Lore

Yes, FTK2 has lore, to a pedigree. This page will attempt to catalogue and order it as time goes on.
== Events ==
=== The Koishi Crisis (Incident?) ===
The premise of the game, with Koishi Komeiji multiplying rapidly for a currently unknown reason. This incident became catastrophic due to a variety of factors, including the apparent disappearances of Gensokyo's resident heroes and the incapability to deal with an ever-evolving and rapidly growing "threat". The Koishis appear to have taken over not with force but through sheer numbers, and have forced the evacuations of much of Gensokyo; leading to it's empty state by the time the player arrives.
=== Gensokyoan Expeditions ===
Mentioned and hinted to across many lore dossiersThe various efforts undertook by the outside world to explore Gensokyo after it's discovery. There were multipleSwordsKoishi's lore dossier describes "plentiful expeditions" and had a variety of purposes attached to themKoishi Yakumei's lore dossier mentions "collection-minded excursions", but ultimately the humans evacuated when the ramifications started to be felt. If context clues are to be taken as fact, then the expeditions may have served as a casus belli to the Retaliation War described later on in this passage. Although direct physical expeditions ended, the lore dossiers are written in present-tense and seem to be aware of the player's activitiesKoina Matara's lore dossier: "Following Koina’s defeat at the hands of an unauthorized humanoid being, it has been reported by drones and motion detectors that she is amassing a sort of “revenge plot”, albeit it is too convoluted and gambit-laden to be comprehensible at this present moment.", suggesting that the exploration effort has simply taken a step back and is observing from afar through drone technology and camera networks.
The teams obviously left behind plenty, given the omnipresence of the functioning elevator network and plenty of Koishi designs suggesting that their leftover equipment is being reappropriated and reused by Gensokyo's natives.
The description of Koishis in a present tense suggests the expeditions began after the Koishi crisis unfolded.
=== Palace Wars ===
Mentioned in: Minoshi Prime's lore dossier, Koishyphus Prime's lore dossier, Koisterion's lore dossierAn event in which the first hundred clones of Koishi Komeiji fought over who'd become Koishi's favorite. Minoshi was the victor despite Koishyphus's close call to victory. 
Presumably sometime after the wars had finished, Judashi was cast out of the Palace by the Second Koishi for being denied a shrimp fry and was locked up beneath the complex of buildings that serve as the fighting grounds for SL-2: DREAMER, DECEIVER.
=== World War IV and VWorld War III is not directly mentioned. However, the Singularitron dossier outright namedrops World War 4, obviously suggesting WW3 happened. Likewise, World War 5 is implied by direct mention in the Fantasymover document. ===
Mentioned in: Fantasymover lore dossier, Singularitron lore dossierTwo global conflicts that involved Mastodons, the machines that the 1000-KOI "Fantasymover" model themselves after. This is a cause of concern for researchers because it implies that data about the outside world is leaking into Gensokyo despite the multitude of countermeasures. The mention that they were 'united to fight' during the Second Lunarian War suggests that multiple nations used them at the same time.
The Fourth World War was apparently reliant on espionage and counter-intelligence, something that failed to unlock the secret on why Singularitrons could use condensed black holes as power sources.
=== Second Lunarian War ===
Mentioned in: Fantasymover lore dossier, Persephone lore dossierA conflict fought between the Lunarians and the residents of Earth. Given the name, it is obviously a "round two" between these competitors.
Although the war saw the complete destruction of Greece and the United States's eastern seaboardBoth mentioned in the Persephone lore dossier, the War ended in Earth's favor, after mankind countered the 10000-HCTs by contaminating it with dirt and then destroying it with conventional means. Then, after that, they used the HOPEWRECKER to tamper into moon-rabbit telepathy to spread messages of dissident that eventually made their way back to the Moon.
=== The Retaliation War ===
Mentioned in: War Shrine lore dossier, Singularitron lore dossierA conflict fought between Gensokyo and the Outside World that lasted up to, or more than, two years.War Shrine lore dossier: "Being powered on the shrine maidens that rode to war with them meant they were obvious targets, and thus a "scale-and-slaughter" strategy was devised, rendering the War Shrine useless by the second year." The War Shrines were deployed by Gensokyo as an unmatched force on the battlefield, before their weaknesses were discovered and countered. The Singularitrons were developed and deployed sometime after the War Shrine became irrelevant. 
The Outside World seemed to prevail, given the Singularitron lore dossier establishes the presence of a likely human-run Gensokyo Occupation Zone (GOZ), where eventually would be the place where most Singularitrons would be disposed of.
=== Crisis in the Outside World ===
Mentioned in: Book at the Myouren TempleSomething destructive happened (or is happening) in the Outside World, and it's widespread enough that transmissions and broadcasts regarding the event have escaped into Gensokyo and intercepted by it's residents. Byakuren's writing suggests that it's relatively recent, and is occurring by the time FTK2's story take place.
There is little mention of what the event is per say, so further expansion is impossible. Regardless, it's apparently severe enough that Byakuren, "not one for prophecies", still believes it to be evidence that the latest cycle of the universe (in Buddhist cosmology) meeting it's end.
It is also possible that this "crisis" may not be even real: there is no other mention of it that exists beyond Byakuren's book.
=== Junko's Genocide of the Moon ===
Mentioned in: Oceanus Procellarum loreJunko apparently carried out her plan to effectively exterminate all Lunarian life on the Moon sometime before the events of FTK2, waging a conflict of some kind that led to the horrendously devastated state of their world by the time the player arrives. The conflict lasted at least two monthsThe refugee's journal says that 40 days had passed since the order was made to evacuate and was, to the Lunarians, a defensive war due to the presence of trenches, evacuation sites, and orders to hold out until the signal to leave to a safer place was given.
The existence of Junkoiltist Koibbits and the Purified Rabbit Koishi suggest that part of Junko's war effort involved an army of her own being used against the Lunarians, and that she may have also been repurposing the 10000-HCTs as her own mobile superweaponry. It is unclear whether or not the tendency for Lunarians to sacrifice 'lesser' refugees by throwing them into the warzone outside was Junko's doing or a sort of desperate effort to survive.
A book in OP's large tower reveals the casus belli was Hecatia diverting her attention briefly away from her wife and focusing on Marisa, who Hecatia discovered was directly descended from her (in a Suwako and Sanae-style situation) and planned to essentially have a family reunion.
The war's outcome is unknown, if it even met an end. Oceanus Procellarum could have been swept clean of all life, but it could also simply have been fully evacuated due to irreversible damage and destruction.
== Order of Events ==
Note that very few dates are mentioned. Bold text indicate known dates or ascertain/generally assumed timeframes.
* ??? - Initial Koishi cloning fun
* ??? - Palace Wars
** Koisterion gets cast out of the Palace
** Minoshi wins, then gets murdered, turns into Minoshi Prime and the Corpse of Queen Minoshi
** Judashi is cast out at some point for disrespecting the Second Koishi
* ??? - Koishyphus leaves the Palace and establishes Ancient Koigypt
* ??? - Koishyphus killed by Koishabriel, turns into Koishyphus Prime
* ??? - Koishi Crisis begins after the Koishi clones spread into Gensokyo
** Kasen proposes Gensokyo abandons ship
** Okina stays behind longer, mentors a Koishi into Koina Matara
** Reimu leaves the server for "reasons unrelated" but coincidentally timed near the crisis, partially leading to Gensokyo falling apartHakurei Shrine paper
** Regular evacuation efforts conducted, according to Reisen's diary
* After the Koishi Crisis had become widespread - Gensokyo Expeditions
** Expedition that discovered SwordsKoishis occur
** Expedition that discovered Koishi Yakumei occurs
** The final physical expedition occurs at some point, and Gensokyo exploration goes a back-seated route
* After the last Gensokyo expeditions - The Retaliation War
** At some point during, or after, the first year: Humanity counters the War Shrines
** Second year of the Retaliation War: War Shrines are phased out
** After the second year: Singularitrons are deployed to attack Gensokyo
** The Moriya Shrine is remade from a War Shrine after surviving the Retaliation War
* December 11, 2023: Eirin Yagokoro publishes part 4 of her analysis.
* December 18, 2023: Eirin publishes part 5 of her analysis.
* No later than December 23, 2023Assuming that the sacrifices diary was written at the same time as the "40 days" diary, then the earliest possible time for Junko's campaign to begin is December 23, 2023.: Junko's genocide of the Moon
** 40 days after orders to evacuate: A refugee in Oceanus Procellarum writes a book about their thoughts on the matter.
* February 1, 2024: Individuals named Nakatomi and Toryu are sacrificed.
* February 6, 2024: Individual named Ryusei is sacrificed.
* February 13, 2024: Individuals named Tenzan and Suisei are sacrificed.
* February 14, 2024: A sighting of something is noted down.
* After all of the above: The player discovers Gensokyo and ventures into it. The expedition project is apparently aware of this, given that several lore books are written with knowledge of the player's activities.
=== Completely Unknown Timeframes ===
The status of these events in the FTK2 timeline are impossible to pinpoint, due to a lack of evidence.
* Hecatia Lapislazuli's reformation of New Heresy
** Establishment and eventual abandonment of the New Violence Project
* World Wars 3, 4 and 5
** Mastodons first utilized
** Knowledge of the Mastodons falls into Gensokyo, where it becomes the basis for Fantasymovers
* The crisis in the Outside World happening during the events of the game
* Collapse of the scrap economy brought on by Singularitron meltdowns
* End of the Retaliation War
** Singularitrons disposed by being tossed into Gensokyo to prevent further meltdown events
* The Second Lunarian War
** 10000-HCTs get deployed, destroying the American East Coast and Greece
** 10000-HCTs are sent back by a united government and mankind's ingenuity
** The HOPEWRECKER is activated to counter Lunarian footsoldiers
=== Uncertain Events ===
These events have no known lore relevancy, but are regardless still there.
*When the war in Diabelysium started, if it even had a start
*When the "storm" implied in Port Navalantys lore ended
== Characters and Groups ==
=== Affairs Inside ===
==== Queen Minoshi ====
Mentioned in: Minoshi Prime's lore dossier, Koishyphus Prime's lore dossier, Koisterion's lore dossierKoishi's most favored clone of herself as dictated by being the victor of the Palace Wars. After being slain by another jealous Koishi, her soul and body were separated to form the Corpse of Queen Minoshi and Minoshi Prime. Notably, she relied on her steed Koisterion in numerous battles before Koisterion was thrown out by Satori Komeiji, leading to the latter's mournful ambition to return to the Palace and be welcomed once more.
==== Queen Koishyphus ====
Mentioned in: Minoshi Prime's lore dossier, Koishyphus Prime's lore dossierThe fallen leader of Ancient Koigypt and Minoshi's rival during the Palace Wars. Her most trusted associate was Ozymandishi, who served as her strategist during the Palace Wars, but a fuck-up during the final battle led to Koishyphus slaying Ozymandishi, losing the Wars, and ultimately foregoing a rematch in favor of deciding she'd make her own empire. She'd use a stray boundary to create the kingdom of Ancient Koigypt.
She was ultimately slain by Koishabriel, but like Minoshi she separated her soul from her body after death to form Koishyphus Prime.
==== The Second Koishi ====
Mentioned in: Judashi Prime's lore dossierThe first Koishi clone ever made, with the title of the 'First Koishi' being presumably applied to Koishi Komeiji herself. She cast out Judashi after she was denied a second shrimp fry, considered an extreme form of treachery amongst Koishikind. 
The Second Koishi is planned to be the penultimate boss fight of FTK2 right before Satori Komeiji herself.
==== Yukeimu Yakumei ====
Mentioned in: Koishi Yakumei's lore dossierA counterpart of Reimu Hakurei that hailed from the multiverse, brought into Gensokyo as part of an experiment. She was disposed of by Yukari for 'not doing well enough' and became the basis for Koishi Yakumei, implying she was very popular despite the selfish reasons for her eradication. Although Koishi Yakumei revealed her last name, her first name is revealed as Yukeimu in the lore dossierKoishi Yakumei's lore dossier: "Koishi Yakumei is modelled after a Yukeimu Yakumei..." itself.
==== Archangels ====
Mentioned in: Archangel Koishabriel's lore dossierKoishis that have formed a religion known as "Secondism", dedicated to apotheosizing the Second Koishi. Koishabriel is their most fearsome member.
=== Affairs Outside ===
==== Mastodons / "War Machines" ====
Mentioned in: Fantasymover lore dossier, Persephone lore dossierThe Fantasymovers model themselves after a type of gigantic war machine known as a Mastodon (according to the Persephone lore dossier). They were active during the 4th and 5th World Wars and saw usage by a myriad of groups given the mention of humanity needing to unite to defeat the 10000-HCTs, which eclipsed Mastodons in strength.
Prior to the Persephone lore dossier came out, in which they were granted the name Mastodons, they were simply referred to as War Machines. Although the name "Mastodon" is the official scientific name for the wooly mammoth, they are more likely named for the band Mastodon. 
The Mastodons are obvious references to the Earthmovers from ULTRAKILL. 
==== Singularitrons ====
Mentioned in: Singularitron Koishi lore dossier
Mechs powered on, and capable of weaponizing, black holes. How they managed to reach this fantastic blend of machinery and fantasy is classified, as the secrets have even endured the espionage-heavy Fourth World War.
They were deployed by humanity to counter Gensokyo's War Shrines, and following it they were tossed away, but numerous problems allowed for the Singularitrons to become destructive even after they were seen as irrelevant. Primarily, the decay of the metal that kept the machine intact would lead to the Singularitron causing a destructive explosion leading to cascading and vast damage; particularly it would leave nothing but a crater, and enough Singularitron disasters would tear a hole in the "scrap economy". 
After enough cities were claimed by the Singularitron's post-mortem devastation, humanity ditched the devices into the Gensokyo Occupation Zone, where Koishis found them and repurposed them; somehow figuring out how to remove this fatal design flaw.
==== War Shrines ====
Mentioned in: War Shrine lore dossier
Gensokyo's primary war machines during the Retaliation War. The lore dossier seems to imply that they were hastily forged out of pre-existing Shinto shrinesthe lore dossier says that the Moriya Shrine is said to be a former War Shrine, suggesting that it is also easy to dismantle the equipment just as it is to build one, with their appointed shrine maidens now repurposed as either a strategic commander aboard the weaponized site of holiness, or a power source. 
The primary tactic used to destroy a War Shrine was called the "scale-and-slaughter", giving a bit of a harrowing image. Eventually, the Singularitrons were deployed to fully put them down, and they succeeded; rendering the War Shrine obsolete by the second year of the Retaliation War. War Shrines are apparently not entirely out of use though, as the player fights a variant called the Protector Shrine during SL-2.
The player can battle a War Shrine with the designation HFP-97 as of V.A10f. The only other known model is MOF-07, which is currently the Moriya Shrine.
==== 10000-HCT model ====
Mentioned in: Fantasymover lore dossier, Persephone lore dossier, is implied in Oceanus Procellarum loreLunarian war machines that were unleashed upon the Earth during the Second Lunarian War. They were powerful enough to necessitate a united armada of the Fantasymover's original machines to even stand a chance against them, and two alone were enough to annihilate the United States's eastern seaboard and the country of Greece. 
They were considered unstoppable, as they could resist nuclear armaments and apparently several Mastodons at a time could only stun them, until it was discovered that their plating was not immune to Earth's bacteria-laden soil. And so humanity, destroyed them by quite literally slinging shit and grime until they were weakened enough to be killed by previously-resistable conventional arms.
If the "book of the sacrificed" in Oceanus Procellarum's starting room is to be believed, and using prior inferences (including a TV also in the bunker), then they were being used by Junko to help perpetuate her genocide; the script describes a large, spiked 'leg' of some kind stained in blood, and the 10000-HCTs notably have jagged hind-legs.
The player can fight a Koishi embodying a 10000-HCT model called the "Persephone" in the actual game.
==== The HOPEWRECKER ====
Mentioned in: Persephone lore dossier
A "telepathy deterrence system" utilized by humanity during the Second Lunarian War. It utilized a technology capable of tapping into the innate abilities of moon-rabbits used by the Lunarians and worked a little too well, spreading it's influence all the way back to the Moon.
The name is a very obvious nudge towards the upcoming 1005-KOI "Hopewrecker" boss fight.
==== The Outside World, And It's Residents ====
Mentioned in: Various lore dossiers, sometimes in passing
The.. world outside. It can be inferred that the Earth is in a sorry state, what with two Lunarian wars, an incursion from the land of the mystical and unexplainable, discarded Singularitrons taking out entire cities, and five or more world wars would do to it's ecosystem and civilization. If the note at Byakuren's temple is of any indication, it may already be going through another cycle of destruction whilst the player is blissfully unaware in Gensokyo.
Several countries are confirmed to exist in FTK2's lore:
* Japan obviously exists as it is where Gensokyo is nestled in. Given context clues and inference, it was likely the epicenter and primary battlefield of the Reclamation War.
* The United States of America is known to exist as it's Eastern Seaboard (a term that, mind you, typically describes the nation's East Coast) was practically wiped off the face of the Earth by a Persephone unit.Persephone lore dossier: "after the fact that the invasion of Earth began with the fall of Greece and most of the American Eastern Seaboard to merely two of these titans.."
* Egypt obviously exists through Ancient Koigypt's aesthetics. The actual ancient regime likely served as inspiration for Koishyphus's desire to "make the most beautiful empire in the lands"; fitting, as an alternative name for the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt is the Egyptian Empire. The mentioned character Ozymandishi is also a reference to the pharaoh Ramesses II, who's Greek name was Ozymandias.
* Greece is described as a place that collapsed early during the Second Lunarian War.
While the lore dossier for the Singularitron Koishi says that the Singularitron decay crisis led to the destruction of numerous cities across the globe, no exact names or indicators of what cities were felled is made.
==== The Multiverse ====
Mentioned in: Koishi Yakumei's lore dossierLike every fucking fictional universe since Spider-Man: No Way Home came out, FTK2 casually drops that a multiverse exists through Yukeimu Yakumei, who herself (assuming Koishi Yakumei is what Yukeimu herself looked like) was obviously a parallel counterpart of Reimu.
It can be inferred the multiverse may also be relevant to the Deluxe and Opulent tiers, given plenty of the Koishis in those tiers resemble variants or counterparts of Touhou canon characters (for example, Koizumi Yakumo, Yamaxanadu being a hybrid of Yukari Yakumo and Eiki Shiki).
== In-Game Things With Lore Relevancy ==
=== Koishi Variants as a Concept ===
ShapeshiftingFantasymover lore dossier: "something is assisting them in both their civilization and mastering their new shapeshifting/power-copying abilities" and power-copying are the official explanations for the existence of Koishi offshoots as a whole.
=== Saplings of Life ===
Koisterion is attracted to Saplings of Life due to the aura it radiates reminding her of home.Koisterion's lore dossier: "Koisterion is attuned to the energy radiated by Saplings of Life, as it reminds her of the home she was denied. Her last wish is to be welcomed by Queen Minoshi in the halls of the Palace once more, even if it’s becoming less and less unreachable by the day." Currently, this is the only lore dossier that justifies the reasoning for why a summoning item is relevant to a boss.
=== Koina Matara's Yapping Tendency ===
Koina Matara apparently learned her speaking habits from Okina granting her the luxuries of written knowledge.Koina Matara's lore dossier: "It is also somewhat unique that Koina is one of the few Koishis capable of eloquent and verbose speech, which neuroscientists assume comes from access to books and other written information; a privilege among Koishikind."
=== Koishi Senri ===
Although Koishi Senri does not have her own lore book yet, she is name-dropped in Koina Matara's dossier, revealing her to be an offshoot of Koina with a status of leadership in the former Human Village.Koina Matara's lore dossier: "Most other Okina-puppeting Koishis use Koina as a basis for their own purposes, including the highly successful Koishi Senri noted for having taken a dictatorial position in some remnants of the Human Village."
=== Threat Tiers ===
SwordsKoishi is described as a "Major Threat" in it's lore dossier, giving the group it's name.
=== SwordsKoishi(s) ===
SwordsKoishi's lore dossier also reveals that it is merely a member of a species that encourages fads and copying amongst itself, with the 'final step' before one can become a true SwordsKoishi is to paint yourself yellow. This is apparently impossible to do because the 'true' SwordsKoishi is hogging all of the paint-cans.
This aspect of it's lore appears to explain Koishagony and Tundrashi's existence. Plus, judging by this logic, the player may either be fighting the true SwordsKoishi, or a SwordsKoishi extremely similar to the presumed "real deal".
== Things Described Elsewhere ==
=== The Deluxe System ===
Mare has revealed through a comic that the Deluxe tier has an in-universe reason for existing.
According to the comic, Koishis would complain about other Koishis "copying" them, leading to them being forced to adapt by changing themselves to look different, before it then leads to a feedback loop in which they complain less about being copycats and complain more about 'looking better' than who they're speaking to. Essentially, Koishi racism exists in FTK2, and it justifies a gameplay mechanic. 
It is unclear where the new Opulent and Magnolious tiers fit in with this lore, but it could simply be escalations or divergences of the aforementioned loop.
=== Rarity and KoishiCoin ===
There have been implications made that the rarity system and the KoishiCoin currency system have zero actual basis or in-universe significanceThe only contrary point to this statement is the SwordsKoishi being explicitly described as a Major Threat: see her lore dossier, and were made up by Yukari to encourage the player to keep findin' in a form of 'exploiting' the human brain's reward mechanism. 
KoishiCoin itself is hinted at being practically worthless, yet is still accepted as a form of currencyKoban is known to exist in Gensokyo through the game Gold Rush, though given that game is 1) considered lost media and 2) not canon to Touhou anyway. in Gensokyo for unknown reasons.
== Speculations ==
=== Superion Items ===
So far, all the Superion-tier "summoning" items resemble skull-shaped keys and hold the naming format "Superion Key of [term]"; i.e. Rage for SL-1 and Treachery for SL-2. 
This strange formulaic nature, which starkly contrasts the wide diaspora of shapes and sizes Empyreal- and Lux Empyreal-tier summoning items have, may potentially suggest a shared creator/origin. The fact that they're sold by Toyosatomimi no Miko may point to her as a likely candidate, but nothing at the moment confirms this.
== Trivia ==
* FTK2's lore is being written as it goes on and there is little-to-no preplanning. Hell, the concept of the lore dossier didn't come in until late into The Show Must Go On and few bosses have them.
* When the barely serious Touhou fangame gets fucking lore 💀
== References ==
Category:Find the Koishis 2
Category:Meta
Category:Lore