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{{work}}
== Japanese Series ==
===
The main protagonist of the novels and films, depending on the series. Kazuyuki is a journalist who investigates the [[Artifact of Doom|cursed videotape]] and has seven days to find the answer to escaping it or he will die. Aided by his friend Ryuji Takayama, Kazuyuki becomes more determined to solve the curse after his family watch the tape accidentally. He succeeds only {{spoiler|to be wounded along with his family in a car crash in the second novel, dying several days later in hospital.}}
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* [[Action Mom]]: Reiko becomes this when Yoichi watches the tape.
* [[Badass Normal]]: Kazuyuki and Reiko are willing to go to extremes to save their loved ones from Sadako's wrath.
* [[Dropped a Bridge
* [[Friend to All Children]]
* [[Ghost Memory]]: Reiko and Ryuji experience this in the film.
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* {{spoiler|[[Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome]]}}
* [[The Watson]]: Shared with Ryuji.
* [[Working
===
The secondary protagonist, Takayama is a university professor and former medical student. He aids Kazuyuki in discovering the secrets of the tape. He has a very eccentric and strange personality in the novels, claiming to have raped several women in his lifetime but never proves it. In the film series, he is the ex-husband of Reiko and father of Yoichi. Despite their divorce, Takayama and Reiko are still on good and close terms. He is more down-to-earth, relaxed but very intelligent. It is implied he has ESP powers. At the end of the novel and first film, Takayama realises the tape must be copied and shown to another person to be cured, only to be {{spoiler|killed by Sadako when she crawls out of his TV.}}
* {{spoiler|[[Back
* [[Badass Beard]]: Hiroyuki Sanada, Ryuji's actor, sports an awesome beard.
* [[Badass Normal]]: He watches the tape without regard for the consequences, and tackles an elderly man to get answers from him.
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* [[Psychic Powers]]
* {{spoiler|[[Sacrificial Lion]]: He's killed so that Asakawa knows the curse isn't over}}.
* [[Working
===
Reiko and Ryuji's young son. A quiet and polite individual, Yoichi is sent into silence after his cousin Tomoko is killed (actually being a victim of the tape.) He later watches the tape himself and becomes the motive for his parents to find the curse's origins.
* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]
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* [[Tranquil Fury]]: Don't mess with him in a state of mourning.
===
The main protagonist of the second novel ''Spiral'' and the retconned film sequel ''Rasen''. An old friend of Ryuji, Ando works as an [[The Coroner|autopsy mortician]] and ends up examining {{spoiler|Ryuji's body}}. He is in mourning after his son Takanori died and was almost [[Driven to Suicide]]. He sees the tape as his chance to finally be at peace, accepting his inevitable death although he ends up playing a bigger role in the spreading of the curse. He ends up sleeping with Mai Takano and {{spoiler|helps reincarnate Sadako, and then spreads the curse to resurrect Takanori using Sadako's DNA and fertilised eggs}}.
* [[The Coroner]]
* [[Dead Little Sister|Dead Son]]: His son died at a young age. {{spoiler|Later averted thanks to Sadako.}}
* [[Deal
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: Averted by his own fear of dying.
* [[Unwitting Pawn]]: In Sadako's plan to resurrect herself.
===
Ryuji's student and possible girlfriend, Mai becomes the main protagonist of ''Ring 2'' and investigates her teacher's death, becoming involved in the world of the cursed tape. In ''Rasen'', she becomes the {{spoiler|unwitting pawn and incubator for Sadako's resurrection}}.
* [[Ascended Extra]]: Mai only has two scenes in the first film and is elevated to a main character in ''Rasen'' and ''Ring 2''.
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* [[Promotion to Parent]]: {{spoiler|After Yoichi's parents bite the dust.}}
===
The [[Big Bad]] of the franchis, and possibly the original [[Stringy
In the novel, Sadako was thrown down the well by a rapist doctor named Nagao Jotaro. {{spoiler|However, he discovered she had Testicular Feminization Syndrome - meaning she was female, but was biologically male and had testicles.}} In rage, Nagao threw her down the well but inadvertantly created the Ring Virus with a smallpox strand he transmitted to Sadako. In the films, Sadako {{spoiler|split into two girls, one good, one bad, after she killed a journalist}} at her mother's disastrous public demonstration of her powers. Sadako joined an acting troupe but her powers went out of control, leading to the troupe members to try to kill her. {{spoiler|Sadako's two halves rejoined}} and she killed all the members, {{spoiler|including her boyfriend Toyama, before being tossed down a well by her step-father Dr. Ikuma.}}
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* [[Anti-Villain]]: [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds|Type]] [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Villains|2]]
* [[Artifact of Doom]]: The videotape. In ''Spiral'' and ''Rasen'', Asakawa's journal also becomes cursed.
* [[Back
* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]
* [[Body Horror]]: Sadako does this to her victims. Apparently her ghostly face is so terrifying that we are only shown her eye.
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* [[Break the Cutie]]
* [[Creepy Child]]: Sadako's evil twin who appears as a child.
* [[Cry for
* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Never actually seen, but is hinted to be some sort of aquatic supernatural creature.
* [[Doomed
* [[Dropped a Bridget On Him]]: Sadako's rapist discovers she has Testicular Feminization Syndrome in the novels.
* [[Evil Twin]]: Sadako splits in two during her mother's public demonstration.
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* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: She was trapped down a well - {{spoiler|and, in the movies, died thirty years later.}}
* [[Fingore]]: Sadako broke off her fingernails whilst trying to escape the well, and we see her grizzly fingers when she appears as a child in a psychic flash, and when she comes out of Ryuji's TV.
* [[Freak
* [[Killer Rabbit]]: Sadako is an incredibly cute and sweet person, well, her good self is before she turns evil.
* [[Love Hurts]]: Particularly when you {{spoiler|kill your own boyfriend.}}
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* [[Psychic Powers]]: Most notably, her nensha/thoughtography powers. In the novels, she's somehow able to alter viruses down to the genetic level.
* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: After her two forms become one, Sadako silently walks through the forest and kills all of the acting troupe members one by one.
* [[Sealed Evil in
* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Her good self was very much this before she was bludgeoned to death by the acting troupe.
* [[Stringy
* {{spoiler|[[Super-Powered Evil Side]]}}
* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: Sadako appears to have a fear of water. It is revealed in ''Ring 0'' as a child she forewarned her fellow school students not to go in the sea on a beach trip, only for the swimming team members to drown.
* [[Window Love]]: She silently tells Toyama she loves him through glass. Could be considered the series' best [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]].
===
The asshole responsible for the events in the novels, Nagao Jotaro is a rapist doctor who assualts Sadako, only to discover she has Testicular Feminization Syndrome and throws her down a well.
* [[Asshole Victim]]
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* [[Dropped a Bridget On Him]]: Nagao gets the shock of his life when he finds out Sadako has a pair of testicles.
===
Sadako's mother, Shizuko has psychic powers and the power of foresight. She gave birth to Sadako who inherited her psychic powers. After she met her lover Dr. Heihachiro Ikuma, Shizuko stood down from performing at a public demonstration of her powers and was chastised by the press, leading to a depression. She then killed herself by leaping into Oshima Island's volcano, after predicting it would erupt.
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: In the novels she killed herself whilst in a depression. In the films, after seeing her daughter kill a man, split in two and develop stronger psychic powers than her own, drove Shizuko [[Incredibly Lame Pun|over the edge.]]
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* [[Psychic Powers]]
===
Sadako's father (adoptive in the films), and Shizuko's lover. He was a university professor who became fascinated with Shizuko's powers, leading to the fateful public demonstration. In the films, after Shizuko died and {{spoiler|Sadako split in two, Dr. Ikuma drugged the evil twin and locked her away whilst allowing the good twin to live a normal life.}} After {{spoiler|both twins reunite}} he is forced to throw Sadako down the well and seal her within.
* [[Deadly Doctor]]: Averted. His actions were good intentioned.
* [[Necessarily Evil]]: He honestly believed in the need to seal Sadako away from humanity, but he breaks down in sobs after realizing the cruelty of his own actions.
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* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]
===
Shizuko's cousin and Sadako's uncle. In the films, Takashi was responsible for Shizuko's ridicule and her eventual suicide. Now an elderly bitter man, Takashi runs an inn with son on Oshima Island but his sins comes back to haunt him upon learning that Sadako's presence still remains.
* [[The Atoner]]
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* [[Villainous Lament]]: Subverted, considering he was never intentionally evil.
===
Reiko's elderly father and Yoichi's grandfather, Koichi is a very supportive parent and lives alone in the country.
* [[Badass Grandpa]]: The very fact he {{spoiler|willingly dies to save his grandson and end Sadako's curse}} is pretty badass. Too bad his attempt fails.
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* [[Fishing for Sole]]
* {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}
* [[Spanner in
===
Best friends who both become victims of the curse. Tomoko watched the tape a week before the events of the first film and is killed by Sadako, whilst Masami is put in an asylum after witnessing the latter's death. But, both become pawns of Sadako later on.
* [[Came Back Wrong]]: Tomoko's spirit was used by Sadako to make Yoichi watch the tape.
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* [[Room Full of Crazy]]: Masami gains a phobia of televisions but tries to conquer it in ''Ring 2'', only to cause footage of the video to appear on a TV, causing all the mental patients in the room to go into hysterics.
===
A journalist who works with Reiko. He only has a cameo in the first film, but becomes a major character in ''Ring 2'', helping Mai find out what happened to Reiko, Ryuji and Yoichi. He receives a copy of the tape from Kanae Sawaguchi but is too afraid to watch it. This has serious consequences.
* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: After {{spoiler|Kanae dies, Okazaki tries to delete a video recording of her only for Kanae's ghost to come out of the video and torments him for the rest of the film, creating a new curse.}}
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* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Okazaki chickens out of watching the tape, leading to {{spoiler|Kanae's death.}} However, he pays the price for his cowardice.
===
A high school student, Kanae watches the cursed tape in ''Ring 2'' and turns to Okazaki for help. She gives him a copy of the tape to watch but he chickens out. This has serious consequences for both characters.
* [[Damsel in Distress]]
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* {{spoiler|[[Our Ghosts Are Different]]}}
===
A character introduced in ''Ring 2'', Doctor Kawajiri works in the hospital where Masami is cared for. Fascinated with the existence of rare illnesses, he considers psychic powers to be just that and does not believe in supernatural occurences. He demonstrates how Sadako's powers can be removed via water, and uses this on Yoichi to exorcise Sadako's power from him. [[Oh Crap|It doesn't go very well.]]
* [[Bedlam House]]
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* [[You Fail Logic Forever]]: Dr. Kawajiri tries to scientifically explain Sadako's powers are a mental/emotional state and psychic energy can be drained near water. This is proven false when {{spoiler|Dr. Kawajiri is killed by Sadako's powers.}}
===
A police detective who investigates Ryuji's death in ''Ring 2'', Detective Omuta ends also investigating Sadako's connection to the murders.
* [[Friend
* [[Hello Again, Officer]]: Mai and Omuta meet a day after their last encounter, Omuta guessing correctly that Mai has seen Reiko and Yoichi.
* [[The Inspector]]
* [[Mind Rape]]: Gets it twice from Yoichi.
===
Sadako's love interest in ''Ring 0'', Toyama is the sound operator in the acting troupe Sadako works in before her grizzly end. He was dating Etsuko Tachihara at the time but eventually falls in love with Sadako, understanding her powers, and offering to run away with her. In the novels, he lives to an old age but {{spoiler|dies upon reuniting with Sadako's spirit.}} In ''Ring 0'', Sadako is murdered and resurrected before Toyama's eyes. When Sadako bonds with her evil twin, she is unable to recognise friend from foe and {{spoiler|murders Toyama.}}
* [[Eighties Hair]]
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* [[Understanding Boyfriend]]
===
The fiancée of the journalist who was killed by Sadako at Shizuko's demonstration. Driven by revenge, Akiko tracks down Sadako with the plan to kill her sooner or later. One event leads to another, Akiko realising there are two Sadakos and rallies the troupe members to kill the evil Sadako. This eventually leads to {{spoiler|both Sadakos reuniting and killing everyone.}} Akiko and Etsuko flee to Dr. Ikuma's house where they are confronted by Sadako, only for Akiko to defy Sadako and {{spoiler|commits suicide by shooting herself and Etsuko.}}
* [[Driven to Suicide]]
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* [[Revenge Before Reason]]
===
The acting troupe Sadako worked with in ''Ring 0''. Most of the members aside from Toyama disliked Sadako, blaming her for their strange dreams. They eventually kill the good Sadako, and are led by Akiko to kill the evil twin, leading to the two Sadakos reunion. {{spoiler|Sadako kills all of the members including Toyama.}} The most notable members are the leader Yusaku Shigemori who tries to blackmail Sadako for sex when he learns of her past; Aiko, an actress who is killed by Sadako's evil twin; and Etsuko Tachihara, Toyama's jealous and clingy girlfriend.
* [[The Bully]]: Aiko shows some qualities of this towards Sadako.
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* [[Jerkass]]: Most notably Shigemori and Aiko.
* [[Kick the Dog]]: The troupe does this to Sadako right off the bat.
* [[What Happened to
===
A mysterious figure who appears in the tape. He stands by the shore, pointing off-screen and wears a towel on his head hence his name. His identity is unknown but it is specualated he is either Ryuji or Toyama. He points Reiko to Yoichi watching the tape, and again appears hinting that she must copy the tape to save her son. He is quite the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]], once having his own Wikipedia page.
* [[Enigmatic Minion]]
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== American Series ==
===
The main protagonist of the films, Rachel Keller is an [[Intrepid Reporter]] who investigates her niece Katie's death, leading to her finding the cursed videotape, this version created by Samara Morgan. A caring and protective mother, Rachel is willing to go to great lengths to keep her son Aidan safe, but is an emotional person and easily frightened. Oh, and she's played by [[Naomi Watts]].
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** Rachel unleashes the tape onto an unsuspecting world, causing the events in ''Rings''.
** And again in the second film when she seals Samara in the well.
* [[Working
===
Rachel's ex-boyfriend and a media analyst, Noah is enlisted by Rachel to discover the origins of the cursed videotape. He is Aidan's father but doubted he would ever be a good father due to his own being a disappointment. He is {{spoiler|killed by Samara at the end of the first film.}}
* [[Badass Normal]]
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* {{spoiler|[[Sacrificial Lion]]}}: {{spoiler|He's killed so that Rachel knows the curse isn't over}}.
* [[Techno Wizard]]
* [[Working
===
Rachel and Noah's young son and quite a [[Creepy Child]]. Aidan seems to possess some degree of [[Psychic Powers]], and is contacted directly by Samara after he watches the tape. He draws [[Nightmare Fuel Coloring Book|prophetic drawings]] which lead Rachel to the Morgan Ranch. He then has one of the biggest [[What the Hell, Hero?]] moments at the climax of the film. In ''The Ring Two'', he is possessed by Samara when she wants Rachel to be her mother, making him two creepy children in one.
* [[Creepy Child]]: On par with Samara, and it becomes worse when she possesses him.
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* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: He's the one to break this to Rachel.
===
The antagonist of the series and the American version of Sadako Yamamura. Samara appears as a [[Stringy
After nearly being drowned as a child by her birth mother Evelyn, Samara was put up for adoption and became the child of Anna and Richard Morgan. However, as she grew up her nensha powers developed as well, causing nightmares for her parents. Richard banished her to the family ranch's barn after she spent some time in a psychiatric hospital. In anger, Samara used her powers to drive the family horses to suicide, also driving Anna insane. Eventually, Anna pushed Samara down a well on Shelter Mountain where she died seven days later, creating the tape in her afterlife.
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* [[Expy]]: She is based on Sadako's evil twin which appears as a little girl.
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]: Half human, half... [[Eldritch Abomination|something else]], according to her birth mother.
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: Samara is played by [[Lilo and Stitch|Lilo.]]
** Kelly Stables, best known as Will Vandom from WITCH, played Samara as a stunt double and throughout the second film.
* [[Ironic Echo]]: Rachel watches an interview from the mental institution:
{{quote|
'''Samara''': [[Power Incontinence|But I do]] [hurt people], and I'm ''sorry'' it won't stop.<br />
Later, Rachel remembers the video with a slight change in tone:<br />
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* [[Power Incontinence]]: Even before birth, she possessed [[Psychic Powers]] that exceeded her ability to control. Anyone who came close to her, man or beast, suffered horrendous hallucinations just from her being there.
* [[Psychic Powers]]: Samara has uncontrollably nensha powers, which allow her to burn images onto surfaces and into people's minds.
* [[Sealed Evil in
* [[Stringy
* [[Yandere]]: A non-romantic example in ''The Ring Two''. Samara considers Rachel to be a surrogate mother [[Because You Were Nice to Me|because she was nice to her in the first movie]], and [[Demonic Possession|nothing is going]] [[Murder the Hypotenuse|to stop them from]] [[If I Can't Have You|being a happy family]].
* [[Yank the Dog's Chain]]: Samara possesses Aidan and finally has her wish granted, to be loved by a mother, in this case Rachel. That is until Rachel drugs her and then exorcises her from her son in a bath, before sealing her again in the well. Nice, really nice. Any wonder many people [[Sequelitis|hate the sequel?]]
===
Samara's foster parents. Anna and Richard Morgan ran a family horse ranch on Moesko Island and were renowned horse trainers in the local area. After adopting Samara, Anna suffered from horrible visions caused by Samara's powers, causing Richard to banish the girl to the barn. In revenge, Samara tortured the ranch horses into suicide by jumping off cliffs. Anna eventually kills Samara by pushing her down a well, before committing suicide herself by leaping off a cliff. Years on, the visit from Rachel also leads Richard to his own death via electrocution in a bath.
* [[Abusive Parents]]: Richard in particular, forcing Samara to live in the barn and prefers the horses to her.
* [[Bath Suicide]]: Richard kills himself via electrocution in a bath. It's not a pretty sight.
* [[Cool Horse
* [[Down
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: Pretty much everyone in the family save Samara. Anna leapt off a cliff, Richard electrocuted himself in a bathtub, and the family horses leapt off cliffs thanks to Samara.
* [[Electrified Bathtub]]
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* [[False Reassurance]]: Richard tries to pull this on Rachel when she asks about the existence of Samara and the tape.
* [[Foreshadowing]]: As soon as Rachel reveals she's made a copy of the tape, Richard realizes that killing her right then and there with a hook won't keep the curse from spreading.
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: Richard is played by Brian Cox who has appeared in other films dealing with creepy children including [[X
* [[Horse Racing]]
* [[Ironic Echo]]: When Richard refers to all reporters (and Rachel in particular) as unable to leave well enough alone, "spreading the sickness" via their investigations. Which is exactly what Rachel did with Samara's curse.
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* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: Richard ("MY WIFE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE A CHILD!")
===
Samara's birth mother. Having possibly mentally unstable prior to child birth, Evelyn was young when she gave birth to Samara and lived in a hospital run by nuns. However, Samara did not cry unless put near water. Evelyn claimed Samara was possessed by a demon and was told by her daughter to drown her in order to save her. She attempted this but was stopped by the nuns and carted off to an asylum. She appears in ''The Ring Two'', and cryptically tells Rachel how to exorcise Samara from Aidan.
* [[Bedlam House]]
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: Evelyn is played by [[Carrie|Sissy Spacek]].
** Her younger self is played by [[Mary Elizabeth Winstead]].
* [[Madness Mantra]]: The melody she hums to herself, which is [[Leitmotif|the American series' theme tune]].
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* [[Patron Saint]]: According to an orderly at the asylum, Evelyn is visited by young mothers for guidance.
===
Editor-in-chief of the Daily Astorian newspaper, Max Rourke becomes Rachel's ally in ''The Ring Two''. He is very sceptical about Samara's existence and powers, but the strange goings on changes his mind. He is eventually killed by Samara.
* [[Da Editor]]
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* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]
===
Best friends who discuss the rumours of the cursed videotape. Katie is Rachel's 16-year old niece and close to her and Aidan. Katie reveals to Becca that she and three other students, Josh, Stacey and Scott, went to Shelter Mountain where they became the first viewers of the tape. Minutes later, Katie is killed by Samara. Her death leads to the events of the film. Becca witnessed her friend's death and was institutionalised, possibly gaining psychic powers in the process.
* [[Bedlam House]]: Poor Becca ends up in one after seeing Samara kill Katie, and has a fear of televisions.
* [[Haunted Technology]]: Katie has to deal with a TV that turns itself on, and the fridge door which opens by itself too.
* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: Katie's actress [[Amber Tamblyn]] later stars in ''The Grudge 2'' several years later.
* [[Nightmare Fuel Coloring Book]]: Katie draws sketches of images in her head in her work book, eventually writing "Why is this in my head!?"
** She also scribbled "hair" over the faces in a fashion magazine, making all the models look like Samara.
* [[Peek
** Katie's facial fate is hinted at in the final frames of the opening scene when the camera zooms at her face - it distorts.
* [[Power Born of Madness]]: Becca appears to gain some form of [[Psychic Powers]], predicting the number of days Rachel has to live.
* [[Victim of the Week]]: Katie fills this along with three others, or four if you count Becca as witnessing her death.
===
After Rachel released the tape into the public, copies were made among teenager groups, creating a teenage cult called "Rings" as seen in the short film of the same name. These [[Secret Circle of Secrets|Secret Circles of Secrets]] involve about five people, each person watching the tape to see how long they can last with the supernatural symptoms of the curse, whilst recording what they see. If they panic or give up, they can pass the tape to the next member, and so on. Very few rings have seen anyone get beyond Day 7, and the Astorian Ring seem very determined to do that, particularly with their newest member Jake.
* [[Asshole Victim]]: Subverted for Jake, who desperately tries to trick his friend Emily to watch the tape only for her to close her eyes when watching it.
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* [[Secret Circle of Secrets]]
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