Houjuu Chimi
Houjuu Chimi is a character appearing as the Stage 2 boss in the Touhou Project game Touhou Kinjoukyou ~ Fossilized Wonders. Bearing the title "Unidentified Unruly Beast," she is an ancient entity classified as a chimimouryou who has existed since long before the modern definition of youkai emerged. Secluded within pristine natural environments such as untouched forests and rivers, she lives far from human settlement and ordinary youkai, possessing a mysterious nature akin to a nature spirit or deity.
Overview
Houjuu Chimi is a character appearing as the Stage 2 boss in the Touhou Project game Touhou Kinjoukyou ~ Fossilized Wonders. Bearing the title "Unidentified Unruly Beast," she is an ancient entity classified as a chimimouryou who has existed since long before the modern definition of youkai emerged. Secluded within pristine natural environments such as untouched forests and rivers, she lives far from human settlement and ordinary youkai, possessing a mysterious nature akin to a nature spirit or deity.
Appearance
Chimi features long white hair integrated with large beast ears, paired with grey eyes. She has sharp teeth and a red facial mark on her forehead. Her outfit consists of a petal-shaped decoration at the collar, a top resembling leaves or scales, and a blue skirt patterned with water and fish motifs. She sports long fingernails painted with red polish and goes entirely barefoot.
Personality
Chimi speaks in an archaic, elderly dialect, frequently adopting a detached tone toward younger generations. She is not inherently malicious; however, supernatural anomalies occur around her naturally whenever she tries to conceal her physical presence. Having maintained a cautious watch over the underground pyramid in the sanctuary since ancient times, she freely encourages the protagonists to investigate the area even though she does not fully grasp the origin of the ongoing incident.
Abilities
Chimi possesses the capability to manipulate the qi of mountains and rivers. When attempting to hide herself, unusual and mysterious phenomena spontaneously take place in her vicinity. During combat, she displays a bizarre physical movement by warping her body into a spiral vortex shape. Her bullet patterns similarly trace swirling paths across the screen, deploying spell cards that manifest the elemental energy of forests, mountain streams, and peaks.
Background
Originating from an era preceding the official taxonomy of youkai, Chimi is an ancient being belonging to the Houjuu-zoku. In primordial times, she erected a dosojin stone landmark to monitor the subterranean pyramid situated beneath the sanctuary. Over ages, this statue unexpectedly developed its own consciousness without her knowledge. As land development gradually reduces untamed nature, she revealed herself within the sanctuary's abnormal barrier, a remote haven inaccessible to humans and common youkai.
Relationships
Michigami Nareko originated from the stone dosojin statue Chimi placed in antiquity, which eventually gained self-awareness. Though she shares the surname "Houjuu" and an unidentified nature with Houjuu Nue, their concrete relationship remains canonically unspecified, connected primarily through their shared designation within the ancient Houjuu-zoku classification. Chirizuka Ubame, the leader of the yamamba, had never once encountered Chimi despite her own long history in the region.
Trivia
Series creator ZUN conceptualized Chimi around the premise of an "experienced veteran who understands nothing." Her dedicated boss theme is titled "There's a Monster in the Woods." In community fan creations, she is frequently portrayed in a parental role toward Michigami Nareko due to her creation of Nareko's original stone statue, while her shared surname with Houjuu Nue inspires numerous fan artworks pairing the two ancient characters together.
