Koukaku Kidoutai: The Ghost in the Shell

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The year is 2029. The world has endured four world wars and ushered in a new age of technological advancement that has largely transformed society as humanity knows it. Cybernetic enhancements, robotic AIs, and cyborgs have now become the norm in a world where humans are more machine than man. However, with this modern change, crime started evolving as well: hackers, corrupt officials, and other opportunists have found ways to sneak into innovative systems for their own personal agendas.

In Japan, where such crimes run rampant, the government establishes Section 9—a clandestine team of highly trained operatives—to counter these threats. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a woman of impenetrable caliber and bravado, leads Section 9 on its mission to tackle cyberterrorism and ensure that the nation's stability does not falter in the pace of the rapidly progressing future.

Koukaku Kidoutai: The Ghost in the Shell was published in Japan as an English-Japanese bilingual edition by Kodansha on September 6, 2002. The series was released in English by Dark Horse Comics into eight comic issues from March 1, 1995, to October 1, 1995, and later into a single volume on December 1, 1995. An uncensored version was published on October 6, 2004. Kodansha Comics USA republished the censored version on October 13, 2009. It was also released in Brazilian Portuguese by Editora JBC in December 2016.

A video game based on the series was released on the PlayStation on July 17, 1997, developed by Exact and Production I.G. The manga was also adapted into a Western live-action film that premiered on March 31, 2017.

Associated Names

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Japanese: 攻殻機動隊 THE GHOST IN THE SHELL
English: The Ghost in the Shell

Official Webtoon

  1. Kodansha USA
  2. Wikipedia
  3. Wikipedia
Characters More characters
  • Daisuke Aramaki (荒巻 大輔)

    Aramaki Daisuke

    Main

    The wise and powerful Head of Section 9, Aramaki relies upon his many international and corporate contacts to supply his team with the information they need to get the job done. Though he commands a great deal of respect, he is occasionally called "Monkey...

  • Batou (バトー)

    Batou

    Main

    Batou (also Batto, Bato) is nominally the second-in-command of Section 9. Little is known about the strange, large foreigner who has been with Motoko Kusanagi for years. He was once American and served in the Special Forces in South America. His amount...

  • Motoko Kusanagi (草薙 素子)

    Kusanagi Motoko

    Main

    Height: 56"Motoko Kusanagi is the mysterious, even enigmatic woman who has led a group of SpecOps for years, and was recruited by Aramaki to work for Section 9. Almost nothing is known about her, her origins, birthdate, etc. She could not be older than 60...

  • Project 2501 (人形使い)

    Project 2501

    Main

    Project 2501, also known as The Puppet Master from the film and manga Ghost in the Shell, is an artificial intelligence program secretly developed by Section 6 of Public Security that develops sapience....

  • Togusa (トグサ)

    Togusa

    Main

    Togusa is the newest member of Section 9 and the only one not originally recruited from Kusanagis team of SpecOps. Recruited from the regular police forces, Detective Togusa (no first name is yet known) has only the most basic of augmentation and no cybe...

  • Borma (ボーマ)

    Borma

    Supporting

    Borma is Section 9s resident explosives specialist. He is the only Section 9 operative with similar height and enhanced strength to Batou, though his optics are clearly a different color and might therefore be another model with different capabilities. Bo...