Thank you for reading! This guide will cover the stages where the unlockable heroines can be found, as well as card suggestions for how to clear the stage conditions. There are spoilers in this guide, please don't read on if you don't wish to be spoiled on all the playable characters.

Additionally: Now with Pack 2 released, this guide will include the DLC characters after the base game roster.

Characters are based on their order in the Heroine select screen/order of appearance in Touhou games. Yet as areas visited are player-chosen, you may unlock them in a different order.

Disclaimer: The stats sections are just tips and hints based on my own opinions about how well the characters have done during my own gameplay experience. All characters are viable if you have the correct card set-up and stage they're suited for. With 40+ hours on the game and all achievements unlocked, I've spent time trying out different heroine and card combinations to reach these conclusions. Your own experiences may differ.

As Reimu is the main character, she's the only heroine you start off with. You already have her!

Reimu (along with the other shrine maiden) has the highest number of lives in the game, with 3. Pairing this with a Mitama card that gives her 5 additional lives, she is the best pick to clear the rare "Finish with 9 Lives Remaining" clear condition. This makes her very handy for learning Danmaku stages in the early-game too. She also has homing shots, like in the official Touhou games. I suggest also using her in Kagura stages, as that extra score bonus will be helpful for some missions.

Marisa to some, will be the final unlockable character if they manage to gather the rest of the girls beforehand. She can be found in the level 27 Danmaku Stage White World 01, with Reimu herself being the opponent. After beating the stage, Marisa will be unlocked as a playable character when you interact with one of the treasure chests on the overworld.

Marisa's lasers are one of the best picks to be a sub-weapon, as they pierce through enemies just like in the original Touhou games, and have high damage output. She also comes with 2 lives, and the ability to increase the amount of dream drops gained, yet with the downside of EXP being decreased.

Of course, the baka would be playable in this game! She's unlockable early on in the level 5 Danmaku stage Misty Lake 04. All you have to do here is clear the stage and you unlock her.

Cirno has a widespread shot, so her damage potential isn't as high as I think she'd hope it would be, but she comes with 2 lives and has the ability to slightly increase damage when your combo is 50 or higher. Her wide shots can be helpful as a sub-option if you need to move around the stage to collect items.

Sakuya is also one of the first few characters you might unlock if you choose to head to the Scarlet Devil Mansion first after the Hakurei Shrine is restored. All you have to do is beat the level 9 Danmaku stage Scarlet Devil Manion 07.

Sakuya is one of two characters with the skill to slightly increase note timing. This can be handy if you're faced with a challenging stage where the note timing is decreased, pairing her with a card that further extends note timing. Her sub-weapon also aims at targets, yet she has a widespread shot. She's more of a heroine to use in Kagura stages.

Remilia is also one of the first few characters you might unlock if you choose to head to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She is found on her level 34 Danmaku stage, Scarlet Devil Mansion 11. Unlike her sister's stage, this stage's mission conditions are pretty easy. All it requires is destroying Remilia before the song ends, and having 3000 HP or more.

Recommendations
This is a pretty easy stage, although if you don't have the right characters for it, it may be hard for beginners to unlock Remilia. You want a heroine team that can quickly defeat the boss, as that avoids any more attacks being aimed at you. While this stage has the red night effect, it shouldn't be too much of an issue if you can quickly defeat Remilia.

Remilia is quite a pretty strong choice as a main-heroine, as her ability increases the sub-option's damage. This is pretty handy as now more character options are opened up for Danmaku stages you may be struggling on. Her own damage is also pretty good, as she managed to defeat her own stage before I even made it halfway through. She also comes with 2 bombs equipped, which is very handy for score stages.

Flandre is one of, if not THE hardest characters to unlock, fitting for an iconic extra stage boss like her. She is found in the level 46 Kagura stage, Scarlet Devil Manion 13; where the original ZUN song "U.N.Owen was her?" can also be unlocked.

Recommendations
This is a very tricky stage, but luckily we have options! It will just take some time and practice.
You're locked to only Hard and Lunatic difficulties, which a beginner will struggle with. I recommend cards which greatly increase timing or even disable timing gimmicks, as this is the main drawback of the stage. The main clear condition you'll need to beat is the "30 greats or less" mission, so timing here is everything, there's no point keeping an eye on the groove-gauge, as you won't unlock her without this condition even if you clear the stage. I personally used the card - Yuyuko Saigyouji "I Wish I Could Die Under Spring Flowers."

You could practice with a Risky Note Timing Boost card, such as Shion Yorigami "Poverty God's Sweet Happiness", but the groove gauge gain is massively decreased so you'll likely not clear the stage.

As for characters, if you're confident in your ability to only use Mitama cards for timing aid, then go with Alice for that slight bonus to your groove gauge. If not, the only two characters are Sakuya and Koishi. I personally used Koishi to make it an extra boss VS extra boss fight, but go with Sakuya, as Koishi comes with the gauge downside. Eventually you'll make it! I made it with only 9 greats. Keep practicing!


Flandre's shots are surprisingly only decent, especially as a sub-heroine, as her only attack there is to cause an explosion once in a while. She's fairly decent as a main-heroine, as her shots are powerful yet still wide. She comes with the ability to increase normal damage slightly, which you can stack with a Mitama card of the same ability. She does only come with 1 bomb and 1 life though.

If you choose to head to the Forest of Magic first, Alice can quickly be found here in her level 4 Danmaku stage, Forest of Magic 04. The only thing you need to do here is clear the stage, which as an early-game level, is pretty easy to do.

Alice is the only heroine who can reduce the groove gauge loss amount, which makes her handy for if you're struggling to clear a stage that forces you into picking one of the harder difficulties. Early game, she's also good as a sub-shot as it's quite powerful. She also comes with 2 lives and 2 bombs already equipped, which makes her good for stages where you'd have to earn a lot of score items.

Youmu will be one of the last few characters you unlock, as she's found in Hades (also known as The Netherworld, or Hakugyokurou.) She's a mission clear reward in the level 24 Danmaku stage, Hades 04. These missions are pretty easy to clear, as all you need to do is destroy Youmu before the song ends, and finish with 5 lives remaining. If you pick a strong character and a card which already gives you 5 lives, you'll be able to unlock Youmu first try. Her stage isn't too hard either, just follow the dream drops, but be sure to spend some time aiming at Youmu too.

Youmu is one of the few characters who shows up with an extra bomb. While it takes a while for her to get to her full power if picked as the main heroine and her sword slashes don't reach that far, she's superb as a sub-heroine as her spirit attack does a ton of damage, and you don't need to wait for it to appear. Pair that with some of the other strongest characters and you'll be beating bosses before the song has a chance to even start. She also comes with the ability to increase damage normally dealt, and increases the amount of power items appearing.

Yuyuko will also be one of the last few characters you unlock, as she's also found in Hades. She can be found in her level 45 Danmaku stage, Hades 12. This stage may look hard at first, but if you follow the dream drops, you'll be able to clear it consistently. Luckily, she's unlockable as a Mitama card drop, not by stage condition, so you'll be able to unlock her just fine, just equip a Prismriver Mitama card.

Yuyuko is pretty decent as a pick for Kagura stages, as she and Reimu are the only characters with the ability to increase score. In Danmaku stages, she does fairly well as a main-heroine - it's just that her shot is very spread out, so not all of it will be concentrated towards the boss. She does come with 2 lives though. She's a good pick for Kagura stages.

Yukari will be the second character you obtain, as she's found very early on in the game in her level 5 Danmaku stage, Hakurei Shrine 03. All you need to do is clear the stage to unlock her, it's as simple as that.

Yukari is good in the early game, as she can help you when you're navigating the new gameplay style that are the Danmaku stages. She also comes with the ability to decrease the amount of damage you receive during these stages. Yukari is also excellent as a sub-heroine in the early game, as Ran can appear where you last aimed at; so if you aim at the boss and wish to collect dream drops or items as Reimu - who also has homing amulets - Ran will still be over there damaging the boss for a little while.

Reisen is found in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, in her level 19 Danmaku stage, Bamboo Forest of the Lost 03. The mission conditions here are very easy. All you have to do is destroy Reisen upon song completion, and to collect 100+ dream drops, which fall down majority of the second half of the song. Overall, easy character to unlock, just bring a decently strong character for early-game.

Reisen is one of 3 characters who boost your Mitama card type - this time being Em (Red). This allows her to boost damage when you have an Em-type card equipped, handy for certain Danmaku stages where you'd need to defeat the boss. As for damage, as a main-heroine, she's fairly strong, and her bullets do a constant stream of damage. She also gains additional main shots that spread wide, alongside illusion Reisens that aim bullets at the target every so often. Since this is the 2nd main area you unlock, she's handy to have as a heroine, even as a sub-option.

Kaguya is hidden behind a mission in her level 12 Danmaku stage, Eientei 04. For this mission, you will have to clear the stage with an A rank, with 500+ HP by the end of it. This may seem tricky if you don't have the right characters unlocked or cards levelled up, but with the right setup this is easily doable.

Recommendations
For this stage, I highly recommend a heroine which does a lot of damage per second, as this is the key to gaining a high score. I personally used Tenshi with Alice as my sub-heroine. I've heard Reimu/Alice also works, although you can take a look through guide's stats section for information about a character's strength in Danmaku stages.

As for Mitama cards, a card which increases damage is a must, whether that's one that increases damage specifically for that heroine, or one that increases damage overall.

Kaguya's shots aren't the most powerful in the game, but she at least has a constant stream of shots without rest. She also comes with the ability to gain EXP on your cards, which will be handy for early/mid game as you may need to use dream drops for other purposes than EXP.

You might have seen that Mokou doesn't have a Danmaku stage, that's because she's actually found in the Human Village! Human Village 04 in fact, in the level 12 Danmaku stage against Keine. To unlock her, you must clear both of the missions to collect 300+ score items and to destroy the boss.

Recommendations
The clear conditions aren't too hard, but the Danmaku patterns in this one can be a little tricky if you're not careful about what you're doing. Don't bring a character that would destroy the boss too quickly, such as Tenshi and a powerful sub-heroine; instead I suggest bringing either Remilia, Alice or Youmu, as all 3 of these come with 2 bombs. If you're lucky, you'll also get a bomb drop during the stage too. Try to use them when there are many bullets on screen to maximise the score gain.

As for Mitama cards, there aren't actually any that increase how many score items you gain, so I just suggest a card that increases damage dealt, as you still need to beat Keine by the end of the song.

Mokou surprisingly is one of the worst characters in the game. She comes with 0 bombs equipped, and while her damage as a main-heroine is pretty decent, for some reason it seems like using her as a sub-heroine does nothing. Her only ability is to increase score when a bomb is used, which you can already replicate with a better Mitama card. She might've gotten weaker over the years...

Aya could be found in one of the last few areas you visit if you choose to go to the Youkai Mountain last. She can be found in the level 23 Danmaku stage, Youkai Mountain 07.
The clear conditions here aren't too hard, as you only need to destroy Aya before the song ends, and to survive with 1000+ HP remaining. The tricky part here is that there's quite a lot of poison fog that you'll need to avoid, so bring a character who could defeat her quickly so you'll have less bullets to dodge. The fairies in this stage don't shoot either.

Aya has a decent stream of bullets, and a wide range when at full power - handy for a boss who moves around a lot. This makes her a good choice as both a main and sub-heroine; although she needs to be at full power to reach her true potential, as her low power shot is very thin. This isn't too bad though, as she comes with the ability to increase damage when your combo is over 10.

Sanae is found in one of the most difficult Danmaku stages, the level 26 stage, Moriya Shrine 04. In this stage, you'll not only have to deal with all fairies shooting at you, but Sanae's bullet patterns are also a little tricky to dodge at times. Combine that with the fast paced nature of the song, and the sandstorm coming to eat your lives up, it may take a few tries to clear this stage. Don't be distracted with the differing dream drop paths, and be careful of the fairies who still shoot at you even when Sanae is defeated. Bombing ALSO decreases power.

Luckily, it's only a 2-key song. Even I struggle with this stage on the 4-key version.
You'll need to finish the song with both Sanae destroyed and 4 or more lives remaining in order to unlock her.

Recommendations
Bringing a character team that can quickly destroy Sanae is a must, as that's all you need to beat the stage. Make sure your Mitama card gives you as much lives as possible, and keep an eye out on your card type in order to do more damage. Tenshi/Youmu is my go-to for stage conditions like this, with a Co-type damage up card.

Sanae is the character you're gonna want to use a lot if you want all the achievements, as alongside Marisa, she increases the amount of dream drops gained during both Danmaku and Kagura stages. This makes it easier to unlock the complete Mitama collection achievements. She also comes with 3 lives, just like Reimu, which makes her handy for the "Finish with 9 lives remaining" missions.

However, I've noticed that in certain stages, her homing shots bug out, and end up staying midway up the playfield, which makes her do little to no damage during boss fights. This may be fixed in the future, but for now I'd say she's a character that's best off sticking to dream drop earning.

Tenshi Hinanawi is found in Heaven, where she's just lazily relaxing without a care (or... planting crops now??). She can be found in her level 43 Danmaku stage, Heaven 06.
You might look at this stage's mission conditions and stage gimmicks and think you're in for a rough time, but luckily for us, the devs were gracious enough to have her hidden behind a Mitama card drop, so get your Prismriver card equipped and get searching!

Recommendations
I will however, still give you some pointers on how to clear this stage's missions, as it can be pretty tricky with the amount of stuff going on. Bringing a strong character (even Tenshi herself) could help with this stage. The screen shaking isn't as bad as it is during Kagura stages, as it's only the keystones dropping that shake it, but if that's something you're worried about, bring an Earthquake-disabling card. There's also dense fog, if that's something you're worried about too. I'd suggest focusing on just destroying the boss and trying to get as much damage in as you can. It's not too difficult, but I thought I'd still give some helpful tips for beginners. The 4-key chart isn't too hard, so you can just ignore it if you choose. Watch out for the fairies shooting even after Tenshi is destroyed.

Tenshi is one of the strongest characters in the game, as her damage per second with the keystone is extremely high, to the point where she's a must for easy clearing Danmaku stages with a high score clear condition. Pairing her with a strong sub-heroine, such as Youmu, and the enemy won't even get a chance to shoot back. It's almost too easy at that point.

Satori is found in her level 21 Danmaku stage, Underworld 06. Luckily, it's the easiest of the two, as it's only 2 key. All you need to do here is clear the stage with an A rank, and collect 50 dream drops - both of which are easily doable if you just follow along the path of dream drops and bring a strong enough character with a damage up card. You can also bomb on this stage without losing score.

Satori is one of two characters who brings slightly better defense during Danmaku stages. Unfortunately, it's not the best of abilities as some Mitama cards can give you up to 5 additional lives, but can be handy for later Danmaku stages. Her shot as a main-heroine is decent, but she really shines as a sub-option, as her green orbs explode with a wide range, do strong damage, and linger on screen for a little while. Good for chaining rows of moving fairies for those little extra score items!

Utsuho is an interesting one, as she's the only character without a song in the base game, yet you can still unlock her as a secret character. This may be one that beginners may struggle with, as the stage you unlock her in is the level 42 Kagura stage, Underworld 11 - where you'd have to clear both Missions to unlock her.

This may seem like it's totally impossible, but the game is gracious enough to let you clear it on normal mode, as there are 855 total notes. As all notes are changed to vertical, if you struggle with this I recommend putting your scroll speed higher to improve readability. Alternatively, as with the latest update as of writing, you're able to change the noteskin out of four options. For this stage I recommend noteskin B or D, as these aren't as high as the other shapes, which leaves more space in between notes.

Recommendations
As for card recommendations, it'll be good to have a card that increases your score, so if you do happen to miss, the impact won't be as bad. I just used Seiga Kaku "Echos of a Genuinely Wicked Wish." Alternatively, you could use a card which greatly increases note timing, and rack up those perfects!

As for heroines, Reimu and Yuyuko are good options as they increase score. But if score isn't your issue, go with Sakuya or Koishi for that slight timing boost! Last resort would be Alice, if you find yourself still unable to clear the stage, as she aids with the groove gauge.

Okuu is one of 3 characters who give your Mitama card type a boost. With a Ro (yellow) card equipped, damage is slightly increased. This makes her a powerful pick as a main-heroine during Danmaku stages. Unfortunately, her as a sub-heroine she's not the strongest surprisingly, although her laser blast does pierce through enemies.

Koishi is found in her level 32 Danmaku stage, Underworld 10. Luckily, she's not locked behind the hard mission of clearing the stage with an S rank, which you'd need a strong high-levelled card and good characters for. She's just a Mitama card drop, so equip your Prismriver cards if you have them and wait patiently!

Koishi is quite a handy character for songs which decrease your timing window. In fact, she even helped me unlock Flandre. She comes with the downside of increasing groove gauge loss amount, so maybe you're better off sticking with Sakuya. During Danmaku fights however, she's not too strong, as her shots come out quite slow as a main-heroin. Although as a sub-heroine, she's not too bad, as her roses have a wide range and linger for a little bit, which is handy for chipping damage.

Byakuren is found in the Myouren Temple area, in her level 17 Danmaku stage, Myouren Temple 05. This might be a stage that you'll have to replay a few times to be able to clear the missions, as you need to earn a total of 1000 score items. Bringing characters without bombs (sorry, Mokou) or cards of the same matter won't do it. On top of that, you also need to defeat Byakuren by the time the song ends.

Recommendations
You should try and get as many bombs as possible, whether that's by bringing along characters who have multiple bombs (Remilia, Alice, Youmu), cards that bring 3 bombs, or by just pure luck in what items drop during the stage. However, you need to save them for when Byakuren does her first spellcard, so don't bring a character who can destroy her too quickly otherwise there'd be no way of earning all those score items. Use bombs when there are lots of the purple colored bullets on screen. Try and get as much as you can during this section, as her last spellcard is very slow to start and you'll probably defeat her by this point. There also aren't as many bullets during the final phase, so use your bombs before then. It's about balancing strength with patience.

Byakuren is the last of the 3 characters to boost a Mitama card type, this time being Co (Blue). This makes it so her damage during Danmaku fights is boosted when you have a Co-type card equipped. Her shots are decent, as she also comes with lasers that pierce through rows of fairies, which are great for stages that have fairies blocking the way to the boss. Good pairing with Remilia in this case, as damage will be increase.

With DLC Pack 2 released, we have confirmation of more unlockable heroines and even more missions throughout the story mode!

To note: I will be adding them in order of appearance in the DLC rather than in series order as to avoid spoilers and separate them from the rest of the base game's cast, as the achievement for unlocking all heroines only apply to those characters.

Surprise! The DLC does, in fact, come with new missions! Not only that, but a brand new area, Senkai, has appeared! Miko can be found in the level 23 Danmaku stage, Senkai 07. The clear conditions here are fairly easy. All you have to do is gain an A rank, and finish the song with max power. This stage is only 2 key as well, so it should be easy enough. However, don't bomb at all towards the end, as this will decrease your power level.

Miko's ability is exactly the same as Marisa's. Dream drops are increased, but EXP is decreased. For someone who might be in the late game with all achievements unlocked, this may not be a big deal, but just be aware of it if you're grinding out cards. As for her damage potential, I'd say she's one of the characters best suited for being a sub-heroine. As a main-heroine, she's decent enough, but it's her laser that really shines through as it spreads outwards and pierces. She also comes with 2 lives.

Thank you all for reading! I hope this guide helps you in joining the 1.3% (at time of writing) of us who have The Usual Suspects achievement unlocked.

Please leave a comment if you think there's anything that could be added or changed in this guide. If anyone wishes to translate this guide for the Japanese players, or any other language, please feel free to do so, just please credit me if you do. Thank you to the other players I've talked to in the discussions section for this game, who have all helped in locating each playable character and have given each other general tips.

Thank you to the developers for a fun game, and I look forward to upcoming content and updates!