| “ | 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 |
Kurumi
Kurumi is a vampire who serves as the gatekeeper to the entrance of the Lake of Blood at the center of a mountain. She appears as both the midboss and boss of Stage 2 in Lotus Land Story.
| Kurumi | |||||||
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| Origin | |||||||
| Origin | Touhou | ||||||
| Creator | ZUN | ||||||
| First Appearance | Touhou Project - Lotus Land Story | ||||||
| Characteristics | |||||||
| Species | Vampire | ||||||
| Gender | Female | ||||||
| Pronouns | She/Her | ||||||
| Sexuality | Unknown | ||||||
| Age | Unknown | ||||||
| Birthday | Unknown | ||||||
| Height | Unknown | ||||||
| Weight | Unknown | ||||||
| Ethnicity | Unknown | ||||||
| Status | Alive | ||||||
| Alignment | Lawful Neutral | ||||||
| Archetype | Protector | ||||||
| Occupation | Gatekeeper | ||||||
| Time Period | Non-linear | ||||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||||
| Combat Style | Magic Fighting | ||||||
| Homeworld | Gensokyo | ||||||
| Relationships | |||||||
| Affiliations | N/A | ||||||
| Enemies | Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame | ||||||
Background
| This dropdown contains the synopsis of Kurumi’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise! | ||||||
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Lotus Land Story
When Reimu or Marisa encounters Kurumi as the lake's guardian, Kurumi claims to have defeated all intruders who attempted to enter the lake. She is easily defeated by either Reimu Hakurei or Marisa Kirisame. |
Appearance
General Description: Kurumi is a winged figure with yellow eyes and long yellow hair. She has large purple wings extending from her back.
Facial Features: She has long yellow hair, worn down, with a white bow in her hair. Her eyes are yellow.
Clothing/Outfit:
- Primary Outfit (Lotus Land Story official art): A white shirt with red suspenders. A red bow is worn over her chest.
Special Features: Kurumi has large purple wings, which are a prominent feature of her design.
Alternate Forms/Disguises: This character does not have other widely recognized alternate forms.
Personality
- Formal: Kurumi introduces herself as the gatekeeper of the lake to both Reimu and Marisa. She states her role is to defeat every intruder who comes there without exception, regardless of whether they are a shrine maiden or a magician.
- Laid Back: When Reimu points out they had already fought earlier, Kurumi initially claims that encounter was "just a bit of patrolling" before quickly pivoting back to her gatekeeper declaration. She becomes visibly frustrated when questioned, displaying sweat marks.
- Easy to Anger: Kurumi reacts with visible anger when Marisa calls her a "small fry." After her defeat by Marisa, she expresses frustration at losing. She questions how she lost to Reimu as well.
Goals
- Keep people from going through the gate (Failed).
General Information
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: Right-Handed
Age: Unknown
Birthday: Unknown
Time Period: The world of Gensokyo itself is in a non-linear time period
Timeline: Main Timeline
Homeworld: Gensokyo
Residence: Gensokyo
Story Role: Second Stage Boss
Legacy: Unknown Legacy
Influence: Event Influence (Kurumi attempts to stop Reimu or Marisa from going any further)
Language: Japanese
Ethnicity: Unknown
Religion: N/A
Classification: Lake's Gatekeeper[2]
State of Being: Regular
Physiology: Vampire Physiology
In-Universe Creator: Unknown
Occupation: Gatekeeper[4]
Combat Style: Magic Fighting
Affiliations: N/A
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])
- Innate Youkai Nature: Neutral Evil (Youkai carry about one thing in common, that they attack and prey upon humans, they only think of themselves, and they are the most dangerous enemies to humans[6])
- Vampires Nature: True Neutral (Vampires are forbidden to directly assault humans, so they instead cause many disasters that affect the whole of Gensokyo, creating abnormalities in everything including natural phenomena with no warning, for selfish reasons, which always lead to endangering human life no matter what is affected[7]. Though most of these reasons are out of mere curiosity and they will cease once they tire of it[7])
- Unique Nature: Lawful Neutral (Carries out her job of defending the gate from all who try to pass it[8])
- 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) (Vampires are among the strongest of the youkai, strong enough to take part in the power-balance of Gensokyo[9], making them comparable if not superior to Oni who are able to cause nearby buildings collapse with just a step[10]), Far Higher with Spiritual Power (Noted how even Yumemi Okazaki's scientific magic truly pales in comparison with the real thing[11], which Yumemi noted to not make light of the power of her science as she could blow up the planet at any moment[12]). Can ignore covnentional durability with Magic (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[13], 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[14]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[15]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[16]. 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[17])
Durability: At least Building level, Far Higher with Spiritual Power. Her existence as a Vampire makes her difficult to kill (Reimu realized that only the Yin-Yang Orb was effective against non-human creatures[18], with it being noted that Reimu using her ofuda, her spirit power, and her martial arts all prove to be useless against her enemies[19], 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[20]. Physical attacks such as a whacking a sake bottle over the head are considered violent methods that wouldn't work on youkai[21], with it only being spiritual attacks that cause fatal wounds to youkai[6]. When attempting to exterminate a youkai, one does not use weapons that cause physical damage, instead weapons with an "origin" are more preferable[22]. In the world beyond (Gensokyo), physical form has no meaning for all non-human entities[23])
Striking Strength: At least Building Class (Potency) (Vampires are strong enough to crush boulders[24])
Lifting Strength: At least Class 5 (Vampires have tremendous physical abilities, being able to uproot a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly[9])
Travel Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+ (Vampires like Remilia are able to fly around the moon[25]. Vampires are able to run through the human village within the blink of an eye[9], reaching these speeds. Vampires are noted to be faster than the eye can follow[24]), likely Speed of Light (Vampires are the only species that are noted to possibly be able to keep up with Tengu[26], this should make them relative to Aya Shameimaru, where her spell card has her move so fast she starts becoming a beam of light[27])
Attack Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+, likely Speed of Light. Magic Attacks lack a defined speed (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[28], 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[29]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[30]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[31])
Reaction Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+, likely Speed of Light
Stamina: Superhuman (She does not at all seem to get tired[32], despite her shooting out[33] a multitude of attacks all over the screen[34])
Range: Standard Melee. At least Tens of Meters with Attacks (Can warp the entire battleground with a massive circular push[35]. Can shoot out[36], a multitude of[37] energy projectiles all over the screen[38]), Cross-Dimensional with Battlefield Removal (Ordinary youkai[39], can send themself and their opponent to a different battlefield[40])
Intelligence: Unknown Intelligence
Knowledge: At least Master level (Noted that she defeated every single intruder that has come without exception[41])
Powers and Techniques
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Superhuman Strength (Youkais can easily kill humans[42], with it being noted that if it came to open conflict between humans and youkai, they would probably wipe out the village in the blink of an eye[43]. Youkai have stronger bodies than humans[6]. Youkai are noted to be physically stronger than humans[22])
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Reaction
- Superhuman Lifting
- Superhuman Energy Efficiency
- Enhanced Senses (Unlike humans, youkai can see in the dark to the point that it's a way for them to spot a human[44])
- Extrasensory Perception (Youkai are able to see the human village that Keine made essentially invisible from history from humans[45])
- Longevity (Marisa notes that youkai live a really long time, beyond even human years[46]. Youkais have longer lifespans than humans[6])
- Aura (Noted that Youkai possess an aura[47][48], along with an energy source called "Youkai Energy"[49])
- Invisibility (Youkai are noted to be life-forms that are invisible to humans, appearing to them via fluctuations[50]. Noted that all objects within Gensokyo were all hidden in the invisible gaps of the quantum world[51])
- Non-Standard Damage (Youkai's attacks are spiritual based whereas having standard durability against them does not help. When a youkai has injured someone, they need special recovery from youkai practitioners otherwise they cannot recover normally[52])
- Non-Standard Defenses (Reimu realized that only the Yin-Yang Orb was effective against non-human creatures[53], with it being noted that Reimu using her ofuda, her spirit power, and her martial arts all prove to be useless against her enemies[54], 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[55]. Physical attacks such as a whacking a sake bottle over the head are considered violent methods that wouldn't work on youkai[56], with it only being spiritual attacks that cause fatal wounds to youkai[6]. When attempting to exterminate a youkai, one does not use weapons that cause physical damage, instead weapons with an "origin" are more preferable[22]. In the world beyond (Gensokyo), physical form has no meaning for all non-human entities[23])
- Absorption
- Regeneration
- Mid-High right away: Youkai have stronger bodies than humans, thus even if they're torn limb from limb they can heal right away[6]. Youkai can heal wounds like tiger slashes in no time at all[60].
- Low-Godly overtime: Non-Humans within Gensokyo do not have much demand for medicine for physical illnesses as they are comprised mostly of spirit, thus they can always regenerate from their spirit[61].
- Transformation
- Acausality
- For Their Physiology
- For their Magic
- Reliance
- True Sight (It's noted by ZUN[71] that Youkai can see through illusions that humans can't[72])
- Propagation (Youkai are able to sever their heads from their body and multiply them[73])
- Incorporeality (Youkai's bodies in truth are just their souls[74]. Youkai's do not possess DNA, with the concept being foreign to them, noting how humans for some reason are under the control of them[75])
- Empowerment (Youkai are amplified by the power of the moon[76], Mima specifically reqested Yumemi in an ending to stop the moon so that she could always be empowered by its light[77])
- Battlefield Removal
- Application Based: Ordinary youkai[78], can send themself and their opponent to a different battlefield[79].
- Magic (Youkais have developed a civilization of magic, making it a common ability used by them[80]. Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[81], 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 also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[82]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[83])
- Transferal (Magic users can transfer their magic into a tool, having the tool change depending on the user[84])
- Acausality
- For their Magic
- Irregular Causality
- Unknown: A youkai's magical power exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[85], 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[86]. 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[87]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[88].
- Irregular Causality
- For their Magic
- Holy Manipulation (Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[89])
- Temperature Manipulation (Youkai being released caused the room to get more cold[90])
- Emotion Manipulation (A youkai's Noh is able to take away people's emotions[91])
- Portal Manipulation (The denizens of Makai found out about the human world and managed to obtain the power to make a hole in the barrier[92])
- Forcefield Manipulation (Youkais use their magic in order to strengthen and reinforce the great barrier with an ever stronger power to prevent invasion by humans[93])
- Curse Manipulation (Youkai energy naturally curses people[94])
- Quantum Manipulation (Youkai are naturally in a state of lurking within quantum gaps, were they can exist in both the human world and Gensokyo freely while not being noticed in the human world and passing through objects, being compared to the idea of Schrödinger's Cat[95]).
- Spirit Manipulation (The bombs used are referred to as spiritual attacks[96], being directly called spiritual attacks[97])
- 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[98], along with killing all enemies on screen[99])
- Magnetism Manipulation (When using a bomb[100], all items on screen will be attracted towards the user[101])
- Perception Manipulation (When using a bomb the screen flashes white and an image of the bomb user can be seen[102])
- Logic Manipulation (The Great Hakurei Barrier is a boundary of common sense, which things with high spiritual power in the cause to waver[103])
- Nullification & Erasure
- Projectile Nullification & Physical Erasure: Bomb users can use a bomb to nullify & erase all projectiles on screen[104]. This makes the enemy incapable of[105] shooting out any further projectiles until the bomb's duration is done[106].
- Invulnerability
- Link Manipulation (Strong Emotions can be contained in objects that can connect between the main world and the netherworld[108]).
- Resistance to
- Extreme Temperatures (Youkai are unaffected by things such as heatstrokes[109])
- Sealing (Youkais can overtime break out of seals[110]. Youkais use their magic in order to strengthen and reinforce the great barrier with an ever stronger power to prevent invasion by humans[111])
- 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[112])
- 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[113]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[114])
- Madness Manipulation (Unaffected from the affects of the Lunarian Full Moon, a hypnosis that drove the humans who came to the Moon insane[115], further being noted by Reisen that the moon drives people insane[116])
- Illusion Manipulation (Youkai are unaffected by illusions[71] as they can easily see through them[72])
- 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[61])
- Matter Manipulation & Physics Manipulation (Youkai are noted to be fluctuations that exist in worlds which are not dominated by concepts such as photons, but instead other types of particles not explored by humans in the Outside World[50], with the grand unified theory being the reason for all pheneomna in the human world, which does not apply to Gensokyo[117]. Gensokyo is a brane world dominated by particles with different properties, not following the standard physics of the real world[51])
- 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[118])
- Biological Manipulation & Disease Manipulation (Youkai's do not possess DNA, meaning that nothing regarding biological processes can truly affect them[75])
- Life Manipulation & Death Manipulation (Youkai cannot be affected by the Hourai Elixir[119], which removes death from part of one's existence[120], where being without death is being without life[121], being free from the boundaries of life and death[122])
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Superhuman Strength (Vampires are among the strongest of the youkai, strong enough to take part in the power-balance of Gensokyo[9]. Vampires have tremendous physical abilities, being able to uproot a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly[9]. Vampires are strong enough to crush boulders[24]. ZUN describes vampires as having "superhuman toughness"[125])
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed (Vampires are able to run through the human village within the blink of an eye[9]. Vampires are noted to be faster than the eye can follow[24]. Vampires are the only species that are noted to possibly be able to keep up with Tengu[26])
- Superhuman Reaction
- Superhuman Lifting
- Superhuman Energy Efficiency
- Social Influencing (Due to Vampire's immense powers, they have charisma of the highest class[9])
- Magic (Vampires are noted to possess magical power[9])
- Immortality
- Regeneration
- Initially Mid-High overtime: Vampires can recover within a single night even when their body is blown away so long as their head is intact[9].
- Mid-High: Noted in later games that vampires can regenerate at any time as long as some bit of their remains, such as a little bat, meaning vampires can regenerate even as long as their familiars are around[24].
- Transformation
- Transformative Arsenal: Vampires can turn into either bats[127] or mist to intrude anywhere they please[9].
- Bestowal (If a vampire gets vaporized by the sunlight, their mist will spread and if inhaled, the one inhaling it will become immortal[128])
- Zombification (When a vampire has sucked a human of their blood, they will neither die nor become a ghost, instead they will turn into a zombie for a while before evaporating under the sunlight[9])
- Summoning (Vampires can summon many devils with a single word[9], vampires are powerful enough to manipulate demons[24])
- Calamity Manipulation (Vampires are the cause of many disasters that affect the whole of Gensokyo, they can create abnormalities in everything including natural phenomena with no warning[7])
- Breaking the Fourth Wall ( Touhou characters constantly acknowledge being a stage boss[129])
- Cartoon Physics (Gensokyo is a world that lacks and defies common sense[130], where characters can explode[131], this is even acknowledged with ZUN roleplaying as the characters in-universe that they explode upon defeat[132]. Despite this they will still come back, even human characters that do not have regeneration)
- Flight (Can naturally fly around and shoot projectiles with her wings[133])
- Non-Standard Interaction
- Metaphysical Interaction: As a non-human that can only be truly harmed from powerful spiritual attacks, they should also be able to harm other non-humans.
- Curtain Fire
- Multi-Directional & Rapid Fire: She does not at all seem to get tired[134], despite her shooting out[135] a multitude of attacks all over the screen[136].
- Energy Manipulation
Equipment
Nothing notable.
Notable Techniques
Other
Standard Tactics: Kurumi utilizes her regular magic attacks while flying around and shooting out dozens of bullets.
Weaknesses
- Standard Youkai Weaknesses: Youkai's bodies being destroyed by spiritual attacks[137], have them take a while to recover[138]. Youkai are more easily affected by belief than humans, and as a result spiritual damage can cause fatal wounds[6]. Youkai are weak to spiritual attacks such as names or legends[22]. Youkai and Ghost are weak to sunlight[139]. Mental Attacks can be lethal to youkai, in some cases one can repel them with a single phrase[140]. The human village acts as a lifeline for the Gensokyo Youkai, if the humans were to perish or if they stopped fearing the youkai, then they would cease to exist[141]. Youkai are weak against psychological attacks[142].
- Vampire Weaknesses: Vampires are weak to sunlight, making them docile during the day[9], this weakness however isn't as instant as the common sun weakness in fiction. It is shown with vampires like Remilia that they can be exposed to sunlight for quite a while before dying[143]. Yuuma notes that Flandre is a vampire that can't stand daylight yet she can fight while under the Hell of Blazing Fires' energy, which is the same as the sun[144] which Flandre notes it was hurting her skin[145], yet it did nto at all instantly kill her. Vampires cannot move through flowing water, making them docile on rainy days[9], they also cannot cross rivers[9]. Vampires cannot approach a sardine heaed or a broken holly branch[9]. Vampires skin will be burnt if someone throws roasted soybeans at them[9].
- Magic Weaknesses: Magic users taking too much damage will cancel out their attacks[146]. 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[147]. Repeatedly attacking red glyphs will break one's defenses[148].
- Unique Weaknesses: Nothing notable.
Note
- Kurumi's title name being said during the stage is a fan translation addition[149], as that title is never stated in the original translation[150].
- 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[151] where she notes the science of the main world is much more primitive then hers[152], 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[153], 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[96] 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[154], 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[155]. 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[156], he's also referred to Highly Responsive to Prayers as a study product[157]. 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[158]. 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[159]. 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[160]. 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[161]. ZUN has also made mention to Genji probably living in the lake in the back of the shrine[162]. 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[163].
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"[164]. In Yuuka's mode in Touhou Project - Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Reimu directly references defeating Yuuka back in PC-98[165]. 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[166].
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[167].
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[168].
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[169].
- 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[170].
- 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[171].
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[172]. 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[173]:
- 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[174]. 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[175], further showcasing that probabiliy serves an importance.
Magical vs. Physical Strength
There[176] are[177] multiple[178] occasions[179] of[180]characters[181] commenting[182] on[183] humans like[184] Reimu[185] being strong[186]. 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[187], 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[188], with her acknolwedging her strength[189], something Yuugi only does to those who are truly strong[187]. 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[190], 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[17]. 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[191].
Thus the memory layer is essentially the most important layer that rejects the notion of loops from the previous two layers.
Trivia
- Sylphid, from Project Blank, employs several attacks that closely resemble Kurumi's "wall explosion" patterns.
- Nazrin's first spell card bears a strong similarity to one of Kurumi's attack patterns.
- Kurumi is the only PC-98 boss who also appears as her own midboss.
- With the exceptions of Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, Elly—the guardian of Mugenkan—had not engaged in combat for a long period prior to the events of Lotus Land Story. This may be because Kurumi had successfully defeated all would-be intruders before either Reimu or Marisa arrived.
Profiles
| Profiles |
| ☆Stage 2 Boss (Kurumi) ○Her first attack pattern consists of explosive fire along your left and right. When the bullets come down at the same time along both sides, you might panic, but in fact this attack pattern is easy to evade. Whether the bullets are on one side of the screen or on both sides, all you have to do is stay at the center, and when the bullets reach the bottom, move slightly upwards. Then move back down and rinse and repeat. ○Her second attack pattern consists of spinning bullets. This attack will have a large difference in difficulty depending on your rank. If you're all about clearing the game, it'll be OK, but even so it won't be as difficult as you think. ○Her third attack pattern is same as the first, but this one repeats three times. Same tactics as the first attack, but keep in mind that she'll fire three times.て You may move closer to the boss here. ○Her fourth attack pattern is a scattering short laser attack. Just spam her with bullets and she'll go down soon enough. |
☆2面ボス(くるみ)
○第1段階 左右からの炸裂弾。 左右同時に来るとかなりパニックになるけど、実はこの攻撃は簡単なの。 左右片方だけであろうと両方であろうと、画面中央下で待ちかまえて、 弾が来たらちょっと上に動かすだけ。それでまた、次に備えて下に下げれ ばOKよ。 ○第2段階 回転弾。 これは、ゲームランクによって大きく難易度が違うわ。クリア重視なら 大丈夫だけど、それでも見た目ほど難しくないと思うわ。 ○第3段階 左右からの炸裂弾×3。 これも、第1段階と同じ避け方でOKよ。ただ、3回全部弾が発射されて から動くこと。ちょっとだけ引き付ければいいのよ。 ○第4段階 ショートレーザーばらまき。 普通に撃ってればすぐに倒せるので問題無しね。 |
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[192], 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[193].
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[194], 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[195]. 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[196].
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[197]. 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[190].
Battle Records
0 - 2 - 0
None.
- Reimu Hakurei - Fight[198]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Stage 2 Famine ~ Lake of Blood
- Marisa Kirisame - Fight[199]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Stage 2 Famine ~ Lake of Blood
None.
References
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