| “ | In a far eastern land, there was a generally quiet shrine in the mountains. The Hakurei Shrine's shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei was also generally bored. Reimu "Ah, man, I wonder if there's any work (something fun) around." And so, because of her careless words, a large amount of ghosts and such suddenly came barging into the shrine. You reap what you sow. Reimu "Eeek! What the heck is this!?" Reimu quickly got down to business and began her evil spirit extermination. Reimu "Hmm... At this rate, the shrine will be ruined *again*. Looks like there's no other choice. I'll find the source of this and crush it!" Somehow, (and you musn't make fun of the shrine maiden's "somehow" method) Reimu felt that the lake in the mountains behind the shrine was suspicious, and so she promptly headed towards the mountains. (Though I get the feeling that in times like this, it's precisely because she left the shrine empty that it gets ruined...) Reimu "This place is definitely suspicious. There are tons of evil spirits here." Reimu "I'm getting excited. I finally have some work (evil spirit extermination) again!! -- Meanwhile. Marisa "Hmm... What the heck is this magic power?" The possessor of a large capacity of fierce magic power, Marisa Kirisame, was suddenly tempted by a vast magical force. Marisa, intent on making this power her own, headed towards the source. Marisa "This is lovely! Where's this crazy amount of magic power coming from? Marisa made her way towards the lake without Reimu knowing. Well, that's what she had intended... And so, the two went to the lake for separate reasons... hmmm. |
„ |
| ~ Lotus Land Story Prologue English Translation |
Join the Discord →
Learn More →
See Project →
See About page
Elly
Elly (エリー Erī) is a character from the PC-98 era of Touhou Project. Their role is serving as the gatekeeper of Mugenkan, located on the border between the Fantasy World and the real world. She appears as the third stage boss in Lotus Land Story.
| Elly | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]()
| ||||||||
| Origin | ||||||||
| Origin | Touhou | |||||||
| Creator | ZUN | |||||||
| First Appearance | Touhou Project - Lotus Land Story | |||||||
| Characteristics | ||||||||
| Species | Touhou Project/Non-Human | |||||||
| Gender | Female | |||||||
| Pronouns | She/Her | |||||||
| Sexuality | Unknown | |||||||
| Age | Unknown | |||||||
| Birthday | Unknown | |||||||
| Height | Unknown | |||||||
| Weight | Unknown | |||||||
| Ethnicity | European | |||||||
| Status | Alive | |||||||
| Alignment | Lawful Neutral | |||||||
| Archetype | Protector | |||||||
| Occupation | Mansion Gatekeeper | |||||||
| Time Period | Non-linear | |||||||
| Language | Japanese | |||||||
| Combat Style | Scythe-Combat | |||||||
| Homeworld | Boundary Between Real World and Fantasy World | |||||||
| Relationships | ||||||||
| Affiliations | Yuuka Kazami, Kurumi (Possibly) | |||||||
| Enemies | Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame | |||||||
Background
Name Meaning
The name "Elly" is a female given name in Danish and German regions, likely linking her ethnicity to either of these.
Appearance
General Description: Elly is a girl with yellow hair and yellow eyes. She carries a scythe and wears a distinct hat.
Facial Features: She has yellow hair and yellow eyes. A pink hat with a red ribbon is worn on her head.
Clothing/Outfit:
- Primary Outfit (Lotus Land Story official art): A dark red and pink dress.
Items:
- A scythe, which she carries as her signature weapon.
Special Features: Her yellow hair and eyes match in color, creating a coordinated appearance. Her pink hat with red ribbon is a distinctive accessory.
Alternate Forms/Disguises: This character does not have other widely recognized alternate forms.
Personality
- Easily Flustered: Elly displays visible distress when questioned about letting Marisa pass, when her excuses are dismissed, and when her claims of not losing to humans are met with skepticism. She repeats phrases and displays multiple sweat marks in these moments.
Goals
- Keep people from passing through the gate (Failed).
Relationships
Yuuka Kazami
Yuuka Kazami is Elly's mistress, Elly notes that she rarely ever sees anyone coming to Mugenkan so she likely only ever interacts with Yuuka.
General Information
Titles: Gatekeeper of the Mansion
Origin: Touhou
Overall Series: Touhou Project
First Appearance: Touhou Project - Lotus Land Story
Latest Appearance: Touhou Project - Lotus Land Story
Company: ZUN Soft
Creator: ZUN
Actor: N/A
Gender: Female
Sexuality: Unknown
Pronouns: She/Her
Handedness: Left-Handed (Official art shows her holding her scythe on her left hand)
Age: Unknown
Birthday: Unknown
Time Period: The world of Gensokyo itself is in a non-linear time period
Timeline: Main Timeline
Homeworld: Boundary Between Real World and Fantasy World[2]
Story Role: Third Stage Boss
Legacy: Unknown Legacy
Influence: Event Influence (Elly attempts to stop Reimu or Marisa from going any further)
Language: Japanese
Ethnicity: European (Her name originates from Danish or German origins)
Religion: Unknown
Classification: Gatekeeper[4]
Species: Non-Humans
State of Being: Regular
Physiology: Humanoid Physiology
In-Universe Creator: Unknown
Occupation: Mansion Gatekeeper
Combat Style: Scythe-Combat
Affiliations: Yuuka Kazami (Mansion Owner), Kurumi (Possibly)
Enemies: Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Status: Alive (Noted by ZUN that characters from the PC-98 games have probably retired and are warmly watching over things from various places nowadays[5])
Alignment: Lawful Neutral (Elly is the gatekeeper of the mansion, attemping to stop all from getting in)
- Type(s) of Potential: Fixed Potential
- Level of Potential: Fixed
- Description: Hasn't had any real statements to showcase anything beyond the standard potential.
- Limitations: Standard limitations.
Archetypal Tiering: Protector
Codex Statistics
Grade: A
Tier: At least 8-C, Far Higher with Spiritual Power
Cardinality: Finite
Dimensionality: 3-D
Attack Potency: At least Building level (Potency) (Elly serves as the mansion's gatekeeper[6], being positioned there if someone manages to get past Kurumi[7], the vampire gatekeeper of blood lake, making her at the very least relative to Kurumi. Vampires are among the strongest of the youkai, strong enough to take part in the power-balance of Gensokyo[8], making them comparable if not superior to Oni who are able to cause nearby buildings collapse with just a step[9]), Far Higher with Spiritual Power (Noted how even Yumemi Okazaki's scientific magic truly pales in comparison with the real thing[10], which Yumemi noted to not make light of the power of her science as she could blow up the planet at any moment[11]). Can ignore covnentional durability with Magic (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[12], a theory with any model that merges electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces into a single force at high energies, unifying gravity with the electronuclear interaction, providing a more comprehensive theory of everything. Yumemi explains that on her world, all power can be explained by the Grand Unified Theory, however she posits an existence of a power not covered by the Theory: the power of magic[13]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[14]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[15]. The second layer of reality is spirit and magic, while the first layer is where all things within the laws of physics presides, putting attacks with magic outside of the conventional laws of physics[16])
Durability: At least Building level, Far Higher with Spiritual Power. Her existence as a non-human makes her difficult to kill (It's noted that one cannot defeat spirits or devilish powers without a weapon with an unnatural amount of spiritual power such as the Yin-Yang Orb[17])
Striking Strength: At least Building Class (Potency) (Comparable to vampires like Kurumi, where vampires are strong enough to crush boulders[18])
Lifting Strength: At least Class 5 (Comparable to vampires like Kurumi, where vampires have tremendous physical abilities, being able to uproot a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly[8])
Travel Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+ (Comparable to vampires like Kurumi,where vampires like Remilia are able to fly around the moon[19]. Vampires are able to run through the human village within the blink of an eye[8], reaching these speeds. Vampires are noted to be faster than the eye can follow[18]), likely Speed of Light (Vampires are the only species that are noted to possibly be able to keep up with Tengu[20], this should make them relative to Aya Shameimaru, where her spell card has her move so fast she starts becoming a beam of light[21])
Attack Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+, likely Speed of Light. Magic Attacks lack a defined speed (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[22], a theory with any model that merges electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces into a single force at high energies, unifying gravity with the electronuclear interaction, providing a more comprehensive theory of everything. Yumemi explains that on her world, all power can be explained by the Grand Unified Theory, however she posits an existence of a power not covered by the Theory: the power of magic[23]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[24]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[25])
Reaction Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+, likely Speed of Light
Stamina: Superhuman (She does not at all seem to get tired[26], despite her shooting out[27] a multitude of attacks all over the screen[28]. Noting that she lost to either Reimu or Marisa just before getting into another fight without showing any signs of tiring[29])
Range: Standard Melee. At least Tens of Meters with Attacks (Can cause all the floor panels to travel across the screen[30], can throw her scythe this far[31] can shoot out attacks all over the screen[32])
Intelligence: Unknown Intelligence
Knowledge: At least Master level ((Is the gatekeeper that comes after Kurumi, taking out anyone that Kurumi couldn't))
Powers and Techniques
- Regeneration
- Non-Standard Defenses (Reimu realized that only the Yin-Yang Orb was effective against non-human creatures[34], with it being noted that Reimu using her ofuda, her spirit power, and her martial arts all prove to be useless against her enemies[35], meaning Youkai cannot really be harmed by regular or standard weaponry. It's noted that one cannot defeat spirits or devilish powers without a weapon with an unnatural amount of spiritual power such as the Yin-Yang Orb[36]. In the world beyond (Gensokyo), physical form has no meaning for all non-human entities[37])
- Acausality
- For Their Physiology
- Magic (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[38], a theory with any model that merges electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces into a single force at high energies, unifying gravity with the electronuclear interaction, providing a more comprehensive theory of everything. Yumemi explains that on her world, all power can be explained by the Grand Unified Theory, however she posits an existence of a power not covered by the Theory: the power of magic[39]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[40]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[41])
- Transferal (Magic users can transfer their magic into a tool, having the tool change depending on the user[42])
- Transmutation
- Acausality
- For their Magic
- Irregular Causality
- Unknown: Magical power exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[43], a theory with any model that merges electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces into a single force at high energies, unifying gravity with the electronuclear interaction, providing a more comprehensive theory of everything. It's further explained that magic is a force that cannot be explained by the Grand Unified Theory, with Yumemi even proposing a "Non-Unified Magic World" theory[44]. Yumemi explains that on her world, all power can be explained by the Grand Unified Theory, however she posits an existence of a power not covered by the Theory: the power of magic[45]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[46].
- Irregular Causality
- For their Magic
- Holy Manipulation (Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[47])
- Transferal (Magic users can transfer their magic into a tool, having the tool change depending on the user[42])
- Spirit Manipulation (The bombs used are referred to as spiritual attacks[48], being directly called spiritual attacks[49])
- Explosion Manipulation (When bomb users are cornered from attacks they cannot repel with regular attacks they can release a massive spirit explosive that destroys all objects on screen[50], along with killing all enemies on screen[51])
- Magnetism Manipulation (When using a bomb[52], all items on screen will be attracted towards the user[53])
- Perception Manipulation (When using a bomb the screen flashes white and an image of the bomb user can be seen[54])
- Logic Manipulation (The Great Hakurei Barrier is a boundary of common sense, which things with high spiritual power in the cause to waver[55])
- Nullification & Erasure
- Projectile Nullification & Physical Erasure: Bomb users can use a bomb to nullify & erase all projectiles on screen[56]. This makes the enemy incapable of[57] shooting out any further projectiles until the bomb's duration is done[58].
- Invulnerability
- Link Manipulation (Strong Emotions can be contained in objects that can connect between the main world and the netherworld[60]).
- Resistance to
- Observation & Subjective Reality (Once a youkai/non-human enters Gensokyo or if a youkai/non-human is a native, they are liberated from the spell of human imagination and obtain true freedom, being able to develop their own characteristics, though the observations of the humans from within Gensokyo can have some effect on them to a degree[61])
- Probability Manipulation (Yumemi explains that on her world, all power can be explained by the Grand Unified Theory, however she posits an existence of a power not covered by the Theory: the power of magic[62]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[63])
- Madness Manipulation (Unaffected from the affects of the Lunarian Full Moon, a hypnosis that drove the humans who came to the Moon insane[64], further being noted by Reisen that the moon drives people insane[65])
- Disease Manipulation (Non-Humans within Gensokyo do not have much demand for medicine for physical illnesses as they are comprised mostly of spirit, thus they are always fit and robust with no diseases[33])
- Matter Manipulation & Physics Manipulation (Gensokyo is a brane world dominated by particles with different properties, not following the standard physics of the real world[66], with the grand unified theory being the reason for all pheneomna in the human world, which does not apply to Gensokyo[67])
- Gravity Manipulation (Noted by Maribel that in the world of Gensokyo, they the gravitons likely have a different structure and the world's properties are likely different too, likening it to being one of the brane worlds[68])
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Weapon Mastery
- Breaking the Fourth Wall ( Touhou characters constantly acknowledge being a stage boss[70])
- Cartoon Physics (Gensokyo is a world that lacks and defies common sense[71], where characters can explode[72], this is even acknowledged with ZUN roleplaying as the characters in-universe that they explode upon defeat[73]. Despite this they will still come back, even human characters that do not have regeneration)
- Flight (Is naturally flying around during her fight against Reimu or Marisa[74])
- Non-Standard Interaction
- Metaphysical Interaction: As a non-human that can only be truly harmed from powerful spiritual attacks, she should also be able to harm other non-humans.
- Non-Standard Damage (Elly attacks mainly with magical attacks, which are innately spiritual and go beyond conventional attacks)
- Telekinesis (Can cause all the floor panels to travel across the screen[75])
- Weapon Control (Can throw her scythe like a boomerang and control the arc at which it travels[76])
- Curtain Fire
- Multi-Directional & Rapid Fire: Can shoot out a multitude of energy projectiles that travel across the screen[77] along with omnidirectional attacks[78].
- Energy Manipulation
Equipment
Scythe
- Description: A scythe that Elly carries with her to use against her opponents.
- Appearance: The scythe is very curved, even moreso then a standard depiction of a scythe.
- Usage: Elly uses her scythe as a throwing weapon, controlling the trajectory at which it travels.
- Function: It seems to function off of magic and spiritual energy, as it's noted that magic users can transfer their spiritual/magical energy into objects.
Notable Techniques
| Name | Quote | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack 1 |
“
○Pieces of the floor fall off and fly towards you during her first attack. Disregarding the floor pieces, Elly's scythe flies towards you in a random pattern. To avoid it, stick to the lowermost part of the middle, and move left and right a little bit. Do so, and you'll see the scythe moving in a less threatening pattern. The scythe keeps coming back at you until Elly is defeated so make sure you keep avoiding it until the end of this attack. As you reach the end of this attack pattern, Elly will open an omnidirectional fire at the center of the screen. Just move around slightly to avoid the bullets and you'll be fine.
„
|
During Elly's first attack, floor fragments detach and fly toward the player while her scythe moves in a random pattern. The scythe continues returning until Elly is defeated. At the end of this pattern, she unleashes an omnidirectional burst of fire from the center of the screen. |
|
| Attack 2 |
“
○Her second attack pattern consists of many different patterns. She moves around with her scythe so it might be quite difficult. I've not much advice for this one. Just do your best to avoid the attacks. (Bomb use strongly recommended)
„
|
Elly's second attack employs numerous shifting patterns as she moves across the screen with her scythe. |
|
| Attack 3 | A very fast, difficult double-laser lane that comes after the aforementioned pellet lane wave is added on. |
| |
| Attack 4 | Elly fires lanes of pellets. This pattern is often shared with both her final Phases. |
Other
Standard Tactics: Elly will utilize telekinetically controlling the floor to use as attacks, throwing her scythe at the opponent and shooting out a multitude of energy attacks.
Weaknesses
- Magic Weaknesses: Magic users taking too much damage will cancel out their attacks[79]. If a magic users spirit is depleted they enter a state of "Guard Crush" where they can't use bullets, special moves, or spell cards at all[80]. Repeatedly attacking red glyphs will break one's defenses[81].
- Unique Weaknesses: Due to visitors being rare due to Kurumi taking care of most of them, she is rusty.
Note
- Any translations from en.tohouwiki.net are considered fine to use as they all fall under Project Translations, a fan translation team that have translation guuidelines and rulesets, along with moderators that directly overlook and proofread English translations to check for machine translations.
- Yumemi's statements can be taken with credibility, not only do the science from her world surpass the main one by 500 years[82] where she notes the science of the main world is much more primitive then hers[83], but her world has already fully proven the existence of Grand Unified Theory and Yumemi herself notes that her theory was proven right by seeing magic.
- Despite Gensou Narratograph being directly noted to be an "unofficial Touhou tabletop RPG", ZUN has directly participated in the RPG and noted the way Reimu acts during his session is how canon Reimu would act[84], thus character actions done by him and mechanics are fine to use.
- Even if characters have not showcased using a bomb, they should all be able to use bombs, as bombs are realistically just spiritual attacks[48] and to even be able to fight the non-human entities, requires a weapon with an unnatural amount of spiritual power such as the Yin-Yang Orb[85], meaning everyone that is non-human or is fighting non-humans is using spiritual energy.
Explanations
Canoncity of Touhou Project
The Touhou Project franchise canoncity mainly falls under any media worked on by ZUN are official and canon to the overall lineup.
There are various aspects constantly debated about within the canon:
PC-98
Media like PC-98, has been noted by ZUN to be ignored as one can ignore derivative works[86]. He has also said that anything prior to Embodiment of Scarlet Devil can for the most part be ignored and one can think of Embodiment of Scarlet Devil as the starting from a clean slate and starting a new series[87], he's also referred to Highly Responsive to Prayers as a study product[88]. With this in mind, one would assume that PC-98 is thus non-canon to the Windows continuity of games.
However, ZUN has also directly stated PC-98 games are the same world as the Windows Games, stating that any contradictions that exist from PC-98 can be ignored from the retcon in Windows Era[89]. While one argues ZUN noting the works are derivative works to be ignored and Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil should be seen as the starting point, these statements are moreso telling a fan to not worry about having to play PC-98 games or learn more about their stories.
It's also been noted in Embodiment of Scarlet Devil's おまけ.txt that the game chronologically is not too far from the previous title, which would be Mystic Square, the PC-98 title[90]. ZUN has also directly brought back characters from PC-98 games, noting he wanted to bring back characters from before Embodiment of Scarlet Devil and notes any of the other older characters that don't appear have probably retired by now and are warmly watching over things from various places nowadays[91]. When asked where Mima from PC-98 has gone, ZUN notes that he doesn't bring them back due to making things complicated and having potentially angry fans ask where she has been the entire time, he has also noted that there's not much use for characters like Genji as Reimu can fly now and also notes he is not dead[92]. ZUN has also made mention to Genji probably living in the lake in the back of the shrine[93]. In Touhou Sangetsusei ~ Strange and Bright Nature Deity, Reimu and Marisa were talking about glowing moss with Reimu saying it would be nice to transfer it to the pond in the back of the Hakurei Shrine and Marisa saying that she could make it grow there on the turtles' back, referencing Genji[94].
In Touhou 07 Perfect Cherry Blossom, when Alice meets Reimu, she tells her long time no see, noting that they've met before calling her "old friend"[95]. In Yuuka's mode in Touhou Project - Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Reimu directly references defeating Yuuka back in PC-98[96]. If Yuuka defeats Marisa in the same game, she will note that Marisa has grown up quite a bit, when the last time she's seen her has been in PC-98[97].
Seeing as ZUN himself has directly said both PC-98 and Windows are in the same world and that characters directly acknowledged PC-98 events and reference characters from it, PC-98 is completely canon and any contradictions PC-98 have can be ignored.
Side Games Time Placements
Touhou 7.5 - Immaterial and Missing Power takes place between Perfect Cherry Blossom and Imperishable Night[98].
Multiple Playable Routes
In the series, there are multiple playable character routes, including some where the characters fight Reimu herself and defeat her, calling question into what route is canon. ZUN has elaborated that canonically, anytime Reimu and the gang are defeated, they challenge again however many times they want, but on the youkai side, they do not challenge again after being defeated and are not attached to the results of winning or losing[99].
In terms of how playable routes have went, some examples of canonically noted routes:
- In Reimu's profile on Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, it's noted that Reimu resolved the Scarlet Devil Mansion Incident alone[100].
- Reimu is also acknowledged to have resolved the Spring Snow Incident in Perfect Cherry Blossom, though it is not noted if she did this alone[101].
- Reimu claims she solved the Eternal Night incident, however if one asks her about the cause or the perpetrator, she'll only respond with ambiguous answers, it is also not noted if she did this alone[102].
With some of these examples, it is normally assumed that in some way Reimu has some part in resolving every incident and other routes are dubiously canon depending on what transpired.
Spell Card Rules
There are many cases of weaker humans beating stronger Yokai or vice versa within the Touhou series, this has been elaborated on in Reimu's profile on Perfect Memento in Strict Sense. Reimu introduced the spell card rules as the youkai had no way to defeat the Hakurei shrine maiden, making many youkai feel that their meaning to exist have dissapeared[103]. The rules incoporate the following:
- Spell cards are techniques specially-named by the individual, and they must be declared upon use.
- The number of each party's spell cards must be determined in advance of a duel.
- The first party to have all of their spell cards beaten must admit defeat.
- The victor is entitled only to what was agreed upon before the duel. If they're not interested in what their opponent has to offer, they can refuse a duel.
- Winners should generally allow losers a rematch.
- Always prepare for the unexpected.
The original draft held these rules[104]:
- Combatants will give names and meanings to the duel for the benefit of beauty.
- Combatants will declare the number of named duels before beginning.
- Combatants may not repeat attacks by relying on stamina.
- Combatants may not deliver attacks that do not have meaning. The meaning itself becomes the attack's power.
- In the case that a combatant loses a named duel, that combatant will admit defeat, even if he or she has strength remaining. No combatant may kill a human, even upon victory.
- Combatants will write the duel's name on paper in the format of a contract. By doing so, the above-mentioned rules become absolute. These papers will be called spell cards.
These rules allows for duels that feel almost like sport rather then a match, and have allowed for weaker fighters to challenge stronger ones, due to this though, it also has become possible for youkai to freely defeat Reimu without worrying about the consequences.
Due to them being written into cards and essentially affecting the ability and power of an attack, the spell cards are likely the thing binding attacks to specific properties.
Parallel Worlds
Parallel Worlds is a topic brought up at some points in the Touhou Project franchise, they are worlds called "Probability Worlds" by Yumemi, stating that those and parallel worlds are one and the same[105]. This essentially means that parallel worlds in Touhou are based on the concept of probability. Yumemi and Chiyuri use a "Probability Space Hypervessel" in order to travel to alternate worlds and time periods[106], further showcasing that probabiliy serves an importance.
Magical vs. Physical Strength
There[107] are[108] multiple[109] occasions[110] of[111]characters[112] commenting[113] on[114] humans like[115] Reimu[116] being strong[117]. Despite this Reimu showcases physical strength that isn't superhuman, such as the fact that she cannot cut a bamboo stick while Fujiwara direclty does in front of her.
This is due to the difference between magical and physical strength.
In works like Symposium of Post-mysticism, Yuugi Hoshiguma's profile has Suika directly state that Yuugi is weaker then her in magical powers, but stronger than her physically[118], lining a clear difference between magical and physical strength.
While one can be physically stronger then another, such as how Onis are physically the strongest, magic users are still able to keep up with them due to using a different form of attack.
An example can be found with Yuugi herself, when Reimu fights against her in Subterranean Animism[119], with her acknolwedging her strength[120], something Yuugi only does to those who are truly strong[118]. This establishes even with spellcard rules, Yuugi considers Reimu a strong fighter. Reimu herself is very clearly not at an oni's physical strength, as she cannot do the things they can, however, her magical strength allows her to keep up with them.
To defend against magical based properties requires Non-Standard Defenses as it is acknowledged as not being something of standard physicality.
The Three Layers of Reality
In Chapter 27 of Curiosities of Lotus Asia, Reimu proceeds to explain how reality works to Rinnosuke and Marisa, where she explains in-depth the three layers of reality.
This conversation started from discussing the mechanism of fortune, where Rinnosuke attempted to posit that the future is predetermined and that Reimu's luck was her being able to calculate in an instant the predetermined future, however Reimu had a different explanation requiring her to lecture on the mechanisms of probability[121], in her explanation, the world is made up of three layers: the physical layer that moves in accuracy with the laws of physics, the second layer that moves with the spirit, and the third layer of memory which is the recollection of events that lies within all things[16]. The memory layer rejects the loop of the physical and mental layers, the two layers the youkai conceive of the world which is why they believe history repeats itself and the future is predetermined. Since it's only possible to add to the memory layer, it's possible to completely recreate the past.
While the physical layer follows the laws of physics, the mental layer interprets the outcomes and the memory layer alters the probability, essentially creating the future, since it's impossible for memories to raech the same state as a point in the past, the future is not predetermined, thus when Reimu is able to predict how the dice will fall, she's not predicting the fall of the dice, the dice members the fact that she predicted how the dice would fall, thus due to this, Reimu entering the memory of the die-face greatly skews the results in Reimu's favor, where the results side with Reimu[122].
Thus the memory layer is essentially the most important layer that rejects the notion of loops from the previous two layers.
Trivia
- Elly is the only boss in the entire series who begins the fight invincible for a prolonged period.
- Her appearance may have been inspired by the design of Ankou from the Megami Tensei series.
- Elly's scythe-throwing attack could be a reference to the kamaitachi, a yōkai associated with sharp, sickle-like winds.
- She is the sole character in the franchise to use tiles as danmaku.
- Elly appears on the score screen of Lotus Land Story and is among the few PC-98 characters to have a full in-game portrait, though it is rendered in monochrome.

- Aside from Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, Elly had not engaged in battle for a considerable time before the events of the game. It is possible that Kurumi, who guards the Lake of Blood, defeated any intruders who came before them.
Profiles
| Profiles |
| ☆Stage 3 Boss (Elly) ○Pieces of the floor fall off and fly towards you during her first attack. Disregarding the floor pieces, Elly's scythe flies towards you in a random pattern. To avoid it, stick to the lowermost part of the middle, and move left and right a little bit. Do so, and you'll see the scythe moving in a less threatening pattern. The scythe keeps coming back at you until Elly is defeated so make sure you keep avoiding it until the end of this attack. As you reach the end of this attack pattern, Elly will open an omnidirectional fire at the center of the screen. Just move around slightly to avoid the bullets and you'll be fine. ○Her second attack pattern consists of many different patterns. She moves around with her scythe so it might be quite difficult. I've not much advice for this one. Just do your best to avoid the attacks. (Bomb use strongly recommended) |
☆3面ボス(エリー)
○第1段階は、床がはがれて飛んでくるところ。 床はともかくエリーの投げる鎌は変則的な動きをするわ。 避け方は画面中央一番下で引き付けて少し左右に動くこと。そうすれば、 鎌はあまり曲がらず戻っていくわ。鎌は倒すまでくるので避けれる様に しとこうね。 第1段階の最後に真ん中から全方向弾が出るわ。これは引き付けてちょ っと動けばOK。 ○第2段階は、いろいろな攻撃が来るわ。 鎌と一緒に来るからちょっと難しいかもね。 とくにアドバイス出来ることはないわ。気合いで避けてね。(ボムでも可) |
Touhou Project - Lotus Land Story |
Misconceptions
Characters Have Flown Through Outerspace
One example of this is believed to be in Touhou 02's Stage 3 Scarlet Dream ~ Scarlet Dream where it displays stars and a space-like effect in the background[123], however this is actually the World of Fantasies, the world that lies between Makai and the human world, with Genji confirming this is definetely not outerspace as Reimu can breathe just fine there[124].
All Characters are Children
This is an argument that spawns from how small the characters look in different works, though this is moreso due to the "moe" artstyle Touhou tries to capture, in many of the manga characters look far older.
Majority of characters in the series are outright shown to drink alcohol on a daily basis[125], where one needs to be at least 20 years old under Japanese law to drink, where Japanese law requires no underaged characters to be shown drinking. This is even acknowledged in the series itself with a note saying alcohol is only for those over 20 years old[126]. Thus if a character is ever seen drinking alcohol in the series, they are an adult.
The only direct non-adults in the series are Sumireko Usami, Chiyuri Kitashirakawa, and Hieda no Akyuu in her first appearance.
Youkai Control the world through both the mental and physical layer
This statement comes from a fan translation that says this in Curiosities of Lotus Asia[127].
While the statement seems clear cut, there is another translation used instead that makes more sense with the sentence.
It instead notes that most youkai concieve of the world through these two layers, which is why they believe the future is pre-determined and history repeats itself[128]. This falls in line with the earlier disucssion of Rinnosuke claiming that he believes the future to be predetermined and Reimu needing to explain to him why that's not the case[121].
|
Song: |
Battle Records
0 - 2 - 0
None.
- Reimu Hakurei - Fight[129]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Stage 3 Bad Apple
- Marisa Kirisame - Fight[130]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Stage 3 Darkness ~ Darkness
None.
References
| Expand here. |
|---|
|
- Pages using Tabber parser tag
- Templates
- Characters
- Female Characters
- European Characters
- European Female Characters
- Indie Characters
- Indie Game Characters
- Doujin Characters
- Doujinshi Characters
- Doujin Soft Characters
- Video Game Characters
- Non-Playable Characters
- Humanoid Characters
- Neutral Characters
- Lawful Neutral Characters
- Alive Characters
- Antagonists
- Humanoids
- Non-Humans
- Superhumans
- Game Enemies
- Game Bosses
- Guardians
- ZUN
- ZUN Soft
- Touhou Project (PC-98)
- Touhou Project
- Tier 8
- 8-C
- Higher Tier Ability Users
- Regeneration Users
- Non-Standard Defenses Users
- Acausality Users
- Magic Users
- Transferal Users
- Transmutation Users
- Holy Users
- Spirit Users
- Explosion Users
- Magnetism Users
- Perception Users
- Logic Users
- Nullification Users
- Erasure Users
- Invulnerability Users
- Link Users
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics Users
- Weapon Masters
- Weapon Users
- Scythe Users
- Breaking the Fourth Wall Users
- Cartoon Physics Users
- Flight Users
- Non-Standard Interaction Users
- Non-Standard Damage Users
- Telekinesis Users
- Weapon Control Users
- Curtain Fire Users
- Energy Users
- Energy Projection Users






