Uzumaki (“Spiral”) is a Japanese graphic novel series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. It was first published as a serial in 1998-1999, before being published in volumes in 1999 (and later, in omnibus form). Junji Ito is one of Japan’s most acclaimed manga artists, specializing in the horror genre. Uzumaki, which uses the concept of a town cursed by a spiral to comment on human nature and humankind’s relationship with nature, is considered among his best works. It was adapted into two video games and a live-action film in 2000. A four-part anime adaptation is currently in the works (as of 2022).

This guide is based on the deluxe omnibus edition of Uzumaki (2010).

Plot Summary

Uzumaki follows Kirie Goshima, a high school girl who lives in a Japanese seaside town called Kurouzu-cho. Kirie and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito, discover that Kurouzu-cho is cursed by the spiral shape. The curse affects the bodies, minds, and souls of Kurouzu-cho’s residents, causing mass obsession over spirals. Shuichi’s father is the first victim of the curse, becoming so consumed with the spiral that he kills himself by forcing his body to twist into a large tub. Shuichi then loses his mother, who develops a phobia of spirals and destroys her body in a frantic attempt to rid herself of them. As more residents become consumed by the spiral, the curse soon hits Kirie and her family. Her father becomes obsessed with making ceramics out of Dragonfly Pond clay, which contains the souls of the recently dead and bakes into spiral shapes. Kirie’s hair grows rapidly and curls into spirals, taking on a mind of its own and towing Kirie around to feed off of the attention of others. Each time Kirie has a near-death experience, Shuichi saves her. Their bond only grows stronger over the course of Uzumaki.

The curse escalates, creating literal monsters (zombies, vampires, and snails) out of Kurouzu-cho’s residents. Trust and community values become scarce as people begin to prioritize their own desires. A series of hurricanes hits the town in quick succession, giving residents no time to rebuild. The only housing to remain are centuries-old row houses scattered throughout town. The residents are forced to cram into the row houses to survive—many of whom transform into snails not long after.

A television journalist named Ms. Maruyama travels to Kurouzu-cho to report on the series of storms and the state of the town. Her team’s car is swept off the road, and Maruyama is the only one to survive. As Maruyama wanders into town, she discovers that she cannot leave. Kurouzu-cho’s residents now live in fear, cowered in the row houses to protect themselves from roving gangs who stir up storms with their bare hands and terrorize for fun. The Goshimas (Kirie’s family) and Shuichi elect to help Maruyama escape, though others consider it impossible. As the Goshimas, Shuichi, and Maruyama strategize, they struggle to find food. They discover that the roving gangs are hunting down and eating those who have turned into snails. After arguing with a gang over their cannibalism, Mr. Goshima is swept away by a storm concocted by the gang members. Kirie, Shuichi, and Maruyama team up with another group of survivors to try and find Mr. Goshima and some food. Unable to find food, Kirie and the others are forced to eat the meat of snail people. The next morning, Kirie’s younger brother, Mitsuo, begins turning into a snail.

Kirie, Shuichi, and Maruyama resolve to smuggle Mitsuo out of town before he completes his transformation. As they venture through the mountains, they find another group of escapees. Both groups realize they end up in Kurouzu-cho no matter which path they take. The other escapees grow ravenous with hunger and eat one of their friends, who had begun to turn into a snail. Kirie, Shuichi and Maruyama break away and free Mitsuo, now fully a snail, into the mountains. The three return to Kurouzu-cho and realize years have passed since they left. The residents have since built additional row houses in the shape of an enormous spiral—the residents themselves knotted together into monsters.

Knowing she cannot escape Kurouzu-cho, Kirie resolves to find her parents; Shuichi and Maruyama pledge to help her. As the three work their way through the spiral maze of old and new row houses, Shuichi muses that Kurouzu-cho is cursed to repeat its horrors over and over again. The spiral curse occurred in the past—hence the centuries-old row houses—and will occur again, no matter what they do to try and stop it now. After a survivor tells the three that he heard Mr. Goshima was working on new pottery by Dragonfly Pond, they follow the spiral of row houses into its center. Kirie and Shuichi reach the center alone, as Maruyama is trapped by a row house monster along the way. Dragonfly Pond is no longer at the center—instead, there is an ancient stone staircase that leads underground. Hand-in-hand, Kirie and Shuichi venture down together.

On the way down, Kirie and Shuichi encounter a twisted body that pleads to be brought to the spiral’s center. He bites Kirie’s leg and clings to Shuichi’s body, causing Shuichi to fall into the underground chasm. Kirie races down the steps to find Shuichi. When she reaches the bottom, she discovers a vast, elaborate palace of organic spirals. A mass of corpses lies on the palace floor, all staring up at a spiral orb emitting mesmerizing rays. Kirie finds her parents amongst the corpses; they died embracing each other. Shuichi is nearby and calls to Kirie. Shuichi is too injured to escape and tells Kirie to go on without him. Kirie promises to stay by Shuichi’s side, and they embrace each other, just like Kirie’s parents. At the moment of their embrace, time freezes. Kurouzu-cho’s curse ends just as it begins again, spiraling for eternity.