7 Theories That Still Hold Up After Deltarune Chapter 5

Deltarune has always been a very intriguing game. I remember that fateful Halloween when Deltarune first came out as a "survey program," and I sat there playing it for hours. I gradually came to accept that this was a full game given out for free, which was pretty surprising. As the game has gone on, though, the story has kept unfolding in more unexpected ways.

We all theorize about our favorite shows and franchises. Who doesn't? It's a fun way to pass the time between installments, and Deltarune is perfect for that thanks to its episodic releases. Moderation is still key, of course. You don't want to go too crazy with theories, unless you want to be like the Green Pippins.

We've got some time before Chapter 6, though, so let's look at what evidence we have to add to our cork boards after Chapter 5.

7 The Mikes

That's Not All Folks?

"Mike" is, so far, an unseen Deltarune character spoken about by Spamton in Chapter 2 and most of all, Tenna in Chapter 3. After completing Chapter 4 and going back into the save, you have a chance to see the new TV room in Castle Town. There, you'll meet three Mikes that have been filling the empty space after the original Mike left during Spamton and Tenna's feud.

Let's be honest. The only reason the Mikes are getting a mention here was that there was hardly anything with them in Chapter 5. There's still room for us to meet the real Mike, if it's not that realistic microphone we ran into last time. I was personally satisfied with the fun adventure we had with them last time, but the Mikes have ended up becoming fan favorites. Some people still want to see the real Mike stand up at some point. It's hard to imagine more coming out of this comedic plot thread, but Tricky Tony may have some tricks up his sleeve yet. He almost always does.

6 Device_Friend

What is Device_Friend? We Just Don't Know

For those that don't know, Friend — or Device_Friend — is a strange Darkner that's mostly appeared as an Easter egg throughout Deltarune. Interestingly, it only appears starting with Chapter 2, which is when Noelle gets included in the adventure and party. According to a few posts by Noelle found through the Spamton Sweepstakes website, it might be from a glitched egg Noelle made while playing a game called Cat Petterz 2.

Through what's known about Friend so far, many people think it's connected to the "tail of hell" prophecy that can be found in secret rooms in Chapter 4. So far in-game, though, it keeps to dark areas in certain rooms, typically appearing for a couple of frames. That said, Friend can be found in Chapter 5 during a platforming section, and you can highlight it. If you manage to snag it, it'll flash red and damage the entire party. It seems there might be more to this cat after all, but what exactly remains to be seen.

5 Deltarune is Undertale in Reverse Theory

Not Exact, But Still Plausible

For a while, many people have thought that the locations in Deltarune's chapters were based on the ones seen in Undertale, but in reverse. King's castle represents Asgore's own. The Core had the Mettaton NEO fight and Chapter 2's secret boss is Spamton NEO. Chapter 3 dealt with TV mini-games like Mettaton's own TV show shtick. Gerson appears in both Chapter 4 and Waterfall's shop.

Chapter 5 both hurts and helps this theory at the same time. It's hard to pinpoint what Chapter 5 is meant to represent in Undertale, and it's likely not made with this theory in mind. Some have tried to include it by insisting that the flower-humans playing out their dreams is like the messages Waterfall's Echo Flowers carry, but it's a stretch. In the end, though, Chapter 6 will mark the return of Noelle to the party. Castle Town is being covered in festive decorations and snow for the occasion, which fits Snowdin's role in this theory just fine. The Shelter speaks for itself on its own.

So, it's not perfect, but it holds up. It all depends on what lurks in the Shelter, and if this theory is right, it should be something like the Ruins. Considering the danger and story behind the Shelter and the accident resulting in Dess' disappearance so far, it might fit the bill perfectly.

4 Rudy is the Roaring Knight

Shaky, But More Prominent Than Before

After Chapter 5, the Roaring Knight's identity is still a big mystery. Those who think it might be Rudy had a bit of a victory today. In the main story, Noelle gets a call that her father's taken a fall, which endangers his health. After that, the Roaring Knight took their sweet time to take Asgore away. They couldn't even stand in the battle sequence Flowery starts, even if it caught them by surprise. It's an interesting detail after we've seen the Knight carry themselves so flawlessly in the last two chapters. It can't be a coincidence, right?

There's a lot of evidence that goes against Rudy being the Knight, but it's certainly a strange set of events. Not to mention, Asgore's notes imply that the Knight is part of Dess' disappearance, and possibly played a part in her death if she's not just missing. Rudy being responsible for his daughter's death would be an interesting twist, but it does seem unlikely. Still, the theory is being passed around more than ever after Chapter 5, so anything is possible with a game like Deltarune.

3 Ralsei Tea Theory

Ralsei, Please, Even I'm Starting to Think Something's Wrong

I'm going to go ahead and say that I like Ralsei a fair bit. He'd been my favorite character from the very start, so I wasn't exactly on board with people coming up with theories that he's secretly evil or hiding things. Other players noticed a few details, like if you gave Kris the Ralsei Tea, it heals them for the least amount of health. They all figured it was because of a distrust Kris has towards the dark prince. Chapter 4 happened and for the most part, I understood that he withheld things for a reason. That's all, right?

After Chapter 5, though, I'm starting to realize there may be more to this than Ralsei hasn't shared. He hid the truth of the prophecy to avoid hurting Kris and Susie's feelings, but it seems like there's a reason he follows so many rules that hasn't been shared with us, either. Flowery hits him hard, calling him out for pretending to be something he's not just to make sure things go well so the tragedy won't occur.

It might just be something personal with him, but upon closer inspection, he said nothing about the Dark Fountain in the Shelter, either. Just what is that about? What's going on with him? I think things will only get worse before we know what's happening with him, and that scares me.

2 Noelle is the Angel Theory

She Really Wants to Grow Wings, Huh?

In Chapter 4, we sort of had the most blatant imagery we could have that the player was the angel of the prophecy. The soul got stuck in a decoration in the shape of an angel tree topper for crying out loud. That said, Noelle is looking in a great position to be the angel after all, years after Chapter 2 set it up prior to Chapter 4.

Noelle's said a lot of things about wishing she could grow angel wings and fly far away from Hometown. Including when encouraging Kris to follow her into the lake in Chapter 5's Weird Route with no way to back out until their heads are far underwater. On the normal route, Noelle is about to be introduced to the concept of Dark Worlds by Susie just as her family might be on the brink of falling apart. Considering how she's desiring to do something crazy deep down, she might be the cause of the "angel's heaven" by making a world where Dess didn't vanish and Rudy isn't ill.

1 Device Theory

What Do You Mean "Insert Chapter 7 Side B?!"

Speaking of Weird Route, Noelle has shocked plenty of us this Chapter. After being accosted with the Thorn Ring by Kris in Chapter 4, she admitted that she enjoys who Kris has become through our actions. She wants to do "something crazy" with us, meaning that everything she's doing with us from now on in the Weird Route is her choice. You can't even tell her to stop when going into the lake together.

If you continue to "proceed" along this route, you'll eventually get a black CRT-like screen that reads "Insert Chapter 7 Side B." First, what does that even mean? Why is Chapter 7 like a cassette tape? And secondly, the way that it's displayed gives off the vibe that we're accessing this world through some sort of device as the soul. YouTuber mollystars has made several videos discussing Deltarune through this lens, and after this part of Chapter 5, many fans are seeing the videos as required reading. Give them a watch. It might be good for passing time without a Weird Route in Chapter 6.