Ghost in the Shell - Wikipedia Ghost in the Shell This article is about the media franchise in general. For specific works and entries in that franchise, see Ghost in the Shell ( disambiguation ). Ghost in the Shell Logo used in the 1995 film adaptation of the series. A modified version of this logo is used in the 2004 film Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence without the pyramid in the center. Created by Masamune Shirow Original work The Ghost in the Shell Print publications Book ( s ) The Ghost in the Shell Ghost in the Shell 2 : Man - Machine Interface Ghost in the Shell 1.5 : Human - Error Processor Films and television Film ( s ) Animated : Ghost in the Shell Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society Ghost in the Shell : The New Movie Live - action : Ghost in the Shell Animated series Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Ghost in the Shell : S.A.C. 2nd GIG Ghost in the Shell : Arise - Alternative Architecture Games Video game ( s ) Ghost in the Shell Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex ( 2004 video game ) Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex ( 2005 video game ) Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online Miscellaneous OVA Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man Ghost in the Shell : S.A.C. 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven Ghost in the Shell : Arise Ghost in the Shell ( Japanese : 攻 殻 機動 隊, Hepburn : Kōkaku Kidōtai, `` Mobile Armored Riot Police '' ) is a Japanese media franchise originally published as a 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, in the mid-21st century of Japan. Animation studio Production I.G has produced several different anime adaptations of Ghost in the Shell, starting with the 1995 film of the same name, telling the story of Section 9 's investigation of the Puppet Master. The television series Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex followed in 2002, telling an alternate story from the manga and first film, featuring Section 9 's investigations of government corruption in the Laughing Man and Individual Eleven incidents. A sequel to the 1995 film, Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence, was released in 2004. 2013 saw the start of the Ghost in the Shell : Arise original video animation ( OVA ) series, consisting of four parts through mid-2014. The series was recompiled in early 2015 as a television series titled Ghost in the Shell : Arise - Alternative Architecture, airing with an additional two episodes ( one part ). An animated feature film produced by most of the Arise staff, titled Ghost in the Shell : The New Movie, was released on June 20, 2015. A live - action American film of the same name was released on March 31, 2017. Contents 1 Title 2 Setting 3 Media 3.1 Literature 3.1. 1 Original manga 3.2 Films 3.2. 1 Animated films 3.2. 2 Live - action film 3.3 Television 3.3. 1 Stand Alone Complex TV series and film 3.3. 2 Arise OVA and TV series 3.4 Video games 4 Future 5 Symbolism 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links Title Shirow has stated that he had always wanted the title of his manga to be Ghost in the Shell, even in Japan, but his original publishers preferred Mobile Armored Riot Police. He had chosen `` Ghost in the Shell '' in homage to Arthur Koestler 's The Ghost in the Machine, from which he also drew inspiration. Setting Main articles : World of Ghost in the Shell and List of Ghost in the Shell characters Primarily set in the mid-twenty - first century in the fictional Japanese city of Niihama, Niihama Prefecture ( 新浜 県 新浜 市, Niihama - ken Niihama - shi ), otherwise known as New Port City ( ニュー ポート シティ, Nyū Pōto Shiti ), the manga and the many anime adaptations follow the members of Public Security Section 9, a special - operations task - force made up of former military officers and police detectives. Political intrigue and counter-terrorism operations are standard fare for Section 9, but the various actions of corrupt officials, companies, and cyber-criminals in each scenario are unique and require the diverse skills of Section 9 's staff to prevent a series of incidents from escalating. In this post-cyberpunk iteration of a possible future, computer technology has advanced to the point that many members of the public possess cyberbrains, technology that allows them to interface their biological brain with various networks. The level of cyberization varies from simple minimal interfaces to almost complete replacement of the brain with cybernetic parts, in cases of severe trauma. This can also be combined with various levels of prostheses, with a fully prosthetic body enabling a person to become a cyborg. The main character of Ghost in the Shell, Major Motoko Kusanagi, is such a cyborg, having had a terrible accident befall her as a child that ultimately required her to use a full - body prosthesis to house her cyberbrain. This high level of cyberization, however, opens the brain up to attacks from highly skilled hackers, with the most dangerous being those who will hack a person to bend to their whims. Media Literature Original manga Main article : Ghost in the Shell ( manga ) The original Ghost in the Shell manga ran in Japan from April 1989 to November 1990 in Kodansha 's manga anthology Young Magazine, and was released in a tankōbon volume on October 5, 1991. Ghost in the Shell 2 : Man - Machine Interface followed 1997 for 9 issues in Young Magazine, and was collected in the Ghost in the Shell : Solid Box on December 1, 2000. Four stories from Man - Machine Interface that were not released in tankobon format from previous releases were later collected in Ghost in the Shell 1.5 : Human - Error Processor, and was published by Kodansha on July 23, 2003. Several art books have also been published for the manga. Films Animated films Main articles : Ghost in the Shell ( 1995 film ), Innocence, and Ghost in the Shell : The New Movie Two animated films based on the original manga have been released, both directed by Mamoru Oshii and animated by Production I.G. Ghost in the Shell was released in 1995 and follows the `` Puppet Master '' storyline from the manga. It was re-released in 2008 as Ghost in the Shell 2.0 with new audio and updated 3D computer graphics in certain scenes. Innocence, otherwise known as Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence, was released in 2004, with its story based on a chapter from the first manga. On September 5, 2014, it was revealed by Production I.G. that a new Ghost in the Shell animated film, Ghost in the Shell : The New Movie ( 攻 殻 機動 隊 新 劇場 版 ) in Japanese, would be released in 2015 promising to show the `` further evolution ( of the series ) ''. On January 8, 2015, a short teaser trailer was revealed for the project unveiling a redesigned Major more closely resembling her appearance from the older films, and a plot following the Arise continuity of the franchise. The trailer listed Kazuya Nomura as the director, Kazuchika Kise as the general director and character designer, Toru Okubo as the animation director, Tow Ubukata as the screenplay writer and Cornelius as the composer. The film premiered on June 20, 2015, in Japanese theaters. Live - action film Main article : Ghost in the Shell ( 2017 film ) In 2008, DreamWorks and producer Steven Spielberg acquired the rights to produce a live - action film adaptation of the original Ghost in the Shell manga. On January 24, 2014, Rupert Sanders was announced as director, with a screenplay by William Wheeler. Principal photography on the film began on location in Wellington, New Zealand, on February 1, 2016. In April 2016, the full cast was announced, which included Juliette Binoche, Chin Han, Lasarus Ratuere and Kaori Momoi, and Scarlett Johansson in the lead role ; the casting of Johansson drew accusations of whitewashing. Principal photography began in early 2016. Filming wrapped in June 2016. Ghost in the Shell premiered in Tokyo on March 16, 2017, and was released in the United States on March 31, 2017, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D. It received mixed reviews, with praise for its visuals and Johansson 's performance but criticism for its script. Television Stand Alone Complex tv series and film Main article : Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex In 2002, Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex premiered on Animax, presenting a new telling of Ghost in the Shell independent from the original manga, focusing on Section 9 's investigation of the Laughing Man hacker. It was followed in 2004 by a second season titled Ghost in the Shell : S.A.C. 2nd GIG, which focused on the Individual Eleven terrorist group. The primary storylines of both seasons were compressed into OVAs broadcast as Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex The Laughing Man in 2005 and Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Individual Eleven in 2006. Also in 2006, Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society, featuring Section 9 's confrontation with a hacker known as the Puppeteer, was broadcast, serving as a finale to the anime series. The extensive score for the series and its films was composed by Yoko Kanno. In addition to the anime, a series of published books, two separate manga adaptations, and several video games for consoles and mobile phones have been released for Stand Alone Complex. Arise OVA and tv series Main article : Ghost in the Shell : Arise Parts of this article ( those related to Pyrophoric Cult ) need to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( July 2016 ) In 2013, a new iteration of the series titled Ghost in the Shell : Arise premiered, tackling an original look at the Ghost in the Shell world, set before the original manga. It was released as a series of four original video animation ( OVA ) episodes ( with limited theatrical releases ) from 2013 to 2014, then recompiled as a 10 - episode television series under the title of Kōkaku Kidōtai : Arise - Alternative Architecture. An additional fifth OVA titled Pyrophoric Cult, originally premiering in the Alternative Architecture broadcast as two original episodes, were combined and released on August 26, 2015. Kazuchika Kise served as the chief director of the series, with Tow Ubukata as head writer. Cornelius was brought onto the project to compose the score for the series, with the Major 's new voice actress Maaya Sakamoto also providing vocals for certain tracks. A manga adaptation was serialized in Kodansha 's Young Magazine, which started on March 13 and ended on August 26, 2013. Video games Main articles : Ghost in the Shell ( video game ), Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex ( 2004 video game ), Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex ( 2005 video game ), and Ghost in the Shell : First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Ghost in the Shell was developed by Exact and released for the PlayStation on July 17, 1997, in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is a third - person shooter featuring an original storyline where the character plays a rookie member of Section 9. The video game 's soundtrack Megatech Body features various electronica artists. Several video games were also developed to tie into the Stand Alone Complex television series, in addition to a first - person shooter by Nexon and Neople titled Ghost in the Shell : First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online, released in 2016. Bungie 's famous 2001 third - person adventure game Oni draws substantial inspiration from Ghost in the Shell 's setting and characters. Future Kodansha and Production I.G announced on April 7, 2017 that Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki will be co-directing a new Kōkaku Kidōtai anime production. Its format and release date have n't been announced yet. Symbolism Vivienne Chow interprets the film adaptions as symbolizing Hong Kong as a struggling `` ghost '' seeking to preserve its identity in the wake of its transfer to China. See also World of Ghost in the Shell Notes Jump up ^ There is a real - world Niihama, located in Ehime Prefecture, but its name is written differently in kanji : 新居浜 市. References Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell : Arise 's Broadcast to Add 2 New Episodes ''. Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Official Log 1 '', p. 9. Young Magazine Pirate Edition, 2003. Jump up ^ 攻 殻 機動 隊 ( 1 ) ( in Japanese ). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ 攻 殻 機動 隊 SOLID BOX ( in Japanese ). 7net. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ 攻 殻 機動 隊 1.5 ( in Japanese ). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 13. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell to Return to Japanese Theaters ''. Anime News Network. Retrieved November 9, 2011. Jump up ^ `` New Ghost in the Shell Film Slated for 2015 ''. ANN. Retrieved 15 December 2014. ^ Jump up to : Lovett, Jamie. `` Ghost In The Shell : The New Movie Trailer Released Online ''. comicbook.com. Retrieved 10 July 2015. Jump up ^ Siegel, Tatiana ; Fleming, Michael ( April 14, 2008 ). `` DreamWorks to make ' Ghost ' in 3 - D ''. Variety.com. Retrieved November 9, 2011. Jump up ^ Bishop, Bryan ( January 25, 2014 ). `` Live - action ' Ghost in the Shell ' movie signs the director of ' Snow White and the Huntsman ' ''. The Verge. Retrieved March 3, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Friedlander, Monique ( February 2, 2016 ). `` Fitness fan ! Scarlett Johansson cuts a low - key figure on training session in New Zealand as she takes a break from filming Ghost In The Shell ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved February 3, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell Photo Released as Production Begins ''. Comingsoon.net. April 14, 2016. Jump up ^ Brown, Tracey ( January 10, 2015 ). `` ' Ghost in the Shell ' : Scarlett Johansson casting called ' whitewashing ' ''. Hero Complex. Retrieved April 14, 2016. Jump up ^ Child, Ben ( January 16, 2015 ). `` DreamWorks accused of ' whitewashing ' Ghost in the Shell by casting Scarlett Johansson ''. The Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Is Scarlett Johansson casting Hollywood ' whitewashing ' ? ''. BBC News. April 19, 2016. Jump up ^ Fuster, Jeremy ( April 14, 2016 ). `` ' Ghost In The Shell ' Fans Not Happy About ' Whitewashed ' American Remake ''. TheWrap. Retrieved April 14, 2016. Jump up ^ Tsui, Stephanie ( June 2, 2016 ). `` '' Ghost in the Shell '' Will Film in Hong Kong -- and There 's Still No Asian Lead ``. HK Magazine. South China Morning Post. Retrieved June 4, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell Official Trailer 1 ( 2017 ) - Scarlett Johansson Movie ''. YouTube. 2016 - 11 - 13. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell ( 2017 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 1, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell reviews ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Animax 's official GitS : SAC webpage '' ( in Japanese ). Animax. Archived from the original on 2010 - 10 - 19. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 02. Jump up ^ `` Into the Network : The Ghost in the Shell Universe ''. Production I.G. Archived from the original on 2011 - 01 - 30. Retrieved 2011 - 01 - 29. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex The Laughing Man ''. Production I.G. Retrieved 14 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Individual Eleven ''. Production I.G. Retrieved 14 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society ''. Production I.G. Retrieved 14 January 2014. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell Arise Pyrophoric Cult Episode Slated for August on Home Video in Japan ''. ANN. Retrieved 10 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell Arise Anime to Launch in 2013 ''. Anime News Network. January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 15. Jump up ^ `` 6 月 22 日 から 映画 「 攻 殻 機動 隊 ARISE GHOST IN THE SHELL 」 全 4 部 作 公開 ''. Gigazine. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ `` 「 攻 殻 機動 隊 ARISE 」 コミカライズ 月刊 ヤング マガジン で 連載 開始 公安 9 課 以前 を 描く アニメ ! アニメ ! ''. Animeanime.jp. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ `` 攻 殻 機動 隊 GHOST IN THE SHELL ''. Sony Computer Entertainment. Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 19. Jump up ^ `` 世界 中 で 絶賛 され て いる 近 未来 SF コミックス 「 攻 殻 機動 隊 」 の プレイステーション ・ ゲーム の Sound ( Techno ) Trax. ''. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved January 4, 2013. Jump up ^ `` First Assault is a free - to - play Ghost in the Shell FPS coming soon ''. PCGamer. Retrieved 2015 - 09 - 17. Jump up ^ Prescott, Shaun. `` First Assault is a free - to - play Ghost in the Shell FPS coming soon ''. PC Gamer. Retrieved 18 September 2015. Jump up ^ Kushner, David ( June 2000 ). `` Ghost in the Machine ''. SPIN. 16 ( 6 ) : 86. ISSN 0886 - 3032. Jump up ^ Harry Al - Shakarchi. `` Interview with lead engineer Brent Pease ''. Bungie.org. Retrieved 2013 - 12 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Ghost in the Shell Gets New Anime From Kenji Kamiyama, Shinji Aramaki ''. animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved 8 April 2017. Jump up ^ Chow, Vivienne. `` Hong Kong, the silent but central character in Ghost in the Shell, is also searching for its past ''. Quartz. Retrieved 2017 - 04 - 11. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Ghost in the Shell Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ghost in the Shell. Official website Madman Entertainment 's Australian distribution release site Masamune Shirow 's Ghost in the Shell Media Manga 1995 film Video game Innocence 2017 live - action film Stand Alone Complex Episodes Music PS2 game PSP game Solid State Society First Assault Arise Episodes The New Movie Universe Characters Motoko Kusanagi Batou Togusa Saito Tachikoma World Public Security Section 9 Seburo Related Mamoru Oshii Kenji Kamiyama Production I.G Intron Depot 1 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghost_in_the_Shell&oldid=807916387 '' Categories : Brain -- computer interfacing in fiction Cyborgs in fiction Ghost in the Shell Media franchises Masamune Shirow Terrorism in fiction Dystopian anime and manga Prosthetics in fiction Hidden categories : Articles containing Japanese - language text CS1 uses Japanese - language script ( ja ) CS1 Japanese - language sources ( ja ) Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Wikipedia articles in need of updating from July 2016 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Azərbaycanca Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Lietuvių Magyar Māori Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska ไทย Українська 吴语 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 30 October 2017, at 20 : 36. 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Question: what is ghost in the shell anime about
Answer: the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, in the mid-21st century of Japan