The Ring Movies: Nakata Timeline

This is the primary Japanese continuity of the Ring franchise, consisting of films directed or strongly influenced by Hideo Nakata, who helmed the groundbreaking 1998 original. After the failure of Rasen (aka The Spiral), Nakata returned to direct Ring 2 (1999), which ignores Rasen entirely and continues the story of reporter Reiko Asakawa and her son Yōichi.

This timeline explores the curse through a more psychological and atmospheric lens, focusing on Sadako Yamamura as a vengeful spirit. The prequel Ring 0: Birthday (2000) reveals Sadako's tragic backstory as an actress in a theater troupe. Twenty years later, Nakata returned to direct Sadako (2019), which is meant as the definitive conclusion to this continuity, updating the curse for the social media age while maintaining the eerie atmosphere of the originals.