Make a clear distinction between Black and White! Shikieki Yamaxanadu! [Touhou Character Profile]

Yama. Enma. Shinigami. The first things that should come to mind is death. Believe it or not, the final boss of Touhou 9 Phantasmagoria of Flower View is Yama ... herself.

Shikieiki is the judge of the dead. In the world of Touhou she decides the fate of all spirits: whether they go to heaven, hell, the Hakugyokurou (something of a Ghost purgatory), or get reincarnated. As a boss character, her relentless flood of "Rods of Remorse" across the tiny screen given in this split-screen game are deadly.

Yamaxandadu is a combination of "Yama" and "Xanadu" or "pleasure palace." This is both her last name and appointed title. Her appearance is that of an empress. She wears mostly gold, blue and white. Her hair is green and longer on one side than the other. She always carries her "Rod of Remorse" with her, used to punish those who do not repent. She's a little on the short side and looks very tomboyish.

Her attitude is calm yet stern, determined to have everyone who reaches her repent of their sins before facing her in combat. While she is something of a lengthy lecturer, she keeps her cool and is generally portrayed as someone who looks out for the good of all.

"Hell does not exist to punish sinners.
Hell exists to ensure that no one sins."

But in the fans' eyes, Shikieiki is nothing but a loud-mouthed tsundere. She lectures so much that even ghosts try to avoid her when possible. And she's always jealous of her Shinigami subordinate, Komachi Onozuka, for her well-endowed chest. She even goes as far as attacking Komachi with the Rod of Remorse, but that is only because Komachi's always lazing around instead of doing her job properly. In fact she's very keen on telling people to do their jobs, even if their job involves more sinning!

[Typical example of Yamada at work! DANZAI!]

Touhou is filled with eccentric characters relating to Japanese mythology and culture, and Shikieiki is hardly one of the more popular ones. Play Touhou and check out all the fun characters and bullet-dodging action for yourself!

-chansu