Rin is the main character of Tong-Nou and Chu-Teng.
Appearance[]
Rin appears as a white humanoid figure with five-fingered hands, obscured facial features, a cavity in the side of his chest, and a white glow effect around him.
In Eastern Mind[]
Rin's only visible appearance is in an introductory cutscene, in which he loses his soul and sets sail towards the island of Tong-Nou. Rin is not actually seen in-game, but his incarnations can be seen when selected from the Reincarnation page.
Rin is a human who lost his soul to the soul eating island Tong-Nou, and ventures off to regain his soul using the temporary soul provided by an old man named Yashiro. He also receives an amulet and a furoshiki from a white snake.
While Rin himself is playable very little of the time ingame, his basic mechanics carry through to each incarnation of himself. Rin carries a Furoshiki, in which he stores any items he may collect. These items can be taken out and used when necessary, and are often crucial in order to solve a puzzle or complete a life. Rin and his incarnations are also incapable of dying permanently, as each death will allow the player to reincarnate again.
In Chu-teng[]
Rin once again appears as the protagonist of Chu-teng. Some time after the events of Eastern Mind, he is approached by Nanshu to help find the parts of his face. He is given a spaceship and a tablet to use in his travels.
Rin can travel to his own soul, the Magatama world, in Chu-teng.
Rin cannot reincarnate in Chu-teng; instead, if attacked, Rin dies, and the player is given a Game Over. The player then must restart from their last save file.
Trivia[]
- In the credits of Tong-Nou Hiroko Nishikawa appears as Hiroko "Rin" Nishikawa.
Name origin[]
Rin's name is the first syllable of the Kuji (九字), a series of nine syllables. Each syllable has its own symbol, mudra (hand sign), mantra (utterance/prayer) and mandala (visualization). The syllables in order are Rin (臨), Pyō (兵), Tō (闘), Sha (者), Kai (皆), Jin (陣), Retsu (列), Zai (在) and Zen (前). The mudras, mantras, and mandalas put into practice for ritual or meditation purposes is referred to as the Kuji-in (九字印), or "Nine Hand Seals". The Kuji-in has roots in Hinduism and is used in a wide variety of practices including Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism, Ninjutsu and schools of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism such as Mikkyo, Tendai and Shingon.
The kanji "rin" (臨) can mean "to face/to confront" or "power".