Shrine Maiden of Paradise ~ Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project)

[Lasatar]

New Supporter over on GameFAQs.

56. Makio

 

[NobleClamtasm]

So I just wanted to share this interesting article I stumbled upon. This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game.
http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html

Near the end of the interview, he mentions Nintendo:

Spoiler: Google translation

Z "Well, in the future it seems to be a good talk with Nintendo san because of what I did with my eyes ... It was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream."
Z "I'd like to make friends with Nintendo, because I do not get along with Sony separately" (The staff said that they are also looking at Nintendo) Z "Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy eastern world"

Going by the rough machine translation, this implies that he wants to wishes to work more closely with Nintendo in the future. Does this mean that he would be okay with Reimu in Smash? Of course, we'll need the full context and a better translation to confirm this. If anyone here knows Japanese for a proper translation, that'd help a lot!

 

[Lasatar]

So I just wanted to share this interesting article I stumbled upon. This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game.
http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html

Near the end of the interview, he mentions Nintendo:

Spoiler: Google translation

Z "Well, in the future it seems to be a good talk with Nintendo san because of what I did with my eyes ... It was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream."
Z "I'd like to make friends with Nintendo, because I do not get along with Sony separately" (The staff said that they are also looking at Nintendo) Z "Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy eastern world"

Going by the rough machine translation, this implies that he wants to wishes to work more closely with Nintendo in the future. Does this mean that he would be okay with Reimu in Smash? Of course, we'll need the full context and a better translation to confirm this. If anyone here knows Japanese for a proper translation, that'd help a lot!

Oh my.... That's quite the discovery. Reimu's chances for Smash may have just increased significantly with this. And even if she doesn't get into Smash, a Switch port of AoCF is all but guaranteed as of now, which will in turn boost Reimu's future chances of getting into Smash.

 

[Lasatar]

New supporter.

57. Tahu-Mata

 

[RileyXY1]

Z "Well, in the future it seems to be a good talk with Nintendo san because of what I did with my eyes ... It was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream."
Z "I'd like to make friends with Nintendo, because I do not get along with Sony separately" (The staff said that they are also looking at Nintendo) Z "Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy eastern world"

Wow. I wouldn't be surprised to see Touhou games coming to the Switch.

 

[NobleClamtasm]

I'm finally done with that compilation I promised. It turned out a lot more comprehensive than what I originally planned. Any feedback or criticism would be greatly appreciated


Why would Nintendo choose Reimu?

Spoiler: Touhou is absolutely huge

Touhou is absolutely huge. But don't take my word for it. The Japanese fan convention, Comiket, has been dominated by Touhou for many years and has never been surpassed, until Kancolle's sudden rise overtook it. There are roughly 500,000 - 550,000 attendees to Comiket twice a year, making it the largest convention of its kind in the world. To put things into perspective, that makes it 3-4 times the size of San-Diego Comic con and 7 times larger than the largest PAX. While Touhou has been widely regarded as Queen of Comiket in the past, Touhou still remains highly ranked in terms of popularity, consistently placing within the top 5 of franchises present at the event each year. It is also important to note that Touhou is owned by a single person, ZUN, making it an indie franchise at heart. The fact that Touhou is able to remain this popular without corporate backing speaks volumes on how beloved the franchise is.
There is also Reitaisai, which is a biannual convention dedicated entirely to Touhou. You can partly attribute Touhou's lower Comiket participation to the fact that many of Touhou's doujin turnout moved to Reitaisai.
Touhou is an untapped goldmine for Nintendo, and having that association will significantly drive sales.

Spoiler: Sources

https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf <- also great if you want to learn more about Comiket
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...mbers-reveal-top-series-at-comiket-92/.119929
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...-holds-the-dojin-throne-at-comiket-94/.135012

Spoiler: Touhou has seen success on Nintendo platforms

Touhou Kobuto V was the 14th top selling e-shop game in Japan in 2017. In addition, in the week it came out, it was the second most downloaded game on the Switch, losing only to Super Mario Odyssey. Now that's pretty darn impressive, considering that this is a port of a low budget fanmade game with little to no marketing. Since then, more and more Touhou fangames are coming to the Switch, some even with Western releases.

Spoiler: Source

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._best_selling_digital_games_on_switch_in_2017

Spoiler: Source 2

Spoiler: Reimu fills every requirement for a 3rd party inclusion

As far as I know, this is Sakurai's only statement on 3rd party characters

Spoiler: Sakurai's Three Rules on Third Party Characters

1. Manga characters will not join the battle (obviously).
While it’s true that we’ve added characters from other companies,
It’s not going to be anyone and everyone.

2. Smash is a game that’s made from everyone’s effort.
Both companies have to want the character to join the battle.
I need them to let me take charge of the character.
In order to fit the character into the world of Smash, I need them to allow me some artistic license.

3. The character must carry game history with them.
Besides that, it might be something like a courtesy to include a character who has the experience of being on a Nintendo platform.
At any rate, there will probably only be one or two more. –Toukouken #3
Source: https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/10/05/sakuraithirdparty/

While one may bring up Sakurai's tendency to contradict his statements in the past, these three rules have been more or less consistent with the third party picks we have. (With Bayo being the only outlier, whose inclusion can be attributed to ballot influence and Nintendo wanting to promote Bayo 2).
Reimu is obviously a video game character, so she's clear with the first rule. Reimu originates from the PC game Highly Responsive to Prayers (1996)
The second rule, I get into extensively in the next section.
The third rule on game history is what makes Reimu an incredibly strong candidate. With more than 16 games under her belt, she predates other popular indie picks like Shovel Knight, Cave Story and Shantae. Her franchise has left a huge mark on otaku culture in general.

Why would ZUN want Reimu in Smash?

Spoiler: Touhou's competition and ZUN's philosophy

As mentioned in the first point, due to the recent Comiket numbers, Touhou is no longer at the top when it comes to fan content in Japan. While it is easy to place the blame on Reitaisai, it is hard to ignore the recent mobile trend that dominates Japan. Touhou's main competitors such as Kancolle, FGO and idolm@ster, have become deeply rooted in mobile gacha games, which has boosted their accessibility and reach to new generation audiences. Touhou, on the other hand, has always been PC based, which is a niche platform at best in Japan.
The reason why you don't see any Touhou gacha on mobile is because of ZUN's personal philosophy on handling his franchise. In order to keep Touhou in the hands of the community, ZUN's has been known to be adamant on keeping Touhou away from corporations, as he does not want any other company to get any form of rights over his franchise.

Spoiler: ZUN wishes to work closely with Nintendo

Now, ZUN's stance on corporations has become lenient over the years. Touhou has made guest appearances in the latest Taiko Drum Master games (note: which are published by Bandai-Namco), and has seen releases on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Steam.

Spoiler: Source powered by Google translate

http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html?sp
Z: " Wowwow Well ... in the future ... Well ... I wish I could make a good talk with Nintendo-san, it was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream. "
Z: " I want to make friends with Nintendo, not only Sony is making friends "
Z: " Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy Toho world "

This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game. Although this is a rough machine translation, it implies that ZUN would be completely willing to collaborate with Nintendo in the future, as it will be beneficial for the Touhou franchise. It is also important to note that having Reimu in Smash does not go against ZUN's philosophy. At the end of the day, a Smash inclusion is merely a guest appearance, and Nintendo nor Sakurai would not hold any form of rights over the franchise moving forward. As shown with Sakurai's treatment with Pac-man, Mega man and Simon Belmont, it is clear that Smash remains incredibly faithful to their third party characters, having movesets that embody the classic feel of the character. If Reimu were to be playable, she would undoubtably be treated with the same amount of respect.

Spoiler: ZUN has positive opinions on Nintendo

ZUN is a gamer at heart. In an interview from 2016 about Super Mario Maker, he mentions that he grew up with Nintendo, having fond memories of the Super Mario Bros. series in particular. While this is nothing groundbreaking, it shows that ZUN has sentimental value towards Nintendo, and further supports the possibility of a collaboration in the future.

Spoiler: ZUN wants to bring Touhou to the West

Spoiler: DualShockers Interview: 2016

https://www.dualshockers.com/touhou...ast-present-and-future-of-his-touhou-project/
A: Will we ever see more official Touhou games in the West?
Z: It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s something that I want to do. It really just comes down to finding the time to do it.

This interview with ZUN shows that he is interested in officially bringing Touhou to the west, and I believe Smash is the perfect avenue to to do that. As it stands, Touhou has a bit of a cult following when it comes to the West, with the official subreddit /r/touhou holding 24k subscribers at the time of writing this. Smash is well known for bringing forth the most obscure gaming franchises into the limelight. Fire Emblem's popularity can be attributed to Marth and Roy's inclusion in Melee.
Reimu's inclusion Smash may be just what the series needs to reclaim its position at the top. It will benefit Touhou by giving it mainstream exposure, and would be the perfect avenue to introduce Touhou to the West and to the younger generation, without going against ZUN's philosophy.

 

[Dyllybirdy]

I'm finally done with that compilation I promised. It turned out a lot more comprehensive than what I originally planned. Any feedback or criticism would be greatly appreciated


Why would Nintendo choose Reimu?

Spoiler: Touhou is absolutely huge

Touhou is absolutely huge. But don't take my word for it. The Japanese fan convention, Comiket, has been dominated by Touhou for many years and has never been passed, until Kancolle's sudden rise overtook it. There are roughly 500,000 - 550,000 attendees to Comiket twice a year, making it the largest convention of its kind in the world. To put things into perspective, that makes it 3-4 times the size of San-Diego Comic con and 7 times larger than the largest PAX. While Touhou has been widely regarded as Queen of Comiket in the past, Touhou still remains highly ranked in terms of popularity, consistently placing within the top 5 of franchises present at the event each year. It is also important to establish that Touhou is owned by a single person, ZUN, making it an indie franchise at heart. The fact that Touhou is able to remain this popular without corporate backing speaks volumes on how beloved the franchise is.
There is also Reitaisai, which is a biannual convention dedicated entirely to Touhou. You can partly attribute Touhou's lower Comiket participation to the fact that many of Touhou's doujin turnout moved to Reitaisai.
Touhou is an untapped goldmine for Nintendo, and having that association will significantly drive sales.

Spoiler: Sources

https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf <- also great if you want to learn more about Comiket
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...mbers-reveal-top-series-at-comiket-92/.119929
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...-holds-the-dojin-throne-at-comiket-94/.135012

Spoiler: Touhou has seen success on Nintendo platforms

Touhou Kobuto V was the 14th top selling e-shop game in Japan in 2017. In addition, in the month it came out, it was the second most downloaded game on the Switch, losing only to Super Mario Odyssey. Now that's pretty darn impressive, considering that this is a port of a low budget fanmade game with little to no marketing. Since then, more and more Touhou fangames are coming to the Switch, some even with Western releases.

Spoiler: Source

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._best_selling_digital_games_on_switch_in_2017

Spoiler: Reimu fills every requirement for a 3rd party inclusion

As far as I know, this is Sakurai's only statement on 3rd party characters

Spoiler: Sakurai's Three Rules on Third Party Characters

1. Manga characters will not join the battle (obviously).
While it’s true that we’ve added characters from other companies,
It’s not going to be anyone and everyone.

2. Smash is a game that’s made from everyone’s effort.
Both companies have to want the character to join the battle.
I need them to let me take charge of the character.
In order to fit the character into the world of Smash, I need them to allow me some artistic license.

3. The character must carry game history with them.
Besides that, it might be something like a courtesy to include a character who has the experience of being on a Nintendo platform.
At any rate, there will probably only be one or two more. –Toukouken #3
Source: https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/10/05/sakuraithirdparty/

While one may bring up Sakurai's tendency to contradict his statements in the past, these three rules have been more or less consistent with the third party picks we have. (With Bayo being the only outlier, whose inclusion can be attributed to ballot influence and Nintendo wanting to promote Bayo 2).
Reimu is obviously a video game character, so she's clear with the first rule. Reimu originates from the PC game Highly Responsive to Prayers (1996)
The second rule, I get into extensively in the next section.
The third rule on game history is what makes Reimu an incredibly strong candidate. With more than 16 games under her belt, she predates other popular indie picks like Shovel Knight, Cave Story and Shantae. Her franchise has left a huge mark on otaku culture in general.

Why would ZUN want Reimu in Smash?

Spoiler: Touhou's competition and ZUN's philosophy

As mentioned in the first point, due to the recent Comiket numbers, Touhou is no longer at the top when it comes to fan content in Japan. While it is easy to place the blame on Reitaisai, it is hard to ignore the recent mobile trend that dominates Japan. Touhou's main competitors such as Kancolle, FGO and idolm@ster, have become deeply rooted in mobile gacha games, which has boosted their accessibility and reach to new generation audiences. Touhou, on the other hand, has always been PC based, which is a niche platform at best in Japan.
The reason why you don't see any Touhou gacha on mobile is because of ZUN's personal philosophy on handling his franchise. In order to keep Touhou in the hands of the community, ZUN's has been known to be adamant on keeping Touhou away from corporations, as he does not want any other company to get any form of rights over his franchise.

Spoiler: ZUN wishes to work closely with Nintendo

Now, ZUN's stance on corporations has become lenient over the years. Touhou has made guest appearances in the latest Taiko Drum Master games (note: which are published by Bandai-Namco), and has seen releases on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Steam.

Spoiler: Source powered by Google translate

http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html?sp
Z: " Wowwow Well ... in the future ... Well ... I wish I could make a good talk with Nintendo-san, it was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream. "
Z: " I want to make friends with Nintendo, not only Sony is making friends "
Z: " Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy Toho world "

This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game. Although this is a rough machine translation, it

Wow, this is amazing! Great job!

 

[Cristaran]

I'm finally done with that compilation I promised. It turned out a lot more comprehensive than what I originally planned. Any feedback or criticism would be greatly appreciated


Why would Nintendo choose Reimu?

Spoiler: Touhou is absolutely huge

Touhou is absolutely huge. But don't take my word for it. The Japanese fan convention, Comiket, has been dominated by Touhou for many years and has never been surpassed, until Kancolle's sudden rise overtook it. There are roughly 500,000 - 550,000 attendees to Comiket twice a year, making it the largest convention of its kind in the world. To put things into perspective, that makes it 3-4 times the size of San-Diego Comic con and 7 times larger than the largest PAX. While Touhou has been widely regarded as Queen of Comiket in the past, Touhou still remains highly ranked in terms of popularity, consistently placing within the top 5 of franchises present at the event each year. It is also important to establish that Touhou is owned by a single person, ZUN, making it an indie franchise at heart. The fact that Touhou is able to remain this popular without corporate backing speaks volumes on how beloved the franchise is.
There is also Reitaisai, which is a biannual convention dedicated entirely to Touhou. You can partly attribute Touhou's lower Comiket participation to the fact that many of Touhou's doujin turnout moved to Reitaisai.
Touhou is an untapped goldmine for Nintendo, and having that association will significantly drive sales.

Spoiler: Sources

https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf <- also great if you want to learn more about Comiket
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...mbers-reveal-top-series-at-comiket-92/.119929
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...-holds-the-dojin-throne-at-comiket-94/.135012

Spoiler: Touhou has seen success on Nintendo platforms

Touhou Kobuto V was the 14th top selling e-shop game in Japan in 2017. In addition, in the week it came out, it was the second most downloaded game on the Switch, losing only to Super Mario Odyssey. Now that's pretty darn impressive, considering that this is a port of a low budget fanmade game with little to no marketing. Since then, more and more Touhou fangames are coming to the Switch, some even with Western releases.

Spoiler: Source

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._best_selling_digital_games_on_switch_in_2017

Spoiler: Source 2

View attachment 179082

Spoiler: Reimu fills every requirement for a 3rd party inclusion

As far as I know, this is Sakurai's only statement on 3rd party characters

Spoiler: Sakurai's Three Rules on Third Party Characters

1. Manga characters will not join the battle (obviously).
While it’s true that we’ve added characters from other companies,
It’s not going to be anyone and everyone.

2. Smash is a game that’s made from everyone’s effort.
Both companies have to want the character to join the battle.
I need them to let me take charge of the character.
In order to fit the character into the world of Smash, I need them to allow me some artistic license.

3. The character must carry game history with them.
Besides that, it might be something like a courtesy to include a character who has the experience of being on a Nintendo platform.
At any rate, there will probably only be one or two more. –Toukouken #3
Source: https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/10/05/sakuraithirdparty/

While one may bring up Sakurai's tendency to contradict his statements in the past, these three rules have been more or less consistent with the third party picks we have. (With Bayo being the only outlier, whose inclusion can be attributed to ballot influence and Nintendo wanting to promote Bayo 2).
Reimu is obviously a video game character, so she's clear with the first rule. Reimu originates from the PC game Highly Responsive to Prayers (1996)
The second rule, I get into extensively in the next section.
The third rule on game history is what makes Reimu an incredibly strong candidate. With more than 16 games under her belt, she predates other popular indie picks like Shovel Knight, Cave Story and Shantae. Her franchise has left a huge mark on otaku culture in general.

Why would ZUN want Reimu in Smash?

Spoiler: Touhou's competition and ZUN's philosophy

As mentioned in the first point, due to the recent Comiket numbers, Touhou is no longer at the top when it comes to fan content in Japan. While it is easy to place the blame on Reitaisai, it is hard to ignore the recent mobile trend that dominates Japan. Touhou's main competitors such as Kancolle, FGO and idolm@ster, have become deeply rooted in mobile gacha games, which has boosted their accessibility and reach to new generation audiences. Touhou, on the other hand, has always been PC based, which is a niche platform at best in Japan.
The reason why you don't see any Touhou gacha on mobile is because of ZUN's personal philosophy on handling his franchise. In order to keep Touhou in the hands of the community, ZUN's has been known to be adamant on keeping Touhou away from corporations, as he does not want any other company to get any form of rights over his franchise.

Spoiler: ZUN wishes to work closely with Nintendo

Now, ZUN's stance on corporations has become lenient over the years. Touhou has made guest appearances in the latest Taiko Drum Master games (note: which are published by Bandai-Namco), and has seen releases on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Steam.

Spoiler: Source powered by Google translate

http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html?sp
Z: " Wowwow Well ... in the future ... Well ... I wish I could make a good talk with Nintendo-san, it was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream. "
Z: " I want to make friends with Nintendo, not only Sony is making friends "
Z: " Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy Toho world "

This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game. Although this is a rough machine translation, it implies that ZUN would be completely willing to collaborate with Nintendo in the future, as it will be beneficial for the Touhou franchise. It is also important to note that having Reimu in Smash does not go against ZUN's philosophy. At the end of the day, a Smash inclusion is merely a guest appearance, and Nintendo nor Sakurai would not hold any form of rights over the franchise moving forward. As shown with Sakurai's treatment with Pac-man, Mega man and Simon Belmont, it is clear that Smash remains incredibly faithful to their third party characters, having movesets that embody the classic feel of the character. If Reimu were to be playable, she would undoubtably be treated with the same amount of respect.

Spoiler: ZUN has positive opinions on Nintendo

ZUN is a gamer at heart. In an interview from 2016 about Super Mario Maker, he mentions that he grew up with Nintendo, having fond memories of the Super Mario Bros. series in particular. While this is nothing groundbreaking, it shows that ZUN has sentimental value towards Nintendo, and further supports the possibility of a collaboration in the future.

Spoiler: ZUN wants to bring Touhou to the West

Spoiler: DualShockers Interview: 2016

https://www.dualshockers.com/touhou...ast-present-and-future-of-his-touhou-project/
A: Will we ever see more official Touhou games in the West?
Z: It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s something that I want to do. It really just comes down to finding the time to do it.

This interview with ZUN shows that he is interested in officially bringing Touhou to the west, and I believe Smash is the perfect avenue to to do that. As it stands, Touhou has a bit of a cult following when it comes to the West, with the official subreddit /r/touhou holding 24k subscribers at the time of writing this. Smash is well known for bringing forth the most obscure gaming franchises into the limelight. Fire Emblem's popularity can be attributed to Marth and Roy's inclusion in Melee.
Reimu's inclusion Smash may be just what the series needs to reclaim its position at the top. It will benefit Touhou by giving it mainstream exposure, and would be the perfect avenue to introduce Touhou to the West and to the younger generation, without going against ZUN's philosophy.

This is amazing, it gives so much hope...
It was just what i needed to see today, thanks!


Lets wait warmly until our girl gets ready for Smash!

 

[NineS]

oh yeah, i haven't dropped by yet have i?
uh, shoot. i usually have a script prepared

User NineS reporting for duty!
Count me in! Call me a supporter!
less of an active supporter, but a supporter none the less
Out of all the indies out there, Touhou is oddly enough the one I've known of the longest.
Forgive me when I say that I've known Touhou and Reimu the longest out of any Indie despite never having touched a Touhou game, official or fan-made. That is something I hope to change in the nier future, however.
I feel an odd sense of satisfaction and excitement at the thought of Reimu, or any Touhou character, making it into Smash. I would like to see it happen.
For one, it'd most definitely bring the franchise more attention in the west, but you all probably already know this. That's why you're here, isn't it? Especially with NobleClamtasm sharing their reasonings and explanations. It is actually because of them (or you, since you're likely reading this as well by this point) that I decided to drop by. I wouldn't have known there was a Reimu support thread otherwise.
I'll try to become increasingly active as a supporter. Perhaps not as much as I am for 2B, but still decently active. But first, I'll need to delve into research and analyze everything Touhou, then a bit of gameplay.

But yes, add me to the supporters list!
​

P.S., What do you all think of this? https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gensokyodefenders-switch#game-info

I know this likely isn't a proper experience for a Touhou game, but it seems interesting nonetheless. How do you think this will hold up to past iterations or other fangames? I'm hoping this is worth something to Nintendo.
Also, I would like to warn you all. I am very weird, but you all probably noticed that. And if you didn't, then you are most likely weird as well.

 

[NobleClamtasm]

oh yeah, i haven't dropped by yet have i?
uh, shoot. i usually have a script prepared

View attachment 179128
User NineS reporting for duty!
Count me in! Call me a supporter!
less of an active supporter, but a supporter none the less
Out of all the indies out there, Touhou is oddly enough the one I've known of the longest.
Forgive me when I say that I've known Touhou and Reimu the longest out of any Indie despite never having touched a Touhou game, official or fan-made. That is something I hope to change in the nier future, however.
I feel an odd sense of satisfaction and excitement at the thought of Reimu, or any Touhou character, making it into Smash. I would like to see it happen.
For one, it'd most definitely bring the franchise more attention in the west, but you all probably already know this. That's why you're here, isn't it? Especially with NobleClamtasm sharing their reasonings and explanations. It is actually because of them (or you, since you're likely reading this as well by this point) that I decided to drop by. I wouldn't have known there was a Reimu support thread otherwise.
I'll try to become increasingly active as a supporter. Perhaps not as much as I am for 2B, but still decently active. But first, I'll need to delve into research and analyze everything Touhou, then a bit of gameplay.

But yes, add me to the supporters list!
​

P.S., What do you all think of this? https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gensokyodefenders-switch#game-info

I know this likely isn't a proper experience for a Touhou game, but it seems interesting nonetheless. How do you think this will hold up to past iterations or other fangames? I'm hoping this is worth something to Nintendo.

I'm glad I was able to sway you over, haha. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to dabble much in the fan games recently due to pharmacy school, but I try to buy whatever fangames I can on the Switch to support the franchise.

Also, I would like to warn you all. I am very weird, but you all probably noticed that. And if you didn't, then you are most likely weird as well.

No worries, dude. Being weird is pretty much a requirement for liking Touhou.

 

[zferolie]

I'm finally done with that compilation I promised. It turned out a lot more comprehensive than what I originally planned. Any feedback or criticism would be greatly appreciated


Why would Nintendo choose Reimu?

Spoiler: Touhou is absolutely huge

Touhou is absolutely huge. But don't take my word for it. The Japanese fan convention, Comiket, has been dominated by Touhou for many years and has never been surpassed, until Kancolle's sudden rise overtook it. There are roughly 500,000 - 550,000 attendees to Comiket twice a year, making it the largest convention of its kind in the world. To put things into perspective, that makes it 3-4 times the size of San-Diego Comic con and 7 times larger than the largest PAX. While Touhou has been widely regarded as Queen of Comiket in the past, Touhou still remains highly ranked in terms of popularity, consistently placing within the top 5 of franchises present at the event each year. It is also important to note that Touhou is owned by a single person, ZUN, making it an indie franchise at heart. The fact that Touhou is able to remain this popular without corporate backing speaks volumes on how beloved the franchise is.
There is also Reitaisai, which is a biannual convention dedicated entirely to Touhou. You can partly attribute Touhou's lower Comiket participation to the fact that many of Touhou's doujin turnout moved to Reitaisai.
Touhou is an untapped goldmine for Nintendo, and having that association will significantly drive sales.

Spoiler: Sources

https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf <- also great if you want to learn more about Comiket
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...mbers-reveal-top-series-at-comiket-92/.119929
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...-holds-the-dojin-throne-at-comiket-94/.135012

Spoiler: Touhou has seen success on Nintendo platforms

Touhou Kobuto V was the 14th top selling e-shop game in Japan in 2017. In addition, in the week it came out, it was the second most downloaded game on the Switch, losing only to Super Mario Odyssey. Now that's pretty darn impressive, considering that this is a port of a low budget fanmade game with little to no marketing. Since then, more and more Touhou fangames are coming to the Switch, some even with Western releases.

Spoiler: Source

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._best_selling_digital_games_on_switch_in_2017

Spoiler: Source 2

View attachment 179082

Spoiler: Reimu fills every requirement for a 3rd party inclusion

As far as I know, this is Sakurai's only statement on 3rd party characters

Spoiler: Sakurai's Three Rules on Third Party Characters

1. Manga characters will not join the battle (obviously).
While it’s true that we’ve added characters from other companies,
It’s not going to be anyone and everyone.

2. Smash is a game that’s made from everyone’s effort.
Both companies have to want the character to join the battle.
I need them to let me take charge of the character.
In order to fit the character into the world of Smash, I need them to allow me some artistic license.

3. The character must carry game history with them.
Besides that, it might be something like a courtesy to include a character who has the experience of being on a Nintendo platform.
At any rate, there will probably only be one or two more. –Toukouken #3
Source: https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/10/05/sakuraithirdparty/

While one may bring up Sakurai's tendency to contradict his statements in the past, these three rules have been more or less consistent with the third party picks we have. (With Bayo being the only outlier, whose inclusion can be attributed to ballot influence and Nintendo wanting to promote Bayo 2).
Reimu is obviously a video game character, so she's clear with the first rule. Reimu originates from the PC game Highly Responsive to Prayers (1996)
The second rule, I get into extensively in the next section.
The third rule on game history is what makes Reimu an incredibly strong candidate. With more than 16 games under her belt, she predates other popular indie picks like Shovel Knight, Cave Story and Shantae. Her franchise has left a huge mark on otaku culture in general.

Why would ZUN want Reimu in Smash?

Spoiler: Touhou's competition and ZUN's philosophy

As mentioned in the first point, due to the recent Comiket numbers, Touhou is no longer at the top when it comes to fan content in Japan. While it is easy to place the blame on Reitaisai, it is hard to ignore the recent mobile trend that dominates Japan. Touhou's main competitors such as Kancolle, FGO and idolm@ster, have become deeply rooted in mobile gacha games, which has boosted their accessibility and reach to new generation audiences. Touhou, on the other hand, has always been PC based, which is a niche platform at best in Japan.
The reason why you don't see any Touhou gacha on mobile is because of ZUN's personal philosophy on handling his franchise. In order to keep Touhou in the hands of the community, ZUN's has been known to be adamant on keeping Touhou away from corporations, as he does not want any other company to get any form of rights over his franchise.

Spoiler: ZUN wishes to work closely with Nintendo

Now, ZUN's stance on corporations has become lenient over the years. Touhou has made guest appearances in the latest Taiko Drum Master games (note: which are published by Bandai-Namco), and has seen releases on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Steam.

Spoiler: Source powered by Google translate

http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html?sp
Z: " Wowwow Well ... in the future ... Well ... I wish I could make a good talk with Nintendo-san, it was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream. "
Z: " I want to make friends with Nintendo, not only Sony is making friends "
Z: " Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy Toho world "

This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game. Although this is a rough machine translation, it implies that ZUN would be completely willing to collaborate with Nintendo in the future, as it will be beneficial for the Touhou franchise. It is also important to note that having Reimu in Smash does not go against ZUN's philosophy. At the end of the day, a Smash inclusion is merely a guest appearance, and Nintendo nor Sakurai would not hold any form of rights over the franchise moving forward. As shown with Sakurai's treatment with Pac-man, Mega man and Simon Belmont, it is clear that Smash remains incredibly faithful to their third party characters, having movesets that embody the classic feel of the character. If Reimu were to be playable, she would undoubtably be treated with the same amount of respect.

Spoiler: ZUN has positive opinions on Nintendo

ZUN is a gamer at heart. In an interview from 2016 about Super Mario Maker, he mentions that he grew up with Nintendo, having fond memories of the Super Mario Bros. series in particular. While this is nothing groundbreaking, it shows that ZUN has sentimental value towards Nintendo, and further supports the possibility of a collaboration in the future.

Spoiler: ZUN wants to bring Touhou to the West

Spoiler: DualShockers Interview: 2016

https://www.dualshockers.com/touhou...ast-present-and-future-of-his-touhou-project/
A: Will we ever see more official Touhou games in the West?
Z: It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s something that I want to do. It really just comes down to finding the time to do it.

This interview with ZUN shows that he is interested in officially bringing Touhou to the west, and I believe Smash is the perfect avenue to to do that. As it stands, Touhou has a bit of a cult following when it comes to the West, with the official subreddit /r/touhou holding 24k subscribers at the time of writing this. Smash is well known for bringing forth the most obscure gaming franchises into the limelight. Fire Emblem's popularity can be attributed to Marth and Roy's inclusion in Melee.
Reimu's inclusion Smash may be just what the series needs to reclaim its position at the top. It will benefit Touhou by giving it mainstream exposure, and would be the perfect avenue to introduce Touhou to the West and to the younger generation, without going against ZUN's philosophy.

Those are all some great points. I really would love Reimu in smash(I want shantae more but reimu is my number 2 indie) I think Touhou whhile only getting fan games so far is building a good fan base on the switch with it, plus many of those coming to america is great too.

What I really want to know is if anyone has outright asked ZUN about Reimu in smash, if he would want that or not. We know Wayforward has pushed for Shantae in smash, but I know no idea on ZUN's offical stance on it. I know he can't say if shes a DLC character, but he could say shes not(like the Dantae creator)

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

I'm really getting on board with Reimu. I'd certainly prefer her as a "Japan Ridley" over a Granblue character and the likes. Plus; it would be a monumental first indie rep! From what I know: She'd break the internet just like Cloud did.

 

[NobleClamtasm]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm glad people are liking my write-up. I was thinking of posting it on /r/smashbros for more exposure, but I really do want an accurate translation on that Nico interview before I spread it further. If anyone on this thread knows any fluent Japanese speakers to translate this interview:
http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html?sp
I'm fairly positive that the Google translation is more or less accurate, but I do worry of spreading misinformation.

Those are all some great points. I really would love Reimu in smash(I want shantae more but reimu is my number 2 indie) I think Touhou whhile only getting fan games so far is building a good fan base on the switch with it, plus many of those coming to america is great too.

What I really want to know is if anyone has outright asked ZUN about Reimu in smash, if he would want that or not. We know Wayforward has pushed for Shantae in smash, but I know no idea on ZUN's offical stance on it. I know he can't say if shes a DLC character, but he could say shes not(like the Dantae creator)

Reimu's support has been rising in Japan from what I can tell. Perhaps in the next Reitaisai, someone can ask ZUN personally about Reimu in Smash. It's too bad I don't know anyone who lives in Japan that can ask.

 

[guitargamer57]

oh yeah, i haven't dropped by yet have i?
uh, shoot. i usually have a script prepared

View attachment 179128
User NineS reporting for duty!
Count me in! Call me a supporter!
less of an active supporter, but a supporter none the less
Out of all the indies out there, Touhou is oddly enough the one I've known of the longest.
Forgive me when I say that I've known Touhou and Reimu the longest out of any Indie despite never having touched a Touhou game, official or fan-made. That is something I hope to change in the nier future, however.
I feel an odd sense of satisfaction and excitement at the thought of Reimu, or any Touhou character, making it into Smash. I would like to see it happen.
For one, it'd most definitely bring the franchise more attention in the west, but you all probably already know this. That's why you're here, isn't it? Especially with NobleClamtasm sharing their reasonings and explanations. It is actually because of them (or you, since you're likely reading this as well by this point) that I decided to drop by. I wouldn't have known there was a Reimu support thread otherwise.
I'll try to become increasingly active as a supporter. Perhaps not as much as I am for 2B, but still decently active. But first, I'll need to delve into research and analyze everything Touhou, then a bit of gameplay.

But yes, add me to the supporters list!
​

P.S., What do you all think of this? https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gensokyodefenders-switch#game-info

I know this likely isn't a proper experience for a Touhou game, but it seems interesting nonetheless. How do you think this will hold up to past iterations or other fangames? I'm hoping this is worth something to Nintendo.
Also, I would like to warn you all. I am very weird, but you all probably noticed that. And if you didn't, then you are most likely weird as well.

I don't know why your words got me a little bit excited. It's like this is start for more people getting here wanting to support Reimu.

 

[Arcadenblog]

Spoiler

I WANT TO GET OFF THE RIDE.

I WANT TO GET OFF MR. SAKURAI'S WILD RIDE.

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

Spoiler

I WANT TO GET OFF THE RIDE.

I WANT TO GET OFF MR. SAKURAI'S WILD RIDE.

Holy ****....... things are looking good for Banjo.... just SAYYYYYIN. WAIT THAT'S THE ICE LADY FROM TOUHOU; RIGHT? CIRNO?

 

[NobleClamtasm]

Spoiler

I WANT TO GET OFF THE RIDE.

I WANT TO GET OFF MR. SAKURAI'S WILD RIDE.

Hahaha no way
That has to be fake

 

[NineS]

Spoiler

I WANT TO GET OFF THE RIDE.

I WANT TO GET OFF MR. SAKURAI'S WILD RIDE.

You had me at first, but that Cirno..

Can we find a source for that Cirno artwork online?

 

[Arcadenblog]

You had me at first, but that Cirno..

Can we find a source for that Cirno artwork online?

It's her artwork from Hidden Star in Four Seasons.

 

[RileyXY1]

It's her artwork from Hidden Star in Four Seasons.

Where did you find the image of Steve and Cirno as Spirits?

 

[Flyboy]

Spoiler

I WANT TO GET OFF THE RIDE.

I WANT TO GET OFF MR. SAKURAI'S WILD RIDE.

There's no way this is real BUT I SURE WISH IT WAS. CIRNO SPIRIT WITH ICE ABILITIES LET'S GO.

 

[NobleClamtasm]

What's damning is the fact that the Steve render is not an official render. I'm pretty sure this image was meant to ellicit a reaction. Managing to get both Steve and Cirno on the same image would be pretty wild. I don't know who the guy on the right is though.

PS - Hi everyone, welcome to the Reimu thread

 

[Flyboy]

What's damning is the fact that the Steve render is not an official render. I'm pretty sure this image was meant to ellicit a reaction. Managing to get both Steve and Cirno on the same image would be pretty wild. I don't know who the guy on the right is though.

PS - Hi everyone, welcome to the Reimu thread

Yeah, Steve in Spirit form would probably use the box art smoothed version of the character.

Okay, related to touhou I noticed there are a few Touhou fangames on Switch. They don't really grab my attention except the one with Danmaku in the title. Does anyone have any experience with any of them? Are any of them worth getting?

i wish EOSD was on switch I really like it and don't feel like downloading it on my PC again

 

[OptimisticStrifer]

Please keep me updated on if this is real.

 

[Arcadenblog]

Where did you find the image of Steve and Cirno as Spirits?

Know Your Meme. The person on KYM linked a Twitter post.
https://twitter.com/PeterTrick1/status/1065978347359006720

 

[RileyXY1]

Know Your Meme. The person on KYM linked a Twitter post.
https://twitter.com/PeterTrick1/status/1065978347359006720

Is this real?

 

[Arcadenblog]

I don't know who the guy on the right is though.

It's Zoda from the F-Zero series

Is this real?

I don't know. There have been rumors of people getting Smash Ultimate early, though.

 

[NobleClamtasm]

It's Zoda from the F-Zero series

I don't know. There have been rumors of people getting Smash Ultimate early, though.

Ah, thanks. So if anyone can spot the same Zoda and Ampharos renders on another image, it would bring us one step closer to confirming this. I'm still leaning on fake though.

 

[RileyXY1]

Ah, thanks. So if anyone can spot the same Zoda and Ampharos renders on another image, it would bring us one step closer to confirming this. I'm still leaning on fake though.

The Ampharos spirit has already been seen. It's its official Ken Sugimori artwork. I also found a picture of the Zoda spirit and it matches with the image. This is mot likely real.

 

[JacobLeBeauOFFICIAL]

Holy ****....... things are looking good for Banjo.... just SAYYYYYIN. WAIT THAT'S THE ICE LADY FROM TOUHOU; RIGHT? CIRNO?

How. Remember: we don't Know if spirits deconfirm yet. Also several insiders still say steve and it's still probably gonna be steve reguardless

 

[SorrowOfAcheron]

I support Reimu.
I'm not really into the games but the music's really good, and there's tons of cool characters.

I always felt like she'd be a faster, more-battle oriented version of Zelda.
The moveset on the first page is dope.

 

[Arcadenblog]

Thing's fake. False alarm.
https://twitter.com/PeterTrick1/status/1066041221070708742

 

[PurpleXCompleX]

Arcadenblog Please don't post obvious fakes and get people excited.

 

[Lasatar]

Heh, that leak may be fake, but remember that they were actually trying to leak Steve, and not Cirno. That means that it's possible that Cirno actually is a real Spirit, while Steve is the fake one, which is supported by the Ampharos and Zoda spirits being real. Course, it's still possible that both of them are fake, but if you only want to leak Steve, why put Cirno of all characters in there? That just makes it lose credibility.

So that means, that while Steve is faked, Cirno is still possibly real!

 

[NobleClamtasm]

So the full spirits list has been datamined, and it turns out the Steve and Cirno leak is totally fake. At the very least, with Touhou being completely absent means that Reimu is still on the table for DLC. It wouldn't really make sense to have Touhou spirits without a character or stage representation anyway.

In other news, Reimu has actually been mentioned in an online Japanese Smash poll
https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2018/11/24/118908_3.html
So if you're still worried that Japan doesn't want her, you can rest easy.

 

[zferolie]

So the full spirits list has been datamined, and it turns out the Steve and Cirno leak is totally fake. At the very least, with Touhou being completely absent means that Reimu is still on the table for DLC. It wouldn't really make sense to have Touhou spirits without a character or stage representation anyway.

In other news, Reimu has actually been mentioned in an online Japanese Smash poll
https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2018/11/24/118908_3.html
So if you're still worried that Japan doesn't want her, you can rest easy.

I am hearing some people saying that isn't the full list, like there are more spirits. But never beleived that leak anyway.

Its cool Touhou is trending there then

 

[guitargamer57]

I'm finally done with that compilation I promised. It turned out a lot more comprehensive than what I originally planned. Any feedback or criticism would be greatly appreciated


Why would Nintendo choose Reimu?

Spoiler: Touhou is absolutely huge

Touhou is absolutely huge. But don't take my word for it. The Japanese fan convention, Comiket, has been dominated by Touhou for many years and has never been surpassed, until Kancolle's sudden rise overtook it. There are roughly 500,000 - 550,000 attendees to Comiket twice a year, making it the largest convention of its kind in the world. To put things into perspective, that makes it 3-4 times the size of San-Diego Comic con and 7 times larger than the largest PAX. While Touhou has been widely regarded as Queen of Comiket in the past, Touhou still remains highly ranked in terms of popularity, consistently placing within the top 5 of franchises present at the event each year. It is also important to note that Touhou is owned by a single person, ZUN, making it an indie franchise at heart. The fact that Touhou is able to remain this popular without corporate backing speaks volumes on how beloved the franchise is.
There is also Reitaisai, which is a biannual convention dedicated entirely to Touhou. You can partly attribute Touhou's lower Comiket participation to the fact that many of Touhou's doujin turnout moved to Reitaisai.
Touhou is an untapped goldmine for Nintendo, and having that association will significantly drive sales.

Spoiler: Sources

https://www.comiket.co.jp/info-a/WhatIsEng201401.pdf <- also great if you want to learn more about Comiket
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...mbers-reveal-top-series-at-comiket-92/.119929
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/in...-holds-the-dojin-throne-at-comiket-94/.135012

Spoiler: Touhou has seen success on Nintendo platforms

Touhou Kobuto V was the 14th top selling e-shop game in Japan in 2017. In addition, in the week it came out, it was the second most downloaded game on the Switch, losing only to Super Mario Odyssey. Now that's pretty darn impressive, considering that this is a port of a low budget fanmade game with little to no marketing. Since then, more and more Touhou fangames are coming to the Switch, some even with Western releases.

Spoiler: Source

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._best_selling_digital_games_on_switch_in_2017

Spoiler: Source 2

View attachment 179082

Spoiler: Reimu fills every requirement for a 3rd party inclusion

As far as I know, this is Sakurai's only statement on 3rd party characters

Spoiler: Sakurai's Three Rules on Third Party Characters

1. Manga characters will not join the battle (obviously).
While it’s true that we’ve added characters from other companies,
It’s not going to be anyone and everyone.

2. Smash is a game that’s made from everyone’s effort.
Both companies have to want the character to join the battle.
I need them to let me take charge of the character.
In order to fit the character into the world of Smash, I need them to allow me some artistic license.

3. The character must carry game history with them.
Besides that, it might be something like a courtesy to include a character who has the experience of being on a Nintendo platform.
At any rate, there will probably only be one or two more. –Toukouken #3
Source: https://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/10/05/sakuraithirdparty/

While one may bring up Sakurai's tendency to contradict his statements in the past, these three rules have been more or less consistent with the third party picks we have. (With Bayo being the only outlier, whose inclusion can be attributed to ballot influence and Nintendo wanting to promote Bayo 2).
Reimu is obviously a video game character, so she's clear with the first rule. Reimu originates from the PC game Highly Responsive to Prayers (1996)
The second rule, I get into extensively in the next section.
The third rule on game history is what makes Reimu an incredibly strong candidate. With more than 16 games under her belt, she predates other popular indie picks like Shovel Knight, Cave Story and Shantae. Her franchise has left a huge mark on otaku culture in general.

Why would ZUN want Reimu in Smash?

Spoiler: Touhou's competition and ZUN's philosophy

As mentioned in the first point, due to the recent Comiket numbers, Touhou is no longer at the top when it comes to fan content in Japan. While it is easy to place the blame on Reitaisai, it is hard to ignore the recent mobile trend that dominates Japan. Touhou's main competitors such as Kancolle, FGO and idolm@ster, have become deeply rooted in mobile gacha games, which has boosted their accessibility and reach to new generation audiences. Touhou, on the other hand, has always been PC based, which is a niche platform at best in Japan.
The reason why you don't see any Touhou gacha on mobile is because of ZUN's personal philosophy on handling his franchise. In order to keep Touhou in the hands of the community, ZUN's has been known to be adamant on keeping Touhou away from corporations, as he does not want any other company to get any form of rights over his franchise.

Spoiler: ZUN wishes to work closely with Nintendo

Now, ZUN's stance on corporations has become lenient over the years. Touhou has made guest appearances in the latest Taiko Drum Master games (note: which are published by Bandai-Namco), and has seen releases on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Steam.

Spoiler: Source powered by Google translate

http://theylivewesleep.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-50.html?sp
Z: " Wowwow Well ... in the future ... Well ... I wish I could make a good talk with Nintendo-san, it was today's broadcast that makes me feel such a dream. "
Z: " I want to make friends with Nintendo, not only Sony is making friends "
Z: " Because Toho is not so much something, there is a healthy Toho world "

This is a 2016 interview with ZUN on a Nico livestream regarding Touhou music appearing on a 3DS game. Although this is a rough machine translation, it implies that ZUN would be completely willing to collaborate with Nintendo in the future, as it will be beneficial for the Touhou franchise. It is also important to note that having Reimu in Smash does not go against ZUN's philosophy. At the end of the day, a Smash inclusion is merely a guest appearance, and Nintendo nor Sakurai would not hold any form of rights over the franchise moving forward. As shown with Sakurai's treatment with Pac-man, Mega man and Simon Belmont, it is clear that Smash remains incredibly faithful to their third party characters, having movesets that embody the classic feel of the character. If Reimu were to be playable, she would undoubtably be treated with the same amount of respect.

Spoiler: ZUN has positive opinions on Nintendo

ZUN is a gamer at heart. In an interview from 2016 about Super Mario Maker, he mentions that he grew up with Nintendo, having fond memories of the Super Mario Bros. series in particular. While this is nothing groundbreaking, it shows that ZUN has sentimental value towards Nintendo, and further supports the possibility of a collaboration in the future.

Spoiler: ZUN wants to bring Touhou to the West

Spoiler: DualShockers Interview: 2016

https://www.dualshockers.com/touhou...ast-present-and-future-of-his-touhou-project/
A: Will we ever see more official Touhou games in the West?
Z: It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s something that I want to do. It really just comes down to finding the time to do it.

This interview with ZUN shows that he is interested in officially bringing Touhou to the west, and I believe Smash is the perfect avenue to to do that. As it stands, Touhou has a bit of a cult following when it comes to the West, with the official subreddit /r/touhou holding 24k subscribers at the time of writing this. Smash is well known for bringing forth the most obscure gaming franchises into the limelight. Fire Emblem's popularity can be attributed to Marth and Roy's inclusion in Melee.
Reimu's inclusion Smash may be just what the series needs to reclaim its position at the top. It will benefit Touhou by giving it mainstream exposure, and would be the perfect avenue to introduce Touhou to the West and to the younger generation, without going against ZUN's philosophy.

That's some well tought investigation, and you have some very good points there. I don't think I should be very confident about Reimu chances of getting in, but you're making it more difficult.

Considering that Nintendo already choosed all characters, I want to know what excatly did they take in count, if it's all about promoting new games, does Touhou have anything new for the Nintendo Switch that they would want to market?

 

[Lasatar]

That's some well tought investigation, and you have some very good points there. I don't think I should be very confident about Reimu chances of getting in, but you're making it more difficult.

Considering that Nintendo already choosed all characters, I want to know what excatly did they take in count, if it's all about promoting new games, does Touhou have anything new for the Nintendo Switch that they would want to market?

Touhou doesn't have any official stuff announced for the Switch quite yet (it does have quite a few fangames though), but that might just change very soon, since the evidence very strongly points towards Antinomy of Common Flowers getting a port for the Switch, and getting it soon. It might just be announced at Comiket or during a Nintendo Direct next month.

 

[Lasatar]

Supporters inbound!

61. cannonball_java
62. OshawottGuy4

EDIT: Even more!

63. perfectchaos83
64. CarmineFlame

 

[Math Jreeds 1284]

It seems the guy from the Twitter post was just as confused as everyone else. Taking people's stances as word when told fake.

Currently in speculation right now Steve is leaning towards being playable, Hitagi has been consistently on the mark to me with sharing potential characters (Katalina), staying silent about others, and updating his info to let everyone know if it's not 100% fact.

Supposing that Steve spirit is real, it would need to be a sort of homage to his original design so it isn't the character itself. That way the speculation could push further to analyze the Cirno "spirit", since it's a plausible choice than any other random character like Patchouli.

Sadly, fact is the leaked spirits were datamined and listed through code, not typical blurry images from early birds. Shoot x) x(