Ring 2

Police retrieve Sadako Yamamura's body from the well and have her identified by Takashi. Detective Omuta informs them that Sadako survived in the well for 30 years. Takashi buries the remains at sea in an attempt to atone for his past and for his wife's suicide.

Ryuji Takayama dies suddenly, followed by Koichi, Reiko's father. The police begin searching for Reiko and her son Yoichi as part of the case. The deaths motivate the investigation into the urban legend surrounding the cursed tape.

Mai Takano and Okazaki discover a burned videotape in Reiko's apartment, linking the deaths to the cursed tape. Mai senses that Reiko's father may have died in a manner similar to Ryuji. The tape becomes the thread that connects the victims.

Okazaki meets Kanae Sawaguchi, who provides him with a copy of the cursed tape and reveals she watched it herself. She warns that time is limited before the curse claims another victim. Okazaki hides the tape in his desk as he contemplates the warning.

Masami Kurahashi becomes mute and terrified of televisions after witnessing Tomoko's death. Dr. Oisho Kawajiri, Masami's doctor and a paranormal researcher, tries to exorcise the psychic energy through experimental means. The hospital becomes a focal point for attempts to manage the haunting.

Masami's psychic presence triggers Sadako to materialize on the television, terrifying the patients. Mai steps in as a potential conduit and recognizes Yoichi's psychic struggles. The hospital atmosphere intensifies the connection between the living and the cursed spirit.

Mai locates Yoichi and Reiko in a shopping mall; Yoichi has grown increasingly mute and his psychic abilities have intensified. Reiko asks Kawajiri for help to manage Yoichi's powers. The group heads back toward medical care to pursue a solution.

Returning to the hospital, Mai learns that Okazaki has inadvertently led the police to Kawajiri, who has informed them of Mai's contact with Reiko. The investigation expands its focus to Kawajiri's experiments and the sources of the psychic energy. The case narrows toward a paranormal cause rather than a conventional crime.

Kawajiri, Mai, Okazaki, and Omuta observe an experiment to exorcise the energy by projecting Masami's mental imagery onto a blank tape. Instead, the cursed videotape's imagery reappears, confirming the link between Masami and the curse. Mai destroys the dangerous recording to prevent further spread.

Omuta tortures Mai to reveal where Reiko and Yoichi are hiding, forcing her to view Kanae Sawaguchi's fear-contorted corpse. The emotional toll deepens Mai's guilt and heightens the sense of danger pursuing the victims. The pursuit closes in on them.

Mai telepathically urges Yoichi to flee the police station, and the boy escapes with Reiko. Reiko is struck and crushed beneath a truck during the escape, leaving Yoichi on the run with Mai. The haunting continues as fear gives way to violent consequences.

Okazaki attempts to delete his Kanae interview, but Kanae's ghost materializes and haunts him, signaling that the curse reaches those who helped spread it. The supernatural threat expands beyond the living to torment the investigators. The cycle of fear intensifies.

Mai and Yoichi relocate to Oshima Island and stay at the Yamamura Inn to seek safety away from the city. The remote setting offers a glimmer of respite as they search for a way to break the curse. The two prepare for a final confrontation with Sadako's fury.

Dr. Kawajiri arrives to exorcise Yoichi by redirecting the energy into a pool with Mai as conduit, a plan intended to neutralize Sadako. The attempt goes awry as Sadako's coffin materializes in the pool, prompting a fatal plunge by Takashi and Kawajiri. The living and the dead collide in a fatal ritual.

Mai and Yoichi fall into the pool and find themselves inside the well, where Ryuji's ghost absorbs Yoichi's fear and guides Mai to safety. Sadako's ghost appears and questions why only Mai survived. They finally emerge from the well, seemingly free of fear.