Alright guys, do you see those cute dancers? Nothing strange

>>17480388
This is a stupid theory, and would be a bigger asspull than when ZUN retroactively shoved Aya into EoSD, PCB, and IN's plots by having her investigate them.
Not to mention it would be an ultimately unsatisfying reveal, as it basically means that none of your accomplishments were your doing, but rather the mercy granted to you by Okina.

>>17480499
Going by the motivation/mind power = lives thing, it starts to make sense. Why Youmu, Reisen or Sanae, which are playable characters and solved incidents, lost their fights in PCB, IN and MoF, respectively? They were fighting the already tired protagonist, that had to fight at least four bosses and go through four stages. It's as if they became much more powerful just for being promoted to "playable status". If you take into account that the protagonists were receiving a little help from the dancers, it's more conceivable than just "Reimu flew away from reality and won" or some other protagonist bullshit. In danmaku, everyone has roughly the same power, that's why you see everyone losing and winning in the fighting games and PoFV, where you can have tons of playable characters. The protagonists solve the incidents because someone needs to solve it, so the hands of Okina gives them a little help to ensue that they'll succeed.

Also, it isn't an asspull, the protagonists still solved the incidents. They only had a boost in their motivation and vitality.

>>17480388
Can I fug them now?

>>17480570
They are stripdancers.

>>17480499
That logic is like saying you got to replace your P51-D Mustang for a F-82 Sabre jet plane so you could fight ither jet fighters.
Different specs, but it's still you in control.

>>17480539
There's no canonical proof that Youmu, Reisen, or Sanae have actually resolved incidents on their own, and the very nature of danmaku is meant to be that anyone can win or lose, it's just the incident resolvers end up winning (in part because most incidents are started with the instigator knowing that they'd be defeated, it's simply within the nature of youkai to invoke incidents)

But really, saying "this character was behind the curtains the entire time, making the protags win" is one of the laziest things ZUN could do, and if you don't see how that would be upsetting to long time followers of the franchise, then it's fairly apparent why you aren't in ZUN's shoes yourself. It's not a satisfying reveal because it explains something that really doesn't need to be explained.

>>17480617
Way to add nothing to the discussion.
Your point is so far removed from this discussion, that you may as well be on another planet.

>>17480666
>and if you don't see how that would be upsetting to long time followers of the franchise
I am one, and what I dislike most is seeing the implied gap in power between the protagonists and the other characters.

Also, Yuyuko, Eirin, Utsuho, Kanako, Junko and Utsuho, to cite a few, didn't start shit knowing that they'd be defeated it's just that the amazing protagonist came and defeated 6+ people in a row, with a 100% winrate in a game that's fair for everyone.

>>17480701
>with a 100% winrate in a game that's fair for everyone.

It IS fair for everyone. Reimu just demands a rematch whenever she loses, and keeps at it until she wins before moving on to the next opponent.

>>17480388
>In gameplay mechanics, that's when you drop a bomb or a life.
Kinda lost the thread there, unless you phrased this wrong.

>>17480701
Anon, you're asking why protagonists beat antagonists.
It's because it's a video game and you can't just have the player lose, because that would be stupid.
As well, the franchise would likely end if a antagonist got to go ahead and blot out the sun or awaken a demon tree, so of course they can't win, if only for the sake of having an ongoing narrative.
It's people like you, who insist that every single little detail needs an explanation, even if the explanation is as simple as "for narrative reasons", that make for awful content creators.
And there is no "gap in power", danmaku is a fucking game, this is acknowledged in supporting media. The entire point of most incidents is simply because that's what keeps Gensokyo running.

>>17480701
>implied gap in power between the protagonists and the other characters
There is none. The fact that you even consider there being a "power gap" in danmaku outside of actual skill is strange in and of itself.

>>17480827
Losing in danmaku is getting hit. Rematching wouldn't continuing, it would be using one life. That's what it means.

>>17480891
"For narrative reasons" doesn't exclude the faint possibility of the protagonists receiving a boost from the back lines.

>>17480892
That's my fault for such poor wording, sorry. I really meant "power gap" not in "raw power", but in overall skill. Danmaku is just fireworks, filling the screen with bullets doesn't requires being strong.

>>17480965
>Losing in danmaku is getting hit. Rematching wouldn't continuing, it would be using one life. That's what it means.

Yes, and? Whether the rematch is her using lives or continues, a rematch means they lost, meaning Reimu or whoever's win-rate isn't necessarily 100%.

>>17480388
Congratulations, you somehow managed to make the plot of FS: the game even more retarded.

>>17480965
>Losing in danmaku is getting hit. Rematching wouldn't continuing, it would be using one life. That's what it means.
Even though the other anon's response to this also holds, I would still disagree, as in a rematch you'd be expected to have another duel, not just pick back up immediately. Getting a bad end where you have to go home and start another run is much more aligned with the "rematches"; otherwise it looks more like "that didn't count" which would be pretty dumb.

>>17480499
>it basically means that none of your accomplishments were your doing, but rather the mercy granted to you by Okina.
Only if you are a scrub that needs those extra lives and bombs to clear these games :^)

>>17481629
Bad ends are just "what ifs" that would happen if the protagonist really lost, no rematches. In IN's bad ending you lose and then go home to sleep, in the next day Eirin already gave the moon back. Its not like the protagonist can do anything anymore.

Its more conceivable that the rematches are lives than continues. The protagonist keeps asking for remateches, until they lose the motivation and go home, or until they lose all their lives and use a continue.

>>17482340
>In IN's bad ending you lose and then go home to sleep, in the next day Eirin already gave the moon back
IN Bad ending is one of the only examples where you don't set out again (and even in Normal ending you do set back out, although that's a bit different). In nearly every other game you just go "darn", run away and prepare to set back out for a rematch. Many games outright call them rematches.

dansu dansu
i like to dansu!!