History Main / RedStringOfFate

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* 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?"

* In ''Series/PennyDreadful'', the protagonists eventually figure out that an ancient prophecy referring to Lucifer and Dracula's nefarious plans for Vanessa includes a figure destined to protect her from them, Lupus Dei (Latin for "wolf of god"). Her main love interest in the series, Ethan, turns out to be a [[{{Meaningful Name}} Werewolf]]. In the very first episode of the series, the two also do a tarot card reading together and he picks [[{{Because Destiny Says So}} The Lovers]] card.

* The webcomic named, appropriately, ''Webcomic/RedString''.

* At the end of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'''s first season, Graham Akre claims that he and protagonist Setsuna F. Seiei are connected by this -- [[FoeYay 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.

* ''I'm Addicted to You'' begins when Hinase Hotaru, a girl who's never fallen in love before, gets confessed to by Hananoi-kun, the class pretty boy who is very passionate about love. 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.

The trope namer is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend called ''yīnyuán hóngxiàn'' 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 god, ''Yuè Xià Lǎorén'' the old lunar matchmaker god. In Chinese mythos, it's around both parties' ankles, while in Japanese, it's bound from a male's thumb to a female's pinky finger (though it's become more common to show ''both'' parties attached at the pinky).

The trope namer is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend called ''yīnyuán hóngxiàn'' or the Red String of Fate. 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 by the gods. In Chinese mythos, it's around both parties' ankles, while in Japanese, it's bound from a male's thumb to a female's pinky finger (though it's become more common to show ''both'' parties attached at the pinky).

* 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 PrivateEye and is advertising an agency to link people with their soulmates.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has the Blood Moon, which raises once every 667 years. Also referred to as "the moon of lovers", any couples caught under its light once the moon reaches its peak have their souls eternally bound. Star and Marco are linked by the Blood Moon in the first season, after Star's then ex-boyfriend Tom attempted to use it to get back together with her. In the final season, Tom reminds the characters of this event when Marco admits to being in love with Star despite not wanting to be, revealing that the bonding is a curse that prevents the afflicted from making their own romantic choices. The duo gets their souls severed and their memory of the dance erased to resolve the situation, though they briefly muse on just [[NotBrainwashed how much of their feeling were because of the curse]].

* ''VideoGame/FatalFrameIICrimsonButterfly'' uses a non-romantic variety for the Twin Shrine maidens and wardens. During the ritual, they have a thick, red cord as a sash that is tying the two twins together. It's meant to symbolize how they were originally one person, born as two during birth, and are about to 'become one' again. Flashbacks to Sae's ritual and herself show her being made to go through the ritual with her red cord torn, since Yae was not there.

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* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4139575/1/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.

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic "[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4139575/1/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.

* Somewhat 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.]]
* In the ''[[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Avengers]]'' fic "[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/563570 But Loving Him is Red]]", Steve and Tony wake up after a fight to find themselves connected by a piece of magic red string. Later, they find out it signfies the fact that they're soulmates.

'''Shinji:''' (laughter)

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''{{Series/TeenWolf}}'', Stiles ties a red string around Lydia's finger during Season 3, while the two happen to be investigating Japanese mythology. The two are also referred to as each other's "emotional tethers". Whether the show ends up playing the trope straight is up in the air though.

* In ''[[TabletopGame/SeventhSea 7th Sea]]'', when a Fate Witch sees red strands between people with her ''sorte'' magic, those represent conflict (Swords). Blue actually represents romance (Cups).

* In ''Literature/SoundEuphonium'', Kumiko and Reina are connected by one in the season one ED.

[[folder:Picture Books]]
* 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?"
[[/folder]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB5KhdrUcd4 This]] (mainly UsefulNotes/FurryFandom) animatic, set to "Two Birds" by Regina Spektor, uses the red string to depict how the various character's lives are tied together.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has the Blood Moon, which raises once every 667 years. Also referred to as "the moon of lovers", any couples caught under its light once the moon reaches its peak have their souls eternally bonded, finding themselves forever attractive to each other. Star and Marco are linked by the Blood Moon in the first season, after Star's then ex-boyfriend Tom attempted to use it to get back together with her. In the final season, Tom reminds the characters of this event and points out that the bonding is more a curse than anything else, as it prevents the afflicted from making their own romantic choices, leading to Star and Marco deciding to rid themselves of it.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has the Blood Moon, which raises once every 667 years. Also referred to as "the moon of lovers", any couples caught under its light once the moon reaches its peak have their souls eternally bonded. When Star and Marco were linked by the Blood Moon in the first season, it granted them a keen awareness of when the other is in grave danger. In Marco's case, it also gave him the ability to freely use Star's wand without threat of moral corruption. However, the bonding is eventually seen by the characters as a curse preventing them from making their own romantic choices, and they actively try to rid themselves of it in the final season.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has the Blood Moon, which raises once every 667 years. Also referred to as "the moon of lovers", any couples caught under its light once the moon reaches its peak have their souls eternally bonded. When Star and Marco were linked by the Blood Moon in the first season, it granted them a keen awareness of when the other is in grave danger. In Marco's case, it also gave him the ability to freely use Star's wand without threat of moral corruption. However, the bonding is eventually seen by the characters as a curse preventing them from making their own romantic choices once they realize that it's in play, with the characters actively trying to rid themselves of it in the final season.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' has the Blood Moon, which raises once every 667 years. Also referred to as "the moon of lovers", any couples caught under its light once the moon reaches its peak have their souls eternally bonded. When Star and Marco were linked by the Blood Moon, it granted them a keen awareness of when the other is in grave danger. In Marco's case, it also gave him the ability to freely use Star's wand without threat of moral corruption.

Warning: [[StrangledByTheRedString Choking Hazard]]. May be related to the PinkySwear. Usually involved in ReincarnationRomance. See also FateDrivesUsTogether and ForgottenFirstMeeting. Compare LoveBeforeFirstSight and MindlinkMates. {{Soulmate AU Fic}}s use a form of this. Has nothing at all to do with StringOnAFingerReminder, which is about a character tying a string around their finger to help them remember something important.

Warning: [[StrangledByTheRedString Choking Hazard]]. May be related to the PinkySwear. Usually involved in ReincarnationRomance. See also FateDrivesUsTogether and ForgottenFirstMeeting. Compare LoveBeforeFirstSight and MindlinkMates. {{Soulmate AU Fic}}s use a form of this.

* 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.)

* Used literally in ''Manga/GanKon'': the protagonist and her goddess girlfriend have a physical red string connecting them, which they use as a weapon against enemies. The stronger their relationship at the moment, the stronger the string becomes.

* Referenced in ''Comicbook/DCComicsBombshells'', with Comicbook/{{Batwoman}} likening the red string of fate to the stitching on her baseballs. [[spoiler: At the end of the series, she ends up marrying Maggie Sawyer, a girl she met back when they played together on the same baseball team]].

* InvokedTrope in ''[[{{WebOriginal/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.

* ''[[Franchise/FatalFrame Fatal Frame II]]'' uses a non-romantic variety for the Twin Shrine maidens and wardens. During the ritual, they have a thick, red cord as a sash that is tying the two twins together. It's meant to symbolize how they were originally one person, born as two during birth, and are about to 'become one' again. Flashbacks to Sae's ritual and herself show her being made to go through the ritual with her red cord torn, since Yae was not there.