Age according to appearances

[game2011]

For fun, I categorized all the humanoid characters of the series into age groups according to physical appearance:

9 and lower (young children)
Rumia, Cirno, Flandre, Kisume, Sunny Milk, Luna Child, Star Sapphire, Shinmyoumaru

10-12 (preadolescence)
Ellen, Yuki, Mai, Daiyousei, Remilia, Chen, Suika, Wriggle, Mystia, Tewi, Medicine, Suwako (older?), Nazrin (older?), Kyouko, (older teen?), Kosuzu

13-15 (young teen)
Rika, Chiyuri, Lyrica, Merlin, Lunasa (older?), Shizuha (older?), Minoriko, Yamame, Satori, Koishi, Futo, Benben (older?), Yatsuhashi

16-19 (older teen)
Reimu, Marisa, Yumemi, Ruukuto, Orange, Kurumi, Mugetsu, Gengetsu, Sara, Koakuma (older?), Patchouli (older?), Sakuya, Alice , Lily White (younger?), Youmu, Reisen, Kaguya, Mokou, Aya, Eiki, Nitori (younger?), Momiji, Sanae, Parsee, Rin, Utsuho, Kogasa (younger?), Ichirin, Minamitsu, Nue, Hatate, Mamizou (older?), Kokoro, Sekibanki, Seija, Akyu (preadolescence?), Tokiko, Reisen II (younger?), Maribel, Renko, Kasen,

20-24 (young adult)
Elis, Meira, Rikako, Kotohime (older?), Kana, Elly, Louise, Yumeko, Meiling, Komachi, Hina, Yuugi, Iku, Tenshi, Shou, Yoshika, Seiga, Tojiko, Miko, Wakasagihime, Kagerou, Yorihime

25 and higher (adult)
SinGyoku (both gender), YuugenMagan (younger?), Sariel, Mima, Kikuri (younger?), Konngara, Yuuka, Shinki, Letty, Yuyuko, Ran, Yukari, Keine (younger?), Eirin, Kanako, Byakuren, Raiko (younger?), Rinnosuke (younger?), Toyohime (younger?)

Akyu is the one I'm most unsure about...  The wiki lists her age as 19, but I remember the last time we saw her official age, it was listed as 10...  She does look older in Forbidden Scrollery, though...

Not counting minor characters pretty much ignored by the fandom and those who never made physical appearances, I think that should be all, but please let me know if I'm missing anyone.

And just so you know, I based YuugenMagan's age off the "human form" seen in the middle of where the eyes are connected to.

Thanks!

[chirpy13]

Since you missed this one, Evil Eye Sigma looks about 15 to me.

[Zengeku]

Strong disapproval of this thread.

It is not nice to call people hags. Dishonourable. You should be ashamed of yourself.

PS: Dunno what your purpose is with this thread. Are we supposed to discuss this? If not, then what? If so, I disagree with some (not all) of your groupings but it would be stupid to talk about it since it would all be based on very subjective interpretations. Still posting here in an effort to see what sort of thing this may evolve into.

[DATAMOSHLOLIRAVE]

i like flat 2hus

[game2011]

Strong disapproval of this thread.

It is not nice to call people hags. Dishonourable. You should be ashamed of yourself.

PS: Dunno what your purpose is with this thread. Are we supposed to discuss this? If not, then what? If so, I disagree with some (not all) of your groupings but it would be stupid to talk about it since it would all be based on very subjective interpretations. Still posting here in an effort to see what sort of thing this may evolve into.

No real purpose...  Just felt like posting it and see what people think.

And I did not call anyone a hag.

[Zengeku]

Oh but you did. You just didn't realize that you were implying it. 

[Seppo Hovi]

I'm a hag fag.

-

 Zengeku I meant that I like some older Touhou characters (or older characters in general). I wasn't speaking of my age there.

I do like most of the younger characters as well, though. All Touhous are cute and nice, apart from Kaguya.

[Zengeku]

I know that you are. As am I. Your point?!

[Prime32]

ZUN's made some official statements on character heights...

Akyu is the one I'm most unsure about...  The wiki lists her age as 19, but I remember the last time we saw her official age, it was listed as 10...  She does look older in Forbidden Scrollery, though...

Well that was a while ago, and time in Touhou passes at the same rate as the real world... usually.

[haoreos2]

Apparent age of Touhou characters can be pretty inconsistent (which just makes it easier to imagine everyone how you like, of course). Here's a montage of Yukari pictures from the wiki that arguably fits each of your age categories:





My personal headcanon does match up more with your list though, for the most part.

[Helepolis]

I somehow have to agree here with the fact that this thread holds, at this point, no purpose. I want to also press the question: "What now?"

Also you mentioned  according to physical appearances but what is this you're basing on? ZUN art? What ZUN art? The games? The doujin work? The PMiSS-ish art work? Grimmoire of Marisa? There are so many different physical appearances in Touhou that you can hardly name them.

Though yea, I am confused about the need for tying age to physical appearances. Some more explanation would be nice game2011, else this is just a random blog thread which belongs most likely in blogs.

[Darkness1]

It is a good compilation, even though the difference between young adult to adult seems vague.
Not that it matters anyway, as some of the "youngest" characters are ancient in age.

Now, please do the great catfish aswell.

[Zil]

They all fall into the first two categories and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

[Tengukami]

I would like to make a humble request of the comedians in this thread:

If you believe a thread serves no purpose or is otherwise bad, just report it. Don't ironically shitpost in the thread. I know this might be hard to believe, but we're not an imageboard, and shitting up an already bad thread actually doesn't improve anything.

Thanks.

[haoreos2]

I kinda figured it was an implicit lead in for people to discuss their opinions on the subject tbh. I mean, even then it's admittedly not a super interesting topic, but it doesn't seem any more "pointless" than say the favourite character rankings thread.
The lack of a /discuss or "post your interpretations here!" doesn't seem to warrant active moderation imo. If there's a lack of interest, why not just let it drift down naturally like any other thread made in good spirits?

(Of course if it's actually breaking some rule or if the OP intended for it to literally be a simple posting of something he did without people offering their own input and opinions, then fair enough)

[Tengukami]

I kinda figured it was an implicit lead in for people to discuss their opinions on the subject tbh. I mean, even then it's admittedly not a super interesting topic, but it doesn't seem any more "pointless" than say the favourite character rankings thread.

I agree; there is room for discussion here, as your visual comparison of Yukari shows. All I'm asking is that, if a person thinks the thread is dumb or bad, people not try and make jokes about the quality of the thread but rather:

1. Skip the thread.
2. Report it.

Ezpz.

[game2011]

Fine, just lock this topic...

Sorry for starting this in the first place...

Also you mentioned  according to physical appearances but what is this you're basing on? ZUN art? What ZUN art? The games? The doujin work? The PMiSS-ish art work? Grimmoire of Marisa? There are so many different physical appearances in Touhou that you can hardly name them.

You can say those are the factors for determining their ages, though how they're usually drawn in fan works also played a role.

Since you missed this one, Evil Eye Sigma looks about 15 to me.

Unless you're just kidding, that's Rika, and I didn't miss her out.

[Clarste]

No comment on whether this topic deserves to exist.

I think Akyuu is an interesting case study, mostly because of Forbidden Scrollery. Counting years, she should be 19 as mentioned, and while she does look older than her original appearance, she doesn't really look like an adult. More to the point though, we know that Reimu and Marisa are older than her, and also that Kosuzu interacts with her as an equal. This is in contrast to how Kosuzu interacts with Reimu, which has a bit of a "kid sister" feel where there's a significant age gap (but not a generation gap). Basically what I'm saying is that compared to Kosuzu, Reimu is an adult, but Akyuu isn't.

So what does this mean? Akyuu can't be too much older than Kosuzu. Kosuzu looks young-ish but the art style is vague enough that I can see her being 15-16. Which also suits her personality quite well, since she has that know-it-all teenager vibe. So in order to be significantly older I'd place Reimu and Marisa at 22-ish. Which I think a lot of people would disagree with, but given how long the series has been going on and how much time has passed I think it's only reasonable. It might also be worth noting that we see them drinking alcohol a lot, and while I doubt Gensokyo has a minimum drinking age, the magazines that ZUN publishes his official manga in might be wary of offending people by showing kids drinking. ZUN even specifically notes that Kosuzu is below drinking age in one his author's commentary (comparing her to the artist, who is also below 20).

I don't really care about the youkai in this context.

[aListers]

Well, I've always considered Alice to be around 17 years old (she would have to be for my dreams to be legal) and Most of the characters are around that age to me. Cirno I've always described as looking around 9 years old and I'm alright with the constant saying that Yukari is 17 years old - that makes me feel old now though.

Most of your comparisons are 1 step down for me except the older teens. They seem about right. I don't think any girls in touhou would look older than 24.

[BL2W]

I actually like the idea of certain Touhous being fully-grown adults in the appearance department (doesn't mean I think of them as any less attractive for it)... Yukari, Ran, Yuuka, Letty, Byakuren, Keine, Kanako--maybe even Yuyuko, Iku, and Toyosatomimi (who I've always thought of as a man, admittedly)--fit this bill for me. And, no joke, I've always thought of Eirin as a woman of wrinkles, considering her actual age and disposition, but I understand that's arguable and I don't mind. Also, I like to think of both Sakuya and Reisen looking at least 20.

All of the other ages that the OP estimated seem pretty solid to me~

[Sagus]

I think it's pretty interesting to know how other people see the characters' apparent physical age, mostly as a curiosity, if nothing else. I see them as going through most of the age spectrum, from children to adults. Like:

Children (12 or less): All fairies, Rumia, Flandre, Remilia
Early-Mid teens: Wriggle, Kyouko, Shinmyoumaru, Suika, Akyuu (isn't she stated to have a body that grows older at a slower pace?), Kosuzu, Chen, Lyrica, Suwako, Tewi, Medicine, Tokiko, Kisume, Yuki, Mai, Chiyuri, Reisen II, Kikuri (well, the image of the girl in the disk, anyway)
Late teens: Mystia, Seija (at the start I thought of her as being older, but Tengukami's comments on her being a "rebellious teenager" made me change my mind), Kogasa, Nazrin, Merlin, Lunasa, Youmu, Yoshika, Sekibanki, Mokou, Tenshi, Koishi, Rika, Orange, Kurumi, Ellis, Ellen, Yumemi, Maribel, Renko
Early-Mid 20's: Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, Parsee, Patchouli, Nitori, Alice, Ichirin, Minamitsu, Reisen, Kagerou, Wakasagihime, Benben, Yatsuhashi, Kaguya, Hatate, Futo, Tojiko, Nue, Kokoro, Orin, Utsuho, Satori, Shizuha, Minoriko, Yamame, Elly, Meira, Rikako, Kotohime, Yuugenmagan's humanoid center
Late 20's: Shou, Byakuren, Raiko, Miko, Aya, Momiji, Keine, Iku, Hina, Rinnosuke, Meiling, Sakuya, Sara, Luize, Gengetsu, Mugetsu, Kasen
Mid-Late 30's: Komachi, Shikieiki, Yukari, Ran, Seiga, Yuyuko, Yuugi, Konngara, Sariel, Yuuka, Kanako, Mima, Yumeko, Yorihime, Toyohime, Shingyoku (both humanoid forms)
Mid-Late 40's: Eirin, Mamizou, Shinki
70+: Unzan, Genji

[game2011]

The four posts after my last one are the kind I wish/expect to see.

Thanks for showing your support!

[Zengeku]

Well okay, fair enough. I'll post mine. I guess it can get interesting to see where people put who. I'm sorry, got a little cranky up there :V Age issues.

Toddler: Shinmyoumaru

Children~♥ (12 or younger): Rumia, Cirno, Daiyousei, Patchouli, Remilia, Flandre, Chen, Lyrica, Wriggle, Mystia, Tewi, Marisa (staying youthful due to the magic of love), Medicine, Eiki, Shizuha, Nitori, Suwako, Kisume, Parsee, Satori, Koishi, Nazrin, Kogasa, Kyouko, Yoshika, Futo, Sekibanki, Suika, Sunny, Luna, Lily White and Star.

Early teens (13-14): Lunasa, Merlin, Reimu (maintaining a modest chest due to amulet preventing her from getting fat), Kaguya, Yamame, Momiji, Miko, Yatsuhashi, Seija, Raiko, Tenshi

Late teens (15-18): Sakuya, Alice, Youmu, Reisen, Mokou, Aya, Minoriko, Hina, Sanae, Orin, Utsuho, Murasa, Nue, Seiga, Benben,

Old (over 18): Meiling, Letty, Yuyuko, Ran, Keine, Komachi, Yuugi, Ichirin, Shou, Mamizou, Wackysacky, Kagerou, Iku,

Super old (Over 40): Eirin, Kanako, Byakuren.

I think that's about everyone.

[commandercool]

I think it's pretty interesting to know how other people see the characters' apparent physical age, mostly as a curiosity, if nothing else. I see them as going through most of the age spectrum, from children to adults. Like:

Children (12 or less): All fairies, Rumia, Flandre, Remilia
Early-Mid teens: Wriggle, Kyouko, Shinmyoumaru, Suika, Akyuu (isn't she stated to have a body that grows older at a slower pace?), Kosuzu, Chen, Lyrica, Suwako, Tewi, Medicine, Tokiko, Kisume, Yuki, Mai, Chiyuri, Kikuri (well, the image of the girl in the disk, anyway)
Late teens: Mystia, Seija (at the start I thought of her as being older, but Tengukami's comments on her being a "rebellious teenager" made me change my mind), Kogasa, Nazrin, Merlin, Lunasa, Youmu, Yoshika, Sekibanki, Mokou, Tenshi, Koishi, Rika, Orange, Kurumi, Ellis, Ellen, Yumemi
Early-Mid 20's: Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, Parsee, Patchouli, Nitori, Alice, Ichirin, Minamitsu, Reisen, Kagerou, Wakasagihime, Benben, Yatsuhashi, Kaguya, Hatate, Futo, Tojiko, Nue, Kokoro, Orin, Utsuho, Satori, Shizuha, Minoriko, Yamame, Elly, Meira, Rikako, Kotohime, Yuugenmagan's humanoid center
Late 20's: Shou, Byakuren, Raiko, Miko, Aya, Momiji, Keine, Iku, Hina, Rinnosuke, Meiling, Sakuya, Sara, Luize, Gengetsu, Mugetsu, Kasen
Mid-Late 30's: Komachi, Shikieiki, Yukari, Ran, Seiga, Yuyuko, Yuugi, Konngara, Sariel, Yuuka, Kanako, Mima, Yumeko, Yorihime, Toyohime, Shingyoku (both humanoid forms)
Mid-Late 40's: Eirin, Mamizou, Shinki
70+: Unzan, Genji

I pretty much agree with all of this. Looks accurate to me.

[Spectral Nexus]

Super old (Over 40): Eirin, Kanako, Byakuren.

I see what you did there (using Ya (Yagokoro, Yasaka, Byakuren) as a reference to "old hag"!) 
What about Yukari?

Mid-Late 30's: Komachi, Shikieiki, Yukari, Ran, Seiga, Yuyuko, Yuugi, Konngara, Sariel, Yuuka, Kanako, Mima, Yumeko, Yorihime, Toyohime, Shingyoku (both humanoid forms)
Mid-Late 40's: Eirin, Mamizou, Shinki

Not sure if I agree on the ones in red. Shikieiki looks like a child in my opinion! To me, she looks 16 - 25...
hehe.... Please don't send me to hell!  :ohdear:
Mamizou looks about 30-39 to me...

[Tengukami]

Super old (Over 40)

Don't make me throw my cane at you!

[Prime32]

Mid-Late 40's: Eirin, Mamizou, Shinki

Mamizou looks about 30-39 to me...

Mamizou talks like someone's grandmother, and she's the only character who's suffered the "old hag" joke in canon. Though most of the old-looking characters probably look like they've aged gracefully.

[Spectral Nexus]

Mamizou looks about 30-39 to me...
Mamizou talks like someone's grandmother, and she's the only character who's suffered the "old hag" joke in canon.

But remember, this is only judged on appearance, although I do understand your point.

[Zengeku]

Don't make me throw my cane at you!

I avoid thousands of bullets every day. Your cane would not make a difference super old man. 

[BL2W]

Despite making my stance apparent, since everybody else is doing it, I guess I will proceed with an exact list as well~! :V

*NOTE: Some youkai--like the fairies and kobito--are naturally (and debatably) smaller than, say, regular humans because of their race. I am judging the characters based on how I believe their appearances would make them look, not taking into account what their actual height would be. Also, I'm only listing Windows characters. Sorry.

Young Children - Age 4-6: Lily White
Older Children - Age 7-9: Rumia, Kisume, Luna Child, Star Sapphire, Sunny Milk
Preadolescence - Age 10-12: Cirno, Remilia, Flandre, Chen, Suika, Wriggle, Tewi, Medicine, Suwako
Young Teenager - Age 13-15: Daiyousei, Lyrica, Lunasa, Merlin, Mystia, Akyuu, Yamame, Satori, Koishi, "Reisen II," Nazrin, Kogasa, Tokiko, Kyouko, Futo, Kosuzu
Older Teenager - Age 16-19: Reimu, Marisa, Alice, Youmu, Kaguya, Aya, Nitori, Sanae, Tenshi, Parsee, Rin, Utsuho, Ichirin, Murasa, Nue, Yoshika, Hatate, Kokoro, Sekibanki, Benben, Yatsuhashi, Seija
Young Adult - Age 20-24: Meiling, Koakuma, Patchouli, Sakuya, Maribel, Renko, Yuyuko, Reisen, Mokou, Komachi, Shikieiki, Shizuha, Minoriko, Hina, Momiji, Toyohime, Yorihime, Shou, Kasen, Seiga, Tojiko, Wakasagihime, Kagerou
Mid-Adult - Age 25-29: Ran, Yukari, Keine, Yuuka, Iku, Yuugi, Byakuren, Rinnosuke, Toyosatomimi, Raiko
Fully-Grown Adult - Age 30-39: Kanako, Mamizou
Mature Adult - Age 40 and older: Eirin, Unzan

There are a handful here that I feel could comfortably fit into a different age group than what I've listed them as here, but for the vast majority, this is what I firmly believe unless future canon material causes me to think otherwise (i.e., when I first saw Futo in TD, I would have thought of her as probably between 20-24, but upon seeing her in HM, my outlook changed).