Ceroba Ketsukane
Ceroba Ketsukane (seɾoba ketɨkane se-ro-ba ke-tsu-ka-ne) is a major character in Undertale Yellow. She is Chujin's widow and the mother of Kanako. Intent on taking Clover's SOUL and advancing Chujin's legacy, she serves as the final boss of the Pacifist Route.
During the Genocide Route, she replaces Starlo as the Wild East's boss after Clover duels and kills Starlo.
Profile[edit | edit source]
Appearance[edit | edit source]
Ceroba is a fox-like monster with beige fur and long, wavy ginger hair. Her hair is tied up in a ponytail tied by the Founder's Crest: a red bow with a small gold bell in the center. She has a short white kimono with red trim, a red obi sash tied around her waist, and white boots with red trim to match.
In battle, she wields a long brown staff which again has the Founder's Crest, a bright yellow bell in the center of a red bow.
Pacifist Battle[edit | edit source]
In Ceroba's Pacifist fight, she puts on Kanako's mask, a white fox mask with pink markings, and drastically changes her appearance. She wears a cape over her kimono. Her bow has three bells instead of one and is much larger. Her hair grows to resemble ten fox tails with pink tips.
Personality[edit | edit source]
Ceroba appears skeptical and somber upon first meeting her. She acts as a straight man in much of the Wild East's antics, yet still makes the occasional sarcastic joke. She almost never cries; even Chujin only saw her cry twice in the time they were married. She is observant, able to read Clover without them speaking.[1] She also has the ability to tell if their SOUL is pure or not, as even in their first conversation, her dialogue changes on a Neutral Route versus a Pacifist Route. She has an outlook that she considers mature. At times, this makes her views more accurate, as she is the only one of Clover's friends who points out that Asgore will kill Clover if they go to New Home; on the other hand, she also holds unrealistic opinions she considers hard truths, such as being convinced that humans will force monsters back Underground once they reach the Surface. She considers Starlo to have not grown up like she did, but expresses some envy over how happy he is.
Ceroba is immensely devoted to her loved ones and to Monsterkind. Her devotion turns harmful at times, as she was willing to endanger her daughter and kill Clover for a possibility of fulfilling Chujin's legacy and protecting Monsterkind. She also turns a blind eye to Chujin's negative traits; she always holds him in high regard no matter what information is displayed to her that may say otherwise. She is firm on his legacy as a scientist and a hero of the underground, and she spends the time after his passing trying to complete the work that he had passed down to her.
Despite being observant and calling out others on their beliefs, Ceroba has a habit of hiding her issues and avoiding communication. She does not speak up about Starlo's behavior until after the Feisty Four already called him out on how it was making them feel. Nobody outside of her close circle knows about Kanako falling down, and she avoids sharing further information on it.[2] This manifested strongly in her relationship with Chujin. They had poor communication; beyond Chujin keeping secrets their whole relationship, such as including a secret study in their house and experimenting on himself later, Ceroba and Chujin are implied to not have discussed basic plans for their relationship, such as how many children they wanted.[3] She also lied to and manipulated Clover and Starlo in an attempt to get the former's SOUL, though she is not always good at lying.[4]
Main Story[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]

Ceroba grew up in the mountains (presumably in or near the Dunes.) She was childhood friends with Starlo. He had a crush on her, and she once considered getting in a relationship with him.[5]
She first met Chujin when she fell into a ditch. She twisted her ankle but considered ruining the crops her mother sent her to get to be worse. Chujin found her after some time and helped her out.[6] While she describes this as sweet later, a flashback during her boss battle reveals she was driven to tears in the moment, something that Chujin never saw again from her until he was on his deathbed.[7] Despite her commitment to family, this is the only time her parents are mentioned in the game.
They later got married and Chujin built the Ketsukane Estate to raise their family in, though they only ever had Kanako. Ceroba was a housewife while Chujin worked at the Steamworks. After he got fired, he claimed to have retired. He volunteered in Snowdin after this. Their family was financially struggling from the cost of building the estate at this point,[3] so Ceroba had to get a job at Café Dune to support them.[8]
Ceroba did not have much of a life outside of her family. She used to have a gym membership,[9] was acquaintances with Martlet,[10] and would bring Kanako to the Wild East on occasion.[11]
Ceroba took care of Chujin as he became sick. He revealed his study to her on his deathbed. He died about a year before the game began. After his death, she spent months trying to figure out how to complete his serum without a pure human SOUL. While she eventually came up with a way to, in theory, remove the impurities from an extract from the Integrity SOUL, she still had no Boss Monster to test it on. When Kanako watched Chujin's tapes, she requested Ceroba use the extract on her to make the serum. This failed, causing Kanako to fall down. Ceroba sent her to the True Lab, something she later regrets as Alphys goes silent on updates.
Some time after Kanako fell down, and weeks before the game begins,[12] Ceroba moved out of the estate and into the Feisty Five's house in the Wild East. She sleeps on the bed, while Starlo takes the couch. She is implied to abuse alcohol during this time.[13]
Neutral Route[edit | edit source]
Clover first meets Ceroba in the Wild East. Ceroba formally introduces herself to Clover after Clover is taken to the Saloon. She requests that Clover entertain Starlo, suggesting he will let them leave eventually. Ceroba appears during most events with Starlo and the Feisty Four, and Clover is usually able to talk to her afterwards.
If Starlo is spared, Ceroba will interrupt the fight to talk him down. She jokes a bit with Starlo but leaves after telling Clover where to go, presumably due to not being able to use Clover's SOUL for Chujin's plan.[2] As Starlo goes off to reunite the Feisty Four, Ceroba and Dina set up a party at the Saloon.[14] At the Steamworks - Crossroads UGPS sign, Clover can backtrack to the Saloon and talk to Ceroba again, but she is reluctant to converse. She has sent a letter at this point, but Clover does not recieve it until the Hotland - Crossroads UGPS sign. Her letter warns that heading to Asgore's castle will result in their death.
If Starlo is killed, Ceroba approaches Clover and asks them where he went. Regardless of their answer, she heads north to ask his family. Going into Sunnyside Farm's house shows her in the middle of talking to Starlo's family. They try to consider where he could have gone. Ceroba leaves and cannot be found again for the rest of the route.
Pacifist Route[edit | edit source]
Ceroba's first conversation with Clover is slightly different from the Neutral Route. She is more upfront about wanting to help Clover leave the Wild East. After the battle with Starlo, she requests for Clover to accompany her through the Steamworks and to the Lab in order to find Kanako, whom she tells Starlo and Clover is still alive. Ceroba sends Starlo back to the Wild East after telling him that what she will do next is for Chujin's legacy.
Ceroba and Clover are together for the majority of the Steamworks. She initially tries to lead them, but when Clover turns on the generator by themself, she follows behind them instead. She threatens to use force on Axis when he confronts them but, when he reveals Chujin built him, she is caught off guard and thrown down into detainment with Clover. She proposes the idea of creating Daisy to bypass Axis without hurting him. Out of fear of any other robots being built by Chujin, she asks Clover not to kill them.
While traversing the Steamworks, Ceroba reveals bits of her past and bonds with Clover. At first, she is distant and her sarcasm expresses annoyance, but as they progress, she expresses herself more and jokes with Clover. She still tries to stay focused on reaching the end throughout. She also prevents them from using UGPS stations.
At the start of every battle, Ceroba creates a shield over Clover's SOUL which makes them invulnerable for one hit. This shield is indicated by a yellow diamond appearing over their SOUL at the start of the first turn and their SOUL flashing white while it is active. The exception to this is the Axis battle, as Ceroba does not shield Clover until she enters the room.
When they reach the elevator on the other side of the Steamworks, they are confronted by Starlo and Ed. While trying to arrange a party, Ed discovered something hidden within the Ketsukane Estate that suggests Clover might be in danger. Ceroba panics and runs into the elevator. Starlo stays behind to wait for the elevator as Clover and Ed leave.
Clover and Martlet find Ceroba in New Home, where she is arguing with Starlo on a rooftop. Starlo pleads for Ceroba to give up and Ceroba insists that her actions are for fulfilling Chujin's legacy and protecting Monsterkind. Clover and Martlet interrupt them. Starlo tells them to leave, but Ceroba calmly thanks them and suggests Martlet and Starlo leave instead. Ceroba confesses to lying about Kanako being alive as a cover up for her real intentions with Clover. Martlet and Clover attempt to flee while Starlo holds Ceroba off, but Ceroba knocks them both out. Ceroba apologizes to Clover, but calls them naive. She says that Asgore is a coward and she needs to do this to protect Monsterkind. She accepts that her actions are immoral and she is throwing away her life, but asserts she is doing the right thing. She initiates her boss battle.
As the first phase progresses, she becomes more and more desperate, reinforcing that she has to succeed at all costs. After Clover survives her final attack, she slams her staff on the ground and turns the battle box and buttons red. She starts firing undodgable fireballs that reduce Clover's HP until they have a fraction of 1 HP. She charges a final fireball to finish Clover off, but Clover turns around their SOUL to shoot with it. They charge a big shot which to the fireball and knock Ceroba to the ground. She rises up and puts on Kanako’s mask.
She powers up and transforms into her final form, beginning the real final battle. After destroying her shield, Ceroba falls and Clover damages her mask partially. They see a memory of Ceroba with Chujin on his deathbed, with him telling her about his study. Ceroba gets angry at Clover for spying on her before rising again and beginning the next phase. They again knock her down and heavily damage her mask. Clover witnesses Kanako's reaction after seeing Chujin's tapes. Kanako asks to participate in the experiment; Ceroba obliges and does the procedure, causing Kanako to fall down. The flashback ends on Ceroba desperately trying to wake her up.
Eventually, Clover manages to destroy the mask, reverting her back to her normal state. As Ceroba lays defeated before Clover, she realizes her attempts at fulfilling Chujin's legacy were at the cost of her family and made her attack her friends and a child for something that may not have even worked. Wracked with guilt, she begs Clover to finish her.
If killed, she thanks Clover for freeing her of her guilt, happy to be reunited with Chujin again. Upon her death, she drops Kanako's broken mask.
Clover has to choose mercy multiple times to spare her, as she continues to beg Clover to kill her. She is eventually interrupted by Starlo. After Martlet wakes up, she tells Ceroba that Chujin was not the greatest person, but she should focus on continuing the kindness he showed and not his acts of violence to carry on his legacy. Ceroba accepts this, and Starlo and Martlet promise to help her move past this. Ceroba apologizes to Clover for attacking them, and Clover hugs her as an act of forgiveness. She rejects Martlet's suggestion of presenting Clover to the King and eventually gets in an argument with Martlet and Starlo over Clover's future. When Clover decides to sacrifice themself in hopes of Monsterkind one day going free, Ceroba is the first one who accepts Clover's decision. After sharing one last hug with them, she extracts their SOUL before leaving at their request.
During the credits, she is comforted by Starlo just before presenting Clover's SOUL to Asgore. Later, she is seen getting corn from the Wild East and delivering it to Dalv's new home in Snowdin, showing how she is now continuing Chujin's legacy with his acts of kindness. Afterwards, she brings Dalv to Clover's funeral so that they can say goodbye.
In Undertale's True Pacifist Ending, Alphys comes clean about the amalgamates, who go on to live with their families. This means Ceroba and Kanako would be reunited and likely live together once more.
Aborting Pacifist Route[edit | edit source]
If Clover kills a robot, Ceroba snaps at them and tells them not to do it again. She will still accompany them until Axis. After sparing him, she thanks Clover for not killing him. She almost begins to mention a problem with their SOUL but stops herself from elaborating, apologizes, and leaves.
If Clover follows the Pacifist Route all the way to the Axis fight and kills him there, Ceroba is furious and driven to tears. She snaps at them for destroying Chujin's work and that their SOUL is no longer pure, making her plan impossible. She tells them she never want to see them again and runs off.
Genocide Route[edit | edit source]
Ceroba's first and only appearance in the Genocide Route is in the Wild East. The evacuation has already completed, and she comes looking for Starlo. She enters the Wild East and sees him already dying to Clover. After initially panicking, she attempts to steady herself so she can comfort him in his final moments. He encourages Ceroba to deliver justice and they hold hands before he turns to dust. Ceroba silently runs towards Clover and initiates a battle against them, the first one in the game where the enemy moves first. She expresses her anger over humanity continuing to hurt Monsterkind and that Chujin was right. She tells them she will avenge Starlo. She does not speak for the rest of the battle, not noticing if Clover attempts to taunt her. When she eventually loses, she tells them to go to hell.
In Battle[edit | edit source]
- For an in-battle description, see Ceroba Ketsukane/In Battle.
Relationships[edit | edit source]
Chujin Ketsukane[edit | edit source]
Chujin is Ceroba's late husband. Ceroba took care of Kanako and the estate while Chujin worked at the Steamworks. After he claimed to have retired, Ceroba also picked up a job at Café Dune to support their family as Chujin did volunteer work in Snowdin.
It is shown throughout the Pacifist Route that Ceroba loves Chujin very dearly and is devoted to him. Her devotion is to an extreme. For example, in the Steamworks, Ceroba shows resentment towards Asgore because of his criticism of Axis despite his criticism being fair. She does not mention much of her life outside Chujin and Kanako, and the Ketsukane Estate does not show anything of her life outside them either- in fact, the only part of her house identifiable as hers is her clothes and the Corn Chowder.
Ceroba and Chujin never discussed Chujin’s work. Until going into the Steamworks, Ceroba was unaware of Axis. Chujin directly lied about being fired, claiming that he had retired. Most of all, Ceroba was fully unaware of Chujin's experiments on himself and the Integrity SOUL until he was forced to tell her in an attempt to have her continue his project after his death. They had poor communication beyond this. Ceroba and Chujin are implied to not have discussed basic plans for their relationship, such as how many children they wanted.[3]
When he became ill as a result of his experiments, she took care of him. On his deathbed, he informed her of his study in a request to carry on his legacy. In the same scene, he also is regretful over being a burden and requests for Ceroba to leave him behind, though Ceroba firmly rejects this. Ceroba is confident that she has to continue Chujin's legacy, even endangering Kanako and accidentally causing her to fall down in the process. In the Pacifist Route, she is set on killing Clover, even if it means ruining her own life. (She does say this is for Monsterkind as well, but after she is spared, she only talks about her despair over failing Chujin's legacy, not failing Monsterkind.) Starlo and Martlet convince her that she should carry on his kindness instead.
Kanako Ketsukane[edit | edit source]
Kanako is Ceroba’s daughter. As Ceroba was a housewife, she likely was around Kanako a lot. Ceroba is shown to deeply care about Kanako through dialogue and flashbacks. Before Kanako fell down, the two of them had a routine every night where they would express their love for each other. Kanako also made a mask for her, which Ceroba later uses to transform into her final boss form.
At some point after Chujin's death, Kanako discovered the tapes in the basement. Kanako asked Ceroba to use the extract on her to make the serum, trusting that she successfully purified it. While Ceroba was initially reluctant to make Kanako a part of Chujin's plans, Kanako eventually convinced Ceroba to use her SOUL. Kanako fell down soon after Ceroba gave her the extract. This sent Ceroba into a depression, the main cause of her moving out weeks before the game begins and of her drinking.
Starlo[edit | edit source]
Starlo and Ceroba are childhood friends, and it is shown throughout the game they are very close. When talking to her in the Steamworks, Ceroba mentions that she considered dating Starlo when she was "a naive kid." She also states her reason for moving on was because she wanted to grow up, and Starlo would not.[5] When Kanako fell down, she moved into the Feisty Five's house with him. He let her sleep on his bed while he took the couch.
Ceroba cares about Starlo's wellbeing, preventing him from killing Clover and destroying his innocence even when Clover's death would assist Ceroba on her mission. Her love for him is shown strongly during the Genocide Route, when she snaps upon his demise at the hands of Clover. Having now lost everything that matters to her, she fights them to the death. Though Ceroba holds some disdain for Starlo's activity of roleplaying, believing it to be damaging to his personality and childish, Ceroba sometimes plays along with the Feisty Five. After the Feisty Four leave him, Ceroba is the one to help Starlo out of his unhealthy behaviour. When she confronts him after the battle, he accepts her complaints, but also reveals his roleplaying was partially to cheer her up after losing Kanako.
During the Pacifist Route, Ceroba refuses to tell Starlo about her plans to finish Chujin's work using Clover's SOUL. She tries to convince him to leave, but when this fails, she knocks him out right before the final boss battle of the Pacifist Route. If she is spared, in the credits, Starlo is shown to cheer Ceroba up by placing his hand on her shoulder, both showing Ceroba being more appreciative of Starlo's efforts to comfort her and Starlo's attempt to comfort her more maturely.
Axis[edit | edit source]
Ceroba does not know who Axis is until meeting him when accompanying Clover through the Steamworks. She is firmly against Clover harming him and reacts with devastation if they choose to kill him. However, she frequently brushes aside the notion of any robots being real people, and if Clover kills Axis, she only expresses anger that they destroyed Chujin's work, not that they killed him.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Ceroba's name, written in Japanese, is 決鐘 セロバ (Ketsukane Seroba). While "Seroba" has no meaning, "Ketsukane" means "determination bell."[15]
- While it is impossible to battle Ceroba on a casual playthrough of the Neutral Route, it is still possible to see her corrupted variant in the first phase of the Flowey fight if a Genocide Route is aborted after killing her in her Wild East battle. This can only be done by battling Axis without exhausting the Steamworks kill counter.
- In the Genocide Route, Ceroba gives 1500 EXP, the highest amount of EXP in the whole game (ignoring Axis and Zenith Martlet who automatically level up Clover).
- Ceroba's design is inspired by the kitsune, a creature from Japanese folklore. Kitsune are known to be tricksters, and this correlates with her attempt to trick Clover and take their SOUL.
- The phases of her Pacifist boss battle when she puts on the mask are each represented by a part of the Founder's Crest: Devoted, Decisive and Determined for each respective phase.
- In her masked forms, her hair resembles tails without actually being them.
- Ceroba is scared of heights.[16]
- Ceroba mentions Undyne and Waterfall in the Steamworks.[17]
- When killing Ceroba in the Flawed Pacifist Route, the attack ring interface used by Toy Gun for the respective ammo appears even though Clover has the Wild Revolver equipped.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Hey, um...
Don't you have folks?
You know, on the Surface.
They'd be pretty worried by now, right?
I mean, I am in a similar boat so...
...
Too personal? Sorry.
Just thinking out loud. - Ceroba's second Talk dialogue inrm_steamworks_21
, the Axis chase room - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ceroba: Anyway, just head north and you'll find a shortcut to Hotland.
Ceroba: I...
Ceroba: ...Nevermind.
Starlo: ...You okay?
Ceroba: Me? I'm fine.
Ceroba: ...
Ceroba: I uh... had something in Oasis Valley to attend. I gotta go.
Ceroba: Goodbye, Clover. - Sparing Starlo on a Neutral Route - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 We probably should've held onto Chujin's earnings but...
He had this dream of building a big house for our family.
Followed through with it too. Turned out beautifully.
At first I thought the size was a bit overkill but...
Well...
I think he was insinuating a bigger family. - Ceroba's Talk dialogue inrm_steamworks_factory_02
, the Factory second floor - ↑ Starlo: Oh, well, Clover just passed their first round o' trainin'.
Starlo: They are quite the sharpshooter. Almost as good as me!
Ceroba: Really? A child?
Starlo: Now, now, don't disrespect the kid.
Starlo: Clover can hold their own and then some.
Ceroba (nervous): I know, I'm just... very impressed." - After first Wild East mission - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Perhaps at one point in my life I considered it.
You know, back when I was a naive kid, kinda like you.
(...)
But honestly...
I wanted to grow up and... Star wouldn't follow. - Ceroba's Talk dialogue inrm_steamworks_factory_01
, the Factory reception room - ↑ Back when we first met, I lived in the mountains.
My mother had sent me down to Oasis Valley for some crops.
On the way back, I had to cross a rather large ditch.
While on the bridge, I accidentally rolled my ankle and fell in.
I couldn't climb out no matter how hard I tried.
Even worse, the expensive crops were ruined.
Felt like I was there for hours before I heard a jingling sound.
A hiker approached the bridge holding a walking stick with a bell on it.
He noticed me lying in my humble ditch so I smiled and said: "Hey."
With a kind look, he replied: "You look awful."
I was hooked.
He then hopped down and tore a strip of his red robe to wrap my ankle. - Ceroba's second Talk dialogue inrm_steamworks_factory_01
, the Factory reception room - ↑ Chujin: I haven't seen tears from you since we met at the crossing.
Ceroba: I save them for the moments that matter." - Ceroba's first flashback in her Pacifist battle - ↑ Of course after Chujin left, we needed a new source of income.
I picked up a part-time shift at Cafe Dune to help us raise Kanako.
The job was alright but my boss was...
...Let's just say there's currently a strike going on there. - Ceroba's first Talk dialogue inrm_steamworks_factory_02
, the Factory reception room - ↑ Seriously, I canceled my gym membership last year.
Lots of regret. - Ceroba's Talk dialogue inrm_steamworks_22
, the second Axis room - ↑ Ceroba was kind enough to free me!
She's an old acquaintance of mine so it was a nice surprise. - Martlet, sparing Starlo on a Neutral Route - ↑ Ceroba's little troublemaker. Real cute kid.
She likes to hang 'round us and the Five when her mom's in town.
Looks dang intimidatin' in a cowboy hat too, that's for sure. Little older and she would fit right into our group!
Though I don't think Ceroba would allow it seein' as we might not be the best influence, haha. - Dina, selecting "Kanako" - ↑ (Weeks-old leftovers from Ceroba's fridge.) - Corn Chowder's check text
- ↑ Maybe then I could've continued to bury my sorrows in the Saloon.
But now... I must follow through with my mission. - Ceroba, before her Pacifist battle - ↑ So the Feisty Five are back! Now twice as sensitive to everyone’s feelin's! When we returned to town, Ceroba and Dina had set up a party in the Saloon - which was great[sic] - "Starlo Update" letter
- ↑ The Ketsukane Family: Ceroba, Chujin, Kanako, and Axis Model 014 - @tlvq.bsky.social on Bluesky, October 16, 2024.
- ↑ Hokay, we are really high up...
Ahem, I mean...
...What?
God-what's with that look?
I am not scared of heights of all things. Grow up. - Ceroba's Talk option inrm_steamworks_09
- ↑ Places like Waterfall are heavily patrolled.
Guess there's also a patrol here but...
Between Axis and Undyne, I'll take my chances. - Ceroba's Talk option inrm_steamworks_31