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Chen
(♫) Chen | |
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Chen in Perfect Cherry Blossom Black Cat of Bad OmensMore Character Titles | |
Species | |
Abilities |
Use of sorcery (possessed as shikigami), Surprising People (as bakeneko) |
Occupation | |
Location | |
Music Themes | |
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Appearances | |
Official Games | |
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Print Works | |
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Chen (橙) is Ran Yakumo's shikigami, who was guarding the village of Mayohiga during the events of Perfect Cherry Blossom. Unfortunately, she could put up little resistance due to being far away from her master.
General Information
Chen first appeared as the second stage midboss and boss of Perfect Cherry Blossom, along with being the extra stage midboss and Ran Yakumo's familiar in one of her spell cards. She was also Yukari Yakumo's familiar in both Immaterial and Missing Power and Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, and was a target on Stage 6 of Shoot the Bullet. Additionally, she made a background appearance in Hopeless Masquerade.
She has two tails and is a bakeneko youkai. She is Ran Yakumo's shikigami, but since Ran herself is a shikigami of Yukari Yakumo, she is a "shikigami of a shikigami" from Yukari's viewpoint. Chen, as a bakeneko, acquires powers of a wrathful god while possessed, but since the one of whom she is a shikigami of, Ran, is also a shikigami, her ability is fairly low. This shikigami possession is removed when she is soaked in water, and since she also hates water as a cat, she is in any case weak to water. Her height is "low"[1] and is capable of human speech. She can use impressive black arts, but only possesses the intellect of a human child.
She ordinarily lives at the Youkai Mountain.[2] In Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red, she made the village of cats and tried to stand as the leader, but the progress has been unfavorable.
Ability
The way her abilities show up in the game itself is that she runs around the screen so freely in a way that is not expected of a boss of a shooting game, which is characteristic of her (as one would expect of a cat). This could be considered cute if she were an ordinary cat, but it also makes her slightly more tricky to deal with due to her speed and deceptive movement, which can confuse her opponent. Another characteristic of her is how she spins around and around while attacking, somewhat like her master.
- Use of sorcery (while possessed as shikigami)
She is able to handle simple sorcery. However, even when speaking of sorcery, the usage of this youkai power doesn't bend and distort natural phenomena, and it seems to be close to a kind of sleight of hand.[2] Concretely, by a constant rhythm, while moving to the left, she would immediately switch to moving towards the right, so that to the humans that she faces, it would seem like she disappeared, and things like that. To put it simply, since it is a trick that uses the limits of human abilities, and it would completely not work the same for youkai and others who have excellent kinetic vision.
- Surprising people (as bakeneko)
When she becomes a regular bakeneko, she's not able to take up any course of action except primitive ones - like biting and scratching. Rather than saying she possesses a special ability to to surprise accompanying humans, it is more strongly an implication that she's not able to do anything other than things of this extent. (However, even so, for ordinary humans it is dangerous enough). This is the same ability that Kogasa Tatara has - thus in this aspect, they have mutuality.
Occupation
Chen serves as a shikigami to Ran Yakumo, and becomes much stronger when her master is present. However, she hates water, and splashing her will dispel the shikigami possession, making her resort to physical attacks. She is also very fond of catnip, and will lose the will to fight if some is scattered to distract her.
Character Basis
Name
Her full name is Chen (橙). The kanji in her name can be literally translated as the color "bitter orange" in the Japanese Language, or simply "orange" in Chinese. All of the Yakumo family are named after the names of color. Why Chen appears before Ran and Yukari comes from the fact that the orange light has physically lower energy than the indigo, Ran, and the violet, Yukari. The pronunciation of her name "Chen" is an obsolete Chinese reading of 橙. In Japanese, the character would be read as "tou" or "daidai"; in Mandarin, "chéng".
Design
In her first appearance, Chen has dark brown eyes, brown hair and wears a green mob cap. She has black cat ears, with a gold earring in the left one, and two tails. Her dress is red with a white bow on the collar, with gold trimming and light pink frills at the bottom. The dress has light pink sleeves. She wears socks and has long hot pink fingernails.
Story
- Perfect Cherry Blossom
Chen first appears in the second stage guarding the village of Mayohiga, but she is promptly defeated by the heroine. Later in the extra stage, she guards the path to Ran Yakumo, and is much more powerful due to her master's proximity, but was again defeated.
- Main article: Reimu Arc
<Insert Summary>
- Main article: Marisa Arc
<Insert Summary>
- Main article: Sakuya Arc
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Spin-offs
- Fighters
Chen appeared in Immaterial and Missing Power and Scarlet Weather Rhapsody as a projectile in Yukari's spell card Shikigami "Chen", as well as Touhou Hisoutensoku.
- Shoot the Bullet
In Shoot the Bullet, Aya Shameimaru encountered Chen on stage 6 and took photos of her danmaku.
- Hopeless Masquerade
Chen made a background cameo appearance in Hopeless Masquerade on the Hakurei Shrine stage. She is seen standing with Ran Yakumo cheering.
Literature
- Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red
Aya investigates an abandoned village inhabited entirely by cats. When she arrives, she finds Chen and cat anarchy. Chen explains that she gathered the cats there in search of a servant to call her own.
By the time Aya returns for an interview, Chen still has not managed to establish a solid leadership role for herself. Aya tells her that she lacks power and that she should reflect on the nature of the relationship between her and her master Ran. She recommends using a mouse (which Chen objects to).
Relationships
Ran and Yukari
Ran Yakumo is her master and Yukari Yakumo is her master's master.
Gallery
Chen at the Road of Liminality in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense
Chen's Sigil in the Grimoire of Marisa
Illustration of Chen in Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red
Another illustration of Chen from Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red
Chen and Ran cameo in Extra of the Wind
Spell Cards
Name | Translated | Comments | Games | Stage | ||
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Total: 16 | ||||||
仙符「鳳凰卵」 | Hermit Sign "Fenghuang Egg" | PCB GoM |
St. 2: E/N — | |||
仙符「鳳凰展翅」 | Hermit Sign "Fenghuang's Spread Wings" | PCB | St. 2: H/L | |||
式符「飛翔晴明」 | Shikigami Sign "Soaring Seiman" | PCB | St. 2: E/N | |||
陰陽「道満晴明」 | Yin Yang "Douman-Seiman" | PCB | St. 2: H | |||
陰陽「晴明大紋」 | Yin Yang "Seiman-Daimon" | PCB | St. 2: L | |||
天符「天仙鳴動」 | Heaven Sign "Tianxian's Rumbling" | PCB | St. 2: E/N | |||
翔符「飛翔韋駄天」 (鬼神「飛翔韋駄天」) |
Flight Sign "Soaring Idaten" (Kishin "Soaring Idaten") |
GoM's version is a misprint of PCB's version | PCB GoM |
St. 2: H — | ||
童符「護法天童乱舞」 | Servant Sign "Gouhou-Tendou's Wild Dance" | PCB | St. 2: L | |||
仙符「屍解永遠」 | Hermit Sign "Shikai Immortality" | PCB | St. 2: E/N | |||
鬼符「鬼門金神」 | Oni Sign "Kimon Konjin" | PCB | St. 2: H | |||
方符「奇門遁甲」 | Direction Sign "Kimontonkou" | PCB | St. 2: L | |||
鬼符「青鬼赤鬼」 | Oni Sign "Blue Oni Red Oni" | PCB | St. Ex | |||
鬼神「飛翔毘沙門天」 | Kishin "Soaring Bishamonten" | PCB | St. Ex | |||
星符「飛び重ね鱗」 | Star Sign "Leaping Kasane-Uroko Star" | StB | St. 6 | |||
鬼神「鳴動持国天」 | Kishin "Rumbling Jikokuten" | StB GoM |
St. 6 — | |||
化猫「橙」 | Bakeneko "Chen" | StB | St. 6 |
Additional Information
- Chen is one of the few Touhou Project characters in the Windows series to not have a last name (Others being Cirno, Kisume, Wakasagihime for example).
- Chen is the only character to only have one kanji in her name.
Fandom
Official Profiles
○凶兆の黒猫
橙(チェン)
主に妖術を扱う程度の能力を持つ
式神だからといって普段は御札とかではなく、普段も同じ姿をしていて、区別は付かない。 式神を付けていない普段も人語を話し、普通に飛び回るが、せいぜい人を驚かす程度の能力しか持たない。あと、見た目や性格は変らないが、冬は炬燵で丸くなる。
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Black Cat of Bad Omens
Chen Stage 2 Boss, a bakeneko living in a mountain possessed as a shikigami. She possesses the ability to handle sorcery. Her true form is Ran's shikigami, which makes her a shikigami of a shikigami of a youkai. Although she's a shikigami, her normal form is not always in a form of a charm, she can remains in her human-like form in normal situation so it won't be bothersome to classify her types. Even without being in shikigami possession she can speak the human language and fly around, but she would merely have the ability to the extent of surprising people. Also, while not being possessed, neither her appearance nor personality changes, but she still curls up by a kotatsu in the winter. In shikigami form, this bakeneko-figure acquires the fearsome power of a wrathful god. But because her master is a shikigami as well, her power is fairly low. Getting touched by water dispels her shikigami possession. As a bakeneko her normal form also hates water, so she is always weak against water. |
○すきま妖怪の式の式
橙(チェン)
前の怪我が完治して間も無いのに、再び闘う事となるとは。 今度は主の近くで、一段と強い妖力を持っているが、その力は、目の前の人間に通用するのだろうか? |
A shikigami of a shikigami of the Gap Youkai
Chen Extra Stage midboss. While in the middle of fully recovering from the injuries of her previous defeat, Chen is set for a second round of combat. Her master is in the vicinity this time around, so her power has been amplified considerably. Would that power work on the human before her? |
Official Sources
- 2003/08/17 Perfect Cherry Blossom - Stage 2 dialogue; Extra Stage dialogue; キャラ設定.txt (Official profile)
- 2005/12/30 Shoot the Bullet - Stage 6 Spell Card comments
- 2005/08/17 Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red - Article and Interview: Chen
- 2006/12/27 Perfect Memento in Strict Sense - Pefect Memento in Strict Sense: Chen
- 2009/07/28 The Grimoire of Marisa - Chen's Spell Cards
- 2011/03/26 Oriental Sacred Place - Chapter 12 (cameo)
References
This page is part of Project Characters, a Touhou Wiki project that aims to write proper descriptions for all official characters of Touhou Project. Please keep the character page guidelines in mind when contributing. |