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Article#2 : Yukari Yakumo , the Youkai of Boundaries[/font]
八雲 紫(やãも ゆã‹ã‚Šï¼‰
[size=12]Yukari Yakumo [/h]
Age : At least 1,200 years old, older than the history of Gensokyo itself
Species : Youkai
Personalities : Unexpected, Confident, Carefree most of the time, Calm, Sleepyhead, but actually pretty cunning.
Abilities : Manipulation of all boundaries
Occupation : Unknown; she sleeps most of the time
First Appearance : Phantasm Boss in Perfect Cherry Blossom ( Touhou 7.0 )
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Over a thousand years ago, Yukari organized an army of youkai and led them in an invasion of the Moon. The youkai were subsequently routed by the Lunarians, who possessed superior technology and magic, and forced to retreat to Earth. Since that time, no youkai have attempted to expand their territory beyond Gensokyo. While some speculate that Yukari organized the invasion out of selfish hunger for territory and power, others believe she did it to teach the youkai a lesson about starting wars of conquest; namely, that it was a bad idea.
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About a thousand years ago, Yukari met and became friends with a human girl named Yuyuko. After Yuyuko died, Yukari continued to be friends with Yuyuko's ghost, although Yuyuko gradually forgot who she had been and why she had died. When Yuyuko requested that Yukari use her power to weaken the border between the Netherworld and Gensokyo, Yukari obliged. She knew Yuyuko's plan to make the Saigyou Ayakashi bloom could never succeed, but was too busy sleeping to say or do anything about it, or to put the border back to normal after everything was finished, which put her on a collision course with the heroines.
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Yukari is known for being a "very youkai-like" youkai who sleeps all day and lives for the enjoyment of life. Though she rarely leaves her house she's well-connected and is acquainted with most of the most powerful youkai (such as Suika and Yuyuko) as well as anyone having anything to do with the Hakurei border or outside world (Reimu and Rinnosuke). She's possibly the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo and has a tendency to toy with her opponents rather than use her full power from the start. If anyone is suited for the role of "mastermind", it's Yukari, and she often has a great deal of insight and understanding about whatever happens in Gensokyo, and possesses considerable intellectual prowess, as well. Though she seems flaky and unreliable most of the time, when the safety or security of Gensokyo is at stake, she won't hesitate to get involved, even if it means using others to do the work for her. For example, in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, she treats Tenshi Hinanai with much hostility after finding out the plot of the Heavens. She could easily be either a villain or a heroine, depending on her whims.
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The overseer of Gensokyo.
In shorter note, Yukari is one of very few characters that hold important role in Gensokyo.
Her power and her intelligence surpass many creatures. The power to control all boundaries let her to do many trick that may or can confuses her opponent (good for her pranks as well).
Albeit her overpowered strength, Yukari shows no intimidating look at all. She talk calmly and never act hostile toward anyone (except for Tenshi).
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Perfect Memento[/h]
- Her main time of activity is night, and she sleeps in the daytime. (reference to Maribel Han)
- Though she claims to hibernate through the winter, we have only her word on it and it's unknown where she lives, so this is unconfirmed.
- Historically, there is an article in the Youkai Encyclopedia from Aichi's Gensokyo Chronicle that seems to describe her.
- She is said to look the same now as she appeared back then.
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Ability
- The ability to manipulate boundaries is a terrifying ability capable of fundamentally undermining reality.
- Were it not for the Great Barrier, even Gensokyo itself wouldn't exist.
- If there were no boundaries, everything would probably exist as a single enormous object.
- Thus, the ability to manipulate boundaries is an ability of logical creation and destruction.
- It essentially creates a new being, or denies the existence of a being.
- Among the abilities youkai are known to possess, this is one of the most dangerous, being comparable even to the power of gods.
- She is also capable of going anywhere through a gap in space, whether it be her entire body or only a part of her.
- It's said that this ability is not limited to physical space, but also applies to pictures, others' dreams, and even stories.
- In addition, she is possessed of superhuman intellect, and is especially good at mathematics.
- Furthermore, due to her long lifespan, she has a broad range of knowledge and experience.
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Daily Life
- She is actually quite talkative, eager to teach you about herself or about Gensokyo.
- However, most of her stories are impossible to prove or confirm, so no one can say if what she says is true.
- Her house is said to be located at the boundary between Gensokyo and the outside world, just like the Hakurei Shrine, but no one has ever actually seen it.
- This is because her only movements are through gaps in space, so she seems to appear out of nowhere and disappear into nothing.
- No one can follow her through the gaps, so it's not known if it's true or not.
- In addition, she rarely acts directly, instead leaving practically all of her work to a beast she controls as a familiar.
- This is especially true in daytime and winter when she is sleeping, and in such cases that familiar is seen moving around in her stead.
- Additionally, as she is an elder being, she has many friends that are also elder.
- Most of her friends are first-class youkai like Yuyuko Saigyouji of the netherworld and the oni Suika Ibuki.
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Relationship to Gensokyo
- Gensokyo is separated from the outside by a large magical barrier.
- This barrier literally is the boundary between inside and outside.
- However, the inside world and the outside world are still physically contiguous, so it can be said that the barrier is logically creating the place that we call Gensokyo.
- That also means that as long as the youkai of boundaries exists, she can create or destroy a place like Gensokyo whenever she desires.
- It can be argued that the fact that a youkai of boundaries exists in Gensokyo, a land surrounded by an enormous boundary, implies that she must have some extremely significant connection to the origin of Gensokyo.
- Strangely, this youkai rarely attacks humans, which actually is not "youkai-like".
- As she can freely visit the outside world, it's speculated that she attacks humans in the outside world (speculation only).
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[color=red]Yukari's Story[/color]
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Genso-Lunar War
As Stated in
Personal Data^
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Youkai Expansion Project
- A story from 500 years ago,
The project refers to a plan designed and implemented by Yukari in order to restore power to the youkai of Gensokyo, who felt pressured by human expansion.
- Until then Gensokyo was merely an isolated mountain place, but she planned to create the boundary between illusion and reality around Gensokyo, thus logically creating a new world.
- By establishing Gensokyo as an illusionary world, and the outside as the real world, the youkai weakened by the outside world would naturally flock to Gensokyo; this was a truly epochal event.
- At this time, it seems that youkai from outside of Japan immigrated to Gensokyo, as well.
- The cleverness of the plan lies in allowing youkai to disappear in the outside world while permitting them to thrive within Gensokyo.
- As long as the outside world remains in the hands of the humans, Gensokyo will be the demesne of the youkai.
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The Great Barrier Disturbance
- This, of course, refers to the Great Hakurei Barrier.
It is said that Yukari was one of those who suggested the creation of the Great Barrier and created what is now Gensokyo.
- However, it appears that there was some opposition to this plan from a number of youkai, and that there was open conflict between youkai.
- As this conflict distracted youkai from their normal attacks against humans, the Great Barrier has received great praise over the period of Gensokyo's existence.
- Word of the usefulness of the Great Barrier has now circulated among the youkai, and there are scarcely any that oppose its existence.
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The Phantom Disturbance
- The Phantom Disturbance refers to a time when the border between the Netherworld and the world of the living weakened, making it easy for the respective denizens of each to go back and forth.
- It is obvious that Yukari would have been involved in such a feat.
- Since this was the act of an extremely wise youkai, there was likely some extraordinary benefit to youkai society in doing this.
- As this is an ongoing incident the matter remains unresolved.
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[color=red]END Yukari's Story[/color]
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Eyewitness Reports
- "Before I know it, she makes my food disappear right out from under my nose. I wish she'd stop." (Reimu Hakurei)
- "She just keeps showing up in the middle of my house. Why can't she just use the door like other people ?" (Marisa Kirisame)
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Countermeasures
- She seldom appears in the human village.
- No matter how confident one is in their abilities, it would be wise not to attempt to pursue this youkai.
[size=11]( Though, she would likely make allowances for the power of her opponent so as not to allow the battle to become too vicious )[/h]
- In any case, there is not a single defense against or weak point in the ability to manipulate boundaries.
- Her intellect far surpasses the capabilities of humans, and her vitality is what you'd expect from a youkai.
- Humans probably have no chance of winning against her.
Excepting, of course, the countermeasure of approaching her in a gentlemanly fashion.
Trivia Section will be separated.