Ring (), also known as The Ring, is a horror media franchise, based on the novel series of the same name written by Koji Suzuki. The franchise includes nine Japanese films, two television series, eight manga adaptations, three English-language American film remakes, a Korean film remake, and two video games: The Ring: Terror's Realm and Ring: Infinity (both 2000). While most installments of the franchise are dramatic supernatural horror fiction, other genres are also explored, with the novel Loop (1998) being science fiction–focused, and the manga series Sadako-san and Sadako-chan (2019) and Sadako at the End of the World (2020) and feature film Sadako DX (2022) being comedy-focused.
The Japanese Ring films revolve around a cursed video tape; whoever watches the tape dies seven days later, unless the tape is copied and shown to another person, who then must repeat the same process. The video tape was created by a psychic, Sadako Yamamura, who was murdered by her adoptive father and thrown into a well. After her death, she returned as a ghostly malicious serial killer, killing anyone who fails to copy and then send the video tape to someone else under a seven-day deadline (constricted to a two-day deadline in Sadako vs. Kayako and a one-day deadline in Sadako DX).
Japanese media Novels
The franchise began with Koji Suzuki's 1991 novel Ring. It was the first of a trilogy, with two sequels: Spiral (1995) and Loop (1998). Several later novels based on Ring were released: Birthday (1999); which contains a prequel to Ring, an epilogue to Loop, and details about what happened to a key character in Spiral, S (2012), and Tide (2013).
Films Ring story chronology Spiral Continuity Nakata Continuity DX Continuity In 1998, Hideo Nakata made a new Japanese adaptation of the book in his film Ring (also known as The Ring or its transliteration Ringu). The film was a critical and commercial success, being credited with revolutionizing the J-horror genre and influencing many future films in the wider horror genre.Smith, Adam (n.d.), 'Review of Ring', Empire Online.Balmain, Colette (2008), Introduction to Japanese Horror film (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press).Martin, Daniel (2009), 'Japan's Blair Witch: Restraint, Maturity, and Generic Canons in the British Critical Reception of Ring', Cinema Journal 48, Number 3, Spring: 35-51.
The first sequel to the 1998 film was Spiral (also known as The Spiral or, in the original Japanese, Rasen). It was an adaptation of Spiral, Suzuki's sequel to his first Ring book. It was released on 31 January 1998, the same day as Ring. It was not received well by critics or audiences. It was directed by George Iida, who had previously worked as the writer for the television film, Ring (1995).
A replacement sequel, Ring 2, was released in 1999. The film continues the storyline of Ring (1998) and ignores the events of Spiral (1998) and many cast members from the original film return. Hideo Nakata also returned to direct. This was the first film in the franchise not based on any of Suzuki's novels. While not as critically well-received as the first film, it was a financial success, becoming the second-highest grossing Japanese film of 1999.
A prequel, Ring 0: Birthday, was released in 2000. The movie is based on the short story "Lemon Heart" from Suzuki's 1999 book, Birthday (the fourth book in the series). This film delved into a uniquely different mythos surrounding Sadako Yamamura and the cursed videotape than the novels, elaborated on from aspects introduced in the Nakata films.
In 2012, Sadako 3D was released, adapted from Suzuki's book S that released the same year. A direct sequel, Sadako 3D 2 was released in 2013. Both were directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa. They are sequels to Spiral, ignoring the film Ring 2 and thereby creating a branched-off continuity.
In 2016, Sadako vs. Kayako, directed by Kōji Shiraishi, was released, a crossover of the Ju-on series of horror films. It features Sadakaya, a ghost that resulted from the fusion of Sadako and the Ju-on antagonist Kayako Saeki. It is a standalone film and is not canon to either timeline or franchise and the deadline for the video tape is two days instead of seven.
Sadako aka Sadako KOL was released in 2019. It saw the return of director Hideo Nakata to the Japanese film series for the first time since Ring 2, 20 years prior. It is a sequel to Ring 2 following its own continuity separate from Spiral. The film is loosely based on Tide, the final novel in the series. KOL is an acronym for Key Opinion Leader; in this context, a social media star.
Sadako DX, directed by Hisashi Kimura, was released in 2022. The film stars Fuka Koshiba as a college student attempting to unravel the curse of Sadako with the help of a psychic and a fortune teller. It is a sequel to the original Ring, ignoring the events of the Spiral and Ring 2 timelines respectively.
Television The first adaptation of Ring was the Japanese television film Ring (with one uncensored home video release titled Ring: Kanzenban, meaning 'Ring: The Complete Edition'), released in 1995. This remained the closest to the book but didn't have the success and recognition of the later films.
Ring: The Final Chapter is a 12 episode self-contained miniseries that aired in 1999, and is loosely based on the original Ring novel. It is not connected to the films or the previous television adaptation.
In the same year, a sequel television miniseries simply titled Spiral was made, consisting of 13 episodes.
Manga
A manga adaptation of the first novel was released in 1996 by Kouhirou Nagai, and several manga have been published by Kadokawa Shoten based on the films. The second manga adaptation is a two-volume series based on the first novel, the first Hideo Nakata film, and the 1999 television series. That manga was written and illustrated by Misao Inagaki. Both volumes were released on January 21, 1999. Dark Horse Comics compiled the first two volumes and released an English-language version on November 12, 2003.
The third adaptation, of Nakata's Ring 2 film, was written and by illustrated by Meimu, was released on February 3, 1999. Dark Horse Comics released it on May 19, 2004 as the second volume of The Ring manga series.
The fourth adaptation, titled , is based on the novel and film of the same name. The manga was written and illustrated by Sakura Mizuki, and released on September 10, 1999. Dark Horse released it on August 18, 2004 as volume 3 of The Ring manga series.
The fifth adaptation, titled , is based on the novel of the same name. The manga was written and illustrated by Meimu and released on December 22, 1999. Dark Horse Comics released it on November 3, 2004 as volume 4 of The Ring manga series.
The sixth, titled Ring 0, based on the film of that name, was also written and illustrated by Meimu, and released on January 28, 2000. Dark Horse Comics released it on March 30, 2005 as "Volume 0" of The Ring manga series.
There was also the manga prequel to this adaptation, titled The Curse of Yamamura Sadako (The Curse of Sadako Yamamura), included in the Ring 0 promotional image book "The Sadako", that explains how Sadako split into the good and evil halves before Ring 0.
The seventh, titled Sadako-San To Sadako-Chan (Sadako-San and Sadako-Chan), was published in February 2019, before the release of Sadako, as a comedy-oriented tie-in sequel to the film.
The eighth, titled Sadako at The End of the World, was released in 2020, following Sadako as she is summoned by the last two girls living on a post-apocalyptic Earth, indicating her curse to be nearing its end.
Korean remake The Ring Virus was the first remake to be made, in 1999, where the villain is renamed as Park Eun-suh, who is intersex, as Sadako was in the books. Though the film copied multiple scenes from the 1998 theatrical Ring film, it is, like the 1995 Ring TV movie, more faithful to the original novel series.
American films In 2002, an English-language remake was made, titled The Ring, where the killer is renamed as Samara Morgan, who is a preteen instead of an adult. The Ring was one of the highest-grossing horror remakes, its box office gross surpassing that of Ring. Two feature-length sequels were made, as well as a short film.
The Ring story chronology The Ring continuity Alternate continuity
The Ring was released on October 18, 2002. The film follows journalist Rachel Keller as she investigates a videotape that may have killed four teenagers (including her niece). There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. If the legend is correct, Rachel would have to run against time to save her son's and her own.
A short film, Rings, was released on March 8, 2005, originally as part of the DVD set of the first film. Jake Pierce, a young teenager, watches a cursed video tape after joining a teen cult named "Rings".
The Ring Two was released on March 18, 2005. High school student Jake Pierce tries to make his girlfriend Emily watch the cursed videotape. After discovering that Emily covered her eyes and didn't watch the tape, he is killed by Samara Morgan. Rachel Keller learns of Jake's death and realizes she has to save her son Aidan from Samara.
Rings was released on February 3, 2017. The story follows Julia who becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after they view the tape. Her actions lead her to make a horrifying discovery: there is a "movie within the movie" that no one has ever seen before. This film is a direct sequel to the 2002 film and ignores the events of both the short film Rings (2005) and The Ring Two.
Future In September 2019, The Grudge (2019) director Nicolas Pesce expressed interest in a crossover film between The Grudge and the English-language The Ring film series.
Japanese cast and crew Cast A indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character. A indicates the actor or actress portrayed their film character as possessed by another. An indicates an appearance through archival footage. A indicates a cameo appearance.
A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film. CharacterRingSpiral Ring 2Ring 0: BirthdaySadako 3DSadako 3D 2 SadakoSadako DX Sadako Yamamura Rie Inō Hinako SaekiMiki Nakatani Rie InōMebuki Tsuchida Yukie Nakama Ai Hashimoto Satomi Ishihara Himeka Himejima Shizuko Yamamura Masako Masako Mai Takano Miki Nakatani Dr. Heihachiro IkumaDaisuke Ban Daisuke Ban Takashi Yamamura Yoichi Numata Yoichi Numata Mahito Ohba Reiko Asakawa Nanako Matsushima Nanako Matsushima Ryuji Takayama Hiroyuki Sanada Masami KurahashiHitomi Satō Hitomi Satō Hitomi Satō Yoichi Asakawa Rikiya Otaka Rikiya Otaka OkazakiYūrei Yanagi Yūrei Yanagi Tomoko ŌishiYūko Takeuchi YoshinoYutaka Matsushige Kōichi AsakawaKatsumi Muramatsu Takanori Ando Ryûichi Sugahara Koji Seto Mitsuo Ando Koichi Sato Miyashita Shingo Tsurumi Shashin Gakari Kozo Sato Maekawa Keibuho Shigemitsu Ogi Kobayashi Naoaki Manabe Smiling father Kôji Suzuki Kanae Sawaguchi Kyoko Fukada Ishi Kawajiri Fumiyo Kohinata Detective Keiji Omuta Kenjirō Ishimaru Akiko Miyaji Yoshiko Tanaka Hiroshi Toyama Seiichi Tanabe Etsuko Tachihara Kumiko Asō Kaoru Arima Atsuko Takahata Yusaku Shigemori Takeshi Wakamatsu Wataru Kuno Ryushi Mizukami Aiko Hazuki Kaoru Okunuki Akane Ayukawa Satomi IshiharaSatomi Ishihara Seiji Kashiwada Yusuke Yamamoto Detective Yugo Koiso Ryosei Tayama Enoki Shota Sometani Fuko Ando Miori Takimoto Fumika Kamimura Itsumi Osawa Nagi Ando Kokoro Hirasawa Mitsugi Kakiuchi Takeshi Onishi Seiji Kashiwada Yusuke Yamamoto Mayu Akikawa Elaiza Ikeda Yusuke Ishida Takashi Tsukamoto Hatsuko Sobue Rie Tomosaka Ayaka Ichijō Fuka KoshibaOji Maeda Kazuma KawamuraKenshin Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
Crew