Undertale Deep Dive: Who Is Toriel?

And are her actions justified?

It has been a month since the fifth anniversary of Undertale. We have seen fan video homages, an official orchestral performance, and a piano cover medley from the creator. In short, the game and its following are still going strong.

There is some division in the fandom, though, about a character who is seen unequivocally as the hero. That is Toriel, who is more important than she seems at first. She also invites equal love, sorrow, and frustration. But does she deserve all of that?

Toriel The Tutorial

Toriel makes her grand appearance saving you, the player, after she finds a flower taunting you. She calls herself the Keeper of the Ruins, the entrance into the Underground. Goat mom, as we call her, treats you with kid gloves, no pun intended.

She carries both an aura of kindness and mystery. Some players in the fandom joke that she is a serial killer waiting for you to get complacent. We find out that’s not the case: Toriel is overbearing but she ultimately wants you to stay alive in a hostile world. That is where the problems begin. You have to…