| “ | SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY! | „ |
| ~ Mettaton showing his villainous side. |
| “ | Oh yes! | „ |
| ~ Mettaton upon turning into Mettaton EX, and his most famous quote. |
Mettaton is a major antagonist in the 2015 indie game Undertale.
He is a ghost possessing a robot body created by Alphys, built to be a TV entertainer. Alphys later added human combat features to his body, but supposedly tried to remove them. When Frisk arrived, Alphys came up with a plan to make herself look good to Frisk, activating puzzles and traps and getting Mettaton to antagonize Frisk so that Alphys can "rescue" them from him.
Biography[]
Neutral Route[]
Early on the Neutral run of the game, Mettaton makes his first appearance in Snowdin as part of Papyrus' RNG tile puzzle. During his first encounter with Frisk, Mettaton doesn't display anything that hints to him being sapient in nature beyond this programming and was portrayed as just a machine Papyrus used to try and capture them. After explaining what the puzzle does, Papyrus turns the machine on. After a few seconds of randomly selecting the puzzle, Mettaton trolls Papyrus by deliberately setting up a puzzle where Frisk can go straight forward. This prompts papyrus to spin away out of both bewilderment and frustration, hinting that Mettaton is more than he lets on.
A few chapters later, Frisk eventually makes it to Hotland where they meet Dr. Alphys. The reptilian scientist explains that she has created a robot known as Mettaton with anti-human killing functions, but wanted to delete them when she saw Frisk coming by camera. Unfortunately, when she tried to remove them, she made a mistake and Mettaton is now a bloodthirsty killing machine. Right after, Mettaton shatters any notion of him being a mindless machine by breaking through a wall and start hosting his "game show," complete with confetti and flashing lights. In this game show, Frisk must answer a series of questions correctly. If they answer a question wrong, Mettaton will electrocute them. After a few answers he asks a question relating to Mew Mew Kissing Cutie, an in-universe anime Alphys is a deep fan of, causing her to burst in and yells out the answer out of excitement. As a punishment for yelling out the answer, Mettaton's next question for Frisk is, "Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?" If Frisk answers "Undyne" then Alphys will start to blush and Mettaton will begin to tell Alphys that guessing her crush was simple and start ranting on why she would love Undyne. Once Frisk answers all the questions he has, Mettaton will blast off.
Some time later, Frisk unwittingly enters a kitchen set where Mettaton is, and he orders Frisk to get ingredients for his show "Cooking With a Killer Robot." Once Frisk has all the ingredients, Mettaton remembers that there's one last ingredient for the cake he's making—a human soul. He then gets out a chainsaw and slowly closes in on Frisk. Before he could lunge for the kill, Alphys suddenly interrupts by calling Mettaton and asking if he could possibly use a substitute. Mettaton exclaims that that's a great idea and motions over to a can of MTT Brand Always-Convenient Human Soul Flavor Substitute sitting on a counter several feet away and orders Frisk to get the object. Before they can, the counter shudders and expands, raising the can high into the air. Mettaton tells Frisk that if they do not get the can in under one minute, he will go back to the original plan of using Frisk's own soul. Frisk is given a jetpack by Alphys via cell phone button and must get the can within one minute. As Frisk flies through the air, Mettaton throws ingredients such as eggs and flour at them to slow them down. Once Frisk gets it, Mettaton leaves, defeated.
Later on, while Frisk is walking around in Hotland, they wander into a room in which Mettaton is reporting the news, and the robot asks them to find something newsworthy to report. No matter what Frisk chooses, the item will turn out to be a bomb, and Mettaton then reveals that every single object was actually a bomb. This time, Frisk must deactivate the bombs using a defuser (also installed on their phone by Alphys) or else a giant bomb will explode in two minutes, according to Mettaton. Once Frisk deactivates all the bombs, Mettaton tells them that the bomb will not explode in two minutes, but instead in two seconds. Fortunately for Frisk, the bomb fails to explode and Alphys calls in to tell them that she remotely deactivated it, so once again, Mettaton leaves.
Frisk encounters Mettaton yet again, but this time, Mettaton is wearing a blue dress. Mettaton starts calling Frisk his "one true love" and starts serenading Frisk as pink petals fall in the air, saying that they should run away before they die many times in the dungeon. Mettaton then opens a trap door beneath Frisk, making them fall into a room where he brings up a fully functional version of tile tile puzzle used all the way back in Snowdin and forces Frisk to complete it. They are challenged to do so in only 30 seconds, or else they will be burned by walls of flames. After 30 seconds pass, the flames start to slowly reach Frisk until it stops due to Alphys hacking into the firewall and turning it off. Mettaton recalls that the green tile means that Frisk must fight a monster, and states that the monster is none other than himself. He begins to fight Frisk, and Alphys immediately calls and tells Frisk a way to fight back against Mettaton. Frisk pushes a yellow button on the phone and Frisk's soul turns upside down, becoming yellow. Frisk is then able to fight back against Mettaton using a bullet-shooting power. Mettaton flees in defeat once more, but not before showing that he seems to have lost interest.
Frisk meets up with Mettaton one more time at the end of the Core, but this time he prevents Alphys from interrupting by locking the door so Alphys can't enter, and then exposes the fact that everything he had done up until now was all an act to make Alphys look good in Frisk's eyes, as well as the fact that he has no desire to harm humans, only wanting to entertain. In spite of this, if Mettaton is able to obtain the protagonist's soul, he could silently ascend to the surface world, thereby preventing Asgore's plot to wipe out humanity, allowing Mettaton to become the hero of humankind, granting him the acclaim of the entire human world. Red lights around the pair will turn on and the platform they're on shoots upward, with Mettaton announcing his new show "Attack of the Killer Robot." Frisk attempts to use the yellow soul power to defend themself, but Mettaton, unaffected, tells them that it won't work on him. Alphys then calls Frisk and tells them to turn Mettaton around so that they can flip the switch on his back. Frisk tricks Mettaton by telling him that there's a mirror behind him and once Mettaton turns around, Frisk flips his switch. After the robot shakes violently and his screen flashes rapidly, the whole room flashes with white light and Mettaton says his trademark "OHHHHHH YESSS" in a deep voice.
As spotlights switch on and fog starts clearing, Frisk can see a humanoid silhouette emerging where the rectangle once stood. Mettaton EX then reveals his new form, promising to make Frisk's last moments absolutely beautiful. Mettaton EX and Frisk battle on live TV until Frisk either kills Mettaton, or raises the ratings for Mettaton's show high enough to have him stop the battle to have a viewer call-in session. If the ratings go high enough and Mettaton survives, Napstablook as well as some of Mettaton's other fans tell him how much they loved his show and express their remorse about him leaving, convincing him to stay in the underground. Finally, Mettaton informs Frisk that the battery consumption of his new form is inefficient and that he will shut down soon. Right before he shuts down, he cheers Frisk on and thanks his audience. Once Mettaton's control over the door has been stopped, Alphys comes in, concerned. If Frisk killed Mettaton, his rectangular body will be lying on the floor, broken, and Alphys is deeply saddened, saying that she can always build another robot (though that is a lie). If Mettaton simply ran out of battery, she sighs in relief. Whichever action Frisk chooses, once Mettaton is dealt with, they can progress out of the Core into New Home.
An ending can occur if Frisk kills Toriel and Undyne but spares Mettaton, where Mettaton becomes the ruler of the Underground and brainwashes every citizen with his television show. Any more humans who fall into the Underground can join his fan club for free (I.e. most likely brainwashed as well). Mettaton also builds a statue to Alphys in apology, as he was not the greatest to her, but was never able to find her, much to his guilt. Sans and Papyrus (if the latter is still alive) become Mettaton's agents and enjoy their new lives (despite everything being off like it was before).
True Pacifist Route[]
If the requirements have been met for the route, Mettaton will appear for a brief time when Frisk's friends have assembled in Asgore's throne room, sticking his leg on screen and telling Undyne and Alphys to kiss, as the audience has apparently been dying for some romantic action.
In the segment where Frisk can take a walk through the underground and talk to all of its residents, Mettaton can be found with Napstablook next to the two oblong pastel-colored houses in Waterfall. He thanks Frisk for opening the barrier and informs them of his plans to finally perform with Napstablook and Shyren before asking them what kind of merchandise of him humans would like. In the end credits, Mettaton can be seen as a successful star, performing onstage with Napstablook, Shyren, and even Burgerpants.
Genocide Route[]
During the Genocide Route, when Frisk first encounters Mettaton in Alphys' lab, Mettaton simply threatens them and runs away. Mettaton is not seen at all in the Genocide route until Frisk makes it to the end of the Core. At the end, Mettaton confronts Frisk and threatens to show them his true form. Once Frisk steps forward, Mettaton transforms into Mettaton NEO, sporting winglike lights and an arm cannon. However, Mettaton does nothing until he is struck once, causing him to explode. Notably, unlike in his Neutral and True Pacifist incarnations, Mettaton doesn't leave any semblance of his body behind after being dealt with, probably because it was atomized beyond recognition during his death.
Furthermore, if the player has not fulfilled the requirements of killing everyone in Hotland/the Core, Mettaton acts as the last way to go back on a Neutral path. Even though he is killed in one hit again, he remarks that Frisk was holding back and that they are not truly evil, so he can rest easy knowing Alphys as well as the humans above ground will live.
Non-Specific[]
| “ | Sorry, Blooky. My dreams can't wait for anyone. | „ |
| ~ Mettaton's final journal entry, before gaining a body. |
Down the alley on the right of MTT Resort, the shopkeepers Bratty and Catty sell a "Mystery Key" for 600 gold. This key unlocks the pink house next to the blue one belonging to the ghost Napstablook. Inside are several of Mettaton's journals, in which his backstory is revealed. He was originally a ghost, and is Napstablook's cousin Happstablook. Eventually, he met Alphys, who made the robot body for him as a way to get him the stardom he always dreamed of. Mettaton eventually left to become a celebrity, and Napstabloom is left alone.
Appearance[]
In his base form, Mettaton is a mostly rectangular box, with a grid of lights used for "facial expressions" by changing it's colors. He has four dials on his body, two robotic arms with gloves on them, and a single wheel as a leg.
As Mettaton EX, he gains a more human appearance gained by a request to Alphys. In said form, he has pale "skin", with black hair covering his left eye. He has a pink chest piece with a narrow waist and black shoulder guards above his arms, which again end with gloves. The chest piece seems to have a speaker and a knob on it, while his waist houses his "heart-shaped core". He also has long black legs which end in pink high-heeled boots.
As Mettaton Neo, a form built mainly for combat, his right arm appears to have been replaced with a Megaman-esque arm cannon, larger shoulder guards similar to legs, which connect to a wing-like cape, and the soul on his waist now points upwards like most monsters. He also has a heart-shaped engraving on said chest, and his hair is spiked away from his left eye, revealing an entirely black segment with a crosshair like mark on it.
Personality[]
Mettaton is a rather charming, charismatic, and confident TV Host, who has a liking for drama, action, and violence. He also likes to perform for people, lives for his ratings, supposedly strikes a dramatic pose when he does something incorrectly, and makes some time on his shows to beat up "heel-turning villains." He also has a strong craving for attention and is very egotistical to the point of narcissism, such as boasting about the beauty of his true form. Despite these seemingly narcissistic qualities, he cares a lot about the positive impact his show has on the people of the Underground. He also appears to be among the fewer characters in the Underground that has no hate or prejudice against humans despite knowing about the monsters' history with them, since his initial attempts to kill Frisk were just him playing along with Alphys' plan, and he outright tells Frisk he has no desire to hurt humans and is far more interested in simply entertaining. While he did attempt to kill Frisk, it was to prevent Asgore from taking his SOUL and be seen as a hero/savior to humankind, further emphasizing his lack of prejudice. On the flip side, he's also been noted to be a very demanding boss who is very unpleasant to work for, especially according to Burgerpants, who initially considered working for him a dream, but has since grown to strongly despise him.
Themes[]
It's Showtime[]
Metal Crusher[]
Death By Glamour[]
Power of NEO[]
Gallery[]
.png "EX(limbless).png (2 KB)")
Trivia[]
- According to the creator of Undertale, Toby Fox, the fight against Mettaton when he was in his EX form was the hardest one for him to design, as there were many attack ideas for the Mettaton EX fight that were never used or scrapped, such as more tiny Mettaton robots, and disco dancing robots that threw stars.
- If you name the protagonist "Metta", "Mett", or "MTT", the usual comment is replaced by Mettaton saying "OOOOH!!! ARE YOU PROMOTING MY BRAND?".
- The name "Mettaton" can be interpreted in various ways:
- "Mettaton" is pronounced and spelled similarly to Metatron, the highest angel in Jewish folklore, who is also known as the Voice of God and Recording Angel. To add to the similarities, Metatron's name is transliterated into Greek as MTT, an acronym used for Mettaton. This could be a reference to how Shin Megami Tensei handled him in particular, as they both have a metallic appearance, and are both late-game bosses.
- The name could also be a combination of "metal" and "automaton". Plus, the Meta- prefix means to change, which could reference the various forms Mettaton has.
- Also, Mettaton may be a portmanteau of "Meta" and "ton," as Mettaton makes examples of meta-commentary on the structure of Undertale.
- Mettaton EX's design bears a striking resemblance to the outfit sported by Ziggy Stardust, an alter ego the of English songwriter and pop culture icon, David Bowie. The overall design of Ziggy's attire greatly influenced the design for Mettaton EX, while Bowie's eccentric personality influenced Mettaton's personality as well.
- Mettaton's normal form shares a similar shape to an NES cartridge.
- An early concept design for Mettaton EX seems to be based on Shadow DIO from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
- Mettaton NEO resembles Bass's "Treble Boost" from Megaman.
- The answer choices to the question "What are robots made out of?" in his quiz show have several references. To start, the answer "Hopes & Dreams" is a reference to the track "Hopes and Dreams", Asriel's battle music, while the answers "Snips & Snails" and "Sugar & Spice" reference the nursery rhyme "What Are Little Boys Made Of?"
- When Mettaton sings to the protagonist, the program window is renamed to "UNDERTALE the Musical."
- Mettaton EX does recognize the answers "sexy", "foxy", and "tantalizing" for his essay question, but since the X and Z keys cannot be inputted without holding CTRL, they are not possible in the original Steam version.
- Mettaton EX originally saved images of all the essays to the computer's hard drive, but this was removed for being too buggy of a feature.
- In Undertale v1.001, Mettaton's stats for his box form changed from "10 ATK, 999 DEF" to "ATK 30, DEF 255". 255 is the max value of an unsigned 8-bit interger, and is often used as the maximum value possible for things in video games.
- Mettaton is a literal "ghost in the machine". This is a philosophical phrase used for a critique of the perception that mind and body are separate entities, when they are actually are not comparable, as a physical entity cannot be compared to an abstract one.
- Mettaton's EX transformation is referenced in both the manga and the anime adaptation of Pop Team Epic.
- The fight with Mettaton EX is often considered to be one of the hardest boss fights in the Neutral/Pacifist Routes due to the variation of his attacks, the amount of damage they can do, and the Ratings mechanic, which is the key to ending the fight peacefully and more quickly, being hard to know about since the game gives no indication you have to raise it to a certain number to end the fight.
External Links[]
- Mettaton on the Heroes Wiki
- Mettaton on the Undertale Wiki
- Mettaton on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki
[]
 / Villains
| ||
|
Monsters Ghosts Darkners Others | ||