# The Ring (franchise)

Ring (Japanese: リング, romanized: Ringu), also known as The Ring, is a media franchise, based on the novel series of the same name written by Koji Suzuki. The franchise includes eight 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 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 supposed 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

In 1998, Hideo Nakata made a new Japanese adaptation of the book in his film Ring (also known as The Ring or 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.
The first sequel to the 1998 film was Rasen (also known as The Spiral or simply Spiral). 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 a critical and commercial failure compared with the first film. It was directed by George Iida, who had previously worked as the writer for the television film, Ring (1995).
A new 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. It was created to be a replacement sequel for Ring, as the actual sequel Rasen was a box office bomb.
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 Rasen/Spiral, ignoring the film Ring 2 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 Rasen. 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 another sequel to Rasen/Spiral following Sadako 3D and Sadako 3D 2.

### Television

The first adaption of Ring was the Japanese television film Ring (with one unedited 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 titled Rasen was made, consisting of 13 episodes.

### Manga

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | North American release date | North American ISBN |
| 01 | December 22, 1999 | 978-4048531610 | November 16, 2004 | — |
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 by Hiroshi Takahashi and 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 Spiral (らせん, Rasen), is based on the novel and film of the same name. The manga was written by Koji Suzuki, 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 Birthday (バースデイ, Bāsudei), is based on the novel of the same name. The manga was written by Koji Suzuki, 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, named Ring 0, based on the film of that name, was also written by Hiroshi Takahashi 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.
The seventh, named 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, named 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.
The Ring :
| 1995 | Ring: Kanzenban |
| 1996–1997 |
| 1998 | Ring |
| 1998 | Spiral |
| 1999 | Ring 2 |
| 1999 | Ring: The Final Chapter |
| 1999 | The Ring Virus (Korean remake) |
| 1999 | Rasen (TV series) |
| 2000 | Ring 0: Birthday |
| 2001 |
| 2002 | The Ring |
| 2003–2004 |
| 2005 | The Ring Two |
| 2006–2011 |
| 2012 | Sadako 3D |
| 2013 | Sadako 3D 2 |
| 2014–2015 |
| 2016 | Sadako vs. Kayako |
| 2017 | Rings |
| 2018 |
| 2019 | Sadako |
| 2020–2021 |
| 2022 | Sadako DX |

## 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 Ring, it is, like Ring: Kanzenban, very 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 sequels were made, including a short film.
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.

### Future

In September 2019, The Grudge 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 $^Y$ indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
   * A $^P$ indicates the actor or actress portrayed their film character as possessed by another.
   * An $^A$ indicates an appearance through archival footage.
   * A $^C$ indicates a cameo appearance.
   * A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
| Character | Ring | Spiral | Ring 2 | Ring 0: Birthday | Sadako 3D | Sadako 3D 2 | Sadako | Sadako DX |
| Character | 1998 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2012 | 2013 | 2019 | 2022 |
| Sadako Yamamura mysterious girl | Rie Inō | Hinako SaekiMiki Nakatani | Rie InōMebuki Tsuchida | Yukie Nakama | Ai Hashimoto | Satomi Ishihara | Himeka Himejima | Computer-generated imagery |
| Shizuko Yamamura | Masako | Masako$^A$ | Masako | Masako | | | | |
| Mai Takano | Miki Nakatani | Miki Nakatani | Miki Nakatani | | | | | |
| Dr. Heihachiro Ikuma | Daisuke Ban | Daisuke Ban | | Daisuke Ban | | | | |
| Takashi Yamamura | Yoichi Numata | | Yoichi Numata | Mahito Ohba | | | | |
| Reiko Asakawa | Nanako Matsushima | Nanako Matsushima | Nanako Matsushima | | | | | |
| Ryuji Takayama | Hiroyuki Sanada | Hiroyuki Sanada | Hiroyuki Sanada | | | | | |
| Masami Kurahashi | Hitomi Satō | | Hitomi Satō | | | | Hitomi Satō | |
| Yoichi Asakawa | Rikiya Otaka | Rikiya Otaka | Rikiya Otaka | | | | | |
| Okazaki | Yūrei Yanagi | | Yūrei Yanagi | | | | | |
| Takanori Ando | | Ryûichi Sugahara | | | Koji Seto | Koji Seto | | |
| Akane Ayukawa | | | | | Satomi Ishihara Yuna Taira | Satomi Ishihara | | |
| Seiji Kashiwada | | | | | Yusuke Yamamoto | Yusuke Yamamoto | | |
| Detective Yugo Koiso | | | | | Ryosei Tayama | Ryosei Tayama | | |
| Tomoko Ōishi | Yūko Takeuchi | | | | | | | |
| Yoshino | Yutaka Matsushige | Yutaka Matsushige | | | | | | |
| Kōichi Asakawa | Katsumi Muramatsu | Katsumu Muramatsu | | | | | | |
| Mitsuo Ando | | Koichi Sato | | | | | | |
| Miyashita | | Shingo Tsurumi | | | | | | |
| Shashin Gakari | | Kozo Sato | | | | | | |
| Department Store Manager | | Kôji Suzuki | | | | | | |
| Kanae Sawaguchi | | | Kyoko Fukada | | | | | |
| Ishi Kawajiri | | | Fumiyo Kohinata | | | | | |
| Detective Keiji Omuta | | | Kenjirō Ishimaru | | | | | |
| Hiroshi Toyama | | | | Seiichi Tanabe | | | | |
| Etsuko Tachihara | | | | Kumiko Asō | | | | |
| Kaoru Arima | | | | Atsuko Takahata | | | | |
| Akiko Miyaji | | | | Yoshiko Tanaka | | | | |
| Enoki | | | | | Shota Sometani | | | |
| Fuko Ando | | | | | | Miori Takimoto | | |
| Fumika Kamimura | | | | | | Itsumi Osawa | | |
| Mayu Akikawa | | | | | | | Elaiza Ikeda | |
| Yusuke Ishida | | | | | | | Takashi Tsukamoto | |
| Hatsuko Sobue | | | | | | | Rie Tomosaka | |
| Ayaka Ichijō | | | | | | | | Fuka Koshiba |
| Oji Maeda | | | | | | | | Kazuma Kawamura |
| Kenshin | | | | | | | | Hiroyuki Ikeuchi |

### Crew

| Crew/Detail | Ring | Spiral | Ring 2 | Ring 0: Birthday | Sadako 3D | Sadako 3D 2 | Sadako | Sadako DX |
| Crew/Detail | 1998 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2012 | 2013 | 2019 | 2022 |
| Director | Hideo Nakata | George Lida | Hideo Nakata | Norio Tsuruta | Tsutomu Hanabusa | Tsutomu Hanabusa | Hideo Nakata | Hisashi Kimura |
| Producer(s) | Shinya Kawai Taka Ichise Takenori Sento | Takashige Ichise Shinya Kawai Takenori Sento | Takashige Ichise Shin Ishihara | Shinji Ogawa Masao Nagai Takasige Ichise | Atsuyuki Shimoda | Reiko Imayasu | | |
| Writer(s) | Screenplay by Hiroshi Takahashi Based on Ring by Koji Suzuki | Screenplay by George Lida Based on Spiral by Koji Suzuki | Story by Koji Suzuku | Screenplay by Hiroshi Takahashi Based on Lemon Heart from Birthday by Koji Suzuki | Screenplay by Koji Suzuku Tsutomu Takahashi Based on S by Koji Suzuki | Screenplay by Daisuke Hosaka Noriaki Sugihara Based on S by Koji Suzuki | Screenplay by Noriaki Sugihara Based on Tide by Koji Suzuki | Screenplay by Yuya Takahashi |
| Composer | Kenji Kawai | La Finca | Kenji Kawai | Shinichiro Ogata | Kenji Kawai | Kenji Kawai | | |
| Cinematographer | Junichiro Hayashi | Makoto Watanabe | Hideo Yamamoto | Takahide Shibanushi | Nobushige Fujimoto | Nobushige Fujimoto | | |
| Editor(s) | Nobuyuki Takahashi | Hirohibe Abe | Nobuyuki Takahashi | Hiroshi Sunaga | | | | |
| Production companies | Ring/Spiral Production Committee | Ring/Spiral Production Committee | Asmik Ace Entertainment | Ring 0 Production Group Production | Kadokawa Shoten | Tohokushinsha Film | Kadokawa | |
| Distributor | Toho | Toho | Toho | Toho | Kadokawa Shoten | Kadokawa Shoten | Kadokawa | |
| Release date | January 31, 1998 | January 31, 1998 | January 23, 1999 | January 22, 2000 | May 12, 2012 | August 30, 2013 | March 24, 2019 | October 28, 2022 |
| Running time | 95 minutes | 98 minutes | 95 minutes | 99 minutes | 96 minutes | 96 minutes | 99 minutes | TBD |

## American cast and crew
### Cast

   * A $^Y$ indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
   * A $^V$ indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
   * A $^P$ indicates the actor or actress portrayed their film character as possessed by another.
   * An $^A$ indicates an appearance through archival footage.
   * A $^C$ indicates a cameo appearance.
   * A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
| Characters | Main films | Main films | Main films | Main films | Short film |
| Characters | The Ring | The Ring Two | The Ring Two | Rings | Rings |
| Characters | 2002 | 2005 | 2005 | 2017 | 2005 |
| Samara Morgan | Daveigh Chase | Daveigh Chase$^A$ | Daveigh Chase$^A$ | Daveigh Chase$^A$ | Kelly Stables |
| Samara Morgan | Daveigh Chase | David Dorfman$^P$ | Bonnie Morgan | Bonnie Morgan | | Kelly Stables |
| Samara Morgan | Kelly Stables | David Dorfman$^P$ | Kelly Stables | Zoe Pessin$^V$ Matilda Lutz$^P$ | Kelly Stables |
| Kelly Stables ||
| Anna Morgan | Shannon Cochran | Shannon Cochran | Shannon Cochran | Shannon Cochran | Shannon Cochran |
| Rachel Keller | Naomi Watts | Naomi Watts | Naomi Watts | | Naomi Watts | Naomi Watts | Naomi Watts |
| Aidan Keller | David Dorfman | David Dorfman | David Dorfman | | |
| Noah Clay | Martin Henderson | | | | |
| Richard Morgan | Brian Cox | | | | |
| Ruth Embry | Lindsay Frost | | | | |
| Katherine "Katie" Embry | Amber Tamblyn | | | | |
| Rebecca "Becca" Kotler | Rachael Bella | | | | |
| Evelyn Borden (née Osorio) | | Sissy SpacekMary Elizabeth Winstead$^Y$ | Sissy SpacekMary Elizabeth Winstead$^Y$ | Kayli Carter | |
| Jake Pierce | | Ryan Merriman | Ryan Merriman | | Ryan Merriman |
| Emily | | Emily VanCamp | Emily VanCamp | | Emily VanCamp |
| Eddie | | Justin Allen$^{VC}$ | Justin Allen$^{VC}$ | | Justin Allen |
| Max Rourke | | Simon Baker | Simon Baker | | |
| Dr. Emma Temple | | Elizabeth Perkins | Elizabeth Perkins | | |
| Galen Burke | | | | Vincent D'Onofrio | |
| Julia | | | | Matilda Lutz | |
| Holt Anthony | | | | Alex Roe | |
| Gabriel Brown | | | | Johnny Galecki | |
| Skye Johnston | | | | Aimee Teegarden | |
| Carter | | | | Zach Roerig | |
| Faith | | | | Laura Slade Wiggins | |
| Kelly | | | | Lizzie Brocheré | |
| Vanessa | | | | | Alexandra Breckenridge |
| Timothy "Tim" Rivers | | | | | Josh Wise |

### Crew

| Crew/Detail | Main films | Main films | Main films | Short film |
| Crew/Detail | The Ring | The Ring Two | Rings | Rings |
| Crew/Detail | 2002 | 2005 | 2017 | 2005 |
| Director | Gore Verbinski | Hideo Nakata | F. Javier Gutiérrez | Jonathan Liebesman |
| Producer(s) | Walter F. Parkes Laurie MacDonald | Walter F. Parkes Laurie MacDonald | Walter F. Parkes Laurie MacDonald | Jeanette Volturno Arnon Manor |
| Writer(s) | Screenplay by Ehren Kruger Based on Ring by Koji Suzuki | Ehren Kruger | Screenplay by David Loucka Jacob Aaron Estes Akiva Goldsman Story by David Loucka Jacob Aaron Estes Based on Spiral by Koji Suzuki | Screenplay by Ehren Kruger Story by Jonathan Liebesman |
| Composer | Hans Zimmer | Henning Lohner Martin Tillman | Matthew Margeson | Hans Zimmer |
| Director of photography | Bojan Bazelli | Gabriel Beristain | Sharone Meir | Lukas Ettlin |
| Editor(s) | Craig Wood | Michael N. Knue | Jeremiah O'Driscoll Steve Mirkovich | Sheila Moreland |
| Production companies | BenderSpink Parkes/MacDonald Productions | BenderSpink Parkes/MacDonald Productions | Parkes/MacDonald + Imagenatation Vertigo Entertainment | BenderSpink Parkes/MacDonald Productions |
| Distributor | DreamWorks Pictures | DreamWorks Pictures | Paramount Pictures | DreamWorks Pictures |
| Release date | October 18, 2002 | March 18, 2005 | February 3, 2017 | March 8, 2005 |
| Running time | 115 minutes | 110 minutes | 102 minutes | 17 minutes |

## Reception

The original 1991 novel Ring sold 500,000 copies by January 1998, and 1.5 million copies by July 2000.

### Box office performance

Japanese films :
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office gross | Box office gross | Budget |
| Film | Release date | Japan | South Korea | Other territories | Budget |
| Ring | January 31, 1998 | ¥1,700,000,000 | ₩341,970,000 | $6,261,738 | $1.5 million |
| Rasen (Spiral) | January 31, 1998 | ¥1,700,000,000 | ₩25,482,000 | — | ? |
| Ring 2 | January 23, 1999 | ¥3,570,000,000 | ₩771,180,000 | $117,493 | ? |
| Ring 0: Birthday | January 22, 2000 | ¥1,600,000,000 | ₩40,642,000 | — | ? |
| Sadako 3D | May 12, 2012 | ¥1,350,000,000 | ₩1,128,635,032 | $3,486,438 | ? |
| Sadako 3D 2 | August 30, 2013 | ¥688,494,993 | ₩92,668,200 | $1,375,682 | ? |
| Sadako vs. Kayako | June 18, 2016 | ¥1,000,000,000 | ₩202,716,000 | $704,922 | ? |
| Sadako | May 24, 2019 | ¥164,000,000 | — | — | ? |
| Regional total | | ¥11,772,494,993 ($142,079,440) | ₩2,603,293,232 ($2,367,292) | $11,946,273 | $1.5 million+ |
| Worldwide total | | $156,495,481 | $156,495,481 | $156,495,481 | | $1.5 million+ |
American films :
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office gross | Box office gross | Budget | Ref. |
| Film | Release date | North America | Other territories | Worldwide | Budget | Ref. |
| The Ring | October 18, 2002 | $129,128,133 | $120,220,800 | $249,348,933 | $48 million | |
| The Ring Two | March 18, 2005 | $76,231,249 | $87,764,700 | $163,995,949 | $50 million | |
| Rings | February 3, 2017 | $27,793,018 | $55,287,872 | $83,080,890 | $25 million | |
| Total | Total | $233,152,400 | $263,273,372 | $496,425,772 | $123 million | |
South Korean film :
| Film | Release date | Box office gross (South Korea) | Budget |
| The Ring Virus | June 12, 1999 | ₩1,994,124,000 ($1,689,326) | ? |
Total :
| Japanese films | American films | South Korean film | Box office total |
| $156,495,481 | $496,425,772 | $1,689,326 | $654,610,579 |

### Critical and audience response

| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
| Ring | 98% (43 reviews) | — | — |
| Ring 2 | 0% (13 reviews) | — | — |
| The Ring | 71% (209 reviews) | 57 (36 reviews) | B− |
| The Ring Two | 21% (188 reviews) | 44 (37 reviews) | C+ |
| Sadako vs. Kayako | 50% (22 reviews) | — | — |
| Rings | 8% (116 reviews) | 25 (23 reviews) | C− |
| Sadako | 23% (26 reviews) | — | — |
In his review of Sadako (2019), the film critic and psychoanalyst Pieter-Jan Van Haecke remarked that while Sadako does not work as a horror film, the atmospheric tension that marks the films turn the film into an enjoyable experience.

## Unofficial films

In 2015, Hikiko-san vs Sadako (or simply Hikiko vs Sadako), directed by Nagaoka Hisaaki was released. While the DVD cover features a character resembling Sadako emerging from a well, the character in the film is named Sadako Takamura.
In 2016 and 2017, Bunshinsaba vs. Sadako and Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 2, both directed by River Huang, a crossover with the Bunshinsaba film series, were released. In 2021, the third film in the series, formerly known as Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 3, was renamed Bunshinsaba: Hoichi the Earless (because of the addition of Kuman thong to the Chinese Bunshinsaba series' star Bixian the Pen Fairy and Sakado). It, too, was directed by River Huang.
The Return of Sadako, released in 2018, was the first stand-alone Chinese Ring film to be made following the crossover film Bunshinaba vs. Sadako in 2016; produced by Scarecrow Pictures, the film's killers are renamed as sisters Sadako and Kawako, who flee to China alongside their father after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, before turning against one another for the love of a Japanese boy; years later a projector is discovered in their house with their souls imprinted upon it. Though the film was marketed as an unofficial sequel to Sadako 3D 2, it is in-fact a remake.
Sadako: Pendant of Mourning is scheduled to be released on Amazon Prime Video on September 13, 2024.