What do the different colored hearts mean in Undertale?
Summary
Q.What do the different colored hearts mean in Undertale?
A.In Undertale, colored hearts are SOUL Modes—the different states your soul can take in battle, tied to the Eight Humans. Each color changes how the soul behaves and maps to specific in-game traits.
More info
In Undertale, the hearts you see in battles are not just cosmetic: they represent the SOUL Modes, colored states of the player's soul that enemies can alter during fights. Each color corresponds to one of the Eight Humans’ souls, with Red being the default color for Frisk (and Chara in the first human) and Orange/Light Blue lacking dedicated modes. You can see the official breakdown of these modes and what each color does in battle on the SOUL Modes guide. SOUL Modes guide. (undertale.wiki)
When the SOUL is colored, its behavior changes: - Red: Normal mode; the default color for Frisk/Chara. (undertale.wiki) - Blue: Jump Mode; gravity affects movement (used by Papyrus and Sans; associated with integrity). (undertale.wiki) - Green: Shield Mode; stands still and blocks, tied to kindness. (undertale.wiki) - Purple: Trap Mode; restricted to horizontal purple lines, tied to perseverance. (undertale.wiki) - Yellow: Shooter Mode; flipped and shoots, tied to justice. (undertale.wiki) Note that Orange and Light Blue souls do not have dedicated modes in battle, though their colors appear in other mechanics and in the Ball Game’s color-trait mappings. Ball Game color mapping. (undertale.wiki)
The color set for the human souls aligns with the six other Souls you encounter in the True Pacifist route: Light Blue (Patience), Orange (Bravery), Blue (Integrity), Purple (Perseverance), Green (Kindness), Yellow (Justice). Red is the color of the First/Eighth human, with Red described as the true mode for Frisk and Chara. See the Eight Humans page for the full color-to-trait table. Eight Humans. (undertale.wiki)
