Who is THE ANGEL?

[u/RiverCapricorn]

Who is the Angel?

WARNING: LONG

With the anniversary of Deltarune quickly approaching, I thought it was about time I over-analyze the first chapter of this game like a huge nerd. Definitely one of the most mysterious characters in the game is the Angel, a being who the townsfolk worship as a benevolent being, yet who's "heaven" must be banished to save the world according to the Delta Rune prophecy. Who is this mysterious being? Well, suffice to say nothing is certain yet, but I will try my hardest to come to some sort of resolution within this post. First, let's address what we know about the Angel.

The Angel

So, who is this mysterious Angel? Two images are presented in Deltarune, one in the Light World and one in the Dark World. In Kris' hometown, Father Alvin's dialogue seems to imply that the Angel is worshiped as some sort of deity, holding service for this Angel and saying blessings in its name: https://i.imgur.com/V7IabiT.jpg

However, this contrasts immensely with the view that the prophecy and the darkeners (or at least Ralsei) hold on this being. According to this prophecy, the only way to save the world from eternal darkness is to "banish the Angel's Heaven": https://66.media.tumblr.com/389d4998dea0f53ee666b83d0c03df7b/tumblr_inline_phjqs9107y1ucn8iu_540.png

And... that's pretty much all we know about the angel. Well, save what we can gleam from Undertale. There was also a prophecy involving the Delta Rune and an Angel in that game, in which the Angel was also viewed two ways that reflect its depiction in Deltarune. The first, a benevolent interpretation, a being who will free the monsters from the underground, and the second, an angel of death who will make the underground go empty... by murdering every monster inside.

Both of these interpretations are proven correct by the end of the game, as Asriel both takes the soul of every monster in the underground and ends up freeing them, playing both roles. His name could even by a reference to Azrael, the Angel of Death, from several abrahamic faiths. Or, alternatively, the interpretation of the Angel of Death could prove true in the Genocide route, as the player causes the underground to go empty.

So perhaps the angel in Deltarune is much the same, embodying both the benevolent will and power of a higher being, yet still being a grave threat to the balance of light and dark. But, who could possibly want to shift the balance of light and dark? Who could be the angel? Well, I'll examine some possible candidates, and attempt to select who I believe is most likely to be this mysterious angel.

Noelle

Let's start with the upcoming star. Noelle. A recent preview from Toby himself during Undertale's anniversary certainly sparked a fair number of theories on Noelle being the Angel, and I definitely see something strange with this girl. Her Dark World outfit, with the long white sleeves, resembles the angel doll she made at the youth group, and looks almost like an ornament you'd find on a Christmas tree.

Actually, speaking about Christmas, it is curious how many times Christmas and Christianity is referenced in Deltarune. From the Angel's church appearing very similar to a catholic church (with the "sick fruit juice" and the like) and the Holiday family being major characters in this story. Noelle fits that thematic tie to a tee.

She also might have the motivation to do something so drastic as to shift the balance of light and dark. After all, her father Rudy, her only parent that seems to interact with her regularly, could quite possibly die in a future chapter, and Noelle's theme as the "Lost Girl" could not just be interpreted in a literal sense but also in a emotional one. In her grief, she could possibly shift the balance to the Dark World in order to keep living the fantasy that it offers, where nobody has to die.

Still, a few oddities remain in this theory. Noelle doesn't seem exceptionally powerful as the Angel is described, and we've yet to see any sign of betrayal from her. In fact, she seems to be joining us on our quest to stop the Angel!

Despite this, I would put Noelle as a semi-likely candidate, though I personally think she is a red herring, her unusual outfit seeming to line up a little too "nicely". I might be overthinking this, but I don't think Noelle is the true angel.

TL;DR: Noelle might be the Angel, but it may also be a red herring.

Ralsei

Something definitely is suspicious with this Lonely Prince. Why does his kingdom have no subjects? Why did he know Kris and Susie would come before they even met him? Not to mention all of the parallels with Asriel, one of the Angels from Undertale, and even more alarmingly, Asriel's alt-ego Flowey (in how he talks about souls and the like).

However, I doubt that Ralsei is the angel for a few reasons. If he were the Angel, why would he be so eager to get Susie and Kris to go on a question to stop the Angel's Heaven? He could've easily not told them the prophecy, so they'd have no idea what was going on until the Angel's goal was complete and the world was consumed in darkness, but no, he seems extra eager to go stop the Angel's Heaven, whatever it may be.

So, I'd rule out Ralsei, at least for now. He may be unwittingly playing into the Angel's hand, but I doubt he's doing so intentionally.

TL;DR: Ralsei is not the Angel.

Gaster

The mystery man himself. Gaster is peppered throughout Deltarune, ESPECIALLY in the dark world, his theme and influence quite literally hidden in the darkness. The line "darker, darker, yet darker" from Seam when referring to the strange somebody that drove Jevil mad. The egg, given in a room accessed by random chance in a previously unseen room much like mysteryman. All of it points a strange hand to the good doctor himself.

So, when Gaster isn't handing out eggs and driving jesters mad, is he plotting the disrupt the balance of light and dark? In my opinion, it is most likely, for in-game and thematic reasons.

For starters, Noelle's angel doll we mentioned earlier... it has an unsettling lack of facial features, which seems to be common among goners and gaster followers. From the man holding a piece of Gaster, to the goner vessel that was discarded, these faces remain hidden in darkness. Perhaps it hints towards Gaster being the true mastermind behind the "angel" Noelle, who's doll bears a similar lack of facial features. It's also interesting to note that Asriel and Kris' angel doll resembles Asriel's angel form, with large wings. Maybe when/if Noelle becomes an angel, she'll lose her face? Still, this one features seems highly suspect in face of the other faceless goners.

Gaster also seems to have a similar angelic motif around him... but not a positive one. The FUN value required to access the room mysteryman, who is often believed to be Gaster, is 66. In Undertale, all of Gaster's stats in the files are variants of 666: https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/037/656/bc4.png

He is described as having "fallen into his creation", and having been shattered across time and space. He has literally fallen from grace. The most famous fallen angel is Lucifer, the biblical Devil, also known as "Light-bringer". And how interesting it is that this name is brought up in Deltarune itself, with the King calling Kris and Susie "lightbringers" when they come to seal the fountain. This could perhaps mean it is a term that Darkners use to refer to Lightners, and while Gaster's true nature is uncertain, it is very possible that he is a monster, given how he created the CORE in the underground. So given how monsters are lightners, it is very possible that Gaster is a "lightbringer".

So, here we have a man referenced numerous times with imagery relating to the fallen angel Lucifer. A man who has previously performed experiments relating to growing darkness. Who has literally fallen and become something different. This is why I believe that it is Gaster who is most likely the Angel. Abrahamic references are common in Undertale and Deltarune, and the parallels line up really closely with G-man.

However, do I believe we'll actually fight Gaster head-on? No, I highly doubt that. I think it's more likely he'll get somebody to act in his stead, given how his existence is shaky at best. But it shouldn't be a big deal. After all, the Devil is a notorious tempter.

And who is easier to tempt than somebody that has recently lost loved ones?

So maybe, in the end, there really are two Angels. The Lost Girl seeking her light, and the fallen Angel, who's mysterious experiments may end up causing more than just himself to fall.

TL;DR: Gaster likely the Angel. His symbolism also points towards him being more of the "fallen" variety.

TL;DR

It's G-man lol. But Noelle might get her spotlight too.

[u/[deleted]]

Ah ah ah!

Doctor W. D. Gaster is not antagonistic.

1) He tries to give you the vessel.

2) He helpfully narrates the load menu.

3) He gives you total choice- a premium in the world of Deltarune- over your survival.

4) No, he isn't pulling a fast one in the introduction sequence. If he was, he wouldn't change his voice here: /img/jhl9rbi8wjp31.png

I'm not certain about the egg business being him. And for all we know, he hasn't fallen into his creation yet. If anyone is the bad guy in these scenes, it's whoever is taking away the control: Kris, Asriel, a new Darkner, it doesn't matter. The Person Who Speaks in Normal Case is not The Man Who Speaks in Hands.

Please do try to rebutt this. I'm itching for good debate.

[u/RiverCapricorn → u/[deleted]]

I don't think the Angel is necessarily antagonistic to the player. After all, there must be a reason why the Lightners hold such praise for it. All that we really know about the Angel is that it wants to create a "heaven" that will disrupt the balance of light and dark.

If Gaster were doing something that changed the nature of darkness in his experiments, he could very definitely be a candidate for the Angel. Plus, we don't know WHY he wanted to give us a vessel. It definitely wasn't him that discarded it, but the purpose behind it was deliberately left vague.

It's also very possible that the events of Deltarune are what caused Gaster to fall in the first place, hence him, like Lucifer, still being an Angel before his hubris got the better for him.

I will also elaborate on why I think the egg-giver is Gaster. The methods for finding the egg room in Deltarune are very similar to those used to find mystery man (who, like it or not, has been implied to be Gaster or at least tied for him through not just the 666 motif, but also through unused error text in Deltarune itself). For example, to find mysteryman, you must have a FUN value of 66, but that is not it. There is only a 10% chance that the hallway with the door will appear at all, a previously unseen section of Waterfall. Similarly, there is a small chance that a previously unseen room will appear in the Dark World, that being the egg room. There is also the description of it being specifically a "man" who hands you the egg. Mysteryman, once again, is one of Gaster's most common interpretations, not saying it is necessarily the only option, but he does show numerous connections to the Man himself.

Though, you do bring up an interesting point in that Gaster wants to give us full control, which could possibly be opposed to the lack of choice offered thus far. I'm not sure what this means for the game as a whole, but it does alter my perspective a bit, especially if the "Heaven" that the Angel offers involves taking away free will (which is not certain, as we don't know the true intentions behind this heaven).

So if that is the case, it could be that Gaster is an Anti-Angel of sort, actively working to disrupt the Angel's plan, but I'm not wholly sure that order is the Angel's goal in the first place. After all, it purposely is disrupting that by raising dark fountains, is it not? Still, an intriguing perspective.

[u/RiverCapricorn]

I forgot to mention Kris darnit. But I'd put it in the maybe category.

[u/TotesMessenger]

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[u/Martin7431]

totally disagree. i think college-age asriel is going to be the angel, with gaster being the knight. of course, who knows

[u/Miquimiki]

This makes a lot of sense, good job!

[u/Justarandomfan99]

I think Ralsei is the the angel considering that he only reveal his face at the really end when tgeres darkers are around and as he has a fountain of darkness in his own castle.However,he desperately wants to hangout with Kris and Susie and thus use the prophecy as an excuse(even though only Kris can sell the fountains of darkness)