A Human A Monster And Three Heroes

A Human A Monster And Three Heroes

2018Exploitable image / video templatesemi-active

Published July 28, 2026

Also known as: Three Heroes · A Human A Monster And A Prince Of The Dark

"A Human, A Monster, And..." is an exploitable meme template taken from a cutscene in *Deltarune: Chapter 1*, where three prophesied heroes appear in silhouette. Originating in October 2018 after the game's surprise release, the format took off when fans began replacing the third hero, Ralsei, with absurd or crossover characters. The meme saw two distinct waves of popularity: an initial burst on Twitter and Reddit in late 2018, and a major YouTube revival in late 2021.

Overview

The meme comes from a specific cutscene in *Deltarune: Chapter 1* where the character Ralsei explains a prophecy about three heroes destined to save the world. The cutscene shows three silhouetted figures appearing one by one with the text: "A human," "A monster," and "A prince of the dark"2. The third figure, Ralsei, is the punchline slot. Creators swap him out for other characters, often from completely unrelated franchises, to comedic effect. Some versions expand the format by adding more and more characters beyond the original three, turning the prophecy into an absurd lineup2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Deltarune: Chapter 1 (source material), Twitter / Reddit (meme format)
Key People
Toby Fox, @tiki_salad, CatNaffy
Date
2018

*Deltarune: Chapter 1* dropped as a surprise free release on October 31, 2018, created by Toby Fox, the developer behind *Undertale*1. The cutscene appears early in the game after the player character Kris and their classmate Susie meet Ralsei in the Dark World. Ralsei tells them about a prophecy: three heroes will appear to seal the Dark Fountains and save both worlds1. The in-game presentation, with its dramatic silhouette reveal of each hero, gave the scene a natural template quality that fans immediately recognized2.

How It Spread

Parodies started appearing within days of the game's release. On November 8, 2018, Redditor CatNaffy posted a version using the "& Knuckles" and "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry Series" joke formats, picking up over 1,100 upvotes2. On November 20, 2018, Twitter user @tiki_salad shared a parody swapping in characters from the "Fingers In His Ass" meme, which pulled in over 5,500 retweets and 13,000 likes2.

The format went relatively quiet until *Deltarune: Chapter 2* renewed interest in the game. On November 3, 2021, Redditor Exerus16 posted an expanded version to r/Deltarune that kept adding more and more characters to the hero lineup, earning over 4,300 points2. That same day, YouTuber Planetary Facts adapted the meme into a video format, which blew up to over 1.7 million views2. This kicked off a wave of YouTube edits. The very next day, YouTuber RK25 posted a version featuring Sans from *Undertale* that grabbed over 61,000 likes2. The video format let creators add music, timing, and dramatic reveals, which gave the meme a second life well beyond the original static image edits.

How to Use This Meme

The standard format works like this: recreate or reference the Deltarune cutscene's three-hero reveal, keeping the first two figures ("A human" and "A monster") intact. Then replace the third slot with whatever character, person, or concept you want as the punchline. The humor usually comes from the mismatch between the epic, prophetic framing and whatever ridiculous thing appears in the third position2.

A popular variation expands beyond three. Instead of stopping at the punchline character, creators keep adding more entries, each one more absurd than the last, turning the prophecy into a bloated roster2. Video versions typically use the game's music and pacing, revealing each character with dramatic timing before the joke payoff.

Fun Facts

*Deltarune: Chapter 1* was released for free on Halloween 2018 with no prior announcement, which meant the meme template appeared before most people even knew the game existed1.

The prophecy cutscene is one of the first things players encounter after entering the Dark World, making it one of the most widely seen moments in the game1.

Kris, the "human" in the prophecy, is a distinct character from the *Undertale* protagonist despite superficial similarities. They use singular they/them pronouns and are the only human living in a town of monsters1.

The meme's 2021 revival coincided with the release of *Deltarune: Chapter 2*, which dropped on September 17, 2021, bringing a fresh wave of players into the fandom1.

Toby Fox originally conceived Kris sometime during or before 2015, meaning the character predates *Deltarune*'s public announcement1.

Derivatives & Variations

Expanded roster versions

— Instead of three heroes, these edits keep stacking characters far beyond the original prophecy format, sometimes reaching dozens of entries[2].

Video adaptations

— YouTube creators turned the static image template into animated reveals with music and timing, starting with Planetary Facts' 1.7 million-view edit in November 2021[2].

Sans crossover edits

— A recurring sub-type where Sans from *Undertale* appears as the third hero, playing on the shared universe between *Undertale* and *Deltarune*[2].

Frequently Asked Questions