Of course, while this does involve exterminating dangerous youkai who attack humans too often, the fact that Reimu is human doesn't mean that youkai are the only things she needs to be wary of. If, for example, a human were to do something that threatened Gensokyo, she would also mercilessly bring down the hammer. ...On the other hand, since Reimu personally considers exterminating all youkai, no questions asked, to be part of her job, the youkai may be at a disadvantage in this regard. As the Protagonist
In all the games released so far, the basic story flow is that some incident is happening in Gensokyo, so Reimu departs the Hakurei Shrine on an investigation to go resolve it. Along the way, she meets random youkai passersby, old friends, those who have their own goals or who happen to know something, and formidable opponents who wish to see the incident to completion and stand in her way. They exchange witty repartee, ideals clash, and magnificent exchanges of danmaku unfold.
While Reimu is normally carefree and lacks a sense of danger, when fighting she displays all of her god-given natural talents, facing every last opponent. In a danmaku fight, by pretending to fight for their lives, they can maintain a sense of tension between humans and youkai. Perhaps you could say that they're "putting all of their effort into playing around." As her position causes her to come into contact with both humans and youkai indiscriminately, powerful youkai are fond of her while weak youkai are terrified of her. As that sort of protagonist, she paints quite the charming picture. Although ironically, because of those youkai who are fond of her, the shrine has more youkai visitors than human ones, which in turn keeps the human villagers away.A Merely Human Fool
This heroic "Guardian of Paradise" side of Reimu basically only shows up in the games. In the original comics and novels written by Mr. ZUN, she may show up as an important character, but rarely as the protagonist. She gets yanked around by human villagers and youkai alike, her plans to attract more visitors to the shrine inevitably end in failure, and generally shows a side of herself apart from the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. Her very human laziness and greed are emphasized, and she's often put in the role of a fool. These are detailed in the ongoing comic series "Forbidden Scrollery" and "Wild and Horned Hermit", so if you read them alongside the games, your perception of Reimu is sure to change.The Mystery of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden
It has never been stated whether the position of shrine maiden is inherited through blood or chosen through some other means. Based only on the line "Are we going to have to find a new shrine maiden soon?" spoken by Aya Shameimaru (a tengu) in "Silent Sinner in Blue", one can speculate that the shrine maiden is chosen by the youkai. It remains a position filled with mysteries.Comment from ZUN
I've never made anything from Reimu's point of view. The games are written in third person omniscient, so only she knows what she's really like. I don't know very well either. We have no idea what's going on in Reimu's head, so she changes depending on whose perspective we see her from. The Reimu that humans see, the Reimu that fairies see, and the Reimu that youkai see are all different. That's probably why she's in a bit of a different position from the protagonists of other works. Also, no matter what work she's in she never grows up at all. She might actually be pretty similar to a final boss. ...In "Urban Legend in Limbo" she finally overcomes that final boss side of herself and shows her true character, though (lol).Hakurei ReimuSpecies:
Human Places of Activity:
Hakurei Shrine
All of Gensokyo Main Abilities:
Capable of flying through the air
Abilities as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden Activities:
Incident resolution
Gathering donations for the shrine
Example Spell Cards:
Spirit Sign "Fantasy Seal"
Dream Sign "Evil-Sealing Circle"Appearance:
Black hair with ribbon
Red and white clothes The Youkai-Exterminating Shrine Maiden
As the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, her job is to exterminate youkai: that's Reimu Hakurei's everday life. The Hakurei Shrine is built on the eastern edge of Gensokyo, on the border with the "Outside World", but because most of the time there are very few worshipers, she spends her time lazily drinking tea or pretending to sweep the grounds. If you asked her why she exterminates youkai, she'd say it's the duty imparted to the "Hakurei Shrine Maiden", who is tied to Gensokyo's very existence.
The Hakurei Shrine exists to watch over the "Great Hakurei Barrier" which separates the sealed paradise of "Gensokyo" from the "Outside World". Generations of shrine maidens have made their living resolving any "Incidents" that might endanger it. If you want to know why the barrier was created, or about the events leading up to its creation, please refer to its own article.The Duty of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden
The duty of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is to "Maintain and Manage the Great Hakurei Barrier". However, the barrier only really exists to preserve Gensokyo's balance-- and paradoxically, it is maintained by Gensokyo's balance at the same time. To preserve the balance of Gensokyo is, namely, to preserve a fixed balance between humans and youkai. Essentially, "youkai attack humans, and humans fear youkai." Eliminating factors that would jeopardize this relationship is itself the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's duty, which is what it means to protect Gensokyo. Let's introduce some excerpts from "Who's Who of Humans and Youkai in Gensokyo", a publication that contains profiles of all of Gensokyo's characters. Be sure to read ZUN's commentary on each individual!
