History Main / RedStringOfFate

* ''VisualNovel/AkaiIto'':
* This is the literal translation of the title.
** In-game, when someone take Kei's [[SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious blood]] ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything with her consent]]), there is a short FMV showing two blood-red sinusoidal wave synchronizing with each others into a straight line, showing adjoining of destiny. [[BloodyHilarious This even become a running gag in Yumei route]]!

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny when they find their designated soulmates have run off without looking for them first-thing, leading to some one- or two-sided AbandonmentInducedAnimosity.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping, though certain dynamics are subjected to [[FanPreferredCouple shipping]] more often than others.[[/note]] The season's logo even evokes this symbolism with two half-hearts connected with a red string, and fanart often depicts the soulmate bonds as normally-invisible red strings (or at-times yellow or green [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience to reflect each soulmate pair's life-count]]).

* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': Two people who are destined to be soulmates will feel a sudden '''''ZING!!''''' when they see each other's eyes, i.e. LoveAtFirstSight.

* The third ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' NonSerialMovie "Remember My Love" opens with Shinobu Miyaki telling the story of the red string to Lum, who finds it very romantic. Towards the movie's end, Ataru is literally reminded that she exists, countering the spell woven by the movie's antagonist, when he cuts his finger on a Coca-Cola can and the streamer of blood running down his finger makes him remember Lum talking about the red string. At the movie's climax, Lum literally finds herself in a misty void and is guided to Ataru by following a red threa tied around her left pinky, which is similarly tied to his. Their reunion takes a sour note when a scared and possibly ashamed Ataru reluctantly reveals his ''right'' hand has similar threads wrapped around all his fingers. [[{{Tsundere}} Lum promptly zaps Ataru, proclaiming herself ashamed of him, and then gently calls him an idiot when she's done.]] This creates some very interesting implications about Ataru's HaremSeeker antics.

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny when they find their designated soulmates have run off without looking for them first-thing, leading to some one- or two-sided AbandonmentInducedAnimosity.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping, though certain dynamics are subjected to [[FanPreferredCouple shipping]] more often than others.[[/note]] Fanart often depicts the soulmate bonds as normally-invisible red strings (or adjacent concepts) for symbolism, and even the season logo has two half-hearts connected with a red string.

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny when they find their designated soulmates have run off without looking for them first-thing, leading to some one- or two-sided AbandonmentInducedAnimosity.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping.[[/note]] Fanart often depicts the soulmate bonds as normally-invisible red strings (or adjacent concepts) for symbolism, and even the season logo has two half-hearts connected with a red string.

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping.[[/note]] Fanart often depicts the soulmate bonds as normally-invisible red strings (or adjacent concepts) for symbolism, and even the season logo has two half-hearts connected with a red string.

* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6551793/1/Color This]] cute little ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' oneshot, titled ''Color'', where Italy is the only person who can see the strings connecting individuals indicating their relationships and bonds. [[EverythingsBetterWithRainbows But it has more colors representing more types of relationships]].

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping.[[/note]] Fanart often depicts the soulmate bonds as normally-invisible red strings (or adjacent concepts) for symbolism.

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping.[[/note]] Fanart often depicts the soulmate bonds as red strings (or adjacent concepts) for symbolism.

* Referenced in ''ComicBook/DCComicsBombshells'', with ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} likening the red string of fate to the red stitching on the baseballs she uses. [[spoiler: This turns out to be foreshadowing, as at the end of the series, she marries Maggie Sawyer, a girl she met back when they played together on the same baseball team]].

* In general, a SoulmateAuFic will usually feature this in some way. Common strings include
** ''Soulmate identifying marks'' is probably the most common. Somewhere on your body (usually not somewhere awkward) there's a mark, resembling a tattoo, that identifies your soulmate. It can be the first (or last if you feel like tragedy) words your soulmate tell you, your soulmate's name, where they'll touch you first, some symbol that represents them, a shared symbol, etc.
** ''You feel your soulmate's X'' is another common variation, where you can feel X whenever your soulmate feels the same. Usually pain, emotional and/or physical. Must be a pain.
** ''You see your soulmate in your dreams''. is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
** In some fics there's a ''literal'' red string. How the hell that works is DependingOnTheWriter.
** In ''Greyscale'' stories, the world is literally grey until you meet your soulmate (in less extreme cases, it might just be a specific color you can't see, like your soulmate's eye color).
* In the ''Manga/FairyTail'' fic ''Fanfic/OneWordToChangeTheWorld'', Bickslow's ability to see souls allows him to see these strings connecting people, though he hasn't told anyone . The strings vary from people having multiple potential love interests (Natsu, Lucy, and Cana), [[{{Polyamory}} having multiple destined partners]] (the trio of Erza, Jellal, and Simon), to having a single destined pair (Alzack and Bisca, Elfman and Evergreen, Levy and Gajeel). The one string that baffles him [[spoiler:is the string that connecting his pinkie to [[LostLenore Lisanna]], which is not only still intact after her death but pointing up to the sky. Of course, at that point [[DramaticIrony he isn't aware that Lisanna is not only alive but in another dimension]]]].
* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4139575/2/One_Small_Step One Small Step]]'', a young Naruto can't find a partner to play Cat's Cradle - a game that involves using string to create complex patterns between the fingers- (the game also functions as an exercise to prepare students for ninja handsigns). After searching for someone to play the game with him, he finds Hinata and asks for her help. The two end up tying each other's hands together (with red string, naturally), which leads to them becoming childhood friends and starting to develop feelings for each other.

** Quite a few fanarts of [[MoeAnthropomorphism America and Canada]] show a red string attached around their hands. Could be to represent their relationship which in real life is one of the closest and most productive international relationships in the world. Or it's to play up the HoYay.

** [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6551793/1/Color This cute little oneshot.]] [[EverythingsBetterWithRainbows But it has more colors representing more types of relationships.]]
* In ''[[http://www.deviantart.com/art/The-Shrine-272911191 The Shrine]]'', a ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' fic, Madoka's ribbons are pink instead of red. This is the main hint that they (and the person wearing them) are ''much'' OlderThanTheyLook.
* ''Fanfic/ToTheStars'': [[spoiler:Homura]] leaves one of Madoka's ribbons with her fellow magical girls, who consider it a religious relic and place it in the Church of Hope. The protagonist, [[spoiler:a distant relative of Madoka]], has a plot-relevant vision upon touching it.
* Alluded to in the ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' Fanfic ''Fanfic/VariousVytalVentures'' features this during the nightmare sequence in 'Hide and Seek' but ultimately zig-zagged, as red strings bind Ruby to ALL of her friends. It is interesting to note, however, that her pinkies were linked to Weiss and Jaune, two of her most prominent potential LoveInterests in the series. WordOfGod is that the author was indeed referencing the Japanese Myth with the imagery, but did not wish to commit to a particular pairing.
* Averted in the ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' fanfic, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7350817/1/Sever-the-Red-Cord Sever the Red Cord]]''. In the story, Inuyasha chooses to be with Kikyo, rather than Kagome. Brokenhearted, Kagome returns to her era and becomes a shrine priestess. A few years later, Inuyasha appears, having lived out the centuries to her era. To Kagome's dismay, her soul is linked to Inuyasha's by the red string, due to her being Kikyo's reincarnation. [[spoiler: Having no desire to be bound to the man who broke her heart, and refusing to be a replacement for Kikyo, Kagome unties the string from her finger, separating her soul from Inuyasha's forever.]]

* This is a running theme in the vocaloid fanfic ''Fanfic/RottingCamellias''. Miku visits a circus and meets with a fortune-teller who tells her that her red string is getting shorter. It makes a number of other appearances after this.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''Trouble in White'', Master Fu references this trope while pacifying a BrainwashedAndCrazy Adrien, convincing him to follow his [[MoralityPet soulmate]]'s example.
** This trope also shows up in straight form in a huge number of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fics, using every imaginable variant from literal strings to timers to shared injuries. Marinette and Adrien are ''always'' soulmates, except in Salt Fics that tend to demonize Adrien, and usually so are Alya and Nino, and sometimes other combinations.

* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'': In [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15117683 I'll be your knight (in shining armor)]], Lance has the unique ability to see the Red String of Fate and learns that Lotor is Allura's soulmate...or so [[ObliviousToLove he]] thinks. Mutual pining ensues between the Galran prince and the sharpshooter.
* ''VideoGame/WarCraftIII'': The Legendary Girl of Legend in the [[https://videogameshrines.weebly.com/warcraft-iii.html WarCraft III shrine]] invokes this trope immediately before separating from Benamin by summoning a literal red string that connects them. She informs Benamin that the string will stretch and tangle as they separate, but it will never break, thus binding them together throughout all space and time. When they reunite later in the shrine, she summons it again as a way to show her identity.
* The LemonyNarrator of ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12535080/chapters/28545276 The Darkest Hours]]'' briefly references this trope when discussing how [[Film/{{Descendants}} Mal and Ben]] fell in love with each other, with her wording implying she views it as StrangledByTheRedString.
-->''"Honestly, it was like someone had taken a double-ended red noose and throttled the both of them with it."''

* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Eric states that there is one of these between his teammates, Tiza and Nolien. After acquiring an EnlightenmentSuperpower during ''Literature/LoomingShadow'', he says "I can see it! The connection is red and strong and" Tiza shoved a biscuit into his mouth to cut off the rest. [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend She doesn't want to acknowledge their UST.]]
* The protagonist ([[OpeningACanOfClones one of them anyway]]) accidentally discovers this during the events of ''Literature/KilnPeople''. At the end of the novel, he's dropped his job as a PrivateDetective and is advertising an agency to link people with their soulmates.

* The picture book ''The Red Thread'' by the children's author and illustrator Grace Lin uses this trope to tell a fairy tale about adoption, of all things. In this case, it connects the adoptive parents and their child; magic glasses which enable the parents to see it allow them to find her. It's pretty sweet if you don't read this article first and end up thinking "Wait, isn't that the thing that they use to justify idiotic relationships in anime?"

* The Irish band the Frames have a song called "Red Chord" on their album "Fitzcarraldo" that is based around this idea.

--> ''You're a red string''
--> ''Tied to my finger''
--> ''A little love letter''
--> ''I carry with me...''
* The cellist and singer Kanon Wakeshima, has the song named: L'espoir ~Mahô no Akai Ito~ (The Hope, Magical Red String) the song talks about a girl trying to get a guy to love her and talks about the Red String as a trap for her love, the song opens with this verse:
--> ''This trap that I tended to you''
--> ''This cherry colored thread''
--> ''Fall inside, slave of my love''
--> ''You won't be able to escape''
* Music/TaylorSwift has a song named Invisible String on her eighth studio album, Folklore. The song talks about a girl singing about how the person she's with is someone she's meant to be with.
--> ''All along there was some/Invisible string/Tying you to me?''
--> ''One single thread of gold tied me to you''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]

* The flash PV of Music/{{IOSYS}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viPZZYYTSIY Make Us Your Brides]] plays with the imagery by tying [[HoYay Marisa and Reimu to Suika]].
* In the song "Adolescence" by the Vocaloids Kagamine Rin and Len, a mention is made about how it seems Rin and Len's hands are tied together with a thread.
* "Just Be Friends" by Music/{{Vocaloid}} Megurine Luka. Most of the pictures have her and another boy tied together with a red string. [[spoiler:Which just adds to the whole sadness of the video and the song...]]

* Also in the lyrics of "Envy Catwalk" by Hatsune Miku.
* [[http://youtu.be/BOpCm5FN8FM Thievery Corporation's video]] for "That Time We Lost Our Way" has [=LouLou=] Ooldouz Ghelichkhani singing while following one, with Rob & Eric playing bongos & a squeezebox nearby.

* "Are You Still Waiting" by Hee Young. She has a red string tied around her pinky at the start, and walks around the block [[spoiler:to find the guy gone and the other end of the string on the ground.]]

* ''[[TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost Changeling: The Lost]]'' uses red bands in a person's aura as a signifier of a [[MagicallyBindingContract pledge]]. When people who've made a pledge are near each other, the bands are connected with red threads.

* In ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', the long-dead Apis shifters served as Gaia's matchmakers. One power of theirs let them see the red threads that bound people with a common destiny - though they couldn't tell whether it would be good or bad.

* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games have a red ball of string as an item (called "Destiny Knot" in the English version). Appropriately, if the monster holding this item becomes infatuated, the foe that it "loves" will be infatuated as well.
* In the Anime based fighting game ''Manga/{{Naruto}}: Narutimate Hero Accel 2'', the character of Chiyo has an Ougi where her attack puppets (Mother and Father, which are actually modified exhumed corpses) are joined by a literal red string, which is then used to viciously lacerate the opponent.

* ''VisualNovel/TearsToTiara'''s CMOTDibbler Epona has a mysterious red string worth 99999 gold for sale at her shop. It turns out that [[spoiler:she was using it as SchmuckBait to get the PlayerCharacter to buy it, as it has a LovePotion effect on the people it attaches. Yes, it's [[{{Eroge}} that]] kind of game.]]

* {{Deconstructed}} in ''VideoGame/YomawariMidnightShadows''. Yui and Haru end up being bound together by a (literal) red string, symbolizing their unbreakable bond. [[spoiler:This turns out to mean bad things for Haru, as Yui's malevolent spirit is trying to attack her, and Haru literally can't break free, as the string grows back every time it is cut. It is only when Mr. Kotowari [[AnArmAndALeg cuts off Haru's hand]] that the red string is severed, and Yui's spirit is at last put to rest.]]
* The ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series references this by way of a StealthPun. Feli, who specializes in predicting the future and believes she is fated to be with her love interest Lemres, wears a red-colored ribbon on her head.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' has a Red Thread as an accessory, which increases the range of [[ThePowerOfFriendship Affinity]] between the holder and their [[LivingWeapon Blade]] (which, incidentally, is represented by a glowing line connecting the two).

* In the YuriGenre VisualNovel ''VisualNovel/AkaiIto'', this is the literal translation of the title. In-game, when someone take Kei's [[SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious blood]] ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything with her consent]]), there is a short FMV showing two blood-red sinusoidal wave synchronizing with each others into a straight line, showing adjoining of destiny. [[BloodyHilarious This even become a running gag in Yumei route]]!
** More gruesome literal example: [[spoiler: When Uzuki accidentally slash Kei with her sword, the golden-scabbard katana Ito.]]

* {{Implied|Trope}} in ''WebVideo/EmpiresSMP''. In Season 1, the first prophecy in "The Book Of Prophecies, Past & Future" states, "Kindred spirits will find each other and unite once more in this world, as they do in every other world." While who these "kindred spirits" are aren't identified in any of the source material, given the recurring trend for the characters to explain past series as reincarnation, and the real-life friendships of the content creators leading to frequent collaborations, it hints at an eternal cycle of {{Reincarnation Friendship}}s across the seasons for the Empires server-members.
* In ''Literature/IlivaisX'', Iriana created a BloodOath bond with Mille, making the string out of each other’s blood in a kind of haphazard transfusion. Since every cell of Iriana is designed to return to her, this essentially means Mille will always innately know where she is and be drawn to that location.
* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': The main gimmick of Season 3, ''Double Life'', is that each player's health-bar is linked to another, [[{{Synchronization}} if one takes damage so will the other]], and [[CantLiveWithoutYou if one dies, the other does as well]]. The official series description refers to these duos as "soulmates". Since the game doesn't directly tell people who their soulmate is, most of Day 1 was spent with everyone running around punching each other to find their partner. (And in [[spoiler:Jimmy and Tango]]'s case, they didn't find out until the latter lost his first life.) This is eventually PlayedForDrama once a couple of the players decide to ScrewDestiny.[[note]]For context, this is mostly of the platonic variant due to the content creators' boundaries on shipping.[[/note]]

* InvokedTrope in ''[[{{Literature/Takotsubo}} Takotsubo: The story of a superhero.]]'' In a flashback, the Japanese-American Roland proposes to his Chinese-American boyfriend Cord using a red string. [[BreakTheCutie Cord's talking about it in a psych ward, after Roland's death in a carjacking.]] When he finishes the story, the male nurse Thad falls in love with him.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB5KhdrUcd4 This]] (mainly UsefulNotes/FurryFandom) MultiAnimatorProject animatic, set to "Two Birds" by Regina Spektor, uses the red string to depict how the various character's lives are tied together.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door" has [[spoiler:Eda and the Owl Beast]] both shown bound at the ankle by a red string in their shared mindscape. Although it's more akin to a symbolic ChainedHeat rather than a sign of the two being in love.

* The concept is used for comedic effect in the ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' series ''Anime/TenchiInTokyo'', where Tenchi is connected by red strings to just about every major character. For the unlearned, that's [[HaremSeries around 7 strings total]]. There's a reason MarryThemAll used to be named after him.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** In one episode, Shampoo attempts to use a literal magical red string to bind Ranma to her romantically.
** Another variation occurs in a late manga story revolving around the UsefulNotes/{{Tanabata}}, where Ranma and Akane will supposedly be destined to marry if two leaves with their names on them remain intact and bound together, but they will never be if either one is destroyed. Cue Ranma having to go through hell, including [[LordErrorProne Tatewaki Kuno]] suddenly coming out of nowhere with a steel-bladed katana, to ensure that the leaves aren't destroyed or tied to the leaves of other people.
** In the song "November Rain" from one of the albums (which is basically an angsty subversion of the UmbrellaOfTogetherness trope), the lyrics strongly imply that Ranma and Akane are bound together by the Red String of Fate, even though it is currently, as Ranma puts it, "loose."
* The third ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' NonSerialMovie "Remember My Love" opens with Shinobu Miyaki telling the story of the red string to Lum, who finds it very romantic. Towards the movie's end, Ataru is literally reminded that she exists, countering the spell woven by the movie's antagonist, when he cuts his finger on a Coca-Cola can and the streamer of blood running down his finger makes him remember Lum talking about the red string. At the movie's climax, Lum literally finds herself in a misty void and is guided to Ataru by following a red threa tied around her left pinky, which is similarly tied to his. Their reunion takes a sour note when a scared and possibly ashamed Ataru reluctantly reveals his ''right'' hand has similar threads wrapped around all his fingers. [[{{Tsundere}} Lum promptly zaps Ataru, proclaiming herself ashamed of him, and then gently calls him an idiot when she's done.]] This creates some very interesting implications about Ataru's HaremSeeker antics.
* In episode 5 of ''Anime/ExcelSaga'', "The Interesting Giant Tower", Watanabe is surprised (and annoyed) to find his roommates applying for jobs at the same office building he's gone to, and Iwata quips "We must be joined together by the invisible red string of destiny!" Watanabe flips and hits him, declaring, "The red string is for boys and girls only!"
** In the same episode, Watanabe finds that Hyatt, his love interest, is at the same place selling refreshments. She gives him a drink for free, and as she walks away, Watanabe muses, "...the red string!" Sumiyoshi looks at the drink and remarks, "It's green."
** SpiritualSuccessor OVA ''Anime/PuniPuniPoemi'' parodies this with Poemi, who's attached to her friend Futaba. At that moment, Futaba and her sisters are being taken hostage by [[MarsNeedsWomen incredibly horny aliens]], and as they get dragged away in a net, Poemi is forcibly dragged to them herself. Poemi then follows the red string tied to her finger to find her friend.
* A Red String appears in a flashback of Juri's recollections of her time spent with Shiori and an unnamed male character in ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''.
* In an episode of ''Manga/ChouKuseNiNarisou'', a gay teacher who mistakenly develops a crush on Nagisa suggests to her that there's a Red String of Fate connecting them. Nagisa can actually ''see'' the string, and yells at the teacher to cut it out....
* A Red String is used as an unseen force in ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'' that binds Aoi and Kaoru together. It was part of the premise that their relationship is so unshakable that neither Kaoru's {{Harem|Genre}} nor Aoi's old fashioned and powerful family can pull them apart. It was featured in the opening sequence and referred to as Enishi (The bonds that tie) in a conversation between Aoi and Kaoru in the second season.
** Also, when Mayu first sees Kaoru again, she talks about them being bound by the red string of fate (she's been nursing a crush since their first meeting years earlier). Alas, TheMasquerade prevents Kaoru from telling her his string is already tied.
* In ''Manga/{{Nana}}'', Reira writes a song about her seedy relationship with Shin by describing it as taking the red string off someone's finger.
* Tachikawa Megumi's one-shot manga ''Music Box of Spring'' used the Red String concept; in the end, the characters' hands are cut and bleeding, and the main character's perspective shifts, seeing the blood as the red string.
* ''Manga/MamotteShugogetten'' has an episode with mystic threads that bind the fingers of the first two people to pick it up. Although they don't behave much like the threads of the legend, the reference is clear, as the first one to be used is red.
* In the manga's 139.5 omake of ''Manga/GakuenAlice'', the hands of baby Mikan and Natsume are seen as connected by a (likely red) string.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper'' concludes with Ran selecting [[WireDilemma which color wire on a bomb to cut]]; the bomber had designed the bomb to go off if the red wire were cut, having overheard that red was her favorite color, but Ran couldn't bring herself to cut it, seeing it as the red string of fate between her and Shinichi.
* Reversed in ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', as Mireille (a Corsican) muses on the connection between herself and Kirika.
-->"The thread that binds you and I is the color black, of this I am sure. Blacker than pitch...blacker than night...blacker than the darkness itself."
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': Kuwabara claimed that the way he found his love interest, Yukina, was simply by following the red string tied to their fingers. The anime provides a visual; in reality, he probably just sensed her spirit energy.

* In an episode of the "alien arc" of ''Anime/SailorMoon R'' Usagi states to her love rival En/An/Ann (urgh, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS transliteration problems]]) alias Natsumi Ginga that she is connected to Mamoru by the red string of destiny. Which appears on screen, only to have Natsumi cut it.
* ''Manga/DestinyOfTheShrineMaiden'''s opening features the two heroines tied by a red string. It appears in the show itself in the form of Himeko's bloodied bandage which twirl around the arms of both females [[spoiler:as the gods take Chikane away in the last episode]].
* The opening of ''Anime/{{Potemayo}}'' has Mikan wearing a literal red string that supposedly attaches to Sunao, and she makes it clear during the series that she believes she and Sunao are "tied" to each other.
* In ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'', as Yukari sings ''Like a salvia flower'' onstage she takes a long red ribbon and playfully wraps a part of it around Madoka, throwing the other extreme to Kyouske. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-aXx6TrfmY Here is the video]]

* In the first ending theme of the anime adaptation of ''Manga/{{Kekkaishi}}'' there is a line which roughly translates to "there is a red string which connects two people", in apparent reference to Yoshimori's feelings for Tokine.

* The first ending to ''[[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo Zoku]] Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' contains lyrics mentioning this, in their usual depressing way:
-->''I could see the red strings connecting everyone to you... I was a blue thread''.
* In the manga ''Manga/{{Wish}}'', when the main character Shuichiro confesses to his adoptive mother that he loves her, she tells him that she is not the one meant for him and that he needs to find the person on the other end of the string on his finger.
* Essentially the basis of ''Bound Beauty'', only that the characters can see the ''other'' strings of fate (White, Blue, Yellow, and Black, in addition to Red). Leads to some very surreal battle scenes.
* In ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'', the class' ProfessionalWrestling show for the SchoolFestival (don't ask) involves them threatening to cut their OldMaid homeroom teacher's red string of fate to threaten the heroine. The teacher is [[BerserkButton naturally upset]] at witnessing this and tries to attack the play. The audience assumes it's AllPartOfTheShow as the stage hands carry her off.
* In ''Manga/TheMikosWordsAndTheWitchesIncantations'', Letty ties an invisible, magical thread to both her pinky and Tsumugi's so they won't get separated. Naturally, it's red, and Tsumugi [[YuriGenre cheerfully mentions its Japanese significance to Letty and how it probably makes them lovers]].

* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'':
** The trope is name-dropped in ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' when Kikyou tells Inuyasha that the red string of fate, once cut, can't be restored.
** The final shot in the first ED sequence for ''Inuyasha: The Final Act'' shows a literal red string tied to Inuyasha and Kagome's fingers.
* While not actually shown in the anime, one of the DVD covers for ''Manga/HappyLesson'' has each one of the male lead's fingers tied with a red string and all the strings being connected to all his mothers' pinkies. He is not amused.
* The red string of fate has a much darker purpose in ''Anime/HellGirl'', where each client of Enma Ai seals the contract with her by ''untying'' a red string. This sends the object of their vengeance to hell -- and damns the client to go there too, after death. So it's still a destiny bond, but a very different kind...
* The end theme of ''Tsuyokiss'' shows each of the girls naked (it's a {{fanservice}} show) with a red string tied to one finger.
* Parodied in ''Manga/Yuria100Shiki''. The titular {{Sexbot}} fantasizes about one of these on her finger... connecting to Shunsuke's crotch. (The narration remarks that all of her fantasies end up there eventually.)
* In the ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' manga, Gauron implies that this is what [[HoYay fatefully keeps bringing him and Sousuke together]]. Sousuke does not react well to the suggestion.
* Used in an official ''VisualNovel/{{Higurashi|WhenTheyCry}}'' art, for [[http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s355/Sokumei/twin.jpg Mion and Shion]] drawn by the ''Watangashi/Meakashi'' manga artist. [[{{Twincest}} Make what you will of this.]]
* In ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'', it happened to Red and Yellow twice. Of course, said string (a Caterpie's String Shot and Yellow's fishing line) wasn't actually ''red''...but yes, pinkies and shipping symbolism were still there.
* In ''Manga/NabariNoOu'', Miharu is shown with a red string on his finger after [[spoiler: erasing Yoite]].
* Used literally in ''Manga/KoiCupid''; red strings are seen connecting people together. If necessary, the strings can be cut with magic scissors.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** We have a literal example. The titular character meets the spirit of his mother, who tells him that the reason she fell in love with his father was because, during an incident when she was kidnapped, [[RescueRomance he was the only rescuer]] who noticed that [[TrailOfBreadCrumbs she had been leaving a trail of red hair]]. She commented that her red hair was her "personal red thread of fate", leading her to her [[OneTrueLove soulmate]].
** In ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie'', [[spoiler:Hinata]] has always wanted to give a homemade scarf to Naruto [[ChildhoodFriendRomance since they were children]], after [[RescueRomance he protected her from a trio of bullies]] while he was wearing a red scarf. Even though the bullies ripped the scarf, Naruto told her to keep it, and [[MementoMacGuffin she's cherished it ever since]]. She eventually gives him the red one that he wears in the poster of the movie, as a CallBack and MeaningfulEcho to his mother's soulmate story. In the second act of the movie, he sets aside Kushina's green scarf in favor of [[spoiler:Hinata's]] red one as part of his CharacterDevelopment, symbolizing his decision to finally let go of [[DarkAndTroubledPast his painful past]] and look to a happier future, [[spoiler:with [[OneTrueLove Hinata]] by his side]].
* At the end of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'''s first season, Graham Akre claims that he and protagonist Setsuna F. Seiei are connected by this -- the fate to face each other in battle. Though he's a Westerner, Graham is a massive Japanese culture {{Otaku}} and would likely understand the reference. Setsuna on the other hand, despite his Japanese CodeName, is actually [[UsefulNotes/{{Kurdistan}} Kurdish]] and probably doesn't understand the reference at all.
* ''Shibariya Komachi'' is pretty much based on this trope, although it uses 5 different colours of thread that connect a variety of things. Protagonist Chiyako can initially see other people's red strings and takes advantage of this to make money, but ends up with the white string that binds body and soul.
* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Index speculates that the reason why nearly any girl who meets Touma falls in love with him is that his AntiMagic right hand, Imagine Breaker, negates the Red String of Fate for other people.
* ''Manga/WeddingPeach'': Played with. Momoko knits a muffler as a present to Yanagiba and {{Imagine Spot}}s them wearing it together. In the next frame a thread leads offscreen, and reveals that Yosuke somehow invaded the ImagineSpot and is also wearing it, [[BelligerentSexualTension much to her displeasure]].

** Madoka giving her red hair ribbons to [[spoiler: Homura]] before [[spoiler:[[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Ascending to a Higher Plane of Existence]]]] can be considered a reference to this trope. After [[spoiler: Madoka's disappearance,]] her hair ribbons are [[spoiler: [[TragicKeepsake the only thing Homura has left of her]] and the only trace that she ever existed]]. [[note]]Interestingly, the ribbons are a sign of both [[TheFourLoves familial love and romantic love]]. They were originally a gift from Madoka's mother, and after [[spoiler:Madoka's human self is erased]], Homura tries to give them back. Junko refuses them [[spoiler:because, after all, she can't remember she even ''had'' a daughter]]. [[/note]]

-->'''Homura:''' [[ItMakesSenseInContext They really do look better on you after all.]]
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** In ''Anime/BleachFadeToBlack'', Ichigo and Rukia's red spirit threads are linked to one another, allowing Ichigo to find Rukia when she went missing during the events of the movie. Though this is of [[TheFourLoves non-romantic love like Philia (friendship)]].
** A flashback reveals that [[spoiler:Urahara connected Isshin and Masaki together with a red spirit thread so that Isshin's influence would prevent her from Hollowfying]].
* Creator/{{CLAMP}}'s romances pretty much run on this trope. Every character in the multiverse has a destined person who - as we learn in ''[[Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle Tsubasa]]'' - they will meet in every dimension they exist in. Which, in some cases, sucks ''[[DeconstructedTrope terribly]]'' because they can't help loving that person no matter what the hell they do to them. Some poor bastards come out of that. *cough*looking at you [[Manga/TokyoBabylon Sumeragi Subaru]]*cough*
* Done literally in ''Manga/MysteriousGirlfriendX'' in the non-manga OVA story.
* ''Anime/OnegaiMyMelody'' states that beings from Mari Land and their destined human partners are connected by a rainbow-colored string. The King of Mari Land also talks about the traditional red string that connects himself and his wife.
* In ''Anime/TenchiMuyoWarOnGeminar'', Chiaia accidentally breaks Kenshi's necklace. When she can't repair the chain, she replaces it with a red cord that she wove herself, which he likes. When Lashara's OldRetainer tells her about an old custom about red strings symbolizing love, she gets really embarrassed and unsuccessfully tries to get the cord back. Later, she sees the necklace and finally realizes she has feelings for him.
* Eto in ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' is mainly nude wrapped in bandages. In a volume 5 cover, Eto wraps her bandages around Kaneki's neck, and they're initially colored red.
* ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'':
** In episode 7, Nova tells Luluco that they're connected by the red string of fate, and she finds that a glowing red string is tied to her finger, causing her to blush at the implication that their love is meant to be; [[spoiler:Then she realizes that he is not the real Nova, but Kill [=**=] Killian, who is using life fibers tied to his fingers to feed on the energy of the crowd of people who see him as the illusion of their heart's desire]].

* In ''Anime/YourName,'' the girl wears a red string as a hair ribbon and the boy wears a red string bracelet. [[spoiler: It's actually the same string.]]
* In ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'', [[EldritchAbomination Nyarko]] claims that she and Mahiro are connected by the red ''tentacle'' of fate. Given that it's Nyarko saying it, the truth of this is ... questionable.
* ''A Condition Called Love'' begins when Hinase Hotaru, a girl who's never fallen in love before, gets confessed to by Hananoi-kun, the class pretty boy whose love comes on too strong. She starts going out with him in order to find out what love's about, and the title page of chapter 2 shows them tied together by a string of fate around their pinky fingers: Hananoi-kun holds up his pinky while looking affectionately at Hotaru, who is examining her end of the string with wide-eyed curiosity.
* Parodied in ''Manga/HoshinEngi'', after Tou Sengyoku [[HasAType improbably falls for]] [[{{Gonk}} Dokoson]]. The second time she meets him (he was trying to sneak on her while she was sleeping to kidnap her) she invokes this trope... except that it's not a red string wrapped around the finger but a massive red cable with huge shackles at the ends tying his neck to her arm. Dokoson isn't amused.
* Vanessa Enoteca from ''Manga/BlackClover'' manifests a spell called the Red Thread of Fate, forming a red cat familiar named Rouge made of her magical threads. Instead of it being romantic love as is usual for the trope, the magic is based on familial love. Her spell only protects the Black Bulls, whom she deeply loves and acknowledges as her true family over her abusive mother the Witch Queen. Rouge's presence near the Black Bull changes fate in their favor, making them avoid attacks so long as it's nearby.
* In ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'', Sherlock Holmes says he can see a "scarlet thread of destiny" (subtle, Sherlock) connecting him to The Lord of Crime/William James Moriarty on more than one occasion, and he sought to uncover it so he could see where it led. They even kept the imagery on the anime promo art for the soundtracks.
* Weaponized by Ijuna from ''Manga/EdensZero'': her Ether Gear, Red Destiny, allows her to control and manipulate a series of red strings: if the binds two people together with them they will forcibly fall in love with each other... but if the string is cut they will feel endless hatred instead.

* In ''Animation/FlowerFairy'', there exists a magic pen that can be used to create a red string of fate connecting two people. You simply use the pen to draw rings around the pinky fingers of the people you want tied together, and presto, they'll never forget each other no matter what happens. [[spoiler:Xia An'an and Kukuru tie themselves together with this pen in Season 2; befitting the trope's romantic connotations, they become a canonical couple in Season 3.]]

The trope namer is an East Asian belief originating from Myth/ChineseMythology called ''yīnyuán hóngxiàn'' (姻緣紅線/姻缘红线) also known as the Red String of Fate or Red Thread of Marriage. Frequently found in Japanese works, where it's referred to as ''akai ito'' or ''unmei no akai ito''. The concept is that two people who are destined to be together are attached by an invisible red string tied by the ''Yuè Xià Lǎorén'' (月下老人, "the Old Man Under the Moon"), the old lunar matchmaker god. In the Chinese mythos, the string is tied around both parties' ankles. In the Japanese mythos, it's traditionally bound from a man's thumb to a woman's pinky finger, but it's more common these days to show ''both'' parties attached at the pinky.

** ''You feel your soulmate's X'' is another common variation, where you can feel X whenever your soulmate feels the same. Usually pain, emotional and/or physical. Must be a [[JustForPun pain]].