Hey everyone, I’ve been diving deep into the lore recently and wanted to pitch a theory connecting a few disparate pieces of canon regarding Nue Houjuu, the newly introduced Chimi Houjuu, and the unresolved plot device from Undefined Fantastic Object.
The Observation:
Nue and Chimi share the incredibly rare surname "Houjuu" (封獣). While fans have noted they share the trait of being "unidentifiable" (正体不明), I believe there is a direct, mechanical link between them that goes beyond just being ancient, pre-youkai anomalies.
The Core Theory:
"Houjuu" is not a traditional family bloodline. Instead, it is a classification or title for beings spawned from the "Seeds of the Unknown" (正体不明の種) that Nue scattered across Gensokyo during the events of Touhou 12.
The Evidence:
The Mechanism of the Seeds: Canon states these seeds have no fixed form and manifest based on the observer's inability to comprehend them. They are literally the physical embodiment of the "unknown."
Chimi’s Official Title: In Fossilized Wonders (Touhou 20), Chimi is explicitly given the title "The Unidentifiable, Unruly Beast" (正体不明の順わぬ妖獣). This directly mirrors the nature of the Seeds.
The Etymology: "Houjuu" (封獣) can be interpreted as "Sealed Beast" or "a beast forced into a concept." It makes sense as a categorical title for anomalies that the world cannot properly define, rather than a passed-down human-style surname.
The Conclusion & Prediction:
If "Houjuu" is a classification born from these seeds, then the "Houjuu lineage" is actually a renewable resource of cosmic anomalies. Because the Seeds of the Unknown were scattered across Gensokyo and never fully collected or destroyed, they are still out there.
Therefore, my prediction is that we will continue to get more "Houjuu" characters in future games. Every time a human or youkai encounters something so bizarre that their brain cannot categorize it, a Seed could hatch, resulting in another entity bearing the "Houjuu" classification.
It perfectly fits ZUN’s pattern of leaving unresolved mechanics (like the scattered seeds) to be revisited years later.