Roaring Amalgam Theory

This blog is dedicated to spreading the theory that Deltarune's Roaring Knight is an amalgam

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

What is the Roaring Knight?

Who the knight is can be very hotly debated, but what exactly is it?

The knight is different to both lightners and darkners. It seems to be made of shadow, but is also so much more then that

I think that this is genuinely one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the knight, which is why I made a video on the exact topic

If this is a question you also have, feel free to check it out!

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

The Vessel

I really quickly want to explain why I think that Kris does not have their original soul anymore. IDK some people have issue with this part of Roaring Amalgam Theory, but I feel like the answer is simpler then expected

(Spoilers and speculation ahead obs, especially for Chapter 5)

I think its totally fair to try and say that the soul is Kris'. I am not someone who ever excelled in English or Lit, but I have heard some really well-spun reasoning for this theory. I get that everyone has a different mode of analysis, and this is not me trying to dunk on anyone who has different thoughts then me. The way that I analyse Deltarune is basically only to prove that Roaring Amalgam Theory exists, which is extremely narrow and maybe means that I miss some of the cooler symbolism stuff.

But, I think its pretty clear that the soul that we control Kris through is not their own, is a completely separate entity from them, and is possessing them in a kinda supernatural way.

The main reason I lean towards this thinking is the specific language of Kris as a vessel. In the Chapter 4 prophecy, they are not defined as who they are, but what they contain, a human soul. They are an incubator for this powerful thing, carrying it to its final destination. Maybe this is just me, but this language makes Kris seem more like a temporary container then another part of this hugely important object.

I also think that there's a lot of suggestion that the soul is infernal in some way. In 'Raise up your Bats', there's a reference to a "demon heart", and Kris and Catti are followed by an conjuring attempt they made when they were younger. I feel like this kinda suggests that the soul possessed Kris (not the best wording, but I feel like you get the vibe from the evidence)

Finally, I think the clearest indication is that Kris is recognised as no longer being themself. As stated in the Chapter 5 weird route, they are no longer Kris doing Kris things. They've changed. People have noticed. I can understand how some people could interpret this in different ways before Chapter 5, but this is as explicit as it gets. Whatever is controlling Kris is not them.

Some may be asking where I think this original soul went, but if you are in any way familiar with Roaring Amalgam Theory, you'll know that I believe that it was used as the powerful determination that turned Dess into the knight.

At the start of Chapter 5, we see that Kris is unusually green and morose, a clear indication that they cannot survive without a soul for an extended period of time. Maybe they made a bargain, extended life if they held onto something important. Maybe they could be themself for a while longer, maybe several years passed where they were in complete control of who they were. But a bargain with a demon always comes at a cost. At a certain time, they would lose this autonomy, their mind still their own, but their actions now in the hands of another, acting for the goals of another.

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Roaring Amalgam Theory is something that I believe is true, but I see so many ways that it could play out

(Spoilers and speculation ahead obs, especially for Chapter 5)

Deltarune is not a complete story. At a bare minimum, there are two chapters of the main game left, excluding all of the extra content that the weird route provides. This means that, as someone who theorises about the game, it is in my interest to be flexible with my theories, and try and find many ways that they could be true

To me, its quite clear that the knight is an amalgam. If you have not heard this theory before, I will explain it in short here, but I would also recommend the video pinned on my page (made before Chapter 5 (not that Chapter 5 really changed much about the core of the theory, its just important to note))

Briefly, the knight is significantly distinct from other lightners and darkners. It can change its shape at will, unlike those who's form is set in the darkness, similar to the melted form of the amalgamates in the Undertale True Lab. I lend its stability to the fact that it has taken on the power of human determination, specifically the original soul of Kris. I also believe that, due to some visual and contextual clues, this soul is housed in the body of a member of the Holiday family.

You might've noticed that in the above summery, I did not make a clear attempt to name which Holiday. This is because I truly believe that we are at a point in the story where it is becoming harder to make a clear distinction. Dess has been (and still is) my top pick. She is missing, it is easy for her to take on this role in the story. Becoming an amalgam seems to be an irreversible transformation, and we see every Holiday after we first see the knight.

But then we got Chapter 5. Rudy "fell down", either physically while hanging up lights, or perhaps he is one step closer to death. In the weird route, Kriselle knight seems to be a real possibility. Weirdly Carol Knight is seeming the least probable out of all of them.

Like I said earlier, Deltarune is still a work in progress. There is no real reason to limit the scope of my theorising at this point. I want to start talking about other ways Roaring Amalgam Theory could work, because likely it will be more then just Kris and Dess.

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Chapter 5 weird route spoilers ahead!!

I have not personally played through the weird route yet, but seeing everything online, I feel like the knight could be a kris/Noelle situation

Idk how, i barely have any time to write a comprehensive post or anything, i have so many ideas and also so many labs to attend this semester lol

Ive seen a bit of rumblings about kris/Noelle knight, but not many linking it as conclusively to Roaring Amalgam Theory in a way I have found as satisfying

My hope is that when I finally beat spamton and start catching the bus again, ill be able to fully write out my opinions

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Spoliers for chapter 5 ahead, content about Roaring Amalgam Theory

I think that there is a world where Kris and Noelle become a new knight. I need more time to think about this as a theory, but I think that the chapter 5 weird route has answered some questions for me.

I'll have my two week break soon, ill try and put put something more complete then.

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Ok I think I've finally digested Chapter 5

It was so cool! As much as I am wholly obsessed with the knight, I loved everything about this new adventure. We were introduced to so many cool characters, and I just had so much fun

Realistically nothing new was revealed about the knight, but I think there are a few more things I could add to RAT (little evidence points, not like whole new revelations or anything)

This is supposed to be the last 'fun' chapter before stuff gets real, and I'm so excited to see how this story continues!

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Hi! I don't know if you're up to date yet on everything from chapter 5, especially the weird route, but I really like your amalgam theory and I found a video that you might like!! If you've not seen chapter 5 weird route tho there'll be massive spoilers ❤️ https://youtu.be/JT97Fy-vszQ

Yes I love this theory! Thanks for thinking of me lol

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Official chapter 5 predictions / hopes cause I have to log off for 4 days cause of exams

Asgore's Darkworld, to some extent he is a ruler (but I doubt he'll like willfully fight Kris). It'll be a thing about how he's stuck in the past / fantasy / both

Takes place in his flower shop

He is someone who regularly makes darkworlds as like some kind of escapism

I would really really like it if the flowers were like their own area bosses or something, idk if they will be like as important as I would like them to be. I hope that they aren't just like gag characters and give more insight into the human souls in Undertale

Might be a weird take but I hope that the knight doesn't have a big role until later in the chapter, and we can fully explore the extent of Asgore's knowledge of what is going on (it seems he's generally outside the sphere of knowledge that Kris and Carol have, maybe he has it all wrong)

Contrary to the above take, more Roaring Amalgam Theory evidence (specifically more knight gloopiness / references to the Undertale amalgams)

Blue flower will be important. Ms Mizzle has dialogue which mentions it as a friend, and obs the blue flowers on the website. I don't have the ability to speculate any further

Ralsei solo boss (would maybe be cool if this is the Flowey flower, but I think that's still a bit of a stretch)

Asgore already has a black shard, maybe the secret boss aspect will be getting him to want to battle or something (again I don't really think he'd willingly attack the party) (maybe we'd have to take it from him to give it to someone, potentially linking Kris and the knight again)

Tsunderplane is my fav Undertale enemy I want her to come back no matter if the vibe is wrong or not. I have been desperate for this since chapter 2s release pls pls pls just let her be included this time

A bit more of a prediction. I don't think that the sun thing is indicating that the Darkworld will be open air (i.e. at the festival). The fountains are kinda gaseous, and not to be a chem nerd but its much easier to fill a closed space with gas then it is to fill the atmosphere. An event like the Roaring could be more capable of this, but not the act of stabbing the earth. Like think about where all of the other darkworlds have taken place, in dark backrooms, or at nighttime. This might just be the first Darkworld to take place in the daytime in a room with windows.

Kris goner theory is kinda cool, if there is any further insight into it, that could change RAT a bit, would love to explore that more if confirmed

That's kinda it I think

[tidiestpegasus]

hey so I actually made a Deltarune Theory. Fueled by a small thought of a hypothetical I had one day, it ballooned into over long video essay on why I think there is not just gonna be one Roaring Knight in Deltarune.

been a project I have been working on for a few months now, have a look at my ramblings if you so please!

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

This video collates a lot of ideas that I have noticed in the past, and puts it together really well! Give it a watch if you have the time its so good

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

CarolKnight is a valid theory, and that's why I feel like it isn't true

(Spoliers and speculation obs)

CarolKnight has probably the most in game evidence behind it of many theories, I would say even more then DessKnight. The katanas all around her house, the 'I'll be.... right there" and then she is right there. She actively takes the guitar away from Susie, which contains the shelter code. Dess and her both share design features with the knight, but Carol's antlers seem to be more sharp then her daughter's. She calls Kris at the end of the weird route, she seems to be aware of the soul, she has snowflakes everywhere in her house, the knight has snowflake attacks.

And the motivation is there as well. While this is less obvious, the more observant player could assume that she is looking for Dess, or even signs of her, in the darkworlds. Her violence towards the Fun Gang could be because of their goals to stop the Roaring, or for any other list of unknown reasons. If she is the knight, she is just as antagonistic to Kris and Susie in the lightworld and the darkworld.

All outside appearances point to CarolKnight

And I think that characters inside the game will come to the same conclusion

Bit of a tangent: A sort of mini-theory that I like is that Deltarune plays with classic JRPG tropes, and an example of this that I truly believe is that Susie, not Kris, is the main character. She is the one who explores these worlds on the surface level, and she influences the motions of the story (she is the one who has ideas, and Kris and Ralsei support her)

So Susie, with her limited understanding of her world (compared to Kris that is, or even most theorists lol), will see alot of these surface level CarolKnight connections and will make the exact same assumptions, pulling the action of the game towards it.

I really hate to say this in the body of a theory, cause it makes me sound genuinely insane, but I think that CarolKnight is a red herring, a trap for Susie to fall down, which will distract her (and less observant fans) from the real candiate

I am not saying that people are dumb for believing in CarolKnight, it is definitely one of the theories that have alot of evidence going for it. I do want to at least share why I think it is impossible, and not dismiss it without just reasoning

It is obvious that the Knight is not a darkner, as it is able to form its own dark fountains, but I don't think it's as clear as assuming that it is just a normal lightner as well.

We have seen lightners that have been changed by the darkest of darks, the knight is different. If it is Carol, just as she is, why does she grow in size to such an extent, why does she not resemble her at all? How come Carol possesses this shadowy liquid form that she can manipulate at will, and not like Berdly. What is the key difference between her and Berdly that let's her have these powers

I say that there is none, and therefore the knight cannot be any lightner we have seen in game. It has to be someone not here, who can have their form be manipulated to the point that they are no longer themself

A theory that I subscribe to is Roaring Amalgam Theory, the idea that Dess formed into an amalgam, which describes many of these strange qualities about the knight (check out the video pinned to my page if you want to learn more), but I think that it's clear that whatever the knight is, it cannot just be a lighnter, something crazy, and permanent, must have happened to create a being like it

CarolKnight has alot of evidence behind it, and for characters like Susie it will be the most logical conclusion to them. However, with our greater understanding of the world of Deltarune, i believe that we can look past it, and seek out other candidates

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

With the trailer for Deltarune 5 (eeek), I want to state some things that I think would be cool (cause I can) (eeek)

I would kinda love it if the 7 flowers in Asgore's shop were given depth similar to the soul colours they represent. Not even if they are all like 1:1. or each their own individual boss, but if there's like an enemy type which we can use to give the souls further characterisation, that would be awesome. Its def one of those things that the community has wanted more insight

Also i saw the feather, and I saw someone say that it could be a dash ability (think celeste), and that would be just as sick as it being the white pen of hope. Like think of the possibilities it could give the lake in the lightworld (I kinda have an assumtion that the Roaring will give the Fun Gang their darkworld abillities in the lightworld, which is why its crucial to level them up (also think like Roots theory), this is kinda just a personal headcanon, but I hope you understand what I'm on about lol)

In terms of Roaring Amalgam Theory, I would love for there to be more knight insight (obs). I think that Dess and Asriel have this cool thing going on where they're both these like hidden figures behind the big bad, and it looks like Chapter 5 is going to reference Flowey alot! Any insight into him I think can be transferred into the knight

(eeek)

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

I AN SCREAMJNF WHATATT THE HELL

THE TRAILER LOOKS SO COOL

I SEE SO MANY FLOWEY REFERENCEAAA!!!!

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

As much as I have my ideas about Roaring Amalgam Theory, there are actually so many ways the knight can be an amalgam.

Like here's one I cooked up just now

(Spoliers and speculation ahead obs)

(Also also RAT is traditionally where the knight is Dess and Kris' original soul making an amalgam, I'm modifying it slightly for this theory tho. If u want to understand the original in more depth, check out the video pinned on my blog)

So maybe you think that Dess is only the voice in the code, and that her body does not become the knight

Maybe you also subscribe to the idea that Deltarune is a loop (think of Susie saying she'd never want the adventure to end) (I've heard this before definitely, idk how solid it is overall)

So the knight is not Dess, and also Deltarune loops over on itself, what could this mean for the knight?

Well then, the knight would have to be someone else. Likely a member of the Holiday family, likely also a girl (antlers, Kris and a girl made up many of the darkners personas b4 the start of the game, lots of other clues can lead you to this conclusion)

Well then, who is it? Maybe it's the girl who, throughout the events of the game, we can slowly push to become closer to Kris, who we can essentially take control over, who it seems it is our secret mission to bring to our side

Maybe Noelle is the knight.

Maybe at the end of the game, we place our soul in Noelle, and she turns into the creature we have been facing the entire game

And then, with the strength of her newfound soul, she is able to reload, and start the events of Deltarune

I have probably made some critical errors, but oh well

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Small things that I think Roaring Amalgam Theory kinda proves / works well with / is cool / idk

(RAT is where knight is Dess + Kris' soul in an amalgam, for more details check out the video pinned on my page)

(Spoliers and speculation obs)

Why are Carol and Kris working together? And also kinda with the knight

Cause they both have stakes in the knight, for Carol it's her daughter, and for Kris it's the other half of him

If Dess is the knight, why is she still considered missing?

Cause she cannot revert back into Dess, we have not seen amalgams do that.

How can Dess be the knight and also the one trapped in the code

This one's a bit more speculation, but I feel like she can be easily lost in the darkness of the knight instead of being like physically in the code. Her spirit is trapped somewhere, but her body can still easily be the frame of the knight

Why do darkworlds made by Kris and the Knight look the same, while the one made by Susie is different?

Cause Kris and the knight are the same! In some way

How come Kris and the knight communicate to eachother?

Cause they are the same!

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Maybe you've wondered who the Roaring Knight is, in the Deltarune theorising community it is definitely one of the most discussed topics

But ever since Chapters 3+4, and the reveal of the knight in game, I think that a second, much less discussed aspcect of it should be examined

Many try and figure out the who, but most seem to ignore the what

(Spoliers and speculation ahead obs)

I don't think that this is being done maliciously, or is purposefully being pushed aside. It is something that is genuinely hard to distinguish, and is something that many seem to find a stumbling block

You can theorise any which way about who is behind the knight, any number of candidates are at this point plausible

But its hard to ignore what we are presented. The knight is decidedly different from others we have encountered. They do not take on the regular form of either a lightner or a real world object, changed by the darkest of darks.

It can change its form at will, moulding itself into any shape it wants to be. It's also strong, even more then the boss enemies we fight at the end of the first 3 dark worlds, requiring a special item for most to beat it. An extension of this is that it seems to drip, frames of it show it seemingly melting

It is genuinely unlike most other beings we see in game. The only ones that come close are the titan and its spawn, but even then the knight seems distinct. For one it creates these beings, seemingly more power then they have, and it also seems more aware. It's able to interact with the world outside of destruction, it has secret aliances with several characters, indicating its ability to handle more complex thought

So, it is like nothing we have seen in Deltarune

But maybe we have seen beings not to dissimilar elsewhere.

Recall its melting, and ability to shapeshift. Think of its black and white overworld colour palette.

These qualities align it with a cast of monsters, unusual in themselves, present in Undertale

The amalgams

Looking at the knights design once more, I think that we can pin down one of the precursor beings.

The antlers are the most obvious, and there are plenty of other connections which align the knight to be one of the Holiday family. Using the logic of the amalgams, and the fact that we never see one reverted back to its original form, the easiest conclusion to make is that the knight is the Holiday we know to be missing, Dess.

I must adress what to some would be a weak point of this theory. The knight and amalgams are different. Amalgams are weak, barely able to express themselves, and animalistic. The knight in comparison is capable of strong attacks, and is much more stable and in control, of itself and its surroundings.

I believe that the difference between them can be explained by the 'glue' that houses them together.

Amalgams are formed by injecting the essence of human determination into a monster. It seems that this determination, without a proper vessel, will cause the melting of the monster's body (recall also Undyne in the genocide route)

I propose that the knight does indeed contain a proper vessel, an actual human soul, sourced from the only human in town, Kris

Kris is seemingly controlled by a soul which is not their own, which they reject and oppose, and yet to which they are beholden. What became of their original soul? Why have they become a vessel for this otherworldly being

This could explain some of the closeness between Kris and the knight. While they do not openly communicate, if they come into close contact with each other they will not fight unless already engaged with one, Kris will make signals at them to end a fight early,

They seem to have an inate connection. I say that they are two halves of the same whole

So what is the knight, the fusion of December Holiday and Kris Dreemur. This is the basis of Roaring Amalgam Theory

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

Its been like 8 months since I posted a review of knight candidates, and 4 since I've seriously reviewed any Deltarune theories. Lets go over it again and see what's changed

A small adjustment is that I want to add a section where I highlight evidence that I would need to believe this candidate. As Deltarune is still being made, I want to give space for any theory to play out, and I shouldn't be ignoring entire theories because it seems to be implausible with the limited evidence that we have

I will be maintaining the structure of listing the candidates from most to least likely

this will also be really long, proceed with caution.

Spoilers, obs, and my own interpritation, obs

Let's go!

Kris' Knife

This is still my top pick for a darkner knight. The idea that Kris' angst / emotions has been poured into this blade is so cool. I think that there are ways that this can still be played out in future chapters, but is not something that has happened yet, or resulted in the knight

I think for this to be true I would have to be shown quite directly that Queen was wrong, and that darkners can contain determination under very specific circumstances, making this method of getting determination so rare that even a boss of a Darkworld has no information about it

The case can be made that maybe Kris' determination being powered through the blade could be enough for remnants to remain in the knife, but again I would need very obvious confirmation that such a thing is even true before I lend any credibility to it

Asriel

Asriel-Knight has both narrative and meta reasons for me not to believe in it as much

I should start this section with why its an ok theory. Asriel definitely exists in Deltarune, and we do not see him, so any level of fucked up stuff could be happening to him

This is kinda all of the evidence I see for it tho. Most likely, he is just where everyone says he is, at uni. I see little reason for him to be anywhere else, no one, not even anyone in his family, is concerned about where he is or how he is doing.

Aside from this, why would Asriel be the 'secret identity' of the bosses in both Undertale and Deltarune. Not to be one of those people who diminishes a theory cause it would be 'bad writing', but it kinda would be, and to me it gives it less credibility.

If this were to be true, I would need Asriel to not come to town as expected, for friends and family to be unable to contact him, and for evidence of his hiding in town to become much more obvious. It would have to be a very quick cascade of people noticing that he has been missing for a while, and also enough information to understand that he has been here. It could be done, but it would be a very noticeable tonal shift.

While this might be an elaborate facade, I tend more towards Asriel filling other emotional roles in the story, rather then being the big bad

Rudy

Rudy is, out of these bottom tier candidates, one that I feel has the most space to evolve into being right.

The idea is certainly interesting. The way I understand how this theory plays out for most people, Rudy takes on the knight persona in the Darkworlds in order to search for Dess. He isn't working cause he's sick (terminally?), so he out of all the adults on this list has the most time to spend being as all-encompassing as the knight is. This sickness could also be why the knight is so 'gloopy' (I hope everyone understands what I mean by this, like that its mouth is like dripping in a few frames).

Finding Dess could be his motivation to create Darkworlds in places she likely frequented (school, librarby, church, etc.), and also eventually maybe why he would start the Roaring

Kinda what undoes it for me is that no one in the hospital comments on the fact that he is leaving all the time. Its notable to the community that he is able to leave and go to church, so I find it unlikely that he is running around in the dead of night without anyone (even hospital staff) noticing. If he was truly the knight, people would have to start commenting on this

This might not seem like much against him, but I also feel like there's candidates with more substantial evidence in favour of them being the knight, hence why Rudy is so far down on this list

+1 for antlers

Carol

This is some who I feel like could, in other circumstances, completely fill the role of the Roaring Knight

Her aspirations would be similar to Rudy's; finding Dess. Being the mayor, she would have better access to places across town (including more mysterious ones like the bunker), and her position could hide a lot of the more suspicious aspects of being the knight. Her long obsessive hours could be for the good of the town, her stress could be about the festival.

As we get to know her in chapter 4, we see the black katanas, and we see references to the soul scattered across her house, even referencing you directly. She is strangely passionate about keeping everything the same, seemingly in order to preserve some aspect of her lost daughter. Its not out of the realm of possibility to suggest that maybe she would be willing to go even further in search of her.

Carol's also pretty tapped into the story. Might just be me, but I feel like she's kinda aware of the weird route (at least to the extent that its affecting Noelle), she seems to know about the soul, she seems to be in close contact with Kris about things we aren't aware of

The real problem for me is that all of these connections only seem to be true. Nothing actually strongly connects her to being the knight, and I find it more probable that she's someone who is aware of and in the plan, rather then being the major component. Perhaps with her power she can facilitate a lot, and in return she has been promised her daughter back.

+1 for antlers

Honorable mention: Papyrus

This theory was something I once generally believed in, so I feel like it deserves a place this high up.

Guys it obviously him! He is tall, the knight is tall. He wanted to be a royal guard, which is basically a knight. The knight has bones, so does he. The coincidences are astounding!

Really tho, I think its suspicious that Papyrus still isn't really around in the game. I wanted him to be the knight initially, but there's so much other evidence for other candidates, I feel like its bad theorising to even include him. This will have a greater payoff, but unfortunately, he is not the knight

Kris

Kris-knight is one of those theories that I think, despite the reveal of the knight, can still be true in some ways.

One of the most revealing parts of the 3+4 chapter release is the similarities between Kris and the knight. There's a classic post comparing the similarities between their poses, which I feel is one aspect of a much larger symmetry.

If we think of Susie's church Darkworld in comparison to the others we have encountered , the hue has changed to the point of changing the sprite colours, the objects and enemies have been reversed, and core mechanics have been altered. Then we look at Darkworlds that we know Kris makes, and those we can theorise the knight created. They are identical in so many aspects, it would be almost insane to not consider that they do not have the same creator.

The problem with this though is that we see the two beings in the same room, fighting in the same battle. They only do this if in a battle though, never if they are alone, suggesting some connection between them.

I believe that this suggests something deeper to their relationship, but Kris is one of those characters who I can almost 100% is not themself the knight

Dess

The evidence for Dess-Knight has been covered to death, so I will avoid listing out every small detail.

What I find the most convincing is that she is missing. She can really easily fill any narrative role, because she is a total blank slate at this point in the story. Other characters can have motivations because of her, she is to this point still undefined. Chapter 4 gave us our closest look at her, and even then she still feels so far away.

With the little we get of her, we know that she liked exploring the forest with her friends, she seemed to stock her room in preparation for something, she probably had a thing for Asriel, she was probably an angsty teenager when she went away. People looked for her, it was massive in the town, until we reach the current day, and she seems to exist only in some faint memories.

I also think that she is the voice in the code.

I would really like Dess to be more explored in future chapters. I feel like knowing more about her will fix everything!

None of these options contains my true opinions as to who the knight is. Check out my block, or watch the pinned video, to learn more about Roaring Amalgam Theory

[roaring-amalgam-theorist]

"Box of Heart Candy" - It's not yours. Will that stop you?

wtf? I just saw this in a text dump, so I cannot confirm if or where you see this in game, but what?

I feel like maybe context could change the meaning, but could it be implying something?