Uzumaki

The town of Kurouzu-cho is gripped by a pervasive spiral phenomenon that twists citizens' bodies and minds. Kirie and Shuichi watch as people grow obsessed with spirals and as the environment churns with whirlwinds and whirlpools. The lighthouse and surrounding landscape begin to show eerie spiral signs.

Shuichi becomes reclusive after both parents die under the spiral powers. He begins to sense when the curse takes hold, a talent that others dismiss as superstition until the next paranormal effect makes it obvious. His warnings often go unheeded until the spiral effects become undeniable.

Kirie's hair curls into an unnatural spiral and drains her life energy, hypnotizing others who gaze upon it. She struggles to cut the spirals away, but the strands lash back and nearly choke her. Shuichi finally cuts her hair to save her.

As the town deteriorates, the spiral curse triggers violent whirlwinds that devastate buildings. Typhoons ruin much of Kurouzu-cho, and the abandoned lighthouse burns as if turned into a furnace by the curse. The landscape itself seems to ignite with spirals.

The remaining buildings are the ancient abandoned row houses, which residents cram into as the curse widens. The houses are expanded and connected into a massive labyrinth that coils through the town. The curse's power grows louder, with strange noises and whirls signaling its reach.

Kirie and Shuichi rally the townspeople to flee Kurouzu, but their attempt fails as the spiral's power intensifies. They return to the town to find that years have passed since they left, and the row houses have expanded into a vast labyrinth. Time speeds up away from the center as more people are drawn into the spiral.

Kirie and Shuichi decide to seek Kirie's parents, trekking through the labyrinth until they arrive at Dragonfly Pond. The pond drains to reveal a spiral staircase that descends toward the center. The path into the heart of the curse becomes visible.

Shuichi is hurled down into the pit by a mutated citizen and Kirie descends after him. She slips but survives thanks to the ground beneath her being formed from countless bodies arranged in spirals. The two continue their descent toward the deeper city.

Kirie finds her parents among the petrified citizens, along with many others turned to stone within the spiraling city. The ancient spirals surround them as the city itself appears to possess a will of its own, controlling the curse from within. The petrified figures are set in poses facing the spiral city.

Shuichi notes that the stone-form citizens facing the spiral city indicate the city is the true source of the curse, a sentient structure with its own will. The spiraling city seems to periodically expand and curse the land above as it constructs new horrors the townspeople can witness.

Shuichi urges Kirie to leave because he can no longer walk and believes the curse will end soon, but she refuses to abandon him. They embrace as their bodies twist and intertwine, symbolizing acceptance of the never-ending curse. Their resolve hardens as they face the spiral center together.

A stone tower shaped like a drill bit rises from the spiral city, becoming the centerpiece of the ruined town. The couple lies together as the curse ends at the center, and time speeds up away from the center but freezes there, implying the spiral's eternal repetition when a new Kurouzu is built.