Game Theory: The Secret Identity of Hollow Knight's Hero (Hollow Knight)

The below comment is from the channel Sumwan who did an incredible job critiquing this episode. Unfortunately, the comment got lost (YouTube has an algorithm that is constantly "turning over" comments on high-view videos) and despite digging around for hours looking for it, I couldn't find the original. But the work that she put in was SO thorough that I wanted to make sure it got seen, so here it is! **Original Text from Sumwan** I've seen this claim many times and it really does not make any sense. Not only does it contradict evidence in the game but it is very misleading. I'll go through the points one by one and explain why: 6:35 “We too might be in the ranks of a higher being” The Knight is the child of the Pale King and the White Lady, who are both higher beings. It makes sense that the Knight is able to read these higher being tablets. This doesn't mean that the Pale King IS the Knight. 7:20 “Does it really sound like we're just some failed experiment cast into the depths of this world?” No, it doesn't sound like that. The Vessels are the children of the Pale King and the White Lady who are born from eggs in the Abyss, which gave them a Shade. The Vessels are not just “failed experiments”. 8:12 “This poem is addressed to the Pale King” It literally says “elegy for HALLOWNEST”. This poem is about Hallownest. “Under palest watch” refers to the Pale King, but the “you”, is most definitely Hallownest. 8:30 “In the beginning of the game's lore, all bugs were basically a hive mind controlled by the moth god Radiance” This information is not supported by anything. Only the Radiance's descendants, the moth tribe, worshipped her. Nowhere is it stated that the Radiance controlled everything else. The Mantis Tribe, the Mosskin, Deepnest, and the Hive were all separate tribes and already had minds before the Pale King. 8:51 “This isn't just a poem about the Pale King, it is directed TO the Pale King” It is about Hallownest and it is direct to Hallownest (elegy for Hallownest). 8:55 “What do we see appear on screen just moments later? Our Knight” After the poem we see THE HOLLOW KNIGHT, not the Knight. The Knight scene appears after we see the Radiance break out of the Hollow Knight. Team Cherry is NOT drawing a parallel between the Knight and the Pale King. The poem is about Hallownest. It is FOR Hallownest. And the scene with the Knight does not appear right after the poem. 10:27 “Elderbug says we are seeking our dreams in perhaps a very literal sense.” The context of this sentence matters. Elderbug is talking about how all the previous travellers went down into Hallownest to follow their dreams. He does not actually know if the Knight has any “dreams” themselves. 11:00 “Elderbug wondering if he's seen a ghost is another potentially clever play on words” No it's not. Elderbug is just referring to how he thought maybe he didn't see anyone pass him because the Knight left so quickly. This dialogue has no other meaning besides that. 11:36 “White Lady: Is it more than simply a Vessel? I almost feel like I'm once again in the presence of my beloved Wyrm” The White Lady only says this because the Knight is wearing the Kingsoul. The Kingsoul reminds her of the Pale King, not the Knight themselves. Also, the White Lady literally calls the Knight her spawn when they visit her with Grimmchild equipped: “Success then for the scarlet heart, and irony, to use my spawn to grow its own.” Are you saying that the White Lady gave birth to her own husband? 11:46 “Your noble bearing reminds me of our dear King” No surprise there since the Knight is the child of the Pale King. 12:05 “The bugs in White Palace bowing as you approach them is just screaming that you're the king” White Palace is a whole other issue, but this is really not concrete evidence. Also their dream nail dialogue makes no sense if it refers to the Knight. 12:19 “10/10 Royal Retainers can't be wrong. You are royalty” You're actually right there. The Knight IS royalty, since they're the child of the King. Not because they ARE the King. 13:28 “This line of “more transformation” seems to imply that the Pale King's death would only lead to yet another form” Not really. Bardoon says that the Pale King's death in Kingdom's Edge was not an actual death, but that it was more like a transformation. This does not mean that the Pale King can transform again after he became his bug shape. A caterpillar transforming into a butterfly also cannot transform into another being again. 13:49 “It's an ancient force that opposes the blinding light of [the Radiance]” Not just the Radiance's light, but the Pale King's too. He is referred to as a light in multiple places: The Seer: “But another light appeared in our world... A wyrm that took the form of a king.” The Pale King calls himself a light in the throne room lore tablet: “No blazing kin. Only one light shall shine against the dark.” As does the Teacher’s Archives lore tablet: “-KINGLIGHT-EM-GROWTH-INKIND-FLOW-ALLTHINK-ENFIELD” Other bugs talk about the Pale King emanating light: “Though even its pure aura is no match for the light of our dear King.” (Eternal Emilitia) “I've heard he was a glorious bug to behold, bright and radiant in visage, so much so it hurt to look at him.” (Last/Old Stag) “That lingering power alone was beacon enough to draw Us to Hallownest. How bright it must have been to mortal bug stood before it.” (Godseeker) 14:45 “The Pale King used Void to fight time itself. He wants to use the Void to attain eternal life. He births himself as a Void-based creature” Not literally time. Time here is capitalized, and it is more likely to just refer to the Radiance. Locking up the Radiance is generally seen as being what has caused the Kingdom to remain in a stasis: “Bear witness to the last and only civilisation, the eternal Kingdom. Hallownest”” “Eternity in promise and charge in progeny cursed.” “Now this Kingdom's stasis becomes the Wyrm's legacy.” “Though this hive exists within Hallownest, we play no part in its attempt at perpetuation.” It is not literally time. He is a higher being, he does not need to use the Void to “achieve eternal life”. Not to mention that the Void opposes his own powers too (see previous point). 15:25 “It seems to suggest that this egg [in White Palace] is where version 1.0 of the Pale King hatched into its upgraded form” It does not. The Pale King became his current bug form in the Cast-Off shell. The Wanderer's Journal even mentions that too on page 111: “Deep within the maw of the [Cast-Off Shell], a pale, broken egg of some sort hints at such a rebirth.” Not only that, but the egg of the Knight in the Abyss would be DEADLY for the Pale King. Void opposes his power, it would simply kill him if he were to become corrupted by the Void like the eggs of the Vessels were. 15:40 “Elsewhere in White Palace there is a nursery playing this song on the music box (shade theme). The sound that accompanies our Knight's past life coincides with the same sound from a nursery housed in the Pale King's palace.” Yes, this is true, but not because of the reason you're describing. It's because the Hollow Knight grew up in White Palace (see Path of Pain scene). This nursery was probably for them. And since the Hollow Knight is a Vessel too, it makes sense that the Shade theme place for that area. 16:21 “The existence of a connection between our Knight and the Pale King seems undeniable” Yes, it is undeniable. The Knight is the child of the Pale King. 18:13 “In cut dialogue that was datamined from the game, it shows that the Hollow Knight says “father”. Cut dialogue is not evidence. The "Father?" is cut dream nail dialogue. It was cut for a reason. We don't know when this line was written, in which context it would be used exactly, maybe the Hollow Knight's fight was different at the time, etc. 19:20 “Losing his memory helps make him purely hollow” It does not. Quirrel lost his memory and this does not happen to him. Not to mention that the Knight is not hollow. There are multiple places where the Knight is said to have a will: Steel Soul Jinn: "...It refuses to trade...? It has a will... all Its own." Void Heart description: "Unifies the void under the bearer's will." Description of a pure Vessel: "No will to break." Lastly I'm going to address some fundamental problems with this entire theory that you did not address or seem to have forgotten about. The most obvious evidence that contradicts that the Pale King is the Knight is that the Knight and the Pale King are both seen at the same time. This is during the Birthplace memory cutscene where the Hollow Knight is led out of the Abyss by the Pale King. This is a memory of the Knight themselves since the Knight dreamnails their own reflection to access this memory. Furthermore, the achievement for acquiring Void Heart also says: "Remember the past and unite the Abyss" This supports the fact that it is the Knight’s memory. Therefore, the Pale King cannot be the Knight, since they were alive at the same time. Secondly, the Knight is the child of the Pale King, not a transformation. The lore tablet to the right of the throne in White Palace says that the Vessels are the progeny of the Pale King, and the Pale King also says that the Vessels are "born of God and Void", the God obviously referring to him and the White Lady who are both higher beings. Since the Knight is the child of the Pale King (and the White Lady), the Pale King cannot BE the Knight. None of the points that were brought up align with the evidence that is in the game, and it even contradicts it in various places. To put it quite simply, the Knight is NOT the Pale King.

Matpats editors: animates hornet leaking void M o s s b a g g w a n t s t o k n o w y o u r l o c a t I o n

MatPat: The Knight is the Pale King The entire HK community: say sike right now

The story that MatPat has theorized is honestly really heart warming and touching. This would have been a great video if not for the fact that The Knight is the Pale King’s child

The ending where the knight and hornet are trapped within the Black egg temple is litterally called : sealed siblings. Refering to the fact that both hornet and the knight are children of the pale King.

MatPat: “Does it really sound like we're just some failed experiment cast into the depths of this world?” The Pale King: Yes...

MatPat: makes a theory about this game The HK community: You are not a fool, you are the entire colosseum.

I can't believe Matt Patt would have the audacity to even entertain the possibility that The Knight could be the Pale King, the idea is simply absurd and flies in the face of simple logic. Obviously, Zote the Mighty is the reincarnation of the Pale King, who else could contain such greatness?

Man mossbag DUMPED on poor matpat after he Shaw this and debunked this to death Crazy how this is such a small fan base yet the best theorist’s in the world have Studied and attempted to solve the wonderful world of hollow knight

this theory: exists S E V E R A L P E O P L E A R E T Y P I N G

See’s void coming out of hornet in the intro ME: MOSSBAG WE GOT A CODE 3

As terribly wrong as this theory is, it was what got me into Hollow Knight in the first place. So... Thanks, Matpat. Also, nice to see you acknowledge the counterargument in the comments.

I just realized that in the intro Hornet dies in the same way as the knight, so matpat effectively said HORNET IS VOI-

This is in the hollow knight meme playlist and i love it

MatPat: Even Shakespeare had to get explicit sometimes. Shakespeare: What, you egg? he stabs him

You could easily bring up the Birthplace cutscene and say that it debunks the entire theory, but I'm gonna try harder than that. Starting with Hornet. Hornet is confirmed to be the child of Herrah the Beast, one of the 3 dreamers who sealed the Black Egg. Herrah was skeptical of the Pale King's plan, but agreed to do so, on the condition that PK gave her a child. This can be inferred through dialogue through different characters. Herrah: "Bound...for brood...for child" "...Fair bargain made..." Midwife: "A spritely thing, isn't she? Pale gift to the Nest and the Beast, and fair trade for sacrifice made." The use of Pale refers to the King. This basically confirms that Hornet is the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah. What does this have to do with the Knight? Before fighting the Hollow Knight in the Dream No More ending. should you let the Hollow Knight fling Hornet around like a 9-year-old raging on a mobile game, and kill the Hollow Knight, you get the ending Sealed Siblings, where you usurp the Hollow Knight and Hornet is sealed inside the black egg with you, becoming a dreamer. So, if you and Hornet are siblings, and Hornet is the daughter of the Pale King, this confirms that either Team Cherry took a long visit to Alabama, or you're not the Pale King, rather his child.

You know this theory is impossible because during the game you see a memory of you hanging on a ledge and the pale king with the hollow knight walk away from you

Matpat: our knight is a reincarnation of the pale ki- mossbag: no

“Brutally difficult bosses” Shows vengefly king Funny! How, funny...

The dialogue when npcs mistake you for the king comes from the king's brand