If there's one thing that the Five Nights at Freddy's series is known for above all else, it's its extensive lore. Sure, the animatronics and their jump scares are instantly recognizable, but it's the winding, interconnected background lore that gave life to the FNAF community. It has even gotten to the point of being a meme in and of itself.

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While the series is still quite popular, it can be a bit much to manage for a newer fan of this horror franchise due to how much of this FNAF lore there actually is between the games (never mind the expanded media). That said, it is possible to distill the grander narrative down to some essentials in order to get at least a basic picture of what's going on.

8 William Afton: Purple Guy

FNAF 3 Main antagonist

Undoubtedly, the principal villain of the FNAF world is William Afton, AKA "Purple Guy." He was given this name by fans based on his appearance in the FNAF 2 mini-games. Though the animatronics seem scary and murderous enough, they are a result of Afton's own crimes, of which they are the primary victims.

William is actually trapped inside the animatronic known as Springtrap, the main antagonist of FNAF 3. This was due to Afton attempting to hide in one of the spring animatronic suits, which doubled as full robots and wearable suits. The spring locks that held all the mechanical parts back failed with him still inside it, crushing and mangling his body.

7 The Animatronic's Souls

chica at door

Contrary to what many might think, most of the animatronics, certainly the original ones, are not programmed to be killer robots. They are actually possessed by the souls of the children killed by William Afton (except for Springtrap, which is possessed by Afton's own soul). This was not necessarily an accident either, as Afton is heavily implied in the series to have committed the murders precisely to study, experiment, and control this phenomenon.

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Key to this is the substance known as Remnant, a metal that Afton used to trap the souls within the animatronics by melting it down and injecting it into the possessed endoskeletons.

6 The Bite of 83

Bite of 83

The bite of 1983 was depicted at the end of Five Nights at Freddy's 4 as an 8bit cutscene. While this plot element might not be as famous as "the bite of 87," it is quite an important event in the series. The game gives little in the way of objective facts about it, however, the prevailing theory is that most of FNAF 4 takes place in the crying child's dreams while in the hospital after the bite.

Another popular theory is that both the crying child and his mean older brother are William Afton's kids, and that the former's fear of the animatronics is manufactured by his father.

5 Michael Afton

Michael Afton Sister Location

Michael is the closest thing to a "protagonist" in the series aside from Gregory. He is the brother of the crying child and Elizabeth Afton (who possesses Circus Baby in FNAF: Sister Location), and is the player character in FNAF 1, Sister Location, and Pizzeria Simulator. Sister Location is his chronological first appearance, with him being the technician taken over by Ennard but surviving at the end.

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Michael is next featured in the original FNAF in which he is the player character being attacked by the animatronics who think he is his father (the one who killed them). Finally, he is heavily implied to be the protagonist of Pizzeria Simulator, where he gathers the remaining animatronics and his father in order to destroy them once and for all.

4 Ultimate Custom Night

Ultimate Custom Night starting screen

What might have seemed like a fun, non-canonical series finale (as if) at the time of its release, FNAF: Ultimate Custom Night is the subject of a few major theories. The most prominent of these is that the player character is none other than William Afton himself after he'd been burned to death in Pizzeria Simulator, making this his personal corner of hell of sorts.

It is a rather fitting punishment for his crimes, where every one of the spirits of those he hurt comes back to torture him over and over again for eternity. This is generally supported by the dialogue of the various animatronic enemies, who often make reference to the player's "crimes" and holding them captive forever.

3 The Bite Of 87

foxy at door

One of the most infamous events in FNAF history, the bite of 1987 occurred in the second Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location. It was briefly mentioned in the first game by phone guy and has been speculated and theorized on ever since. The exact animatronic which did the biting is currently unknown, as is the victim (though some speculate it to be Jeremy Fitzgerald, the FNAF 2 night guard).

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This event is described in the series as being the catalyst for disallowing the animatronics to freely roam around the pizzeria during the day. It is typically viewed as a turning point for the animatronic's behavior and image in the timeline.

2 Henry And The Pizzeria

Henry's Cassette

Henry, also known as "cassette man," is one of the most pivotal characters of the FNAF storyline. Once the business partner to William Afton, he eventually discovered his crimes (which included the murder of Henry's own daughter) and of the souls that now possess the animatronics. Consequently, Henry resolved to destroy them and William.

This culminates in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator in which the pizzeria is actually an elaborate trap where Henry, with the help of Michael Afton, lures the animatronics in order to burn it down with them inside, setting the souls free and killing William for good. This is only a partial success, however, as a digital copy of William's consciousness would survive in Five Nights at Freddy's: VR.

1 The Vengeful Spirit

golden Freddy in FNAF 2

According to the FNAF lore, there was one child killed by William Afton who would later come back to haunt him unlike any other spirit. This child, possibly named Cassidy, is known as the Vengeful Spirit in FNAF: Ultimate Custom Night. It most often takes the form of both Golden Freddy and as an obscured negative image of a child's face that is sometimes seen as an Easter egg.

This spirit is very likely the one tormenting Afton in his personal circle of Hell or Purgatory after his death at the hands of Henry and Michael, with all the animatronic enemies being mere reflections of his victims from his former life. This is substantiated by the in-game dialogue from the animatronics as well as other elements like Old Man Consequences' mini-game.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.

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