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Shrine Maiden of Paradise ~ Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project)

BernkastelWitch

Smash Ace
Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Messages
530
What is the consensus here about Reimus chances?

And is the Doujin rumor still in play?
I wanna say she's in the lower-middle chances. The doujin leak still seems around but a lot of people don't think she's possible, even though some of us still think she has a chance.

Most peoples reasonings is that she'd be "Niche" and "Unknown" which Touhou is huge in Japan so that is void. And people bring up how Sans and Cuphead got costumes so they assume no Indie has a chance, though I can argue those two don't have much ideas for good movesets while someone like Reimu has a good arsenal to go.

It's just mostly a lot of ignorance on some of the reasons against her, even if we all know she isn't 100% and people going for some of the wrong reasons to detract against her.
 

Brazillian Cara

Smash Cadet
Joined
Nov 2, 2019
Messages
25
The Doujin leak does get weaker with each passing day without any news. That said, she is still not impossible, that's for sure. I do feel it's important to have some level of skepticism to avoid being let down if she doesn't get in (something this thread has been pretty good at, compared to others).
 

BernkastelWitch

Smash Ace
Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Messages
530
The Doujin leak does get weaker with each passing day without any news. That said, she is still not impossible, that's for sure. I do feel it's important to have some level of skepticism to avoid being let down if she doesn't get in (something this thread has been pretty good at, compared to others).
I know she is far from 100%. The main things going for her outside of the supposed leak is that she's one of the truly viable Indie reps left for a playable status and one that'd make sense compared to other choices as well as ZUN being a very lax, easy person for negotiations.

She's not as "Impossible" as most people claim but we still know she isn't a true lock. Hell, no character is a true "Lock" for Smash, even ones like Dante and whatnot so that's to be expected.
 

nessdeltarune00

Banned via Warnings
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
1,523
I wanna say she's in the lower-middle chances. The doujin leak still seems around but a lot of people don't think she's possible, even though some of us still think she has a chance.

Most peoples reasonings is that she'd be "Niche" and "Unknown" which Touhou is huge in Japan so that is void. And people bring up how Sans and Cuphead got costumes so they assume no Indie has a chance, though I can argue those two don't have much ideas for good movesets while someone like Reimu has a good arsenal to go.

It's just mostly a lot of ignorance on some of the reasons against her, even if we all know she isn't 100% and people going for some of the wrong reasons to detract against her.
Isn’t she also apparently huge in China as well, from what some people in this thread have pointed out?
 

perfectchaos83

Smash Champion
Joined
May 31, 2018
Messages
2,814
What is the consensus here about Reimus chances?
To me, She's the most likely indie at the moment. How you take that is up to you.

And is the Doujin rumor still in play?
My take on the Doujin rumor is still the same as it was a few weeks ago.

I think Pass one was finalized around early 2018 to Summer 2018. This is also where I think Pass two was finalized the following year. For me, in order for Doujin leak to be real (Rumblings of Touhou in Smash in April to Music around August) then She'd have to be one of the first revealed in the pass. I've said the only exception would be if she IS being saved for a China reveal, but that's not something to easily theorize
 

BernkastelWitch

Smash Ace
Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Messages
530
Isn’t she also apparently huge in China as well, from what some people in this thread have pointed out?
Yep. A good chunk of doujin games, fanime, and whatnot come from China and a flower is named after Reimu so yes. She'd be a double whammy if she got in: Appeals to Japan and China.
 

nessdeltarune00

Banned via Warnings
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Nov 26, 2018
Messages
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Yep. A good chunk of doujin games, fanime, and whatnot come from China and a flower is named after Reimu so yes. She'd be a double whammy if she got in: Appeals to Japan and China.
^^^ I believe this is a very important factor that is being slept on when discussing Reimus chances.

If Hero was added to tap into the Japanese market, and Terry for Latin America, I can definitely see Reimu being added for the Chinese market (And Japan as well, pretty much a win win).
 
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perfectchaos83

Smash Champion
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May 31, 2018
Messages
2,814
^^^ I believe this is a very important factor that is being slept on when discussing Reimus chances.

If Hero was added to tap into the Japanese market, and Terry for Latin America, I can definitely see Reimu being added for the Chinese market (And Japan as well, pretty much a win win).
To be fair, Terry and KoF are also big in China. However, I always felt that a China pick (If we're getting one to begin with) would be revealed much closer to China's Smash release than what Terry would be. But, yes. I do think China's market is an important consideration particularly because it is a new and pretty untapped Market for Nintendo.
 

Wrathful_Scythe

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
253
Location
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Reimu might or might not get into Smash. She is still in Sakurai's little magical box (Schrökurai's Box?) where the newcomer is in a state of being her or someone else at the same time, until observed.

Jokes aside, discussing chances is kinda pointless anyway. It's fun and all, I don't want this board to stop this, but some debates on here in the past few months.... .
I don't know why people are still clinging to certain criteria, when Sakurai's choices show no real kind of pattern. Leaks aside, which can't be believed 100% anyway, every character was unexpected and that likely won't change. There are just too many unknown factors to make a somewhat conclusive statement about the chances of a character, and that goes for everyone that is rumored around here. I mean, You could start analyse Sakurais love for old, genre defining games and combine that with his passion for shmups and come to the conclusion that it doesn't mean jack sh*t. Reimu might or might not be on his radar.

Also, I've already determined that Marisa is gonna be a fighter in Smash so that plays a huge roll for Reimu's chances, as 2 Touhou characters might be too much.

To be fair, Terry and KoF are also big in China. However, I always felt that a China pick (If we're getting one to begin with) would be revealed much closer to China's Smash release than what Terry would be. But, yes. I do think China's market is an important consideration particularly because it is a new and pretty untapped Market for Nintendo.
Do we have some information about the Smash release in China? it's always weird with China being in its own little bubble when it comes to video games.
 

perfectchaos83

Smash Champion
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May 31, 2018
Messages
2,814
Do we have some information about the Smash release in China? it's always weird with China being in its own little bubble when it comes to video games.
Not that I know of. There's a guy in the Newcomer speculation thread that brings up what's going on with Nintendo in China every once in a while.
 

Barrubo

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
105
Fantastic game that will see you spend hours on hours on it. Still my favorite released fangame. The mechanics need some getting used to but after the initial hurdles, the game is really enjoyable.

The endgame dungeons after the story are just gruelinlgy cruel, however. A no bomb no miss run on any Touhou game is easier than those dungeons.
Is Reloaded just an updated version of the original Gensou Wanderer or is it it's own game? I'm not too sure about that.
 

Wrathful_Scythe

Smash Journeyman
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Is Reloaded just an updated version of the original Gensou Wanderer or is it it's own game? I'm not too sure about that.
It is still Genso Wanderer. Its more like a GotY with all the DLC added. Genso Wanderer was localized in the west but by the time it was released there, Japan had already gotten Reloaded which disheartened a few people. Still, I'd say its worth it if its on sale at some point. It comes with a ton of new content and even has HSiFS characters integrated.

If you are looking for an entirely new entry in the Genso series: Lotus Labyrinth's western release shouldn't be too far off. Its a good game that itches this Touhou dungeon crawler itch. It's also satisfying to build an army and let them roam the dungeons.
 

cwbaaa

Smash Cadet
Joined
Sep 20, 2019
Messages
48
Genso Wanderer is pretty great, but holy crap it gets hard at times. I just beat Futo’s 7th trial after being stuck on it for weeks. You really have to know the importance of crafting new stuff and using your items. I definitely could not have made it if I didn’t craft my items with all those slayer, barrier, and hiso seals.
 
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Wrathful_Scythe

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Messages
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Genso Wanderer is pretty great, but holy crap it gets hard at times. I just beat Futo’s 7th trial after being stuck on it for weeks. You really have to know the importance of crafting new stuff and using your items. I definitely could not have made it if I didn’t craft my items with all those slayer, barrier, and hiso seals.
Yeah, sometimes you have to carefully plan each turn, as you might get killed by a single mistake.
I once had a longer run come to an end because I got death-cursed by a Yuyuko, who then proceeded to fly into open water and never show herself again. I didn't had the tools to deal with her so I just died. Thankfully you can prepare for most dungeons. A good supply of swift potions, invincibility potions and maxed out equipment and you just breeze through pretty much everything.

But it gets worse...
I'm not even sure how you are supposed to deal with the endgame dungeons (Rei'sens mysterious Dungeon and the Hakurei well). You can't bring your partner with you and you can't bring items with you, so you start the dungeon naked. A true challenge for your dungeon crawler skills! You are under a strict timelimit due to hunger with only few food articles present. Enemies hit hard, traps everywhere but the worst thing of all: All items are unidentified! Equip a weapon to see what it is? Whoops, that was a cursed one. Drank a potion you found to test it -> poison. The best weapon you found was a scrap of paper? Sucks to be you.

I tried those dungeons like 20 times and got either steamrolled by enemies, as I haven't gotten enough levels or I died of hunger because the next 15 floors hadn't any food. Or you get screwed by some enemy ability. At that point I just gave up. The farthest I came was roughly floor 50 (out of 99). I'm convinced that your runs on those dungeons are ruined from the get go until you get a lucky seed or something because try as I might, I couldn't get through them. A LNMNB run on LoLK is more doable than that.

But those are the last dungeons in the game. By that time you have beaten all the stories and easily spend 60+ hours on the game. It pains me that I haven't 100%'ed Genso Wanderer but my sanity has its limit. I got Reloaded on Steam to play the extra content. Usually not my style but maybe I'll just give in and turn on the cheat engine on the PC version, just to see what comes after those gruelling challenges.
 

Nerkama

Smash Rookie
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Messages
9
To be fair, Terry and KoF are also big in China. However, I always felt that a China pick (If we're getting one to begin with) would be revealed much closer to China's Smash release than what Terry would be. But, yes. I do think China's market is an important consideration particularly because it is a new and pretty untapped Market for Nintendo.

Thinking about this from a marketing standpoint, in terms of appealing to audiences wouldn't it be a good idea to have two dlc fighters that are big in China to appeal to them.

I'm not too knowledgeable on this so take what I say with a grain of salt, but aside from having multiple familiar characters making it so people would be interested in the game, having one for each pass would seem like something you'd want so that they'd be more likely to get both fighters passes and not just one or the other when they get the game
 

MindlessMage

Smash Cadet
Joined
Oct 30, 2019
Messages
30
The only patterns Smash has ever followed is:
-There is always a new playable FE rep in every sequel.
-There is always a new playable FE rep for the newest game in the series.
-There never will be a non-video game character added.

I didn't include spirits deconfirming since we had Lucas, who was a trophy in Smash 4, become a DLC character in Smash 4.

I'm not sure we can say assist trophies 100% deconfirm yet. But at the rate we're going? It's safe to assume that is a pattern.
 
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perfectchaos83

Smash Champion
Joined
May 31, 2018
Messages
2,814
The only patterns Smash has ever followed is:
-There is always a new playable FE rep in every sequel.
-There is always a new playable FE rep for the newest game in the series.
-There never will be a non-video game character added.

I didn't include spirits deconfirming since we had Lucas, who was a trophy in Smash 4, become a DLC character in Smash 4.

I'm not sure we can say assist trophies 100% deconfirm yet. But at the rate we're going? It's safe to assume that is a pattern.
We didn't get Alm or Celica.
 

Dukefire

Smash Master
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Sep 7, 2018
Messages
4,386
That is still unknown if another Pokemon rep is coming with Challenger 6 not shown yet.
 

Troykv

Smash Master
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Jan 24, 2015
Messages
3,990
The golden rule isn't character beyond videogames (the silver rule is the character would like to have an actual connection to Nintendo in some form, not as powerful as the golden rule that is outright confirmed, but all the characters mention this at the moment of appering in Smash).
 

Lasatar

Smash Apprentice
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Messages
199
Location
Australia
Every Smash game has also added at least two characters from the extended Mario series (which includes things like Wario and Donkey Kong).
 

zriL

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
239
Hi, usually a lurker here but there is currently a poll initiated by Papagenos and other discord servers. I think this is a good occasion to show how much support Reimu has even in the west, where she's supposedly "non existant". But I don't see it being talked here or on the main twitter so I'm wondering if people are aware of it.

edit : link to poll https://t.co/X0eDtWyvr5
 
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Wrathful_Scythe

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
253
Location
Germany
Hi, usually a lurker here but there is currently a poll initiated by Papagenos and other discord servers. I think this is a good occasion to show how much support Reimu has even in the west, where she's supposedly "non existant". But I don't see it being talked here or on the main twitter so I'm wondering if people are aware of it.

edit : link to poll https://t.co/X0eDtWyvr5
Welcome to the troop

Regarding the poll: It's hard to care with so many polls going around that don't achieve anything. Don't even know who this Papagenos is.

And when People say that Touhou is small and niche or unknown in the west, they are right for the most part. There aren't that many "fans". A lot of people kinda know of Touhou but aren't attached to the series. And there are even less people that actually played the corresponding games. If we look at the bigger communities, like Shirenmaiden.org or reddit, the former with 15k members (most of which aren't active, just the number of accounts overall) and the latter with 50k members, those are niche numbers. Additionally, the steam versions of Touhou didn't do too well either, though thats a given for japanese only games on Steam and the games themselves not being popular, even for among the fans.

It's just that many people can't fathom that there is an area between black and white. Its either everyone knows it or no one know it, strongly influenced by ones own exposure to the series.
 

cwbaaa

Smash Cadet
Joined
Sep 20, 2019
Messages
48
I honestly can’t take Smash polls seriously. They’re never really good representations. I opened it up and said Goku was most likely and that Pepsiman was my most wanted.
 

zriL

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
239
Welcome to the troop
Regarding the poll: It's hard to care with so many polls going around that don't achieve anything. Don't even know who this Papagenos is.

And when People say that Touhou is small and niche or unknown in the west, they are right for the most part. There aren't that many "fans". A lot of people kinda know of Touhou but aren't attached to the series. And there are even less people that actually played the corresponding games. If we look at the bigger communities, like Shirenmaiden.org or reddit, the former with 15k members (most of which aren't active, just the number of accounts overall) and the latter with 50k members, those are niche numbers. Additionally, the steam versions of Touhou didn't do too well either, though thats a given for japanese only games on Steam and the games themselves not being popular, even for among the fans.

It's just that many people can't fathom that there is an area between black and white. Its either everyone knows it or no one know it, strongly influenced by ones own exposure to the series.
You would be right to say Touhou is niche in the west, but as you said, there are different kinds of niche, it's not just you're Pikachu or you don't exist. For example, Smash community actually seems to think Geno isn't as niche as Touhou, but Touhou is at least more present than that. For example, a simple Google trend on the US indicates that Touhou Project would be about as popular or more popular than Super Mario RPG, Banjo Kazooie, Shovel Knight or Shantae.

I've always thought Touhou fans were usually less in numbers but more dedicated (or more productive), but I believe that's not the only thing. I think Touhou fans are just not that talkative. It seems many touhou fans are artists, who tend to produce more than talk, or lurkers who just consume what the artists produce. I lurk because I honestly think there is not very much to discuss about Touhou, but there is so much stuff to consume, be it music, games, art or whatever. There is a more vocal community, but just like many community it's usually not the best part of it and is mostly about throwing memes around. And I'm quite sad when people think Touhou is just a meme, but that's what people are exposed to first ...

You would be surprised how many people actually know about Touhou, I've discovered some friends were touhou fans (or least knew about it and liked what they know) and I never knew about it. I'd say, for people that spend a lot of time on the net and are familiar with anime and manga, it's very likely they know about Touhou. I know Touhou has nothing to do with anime, but it's somehow connected because you kind of need to be japanophile to discover about Touhou. So Touhou is niche in the west, but not very much more than the internet side of anime. So I believe it's less niche than you might think. By the way, 50k for a subreddit isn't that bad, for example Dragon Quest subreddit has less than that and Xenoblade one is about the same size.

In the end, I don't think official Touhou games will ever be popular, even if they had marketing. Let's face it, Touhou games are not that good if you look at game industry right now, even as shmup games Touhou is just fine, and shmup game aren't popular anyways these days. I believe Touhou wouldn't have taken off if not for the music, you might like the characters or the lore, but both of these things are totally carried by the music which described them so well. It's not surprising when you know ZUN made the games to show off the music. Now I definitely believe some fangames could become popular, because they have the possibility to be more polished and more rich in gameplay ideas.
 
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BernkastelWitch

Smash Ace
Joined
Oct 20, 2019
Messages
530
Oh yeah, Touhou is niche but it's not as niche as what some detractors may think. And there are some niche series represented in Smash already.

Touhou is one of those things a casual person may not know about but if you've been on the Internet for a long time or been into anime circles or the Shmup community, you are bound to have at least see or hear of Touhou in some capacity.
 

Wrathful_Scythe

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
253
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You would be right to say Touhou is niche in the west, but as you said, there are different kinds of niche, it's not just you're Pikachu or you don't exist. For example, Smash community actually seems to think Geno isn't as niche as Touhou, but Touhou is at least more present than that. For example, a simple Google trend on the US indicates that Touhou Project would be about as popular or more popular than Super Mario RPG, Banjo Kazooie, Shovel Knight or Shantae.

I've always thought Touhou fans were usually less in numbers but more dedicated (or more productive), but I believe that's not the only thing. I think Touhou fans are just not that talkative. It seems many touhou fans are artists, who tend to produce more than talk, or lurkers who just consume what the artists produce. I lurk because I honestly think there is not very much to discuss about Touhou, but there is so much stuff to consume, be it music, games, art or whatever. There is a more vocal community, but just like many community it's usually not the best part of it and is mostly about throwing memes around. And I'm quite sad when people think Touhou is just a meme, but that's what people are exposed to first ...
We have a lot of consumers and with that high demand comes a big industry. But this industry is mostly in Japan. There are a few non-japanese doujin circles I know of, and those are mostly fairly small. My point wasn't that Touhou is smaller than other indie's but that most discussions either mention that Touhou is leagues bigger than all other indies or that Touhou is non-existent. That point nags me.

You would be surprised how many people actually know about Touhou, I've discovered some friends were touhou fans (or least knew about it and liked what they know) and I never knew about it. I'd say, for people that spend a lot of time on the net and are familiar with anime and manga, it's very likely they know about Touhou. I know Touhou has nothing to do with anime, but it's somehow connected because you kind of need to be japanophile to discover about Touhou.
I wouldn't be surprised as I know that many people know of Touhou but aren't that into it. The popularity of the music back in 2010 with the millions and millions of views on youtube, Night of nights, U.N. Owen was her?, the IOSYS videos and such have left their mark. I even got my anime sceptic friends to enjoy Touhou music with Undead Corporation and Demetori. I was just trying to seperate fans and people that are just aware of Touhou.

Also, I wouldn't say Touhou has nothing to do with anime. I know the old meme of asking if Touhou related stuff is anime to annoy some fans but Touhou has multiple official mangas finished and still going, a ton of merchanide like PVC figures, keychains, pillow covers and such. In Akihabara is even a store dedicated to Touhou (Akiba Hobby, worth to check out) with tons of stuff. Anime are, for the most part, adaptations of mangas so both mediums are fairly similar. And we've even gotten a still running unofficial anime with good art and animation. No voice acting though, what I find surprising.

I am more surprised that Touhou didn't get an official Anime by now.

So Touhou is niche in the west, but not very much more than the internet side of anime. So I believe it's less niche than you might think. By the way, 50k for a subreddit isn't that bad, for example Dragon Quest subreddit has less than that and Xenoblade one is about the same size.
I know its not "that" bad but still niche. I compared to other "niche" titles I currently play, like Noita or Hearts of Iron 4 and might have drawn my conclusion to early but still, compared to juggernauts like Halo, Devil May Cry or Crash Bandicoot, Touhou is just a small niche. Unfair comparison, I am aware, but still a part of the discussion when it comes to popularity on the other extreme.

In the end, I don't think official Touhou games will ever be popular, even if they had marketing. Let's face it, Touhou games are not that good if you look at game industry right now, even as shmup games Touhou is just fine, and shmup game aren't popular anyways these days. I believe Touhou wouldn't have taken off if not for the music, you might like the characters or the lore, but both of these things are totally carried by the music which described them so well. It's not surprising when you know ZUN made the games to show off the music. Now I definitely believe some fangames could become popular, because they have the possibility to be more polished and more rich in gameplay ideas.
It's such a shame that we've never gotten any official english translations for the mainline games. The translation is already done and the translators did a fantastic job with their easy to use patchers and all. But you still have to go through extra hoops to install a translation patch for a japanese game. A hurdle that is really off putting for many. Imagine if we would have a english steam version of the games and the games ported for the switch. Of course, the games wouldn't make Touhou mainstream, the genre itself is still fairly unpopular, but it would definitely help newcomers, dipping their toes in the water. I wonder why ZUN never reached out to anyone on the translation crew and actually hire or cooperate with them.

I mean, the fangames that get brought over to the west are, for the most part, quite mediocre. Such are fangames that get published without any or much alteration: The games are unpolished, don't look that good and feel quite clunky compared to other games on the Switch. Kobuto V, Sky Arena, Azure Reflections, etc. are all medicore and didn't garner much attention. Those games are intended for aleady existing fans of the series. Still waiting for Luna Nights and AoCF. Then again, the number of released fangames on the switch is a sign that their is demand.
 

zriL

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
239
We have a lot of consumers and with that high demand comes a big industry. But this industry is mostly in Japan. There are a few non-japanese doujin circles I know of, and those are mostly fairly small. My point wasn't that Touhou is smaller than other indie's but that most discussions either mention that Touhou is leagues bigger than all other indies or that Touhou is non-existent. That point nags me.
Well it's perfectly logical to happen for something that grew without any marketing and that was never intended for a western audience. Either you know about it, either you don't, you can't really blame people for not knowing about Touhou. But that statement is actually true if you place it in their region, Touhou is the biggest indie in Japan by far, Touhou is almost on-existent in the west. But that's the case for many Japanese niches. Touhou is just a bit special because it's enormous in Japan (bigger that other niches), and usually things that big in Japan tend to go overseas, but this doesn't happen with Touhou because there is no company behind it. So Touhou has created probably the biggest regional popularity discrepancy ever, with 2 main ingredient : viral expansion and not looking for money (pretty unlikely combination).

But in my opinion, Touhou wouldn't be very popular in the west anyways, its root are too deep into japanese culture and folklore, and it's still very anime looking. For example, Hastune Miku is big in Japan, there is more marketing behind it, but still the west doesn't care much about it. But at least people usually know the name, that's the main difference.


Also, I wouldn't say Touhou has nothing to do with anime. I know the old meme of asking if Touhou related stuff is anime to annoy some fans but Touhou has multiple official mangas finished and still going, a ton of merchanide like PVC figures, keychains, pillow covers and such. In Akihabara is even a store dedicated to Touhou (Akiba Hobby, worth to check out) with tons of stuff. Anime are, for the most part, adaptations of mangas so both mediums are fairly similar. And we've even gotten a still running unofficial anime with good art and animation. No voice acting though, what I find surprising.

I am more surprised that Touhou didn't get an official Anime by now.
Touhou anime is still only fanstuff, it would be like saying Touhou is porn because there is lots of porn of it. But that's why I said they are connected, both fandom have a lot in common but that's it, Touhou has officially nothing to do with anime. As for why there isn't an Touhou official anime, obviously the market is here, but I believe ZUN specifically stated that he didn't want an anime for a few reasons :
1 - He doesn't want to create a new official entry point that would misrepresent Touhou as he sees it, especially if that new entry point is bound to be more popular than the games
2 - He doesn't want to work too much with big companies because he fear he wouldn't have enough control on the result
Basically he doesn't want Touhou to be misrepresented by something official. He has changed is mind a bit over the years but it still small steps.
That's why I personally never believed in Reimu for Smash until that recent interview because I was sure he wouldn't want it and that was the biggest hurdle for Reimu in Smash. Now I think he's right to trust Smash for this, because we know Sakurai really cares about accuracy in representation when he add a new character.


I know its not "that" bad but still niche. I compared to other "niche" titles I currently play, like Noita or Hearts of Iron 4 and might have drawn my conclusion to early but still, compared to juggernauts like Halo, Devil May Cry or Crash Bandicoot, Touhou is just a small niche. Unfair comparison, I am aware, but still a part of the discussion when it comes to popularity on the other extreme.
Why would you compare Touhou with western Juggernaut ? It's definitely not fair, all of these had millions in marketing behind them, of course they would be more popular. Keep in mind that Touhou has achieved something other games can only dream of without spending any money : A huge dedicated fanbase of content creators, probably the biggest one ever. This fanbase being in Japan isn't really an issue, we already got a few Japan niches in smash : Fire emblem in melee, Dragon Quest recently, even Terry is debatable.

It's such a shame that we've never gotten any official english translations for the mainline games. The translation is already done and the translators did a fantastic job with their easy to use patchers and all. But you still have to go through extra hoops to install a translation patch for a japanese game. A hurdle that is really off putting for many. Imagine if we would have a english steam version of the games and the games ported for the switch. Of course, the games wouldn't make Touhou mainstream, the genre itself is still fairly unpopular, but it would definitely help newcomers, dipping their toes in the water. I wonder why ZUN never reached out to anyone on the translation crew and actually hire or cooperate with them.
ZUN just didn't care for that until very recently. There was an interview with Toby Fox recently, and Toby Fox told him the same thing, that he should localize the games, etc. ZUN said something like he never intended for Touhou to be for the west and that he was always surprised that Touhou fans actually existed in the west. Didn't find a full translation but : https://clarste.tumblr.com/post/179204742441/interview-with-toby-fox-undertale-and


I mean, the fangames that get brought over to the west are, for the most part, quite mediocre. Such are fangames that get published without any or much alteration: The games are unpolished, don't look that good and feel quite clunky compared to other games on the Switch. Kobuto V, Sky Arena, Azure Reflections, etc. are all medicore and didn't garner much attention. Those games are intended for aleady existing fans of the series. Still waiting for Luna Nights and AoCF. Then again, the number of released fangames on the switch is a sign that their is demand.
Yep the fangames are mostly pretty mediocre, but they are also our only chance to get a actual good Touhou game. Since, at this point, it seems the main games will stay in the last century, sadly. We know it's possible, Luna Nights seems really good. But I hope it can get even better.
 

gavtel

Smash Cadet
Joined
Dec 1, 2019
Messages
44
It's such a shame that we've never gotten any official english translations for the mainline games. The translation is already done and the translators did a fantastic job with their easy to use patchers and all. But you still have to go through extra hoops to install a translation patch for a japanese game. A hurdle that is really off putting for many. Imagine if we would have a english steam version of the games and the games ported for the switch. Of course, the games wouldn't make Touhou mainstream, the genre itself is still fairly unpopular, but it would definitely help newcomers, dipping their toes in the water. I wonder why ZUN never reached out to anyone on the translation crew and actually hire or cooperate with them.

I mean, the fangames that get brought over to the west are, for the most part, quite mediocre. Such are fangames that get published without any or much alteration: The games are unpolished, don't look that good and feel quite clunky compared to other games on the Switch. Kobuto V, Sky Arena, Azure Reflections, etc. are all medicore and didn't garner much attention. Those games are intended for aleady existing fans of the series. Still waiting for Luna Nights and AoCF. Then again, the number of released fangames on the switch is a sign that their is demand.
It doesn't help that the main part of the title is in japanese on Steam too. If you just look up "Touhou", you won't find them because you have to use the japanese characters to actually find it. Sure, you can look up the titles of specific entries (e.g. "Antinomy of Common Flowers", "Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom", etc) but a newcomer wouldn't know the names of the games that are on there and just assume they aren't on Steam at all (especially with earlier entries missing on Steam).

On the topic of fan-games, another one came out recently for Switch (though it seems to be Japan-only so far): Touhou Spell Bubble. It's a puzzle game published by Taito that is similar to Puzzle Bobble / Bust A Move but with a rhythm element. It has music from a variety of circles like Alstroemerica Records, IOSYS, Yuuhei Satellite and SOUND HOLIC. Plus there was a Genso Skydrift tournament, where the winner gets to choose a character to get in (that everyone gets for free, though there will be paid DLC eventually according to their roadmap on Steam). The winner of the tournament chose Alice to get in so she'll be available at some point.

Here's some gameplay for Spell Bubble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxHoV_SJIf0

And the tournament for Genso Skydrift, for those who want to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzuH-4Q0fOs
 
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Wrathful_Scythe

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
253
Location
Germany
It doesn't help that the main part of the title is in japanese on Steam too. If you just look up "Touhou", you won't find them because you have to use the japanese characters to actually find it. Sure, you can look up the titles of specific entries (e.g. "Antinomy of Common Flowers", "Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom", etc) but a newcomer wouldn't know the names of the games that are on there and just assume they aren't on Steam at all (especially with earlier entries missing on Steam).

On the topic of fan-games, another one came out recently for Switch (though it seems to be Japan-only so far): Touhou Spell Bubble. It's a puzzle game published by Taito that is similar to Puzzle Bobble / Bust A Move but with a rhythm element. It has music from a variety of circles like Alstroemerica Records, IOSYS, Yuuhei Satellite and SOUND HOLIC. Plus there was a Genso Skydrift tournament, where the winner gets to choose a character to get in (that everyone gets for free, though there will be paid DLC eventually according to their roadmap on Steam). The winner of the tournament chose Alice to get in so she'll be available at some point.

Here's some gameplay for Spell Bubble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxHoV_SJIf0

And the tournament for Genso Skydrift, for those who want to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzuH-4Q0fOs
Well, at least people now have a way to buy some Touhou games in the west without having to either import the physical versions or pirate the games. Even if the more popular games (EoSD, PCB and IN) still aren't availabe.

That puzzle game had me interested until I saw the prize. It doesn't look bad and has a really good soundtrack (Akatsuki records!) but 5800 yen ($52) is a bit steep. I loved Bust a move as a child. Tough one with so many others games on my list.

Interesting that Genso Skydrift actually gets more stuff. I thought they would just throw the game out and leave it as is. I've played a few rounds online but rarely got more than 2 other players in a lobby. Alice is a good choice in my book.
 

RetrogamerMax

Smash Legend
Joined
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Messages
12,221
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NNID
RetrogamerMax2
The only patterns Smash has ever followed is:
-There is always a new playable FE rep in every sequel.
-There is always a new playable FE rep for the newest game in the series.
-There never will be a non-video game character added.

I didn't include spirits deconfirming since we had Lucas, who was a trophy in Smash 4, become a DLC character in Smash 4.

I'm not sure we can say assist trophies 100% deconfirm yet. But at the rate we're going? It's safe to assume that is a pattern.
Don't forget: There is always a new Pokemon rep in every Smash and it's always from the latest generation of Pokemon.

Every Smash game has also added at least two characters from the extended Mario series (which includes things like Wario and Donkey Kong).
Donkey Kong isn't an extension of Mario, Mario is an extension of Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong is more of it's own thing than Wario and Yoshi are.
 
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KahunaLagoona DX

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jan 7, 2019
Messages
35
Which is why I believe that Reimu kinda stands on top of other indie franchises. Nintendo is a japanese company, hence Touhou should be a lot more known to them or Sakurai (It surprised me how many people recognize Touhou characters in Japan). Then again, arguing about this point is sadly pointless as no one of us can look into the mind of the man responsible for the selection.

I still would find it funny if Sakurai is a closet Touhou fan and when he finally gets to show it off, he nerds out kinda like he did with Terry. :nifty:
@Bold: This is exactly the reason why I always cringe when I see list after list of "Possible Smash DLC" and pretty much none of them are characters that would be recognizable with the Japanese fanbase.

I mean, Sakurai has show he has a thing for shooters considering how it implement it in pretty much all the Kirby games he developed (Kirby Dream Land has the Sweet Potato scenarios like Kabula's fight; Kirby's Adventure has Nightmare Ball, and Kirby Super Star has the battle in Nova), and that ended up turning into a tradition for most of the games.
Most of that tradition is upheld mostly by the Lore-Lord Kumazaki, who seems to model all the Kirby games he's directed after Super Star and its sub-games in some capacity - since after, yunno, making the DS updated port OF Super Star...

I got Genso Wanderer Reloded today~ So excited to give that a shot
It's kinda funny how I have had that game, since like release day as it was my most anticipated Touhou fangame, even went in and bought the DLC and everything, yet I've never given it a go?

Hopefully you have fun with that!

What is the consensus here about Reimus chances?
I mean, cut me a bit of slack for believing in the 'Spirits can't be characters' theory, but looking back at it - it makes sense that Byleth would become DLC since Smash didn't have a Three Houses Spirit event not long after Daemon and later Astral did...

So I guess in terms of Reimu being playable, I'm still going on the grounds that she's the most likely Indie rep - with Shantae being a Spirit, Shovel Knight being a Spirit/Assist, Sans being a Mii Costume, and Cuphead being both a Costume and Spirit. (Although that brings to question - why isn't there a Shovel Knight Mii Swordfighter outfit? Was Yacht Club satisfied with the Assist Trophy treatment - especially since Nintendo themselves publish the game in Japan - that they didn't care when Sans/Cuphead got Mii Costumes and Music?)

BUUUUUUTTTTT You never know. I'm gunning for her in Smash. I'll be a tad upset if she's not but it's not like I wouldn't be happy with who does get in.

Unless it's something stupid like Goku.
 

MindlessMage

Smash Cadet
Joined
Oct 30, 2019
Messages
30
Gonna leave this here....
 
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zriL

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 7, 2020
Messages
239
Would this be more related to the Reitaisai since the next one is in less than a month ? The festival is actually called "Hakurei Jinja Reitaisai" (jinja means shrine) and sells a lot of doujin music.
 
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Nerkama

Smash Rookie
Joined
Dec 27, 2019
Messages
9
Would this be more related to the Reitaisai since the next one is in less than a month ? The festival is actually called "Hakurei Jinja Reitaisai" (jinja means shrine) and sells a lot of doujin music.
The issue is that wouldn't explain why Hakurei Shrine is also trademarked, if anything would cause more confusion if that was the reason due to the shrine going unexplained as I'm pretty sure you don't need to or really want to trademark names for festivals
 
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Sc_Ev0lution

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Jun 22, 2016
Messages
318
This is definitely odd, and I have a hard time understanding the necessity of the trademarks

However, dollars to doughnuts it isn't smash related. I've seen this song and dance many times before, most recently with Tales of
 
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