#Pokémon black and white

[iukasylvie]

The Forgotten Tragedy: How Undertale's Dreemurr Family Deconstructs Nationalism and Nobody Talks About It

It's wild to me that people can recognize the nationalism critique in Attack on Titan's Marley and Eldia, or the cult indoctrination of N in Pokémon Black and White, but so many miss that Undertale — yes, the cutesy RPG about kindness — quietly rips apart the ideals of nationalism, hero-worship, sacrifice, and demonization of an Other through the story of the Dreemurr family.

Let’s talk about it.

1. Chara's Death Was Not Just Sad — It Was Politicized

Chara didn't just die.

They orchestrated a suicide pact with Asriel out of despair, hatred, and a desperate hope for monster freedom.

But what does the kingdom remember?

"The humans had once again taken everything from us [...] King ASGORE will save us all."

Chara's complexity — their despair, their agency, their rage — is erased.

Instead, they become a mythic martyr, an innocent symbol to justify war.

Sound familiar?

("Our heroes died for our freedom! Never forget! Support the troops!")

2. Asgore's Nationalist Myth-Making

Asgore, the kind old king, says:

"I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago... You have the same feeling of hope in your eyes."

He doesn't remember Chara's suffering. He doesn't remember their complicated humanity.

He remembers only what he needs to remember:

Hope. Future. Justification.

Asgore needs Chara to be pure and blameless because he built a nationalist movement around them.

And once that myth exists, it can excuse anything — even declaring war on human children.

3. "Smile, You're Going to be Free!"

New Home's propaganda is horrifying if you actually stop and read it.

Monsters are taught to smile as they prepare for the deaths of children.

Hope is weaponized. Hatred is reframed as "freedom." Killing becomes a sacred duty.

"You should be smiling, too. Aren't you excited? Aren't you happy? You're going to be free."

It's no different from any real-world regime that teaches:

Sacrifice is noble.

The Other is evil.

Your suffering will be redeemed through violence.

The monsters have no real understanding of Chara's death, or Asriel's death, or their own trauma. They only have a story that tells them they're right.

4. Flowey: The Broken Victim of Mythology

Flowey (Asriel resurrected as a soulless vessel) isn't just a villain.

He's a child born into a kingdom that loved him only as a symbol, not as a person.

Resurrected by experiments Asgore ordered.

Ignored by monsters who were too busy preparing for their "liberation" to notice something was deeply wrong.

Taught that feelings, life, and individuality mean nothing in a world that already wrote his story for him.

No wonder Flowey embraced nihilism.

He saw the truth about his people — and it broke him.

5. The Dreemurr Family as a Microcosm of Nationalist Decay

Asgore: Kind man who commits atrocities for "the greater good."

Toriel: Coward who retreats into isolation instead of fighting injustice.

Asriel: Innocent child who becomes a hollow monster.

Chara: Complex human erased into a symbol.

The family crumbles because they believed their own myths:

that good intentions can excuse violence,

that hope justifies hatred,

that the future can be built on the corpses of dead children.

6. Undertale's Quiet Indictment of Hero Worship

At its heart, Undertale is not just about "being nice."

It’s about choosing to see people in their full humanity, not as symbols, not as monsters, not as heroes.

When you kill, you become the story others write about you.

When you refuse to kill, you reclaim the truth of who you are.

The Dreemurr family's story is a warning:

Nationalism builds beautiful lies on top of broken, complicated, hurting people.

And if you don't stop it, it will destroy everything you love.

TL;DR

Undertale isn't just quirky or sweet.

It's a brutal, quiet deconstruction of how nationalism, heroism, sacrifice, and hate turn dead children into propaganda — and destroy the living in the process.

And maybe that's why so many missed it.

It hurts too much to look.

[lonionjon]

Fan animation ... I always loved N ...

Music remix by my great friend @unglybungle on twitter

[poet-treat]

I think N should get to punch Ghetsis, as a treat

[trainerjoshie]

Pokémon TCG BW Plasma Storm (2013), Legendary Treasures (2013), XY Phantom Forces (2014), Ancient Origins (2015), BREAKPoint (2016), Generations (2016) & Fates Collide (2016) illustrations by Kanako Eo 😍😍😍

[fabadni]

okay go

[monicracar]

Happy Clay Monday! This clay Monday is combined into my entry for DTIYS that is hosted by @oyasuuh ! First time drawing the protagonist from Unova with them having a fun adventure in the mining carts guided by Clay!

[21consecutivebattles]

Forgot I had tumblr for a quick second there

[lillabeast]

Making a bunch of talking sprites for my friends’ obs stuff on discord. This is my first time animating seriously and I’m really proud of it! It gave me a lot of trouble. I’ll post the rest once I get the final animation done tomorrow!

This is a sprite for when I’m muted on discord

[nettlesketches]

Subway Troubles

[tyako89]

[asshork]

my dearest N

[beefonts]

Imagine having a dinosaur on your shoulders

[origabeeeeee]

I was inspired to draw Colress/Akuroma

[realautisticlightyagami]

reshiram is my fav

[trainerjoshie]

Pichu/Pikachu/Raichu Family from Pokémon TCG EX Holon Phantoms (2006), POP Series 4 (2006), DP Rising Rivals (2009), HS Undaunted (2010), BW Base Set (2011), XY BREAKThrough (2015), SM Unified Minds (2019) illustrated by Kouki Saitou ⚡️⚡️⚡️

[cilantrobros]

Found this! I think I drew this back in October? Not sure..