| “ | 1. Mystic Square Backstory Deep in the mountains of an eastern land, the Hakurei shrine was a little bit peaceful. Speaking of the Hakurei shrine, its shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, didn't seem too free at the moment.
Why? Because a constant flow of demons, while few in number, were being sent from Makai.
Reimu was busy constantly exterminating them, so she constantly had no free time. |
„ |
| ~ Mystic Square Prologue English Translation |
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Shinki
Shinki (神綺) is the creator of Makai, a world of demons whose entrance lies within a mountain cave near the Hakurei Shrine. She serves as the final boss of Mystic Square and describes herself as a god.
| Shinki | |||||||
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| Origin | |||||||
| Origin | Touhou | ||||||
| Creator | ZUN | ||||||
| First Appearance | Touhou 05: Mystic Square | ||||||
| Voiced by | Fanmade Series: Rina Honizumi, Megumi Nakajima, Saku Mizuno | ||||||
| Characteristics | |||||||
| Species | God | ||||||
| Gender | Female | ||||||
| Pronouns | She/Her | ||||||
| Sexuality | Unknown | ||||||
| Age | Unknown | ||||||
| Birthday | Unknown | ||||||
| Height | Unknown | ||||||
| Weight | Unknown | ||||||
| Ethnicity | Japanese | ||||||
| Status | Alive | ||||||
| Alignment | Lawful Neutral | ||||||
| Archetype | God | ||||||
| Occupation | God of Makai | ||||||
| Time Period | Non-linear | ||||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||||
| Combat Style | Magical Combat | ||||||
| Homeworld | Makai | ||||||
| Relationships | |||||||
| Affiliations | Makai, Yumeko, YuugenMagan, Elis, Sariel, Sara, Louise, Alice Margatroid, Yuki, Mai | ||||||
| Enemies | Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Mima, Yuuka Kazami | ||||||
Background
Name Meaning
Her name is Shinki (神綺). The character shin (神) means "god", while ki (綺) can signify "fine thin silk", "figured cloth", "elegant", or "beautiful".
Appearance
General Description: Shinki is a figure with white hair and light-blue eyes. She wears red robes and can summon wings at will.
Facial Features: She has white hair and light-blue eyes.
Clothing/Outfit:
- Primary Outfit (Mystic Square official art): Red robes.
Special Features: Shinki has the ability to summon six wings. In their standard form, the wings are white. She can transform them into purple wings with red markings.
Personality
- Creator of Makai: Shinki consistently identifies herself as the god who created Makai and everything within it, including Yumeko and other inhabitants.
- Protective of Yumeko and Her World: Shinki expresses surprise and concern each time she learns Yumeko has been defeated, referring to her as "my little Yumeko" and noting she was among the strongest of her creations. Shinki engages each heroine in battle after they defeat Yumeko. She tells Reimu the price for disturbing her world is steep and she cannot overlook it. She tells Marisa there is no being stronger than her in Makai. She challenges Yuuka to test who is more powerful.
- Arrogance: Shinki tells Reimu that a shrine maiden is "nothing more than a dog of the gods," tells Marisa her magic is "bogus human magic," and questions where Marisa's confidence comes from. She is skeptical of their abilities before battle. Though she his completely shocked when she loses.
- Defensive About Her Status: Shinki reacts negatively when her godhood is questioned or dismissed. When Yuuka states that "power is everything, even if you are a god," Shinki agrees to test who is more powerful. When Yuuka later tells her not to group her with humans, Shinki dismisses the distinction.
Goals
- Punish Reimu, Marisa, Yuuka, & Mima for disturbing her realm (Failed).
Relationships
Shinki
Yumeko was directly created by Shinki and she views Yumeko as the highest calibur[1], along with calling her "my dear Yumeko"[2]. Yumeko has great respect towards Shinki, calling her "Lady Shinki" and stating that none of the heroines deserve to even speak to or be dirtied by Shinki.
Makai Residents
While the residents and Shinki never directly interact on screen, Shinki is the goddess and creator of Makai[3]. Shinki has created all of the Makai residents, as she created other residents such as Yumeko[4]. The residents include:
YuugenMagan
Elis
Sariel
Sara
Louise
Alice Margatroid
Yuki
Mai
General Information
Other Names: Lady Shinki[7]
Origin: Touhou
Overall Series: Touhou Project
First Appearance: Touhou 05: Mystic Square
Latest Appearance: Touhou 05: Mystic Square
Company: ZUN Soft
Creator: ZUN
Actor: The following voice acted roles are all from fan-made series not apart of any canonical Touhou works.
- Japanese Voice Actors: Rina Honizumi, Megumi Nakajima, Saku Mizuno
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: Makai
Residence: Makai
Story Role: Final Stage Boss
Legacy: Cosmic Legacy (Shinki created all of Makai, down to her creations[8])
Influence: Universal Influence
Language: Japanese
Ethnicity: Japanese
Religion: N/A
State of Being: God
Physiology: Humanoid Physiology for the form she takes, Formless Physiology in truth (It is noted that with all gods, the form they adopt is mostly meaningless and they can take whatever form they wish due to this[10])
In-Universe Creator: N/A
Occupation: God of Makai
Combat Style: Magical Combat
Affiliations: Makai which includes: Yumeko, YuugenMagan, Elis, Sariel, Sara, Louise, Alice Margatroid, Yuki, Mai
Enemies: Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Mima, Yuuka Kazami
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[11])
- God's Nature: True Neutral (Gods merely wish to keep faith from humans as it is what empowers them and how they exist)
- Unique Nature: Lawful Neutral (Shinki does not directly interfere with her world unless anyone tries to disturb it[12])
Protection Level Cosmic Protector (Shinki will punish anyone who disturbs her world[13])
- Type(s) of Potential: Limitless Potential
- Level of Potential: Limitless
- Description: Gods are compared to AI in all the knowledge and inability to die[14].
- Limitations: Nothing notable.
Archetype: God
Codex Statistics
Grade: S
Tier: At least 8-C, Far Higher with Spiritual Power
Cardinality: Finite
Dimensionality: 3-D
Attack Potency: At least Building level (Potency) (Shinki is a goddess and creator of Makai, putting her far beyond any of the threats Reimu faced in Makai[15], putting her above the vampire Elis, as she's a resident of Makai. Vampires are among the strongest of the youkai, strong enough to take part in the power-balance of Gensokyo[16], making them comparable if not superior to Oni who are able to cause nearby buildings collapse with just a step[17]), Far Higher with Spiritual Power (Noted how even Yumemi Okazaki's scientific magic truly pales in comparison with the real thing[18], which Yumemi noted to not make light of the power of her science as she could blow up the planet at any moment[19]). Can ignore covnentional durability with Magic (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[20], 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[21]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[22]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[23]. 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[24])
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[25])
Striking Strength: At least Building Class (Potency) (Comparable to vampires like Elis, where vampires are strong enough to crush boulders[26])
Lifting Strength: At least Class 5 (Comparable to vampires like Elis, where vampires have tremendous physical abilities, being able to uproot a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly[16])
Travel Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+ (Comparable to vampires like Elis,where vampires like Remilia are able to fly around the moon[27]. Vampires are able to run through the human village within the blink of an eye[16], reaching these speeds. Vampires are noted to be faster than the eye can follow[26]), likely Speed of Light (Vampires are the only species that are noted to possibly be able to keep up with Tengu[28], this should make them relative to Aya Shameimaru, where her spell card has her move so fast she starts becoming a beam of light[29])
Attack Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+, likely Speed of Light. Magic Attacks lack a defined speed (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[30], 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[31]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[32]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[33])
Reaction Speed: At least Massively Hypersonic+, likely Speed of Light
Stamina: Superhuman (Shows no signs of tiring[34] despite firing out[35] a multitude of attacks[36] on repeat[37] while also firing while warping space[38] and being shot themself[39])
Range: Standard Melee. At least Universal with Attacks (Shinki created all of Makai, down to her creations[40]. Warped the entirety of Makai during her fight[41])
Intelligence: Cosmic Intelligence (Shinki, the goddess and creator of Makai[42], down to her creations[43]. Gods are compared to AI in that they hold all knowledge[14])
Knowledge: At least Grandmaster level
Powers and Techniques
- Regeneration
- Types: Passive
- Source: Metaphysical Regeneration
- Capabilities: 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[44].
- Non-Standard Defenses (Reimu realized that only the Yin-Yang Orb was effective against non-human creatures[45], with it being noted that Reimu using her ofuda, her spirit power, and her martial arts all prove to be useless against her enemies[46], 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[47]. In the world beyond (Gensokyo), physical form has no meaning for all non-human entities[48])
- Acausality
- For Their Physiology
- Magic (Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[49], 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[50]. Yumemi also explains that in the world of Gensokyo, magic unifies everything[51]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[52])
- Transferal (Magic users can transfer their magic into a tool, having the tool change depending on the user[53])
- Transmutation
- Acausality
- For their Magic
- Irregular Causality
- Unknown: Magical power exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[54], 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[55]. 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[56]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[57].
- Irregular Causality
- For their Magic
- Holy Manipulation (Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[58])
- Transferal (Magic users can transfer their magic into a tool, having the tool change depending on the user[53])
- Spirit Manipulation (The bombs used are referred to as spiritual attacks[59], being directly called spiritual attacks[60])
- 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[61], along with killing all enemies on screen[62])
- Magnetism Manipulation (When using a bomb[63], all items on screen will be attracted towards the user[64])
- Perception Manipulation (When using a bomb the screen flashes white and an image of the bomb user can be seen[65])
- Logic Manipulation (The Great Hakurei Barrier is a boundary of common sense, which things with high spiritual power in the cause to waver[66])
- Nullification & Erasure
- Projectile Nullification & Physical Erasure: Bomb users can use a bomb to nullify & erase all projectiles on screen[67]. This makes the enemy incapable of[68] shooting out any further projectiles until the bomb's duration is done[69].
- Invulnerability
- Link Manipulation (Strong Emotions can be contained in objects that can connect between the main world and the netherworld[71]).
- 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[72])
- 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[73]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[74])
- Madness Manipulation (Unaffected from the affects of the Lunarian Full Moon, a hypnosis that drove the humans who came to the Moon insane[75], further being noted by Reisen that the moon drives people insane[76])
- 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[44])
- Matter Manipulation & Physics Manipulation (Gensokyo is a brane world dominated by particles with different properties, not following the standard physics of the real world[77], with the grand unified theory being the reason for all pheneomna in the human world, which does not apply to Gensokyo[78])
- 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[79])
- Immortality
- Life and Death Immunity: Gods are compared to AI in that they are never tired, aged, or die[14].
- Acausality
- Incorporeality (It is noted that with all gods, the form they adopt is mostly meaningless and they can take whatever form they wish due to this[10])
- Transformation
- Shapeshifting: Gods can take whatever form they wish[10].
- Possession (Gods can dwell within anything: objects, phenomena, words, and such[81])
- Duplication (Gods are able to duplicate no matter how many parts they split into, each has the same amount of power as the original, thus if there was somewhere for all of them to stay, they could multiply infinitely and due to this they can inhabit different objects and bodies[82])
- Creation
- Universal Creation (Shinki claiming that[84] she created all of Makai, down to her creations[85] is something seen as only capable of a God[86])
- Linguistic Manipulation (The power to name is the creation to produce objects from nothingness, the same power as a god's, giving names to things and thus defining them[88])
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Breaking the Fourth Wall ( Touhou characters constantly acknowledge being a stage boss[89])
- Cartoon Physics (Gensokyo is a world that lacks and defies common sense[90], where characters can explode[91], this is even acknowledged with ZUN roleplaying as the characters in-universe that they explode upon defeat[92]. Despite this they will still come back, even human characters that do not have regeneration)
- 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 (Shinki attacks mainly with magical attacks, which are innately spiritual and go beyond conventional attacks)
- Flight (Is naturally floating above the air and able to fly around[93] along with flying around and attacking during combat[94]. Can sprout wings[95])
- Cosmic Awareness (Shinki noted that she knew Reimu would come without meeting her once throughout the entire trip[96])
- Teleportation (Teleported into[97] the battlefield[98])
- Reality Warping (Warped the entirety of Makai during her fight[100]. Warps parts of Makai to create wings for herself[101])
- Curtain Fire
- Multi-Directional & Rapid Fire: Shot out multiple energy projectiles doing vertical 8-ways in all directions[102]. Shoots out dozens of bullets in all directions at fast speeds[103]. Can shoot out a sporadic amount of energy kunai-shaped projectiles and small energy lasers in all directions, covering the screen[104]. Can shoot out dozens of energy projectiles at rapid speeds[105]. Shoots out energy projectiles[106] that cover the entire screen[107]. Shoots out a spread of energy projectiles on both sides of the screen[108]. Can create a multitiude of large black energy orbs and fling it at her opponent[109]. Can shoot out energy bullets in clockwise and counterclockwise directions, covering the entire screen[110]. Shoots out energy bullets in all directions covering the entire screen[111]. Create large energy orbs that fire energy bullets in clockwise and counterclockwise directions, covering the entire screen[112].
- Energy Manipulation
- Boundary Manipulation (Shinki developed a border between the barrier of the human world and Makai that the demons managed to obtain the power to make a hole through[115])
Equipment
Nothing notable.
Notable Techniques
| Name | Quote | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack 1 |
“
☆Final Boss (Makai God, Shinki) |
| |
| Attack 2 |
“
○Second attack (without wings) |
| |
| Attack 3 |
“
○Third attack (preparing for her wings) |
| |
| Attack 4 |
“
○Fourth attack (A pair of white wings 1) |
| |
| Attack 5 |
“
○Fifth attack (A pair of white wings 2) |
| |
| Attack 6 |
“
○Sixth attack (preparing to change to black wings) |
| |
| Attack 7 |
“
○Seventh attack (A pair of black wings 1) |
| |
| Attack 8 |
“
○Eighth attack (A pair of black wings 2) |
||
| Attack 9 |
“
○Ninth attack (No wings again) |
Other
Standard Tactics: Shinki utilizes her regular magic attacks while flying around and shooting out dozens of bullets.
Weaknesses
- Standard God Weaknesses: Even if a god created an area, the denizens aren't required to listen to them[116]. When gods are named, their powers are restricted and they lose the ability to exist within anything, becoming almost the same as youkai[117]. Gods rely on faith in order to exist and retain power and if they are without faith, they get reduced to essentially the same as youkai[117].
- Magic Weaknesses: Magic users taking too much damage will cancel out their attacks[118]. 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[119]. Repeatedly attacking red glyphs will break one's defenses[120].
- Unique Weaknesses: Nothing notable.
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[121] where she notes the science of the main world is much more primitive then hers[122], 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[123], 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[59] 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[124], meaning everyone that is non-human or is fighting non-humans is using spiritual energy.
Special Notes
- Many spell card images and descriptions along with translations are heavily helped by the Touhou Wiki.
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[125]. 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[126], he's also referred to Highly Responsive to Prayers as a study product[127]. 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[128]. 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[129]. 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[130]. 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[131]. ZUN has also made mention to Genji probably living in the lake in the back of the shrine[132]. 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[133].
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"[134]. In Yuuka's mode in Touhou Project - Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Reimu directly references defeating Yuuka back in PC-98[135]. 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[136].
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[137].
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[138].
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[139].
- 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[140].
- 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[141].
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[142]. 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[143]:
- 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[144]. 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[145], further showcasing that probabiliy serves an importance.
Magical vs. Physical Strength
There[146] are[147] multiple[148] occasions[149] of[150]characters[151] commenting[152] on[153] humans like[154] Reimu[155] being strong[156]. 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[157], 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[158], with her acknolwedging her strength[159], something Yuugi only does to those who are truly strong[157]. 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[160], 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[24]. 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[161].
Thus the memory layer is essentially the most important layer that rejects the notion of loops from the previous two layers.
Trivia
- Although Makai itself returned in the Windows series as the setting for Stages 5 and 6 of Undefined Fantastic Object, Shinki was never directly mentioned—only subtly referenced. The fairies appearing in those stages have wings bearing colors and markings similar to Shinki's; these fairies have since reappeared in multiple later titles, including Stage 3 of Fairy Wars and Stage 4 of Wily Beast and Weakest Creature. Additionally, Byakuren Hijiri's spell card Great Magic "Devil's Recitation" bears a strong resemblance to one of Shinki's attack patterns.
- Several of Shinki's attacks were replicated by the SMD-00x units in the Project Blank game Samidare.
- Like most PC-98 material, Shinki does not appear in the official Windows series. However, she made an unofficial appearance as the sole boss in the 2008 fangame Shinma Touki Den ~ Magus in Mystic Geometries. ZUN had some involvement with this project and composed the music used for her boss fight.
- Shinki later reappeared as a playable character in the related 2009 fangame Touhou Unreal Mahjong, which used the same song ZUN had composed for her. ZUN also contributed to this game by composing an additional track used for Rinnosuke.
- Although created for a fangame, this piece effectively serves as Shinki's second theme. The song lacks an official title; it is commonly referred to as "神魔討綺伝 AN ORDEAL FROM GOD," the name used in the Touhou Unreal Mahjong soundtrack. However, like the two other tracks from Magus in Mystic Geometries included on that album (which are arrangements of Patchouli's theme), this title simply denotes the game of origin and the track's usage rather than a proper name.
Gallery
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Yumeko hiding behind Shinki
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Shinki in the Touhou fangame Magus in Mystic Geometries.
Profiles
| Profiles |
| ☆Final Boss (Makai God, Shinki) As the final boss she's tough to deal with. Since you've made it all the way here, you'll want to defeat her, right?
|
☆最終ボス(魔界の神 神綺(しんき))
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Touhou Project - Mystic Square |
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[162], 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[163].
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[164], 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[165]. 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[166].
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[167]. 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[160].
Battle Records
0 - 4 - 0
None.
- Reimu Hakurei - Fight[168]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Final Stage Holy War ~ Dream Battle
- Marisa Kirisame - Fight[169]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Final Stage Holy War ~ Dream Battle
- Yuuka Kazami - Fight[170]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Stage 5 The Last Judgement ~ Judgement Day
- Mima - Fight[171]
- Conditions: None.
- Location: Final Stage Holy War ~ Dream Battle
None.
References
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