Kikuri

Kikuri (きくり) is a character from the Touhou Project series, first appearing as the Stage 15 boss on the Hell route in Highly Responsive to Prayers. She appears as a large bronze disc with the image of a girl on it. Although Kikuri has no profile or dialogue in the game, her unique appearance and challenging danmaku battle have made her a memorable character. She is believed to be based on the Shinto goddess Kikurihime, a mediator deity symbolizing love, marriage, and negotiation. Kikuri's portrayal in fan works is diverse, sometimes depicted with blonde hair, and often paired with characters such as Konngara and Mima. Despite being ranked low in early popularity polls, her popularity has risen, and she even has her own fan event day. In the doujin game Touhoumon, Kikuri is a magic scripture-type character. Her name, "Kikuri," can be interpreted as "Chrysanthemum Science," with "kiku" meaning "chrysanthemum," a symbolic flower of Japan, and "ri" meaning "reason" or "logic" in Buddhism.