Betrayus Was Never the Villain... He Was Neglected. (PMATGA Analysis)
HELLOOOO PMATGA AND BETRAYUS FANS… TODAY WE’RE GETTING SERIOUS.
So today… (´；ω；｀)💔 we’re gonna talk about one of the most frustrating, painful, and honestly misunderstood episodes of
✨ Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures ✨
and that episode is…
💔 “The Great Chase” (Season 1 Episode 23) 💔
🎬 SECTION 1: WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EPISODE
So let’s break it down first.
In this episode:
President Spheros is giving his mother a tour
Rotunda wants to see Pac and adopts him (GIRL YOU JUST MET THIS TEEN LIKE "Oh, hE's mY GrAnDsoN nOw" TO THIS RANDOM KID THAN YOUR OWN KID WHO BETRAYUS WHO TRAPPED IN THE FRICKIN' NETHER THAT IS THE CHILD YOU SHOULD CARRYING ABOUT)
Everyone is having this wholesome little family moment…
Meanwhile…
💔 Betrayus finds out his mom is spending time with:
his brother
AND Pac
instead of him…
So what does he do?
He literally… POSSESSES HIS OWN MOTHER AND HYPNOTIZED HIS OWN BRO (Both of them deserves it tho)
to try and get access to the Repository and finally get what he wants
And on paper, the show plays this like:
“haha chaotic villain moment”
BUT…
that’s NOT what it actually feels like.
💔 SECTION 2: THE TRUTH ABOUT BETRAYUS
Let’s be real for a second.
Betrayus is NOT just some “evil goofy villain.”
His entire backstory is built on: 💔 being overshadowed by his brother 💔 constantly compared 💔 never being the favorite
His own brother, Stratos, was literally seen as the perfect child while Betrayus struggled to keep up
Now think about that.
Imagine growing up like that.
No matter what you do… you’re never enough.
So when people say: “he’s just evil”
NO.
He is: 💔 emotionally neglected & abused 💔 desperate for approval 💔 a product of favoritism
💢 SECTION 3: ROTUNDA… WE NEED TO TALK.
Okay…
I’m gonna say something controversial.
(￣^￣)ゞ
💢 ROTUNDA IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. 💢
Yes, she’s portrayed as sweet…
BUT THE SHOW LITERALLY CONFIRMS:
➡️ She favored Stratos ➡️ She showed less care toward Betrayus
And that…
is where everything starts to fall apart.
Because favoritism in a family?
That’s not small.
That’s not harmless.
That changes a child completely.
And what do we see in this episode?
We see the RESULT of that.
😭 SECTION 4: THE MOMENT THAT BROKE ME
There’s one scene…
that people don’t talk about enough.
When Rotunda is hypnotized… and Dr. Buttocks shakes her—
💥 BETRAYUS GETS MAD. 💥
And that moment?
That’s EVERYTHING.
Because it proves: 💔 HE STILL CARES 💔 HE STILL LOVES HIS MOM 💔 HE NEVER STOPPED WANTING HER APPROVAL
Even after being ignored… even after being pushed aside…
he still protects her.
And that is NOT something an “evil monster” does.
That is something a hurt child does.
💔 SECTION 5: WHY THIS EPISODE HURTS
The biggest issue with this episode isn’t just the story…
It’s the tone.
Because the show treats this like:
“haha villain chaos and take over the world!”
when it SHOULD have been: 💔 a deep emotional conflict 💔 a family drama 💔 a tragic character moment
Instead…
it brushes it off.
And that’s what makes it painful.
Because the writing had the chance to say:
✨ “Betrayus is hurting.”
But instead it said:
✨ “lol he’s crazy again.” THE WRITERS OF PAC-MAN AND THE GHOSTLY ADVENTURES DONE HIM DIRRRTYYY
🧠 SECTION 6: MY THEORY (AND WHY IT MAKES SENSE)
Okay… theory time.
(internetcore brain activated)
I genuinely believe:
✨ Betrayus is a victim of long-term favoritism ✨ possibly family separation issues ✨ emotional neglect from BOTH parents
Because think about it:
There’s barely any info about the father
The family dynamic is clearly unbalanced
Betrayus is the ONLY one treated like an outsider
That doesn’t happen randomly.
That happens over YEARS.
💢 SECTION 7: FANDOM… WE NEED TO TALK TOO.
I’m gonna be honest.
The way people treat Betrayus?
It bothers me.
Because people say: “he’s annoying” “he’s dumb” “he’s just evil” “he’s the worst villain and character” “he’s childish, whiny, and a crybaby” “he never learns sh*t” “he’s annoying” “he’s abusive and cowardly” “he’s a hypocrite”
But ignore: 💔 his trauma 💔 his childhood 💔 his need for validation
You don’t have to excuse his actions.
But you SHOULD understand them.
💔 SECTION 8: BETRAYUS’ BACKSTORY — THE TRAGEDY NO ONE TALKS ABOUT
Alright…
now that we’ve talked about the episode…
we NEED to talk about something even bigger…
💔 Betrayus’ backstory 💔
Because this?
This is where everything starts.
📖 According to the show’s lore, Betrayus wasn’t always the ruler of the Netherworld…
He used to be a Pac-Worlder
and more importantly…
he was part of the Spheros family.
And from what we know:
He is the younger brother of President Spheros (Stratos)
He grew up constantly compared to him
And Stratos was seen as the “perfect child” but he can be viewed as a GOODY TWO SHOES TWO-FACED LI'L B***H and always getting Pac into deep s*ht and not even apologizing for it, not only weighing the ENTIRE world on a teen's shoulder like WHO tf does that?! It's like a dumb4ss in distress, WHAT ABOUT YOUR BROTHER, DUDE?!
Let that sink in.
Betrayus didn’t just “become evil.”
He grew up in a house where… 💔 he was always second best 💔 always in someone else’s shadow 💔 always trying to prove himself
And no matter what he did…
it was never enough.
💢 Imagine being a kid…
and your sibling is the golden child 👑
while you’re just…
there.
That kind of environment?
It creates: 💔 jealousy 💔 insecurity 💔 anger 💔 desperation
And that’s EXACTLY what we see in him.
🔥 THE TURNING POINT: THE WAR
At some point…
Betrayus snapped.
He started a war against Pac-World
trying to take control and prove his worth
— likely to finally outshine his brother.
And what happened?
He lost.
And not just lost…
💥 He lost EVERYTHING.
His body
His status
His place in the world
He was turned into a ghost…
and banished to rule the Netherworld instead.
That’s not just punishment.
That’s isolation.
💔 WHAT THIS MEANS EMOTIONALLY
Think about this for a second…
A child who: 💔 was never the favorite 💔 never got validation 💔 tried to prove himself
ends up: 💔 rejected 💔 defeated 💔 literally separated from the living world
And people still ask…
“why is he like this?”
THIS IS WHY.
💔 HE DIDN’T START AS A MONSTER
And this is the part that hurts the most…
Betrayus wasn’t born evil.
He was:
✨ a kid ✨ a brother ✨ someone who wanted recognition
But over time…
that turned into:
💔 obsession 💔 bitterness 💔 anger
Because when you’re ignored long enough…
you stop asking for love…
and start demanding control instead.
💭 CONNECTION TO “THE GREAT CHASE”
Now bring it back to the episode…
When Betrayus sees his mom choosing:
Stratos
Pac
over him…
that’s not just jealousy.
That’s:
💔 YEARS of pain coming back all at once
So when he possesses her?
That’s not just a villain move.
That’s a broken person thinking:
“maybe THIS time she’ll notice me.”
💢 FINAL TRUTH
So no…
Betrayus is NOT just: “evil ghost guy lol”
He is:
💔 the unfavorite child 💔 the forgotten son 💔 the one who never got what his brother had
And honestly…
if things had been different…
if he had been loved equally…
💔 maybe none of this would have happened.
💥 SECTION 9: THE FAMILY THEORY… AND WHY “NEW GIRL IN TOWN” MAKES EVERYTHING WEIRDER 💥
okay…
(deep breath)
now we need to talk about something that has been bothering me for a LONG time…
💔🐺 THE SPHEROS FAMILY… AND THEIR “LOST SISTER.”
Because yes…
Betrayus and Stratos don’t just have each other…
they also have:
✨ a sister ✨ who had a daughter ✨ and that daughter is…
💖 Elliptica (Elli) 💖
📖 Canonically:
Elli is the niece of both Betrayus and President Spheros
She is the daughter of their unnamed sister
She comes from Pac-Tokyo and appears in 💫 “New Girl in Town”
And also…
💔 Her father is missing after the war… just like Pac’s parents
So now we have: 💔 missing fathers 💔 broken families 💔 separated relatives
DO YOU SEE THE PATTERN???
(；ω；)💔
💭🐺 MY THEORY (AND WHY IT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE)
Okay… theory time.
What if…
✨ the Spheros family was already broken BEFORE Betrayus turned evil
Like think about it:
The sister leaves and goes to Pac-Tokyo
The father is basically nonexistent in the story
Betrayus is already treated differently
Stratos becomes the “perfect leader”
That doesn’t sound like a healthy family.
That sounds like: 💔 division 💔 pressure 💔 favoritism
And if Betrayus was already the “unfavorite child”…
then that means:
he didn’t just lose the war…
💔 he lost his family long before that.
💢🐺 NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT ELLI…
Okay…
I don’t hate Elli as a character.
She’s cute, sweet, and honestly fine on her own.
BUT THE WRITING AROUND HER???
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ 💢
💔 THE PAC X ELLI PROBLEM
So in “New Girl in Town”…
the show introduces this dynamic between Pac and Elli…
And I’m just sitting there like:
WHY??? (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Because canonically:
Pac is basically part of the Spheros family
Rotunda is literally his adoptive grandmother
WHICH MEANS…
Elli = Spheros granddaughter Pac = Spheros adopted grandson
SO YOU’RE TELLING ME…
THE WRITERS SAW THAT…
AND STILL SAID:
✨ “let’s add ship tease energy” ✨
NO.
NO THANK YOU.
(；¬д¬)💢
It just feels: 💔 uncomfortable 💔 unnecessary 💔 forced
LIKE THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THAT AT ALL 😭
🌙 SECTION 10: FINAL THOUGHTS
So yeah…
“The Great Chase” isn’t just my least favorite episode because it’s bad…
It’s my least favorite because it had the chance to be something powerful…
and didn’t go far enough.
Because underneath everything…
Betrayus isn’t just a villain.
He’s: 💔 a neglected child 💔 a broken brother 💔 someone who just wanted to be loved
And honestly…
that hurts more than anything else in the show.
so… after everything we talked about…
“The Great Chase” isn’t just another episode to me…
💔 it’s frustrating 💔 it’s painful 💔 and honestly… it’s kind of heartbreaking
because underneath all the chaos…
this episode shows something real:
💔 a child who was never chosen 💔 a son who was never understood 💔 someone who kept reaching out… and was ignored
and that someone…
is Betrayus.
I don’t see him as just a villain.
I never did.
I see him as: 💔 a victim of favoritism 💔 a product of emotional neglect 💔 someone who was shaped by how he was treated
and honestly…
if his family had treated him differently…
💔 maybe he wouldn’t have become who he is.
⚖️ MY THOUGHTS ON THE FAMILY
Now… let’s talk about the rest of the Spheros family.
👑 Stratos Spheros
I’m gonna be real here.
I’m neutral on Stratos.
I don’t hate him. I don’t fully blame him either.
because yes— he benefits from the favoritism…
but at the same time…
he was also raised in that same system.
he’s the “golden child”…
but that role comes with pressure too.
so for me, Stratos is just…
⚖️ complicated.
💢 Rotunda Spheros
…now THIS is where I have a problem.
I’m sorry but I have to say it.
💢 I do NOT like Rotunda. 💢
because the way she treats Betrayus??
(｡•́︿•̀｡)💔
it reminds me of those types of characters who LOOK sweet…
but are actually: 💔 dismissive 💔 controlling 💔 emotionally harmful
and she gives me the SAME ENERGY as:
Mrs. Katswell (Kitty's mother from T.U.F.F Puppy)
Edna (Carl and Herman's mother from Disney's Ying Yang Yo!)
Odalia Blight (Amity's mother from The Owl House)
Arpa Default (Robot and Gart's mother from Robot & Monster)
that kind of “nice on the surface… but harmful underneath” vibe.
and honestly?
that kind of behavior can mess someone up WAY more than obvious cruelty.
💔 THE BIGGEST MESSAGE
At the end of the day…
this isn’t just about one episode.
it’s about what happens when: 💔 a child is overlooked 💔 one sibling is favored over another 💔 love is given unevenly
because that doesn’t just stay in childhood…
it follows you.
it shapes you.
it changes who you become.
and Betrayus is proof of that.
🌸 FINAL MESSAGE TO VIEWERS AND PMATGA FANS
So if there’s ONE thing I want people to take away from this video…
it’s this:
💖 try to understand characters before judging them.
because sometimes…
the “villain” isn’t just evil…
they’re hurt.
🐺💖 FINAL LINE
and honestly…
no matter what anyone says…
💔🐺 Betrayus deserved better.
Until the next time, - Skyler
"Monsters are not born, they are made." - Mary Shelley