- The snails on the Blook Family Snail Farm remind Papyrus of Sans, as according to him, they, like him, are round, slow and "constantly emitting slime".
- Unlike Papyrus, Sans is never seen moving or opening his mouth, even when drinking ketchup. This, combined with other unusual moments such as where Sans bleeds when he's struck down in the Genocide run, seems to indicate Sans is not a normal monster.
- Some have theorized that instead of Sans bleeding actual blood, he instead bleeds ketchup, since he apparently drinks so much of it, or possibly determination. If the latter part is true, then Sans is the only monster other than Undyne who is able to contain determination without melting. That said, determination was never stated to be red, and monster food (like Sans' ketchup) turns into magic the second it is eaten, making both possibilities unlikely, though he could have eaten human ketchup which washed up in Waterfall.
- It's also theorized Sans is a dimension-traveler from the world of Deltarune, where monsters are implied to bleed. If confirmed, that would make Deltarune a prequel to Undertale.
- Sans's battle theme, "MEGALOVANIA", did not originate from Undertale. Toby Fox originally composed it for his Halloween hack of Earthbound. He later used another version for the webcomic "Homestuck", before using yet another different version for Undertale. It was then remixed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- According to Papyrus, Sans is somehow able to man two sentry stations at once and, as such, slacks off twice as much.
- This is most likely thanks to the usage of his "shortcuts".
- Papyrus mentions in a phone call that Sans' illegal hot dog stand in Hotland is actually one of his sentry stations, but he sells hot dogs instead of doing his job.
- Despite being the main antagonist on the Genocide Route, Sans only appears throughout Snowdin and when Frisk confronts him in the Last Corridor.
- It is implied that Sans has fought Flowey on multiple occasions and won prior to the game's beginning, as at the ending of a neutral route Flowey warns Frisk to not let him find out anything about them in a nervous manner. This hints that Sans caught on to Flowey's nonstop circle of resets and decided to do something about it.
- Many fans believe that Sans's voice was made with a sample of Patrick Star's voice saying "Maybe its the way you're dressed."
- Kenny Omega from a wrestling program wore a Sans costume on Halloween of 2019 and referenced Undertale in his entrance.
- Sakurai himself from Nintendo stated that Sans is a highly requested character to be in Super Smash Bros.
- Sans is considered one of the most famous indie video game characters.
- The theme that plays during the fight with him, "MEGALOVANIA", has became a popular internet meme.
- There are a few connections between Sans (and by extension Papyrus) and Gaster, the Royal Scientist before Alphys.
- Sans, Papyrus and Gaster are named after fonts (Sans is after Comic Sans, Papyrus after Papyrus, and Gaster's full name is W.D. Gaster, with W.D. presumably standing for WingDings and Gaster is presumably after Aster).
- As an extension to the latter, all three have their own fonts (Sans has Comic Sans, Papyrus has Papyrus and Gaster has WingDings).
- Sans outright has a weapon called a Gaster Blaster. Papyrus is implied to have Gaster Blasters as well.
- Sans has a scientific background, which might connect him to Gaster.
- Sans has gained a lot of popularity across the entire Undertale fandom, because of his faking personality, and enigmatic history of both his past, and present. Fans have made several spin-off animated series' and games where Sans is the main protagonist. Normally the stories of these center around these alternate versions of himself the most.
- Currently, fans have started to create animations and comics where the original Sans made multiple crossovers with his counterparts.
- Some fans have theorized that Sans seemingly has hidden powers, which would make him the strongest monster in the Underground.
- Others have theorized that Sans can warp space and time, which is supported by Papyrus claiming he regularly pranks people across time and space.
- In the Steven Universe episode, "Steven's Dream", Steven wears a coat that is almost identical to Sans' coat.
- In chapter 1 of Deltarune, you can talk to Sans near the end of the game at his grocery store. One of the subjects you can discuss is Toriel, who is the player's adoptive mother in the game, to which Sans responds, "I've already befriended your mom last night", causing many fans to believe that he may have hooked up with her; despite this, he immediately clarifies she just visited his shop last night and bought some chocolate. When the two interact in Chapter 2, it's shown they get along and exchange puns before Asgore intervenes.
- Sans was voted "#1 Sexy Tumblr Man" on Twitter in Summer of 2022, alongside Queen from Deltarune, who was voted "#1 Sexy Tumblr Woman". He won against Arataka Reigen in the final round with 50.1% of the vote.
- Toby Fox himself has acknowledged the poll by writing a short fan fiction in the replies, comedically dramatizing Reigen's attempts at surpassing Sans in the poll.
- Coincidentally, Queen Elizabeth II of England passed away just a day later, causing Undertale fans to joke that "the Sans Sweep" was so strong it killed her.
- If the player attempts to name themselves "sans" in the beginning, they will receive a response that reads "nope", seemingly from Sans himself. Strangely, typing in the same word with proper capitalization or in all uppercases, this will not trigger.
- According to some additional comics on Fangamer, Sans will help Grillby run the bar when he's absent, though he tends to prank patrons with his sense of humor.
- If Kris attempts to play Sans's boss theme "MEGALOVANIA" on the organ in the First Sanctuary, the Annoying Dog will run over them in a plastic toy car. Afterwards, the fourth note of the song becomes a key slam, preventing it from being played again.
- On 9th Feb 2016 famous theorist Matpat posted a video speculating that sans and ness were one in the same, quickly becoming a widespread joke in the community.
External Links[]
- Sans on the Near Pure Good Wiki
- Sans on the Undertale Wiki
- Sans on the Super Smash Bros. Wiki
- Sans on the Guile Heroes Wiki
- Sans on the Wikipedia
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Undertale Deltarune | ||
