Jigoku Shoujo

Plot
The story revolves around a girl named Ai Enma. Her existence is known only by a small group of people, and most of these people know her instead by the name Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl). Perhaps something of which the existence is better known of would be the service that she is rumored to provide, though that too is far from common knowledge. It is this service for which she is known as Jigoku Shoujo.

Ai's service consists of carrying out grudges on the behalf of the people who request her service. The means of requesting her service has changed with time, with the latest means being a website known as the Jigoku Tsuushin (Hotline to Hell). This website is once again only known by a small group of people, often in the form of urban legend. It is only accessible exactly at midnight, and can usually only be seen by those who bear significantly powerful grudges. There is very little content on the website, and it consists of only a message, a text box, and a 'send' button. If one is to receive Ai's service, they have to enter the name of the person they have a grudge against in the text box, and send it.

After a request has been sent to Ai, she will usually investigate the client (the person who requested), and/or the would be victim. She often does this by supernatural means, and for various reasons, through which she decides whether to give her service or not to a client. She usually has her servants (or companions) investigate the situation, and sometimes she joins in with them too. If she accepts the client's request, she will approach the client and hand them a straw doll, which is actually one of her servants transformed. She will then explain the terms of her service, which state that if the client wishes to continue, he or she must pull the red string tied around the neck of the straw doll. After doing so, Ai will take the person who the client sent the name of immediately to hell. However, by pulling the red string, the client agrees to the condition of her service, which states that he or she will also be sent to hell, but only after his or her natural life comes to an end.

First Season
The main story of the first season revolves around two characters - Hajime Shibata, and his daughter Tsugumi Shibata. It follows them as Hajime, a freelance journalist, gets more and more interested and deeply concerned about the Jigoku Tsuushin and the one behind it.

It is soon revealed that ever since his daughter Tsugumi had an encounter with Jigoku Shoujo, she has become mysteriously connected with Ai in such a manner that she has visions of what Ai sees at some specific moments. Hajime starts investigating the matter more deeply together with Tsugumi, using the help of her visions, and soon becomes unknowingly involved in the matter.

He becomes determined to stop the existence of such a service, as he strongly disagrees with the ways in which Ai's service is being used. He believes that revenge is not the solution, and so he tries to stop others from using Ai's service, and also tries to stop Ai from giving such a service. But in order to fulfill this goal, he needs to find and get to Ai first, which in turn requires him to find out the truths and secrets behind Jigoku Shoujo.

Second Season
This season reveals some details about the past of the three servants (companions) of Ai, and introduces a new character named Kikuri, who also newly becomes a part of Ai's group. She is a character who remains largely mysterious at first. All that is known about her near the beginning is that she is no normal human being, and that she can freely travel between the normal world and the twilight realm, where Ai resides. Throughout the season, her personality and her true identity becomes more and more clear.

The main story of this season revolves around another character named Takuma Kurebayashi. He is blamed by the people from his town for causing the disappearances of people that have suddenly started in town. But in reality, this is the result of some people of the town using the Jigoku Tsuushin to send other people to hell, and then later blaming it on him. As time passes, matters become worse for Takuma, and a detective named Seiichi Meshiai, and his sister Hotaru Meshiai becomes involved. The detective and her sister believes that Takuma is innocent, and as they dig deeper to find out the truth, they get caught in the same trap that Takuma has fallen into. After all that, Ai finally decides that she can no longer just overlook the matter.

Third Season
In this season, Kikuri returns and reunites the three servants of Ai, and adds with them another new servant named Yamawaro, who accepts an old offer from Ai to become her fourth assistant.

The main story of this season centers around a middle school student named Yuzuki Mikage, who becomes mysteriously possessed by Ai at one point. She is aware of Ai's presence however, and she also has visions of what Ai sees at times. Throughout the season, her past and her links to Ai for which she has been possessed is explained.

Plot
Somewhere in the vast sea of the Internet, there's a website that can only be accessed at the stroke of midnight. Known as the Jigoku Tsushin, rumor has it that if you post a grudge there, the Jigoku Shoujo will appear and drag whoever torments you into the inferno. Very little is known about the girl - all we know for sure is that she lives with her equally enigmatic grandmother, that three magical straw dolls accompany and serve her, and that whenever a posting on the Jigoku Tsushin moves her, she becomes the Jigoku Shoujo.