Sans’s Secret: Unraveling His Knowledge of Resets in Undertale

Sans, the seemingly laid-back skeleton of Undertale, is more than just a comedian with a penchant for puns. He’s one of the few characters in the game who seems to possess awareness of the timeline’s manipulation, specifically the player’s ability to reset the game. This begs the question: Why does Sans know about the resets?

The most widely accepted answer stems from a combination of factors: accumulated knowledge from previous timelines, a possible connection to the scientist W.D. Gaster, and his innate ability to perceive anomalies in the timeline. While he doesn’t have perfect recall of every event in every reset, Sans accumulates fragments of information and experiences, which he uses to piece together the truth about the player’s powers. He’s not necessarily remembering entire timelines perfectly, but rather, he’s retaining residual knowledge and recognizing repeating patterns. His dialogue and actions, particularly during the Genocide Route, strongly suggest this awareness. The knowledge allows him to strategically use the timeline to his advantage, even if he can’t fully control it.

Delving Deeper: The Evidence for Sans’s Awareness

There are several key pieces of evidence in the game that support the theory of Sans’s timeline awareness:

His knowledge of the player: Sans often seems to know things about the player that he shouldn’t, such as their number of deaths or the fact that they’ve reset the timeline before. He subtly alludes to these events in his dialogue, hinting at a deeper understanding of the player’s actions.
His Battle Mechanics: In the Genocide Route, Sans’s battle mechanics are drastically different from any other enemy in the game. He knows about INVINCIBILITY FRAMES and uses them to his advantage. He is capable of using abilities that are not available to monsters.
His awareness of Flowey: Sans knows about Flowey, another character capable of remembering resets. His warnings against letting Sans learn about the SAVE ability further suggest that Sans is aware of Flowey’s knowledge of the timelines and his manipulation of them.
The secret lab and W.D. Gaster: The hidden lab behind Sans and Papyrus’ house contains blueprints and machines that point towards time-bending experiments, potentially related to Gaster’s research. This suggests a link between Sans, Gaster, and the manipulation of timelines. Some theories posit that Sans may even be a fragment or an experiment gone wrong from Gaster’s work.
His role as a Judge: Sans’s role in judging the player’s actions at the end of the game suggests that he’s been observing their behavior across multiple timelines. He’s keeping track of their sins and meting out judgment accordingly, indicating a long-term perspective that transcends a single playthrough.
Dialogue: He makes several comments throughout the game that implies he is aware of the player’s multiple play throughs.

Is Sans aware of multiple timelines?

Yes, Sans acknowledges the existence of multiple timelines and the player’s power to manipulate them. He never states or even implies that he remembers everything about previous timelines, and it’s actually very obvious he can’t remember everything. He remembers only bits and pieces.

FAQs: Understanding Sans and the Resets

1. Does Papyrus know about the resets?

While there’s no definitive evidence that Papyrus is fully aware of the resets in the same way as Sans, there are hints that he might possess some level of subconscious awareness. He occasionally expresses a feeling of déjà vu or mentions things that seem to imply he’s experienced similar situations before. However, his innocent and optimistic nature could simply be a coping mechanism, or it could be his true nature.

2. How does Flowey remember resets?

Flowey remembers resets because he was the first being in the Underground to possess the power to SAVE and LOAD. This power was initially granted to him due to his unique circumstances as Asriel’s reanimated form without a soul, injected with determination.

3. Is Flowey the only one who remembers resets?

No, Sans also remembers resets, albeit in a different way than Flowey. Flowey has a more complete memory of previous timelines, while Sans seems to retain fragmented memories and recognize patterns across resets.

4. Why is Flowey afraid of Sans?

Flowey isn’t necessarily afraid of Sans in a physical sense. However, he’s wary of Sans’s ability to perceive his manipulations of the timeline. Flowey warns the player not to let Sans find out about their SAVE ability because he knows that Sans is perceptive and might be able to interfere with his plans.

5. What is the connection between Sans and W.D. Gaster?

The connection between Sans and W.D. Gaster is heavily theorized but never explicitly confirmed in the game. Evidence suggests that Sans was either a former associate of Gaster, a creation of Gaster’s experiments, or even a fragment of Gaster himself. The secret lab and Sans’s anomalous abilities support this connection.

6. What happens if you reset after beating Sans?

If you reset after beating Sans but before facing Asgore, Flowey becomes visibly upset and frustrated. He recognizes that the player is choosing to undo their victory and mocks them for it, emphasizing his awareness of the player’s timeline manipulation.

7. Why does Sans fight you in the Genocide Route?

Sans fights the player in the Genocide Route because he realizes that they are a threat to the entire timeline and the monsters inhabiting it. He’s desperately trying to stop them from destroying everything, even if it means sacrificing himself. He’s essentially fighting to protect the world he knows, however flawed it may be.

8. Is Sans evil?

No, Sans is not evil. He’s a complex character with his own motivations and flaws. While he can be lazy and apathetic at times, he’s ultimately driven by a desire to protect his brother and the people he cares about. His actions in the Genocide Route, though brutal, are motivated by a desire to prevent further suffering.

9. What is Sans’s job?

Sans claims to be a sentry, but he rarely performs his duties. He seems to spend most of his time sleeping or telling jokes. However, his understanding of timelines and his ability to judge the player suggest that his true role is more significant than simply guarding the entrance to Snowdin.

10. Why does Sans have only 1 HP?

Sans’s extremely low HP is likely a reflection of his apathy and exhaustion. He’s given up on trying to change things, knowing that the player can always reset the timeline. His low HP could also be symbolic of his connection to Gaster and his potential fragmentation.

11. Does Sans have a soul?

It is heavily implied that Sans has a soul. The game never explicitly states he doesn’t, and his ability to experience emotions and his connection to Papyrus strongly suggest that he does possess a soul, even if it’s damaged or weakened.

12. What is Blue Mode?

Blue Mode is a form of soul manipulation that Sans (and Papyrus) can use to control the player’s movement. By turning their soul blue, they can apply “gravity” to it, making it easier to manipulate and attack.

13. Is there a True Reset in Undertale?

Yes, the True Reset occurs after completing the True Pacifist ending. This reset is different from regular resets because it seems to erase the player’s influence on the timeline, allowing the characters to live happily ever after without the threat of future resets.

14. What is Error Sans?

Error Sans is a character from an alternate universe (AU) of Undertale called Errortale. He is a destructive force who seeks to destroy other AUs, believing that they are glitches in the system. He is a popular fan-made character, but not part of the official Undertale canon.

15. What are some resources for learning more about Undertale and game design?

For resources on game design and the educational applications of games, I highly recommend checking out the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. The GamesLearningSociety.org is a valuable resource for those interested in exploring the intersection of gaming and learning.

Conclusion: Sans, the Observer

Sans’s knowledge of the resets is one of the most intriguing mysteries of Undertale. While the exact details remain shrouded in ambiguity, the evidence suggests that he’s a keen observer with a unique connection to the timeline. He’s a character who understands more than he lets on, and his awareness of the resets adds depth and complexity to the game’s narrative. It invites players to think about the choices they make and the consequences they have, not just within a single playthrough, but across multiple timelines.