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Utsuho Reiuji
Utsuho Reiuji (♫) Utsuho Reiuzi | |
|---|---|
 Utsuho Reiuji in Touhou Hisoutensoku Scorching, Troublesome Divine FlameMore Character Titles | |
| Nickname |
Okuu (おくう or お |
| Species | Hell raven (Yatagarasu) |
| Abilities | Manipulation of nuclear fusion |
| Occupation | Regulator of the flames in the former Hell of Blazing Fires |
| Location | The former Hell of Blazing Fires |
Music Themes | |
| Show Music Themes | |
Appearances | |
| Official Games | |
| Show Official Game appearances | |
| Print Works | |
| Show Print Work appearances | |
Utsuho Reiuji (霊烏路 空) is one of Satori's pets. A Hell raven who has lived in the underground world since before it was separated from Hell. Her job is to regulate the flames of the Hell of Blazing Fires.
Contents |
General Information
Ability
Her abilities come from the god of nuclear fusion, Yatagarasu, and were granted to her by Kanako in the god's attempt to turn the Hell of Blazing Fires into an energy source for Gensokyo. Essentially, this means that Utsuho's own body actually houses a divine spirit, technically making her into a branch shrine for Yatagarasu. Apparently, the duller the holder of the power, the better they can utilize it.
Occupation
Utsuho's job is to manage the temperature inside the Hell of Blazing Fires, by either opening the skylight above the Hell of Blazing Fires's courtyard to lower the temperature, or feeding the fires with the corpses carried by Orin.
Character Design
Name
Her full name is Utsuho Reiuji (霊烏路 空). The characters for Reiuji (霊烏路) literally mean, in succession, "soul/spirit", "crow/raven", and "path". Utsuho (空) means "emptiness/empty-hole/cave" in old Japanese. It would be supposed to be pronounced as "utsuo" if we did after the old style. A similar case is Sanae's position "hofuri" v.s. "hōri". They are examples of Japanese counterparts of spelling pronunciation. The character for Utsuho also means "sky", and can be pronounced "kuu" in a compound word. Hence her nickname Okuu (おくう), which was first used by Rin Kaenbyou to refer to Utsuho in the Extra Stage prologue. At first, only the "おくう" spelling used in Subterranean Animism was considered canon and "お空" (spelling using the kanji from her actual name) was not, but after Aya Shameimaru called her "お空" in the comment of scene 8-6 in Double Spoiler, both became canon. Also, "O-kuu" (おくう) is a pun of "Oku-u" (屋烏, meaning "a crow standing on a roof"), although this is not likely to be intentional.
Design
Utsuho has long dark brown hair. Wears a white short-sleeved shirt with a red "eye" in the center, a short green skirt, and a green hair-ribbon.
On the Interview of Cara☆Mel vol.8, ZUN mentioned that he tried to keep her from being indecent during the design process by adding a cannon on her arm instead of having an additional leg, thus solving the analogy of the third leg of the Yatagarasu. [1]
Story
- Subterranean Animism
Before the events of Subterranean Animism, she was told by a voice that she could swallow the god, Yatagarasu, that was hidden in the flames to gain a power that would fulfill the wishes of both the worlds below and above the surface. This power was nuclear fusion. Utsuho misunderstood what the voice had told her, and decided that, using these powers, she would take over Gensokyo. Her friend, Rin Kaenbyou, became worried about Utsuho, and drove evil spirits to the surface to cause an incident among the strong youkai above ground, in hope that they would come down to do something about it and, when they got there, defeat Utsuho and bring her back to her former self. What came, however, was not a strong youkai, but a strong human.
- Main article: Reimu & Yukari Arc
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- Main article: Reimu & Suika Arc
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- 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>
- Undefined Fantastic Object
In Undefined Fantastic Object, it is revealed that the geyser she created with her newfound powers wound up blowing Byakuren Hijiri's ship out from the underground and into the sky, thus starting the plot of that game.
- Touhou Hisoutensoku
<Insert summary>
- Wild and Horned Hermit
In Wild and Horned Hermit, Utsuho's Yatagarasu powers are stated as an imperfect power source by Sanae Kochiya.
Relationships
She's one of Satori Komeiji's pets. In order to maintain the Hell of Blazing Fires and Palace of Earth Spirits working in proper order, Satori appointed various jobs to her pets.
Utsuho and Rin Kaenbyou are really old friends, since before the Underground separated from Hell. They've known each other even before Satori started taking care of them.
She is her master Satori's younger sister.
She tells Utsuho in a dream to consume Yatagarasu and this gives her nuclear powers. However, she misunderstands her and uses these powers in a attempt to take over Gensokyo which causes the events of Subterranean Animism.
Spell Cards
| Name | Translated | Comments | Games | Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total: 23 | ||||||
| 核熱「ニュークリアフュージョン」 | Atomic Fire "Nuclear Fusion" | SA GoM |
St. 6: E/N ---- | |||
| 核熱「ニュークリアエクスカーション」 | Atomic Fire "Nuclear Excursion" | SA | St. 6: H | |||
| 核熱「核反応制御不能」 | Atomic Fire "Uncontainable Nuclear Reaction" | SA | St. 6: L | |||
| 爆符「プチフレア」 | Explosion Sign "Petit Flare" | SA | St. 6: E | |||
| 爆符「メガフレア」 | Explosion Sign "Mega Flare" | SA Soku GoM |
St. 6: N Use ---- | |||
| 爆符「ギガフレア」 | Explosion Sign "Giga Flare" | SA Soku |
St. 6: H Use | |||
| 爆符「ペタフレア」 | Explosion Sign "Peta Flare" | SA | St. 6: L | |||
| 焔星「フィクストスター」 | Blazing Star "Fixed Star" Burning Star "Fixed Star" |
SA Soku GoM |
St. 6: E/N Use ---- | |||
| 焔星「プラネタリーレボリューション」 | Blazing Star "Planetary Revolution" | SA | St. 6: H | |||
| 焔星「十凶星」 | Blazing Star "Ten Evil Stars" Burning Star "The Ten Suns" |
SA Soku |
St. 6: L Use | |||
| 「地獄極楽メルトダウン」 | "Hell and Heaven Meltdown" | SA GoM |
St. 6: E/N ---- | |||
| 「ヘルズトカマク」 | "Hell's Tokamak" | SA | St. 6: H/L | |||
| 「地獄の人工太陽」 | "Hell's Artificial Sun" | SA Soku |
St. 6: E/N Use | |||
| 「サブタレイニアンサン」 | "Subterranean Sun" | SA Soku GoM |
St. 6: H/L Use ---- | |||
| 制御「セルフトカマク」 | Control "Self Tokamak" | Soku | Use | |||
| 遮光「核熱バイザー」 | Light Cover "Nuclear Visor" | Soku | Use | |||
| 核符「クリーピングサン」 | Nuclear Sign "Creeping Sun" | Soku | Use | |||
| 光熱「ハイテンションブレード」 | Light Energy "High-Tension Blade" | Soku | Use | |||
| 地熱「核ブレイズゲイザー」 | Geothermal "Nuclear Blaze Geyser" | Soku | Use | |||
| 鴉符「八咫烏ダイブ」 | Crow Sign "Yatagarasu Dive" | Soku | Use | |||
| 核熱「核反応制御不能ダイブ」 | Nuclear Heat "Uncontainable Dive" Atomic Fire "Uncontainable Nuclear Reaction Dive" |
Soku Soku |
Use Story | |||
| 「アビスノヴァ」 | "Abyss Nova" | Soku | Use | |||
| 熱符「ブレイクプロミネンス」 | Heat Sign "Break Prominence" | Soku | Story | |||
| 「ホットジュピター落下モデル」 | "Hot Jupiter Descent Model" | Soku | Story | |||
| 核熱「人工太陽の黒点」 | Atomic Fire "Artificial Sun's Spot" | Soku | Story | |||
| 熔解「メルティングホワイト」 | Fusion "Melting White" | DS | St. 8 | |||
| 巨星「レッドジャイアント」 | Giant Star "Red Giant" | DS | St. 8 | |||
| 星符「巨星墜つ」 | Star Sign "Fall of Great Stars" | DS | St. 8 | |||
| 七星「セプテントリオン」 | Seven Stars "Septentrion" | DS | St. 8 | |||
Additional Information
- A silhouette of Utsuho occupies the front of Subterranean Animism's jewel case.
- In ancient Chinese mythology, the three-legged crow is a mythical animal associated with the Sun, thought to be its guardian beast or, more often, the manifestation of the Sun's deity. This explains Utsuho's nuclear fusion power and association with heat.
- This myth of the three-legged crow and the fact that the crow tengu Aya Shameimaru calls her "hell crow" twice may be why people refer to her as a crow, even though she's a raven. (Actually, most Japanese don't distinguish raven from crow, except zoologists and curious people. The fact that both raven and crow are from the corvus genus doesn't help.)
- The red eye is proof that Utsuho obtained the power of fusion by absorbing the three-legged crow (Yatagarasu) because the three-legged crow's eyes are red, according to Chapter Three of Cage in Lunatic Runagate.
- Her "Third Leg" resembles an arm cannon. In Touhou Hisoutensoku, it is used as one.
- Utsuho appears to be the only final boss in a Windows game whose goal is explicitly conquering the world. A very common goal for villains in cartoons.
- Utsuho is also the only final boss in a Windows game who is a subordinate of an earlier boss (Satori).
- Utsuho's spell cards "Giga Flare" and "Mega Flare" share the name of the attacks used by the summon Bahamut of the Final Fantasy series.
- "Unyu?" (うにゅ?) has become her trademark sound, ever since she said it in the Extra Stage back story.
- Utsuho is one of the 2 only bosses in a Windows game that gives the player a warning before the spellcard begins. "☢ CAUTION!! ☢" appears for a few moments with Klaxons blaring in the background. The other one belongs to Koishi, which warning Klaxons blare in the background in the "Philosophy of a Hated Person" spellcard.
- In Utsuho's Spell Cards, the background behind the trefoil is a photo of the Carina Nebula.
- Utsuho's spell card background also features a real-world picture of a cat on the trefoil. One reason ZUN might have included this in the background could be because of the wild cats that have colonized the abandoned city of Pripyat'. Pripyat' was the town created for the families of workers at Chernobyl, and after the catastrophe there the population was evacuated. Recent excursions back into the ghost town lead to the discovery of a small community of irradiated wild cats that live comfortably in the foundations of abandoned homes.
- Furthering the Chernobyl links, Utsuho could be a reference to the so-called Black Bird of Chernobyl not only because of her massive black wings, but also because the red eye in her chest, which was another trait of the Black Bird.
- And this "eye" in the center of her chest looks similar to one of J.R.R. Tolkien's creations, the Eye of Sauron.
- In Story of Eastern Wonderland's Stage 4, in the second part of the background, there was an orange-like shine that was shaped like the orb that Utsuho points to in her Subterranean Animism portrait.
- Two of her alternate palettes in Touhou Hisoutensoku resembles her master Satori and Satori's sister Koishi.
- Another palette resembles Kanako Yasaka.
Fandom
- Her right foot is supposed to be encased in concrete (representing either the concrete sarcophagus that was built to contain the Chernobyl reactor or the cement-like corium found inside), but is often depicted in fan art as a gray ruffled legwarmer or an armored greave. The electrons orbiting her other leg are also often omitted in fanart, and sometimes the control rod on her arm is too.
- Her sprite animations in Touhou Hisoutensoku greatly resemble and are most likely a homage to Souther of Hokuto no Ken fame, even having a spellcard attack similar to Souther's Fatal K.O., Nanto Hō-ōh Ken Ougi: Tenshou Juuji Hou. Because of this fans sometimes call that spellcard Nanto Hō-Ōkuu Ken Ougi: Tenshou Juuji Hou.
- Because Utsuho is manipulated by Kanako, seems to have a simple and boastful personality, and is called a "birdbrain" (鳥頭 toriatama, interestingly the phrase "bird's brain" means "idiot" in both English and Japanese) by Orin, she's often considered an idiot by fans. ZUN also indirectly calls her an idiot in her theme song's description. This leads to comparisons with Cirno (or pairings, with inevitable "Cold Fusion" jokes), and Utsuho is sometimes called お⑨ (read "okuu," since one reading for the number 9 is "ku"). She is also sometimes called ⑥ (an inverted ⑨) since she is a Stage 6 boss and her powers are the opposite of Cirno's.
- In Touhou Hisoutensoku, the idea of Utsuho being an idiot is corroborated. In Sanae's story, she is called birdbrained by Sanae, forgot why she was fighting her in the first place, and then follows Sanae's orders after being told she was doing that. This was also stated in Reisen's script, who called her a moron. Akyuu also mentioned in her Symposium of Post-mysticism article that she's a birdbrain.
- In addition to her tall stature, fans tend to give her a shapely figure, which contrasts her simpleminded (and sometimes childish) personality.
- This sometimes leads to humorous situations in fanart and doujins for other people.
- In the Japanese community, the pairing of her and Tenshi is called as the tenkuu (天空, lit. "firmament/sky") pair, a word that could be made by borrowing their kanji from their first-name: Tenshi (天子) + Utsuho (空, also read as "kuu"").
- Some fans in the Japanese community associate Utsuho with soccer, because the symbol of the Japan Football Association is Yatagarasu.
Official Profiles
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○６面ボス 熱かい悩む神の火 霊烏路 空（れいうじ うつほ）（通称：おくう） 種族：地獄鴉 with 八咫烏 一際異彩を放つ姿を持つ鴉。 左足に『分解の足』 彼女はこれらの三本足で究極のエネルギーを操作するという。 永い眠りについた火焔地獄跡の上に地霊殿はあった。 空も燐と同じ、さとりのペットの一匹である。 燐は怨霊を、空は火焔地獄跡が暴走しないか見張っていた。 しかし、ある日を境にその日常が崩れてしまう。 何者かが地上から、誰にも気付かれる事なく火焔地獄跡まで一気に入り込んできたのだ。 『火焔地獄跡には究極にして人類が手のする事が出来る最後のエネルギーを生む秘密が隠されています。 彼女は光に包まれ、何者かが体に入り込んでくるのを感じた。 空は手に入れた力を使うのが楽しくて、気が付いたら灼熱地獄跡は熱さを取り戻していた。 地上から訪れた者。 ――八咫烏（ヤタガラス） 八咫烏が持つ究極の力とは、原子創造の力、核融合である。 |
Stage 6 Boss The Scorching, Troublesome Divine Flame Utsuho Reiuji Race: Hell raven, Yatagarasu A crow that gives off a conspicuously-colored light. On her left leg is the "Leg of fission"; Using these three legs, it's said she can control the ultimate energy. When she awoke after a long sleep, the Earth Spirit Palace stood above what was once the Hell of Blazing Fires. In this time when the underground was no longer part of hell, criminals were no longer banished underground, and the only ones that lived underground now were the hell ravens, the kasha that carried off the bodies of the dead, and various other curious youkai, as well as the evil spirits who only acted out of malice. Satori took the youkai who lived there as her own and raised them as pets. Utsuho and Rin were both Satori's pets. Rin and Utsuho both worked hard at their respective jobs, Rin at controlling the evil spirits, Utsuho at managing the former Hell of Blazing Fires. If the flames became too hot, they'd open the skylight in the courtyard; if the flames became too weak, they'd throw in more of the corpses Rin carried off; they regulated the flames in this manner. They lived out their lives this way, doing the same thing every day but leading a peaceful, satisfying life.
However, one day that peaceful lifestyle was shattered. Someone from above stole into Hell without anyone noticing. "The Hell of Blazing Fires hides the secret to the ultimate form of energy that humans can attain. She was enveloped in light, and she felt someone entering her body. Utsuho enjoyed using her new power, and before she knew it the Hell of Blazing Fires had regained its original heat. The one from above ground. - Yatagarasu, the divine three-legged crow The ultimate power the yatagarasu possessed was the power create atoms, nuclear fusion. |
Official Sources
- 2008/08/16 - Subterranean Animism - Stage 2 dialogue; Settings.txt (official profile); Extra Story
- 2009/07/28 - The Grimoire of Marisa - Utsuho Reiuji's Spell Cards
- 2009/08/15 - Touhou Hisoutensoku - Utsuho Reiuji's Spell Cards; Sanae's Scenario, Cirno's Scenario
- 2009/10/26 - Oriental Sacred Place - Chapter 5
- 2010/03/14 - Double Spoiler - Stage 8 Spell Cards
- 2010/08/26 - Oriental Sacred Place - Chapter 10
- 2010/09/25 - Wild and Horned Hermit - Chapter 2
- 2010/12/25 - Oriental Sacred Place - Chapter 12
- 2012/04/27 - Symposium of Post-mysticism
References
- ↑ Interview on Subterranean Animism with Cara☆Mel (Nico Nico Video link)
