Mima and Ghost Dad: The Imperishable Truth
An informative essay which proves that Mima is the Ghost Dad of the Touhous.
By Smash the Ecchydna, P.H.D.
INTRODUCTION
"So we set forth into new beginnings of the unknown knowledge we crave..."
It is often said that "giving up the ghost" means "to die". While in most cases this may be true, at this moment we must "give it up" for the ghosts; two, in particular. Mima, the Evil Spirit of Hakurei Shrine, is one of the most beloved characters in the Touhou fandom, no doubt due to her charming appearance and her complex personality, which straddles the boundary between boastful prankster and malevolent entity. Ghost Dad, the titular character of the 1990 film Ghost Dad and supporting character of the 2008 vidcon Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, is an equally cherished character, with his fans often stating they deeply relate with his prime predicament: being torn from those he cares about due to circumstances far beyond his control (being dead).
At first blush, the two may only appear coincidentally similar to the uneducated eye. After all, Mima is an evil spirit who commonly resides in Gensokyo, while Ghost Dad is an African-American ghost who travels through multiple regions of the planet Earth. Moreover, Mima's motivations throughout the Touhou series are relatively unknown – a desire for revenge against the human race is only mentioned in Story of Eastern Wonderland – while Ghost Dad is clearly motivated by the idea of supporting his family before his inevitable passing into the afterlife.
However, after careful examination, the physical resemblances as well as the psychological correlations between the two become highlighted with irreversible clarity. Moreover, statistical analysis of the two produces a ratio of Mima to Ghost Dad far too significant to ignore. All of this evidence goes to show that Mima is, without a doubt, the Ghost Dad of the Touhouverse.
PHYSICAL RESMBLANCES
"Got your nose!"
To those with only cursory knowledge of the two, Mima and Ghost Dad could not be more different physically, especially considering that Ghost Dad was not created and drawn by ZUN. However, there are three points of interest which lead to the formation of a concrete physical resemblance between the two.
First of all, Mima and Ghost Dad are of the same species, the ghost (some may point out that Mima is referred to specifically as a "spirit", but this ignores that "spirit" is just another word for "ghost"). Being ghosts, they share a variety of ghostly traits. Incorporeality is a common trait of ghosts which both Mima and Ghost Dad both share, and they both use this trait in a variety of ways, primarily to phase through solid objects like walls and doors. Another ghostosity they share is flight, which both Mima and Ghost Dad are seen using in their respective works. Lastly, Mima and Ghost Dad both have the lower half of their body replaced by a wispy ghost tail.
Secondly, both Mima and Ghost Dad are parents. Casual observers of the Touhou series may question and even outright deny the motherhood of the former, but true Touhounites know that Mima is Marisa's mother. Evidence of this is enclosed within the plot of Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream, in which Mima scolds Marisa for not training her magical abilities enough after losing to her in battle. This implies that Mima taught Marisa her magical abilities, and the scolding suggests that their bond is close enough to make such chiding habitual. Along with that, Marisa refers to Mima as "Mima-sama," which stands for "Mima's a ma" when translated into English. As for the latter, well, Ghost Dad's dadliness is in his own name. Hence, Mima and Ghost Dad have both gone through the physical process of bearing a child, making the relationship between the two far greater than it would seem at first glance.
Finally, there is one physical characteristic the two characters share that many, if not all, notice, but few truly acknowledge: Mima and Ghost Dad have eyes. Eyes are used for seeing things, an ability which many characters both real and fictional employ on a regular basis. A majority of people tend to focus on the specifics of characters' eyes, such as their colors, which in the case of Mima versus Ghost Dad are indeed different, and their shapes, which in the case of Mima versus Ghost Dad are certainly not the same. However, this line of thinking shamefully overlooks the basic fact that they both have eyes, which is paramount to proving their physical similarity. As the old saying goes, "An eye for an eye," meaning that Mima has an eye for every Ghost Dad eye.
PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATIONS
"We're like two [ghost] peas in a [ghost] pod!"
The psychological correlations between Mima and Ghost Dad are far more obvious than their physical similarities, though many still do not acknowledge the cerebral synonymity between the two as anything more than slight. Unfortunately, this is incorrect, and close study of their dispositions in the works they have appeared in exhibits that Mima and Ghost Dad could likely switch bodies and few would notice the difference.
For starters, both Mima and Ghost Dad prominently show duplicity betwixt cruelty and compassion within their personalities. Within the Touhou canon, Mima is best known for being a primary antagonistic force toward Reimu Hakurei in the early Touhou games, being the Stage 2 boss of Highly Responsive to Prayers and the final boss of Story of Eastern Wonderland. As previously mentioned, in the latter game she expressed a desire to seek revenge toward the entire human race for ambiguous reasons. However, despite her morbid goals, she has still been able to maintain a relationship with her daughter Marisa, one good enough that Marisa would fight to protect her from Reimu in Story of Eastern Wonderland. Not to mention, in later games she becomes a playable character, and her official description for the first game in which she is a playable character, Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream, states that "her evilness has completely fallen off from her."
Likewise, one of the most famous scenes of Ghost Dad is the one wherein Ghost Dad strangles Tony Ricker after Tony asks him to "put the bitch (Ghost Dad's daughter Diane) on [the phone]." This demonstrates that Ghost Dad is not above violence in the pursuit of his goals, yet also shows that he is incredibly protective of those he cares about. Additionally, in Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Ghost Dad is featured as a monster who terrorizes Proto Neo New York, one that Barkley and his party are tasked with slaying in order to progress with their quest. However, should the player choose to rest after defeating Ghost Dad in combat, Barkley will be visited in his sleep by Ghost Dad. During this haunting, Ghost Dad thanks Barkley for saving him from a "hex" he "unwittingly placed upon himself years ago" and grants him the ability "Ghost Muscle," revealing a kindly side to his previously nefarious character.
A further connection that can be made is that both Mima and Ghost Dad have a personality that can be described as more human-ish than human. For Mima, this is officially stated in her profile for both Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream and Mystic Square. For Ghost Dad, this is not explicitly noted, but considering he left his human form behind in becoming a ghost, it can certainly be said that his personality is also more human-ish than human.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
"The proof is in the pudding (math)."
With the information from the previous two sections in hand, statistical analysis can now be used to determine the exact ratio of Mima to Ghost Dad. While the rationale behind every step of the analysis will be explained in full detail, please be warned that those who do not have satisfactory understanding of mathematics and statistics may have trouble understanding the content of this section.
1. First, the fact that Mima and Ghost Dad are both ghosts is taken into consideration. This adds a straight 20% to the Mima to Ghost Dad ratio, henceforth given the acronym "MGDR."
2. Second, both Mima and Ghost Dad are parents, meaning they have both given birth. Normally, this would add another straight 20% to the MGDR, but Mima is a ghost mom, not a ghost dad like Ghost Dad. Thus, 20% is divided by 2, which still leaves a rather hefty 10% to add to the MGDR. The MGDR is now equal to 30%.
3. Third, both Mima and Ghost Dad have two eyes. The eye total here is 4, thus 4% is added to the MGDR. The MGDR is now equal to 34%.
4. Fourth, both Mima and Ghost Dad have consistent duality of dark and light in their personas. This adds 20% multiplied by 2 due to duality. The MGDR is now equal to 74%.
5. Lastly, both Mima and Ghost Dad are human-ish rather than human. Using 25% as the natural base for human, it can be said that human-ish is equal to 23%. Thus, 23% is added to the MGDR. The MGDR is now equal to 97%.
97% is already a significant enough ratio to prove that Mima is the Ghost Dad of Touhou, though strong skeptics might still consider it less than undeniable proof. However, the analysis is still not done at this point, as the most important part of the equation has not been factored in yet: The Canonicality Multipliers.
The concept of the Canonicality Multiplier is simple: for every canon work the character has appeared in, the Canonicality Multiplier is increased by 1. Mima has appeared in four official Touhou games to date (1, 2, 3, and 5), thus her multiplier is 4. Ghost Dad has appeared in two works to date, thus his multiplier is 2.
(Those who have read the Ghost Dad novelization may argue that the Ghost Dad multiplier should actually be 3 instead of 2. This is not the case, however, as a novelization of the movie does not automatically grant an additional Ghost Dad to his canonicality. Moreover, it is doubtful that enough people have read the novelization to make its inclusion in the multiplier necessary rather than superfluous.)
With all values in place, here is the full equation:
(20% Ghost + [20% / 2 due to Mima being a ghost mom and not a ghost dad] + [2 eyes * 2]% + [20% * 2 {duality multiplier}]% + 23% human-ish-osity) * (4 canon Touhou appearances * 2 canon Ghost Dads)
= 776%
That is right, Mima is nearly eight Ghost Dads in one, a significant enough number to prove that Mima is the Ghost Dad of Gensokyo.
CONCLUSION
"Now I face out / I hold out / I reach out to the truth."
With all the information above supplied, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Mima and Ghost Dad are the same person. Examinations of their physical and psychological traits convey multitudes of meaningful similarities between the two. Statistical analysis of these similarities produces a logical and absolute ratio of Mima to Ghost Dad: 776%. This ratio proves that not only is Mima the Ghost Dad of the Touhous, but she is also nearly eight times the Ghost Dad that Ghost Dad is.
With that rock-solid conclusion made, it is now up to you, the reader, to decide how to use this information. Whether it be for the good of all mankind, or simply for your own benefit, it should be safe to say that you have come out of this essay knowing far more than before about a woefully neglected branch of research. As the great detective Sherlock "Milky" Holmes once said, "The world is full of obvious things that no baka by any chance ever observes." Be wary of your surroundings and perhaps you too, one day, may discover the Ghost Dad of a universe yourself.
SOURCES USED
Touhou Wiki
Touhou Wikia
Ghost Dad Wikipedia Page
Ghost Dad IMDB
Ghost Wikipedia Page
Thesaurus dot com
Fanfiction dot net