Touhou Kikeijuu ~ Wily Beast and Weakest Creature.

　In this, the seventeenth entry in Team Shanghai Alice’s Touhou Project series, Hakurei Reimu, Kirisame Marisa, and Konpaku Youmu form alliances with beast spirits to investigate an incident in the Beast Realm. 

　Among the numerous characters from Hell and the Beast Realm introduced in the game, Kicchou Yachie and Kurokoma Saki, leaders of two of the gangs that rule the Beast Realm, have attracted a great deal of popularity.

　Kicchou Yachie leads the Kiketsu-gumi, an organization that excels in trickery. In the main story, she manipulates the heroines into attacking Haniyasushin Keiki by claiming she spearheaded the incident. Kurokoma Saki is the head of the Keiga-gumi, who take pride in their raw power. As the boss of the Extra stage, she challenges the player to a test of strength.

　Despite – or perhaps because of – their contrasting personalities, Saki and Yachie have proved to be a popular pairing in fandom, referred to by the compound name “SakiYachi”.

　Representatives from the rival gangs also help the player characters – a wolf spirit from the Keiga-gumi and an otter spirit from the Kiketsu-gumi, respectively. But what of the third beast spirit, the eagle? The group it hails from, the Gouyoku Alliance, does not make a proper appearance in-game; instead, it is mentioned only in dialogue where its members are described as prideful but lacking in skill. The leader of the Gouyoku Alliance, known as Toutetsu, is the subject of this article.

　It is also stated that in addition to the Kiketsu-gumi, the Keiga-gumi, and the Gouyoku Alliance, another group reigns in the Beast Realm, “a shadowy organization of beast spirits excelling in traps, poison, parasitism, disguise, and other cowardly tricks”. But because this group is only mentioned in supplemental text, its nature is unclear.

　At this point, readers may be wondering: what kind of youkai is Toutetsu, exactly?

　The name Toutetsu is the Japanese reading of Taotie, the name of a mythological Chinese beast. The tao (饕) in its name means wealth, while tie (餮) refers to gluttony. Its image evolved from a monster that eats everything to one that eats demons; in later centuries it was used as a symbol to ward off evil.

　Its appearance has been described as a sheep with the face of a human, with eyes under its arms. Though descriptions can be somewhat opaque, one consistent theme is sheep-like traits such as horns.

　As an aside, Taotie is sometimes considered one of the nine sons of the Dragon King, despite not being a dragon itself. Though indirect, this may imply some connection with Yachie, who is also the offspring of a dragon.

　Due to their only appearances being mentions from other characters, Toutetsu and the Gouyoku Alliance remain shrouded in mystery. But that may not be true for long. The title of Twilight Frontier’s upcoming game “Touhou Gouyoku Ibun” suggests a connection with the Gouyoku Alliance, and the possibility that Toutetsu will finally emerge from the shadows.

　Touhou Gouyoku Ibun is currently scheduled for release in October of 2021.

【イベント】3/21開催の第十八回博麗神社例大祭(あ01ab)に黄昏フロンティアで参加します。会場では「東方剛欲異聞　～ 水没した沈愁地獄」頒布予定ですのでよろしくお願いいたします。

— 黄昏フロンティア (@tasofro) February 18, 2021

　If all goes well, Toutetsu will finally appear more than two years following her mention in Wily Beast and Weakest Creature – a payoff that will surely be exciting for fans.

　The focus of this article, however, is not the real Toutetsu.

　The mysterious and fascinating leader of the Gouyoku Alliance, known to us only through text, has captured the imaginations of fans eager to see her appearance. This is the origin of the phenomenon known as “Imaginary Toutetsu”, in which fans create unofficial designs for the character.

　As the name suggests, artists let their creativity run free designing their own unique versions of Toutetsu. Let’s take a look at some of these fan-made designs.

イマジナリー饕餮考えてみたー
和風にした pic.twitter.com/f9yJP3k74V

— 軒崎風林🎐 (@nokisakifuurin) May 23, 2020

Tweet from Nosaki Fuurin

My take on Imaginary Toutetsu! I went for a Japanese look.

イマジナリー饕餮

欲深そうな色にしてみました。
色味が強欲な壺に似てるの草。
中国の銭の弾幕を出すイメージがあります。

「喜べ、余すところなくお前の財産を喰らってやる！」 pic.twitter.com/VvukUWsI5o

— 物部毒鼓 (@monodoku) June 22, 2020

Tweet from Mononobe no Dokuko

Imaginary Toutetsu

I wanted the colors to look greedy. They ended up looking like Pot of Greed lol. She uses old Chinese coins as danmaku.

“Now rejoice! As I devour everything you own!”

ウチのイマジナリー饕餮 pic.twitter.com/H6wEiWPmRw

— はマる (@mayomayooyaki_7) May 18, 2020

Tweet from Hamaru

My Imaginary Toutetsu.

今流行りのイマジナリー饕餮をワシも描いたぜ。ZUNさんならこういう風にデザインするんじゃないかなぁ？って思いながら、自分のテイストも入れつつ描いたぜ。少なくとも大きいねじれ角とトウテツパターンの服はありそうじゃね？ pic.twitter.com/ABiFjFf9mP

— D・紅茶 (@D_koutya) May 13, 2020

Tweet from D. Koucha

Guess who jumped on the Imaginary Toutetsu train? I tried to make it look like something Zun would design while adding my own style too. I think the big horns and the Taotie pattern on her clothes are safe bets.

雑描き驪駒と吉弔とイマジナリー饕餮 pic.twitter.com/XlDzTin4nR

— ラテンボ (@ratenbo) May 12, 2020

Tweet from Ratenbo

Saki + Yachie + Imaginary Toutetsu sketch.

（イマジナリー饕餮！そういうのもあるのか！）

饕餮姉貴の空想落書き。
剛欲「同盟」ってからには・・・
大小の組織が入り混じってる所為で内部の小競り合いが絶えず、地盤固めに奔走して常に忙しいためクマのあるキャラ・・・

とかだったらいいなって思った。 pic.twitter.com/qO8WFutykU

— 真田源次郎ベル助 (@berusuke_sanada) January 15, 2020

Tweet from Sanada Genjirou Berusuke

(Imaginary Toutetsu! What a concept!)

My own version of the boss lady Toutetsu.

I like to think the Gouyoku Alliance is made up of a lot of smaller groups, so there’s a ton of infighting, and Toutetsu is always running around trying to keep things together… which is why I gave her the dark circles.

存在が曖昧な今の内に好き勝手やってみた「イマジナリー饕餮」 pic.twitter.com/LZal66R7nC

— ｳｵheieきん肉２ (@uokin2) February 27, 2021

Tweet from Uoheie Kinniku 2

Going crazy with my Imaginary Toutetsu concept while I still can.

[A concept in which the Gouyoku Alliance is a social media service and all members are “Toutetsu”]

イマジナリー饕餮はイタリアあたりの人 pic.twitter.com/ZLsL6qF4BR

— ゆたろう (@yuhta_8823) May 24, 2020

Tweet from Yutarou

Imaginary Toutetsu, Italian style.

老い先短いイマジナリー饕餮 pic.twitter.com/BHqxizHiuc

— 徳川@例大祭T09ab (@tokugawa2355) March 3, 2020

Tweet from Tokugawa

Imaginary Toutetsu, get her while she lasts!

　As described above, certain themes appear frequently in these designs, such as sheep-like horns. Even so, there is still a great degree of variation, demonstrating the creativity and passion of fans inspired by the ephemeral nature of Imaginary Toutetsu.