☠ ; papyrus, asgore, & undyne
When comparing and contrasting the Undertale cast, an unlikely comparison in both Asgore and Papyrus. While they clearly seem to clash in temperament, as Asgore is a more regal and relaxed king compared to the raw energy of an ambitious royal guardsman in training, both characters are endowed in their tendency to bestow mercy, despite Papyrus’s desires to use fighting as a means to earn place in the guard when he simply cannot muster the amount of violence needed, and Asgore’s later resignation to a genocide route, despite how deeply embedded his pacifist-nature has proven itself enough to make such a marked impression on all of his subjects, they would claim him harmless.
It is clear from several accounts of the monters in the Underground that Asgore does not want to fight. Many monsters express nonchalance on the king’s behalf, claiming he is a “goober” or a “big, fuzzy push over”. All a human would have to do to get past him would be to cry, or ask politely if they could go home. Similarly, Papyrus does not seem to be taken as seriously as he thinks he is, as Undyne mention that she could never send him to fight because he is “just too nice”, and that he would only try to make friends with whomever he fought.
Undyne, having challenged Asgore at a young age, clearly knows most about the king’s tendency for mercy. When she fought him, he wouldn’t fight her back, and yet he humiliates her with his pacifist approach to battling. And while Papyrus clearly does engage in fighting, he never actually harms the human past 1 hp, choosing either to “spare” or toss Frisk into his shed where he even leaves a tearful note about hoping the human is comfortable. Asgore’s treatment of a younger Undyne in Papyrus’s way of dealing with the human, but Asgore, despite not wanting to cause harm, eventually surrenders to his desire for revenge and redemption for the monsters under his care. Unlike Asgore, Papyrus still has the capacity to befriend a human despite all the trouble humans have brought the Underground which also affects him.
In a way, Undyne seems to be purposefully preserving this merciful aspect of Papyrus when she reveals that she could never let Papyrus into the royal guard. While she is concerned for his safety, because if he, a monster with a tendency to spare, forgive and befriend, was thrown into a situation where fighting was required, he would simply get “torn into little smiling shreds”, she also sees the kind nature Asgore possesses, within Papyrus. After all, Papyrus clearly demonstrates time and time again his desire to be a fighter, or at least—to get the rewards of a genocide-style fighter: fame, recognition, a place at the King’s side, even though he cannot seem to stomach hurting Frisk past 1 HP. If Papyrus wanted to impress Undyne, as he claimed, he would have taken the human’s soul himself, but instead--he chooses not to, no matter what the outcome of the fight.
Ultimately, Papyrus displays both Undyne’s desire to fight, coupled with Asgore’s mercy before the Underground’s circumstances drove him to abandon its approach. This is furthered by the fact that Papyrus begged Undyne for lessons, much like Undyne demanded Asgore fight her. Although she eventually agreed, much like Asgore agreed to battle her, she refused to train Papyrus in any other manner but cooking, much like Asgore refused to fight her.