Tsurubami Senri Ⅲ Len'en 𓁹

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Tsurubami Senri (闡裡 鶴喰)

Species: Human Occupation: Shinto priest, youkai exterminator Location: Senri Shrine (currently on vacation in the Outside World)

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Appearance

Tsurubami Senri has short, wavy black hair that naturally bristles, making it difficult to tidy, and pitch-black eyes that extend the monochrome theme throughout their appearance. Their irises are entirely black, which emphasizes an unsettling yet calm presence. Tsurubami has pale skin and a lean, androgynous frame, standing as one of the shorter characters in the Evanescent Existence cast, roughly the same height as Tsubakura Enraku.

Their attire is a formalized version of traditional priestly garments, merging ceremonial elements with Heian-period clothing styles. They wear a white, talisman-adorned kariginu or suikan, with the front almost open and a V-shaped cut on the back. A dark green hakama sits underneath, giving the appearance of a skirt, and a small purple cloth wraps around their waist. Red sparks emerge from the neck and shoulder areas of the outfit, hinting at supernatural energy. Tsurubami’s kanmuri hat bears the Eye of Senri emblem, a half-closed black eye symbolically tied to the Senri Shrine. Six ofuda strips wrap around their body, each inscribed with charms, which they can use offensively. They carry a red metallic rod resembling a kawahoriōgi in their left hand and display a mystical eye on the palm of the right hand, close to their chest. Their overall presence blends formal elegance with latent menace.

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Personality

Tsurubami is widely described as “kind of messed up in the head,” yet highly competent and disciplined in their duties. They are confident, energetic, and unusually willful, often acting on pure whim while making calculated decisions when needed. They are prone to sudden arguments, bursts of rage, or even attacking others for reasons that seem incomprehensible, which has contributed to their fearsome reputation in Mugenri. Despite this, Tsurubami is deeply devoted to their role as Senri priest and the preservation of Mugenri’s balance, exhibiting strong military-like discipline in maintaining order.

They tend to manipulate others to act on their behalf, rarely intervening directly unless necessary. This has earned them a reputation for being oppressive, manipulative, and unpredictable. They enjoy simple pleasures such as walking, exploring new places, naps, and meticulously neat handwriting when time permits. Tsurubami dislikes weakness and solitude, preferring company or confrontation to idleness. Their behavior, while seemingly erratic, reflects a strong sense of duty intertwined with personal amusement and curiosity.

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Abilities

Tsurubami is widely regarded as the strongest character in the Len’en Project, with abilities potentially surpassing the combined military might of Mugenri, including nuclear-level destructive capability. Their strength is both physical and metaphysical, instilling fear in humans and youkai alike. Only characters with extraordinary abilities, such as Xeno a with probability manipulation, have a chance to challenge them.

Ink & Ofuda Manipulation: Tsurubami writes incantations on ofuda or paper to summon talismans, create weapons, or disguise themselves as other individuals, most famously impersonating Tsubakura Enraku. They can materialize swords of ink and manipulate these objects for offense or utility. Ofuda strips around their body can be used offensively, enhancing combat versatility.

Raising Poultry (Unlocking Potential): A metaphorical ability to awaken latent potential in others. By touching a target while focusing intent, Tsurubami can unlock abilities or amplify existing ones, allowing both immediate application and replication of the power. This has enabled them to create spell cards based on opponents’ abilities and adapt dynamically to combat scenarios.

Senri Priest Skills: Tsurubami is proficient in traditional Shinto priest techniques, including exorcisms, youkai extermination, shikigami control, and barrier maintenance. They command multiple shikigami, including Jinbei and various Ink Cores. The Mugenri Barrier allows them to traverse between Mugenri and the Outside World, though this power has limits. Their duties encompass incident resolution, public order maintenance, and spiritual protection of Mugenri.

Combat Tactics: They rarely fight at full power, often restraining themselves to gauge opponents’ strength. Even while holding back, Tsurubami can defeat highly skilled characters with apparent ease. They have demonstrated the ability to simulate multiple battle scenarios, adjust tactics dynamically, and emerge unscathed from combat, reflecting both skill and caution.

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Background and Story Role

Originally from the Outside World, Tsurubami eventually succeeded in leading the Senri Shrine before conquering Mugenri alongside Tenkai Zuifeng. Together, they ruled as dictators, uniting the region under strict control while oppressing humans and youkai. While their methods were harsh, they maintained strategic merit in unifying the population. Many youkai hid in fear, and opposition was virtually nonexistent.

Tsurubami left Mugenri to travel to the Outside World, leaving Tsubakura Enraku and Yabusame Houlen as temporary successors. Their absence destabilized Mugenri, leading to chaos but also newfound freedom for some. They orchestrated the events of Evanescent Existence, abducting multiple outsiders to test their abilities and determine a suitable successor. Disguised as Tsubakura, Tsurubami engaged the protagonists, creating controlled challenges while holding back true strength.

In the Extra Stage, the real Tsubakura confronts Tsurubami and, despite demonstrating remarkable skill, is aided by Tsurubami’s intentional restraint. Ultimately, Tsurubami selects both Tsubakura and Yabusame as successors before returning to the Outside World. Even in later titles such as Brilliant Pagoda and Haze Castle, Tsurubami’s presence is felt indirectly, with other characters (e.g., Suzumi Kuzu) impersonating them to influence events, highlighting the enduring significance of their legacy.

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Relationships

Tenkai Zuifeng:

As stated before on this page, Tenkai knew Tsurubami for a long time and was close enough to them to be considered their right-hand person and be similarly feared across Mugenri. When both battled, Tenkai would usually lose and get upset about it, but nonetheless hold Tsurubami in extremely high esteem and miss the adventures they departed on together. Tenkai believes Tsurubami's approach of using force to unify the people had merit, and that Mugenri has gotten lonelier without them around. It appears that Tenkai is also the only one who knows the real reason why Tsurubami left Mugenri.

It's unknown what exactly Tsurubami thinks of Tenkai, but they call them by their last name, Zuifeng, as a sign of their special relationship and because they like the sound of it. Tsurubami was the first in Mugenri to call Tenkai "Melon". In addition, they both have the ability to turn monochrome based on the same principle and have similar spell cards with a crane motif. Distinctly, Tenkai's spell card "The Twin Cranes" is very similar to Tsurubami's Crane's Cry "Lamentations of the Crane's Cry" as it represents Tsurubami more than Tenkai in terms of aesthetics. Despite being friends, Tsurubami did not make Tenkai the temporary priest of the Senri Shrine because they did not have the qualities of a priest.

Jinbei: Shikigami familiar tied to the Senri Shrine. Loyal and longstanding companion.

Tsubakura Enraku & Yabusame Houlen: Chosen as temporary successors, capable of continuing priestly duties in Tsurubami’s absence. Tsurubami can perfectly mimic Tsubakura’s appearance and abilities.

Xeno a: Mutual respect as a sparring partner; their encounters are balanced by probability manipulation and Tsurubami’s restraint.

Haiji Senri: Fan of Tsurubami’s rule; closely observes their methods.

Suzumi Kuzu: Encounters with Tsurubami reveal the priest’s calculated restraint. Suzumi later impersonates Tsurubami, highlighting their influence.

Tsugumi & Hibaru: Past rivals; some conflicts occurred after Tsurubami became head priest.

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Game Appearances

Evanescent Existence

Tsurubami orchestrates the events of Evanescent Existence, abducting Tsubakura Enraku, Yabusame Houlen, and other outsiders into Mugenri. Each is placed in the Dimensional Cave, a controlled space designed to test their abilities. Disguised as Tsubakura, Tsurubami picks fights with the protagonists, testing their skill and adaptability while restraining their immense power. They imitate opponents’ abilities through spell cards derived from their powers, such as Hot & Cold “Dim Room” and Whirlpool Card “Spiral Galaxy Barrier.”

Stage 3 introduces the Interconnecting Corridor, a unique dimension only accessible to Tsurubami and, later, Yabusame. Here, Tsurubami encounters Yabusame, who realizes the deception, prompting a battle where Tsurubami uses imitated spell cards while holding back. After testing Hooaka and Kuroji, Tsurubami defeats them efficiently and returns to the Senri Shrine, revealing their true identity to Clause and explaining the purpose of their actions: finding a suitable successor.

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Extra Stage (Evanescent Existence)

The Extra Stage is the true conclusion. The real Tsubakura arrives, confronting Tsurubami at the Senri Shrine. Tsurubami demonstrates ten intricate spell cards, testing skill while deliberately restraining themselves. They ultimately choose Tsubakura and Yabusame as successors, assigning priestly and shrine maintenance duties respectively. With this resolved, Tsurubami departs for the Outside World, collapsing the dimensional spaces and returning outsiders to Mugenri.

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Suzumi’s Scenario (Post-Extra Stage)

Suzumi Kuzu explores Tsurubami’s actions through memory reading. Discovering the Tsubakura impersonation, Suzumi confronts Tsurubami, who is initially caught off-guard but intentionally loses the encounter. This scenario emphasizes Tsurubami’s strategic foresight, restraint, and careful management of information, further reinforcing their mystique and authority.

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Brilliant Pagoda / Haze Castle

Tsurubami does not appear as themselves; instead, Suzumi Kuzu impersonates them during Extra+α boss battles. These encounters maintain continuity, highlighting Tsurubami’s lingering influence and legacy. Tsurubami’s name, abilities, and reputation affect multiple teams:

The current priests are challenged to prove themselves.

Tsurubami asserts authority over Mugenri’s control.

Tenkai recognizes the disguised Tsurubami, confronting them despite being outmatched.

Probes into Tsurubami’s intentions reveal strategic manipulation and testing of the successors.

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Extra Stage+α

Tsurubami briefly returns from the Outside World to assess Mugenri and test the competence of their successors. Battles reinforce their overwhelming strength, tactical restraint, and lasting influence, demonstrating that even in absence, Tsurubami remains a central figure shaping events and the world around them.

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Facts and Trivia

Only character in the Len’en Project who does not appear as themselves in Brilliant Pagoda / Haze Castle.

Speaks multiple languages, including English.

Holds the most spell cards in a single Len’en Project game.

Tsurubami was the only character left with an unknown date of birth. This is because Tsurubami themself does not know their own birthdate.

Tsurubami is one of the few characters to use ofuda in their danmaku.