Parsee Mizuhashi

水橋 (みずはし) 　パルスィ Parsee Mizuhashi (♫)
Parsee Mizuhashi in Subterranean Animism The Jealousy Beneath the Earth's Crust More Character Titles
Species	Hashihime
Abilities	Manipulation of jealousy
Occupation	Bridge Overseer
Location	Underworld
Music Themes
Show Music Themes 緑眼のジェラシー (Subterranean Animism)
Appearances
Official Games
Show Official Game appearances Subterranean Animism (Stage 2 Midboss, Stage 2 Boss) Double Spoiler (Scene 2-1, 2-3, 2-5 Boss)
Print Works
Show Print Work appearances Oriental Sacred Place (Chapter 10) The Grimoire of Marisa Wild and Horned Hermit (Cameo) Symposium of Post-mysticism

Parsee Mizuhashi (水橋　パルスィ, Mizuhashi Parusi) is a hashihime, or bridge princess, who guards the "bridge" between the surface world and the underground world. She is able to control the jealousy in others.

General Information

Occupation

Parsee used to be a guardian, someone who would watch over those crossing her bridge to make sure they passed between the underground and the surface world safely. However, her own jealousy at those travelers eventually caused her to be able to control feelings of jealousy in others.

Character Basis

The "Hashihime" (橋姫) is a mythical youkai that appears in various Japanese texts (Most notably the The Tale of Heike). After her husband left her and married another woman, the jealous and enraged Hashihime prays to the gods for revenge. A priest tells her a way: She has to dress herself in red and paint her face with the same color, her hair arranged with seven loops and crowned with a burning brazier, then spend 21 days under the Uji bridge while holding a metal rod. So deep was her rage and jealousy, that she actually did the entire process, becoming a vengeful youkai driven by jealousy that only appears in the vicinity of bridges that cross over water. She appears to loving couples, threatening to kill them both unless they break up right there and then. There is also a famous Noh Play about this mythological creature.

According to ZUN in an interview in Chara☆Mel released with Cage in Lunatic Runagate 7, the term 波斯人 (hashihito) refers to Persians, and he thought it would be interesting to try to make a more foreign-looking character, a Persian hashihime in old-style clothes, even if she doesn't really look like a hashihime.

The name of Parsee's boss theme, "Green-eyed Jealousy", as well as her midboss spell card, "Green-eyed Monster", are both terms used in Shakespeare's works to poetically describe jealousy.

Name

Her family name Mizuhashi (水橋) means "Water (水) Bridge (橋)". Parsee, or "Parsi", is the name of the members of the Indian Zoroastrian community. They descend from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to South Asia in the 8th century AD.

Design

Parsee has wavy blond hair and green eyes, and her skin appears to have pale chartreuse tint to it. She wears an odd dress; the top is brown with purple borders and a white criss-cross pattern and a pink sash. The bottom is blue, purple with again the white criss-cross pattern and black with criss-crossed red strings hanging on the bottom edge. She has a pink scarf tied around her neck and pink puffy arm socks.

Story

Subterranean Animism

In each scenario, Parsee wonders why a human has come to the underground. She is also unaware of the youkai that communicates with the heroine, which leads to various complications.

In Reimu Hakurei's story arcs, Parsee wonders if Reimu is there for the "cursed powers" or, alternately, if she is there because of the earthquakes. With Marisa Kirisame, Parsee warns the heroine against proceeding farther underground. In all cases, whether due to jealousy/anger with Reimu or Marisa's refusal to turn back, Parsee attacks and is defeated by the heroine.

Main article: Reimu & Yukari Arc

<Insert summary>

Main article: Reimu & Suika Arc

<Insert summary>

Main article: Reimu & Aya Arc

<Insert summary>

Main article: Marisa & Alice Arc

<Insert summary>

Main article: Marisa & Patchouli Arc

<Insert summary>

Main article: Marisa & Nitori Arc

<Insert summary>

Spell Cards

  Spellcards

Name	Translated	Comments	Games	Stage
Total: 10
妬符「グリーンアイドモンスター」	Jealousy Sign "Green-Eyed Monster"		SA GoM	St. 2: E/N ----
嫉妬「緑色の眼をした見えない怪物」	Envy "Green-Eyed Invisible Monster"		SA	St. 2: H/L
花咲爺「華やかなる仁者への嫉妬」	Grandpa Hanasaka "Jealousy of the Kind and Lovely"		SA	St. 2: E/N
花咲爺「シロの灰」	Grandfather Cherry Blossom "Shiro's Ashes"		SA GoM	St. 2: H/L ----
舌切雀「謙虚なる富者への片恨」	Tongue-Cut Sparrow "Hate for the Humble and Rich"		SA	St. 2: E/N
舌切雀「大きな葛籠と小さな葛籠」	Tongue-Cut Sparrow "Large Box and Small Box"		SA GoM	St. 2: H/L ----
恨符「丑の刻参り」	Malice Sign "Midnight Anathema Ritual"		SA GoM	St. 2: E/N ----
恨符「丑の刻参り七日目」	Malice Sign "Day 7 of the Midnight Anathema Ritual"		SA	St. 2: H/L
嫉妬「ジェラシーボンバー」	Jealousy "Jealousy Bomber"		DS	St. 2
怨み念法「積怨返し」	Resentment "Grudge Returning"		DS	St. 2

Additional Information

Trivia

Parsee's sigil as seen in The Grimoire of Marisa.

• Suika appears to recognize her in Reimu and Suika's scenario of Subterranean Animism.
• While her character portrait in Subterranean Animism shows her as having green eyes, her sprite shows her as having blue eyes.
• Quite a few of her spellcards reference Japanese folklore (namely stories involving jealous individuals) such as "The Tongue Cut Sparrow."

Fanon

• Due to her picture in Subterranean Animism, she is often depicted having elfin-like ears.
• Because of her jealous nature, Parsee has joined Alice Margatroid as a fanon-designated tsundere.
• Sometimes, fans refer to her as "ParuParu" (sometimes with more "Paru"s added to it), such as in popular videos like ぱるぱるぱるぱるぱるぱるぱるぱるぱるぱるぱる.
• Parsee is frequently paired in fan works with Yuugi Hoshiguma, despite there being no official indication that they've even met.
• Some fans tend to think of her as lonely because her theme (The Bridge People No longer cross) and also the fact she is a bridge princess, which, in folklore, is waiting for her lover, making it obvious that some fans tend portray her waiting for said lover to return.
• One artist created a version of Parsee known as Purusee, a jiggling cat-chibi version of Parsee that's generally shown doing various things. Said artist has since made a few similar versions of other characters.
  • It's popularity is mixed as some like it while others are mainly annoyed by how the sudden mass uploads interfere with surfing.

Official Profiles

  Subterranean Animism - Character Settings.txt

○２面ボス　地殻の下の嫉妬心 　　水橋パルスィ（みずはし　パルスィ） 　　Mizuhashi Parsee 　　種族：橋姫 　　能力：嫉妬心を操る程度の能力 　　一応、地上と地下を結ぶ縦穴の番人というか守護神である。 　　地上世界から無事に地下世界に辿り着けるよう、また逆に地下世界から地上世界に辿り着けるように見守ってくれる。 　　だが、非常に嫉妬深く、楽しそうに移動している奴が気にくわない。 　　そういう奴を見かけると、つい邪魔をしてしまう。 　　嫉妬はさらなる嫉妬を生み、彼女は嫉妬狂いであると同時に、他人の嫉妬心を煽る事が出来る。

Stage 2 boss The Jealousy Beneath the Earth's Crust Parsee Mizuhashi Species: Bridge Princess Ability: Manipulating jealousy Once, she was the protector, or guardian spirit, of the pit linking the underworld with the overworld. She watched over people to make sure that they could get to the underworld and back to the overworld safely. However, as she is extremely jealous, she couldn't stand the people who looked like they were having fun going to and fro. Whenever she saw someone like that, she would hinder their travel somehow. Jealousy only begets further jealousy, so as she went mad from her own jealousy, she became able to fan the flames of jealousy in the hearts of others.

Official Sources

  Official sources

• 2008/05/25 - Subterranean Animism Demo - Trial profile (pre-official profile)
• 2008/08/16 - Subterranean Animism - Character Settings.txt (official profile)
• 2009/07/28 - The Grimoire of Marisa - Parsee Mizuhashi's Spell Cards
• 2010/03/14 - Double Spoiler - Stage 2 spellcard comments
• 2010/08/26 - Oriental Sacred Place - Chapter 10 (cameo)
• 2010/09/25 - Wild and Horned Hermit - Chapter 2 (cameo)
• 2012/04/27 - Symposium of Post-mysticism