/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>17538062
Actually, the mold persists unbroken. Cirno and Aya were playable characters for side games, so ZUN didn't break any tradition.
For fun reasons, I'll say the odds for the next stage 5 bosses to appear in the upcoming main games:

>Sakuya - High
Popular character and incident resolver.
>Youmu - Average-High
Popular character and incident resolver. However, Netherworld do not usually interfere in incidents resolution, so she is more limited than Sakuya.
Reisen - Average-Low
Indeed a popular one, but her star has shone in LoLK and ULiL, and she isn't an incident resolver. Futhermore, she isn't Human.
>Komachi - Very Low
She has a job to fulfill at Sanzu River, but maybe she'll become a PC if Eiki-sama get involved in some BS.
>Sanae - Very High
She is Kanako bitch and Reimu 2P version.
>Rin - Low
Even though she is an explorer character, the SA structure isn't the same as the other main games. Satori is the REAL HEAD of Palace of the Earth Spirits, leaving Orin and Utsuho as subordinates. In addition, Utsuho is much more popular than her.
>Shou - Very Low
Like Komachi, she has a job to do. Ichirin is most suited for the incident resolver role.
>Futo - Average
Same as Youmu, expect that she isn't much popular. Maybe if something related to Taoism happens...
>Seika - High
She already starred her own game, and she's popular. The only thing that lowers her odds is that she is chaotic neutral/evil.
>Clownpiece - Average-Low
Extremely popular NOW, but who knows in the next 2-3 years. She is a fairy from Hell and subordinate of Hecatia, I don't see any reasons for ZUN put her as PC (Maybe as a partner in a moon incident game). The Rabbit Girls are more likely to be incident resolver than her.
>Satono and Mai - ZERO
Literally who.