Sadako at the End of the World (JP: Shuumatsu no Sadako) is a 2019 short manga series by Koma Natsumi. It's a What If? spinoff of The Ring, wherein the titular vengeful ghost finds herself in a unique situation: she emerges into a world that's become almost completely devoid of people, and the few who are left are welcoming and kind to her — either due to not knowing who she is, or simply being past caring.
Sadako at the End of the World contains examples of the following tropes:
- All-Loving Hero: Despite Sadako's scary looks and creepy behavior, Ai is happy to meet her and tries to befriend her from the moment they meet. She treats everyone else similarly.
- Apocalypse How: The world has been almost completely depopulated, to the point where humanity has dropped far below recoverable levels — in fact, the four characters in the story are purportedly the last four living people. The details, however, are left up to the imagination.
- It's not entirely clear what caused the apocalypse, but the story strongly implies that it happened very recently (and may still be going on), and that it was caused by a disease or something similar as opposed to something like nuclear war.
- It's also unclear how long the apocalypse has been happening. There's some indications that it's a fairly recent occurrence, as there's still electricity in what seems to be a fairly remote area, and Ai and Hii-chan are in fairly good health despite living alone with limited resources. Yet there are signs that it's been going on for a long time; Ai is purportedly in her early to mid-teens but can't read kanji and doesn't know what a well or a performer are.
- Ambiguously Evil: While Sadako's nature remains largely unchanged from other entries in the franchise, the context of the story puts her actions in a somewhat more ambiguous light:
- In contrast to her usual way of doing things, Sadako kills Ai, Hii-chan, and Granny in what appears to be a gentle, painless manner, which is surely less painful or scary than slowly starving to death, dying of some disease, or falling victim to whatever caused this apocalypse.
- It's also questionable if Sadako continues killing because she really wants to, or if she has no choice. While at least part of her motives for killing the last few survivors is to try and break her own curse, it's also implied that she's bound by the rules of her curse and can't really do otherwise. Moreover, while Sadako's feelings towards her actions are never made clear, the story strongly suggests that she feels ambivalent, if not conflicted or even reluctant, towards killing Ai and Hii-Chan.
- Cosy Catastrophe: While it's never revealed exactly what caused the end of humanity, the actual agent of destruction doesn't appear in the story and the characters are more or less doing fine, even if their situations are bleak and unsustainable long-term. As such, the story is closer in subject matter and tone to Girls' Last Tour than anything else in the parent franchise.
- Death of a Child: At the end of their week together, Sadako's curse kills both Ai and Hii-chan. Neither die afraid or in pain; Hii-chan dies in her sleep and Ai dies in Sadako's arms after expressing her gratitude towards her.
- Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: Yamane-san the hairdresser literally has tea with Sadako, Ai, and Hii-chan. He also figures out who Sadako really is...but ultimately doesn't say anything except to ask if meeting her is the same as watching the video.
- Due to the Dead: While Sadako doesn't bury or otherwise hold a funeral for Ai and Hii-chan, she does treat them with some kindness and dignity in their final moments and beyond: she covers up Hii-chan before she goes to sleep for the final time, she takes a moment to comfort Ai, and after Ai dies in her arms, she carries and lays Ai's body next to her sister's even though they died some distance apart.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While Sadako's true feelings towards her young companions is never outright stated, it's strongly implied that, by the end, she does consider them friends to some extent. It doesn't stop her from killing them at the end of the seven days, but she does so painlessly and treats their bodies with care, even though she has no other reason to do so.
- Face Death with Dignity: Every character who dies knows that it's coming, and accepts it without fear or complaint. They even thank Sadako for what she's done for them. The possible exception is Hii-chan, who's likely too young to know what's going on, but she doesn't die afraid either.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: After killing Ai and Hii-chan, Sadako notices her curse has not been broken despite them ostensibly being the last living humans on Earth. She quickly realizes that there is one person she hasn't dealt with yet, and it's the reader.
- Guardian Entity: Shortly after a brief conversation regarding "bad" people who might be carrying weapons, Sadako nearly kills Yamane-san on sight when she sees him carrying scissors. Turns into a humorous moment when Yamane-san is aghast at the state of Sadako's hair, breaks out of its grasp and then declares that he's a hairdresser and vows to fix Sadako's hair.
- Mercy Kill: While Sadako does kill everyone she meets on her journey, as everyone she meets is kind and helpful to her and the kids, she doesn't make them suffer horribly. In doing so, she perhaps saves them from far worse fates, like dying alone or slowly starving to death.
- The Pollyanna: Despite having lived through an apocalyptic event (whatever its nature), Ai doesn't seem to have lost her sense of wonder or upbeat, playful spirit. Downplayed in the final chapter, where she implies that at least part of her sunny demeanor was her putting on a brave face for Hii-chan.
- The Speechless: Sadako never speaks throughout the manga; she's able to communicate with other characters by using her powers to write her answers on a tablet.
- Together in Death: A post-script omake comic shows that Sadako, Ai, and Hii-chan have reunited in the afterlife, and meet up with everyone they met in their journey. And Yamane-san finally gets to cut Sadako's bangs...sort of.
- Vague Age: While Ai's age is never mentioned in the story itself, a character design sheet places her at age 14-15. In-story, however, her behavior is much closer to a kid under 10, and she doesn't seem to have much of a survival instinct for someone living through the end of humanity. Still, she's not unintelligent and has been able to at least keep herself and a toddler alive for an indeterminate amount of time.
