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 (KRplus 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.

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

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

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

I love how MatPat keeps saying things like “You are royalty” and “there is a lear connection between you and the king” and all I can think is: uhhhhh.....yeah. You're his CHILD. right?

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.

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.

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

MatPat: The Knight is the Pale King.
The entire HK community: You are not a clown, you are the entire circus.

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

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

So The bugs under my bed are actually a kingdom that can bend time and control The void

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

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

Me: So you beat the radiance?
MatPat: Yup
Me: So you know how to get void heart?
MatPat: Makes sense to me
Me: so who is the knight?
MatPat: The Pale King
Me: ( Internal mossbag screeching )

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*

The worst part is that the beginning implies he thinks hornet is void

"You're not a fool. You're the entire colosseum."

Just waiting the moment that silksong launch and matpat says that hornet and herrah are the same person

Video: ThE hOlLoW kNiGhT iS tHe PaLe KiNg
Hornet: Are you suggesting that my half brother is my father?!

Mat didn’t unmask the little ghost, he unmasked his inability to do basic thought

I kinda want MatPat to make a new Hollow Knight theory after learning his mistakes with this one

Matpat:The knight is the pale king
The entire community: splish splash your opinion is trash

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

All of the dialogue referring to the knight having a "regal bearing" and the king's devouts bowing to the knight all occur after the knight has been branded by the King's mark. And the knight is still a prince.

Despite the fact that this theory is obviously refutable, I do find the idea quite interesting. Essentially making a silent protagonist being a reincarnation of an important lore character is a pretty cool idea.

Everyone: Light=Good and Darkness=Evil
Hollow Knight: Hold my dream nail.

Poor Elderbug stuck his little hand out like "Wait don't leave me alone up here" poor little dude
10:37

I like that for “brutally difficult bosses” he displayed the Vengefly King 😂

What about the cut scene of the knight watching the hollow knight and king before he falls back into the abyss

This theory: *exists*
Everyone ever: *you are not just grimm, you are the entire troupe*

Matpat: The Secret Identity of Hollow Knight's Hero
Mossbag: Oh? You're approaching me?

i can see why he finishes with "but hey that's just a theory a game theory" it immediately snaps you at least partly out of the depressive stupor you get put into with his theories that always end in the saddest way possible

MatPad: “Actions speak louder than words”
Me: Cages or Wings? Which do you prefer? ASK THE BIIIIIIIIIIRDS

Matpat: the elegy is just seconds before we see our character
The entire cutscene in between: *B R U H*

MatPat: This song is hinting at there being a relationship between The Knight and The Pale King.
Me: The relationship is that they're family?

Can we just say how hard it was to get to the pale kings throne room with all the blades

Before the intro, I noticed 3 things wrong.
1. The Knight uses a nail, not their hands
2. Hornet is a weaver and is killing their own kind
3. Hornet is not void

Additional problem with this theory: After gaining Kingsoul, you can visit the Birthplace in the Abyss, which shows a memory of YOU, the Knight, being cast into the Abyss after reaching the top and seeing the OG Hollow Knight being taken away by the Pale King, indicating that you were alive at the same time as the King

The entirety Hollownest: "You are the child of the pale king, you are the vessel. You are born of god and void."
Matpat: "I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that."

Abyss Climb Cutscene: Exists
Matpat: *Erases Pale King*

In the abyss, hornet single handedly debunks all of this.
"Though our strength comes from a similar source (soul), that crucial emptiness that you have I do not share. (Void)"
This says that the knight has void in it, which the pale king doesn't.
It also confirms that hornet isn't void.

I'm afraid that there's one crucial factor you failed to incorporate, one of the most important characters in the entire game: Hornet. Should you choose to absorb the infection after she attempts to hold down the Hollow Knight, both you, the Knight, and she are trapped. The name for this ending is "Sealed Siblings", automatically confirming that the Knight and Hornet are siblings. And where else do you hear that name than with the souls left in the Abyss, the Pale King's children who died in the experiments.
To add on to this, at the end of the true ending, Hornet sees the Knight's shell broken in two. He's gone, either dead or part of the Void. There is no one left to watch over Hallownest. No one except Hornet, the last surviving heir to the Pale King. And sure enough, the upcoming sequel focuses entirely on Hornet

You're not just a fool, you're the entire colosseum.
Edit: I can't believe this 3.5k liked comment is my claim to fame.

The only problem here is that the advancement for one of the endings is called "Sealed Siblings", which you get after beating the Radiance with the help of Hornet. Hornet clearly is your sister. How can she be that if you yourself are the Pale King?

Hollow knight is my single favorite game right now and even though I have beaten it, I am still not bored of it 😂

Mossbag: Tweets about matpat’s hollow knight video
Matpat: Why do I hear boss music?

Team Cherry: Mossbag we choose you to enforce our will
MatPat: You are the Pale ki-
Team Cherry: well done Mossbag

Or, you know, you're playing as a child of the Pale King.

“He is royalty”
So are all of the other vessels

Most of this can be debunked by simply saying "The knight is the kings child"

Mossbag: "Game Theory: ZOTE is THE PALE KING?!?"
MatPat: "Game Theory: THE KNIGHT is THE PALE KING?!?"
mossbag was so frickin close to predicting the eventual theory.

Mat we literally hear the pale king in the knights memory

HK community: and I took that personally

this theory is the primal aspid to this fandom

I love how this video has been added to the "born of god and meme" playlist.

When the game says, "Higher beings, these words are for you alone", it's referring to the player directly. we are definitely a higher being since we control what happens in the game and also because everyone in the game are bugs while we're gigantic humans in comparison.

"You're not a dung. You're the entre Ogrim arena"

Matpat: "Our knight can use souls! Which puts us apart from any other enemy!"
Soul Master: "Am I a joke to you?"

"Skills reserved for the godlike beings"
The entire soul sanctum wants to know your location

15:41 I have ptsd from this song because I was playing late at night in the basement and all of a sudden I hear the music and then I realize it was just a game

matpat uses the argument that because all these other gods or bugs recognize the knight as the PK it means he is the PK, but what i think matpat is misinterpreting is that in the same way a young boy grows up and resembles his father, the knight bears uncanny resemblance in this way to the PK, coupled with the fact that he is also royalty being the PKs son. i think the knight reminds the bugs of the king because of the resemblance and aura that is very similar, and that they just mistake him for the pale knight

Pale king: **has over like 10 million vessel kids**
Matpat: well he’s you

1- The Pure Vessel (past Hollow Knight) also uses the focus ability to attack.
2- You literally turn into the king as the king's brand is in your possesion, which would make the impression of you being the Pale King.

I wish there was a Hollow Knight theory by Matpat that couldn't be debunked by a 2 second clip or a single sentece.

If you dream nail Grimm after you beat him in the first fight I believe he says you're one of the children from the worm and root of this earth meaning we are one of the children from the void
Edit: I checked and he actually says fine tool from worm meaning we were made by him still proving my point.

Matpat: The Pale King is The Knight
Mossbag: *ahem*

the day that the knight is the pale king is the day that hornet is void

the thing that makes me think this can be true is the pure nail.
how did the knight happen to get the ultimate wep of hollownest when nobody could tell it was the ancient nail?

This is really interesting and i would almost beleive it if it wasint for 1 thing. When you are getting the void heart and you see the memories of the knight from when the hollow knight was being taken from the abyss.
Unless the pale king put his soul into the hollow knight.

Matpat: mossbag didn’t give us a lot.
mossbag: I have cover most part of the game, and some of silksong.

~MatPat makes Hollow Knight video~
*MOSSBAG AND SUPERFORGE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW YOUR LOCATION*

Sorry MatPat i’ma have to throw your theory train off the rails because, well. In the Abyss memory cutscene when you reach the you see the Pale King walking out of the abyss, we also see our character. Proving these 2 are not the same.

First played this game on xbox and still playing it on pc this game never gets old cant wait for the new one!

1:43 So you explored every inch of Hallownest - except for the inch with a plaque that tells you that you're not the hollow knight?

Precept 45 “One thing is not another”

2:36 “it’s is!” lmfaoo

I love that matpat made a video on Hollow Knight!
But...
And a major lore enthusiast for HK I can just say one simple thing...
"You are not a fool, you are the entire Coliseum..."

"Hallownest shall recognize a new king"
"The kingdom's gates are open to you"
King's Brand text upon adquiring it. This basically means that NPCs like the retainers recognizing you as king is because of the Brand, not because you're the Pale King

11:27 "During one of your interactions..." It's BECAUSE you have the completed Kingsoul charm, and since the Pale King was the only one to have the other piece, THAT'S what she was sensing.

I love/hate this video. It's like 'Sans is Ness' levels of being incorrect but it's just so infamous that you can't help but love it

Might I also note, among the many, MANY mistakes in this video, that also there is not one true ending. Team Cherry has confirmed that all endings are *technically* canon.

MatPat: -You eight legged freaks.
Me!: Something's not right. I believe the correct term is
*Creepy Crawly Death Dealers*

*MatPat makes Hollow Knight video*
Oh, Mossbag is gonna have to say something about this...

13:22 ,I don't mean to be a dochbag but the reason why they are bowing to the knight is simple , the player has the king's crest

i loved how cinematic this video is and how either way if it was accurate or not, it would still be awesome because of how matpat sees gamelore unfolding, and to see it get torn down by just saying that "matpat, you got it wrong bro!" is pretty... bumming... i'm only saying, i know how both matpat and sumwan never even argued, and were pretty chill but come on... it's pretty annoying not to be able to watch this cool video through the end anymore knowing that matpat got it wrong from the beginning of the video.

7:15 did matpat just forget that soul sanctum existed, that area is full of soul users or former soul users that overdosed and turned into the mistakes

The game clearly considers the Knight to be the Pale King's son, though that might just be an interpretation of their connection. On three separate occasions (one of them the name of an achievement) Hornet and the Knight are referred to as siblings.

Oof. I recently got into HK, just finished my first playthrough and I learn about this theory. That hurts after having live witnessed the whole Sans is Ness ordeal. Rip

"Thir-yolk-aba-absence-outer-shell-o-gate-contains-light-em-vessel-egg-em-seal-within-dreamer-intwixt-atwix" got me almost dying of laughter

MatPat, probably: I'm just saying, we've never seen The Pale King and The Knight in the same room together!
Literally everyone else: Uhh, this is awkward, but actually--

"Only higher beings can use soul"
Soul Masters. You forgot about the entire tower of souls

Hollow knight players watching this video: You are not a fool you are the entire colosseum