The first five games were developed for the JapanesePC-98 computer, with the first,Highly Responsive to Prayers, released in August 1997; the series' signaturedanmaku (弾幕;lit.'bullet curtain') mechanics were introduced in the second game,Story of Eastern Wonderland (also 1997). The release ofEmbodiment of Scarlet Devil in August 2002 marked a shift toMicrosoft Windows. Numerous sequels followed, including several spin-offs departing from the traditional shoot 'em up format.
TheTouhou Project is set in Gensokyo,[a] a preternatural land sealed from the outside world and primarily inhabited by humans andyōkai, legendary creatures from Japanese folklore that are personified entirely asyoung girls and women in ananthropomorphicmoe style. Reimu Hakurei, themiko of the Hakurei Shrine and the main character of the series, is often tasked with resolving supernatural "incidents" caused in and around Gensokyo; she is joined by Marisa Kirisame after the events of the second game.
TheTouhou Project has become more particularly notable as a prominent source of Japanesedoujin content, with the series spawning a vast amount of fan-made works such asartwork,music,print works,video games, andInternet memes. Because of this, it has gained a largecult following 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 atfan conventions, includingComiket, where the franchise has frequently held the record for circle participation, and the official convention Reitaisai, where trial versions of the official games are typically distributed prior to release.
Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, who was then a mathematics student atTokyo Denki University[3] working under the name "ZUN Soft", developed the first fiveTouhou Project games for thePC-98 computer, utilizing the platform's16-bit color graphics and 6-channelFM synthesis audio. The games were published by Amusement Makers, a student game development club that Ōta was a member of.
The second game in the series was released alongsideHighly 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 andyōkai. 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-scrollingdanmaku (弾幕 "barrage",lit. "bullet curtain") game and also marks the first appearance of Marisa Kirisame, the second major playable character in the series, who appears as the Stage 4 boss. ZUN has citedshoot 'em up arcade gameDarius 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.[9] 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. Fifty copies of the game were sold.[8]
The third 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 toTwinkle Star Sprites, in which two players engage indanmaku 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.[10]
The fourth 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, causingyōkai to swarm the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame travel to seek out and eliminate the source of the disturbance, battlingyōkai 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.[11]
The fifth and finalTouhou Project game for the PC-98 system 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 ofStory of Eastern Wonderland andLotus 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.
After the release ofMystic Square, ZUN graduated from university and the series became inactive for four years. During this time, he worked atTaito 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 forMicrosoft Windows, forming the one-mandōjin circleTeam Shanghai Alice 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.[12] Games numbered with decimals are spin-offs from the main series that vary in genre.
The sixth 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 synthesizedPCM andMIDI instead ofFM synthesis. It introduces the "Spell Card" system, in which bosses firedanmaku 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 fewdanmaku 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 theshrine maiden Reimu Hakurei or the magician Marisa Kirisame, 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 inEmbodiment of 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 7.5th game in the series and the firstversus fighting game released on December 30, 2004, at Comiket 67. It is a 2D fighting game withdanmaku influences, as reflected by its heavy emphasis on Spell Card projectile attacks. As with all the official fighting games, it was primarily developed byTwilight Frontier, with ZUN providing scenarios, Spell Card designs, and several music tracks. Between the events ofPerfect Cherry Blossom andImperishable 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 fromPerfect Cherry Blossom, and Patchouli Knowledge fromEmbodiment 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 eighth 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) when it is discovered that the moon has been replaced with a fake. Two-person teams of humans andyōkai 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), the Aria of Forbidden Magic Team (Marisa Kirisame and Alice Margatroid), the Visionary Scarlet Devil Team (Sakuya Izayoi and Remilia Scarlet), 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 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 fanbookBohemian Archive in Japanese Red, but was later developed into a full game. Playing astengu reporterAya Shameimaru, the player is tasked with photographing bosses and theirdanmaku 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 fromEmbodiment of Scarlet Devil toPhantasmagoria of Flower View.
The tenth 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, atReitaisai 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 twelfth 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 fromMountain 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.[13] It retains much of the gameplay ofScarlet 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, and Hong Meiling 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 toShoot the Bullet, following Aya Shameimaru on her mission to photograph theyokai of Gensokyo and theirdanmaku. It retains much of the same gameplay from its predecessor and features bosses fromMountain of Faith toUndefined Fantastic Object. Aya's colleague and fellowtengu reporter Hatate Himekaidou is an unlockable character. The game was released onSteam on August 2, 2019.[14]
The 12.8th game in the series, released on August 14, 2010, at Comiket 78. It is adanmaku shooter based on the officialTouhou Sangetsuseimanga series. After theThree 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.[15]
The thirteenth game in the series, released on August 13, 2011, at Comiket 80. After the events ofUndefined 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.[16]
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,Taoism, andBuddhism) 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.[17] Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
The fourteenth game in the series released on August 12, 2013, at Comiket 84. Reimu, Marisa, and Sakuya are playable characters, with gameplay resembling that ofTen Desires. As clouds begin to gather andyōkai 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, makingDouble Dealing Character the first game in the series to be sold for digital download.[18] On May 7, 2015, Playism made the game available for download in Western territories, marking the official Western debut of the series.[19] It was released on Steam on June 19, 2019.[20]
The 14.3rd game in the series released on May 11, 2014, at Reitaisai 11. The player controls the stage 5 boss ofDouble 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.[21]
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.[22] 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 forPlayStation 4 on December 8, 2016, with several added features (including Reisen Udongein Inaba fromImperishable 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 fifteenth 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.[23]
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 toUrban 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.[24] Both local and online multiplayer modes are included in addition to the singleplayer Story Mode.
The sixteenth 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.[25]
The 16.5th game in the series released on August 10, 2018, at Comiket 94. Adanmaku photography game in the style ofShoot the Bullet andDouble Spoiler, it features the antagonist ofUrban Legend in Limbo, Sumireko Usami, as the playable character. It includes bosses fromLegacy of Lunatic Kingdom toHidden 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.[26]
The seventeenth 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 toUndefined 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.[27]
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-scrollingdanmaku water action game".[28] 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.[29] It was released on October 24, 2021.
The eighteenth game in the series, which released on May 4, 2021.[30] 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.[31] The demo was later released on Steam on March 24, 2021.[32] The full game was released on May 4, 2021 at Gensou Kagura 5 and on Steam.[30][33]
The 18.5th game in the series, which was released on August 14, 2022, in commemoration of the 100th Comiket event.[34] A subsequent Steam release occurred on the same day.[35]
The nineteenth game in the series, which was announced in April 2023 and was released at Comiket 102 on August 13, 2023, with a Steam release soon after.[36][37] It features gameplay similar toPhantasmagoria of Dim. Dream andFlower View, this time featuring 19 playable characters, and borrows mechanics from the Ability Card system present inUnconnected Marketeers.
The twentieth game in the series, which was announced on April 12, 2025. The trial version released May 5, 2025, at Reitaisai 22. It released on August 17, 2025.[38]
The in-game interface ofPerfect Cherry Blossom: 1. Player character (in this case,Reimu Hakurei) 2.High score and current score 3. Player life and bomb counters 4. Firepower gauge and graze counter 5. Enemy spellcard gauge 6. Special item counter ("Cherry Points" inPerfect Cherry Blossom) 7. Enemy spellcard name 8. Enemy location indicator
In the 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 theirhitbox visible (fromPerfect Cherry Blossom onwards), and generally focuses the player's attack to make it more powerful. The graze counter (missing fromMountain of Faith,Story of Eastern Wonderland, andUnconnected Marketeers) 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")[39] 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 fromPerfect Cherry Blossom toWily 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 mainTouhou Project game has four difficulty levels ("easy", "normal", "hard", and "lunatic") with each one being harder than the previous. Regardless of the difficulty choice, there are six stages in each game that become progressively harder. The only exceptions to this areStory of Eastern Wonderland, which has only five stages, andLotus Land Story andEmbodiment of Scarlet Devil, both of which lock the player out of the sixth stage on easy difficulty.
In addition to the four main difficulties, there is an extra stage, unlocked after completing the game without using anycontinues. 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. Some games in the series require a one-credit clear on Normal or above to unlock the extra stage, while on others, it can be done on any difficulty.
The plots of theTouhou Project revolve around the strangephenomena that occur in the fictional realm of Gensokyo (幻想郷,Gensōkyō; literally Fantasy Village or Fantasy Land), which ZUN designed as 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 theTouhou Project's story begins, many non-humans likeyōkai 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 exterminateyōkai. However, as time went on, humans developed civilization and multiplied in number, and thusyōkai worried about how the balance between humans andyōkai would be affected. 500 years beforeEmbodiment of Scarlet Devil (EoSD), theyōkai 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 weakenedyōkai 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, independent from the outside world. Although separated by a barrier, it is a bordering world to its outside, as opposed to being in aparallel universe. There also exists on the Moon a place called the Lunar Kingdom, which exists in the same way as Gensokyo in that it is separated from the rest of the Moon by its own barrier, although accessible from Gensokyo. There are no seas in Gensokyo, since it is landlocked. In Gensokyo, there are few humans, and various kinds ofyōkai. Some species include magicians, beasts, therianthropes, vampires,bōrei,tengu, mermaids,kappa, andyōkai (a kind of miscellaneous group). There are other species that may beyōkai depending on definition, like fairies, spirits,yūrei,onryō, poltergeists, hermits,oni, and deities which are all portrayed in human female form. Otherworldly places such asHeaven andHell are also accessible from Gensokyo.
In present Gensokyo, presented in allTouhou Project games sinceEmbodiment of Scarlet Devil, magical and spiritual qualities prevail compared to the outside world where unscientific phenomena were dismissed as "superstition" around the time of theMeiji era. 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 andyōkai in a mock style, which was necessary for the preservation of the balance of Gensokyo. The "Great Hakurei Barrier," managed by past Hakureimiko, was constructed several decades before EoSD, which is described as a "barrier of common sense," and is thus a strong logical barrier that not evenyōkai can pass through. Theyōkai opposed its construction at first before understanding its usefulness.
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.[40] TheTouhouProject mainly focuses on incidents that affect the entirety of Gensokyo in its stories, but there are also works likeMountain of Faith that are centered on lesser-scale events.
Frequently, incidents are due to ayōkai's 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.[40] When a major incident occurs, the spirits and fairies are affected by the incident and experience an increase in power for the duration of the incident.[41]
Cosplay of Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, the protagonist duo of the series
TheTouhou Project is known for its unconventional, almost entirely female character roster.
Though each entry in the series features a collection of different characters, the series' main protagonist is always Reimu Hakurei (博麗霊夢,Hakurei Reimu), joined by Marisa Kirisame (霧雨魔理沙,Kirisame Marisa) after the second game. Reimu Hakurei, themiko of the Hakurei Shrine and the main character of the series, is often tasked with resolving supernatural "incidents" caused in and around Gensokyo, while Marisa Kirisame is a magician who joins Reimu after the events of the second game.
Exceptions to this includeShoot the Bullet andDouble Spoiler (Aya Shameimaru is playable in both, and Hatate Himekaidou can become playable inDouble Spoiler),Fairy Wars (which has Cirno as the sole playable character),Impossible Spell Card andGold Rush (where only Seija Kijin is playable),Violet Detector (where only Sumireko Usami is playable) and100th Black Market (where only Marisa is playable). Sakuya Izayoi, introduced as the maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion in the sixth game, also joins Reimu and Marisa as a playable character in several of the games. Supporting characters in the series include Cirno, an ice fairy; Patchouli Knowledge, a librarian and magician who suffers fromasthma; Remilia and Flandre Scarlet, two vampire sisters who occupy Scarlet Devil Mansion; and Alice Margatroid, a magician with the ability to control dolls.
ZUN has acknowledged that while theTouhou Project characters have elaborate stories, little detail is given to them in-game, saying that "danmaku is how the story and characters are communicated."[42] Additionally, he has claimeddanmaku (bullet hell) is meant to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, which is also the main reason why the majority ofTouhou Project characters are female. ZUN believes there is a feminine charm to bullet hell, which would be lost with male characters, and that the presence of female characters should not be interpreted asfan service.[43]
Twelve music CDs were released as part of "ZUN's Music Collection". They are numbered from Volume 1 to 10 by release date, withUnknown Flower, Mesmerizing Journey andRainbow-Colored Septentrion being numbered as 5.5 and 9.5 respectively due to their short playing time. Each album contains arrangements of music from the games as well as new compositions:
Dolls in Pseudo Paradise (蓬莱人形,Hōrai Ningyō;lit. "Hourai Doll"; 2002-12-30)
Each album (exceptDolls in Pseudo Paradise,Unknown Flower, Mesmerizing Journey, andRainbow-Colored Septentrion) includes a booklet written by ZUN documenting the activities of the "Secret Sealing Club" (秘封倶楽部,Hifū Kurabu), a self-described "club of necromancers" inKyoto, Japan. In the loose collection of stories, club membersRenko Usami andMaribel 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 releasedAkyu's Untouched Score (幺樂団の歴史,Yōgakudan no Rekishi; "History of Yougakudan"), a five-volume collection of PC-98 soundtracks that includes several unused themes. The albums respectively coverLotus Land Story,Mystic Square,Story of Eastern Wonderland,Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream, andHighly Responsive to Prayers. Each track in the collection was enhanced with the addition of a sixthFM synthesis channel, which was originally reserved for sound effects in the games:
Original soundtracks for the seven official games developed in collaboration with Twilight Frontier have also been released. The first six games are mainly scored by U2 Akiyama (あきやま うに,Akiyama Uni) whileSunken Fossil World is mainly scored by Ziki_7, in addition to a few original compositions by ZUN for each game. In addition, the day time music inImmaterial and Missing Power are scored by NKZ, andUrban Legend in Limbo andAntinomy of Common Flowers feature guest arrangements by severaldōjin creators:
Sunken Fossil World OST (強欲な獣のムジカ,Gōyoku na Kemono no Mujika; ; 2021-11-28)
ZUN's Music Collection,Akyu's Untouched Score, and the fighting game soundtracks have been released for digital download onGoogle Play and theiTunes Store (Japan, US). Several music CDs have accompanied copies of official print works; these are listed below.
Curiosities of Lotus Asia is a serial novel by written by ZUN with illustrations by Genji Asai and released in 26 installments. It began serialization in Biblos'sColorful Puregirl magazine in January 2004, and it moved toMagazine Elfics afterColorful Puregirl ceased publication in September 2004. Then, the series was moved to the websiteElnavi afterMagazine Elfics ceased publication in October 2005. Following the bankruptcy of Biblos in April 2006, the series was moved toASCII Media Works'sDengeki Moeoh magazine and was serialized until October 2007. It was compiled into a book and released on September 30, 2010. The novel is told from the perspective ofRinnosuke Morichika, one of the few male characters depicted in the series and the proprietor of Kourindou (香霖堂), an antique store in Gensokyo. In September 2015, a new serial began in the officialTouhou Project magazineStrange Creators of Outer World, with 10 chapters being published as of January 2024.
Touhou Sangetsusei is a four-partmanga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Nemu Matsukura and Makoto Hirasaka. It was published byKadokawa Shoten and serialized inComp Ace 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. Thetankōbon 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), andOriental Sacred Place (2010-03-20, 2011-03-26, 2012-03-26). The 12.8th video game in the series,Fairy Wars, is a spin-off of the manga series.
Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red is the first official fanbook, written by ZUN and published byIchijinsha 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 eightdōjinshi, and a new official comic,Extra of the Wind, illustrated by Haniwa. Each copy includes a CD containing a demo ofPhantasmagoria 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 byComic Toranoana on October 1, 2005. It is an anthology of 12dōjinshi 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 toPhantasmagoria 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 historianHieda no Akyuu, primarily containing factual information about variousyōkai, 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 ofComic Rex 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 continuing the story of the 8th game in the series,Imperishable Night. It consists of a manga, a novel, and a series ofyonkoma strips, serialized in three separate Ichijinsha magazines. The manga,Silent Sinner in Blue, was written by ZUN and illustrated by Aki★Eda and serialized inComic Rex 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 written by ZUN and serialized in quarterlyChara-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 ofSilent Sinner in Blue. Theyonkoma,Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth (月のイナバと地上の因幡,Tsuki no Inaba to Chijō no Inaba), was serialized inManga 4-koma Kings Palette between June 2007 and December 2012. It was written and illustrated by Arata Toshihira, and serves as a light-hearted discursion from the main story featuringReisen Udongein Inaba andTewi Inaba, who are referenced respectively in the work's title.[44][45]
The Grimoire of Marisa (グリモワール オブ マリサ,Gurimowaru obu Marisa)
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'sChara Mel Febri (laterFebri) magazine. It introduces protagonistKasen 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 featuringKanako Yasaka,Byakuren Hijiri, andToyosatomimi no Miko. It features profiles of almost every character fromMountain of Faith toTen Desires as well as a collection of in-universe newspaper articles from theBunbunmaru Newspaper andKakashi Spirit News.
Forbidden Scrollery is a manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Moe Harukawa, serialized between October 2012 and July 2017 inComp Ace magazine.[46] The story revolves aroundKosuzu Motoori, a collector of various rare and dangerous demon books in Gensokyo and an employee of the Suzunaanbook lender. It was licensed for an English-language release byYen Press and released in seven volumes between November 2017 and May 2019, making it the firstTouhou Project print work to be officially translated.[47]
Strange Creators of Outer World is an officialTouhou Project magazine, supervized by ZUN and published byKadokawa under theirDengeki Moeoh imprint since September 2015.[48] It features interviews with ZUN and otherdōjin creators, a continuation of the official novelCuriosities 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 fanbookBohemian 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.
Foul Detective Satori is a two-part manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Ginmokusei (銀木犀) and Yuu Akimaki (秋巻ゆう). The first part was illustrated by Ginmokusei and serialized from October 2019 on Kadokawa's ComicWalker website. Due to Ginmokusei's declining health, the series was halted on March 2021. A continuation began in October 2021 with Yuu Akimaki taking over as the artist. The story primarily focuses on the mind-reading youkaiSatori Komeiji, and her investigative mission to hunt down a vengeful spirit causing havoc in Gensokyo.
The Lotus Eaters, Drunk and Sober is a manga series written by ZUN and illustrated by Mizutaki (水炊き). It began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's monthlyComp Ace magazine on November 26, 2019. The story followsMiyoi Okunoda, the poster girl of the Geidontei pub in the village, and her various interactions with humans and youkai. The manga is published digitally in English on Kadokawa'sBookWalker website.
Whispered Oracle of Hakurei Shrine (東方幻存神籤 ~ Whispered Oracle of Hakurei Shrine,Tōhō Genzōnmikuji;lit. "Fantasy Fortune Telling")
Whispered Oracle of Hakurei Shrine is a manga written by ZUN and illustrated by multiple artists. It is written from the perspective of Reimu Hakurei, and featuresO-mikuji slips for every character that has appeared in the series so far (excluding the PC-98 era). It began serialization April 1, 2025 on Kadokawa's website.
TheTouhou Project is a one-man project by Jun'ya Ōta (usually under the pseudonymZUN), who does all the graphics, music, and programming alone for the bullet hell games, with the exceptions of the portrait art inFairy 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, andAntinomy of Common Flowers, were dual efforts withTwilight Frontier, 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 mostshoot 'em up games utilise a military or science fiction theme, ZUN wanted a game with amiko main character, and aShinto aesthetic.[49] 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 toStreet Fighter II. 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 firstTouhou Project game,Highly Responsive to Prayers, being released in 1996. The first game was originally intended as a practice in programming. TheTouhou Project only became a shooting game series from the second game onwards, because the popularity of shooting games had revived due toRayForce and ZUN had long been a fan of such games.[50] ZUN remarked how the general theme and direction ofTouhou only started coming together in the sixth game,Embodiment of Scarlet Devil.[51]
This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2025)
Cosplay of characters from the series: Reimu Hakurei (left), Momiji Inubashiri (center), and Reisen Udongein Inaba (right)(On mobile, Reimu Hakurei: left, Momiji Inubashiri: right, and Reisen Udongein Inaba: down)
Manyderivative works based on theTouhou Project have been created since the release ofEmbodiment of Scarlet Devil, includingdōjinshi, dōjin music,[c] dōjin anime, anddōjin games.[d] The vast scope ofTouhou Project derivatives prompted commentary, noting that theTouhou Project became an unmissable aspect of Japaneseconsumer generated media.[54] Nowadays, theTouhou Project is regarded as a typical example ofdatabase consumption.[55] 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.[1] The major restrictions are on unauthorized commercial distribution as opposed to dōjin, and thespoiling of endings; proper attribution to Team Shanghai Alice is a requirement;[56] creators of derivative works are asked to refrain fromcrowdfunding their projects.[57] ZUN stated himself that he did not want theTouhou Project series to be officially commercialized.[58]
Dōjin circles registered under theTouhou Project genre sinceComiket 76 (August 2009), the first time theTouhou Project is counted as its own genre separate from the main "dōjin soft" category, to Comiket 97 (December 2019)[59]
A graph comparing the participation of dōjin circles atComiket 85 (December 2013)[60]
The first publication ofTouhouProject derivative doujinshi occurred during December 2003, following the release ofPerfect Cherry Blossom; sevencircles soldTouhou Project derivative works at Comiket 65 in December 2003. At Comiket 74 in August 2008, a total of 885 circles hadTouhou Project derivative works on display or for sale, out of a total of 35,000 circles participating at Comiket.[61][62] At Comiket 77 (December 2009), 2,372 circles were dedicated to theTouhou Project, breaking the previous record held byThe Prince of Tennis at Comiket 66 (August 2004), which had 2,130 circles.[63] At Comiket 85 (December 2013),Touhou Project was still in the lead, with 2,272 participating circles sellingTouhouProject derivatives, compared toKuroko's Basketball, the second most popular franchise at that year's Comiket, which had 1,462 circles.[60] Throughout the mid-2010s, theTouhou Project's popularity at Comiket began to wane. From 2015 to 2017,Kantai Collection was consistently the most popular series at Comiket.[64][65] By 2019, theTouhouProject was the fourth most popular series at Comiket, with less than half the circles at Comiket than theFate series.[66]
The dōjin games based on theTouhou Project include adaptations of other game series' mechanics withTouhou Project characters, such asKōmajō Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony (a parody of theCastlevania games with the title being a play on the Japanese game of the series,Akumajō Dracula),Age of Ethanols (based on theAge of Empires series), andTouhou Puppet Dance Performance (based on thePokémon games).[67][unreliable source?]
Several fanmadeanime have been created for theTouhou Project. Albeit created by amateur studios, the projects have sometimes included appearance by professional voice actors, such asRie Tanaka. Dōjin anime of note includeFantasy Kaleidoscope ~ The Memories of Phantasm (幻想万華鏡) by the circle Manpuku Jinja in 2011,[69]A Summer Day's Dream (夢想夏郷) by the dōjin circle Maikaze,[70] andHifuu Club Activity Record ~ The Sealed Esoteric History (秘封活动记录) by the Chinese dōjin circle Kyoto Fantasy Troupe.[71] A derivative anime from a commercial anime studio came in the form of Anime Tenchou xTouhou Project (アニメ店長 x 東方Project) byUfotable to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Japanese goods chainAnimate as a promotional video for the store combining theTouhou Project with Animate's mascot, Meito Anizawa.[72]
TheTouhou Project was nominated for the 11th annualMedia Arts Awards held by Japan'sAgency for Cultural Affairs, under the Entertainment category,[73] where theTouhou Project eventually lost toNintendo'sWii Sports for the Grand Prize award.[74] The series was inducted into theGuinness World Records in October 2010 as the "most prolific fan-made shooter series".[75][76] A survey conducted by the Comic Market Committee in 2009 lists the average age ofTouhou Project fans among Comiket attendees as 24.8 years of age.[77] According to the results of the Touhou Project Popularity Poll 2023, almost 40% of respondents to the poll were aged 15 to 19 years old, while people over 25 years old made up only about 20%.[78] A later survey conducted byNikkei Entertainment from December 16, 2023, with a sample size of 50,000 participants across various different fandoms, showed that respondents who considered themselves devoted fans ofTouhou Project within Japan had an average age of 23 years, and a male-to-female ratio that skews 85:15.[79]
A majorinternet meme based on theTouhouProject is "Yukkuri shite itte ne!!!" (ゆっくりしていってね!!!; often translated as "You should be taking it easy!!!"), which centers around the disembodied, deformed heads ofTouhou Project characters, often referred to as "yukkuris". This meme originated from a crude attempt to draw the main characters Reimu and Marisa withShift JIS art in late 2007. 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 animeNatsu no Arashi! andPani Poni, and most notably, the front page of2channel, one of the most visitedJapanese websites.[81] The yukkuris are often given voices by thetext-to-speech synthesizer SofTalk,[82] and it has become popular in Japan to use yukkuris to stand-in and narrate online videos to the point that they became known as a genre called Yukkuri videos (ゆっくり動画).[83]
Another meme popular on the internet is "Fumofumo" (ふもふも), referring to a line ofplush dolls of characters from theTouhouProject, which are designed by the Japanese illustrator Neji and manufactured by the Japanese merchandise company Gift.[84] The plush series features emotionless face, scornful eyes and is about two heads tall. After becoming popular, the dolls always causepanic buying.[85]
Shelves ofTouhou Project derivative fanwork music album CDs at a store in Akihabara, with laminated dividers categorising CDs by dōjin circle
The music of theTouhou Project has been a particular source of interest, and many arrangement CDs are sold at Comiket and other Japanese conventions.[86][87] Among the most popular derivatives are the series ofFlash music videos created by thedōjin music circleIOSYS, which are often shared on otakuinternet forums andNiconico. One such song, "Marisa Stole the Precious Thing", has been heavily referenced and parodied in derivativeanime music videos and Internet memes.[88] "Marisa Stole the Precious Thing", alongside "Cirno's Perfect Math Class", "Night of Nights", and "Bad Apple!!" were included in the video gameTouhou Spell Bubble.[89]Toby Fox, the creator ofUndertale, cited theTouhou Project as one of his musical influences.[90][91]
The black-and-whiteshadow play video for the song "Bad Apple!!' became a Japanese internet meme in the late 2000s, correlating with the peak of theTouhou Project's popularity. "Bad Apple!!" was first released as an instrumental track for the third stage ofLotus Land Story. According to ZUN, he wanted the song to sound "as old-fashioned as possible".[92] On 20 May 2007[93] a cover version featuring the Japanese singernomico was released on the albumLovelight by thedoujin circle Alstroemeria Records, led by Masayoshi Minoshima.[94][95] On 8 June 2008, a user on Niconico uploaded a video of a crude storyboard based on a shortened version of Alstroemeria Records's cover, asking for anyone to animate it.[96] On 27 October 2009, the Niconico user Anira (Japanese:あにら) published a shadow art (black and white) animation video based on the storyboard. The video quickly gained popularity, reaching 9 million views on Niconico by September 2010.[95] It reached nearly 30 million views by March 2023, making it the most viewedTouhou-related video on the site.[97] The song saw a rise in popularity in the mid-2010s when the shadow-art video was ported to severalsecond-generation video game consoles andgraphing calculators – presumed to be incapable of playing backfull-motion video – forretrocomputingdemoscene competitions. Peter Dell, a programmer who contributed to one such port, described the video as having become a graphical equivalent to"Hello, World!" programs.[98] By 2015, the "Bad Apple!!" music video had been ported to theVectrex console,[99][100]Atari 2600,Nintendo Entertainment System,Sega Genesis, and aTI-84 Plus series graphing calculator.[99]
TheHakurei Shrine Reitaisai (博麗神社例大祭,Hakurei Jinja Reitaisai; Hakurei Shrine's Regular Grand Festival) is the largest of the many dōjin conventions hosting exclusivelyTouhou Project content. Although the coordinator of this convention is unrelated to 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 andImmaterial and Missing Power.[101] In addition, the 2004 Reitaisai featured a total of 114 participating circles. Since then, manyTouhou Project derivative works are gathered and sold there. Commencing every year in April or May, the convention has been hosted inŌta, Tokyo, in 2004;Naka-ku, Yokohama, in 2005;Sunshine City, Tokyo, in 2006 and 2007; and theTokyo Big Sight 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 the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,[102] and the release ofTen Desires 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 inTaiwan that started in 2015.[103] 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic, making it the first Reitaisai to be cancelled.[104]
^abTomohiro, Katada (October 3, 2008)."ニコ動、2ちゃんねるで人気の｢東方Project｣って何だ?" [What is this Touhou Project popular on Nicovideo and 2ch?] (in Japanese). R25.jp. Archived fromthe original on July 29, 2013. RetrievedJuly 10, 2009.
^Doujin Game Package Design Vol.01 (in Japanese). RebRank (a dōjin circle in Japan). 2013. p. 7.Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. RetrievedDecember 5, 2016.
^ZUN (March 14, 2002)."幻想掲示板" [Gensо̄ Bulletin Board]. Archived fromthe original on April 3, 2002. RetrievedJuly 20, 2021.実は霊異伝は制作は９５年だったので、実に７年ほど前です。 [In fact, Highly Responsive to Prayers was produced in '95; it's really more like seven years ago.]
^東方の夜明け [Dawn of Touhou] (in Japanese). Meiji University Anime and Voice Actors Research Club. Archived fromthe original on March 11, 2009. RetrievedJuly 10, 2009.
^"1000万IDの巨大サイトも創作の連鎖反応を引き起こす 音楽や映像で自由に表現" [The gigantic site of 10 million users sets off a chain reaction of creativity: The freedom of expression through music and video] (in Japanese). Weekly BCN. October 20, 2008.Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. RetrievedJuly 10, 2009.
^Fujimoto, Yukari (2014)."2. Naruto as Cultural Crossroads". In Berndt, Jaqueline; Kümmerling-Meibauer, Bettina (eds.).Manga's Cultural Crossroads. Cambridge Eng. New York:Routledge. p. 188 note 27.ISBN9781134102839.Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.
^ネット流行語大賞は｢あなたとは違うんです [Net Slang of the Year goes to 'I am different from you'] (in Japanese). ITmedia. December 2, 2008.Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. RetrievedJuly 10, 2009.
^Gann, Patrick (August 29, 2012)."Favs of Comiket: Fruited Vagabond (Review)". Original Sound Version. Archived fromthe original on September 21, 2013. RetrievedOctober 28, 2012.Every six months, Comiket sweeps Japan, and a boatload of doujin music albums are released... You could easily spend $1000 there and still miss something cool. Especially if you're down with all things Touhou-related.
^"Bad Apple!!".Toho Music database (in Japanese).Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2019.出来るだけ昔っぽい曲をめざしたんですけど [I was aiming for a song that sounds as old-fashioned as possible]
^Dell, Peter (2018)."Bad Apple HD".WUDSN.Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. RetrievedDecember 21, 2019.Bad Apple advanced to the modern"Hello World" for the retro computingdemoscene. It has been converted to even the most obscure platforms including Atari VCS and Vectrex.
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