When she tries too hard, she fails. This even describes how her 'get rich quick' schemes fail... but she somehow gets by on a diet of mostly tea and rice. And in some interpretations, her only problem is what she frets over the most; visitation and donations at the shrine. It's kinda crazy how omnipresent in her life this would be if this were all tied to this. It would be a force of Nature, indeed.
Yukari has stated that she together with Reimu and Yuyuko would be no match for Eiki Shiki. Who's main ability is establishing Good and Evil. Reimu is by no means infallable and omnipotent. In Wild and Horned Hermit she was incapable of escaping Hell, instead bringing her own physical body to her spirit. She also wasn't entirely serious against Kasen at the beginning of her fight, yet Kasen was still dominating Reimu in battle. Reimu also didn't exactly seem serious about destroying Kasens arm, yet was unable to do so. As transcendent as Reimus abilities seem, there are limits, just like how Yukari's abilities seem to make her unbeatable, she does acknowledge Lunarians as superior to her. Yukari having waged war against Lunarians and lost.
@@whitefox3189But in the end, no matter what you do, no matter how many small battles you won, Reimu will still stand on the top and win the great scale of war
For me not even plot armor look like Defy logic example her Luck being positive happy nature not being full serious in fight increase her luck, her being serious is negative effect for her make her lose, Some time in Manga or Novel or Game she being beat by Marisa or Other, Anime Reimu able win there Marisa or friends support her that why she able win because she having fun and not think about win or lose.
Medaka: *hold my box* fr tho, medaka's whole schtick is, whatever you can do, she can do better. Goku can fire kamehameha? Well she can fire a stronger one. But tbh tho when two characters with reality altering abilites clash it's just a paradox on who will win
This is absolutely crazy, yet makes so much sense. Reimu isn't just floating in the air, she's floating on the surface of reality. The less she agitates her natural buoyancy over the dimension of Gensokyo, the calmer reality would be, like a gentle surface of water. Reimu being serious at something is akin to someone thrashing around on water surface, which ironically would only make them sink more instead. And when Reimu sinks into reality, that's where her nature to "float" is disturbed, and thus becoming one with the full force of reality once more.
I was also in this floating state when I was 12 years old, playing a game called Spider-Man where you had to stop an aeroplane in a warehouse to save someone. Which I remembered now when the topic was brought up in the video. I felt such a similar state of complete calm, I felt like I was floating and completed the mission on my first try without ever having played the game, I just watched my brother try five times.
I feel "Faith" is the word - walking with your right foot knowing that the left would follow without fail without even thinking - that is her faith in how things will always become right in gensokyo in the end.
Reimu has one of the most interesting and coolest powers in fiction I've ever seen. I know liking a character just because they have a cool superpower is shallow, but I think I really works in Reimu's favor. It is reflective of her of desire for fantastical paradise in where people can disregard their smallest opposition toward another and just enjoy the simplicity of life. You are the first in this space to bring this to the forefront of Reimu's character. Very cool analysis.
I think it's a cool power specifically because of how it's utilized in both a story fashion, and in a meta sense. The funny thing is, I can still do an entire video about Reimu as a character and talk about so much more. An old thought in the community was that all the characters are shallow and have no personality. I want to eventually just, completely shatter that with a single video.
Power or lack of power is an extension of character and is intrinsically linked. Was it something they obtained through effort or through birth? How did that power shape their upbringing? How do they themselves and others perceive/treat them because of that power? How do they use that power? How do they use that power compared to other characters with similar powers? What do they use their powers for?
@@mightza3781 "Was it something they obtained through effort or through birth?" As an aside, this question here is a big deal of why Reimu and Marisa work so well as foils to each other. They're nature and nurture, almost personified. Much of Reimu's power was talked about here, how it's something she was born with and that works best the less conscious thought she puts into it. Marisa has no powers to speak of. Learning magic is trivial in Gensokyo, even a school teacher can do it. Yet that was Marisa's path to power. She is a completely mundane human with no innate supernatural abilities to speak of. In a world where magic is as trivial as it is in Gensokyo, she is the goddamn Batman. Yet she still has achived much. And all of those achievements were reached through her blood, sweat and tears. Through countless hours of focused study, practice and experimentation. More than any other character, Marisa earned everything she has. She is the anti-Reimu.
the best explanation of her powers I've seen. I do like that her ability is basically the same as the sort of flow state you can get in when playing the game whereas the moment you start getting tight and start sweating the situation, you lose haha On a side note, the drawings were cool. edit: upon actually reading the comments, turns out that I'm not the first to point out the connection to the player exp which is funny. makes me wonder if that aspect of her ability was a happy coincidence or not since it seems like it was a last minute addition to her character.
I was also in this floating state when I was 12 years old, playing a game called Spider-Man where you had to stop an aeroplane in a warehouse to save someone. Which I remembered now when the topic was brought up in the video. I felt such a similar state of complete calm, I felt like I was floating and completed the mission on my first try without ever having played the game, I just watched my brother try five times.
@@GensouChronicle I was also in this floating state when I was 12 years old, playing a game called Spider-Man where you had to stop an aeroplane in a warehouse to save someone. Which I remembered now when the topic was brought up in the video. I felt such a similar state of complete calm, I felt like I was floating and completed the mission on my first try without ever having played the game, I just watched my brother try five times.
Something I find interesting is that in Dolls in Pseudo Paradise, there is a shrine maiden that was also described as very distant, and was seen blending with the rain as it falls and disappearing. I wonder, is this a power all Hakurei shrine maidens have?
I always presumed the shrine maiden was Reimu tbh. Apart from the design change (which makes sense, Reimu's design wasn't standard at the time) there doesn't seem to be anything that really suggests it's not Reimu and in one of the stories, it really sounds like Reimu.
@@okuu5091 I believe it isn't because the design change is very different. I doubt ZUN would portray Reimu with such a different look even if it wasn't standard at the time. Besides, DiPP also took place a long time in the past, and Reimu hasn't been around for that long. Unless you also believe in the theory Reimu might be the Hakurei god or the theory that Reimu reincarnates ig
@@internetlurker1850 There's not much to suggest that it's set in the past, apart from the presence of opium, which admittedly can't be as easily explained by being Gensokyo as usual due to the implied familiarity, but then again, opium was never a popular thing in Japan. It's entirely possible Gensokyo just has its own supply of opium. I honestly don't think the shrine maiden looks very different from Reimu, it's not like she didn't wear a similar hat in the PCB ending. She's just too similar to Reimu, personality wise.
@@okuu5091But her clothing's (slightly, sure, but they're both shrine maidens so whatever) different, hair is different, hat is different, I just do not see that being Reimu. Also what do you mean by " it's not like she didn't wear a similar hat in the PCB ending", which PCB ending so I can look it up, because I don't remember seeing that. And it's also at least pre-EoSD, since there seems to be no presence of spellcard rules.
I'm so happy that someone else is discussing this aspect of Reimu. I realized the nature of this ability when researching her, and since then I've been obsessed with the idea that she secretly has one of the most subtly overpowered abilities in the whole series.
When you said "ability to float", my mind was instantly led to think of some kind of control over the body's density, as the physical property of floating can be taken as a relationship between the density of the body and the density of the environment in which it is immersed (either in water or air). But the idea of Reimu having the ability to just "go with the flow" and get better results makes a lot more sense to me, not always the amount of effort put into something will generate the same amount of result. Sometimes when I put a lot of effort into my work I end up frustrated with the results obtained, once frustrated regardless of the time or effort I dedicate, I always get unsatisfactory results, at these times, the ability to relax and simply enter your own world is really amazing.
Aya also has a probably-relevant comment on Reimu's last spell in Double Spoiler, stating that Reimu doesn't seem to realize she's teleporting. Her teleporting abilities don't really get spoken of, they're mostly just shown, be it in her other IN spells or (pretty consistently) in the fighting games. Aya seems to speak of it like it's a part of musou tensei as described, though.
So, what I am interpreting, is that ZUN made Reimu’s plot armor an in-universe mechanic that can be perceived and analyzed just because he felt like it
This ability seems to be in-line with her TH13 parallel ending where seija posits that Reimu’s ability’s are based in Taoism and not actually Shinto. Through that lens, it makes sense that Reimu seems to have sage-like levels of mastery in things like combat where she simply “goes with the flow”, which is to say, “goes with the Tao”
I remember someone long ago (don't remember when, where, or by who) saying something about reimu's power like this (I can only write what I remember) : "In my opinion, reimu is someone that seem to have ascended. Her ascencion puts her up there with gods, celestials and buddhas of our own mythology or even higher than them. It's as if the universe, multiverse, and even mathemathical dimensions will bow down and voluntarily bends to her will or give her an end or result that would make her happy. As if they suddenly becoming sentient just so they can bring happiness to her in their own way."
Really interesting video! I knew about her innate ability to “go with the flow” (which is basically the goal of Daoism, which might explain why she has Yin-Yang Orbs), but I didn’t realize she might unconsciously be warping every incident to have a peaceful resolution! Really adds a whole new perspective.
Interesting take on Reimu’s ability. I’ve always interpreted it as “the ability to not be bound by logic” or just “the ability to negate/defy.” It neatly ties together all her “supernatural” abilities we’ve seen in the canon: float/defy gravity, easily negate any seal, teleport (negate the continuity of space), and of course her fantasy nature (negate the opponent’s chance of winning). Though it’s interesting that all of these abilities seems to only work when she’s doing them subconsciously. Maybe the moment she starts to think about the logic of these thing, her ability no longer works.
I love how method you are, going the whole extra mile and properly translating from the Japanese and always qualifying what's fact and what's speculative. Top-notch content bro, it feels like I'm watching a mythical history video or something!
Thank you very much! I want to avoid putting any of my opinions or interpretations forth as hard facts. I want my video content to be regarded as a genuinely trustworthy source for learning the lore.
I have a feeling you won't read a comment on an old video, but I have always loved how her ability seems to be in line with the concept of Dao. It's like she is attuned to a path of least resistance. She does not need to think about winning a battle, much in the same way that a river does not need to try to flow, or a tree does not need to try to grow (iirc, these are the exact examples given in the tao te ching?). It is effortless movement. Truly an amazing ability.
A lot of people have pointed out that this lines up with Wu Wei (nonaction). I believe there was a character in the manga that actually says she's a lot like a Taoist.
Y'know, this is God-send of a video for me. Firstly, Reimu's my favorite character and getting more insight into her is a good thing. Secondly, I'm planning on writing a doujin work that delves heavily into Reimu herself (specifically through the lens of the work's main character) and getting more insight into how her ability works and how it would affect the way she views things or acts is invaluable. As an aside, I feel that ZUN is referencing Hokuto no Ken with this ability, at least to an extent, given that Kenshiro also has an ability that allows him to become intangible and flow through a fight. Also, that ability is named Musou Tensei, though I believe it utilizes different kanji and it translates different. And with my little diatribe done, you've earned yourself a subscriber, my man. Keep up the great content!
So, first off, glad to hear you enjoyed it. Second off, it is 100% intended as a Hokuto no Ken reference and your description of their similarities and differences are spot on. Honestly, I probably should have added that bit of knowledge to the video, but it slipped my mind.
An illusion or perceptual manipulation that makes Reimu see something “ideal” as something that’s actually bad, like her friends dying, could circumvent this ability.
Great video. I can't believe I've been a fan of Touhou for more than 10 years and I've missed this much about Reimu's powers. I wish we could get some more in depth details to her past and the Hakurei Maidens as a whole, but I dunno if getting too much into the past is something the main series would do now, even though ZUN did drop some more lore relevant characters like Okina being a sage and Misumaru being the creator of the Yin Yang Orbs... we'll just have to wait and see
You know, from when the era of Touhou memes were so wide-spread it made new western fans, I've always been curious about this as making my own theories with what translation were available. Just before or after Touhou 11, I think Thcrap became more of a godsend in continuously updated translation. The ambiguity leaves alot to fill. I remembering so many good Doujinshi, some dark, others nonchalant on their takes of the world function. Reimu in this sense reminds me of Haruhi Suzumiya with less drawback after seeing this, kinda. The fact she can't always wins is really something enjoyable, especially since Flandre finally got to shine or even some events that cannot be stopped like POFV. The fact the moment Reimu becomes doubtful or ultra serious is such a nice take on an "OP" character. Kind of like anxiety made into a law of magic that actively goes against her.
She sure as hell "floated" away from Yuugi feet in latest whale manga. And i would assume that Reimu invincibility, like many other abilities is greatly blown out of proportion, especially after what we saw in Kasens bone-zone.
I think the ability to "float" is better construed in English as the ability to "transcend reality". Although transcending something can imply no longer being part of it, I think it still fits better even if she is still partially grounded in reality when this ability is active.
I really like how her ability mimics how I play the games. For some reason ZUN seems to have a much deeper understanding of the genre than I do. I should make 8 SHMUPs and see if I understand the genre that well after that.
The way I interpret it is that Reimu "Floats" by moving herself out of reality or moving her concept but still maintains her visual form so giving off the idea of Floating kind of like how clouds work it's there but you can't reach it but it can drop rain on you and the only way to reach it is to do roughly the same thing as Reimu did. That's why if Reimu flies at certain altitude she wouldn't have any contrails
Touhou abilities are always beyond crazy and I just love how the reason it's able to get away with that stuff is because ZUN was gigabrained to make an MC like Reimu
Love this analysis, I never knew about this power of Reimu's. Musou Tensei is an interesting topic and I never knew about it until you made a video about it! Probably gonna dive more into it on my own, I always love learning about Touhou lore both in-game and in real life.
Glad to hear that you're planning to do your own dive into a new part of the lore. That's part of why I made this channel. To encourage people to look at the series in ways they might not have initially.
No it's more of, if Reimu is lazy enough she will just avoid fighting Goku, or even she loses it won't have any long-term effects (which should be general for any fight against Goku). But it just makes me wonder to what length would Reimu's ability go, is it an absolute rule that can't be countered in any ways possible (which would just be a case for No Limits Fallacy), or it has a limit to it, so that it cannot work against someone way too stronger than her.
Thank the youtube algorithm for showing me your content, idk how i woulda found it otherwise. But i enjoy your work a ton, its the side of the touhou fandom that i want to be a part of
TH-cam has gotten pretty good at recommending content to people outside of subscribers over the years. There's a few things I have a problem with it, but it's come a long way.
this makes even more sense because taoism is partly based on "going with the flow". when reimu tries to put in effort, she fails. when reimu "goes with the flow" and doesnt put any "resistance", she wins easily. and reimu is quite literally a shrine maiden (shintoism which is derived from taoism iirc) and uses yinyang balls as her weapons (an extremely prominent taoism symbol)
(I dont know *anything* about touhou lore and just play the games) could 7:42 and the description of "semi-transparent state" along with "looks like she was made of air" also be linked to why she has a smaller hitbox in certain games?
wow this was super cool, i really only got into touhou recently by playing 6-8 and just wondered how strong Reimu really was and ended up here, I never expected to find something genuinely beautiful
@@jerrythemike3584 The squirrels shouldn't be an issue as long as Reimu isn't trying to dodge them. The moment Squirrel Girl gets Reimu's attention is when she strikes.
Really neat interpretation! Although in my eyes, I believe there's something a bit more deliberate about Reimu's ability. I always headcanon'd her fantasy nature as Reimu making herself a "gensokyo". She becomes a fantasy to the reality of those around her...making her intangible. I only have that theory since the Hakurei Shrine plays such an important role on the existence of Gensokyo to begin with. I feel Reimu has more agency in her ability than your headcanon implies.
So, a couple of things- I don't think some of what you're saying is necessarily incompatible with what I'm saying, but I'd like to clarify some things. I would first have to say that I don't really consider a lot of what I'm presenting to be 'headcanon' in this case. Now, of course, the last bits where I'm doing a meta-analysis on ZUN's intention of her power going as far as making everything have a happy ending is 100% on my end. But that's not so much lore related and more looking at authorial intent. Everything prior to that can be regarded as canon given the examples laid out. Now that being said- her becoming a "Gensokyo" so to speak is probable in the sense she could be creating her own world. A "fantasy within a fantasy" so to speak. As for the agency bit, there are certainly instances of her activating her ability consciously. I'm not denying that. However, we have very clear instances of it activating unconsciously both shown in this video, and a couple instances people have mentioned in the comments that I left out because of redundancy.
@@GensouChronicle Kinda makes me wonder if the unconscious uses of her ability could have something to do with the shrine. We still don't have a clear answer on what the Hakurei shrine actually does. Like maybe Gensokyo itself doesn't allow Reimu to lose. There's a lot to speculate here haha.
@@Tribow It's definitely possible, yeah. One of the biggest mysteries is the details regarding the shrine and its god. And for sure, a LOT to speculate over.
Despite this I still don't understand her fight in Silent Sinner in Blue. I always chalk it up as Reimu only doing it halfheartedly. Really good work on this sir!
"Shapes the world" - that's why I love Concealed the Conclusion. It is not canon, especially due to its topic, but it reflects the whole picture so well, that even though it was released in 2007, all next official works never contradicted with its story.
It draws very well off the canon. Part of why it's still so accurate is because a lot of these sources that establish Reimu's powers were from before 2007.
1. Reimu's ability is basically floating in and out of reality, which honestly reminds me of the flow state you achieve either doing some deep task for long enough or playing video games with just the right amount of concentration. Doesn't really have much to do there with literal flight. 2. In my headcanon, Innate Dreams aren't even related to Fantasy Nature. Instead, they're hidden ultimate techniques/forms that make the user even better than they would be otherwise, but could leave them sore at best or metaphysically break them at worst.
If she has that kind of power, it's one more reason for Yukari to exploi- I mean, care after her. Powerful tool, if difficult to use. But Yukari-sama never makes mistakes, right?
_Taking it easy~_ is the best way to get better at the games imo. I also find that im better at the games when i don't focus on them while i play lol. This is like Reimu's abillity irl. I think im onto something.
Ya me sabía eso. Reimu tiene un Omnilock, y aun así fue derrotada por Yorihime (hasta ZUN dijo en una entrevista que Yorihime solo saldría en mangas, porque en los juegos esta demasiado fuerte como para ser vencida por Reimu y Marisa)
I've never actually gotten around to playing it. I've always just seen some people in my peripheral group of associates mention varying things about it. How do they handle it, if I may ask?
@@GensouChronicle Before she uses it for the first time, Yukari hints that she knows that there is more to Reimu 'ability to float' and that the gear she gives her that stage is meant to seal that ability. Reimu first uses her true power during the end of the SSiB retelling in the third game. The Lunar Escape scenerio is definitely different than canon, since without Eiren giving Yorihime the gameplan like in SSiB, Yorihime treated it like an actual invasion and didn't play around like in canon SSiB. While your team hold out for a while, the lunar forces start becoming too much. "If I get beaten and captured here, I'll lose my job as the Hakurei shrine maiden. That's why I can't lose!" Without much hope of getting back otherwise, she finally uses her powers and begins taking down most of moon rabbits quickly and manages to at least stun Yorihime. Marisa steps in to stop Reimu (given how the other characters were reacting), barely able to reach Reimu in her trance (maybe not an entirely accurate) The story part resolves, but when Reimu returns to ship, there is a noticeable change with how some are treating her, mainly the younger members who got away from Reimu ASAP. "That technique Reimu used back there was just too powerful. They were so taken aback that they're feeling awkward around her......To be frank, it was so one-sided that it felt hard to approach you." With such a powerful technique at her at the Hakurei Shrine maiden's disposal, (an unnamed one complete separate from danmaku battles), how could any battles against her remain balanced? "..It's a complicated issue. Too much strength gives rise to distance. I hope this doesn't have an effect on her job, but... You have a point. The duty of a shrine maiden is to form equal relationships through danmaku battles, and use that to preserve harmony between humans and youkai. If the shrine maiden strays from the rules of danmaku like she did today, all those relationships would crumble. She never made it public until now, but that must have been Reimu's original power. Maybe Yukari made her that new equipment out of fear of something like this happening. The path of a shrine maiden requires her to not overflow with excessive power..." Of course, Marisa had the most straightforward, practical solution: " I thought about it for a bit, and I think you should give it a name. Turn it into a spellcard. That way, you can keep having matches with people like before." Marisa decides on a name before Reimu can interject. Sadly, the next part is untranslated, but it's easy enough to guess. Upon returning to Earth, it seems like Marisa sets up a small danmanku match between the kids and Reimu in from of the rest of the cast who didn't go on the SSiB trip. This is more of a demonstration that Reimu hasn't become some permanently untouchable being now that she's chained her ability to a Spell Card. Naturally Yukari and Ran are agitated when they realize what Reimu is using, but Marisa gets them to wait and see. Whether you actually beat Reimu or just time it out, it seems to convince Yukari that Reimu is still fit to carry out her duty. While that is the main arc, Yorihime and Reimu do have a good moment near the end of the game calling back to this: "Y: Back in the sea of stars your friend stopped you, but you must be aware of its dangers. But even so, you bound it in the chains of a name and still use it, even today. And I'm sure you're prepared to release it from those chains in an emergency. R: ...You're right. I know that if I misuse it, I'll end up all alone. But there's no need to worry. Y: What do you mean? R: That technique, 'Fantasy Nature', wasn't named by me, but by someone else. Thanks to that, I know that I'll never be isolated. That I'll be fine as I am. That no matter what, there's a line I'll never cross. Y: So you can keep being you...I see. So they aren't chains to bind your power, but a barrier you've created. That's an interesting way of thinking. That just by having a name, a thing has a place in the world. R: I think that's just what a spellcard is. A danmaku barrier we all construct, piece by piece. That's how even your divine invocations can be the same as a fairy's danmaku. Weak or strong, they're all just as important."
@@GensouChronicle I guess the links I posted didn't work. RIP. I posted the links to the translation LP chapters coverd, but oh well. I was also going to include a link to a writeup Clarste did of this that I remembered near the end. Definitely more focused than mine, with a bit more focus on how it relates Remu's character. Sadly, can't link it but maybe google will pull it up with a quote? "Anyway, the theme of Reimu’s character arc is distance and power. She feels a little disconnected from the rest of the world and the other characters, both by her role as the shrine maiden and because of her untouchable nature, and she’s maybe a little lonely because of that. Not that she’d ever show it. Personality-wise, she’s blunt and a little impatient. Her basic mode of interaction with the bosses is “I don’t care about your life story, because I’m going to stop you either way.” As in canon, she’s motivated by a strong sense of duty more than anything else."
@@seki108 That's... really interesting. I know Clarste would write a lot about those games on tumblr but I never got around to playing myself. Maybe I'll give it a look one of these days.
Ever since my strange Touhou x Sonic + voice actors otaku phase (it's a long story) I often saw Reimu as a memetic parallel to Shadow the Hedgehog for the hell of it in my own lalaland...but aside from Musou Tensei being a funny hurr durr durr comparison to Chaos Blast.... Surprisingly, their tenacities especially (and/or their determination to confront things through) seem to be far more similar than what I would expect, and how they bounce off of others that tend to rub them the wrong way. Not helping in that Reimu in most memes is often portrayed as a dickhead, sometimes like how Shadow has been.
You know, kinda late on the commenting spree but I figure you still read these actively. I had some thought about this, and in my opinion her ability to "float" could possibly be attributed to her being lonely and "distant from others" as was put in a lot of the source material and by you. I feel Reimu has a heavy trope in a lot of fanworks (I'm not sure if it's canon, but I kinda have a memory of this) of her being a lonely person with the only real friend of her's being Marisa despite her position in Gensokyo as a whole. Especially considering the whole Hakurei Miko job detail kinda makes it so you have to be bit of a hermit, and the reputation of being a youkai exterminator especially wards off any relationships with lot of the humans of the village. I know this sort of stuff gets overlooked a lot but it's something quite interesting in my opinion as I personally have a interest in the psychologies of different characters and so this naturally came up to me. Not sure, main reason I comment it here is because you seem like a knowledgable fella and also have an seemingly equally big stomach for all sorts of Touhou lore so I was wondering your possible take on it.
I do in fact still read the comments. I get notifications for any and all comments on all my videos lol. I'm not sure I agree with her being 'lonely'. Marisa is likely the only person she considers a 'friend', I could see that being true. I think I would sooner call Reimu a natural 'loner' than a 'lonely' person. Basically, I would say it's more by choice on her part. Youkai are described as naturally being attracted to Reimu and as a result tend to hang around her shrine. The humans don't visit because of that, but they also don't necessarily dislike her for it. An example of this would be Kosuzu who thinks she's really cool (Even if, Kosuzu herself is a youkai-loving oddball). Basically, I would say that her loner tendency relates to her 'float' ability, sort of like you interpret. I would just say that it's less her being a lonely person, and more that she doesn't mind being solitary. Because, of course, she still enjoys having parties and such, but doesn't go out of her way to be friends with anyone.
@@GensouChronicle yeah, I do agree with what you said here. I mean if you do look at perfect momento in a strict sense for example she is social, and all the parties too yeah. I mean, there is a difference in my opinion to just hanging out a party and having friends, I think what I was meaning to more closely say was she doesn't have any proper friends besides Marisa, yknow the ones you do more than just hang around with. And yeah, I do believe she's an oddball herself considering she's solitary. I'd also imagine, something I forgot to mention in that post was more or less that fact of talking / socializing herself, especially if we run off with her solitary nature one could easily presume she doesn't talk to that much humans and well youkai she probably does talk to but why do I feel reimu is the silent host type who yeah you can talk to her but she keeps to herself at the party unless you force a whole liter of alcohol down her throat. I think what I was meaning to say she's not exactly social, and what in turn her floating ability does is screw her over if she actually does try socializing which in turn does lead to her being yknow more isolated and all that. Again, interesting stuff imo and I'd personally wanna see a sort of fanwork dive into this because it does make for a bit of a more mature theme to explore loneliness (especially considering how notable it is in our moden society) through Reimu of all characters. But yeah, basically agree with your points. Very cool to see you engage in comments still.
"a wonderful shrine maiden of paradise. She is one of the two main characters of the series. Her good points are her armpits. Her abilities include flight, utter invincibility invoked when she feels like it (Fantasy Heaven), killing everyone with her balls, and overpoweredness, that's because she can fly away from reality, hence making her utterly invulnerable, even against concept manipulators such as Yukari, in other words, if she decided to fight seriously, Reimu could go hand to hand with the C'tan, the Emperor and the Chaos Gods all together and win by default" - 1d4chan explanation of Reimu Hakurei
I think the reason Zun why he add Reimu ability to "float" because it design to protect Reimu and counter Yukari Yakumo Boundaries Manipulation power. We all know boundaries manipulation power is the most broken power in every fiction because it pure limitless possibilities and there no limit what Yukari can do or can't do.
The limit on Yukari is Yukari herself, the power may theoretically be infinite but her ability to use it is definitely not. For instance, she can't just go to the moon except with a specific ritual, and that gets disrupted by Toyohime.
@@LilyKazami If you really think Yukari surrendered to Luna sister just because she are stronger than Yukari? That's part you wrong about Yukari. She never has intention to fight Luna sistes to begin with. She be like "okay you win, i surrender happy now?" If you wanted to understand Yukari abilities and her power, you need understand her entire characteristic. Don't forget most her boundaries manipulation she shown in games are mostly under spell cards rules. You need understand her personality, her intelligence, and her master plan. The only thing limit her power is because she is a youkai. That the reason I can think of why she unable to open portal directly to Luna capital probably because that where moon god and goddess live. Her big master plan about second Luna invasion in Silent Sinner in Blue was actually just one big troll and her way to F you to Lunarians, Luna Sisters and Eirin. In Cage In Lunatic Runagate, Eirin the Luna Sage and former teacher of Luna Sisters. Yukari managed to make Eirin afraid and scare of the youkai and the fear of unknown. This mean, Eirin aware that Yukari can do more than what she already shown in second Luna invasion.
@@Yurimail Either way there's clearly some limits. On order to go to the moon alongside Ran, she needs a very specific ritual (as mentioned by Hieda) involving the reflection of the moon plus multiple gaps. On Scarlet Weather Rhapsody she can’t directly gap to Heaven and instead had to take multiple smaller trips up the youkai mountain. She can’t do anything about or/and against Saigyōu Ayakashi, the big bad killer yōkai tree, by her own P.O.V mental admission. And her power must take quite the toll on her, when you think of everything it might involve, might also be the reason she’s so knowledgeable about mathematics and computers and all these sorta semantics, so as to not cause an incident everytime she uses her powers and to use her powers correctly. Her power might be theoretically without a single limit, but Yukari has her own limits, because she doesn’t has infinite energy. If she had, though, she’d be invincible.
Do you think it would be possible for this ability to have any kind of believable weakness other than overconfidence or Spell Cardification? By which I mean something that could be exploited in a fight if her enemy knew about it, even if it's difficult to do so.
Funny how one of the few video game protagonist with a literal instant win ability has more canonical L's than most other protags. (No less than 48 going by the games as of TH19, and that's a MAJOR interpretive lowball, not counting any optional encounters in TH9 or any of her Perfect Possession experimentation in TH15.5)
When both the fanbase and ZUN himself forget her abillity to summon gods. Sad sad. Wow you were pretty active in the last couple of months. Time for me to dive in!
I need to mention that i had to do a double-take when i heard her ability is named "Musou Tensei", because as it turns out, there's another character with a similar-named ability! In the seinen manga "Hokuto No Ken" (Fist of the North Star), the protagonist Kenshiro eventually attains the 'Musou Tensei', an ability to render yourself completely intangible (Altho there it's translated as "Nil-Thought Rebirth" instead), and its said to be the most powerful technique of them all, only achievable by those who truly understand sadness. I wonder if Zun was inspired by that manga when writing Reimu's powers (it _did_ come first after all)
Yes, this is confirmed 100% intentional. It's mentioned on the wiki in several places. However, the kanji used are actually different! So it means something different from that ability even though they sound the same. The Japanese language has a lot of these cases where these double entendres can form.
@@GensouChronicle I actually didn't know about the wiki thing, HnK is just one of my favorite manga series ever since I read it almost a decade ago Good to see I wasn't alone in that supposition
in the fighting games, when she activates fantasy nature she has to hit the opponent a certain number of times and once she does she deals a very high amount of damage, probably another reference to Ken's fighting style
ZUN has gone on record saying that Hecatia is far stronger than anyone in either Gensokyo or the Lunar Capital. If she really wanted to, she could probably destroy Gensokyo. I allude to her here for the fact that despite fighting such a powerful person, there's nothing of that level at stake.
soooo, if i play as reimu at lunatic and not focusing on dodging the bullets, the bullet would not hit me? yeah i guess it is because the lore said so, sooo it's legit!!!
Good vid, but I think you overlooked the fact that in the ability description it says 宙に浮き, which clarifies that it does indeed mean floating in the air rather than any of the other senses of the word 浮く. Still interesting that it still works even when you use the liberal interpretation though.
Which ability description? Regardless, while it does include floating through the air, her ability to float does extend to influencing her surroundings, luck, and anything that might come to harm her.
Yes. There are several places this is mentioned, actually. The one I recall specifically though is the Volume 2 Strange Creators interview talking about the initial trilogy. That was in 2016, but there were earlier points where this was mentioned.
When she tries too hard, she fails. This even describes how her 'get rich quick' schemes fail... but she somehow gets by on a diet of mostly tea and rice. And in some interpretations, her only problem is what she frets over the most; visitation and donations at the shrine. It's kinda crazy how omnipresent in her life this would be if this were all tied to this. It would be a force of Nature, indeed.
Yeah, her get rich quick bit is another good example of this.
A fantasy nature if you will
Yukari has stated that she together with Reimu and Yuyuko would be no match for Eiki Shiki. Who's main ability is establishing Good and Evil.
Reimu is by no means infallable and omnipotent.
In Wild and Horned Hermit she was incapable of escaping Hell, instead bringing her own physical body to her spirit. She also wasn't entirely serious against Kasen at the beginning of her fight, yet Kasen was still dominating Reimu in battle. Reimu also didn't exactly seem serious about destroying Kasens arm, yet was unable to do so.
As transcendent as Reimus abilities seem, there are limits, just like how Yukari's abilities seem to make her unbeatable, she does acknowledge Lunarians as superior to her. Yukari having waged war against Lunarians and lost.
@@whitefox3189But in the end, no matter what you do, no matter how many small battles you won, Reimu will still stand on the top and win the great scale of war
@@whitefox3189 What do you mean she lost? Her natures summon Tenshi to aid her in battle.
She's basically still win in technicality.
Hakurei Reimu's ability is the most creative plot armor ive ever seen, change my mind.
It's fitting inside and out of the narrative. Very cool.
For me not even plot armor look like Defy logic example her Luck being positive happy nature not being full serious in fight increase her luck, her being serious is negative effect for her make her lose, Some time in Manga or Novel or Game she being beat by Marisa or Other, Anime Reimu able win there Marisa or friends support her that why she able win because she having fun and not think about win or lose.
Up there with bullshit like Naegi's Ultimate Luck and shit
Medaka: *hold my box*
fr tho, medaka's whole schtick is, whatever you can do, she can do better. Goku can fire kamehameha? Well she can fire a stronger one. But tbh tho when two characters with reality altering abilites clash it's just a paradox on who will win
@@littleswansplaygrownd6817 yep Medaka's ability is basicaly "i'll counter your bullsh*t attacks with MY bullsh*t attack"
This is absolutely crazy, yet makes so much sense. Reimu isn't just floating in the air, she's floating on the surface of reality. The less she agitates her natural buoyancy over the dimension of Gensokyo, the calmer reality would be, like a gentle surface of water. Reimu being serious at something is akin to someone thrashing around on water surface, which ironically would only make them sink more instead. And when Reimu sinks into reality, that's where her nature to "float" is disturbed, and thus becoming one with the full force of reality once more.
I was also in this floating state when I was 12 years old, playing a game called Spider-Man where you had to stop an aeroplane in a warehouse to save someone. Which I remembered now when the topic was brought up in the video. I felt such a similar state of complete calm, I felt like I was floating and completed the mission on my first try without ever having played the game, I just watched my brother try five times.
I feel "Faith" is the word - walking with your right foot knowing that the left would follow without fail without even thinking - that is her faith in how things will always become right in gensokyo in the end.
Ability: The power to bend the world towards her perception of reality
Drawback: Eternal poverty and annoying visitors
Drawback: Too lazy to care.
Drawback:you don't know you have it or why it is happening
Drawback: ...Unless you're trying
is that really a drawback?@@GensouChronicle
"Eternal poverty and annoying visitors" 💀💀💀💀
Reimu has one of the most interesting and coolest powers in fiction I've ever seen. I know liking a character just because they have a cool superpower is shallow, but I think I really works in Reimu's favor. It is reflective of her of desire for fantastical paradise in where people can disregard their smallest opposition toward another and just enjoy the simplicity of life. You are the first in this space to bring this to the forefront of Reimu's character. Very cool analysis.
I think it's a cool power specifically because of how it's utilized in both a story fashion, and in a meta sense. The funny thing is, I can still do an entire video about Reimu as a character and talk about so much more. An old thought in the community was that all the characters are shallow and have no personality. I want to eventually just, completely shatter that with a single video.
Power or lack of power is an extension of character and is intrinsically linked. Was it something they obtained through effort or through birth? How did that power shape their upbringing? How do they themselves and others perceive/treat them because of that power? How do they use that power? How do they use that power compared to other characters with similar powers? What do they use their powers for?
@@mightza3781 "Was it something they obtained through effort or through birth?"
As an aside, this question here is a big deal of why Reimu and Marisa work so well as foils to each other. They're nature and nurture, almost personified. Much of Reimu's power was talked about here, how it's something she was born with and that works best the less conscious thought she puts into it. Marisa has no powers to speak of. Learning magic is trivial in Gensokyo, even a school teacher can do it. Yet that was Marisa's path to power. She is a completely mundane human with no innate supernatural abilities to speak of. In a world where magic is as trivial as it is in Gensokyo, she is the goddamn Batman. Yet she still has achived much. And all of those achievements were reached through her blood, sweat and tears. Through countless hours of focused study, practice and experimentation. More than any other character, Marisa earned everything she has. She is the anti-Reimu.
the best explanation of her powers I've seen. I do like that her ability is basically the same as the sort of flow state you can get in when playing the game whereas the moment you start getting tight and start sweating the situation, you lose haha
On a side note, the drawings were cool.
edit: upon actually reading the comments, turns out that I'm not the first to point out the connection to the player exp which is funny. makes me wonder if that aspect of her ability was a happy coincidence or not since it seems like it was a last minute addition to her character.
Haha, yeah. I think it's completely plausible it was on purpose.
I was also in this floating state when I was 12 years old, playing a game called Spider-Man where you had to stop an aeroplane in a warehouse to save someone. Which I remembered now when the topic was brought up in the video. I felt such a similar state of complete calm, I felt like I was floating and completed the mission on my first try without ever having played the game, I just watched my brother try five times.
@@GensouChronicle I was also in this floating state when I was 12 years old, playing a game called Spider-Man where you had to stop an aeroplane in a warehouse to save someone. Which I remembered now when the topic was brought up in the video. I felt such a similar state of complete calm, I felt like I was floating and completed the mission on my first try without ever having played the game, I just watched my brother try five times.
If the ability makes her unable to lose how do you explain my 200+ fails in Subterranean animism using Reimu Ze?
You were trying too hard! Be like Reimu and don't think! Just hit the buttons!
Skill issue.
"AcKUaLlY tHE mOrE YoU tRy tHE MorE yOU sUcXeDSs 🤓🤓🤓"
You were putting in too much efforts bro
Just go with the flow
take it easyyyyy
Something I find interesting is that in Dolls in Pseudo Paradise, there is a shrine maiden that was also described as very distant, and was seen blending with the rain as it falls and disappearing. I wonder, is this a power all Hakurei shrine maidens have?
I believe that's very much a possibility.
I always presumed the shrine maiden was Reimu tbh. Apart from the design change (which makes sense, Reimu's design wasn't standard at the time) there doesn't seem to be anything that really suggests it's not Reimu and in one of the stories, it really sounds like Reimu.
@@okuu5091 I believe it isn't because the design change is very different. I doubt ZUN would portray Reimu with such a different look even if it wasn't standard at the time. Besides, DiPP also took place a long time in the past, and Reimu hasn't been around for that long. Unless you also believe in the theory Reimu might be the Hakurei god or the theory that Reimu reincarnates ig
@@internetlurker1850 There's not much to suggest that it's set in the past, apart from the presence of opium, which admittedly can't be as easily explained by being Gensokyo as usual due to the implied familiarity, but then again, opium was never a popular thing in Japan. It's entirely possible Gensokyo just has its own supply of opium. I honestly don't think the shrine maiden looks very different from Reimu, it's not like she didn't wear a similar hat in the PCB ending. She's just too similar to Reimu, personality wise.
@@okuu5091But her clothing's (slightly, sure, but they're both shrine maidens so whatever) different, hair is different, hat is different, I just do not see that being Reimu. Also what do you mean by " it's not like she didn't wear a similar hat in the PCB ending", which PCB ending so I can look it up, because I don't remember seeing that.
And it's also at least pre-EoSD, since there seems to be no presence of spellcard rules.
I'm so happy that someone else is discussing this aspect of Reimu. I realized the nature of this ability when researching her, and since then I've been obsessed with the idea that she secretly has one of the most subtly overpowered abilities in the whole series.
It falls a bit into her personality as well. I could do an entire video just talking about her character and personality.
When you said "ability to float", my mind was instantly led to think of some kind of control over the body's density, as the physical property of floating can be taken as a relationship between the density of the body and the density of the environment in which it is immersed (either in water or air). But the idea of Reimu having the ability to just "go with the flow" and get better results makes a lot more sense to me, not always the amount of effort put into something will generate the same amount of result. Sometimes when I put a lot of effort into my work I end up frustrated with the results obtained, once frustrated regardless of the time or effort I dedicate, I always get unsatisfactory results, at these times, the ability to relax and simply enter your own world is really amazing.
Well, this is why I like to think of G Free as an unofficial theme of Reimu's. G meaning Gravity. Free from anything holding her back.
Aya also has a probably-relevant comment on Reimu's last spell in Double Spoiler, stating that Reimu doesn't seem to realize she's teleporting.
Her teleporting abilities don't really get spoken of, they're mostly just shown, be it in her other IN spells or (pretty consistently) in the fighting games. Aya seems to speak of it like it's a part of musou tensei as described, though.
Thanks for pointing that out.
She can see borders and walk through them by instinct.
So, what I am interpreting, is that ZUN made Reimu’s plot armor an in-universe mechanic that can be perceived and analyzed just because he felt like it
I suppose you could look at it that way.
ZUN game reimu powerful plot armor
The most powerfulerest.
This ability seems to be in-line with her TH13 parallel ending where seija posits that Reimu’s ability’s are based in Taoism and not actually Shinto. Through that lens, it makes sense that Reimu seems to have sage-like levels of mastery in things like combat where she simply “goes with the flow”, which is to say, “goes with the Tao”
Yeah, a lot of people I have talked to have made the connection that a lot of what I present here is pretty much one-to-one Taoism.
I remember someone long ago (don't remember when, where, or by who) saying something about reimu's power like this (I can only write what I remember) :
"In my opinion, reimu is someone that seem to have ascended. Her ascencion puts her up there with gods, celestials and buddhas of our own mythology or even higher than them. It's as if the universe, multiverse, and even mathemathical dimensions will bow down and voluntarily bends to her will or give her an end or result that would make her happy. As if they suddenly becoming sentient just so they can bring happiness to her in their own way."
Really interesting video! I knew about her innate ability to “go with the flow” (which is basically the goal of Daoism, which might explain why she has Yin-Yang Orbs), but I didn’t realize she might unconsciously be warping every incident to have a peaceful resolution! Really adds a whole new perspective.
Yeah, this was a fun video to put together for sure.
Interesting take on Reimu’s ability. I’ve always interpreted it as “the ability to not be bound by logic” or just “the ability to negate/defy.”
It neatly ties together all her “supernatural” abilities we’ve seen in the canon: float/defy gravity, easily negate any seal, teleport (negate the continuity of space), and of course her fantasy nature (negate the opponent’s chance of winning).
Though it’s interesting that all of these abilities seems to only work when she’s doing them subconsciously. Maybe the moment she starts to think about the logic of these thing, her ability no longer works.
Yeah, that's sort of what it implies. The moment she becomes conscious of it, it stops. Sort of like how someone might start to manually breathe.
I love how method you are, going the whole extra mile and properly translating from the Japanese and always qualifying what's fact and what's speculative. Top-notch content bro, it feels like I'm watching a mythical history video or something!
Thank you very much! I want to avoid putting any of my opinions or interpretations forth as hard facts. I want my video content to be regarded as a genuinely trustworthy source for learning the lore.
I have a feeling you won't read a comment on an old video, but I have always loved how her ability seems to be in line with the concept of Dao. It's like she is attuned to a path of least resistance. She does not need to think about winning a battle, much in the same way that a river does not need to try to flow, or a tree does not need to try to grow (iirc, these are the exact examples given in the tao te ching?). It is effortless movement. Truly an amazing ability.
A lot of people have pointed out that this lines up with Wu Wei (nonaction). I believe there was a character in the manga that actually says she's a lot like a Taoist.
Y'know, this is God-send of a video for me. Firstly, Reimu's my favorite character and getting more insight into her is a good thing. Secondly, I'm planning on writing a doujin work that delves heavily into Reimu herself (specifically through the lens of the work's main character) and getting more insight into how her ability works and how it would affect the way she views things or acts is invaluable. As an aside, I feel that ZUN is referencing Hokuto no Ken with this ability, at least to an extent, given that Kenshiro also has an ability that allows him to become intangible and flow through a fight. Also, that ability is named Musou Tensei, though I believe it utilizes different kanji and it translates different.
And with my little diatribe done, you've earned yourself a subscriber, my man. Keep up the great content!
So, first off, glad to hear you enjoyed it. Second off, it is 100% intended as a Hokuto no Ken reference and your description of their similarities and differences are spot on. Honestly, I probably should have added that bit of knowledge to the video, but it slipped my mind.
An illusion or perceptual manipulation that makes Reimu see something “ideal” as something that’s actually bad, like her friends dying, could circumvent this ability.
Kenshiro 🤝 Reimu
Ultimate Technique being called “Musou Tensei”
Something worth mentioning also, Reimu's spell (as a player) in Touhou 9 PoFV is "Go With The Flow", the exact same definition as you've described.
Is that so? I'm having trouble locating it, since it doesn't seem to be listed under spell cards in the wiki.
I don't think it's the spell's name, just phrase that goes with the little banner than on spell activation
Great video. I can't believe I've been a fan of Touhou for more than 10 years and I've missed this much about Reimu's powers. I wish we could get some more in depth details to her past and the Hakurei Maidens as a whole, but I dunno if getting too much into the past is something the main series would do now, even though ZUN did drop some more lore relevant characters like Okina being a sage and Misumaru being the creator of the Yin Yang Orbs... we'll just have to wait and see
He seems to be more willing to answer certain questions about the lore with his newest works these days, so here's hoping.
You know, from when the era of Touhou memes were so wide-spread it made new western fans, I've always been curious about this as making my own theories with what translation were available. Just before or after Touhou 11, I think Thcrap became more of a godsend in continuously updated translation. The ambiguity leaves alot to fill. I remembering so many good Doujinshi, some dark, others nonchalant on their takes of the world function. Reimu in this sense reminds me of Haruhi Suzumiya with less drawback after seeing this, kinda. The fact she can't always wins is really something enjoyable, especially since Flandre finally got to shine or even some events that cannot be stopped like POFV. The fact the moment Reimu becomes doubtful or ultra serious is such a nice take on an "OP" character. Kind of like anxiety made into a law of magic that actively goes against her.
When not caring makes you win.
She sure as hell "floated" away from Yuugi feet in latest whale manga.
And i would assume that Reimu invincibility, like many other abilities is greatly blown out of proportion, especially after what we saw in Kasens bone-zone.
The ability to never loose
Right from the script.
I think the ability to "float" is better construed in English as the ability to "transcend reality". Although transcending something can imply no longer being part of it, I think it still fits better even if she is still partially grounded in reality when this ability is active.
Im not sure if it's her faith or will to have moments of effortless action, but there's something that does it all
I really like how her ability mimics how I play the games. For some reason ZUN seems to have a much deeper understanding of the genre than I do. I should make 8 SHMUPs and see if I understand the genre that well after that.
Yeah, I would hope after making the same genre game for 25 years he'd know a thing or two lol.
The way I interpret it is that Reimu "Floats" by moving herself out of reality or moving her concept but still maintains her visual form so giving off the idea of Floating kind of like how clouds work it's there but you can't reach it but it can drop rain on you and the only way to reach it is to do roughly the same thing as Reimu did. That's why if Reimu flies at certain altitude she wouldn't have any contrails
Touhou abilities are always beyond crazy and I just love how the reason it's able to get away with that stuff is because ZUN was gigabrained to make an MC like Reimu
Reimu's ability is the Taoist "free and easy wandering".
Reimu is for the shintoism. gods.
@@wotanvonedelsburg1610 This has nothing to do with Reimu's religious affiliation.
The power of hacker raymoo is not to be taken lightly
She has noclip enabled.
Love this analysis, I never knew about this power of Reimu's. Musou Tensei is an interesting topic and I never knew about it until you made a video about it! Probably gonna dive more into it on my own, I always love learning about Touhou lore both in-game and in real life.
Glad to hear that you're planning to do your own dive into a new part of the lore. That's part of why I made this channel. To encourage people to look at the series in ways they might not have initially.
Now that I think about it, this is exactly how Reimu was able to resolve the conflict of Touhou 19
So if Reimu feels lazy enough she can beat Goku. Got it.
No it's more of, if Reimu is lazy enough she will just avoid fighting Goku, or even she loses it won't have any long-term effects (which should be general for any fight against Goku). But it just makes me wonder to what length would Reimu's ability go, is it an absolute rule that can't be countered in any ways possible (which would just be a case for No Limits Fallacy), or it has a limit to it, so that it cannot work against someone way too stronger than her.
I didn't know there were so much lores on Fantasy Nature. And the multi-interpretation of kanji characters never ceases to amaze.
Yep. Kanji are scary, but have a lot of really cool meaning behind them.
@@GensouChronicle Oh wait, I didn't see the ending because I was sleepy last night! Part 2 when?
Reimu also has the ability to be the silliest shrine maiden ever
Thank the youtube algorithm for showing me your content, idk how i woulda found it otherwise. But i enjoy your work a ton, its the side of the touhou fandom that i want to be a part of
TH-cam has gotten pretty good at recommending content to people outside of subscribers over the years. There's a few things I have a problem with it, but it's come a long way.
Very interesting video. This power kind of reminds me of the concept of Wuwei in Taoism.
It does!
Miko should get on that
She literally has Main protagonist as her ability
So Reimu's ability is taking it easy?
Yup. Imagine that, right?
wake up babe new gensouchronicle video
this makes even more sense because taoism is partly based on "going with the flow".
when reimu tries to put in effort, she fails.
when reimu "goes with the flow" and doesnt put any "resistance", she wins easily.
and reimu is quite literally a shrine maiden (shintoism which is derived from taoism iirc) and uses yinyang balls as her weapons (an extremely prominent taoism symbol)
Also, her job is to be the 'mediator' for humans and youkai. She is the balance. Even more yinyang symbolism.
(I dont know *anything* about touhou lore and just play the games)
could 7:42 and the description of "semi-transparent state" along with "looks like she was made of air" also be linked to why she has a smaller hitbox in certain games?
Yes.
In other words, Ultra Instinct and Gold Experience Requiem.
wow this was super cool, i really only got into touhou recently by playing 6-8 and just wondered how strong Reimu really was and ended up here, I never expected to find something genuinely beautiful
Thanks! This is one of my favorite videos I've made.
Reimu proceeds to eat the lemons and dies
She should've just made the lemonade.
Now, here's a paradox: Put Reimu and Squirrel Girl in a fight.
Oh no...
The battle would have to end in a stalemate.
@@Hijiri_MIRACHION I don't know man, those Squirrels are something else...
@@jerrythemike3584 The squirrels shouldn't be an issue as long as Reimu isn't trying to dodge them. The moment Squirrel Girl gets Reimu's attention is when she strikes.
@@Hijiri_MIRACHION There ain't no way my man Tippy Toe isn't getting the attention of Reimu
Really neat interpretation!
Although in my eyes, I believe there's something a bit more deliberate about Reimu's ability.
I always headcanon'd her fantasy nature as Reimu making herself a "gensokyo". She becomes a fantasy to the reality of those around her...making her intangible.
I only have that theory since the Hakurei Shrine plays such an important role on the existence of Gensokyo to begin with.
I feel Reimu has more agency in her ability than your headcanon implies.
So, a couple of things- I don't think some of what you're saying is necessarily incompatible with what I'm saying, but I'd like to clarify some things.
I would first have to say that I don't really consider a lot of what I'm presenting to be 'headcanon' in this case. Now, of course, the last bits where I'm doing a meta-analysis on ZUN's intention of her power going as far as making everything have a happy ending is 100% on my end. But that's not so much lore related and more looking at authorial intent.
Everything prior to that can be regarded as canon given the examples laid out. Now that being said- her becoming a "Gensokyo" so to speak is probable in the sense she could be creating her own world. A "fantasy within a fantasy" so to speak. As for the agency bit, there are certainly instances of her activating her ability consciously. I'm not denying that. However, we have very clear instances of it activating unconsciously both shown in this video, and a couple instances people have mentioned in the comments that I left out because of redundancy.
@@GensouChronicle Kinda makes me wonder if the unconscious uses of her ability could have something to do with the shrine. We still don't have a clear answer on what the Hakurei shrine actually does.
Like maybe Gensokyo itself doesn't allow Reimu to lose.
There's a lot to speculate here haha.
@@Tribow It's definitely possible, yeah. One of the biggest mysteries is the details regarding the shrine and its god. And for sure, a LOT to speculate over.
Funfact: Reimu secret ability is able to eat sugar as much as she want without getting fat
The most creative plot armor I have seen in fiction so far
Raymoo Hackery: lololol im so invincible with my ability to hax
The Watatsuki no Marysue in question:
So her being lazy and not caring is a power up!
HAHAHA
Pretty much.
Excellent video. I thought an ability to float means she's "flies" from the bullet/attack so she's invisible. Kinda like intangible.
Yeah, you can really pick up a whole lot of interesting stuff from the original text with a good understanding of Japanese. Cool stuff.
basically her ability: built-in plot armor
the ablity to float is literal trancendence, but reimu is so lazy to train, that said its in her mind, when she sleeps it works
no
Despite this I still don't understand her fight in Silent Sinner in Blue. I always chalk it up as Reimu only doing it halfheartedly.
Really good work on this sir!
There was a comment here that talked about that situation and Reimu herself resigning to the idea that they'll lose the fight that I quite liked.
"Shapes the world" - that's why I love Concealed the Conclusion. It is not canon, especially due to its topic, but it reflects the whole picture so well, that even though it was released in 2007, all next official works never contradicted with its story.
It draws very well off the canon. Part of why it's still so accurate is because a lot of these sources that establish Reimu's powers were from before 2007.
yuuma and okina: are we a joke to you ?
So she has the ultimate plot armor as long as she doesn't give a shit
1. Reimu's ability is basically floating in and out of reality, which honestly reminds me of the flow state you achieve either doing some deep task for long enough or playing video games with just the right amount of concentration. Doesn't really have much to do there with literal flight.
2. In my headcanon, Innate Dreams aren't even related to Fantasy Nature. Instead, they're hidden ultimate techniques/forms that make the user even better than they would be otherwise, but could leave them sore at best or metaphysically break them at worst.
If she has that kind of power, it's one more reason for Yukari to exploi- I mean, care after her. Powerful tool, if difficult to use. But Yukari-sama never makes mistakes, right?
This was very interesting. I always thought Reimu had some plot armour, but didn't think it was an actual ability.
This makes Concealed the Conclusion hit *way* harder than before.
They definitely knew what they were doing using G Free as Reimu's theme.
@@GensouChronicle I was thinking of the dialogue, but yeah.
@@TatharNuar Oh, no. I figured. But that's my favorite part of what they did with CtC.
@@GensouChronicle In terms of music choice, I have to give it to the way they put Blue Sea of 53 Minutes in there.
_Taking it easy~_ is the best way to get better at the games imo. I also find that im better at the games when i don't focus on them while i play lol. This is like Reimu's abillity irl. I think im onto something.
It's the best.
Ya me sabía eso. Reimu tiene un Omnilock, y aun así fue derrotada por Yorihime (hasta ZUN dijo en una entrevista que Yorihime solo saldría en mangas, porque en los juegos esta demasiado fuerte como para ser vencida por Reimu y Marisa)
I like how Fantasy Maiden Wars decided to handle Reimu's ability and the potential problems it could bring.
I've never actually gotten around to playing it. I've always just seen some people in my peripheral group of associates mention varying things about it. How do they handle it, if I may ask?
@@GensouChronicle Before she uses it for the first time, Yukari hints that she knows that there is more to Reimu 'ability to float' and that the gear she gives her that stage is meant to seal that ability.
Reimu first uses her true power during the end of the SSiB retelling in the third game. The Lunar Escape scenerio is definitely different than canon, since without Eiren giving Yorihime the gameplan like in SSiB, Yorihime treated it like an actual invasion and didn't play around like in canon SSiB. While your team hold out for a while, the lunar forces start becoming too much.
"If I get beaten and captured here, I'll lose my job as the Hakurei shrine maiden. That's why I can't lose!" Without much hope of getting back otherwise, she finally uses her powers and begins taking down most of moon rabbits quickly and manages to at least stun Yorihime. Marisa steps in to stop Reimu (given how the other characters were reacting), barely able to reach Reimu in her trance (maybe not an entirely accurate)
The story part resolves, but when Reimu returns to ship, there is a noticeable change with how some are treating her, mainly the younger members who got away from Reimu ASAP. "That technique Reimu used back there was just too powerful. They were so taken aback that they're feeling awkward around her......To be frank, it was so one-sided that it felt hard to approach you." With such a powerful technique at her at the Hakurei Shrine maiden's disposal, (an unnamed one complete separate from danmaku battles), how could any battles against her remain balanced?
"..It's a complicated issue. Too much strength gives rise to distance. I hope this doesn't have an effect on her job, but...
You have a point. The duty of a shrine maiden is to form equal relationships through danmaku battles, and use that to preserve harmony between humans and youkai. If the shrine maiden strays from the rules of danmaku like she did today, all those relationships would crumble.
She never made it public until now, but that must have been Reimu's original power.
Maybe Yukari made her that new equipment out of fear of something like this happening. The path of a shrine maiden requires her to not overflow with excessive power..."
Of course, Marisa had the most straightforward, practical solution: " I thought about it for a bit, and I think you should give it a name. Turn it into a spellcard. That way, you can keep having matches with people like before." Marisa decides on a name before Reimu can interject. Sadly, the next part is untranslated, but it's easy enough to guess.
Upon returning to Earth, it seems like Marisa sets up a small danmanku match between the kids and Reimu in from of the rest of the cast who didn't go on the SSiB trip. This is more of a demonstration that Reimu hasn't become some permanently untouchable being now that she's chained her ability to a Spell Card. Naturally Yukari and Ran are agitated when they realize what Reimu is using, but Marisa gets them to wait and see. Whether you actually beat Reimu or just time it out, it seems to convince Yukari that Reimu is still fit to carry out her duty.
While that is the main arc, Yorihime and Reimu do have a good moment near the end of the game calling back to this:
"Y: Back in the sea of stars your friend stopped you, but you must be aware of its dangers. But even so, you bound it in the chains of a name and still use it, even today.
And I'm sure you're prepared to release it from those chains in an emergency.
R: ...You're right. I know that if I misuse it, I'll end up all alone. But there's no need to worry.
Y: What do you mean?
R: That technique, 'Fantasy Nature', wasn't named by me, but by someone else. Thanks to that, I know that I'll never be isolated. That I'll be fine as I am. That no matter what, there's a line I'll never cross.
Y: So you can keep being you...I see. So they aren't chains to bind your power, but a barrier you've created. That's an interesting way of thinking. That just by having a name, a thing has a place in the world.
R: I think that's just what a spellcard is. A danmaku barrier we all construct, piece by piece. That's how even your divine invocations can be the same as a fairy's danmaku. Weak or strong, they're all just as important."
@@GensouChronicle I guess the links I posted didn't work. RIP. I posted the links to the translation LP chapters coverd, but oh well.
I was also going to include a link to a writeup Clarste did of this that I remembered near the end. Definitely more focused than mine, with a bit more focus on how it relates Remu's character. Sadly, can't link it but maybe google will pull it up with a quote?
"Anyway, the theme of Reimu’s character arc is distance and power. She feels a little disconnected from the rest of the world and the other characters, both by her role as the shrine maiden and because of her untouchable nature, and she’s maybe a little lonely because of that. Not that she’d ever show it. Personality-wise, she’s blunt and a little impatient. Her basic mode of interaction with the bosses is “I don’t care about your life story, because I’m going to stop you either way.” As in canon, she’s motivated by a strong sense of duty more than anything else."
@@seki108 That's... really interesting. I know Clarste would write a lot about those games on tumblr but I never got around to playing myself. Maybe I'll give it a look one of these days.
I love this channel so much.
So basically she’s the opposite of Wonder of U
But instead of affecting other people it affects her
Spellcard: Maiden Secret Skill- Plot armor
Ever since my strange Touhou x Sonic + voice actors otaku phase (it's a long story)
I often saw Reimu as a memetic parallel to Shadow the Hedgehog for the hell of it in my own lalaland...but aside from Musou Tensei being a funny hurr durr durr comparison to Chaos Blast....
Surprisingly, their tenacities especially (and/or their determination to confront things through) seem to be far more similar than what I would expect, and how they bounce off of others that tend to rub them the wrong way.
Not helping in that Reimu in most memes is often portrayed as a dickhead, sometimes like how Shadow has been.
You know, kinda late on the commenting spree but I figure you still read these actively. I had some thought about this, and in my opinion her ability to "float" could possibly be attributed to her being lonely and "distant from others" as was put in a lot of the source material and by you. I feel Reimu has a heavy trope in a lot of fanworks (I'm not sure if it's canon, but I kinda have a memory of this) of her being a lonely person with the only real friend of her's being Marisa despite her position in Gensokyo as a whole. Especially considering the whole Hakurei Miko job detail kinda makes it so you have to be bit of a hermit, and the reputation of being a youkai exterminator especially wards off any relationships with lot of the humans of the village.
I know this sort of stuff gets overlooked a lot but it's something quite interesting in my opinion as I personally have a interest in the psychologies of different characters and so this naturally came up to me. Not sure, main reason I comment it here is because you seem like a knowledgable fella and also have an seemingly equally big stomach for all sorts of Touhou lore so I was wondering your possible take on it.
I do in fact still read the comments. I get notifications for any and all comments on all my videos lol.
I'm not sure I agree with her being 'lonely'. Marisa is likely the only person she considers a 'friend', I could see that being true. I think I would sooner call Reimu a natural 'loner' than a 'lonely' person. Basically, I would say it's more by choice on her part. Youkai are described as naturally being attracted to Reimu and as a result tend to hang around her shrine. The humans don't visit because of that, but they also don't necessarily dislike her for it. An example of this would be Kosuzu who thinks she's really cool (Even if, Kosuzu herself is a youkai-loving oddball).
Basically, I would say that her loner tendency relates to her 'float' ability, sort of like you interpret. I would just say that it's less her being a lonely person, and more that she doesn't mind being solitary. Because, of course, she still enjoys having parties and such, but doesn't go out of her way to be friends with anyone.
@@GensouChronicle yeah, I do agree with what you said here. I mean if you do look at perfect momento in a strict sense for example she is social, and all the parties too yeah. I mean, there is a difference in my opinion to just hanging out a party and having friends, I think what I was meaning to more closely say was she doesn't have any proper friends besides Marisa, yknow the ones you do more than just hang around with. And yeah, I do believe she's an oddball herself considering she's solitary. I'd also imagine,
something I forgot to mention in that post was more or less that fact of talking / socializing herself, especially if we run off with her solitary nature one could easily presume she doesn't talk to that much humans and well youkai she probably does talk to but why do I feel reimu is the silent host type who yeah you can talk to her but she keeps to herself at the party unless you force a whole liter of alcohol down her throat. I think what I was meaning to say she's not exactly social, and what in turn her floating ability does is screw her over if she actually does try socializing which in turn does lead to her being yknow more isolated and all that.
Again, interesting stuff imo and I'd personally wanna see a sort of fanwork dive into this because it does make for a bit of a more mature theme to explore loneliness (especially considering how notable it is in our moden society) through Reimu of all characters. But yeah, basically agree with your points. Very cool to see you engage in comments still.
"a wonderful shrine maiden of paradise. She is one of the two main characters of the series. Her good points are her armpits. Her abilities include flight, utter invincibility invoked when she feels like it (Fantasy Heaven), killing everyone with her balls, and overpoweredness, that's because she can fly away from reality, hence making her utterly invulnerable, even against concept manipulators such as Yukari, in other words, if she decided to fight seriously, Reimu could go hand to hand with the C'tan, the Emperor and the Chaos Gods all together and win by default" - 1d4chan explanation of Reimu Hakurei
I think the reason Zun why he add Reimu ability to "float" because it design to protect Reimu and counter Yukari Yakumo Boundaries Manipulation power. We all know boundaries manipulation power is the most broken power in every fiction because it pure limitless possibilities and there no limit what Yukari can do or can't do.
The limit on Yukari is Yukari herself, the power may theoretically be infinite but her ability to use it is definitely not.
For instance, she can't just go to the moon except with a specific ritual, and that gets disrupted by Toyohime.
@@LilyKazami If you really think Yukari surrendered to Luna sister just because she are stronger than Yukari? That's part you wrong about Yukari. She never has intention to fight Luna sistes to begin with. She be like "okay you win, i surrender happy now?"
If you wanted to understand Yukari abilities and her power, you need understand her entire characteristic. Don't forget most her boundaries manipulation she shown in games are mostly under spell cards rules. You need understand her personality, her intelligence, and her master plan. The only thing limit her power is because she is a youkai.
That the reason I can think of why she unable to open portal directly to Luna capital probably because that where moon god and goddess live.
Her big master plan about second Luna invasion in Silent Sinner in Blue was actually just one big troll and her way to F you to Lunarians, Luna Sisters and Eirin.
In Cage In Lunatic Runagate, Eirin the Luna Sage and former teacher of Luna Sisters. Yukari managed to make Eirin afraid and scare of the youkai and the fear of unknown.
This mean, Eirin aware that Yukari can do more than what she already shown in second Luna invasion.
@@Yurimail Either way there's clearly some limits. On order to go to the moon alongside Ran, she needs a very specific ritual (as mentioned by Hieda) involving the reflection of the moon plus multiple gaps. On Scarlet Weather Rhapsody she can’t directly gap to Heaven and instead had to take multiple smaller trips up the youkai mountain. She can’t do anything about or/and against Saigyōu Ayakashi, the big bad killer yōkai tree, by her own P.O.V mental admission. And her power must take quite the toll on her, when you think of everything it might involve, might also be the reason she’s so knowledgeable about mathematics and computers and all these sorta semantics, so as to not cause an incident everytime she uses her powers and to use her powers correctly. Her power might be theoretically without a single limit, but Yukari has her own limits, because she doesn’t has infinite energy. If she had, though, she’d be invincible.
If someone made a video of which playable characters beat WHich bosses by % probability it would be INTeresting and Amazing.
7:58 - 8:18 She's just like me fr... 🥺
Oh... she just like me... fr...
If powerscaling was a thing back then, Touhou would've made a lot of fame there. Thanks for this video.
Powerscaling has been a thing since DBZ became popular
Touhou just isn't very geared towards this type of audience
@@akiradkcn it wasn't that prevalent back then I guess? And yep, the second point is true enough.
Great presentation!
Glad you liked it!
Do you think it would be possible for this ability to have any kind of believable weakness other than overconfidence or Spell Cardification? By which I mean something that could be exploited in a fight if her enemy knew about it, even if it's difficult to do so.
Funny how one of the few video game protagonist with a literal instant win ability has more canonical L's than most other protags. (No less than 48 going by the games as of TH19, and that's a MAJOR interpretive lowball, not counting any optional encounters in TH9 or any of her Perfect Possession experimentation in TH15.5)
so according to marisa's statement, "Fantasy Heaven" came close as Reimu's last ditch effort?
Reimu locks in
funny unassuming shrine maiden go pew pew
she do the thing
I would say her power is to be unbound, to be not bound by others
If you are a tryhard you lose
People who play the games: impossible
When both the fanbase and ZUN himself forget her abillity to summon gods. Sad sad.
Wow you were pretty active in the last couple of months. Time for me to dive in!
Great video!
Thanks!
I need to mention that i had to do a double-take when i heard her ability is named "Musou Tensei", because as it turns out, there's another character with a similar-named ability!
In the seinen manga "Hokuto No Ken" (Fist of the North Star), the protagonist Kenshiro eventually attains the 'Musou Tensei', an ability to render yourself completely intangible (Altho there it's translated as "Nil-Thought Rebirth" instead), and its said to be the most powerful technique of them all, only achievable by those who truly understand sadness.
I wonder if Zun was inspired by that manga when writing Reimu's powers (it _did_ come first after all)
Yes, this is confirmed 100% intentional. It's mentioned on the wiki in several places. However, the kanji used are actually different! So it means something different from that ability even though they sound the same. The Japanese language has a lot of these cases where these double entendres can form.
@@GensouChronicle I actually didn't know about the wiki thing, HnK is just one of my favorite manga series ever since I read it almost a decade ago
Good to see I wasn't alone in that supposition
in the fighting games, when she activates fantasy nature she has to hit the opponent a certain number of times and once she does she deals a very high amount of damage, probably another reference to Ken's fighting style
At 8:30 why did you show hecatia in the background? Idk what you really mean by "not with anything at stake at least".
ZUN has gone on record saying that Hecatia is far stronger than anyone in either Gensokyo or the Lunar Capital. If she really wanted to, she could probably destroy Gensokyo. I allude to her here for the fact that despite fighting such a powerful person, there's nothing of that level at stake.
@@GensouChronicle ahhh, nothing at stake because of reimu’s ability to float? Or did I interpret your comment wrong?
No, you're correct!
Okay other than floating what other abilities does she have?
0:10 Here.
1:57 Hokuto no Ken
soooo, if i play as reimu at lunatic and not focusing on dodging the bullets, the bullet would not hit me? yeah i guess it is because the lore said so, sooo it's legit!!!
Good vid, but I think you overlooked the fact that in the ability description it says 宙に浮き, which clarifies that it does indeed mean floating in the air rather than any of the other senses of the word 浮く. Still interesting that it still works even when you use the liberal interpretation though.
Which ability description? Regardless, while it does include floating through the air, her ability to float does extend to influencing her surroundings, luck, and anything that might come to harm her.
Remui scarlet devil of float/luck fantsy nature
Amazing analyzing. So did ZUN say Touhou 8 was gonna be the last?
Yes. There are several places this is mentioned, actually. The one I recall specifically though is the Volume 2 Strange Creators interview talking about the initial trilogy. That was in 2016, but there were earlier points where this was mentioned.
Amazing video
Glad you think so!