Reimu Hakurei (博麗 霊夢 Hakurei Reimu) is the main protagonist of the Touhou Project series along with the deuteragonist, Marisa Kirisame. As the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, she manages the Hakurei Border of Gensokyo and exterminates troublesome youkai.
Main Allies:
Main Enemies:
Backstory[]
Not much is known about Reimu's history prior to the events of the games. Her earliest mention in the Gensokyo timeline is four to five years prior to Chapter 22 of Curiosities of Lotus Asia, which took place in 2006. ZUN does mention in one of his Shanghai Alice Correspondence documents that there was a previous Hakurei Shrine Maiden, and it's generally assumed that there's a line of them.
In Chapter 25 of Wild and Horned Hermit, with night's darkness fast approaching, an annoyed Reimu remarks, "Believe not they will be around for you always: parents and daylight". The quote was thought to imply that Reimu knew her parents, but they're gone and she's rather bitter about it. However, her line was modified from a haiku about the transient, changing nature of things, the original subjects being parents and money (いつまでも / あると思うな / 親と金). In chapter 2 of Curiosities of Lotus Asia, Marisa remarks, "She was an orphan", though the context of this scene suggests that this could just be a throwaway line.
Personality[]
Her personality is straightforward, optimistic, and a bit curious. She's quick to anger if offended, but just as quick to offer help to those in need. According to Komachi, Reimu has an innocent heart that can't truly hate anyone.[2] While rather lazy in her free time, she's highly devoted to her duties as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, resulting in a "shoot first and ask questions later" attitude to youkai extermination. This makes her known to exterminate youkai indiscriminately, regardless of how much of a threat they represent to her or others. One example is Tokiko, who was ambushed by Reimu while she was, in Reimu's own words, "reading and minding her own business".
Apparently, however, she actually helps youkai in trouble when it really matters. For instance, in Silent Sinner in Blue, she kept Rei'sen (disguised as an earth youkai-rabbit) at her place to help healing her injuries, giving her the futon she uses to sleep and even going to Eientei to inform its residents that a wounded rabbit was at her shrine. She also treated Shinmyoumaru Sukuna well enough after the events of Double Dealing Character that the inchling gave her a matching kimono as a sign of gratitude. Since it was so small, Reimu had to wear it on the back of her head.
It has been stated that Reimu treats everyone the same, whether they are humans, youkai or gods, giving them no particular respect or disrespect. This habit has caused her to inadvertently befriend many youkai she defeats. While she tries to keep youkai away from her shrine, this is because it makes it harder to gather faith from humans rather than because she dislikes them. At the end of the symposium in Symposium of Post-mysticism, when Reimu goes to break it up, Miko notes that though Reimu says she wants to eliminate all the youkai, she actually just wants to attain a peace in Gensokyo that doesn't require violence, like the others present wish.
Legends of the Multi-Universe: Premageddon[]
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Legends of the Multi-Universe: Weirdmageddon[]
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LOTM: Tales from the Ultra Despair Knight[]
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Legends of the Multi-Universe: Darkmageddon[]
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Relationships[]
Marisa Kirisame[]
Reimu's best friend is likely Marisa Kirisame, who spends a lot of her time at the shrine. They're there together the majority of the time in various print works, prologues, and extra stage prologues, hanging out together and discussing or attending the latest events in Gensokyo. Reimu has known Marisa since Story of Eastern Wonderland, where Mima had Marisa fight Reimu. Their friendship may have started soon after that, as in all of the bad endings, Marisa decides she needs to train more, and drags Reimu along to train with her, much to Reimu's chagrin.
Yukari Yakumo[]
Despite her antagonistic personality, Yukari Yakumo mentors Reimu by pushing her to increase her spiritual powers, such as learning how to invoke the gods in Silent Sinner in Blue. She also occasionally seeks Reimu's assistance in resolving incidents in Imperishable Night and Subterranean Animism.
Rinnosuke Morichika[]
Reimu is familiar with Rinnosuke Morichika, a shopkeeper who owns Kourindou, who she sometimes visits to hang out or for wares (and sometimes shoplifts). She apparently has a large unpaid tab for requested items and services, but denies it since Rinnosuke "never accepts money" (which he denies being the case). Rinnosuke was also the one that originally prepared her purification rod for her use.
Sanae Kochiya[]
Despite being the priestess of a rival shrine, Sanae Kochiya is on friendly terms with Reimu and appears frequently in Wild and Horned Hermit alongside Reimu and Marisa. She came on a bit strongly when she and Reimu first met, but she really thought she was helping the Hakurei Shrine out by attempting to get it to switch gods to Kanako Yasaka. After Mountain of Faith, Sanae offered to help Reimu as a fellow shrine maiden to gather faith for the shrine, and she appears to have been friends with Reimu since then. Nonetheless, the two have no qualms about antagonizing the other at times, though these quarrels are usually resolved by the next time they meet.
Genjii[]
In the PC-98 canon, Reimu used a turtle as a means for flight until the end of Mystic Square; that turtle was Genjii. Reimu calls him "gramps".
Three Fairies of Light[]
Reimu is often the target of pranks by the Three Fairies of Light, and Reimu tends to exterminate them on sight whenever she catches them (unless Marisa's escorting them). As of Oriental Sacred Place, the three fairies moved into a tree near the Hakurei Shrine and become Reimu's neighbors, increasing the amount of pranks even more. Reimu aims to evict the fairies, but cannot find their treehouse, which is actually located on the Hakurei Border. Eventually, in an attempt to befriend Reimu so she'll no longer threaten them, the three fairies challenge her to a battle, reasoning that Reimu tends to befriend many youkai after fighting them. After an intense battle, Reimu finally defeats the fairies (instantly), and points out that their line of reasoning is utterly ridiculous. Despite this, Marisa finds that Reimu befriended the fairies after all, and as of the end of Oriental Sacred Place, the fairies now happily openly spend time at the shrine while helping Reimu out with various chores.
Byakuren Hijiri[]
Reimu views Byakuren Hijiri and the Myouren Temple as a rival of sorts to herself and the Hakurei Shrine. In Ten Desires, Toyosatomimi no Miko points out that Reimu is friendly towards Byakuren. Although Reimu says they're religious rivals, she doesn't seem to deny it. In one of her Undefined Fantastic Object endings, Reimu is depressed at how quickly Byakuren's temple is picking up followers compared to her own shrine. By the time of Strange and Bright Nature Deity, Reimu is angry at the temple for stealing away her shrine's followers (ignoring that her shrine never had (m)any followers in the first place), but Byakuren seems unaware of this.
Kasen Ibaraki[]
Kasen Ibaraki is a regular at the shrine and acts as a mentor (and sometimes guardian) of Reimu, whom she fears is too concerned with worldly desires.
Kosuzu Motoori[]
Kosuzu Motoori, the daughter of the book-lender in the Human Village, has a great deal of respect for Reimu. She is convinced that no harm will come to her from dealing with the youma books, because she is sure that Reimu will come save her if anything happens.
Kurome (Akame Ga Kill)[]
Nagito Komaeda[]
Shirou Emiya[]
Yu Narukami[]
Ruby Rose[]
Sakura Matou[]
Bigby Wolf[]
Snow White[]
Chun Li[]
Lara Croft[]
Tifa Lockhart[]
Bayonetta[]
Naoto Shirogane[]
Kiritsugu Emiya[]
Chiaki Nanami[]
Miku Izayoi[]
Sailor Mars[]
Medaka Kurokami[]
Korosensei[]
Gintoki Sakata[]
Haruko Haruhara[]
Ichiko Sakura[]
Satou Kazuma[]
Seiya Ryuuguuin[]
Hijikata Toushirou[]
Blair (Soul Eater)[]
Commander Black (Kaiju Girls)[]
Riser Phenex[]
Freed Sellzen[]
Rascal (Glitter Force)[]
Buffoon[]
Ultratech[]
Misogi Kumagawa[]
Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott[]
Allies and enemies[]
Allies: Marisa Kirisame, Alice Margatroid, Rinnosuke Morichika, Yukari Yakumo, Suika Ibuki, Aya Shameimaru, Cirno, Ruukoto Kosuzu Motoori, Sunny Milk, Luna Child, Star Sapphire, Genjii, Kasen Ibaraki, Sanae Kochiya, Kurome, Ruby Rose, Neptune (Neptunia), Yu Narukami, Shirou Emiya, Bigby Wolf, Snow White, Ursaring, Naoto Shirogane, Kiritsugu Emiya, Chun Li, Lara Croft, Tifa Lockhart, Bayonetta, Chiaki Nanami, Miku Izayoi, Medaka Kurokami, Korosensei, Gintoki Sakata, Haruko Haruhara, Ichiko Sakura, Satou Kazuma, Seiya Ryuuguuin,
Enemies: Mima, Byakuren Hijiri, Remilia Scarlet, Flandre Scarlet, Nagito Komaeda, Commander Black, The Black Stars, Rascal (Glitter Force), Buffoon, Freed Sellzen, Tira (Soul Calibur), Prime Minister Honest, Riser Phenex, Ultratech, Pete (Disney), Ghastly King, Sebulba, The Great Mighty Poo, Larxene, Raynare, Cyclonis, Arachne, Junkrat, Roadhog, Robbie Rotten, Ulric, Brute, Brooha, Tank, Nemesis, Mr. X, Taurus Bulba, Scratch, Grounder, Coconuts, Sidney Poindexter, Flats the Flounder, Toiletnator, Sharkface, Nui Harime, Seryu Ubiquitous, Mechanical Genie, White Star, Anonydeath, Haruo Niijima, Man-Ray, Quint (Timon and Pumbaa), The Red Guy (Cow and Chicken), Toiletnator, Box Ghost (Danny Phantom), Snively Robotnik, Foop, The Junkman, The Jiggle Butt Gang, Wiggly Jiggly Jed, Condiment King,
Gallery[]
