Being the central character of the American franchise, she uncovers the Saeki house's dark past and is the only one to survive the first film.

Karen is the American counterpart for Rika Nishina, the main character of Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) though their fates differ between films, as Rika's death scene in the original film was instead given to Karen's sister Aubrey in The Grudge 2.

Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is the main protagonist of The Grudge.

In the animated short film The Grudge 1.5, Karen is rescued by a young Chinese journalist, Eason, when he arrives to the house on fire to find Detective Nakagawa, saving her before they were attacked by Kayako.

[3] Before Gellar was cast, numerous other actresses were suggested, such as Selma Blair; the two of them had previously starred together in the teen movie Cruel Intentions.