In humorous fanart, Kanako is often depicted as a robot, or an RX-77-2 Guncannon from Mobile Suit Gundam due to the Faith Pillars that attach to her back during the final encounter in Mountain of Faith.
At some extent, Kanako is also called by another nickname: Misae Nohara. Little is known why the Japanese Touhou fans came up with that idea. Perhaps it's due to the fact that Misae and Kanako sharing a similar hair shape, or due to many fanworks depicting Kanako as a somewhat eccentric soccer mom towards Sanae. Another hypothesis about this nickname is related with one of Mountain of Faith endings:in Marisa B's ending, Kanako drills Marisa's head with her fists (a Misae Nohara's guri-guri) because she built a small shrine in the Forest of Magic, which is rarely visited by people.