Kris (Deltarune)

Kris Dreemurr
Deltarune character
Kris, as they appear in the Light World.
First game	Deltarune (2018)
Created by	Toby Fox
Designed by	Toby Fox Gigi DG Chess (spritework)
In-universe information
Gender	Non-binary

Kris Dreemurr is the playable protagonist of the 2018 role-playing video game Deltarune. Depicted as a non-binary teenager residing in the Light World with their adoptive mother Toriel, Kris befriends the school bully Susie after they both discover a portal to the Dark World inside their school's supply closet. Alongside Susie and Darkner Ralsei, Kris is prophesied to seal various "Dark Fountains" which risk the destruction of the Dark World and the Light World. Kris appears to struggle with the player's control over them, occasionally rejecting it by ripping out their "soul", which seemingly allows Kris to regain free will. They were created by the game's developer, Toby Fox, with additional design work by concept artist Gigi DG and sprite artist Chess.

Kris has been generally well received, with analysis performed by multiple critics on various aspects of their character, including their resemblance to multiple characters in the related game Undertale, their relationship with the player, and their role in the alternate "weird" route.

Kris is the protagonist of Deltarune, the human child of the monsters Toriel and Asgore, and an inhabitant of the "Light World".^{[1][citation needed]} They, alongside their school's bully Susie, discover another realm called a "Dark World".^[1] They later meet a Darkner–a being who resides within a Dark World–named Ralsei, who says that the three of them are prophesized to save both worlds by sealing "Dark Fountains".^{[1][citation needed]} They meet Prince Lancer, who initially fights them but eventually befriends them. They defeat Lancer's father, the King, who protected the dark fountain at the behest of a knight. After sealing the fountain, Kris and Susie return to the Light World, becoming closer and vowing to return the next day. Kris later rips their heart out in their bedroom, severing player control. Chapter 2 has Kris and Susie discover a new fountain at the library, entering a cybernetic Dark World where their fellow classmate Noelle Holiday has been captured by its Queen at the behest of a knight so that Noelle can create a Dark Fountain. Accompanied by Ralsei, the three eventually defeat the Queen, convincing her that listening to the knight's orders would be disastrous. While Susie is over, Kris rips out their heart and then uses a knife to stab the ground, causing a fountain to be created.

Chapter 3 follows the three as they are placed into a television game show hosted by Tenna, a man with a TV for a head and personification of Toriel's unused television who is holding Toriel captive. Tenna is convinced to let her go, though is attacked by the Roaring Knight, who attempts to take Toriel and attack the three. The knight is attacked by a cop named Undyne, kidnapping them and fleeing into a shelter, which Kris and Susie must unlock. In Chapter 4, while Kris and Susie are searching Noelle's house for a code, Kris rips out the heart to prevent player control and sabotage the search. The two find another Dark Fountain at the church. Reuniting with Ralsei and guided by an elderly monster called Gerson Boom, they eventually face the Roaring Knight again, who opens a fountain in the Dark World, creating a giant called a Titan. After defeating it with the help of Gerson, they seal the Titan before returning home.

In each chapter, there are optional things the player may have Kris do. Each chapter features a secret boss fight, each requiring different conditions to unlock, including the jester Jevil who has been locked away, the salesman Spamton who desired freedom, and Gerson Boom, who spars with Susie. Additionally, Kris can be forced to start the "Weird" route in Chapter 2, where Noelle is instructed by the player (whom she believes is Kris) to use an ice spell to freeze multiple characters, causing her emotional and physical pain.

Kris has been featured in merchandise based on Deltarune, including a pin set with other characters.^[2]

Kris was created by Toby Fox in either 2014 or 2015.^[3] Their concept art was created by Fox alongside artist Gigi, and their Dark World design was among the first sprites created for the game, which were created by artist Chess. These sprites included a battle idle animation and slash animation.^[4] They are a non-binary character, with the game only using they/them pronouns to refer to them.^[5][6] They are a distinct character from the player avatar that controls them, having reactions to things being said or done that they would not have done.^[6] Different members of the cast view Kris differently, ranging from people viewing them as nice to people viewing them as creepy.^[6] They are also the only human living in their town.^[6] In their Dark World version, they have blue skin and wield a pink sword.^[4]

IGN writer Brendan Graeber considered the relationship between the player and Kris "incredibly wild and unique" with how the two fight over control, stating that while they may seem like a silent protagonist, they still have their own goals and personality. He also praised the relationship between Kris and Susie, calling them one of his favorite teams in a turn-based video game and stating how fascinated he was with their loneliness and the bond that they form between each other and Ralsei. He suggested that Susie is as much, if not more so a protagonist as Kris is, appreciating how the two's relationship offered "some of the funniest, most heartwarming, and most sincere" parts of the games. He liked how the game often gives Kris the opportunity to make stupid decisions, with Susie encouraging them, calling their enthusiasm over their interactions "inescapably contagious."^[7]

Heidi Kemps of GameSpot discussed the relationship between Kris and Noelle in the Snowgrave route of Chapter 2 as an emotionally abusive one. She stated that Noelle following Kris' orders more and more causes her to become more willing to do emotionally and physically damaging acts.^[8] USA Today writer Mary Clarke discussed how Kris' reactions to the events of the Snowgrave route emphasized the lack of control Kris has, citing how disturbed they are by the actions they are made to do. She felt this meant that, rather than Kris manipulating Noelle, it was solely the player who did. She suggested that, rather than being evil, the reason Kris removes the player from their heart may be a desire for agency.^[9]

TheGamer writer Sachi Go considered Kris among the best LGBTQ+ characters in video games, stating that while there has been debate over whether Kris is non-binary, she appreciated that a character using gender-neutral pronouns was nice to see at a time when the use of pronouns has become controversial with some. She commented that masculinity or femininity could be appropriately projected onto the character, stating that the character did not conform to either.^[10] RPGFan writer Stephanie Sybydlo felt that Kris, as well as Frisk, were gender self-inserts, enjoying that the game uses they/them pronouns for Kris and wished this was more common in video games.^[11]

Following the release of Deltarune Chapter 2, memes surrounding Kris and Susie became popular on social media websites like YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit, in particular one where Susie says to Kris "God FUCKING DAMMIT Kris where the FUCK are we" while in unusual settings, such as Doki Doki Literature Club! and the Sonic series. Polygon writer Ana Diaz praised the meme,^[12] and with fellow Polygon writer Nicole Clark considered it one of the best memes of 2021.^[13]

Kris' nature as a silent protagonist and their potential relationship with the video game Undertale has been the subject of discussion by critics. Paste writer Dante Douglas argued that, unlike the protagonist Frisk from Undertale, who is meant to be a player avatar, Kris is their own individual character. They listed various hints to this, including Kris acting of their own volition at times, and felt that these hints suggested that Deltarune was designed to complicate the "utopic" setting and plot of Undertale. They speculated that they bore a connection to Undertale antagonist Chara due to having the same family makeup and circumstances, and suggested Kris may be evil and aware of Deltarune being a game.^[14] Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson, meanwhile, speculated that Kris was a similar character to Frisk, akin to Ralsei being like Asriel. He questioned whether the player's role in Kris' story is to guide them as players did with Frisk in Undertale, or if the player is taking over a person's life.^[15] Comic Book Resources writer Katie Schutze praised Deltarune, along with Undertale, stating that the use of a silent protagonist in both helps enhance both. They argued that, where other games use silent protagonists for player immersion, these games use them to delineate the character from the player, suggesting that the process of Kris and Frisk being controlled by the player may not be fully consensual. She felt that while Frisk had defined personality aspects through actions they may take, Kris has a lot more distinguishing features, like being viewed as mischievous and quiet, to the extent that them behaving nicely through the player's actions surprises some people in the game.^[16]

The Washington Post writer Jhaan Elker believed that when Kris ripped the heart from their body, it was the game's way of conveying that the player no longer controlled Kris. Elker had multiple theories regarding Kris' role and actions in the game, believing that there were two likely reasons for Kris' actions, including opening fountains. One was them missing their older brother and refusing to let go of their childhood. They believe that Ralsei resembling Asriel and his name being a rearranged version of this supported this, that Kris wanted to relive these childhood experiences. The other explanation is that Kris is secretly Chara, arguing that their clothing and violent tendencies after ripping out their heart support this as a possibility.^[17] PC Gamer writer Ana Diaz felt that multiple scenes in the game emphasized how Kris is more than just an "empty vessel." These included a beginning scene where the player creates a vessel that is rejected before they are made to control Kris, and a scene where Kris controls a virtual Susie and vice versa in an in-game video game.^[18]