each fallen human has a specifically coloured soul associated with them. these colours can be seen on the coffins in new home, asgoreâs soul containers, and the photoshop flowey boss battle. little is known about these souls, but what can be inferred is that each soul colour represents a unique trait. accessing this information requires multiple rounds of âball gameâ in the snowdin forest. if the game is completed fast enough and the red flag is obtained, the following message appears.
however, red soulâs trait is never mentioned. or is it?
determination is not a trait
before exploring the red soulâs trait, itâs time to explain why determination is not the red soulâs trait. while it is a popular choice, it ultimately does not work for a few reasons. unlike the other traits, every human soul has determination.Â
rather than being a trait, determination is more akin to willpower or resolve. itâs a power that gives human souls âthe strength to persist after death.â furthermore, this determination is extracted from the six human souls and injected into a golden flower, bringing flowey to life and giving him the power to control the undergroundâs timeline. this same power is what gives the humans the power to save and load.
unlike all the other traits, determination is inherently inside all humans. furthermore, âdeterminationâ is never mentioned in the ball game. itâs also never specifically linked with the red soul nor is it ever written in red text. the word âdeterminationâ is only written in white or yellow.Â
there is nothing that suggests determination is an exclusive trait to the red soul. it is merely a component in all the coloured human souls.
» read more: determination is yellow
the different soul colours each represent their own positive traits according to âball game.â the first time the red flag is achieved, the following message appears.
these are the positive traits of all the souls besides the red soul. when the ball game is won a second time in the conditions for the red flag, a new message appears.
itâs important to note that the ball game can only be played as long as snowdin is not cleared of monsters. if genocide is successful in snowdin, then the snowball will be gone, rendering the ball game useless. this is the only time the ball game cannot be played. in the neutral and pacifist routes, the game can be played even after reaching snowdin or after defeating papyrus.
from the red flag, the phrase âbe yourselfâ is important. the idea of âbeing yourselfâ is seen repeatedly throughout the game, so long as the genocide route is not in motion. if frisk is still on the neutral route, frisk can look into the mirror in torielâs home, and the following is said:
in new home, frisk can look into a second mirror and see the following:
this text appears in every route, except the genocide route. whether this is a reflection of frisk is up to interpretation.
in a pacifist route, after defeating asriel, frisk can look into the mirror in home once more to see this:
one of the most important elements of the pacifist route is the reveal of the protagonistâs true name, frisk. it highlights how friskâs identity, or even their true self, is only revealed at the end of a pacifist route.
in contrast, the genocide route makes it clear that frisk is not themself from the start.
the red soulâs trait: being yourself
ultimately, the ball game holds the most important clue. the statement seems rather vague, until the one-word limitation is removed and the trait is seen as a phrase.
âbeing yourselfâ is seen in two ways in the context of undertale. the first is more obvious, with the phrase referring to how frisk is only themself in the neutral route and pacifist route. once the genocide route is in motion, frisk is no longer in predominant control â chara is. interestingly enough, when chara is in control during the genocide route and the snowdin forest is cleared, the ball game is unavailable, perhaps highlighting the fact that frisk is no longer truly themself.
the second way the virtue of âbeing yourselfâ is used in game is by its definition. âbeing oneselfâ means to be genuine, honest, or true to oneâs character. along with determination, it is what allows frisk to keep going, especially in the pacifist route. sans alludes to this when he judges frisk in the last corridor.
âso as long as you do whatâs in your heartâ can be seen as another way to say âbe true to yourself.â there is another reference to this trait in sansâ judgment should frisk have killed any monster.
while subtle, sans stresses the importance of being true to âyourself,â even in the face of committing a terrible crime.
âbeing yourselfâ may seem synonymous with integrity, but there is a difference. integrity is defined as âthe quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.â while both are a quality of being honest, there is a difference to what that honesty is towards. those with integrity are righteous, fair, and of good character. however, integrity is not needed to be yourself. being yourself is to stay true to who you are, regardless of what that may be. perhaps a word for this could be âindividuality,â ânonconformity,â or âsincerity.â
while the other soul virtues are clearly defined by their colour coded trait, the red soul remains much more ambiguous. perhaps this is because frisk, chara, and the player persist as such different individuals despite being intrinsically linked, therefore the common trait between them can only be just that: their individual âtrueâ self.
