in public demonstrations, gaining the couple fame, but backlash soon appeared from the scientific community. During one fateful demonstration, Shizuko was unable to use her power, causing the media to brand her a fraud. This led the couple into a downward spiral as they became objects of scorn. Eventually, Shizuko took her own life by jumping into Mount Mihara, leaving Sadako in the care of her relatives. In the films, Ikuma is not Sadako's father and it is implied that Shizuko became pregnant through mystical means. Her powers were put on display by Doctor Ikuma and Shizuko's cousin, Takashi, for the press. However, one journalist mocked Shizuko and labelled her a fraud. He was murdered by a young Sadako. Shizuko eventually went insane, spending hours on end standing in front of a mirror combing her hair. She predicted the eruption of a nearby volcano on Oshima Island, and her prediction came true the day she committed suicide by leaping into the volcano. She was played by actress Masako. Her American counterpart is split into two characters: Anna Morgan, played by Shannon Cochran. She was a famous horse breeder but suffered from hallucinations caused by Samara, leading to her trapping Samara down a well. She committed suicide moments after by falling off a cliff. The second one is Samara's biological mother, Evelyn Borden (née Osorio), played by Sissy Spacek. She tried to drown Samara as an infant and has been living in a mental institution ever since. Takashi Yamamura is Shizuko's cousin. Takashi never appears in the novels, being mentioned only a few times in Ring. He had a part in raising Sadako after Shizuko's suicide and operates a bed and breakfast in the south of the island. During the events of the book, Takashi is offshore to fish, returning only after Kazuyuki has returned back to the mainland. Takashi has a larger role in the films, where he is played by Yoichi Numata. He was responsible for setting up Shizuko's public demonstration and was the catalyst for the events following to Sadako's imprisonment in the well. In Ring 2, he shows regret for his actions and allows Sadako's ghost to kill him. His American counterpart is Richard Morgan, played by Brian Cox. Samara's adoptive father, Richard hates Samara for the effects of her powers on Anna and banishes her to the family barn before her death. He kills himself in