# A Human A Monster And Three Heroes "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. ## Origin *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 worlds[1]. The in-game presentation, with its dramatic silhouette reveal of each hero, gave the scene a natural template quality that fans immediately recognized[2]. - **Platform:** Deltarune: Chapter 1 (source material), Twitter / Reddit (meme format) - **Creator:** Toby Fox (game developer), @tiki_salad (early viral parody), CatNaffy (early Reddit parody) - **Date:** 2018 ## 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 lineup[2]. ## 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 upvotes[2]. 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 likes[2]. 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 points[2]. That same day, YouTuber Planetary Facts adapted the meme into a video format, which blew up to over 1.7 million views[2]. 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 likes[2]. 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 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 position[2]. 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 roster[2]. 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 existed[1]. - 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 game[1]. - 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 monsters[1]. - 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 fandom[1]. - Toby Fox originally conceived Kris sometime during or before 2015, meaning the character predates *Deltarune*'s public announcement[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "A Human, A Monster, And..."? It's an exploitable meme template from a cutscene in *Deltarune: Chapter 1* where three prophesied heroes are revealed in silhouette. Fans replace the third character with other characters for comedic effect[2]. ### Where did "A Human, A Monster, And..." come from? The source material is *Deltarune: Chapter 1*, released October 31, 2018, by Toby Fox. The meme format started spreading on Twitter and Reddit within days of the game's release[2]. ### What does the meme mean? The joke plays on the contrast between the epic, prophetic tone of the original cutscene and whatever absurd character gets swapped into the third hero slot[2]. ### How do you use the meme? Keep the first two heroes ("A human" and "A monster") and replace the third with your chosen punchline character. Video versions add dramatic music and timed reveals[2]. ### Is "A Human, A Monster, And..." still popular? The meme saw a major revival in late 2021 with YouTube video edits, driven by Planetary Facts' 1.7 million-view adaptation. Activity has tapered since then but new versions still appear when *Deltarune* content drops[2]. ### Who are the three heroes in the original cutscene? The three heroes are Kris (a human), Susie (a monster), and Ralsei (a prince of the dark). They are prophesied to seal Dark Fountains threatening both the Light and Dark Worlds[1]. ### What is Deltarune? *Deltarune* is an episodic RPG by Toby Fox, creator of *Undertale*. Players control Kris, a human teenager who discovers a Dark World inside their school's supply closet alongside classmate Susie[1]. ### Why did the meme get popular again in 2021? *Deltarune: Chapter 2* released in September 2021, bringing renewed attention to the game. In November 2021, YouTuber Planetary Facts posted a video adaptation that hit 1.7 million views, sparking a wave of YouTube edits[2]. ### What was the first viral version of the meme? One of the earliest viral versions was @tiki_salad's November 20, 2018 Twitter post featuring characters from the "Fingers In His Ass" meme, which earned 5,500 retweets and 13,000 likes[2]. ## References 1. [Kris (Deltarune)]() 2. [A Human, A Monster, And... / Three Heroes - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/a-human-a-monster-and-three-heroes Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library