Toshio Saeki (Ju-on)

Toshio Saeki is a fictional character from the Ju-on series of Japanese-horror movies. He was played by several child actors, being Ryôta Koyama in the original two V-Cinema movies, Yuya Ozeki in the theatrical movies and the first American remake, Ohga Tanaka in The Grudge 2, Shimba Tsuchiya in The Grudge 3, Daiki Sawada in the short movie 4444444444 and Garrett Masuda in the parody Scary Movie 4. He is characterized by his pitch-black eyes, pale skin, and the haunting meowing sounds he makes.

He can be considered the second main character in the series, behind of Kayako, his mother. His first appearance was in Takashi Shimizu's short movie 4444444444 and his haunting goes all through the Ju-On series in a house in Nerima, Japan. He is one of the fulfillers of the ju-on curse, which states that when someone dies amidst rage and intense wrath, those feelings remain at the death site and kill whoever it touches.

His next appearance was in The Grudge 3, played by Shimba Tsuchiya. He can be considered an icon of modern horror movies, having appeared in six films (with one more to be released) and one short and even being parodied in the 2006 comedy Scary Movie 4.

He has a guest appearance in Ju-on: Shiroi Rōjo and Ju-on: Kuroi Shōjo respectively, the 2009 Japanese sequels and both are played by Shūsei Uto.

History and Characteristics
Toshio is born to Takeo and Kayako Saeki, a Japanese couple residing in Nerima City, Tokyo on July 27, 1985 as seen in Ju-on: The Grudge. His grandmother is Nakagawa Kawamata and his aunt is Kayako's sister, Naoko.

He has a teacher named Kobayashi in school who happened to be an old flame of his mother's, but who never really noticed Kayako. Takeo discovers a journal in which Kayako wrote of her love for Kobayashi. Blind with rage, he obsesses over the mistaken idea that Kayako is cheating on him, and that Toshio is not his son. He attacks Kayako when she comes home and violently kills her. Then he sees that Toshio had witnessed the murder, and drowns him in the bathtub. It is also implied that he killed Toshio's pet cat, Mar, before burying it in the dirt path beside the house.

This begins a curse upon that house, in which the ghosts of Kayako, Toshio and Takeo (who is killed by Kayako soon after her murder) attack people who enter in, re-enacting the murders and following the victims wherever they go. In no portrayal of the ghosts do victims ever attempt to fight back physically.

Toshio is often seen outside of the house without clothing and as chalk-white as his mother. Also, he usually just haunts his victims instead of killing them. However, in The Grudge 2, he kills Trish by drowning her in the bathtub.

Differences between interpretations

 * In the American remake, Takeo kills Toshio by drowning him in the bathtub. He even kills the cat with a utility knife. He puts Toshio's body in the closet and seals it with duct tape.


 * In the Ju-on novel, Toshio hides in the attic from his father. Instead of coming after him, Takeo slams the cupboard door shut, leaving Toshio to starve to death. However, whilst in the attic, Toshio encounters the body (and the ghost) of his mother, so it is unknown if he did indeed starve, or if Kayako claimed him. Also in the novel, Toshio buries his own cat in the dirt, after both of their deaths.


 * In the Ju-on films, Toshio is six years old at the time of his death. In the Grudge films, he was either seven or eight years old (the online newspaper article that Karen reads states Toshio's age as seven, but a link to another online article on the search engine she uses states Toshio's age as eight).