Youkai
Youkai are creatures in the Touhou Project series following the real life idea behind creatures from Japanese mythology, though they also expand to other regions.

The rise of rationalism and modern explanations for strange phenomena has made survival difficult for youkai in the present era. The valley of Gensokyo, sealed from the Outside World by the Great Hakurei Barrier in 1885, serves as one of their few remaining sanctuaries. Some youkai, such as Mamizou Futatsuiwa and possibly Shou Toramaru, managed to persist in the outside world for many years, though both have since relocated to Gensokyo for reasons unrelated to their survival. Yukari Yakumo is speculated by some Gensokyo residents to be an outside world youkai who merely visits Gensokyo for amusement, though this remains just one of many rumors surrounding her.
Due to Gensokyo's relatively small human population and youkai reliance on conflict with humans to sustain themselves, its residents have established various unique rules and customs. Among these, youkai are forbidden from killing natives of the Human Village—though this restriction does not extend to Outside World humans who find themselves in Gensokyo—and Human Village inhabitants are prohibited from transforming themselves into youkai. More recently, the Spell Card rules were created to establish a formal duel system that deemphasizes raw power, limiting potential damage from youkai while enabling humans to more effectively resolve youkai incidents. Although the Hakurei shrine maiden is officially tasked with exterminating youkai whenever they cause trouble, these "exterminations" (along with those performed by her colleagues) are typically nonlethal, with sealing or execution reserved only for youkai incapable of adhering to the established rules.
Youkai Types
There are many types of youkai with extremely varied powers, and different groups entirely, due to this, each youkai type is split into their own section, for the most part, each youkai type share the same general youkai abilities. The following is the regular youkai:
Regular Youkai
Alignment
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[1]
Abilities
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Superhuman Strength (Youkais can easily kill humans[2], 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[3]. Youkai have stronger bodies than humans[1]. Youkai are noted to be physically stronger than humans[4])
- 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[5])
- Extrasensory Perception (Youkai are able to see the human village that Keine made essentially invisible from history from humans[6])
- Longevity (Marisa notes that youkai live a really long time, beyond even human years[7]. Youkais have longer lifespans than humans[1])
- Aura (Noted that Youkai possess an aura[8][9], along with an energy source called "Youkai Energy"[10])
- Invisibility (Youkai are noted to be life-forms that are invisible to humans, appearing to them via fluctuations[11]. Noted that all objects within Gensokyo were all hidden in the invisible gaps of the quantum world[12])
- 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[13])
- Non-Standard Defenses (Reimu realized that only the Yin-Yang Orb was effective against non-human creatures[14], with it being noted that Reimu using her ofuda, her spirit power, and her martial arts all prove to be useless against her enemies[15], 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[16]. Physical attacks such as a whacking a sake bottle over the head are considered violent methods that wouldn't work on youkai[17], with it only being spiritual attacks that cause fatal wounds to youkai[1]. When attempting to exterminate a youkai, one does not use weapons that cause physical damage, instead weapons with an "origin" are more preferable[4]. In the world beyond (Gensokyo), physical form has no meaning for all non-human entities[18])
- 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[1]. Youkai can heal wounds like tiger slashes in no time at all[22].
- 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[23].
- Transformation
- Acausality
- For Their Physiology
- For their Magic
- Reliance
- True Sight (It's noted by ZUN[34] that Youkai can see through illusions that humans can't[35])
- Propagation (Youkai are able to sever their heads from their body and multiply them[36])
- Incorporeality (Youkai's bodies in truth are just their souls[37]. 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[38])
- Empowerment (Youkai are amplified by the power of the moon[39], Mima specifically reqested Yumemi in an ending to stop the moon so that she could always be empowered by its light[40])
- Battlefield Removal
- Application Based: Ordinary youkai[41], can send themself and their opponent to a different battlefield[42].
- Magic (Youkais have developed a civilization of magic, making it a common ability used by them[43]. Magic exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[44], 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[45]. Magic is noted by Yumemi to have close ties with religion[46])
- Transferal (Magic users can transfer their magic into a tool, having the tool change depending on the user[47])
- Transmutation
- Acausality
- For their Magic
- Irregular Causality
- Unknown: A youkai's magical power exists outside of the Grand Unified Theory[48], 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[49]. 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]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[51].
- Irregular Causality
- For their Magic
- Holy Manipulation (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[47])
- Temperature Manipulation (Youkai being released caused the room to get more cold[53])
- Emotion Manipulation (A youkai's Noh is able to take away people's emotions[54])
- 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[55])
- 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[56])
- Curse Manipulation (Youkai energy naturally curses people[57])
- 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[58]).
- 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
- Resistance to
- Extreme Temperatures (Youkai are unaffected by things such as heatstrokes[71])
- Sealing (Youkais can overtime break out of seals[72]. Youkais use their magic in order to strengthen and reinforce the great barrier with an ever stronger power to prevent invasion by humans[73])
- 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[74])
- 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[75]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[76])
- Madness Manipulation (Unaffected from the affects of the Lunarian Full Moon, a hypnosis that drove the humans who came to the Moon insane[77], further being noted by Reisen that the moon drives people insane[78])
- Illusion Manipulation (Youkai are unaffected by illusions[34] as they can easily see through them[35])
- 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[23])
- 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[11], with the grand unified theory being the reason for all pheneomna in the human world, which does not apply to Gensokyo[79]. Gensokyo is a brane world dominated by particles with different properties, not following the standard physics of the real world[12])
- 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[80])
- Biological Manipulation & Disease Manipulation (Youkai's do not possess DNA, meaning that nothing regarding biological processes can truly affect them[38])
- Life Manipulation & Death Manipulation (Youkai cannot be affected by the Hourai Elixir[81], which removes death from part of one's existence[82], where being without death is being without life[83], being free from the boundaries of life and death[84])
Weaknesses
- Youkai's bodies being destroyed by spiritual attacks[87], have them take a while to recover[88].
- Youkai are more easily affected by belief than humans, and as a result spiritual damage can cause fatal wounds[1]. Youkai are weak to spiritual attacks such as names or legends[4].
- Youkai and Ghost are weak to sunlight[89].
- Mental Attacks can be lethal to youkai, in some cases one can repel them with a single phrase[90].
- 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[91].
- Youkai are weak against psychological attacks[92].
Magicians
Magician Youkai are the closest to human, this is due to a lot of them originally being human that studied magic long enough to become Youkai magicians.
Magician Youkais bodies are nearly the same as humans' so they are frail in comparison to other youkai[93], this also means they likely do not carry a lot of physiological based abilities that standard youkai have. Whenever making a profile for a magician Youkai, only the following should be carried over from standard youkai abilities:
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Magician Youkai are most likely to steal livestock, along with stealing food, drinks, and curios such as moon rocks, and at their worst they might even steal children[156].
Abilities
- Genius Intelligence (Magician Youkais are noted to be generally intelligent, studious people[93])
- Preparation (A magican who is properly prepared is so strong that they can take on any kind of youkai[157])
- Magic (Magician Youkais are youkai possessed by magic, such that one's body itself is powered by magic[93], with their livelihood revolving around magical research, spending their days thinking about new spells[93])
- Immortality
- Self-Sustenance
- Age Manipulation (Magicians can restore their youth through repeatedly casting magic[158]).
- Resistance to
- Disease Manipulation (Magicians use arsenic and mercury a lot when they use magic, where it gets in little by little no matter what and it starts eating away at their body, which is why there are so many magicians with weak bodies[159], however this would kill actual humans while magicians just remain with with weak bodies for centuries)
- 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[160]. Magic does not exist in Yumemi's world, which is a Probability World, a different world, but in the same dimension[161])
Weaknesses
- Magician Youkais bodies are nearly the same as humans' so they are frail in comparison to other youkai[93], magicains bodies are only about as strong as that of an ordinary human, so running away from them is simple[157].
- Magicians are weak to surprise attacks and are not good at close combat or lengthy conflicts[157].
- Magicians use arsenic and mercury a lot when they use magic, while they try to take precuations so they don't absorb any, it gets in little by little no matter what and it starts eating away at their body, which is why there are so many magicians with weak bodies[162].
Vampire
Vampires in Gensokyo are a young but powerful youkai species, classified as a type of devil. They possess a far broader range of abilities than most youkai, including oni-level strength and tengu-level speed, but also have a wider array of weaknesses. Vampires in Gensokyo show no particular aversion to the Christian cross, though they can still be harmed by spiritual attacks like any youkai. They do, however, display a vulnerability to roasted soybeans, presumably from being associated with oni. While sunlight has the power to destroy them, they can survive brief exposure and even travel during the day as long as they remain in the shade. They also cease to grow and mature, making them biologically immortal.
Remilia and Flandre Scarlet are the only known members of the vampire species in Gensokyo, to the point where most characters simply refer to Remilia as "the vampire" rather than by name. A contract exists between vampires and other youkai in which the vampires pledge not to attack Gensokyo's humans in exchange for receiving humans to feed on. Being a devil's contract, it is unbreakable. Remilia was the primary instigator of the incident that led to this contract and eventually the spell card rules.
Alignment
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[163]. Though most of these reasons are out of mere curiosity and they will cease once they tire of it[163].
Abilities
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Superhuman Strength (Vampires are among the strongest of the youkai, strong enough to take part in the power-balance of Gensokyo[164]. Vampires have tremendous physical abilities, being able to uproot a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly[164]. Vampires are strong enough to crush boulders[165]. ZUN describes vampires as having "superhuman toughness"[166])
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Speed (Vampires are able to run through the human village within the blink of an eye[164]. Vampires are noted to be faster than the eye can follow[165]. Vampires are the only species that are noted to possibly be able to keep up with Tengu[167])
- Superhuman Reaction
- Superhuman Lifting
- Superhuman Energy Efficiency
- Social Influencing (Due to Vampire's immense powers, they have charisma of the highest class[164])
- Magic (Vampires are noted to possess magical power[164])
- 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[164].
- 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[165].
- Transformation
- Transformative Arsenal: Vampires can turn into either bats[169] or mist to intrude anywhere they please[164].
- Bestowal (If a vampire gets vaporized by the sunlight, their mist will spread and if inhaled, the one inhaling it will become immortal[170])
- 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[164])
- Summoning (Vampires can summon many devils with a single word[164], vampires are powerful enough to manipulate demons[165])
- 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[163])
Weaknesses
- Vampires are weak to sunlight, making them docile during the day[164], 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[171]. 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[172] which Flandre notes it was hurting her skin[173], yet it did nto at all instantly kill her.
- Vampires cannot move through flowing water, making them docile on rainy days[164], they also cannot cross rivers[164].
- Vampires cannot approach a sardine heaed or a broken holly branch[164].
- Vampires skin will be burnt if someone throws roasted soybeans at them[164].
Oni
In the Touhou Project, oni are jovial youkai with a fondness for drinking, feasting, and engaging humans in various forms of competition, ranging from physical combat to drinking games. According to legend, when an oni encountered a human they favored, they would tempt that human into challenging them at any contest the human chose. If the human lost, they would be carried off. Since ordinary humans stood no chance against an oni's abilities, they typically resorted to clever and underhanded tactics to secure victory. Growing weary of constantly being deceived and defeated, the oni eventually swore off humans entirely and retreated beyond human reach—or so the story goes.
Within Gensokyo, oni once dominated Youkai Mountain as its primary inhabitants, holding authority above both tengu and kappa in the social hierarchy. They were governed by the Four Devas of the Mountain. However, they eventually relocated to Old Hell sometime after the yama moved the actual Hell away from the Underworld. Within Hell, oni now serve under the kishin, tasked with tormenting the souls of sinners.
Komachi Onozuka notes that the oni residing in present-day Hell remain disciplined and controlled, while those in Old Hell have developed such close ties with the ghosts of sinners that they show little interest in relocating to the true Hell anytime soon.
Possessing immense physical strength and magical power, oni rank among the most formidable beings in Gensokyo. They differ fundamentally from ordinary youkai, requiring distinct methods and tools for extermination. Because oni vanished long ago, Gensokyo lacks any specialists trained in oni extermination, and the knowledge of how to deal with them has been lost to humans. Consequently, encountering an oni in the modern era would prove disastrous for most.
The Grimoire of Marisa and Double Spoiler reveal that certain oni spell cards are highly unusual, barely qualifying as danmaku at all. According to Patchouli Knowledge and Yuugi Hoshiguma, oni can be weakened by fried soy beans. Hieda no Akyuu claims that inserting a holly branch through a sardine head would ward off an oni, though whether this method would actually prove effective remains uncertain.
Alignment
Lawful Neutral
Oni are the strongest enemies of humans in Gensokyo, their livelihood is kidnapping humans and thus threaten and livelihood of the villages[174]. Onis are both cheerful and ferocious, they can be quite belligerent to those they dislike, however, they will be warm hearted and consdierate to those they recognize as friends and will absolutely never betray them[174]. Onis hate lies, cowardice, malice or unfairness, honoring their promises and can think of no other way to behave than to be fair and square[174].
Since times long ago humans have been tormented by the oni, occassionally being kidnapped by them and making off with their sake, having their day-to-day life threatened[175].
Abilities
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Natural Weaponry (All onis possess horns, and some also have fangs[174])
- Psychological Resilience (Onis emotional and mental disipline are considerable strong, and very few oni are not well-versed in the principles of Zen[174])
- Magic (Possesses high levels of magic strength[174])
- Non-Standard Defenses (Oni are different from regular youkai, meaning their means of exterminations and the tools necessary are particular and specialized, and the techniques to exterminate oni have already been lost by humans, making a meeting with an oni nowadays too much for anyone to handle[176]. Noted that there was no one that could truly destroy an oni in Yuyuko's ending[177])
- Dimensional Travel (Oniswere none too pleased with how the world of Gensokyo had become so carefree, so they left for a different world[174], being implied to be one of the infinite hells[178])
- Destruction
- Metaphysical Destruction: Oni can tear apart and shatter the heavens like it's nothing, allowing them to do things like destroy the reflection of the moon by proxy destroying the actual moon[179], with the event being noted by Suika as a simple technique of splitting and gathering[180].
- Nullification
- Severing
- Resistance to
- Extreme Heats (Magma is considered another word for "Divine Oni Spring", said to be so hot that the oni bathe in it
- Mimicry (Oni's represents strength with their powers being something that they can only control[181] with others not being able to replicate their skills or techniques due to how mysterious their abilites are[182])
- Poison Manipulation (Onis have an exceedingly high tolerance for alcohol[174])
Weaknesses
- If an Oni drinks themselves hard enough to pass out, they will not wake up no matter what[174].
- Oni's are warded off by a sardine head with a holly branch[183].
- Oni's hate bean throwing[184].
Tengu

Tengu (天狗, literally "heaven dog") are a type of youkai commonly found in Japanese mythology. Broadly speaking, they correspond to the Western concept of goblins.
The tengu residing in Gensokyo are noted for their fondness for gossip and their practice of writing newspapers. They inhabit Youkai Mountain and display territorial behavior toward humans and other youkai who venture into their domain. According to Aya Shameimaru, tengu are heavy drinkers, rivaled only by oni in this regard. They once possessed their own written language, though no one remains who can still read it.
Two primary subspecies of tengu exist. The crow tengu (烏天狗 karasu-tengu) resemble anthropomorphic crows with humanoid body structures, while the yamabushi tengu (山伏天狗) take the form of yamabushi monks, characterized by red skin and notably long noses.
Tengu are described as mischievous and occasionally malicious, with a tendency to play tricks on humans, though stories also portray them in the role of mentors. Despite their disdain for pride and arrogance, they frequently exhibit these very qualities themselves. They maintain associations with the arts of warfare and political matters.
Several objects are commonly linked to tengu. The shakujo is a ring-tipped staff employed for magical purposes or physical combat. The tokin is an unusually shaped hat that can double as a divining cup. The hauchiwa fan, crafted from Japanese Aralia leaves or feathers, is said to possess the power to generate gale-force winds. Tengu are also frequently depicted wearing tengu geta, a variety of geta sandals featuring a single tall slat instead of two shorter ones, making balance extremely difficult for human wearers. Most of these items derive from traditional yamabushi attire.
Alignment
True Neutral
Tengu have a strong sense of community, if one of their friends are attacked, they will respond with hostility; if an intruder appears on the mountain, they will quickly show up in force to remove them[185]
Abilities
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics
- Genius Intelligence (Tengu are far more intelligent than humans, and are seen as an advanced civilization[185])
- Longevity (They are extremely well-known youkai that have existed since ancient times, predating even Gensokyo[185])
- Social Influencing (Tengu's are able to spread half-truths and weird rumors, where the rumors literally become the wind's rumors before they even reach human ears; thereby, it becomes difficult to properly notify the village otherwise, with there being no complete defense to this[186])
- Unconventional Truth Manipulation & Information Manipulation (Truth is built upon information just like a tower is built upon sand, most of the truths that are known are built upon information, thus truth is easily changed by informationa nd there's no such thing as information that concepts only but the truth as truth itself is the ultimate illusion, one that does not exist in Gensokyo[187]. Thus by Tengu controlling the spread of information and rumors, they can cause changes through human observation)
- Magic (Tengu possess very strong sorcerous abilities that compare favorably to any youkai in Gensokyo[185])
- Air Manipulation (Tengu's when they wake create winds strong enough to send a child flying, and it is said that if one angers a tengu, they'll be annihilated by a tornado[186]).
- Resistance to
Weaknesses
- Nothing notable.
Tanuki

Bake-danuki are among the most common youkai in Gensokyo, reflecting how raccoon dogs as a whole represent a successful species throughout East Asia and many introduced regions. Tanuki frequently appear as the initial suspects behind various minor incidents in Gensokyo, often depicted in the manga series—such as when Reisen was mistaken for a tanuki by Reimu Hakurei during her journey to the surface in Silent Sinner in Blue.
Tanuki possess the ability to transform themselves into replicas of a Gensokyo Power Stone, enabling both themselves and those holding the stone to pass through Gensokyo's barrier, as demonstrated by Sumireko Usami in Urban Legend in Limbo.
Tanuki exhibit a vulnerability to oil; when they become intoxicated on it, they lose the ability to move for several days.
Alignment
True Neutral
Tanuki actively play tricks on humans though they don't do any everlasting harm.
Abilities
- Disguise Mastery (Tanuki's are able to disguise themselves into different forms[188])
- Transformation
- Shapeshifting
- Transformation
- Mimicry
- Resistance to
Weaknesses
Beast Youkai

Beast youkai are animals that have acquired "too much power and wisdom" (as defined in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense) and may serve as leaders to their non-youkai counterparts or dwell alongside them. In the cases of Tewi Inaba and Aya Shameimaru, both exhibit strong protectiveness toward their kind, even though the latter treats them as tools. Some beast youkai pose a threat to humans due to developing a taste for human flesh. Youkai variants of humans, such as magicians, can also present a moderate danger to ordinary humans by stealing everything from livestock to children. Though beast youkai possess intelligence sufficient to communicate with humans, they appear to retain a primitive nature; youkai crows like tengu, however, are more advanced than Gensokyo's humans in certain respects.
Hieda no Akyuu's classification system for beast youkai refers exclusively to mammal youkai. Youkai such as Wriggle Nightbug and Mystia Lorelei are not categorized as beast youkai in her writings, likely reflecting an older worldview in which only mammals were considered "animals" while humans occupied a unique existence separate from the animal kingdom.
According to Kasen Ibaraki in Oriental Sacred Place chapter 16, once an animal transforms into a youkai, it cannot return to its original state.
Perfect Memento in Strict Sense describes beast youkai as capable of using sorcery, though they generally favor physical approaches. They exhibit various traits such as tremendous strength, exceptional speed, or heightened senses. Their existence carries less spiritual weight than that of ordinary youkai, granting them greater resistance to spiritual attacks while making it more difficult for them to recover should their physical bodies be destroyed. The number of tails a beast youkai possesses can indicate their level of power, with more tails generally signifying greater youkai strength.
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Beast Youkai are heavily influenced by the animal from which they orignated, thhey tolerate no harm to any of their kin and have a preference for meat, especially human flesh[200]. Beast Youkai are noted to be very ferocious[200].
Abilities
- Superhuman Physical Characteristics (Beast Youkai have outstanding physical prowess and extraordinary physical abilities[200])
- Natural Weaponry (Beast Youkai possess sharp claws or sharp teeth, attacking with these[201])
- Acrobatics (Beast Youkai possess swift feet and the ability to jump high[202])
- Animal Taming (Beast Youkai act as leaders for ordinary animals[200])
- Enhanced Senses (Beast Youkai are able to see even in the dark, along with seeing and hearing things from afar[202])
- Incorporeality (Beast Youkai can exist as mere spirits[203])
- Possession (Beast Youkai are able to possess people's bodies[204])
- Resistance to
Weaknesses
Other
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[207] where she notes the science of the main world is much more primitive then hers[208], 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[209], 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[210], 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[211]. He has also said that anything prior to Embodiment of Scarlet Devil can for the most part be ignored and one can think fo Embodiment of Scarlet Devil as the starting from a clean slate and starting a new series[212], he's also referred to Highly Responsive to Prayers as a study product[213]. 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[214]. 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[215]. 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[216]. 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[217]. ZUN has also made mention to Genji probably living in the lake in the back of the shrine[218]. 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[219].
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"[220]. In Yuuka's mode in Touhou Project - Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Reimu directly references defeating Yuuka back in PC-98[221]. 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[222].
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[223].
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[224].
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[225].
- 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[226].
- 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[227].
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[228]. 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[229]:
- 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[230]. 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[231], further showcasing that probabiliy serves an importance.
Magical vs. Physical Strength
There[232] are[233] multiple[234] occasions[235] of[236] characters[237] commenting[238] on[239] humans like[240] Reimu[241] being strong[242]. 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[243], 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[244], with her acknolwedging her strength[245], something Yuugi only does to those who are truly strong[243]. 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[246], 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[32]. 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[247].
Thus the memory layer is essentially the most important layer that rejects the notion of loops from the previous two layers.
References
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