Are Frisk’s eyes closed?

Answered by Phillip Nicastro

Frisk’s eyes are closed in the regular sprites of the game Undertale. Throughout most of the game, Frisk is depicted with their eyes shut, giving them a peaceful and innocent appearance. This design choice is likely intentional, as it helps to emphasize Frisk’s role as a blank slate for the player to project themselves onto.

However, it is worth noting that after completing the genocide route and encountering Chara, there is a significant change in Frisk’s appearance. In the soulless pacifist ending, where Chara takes control of Frisk’s body, there is an added scene after Frisk stays with Toriel.

In this added scene, Frisk is shown with their eyes open, but their eye color changes to a deep red, resembling Chara’s eyes. This alteration in Frisk’s appearance serves to symbolize the loss of their innocence and the corruption of their soul by Chara’s influence.

The choice to depict Frisk with closed eyes in the regular sprites and then with open eyes in the soulless pacifist ending is a deliberate artistic decision made by the game’s creator, Toby Fox. It adds an eerie and unsettling element to the game, further emphasizing the consequences of the player’s actions in the genocide route.

While Frisk’s eyes are closed in the regular sprites, the soulless pacifist ending reveals a chilling transformation where Frisk’s eyes open and change color, reflecting the influence of Chara. This change in appearance serves as a powerful visual representation of the consequences of the player’s choices throughout the game.