Rikako Asakura
Rikako Asakura is a human scientist who appears as a playable character and opponent in the third Touhou Project title, Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream. In a world where magic is the accepted norm and scientific principles are dismissed as heresy, she stands out as a rare believer in natural science and engineering. Although she inherently possesses formidable magical energy as a magician, her deep-seated aversion to magic leads her to rely on technology instead, making her an eccentric figure within the realm.
Overview
Rikako Asakura is a human scientist who appears as a playable character and opponent in the third Touhou Project title, Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream. In a world where magic is the accepted norm and scientific principles are dismissed as heresy, she stands out as a rare believer in natural science and engineering. Although she inherently possesses formidable magical energy as a magician, her deep-seated aversion to magic leads her to rely on technology instead, making her an eccentric figure within the realm.
Appearance
Rikako Asakura wears small round spectacles, has long purple hair tied with a white ribbon, and possesses purple eyes. Her attire consists of a long-sleeved shirt beneath a white lab coat, accented at the collar with a yellow ribbon or necktie. Black trousers are visible during her combat animations. In her alternate color palette, her lab coat and collar ribbon change to a peach hue, while her hair and eyes turn red.
Personality
Rikako is defined by her unwavering faith in science and an intense intellectual curiosity. She harbors a profound hatred of magic, disdaining society's heavy reliance on it despite being a powerful magician herself. Though proud of her mechanical pursuits, she shows a broad-minded and earnest passion for learning when exposed to advanced knowledge that far surpasses her own.
Abilities
Rikako inherently possesses immense magical power as a magician, capable of overwhelming strength if fully unleashed, though her aversion to magic prevents her from utilizing it seriously. Instead of levitating through magic, she takes to the air using a portable rocket engine strapped to her back. While adept at building and operating her own inventions, her technological capability is considered several centuries behind the standards of the outside world.
Background
Growing up in a land where magic is absolute and physical science is shunned, Rikako steadfastly pursued technological research. During her investigation of the mysterious ruins, she maintained that the structure was built through scientific principles. Upon meeting Yumemi Okazaki from the outside world, she learned how far her technology lagged behind, yet she gladly accepted elementary scientific literature to further her studies.
Relationships
Through the incident involving the ruins, Rikako interacts with Yumemi Okazaki, an outside-world academic whose vastly superior scientific knowledge inspires Rikako after Yumemi presents her with a textbook. Visually, Rikako holds a distinctive place as one of the earliest official spectacle-wearing characters in the Touhou Project, sharing the trait with later characters like Mamizou Futatsuiwa, Sumireko Usami, and Rinnosuke Morichika.
Trivia
Her theme music, 'Dream War,' features an exceptionally long loop duration of nearly five minutes, making it one of the longest looping original tracks in the Touhou Project lineup. Internal data reveals that the piece was originally composed as the final boss theme for Yumemi Okazaki. Visually and conceptually, her design is widely believed to be inspired by eccentric scientist characters appearing in manga works by Mamoru Nagano.
