The , also known simply as , is a
bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by one-man
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Japanese
''doujin'' soft developer
Team Shanghai Alice
, formerly known as ZUN Soft, is a Japanese ''dōjin'' game developer. Since 1995, the sole member of the group, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed and self-published the '' Touhou Project'', a bullet hell shoot 'em up series, as w ...
. Since 1995,
the team's member,
Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed programming, graphics, writing, and music for the series, self-publishing 18 mainline games and six
spin-offs . ZUN has also produced related
print works and
music albums, and collaborated with developer
Twilight Frontier
, known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese ''dojin'' game developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN), which include seven official games in the '' Touhou Project'' series.
Productions Games
Music C ...
on seven official ''Touhou'' spin-offs, most being
fighting games
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining attac ...
.
The ''Touhou Project'' is set in a land sealed from the outside world and primarily inhabited by humans and ''
yōkai
are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
'', legendary creatures from Japanese folklore that are personified in ''Touhou'' as ''
bishōjo
In Japanese popular culture, a , also romanized as ''bishojo'' or ''bishoujo'', is a cute girl character. ''Bishōjo'' characters appear ubiquitously in media including manga, anime, and computer games (especially in the ''bishojo'' game genre) ...
'' in an
anthropomorphic ''moe'' style.
Reimu Hakurei
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
, the ''
miko
A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perfor ...
'' of the Hakurei Shrine and the main character of the series, is often tasked with resolving supernatural "incidents" caused in and around Gensokyo.
The first five games were developed for the Japanese
NEC PC-9800 computer series, with the first, ''Highly Responsive to Prayers'', released in August 1997; the series' signature ''danmaku'' (弾幕, 'bullet curtain') mechanics were introduced in the second game, ''Story of Eastern Wonderland'' (also 1997). The release of ''
Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
is a 2002 bullet hell scrolling shoot 'em up video game developed by Team Shanghai Alice. It is the sixth game in the '' Touhou Project'' series, and the first ''Touhou'' game to be released for Microsoft Windows. The story follows either the ' ...
'' in August 2002 marked a shift to
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. Numerous sequels followed, including several spin-offs departing from the traditional bullet hell format.
''Touhou Project'' has become particularly notable as a prominent source of Japanese ''
dōjin'' content, with the series spawning a vast body of fan-made works such as
artwork,
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
,
print works,
video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
, and
Internet memes
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
. Because of this, it has gained somewhat of a
cult following
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
outside of Japan. The popularity of the series and its derivative works has been attributed in part to the few restrictions placed by ZUN on the use of his content. Unofficial works are frequently sold at
fan conventions
Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...
, including
Comiket, where the franchise has frequently held the record for circle participation, and the official convention
Reitaisai
The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by one-man independent Japanese ''doujin'' soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. Since 1995, the team's member, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed ...
, where trial versions of the official games are typically distributed prior to release.
Games
PC-98 games
Jun'ya Ōta, who was then a mathematics student at
Tokyo Denki University
is a private university in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1907 as . It was chartered as a university in 1949 with Yasujiro Niwa as first president. Denki (電機) means an electric device in Japanese, and the ...
working under the name "ZUN Soft", developed the first five ''Touhou'' games for
NEC PC-9800 personal computers, utilizing the platform's
16-bit color graphics and 6-channel
FM synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitud ...
audio. The games were published by Amusement Makers, a student game development club that Ōta was a member of.
;
:The 1st game in the series, was released on August 15, 1997, at
Comiket 52. ZUN began development in 1995
and first showcased the game in November 1996 at the 20th Hatoyama Matsuri, the annual fair held at the Hatoyama campus of Tokyo Denki University. It features the first appearance of series protagonist Reimu Hakurei
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
, the ''miko
A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perfor ...
'' of Hakurei Shrine (博麗神社 ''Hakurei Jinja''). After the destruction of the shrine, she charges through a gateway to another world, intent on locating and punishing those responsible. It features gameplay similar to ''Arkanoid
is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks by deflect ...
'' and differs from the vertically-scrolling format of later games. Players direct a Yin-Yang
Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...
Orb (陰陽玉 ''Onmyō-gyoku'') by side-kicking, swinging Reimu's purification rod (御幣 ''gohei
, , or are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals.
The streamers are usually white, although they can also be gold, silver, or a mixture of several colors, and are often attached as decorations to ...
''), and firing amulets (御札 ''ofuda
In Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, an is a talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth or metal. are commonly found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and are considered to be imbued with the power of the deities ...
''), with the goal of using it to overturn all the cards in a level. If the player runs out of time, bullets rain down from the top of the screen until the player either completes the level or dies. There are 20 stages, with every fifth stage being a battle where the player must use the orb to deal damage to a boss. After completing Stage 5, the player is given a choice between two routes, Makai (魔界, "Demon World") and Hell (地獄 ''jigoku''), with each featuring distinct stages, bosses, and endings. It introduces the last-resort "Bomb" system, present in some form in all subsequent games, as well as the four levels of difficulty that would become hallmarks of the series: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Lunatic. According to ZUN, 30 copies of the game were sold.
;
:The 2nd game in the series was released alongside ''Highly Responsive to Prayers'' at Comiket 52. Reimu Hakurei returns from a training session in the mountains only to find the Hakurei Shrine overrun by ghosts and ''yōkai
are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
''. Excited at the opportunity to test her abilities, she takes off with her Yin-Yang Orbs on the back of her turtle Genjii to seek out the source of the invasion. It is the first vertically-scrolling ''danmaku
Danmaku or Danmu (Japanese: ; Simplified Chinese: , literally translated as “bullet curtain” and figuratively as “ barrage”) is a subtitle system in online video platforms that originates from Japan and popularised in Mainland China. Suc ...
'' (弾幕 "barrage", "bullet curtain") game and also marks the first appearance of Marisa Kirisame
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of Bullet hell, ''danmaku'' and Fighting game, fighting video games by ZUN (video game developer), ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in ...
, the second major playable character in the series, who appears as the Stage 4 boss. ZUN has cited shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs
) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...
arcade game '' Darius Gaiden'' as an influence for the gameplay, which consists of firing bullets at bosses that appear from the top of the screen while simultaneously dodging their attacks. It is the only game in the series with five stages (excluding the extra stage). The game introduces many features that would later become standard, including weapon selection, hitboxes that are smaller than the player character, power-ups, mid-bosses, and an unlockable Extra Stage. 50 copies of the game were sold.
;
: The 3rd game in the series was released on December 29, 1997, at Comiket 53. While enjoying a quiet morning walk, Reimu Hakurei stumbles across mysterious ruins that have suddenly appeared a short distance from the Hakurei Shrine's gateway. She joins in a violent competition with several others who want to explore them, as it is said that the one who reaches the heart of the ruins first will win a prize. In Match Play Mode, it is a versus-type scrolling shooter similar to ''Twinkle Star Sprites
is a 1996 competitive scrolling shooter arcade game originally created by ADK. It was ADK's last production for the Neo Geo platform. The gameplay, which can be characterized as a combination of a fixed shooter and a versus puzzle game, uses c ...
'', in which two players engage in ''danmaku'' battles in split-screen. In Story Mode, the player faces off against nine increasingly skilled AI opponents. The combat makes use of a "Spell Gauge", with characters unleashing attacks of varying strength based on their charged level of magical power. Approximately 100 to 150 copies of the game were sold.
;
:The 4th game in the series was released on August 14, 1998, at Comiket 54. The peace in Gensokyo (first used in this game's title) is broken when a tremendous energy surges from beneath a mountain lake, causing ''yōkai'' to swarm the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame travel to seek out and eliminate the source of the disturbance, battling ''yōkai'' along the way. It features six stages, with the game ending after Stage 5 if the player selects Easy difficulty or uses a " continue". A notable new feature is a "graze" counter for near-misses. According to ZUN, 200 to 300 copies of the game were sold.
;
:The 5th and final ''Touhou'' game for the PC-98 was released on December 30, 1998 at Comiket 55. When demons begin emerging from a cave high in the mountains of Gensokyo, Reimu Hakurei and others must travel to the depths of Makai to confront the one behind the incident. Mima and Yuuka, the final bosses of ''Story of Eastern Wonderland'' and ''Lotus Land Story'' respectively, return as playable characters along with Marisa Kirisame. The game contains six stages and includes a "Dream Gauge" system, which rewards the player for collecting items by clearing all enemy bullets when it is filled to maximum.
Windows games
After the release of ''Mystic Square'', ZUN graduated from university and the series became inactive for four years. During this time, he worked at Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...
as a game developer and also composed music for various games created by members of Amusement Makers. He left the group in 2001 to focus on game development for Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
, forming the one-man '' dōjin'' circle Team Shanghai Alice
, formerly known as ZUN Soft, is a Japanese ''dōjin'' game developer. Since 1995, the sole member of the group, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, has independently developed and self-published the '' Touhou Project'', a bullet hell shoot 'em up series, as w ...
and self-publishing all subsequent games. According to ZUN, the Windows games represent a "clean slate" for the series canon, albeit with many carry-overs and references from the PC-98 era. Games numbered with decimals are spin-offs from the main series that vary in genre.
;
:The 6th game in the series and the first on Windows was released on August 11, 2002, at Comiket 62. It marked a dramatic graphical improvement from the PC-98 games, and the game's music and sounds used synthesized PCM and MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
instead of FM synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitud ...
. It introduces the "Spell Card" system, in which bosses fire ''danmaku'' patterns in a specific sequence as their health is depleted, with a health bar and unique name for each attack appearing on screen as it is used. For comparison, in the PC-98 games, boss characters would have a select few ''danmaku'' patterns that they would switch between at random.
:A peaceful summer in Gensokyo is interrupted when an ominous scarlet mist blocks out the sun. As either the shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
or the magician Marisa Kirisame
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of Bullet hell, ''danmaku'' and Fighting game, fighting video games by ZUN (video game developer), ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in ...
, the player must infiltrate the Scarlet Devil Mansion (紅魔館 ''Koumakan'') and confront the mysterious Scarlet Devil that lives within. The game features the debut of Sakuya Izayoi, who would become a playable character in several sequels.
:Several features from the PC-98 era were re-introduced in ''Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil'', which set a standard for the later Windows installments. At the start of a game, the player must choose an attack style, which affects their character's weapon type and Spell Card bomb. A limited number of these "bombs" are provided as a method of escaping from difficult situations by dealing heavy damage to enemies, cancelling enemy bullets, and collecting all items on the screen. A notable feature added in this game and present in future main entries is Focused Fire mode, which allows the player to slow their movement and focus their shots when activated. The game features six increasingly difficult stages, with the boss of each stage being preceded by a less powerful "midboss". Playing on Easy difficulty causes the game to prematurely end after Stage 5, and completing the game after using a " continue" results in a bad ending. Once a good ending has been achieved on Normal or higher difficulty, the player unlocks a bonus "Extra Stage", which features the game's final boss battle.
;
:The 7th game in the series, released on August 17, 2003, at Comiket 64. As the month turns to May, it is clear that winter in Gensokyo has lasted far longer than normal. As Reimu, Marisa, or Sakuya, the player must embark on a trip to the Netherworld (冥界 ''Meikai'', "Realm of the Dead") to find those responsible for stopping the coming of spring. With the addition of Sakuya, ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' continues the series tradition of former bosses reappearing as playable characters. It also features a "Cherry Gauge", which is filled by grazing, shooting enemies, and completing Spell Cards without using bombs, which when full, activates a "Supernatural Border", giving the player a temporary shield. Alice Margatroid from ''Mystic Square'' makes her Windows debut in this game. As well as featuring an extra stage, the game also has an unlockable phantasm stage that can be accessed after the player clears the extra stage and has captured a certain amount of spell cards.
;
:The 7.5th game in the series and the first versus fighting game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
released on December 30, 2004, at Comiket 67. It is a 2D fighting game with ''danmaku'' influences, as reflected by its heavy emphasis on Spell Card projectile attacks. As with all the official fighting games, it was primarily developed by Twilight Frontier
, known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese ''dojin'' game developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN), which include seven official games in the '' Touhou Project'' series.
Productions Games
Music C ...
, with ZUN providing scenarios, Spell Card designs, and several music tracks. Between the events of ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' and ''Imperishable Night'', a strange mist descends on Gensokyo as Reimu Hakurei and other residents find themselves inexplicably holding a feast every three days. Initial playable characters include Reimu, Marisa, Sakuya, Alice, Youmu Konpaku
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
from ''Perfect Cherry Blossom,'' and Patchouli Knowledge
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
from ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil''. Additionally playable characters become unlocked as the player completes the initial scenarios. A local multiplayer mode is included, with an unofficial patch enabling netplay.
;
:The 8th game in the series released on August 15, 2004, at Comiket 66. It is the eve of Gensokyo's yearly Harvest Moon Festival (月見 ''Tsukimi
or , meaning, "''moon-viewing"'', are Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon, a variant of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The celebration of the full moon typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese cal ...
'') when it is discovered that the moon has been replaced with a fake. Two-person teams of humans and ''yōkai'' set out into the Bamboo Forest of the Lost (迷いの竹林 ''Mayoi no Chikurin'') to confront the culprits and restore the moon before the night is over. The four playable teams are the Illusionary Barrier Team (Reimu Hakurei and Yukari Yakumo
This is a list of the characters that belong to the '' Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illu ...
), the Aria of Forbidden Magic Team (Marisa Kirisame and Alice Margatroid), the Visionary Scarlet Devil Team (Sakuya Izayoi and Remilia Scarlet
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
), and the Netherworld Dwellers' Team (Youmu Konpaku and Yuyuko Saigyouji), with the player swapping between characters on a team by activating Focused Fire mode. It adds powerful "Last Word" Spell Cards for players and enemies, as well as "Time Orb" items that affect the story by changing the speed at which the night passes.
;
:The 9th game in the series released on August 15, 2005, at Comiket 68. The game is a split-screen versus-type shooter similar to ''Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream''. Spring has arrived and Gensokyo's flowers are blooming out of control, with even out-of-season varieties in full bloom. The player must battle their way through 9 stages to reach Muenzuka (無縁塚, "(Burial) Mound of the Nameless") and reveal the truth behind the abnormal spring. Initial playable characters include Reimu, Marisa, Sakuya, Youmu, and Reisen Udongein Inaba from ''Imperishable Night'', with a total of 16 playable characters after all of them are unlocked. An official patch enabling multiplayer netplay has been released.
;
:The 9.5th game in the series released on December 30, 2005, at Comiket 69. The game was originally created as a minigame to be included with the official fanbook ''Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red'', but was later developed into a full game. Playing as ''tengu
are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion (Shinto). They are considered a type of '' yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and ...
'' reporter Aya Shameimaru, the player is tasked with photographing bosses and their ''danmaku'' in 10 increasingly difficult stages. The game is unique in that the player has no standard shot or bombs; rather, the camera is the main method of offense and defense, as it clears bullets from the screen when used. Scoring is based on the contents of each photo, including the amount and type of bullets included. The game features bosses from ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'' to ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View''.
;
:The 10th game in the series released on August 17, 2007 at Comiket 72. This entry marks a "soft reboot" for the series, with a total overhaul of the game engine that resulted in substantial design and pacing changes. The bomb counter has been removed and replaced by the "Options" system, which adds up to four "satellites" that hover near the player and fire bullets. They can be obtained by collecting power items, and have additional effects based on selected weapon type. The "Faith" system is also used, where players can collect green "Faith" items to increase the value of point items. The game is also one of the three games in the series that allows the player to have unlimited continues, but using one results in the player having to restart the current stage.
:One autumn, Reimu receives a message demanding the closure of Hakurei Shrine and threatening its destruction at the hands of the god of Yōkai Mountain. As either Reimu or Marisa, the player must ascend the mountain in order to confront the ones behind the threat and prevent the shrine from being taken over.
;
:The 10.5th game in the series and the second versus fighting game released on May 25, 2008, at Reitaisai 5. It is a sequel to the first fighting game in the series, ''Immaterial and Missing Power''. The story revolves around strange weather phenomenon occurring around Gensokyo, following Reimu and the other protagonists in their search for the culprit. It features a 20 Spell Card deck system, flying mechanics, and changing weather conditions that affects gameplay. Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
;
:The 11th game in the series, released on August 16, 2008, at Comiket 74. A geyser suddenly appears one day near the Hakurei Shrine, spouting evil earth spirits from underground. Playing as Reimu or Marisa, the player must travel to the Underworld (地底 ''Chitei'', "underground") to find its source, assisted by one of the three ''yōkai'' allies communicating from above (Yukari Yakumo, Suika Ibuki, or Aya Shameimaru for Reimu and Alice Margatroid, Patchouli Knowledge, or Nitori Kawashiro for Marisa). The game features graze-based scoring and a variation of the "Options" system introduced in ''Mountain of Faith''.
;
:The 12th game in the series released on August 15, 2009 at Comiket 76. Spring has come to Gensokyo and a strange flying ship said to bring good omens has appeared in the sky. The player assumes the role of either Reimu, Marisa, or Sanae Kochiya from ''Mountain of Faith'', as the three girls race to board the vessel. "Undefined Fantastic Objects", or UFOs will sometimes appear around the screen, and can be collected for bonus points, lives, or bombs.
;
:The 12.3rd game in the series and the third versus fighting game released on August 15, 2009 at Comiket 76. It retains much of the gameplay of ''Scarlet Weather Rhapsody'' while adding new playable characters, Spell Cards, and weather conditions. The Story Mode, at first has only one playable character, Sanae Kochiya, but after completion, Cirno
This is a list of the characters that belong to the '' Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
, and Hong Meiling
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of Bullet hell, ''danmaku'' and Fighting game, fighting video games by ZUN (video game developer), ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in ...
can be unlocked. The story revolves around a giant creature that has piqued the interest of Gensokyo's residents. The three girls, each with their own ideas as to its nature, set out to investigate the mystery of the giant. Each of the nine playable characters now has an associated Spell Card, which is usable by any character once it is unlocked. Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
;
:The 12.5th game in the series released on March 14, 2010, at Reitaisai 7. It is a sequel to ''Shoot the Bullet
is a shoot 'em up photography game, and is the 9.5th official game in the Touhou Project by the dōjin soft, dōjin circle Team Shanghai Alice. It was first released in the 69th Comiket on December 30, 2005. In English-speaking circles, the game' ...
'', following Aya Shameimaru on her mission to photograph the ''yokai'' of Gensokyo and their ''danmaku''. It retains much of the same gameplay from its predecessor and features bosses from ''Mountain of Faith'' to ''Undefined Fantastic Object''. Aya's colleague and fellow ''tengu'' reporter Hatate Himekaidou is an unlockable character. The game was released on Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
on August 2, 2019.
;
:The 12.8th game in the series, released on August 14, 2010, at Comiket 78. It is a ''danmaku'' shooter based on the official ''Touhou Sangetsusei'' manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series. After the Three Fairies of Light destroy Cirno's house one winter, the ice fairy makes plans to take her revenge in the spring. The game features three stages and one playable character, Cirno, who has the unique ability to freeze bullets mid-air. It was released on Steam on August 2, 2019.
;
:The 13th game in the series, released on August 13, 2011, at Comiket 80. After the events of ''Undefined Fantastic Object'', Reimu and Marisa notice an increase in spirits in Gensokyo and take off to investigate. Also playable is Sanae, who seeks to utilize the power of the divine spirits for the Moriya Shrine gods, and Youmu, who wants to exterminate spirits that she views as unnecessary. The gameplay includes "Divine Spirits", which are dropped by defeated enemies and come in four varieties (blue, gray, purple, and green). Collecting spirits fills the player's "Trance Gauge", which can be used to enter an invincible "Trance" once filled. It was released on Steam on June 19, 2019.
;
:The 13.5th game in the series and the fourth versus fighting game released on May 26, 2013, at Reitaisai 10. The Human Village has fallen into despair in the wake of the high number of incidents, prompting adherents of Gensokyo's three competing religions (Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
, Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
, and Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
) to battle each other to expand their faith's influence. This concept is reflected in the "Popularity" system: damage dealt and received is measured on a meter, which unlocks a special "Last Word" combo when it is filled to its maximum. The game features a completely new engine from the one used in the previous three fighting games. Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
;
:The 14th game in the series released on August 12, 2013, at Comiket 84. Reimu, Marisa, and Sakuya are playable characters, with gameplay resembling that of ''Ten Desires''. As clouds begin to gather and ''yōkai'' rebel all over Gensokyo, the weapons of the three main characters begin to behave bizarrely. On August 10, 2014, the game was confirmed for release on Playism, making ''Double Dealing Character'' the first game in the series to be sold for digital download. On May 7, 2015, Playism made the game available for download in Western territories, marking the official Western debut of the series. It was released on Steam on June 19, 2019.
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:The 14.3rd game in the series released on May 11, 2014 at Reitaisai 11. The player controls the stage 5 boss of ''Double Dealing Character'', ''amanojaku'' Seija Kijin, who uses nine "cheat" items to clear otherwise impossible-to-beat Spell Cards. A bounty is set on Seija, and several characters from previous installments attempt to capture her over ten days. The game was released on Steam on April 1, 2019.
;
:The 14.5th game in the series and the fifth versus fighting game, released on May 10, 2015 at Reitaisai 12. It features a similar style and gameplay to the series' previous fighting game, ''Hopeless Masquerade'', and adds a new "Occult Ball" system for controlling special moves and battle effects. The story centers on the strange rumors circulating in Gensokyo's Human Village, which have begun to manifest themselves in the form of supernatural anomalies. It was released for PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
on December 8, 2016, with several added features (including Reisen Udongein Inaba from ''Imperishable Night'' as a playable character), becoming the first game in the series to be released for a console system. Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
;
:The 15th game in the series released on August 14, 2015, at Comiket 88. The game features Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, and Reisen as playable characters. Someone has taken over the Lunar Capital, and Lunarians have come to "purify" Gensokyo in order to make it suitable for them to live in; the girls must work to stop the invasion and find the perpetrator behind the incident. Unlike previous games in the series, Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom features two game modes: Legacy Mode, similar to the previous games, and Pointdevice Mode, which replaces lives and continues with a series of "chapters". When the player gets hit in this mode, they restart from the beginning of the current chapter with a small penalty to their shot power. The game was released on Steam on April 1, 2019.
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:The 15.5th game in the series and the sixth versus fighting game,released on December 29, 2017, at Comiket 93. It is a sequel to ''Urban Legend in Limbo'' and reuses the "Occult Ball" system. An urban legend known as the "Perfect Possession" has manifested, combining pairs of Gensokyo residents in a single body and enabling them to battle as a switchable "Master" and "Slave" tag team. The game was released on Steam on January 5, 2018. Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
;
:The 16th game in the series released on August 11, 2017, at Comiket 92. The seasons in Gensokyo are out of control, with spring meadows alongside summer skies, autumn trees, and winter blizzards. Reimu, Marisa, Aya, and Cirno set out to find the cause of this chaos. The game features a "Sub-Season" system, where the player collects seasonal items (cherry petals, green leaves, red leaves, and snowflakes) in order to gain various boosts. Collected sub-seasons can also be released as a mini-bomb in order to clear enemy projectiles. The game was released on Steam on November 16, 2017, marking the series' Steam debut.
;
:The 16.5th game in the series released on August 10, 2018, at Comiket 94. A ''danmaku'' photography game in the style of ''Shoot the Bullet'' and ''Double Spoiler'', it features the antagonist of ''Urban Legend in Limbo'', Sumireko Usami, as the playable character. It includes bosses from ''Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom'' to ''Hidden Star in Four Seasons'', as well as Reimu, Marisa, and most of the final and extra stage bosses from the previous Windows games. The game was released on Steam on September 5, 2018.
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:The 17th game in the series, released on August 12, 2019, at Comiket 96. When Reimu, Marisa and Youmu discover that animal spirits are planning to attack the surface world, they venture into Hell to stop them and are accompanied by one of three friendly spirits ("Wolf", "Otter", or "Eagle"). It features a similar bonus system to ''Undefined Fantastic Object'', with "Spirit Items" (based on the three spirit types) that activate special effects when collected in groups of five. The game was released on Steam on September 9, 2019.
;
:The 17.5th game in the series. It is a collaboration between Team Shanghai Alice and Twilight Frontier, and is described on its official website as a "horizontally-scrolling ''danmaku'' water action game". A beta version was released on October 6, 2019. The game was scheduled to be released at Reitaisai 18, but in March 2021 Twilight Frontier announced that the game had to be postponed until further notice. It was released on October 24, 2021.
;
:The 18th game in the series, which released on May 4, 2021. The game features Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Sakuya Izayoi, and Sanae Kochiya as playable characters. The game features Ability Cards, which they go investigating on Youkai Mountain. The trial version was released on March 21, 2021, at Reitaisai 18. The demo was later released on Steam on March 24, 2021. The full game was released on May 4, 2021 at Gensou Kagura 5 and on Steam.
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:The 18.5th game in the series, which was released on August 14, 2022, in commemoration of the 100th Comiket event. A subsequent Steam release occurred on the same day.
Other media
Music CDs
Between 2002 and 2016, ten music CDs were released as part of "ZUN's Music Collection". They are numbered from Volume 1 to 9 by release date, with ''Unknown Flower, Mesmerizing Journey'' being numbered as 5.5 due to its small size. Each album contains arrangements of music from the games as well as new compositions:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Each album (except ''Dolls in Pseudo Paradise,'' ''Unknown Flower, Mesmerizing Journey,'' and ''Rainbow-Colored Septentrion'') includes a booklet written by ZUN documenting the activities of the , a self-described "club of necromancers" in Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the city ...
. In the loose collection of stories, club members Renko Usami and Maribel Hearn research and discuss various topics related to Gensokyo and the paranormal; ''Dolls in Pseudo Paradise'' includes an unrelated story about the fate of eight thieves spirited away to Gensokyo.
In 2006 and 2007, ZUN released , a five-volume collection of PC-98 soundtracks that includes several unused themes. The albums respectively cover ''Lotus Land Story'', ''Mystic Square'', ''Story of Eastern Wonderland'', ''Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream'', and ''Highly Responsive to Prayers''. Each track in the collection was enhanced with the addition of a sixth FM synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitud ...
channel, which was originally reserved for sound effects in the games:
*
*
*
*
*
Original soundtracks for the six official fighting games have also been released. The albums primarily consist of arrangements by of Twilight Frontier, with several arrangements and/or new compositions by ZUN:
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
''ZUN's Music Collection'', ''Akyu's Untouched Score'', and the fighting game soundtracks have been released for digital download on Google Play
Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...
and the iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
(Japan, US). Several music CDs have accompanied copies of official print works; these are listed below.
Print media
;
:''Curiosities of Lotus Asia'' is a series of short stories written by ZUN and serialized in 27 chapters from January 2004 to December 2007. It was published in a series of magazines including ''Colorful Puregirl'', ''Magazine Elfics'', ''Elnavi'', and finally ''Dengeki Moeoh
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) under the ''Dengeki'' brand. Many manga serialized in ''Dengeki Daioh'' were later published in ''tankōbon'' volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Co ...
''. An anthology edition was released on September 30, 2010 by ASCII Media Works, with illustrations by Genji Asai. In September 2015, a continuation of the series began in the official ''Touhou Project'' magazine ''Strange Creators of Outer World'', with 8 additional chapters being published as of October 2019. The stories are told from the perspective of Rinnosuke Morichika, one of the few male characters depicted in the series and the proprietor of Kourindou (香霖堂), an antique store in Gensokyo.
;
:''Touhou Sangetsusei'' is a four-part manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written by ZUN and illustrated by Nemu Matsukura and Makoto Hirasaka. It was published by Kadokawa Shoten
, formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...
, with the first two parts serialized in ''Comptiq
is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of S ...
'' magazine and the latter two in ''Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was publ ...
'' magazine. The story follows three fairies (Sunny Milk, Luna Child, and Star Sapphire) and documents their daily mischief and adventures in Gensokyo. The first entry, ''Eastern and Little Nature Deity'', was illustrated by Nemu Matsukara, beginning in May 2005. Matsukara gave up the project for health reasons in May 2006, with Makoto Hirasaka taking over for the second entry, ''Strange and Bright Nature Deity'', which was serialized until January 2009. The third entry, ''Oriental Sacred Place'', ran from May 2009 to January 2012; the fourth entry, ''Visionary Fairies in Shrine'', ran from January 2016 to September 2019. The ''tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes of the manga, which each include a CD with new tracks by ZUN, were released on the following dates: ''Eastern and Little Nature Deity'' (2007-01-26), ''Strange and Bright Nature Deity'' (2008-01-26, 2009-02-18, and 2009-08-26), and ''Oriental Sacred Place'' (2010-03-20, 2011-03-26, 2012-03-26). The 12.8th video game in the series, ''Fairy Wars
is a shoot 'em up game, and is the 12.8th official game in the Touhou Project by the dōjin circle Team Shanghai Alice. The game was released on August 14, 2010 at Comiket 78. The game is the sequel to the '' Touhou Sangetsusei'' manga series. T ...
'', is a spin-off of the manga series.
;
:''Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red'' is the first official fanbook, written by ZUN and published by Ichijinsha
is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books.
The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. ...
on August 11, 2005. It consists of newspaper articles written from the perspective of Aya Shameimaru about events and locations in Gensokyo, interviews with characters, commentary on tracks from previous games and music albums, and an interview with ZUN. It also includes illustrations by various artists, a collection of eight ''dōjinshi
, also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...
'', and a new official comic, ''Extra of the Wind'', illustrated by Haniwa. Each copy includes a CD containing a demo of ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View'', three arrangements of the game's music by ZUN, and a wallpaper of the book's cover.
;
:''Seasonal Dream Vision'' is a semi-official fanbook, published by Comic Toranoana
Comic Toranoana (コミックとらのあな) is a dōjin shop operated by the Toranoana Inc. (株式会社 虎の穴). This shop specializes in selling manga-related items. It is also known by the name, "Toranoana", or simply, "Tora".
About ...
on October 1, 2005. It is an anthology of 12 ''dōjinshi'' by various artists and contains a short story, ''A Beautiful Flower Blooming Violet Every Sixty Years'' (六十年ぶりに紫に香る花), written by ZUN as a supplement to ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View''. It also contains a CD with various fan-made music arrangements and one arrangement by ZUN.
;
:''Perfect Memento in Strict Sense'' is the second official fanbook, published by Ichijinsha on December 27, 2006. It is illustrated by various artists and written by ZUN from the perspective of Gensokyo historian Hieda no Akyuu, primarily containing factual information about various ''yōkai'', such as their "threat levels" and suggested countermeasures. A manga written by ZUN and illustrated by Aki★Eda (秋★枝) based on the book's premise, ''Memorizable Gensokyo'' (記憶する幻想郷 ''Kioku-suru Gensōkyō''), was previously published in the December 2006 issue of ''Comic Rex
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Ichijinsha. The first issue was sold on December 9, 2005, and is sold monthly on the ninth. Manga collected into bound volumes which were serialized in this magazine are published under Ichijins ...
'' magazine. Each copy includes a CD containing three original FM synthesis tracks by ZUN and a wallpaper of the book's cover.
;
:''Touhou Bougetsushou'' is a loose collection of works written by ZUN continuing the story of the 8th game in the series, ''Imperishable Night''. It consists of a manga, a novel, and a series of ''yonkoma
, a comic strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom. They also sometimes run right-to-left horizontally or use a hybrid 2×2 style, depending on the layout requirements of ...
'' strips, serialized in three separate Ichijinsha magazines. The manga, ''Silent Sinner in Blue'', was illustrated by Aki★Eda and serialized in ''Comic Rex
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Ichijinsha. The first issue was sold on December 9, 2005, and is sold monthly on the ninth. Manga collected into bound volumes which were serialized in this magazine are published under Ichijins ...
'' magazine between June 2007 and April 2009. It follows the attempts of residents of Gensokyo to invade the Lunar Capital by rocket. The first compilation volume, which included a CD with three FM synthesis tracks by ZUN, was released on April 9, 2008. The novel, ''Cage in Lunatic Runagate'', was serialized in quarterly ''Chara-Mel'' magazine between June 2007 and June 2009 and published as a standalone on December 25, 2009. It was illustrated by Tokiame, and offers detailed information and character insight regarding the events of ''Silent Sinner in Blue''. The ''yonkoma'', , was serialized in '' Manga 4-koma Kings Palette'' between June 2007 and December 2012. It was illustrated by Arata Toshihira, and serves as a light-hearted discursion from the main story featuring Reisen Udongein Inaba
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of Bullet hell, ''danmaku'' and Fighting game, fighting video games by ZUN (video game developer), ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in ...
and Tewi Inaba, who are referenced respectively in the work's title.
;
:''Grimoire of Marisa'' is the third official fanbook, published by Ichijinsha on July 28, 2009. It is presented in the form of a scrapbook owned by Marisa Kirisame, recording her encounters with noteworthy Spell Cards. It is written by ZUN and illustrated by Takeshi Moriki, with a cover illustration by Genji Asai. It includes a CD with music by ZUN and several wallpapers.
;
:''Wild and Horned Hermit'' is a manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Aya Azuma, serialized from July 2010 to June 2019 in Ichijinsha's ''Chara Mel Febri'' magazine. It introduces protagonist Kasen Ibaraki, a mysterious hermit who descends from the mountains of Gensokyo in order to dispense knowledge to its residents.
;
:''Symposium of Post-mysticism'' is the fourth official fanbook, published by Ichijinsha on April 27, 2012. It was written by ZUN and illustrated by various artists, and presented in the form of a dialogue hosted by Marisa Kirisame and featuring Kanako Yasaka
This is a list of the characters that belong to the '' Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
, Byakuren Hijiri
This is a list of the characters that belong to the '' Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
, and Toyosatomimi no Miko. It features profiles of almost every character from ''Mountain of Faith'' to ''Ten Desires'' as well as a collection of in-universe newspaper articles from the ''Bunbunmaru Newspaper'' and ''Kakashi Spirit News''.
;
:''Forbidden Scrollery'' is a manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Moe Harukawa, serialized between October 2012 and July 2017 in ''Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was publ ...
'' magazine. The story revolves around Kosuzu Motoori, a collector of various rare and dangerous demon books in Gensokyo and an employee of the Suzunaan book lender. It was licensed for an English-language release by Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
and released in seven volumes between November 2017 and May 2019, making it the first ''Touhou Project'' print work to be officially translated.
;
:''Strange Creators of Outer World'' is an official ''Touhou Project'' magazine, supervized by ZUN and published by Kadokawa Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
under their ''Dengeki Moeoh'' imprint since September 2015. It features interviews with ZUN and other ''dōjin'' creators, a continuation of the official manga ''Curiosities of Lotus Asia'', and comics and CDs by various artists, among other related content.
;
:''Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia'' is the fifth official fanbook, published by Kadokawa on March 30, 2017. It was written by ZUN and contains illustrations from various artists. It is presented as Aya Shameimaru's attempt to create a tabloid magazine in the style of those from the outside world, featuring similar content to the earlier fanbook ''Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red'', but in a significantly more chaotic and haphazard format.
;
:''The Grimoire of Usami'' is the sixth official fanbook, published by Kadokawa on April 27, 2019. It primarily features a manga written by ZUN and illustrated by Aya Azuma, with a cover illustration by Genji Asai. In an attempt to emulate the fireworks of the outside world, the residents of Gensokyo decide to hold a grand display of Spell Cards, which is interrupted partway through by a group of unexpected guests.
;
:''Cheating Detective Satori'' is a manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Ginmokusei (銀木犀). It began monthly serialization on Kadokawa's ComicWalker website on October 28, 2019.
;
:''Lotus Eaters'' is a manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Mizutaki (水炊き). It began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's monthly ''Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was publ ...
'' magazine on November 26, 2019.
Gameplay
In the shooting games, the player's bullet power increases on a linear scale as the player collects power-ups dropped by enemies, and eventually maxes out. The player can also collect "point" icons to earn extra lives; the amount needed grows exponentially as the player's score rises. The player can enter "focus mode" by holding the shift key by default, which slows down the player's movement, makes their hitbox
Collision detection is the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. Collision detection is a classic issue of computational geometry and has applications in various computing fields, primarily in computer gr ...
visible (from ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' onwards), and generally focuses the player's attack to make it more powerful. The graze counter, missing from ''Mountain of Faith'' and ''Story of Eastern Wonderland'', tracks how many bullets entered the character sprite but avoided the hitbox, rewarding the player with a score bonus for taking risks.
The player can use a "bomb" or "spell card", similar to the "bomb" in many other shooting games. Although the player has a limited number at any given time, losing a life replenishes the current number of bombs up to a certain amount. With some exceptions, use of a bomb will make the user temporarily invulnerable, clear many of the bullets, and cause heavy damage to any enemies on screen. The overall effect the bomb has varies by character and by game. The player can use one during a short period after being hit by a bullet (called a "deathbomb") to avoid loss of a life. The amount of time the player has available to deathbomb is usually around 0.3 seconds (8 frames). Bosses have attack phases, which are also referred to as spell cards, but with bosses the term applies to a prolonged pattern of movements and shots that last until the player depletes the boss' health by a certain amount or the time runs out.
Each individual game of the main series from ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' to ''Wily Beast and Weakest Creature'' has additional items that affect some aspect of gameplay, such as scoring or gaining extra lives/bombs. For example, ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' has "cherry points", which are used mostly in scoring, but can grant temporary invulnerability (known as the "supernatural border"); ''Imperishable Night'' has "time points", which are essential for advancing to later stages, and also determine if the player gets to challenge a boss's 'final spell' on normal or higher difficulties; ''Mountain of Faith'' has "faith" points, which boost the score the player receives upon gathering point items and bonuses for clearing spell cards without dying or using a spell card.
Each main ''Touhou'' game has four difficulty levels ("easy", "normal", "hard", and "lunatic") with each one being harder than the previous. Regardless of difficulty choice, there are six stages in each game that become progressively difficult. The only exceptions to this are ''Story of Eastern Wonderland'' and ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'' on easy difficulty, both of which only have five stages.
In addition to the four main difficulties, there is an extra stage, unlocked after completing the game without using any continues. The extra stage is more difficult than "normal" and less difficult than "hard", and contains an especially long boss fight (usually with ten spell cards). Bosses in extra stages are usually immune to bombs. The only games that allow players to reach the extra stage by completing the easy difficulty are ''Story of Eastern Wonderland'', ''Mystic Square'', ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'', ''Imperishable Night'', ''Fairy Wars'', ''Double Dealing Character'', ''Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom'', ''Hidden Star in Four Seasons'', ''Wily Beast and Weakest Creature'', and ''Unconnected Marketeers''. In ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'', there is a phantasm extra stage where the difficulty is increased even further. The phantasm stage is accessed by beating the extra stage and capturing at least 60 spells with any of the characters and weapon types combined.
Glossary
Plot
Background
The plots of the ''Touhou Project'' revolve around the strange phenomena
A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...
that occur in the fictional realm of , which ZUN designed with a human village in some remote mountain recesses in Japan. Originally, it was simply called "a remote separated land of a human village in an eastern country." Long before ''Touhou Projects story begins, many non-humans like ''yōkai
are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
'' lived with some humans in the area. After a few humans disappeared into Gensokyo, many humans became afraid of approaching this area, while others settled there to exterminate ''yōkai''. However, as time went on, humans developed civilization and multiplied in number, and thus ''yōkai'' worried about how the balance between humans and ''yōkai'' would be affected. 500 years before ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'' (EoSD), the ''yōkai'' sage Yukari Yakumo developed the "boundary of phantasm and substance," which was favored by the yōkai and protected the balance. This was called the "Yōkai Expansion Project" and made Gensokyo a phantasmal world that automatically called out to the weakened ''yōkai'' of the outside world. Other things that disappear from the outside world, like extinct animals, lost tools, and architecture, appear in Gensokyo. Since Gensokyo was a plot of land in Japan that is separated by a barrier, it is Japan that is immediately outside of this barrier.
As a result of the seal, Gensokyo became inaccessible from the outside world, and similarly, those in Gensokyo were unable to leave. Gensokyo's existence could not be confirmed from the outside world, nor could the outside world be confirmed within Gensokyo. As a result, the isolated community developed its own civilization, separate from the outside world. Although separated by a barrier, it is a bordering world to its outside, as opposed to being in a parallel universe. There are no seas in Gensokyo, since it is landlocked. In Gensokyo, there are few humans, and various kinds of ''yōkai''. Some species include magicians, beasts, therianthropes, vampires, ''bōrei'', tengu
are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion (Shinto). They are considered a type of '' yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and ...
, mermaids, kappa
Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...
, and ''yōkai'' (a kind of miscellaneous group). There are others species that could be ''yōkai'' depending on definition, like fairies, spirits, ''yūrei
are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western model of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include , meaning ruined or depart ...
'', ''onryō
In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to "redress" the wron ...
'', poltergeists, hermits, oni
An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess ...
, and gods which are all portrayed in human female form.
In present Gensokyo, presented in all ''Touhou Project'' games since EoSD, magical and spiritual qualities prevail compared to the outside world where unscientific phenomena were dismissed as "superstition" around the time of the Meiji era
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
. The only known gateway from the outside world into Gensokyo is the Hakurei Shrine on the border of Gensokyo. The spell card rules were also established to keep up the relationship between humans and ''yōkai'' in a mock style, which was necessary for the preservation of the balance of Gensokyo. The "Great Hakurei Barrier," managed by past Hakurei ''miko
A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perfor ...
'', was constructed several decades before EoSD, which is described as a "barrier of common sense," and is thus a strong logical barrier that not even ''yōkai'' can pass through. The ''yōkai'' opposed its construction at first before understanding its usefulness.
In-game events
In Gensokyo, events called "incidents" occur once in a while. An incident is an event that affects all of Gensokyo and is of unknown cause at the time it occurs.[''Perfect Memento in Strict Sense'' pp. 112–116 "Hakurei Reimu."] ''Touhou Project'' mainly focuses on incidents that affects the entirety of Gensokyo in its stories, but there are also works like ''Mountain of Faith
is the tenth main game in the ''Touhou Project'', and the twelfth game overall. As with the other main ''Touhou'' games, ''Mountain of Faith'' is a Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters, vertically scrolling shoot 'em up game. ''Mountain of Faith'' was ...
'' that are centered on lesser-scale events.
Frequently, incidents are due to a ''yōkai'' whim or curiosity, and usually Reimu Hakurei would go to investigate it and find and chastise the perpetrator. While Reimu is usually the one to resolve incidents, there are cases where Marisa Kirisame and other characters would resolve them. When a major incident occurs, the spirits and fairies are affected by the incident and experience an increase in power for the duration incident.["Sangetsusei Part 2 Separate volume edition, volume 1, p. 129-143 "番外編 酒三杯にして……"]
Characters
With its focus on bishōjo
In Japanese popular culture, a , also romanized as ''bishojo'' or ''bishoujo'', is a cute girl character. ''Bishōjo'' characters appear ubiquitously in media including manga, anime, and computer games (especially in the ''bishojo'' game genre) ...
characters, the ''Touhou'' series possesses a large cast compared to other shooting games. While they are not developed nearly to the standards of a story-based game, many players love them. One example is Hong Meiling, affectionately called Chūgoku (China), the stage 3 boss of ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'', who won a popularity contest in Japan out of all ''Touhou'' characters. Among the vast array of characters, only six named characters are male. One (Genjii) is a turtle, one is a cat (Sokrates), two (Youki Konpaku and Myouren Hijiri) are only mentioned in passing, one (Rinnosuke Morichika) who is a merchant is only featured in the serialized novel, and the last (Unzan) is a cloud-like entity. There is also one before all these (Shingyoku), but this character has three forms of different genders, so this character may not exactly be male.
Though each game features a collection of different characters, the main protagonist of the series is always Reimu Hakurei
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
, joined by Marisa Kirisame
This is a list of the characters that belong to the ''Touhou Project'', a series of Bullet hell, ''danmaku'' and Fighting game, fighting video games by ZUN (video game developer), ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in ...
after the second game. Exceptions to this include ''Shoot the Bullet'' and ''Double Spoiler'' ( Aya Shameimaru is playable on both, and Hatate Himekaidou can become playable in ''Double Spoiler''), ''Fairy Wars
is a shoot 'em up game, and is the 12.8th official game in the Touhou Project by the dōjin circle Team Shanghai Alice. The game was released on August 14, 2010 at Comiket 78. The game is the sequel to the '' Touhou Sangetsusei'' manga series. T ...
'' (which has Cirno
This is a list of the characters that belong to the '' Touhou Project'', a series of ''danmaku'' and fighting video games by ZUN from Team Shanghai Alice. Most ''Touhou'' characters reside in a fictional realm called Gensokyo (, 'Land of Illusi ...
as the sole playable character), ''Impossible Spell Card'' and ''Gold Rush'' (where only Seija Kijin is playable), and ''Violet Detector'' (where only Sumireko Usami is playable).
Development
The ''Touhou Project'' is a one-man project by Jun'ya Ōta (usually under the pseudonym ZUN), who does all the graphics, music, and programming alone for the bullet hell games, with the exceptions of the portrait art in ''Fairy Wars,'' which was done by Makoto Hirasaka. The fighting games, ''Immaterial and Missing Power'', ''Scarlet Weather Rhapsody'', ''Touhou Hisōtensoku'', ''Hopeless Masquerade'', ''Urban Legend in Limbo'', and ''Antinomy of Common Flowers'', were dual efforts with Twilight Frontier
, known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese ''dojin'' game developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN), which include seven official games in the '' Touhou Project'' series.
Productions Games
Music C ...
, in which ZUN wrote the music and story, and Twilight Frontier created the art and gameplay.
ZUN's first interest in developing video games came during his high school years. While most shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs
) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...
games utilise a military or science fiction theme, ZUN wanted a game with a miko
A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perfor ...
main character, and a Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
aesthetic. ZUN was part of his school's orchestra club, and originally wanted to create music for video games. He went to college, hoping to compose music for fighting games, since they were popular at the time due to ''Street Fighter II
is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP Syst ...
''. As he did not know anybody else who was making games that he could put his music in, he made his own games for this purpose, which led to the first ''Touhou'' game, ''Highly Responsive to Prayers'', being released in 1996. The first game was originally intended as a practice in programming. ''Touhou'' only became a shooting game series from the second game onwards, because the popularity of shooting games had revived due to ''RayForce
is a vertically scrolling shooter by Taito for the Taito F3 arcade hardware and released in 1994. It was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1995, Microsoft Windows in 1997, then rereleased for iOS in 2012 and Android in 2017.
Due to trademark probl ...
'' and ZUN had long been a fan of such games. ZUN remarked how the general theme and direction of ''Touhou'' only started coming together in the sixth game, ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil''.
ZUN develops his games with Visual Studio
Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft. It is used to develop computer programs including web site, websites, web apps, web services and mobile apps. Visual Studio uses Microsoft software development platfor ...
, Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the indu ...
, and Cubase
Cubase is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Steinberg for music and MIDI recording, arranging and editing. The first version, which was originally only a MIDI sequencer and ran on the Atari ST computer, was released in 1989. Cut-dow ...
, according to his interview in ''Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red''.
Reception and fanworks
Many derivative work
In copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major copyrightable elements of an original, previously created first work (the underlying work). The derivative work becomes a second, separate work independent in fo ...
s based on ''Touhou'' have been created since the release of ''Embodiment of Scarlet Devil'', including dōjinshi
, also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created ...
, dōjin music (many of the songs had been made remixing the original games' music), dōjin anime, and dōjin games (even though the ''Touhou'' games themselves are dōjin games). The vast scope of ''Touhou Project'' derivatives prompted commentary, noting that ''Touhou Project'' became an unmissable aspect of Japanese consumer generated media
User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...
. These dōjin activities are mostly responsible for adding original attributes to characters that ZUN may not have intended. ZUN, for the most part, had acknowledged, appreciated, and even encouraged these derivative works by imposing very few restrictions on the use of his works. The major restrictions are on unauthorized commercial distribution (as opposed to dōjin) and the spoiling of endings; proper attribution to Team Shanghai Alice is a requirement. ZUN stated himself that he did not want the ''Touhou Project'' game series to be officially commercialized.
The first publication of ''Touhou'' derivative doujinshi occurred during December 2003, following the release of ''Perfect Cherry Blossom''; seven circles
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...
sold ''Touhou'' derivative works at Comiket 65 in December 2003. At Comiket 74 in August 2008, a total of 885 circles had ''Touhou'' derivative works on display or for sale, out of a total of 35,000 circles participating at Comiket. At Comiket 77 (December 2009), 2,372 circles were dedicated to ''Touhou'', breaking the previous record held by ''The Prince of Tennis
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from July 1999 to March 2008, with its chapters collected in forty-two ''tankōbon'' volumes. ...
'' at Comiket 66 (August 2004), which had 2,130 circles. At Comiket 85 (December 2013), ''Touhou'' was still in the lead, with 2,272 participating circles selling ''Touhou'' derivatives, compared to ''Kuroko's Basketball
is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2008 to September 2014, with its chapters collected in 30 ' ...
'', the second most popular franchise at that year's Comiket, which had 1,462 circles. Throughout the mid 2010s, ''Touhou'' popularity at Comiket began to diminish. From 2015-2017, ''Kantai Collection
, abbreviated as , is a Japanese free-to-play web browser game developed by Kadokawa Games and published by DMM.com.
The central theme of the game is the representation of World War II warships Moe anthropomorphism, personified as teenage girls ...
'' was consistently the most popular series at Comiket. By 2019, ''Touhou'' was the fourth most popular series at Comiket, with less than half the circles at Comiket than the ''Fate'' series.
The dōjin games based on ''Touhou'' include adaptations of other game series' mechanics with ''Touhou'' characters, such as '' Kōmajō Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony'' (a parody of the ''Castlevania
''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise about Dracula (Castlevania), Dracula, created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms, from early system ...
'' games with the title being a play on the Japanese game of the series, ''Akumajō Dracula''), ''Age of Ethanols'' (based on the '' Age of Empires'' series), and ''Touhou Puppet Dance Performance'' (based on the ''Pokémon
(an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise.
In terms of ...
'' games).
At Tokyo Game Show
, commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. ...
2014, ZUN announced a collaborative project with PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
bringing unofficial, fan-made ''Touhou Project'' dōjin games to the PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
(PS4) and PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
platforms. Yuyuko Saigyouji and Reimu Hakurei also made cameo character appearances in Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
's game '' Lord of Vermilion Re:2''.
The music of ''Touhou'' has been a particular source of interest, and many arrangement CDs are sold at Comiket and other Japanese conventions. Among the most popular derivatives are the series of Flash
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Fictional aliases
* Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed:
** Flash (Barry Allen)
** Flash (Jay Garrick)
** Wally West, the first Kid ...
music videos created by the dōjin music
, also called in Japan, is a sub-category of ''doujin'' activity. ''Doujin'' are non-official self-published Japanese works which can be based on official products or completely original creations. Such products are sold online on specialized ...
circle IOSYS
is a Japanese musical ensemble and dōjin circle from Sapporo, Japan. The group is primarily known for producing remixes of music from the Touhou Project series of dōjin game, ''dōjin'' games. They are not signed to a label, instead preferring ...
, which are often shared on otaku internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...
s and Nico Nico Douga. One such song, ''Marisa Stole the Precious Thing'', was parodied in derivative anime music videos
An anime music video (AMV) is a fan-made music video consisting of clips from one or more Japanese animated shows or movies set to an audio track, often songs or promotional trailer audio. The term is generally specific to Japanese anime, howeve ...
. ''Marisa Stole the Precious Thing'', alongside ''Cirno's Perfect Math Class'', ''Night of Nights'', and ''Bad Apple'' were included in the dōjin game ''Touhou Spell Bubble.'' Toby Fox
Robert F. Fox (born October 11, 1991), known professionally as Toby Fox (previously Toby "Radiation" Fox), is an American video game developer and video game composer. He is known for developing the role-playing video games ''Undertale'' and ...
, the creator of ''Undertale
''Undertale'' is a 2015 2D role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical ...
'', cited ''Touhou'' as one of his musical influences.
Several fanmade anime have been made for ''Touhou''. Albeit created by amateur studios, the projects have sometimes included appearance by professional voice actors, such as Rie Tanaka
is a Japanese voice actress and singer who is currently affiliated with Office Anemone. Notable among her numerous roles in anime are Lacus Clyne in ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed'' and ''Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny'', Chi in '' Chobits'', Hi ...
. Dōjin anime of note include by the circle Manpuku Jinja in 2011, by the dōjin circle Maikaze, and ''Hifuu Club Activity Record ~ The Sealed Esoteric History'' () by the Chinese dōjin circle Kyoto Fantasy Troupe. A derivative anime from a commercial anime studio came in the form of by Ufotable
is a Japanese animation studio founded in October 2000 by former staff of the TMS Entertainment subsidiary Telecom Animation Film and located in Suginami, Tokyo. A unique hallmark seen in many of their works ('' Ninja Nonsense'', ''Futakoi Altern ...
to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Japanese goods chain Animate
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...
as a promotional video for the store combining ''Touhou'' with Animate's mascot, Meito Anizawa.
The ''Touhou Project'' was nominated for the 11th annual Media Arts Awards held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs
The is a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was set up in 1968 to promote Japanese arts and culture.
The agency's budget for FY 2018 rose to ¥107.7 billion.
Overview
The ag ...
, under the Entertainment category, where ''Touhou Project'' eventually lost to Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
's ''Wii Sports
''Wii Sports'' is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The 1.0 (pre-release) version of the game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and the ...
'' for the Grand Prize award. The series was inducted into the Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
in October 2010 as the "most prolific fan-made shooter series".
Internet memes
A major Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
based on ''Touhou'' is , which centers around the disembodied, deformed heads of ''Touhou'' characters, often referred to as "yukkuris". This meme originated from a disfigured attempt to draw the main characters Reimu and Marisa with Shift JIS art
Shift_JIS art is artwork created from characters in the Shift JIS character set, a superset of the ASCII encoding standard intended for Japanese usage. Shift_JIS art has become popular on web-based bulletin boards, notably 2channel, and has e ...
. Yukkuris became so popular that the phrase "Yukkuri shite itte ne!!!" won bronze for 2008's "Net Slang of the Year" in Japan. Yukkuris also appear in Internet advertisements, the anime ''Natsu no Arashi!
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Jin Kobayashi. The manga was serialized in Square Enix's ''Gangan Wing'' ''shōnen manga'' magazine from August 2006 to September 2010, with its chapters collected in eight bound volumes. ''Nat ...
'' and ''Pani Poni Dash!
, also known by the title of its anime adaptation, , is a Japanese manga series by Hekiru Hikawa that uses parody, frequently referencing Japanese and American pop-culture in many ways. It features several first year students and their teach ...
'', and most notably, the front page of 2channel, one of the most visited Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
websites.
Reitaisai
The is the largest of the many dōjin conventions hosting only ''Touhou'' content. Although the coordinator of this convention has nothing to do with Team Shanghai Alice officially, the name "Hakurei Shrine Reitaisai" was given by ZUN himself. It first started in 2004 as a way for Team Shanghai Alice to publicly distribute the trial version for their upcoming games, ''Imperishable Night
is a 2004 vertical bullet hell scrolling shoot 'em up developed by Team Shanghai Alice. It is the eighth game in the '' Touhou Project'' series, and the third main ''Touhou'' game to be released specifically for the Windows operating system.
' ...
'' and '' Immaterial and Missing Power''. In addition, the 2004 Reitaisai featured a total of 114 participating circles. Since then, many ''Touhou'' derivative works are gathered and sold there. Commencing every year in April or May, the convention has been hosted in Ōta, Tokyo
is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is often called Ōta City.
, the ward has an estimated population of 716,413, with 379,199 households and a population density of 12,048.65 per ...
, in 2004; Naka-ku, Yokohama
is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563 and a population density of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km².
Geography
Naka Ward ...
, in 2005; Sunshine City, Tokyo, in 2006 and 2007; and the Tokyo Big Sight
, officially known as , is a convention and exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan, and the largest one in the country. Opened in April 1996, the center is located in the Ariake Minami district of on the Tokyo Bay waterfront. Its most iconic feature ...
from 2008 onwards. In 2010 Reitaisai SP, an additional Reitaisai to be held every autumn due to increasing popularity, was started, but it was cancelled after 2011, and later brought back and rebranded as Autumn Reitaisai from 2014 onwards. The 2011 Reitaisai was originally cancelled due to safety concerns after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
, and the release of ''Ten Desires
is the thirteenth main game of the ''Touhou Project'' dōjin scrolling shooter series made by Team Shanghai Alice.
Gameplay
''Ten Desires'' retains the same core gameplay mechanics of the rest of the ''Touhou'' games, in which the player will ...
'' was also postponed. It was later rescheduled and held on May 8, 2011, with approximately 4,940 participating circles. In addition to events in Japan, there is another Reitaisai held in Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
that started in 2015. The 17th Reitaisai in 2020, which was originally going to run on March 22 before being postponed to May 17, was ultimately cancelled due to safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, making it the first Reitaisai to be cancelled.
Explanatory notes
References
External links
Official news portal
Team Shanghai Alice
the official website of the group
Twilight Frontier
creators of ''Immaterial and Missing Power'', ''Scarlet Weather Rhapsody'' and ''Touhou Hisoutensoku''
Touhou Wiki
a multilingual unofficial fan wiki
A wiki ( ) is an online hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience, using a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages for the subjects or scope of the project, and could be either open to the pu ...
on the ''Touhou Project'', includes both encyclopedia articles and dōjin creations
{{Touhou Project
2006 manga
2007 manga
Doujin video games
Bullet hell video games by series
Shoot 'em ups by series
Indie video games
Internet memes
Japan-exclusive video games
NEC PC-9801 games
NEC PC-9801-only games
Scrolling shooters
Seinen manga
Shōnen manga
Video games about shapeshifting
Video games about size change
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games developed in Japan
Video game franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1997
Windows games
Yōkai in popular culture