Toby Fox on RE_PRAY

Hello everyone! I am Toby Fox, I made a game called UNDERTALE and I also composed all the music for it. Among those songs Yuzuru Hanyu performed MEGALOVANIA, Bergentruckung and ASGORE for RE_PRAY. It was a real honor, it still feels unbelievable.

This was actually my first time seeing an ice skating performance live so I was left speechless by Hanyu's skills. I'm sure everything he performed was incredibly difficult but he managed to make it all look so easy... I don't know much about ice skating so I'm sure if I tried to comment on the performance I would only be able to say "Oh wow it was amazing" so instead I will talk about another element of the show.

...But wait! Before we get into it, there will be spoilers for both RE_PRAY's performance and UNDERTALE, so please be careful.

The story of RE_PRAY takes inspiration from UNDERTALE (particularly in the first half) when I saw the show for myself I thought there were some parts that were similar. Such as...

The structure of the story revolves around the idea of replaying something. UNDERTALE is well known for having two major routes. One violent route in which you defeat all of the enemies to gain EXP and become stronger by sacrificing everything except yourself. The other route is a pacifist one in which you progress through the game without hurting anyone. While the peaceful route of RE_PRAY is different from UNDERTALE's, the violent route was quite similar. Hanyu gains power by defeating every enemy he encounters, pays a price, and in the end, he reaches an incredibly difficult stage where he suffers. This part certainly reminded me of the final battle in UNDERTALE's massacre route. And just like in UNDERTALE, Hanyu's save file is erased, and he has to start over from the beginning. This is also where the meaning behind the title RE_PRAY comes from as he must replay the performance to change the story's ending.

The visuals are also quite similar. There are many scenes in which a red heart appears on a totally black screen, which is an image used a lot in UNDERTALE. Hanyu's character in the game also has eyes that are flat like hyphens like the main character in UNDERTALE. Also in the game there's a scene where a spotlight is shown on a flower which reminded me of a scene early in UNDERTALE. Also in that scene I mentioned earlier where Hanyu reaches a difficult part and starts to struggle. The corridor that scene takes place in is a lot like the location of a certain boss that causes a lot of UNDERTALE players to suffer. The final boss that Hanyu has to face is also quite similar to UNDERTALE's final boss.

I was really excited to see all the similarities. While watching in the venue I kept thinking "Oh is that from UNDERTALE? What about that?" I couldn't help but laugh to myself (In a good way!).

While the first half of the show has many similarities to UNDERTALE I think the story itself can be interpreted differently.

When Hanyu says "EXP" and "Making sacrifices" he doesn't literally mean defeating enemies but rather the "bosses" he must overcome are the competitions he has taken place in until now. The scene of him struggling in the corridor represents the arduous days of practice required to do everything perfectly, sacrificing everything in his personal life to do so. However his days as an athlete are over and that route can come to a close.

After that the second route begins. Hanyu begins the performance again trapped in a cage, he realizes his way of life has trapped him there. He chooses to break free of this cycle of endless competitions and refuses to continue playing the game. By doing so, he reaches an empty space. However, even then he isn't free. He is still controlled by something... But he doesn't know what. So he prays. Prays to God for his freedom. But who is this "God"?

To me this "God" is Hanyu's audience. Hanyu is nothing but a character, a puppet who moves only to please the audience; never able to live a normal life. He is forced to live as the character "Yuzuru Hanyu" Eventually he begins to wonder if he is merely a character in a game. Standing on stage, in front of the audience, and he literally prays. Finally he discovers a place he has never seen before. It is a mysterious and beautiful place that he cannot make sense of. The "God" which is the audience, has only seen Hanyu as a character up until now but thanks to the grace of this God Hanyu is granted a new freedom. It is the freedom to challenge what is known and to try new things (such as this performance) . Hanyu asks the audience to cherish their own freedom and daily lives as well.

Of course this is just my personal interpretation and isn't the result of any deep analysis. I think one of the great things about this show is that it can be interpreted so freely so I hope you can also come up with your own interpretation!

-The opening scene featured the song 'A Fleeting Dream' from Final Fantasy X. Hanyu slides across the curve of a large tree drawn with light on the ice. I was taken back with nostalgia and at the time I thought "This is the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life." (Sorry for being to simple)

-Before MEGALOVANIA began the stage went completely dark and everything went silent as Hanyu approached the ice. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard, it was a great moment of anticipation for the next song.

-There was a great scene of fan service where he came very close to the camera lens and then covered it with his hand. Everyone couldn't help but cheer. Me included. There were only women around me so I was the only one who shouted in a male foreign voice so it was a little bit weird...

-There's the scene when he took out a Winnie the Pooh tissue box and blew his nose repeatedly and then checked his runny nose. (Oh that's actually not that important sorry)

Anyways it was an amazing performance and I hope to see a recording of it one day. When that happens I hope everyone can see it! But if you hear my voice... Sorry!!