Wikia

Object
The Gray Man

Shadowy Figure

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Rarity

Location Based

The Gray Man (also known as 'Greycoat' or the Grey Man ) is a mysterious NPC who can appear at any time and will slowly approach the player. Upon getting close, he will disappear in a bright flash, similar to a camera taking a picture. He is notorious for being terrifying when he appears out of nowhere, though he is most often found in Happy Town.

DescriptionEdit

The Gray Man is described as wearing a dark gray fedora and a long, dark gray trench coat. His hands are always inside his pockets; his elbows sticking out slightly. His face is entirely blank. He appears to 'glide' instead of walk, as his feet never move. He seems to be the main antagonistic figure, as he is the only ingame entity capable of hindering your progress.

EffectsEdit

If you get too close to the Gray Man during a dream, you will be unable to view the flashback. If you approach him during a flashback, it will end immediately. The Gray Man also seems to erase your "memory" of your dreams, slowing down progress on things such as textures.

Dealing With The Gray ManEdit

If the Gray Man happens across your path there is one sure fire way to ensure your safety, simply break into a run and look backwards, as the game places him in the direction that you look, not the direction you go. There are other ways to do this as well, such as to walk backwards with the run button held, press the button to look back quickly, and you will start running backwards.

Possible Reasoning Behind His ExistenceEdit

Scientific ReasoningEdit

The Gray Man is most likely the result of a sleep disorder known as Hypnognia, where the mind automatically assumes there is a dangerous entity around. A sense of dread accompanies this sleep disorder causing one to only remember the fear and not the dream. As a result, in game, you lose your flashback.

Relatedly, some have also suggested that this be a reference to the common drug diphenhydramine, commonly found in Benadryl. This drug when used recreationally, has been known to create instances of a "Hat Man", who is similar in appearance to the Gray Man. Diphenhydramine is also known in causing short memory loss of most of the drug's effects. The Hat Man phenomenon is, again, often attributed to Hypnognia.

Other TheoriesEdit

The Gray Man may exist for one of many reasons. In the "Alien Theory" he represents an alien probing too close to your conscious mind in a dream, hence the 'mind-erase' effect. In the 'sexual-texture theory', he may indeed represent a rapist, or a murderer. Your mind may be trying to block out the Gray Man, as if he gets too close, repressed memories may be awakened. Your mind might actually be trying to forget him, rather than him actually being some sort of entity invading your thoughts. He might indeed be an image always lingering the back of your mind that you'd rather forget, and that makes much more sense if this were a real-life situation!