Komachi Onozuka

小 (お) 野 (の) 塚 (づか) 　小 (こ) 町 (まち) o̞no̞zɯᵝka̠ ko̞ma̠t͡ɕi (♫) Komachi Onozuka Komachi Onoduka More Alternative Spellings
Komachi Onozuka in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody Guide of the Sanzu River More Character Titles
Species	Shinigami
Abilities	Manipulation of distance
Occupation	Carries dead spirits to the yama (Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu)
Location	Sanzu River, Hell
Music Themes
彼岸帰航　～ Riverside View (Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Scarlet Weather Rhapsody)
Appearances
Official Games
Phantasmagoria of Flower View (Playable Character, Possible Opponent) Shoot the Bullet (Stage 10-1, 10-3, 10-5, 10-7 Boss) Scarlet Weather Rhapsody (Playable Character, Possible Opponent) Touhou Hisoutensoku (Playable character in arcade mode) Hopeless Masquerade (Background Character) 100th Black Market (3rd Market Boss)
Print Works
Perfect Memento in Strict Sense (Article) Strange and Bright Nature Deity (Minor Character) Silent Sinner in Blue (Chapter 9 Cameo) Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth (Minor Character) Oriental Sacred Place (Chapter 6, Chapter 12 & 18 Cameo) Wild and Horned Hermit (Secondary Character) Symposium of Post-mysticism (Part 3 Cameo) Forbidden Scrollery (Chapter 2 Cameo) Strange Creators of Outer World Vol. 3 (Profile Section) Visionary Fairies in Shrine (Chapter 2 Cameo, 5, 6 cameo, 10 cameo) Alternative Facts in Eastern Utopia (Essay) Lotus Eaters (Chapter 4 cameo, 5 cameo, chapter 11, 12)

"Well, usherin' souls over is out of my jurisdiction.
I'm just a humble ferryman."
— Komachi Onozuka (Scarlet Weather Rhapsody Stage 6)

Komachi Onozuka (小野塚　小町, Onozuka Komachi) is widely known in Gensokyo for being a slacker shinigami and a slow worker. She is Eiki Shiki's subordinate. Her conversation topics often revolve around death, suicide, the afterlife, and other related horror, but considering the nature of her job, this is perhaps not surprising. In general, she's a rather carefree individual.

General Information

Komachi first appeared in Phantasmagoria of Flower View as a boss and playable character, later reprising both roles in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. She was also a target on the final stage of Shoot the Bullet and appeared in the background of Hopeless Masquerade.

Personality

Komachi is known for being a slacker. She has a lazy, carefree personality and loves to talk, especially to the departed spirits she ferries across the Sanzu River. As a shinigami, Komachi is mildly antagonistic to people who outlive the regular life span (hermits and celestials for instance) and very antagonistic to those who destroy souls, phantoms, and other spirits.

Since Komachi is just a shinigami ferryman, it is not in her jurisdiction to take another person’s life. However, she won’t hesitate to threaten them with her scythe while issuing a warning, as seen in her interactions with Kasen Ibaraki and Tenshi Hinanawi.

Abilities

Manipulating distance

It is literally the ability to manipulate the space between her present location and the destination she's heading. She uses this ability to carry out her duty of ferrying spirits of the dead across the Sanzu River (although it is unknown whether other shinigami ferrymen also possess this power or not). This ability may be used to affect both literal distance (for example, changing the physical distance that exists between two points) and apparent distance (for example, making it seem like you never get any closer to, or farther away from, a location). The effects of this ability can be seen in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, where Komachi uses it to restrict the enemies' movements.

Although Komachi's official profile in Phantasmagoria of Flower View says that the width of the Sanzu River changes depending on her mood (which is presumably dictating how she uses her power), it is also mentioned in parts of the game's dialog (especially between Eiki and Sakuya Izayoi) that the width of the river is at least partially dependent upon the actual ghost being ferried.

Manipulating ghosts

Probably because of her status as a shinigami, Komachi is able to control departed spirits, and even talk with them.

Possessions

Scythe

Komachi posesses a scythe, which, aside from being a weapon, serves another, more subtle purpose. When the spirit of a recently deceased person arrives on the shores of the Sanzu, one of the first sights they behold is a figure carrying a large scythe. The spirit realizes, thanks to that tool, that they are looking at a shinigami; somehow, realizing that shinigami really do match their traditional image seems to reassure them, put them at ease, and come to terms with their fate more easily.

Coins

A liberal use of coinage is the hallmark of Komachi's danmaku. This money comes from the spirits of the dead, who pay the shinigami a toll to ferry them across it into Higan. The money for this toll comes about due to the connections they had with others while they were alive. More specifically, the toll is the total sum of the money used by others for one's sake during one's lifetime.

Boat

The boat that Komachi uses (which she calls the Titanic) to ferry souls is a special rowboat that can cross the Sanzu River, and is provided to her by Hell in order to carry out her duties. It is old and worn, but she is perhaps unable to procure a new one due to Hell's current poor financial situation. Yet, a few of her spell cards in Touhou Hisoutensoku make use of this boat on land.

Character Design

Komachi's portrait in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense

Name

Her full name is Komachi Onozuka (小野塚　小町). Komachi (小町) contains the characters that means "small" and "town," an uncommonly used term that is roughly equivalent to "the town beauty". Onozuka (小野塚) is written to contain the characters "small", "field", and "mound". Komachi's name is extremely similar to that of Ono no Komachi, a famous Heian-era waka poet, with the main difference being that the poet's name lacks the kanji zuka (塚). There is a famous legend regarding Ono no Komachi's grandfather, Ono no Takamura, which claimed that at night, he would descend into Hell via a well, and aid the Yama in passing judgement.

Design

In both Phantasmagoria of Flower View's and Scarlet Weather Rhapsody's official art, Komachi has red eyes and short pinkish-red hair with two ponytails tied by two double hair beads. She wears a white dress underneath a blue vest, and has an obi with a large coin tied in the center. She also carries a scythe with a wispy ripple at the end of its blade.

Her alternative outfit in Phantasmagoria of Flower View is the same as her usual outfit, except her hair beads are yellow, and her vest is green. Her alternative outfit in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody is the same as her usual outfit, except her dress is red instead of blue, and she has pink hair.

Appearances

Games

Phantasmagoria of Flower View

Komachi's sprite in PoFV

Komachi's back sprite in PoFV

Main article: Phantasmagoria of Flower View Story

When the "flower incident" first occurred, she wasn't particularly bothered or worried about it. Instead, she simply carried on at her usual pace, occasionally even running away from work at times. Because of this, the huge quantity of spirits that arrived on the banks of the Sanzu River were not brought across the river to stand before the Yama. This in turn led to flowers of every season blooming as they became possessed by these unjudged souls.

She is the penultimate boss for most of the Story Mode scenarios in the game, and is an unlockable playable character. Unlike most of the other playable characters' scenarios, however, Komachi's scenario is set up as an Extra stage, where she starts with 0 extra lives and all fights are deathmatches; both her and the opponent have half a health dot to start with.

Spin-offs

Shoot the Bullet

In Shoot the Bullet, Aya Shameimaru encountered Komachi on the final stage and took photos of her danmaku.

Scarlet Weather Rhapsody

Main article: Scarlet Weather Rhapsody Story

In Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, Komachi is on her "free time" as she wonders about the sudden changes in weather until Youmu informs her that someone is killing ghosts in order to manipulate the temperaments. She begins her "work" at the Bamboo Forest of the Lost before she goes to investigate the Hakurei Shrine's condition, where Tenshi Hinanawi appears to keep her promise to Reimu Hakurei of rebuilding the Shrine. She calls out Tenshi's immortality as a sham and states that her lifespan is already over before challenging her to a battle. Although Tenshi was defeated in the battle, Komachi is unable to send her to the Netherworld as she is simply a ferry guide shinigami rather than a reaper.

Hopeless Masquerade

Komachi in HM

Komachi make a background cameo appearance in Hopeless Masquerade on the Divine Spirit Mausoleum stage. She is seen sleeping.

100th Black Market

In 100th Black Market, Komachi appears as the one of the 3rd market bosses. Her ability card, a portrait of her boat near the shore, can be acquired.

Literature

Komachi appearance in Wild and Horned Hermit Chapter 12

Wild and Horned Hermit

In Wild and Horned Hermit Komachi often visits Kasen Ibara in her mansion to chat about various topics, as the arrival of a problematic hermit, lifespans, of any other event that is happening at the moment, as the Setsubun. At the end, she helps Tenshi Hinanawi to enter Kasen's house so that Tenshi could enter Avici and rescue Reimu Hakurei.

Strange and Bright Nature Deity

In chapter 4 of Strange and Bright Nature Deity Komachi is in Muenzuka taking a break when she spots the three fairies and chats with them about the decreasing number of ghosts that year.

Visionary Fairies in Shrine

In chapter 5 of Visionary Fairies in Shrine Komachi ferries Reimu Hakurei across the Sanzu River. Komachi notes that the other shinigami would not ferry her since she is still alive.

Symposium of Post-mysticism

Komachi makes a cameo in the third part of Symposium of Post-mysticism, where Minamitsu Murasa was pouring water into her ferry. Kanako Yasaka makes note of this during the symposium.

Lotus Eaters

Relationships

Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu

She is Eiki's subordinate and is often scolded for her laid-back lifestyle and work ethic.

Tenshi Hinanawi

Komachi may have a grudge against Tenshi for how Tenshi flaunts her status of celestial, which Komachi feels is undeserved. The extent of this isn't known as no other game or manga touch upon this besides Scarlet Weather Rhapsody and Wild and Horned Hermit.

Kasen Ibaraki

Their interactions when Komachi visits Kasen are mildly antagonistic, but this doesn't stop Komachi from trying to give Kasen advice or information, including info on the Kishin, who are actually sent after those that live too long.

Kutaka Niwatari

They are both subordinates to Eiki which makes them co-workers. It's unknown whether they know each other personally.

Other Relationships

She is also seen chatting with the souls of the departed as she ferries them across the Sanzu River.

Gallery

Covers

• 

  Komachi on the Vol. 3 cover of Wild and Horned Hermit

Artworks

• 

  Komachi artwork from Phantasmagoria of Flower View

• 

  Komachi artwork from Phantasmagoria of Flower View

• 

  Alternate outfit from Phantasmagoria of Flower View

• 

  Komachi artwork from Touhou Hisoutensoku

Sprites

• 

  Komachi's colors from Touhou Hisoutensoku. Middle top refers to her 2P palette from Scarlet Weather Rhapsody.

Illustrations

• 

  Komachi in Symposium of Post-mysticism

• 

  Komachi from Who's Who of Humans & Youkai - Dusk Edition

Screenshots

• 

  Komachi in Strange and Bright Nature Deity

• 

  Komachi in Oriental Sacred Place

• 

  Komachi in Lotus Eaters

Others

• 

  Komachi's sigil in The Grimoire of Marisa

• 

  Komachi's sigil from Touhou Hisoutensoku

Skills

Skills

Name	Translated	Comments	Games	Usage
Total: 14
「死神の投げ銭」	"Tip of the Reaper"		PoFV	Charge attack
「故人の縁」	"Ties with the Deceased"		PoFV	EX attack
迷わず生きた人霊	Human Spirits who Lived Without Hesitance		SWR	Default 234B/C
浮かばれない地縛霊	Earthbound Spirits who Find No Rest		SWR	Default 623B/C
脱魂の儀	Ritual of Ecstasy		SWR	Default 22B/C
怠惰に生きた浮遊霊	Wandering Spirits who Lived Indolently		SWR	Default 214B/C
死神の大鎌	Reaper's Scythe		SWR	Alternate 236B/C
死出の風	Wind of Passing Away		SWR	Alternate 632B/C
無間の道	Path of Avici		SWR	Alternate 22B/C
寂しがり屋の緊縛霊	Lonely Bound Spirit		SWR	Alternate 214B/C
通りすがりの人霊	Human Spirit Passing By		SWR	Alternate 236B/C
お迎え体験版	Last Farewell: Trial Edition		SWR	Alternate 22B/C
三途の舟	Boat of the Sanzu		Soku	Alternate 623B/C
離魂の鎌	Spirit-Detaching Scythe		Soku	Alternate 214B/C

Spell Cards

Spell Cards

Name	Translated	Comments	Games	Stage
Total: 16
投銭「宵越しの銭」	Thrown Coins "Yesterday's Money"		PoFV	Use
死神「ヒガンルトゥール」	Shinigami "Higan Retour"		PoFV	Use
死歌「八重霧の渡し」	Death Song "Ferry of the Deep Fog"		StB SWR GoM	St. 10 Use —
古雨「黄泉中有の旅の雨」	Old Rain "Rain in the Liminal Journey Through Yomi"		StB	St. 10
死価「プライス・オブ・ライフ」	Death Price "Price of Life"		StB GoM	St. 10 —
舟符「河の流れのように」	Boat Sign "Flow of the River"		SWR	Use
薄命「余命幾許も無し」	Poor Fate "Your Days Are Numbered"		SWR	Use
霊符「何処にでもいる浮遊霊」	Spirit Sign "Abundant Wandering Spirits"		SWR	Use
換命「不惜身命、可惜身命」	Exchange "Unvalued Life, Valued Life"		SWR	Use
恨符「未練がましい緊縛霊」	Malice Sign "Regretful Bound Spirits"		SWR GoM	Use —
死符「死者選別の鎌」	Death Sign "Scythe of Final Judgement"		SWR SWR	Use Story
地獄「無間の狭間」	Hell "Narrow Confines of Avici"		SWR	Use
霊符「古き地縛霊の目覚め」	Spirit Sign "Awakening of the Ancient Earthbound Spirits"		SWR	Story
魂符「魂の遊戯」	Soul Sign "Game of the Soul"		SWR	Story
魂符「生魂流離の鎌」	Soul Sign "Scythe of Roaming Spirits"		Soku	Use
「金と死は積もるほど忙しい」	"Money and Death Both Pile Up into Busywork"		g=HBM	3rd Market

Additional Information

• The Last Word theme in Imperishable Night, Touhou Youkai Komachi (東方妖怪小町), contains the exact kanji (小町) used in her name.
• In Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, she mentions the idea of having a notebook that brought death to anyone whose name was written in it. This is an unsubtle reference to the titular possession of shinigami in the manga Death Note.
• One of Komachi's win quotes in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody has her saying that her eyes allow her to see how long someone will live. She goes on to offer to trade her eye for half her opponent's remaining lifespan. This is a blatant Death Note reference. Furthermore, it is directly contradicted in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, which states that there are shinigami in the Ministry of Right and Wrong whose specific job is measuring and calculating lifespans.

Fandom

Main article: Fandom: Komachi Onozuka

Official Profiles

Phantasmagoria of Flower View - キャラ設定.txt

○三途の水先案内人 　　小野塚　小町（おのづか　こまち） 　　Onozuka Komachi 　　種族：死神 　　能力：距離を操る程度の能力 　　　幻想郷と彼岸との間の河を案内する妖怪。 　　　距離を操る程度の能力を持つ。 　　　人は死ぬと河を渡る。彼女はその河の渡り方を死者達にレクチャー 　　している。彼女の気分次第で、河幅や深さが変わる。余りにも生前悪 　　いことをし過ぎていたら、河を渡ることが出来ない事もある。 　　　死神が善人、悪人を判断する基準は罪の量などではなくお金である。 　　お金と言っても、故人の財産ではなく、故人の事を心から慕っていた 　　人の財産の合計である。ちなみに罪の量で裁くことは、彼女の仕事で 　　はなく河を渡った後の話である。 　　　死後、彼女に河の渡し賃を請求されると、手持ちのお金が自分のお 　　金ではなく、身の回りの人間の財産の合計に見合ったお金になってい 　　る事に驚かされる。 　　　金持ちは生前から嫌われていることも多く、お金を請求されると手 　　持ちの少なさに驚くこともあるという。 　　　勿論、手持ちを全額請求するが、このとき出し渋る様な人間は河の 　　途中で落とされるだろう。河幅は果てしなく広くなり、泳ぎ疲れたと 　　ころを、河に棲む絶滅した大型魚や水竜に喰われてしまう。 　　　今回、幻想郷が花で埋め尽くされてしまったのは、彼女の仕事が許 　　容量をオーバーしてしまったからである。余りにも死者の魂が多すぎ 　　て、冥界に渡れない魂が幻想郷に取り残され、途方に暮れた霊魂達が 　　身近な花に身を寄せたのだ。 　　　小町は一時的な物、として焦らずマイペースに仕事をしていたが、 　　彼女のボスに当たる四季映姫の目にとまり、怒られてしまうのだった。

Guide of the Sanzu River Komachi Onozuka Species: Shinigami Ability: Manipulating distance A youkai that provides passage for the river between Gensokyo and Higan. She has the ability to manipulate distance. When a person dies, their spirit will cross the river. Komachi lectures the dead on how to cross it. The width and depth of the river changes depending on her mood. Also, if someone has done too much evil during their lifetime, they may even not be able to cross the river. A shinigami judges one to be good or bad not by the amount of crimes, but by money. That is to say, not the money that the deceased may have had while they were alive, but rather the total amount of those who yearned and missed that person from the bottom of their hearts. By the way, judging the amount of crimes of the dead is not Komachi's job and would be handled after crossing the river, but that's a story for another time. After death, when she requests a passage fee from them, people tend to be surprised since the money they have on hand doesn't correspond to their own assets, but on the assets of his or her surrounding friends. Very rich people tend to be despised during their life, and are astonished to see how little they have after death. Komachi always demands those she guides to pay all the money they have, and anyone who hesitates to pay the full sum is dropped into the river midway through the journey. The river is made infinitely wide, and the unfortunate spirit is soon consumed by huge fishes and water dragon which were extinct in world of the living. The reason Gensokyo got buried under a sea of flowers this time was because her workload went way beyond what she could handle. There were so many dead spirits that some of them were not handled in time and were left in Gensokyo, and in this puzzled state these dead spirits possessed nearby flowers. Komachi thought that it was just a temporary issue, and worked at her own pace without the slightest bit of worry. However, it soon caught the eye of her boss, Eiki, and she got a good scolding because of that.

Scarlet Weather Rhapsody - おまけ.txt

○三途の水先案内人 　　小野塚　小町（おのづか　こまち） 　　種族：死神 　　住家：地獄 　　能力：距離を操る程度の能力 　　　特に道の長さが変わる。 　　　距離は見た目の距離も弄るので、近づいていようと遠ざかっていよう 　　　と、一定の距離の位置にいるように見せることが出来る。 　　　追っても近づかず、逃げても離れずで人間に恐怖心を与える。 　　性格：気前がよいが、調子がよい。 　　　明るく、江戸っ子っぽい気前の良さがある。 　　　ただ、仕事はサボりがちだが、悪びれた様子を見せることは無い。 　　　相手をおだてたり、小咄をしてみたりと一緒にいると楽しい。 　　　これは、死神全般の性格ではなく、彼女の性格。 　　　死神にも色々な者がいる。

Guide of the Sanzu River Komachi Onozuka Race: shinigami Place of residence: Hell Ability: Manipulating distance 　　　Especially the ability to change the length of a path. 　　　She can also affect apparent distance, so she can make it look as if you're 　　　staying in the same place when you're really getting closer or farther away. 　　　Her ability to make it seem as though you can never truly draw near 　　　or ever completely escape is terrifying to humans. 　　Personality: good-natured, but laid back. 　　　She clearly has a very "Edoite"-like good nature about her. 　　　She tends to slack off from work a lot, but never acts bad-natured about it. 　　　Enjoys riling up her opponents and telling anecdotes. 　　　Not all shinigami are like this; this is her own personality. 　　　There are various different types of shinigami.

Wild and Horned Hermit official website

小野塚小町 拓落失路の死神 三途の河の渡し守をつとめる死 神。上司の閻魔様の目を盗んでは サボって休んでいる。死神は仙人 の天敵とも言える存在だが、小町 は華扇の担当というわけではな い。

Onozuka Komachi Dropped and Low-Plateaud Shinigami A shinigami that ferries souls over the Sanzu river. She slacks and takes extra breaks whenever her boss -the yama- is not watching her. Shinigami are considered a natural enemy to hermits, however Komachi isn't the one that is a threat to Kasen's lifespan.

Official Sources

Official sources

• 2005/08/14 Phantasmagoria of Flower View - キャラ設定.txt (official profile)
• 2005/12/30 Shoot the Bullet - Stage 10 Spell Card comments
• 2006/12/26 Strange and Bright Nature Deity - Chapter 4
• 2006/12/27 Perfect Memento in Strict Sense - Komachi Onozuka
• 2008/02/09 Silent Sinner in Blue - Chapter 9 (cameo)
• 2008/05/25 Scarlet Weather Rhapsody - おまけ.txt
• 2008/07/22 Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth Chapter 14 (cameo)
• 2009/07/28 The Grimoire of Marisa - Komachi Onozuka's Spell Cards
• 2009/12/26 Oriental Sacred Place - Chapter 6
• 2010/11/25 Wild and Horned Hermit - Chapter 3
• 2011/03/28 Wild and Horned Hermit - Chapter 5

See Also

• Komachi in Touhou Hisoutensoku wiki