If you turn off the light in Poniko's Room, there is a 1 in 64 chance that the Uboa Event will occur. Whether the event will occur is determined when the player enters the room (leave and enter again for the next chance). Uboa was added along with the Pink Sea in Ver.0.08.
Appearance
Uboa as they appear in the manga
Uboa appears like a black blob or shadow-like creature with a white oval covering most of their front. The oval resembles the traditional Noh theatre masks, as well as the greek comedy/tragedy masks that depict extreme joy or sadness. However, in regards to the greek masks, Uboa's expression seems to be a blend of both, as their left eye is squinting, while their right eye is resting. Accordingly, the left corner of the mouth is turned up, while the right corner is turned down.
In the right upper part of the oval, the black colour invades it slightly, making the "mask" appear "cracked".
In the manga, Uboa was given a ponytail and arms, probably to resemble Poniko.
Event
Uboa in Poniko's room.
There is a chance that the event is triggered when you turn off the light. When the event happens a bright flash fills the screen, then the entire room changes and Uboa replaces Poniko. The background music changes to an alarming filtered "aah" noise. You cannot leave the room, and flipping the light switch only causes another flash.
Some of the items in the room change. The dresser gets a "face" with googly eyes that may remind players of those of Masada and a smile. The two pictures change, the one over the desk turns from what looks like a mouse to a face which has googly eyes as well, and what could be either a moustache or another smile. The one over Poniko's bed changes from one shape to another. The window gets eyes and the rug's design also changes, showing a pattern with eyes as well. The lamp on the desk turns on, showing a light beam.
If you interact with Uboa, their face will become warped and you will be sent to a looped area highly similar to the White Desert (with even its soundtrack playing). The area shows a monochrome background and a a large decorative NPC that interacts with the white part of the background. This white part is shaped in a bubbly way and drop shapes are drawn on top of it, making it seem wet.
Uboa in the monochrome area.
When walking, Madotsuki's footsteps make the same "water" sound effects also heard when adventuring through the Pink Sea, so the white, wavy ground can be interpreted as the same sort of substance. Uboa themself is seen motionless with the warped expression in the right down part of the area. It is impossible to interact with them. Despite this location's many similarities to the White Desert, there are no routes that lead away from this area and into the White Desert itself. The only way to escape this area is by pinching Madotsuki awake or by using the Medamaude effect.
Sound Files
Sound associated with Uboa.
| Sound File | Description |
| The background music that plays when Uboa is in Poniko's room. | |
| The White Desert soundtrack that plays after you get teleported into the new area. |
Reception
Uboa is likely a major factor for the success of the game, especially in the English version. Many non-Japanese players were introduced to Uboa through YouTube. Uboa itself may very well be the number one inspiration to download and explore Yume Nikki by most fans.
Fan Speculation
Isolation - Due to being trapped after making Madotsuki interact with Uboa, and the following area playing the dreary White Desert soundtrack, it could relate to the game's recurring theme of isolation.
Poniko's True Form - A common interpretation is that Uboa is Poniko's true form, mostly because they replace her sprite.
Revenge - Uboa could be an annoyed Poniko getting angry with Madotsuki, as she keeps switching the lights off and on, which could be seen as a prank.
Trivia
- W.D. Gaster of Undertale is thought to have some inspiration taken from Uboa. The creator, Toby Fox, also included Uboa in his Earthbound Halloween Hack.
- This is lost in English, but the syllables that make up Uboa's name (ウボァ) do not normally go together in Japanese, with the effect of the name being similar to Cthulhu or Astfgl in its "wrongness".
- Uboa is one of the most popular characters from the game and has made cameos or was inspiration for other characters in other (indie) video games.
Uboa's marking (.flow)
Dogboa (Yume 2kki)
- Yume 2kki - In the Sky Kingdom world there is a dog-like character that resembles Uboa. This character has been called "Dogboa" by fans.
- .flow - Uboa makes a cameo as a marking in the dead end room in the Underwater Temple.
Mask Effect (Me)
- Me - the Mask effect is a clear reference to Uboa's face, and the location it's found in is quite similar to Poniko's room.
- Undertale - W. D. Gaster bears a striking resemblance to Uboa. The creator has referred to Uboa in other works as well.
- Spooky's House of Jumpscares - Specimen 13 behaves similar to Uboa.
- In the game LISA: The Joyful by Dingaling Games, the character Mr. Beautiful has a mask that appears similar to Uboa once cracked in battle. However, Dingaling stated on Twitter that the similarities weren't intentional, and that the character was instead based on Shoko Ashara.
- According to some, Uboa's design (that of their initial sprite) was likely inspired by Spirited Aways No-Face.
- No-Face is in turn inspired by Noh theatre and could also be based on the kōken, the stagehands dressing in all black, moving the scenery and props.
- Uboa's name originated from a type of scream in Japan. Originally pronounced 'uhoa' (ooo-hwha) when said in a manner resembling a scream, the name certainly suits its appearance and situation.
- Going along with the previous statement, the scream Uboa was popularized by Emperor Mateus from Final Fantasy II, who screamed Uboa when he was defeated in the NES/FC Japanese version and English prototype, this was likely part of the inspiration for the name
- The origin of Uboa's face design prior to its distortion when the player touches it may have come from a 1997 Treasure game called Mischief Makers. This may be coincidental however. In Mischief Makers, the denizens of the planet Clancer as well as most objects on the planet all have black, hollow-looking eyes similar to Uboa's that may be both curved inward or one curving outward. These creatures also possess gaping black mouths and white faces, much like Uboa.
- In the walfas' create.swf (despite being Touhou in origin but because of Uboa's meme status) Uboa's face is an option to use on a character.
