Archive:W.D. Gaster: Difference between revisions

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{{Original research|date=October 2026|reason=Mostly ''Deltarune'' section.}}

~~{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}~~

{{Infobox character

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The identity of W.D. Gaster was identified as one of gaming's biggest mysteries, by both ''Gaming Bolt'' and ''The Gamer'' staff, the latter who noted that Gaster was popular with roleplayers online.<ref name="TG">{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/15-shocking-video-game-questions-that-are-still-unanswered/ |title=15 Shocking Video Game Questions That Are Still Unanswered |author=TheGamer Staff |website=[[TheGamer]] |date=June 4, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamingbolt.com/15-times-games-left-unanswered-mysteries-in-them/4 |title=15 Times Games Left Unanswered Mysteries In Them |work=Gaming Bolt |last=Parijat |first=Shubhankar |date=December 3, 2018 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' writer Nathan Grayson noted that W.D. Gaster was the only secret left remaining in ''Undertale'', discussing how, despite all of the work put into investigating Gaster, the mystery still remains unsolved, suggesting that the data in the game files could have been leftover content not intended to be found.<ref name="Kotaku"/> ''[[Tunic (video game)|Tunic]]'' game designer Andrew Shouldice spoke of his appreciation for "risky secrets" like Gaster that cause players to "consider a new approach that'd never crossed their mind, or reveal a submerged mechanic that they'd never interfaced with."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/tunic-video-game-developer-interview |title=Tunic's devs reveal the secrets of the cutesy but mysterious Zelda-like |work=Red Bull |last=Wright |first=Steven T. |date=May 10, 2019 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>

Gaster has been a popular figure in the ''Undertale'' community, the mystery behind his existence sparking a large investigation by members of the community into the truth around him.<ref name="RPS">{{cite web |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/undertale-patch-secrets |title=Undertale's Patch Is Full of Secrets |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]] |last=Dingman |first=Hayden |date=January 23, 2016 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Fanbyte">{{cite web |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/cosmic-symbolic-shapes-games |title=Geometric Realities: Cosmic and Symbolic Shapes in Games |work=Fanbyte |last=Fisher |first=Luca |date=June 22, 2022 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> ''Kotaku'' writer Heather Alexandra suggested that he could be a long-lost relative of Sans and Papyrus, citing design notes that allude to a character related to Papyrus and claiming that this could be Gaster.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/undertale-creator-shares-notebook-full-of-early-concept-1790978697 |title=Undertale Creator Shares Notebook Full Of Early Concepts And Art |work=[[Kotaku]] |last=Alexandra |first=Heather |date=January 9, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> Players have speculated that the 'W. D.' in Gaster's name could stand for "Wingdings", which furthered the connection to Sans and Papyrus, who are named after [[Comic Sans]] and [[Papyrus (typeface)|Papyrus]] fonts respectively; Nathan Grayson also believed that strange symbols found in Sans' lab may also be in Wingdings.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Additionally, a common interpretation of the 'shattered across time and space' line suggests his existence was spread all across space and time.<ref name="Kotaku"/> In reference to the NPCs found through file modification, some believe that they are fragments of Gaster speaking about the experience of existing across time and space.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Writer Mattia Podini discussed the presence of techniques he suggested were used by Toby Fox to manipulate players into responding to certain details in a certain way. For Gaster, he suggested that he served as an example of players experiencing [[apophenia]], the perception of meaningful connections between unrelated things. He argued that many things players took for granted to be true about Gaster, such as his appearance, character connections, and other background details, were not confirmed to be true.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-nudges-manipulative-techniques-present-in-undertale |title=7 Nudges & Manipulative Techniques present in Undertale |work=Game Developer |last=Podini |first=Mattia |date=April 15, 2021 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>

Gaster has been a popular figure in the ''Undertale'' community, the mystery behind his existence sparking a large investigation by members of the community into the truth around him.<ref name="RPS">{{cite web |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/undertale-patch-secrets |title=Undertale's Patch Is Full of Secrets |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]] |last=Dingman |first=Hayden |date=January 23, 2016 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Fanbyte">{{cite web |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/cosmic-symbolic-shapes-games |title=Geometric Realities: Cosmic and Symbolic Shapes in Games |work=Fanbyte |last=Fisher |first=Luca |date=June 22, 2022 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> ''Kotaku'' writer Heather Alexandra suggested that he could be a long-lost relative of Sans and Papyrus, citing design notes that allude to a character related to Papyrus and claiming that this could be Gaster.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/undertale-creator-shares-notebook-full-of-early-concept-1790978697 |title=Undertale Creator Shares Notebook Full Of Early Concepts And Art |work=[[Kotaku]] |last=Alexandra |first=Heather |date=January 9, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> Players have speculated that the "W. D." in Gaster's name could stand for "Wingdings", which furthered the connection to Sans and Papyrus, who are named after [[Comic Sans]] and [[Papyrus (typeface)|Papyrus]] fonts respectively; Nathan Grayson also believed that strange symbols found in Sans' lab may also be in Wingdings.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Additionally, a common interpretation of the 'shattered across time and space' line suggests his existence was spread all across space and time.<ref name="Kotaku"/> In reference to the NPCs found through file modification, some believe that they are fragments of Gaster speaking about the experience of existing across time and space.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Writer Mattia Podini discussed the presence of techniques he suggested were used by Toby Fox to manipulate players into responding to certain details in a certain way. For Gaster, he suggested that he served as an example of players experiencing [[apophenia]], the perception of meaningful connections between unrelated things. He argued that many things players took for granted to be true about Gaster, such as his appearance, character connections, and other background details, were not confirmed to be true.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-nudges-manipulative-techniques-present-in-undertale |title=7 Nudges & Manipulative Techniques present in Undertale |work=Game Developer |last=Podini |first=Mattia |date=April 15, 2021 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>

Gaster has also been heavily theorized when discussing ''Deltarune'', due to the game's numerous allusions to him. ''Fanbyte'' writer Kara Dennison speculated that ''Deltarune'' would eventually answer questions surrounding W.D. Gaster and other mysteries from ''Undertale''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dennison |first=Kara |title=Everything I Want From the Future of Deltarune |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/future-of-deltarune |accessdate=April 1, 2024 |work=Fanbyte |archive-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204123459/https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/future-of-deltarune |url-status=dead }}</ref> The mysterious voice that speaks to the player during certain parts of the game, and "takes over" the official ''Undertale''/''Deltarune'' [[Twitter]] account prior to a Chapter release, is commonly believed to be Gaster, due to its similar way of speaking, and its theme using Gaster's [[leitmotif]], alongside other smaller connections.<ref name="ignegg" /><ref name="gamerantdr" /><ref name="gastertalk" /><ref name="gasterdr">{{Cite news |last=Elker |first=Jhaan |date=2021-09-23 |title=What the hell is going on in 'Deltarune'? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/09/23/deltarune-chapter-2-explained/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=2025-07-08}}</ref> Other aspects of the game have also been speculated to relate to Gaster, such as the "strange someone" who made the [[superboss]]es [[Jevil]] and [[Spamton]] go insane.<ref name="gasterdr" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-23 |title=Beyond Gaster: The Most Bizarre DELTARUNE Theories Explained |author= |url=https://cartpitol.com/blogs/deltarune/deltarune-bizarre-theories |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=Cartpitol |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=CyberPost |date=2025-07-19 |title=Was Spamton evil? |url=https://cyberpost.co/was-spamton-evil/ |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=CyberPost |language=en-US}}</ref>

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 The identity of W.D. Gaster was identified as one of gaming's biggest mysteries, by both ''Gaming Bolt'' and ''The Gamer'' staff, the latter who noted that Gaster was popular with roleplayers online.<ref name="TG">{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/15-shocking-video-game-questions-that-are-still-unanswered/ |title=15 Shocking Video Game Questions That Are Still Unanswered |author=TheGamer Staff |website=[[TheGamer]] |date=June 4, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamingbolt.com/15-times-games-left-unanswered-mysteries-in-them/4 |title=15 Times Games Left Unanswered Mysteries In Them |work=Gaming Bolt |last=Parijat |first=Shubhankar |date=December 3, 2018 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> ''[[Kotaku]]'' writer Nathan Grayson noted that W.D. Gaster was the only secret left remaining in ''Undertale'', discussing how, despite all of the work put into investigating Gaster, the mystery still remains unsolved, suggesting that the data in the game files could have been leftover content not intended to be found.<ref name="Kotaku"/> ''[[Tunic (video game)|Tunic]]'' game designer Andrew Shouldice spoke of his appreciation for "risky secrets" like Gaster that cause players to "consider a new approach that'd never crossed their mind, or reveal a submerged mechanic that they'd never interfaced with."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/tunic-video-game-developer-interview |title=Tunic's devs reveal the secrets of the cutesy but mysterious Zelda-like |work=Red Bull |last=Wright |first=Steven T. |date=May 10, 2019 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>
-Gaster has been a popular figure in the ''Undertale'' community, the mystery behind his existence sparking a large investigation by members of the community into the truth around him.<ref name="RPS">{{cite web |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/undertale-patch-secrets |title=Undertale's Patch Is Full of Secrets |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]] |last=Dingman |first=Hayden |date=January 23, 2016 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Fanbyte">{{cite web |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/cosmic-symbolic-shapes-games |title=Geometric Realities: Cosmic and Symbolic Shapes in Games |work=Fanbyte |last=Fisher |first=Luca |date=June 22, 2022 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> ''Kotaku'' writer Heather Alexandra suggested that he could be a long-lost relative of Sans and Papyrus, citing design notes that allude to a character related to Papyrus and claiming that this could be Gaster.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/undertale-creator-shares-notebook-full-of-early-concept-1790978697 |title=Undertale Creator Shares Notebook Full Of Early Concepts And Art |work=[[Kotaku]] |last=Alexandra |first=Heather |date=January 9, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> Players have speculated that the 'W. D.' in Gaster's name could stand for "Wingdings", which furthered the connection to Sans and Papyrus, who are named after [[Comic Sans]] and [[Papyrus (typeface)|Papyrus]] fonts respectively; Nathan Grayson also believed that strange symbols found in Sans' lab may also be in Wingdings.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Additionally, a common interpretation of the 'shattered across time and space' line suggests his existence was spread all across space and time.<ref name="Kotaku"/> In reference to the NPCs found through file modification, some believe that they are fragments of Gaster speaking about the experience of existing across time and space.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Writer Mattia Podini discussed the presence of techniques he suggested were used by Toby Fox to manipulate players into responding to certain details in a certain way. For Gaster, he suggested that he served as an example of players experiencing [[apophenia]], the perception of meaningful connections between unrelated things. He argued that many things players took for granted to be true about Gaster, such as his appearance, character connections, and other background details, were not confirmed to be true.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-nudges-manipulative-techniques-present-in-undertale |title=7 Nudges & Manipulative Techniques present in Undertale |work=Game Developer |last=Podini |first=Mattia |date=April 15, 2021 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>
+Gaster has been a popular figure in the ''Undertale'' community, the mystery behind his existence sparking a large investigation by members of the community into the truth around him.<ref name="RPS">{{cite web |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/undertale-patch-secrets |title=Undertale's Patch Is Full of Secrets |work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]] |last=Dingman |first=Hayden |date=January 23, 2016 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Fanbyte">{{cite web |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/cosmic-symbolic-shapes-games |title=Geometric Realities: Cosmic and Symbolic Shapes in Games |work=Fanbyte |last=Fisher |first=Luca |date=June 22, 2022 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> ''Kotaku'' writer Heather Alexandra suggested that he could be a long-lost relative of Sans and Papyrus, citing design notes that allude to a character related to Papyrus and claiming that this could be Gaster.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/undertale-creator-shares-notebook-full-of-early-concept-1790978697 |title=Undertale Creator Shares Notebook Full Of Early Concepts And Art |work=[[Kotaku]] |last=Alexandra |first=Heather |date=January 9, 2017 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref> Players have speculated that the "W. D." in Gaster's name could stand for "Wingdings", which furthered the connection to Sans and Papyrus, who are named after [[Comic Sans]] and [[Papyrus (typeface)|Papyrus]] fonts respectively; Nathan Grayson also believed that strange symbols found in Sans' lab may also be in Wingdings.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Additionally, a common interpretation of the 'shattered across time and space' line suggests his existence was spread all across space and time.<ref name="Kotaku"/> In reference to the NPCs found through file modification, some believe that they are fragments of Gaster speaking about the experience of existing across time and space.<ref name="Kotaku"/> Writer Mattia Podini discussed the presence of techniques he suggested were used by Toby Fox to manipulate players into responding to certain details in a certain way. For Gaster, he suggested that he served as an example of players experiencing [[apophenia]], the perception of meaningful connections between unrelated things. He argued that many things players took for granted to be true about Gaster, such as his appearance, character connections, and other background details, were not confirmed to be true.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/7-nudges-manipulative-techniques-present-in-undertale |title=7 Nudges & Manipulative Techniques present in Undertale |work=Game Developer |last=Podini |first=Mattia |date=April 15, 2021 |accessdate=April 1, 2024}}</ref>
 Gaster has also been heavily theorized when discussing ''Deltarune'', due to the game's numerous allusions to him. ''Fanbyte'' writer Kara Dennison speculated that ''Deltarune'' would eventually answer questions surrounding W.D. Gaster and other mysteries from ''Undertale''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dennison |first=Kara |title=Everything I Want From the Future of Deltarune |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/future-of-deltarune |accessdate=April 1, 2024 |work=Fanbyte |archive-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204123459/https://www.fanbyte.com/legacy/future-of-deltarune |url-status=dead }}</ref> The mysterious voice that speaks to the player during certain parts of the game, and "takes over" the official ''Undertale''/''Deltarune'' [[Twitter]] account prior to a Chapter release, is commonly believed to be Gaster, due to its similar way of speaking, and its theme using Gaster's [[leitmotif]], alongside other smaller connections.<ref name="ignegg" /><ref name="gamerantdr" /><ref name="gastertalk" /><ref name="gasterdr">{{Cite news |last=Elker |first=Jhaan |date=2021-09-23 |title=What the hell is going on in 'Deltarune'? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/09/23/deltarune-chapter-2-explained/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=2025-07-08}}</ref> Other aspects of the game have also been speculated to relate to Gaster, such as the "strange someone" who made the [[superboss]]es [[Jevil]] and [[Spamton]] go insane.<ref name="gasterdr" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-23 |title=Beyond Gaster: The Most Bizarre DELTARUNE Theories Explained |author=<!-- not stated --> |url=https://cartpitol.com/blogs/deltarune/deltarune-bizarre-theories |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=Cartpitol |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=CyberPost |date=2025-07-19 |title=Was Spamton evil? |url=https://cyberpost.co/was-spamton-evil/ |access-date=2026-05-04 |website=CyberPost |language=en-US}}</ref>

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