Gaming
danmaku
What does danmaku mean?
The thick, geometric walls of bullets a shmup throws at you. Looks impossible until you learn to read the gaps and thread through.
"The midboss opens up with full danmaku — just hold still and micro-dodge into the gap."
Origin
Japanese 弾幕, literally 'barrage' or 'bullet curtain'. Borrowed straight from the Japanese shmup scene; the genre exploded with Toho's Cave shooters and Touhou in the mid-90s.
Frequently asked questions
Is danmaku the same as bullet hell?
Basically, yeah. 'Danmaku' is the Japanese term; 'bullet hell' is the English label for the same thing — shooters built around dense bullet patterns.
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