This post is a compilation of all the results we released last week. It is meant to make access to individual entries easier.
We covered several topics, such as demographics, characters, shipping, engagement and preferences in fancontent, so choose what you like.
The posts are in chronological order. You can start from any entry you prefer, but this is a recommended order.
Every post includes image descriptions after every asset.
Some posts have individual content warnings for topics such as mentions of NSFW content and mentions of Fontcest, Sanscest and Papcest. They are all tagged and the content itself is under a cut.
Click on "Read More" For the full list!
Introduction and Demographics
Character Analyses: Who's your favorite? (Introduction)
HELLO!!! Happy Undertale 10th anniversary!! I have been working for the past couple of months to create a collaborative survey analyzing demographics in the UT/DR Community!!
I have tried my hardest to make this survey as extensive as possible, but I apologize if there's anything I may have missed! Feel free to use the feedback section at the end so I can know what to change for next time!
Please share this with ANYONE or any communities you know would be interested, I'd really like to try and cast as large a net of UT/DR fans as I can, not just followers of my Tumblr! Thank you so much <3
Welcome to the UT/DR Community Census! This is a collaborative survey to analyze demographics in the UTDR community!! (Share this with any U
This is a survey to research the demographics and behaviours of people who use the fanfiction website Archive of Our Own (AO3).
The AO3 Demographics Survey 2024 has arrived!
This project is an independent survey (not affiliated with AO3) which seeks to research the demographics and behaviours of AO3 users. The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete, will be open until 1 February, and can be found at https://forms.gle/2kt5J17ipzcAbnFY9
We are hoping to survey as large a group of users as possible, so we really appreciate anyone who shares the survey, whether by reblogging this post or sharing posts on other social media.
If you have any questions for us, we have FAQs on Tumblr or on AO3 which will be updated as the project progresses. And of course, you can follow us on Tumblr or AO3 if you want to see the survey results!
I am writing an essay on Undertale and was wondering if you could post a survey for me and send me the answers. If you choose to help me out, please let me know so I can send you the questions. Thank you!
Greetings!
The team doesn't have the time to create and host another survey.
Something you can do, however, is make a survey using your website of choice, share it on tumblr, and mention our account (like this @undertale-data), and we will reblog it so others can find it. We are more than happy to spread the survey you make. This way you can also own the answers and have more control of the data collecting process.
The purpose of this survey is to evaluate self-shipping popularity with Undertale characters and AUs. It is composed of four sections. The f
Here's the survey to evaluate self-insert/self-shipping popularity among the various Undertale characters (and AUs). It also asks for interest in a self-insert/self-shipping event. This isn't a promise that there will be one, but more of an interest check. I also want to see if there is self-insert/self-shipping with other characters besides the skeletons (and Grillby). How the results look will of course influence the type of event and how it will be conducted if we do host one.
Please spread this around so we can get an accurate data set!
Wait Iâm a little dense, are you guys leaving forever?;;;A;;
* This blog was made for a special event. We posted the results during Undertale's 6th Anniversary. You can read our analyses here by checking the table of contents or scrolling down.
* We are not sure if we are ever going to make an event like this again, mostly because it depends on the mods' interest. This took a lot of work and time to put together. So currently: We do not have plans for future events.
* STILL, our askbox is always open for questions! Vessel #1 will be handling them, with input from the others mods too.
* What can you ask? Things like advice to make an event like this on your own, perhaps questions about any specific variables and their results (I still have the raw data), or anything else you want to know about the mods (except our identities jsjsjs).
Ficus Licker: Thank you guys for taking our survey. When we started this project, it was just for fun, and I thought maybe a couple hundred or so people would take it. Receiving over 2500 responses was amazing and allowed us to view more accurate trends across the fandom. Everyone has been super nice and supportive throughout this project, including my fellow contributors. Theyâre great at reminding me to get sleep and not go too crazy stupid trying to do everything at once. Thereâs a limit to the amount of things you can do today, after all.
Vessel #1: I never expected this to get so big either. Iâm just very glad for all the support we got throughout the event, both from the team, and every single one of you! Itâs true that no research can be done without flaws, but this was a really good experience overall and I hope you guys liked being a part of it as much as we did.I felt like working with the team was amazing. Hell, Iâm starting the Ficus Licker and Vessels [and redacted] fan club, because theyâre brilliant people and itâs surprising they can still stand me. Itâs like working on a group project where everyone does their part and it flows almost perfectly jsjsjs.
Iâm excited to see how people react to our work, or if they motivate others to do their own events. Whatever it is, Iâm rooting for all of you!
Vessel #2: Being a part of this survey has been a delight. I was technically the one who came up with the idea, but I wasnât expecting my teammates to step up so hard and put it together so gorgeously. I think we all learned a lot about data analysis, different social media platforms, and graphic design, but for me, the biggest takeaway has been the overwhelming positivity of the fandomâs reactions. At first I was half joking about wanting to study the fandom because I thought statistics were cool, expecting this to be a niche project that a few friends responded to. Instead I was blown away by fans who were just as hyped about the data as I was. It was also the best feeling in the world to read through pages and pages of responses from all over the internet, and realize that so many different people have so much in common with me in their connections to this game. Thank you to everyone who participated, especially to my fantastic fellow Vessel and Ficus Licker, [and redacted if they would like to be credited] for turning my silly math ramblings into such a work of art. <3
Feelings about UNDERTALE
Ficus Licker: I never expected to get this deep into Undertale. I did not know anything about the game before playing it, except that there was a square robot named Mettaton, and that Sans was a meme. I only got it because it was on sale and I thought it would be a simple way to pass some time. And, well, here we are. Iâm always a sucker for found family, as well as for video game mechanics influencing plot and/or lore, so it was no surprise that I ended up loving the game so much. I want a found family like the one in Undertale, even if I know that's not realistic haha.
Vessel #1: I honestly do not know what decisions led me here. Maybe itâs that when I played Undertale I was hooked. And I guess I also have a love for surveys, data and just⊠trying to understand peopleâs motivations. V2 said something about studying the fandom and I just exploded with the need to do it. Still, in general, Undertale and Deltarune meant a lot to me, they pushed me to be more creative, I found a huge community and met a lot of cool people (like FL, V2, and [redacted] even if theyâre really far away). Oh! And as someone whoâs terrible at video games, the game mechanics and story always made me stay determined. And that is not even mentioning the music, which is probably what motivated me to try out the games in the first place. Anyways⊠to cut it short, I love both the game, its story, and music and the people Iâve met because of it, thanks so much!
Vessel 2: I started playing Undertale because my friend was obsessed with it, and Iâm so glad I did. The characters are all so fun and complex, and I think about them constantly. And the morals questions brought up by the game are so cool, I keep coming back to them. Still, it also manages to be a neat little game filled with friendly characters and a fabulous soundtrack. I love the depth and heartwrenching scenes, but more than that, I love that they are just⊠some guys. They are my some guys. Mettaton if you're out there you're doing fantastic.
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If you would like to view all of the posts on this blog in google doc format, you are welcome to do so in this google drive folder. Also, our askbox will remain open if fans have questions on collecting fandom data. We will likely not answer all questions, but if you scream into the Void, the Void may scream back.
After seeing the âGaster is papyrusâ old identityâ option I think I know who one of yâall is đ
(I totally understand you keeping your identity a secret though!)
* As you can now see from the data on Doctor Gaster presented here, this was a more popular headcanon than you may have assumed. While we do not wish to announce our identities, we can say that none of us are affiliated with this theory in any sense beyond finding it interesting.
this was a really cool survey but i do wish the au questions, especially the ships, included characters other than sans and papyrus. i felt like my votes werent accurate. regardless this is very interesting!
* Thank you for your feedback. The AU ship questions were certainly limited. We wish that we had time and room to list more character and ship options. If anyone else decides to collect data in a similar manner, we hope that these limitations may be addressed. Thank you for doing your best with the options provided.
Undertale characters ranked by number of lines of text
My source for this was this wonderful spreadsheet, which takes every string in the gameâs text dump and matches it to a character.  Iâm including the original categories of the spreadsheet in the raw data, so there are separate listings for âPapyrusâ and âPapyrus (call)â, but theyâre combined in the graph.  Iâm only including characters who have more than 100 lines in the raw data / 500 lines in the graph, but if people are curious I can add more.
[Image ID: a grayscale graph titled "Character dialogue distribution." The y-axis is labeled "number of lines" and has a scale from 0 to 2000. The character names listed, from left to right (shortest bar to tallest), are as follows: Toriel, Menu, Flowey, Mettaton, Alphys, Sans, Undyne, Papyrus, Narrator. The exact numbers are not labeled on the graph, but can be viewed in the data under the cut. End ID.]
This data is not from our survey, but we have found it interesting. We think that our followers may find it interesting as well.
[Image Description: An Undertale chat box that has âWHY FANS LOVE UNDERTALEâ at its center. Next to it are a line chart and an Egg from the Dating Hub on its left, and a CRIME measurer (also from the Dating Hub) on its right. End I.D.]
[Image Description: a pie chart titled, âLEVEL OF LOVE FOR UNDERTALE.â The textbox on the top right reads, âOn a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the highest, how much do fans enjoy Undertale?â From the top going clockwise, 12 or 0% chose 5 and below; 23 or 1% chose 6; 98, or 4%, chose 7; 325, or 12%, chose 8; 529, or 20%, chose 9; and 1664, or 63%, chose 10. End I.D.]
Itâs clear from all of the data analyzed so far that fans who took the time to answer our survey love Undertale. It is unlikely that they would have taken the time to answer so many questions if they had not, and even less likely that they would have come across our survey in the first place. Naturally, it comes as no surprise that 63% of our responders gave their love for Undertale a score of ten out of ten. 95% gave their love for Undertale a score of eight or higher, and only 12 responders responded with five or below, a number so small that their responses had to be lumped together to be visible on the pie chart. Of those, only 3 responders gave their love for Undertale a score of 1, and based on those respondersâ other answers, it is likely that they were only intending to troll. We are very fortunate that the vast majority of responders took the survey seriously, enough so that responses like this are barely a blip in the data.
Now, for our final analysis post of the event, we will delve into the reasons that fans love Undertale so dearly.
(Essay and highlights under the cut.)
There have been countless essays on the impact that Undertale has had on peopleâs lives. I can hardly add more on the subject than what has already been said, but I hope this summary can provide a brief overview of what stood out among the over two thousand answers given in response to this survey. That said, due to the sheer volume of answers, I could not read every single one in depthâhowever, I did skim all of them, and some that stood out or were representative of several responses have been highlighted below. If you would like to see what every fan who consented to share their response had to say, you may view the full list of responses here. Note that these responses have not been edited in any way. This document may take a long time to load, as it is over 100 pages long.
(Warnings for mentions of suicidal thoughts in the following essay.)
Several responders loved the theme of choices mattering in Undertale. Whether people played the pacifist, merciless, or neutral routes, they enjoyed how the game reacted to their actions. For some, it even made them consider their own morality. One touching response explained the impact that the theme of mercy made on them. âI realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.â Many fans left similar comments about how the themes of Undertale made them better people.
Undertale changed how its fans treat others, and it also changed how fans treat themselves. The theme of staying determined and the messages of hope in the game were a light to a very large portion of fans. I cannot list all of the fans who said that Undertale helped them out of a dark place, or that they would not be alive if not for Undertale. âDETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and Iâll always cherish that. Undertale isnât afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.â
Undertale brought fans together in unexpected ways. Some said they met friends or significant others through the fandom. âI wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale,â one fan said. A different fan who is non-native English speaking mentioned that the game and the fan community helped them to learn English.
It would be impossible to discuss Undertale without mentioning the fan community. Whether for good or bad, many responders mentioned the fandom in their responses. Overall the feelings towards the fandom seem positive, though many made references to âtoxicâ parts of the fandom without specifying which parts they consider toxic. Others rejected the idea of toxicity in fandom. One response said: â[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!â
One thing that makes the Undertale fandom unique is the way it embraces various AUs. Some fans are tired of AU content, but the majority of responses show a love for the creativity behind AUs. âRoll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.â The lack of a judgemental atmosphere seems present in the AU community, according to the responses we saw. There is an interesting balance between AU and canon (sometimes referred to as âclassicâ) content that another responder pointed out: âThe fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertale fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)â
Regardless of the many AUs the fandom has created over the years, the original game of Undertale still feels like home for many fans. They wished they could reclaim the feeling of playing the game again for the first time, but even though we canât reset time in real life, there is still a special feeling for fans each time they play Undertale. One fan said, âEven the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.â This feeling is one that can be cherished time and time again. In the words of another responder: âIt always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it.â Others pointed out the strength of the found family trope in Undertale, which likely contributes to this feeling of âhomeâ as well.
As mentioned briefly earlier, the music is part of what makes Undertale feel like home for fans. Even when responses focused on other aspects of the game, many would throw in a comment about the soundtrack at the end. One comment focused on the music said âIT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.â Like with the game itself, the music has incredible replay value, an amazing feat considering most of the tracks use the same few motifs. âI think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story,â another responder said. âThey're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.â
If the music sticks with fans in their hearts, then the gameâs lore sticks with fans in their minds. Even six years after the release of Undertale, fans are still creating new theories and digging up new secrets. The way the game breaks the fourth wall in particular intrigued many fans and has stuck out through all these years. The awareness that the game shows for the RPG genre makes it memorable. The game plays with the playerâs expectations and turns them on their heads, all while reminding the player that theyâre in a game. There are few other games that do this on such a large scale, so itâs no surprise that fans cite this as one of their favorite things about Undertale.
Lastly, the LGBT+ representation in Undertale has been a huge draw for fans. Especially in 2015, the sheer volume of non-cishet characters was unprecedented, as one fan pointed out: âIt's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. Hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. It's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.â The LGBT+ cast including Frisk, Chara, Napstablook, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne each connected with fans in unique ways. Itâs clear how important this is from responses such as: âThere are canon nonbinary characters đ„ș. i have never seen representation of myself before.â âIt made me gay and trans so thanks for that.â
Once again I am overwhelmed with just how much there is to say about Undertale. One responder really understood when they compared Undertale to an iceberg, explaining that there are so many layers to the game that there is something for everyone: âeveryone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fansâfrom simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggersâis the mark of the coolest games!â I would have to agree with them.
Itâs been six years, and despite everything, itâs still you. Thank you for reading, participating in this survey, and above all, staying determined.
Highlights:
DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and Iâll always cherish that. Undertale isnât afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.
I think the coolest thing was having the opportunity to watch the AU community grow from its bare roots. It's nearly insane how big and complex it's gotten, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.
i love how the lgbt rep is so naturalized... there are just gay people! and its nobodys business!
The music is my go to answer, but what I really really REALLY love is how the minor characters have so much personality to them when you talk to them. They aren't incredibly important to the overall story, but they're all so likeable and diverse that you just can't help but like them immediately!
I think it was the first videogame I have played that broke the fourth wall that much. Of course there has been other videogames that broke it but just for one or two tongue-in-cheek jokes. The guilt of killing mama goat was also something intense as well that I appreciated as an experience and that I didn't think a videogame could cause on someone.
I love how no character can be seen as completely bad! Everyone builds up Asgore as some horrible villain, but he turns out to be a 'fuzzy pushover' who's broken and just wants his family back by the time you meet him. Then you think Flowey's an irredeemable killer who engineered the suffering of the monsters across many timelines, and he is... but he also used to be the kind and beloved Prince Asriel Dreemurr, traumatized by his death and subsequent rebirth, projecting his best friend onto you.
The fact that choices matter in the game. Your first playthrough and getting the golden ending for the first time. I can never replicate those feelings again, wish I could erase my memories and replay the game from the start.
I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale.
(Toxic parts of the fandom aside) The community is possibly one of the kindest I've ever met. Cringe culture is completely dead, and I feel like I can be myself. I felt a very close connection to many of the characters, and I loved consuming content about them when I was in a rough patch in my life.
just everything, the whole game has just impacted my life so much. i know it sounds really lame, but when the game first came out, i would purposely put my hands in my pockets and sway slightly, like sans' idle animation. of course i dont do that anymore haha, but undertale still really impacts me to this day, and i wouldnt have it any other way :)
it made me gay and trans so thanks for that
I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.
The thing I love most about Undertale is no matter how many times I play or watch a playthrough it always makes me genuinely happy. It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it. Toriel still makes me feel all warm and cozy in her home, the Skelebros always make me laugh, and I still cry on the inside watching Frisk comforting Asriel. And on the flip side the No Mercy run still invokes the negative emotions in me as well. In short Undertale just feels like a second home to me and I always wish I could stay.
The reader inserts are my favorite way to decompress after a hard day
I think Undertale helped me discover my love for 8-bit games, and made me realize how IMPORTANT music is in video games.
the worldbuilding and character design are my favorite parts of the main game apart from the music! Iâm also a huge fan of the random AU music- not for like underswap or underfell i like the stuff where someone makes a megalovania for a random au where gru from despicable me replaces sans as the character. i think its funny
Just... the vibe, honestly? Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.
there are canon nonbinary characters đ„ș. i have never seen representation of myself before.
[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!
There's a scene where Frisk (the player) is going towards what is presumably going to be their death. They will fight Asgore and he will use their human soul to break the barrier and free his people. The music, despite the player's impending doom, is... triumphant. You are not the triumphant one here, and yet, the score invites you to experience the monsters' joy and happiness as they tell you the tale of their subjugation. The monsters are going to be free. This is their victory, but they don't hate you or want you to die. They're just... happy. That scene has always struck me very deeply. I feel it represents the best parts of Undertale.
I loved how well thought out the Geno route was. It really made me feel like I was doing something horrible, and the characters were very obviously reacting to dire circumstances.
I dunno? I like Undertale for it's characters, story, music, secrets and many more. I am not good with Headcanons but I also like the neutral endings and how different they can depending on who you spare and kill
I was very bad at english before, i thought i couldn't progress because i was very shy and not confident. But my sibling and i wanted to have the best experience with this game so we wanted to play it in english. It's this game and the fandom which helped me to make huge progress in english !
THE SOUNDTRACK. IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.
to avoid writing an essay i will say one word. Mettaton
It is like Toby specifically made the games to fit the iceberg meme and it's awesome, everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans - from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers is the mark of the coolest games!
I love almost everything about Undertale as a game on its own. The music, the art and especially the characters and how they interact. They made me feel at home. Undertale means a huge amount to me. (I even got a tattoo of the castle when you and MK walk together!) The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertake fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)
the mystery. toby fox refused to give answers to anything and i think thats very sexy of him.
I just feel guilty for liking it so much when I'm in my 30's. But I recently got diagnosed with ASD, so I guess it explains things a bit. Many ppl consider Papyrus to be neurodivergent, and some adult fans are too, so seeing that makes me feel a bit better.
i think about "Despite everything, it's still you" everyday of my life.
I like how it's just as funny as it can be serious. All routes are this way. I laughed as much as I cried when I played the Pacifist route and then once I opened the game again and Flowey was telling me to let them be happy, I immediately turned off the game. I somehow felt bad.
The Found Family Trope
The True Pacifist Ending is just...man. And the fanworks about saving everyone even when the game doesn't let you? MANNNNNN
I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story. They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.
there's honestly a LOT to love about this game, but i think one of my favorite things about it is just how many lgbt+ characters there are??? i can think of alphys, undyne, frisk, chara, mettaton, napstablook, monster kid, asgore, mad mew mew, the dress lion, the royal guards, and arguably even papyrus off of the top of my head, but im sure i'm forgetting a few from just undertale alone (there's even MORE in deltarune)!! it's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. it's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.
[Image description: A wordcloud in the shape of the capitalized word UNDERTALE. The text is white on a black background, and uses the font found in the game. Some of the most visible words are: Game, Love, Music, Life, AU, Store, Friend, and Feel, which represent the most common words in the essays people wrote about their love for the game. End of ID]
