Ghost in the Shell

Summary:

Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic police thriller dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a member of a covert operations division of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission known as Section 9. The unit specializes in fighting technology-related crimes. She may be named after one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan and Shirow makes reference to them at the end of the second manga.[citation needed] Although supposedly equal to all other members, Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team, and is usually referred to as "the Major" due to her past rank in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. She is capable of superhuman feats, and bionically specialized for her job — her body is almost completely mechanized; only her brain and a segment of her spinal cord remain organic.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence


the 2004 sequel to the anime film Ghost in the Shell. Released in Japan on March 6, 2004, with a U.S. release on September 17, 2004.
Much of the storyline is taken from the original Ghost in the Shell manga, from a chapter called Robot Rondo, albeit heavily modified from the original tale. The story of Innocence begins in 2032, when cities are inhabited by the dwindling races of humans, purely mechanical androids, and cyborgs like Batou who still have a ghost (the in-universe term for the human spirit), but are vulnerable to ghost hacking.


Motoko Kusanagi

Leader of Section 9, star of the Ghost in the Shell.
Motoko Kusanagi (aka The Major) is a cyborg employed as the squad leader of the elite Section 9 anti-terrorism/cybercrimes division. Afflicted with disease as a child, Kusanagi's consciousness was transferred to a cyberbrain and fully prosthetic body at a young age.

Opting to keep her female chassis, Kusanagi skillfully maneuvers her body and is capable of ridiculous feats of acrobatic insanity. She is a very effective leader and is able to use her wits and cybernetic body in bringing criminals to justice. However, despite the number of cyborgs in Section 9, Kusanagi hand-picks Togusa, who has undergone only minimal brain modification, to balance the roster, an interesting expression of her belief that homogeneity is a weakness and that versatility is a strength. Kusanagi is often contemplative and brooding, whilst her counterpart Batou is more extroverted and lively. She usually wields an M-23 submachine gun that, while fictional, bears a striking resemblance to a P-90 - though with the magazine mounted vertically on the underside instead of horizontally as is the case with the P-90.

Since she has a full cybernetic body, she is not certain her ghost, or her soul, retains any humanity. In fact, she speculates on the possibility that she's entirely synthetic, with artificially generated memories designed to fool her into thinking she was once human.

Batou

recruited from the Rangers, the second best melee fighter in Section 9 and is the second in command under Major Motoko Kusanagi. Shirow has admitted that Batou is visually based on action-movie actor Steven Seagal.[citation needed] In the movie adaptations of Shirow's manga, Batou is a direct representation of Mamoru Oshii's opinions, views, and feelings that are presented throughout the story. He also cares for a cloned basset hound named Gabriel, and Oshii himself possesses a female basset hound named Gabriel.

Batou keeps his life away from work mostly unknown. He also gave his favorite Tachikoma an unapproved, non-synthetic oil until the Major caught him. In the first Stand Alone Complex series, the Laughing Man hacked into his eyes so that Batou could not see him.

According with Tachikomatic Days of episode 21 (Season 1), he has a can of beer after his bath and he takes out his eyes before going to sleep.

Also, he often uses up his paycheck buying muscle training equipment for the upper body, which others find useless, considering his extensive number of cyborg parts (mainly torso and arms). In the first season of Stand Alone Complex, it is inferred that he uses it to remind himself of who he is, despite his cyberization, much like the watch the Major wears.

Chief Aramaki

Daisuke Aramaki is chief of Public Security Section 9.
Aramaki is a strict chief, and is referred to by others in Section 9 as the "old ape" (most likely because in the original manga he was drawn with a face that appeared to be half monkey, half man).[citation needed] Even so, he is fiercely loyal to the members of Section 9, and often puts his own career on the line to ensure the survival of the rest of his team.

Togusa

is the second most prominently featured male character in the Ghost in the Shell manga and anime series. In Stand Alone Complex, as well as the original Ghost in the Shell movie, it is stated that he is the only member of Section 9 who has not undergone cybernetic replacement in some manner as he had been referred to as a natural (though he does have a cyberbrain

Ishikawa

is the information warfare/technology specialist in Public Security Section 9. It has not been stated in the series thus far as to the degree that he has been cybernetically augmented, though character dialogue (and his long recovery time from an injury) suggests that he is one of the least augmented members of Section 9. His appearance is characterized by a large beard and perpetually unkept hair, and he is the oldest of Section 9's field operatives. Ishikawa is especially well-known for his frequent, long-winded and often rather complicated expository speeches to the other characters, in order to inform them (and the show's audience) of new story developments.

Saito

Among the members of Section 9, he is regarded as one of the least cyberized. He can handle any automatic firearm with deadly accuracy and precision, but his primary role is as the unit's tactical sniper. His left eye was replaced with the "Hawkeye", a prosthetic eye that interfaces with satellites to allow for shots of incredible accuracy. He is also valued for his ability to think like enemy snipers[3]; on two separate occasions his ability at determining sniping locations impacted Section 9's actions.

Ghost in the shell 1995 IMDB, trailer
Innocence 2004 IMDB, trailer
AbsolutAanime Ghost in the shell, Innocence