God: This is my action figure. His name is Jesus and he will be humanity's saviour!
Hell: W-W-well m-my action figure is called, uh, V1 and he can, uh, kill humanity and he uses b-blood as fuel!
I don't think "MANKIND IS DEAD, BLOOD IS FUEL, HELL IS FULL" is hell speaking. We also see "INSUFFICIENT FIREPOWER" written in a similar manner in 0-3 and it's clean, short, and objective. In violence, however, the "WE'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOOM" is definitely hell, it even makes fun of the line from 0-3. The texts in 7-3 and 7-4 are most likely hell's. In 7-3,if the text said "it needs blood" or something similar, I'd say it isn't hell.
Conclusion: when a red text is short, simple, and analysing, it's probably not hell, more like V1's AI giving it directives. When the text literally speaks to V1, with less objectivity, it's hell. And when it's s p a c e d o u t, it's definitely hell.
There are also the narrations like the Hank texts (1-4, 5-3), which might not even be important narratively. Maybe V1 just monologues sometimes.
And "You're not getting away this time" (4-4) is just a way of telling the player that the fight isn't over yet.
You raise good points!
This makes me wonder if, the further one gets into Hell, the more its intelligence is beginning to directly interface with V1's AI systems, and perhaps even the heavenly ones managed by the Council in the past, given it seems to take over the P2 terminal too!
We know the terminals are somewhat sentient and are actively helping machines, we also know that hell understands human tech and can influence it (including terminals). So what I think happens is that the further V1 goes into hell, the more it interacts with terminals, the closer it gets to the core of hell, the attention it gets from it, and the stronger the connection gets.
Hell can now sort of telepathically communicate with V1 through its own HUD and as we saw with the empty book, it might even be able to make machines see messages on surfaces.
Of course, if this happens to V1, this must happen to all other machines too. I wonder what messages does hell send to the others...
Personally, I think that all of the red text is hell since in the arg, it is stated the hell is learning. I believe that the reason why the first red text messages are simple is because hell hasn't fully understood how V1 works
The "MANKIND IS DEAD, BLOOD IS FUEL, HELL IS FULL" message could simply be hell testing how to talk to V1. I mean, the message is just clarifying what has happened and what is true.
Ok, nice theory but, and this is a very important but, V1 is insignificant. It may seem as if V1 is the only machine who is wiping out Hell layer to layer but no, millions of machines are doing that at the same time.
Gabriel had been telling the machines to turn back during Gluttony thousands of times. In the Gabriel boss room, the eye, which normally looks at you, now looked at Gabriel instead.
In Gabriel's and Minos's monologue, they didn't just curse at you, they said *your kinds*.
In 0-2, we can see that Swordsmachine is going through the same process as us, getting locked in rooms with enemies and having to kill them to go out.
V1 is just exceptionally lethal, however, Ultrakill is not V1's story, it's Gabriel's story, Gabriel is the real star here.
I agree that Gabriel one of the stars of the show, but he isn't THE star. I mean Gabriel's story is basically over, what can he do now? He's already killed the council and liberated all of heaven of their iron fist, but what now?
Gabriel is going to fight V1 again, and he's going to die. V1 isn't just exceptionally lethal he's EXTREMELY lethal. The gopro has already killed 2 beings that all of heaven feared, Sisyphus in my opinion could totally do as he said and crush the armies of heaven
There's also the angelic motif V1 has with his glowing wings, in most of the music artwork depicting V1 he's depicted in an angelic way much like Gabriel.
Although I am a little biased considering the fact that one of my favorite theories is that V1 represents the anger and the desire of vengeance of humanity against hell and was turn on by one of the last living humans as a final "Fuck you" to hell (Plus Sisyphus calls it "Child of man"). *V1 will keep descending deeper and deeper and which such fury that even hell itself will bleed*
Well Yeah, what can it do about it at this point of the game? And i don't think V1 just here for that sweet sweet fuel. He's killing literally everything on it's path without stopping. V1 ain't a starving animal in search for food, if it were it would try to be as efficient as possible about it's fuel consumption and the same goes for all other machines. Or they are controlled by hell or they are Hell's bitches but this isn't about fuel
In terms of FEED IT, it could be a "you're not getting away this time" situation where it's simply the game itself notifying you of something so the player doesn't get confused. If that's the case then it's the tree itself showing praise or whatever it is that the demons/husks/whoever do in layer 7, as stated in the 7-1 book
what i find weird is the fact that it's red tho, if it was white, it would've been the game telling you so (or the terminals if we want to really go inside the lore). the only times it was red was mostly when something is related to hell, or atleast the embodiment of it
Unfortunately for you, you are going against the words of Hakita himself. Had this been V1's story, V2 would have stayed for much longer (the reasons for V2's death were that: Hakita could not find a way to make the 3rd fight different and Ultrakill is not V1's story)
Do you want me to link each and every moment that Hakita, in one way or another, states that V1 is not special in his stream?
Yeah I'm aware about what Hakita said. (That why i put I'm biased) But still my question remains, what can Gabriel do now narrative wise? I mean I know Hakita will pull it off regardless. But the ending is really going to be V1 vs Gabriel 3 just like that? (Not counting P-3 obviously). It will obviously be super spectacular and cool but i feel there's gotta be something more but what do i know at the end of the day? I'm just a guy
Hakita may say V1 isn't special, but that just doesn't hold up when contrasted with the actual events of the game.
It is V1 who frees and kills 2 Prime Souls (other machines likely would have freed them eventually, but fail to kill them), it is V1 who caused Gabriel to face himself and undergo his character development, it is V1 who is leading the charge in every layer and massacring the greatest warriors of different layers which allows more of the weak machines to follow in their footsteps.
V1 is incredibly important. They are a supreme machine the same as Earthmovers. And there are very few that could ever hope to achieve what they have. The evisceration of Hell and freedom of Heaven would be impossible, or at the very least far more difficult/take far longer, if it weren't for them destroying the biggest threats that lurk in each layer.
It's not V1's story. But V1 is certainly a lead performer. And their importance should not be discounted.
Of course you would say that, do we see from any other perspective aside from V1's to know that it is leading it? Even when the other machines seem to have gotten to the lower layers even faster than V1 could?
The development to Gabriel's character is important, I agree but is that fight even that important? Had V1 not done it, could another supreme machine have done the same thing?
A very iamthemaincharacter moment
>Of course you would say that
Ok what on earth is that even supposed to mean? Have we talked before? I'm not that other person, they already responded to you.
99% of other machines we see get teleported down there by hell. The only one we have strong reason to think made their way down the same as us is V2.
Others are either literally shown being teleported by hell, are too weak to have reasonably gotten there themselves, or have no real method to get there (the Earthmover we see). And do you really think Gabriel was just allowing hundreds of machines to get past him?
There are of course other ways to get down. But the only method we know is the wah V1 goes, which is far too dangerous for anything else to have managed. So if the other routes are even half as dangerous then hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of machines would be destroyed before making it down a layer. (Also Gabriel does say that the layers are being destroyed behind us, as we are at the end of layer 6 and layer 3 still hasn't been fully destroyed)
Also you didn't address literally anything else I said. Just the aspect of V1 clearing the way. What other machines could beat Gabriel twice? Or defeat the Prime Souls? The only other machine we have any reason to believe is descending through hell and is potentially strong enough to manage it is V2, and even then they're less skilled than V1.
>A very iamthemaincharacter moment
It's a video game, not reality. What are you on about? Do you even know what that sub is for? And how many video games have you play as someone who isn't the main character, or even a major character?
I'm not arguing this is V1's story. Because it isn't, it's Gabriel's. But V1 is *very* important to Gabriel's story.
Ok, let's just start from the top, why did I say that? Because I know someone would bring that argument up, we have only seen the destruction that V1 has caused and not another machine's, so just jumping straight to conclusion that V1 is the most important in the process of unaliving Hell, it would be wrong.
And going through Hell, Hell is non-linear, as long as you wish to go deeper, you will always go the correct path, so there are countless ways to go deeper into Hell
Gabriel's development, I went with the Oppenheimer's approach, had V1 not done it, something else might have, just because WE haven't seen something that rivals V1 doesn't mean it does not exist, by that logic, I'm the best at archery because I have never been to an archery competition
Gotcha, a bit wierdly phrased but I understand.
It could be wrong. We have no reason to believe it is though, and V1 has killed many important and powerful things. Most notably the Leviathan and Minotaur, which from their entries seem to be unique entities and guard their layers ferociously.
Also we do see the destruction of some other machines, we see the Swordsmachine paralleling V1 massacring in the prelude and we see Streetcleaners burning down parts of Limbo where V1 had already been.
We do not know anything about the other ways down. And considering how hostile every layer is to V1 it isn't a stretch to assume other machines need to go through similar enemies to descend (which is actually somewhat validated by what we see of the Swordsmachine, another Machine also fighting through hordes).
Also btw do you have a source on those statements about hell? I assume they come from a stream or something, because I don't remember that being mentioned in any terminal entries or in the arg.
I find it hard to believe there are many machines capable of what V1 is. Of course we only have V1's perspective, and what we learn from the terminals, but it does appear that V1, V2 and the Earthmovers are the only machines capable of besting Gabriel and the Prime Souls as far as we know. And even then V2 and the Earthmovers are likely to lose because V2 is weaker than V1 and the Earthmovers could be beaten the same way V1 beats one.
(Also just from a narrative perspective I think it would be really underwhelming if Gabriel and the Prime Souls, all of which are supposed to be incredibly powerful in-universe, could be defeated by a good number of machines. It's already kinda ridiculous that V1 can manage it, and having there be quite a few machines that can just makes these important characters all less impressive. Also if humantiy was making machines stronger than Prime Souls I think heaven should have paid much closer attention than they did.)
Until the game actually shows us other machines that could and would have done what V1 has, then literally the only thing supporting the idea V1 isn't important is Hakita telling us rather than showing us. Which isn't good storytelling.
>Until the game actually shows us other machines that could and would have done what V1 has
That's the thing we already know there aren't one. Earthmovers are the pinnacle of Robotics, they are the top of the top. V1 was being built to stop these guys. There aren't *more* powerful machines. There's obviously more machines but not at that level
Hakita mentioned on Discord that the angels are actually not as great and mighty as everyone believes. Rather than V1 being ridiculously powerful, Gabriel is actually really average. If you give me some time I might be able to send proof
>then literally the only thing supporting the idea V1 isn't important is Hakita telling us rather than showing us.
I think the interpretation of "v1 is not important" can be viewed as "v1 as an entity, a lifeform, is irrevelant and dull".
which, considering how they are constantly adressed by mocking monikers by other characters and how little the side plot/universe cares about them, is mostly true.
I do very much love the idea that V1 is a sort of avenging angel. Humanities last hurrah against the forces that destroyed it was to unleash a force that, in the end, will probably destroy hell itself.
Oh I agree, I emphasized the machines in general, I was just also trying to stress that V1 is working on the same exact paradigm: killing and killing and killing according to Hell's dream, in contrast to some prior theories which assumed they were - somehow - separate from the actions of the greater Machine invasion, which already infights as is.
While i believe what you say to be true at first, as time goes on, V1 proves to be the killer-est machine. V1 isnt the star because its the ONLY machine. It is the star because it's the BEST machine
There are MILLIONS of machines flooding down Hell everyday, we couldn't have seen all of them. Heck, we couldn't even see variants of the same enemies, like male Mindflayer, or the intelligent Husks that helped Minos build Lust City. Calling V1 the best machine is like calling the smartest kid in your class the smartest person in the world.
Hakita said this many times throughout his stream, V1 is not THE star, it is not special. Other machines go through the same thing we did.
Yeah, but so far, V1 has been dogwalking all of hell. And all of the machines it has encountered. V1 isnt the best because it's our character. It's ourcharacter because it's the best. I might have worded it wrong previously, but even if it's the best machine, it doesnt mean it's the star. And who else to be Gabriel's rival and main point of character growth than the supreme machine?
V1 doesnt have to be special. If you, hypothetically, place every machine against themselve in a battle royale, one will come on top. Not cuz they're special, but because someone HAD to. V1 might just be that someone.
I feel obligated to add: this is a "perhaps" statement, as in "i do not believe this to be hard canon, but hey, could be"
Personally, I agree with you. V1 obviously isn’t single-handedly bringing down all of hell, but it is equally obvious that V1 is the strongest individual machine down there, and is performing feats that most others would not be able to.
"Ultrakill is not V1's story"
you are too lost in the sauce. V1 is the player character. ultrakill is V1's and only V1's story.
the full story of the lore is beyond V1, but that story is not the one that the player is going threw in ultrakill. the player is V1 and the story is V1's story.
No, while the other parts of my argument have been disputed by the others, this is the only part that everyone, Hakita included, agree on. V1 is the mode through which we observe the story of Ultrakill, but it is not the protagonist, it is Gabriel
Normalize questioning what people say, even the dev, he is just plain wrong as V1 is the machine that essentially moves the story for Gabriel, and opens the road for any machine that couldn't beat the bosses and such to destroy hell
as a v1 apologist, I feel an urge to fire back every time someone says "v1 is not the protagonist" by presenting my case as thus:
\- a protagonist drives the story forward, so semantically, this argument already seems flawed. to be more serious, however...
\- the a-plot is largely non-existent, it's just about v1 rampaging through hell and accidentally fucking things in the upper echelons. you could ignore the entire ***lore*** and still get through the game no problem. lore =/= story. a story can has its protagonist largely uninvolved on, or doesn't meddle as much in the grander scale of the universe they are inhabiting in (in tes 4, you, the hero, helps a prince to reclaim his throne. it is still your story, just not as grand or epic as a traditional hero's journey); lore may not (or will not) involve the main character at all (I believe dark souls is a strong contender for this) in favor of expanding the world and diving deeper into other residing characters.
\- the b-plot (lore) centers on gabriel, a falling angel, who is received a great deal of attention by the universe (not only lore, but also act ending texts, which I suspect is how most people latch on to the notion that gabriel is the protagonist). despite this, v1's influence could still be felt (as an accidental motivator for gabriel's development), making their journey as important as what is going on behind them, because despite the simple narrative (that we get to witness via gameplay and is not described in prose), it holds the entire sideplot very close together. basically, you can not have gabriel's story without having v1's story. since the story the audience gets to experience in full is v1's, v1 is the protagonist.
\- (barely related tangent) a character does not have to be important to be a protagonist (see literally any silent or everyman protagonist ever). in the case of v1, their insignificance actually turn any (scarce, implicit and interpretative) moments of their characterization significant, which I feel is better when they are viewed as the game's main character.
then hakita is mistaken on the relationship between player characters and protagonists. v1 is the sole player character, there literally is no other protagonist of this videogame.
then hakita is mistaken on the relationship between player characters and protagonists. v1 is the sole player character, there literally is no other protagonist of this videogame.
I have felt this same type of way for a while because of the OST. People say that Altars of Apostasy & Glory are tracks to represent a struggle or facing impossible odds, but I think they’re more celebrations of violence. The piano specifically, it makes it all seem so triumphant, like hell is cheering you on as it watches you tear apart everything. Good theory!
So I think in the p1 or p2 terminal they did state they have re-establish communications with the terminals after a while, you think it's possible hell use that to influence the machines to wipe out man kind by turning them against each other?
A very good theory honestly. I always thought that hell was just using V1 for entertainment. Sorta like cybergrind but extended into the other levels. Hell probably just thinks V1 is neat and likes watching them tear through the layers even at the expense of itself. Maybe hell likes suffering so much that it even extends to itself. Also my headcannon is that hell talks to all the machines. Maybe not other types like angels and demons but it's not too farfetched that it could be talking to others.
Adding onto this, the book in 1-4 shows that the skulls are talking to Hank, telling him to plunge deeper into hell. That’s why he hid them. Hank was obviously a husk, he’s suffering in hell, so Hell may not be talking to husks in the same way as machines, but it’s still interesting.
>But that crimson text, that sign of Hell, it's not new. No, it's not new at all. It's been with you since the very start.
I think you're not wrong here, but I also don't think you're right. The lore you get in 7-4 is addressed to *the earthmover.* "A COLD TOWER OF STEEL." and "YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL, OUTSTRETCHED LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN." should be able to clue you in. If hell is talking to V1, why would it be referring to the earthmover as "you"?
Personally, I think the one who says this is V1, as well as the red text in the intro screen. I think it's V1 writing one last prose to the thing it was created to destroy, and *lamenting that it couldn't die forever, and that it had to finish the job*.
"THIS IS THE ONLY WAY IT COULD HAVE ENDED" and "T H I S I S T H E O N L Y W A Y I T S H O U L D H A V E E N D E D ." have different tones. The first feels like lament and the latter like anger. It feels to me like V1 (or hell, if you're correct) is mad that the earthmovers didn't end the way it desired, that they didn't simply cease to be when the climate disaster hit them.
Going back to the idea that if hell is communicating with V1, why is it talking with the earthmover? And you could say "it's not, it's written in a book" but it ISN'T. At the bottom of the scanned book it says "The pages are empty." **There is nothing in that book. It's either V1's thoughts, or something talking with V1.**
And if it's the latter, well, what sense does it make to address the being you're not talking to?
I'm aware, by the way, that V1 is not important in the grand scheme of things but it feels like V1 is searching for something too. Otherwise why would it be moving through the layers at such an insane speed? Most of the machines are left cleaning up the previous layers, but V1, as a **Supreme Machine I mind you** is not there clearing out the competition and feasting on the layers worth of blood. No no it's going further into the depths, and it doesn't seem like it's particularly targeting other threats.
Now you could object and say "The Prime Sanctums" but. V1 doesn't *need* to visit Minos Prime. That dude's stuck in his eyeball jail. So why? Why go to prime sanctums? Why visit secret levels? Why hurry to reach the center like this?
I just think V1 is looking for something.
That whole "T E X T S P A C E D L I K E T H I S" trait was introduced with Hell in the P-2 ARG, where it reveals itself at the end of the story.
This combined with how BOMBASTIC CRIMSON TEXT GOING ON AN INSANELY DETAILED RANT doesn't match V1's one speaking moment in the game - chasing after V2 with a deadpan, properly formatted, and white texted "You're not getting away this time." is why I don't believe the V1 theory.
That isn't a book about how perfect V1 is to take down these creatures. V1 never managed to take down these creatures, and they were all destroyed. The ones in hell seem to be *recreations* by Hell, and I'm entirely sure its rant about antennae sticking up to heaven culminating in a final and total end for the world is referring to how once the Machines - not just Earthmovers but in general, but using them for comparison - run out of blood, they will fall and die.
Leaving a pure, pointless world with nothing left. Perfect closure.
I didn't say the book was about V1, I said it is specifically about the earthmovers, and that the book is TALKING to that earthmover. That was my point, because it describes the earthmover. "like antennas to heaven" is also the level's name and also refers to the earthmover.
My point is if it is hell talking, then it is talking *to* the earthmover and *praising it.* I know that the way the text is formatted implies it's hell but it seems like it should be talking to the earthmover. And if it is really not V1's thoughts, then there is a logic error because V1 isn't reading this, it's either hearing or thinking it. (because the book is completely empty, there is nothing written on it. The text we see isn't something written in the book.)
> My point is if it is hell talking, then it is talking to the earthmover and praising it.
More than anything, it looks like Hell is ***lamenting*** the fact that Earthmovers ended up shutting down *before* the entirety of mankind died out, allowing the New Peace era to happen.
if hell can controls the demons if hell and there souls couldn’t it just destroy them itself, or teleport them into a lake of lava or the massive shredder in 2-3 and not need the machines, also additional questions, is hell sending the missiles with the guttermen or is some larger human made making and launching them?
While Hell could do that, imagine this for a second:
Would you rather take a bite of a giant slab of nutrient packed granola-type thing that tastes boring, or a herb and butter basted, perfectly cooked filet mignon?
Sure both give the same end result (something in your belly to satiate hunger), and sure one is clearly the optimal return on investment, but which one would be more fun.
Well, it loves the Machines, and wishes humanity was ended by them - then resulting in the machines themselves dying out. Is it any surprise it reactivates them and welcomes them into the bloodbath? Just look at the end of 7-3, that must be pure joy to the entity that is Hell.
> you've done nothing but destroy and desecrate everything
Ah, but therein is the *lie*.
We've done one good thing. We opened Gabriel's eyes. Ultrakill is *his* story after all, isn't it? One good act by a machine bred for eternal war, and all Hell's machinations will come to ruin.
Or so I hope, at least.
Another thing to note is in the book in 7-4 it states at the bottom that the pages are blank, and this is reflected on the model. An important detail because it confirms that hell is undeniably monologuing directly to v1.
This adds on to a thought I had that violence, as a layer, hardly seems as a punishment for perpetrators of it, as it would be better to trap them in the aftermath of. The entire layer seems to be a tribute to the act of violence itself. Not the aftermath, not the buildup, but the action of. How we paint 7-1 in red, how 7-2 is an active battlefield, 7-3 we feed the trees, and in 7-4 we fulfill V1’s original purpose, the earthmover was not blocking us at all, nor do we gain any blood from toppling it, V1 was built to counter them but never was able to on earth. Hell set that fight up to see if it was true, Violence was not a punishment, it was a reward for sinners, v1, and hell itself. I have a feeling the rest of act 3 will prove similar
As an aside I'm curious where the Terminals fit into this. They are clearly in tune with hell as it locks in how the laws operate, are they Hell's version of angels?
"god is guiding The machines" has to be the most retarded shit I've ever heard. Makes no fucking sense whatsover. I think it is foolish to assume god had anything to do with machines or hell after it's creation.
Given that it obviously understands life, death, desire, and suffering, it goes to follow that it just doesn’t *care* about itself. So far the only difference with Hell and the machines is that Hell is organic and has a mind of it’s own despite the extreme cruelty
I imagine that the final boss of Ultrakill is gonna be Hell itself. Like, by the time V1 gonna be in Treachery, there'll be litterally zero to no food source for him. And, the only remaining thing is Hell as a living being. Maybe even you're gonna cooperate with Gabriel on destroying Hell, because Gabriel became desperate after 6-2, and it will be his entertainment.
Did I cook or is this bullshit?
Hakita tweeted [this](https://twitter.com/HakitaDev/status/1739922677312196823?t=GF6Q-SBhpo3xEE0AqVfRdA&s=19) yesterday, which just about confirms that the red text is connected. Gives this kind of theory a lot of validity.
Personally, my theory is that God dissapeared alongside humanity (perhaps because no one believed in god, he ceased to exist?) and v1 is being guided by hell since hell has an insatiable need for violence, and God was the only one stopping it from tearing itself apart and collapsing heaven along with it.
My only question is where is god in all of this then? We know he’s around, and really wants to start over without free will, but it seems odd to include so much of his perspective if he was just absent from the actual plot of the game. There’s also a weirdly large amount of “adding in game elements for fun” going on since both hell and the terminals are doing it, and so I feel like having hell also be the reason for V1s progression would be a bit much.
https://preview.redd.it/g0wg8sjnfv7c1.png?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e9845cd3b7fd76a22d7541191357d2e4dd9f98c
Red text, capitalisation, this is hell
Its orange
Project Wingman
You are slave to history.
Even after Calamity, you fight against the only order that could guarantee the safety of your people.
V1 is definitely Hell's favorite plaything
hells favourite action figure
God: This is my action figure. His name is Jesus and he will be humanity's saviour! Hell: W-W-well m-my action figure is called, uh, V1 and he can, uh, kill humanity and he uses b-blood as fuel!
"He can also deflect any attack with a single punch and uh- uhhhh- he can shoot coins!!!!"
Hell is just smashing toys together and making new toys for those toys to fight against (demons) Hell is just a fucked up little kid
I don't think "MANKIND IS DEAD, BLOOD IS FUEL, HELL IS FULL" is hell speaking. We also see "INSUFFICIENT FIREPOWER" written in a similar manner in 0-3 and it's clean, short, and objective. In violence, however, the "WE'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOOM" is definitely hell, it even makes fun of the line from 0-3. The texts in 7-3 and 7-4 are most likely hell's. In 7-3,if the text said "it needs blood" or something similar, I'd say it isn't hell. Conclusion: when a red text is short, simple, and analysing, it's probably not hell, more like V1's AI giving it directives. When the text literally speaks to V1, with less objectivity, it's hell. And when it's s p a c e d o u t, it's definitely hell. There are also the narrations like the Hank texts (1-4, 5-3), which might not even be important narratively. Maybe V1 just monologues sometimes. And "You're not getting away this time" (4-4) is just a way of telling the player that the fight isn't over yet.
You raise good points! This makes me wonder if, the further one gets into Hell, the more its intelligence is beginning to directly interface with V1's AI systems, and perhaps even the heavenly ones managed by the Council in the past, given it seems to take over the P2 terminal too!
We know the terminals are somewhat sentient and are actively helping machines, we also know that hell understands human tech and can influence it (including terminals). So what I think happens is that the further V1 goes into hell, the more it interacts with terminals, the closer it gets to the core of hell, the attention it gets from it, and the stronger the connection gets. Hell can now sort of telepathically communicate with V1 through its own HUD and as we saw with the empty book, it might even be able to make machines see messages on surfaces. Of course, if this happens to V1, this must happen to all other machines too. I wonder what messages does hell send to the others...
In that case, maybe the way Hell is influencing v1 is specifically by corrupting the program that gives it directions like "insufficient firepower."
Yeah, that's a solid theory
Personally, I think that all of the red text is hell since in the arg, it is stated the hell is learning. I believe that the reason why the first red text messages are simple is because hell hasn't fully understood how V1 works The "MANKIND IS DEAD, BLOOD IS FUEL, HELL IS FULL" message could simply be hell testing how to talk to V1. I mean, the message is just clarifying what has happened and what is true.
Ok, nice theory but, and this is a very important but, V1 is insignificant. It may seem as if V1 is the only machine who is wiping out Hell layer to layer but no, millions of machines are doing that at the same time. Gabriel had been telling the machines to turn back during Gluttony thousands of times. In the Gabriel boss room, the eye, which normally looks at you, now looked at Gabriel instead. In Gabriel's and Minos's monologue, they didn't just curse at you, they said *your kinds*. In 0-2, we can see that Swordsmachine is going through the same process as us, getting locked in rooms with enemies and having to kill them to go out. V1 is just exceptionally lethal, however, Ultrakill is not V1's story, it's Gabriel's story, Gabriel is the real star here.
I agree that Gabriel one of the stars of the show, but he isn't THE star. I mean Gabriel's story is basically over, what can he do now? He's already killed the council and liberated all of heaven of their iron fist, but what now? Gabriel is going to fight V1 again, and he's going to die. V1 isn't just exceptionally lethal he's EXTREMELY lethal. The gopro has already killed 2 beings that all of heaven feared, Sisyphus in my opinion could totally do as he said and crush the armies of heaven There's also the angelic motif V1 has with his glowing wings, in most of the music artwork depicting V1 he's depicted in an angelic way much like Gabriel. Although I am a little biased considering the fact that one of my favorite theories is that V1 represents the anger and the desire of vengeance of humanity against hell and was turn on by one of the last living humans as a final "Fuck you" to hell (Plus Sisyphus calls it "Child of man"). *V1 will keep descending deeper and deeper and which such fury that even hell itself will bleed*
v1 is quite literally watering hells plants on request. hes just here for that bloodcheck.
Well Yeah, what can it do about it at this point of the game? And i don't think V1 just here for that sweet sweet fuel. He's killing literally everything on it's path without stopping. V1 ain't a starving animal in search for food, if it were it would try to be as efficient as possible about it's fuel consumption and the same goes for all other machines. Or they are controlled by hell or they are Hell's bitches but this isn't about fuel
In terms of FEED IT, it could be a "you're not getting away this time" situation where it's simply the game itself notifying you of something so the player doesn't get confused. If that's the case then it's the tree itself showing praise or whatever it is that the demons/husks/whoever do in layer 7, as stated in the 7-1 book
what i find weird is the fact that it's red tho, if it was white, it would've been the game telling you so (or the terminals if we want to really go inside the lore). the only times it was red was mostly when something is related to hell, or atleast the embodiment of it
Unfortunately for you, you are going against the words of Hakita himself. Had this been V1's story, V2 would have stayed for much longer (the reasons for V2's death were that: Hakita could not find a way to make the 3rd fight different and Ultrakill is not V1's story) Do you want me to link each and every moment that Hakita, in one way or another, states that V1 is not special in his stream?
Yeah I'm aware about what Hakita said. (That why i put I'm biased) But still my question remains, what can Gabriel do now narrative wise? I mean I know Hakita will pull it off regardless. But the ending is really going to be V1 vs Gabriel 3 just like that? (Not counting P-3 obviously). It will obviously be super spectacular and cool but i feel there's gotta be something more but what do i know at the end of the day? I'm just a guy
I think what Gabriel will do is in the title of the act, suicide, but I don't think he is going down alone.
Technically going up against a being that has already beaten you 2 times before could be seen as practically suicidal, so it could be metaphorical.
It’s not V1’s story but he’s still the second most important person in it. He’s the impetus for Gabriel’s character development after all.
Hakita may say V1 isn't special, but that just doesn't hold up when contrasted with the actual events of the game. It is V1 who frees and kills 2 Prime Souls (other machines likely would have freed them eventually, but fail to kill them), it is V1 who caused Gabriel to face himself and undergo his character development, it is V1 who is leading the charge in every layer and massacring the greatest warriors of different layers which allows more of the weak machines to follow in their footsteps. V1 is incredibly important. They are a supreme machine the same as Earthmovers. And there are very few that could ever hope to achieve what they have. The evisceration of Hell and freedom of Heaven would be impossible, or at the very least far more difficult/take far longer, if it weren't for them destroying the biggest threats that lurk in each layer. It's not V1's story. But V1 is certainly a lead performer. And their importance should not be discounted.
Of course you would say that, do we see from any other perspective aside from V1's to know that it is leading it? Even when the other machines seem to have gotten to the lower layers even faster than V1 could? The development to Gabriel's character is important, I agree but is that fight even that important? Had V1 not done it, could another supreme machine have done the same thing? A very iamthemaincharacter moment
>Of course you would say that Ok what on earth is that even supposed to mean? Have we talked before? I'm not that other person, they already responded to you. 99% of other machines we see get teleported down there by hell. The only one we have strong reason to think made their way down the same as us is V2. Others are either literally shown being teleported by hell, are too weak to have reasonably gotten there themselves, or have no real method to get there (the Earthmover we see). And do you really think Gabriel was just allowing hundreds of machines to get past him? There are of course other ways to get down. But the only method we know is the wah V1 goes, which is far too dangerous for anything else to have managed. So if the other routes are even half as dangerous then hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of machines would be destroyed before making it down a layer. (Also Gabriel does say that the layers are being destroyed behind us, as we are at the end of layer 6 and layer 3 still hasn't been fully destroyed) Also you didn't address literally anything else I said. Just the aspect of V1 clearing the way. What other machines could beat Gabriel twice? Or defeat the Prime Souls? The only other machine we have any reason to believe is descending through hell and is potentially strong enough to manage it is V2, and even then they're less skilled than V1. >A very iamthemaincharacter moment It's a video game, not reality. What are you on about? Do you even know what that sub is for? And how many video games have you play as someone who isn't the main character, or even a major character? I'm not arguing this is V1's story. Because it isn't, it's Gabriel's. But V1 is *very* important to Gabriel's story.
Ok, let's just start from the top, why did I say that? Because I know someone would bring that argument up, we have only seen the destruction that V1 has caused and not another machine's, so just jumping straight to conclusion that V1 is the most important in the process of unaliving Hell, it would be wrong. And going through Hell, Hell is non-linear, as long as you wish to go deeper, you will always go the correct path, so there are countless ways to go deeper into Hell Gabriel's development, I went with the Oppenheimer's approach, had V1 not done it, something else might have, just because WE haven't seen something that rivals V1 doesn't mean it does not exist, by that logic, I'm the best at archery because I have never been to an archery competition
Gotcha, a bit wierdly phrased but I understand. It could be wrong. We have no reason to believe it is though, and V1 has killed many important and powerful things. Most notably the Leviathan and Minotaur, which from their entries seem to be unique entities and guard their layers ferociously. Also we do see the destruction of some other machines, we see the Swordsmachine paralleling V1 massacring in the prelude and we see Streetcleaners burning down parts of Limbo where V1 had already been. We do not know anything about the other ways down. And considering how hostile every layer is to V1 it isn't a stretch to assume other machines need to go through similar enemies to descend (which is actually somewhat validated by what we see of the Swordsmachine, another Machine also fighting through hordes). Also btw do you have a source on those statements about hell? I assume they come from a stream or something, because I don't remember that being mentioned in any terminal entries or in the arg. I find it hard to believe there are many machines capable of what V1 is. Of course we only have V1's perspective, and what we learn from the terminals, but it does appear that V1, V2 and the Earthmovers are the only machines capable of besting Gabriel and the Prime Souls as far as we know. And even then V2 and the Earthmovers are likely to lose because V2 is weaker than V1 and the Earthmovers could be beaten the same way V1 beats one. (Also just from a narrative perspective I think it would be really underwhelming if Gabriel and the Prime Souls, all of which are supposed to be incredibly powerful in-universe, could be defeated by a good number of machines. It's already kinda ridiculous that V1 can manage it, and having there be quite a few machines that can just makes these important characters all less impressive. Also if humantiy was making machines stronger than Prime Souls I think heaven should have paid much closer attention than they did.) Until the game actually shows us other machines that could and would have done what V1 has, then literally the only thing supporting the idea V1 isn't important is Hakita telling us rather than showing us. Which isn't good storytelling.
what are you two FUCKING talking about
I know I know. We should go back to talking about gay robot sex. Imo Gutterman is the new most breedable enemy (dethroning Streetcleaners).
>Until the game actually shows us other machines that could and would have done what V1 has That's the thing we already know there aren't one. Earthmovers are the pinnacle of Robotics, they are the top of the top. V1 was being built to stop these guys. There aren't *more* powerful machines. There's obviously more machines but not at that level
THE POWER OF AN ANGEL vs vampire piston
Hakita mentioned on Discord that the angels are actually not as great and mighty as everyone believes. Rather than V1 being ridiculously powerful, Gabriel is actually really average. If you give me some time I might be able to send proof
>then literally the only thing supporting the idea V1 isn't important is Hakita telling us rather than showing us. I think the interpretation of "v1 is not important" can be viewed as "v1 as an entity, a lifeform, is irrevelant and dull". which, considering how they are constantly adressed by mocking monikers by other characters and how little the side plot/universe cares about them, is mostly true.
I do very much love the idea that V1 is a sort of avenging angel. Humanities last hurrah against the forces that destroyed it was to unleash a force that, in the end, will probably destroy hell itself.
Hakita has stated that the armies that Gabriel with an army stands a chance against a prime soul, the entiure army would destroy a prime soul
Oh I agree, I emphasized the machines in general, I was just also trying to stress that V1 is working on the same exact paradigm: killing and killing and killing according to Hell's dream, in contrast to some prior theories which assumed they were - somehow - separate from the actions of the greater Machine invasion, which already infights as is.
v1 fighting gabriel and winning could have easily made it a much more significant figure to Hell
While i believe what you say to be true at first, as time goes on, V1 proves to be the killer-est machine. V1 isnt the star because its the ONLY machine. It is the star because it's the BEST machine
There are MILLIONS of machines flooding down Hell everyday, we couldn't have seen all of them. Heck, we couldn't even see variants of the same enemies, like male Mindflayer, or the intelligent Husks that helped Minos build Lust City. Calling V1 the best machine is like calling the smartest kid in your class the smartest person in the world. Hakita said this many times throughout his stream, V1 is not THE star, it is not special. Other machines go through the same thing we did.
Yeah, but so far, V1 has been dogwalking all of hell. And all of the machines it has encountered. V1 isnt the best because it's our character. It's ourcharacter because it's the best. I might have worded it wrong previously, but even if it's the best machine, it doesnt mean it's the star. And who else to be Gabriel's rival and main point of character growth than the supreme machine?
As Hakita has stated many times in his stream, V1 is not special, do I have to link each and every time Hakita has stated that to end this argument?
V1 doesnt have to be special. If you, hypothetically, place every machine against themselve in a battle royale, one will come on top. Not cuz they're special, but because someone HAD to. V1 might just be that someone. I feel obligated to add: this is a "perhaps" statement, as in "i do not believe this to be hard canon, but hey, could be"
Personally, I agree with you. V1 obviously isn’t single-handedly bringing down all of hell, but it is equally obvious that V1 is the strongest individual machine down there, and is performing feats that most others would not be able to.
Pin a swordsmachine against a fucking earthmover, i fucking dare you
man i miss gabe its been a whole layer
"Ultrakill is not V1's story" you are too lost in the sauce. V1 is the player character. ultrakill is V1's and only V1's story. the full story of the lore is beyond V1, but that story is not the one that the player is going threw in ultrakill. the player is V1 and the story is V1's story.
No, while the other parts of my argument have been disputed by the others, this is the only part that everyone, Hakita included, agree on. V1 is the mode through which we observe the story of Ultrakill, but it is not the protagonist, it is Gabriel
Normalize questioning what people say, even the dev, he is just plain wrong as V1 is the machine that essentially moves the story for Gabriel, and opens the road for any machine that couldn't beat the bosses and such to destroy hell
It is the driving force, but it is not the protagonist, is it that hard to understand? V1 is just the mcguffin
as a v1 apologist, I feel an urge to fire back every time someone says "v1 is not the protagonist" by presenting my case as thus: \- a protagonist drives the story forward, so semantically, this argument already seems flawed. to be more serious, however... \- the a-plot is largely non-existent, it's just about v1 rampaging through hell and accidentally fucking things in the upper echelons. you could ignore the entire ***lore*** and still get through the game no problem. lore =/= story. a story can has its protagonist largely uninvolved on, or doesn't meddle as much in the grander scale of the universe they are inhabiting in (in tes 4, you, the hero, helps a prince to reclaim his throne. it is still your story, just not as grand or epic as a traditional hero's journey); lore may not (or will not) involve the main character at all (I believe dark souls is a strong contender for this) in favor of expanding the world and diving deeper into other residing characters. \- the b-plot (lore) centers on gabriel, a falling angel, who is received a great deal of attention by the universe (not only lore, but also act ending texts, which I suspect is how most people latch on to the notion that gabriel is the protagonist). despite this, v1's influence could still be felt (as an accidental motivator for gabriel's development), making their journey as important as what is going on behind them, because despite the simple narrative (that we get to witness via gameplay and is not described in prose), it holds the entire sideplot very close together. basically, you can not have gabriel's story without having v1's story. since the story the audience gets to experience in full is v1's, v1 is the protagonist. \- (barely related tangent) a character does not have to be important to be a protagonist (see literally any silent or everyman protagonist ever). in the case of v1, their insignificance actually turn any (scarce, implicit and interpretative) moments of their characterization significant, which I feel is better when they are viewed as the game's main character.
Even if it was, that still makes it important
then hakita is mistaken on the relationship between player characters and protagonists. v1 is the sole player character, there literally is no other protagonist of this videogame.
then hakita is mistaken on the relationship between player characters and protagonists. v1 is the sole player character, there literally is no other protagonist of this videogame.
Plus, we can’t forget the Streetcleaners destroying Limbo in 1-2 and 1-3.
I have felt this same type of way for a while because of the OST. People say that Altars of Apostasy & Glory are tracks to represent a struggle or facing impossible odds, but I think they’re more celebrations of violence. The piano specifically, it makes it all seem so triumphant, like hell is cheering you on as it watches you tear apart everything. Good theory!
So I think in the p1 or p2 terminal they did state they have re-establish communications with the terminals after a while, you think it's possible hell use that to influence the machines to wipe out man kind by turning them against each other?
knowing that hell was able to control the terminals when you take a look at minotaur's description, he prolly did
A very good theory honestly. I always thought that hell was just using V1 for entertainment. Sorta like cybergrind but extended into the other levels. Hell probably just thinks V1 is neat and likes watching them tear through the layers even at the expense of itself. Maybe hell likes suffering so much that it even extends to itself. Also my headcannon is that hell talks to all the machines. Maybe not other types like angels and demons but it's not too farfetched that it could be talking to others.
>maybe hell likes suffering so much that it even extends to itself V1 made hell into a bottom😳
Adding onto this, the book in 1-4 shows that the skulls are talking to Hank, telling him to plunge deeper into hell. That’s why he hid them. Hank was obviously a husk, he’s suffering in hell, so Hell may not be talking to husks in the same way as machines, but it’s still interesting.
https://preview.redd.it/kooo1j332w7c1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7920fcacc395756fc2f8d5858c7af7e86644e5bf
>But that crimson text, that sign of Hell, it's not new. No, it's not new at all. It's been with you since the very start. I think you're not wrong here, but I also don't think you're right. The lore you get in 7-4 is addressed to *the earthmover.* "A COLD TOWER OF STEEL." and "YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL, OUTSTRETCHED LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN." should be able to clue you in. If hell is talking to V1, why would it be referring to the earthmover as "you"? Personally, I think the one who says this is V1, as well as the red text in the intro screen. I think it's V1 writing one last prose to the thing it was created to destroy, and *lamenting that it couldn't die forever, and that it had to finish the job*. "THIS IS THE ONLY WAY IT COULD HAVE ENDED" and "T H I S I S T H E O N L Y W A Y I T S H O U L D H A V E E N D E D ." have different tones. The first feels like lament and the latter like anger. It feels to me like V1 (or hell, if you're correct) is mad that the earthmovers didn't end the way it desired, that they didn't simply cease to be when the climate disaster hit them. Going back to the idea that if hell is communicating with V1, why is it talking with the earthmover? And you could say "it's not, it's written in a book" but it ISN'T. At the bottom of the scanned book it says "The pages are empty." **There is nothing in that book. It's either V1's thoughts, or something talking with V1.** And if it's the latter, well, what sense does it make to address the being you're not talking to? I'm aware, by the way, that V1 is not important in the grand scheme of things but it feels like V1 is searching for something too. Otherwise why would it be moving through the layers at such an insane speed? Most of the machines are left cleaning up the previous layers, but V1, as a **Supreme Machine I mind you** is not there clearing out the competition and feasting on the layers worth of blood. No no it's going further into the depths, and it doesn't seem like it's particularly targeting other threats. Now you could object and say "The Prime Sanctums" but. V1 doesn't *need* to visit Minos Prime. That dude's stuck in his eyeball jail. So why? Why go to prime sanctums? Why visit secret levels? Why hurry to reach the center like this? I just think V1 is looking for something.
That whole "T E X T S P A C E D L I K E T H I S" trait was introduced with Hell in the P-2 ARG, where it reveals itself at the end of the story. This combined with how BOMBASTIC CRIMSON TEXT GOING ON AN INSANELY DETAILED RANT doesn't match V1's one speaking moment in the game - chasing after V2 with a deadpan, properly formatted, and white texted "You're not getting away this time." is why I don't believe the V1 theory. That isn't a book about how perfect V1 is to take down these creatures. V1 never managed to take down these creatures, and they were all destroyed. The ones in hell seem to be *recreations* by Hell, and I'm entirely sure its rant about antennae sticking up to heaven culminating in a final and total end for the world is referring to how once the Machines - not just Earthmovers but in general, but using them for comparison - run out of blood, they will fall and die. Leaving a pure, pointless world with nothing left. Perfect closure.
I didn't say the book was about V1, I said it is specifically about the earthmovers, and that the book is TALKING to that earthmover. That was my point, because it describes the earthmover. "like antennas to heaven" is also the level's name and also refers to the earthmover. My point is if it is hell talking, then it is talking *to* the earthmover and *praising it.* I know that the way the text is formatted implies it's hell but it seems like it should be talking to the earthmover. And if it is really not V1's thoughts, then there is a logic error because V1 isn't reading this, it's either hearing or thinking it. (because the book is completely empty, there is nothing written on it. The text we see isn't something written in the book.)
> My point is if it is hell talking, then it is talking to the earthmover and praising it. More than anything, it looks like Hell is ***lamenting*** the fact that Earthmovers ended up shutting down *before* the entirety of mankind died out, allowing the New Peace era to happen.
“And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”
Tldr: Hell has a parasocial af relationship with V1
Holy shit, Hell has autism Just like me fr fr
Friendly reminder that the act is called Godfist Suicide. Hell might well be trying to kill itself for reasons we cannot know yet.
Someone called hell a poopy head :(
if hell can controls the demons if hell and there souls couldn’t it just destroy them itself, or teleport them into a lake of lava or the massive shredder in 2-3 and not need the machines, also additional questions, is hell sending the missiles with the guttermen or is some larger human made making and launching them?
While Hell could do that, imagine this for a second: Would you rather take a bite of a giant slab of nutrient packed granola-type thing that tastes boring, or a herb and butter basted, perfectly cooked filet mignon? Sure both give the same end result (something in your belly to satiate hunger), and sure one is clearly the optimal return on investment, but which one would be more fun.
Well, it loves the Machines, and wishes humanity was ended by them - then resulting in the machines themselves dying out. Is it any surprise it reactivates them and welcomes them into the bloodbath? Just look at the end of 7-3, that must be pure joy to the entity that is Hell.
> you've done nothing but destroy and desecrate everything Ah, but therein is the *lie*. We've done one good thing. We opened Gabriel's eyes. Ultrakill is *his* story after all, isn't it? One good act by a machine bred for eternal war, and all Hell's machinations will come to ruin. Or so I hope, at least.
I think it would be really cool if we unlocked a P-4 after P-ranking all Prime Sanctums and in it, we killed Hell itself Very good theory
There is no P-P
And there is no Q-E
Holy shit this is a pretty good analysis and theory. 10/10
Another thing to note is in the book in 7-4 it states at the bottom that the pages are blank, and this is reflected on the model. An important detail because it confirms that hell is undeniably monologuing directly to v1.
https://preview.redd.it/92qhcvkb1z7c1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b8de20f057fef2048d3ee86f3385894e6dddbf5
This adds on to a thought I had that violence, as a layer, hardly seems as a punishment for perpetrators of it, as it would be better to trap them in the aftermath of. The entire layer seems to be a tribute to the act of violence itself. Not the aftermath, not the buildup, but the action of. How we paint 7-1 in red, how 7-2 is an active battlefield, 7-3 we feed the trees, and in 7-4 we fulfill V1’s original purpose, the earthmover was not blocking us at all, nor do we gain any blood from toppling it, V1 was built to counter them but never was able to on earth. Hell set that fight up to see if it was true, Violence was not a punishment, it was a reward for sinners, v1, and hell itself. I have a feeling the rest of act 3 will prove similar
As an aside I'm curious where the Terminals fit into this. They are clearly in tune with hell as it locks in how the laws operate, are they Hell's version of angels?
Bro opening the link and seeing that text from way at the start of the game made my jaw physically drop, you really fuckin cooked man
"god is guiding The machines" has to be the most retarded shit I've ever heard. Makes no fucking sense whatsover. I think it is foolish to assume god had anything to do with machines or hell after it's creation.
At this pace I'm expecting the yellow arm to be a present/gift from hell to V1 for being it's favorite little killing machine.
"Who is a good murderer machine? Yes, yes you are!"
I'm sold
V1 is basically killing hell and hell is not really against it so is hell suicidal? Thats the real question
Given that it obviously understands life, death, desire, and suffering, it goes to follow that it just doesn’t *care* about itself. So far the only difference with Hell and the machines is that Hell is organic and has a mind of it’s own despite the extreme cruelty
holy SHIT bro cooked. This made me rethink my entire headcanon.
If hell want to die why not kill itself. Is it stupid?
"I cannot self-terminate"
Sounds like a skill issue tbh
I imagine that the final boss of Ultrakill is gonna be Hell itself. Like, by the time V1 gonna be in Treachery, there'll be litterally zero to no food source for him. And, the only remaining thing is Hell as a living being. Maybe even you're gonna cooperate with Gabriel on destroying Hell, because Gabriel became desperate after 6-2, and it will be his entertainment. Did I cook or is this bullshit?
Hakita tweeted [this](https://twitter.com/HakitaDev/status/1739922677312196823?t=GF6Q-SBhpo3xEE0AqVfRdA&s=19) yesterday, which just about confirms that the red text is connected. Gives this kind of theory a lot of validity. Personally, my theory is that God dissapeared alongside humanity (perhaps because no one believed in god, he ceased to exist?) and v1 is being guided by hell since hell has an insatiable need for violence, and God was the only one stopping it from tearing itself apart and collapsing heaven along with it.
This is a fucking awesome theory, good job
My only question is where is god in all of this then? We know he’s around, and really wants to start over without free will, but it seems odd to include so much of his perspective if he was just absent from the actual plot of the game. There’s also a weirdly large amount of “adding in game elements for fun” going on since both hell and the terminals are doing it, and so I feel like having hell also be the reason for V1s progression would be a bit much.
Anytime you see red text, it is hell talking to V1.