Editing Chain letter (section)

==In popular culture==
Chain letters, particularly the Fukou no Tegami type, have appeared in various fictional works, often reflecting societal awareness and anxieties surrounding them.

*   In [[Fujiko F. Fujio]]'s manga ''[[Doraemon]]'', the 1977 story "Fukou no Tegami Dōkōkai" (不幸の手紙同好会 - Unlucky Letter Fan Club) features Nobita receiving a Fukou no Tegami. Distraught about passing on misfortune, he is helped by Doraemon, who uses a gadget (the "Postal Reverse Detector") to identify the sender (Suneo) and turn the tables.<ref name="学年別ドラえもん名作選4_p90"/><ref name="学年別ドラえもん名作選4_p92"/><ref name="歴史民俗博物館研究報告20120330_p314"/> Educational analyses of this story discuss the ethics of chain letters and compare Nobita's distress with Doraemon's dismissal as representing valid responses.<ref name="学年別ドラえもん名作選4_p197"/>
*   In [[Fujiko Fujio A]]'s manga ''[[Matarō ga Kuru!!]]'', the story "Fukou no Tegami nado Kowakunai!!" (不幸の手紙などこわくない!! - Unlucky Letters Aren't Scary!) sees the bullied protagonist Mataro use supernatural powers to take revenge on the sender.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p92"/><ref name="魔太郎がくる20111005_220"/> Both Doraemon and Mataro portray bullied children overcoming the letter via extraordinary means, possibly reflecting the authors' own experiences with bullying.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p92"/>
*   In [[Jiro Tsunoda]]'s manga ''[[Kyōfu Shinbun]]'' (恐怖新聞 - Terror Newspaper), the episode "Fukou no Tegami" depicts a boy who sends unlucky letters being punished by a ghost.<ref name="恐怖新聞4_p72"/> Notably, while using a supernatural element for retribution, the story strongly dismisses the power of the letters themselves as "lies" and "nonsense", urging readers not to believe in them.<ref name="恐怖新聞4_p19"/><ref name="ムー20231009"/> Both Fujiko works and Tsunoda's story ultimately condemn the letters and punish those who propagate them, perhaps reflecting the creators' desire to dispel children's fears.<ref name="ムー20231009"/>
*   In [[Fujio Akatsuka]]'s manga ''[[Tensai Bakabon]]'', the 1974 story "Fukō no Pīnattsu no Tegami desu no da" (不幸のピーナッツの手紙ですのだ - It's the Unlucky Peanut Letter!) features letters accompanied by peanuts that supposedly cause death if eaten within 48 hours.<ref name="天才バカボン幸福論_p35"/><ref name="天才バカボン17_p83"/> (The story included a disclaimer that it was fiction and unrelated to any real peanuts, possibly anticipating complaints. Coincidentally, "peanuts" became slang for bribes during the [[Lockheed bribery scandals]] two years later).<ref name="天才バカボン幸福論_p35"/><ref name="朝日新聞19860722e_p3"/><ref name="マイナビ20160314"/>
*   In [[Momoko Sakura]]'s manga ''[[Chibi Maruko-chan]]'', the story "Maruko Fukō no Tegami o Morau" (まる子 不幸の手紙をもらう - Maruko Gets an Unlucky Letter) shows the protagonist terrified after receiving one, until her father dismisses it and tears it up.<ref name="ちびまる子ちゃん8_p108"/><ref name="非文字資料研究センター48_p18"/><ref name="マイナビ20220523"/> Given the setting and author's age, this likely reflects experiences from the 1970s boom.<ref name="非文字資料研究センター48_p18"/> Some commentators view the father's direct action as the best real-world response.<ref name="マイナビ20220523"/>
*   The plot device in [[Koji Suzuki]]'s novel ''[[Ring (novel series)|Ring]]'' (and its adaptations), where watching a cursed videotape leads to death unless the viewer makes a copy and shows it to someone else, shares the core structure of chain letters: propagation is necessary to escape personal harm.<ref name="怖い話の本_p77"/> This similarity has been widely noted by critics,<ref name="現代20220109_p4"/><ref name="ホラー・ジャパネスクの現在_p81"/><ref name="怖い話の本_p78"/><ref name="現代宗教2024_p266"/><ref name="名刀中条スパパパパン_p12"/><ref name="BRUTUS44(16)_p63"/> and the novel itself makes the comparison.<ref name="怖い話の本_p77"/><ref name="リング_p110"/> The film's popularity reportedly influenced the framing of "unlucky emails" in the late 1990s, with recipients describing them as "like Ring" and specific "Sadako mail" variants emerging.<ref name="ニッカン19990914_p28"/><ref name="新潮44(34)_p145"/>