Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of The Ghost in the Shell, and later published as its own tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, told the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, and is set in mid-21st century Japan.
Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow, is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga Ghost in the Shell, which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television movie, an anime ONA series, a theatrical live action movie, and several video games.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, known in Japan as just Innocence, is a 2004 Japanese animated cyberpunk film written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. The film serves as a standalone sequel to Oshii's 1995 film Ghost in the Shell and is loosely based on the manga by Masamune Shirow.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a Japanese anime television series produced by Production I.G and based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell. It was written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with original character design by Hajime Shimomura and a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno. The first season aired from October 2002 to October 2003 and was positively received by critics. A second season, titled Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, aired from January 2004 to January 2005. Critical response to the series was generally positive.
Major Motoko Kusanagi, or just "Major", is the main protagonist in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga and anime series. She is a synthetic "full-body prosthesis" augmented-cybernetic human employed as the field commander of Public Security Section 9, a fictional anti-cybercrime law-enforcement division of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission. A strong-willed, physically powerful, and highly intelligent cyberhero, she is well known for her skills in deduction, hacking and military tactics.
Public Security Section 9 is a fictional gendarmerie-style information security and intelligence department from Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga and anime series. In the franchise, its jurisdiction exists under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In some translations, the name is given as Public Safety Section 9. In the original film, it is known as the Shell Squad or Security Police Section 9. In the original publication of the manga, it was known as Mobile Armored Riot Police Section 9. Regardless of translation, when spoken of by the characters, it is simply referred to as Section 9.
Tachikoma are fictional walker robots endowed with artificial intelligence (AI) that are featured in the Ghost in the Shell universe. They appear in the manga created by Masamune Shirow and in the Stand Alone Complex sub-universe. Nine of them are initially deployed to Section 9. They are spider-like, multi-legged combat vehicles, and are equipped with adaptive artificial intelligence. The spider design appears in other places in Shirow's work such as the Appleseed manga. Shirow is noted to keep numerous spiders as pets.
Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk-themed third-person shooter video game developed by Exact and Production I.G for the PlayStation. A part of the larger Ghost in the Shell media franchise, it utilizes the same English voice cast as the feature film of the same name, although the two do not share a story continuity. The game was first released in July 1997, along with soundtrack albums, an artbook and a guidebook.
Batou is a main male character in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell series. He is the second-best melee fighter in Section 9, and is the second in command under Major Motoko Kusanagi. He is a battle-hardened cyborg special operative with a long distinguished military career and a no-nonsense attitude. Though he looks imposing, he is known for his warm heart, sense of humor, and love for animals.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, released in Japan as Kokaku Kidotai: Stand Alone Complex - Domain of the Hunters, is a first-person shooter video game based on the cyberpunk anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and a sequel to the first Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex game of the same title, developed by G-Artists and published for the PlayStation Portable by Sony Computer Entertainment and Bandai in 2005. It was released in Japan on September 15, 2005, in Europe on October 21, 2005 distributed by Atari Europe, and in North America on October 26, 2005, but releasing it under the same name as the original PS2 game caused confusion and misinterpretation of it as a port.
Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 adult animated neo-noir cyberpunk thriller film directed by Mamoru Oshii and adapted by frequent Oshii collaborator Kazunori Itō. The film is based on the manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. It stars the voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, and Iemasa Kayumi. It is a Japanese-British international co-production, executive produced by Kodansha, Bandai Visual and Manga Entertainment, with animation provided by Production I.G.
Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow, which spawned the media franchise of the same name. It was first serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Young Magazine Zōkan Kaizokuban from 1989 to 1991, under the subtitle of The Ghost in the Shell and was compiled in one tankōbon volume. Set in the mid-21st-century, it tells the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi. Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface was the sequel work which follows the story of Motoko after merging with the Puppeteer. The last volume, Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, contains four separate cases.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society is a 2006 science fiction anime film and part of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series based on Masamune Shirow's manga Ghost in the Shell. It was produced by Production I.G and directed by Kenji Kamiyama.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is an action game based on the cyberpunk anime of the same name. It is a third-person shooter, released for the PlayStation 2.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise, also known in Japan as Mobile Armored Riot Police: Arise, is an original video animation and television series that serves as a re-imagining of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell. The series features new character designs and is directed by Kazuchika Kise, screenplay by Tow Ubukata, and music by Cornelius.
Ghost in the Shell is a 2017 science fiction action film directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger, based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han and Juliette Binoche. Set in a near future when the line between humans and robots is blurring, the plot follows the Major (Johansson), a cyborg supersoldier who investigates her past.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) anime series based on the 1980s Japanese manga series Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow, set in the Stand Alone Complex sub-continuity.
