Niwatari Kutaka

Kutaka Niwatari is a character from the Touhou Project series of games, first appearing in *Wily Beast and Weakest Creature*. She is a god of chickens and a gatekeeper of Hell, responsible for distinguishing between humans and oni and guiding them to their respective places. Kutaka resides atop a waterfall on Youkai Mountain, but her workplace is located in Higan, where she does not reside regularly. She is known for her politeness and fairness, and despite being a god of chickens, she possesses great strength, even being informed by the Yama of her ability to challenge Hell. She also considers how to improve the status of chickens, so that they are not just food for humans. Her ability is to heal throat illnesses. She appeared as the midboss and boss of the third stage in *Wily Beast and Weakest Creature*, and also as a midboss in the Extra Stage. Her design is inspired by Niwatarijin, a god worshipped in rural folklore in northeastern Japan, typically associated with agriculture, fertility, and safe passage, and sometimes with chickens.