Ring: The Final Chapter

12 episodes · 1999

Newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) senses a strange and unnatural connection between the deaths of four young people, including his niece Tomoko, and begins to investigate.

Newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba), suspicious of the deaths of four young people—including his niece Tomoko—begins an investigation. After watching a mysterious videotape that appears to be connected to their deaths, he realizes his own life is in danger.

Newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba), growing increasingly anxious about a “curse” after having cultural anthropologist Takayama (Tomoya Nagase) analyze a mysterious videotape, asks pathologist Miyashita (Hitomi Kuroki) to examine his body.

After cultural anthropologist Takayama (Tomoya Nagase)—who was arrested as a suspect in the “curse murder” case—explains to newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) that the “cursed videotape” is actually a “psychic image,” Asakawa begins gathering information on psychic imagery. He goes to meet Takayama with the materials, but Takayama offers a deal: if he is released, he will reveal the identity of the psychic.

Newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) and his junior colleague Akiko (Kotomi Kyono), who had unwittingly watched the mysterious videotape said to kill anyone who views it, head to Izu Oshima—the hometown of psychic Shizuko Yamamura—on the advice of cultural anthropologist Takayama (Tomoya Nagase).

After watching the cursed videotape, newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) and his junior reporter Akiko (Kotomi Kyono)—who had traveled to Izu Oshima in search of clues to solve the mystery—discover Shizuko Yamamura, a psychic who was supposed to be dead. However, they are captured by her cousin Keiichiro and locked up in an abandoned house.

Newspaper reporter Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) and his junior colleague Akiko (Kotomi Kyono) discover a photograph of “Sadako”—who appears to be the daughter of psychic Shizuko Yamamura—at the home of the late Heihachiro Ikuma, a scholar who had been researching Shizuko. It is said that Sadako joined a theater troupe after graduating from high school and has since gone missing.

Akiko (Kotomi Kyono), a junior colleague, rushes to Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba), claiming that the mystery of the “Cursed Videotape” has been solved. Akiko insists that the solution must be to “show it to two people who haven’t seen it yet.” This aligns with the prediction—that “a quarter of humanity will die”—shouted by Yagi (Sawa Suzuki), the actress believed to be possessed by Sadako.

Akiko (Kotomi Kyono) takes Mai (Akiko Yada)—the sister-in-law of Takayama (Tomoya Nagase), who collapsed after chanting a spell—to see Miyashita (Hitomi Kuroki), a pathologist and friend of Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba).

Cells tampered with by pathologist Miyashita (Hitomi Kuroki) were discovered in researcher Ogaki’s office. Ogaki is a student of Hiyama, who is running against Miyashita’s advisor, Professor Nagao (Kei Yamamoto), in the presidential election. Because of this incident, Hiyama withdrew from the race, playing right into Nagao’s hands.

Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba) realizes his “misunderstanding” and, together with Akiko (Kotomi Kyono), begins analyzing the “cursed videotape” once again. From this, they deduce that the “baby” is not Sadako, but that Sadako had given birth to a child.

Asakawa (Toshiro Yanagiba), who had disappeared into an old well, developed a high fever of unknown origin and was rescued by paramedics who rushed to the scene while he was still semi-conscious. Meanwhile, Ryuji Takayama (Tomoya Nagase), who was supposed to have jumped into the well alongside Asakawa, was nowhere to be found at the bottom. The purification ritual—attended by Akiko (Kotomi Kyono)—intended to seal the well to prevent another accident was interrupted by a lightning strike.