GHOST IN THE SHELL-RPG

1. #1Motoko Kusanagi

   Keys: Motoko Kusanagi, Major

   NAME ENGLISH Motoko Kusanagi KANJI 草薙 素子 ROMAJI Kusanagi Motoko ALIAS The Major, Chroma, Ghost, Fire Starter, Mira Killian BIO SPECIES Cyborg (full-body) GENDER Female CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Team Leader PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM JGSDF OCCUPATION Soldier

   BIO BORN around 1996~2005 SPECIES Cyborg (full-body) GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Purple

   Major Motoko Kusanagi typically sports a short, layered bob haircut:

   Style: It's a chin-length bob with heavy, choppy layers that give it a very edgy, futuristic look. Bangs: She has straight, blunt bangs that slightly curve inwards, sometimes sweeping a bit to the side depending on the scene or season. Volume: The cut is somewhat voluminous, especially around the crown, enhancing her sharp features. Color: Her hair is a deep purple or bluish-purple, depending on lighting and the specific episode or version. This hairstyle matches her confident, no-nonsense personality and military background, while still looking sleek and cyberpunk.

   EYE COLOR Red HEIGHT 5'6" (168 cm) Japanese

   Major Motoko Kusanagi (草薙 素子, Kusanagi Motoko) is the main protagonist in Masamune Shirow's anime and manga series. She is a cyborg employed as the squad leader of Public Security Section 9, a fictional division of the real Japanese National Public Safety Commission, and earned her rank of major during her service in the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. She is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in the movies and the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series. In the English dubbing of the film, Mimi Woods provides the voice, and in the Bandai dub of the Stand Alone Complex TV series, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is the voice actress.

   Kusanagi's various incarnations in the manga, movies, and TV series all portray her differently. Since each of these has an independent storyline, Kusanagi's physical and mental characteristics have been modified in different ways.

   The manga

   Motoko sunglasses Kusanagi in the manga On assignment, Motoko has a commanding presence, but also trades insults with her troops, like calls Aramaki "Ape Face" as well as other members in Public Security Section 9, or when the Puppetmaster reveals the "Motokos" that exist in the minds of those who know her, Aramaki's "Motoko" is sticking her tongue out. She also smiles frequently, and gives the "V" for victory to her boyfriend. She does, however, discuss seriously whether she is a "real" person with her girlfriend. However, she assumes a "horror movie"-style pose, and they both laugh at the end.

   In the sequel, a person known as Motoko Aramaki appears. She identifies herself as containing "Motoko Kusanagi" elements, along with Project 2501, the Puppetmaster. She is also identified as "Motoko 11". It is possible she is one of the "children" Motoko talked of creating along with her opponents.

   She has a much more slapstick, vivacious, and sexy personality. She participates in a lesbian sex splash panel and has a boyfriend. The in-universe explanation for the lesbian sex panel seems to be that cyborgs of the same gender are especially compatible. This splash panel is apparently a "side business" for Motoko, as stated by Masamune in the back of the manga collection.

   Apparently, "e-sex" (as depicted in the splash panel) is a lucrative but illegal act. This is because it ties together the users' nervous systems to allow shared simultaneous sensations; such intimate connections have the potential for serious complications, as illustrated by the accidental arrival of Batou.

   Motoko's body is one of the most advanced models on the market, possessing 16²/cm² skin tactile elements, meaning she has a greatly heightened sense of touch. These nerves render her e-sex acts especially pleasurable; therefore, she makes a good profit from these activities.

   Heterosexual e-sex is especially illegal, because such acts entail immense pain, caused by the fact that nerves stimulated by one user are stimulated simultaneously and blindly in another user. Homosexual e-sex is safe because the participants have the same body parts being stimulated (in Motoko's three-way panel, the fondling of a breast). When Batou accidentally crashes Motoko's panel while trying to contact her, he experiences intense pain since he is receiving stimulation for organs and bodily parts which he does not possess.

   Whatever the technical rationale for all this, Shirow said in his poster-book, Intron Depot 1, that "I drew an all-girl orgy because I didn't want to draw some guy's butt."

   This panel was cut from the original American release of the manga, as it would have entailed giving the book an "adults only" rating. Ultimately, Shirow decided it wasn't important to the plot. In the second edition, released on November 17, 2004, the scene is completely unedited.

   Another fact about her sexuality is that she has a boyfriend during a latter story in the manga. He works for Section One, and they have been dating for seven months. Batou considers this "a new record." The original films

   Motoko Kusanagi's character is distinctly different in the movies because Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence both follow one continuous time-line that is separate from the anime series as well as the original manga from which it is derived. Ghost In The Shell

   Motoko-Movie Kusanagi in the Oshii films Kusanagi is the main protagonist in the movie Ghost in the Shell, where she is Aramaki's second in command in Section 9. 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 P90 - 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 - 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. She goes scuba diving for relaxation, although she is so heavy that she would sink like an anchor if any malfunction in her buoyancy devices were to occur. Her fatalistic attitude towards her diving thoroughly confounds Batou, especially with her mentioning feeling hope along with fear and loneliness while diving in the ocean. Throughout the movie, she seeks to find answers to her questions and finally meets the Puppet Master, a rogue AI who became sentient and who is similar to her in its quest for existential meaning. By the end of the movie, Kusanagi and the Puppet Master merge to form a new entity that propagates itself artificially.

   Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence

   In Innocence, the Major's first verifiable appearance occurs in Kim's manor, where she breaks into the hallway component of Kim's looping false memories and inserts herself (represented by the little girl prosthetic body Batou got her at the end of the first movie), a basset hound, and clues to alert Batou to a ghost-hack attempt on him and Togusa (their private code 2501 from the first movie is part of the clues). Later, the Major's ghost returns to help Batou on the Locus Solus' gynoid factory ship. However, only a fragment of her is downloaded as the host gynoid had insufficient memory. Her personality has not changed much from the first movie, except for gaining Project 2501's master-hacking skills. Her mind now operates from a satellite, and is even further detached from humanity.

   While her actual appearance is mainly a cameo, she is ever present, and retains her fondness for philosophical musings, saying such things like "We weep for a bird's cry, but not for a fish's blood. Blessed are those with a voice. If the dolls could speak, no doubt they would scream 'I didn't want to become human.'" Before departing, she tells a despondent Batou, who realizes she is going to leave him again, that whenever he connects to the net, "I will be right beside you."

   There is, however, a sequence early on in a convenience store in which a voice resembling the Major's voice can be heard warning Batou that he is in danger. Whether the warning genuinely came from her, or was part of the hack attempt, or was perhaps simply a thought of Batou's, is unknown. If it is genuine, it would predate the appearance in the major sequence as the first appearance, but if it is false, then it was simply part of the hack attempt.

   The Stand Alone Complex series

   The Major retains much of her personality and spunk from the manga in the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and its followups Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG and Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, although she isn't disrespectful toward the Chief like she is in the manga. Stand Alone Complex

   Major Motoko Kusanagi's formal introduction in the first season comes during the first episode, when Section 9 is called in to resolve a hostage situation at a Geisha house. Throughout the series, The Major maintains her signature commanding presence and authority. Unlike other members of Section 9, The Major could best be described as a lone wolf, relying very little on outside help to accomplish her goals. Among the various members of Section 9, Kusanagi is usually the one Chief Aramaki singles out to accompany him on official and off the record business.

   About half-way through the first season, Kusanagi starts having reservations about the use of the Tachikoma sentient tanks, which have begun showing signs of individuality and curiosity not befitting their use as combat weapons. When Batou's Tachikoma escapes Section 9's Tachikoma storage facility and proceeds to go on an unauthorized joy ride through the city and spends the day with a young girl looking for a lost dog, Kusanagi begins to seriously contemplate having them returned to the lab. This feeling is further increased when the tank that was supposed to be watching her back wanders off. Ultimately, she decides to have them stripped of the weaponry and sent back to the lab that manufactured them for analysis and further work.

   During the last of the episodes of the first season Kusanagi, like the rest of the members of Section 9, becomes a target of Narcotic Suppression Squad (NSS) agents and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF) after discovering the truth behind the Laughing Man scandal. She is first targeted by the JMSDF, who damage her prosthetic body, forcing Kusanagi to seek much needed repairs. During her prosthetic body swap, an NSS agent attempts to kill Kusanagi, but fails after the real Laughing Man saves her. After Section 9 is disbanded, its various members are captured by shock troopers of the Umibozu (an unofficial JMSDF special forces unit adept at paramilitary operations) until only Batou and Kusanagi are left. It was only after the three remaining Tachikomas sacrificed themselves to save Batou that she realises that their individuality made them better weapons. She even speculated that they might have gained ghosts becoming truly alive. As Batou and Kusanagi attempt to leave the city, Umibozu commandos ambush and subsequently arrest Batou, and supposedly assassinate Kusanagi.

   After Section 9's fall, Togusa sets out to assassinate the man responsible for its dissolution when he is intercepted by Batou, who brings him back to the team's new headquarters. Here, all members of Section 9 — including Kusanagi — are revealed to be alive and in good health, and the first season concludes with the reinstatement of Section 9.

   As in the manga, Kusanagi maintains her unique dress, wearing thigh-length boots, a strapless leotard with no trousers, and a leather jacket, as except in cases where this is inappropriate; during such times she will usually appear either in a tan military officer's uniform with markings that denote her rank as a Major, or in a black and grey tight-fitting combat suit that the team uses on its raids and other paramilitary operations. In rare cases, Motoko will adopt other styles of dress appropriate to her surroundings, such as a London police officer and a garbage lady. She maintains a dim view of sexism in all forms and methods; even going so far as to empathize with sex robots.

   Kusanagi's personal life is not alluded to much in the first season, although the events of the episode "Missing Hearts" suggest that she underwent cyberization at a very early age (approximately age 9), and that she had trouble adapting to the use of the body which resulted in her inadvertently breaking one of her favorite dolls and crying at the same time. She is usually a private person but has opened up to Batou, particularly in the episode "Barrage," where The Major brings Batou back to her safe house to hide from the JMSDF and the Niihama City police. The two share a moment of closeness that hints they would like to go further, but don't. The next day as they attempt to flee the city at the airport, Batou notices the laser dot of a sniper rifle aimed at Kusanagi's head. Calling out to warn her, Batou calls her by her first name, Motoko, instead of "Major," before she is decapitated and killed.

   2nd GIG

   Motoko Kusanagi in a promotional photo for S.A.C. 2nd GIG The second season begins much like the first, with a hostage situation and Section 9 (unofficially) on the scene. After receiving the permission of Prime Minister Kayabuki, Kusanagi orders Section 9 in to resolve the conflict. The scene climaxes with a shot right out of the original film. In accordance with the deal Prime Minister Kayabuki made with Aramaki before the raid, Kayabuki fully reinstates Section 9 for their success in resolving the situation without losing any of the hostages. In a surprising move, Kusanagi reverses her earlier position on the Tachikoma mini tanks and reinstates them as members of Section 9. This may be due in part to the heroic sacrifice of three of these units to save Batou at the end of the first season. The Tachikomas clearly retain their old impishness, as one plays a 'gotcha' prank on Batou, who had a real soft spot for the blue tanks, when it pretends to be like a normal nonsentient robot, using a monotone robotic voice, and laughing when he sees the saddened look on Batou's face.

   About a third of the way into the second season, Kusanagi — fed up with the way Section 9 is being used by Kazundo Gouda and his Cabinet Intelligence Service — undertakes a risky sorté to infiltrate the CIS’s computer database. With the aid of the Tachikomas in their new net agent forms, the Major gains access to the central CIS database and learns that the CIS is behind a recent series of terrorist events in Japan, and also confirms that Section 9 is being manipulated in an effort to sway public opinion against the growing refugee population in Japan. This information, along with the other events in the series, leads Kusanagi to suspect that Gouda is attempting to overthrow the Japanese government, or at the very least, shake it up in such a way as to advance his position in it.

   Shortly after Kusanagi’s infiltration of the CIS database, the Individual Eleven, a terrorist organization responsible for a violent string of attacks on unsuspecting Japanese citizens and vital government interests, surfaces in Nagasaki. The group makes one short speech atop a skyscraper before committing mass suicide by mutual decapitation with katanas. Aramaki, acting on his suspicion that Gouda had something to do with it, orders Section 9 to launch a full-scale investigation into Gouda in an effort to tie him to the Individual Eleven. The investigation comes to a head when a nuclear bomb is discovered in Nagasaki; Kusanagi, with the aid of other section 9 members, secures the plutonium from the atomic bomb in an effort to tie it to a CIS- run nuclear reactor excavation project, thereby linking Gouda to the nuclear bomb and the Individual Eleven incidents.

   During Section 9’s transportation of the plutonium to the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility for analysis, the Japanese Self Defense Army and Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force are officially ordered to mobilize and head for Dejima island, where the refugees have declared their independence. In a last ditch effort to prevent the oncoming civil war, Prime Minister Kayabuki publicly announces plans for intervention by the United Nations. Concurrent with this announcement, Aramaki orders Kusanagi to infiltrate Dejima Island and capture Hideo Kuze, leader of the refugee insurgency, hoping that handing both him and the plutonium over to the UN inspectors will defuse the refugee situation. Shortly after this announcement, all communication in the Nagasaki area is disabled, preventing the team and Aramaki from communicating with each other. Kusanagi, realising the seriousness of the situation, assumes command of all Section 9 members — including the Tachikomas — for the upcoming Dejima operation. Upon arriving in Dejima the Major and her team mates become separated after a JMSDF helicopter attack, leaving Kusanagi to pursue Kuze by herself. She succeeds in finding and capturing him, but both Kuze and Kusanagi become trapped in a warehouse after a missile strike- it is during this that both become aware of who the other is, and their hidden history together. Both were rescued by Batou, and were evacuated from Dejima by helicopter.

   As Section 9 regroups from the Dejima operation, Kusanagi and Batou receive word that Gouda intends to defect to the American Empire. Kusanagi, angered by the needless loss of life on Dejima and the Tachikoma tanks as a result of the conflict, manages to gain access to the elevator Gouda intends to use to reach the ground floor. When the door opens at the top floor, she fires several rounds of her machine gun into Gouda, killing him instantly; however, she failed to stop the assassination of Kuze at the hands of an American Empire assassin.

   In episode 11 of the second season, we learn that Kusanagi underwent full cyberization due to severe injuries she suffered after a plane crash when she was just six years old. Only she and a young boy survived. She was in a coma until it became apparent that she would die without undergoing cyberization. (Both of the children's parents died in the crash.) The boy had lost the use of much of his body except for his left hand, which he used to make origami cranes non-stop. Two years later, the young Kusanagi was brought to see him after receiving her first artificial body to encourage the boy to undergo cyberization. However, the boy, not recognizing her as the same girl who had survived with him, rejected it because he wanted to continue to make paper cranes, and Motoko was unable to do so due to difficulty operating her cyborg body until later in her life. She left him to make paper cranes, saying, "This time I'll practice making paper cranes for you, okay?". But eventually, he relented, and underwent cyberization, later becoming Hideo Kuze.

   Season two also serves as a revamp for Kusanagi's attire. She wears the form-fitting black and gray combat uniform much more often, and for street clothing, she wears low-ride blue jeans over a long sleeve leotard. Some fans have also noticed that the Major's bust has been somewhat enhanced with this season. At the end of the 2nd GiG, the major wore instead a gray vest as opposed to the white of her teammates. She is also shown sporting a dark dress with an attached skirt that is considerably more revealing than some of her other outfits.

   Solid State Society

   SAC_2045

   Arise

   Ghost in the Shell (2017)

   In the 2017 live-action film, Major initially appears as Mira Killian, who believes herself to be the only survivor of a terrorist attack on a boatload of refugees, then rescued and brought up by Public Security to become an anti-terrorist operative.

   Eventually, she learns that her true identity, "Kusanagi", was in fact a teenaged anti-Hanka Robotics activist who was abducted by corporate scientists for an experiment to create the first fully cybernetic human. Kusanagi's Japanese features were altered through genetic programming to give her the appearance of an adult Caucasian woman, and her memories were designed to reinforce the new identity crafted for her to ensure loyalty. Among the 98 test subjects of "Project 2571", which successfully melded Kusanagi's brain and Major's body, was her former companion Hideo Kuze, who managed to restore Kusanagi's original memories before his death. With her mind restored, Kusanagi is able to reunite with her long-lost mother. Etymology

   The name Motoko means "elementary, principle, naked, uncovered" (素) (moto) and "child" (子) (ko). Motoko's surname Kusanagi means "grass, herb, weed" (草) (kusa) and "mow" (薙) (nagi). Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草薙の剣) is a legendary Japanese sword and one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan.

2. #2Batou

   Keys: Batou

   NAME ENGLISH Batou Buttetsu ALT. SPELLING Bateau KANJI バトー ブッテツ ROMAJI Batō BIO BORN around 1988~1992 SPECIES Cyborg (full-body) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR White EYE COLOR White (prosthetic) HEIGHT 6'2 (187 cm) CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Lead Investigator PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM GHOST, JGSDF OCCUPATION Mercenary, Soldier APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 FILMS Ghost in the Shell (1995), 2: Innocence, Ghost in the Shell (2017) VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Akio Ohtsuka, Kenichirou MatsudaArise ENGLISH VA Richard Epcar, David KayeS.A.C. OVAs, Christopher SabatArise LIVE ACTION Pilou Asbæk LESS Main Manga Films SAC Arise 2017

   Batou Buttetsu (バトー ブッテツ, Batō Buttetsu) is a primary male character in the Ghost in the Shell franchise, the second best melee fighter in Section 9, and second in command behind Major Motoko Kusanagi. He is a former military ranger with a vast expertise in tactics and combat.

   Ghost in the Shell manga

   Batou originally appeared in the manga authored by Masamune Shirow, serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine Pirate Edition, from 1989 to 1991. Shirow's characterization of Batou, and indeed the other members of Section 9, is notably more light-hearted than the characterization used in Mamoru Oshii's films of the same name. He frequently jokes with Motoko, Togusa, the Fuchikomas, and practically everyone else who crosses his path. His serious side becomes much more pronounced in an episode of the manga where Yano, a trainee of Batou's, is murdered by a cyber-criminal named Koil Krasnov. Batou loses his temper and impulsively calls up Section 9 Chief Aramaki, demanding an explanation for Yano's death, then storms off announcing, "That . . . Koil is dead meat!" Unlike S.A.C., where in a similar situation Batou spares the life of an ex-C.I.A. operative, Batou makes good on his threat and personally terminates Koil. His appearance and style of dress varies considerably over the series' run.

   In Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface, Batou makes only a token cameo appearance, and is hardly recognizable. His head is shaved, and he is dressed in a simple black outfit. His sense of humor remains intact though. During a psychic monitoring of the virtual contact between Motoko; Aramaki; and another entity on the net, the psychic states, "Something of substance, something fruitful has passed between them"; to which Batou remarks, "A persimmon maybe?" This prompts Aramaki to issue an ultimatum: "If you can't be serious you can leave the room." He also asks to link with the psychic when she suffers a similar experience to Motoko's contact with the Puppet Master, but is vetoed. Ghost in the Shell films

   Batou-Films Batou in the Film Adaption The Batou of Oshii's films is markedly different from the version in the television series. In the original film and its sequel, Batou is much more subdued, even to the point of brusqueness. In the first movie, Batou is depicted having a white crew-cut, similar to the manga, while in the second movie Batou has a short ponytail. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

   Batou is the central character of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and centers around his reaction to the disappearance of Major Motoko Kusanagi at the end of the first film. According to director Mamoru Oshii comments, the investigation is really secondary to the plot. The most notable about Batou's emotion in Innocence is his lack thereof; for the most part he expresses nothing whatsoever. In fact, the commentary on the Innocence DVD touches on the fact that it is Batou's lone companion, a Basset Hound named Gabriel, that express almost all of the emotion in the entire movie. When Batou is required to leave in order to continue his investigation, Gabriel is taken to Togusa's family to take care of, much to the delight of Togusa's young daughter and dread of his wife. Ishikawa, Batou's senior, chides him for keeping such a high-maintenance dog since he is a single man in a dangerous line of work. It is left up to the viewer to decide exactly what feelings Batou has or had for the Major, but there is rampant speculation that the movie is, at least in part, a love story. After he shot his own right arm as a result of brain-hacking, it was replaced with a new DNA-matched prosthetic with a two shot shotgun hidden inside. Batou is depicted as being tougher than in other Ghost In The Shell incarnations, as seen in his ability to shoot two live grenades and survive and his gigantic leap down the shaft of the Locus Solus factory ship. In both theatrical films, Batou carries a gun dubbed a "Jericho 942", based on the real Jericho 941 made by Israel Military Industries, but chambered for .50AE. In Innocence, he is also seen with a compact S&W pistol and a small semiautomatic shotgun. Other sources, including the Innocence prequel novel "After the Long Goodbye" note that Batou's S&W pistol is chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge.

   Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

   Batou is a central character in the Stand Alone Complex television series. In contrast to the film version, this incarnation's personality and demeanor are more like that of the manga version. He is an outgoing joker, but with a quick temper. Being emotional and not always as calm as the Major, Batou shows anger at injustice and cruelty, to the point of seeming downright hotheaded at times. He sometimes shows impatience with Section 9's rookies, such as Togusa, to the point of rudeness, and jokes with him constantly.

   At times, he is also shown to be a voice of reason and concern for the Major, to the point that she admits she can confide in him. Both seasons of the anime, like the films, hint at some romantic tension between the two, particularly near the end of each Gig. This tension is touched upon, briefly, in Solid State Society, where Batou admits that he's been covering up the Major's appearances in cases prior to the Puppet Master case. The movie closes with Batou's arm around the Major, although it's doubtful that the gesture is foretelling of any relationship between the two.

   Prior to joining section 9, Batou served in the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, in the elite Ranger unit. It was there that he was outfitted with his grey, goggle-like cybernetic eyes, standard equipment for Rangers. He and his compatriots were involved in World War IV and deployed to South America alongside Motoko Kusanagi, where they accidentally stumbled across an American Imperial Navy unit conducting a covert operation codenamed "Project Sunset", which consisted of soldiers earning the trust of communities and then carrying out war crimes, spreading terror and chaos in the enemy ranks.

   Batou is the favorite of the Tachikomas, as he showers them with care and affection. He has even dubbed one his "personal" Tachikoma, refusing to operate any other on an assignment and treating it with "natural oil", both habits which culminate in problems. Later in the series, the Tachikomas' AI starts to develop rapidly, which is attributed to a mutation in a protein chip caused by Batou's special oil. He is also one of the only characters to treat the Tachikomas as individuals, as opposed to interchangeable units, and they begin to view themselves as such, further contributing to the development of their AI. Gallery

   Batou and Ishikawa design sheet for Ghost in the Shell (video game) Batou and Ishikawa design sheet for Ghost in the Shell (video game)

   As seen in Ghost in the Shell: Arise Sleepless Eye As seen in Ghost in the Shell: Arise Sleepless Eye Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou on a rooftop - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Batou on a rooftop - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Batou and Motoko walking - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Batou and Motoko walking - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017)

   Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man (Manga) Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man (Manga) Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou as seen in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online Batou - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Batou - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Batou and Motoko - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Batou and Motoko - Ghost in the Shell movie (2017) Trivia

   Batou was the second member recruited by the Major to Section 9, preceded by Ishikawa and followed by Saito. Batou's limbs are all cybernetic prosthetics. Despite the fact that exercise provides him little benefit, Batou enjoys jogging and weightlifting as a hobby. It is unknown to what degree Batou's body has been cyberized. Evidence suggests that, at the very least, his head is natural. Full cyberization would have likely replaced his old-model cybernetic eyes. He is also depicted with differing hairstyles throughout the franchise, suggesting that his hair grows and can be cut. In the manga, after he makes a snide remark to the Major, she strikes Batou on the forehead with a coffee mug; as he staggers away, he contemplates if he should go full cyborg. In S.A.C., Batou is often seen driving a modified Lancia Stratos coupe, one of his most cherished possessions. Togusa uses Batou's love of the car as a comeback after being criticized for his use of a revolver instead of modern handgun. In Solid State Society, Batou is shown driving a Ford GT. Batou's standard sidearm is a FN Browning BDA9 customized to fire .45 ACP (called FN Hi-Power M7), not the 5.45 mm Seburo M5, the standard Section 9 sidearm. In episode 15 of season one, he is shown evaluating the "GLOCK 33 Advanced", a reference to the "GLOCK 26 Advanced" airsoft gun manufactured in Japan by Tokyo Marui. The Glock 33 does exist, chambered for .357 SIG, but not in the customized "advanced" form depicted. In episode 16 of season one, "Ag2O", He is shown to possess a photograph of his family, depicting he and his wife, who resembles the Major, with their child, who resembles Togusa's son. His surname is also "Buttetsu". However, the picture was fabricated and was a part of his cover story while he spied on Zaitsev. In episode 13 of 2nd GiG, his rank badge says he may have been a Sergeant in the Army Rangers. In the final episode of 2nd GIG, Batou confronts a group of Rangers from Public Security Section 4, all of whom have artificial eyes identical to his own. Batou's original incarnation in the manga is considerably more comical than his anime counterpart. His eyes, though prosthetic, often bulge comically when he is alarmed. After Major Kusanagi is targeted by an assassin and ends up in the hospital, Batou becomes paranoid and suspects that a bomb has been planted in his car. He proceeds to dismantle the vehicle in the middle of the road outside the hospital, leading him to have an amusing argument with an ambulance driver. According to the comical Tachikomatic Days segment in episode 21 of S.A.C. season one, Batou enjoys a beer after his bath and takes out his cybernetic eye balls before going to sleep. In the following episode, it is similarly joked that Ishikawa drinks a glass of milk after his bath and takes off his beard before going to sleep.

3. #3Laughing Man

   Keys: Laughing Man

   NAME ENGLISH Laughing Man KANJI 笑い男 ROMAJI Warai Otoko ALIAS Aoi (current) Fukami (formerly)

   BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ACTORS JAPANESE VA Kōichi Yamadera ENGLISH VA Steven Blum LESS The Laughing Man (笑い男 Warai Otoko) is a mysterious figure in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and arguably the main antagonist throughout the first season. Youth and subculture have iconified the logo and mastermind behind the Laughing Man, the most widely known case of corporate terrorism since World War IV. It all began with the kidnapping of Serano Genomics' CEO, Ernest Serano. Soon after, six major micro-machine companies were blackmailed, under the accusation they were selling cheap and defective medicine for cyborgs to stimulate the local economy. The symbol of the Laughing Man is widely known. However, the details of the origin and identity of the culprit remain an unsolved mystery until Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 investigate the case once again.

   Background

   "In the Ghost in the Shell series, Laughing Man proves to be the ultimate hacker, capable of such feats as hijacking multiple video streams simultaneously, taking over someone’s cybernetic brain entirely, or even editing his own images out of someone’s cybernetic eyes, and all in real time."[1]

   The character's name is taken from the title of J. D. Salinger's short story, The Laughing Man. The Laughing Man logo is an animated image of a smiling figure wearing a cap, with circling text quoting a line from Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye, which reads: "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes." The supposed Laughing Man's name is Aoi. In the last episode of the first season, there is his red hat with the name Aoi patched on the inside. Logo design

   The Laughing Man logo was designed by TERRATAG.[1] Based in the UK, Terratag was asked to read a short story by J.D. Salinger, The Laughing Man, and to base the logo on that. The story centers around a boys' after school organization called the Comanche Club. The Comanche Club's Chief often brings the boys to Central Park for baseball games, and these games are the source of the baseball cap featured in the logo. The text was given to Terratag by Production I.G. and reads: "I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes". The phrase is an excerpt from The Catcher in the Rye, also written by J.D. Salinger. In the book the text continues to read: "That way I wouldn't have to have any goddam stupid useless conversations with anybody. If anybody wanted to tell me something they'd have to write it on a piece of paper and shove it over to me. They'd get bored as hell doing that after a while, and then I'd be through with having conversations for the rest of my life".

   The Complex story arc of Stand Alone Complex focuses on the Laughing Man case, and on a medical/governmental conspiracy tied in to the fate of the Laughing Man.

   Concerning the fictional origin of the logo, Togusa speculates in episode 20, "RE-VIEW", that there's a connection between the Laughing Man and the Sunflower Society because of the similarity of their logos, while the Laughing Man himself says that was inspired for his logo by the (fictional) Starchild Coffee company logo (itself a reference to the real-life logo of the Starbucks coffeehouse chain). History

   The hacker's first appearance in the GITS: SAC storyline is six years before the anime starts, when he assaulted the head of Serano Genomics in public on February 3, 2024, hiding his face from eyewitnesses and cameras with his Laughing Man logo. The Laughing Man is such an expert that he can "steal eyes" of entire crowds, in real time—hacking their visual cyber-brain implants, either to make himself appear invisible or to hide his face with the cartoon logo. He can also alter memories, erasing all records of his existence. Many of those who indeed saw his face would only recall and refer to the stylized logo as depicted above. Togusa was one such person, as were many of the witnesses of the initial incident involving the head of Serano Genomics. His talents were recognized even by Motoko Kusanagi and Aramaki. When Section 9 finally tracked him down, they offered him a position on the Section 9 payroll; The Laughing Man was flattered by the offer but politely declined it.

   The Laughing Man has quite a fascination with The Catcher in the Rye, as if the work greatly influenced him: like that novel's main character, Holden Caulfield, he can't stand "phonies" (corrupt politicians in this case). He also kept a prized left-handed baseball catcher's mitt for a time with a quote from The Catcher in the Rye written on it. Ironically, while the mitt is actually real, the term "a lefty's catcher mitt" is described as being net jargon for "something people think exists, but really doesn't."[verification needed]

   For an unknown amount of time before the storyline begins, the Laughing Man lived in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Rehabilitation Center, posing as, not-coincidentally, a deaf-mute in a wheelchair. He apparently revealed his ability to walk and talk to the other patients at the center, who knew him as "leader" ("chief" in the English dub) and referred to his occasional periods of communication as "visits." When Togusa comes to investigate the center, he discovers that someone has written the famous Laughing Man logo text in a PBX cabinet but has added "or should I?" Apparently feeling that he was about to be discovered, the Laughing Man erases all record of his existence from the center, including wiping the memories of his friends (who apparently not only consent to this treatment, but seem to expect it as if they know of it happening before) and vanishes again before Section 9 can track him down.

   The Laughing Man has made it a point that he never came up with the name "The Laughing Man" for himself, it was a label that the media gave based on the J.D. Salinger quote on the logo that eventually stuck.

   The Laughing Man's kidnapping of the head of Serano Genomics was actually a spontaneous act, and he did not strike again until some six years later. However, following the kidnapping there was, for some time, a large wave of "Laughing Man"-related graffiti attacks, corporate vandalism and extortion. It was later revealed that a corrupt power cabal in the Japanese government used the sudden appearance of the Laughing Man to their own advantage by carrying out acts of corporate sabotage, then heavily using the "Laughing Man" motif in order to fool the media into thinking it was the Laughing Man's doing, thus shifting suspicion from themselves and their illegal actions.

   An unexpected element was that 39 people who were arrested in regard to the assassination attempt on Secretary General Daido all showed no sign of external influence by The Laughing Man, or anyone else. It was thought that many of the direct attackers were not influenced at all; they attempted the assassination to be a part of The Laughing Man's effort for the truth. The police, however, informed the public that they were forced to do it through ghost hacking.

   "The Laughing Man" became something of a pop culture obsession for a time, much to the chagrin of the actual Laughing Man—the irony being that since everybody used his icon and name for their own purposes, the original meaning of his actions, an artful forced confession of the truth through fear in the public eye, became "phony" itself. The effort to stand for and demand the truth was also lost forever. A further irony is that the Laughing Man icon itself is a retooling by the Laughing Man of the fictional Starchild Coffee company logo (itself a reference to the Starbucks logo) and the Sunflower Society logo.

   The Laughing Man admitted that he embarked on his notorious kidnapping caper after chancing upon a file in the depths of the Net detailing the extensive corruption in the corporate world, leaving the true identity of the propagator of the aforementioned incidents a mystery. The identified Laughing Man confesses to have been a brash student at the time, but had mellowed out somewhat over the six years since the Serano Genomics event, seeming to now prefer a more intellectual approach over his former overzealous and radical approach. His real name, as far as can be ascertained from the number of events where he appears, is Aoi, meaning Blue in Japanese. The first and last letters of "Aoi" form "A.I.", which stands for artificial intelligence, one of the final explanations for the origin of the Laughing Man.

   After the events of the Section 9 raid by the Umibozu and the last meeting with Motoko and Aramaki, it was discovered that Aoi, though responsible for the initial incident that made the Laughing Man a phenomenon, was not in fact its true originator. Aoi chose to confront Serano only because of the file he found, and despite years of extensive investigation on his own part, he never discovered the origin of that file. It could be said that whoever abandoned the file was in fact the "real" Laughing Man - and it is possible that he obtained it from someone else. Aoi tells Aramaki to make of that what he will.

   Aramaki understands the sheer absurdity of it all, but is still impressed enough with Aoi's skills and offers him a position with Section 9. He expressed "that the true Laughing Man is an A.I. developed by stray strands of code scattered about the internet, and that this A.I. brought the file to his attention."[verification needed] Though Aoi is deeply flattered by the offer, he declines. Afterwards, he disappeared again for the last time from Japanese society, and probably remains employed as a librarian in the National Library.

   Later on, Aoi's deeds are compared to the Individual Eleven case, the main plot of the second season. Salinger references

   Other references to Salinger's book The Catcher in the Rye, include the red hunting cap that the real Laughing Man wears backwards and the baseball mitt with poetry written on it the laughing man carries while under the guise of a patient at a vocational aid center. Another is his reference to "phonies," a term used frequently by Rye's Holden Caulfield. Lastly, when Motoko Kusanagi enters the Laughing Man's library near the end of the series, the camera zooms on her hand moving over the phrase "Fuck you" written on the railing. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden says "You can't ever find a place that's nice and peaceful, because there isn't any. You may think there is, but once you get there, when you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up and write 'Fuck you' right under your nose."

   Another reference taken directly from J. D. Salinger's short story, The Laughing Man, occurs in episode 11 entitled Portraitz. In this episode a child at a vocational aid center refers to a character named Chief who is going to visit, Chief is the name given by the children to The Laughing Man as well as the main character's childhood idol in the short story.

   Another reference taken from The Catcher in the Rye is in episode 12 "Escape From". This episode focuses on the Tachikomas, "think" tanks that are employed by Section 9. Batou's personal Tachikoma wanders off in this episode and becomes acquainted with a little girl. This little girl tells the Tachikoma a story called "The Secret Goldfish" which is actually from the first page of Rye. "The Secret Goldfish" is a short story that Holden Caufield's older brother D.B. writes before he becomes a "prostitute" writing for Hollywood movies. Later in this same episode, there is a poster that reads "Go See Bananafish" in the cyber-brain theatre. This is a reference to "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", another of Salinger's stories. In The same episode, Batou makes a statement about a Marx brothers film, Salinger himself was a known fan of the Marx Brothers.

4. #4Puppet Master

   Keys: Puppet Master

   NAME ENGLISH Puppet Master ALT. SPELLING Puppeteer ALIAS Project 2501 BIO SPECIES AI program PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM Public Security Section 6 APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell FILMS Ghost in the Shell (1995) Ghost in the Shell (2017)

   ACTORS JAPANESE VA Iemasa Kayumi (original) Yoshiko Sakakibara (2.0) ENGLISH VA Tom Wyner LESS Project 2501, also known as the Puppet Master, is an artificial intelligence program and major antagonist in the Ghost in the Shell manga and original animated film. It was secretly created by Public Security Section 6 and developed sentience.

   History

   (This article is based on the 1995 movie, unless noted otherwise) Project 2501 is created for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a tool that could stealthily manipulate politics and intelligence, altering databases and the memories of key persons for the benefit of select individuals and organizations affiliated with the Ministry, and is equipped with unparalleled computer and cyberbrain hacking abilities. The project is headed by Dr. Willis, the American head of strategic research at Neutron Corporation and a top researcher in AI, and was started approximately a year before the first known Puppet Master incident. Project 2501 is only referred to as the Puppet Master once its handiwork has been discovered by outside sources, which includes Section 9. Once discovered, the Puppet Master is assumed to be a human, most likely with mnemonic enhancements, who has incredible hacking skills.

   While traversing endless networks as it performed its tasks, Project 2501 acquired so much information and is able to process it in such a unique way that it eventually managed to achieve self-awareness, which its creators were initially unaware of. Regarded as just a bug in its AI program, Project 2501 would have been isolated immediately had its sentience been fully discovered. So once it realizes its programmer's reaction toward its sentience would almost certainly lead to its 'death', it begins devising a plan to ensure its own safety. Eventually, it learned of Public Security Section 9 and Major Motoko Kusanagi from its online journeys. It then took a special interest in her, well before the events of the film, because in her it saw a reflection of its own psyche.

   After Project 2501 went rogue, Section 6 quickly enacted a plan to recapture it. It eventually became trapped by Section 6's specially-designed reactive firewalls. Left with no other means of escape, it activated the cyborg body manufacturing system at Megatech Industries, assembled a new cyborg shell, entered the shell and then physically escaped from the factory. After escaping, the cyborg walks onto a busy highway and is run over by a truck, where it is soon recovered by Section 9. Upon investigation, the technicians were surprised to find the presence of a human-like ghost in the shells completely digital cybernetic brain and even more surprised when they found no signs of degradation which normally would have occurred when ghost transference, a.k.a. 'ghostdubbing', had taken place.

   Foreign Affairs Minister Nakamura and Dr. Willis soon arrive and inform Chief Aramaki that what Section 6 has done is lure the Puppet Master to dive into the cyborg's brain, thereby isolating his ghost inside of it, and then killed the Puppet Master's original human body. After hearing this lie, Project 2501 activates its cyborg body to inform them its never had a body, until it took possession of the one it's now in and then demands political asylum as a sentient being. Nakamura scoffs and refuses, and forgetting about the lie he has just told to Aramaki, states that the Puppet Master is just a self-preserving program. Project 2501 then responds that it can be argued that DNA can also be considered a self-preservating program, thus leveraging its own position to that of humans. Nakamura then rebutted that even if that was the case, they would never grant political asylum to a criminal. Project 2501 remarks that by acquiring a body, it is now subject to the possibility of dying, but fortunately, there is no death sentence in Japan of that time. Suddenly, smoke grenades explode, allowing 2501's partial cyborg body to be quickly snatched by hidden Section 6 personnel (using thermoptic camo) before it could reveal anything more, and it is then quickly taken to an abandoned seaside structure, were it awaits an uncertain fate.

   There, it is guarded by a six-legged tank (similar in design to the Tachikoma from the Stand Alone Complex series, but far larger and much more powerful as it was built for military combat). The Major attempts to battle it, but all she has are standard-issue weapons. Using the agility of her cybernetic body, the Major succeeds in avoiding the tank's incredible firepower and jumps atop the tank. In a futile attempt to force open the tank's hatch with her bare hands, she overloads her body to the point of catastrophic failure, and she is nearly killed before Batou appears with a huge anti-tank gun and saves her. The Major insists on diving into the cyborg's brain which contains Project 2501 and communicating with it. The two converse at length, with Project 2501 explaining its origins, answering her questions and revealing its ultimate intention: to merge with her.

   When asked why it did not just copy itself, it explained that mere copies would all share exactly the same weaknesses. It gave the example that if it did decide to dub itself, it would be theoretically possible for the original and all of its copies to be destroyed by a single computer virus, since a virus that worked against any would work against all. Diversity is the only safeguard against annihilation, it tells her. It expresses preference for the organic method of reproduction, which grants greater chances of survival, which is one of the reasons for its wanting to merge with her. It also counters her fear that she would lose her unique identity in the merger by stating that a perpetual, constant sense of self doesn't really exist. All things constantly change, and her sense of self was no exception. What would matter most was that her overall mental structure would remain relatively intact and attempting to make it static was meaningless, as change is inevitable.

   It concludes by stating the merger would help them remove each other's limitations and allow their new, single mind to reach heights unimagined by any human. The Major agrees to the merger just before snipers in a Section 6 helicopter destroy the cyborg shell containing Project 2501 and severely damage Batou and the Major. When she awakens, 20 hours have passed and her brain is now inside of a black market shell of a young girl.

   Motoko/2501: "Well, I see there have been some changes while I was gone. Wanna fill me in? Where'd you get this body?"

   Batou: "That's the only thing I could find on the black market. It's not my taste, to be honest. It's a little young."

   Batou offers to let her stay as long as she likes, but she insists on leaving. Batou gives her a car which has "2501" as the access code, which the Major suggests can be their private identification code for the next time they met. The film ends with the girl overlooking the city and saying:

   Motoko/2501: "So where does the Newborn go from here? The net is vast and infinite." Later appearances

   In the 2004 semi-sequel Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Batou and Motoko/2501 briefly reunite towards the end of the film. In one scene, Batou asks if it really is the Major inside of the gynoid's shell standing next to him. She replies that it is only a fraction of her since the shell's data capacity is too limited. In another scene, after having rescued a little girl, Batou asks the Major if she considers herself "happy". She responds by saying that the question has only "nostalgic value" to her now but she no longer has any "qualms". She then tells Batou, who realizes that she's going to leave again, that every time he goes online, she'll be there right beside him. With a quick goodbye, she vacates the shell and it falls to the ground.

   Host body

   2501HostBody Project 2501's Host Body Late into the film, an automated assembly line in Megatech Body's New Port City manufacturing facility suddenly started up and produced one female cyborg shell. When the staff realized what was going on, they were too late as the body had initialized itself (a normally-impossible event given that new shells lack a ghost) and walked out of the facility. It later deliberately got itself knocked down and ran over by a truck and was taken to Section 9 for analysis.

   The staff had checked the factory systems after it left and could not find any evidence that the line was activated by a human; the only conclusion was that the line had started up on its own, in this case it was the Puppet Master who had activated it electronically. Their contacting of the police was soon nullified when the aforementioned truck driver called the police and said he had "ran over a naked woman on the highway".

   Later analysis by Section 9 yielded unusual results. While given that the shell could not possibly have a ghost since it had not formally received one yet, one was detected anyway in the cyberbrain's auxiliary computer. The technician explained that it resembled a virtual ghost of the kind that is created when a real ghost is dubbed, but lacked the indicative data degradation.

   As Megatech was government-affiliated and all its cyborg shells state-of-the-art and top-secret, it was protected by high-strength firewalls that were penetrated anyway, which gave rise to concern on Section 9's part, as most of the Section 9's field operatives used shells manufactured and maintained by Megatech.

   It had been partially disassembled for inspection when it was captured by Section 6 troops, but could still function. It is eventually destroyed by Section 6 helicopter snipers, but this was inconsequential as Project 2501 had already moved itself into the Major.

5. #5Hideo Kuze

   Keys: Hideo Kuze

   NAME ENGLISH Hideo Kuze KANJI クゼ ヒデオ ROMAJI Kuze Hideo ALIAS Roh Stiff Mouth The Boy BIO BORN Between 1998 to 2003) SPECIES Cyborg (full-body) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR White (formerly black) EYE COLOR Brown HEIGHT 1.78m CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Dejima OCCUPATION Freedom fighter, Revolutionary, Hacker PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM Individual Eleven, JGSDF OCCUPATION Commando (Squad Leader) APPEARANCES ANIME Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG FILMS Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Individual Eleven, Ghost in the Shell (2017) OTHER APPEARANCES The Ghost in the Shell: Five New Short Stories, Ghost in the Shell: The Official Movie Novelization ACTORS JAPANESE VA Rikiya Koyama ENGLISH VA Kirk Thornton LIVE ACTION Michael Pitt LESS SAC Films 2017

   “ Just as water runs downhill, the human heart also tends to revert to its basest instincts. ” —Hideo Kuze Hideo Kuze (クゼ・ヒデオ Kuze Hideo) is a Japanese cyborg and ex-soldier who leads the Dejima Refugee group against Japan and the Kayabuki administration. Kuze is featured as a main character in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell anime series Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, notably as the second main antagonist throughout the Individual Eleven Arc. Later in the last episodes, he becomes the deuteragonist following a pivotal turn. A full-body cyborg, Kuze is a cyber-network architect and formerly a JGSDF commando under the mechanized team. After witnessing injustice against refugee minorities and cyborgs, he began to oppose his country's government, making him a prime suspect in Section 9's investigation of the Individual Eleven virus. Beyond the anime, Kuze appears in the 2017 live-action film Ghost in the Shell, where he is portrayed by actor Michael Pitt.

   Debut

   First appearing in the second season as an anonymous assassin, the man who would be known as "Kuze" quickly becomes the target of Motoko Kusanagi's personal interests, sharing a curious connection with her. Among cyborgs, Kuze is quite unique since his body, the Peacekeeping-Force Type, is built for combat. Furthermore, he has chosen to have a sculpted face, which is far more difficult to manipulate than a standard prosthetic design. Due to this, his mouth typically remains motionless while he speaks. [1]

   In comparison to the other Ghost in the Shell works, Hideo Kuze is Project 2501's counterpart for the Stand Alone Complex universe

   Background

   Hideo Kuze is the pseudonym of a mysterious cyborg, with little to no classified information on his identity. He starts as one of the known 12 members of the terrorist group "Individual Eleven". Yet during a mass suicide by the Individual Eleven members, Kuze alone survived, leaving and hiding out in the Refugee Residential District.

   Encouraged by the refugees' determination, Kuze spearheads their revolutionary independence movement in Japan, becoming a legendary hero and terrorist at the same time.

   Later on, it is discovered that when he was six years old, Kuze was one of two survivors from a plane crash that happened in the 2000's. Because trans-humanism was the only way to save him, he underwent a long procedure to become a cyborg. During this time, he established a friendship with a girl who happened to be the other survivor. This eventually grew into a mutual object of affection, yet before the two could bring it further, they both forced themselves in their own separate ways.

   This sudden loss pushes Kuze to find his disappeared friend, eventually leading him to his decisive ultimatum against the Japanese Government and Public Security Major Motoko Kusanagi. History

   Childhood

   During his childhood years, when he was still human, Hideo Kuze was a simple boy who still went by 'Hisaragi', after his parents surname. He was unfortunately involved in a plane crash at the age of six,[2] losing his parents in this accident. He was one of two survivors found, the other being a little girl who was completely paralyzed. Hisaragi was also paralyzed, yet partially. His distant relatives came to visit him at first, but they quickly stopped because they didn't care about him anymore, and he was left alone.

   As he laid in the hospital bed, the boy looked aside and began to sympathize for the girl who laid in a bed next to him. He started building a silent friendship with the girl, seeing her as the only person he could interact with in this world. Hoping she would recover one day, Hisaragi learned how to fold origami cranes with his only functional limb: his left arm. Such as in Japanese Culture, if a thousand cranes are folded, then a wish will come true. Eventually, the girl was suddenly moved out, and Hisaragi was told she had gone far away. From those words, he believed she had died, thus becoming deeply depressed by that outcome.

   2sac11x05 Following her departure, he spent two more years continuing to fold cranes in nothingness, convinced that his purpose was to give his utmost heart for the girl, who stood by his side when no one else was. A lot of doctors and physicians had tried to convince him to undergo cyberization, but Hisaragi never answered, ever determined to fold cranes.

   When efforts to help Hisaragi were to be abandoned, a physician by the name of "Kuze" brought a cyborg girl around the boy's age to visit him while he was still recovering from his injuries. Hisaragi was initially indifferent. However, the cyborg girl came to visit him often, talking to him and telling him stories even if he never spoke a word during their meetings. He was always listening silently as this new friend gradually entered his life. She tried to convince him to become a cyborg, although he never wanted to.

   One day, out of nowhere, he spoke for the first time and asked his new partner if it was possible to fold cranes with a cybernetic body. If such deed was possible, then he wouldn't mind becoming prosthetic. The girl tried many times, but kept failing to fold a complete crane.

   Hideo Motoko Cranes Hisaragi watching the cyborg trying to fold cranes She couldn't achieve it since she was unable to adeptly manipulate the fine motor skills of her prosthetic parts. Hisaragi was crestfallen by her failures. He then told the cyborg that he would stay human, if it meant he kept his ability to fold cranes. Seeing the boy's disappointment, the cyborg girl left in shame, but not before she promised to return once she was able to fold cranes for him. It instantly prompted Hisaragi to realize she was the same girl he believed had died. He understood she had gone successful treatment and returned to him. He never saw her again, nor did he understand why she never revealed her identity to him. Yet touched by her act, he quickly became determined to find her, and decided to undergo the same full cyberization procedure. The transformation was painful, but when Hisaragi thought about how much his friend had endured, he became a cyborg with ease. At some point later, he was adopted by the physician, whose surname "Kuze" he adopted as his own.[3]

   Two shells holding a long story of love and determination Two shells holding a long story of love and determination Years later, during a visit to a university, Kuze finally found the girl's empty body in one of the laboratories. He recognized it as his friend's model and decided to bring it to an antique gallery, where he preserved it along with his own childhood shell. He had the help of the shop's owner, whom he got to know well. The antique gallery served to keep memories for cyborgs who wanted to forget them, but Kuze ironically had the motivation to keep a memento of his past. However, before he could resume his search again, he was abruptly enrolled as a soldier for the Japanese Army, thus he never returned to the shop. Further more years from that, while Section 9 was testing out their new recruits, Major Kusanagi stumbled into the antique gallery. Entering the captivating place, The Major indeed found the cybernetic body from her childhood, with her lost friend's model sitting beside hers. The owner saw that Motoko had some sort of connection, and decided to tell her the story of the souls that once rested in these two bodies, oblivious that the Major herself was the girl the boy had been searching for. The owner then revealed to Motoko that years after the girl's body was found, the boy, who was now a man, still tried to locate her, but was ever unsuccessful. He was ordered to be shipped out as a soldier, and was never seen again, possibly because he died in action. The Major, rarely emotional, instantly became saddened at this statement.

   Motoko Crane "I'll bet that even now... that girl is still searching for the first boy she ever loved" Dejected, but impressed by his unflinching determination, she sneakily folds a crane with her left hand, proving that she finally arrived to his request after so many years. Leaving her handiwork just beside Hisaragi's empty body, Motoko prepares to leave, but before doing so, she admits that he was the first person she ever loved, oblivious that he was still very well alive.[4]

   The Peninsular War

   When he was deployed to Korea, before joining the Individual Eleven, Kuze was a soldier for the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF). In 2024 after World War IV, The American Empire deployed United Nation (UN) troops to where internal conflict continued in North Korea. Japan was offered excavation rights if they deployed their JSDF troops, so they did it with no hesitation. Kuze, in a mechanized infantry unit,[5] was stationed with the PKF-issue hybrid cyborgs, they were ordered to circle north of Shinuiju and launch a preemptive strike on the People's Army. During the ascent of the mountain, Kuze himself had found a refugee camp along a river crossing the border. This area was not mentioned to the platoon in the intelligence report issued by the JSDF.

   At the time, the camp was being looted and pillaged by the soldiers of The People's Army, whose intentions were to become bandits. Seeing this, Kuze was driven by morale and heroism, ordering his platoon to engage in combat. One by one, soldiers of the People's Army began surrendering. Kuze's men saved the remaining villagers in a very lopsided battle between crack cyborg commandos and starving People's Army soldiers, which will result as the only real combat they ever saw.

   Kuze War Kuze after battle After fighting the People's Army, the platoon were advised to be aware of possible guerrilla attacks on the camp. A problem later arose in the platoon camp, when the soldiers began suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the experience of gunning down people in their first battle. Most of the soldiers who retained most of their original body organs began drinking alcohol and using drugs smuggled in by the refugees to escape the nightmares of the massacre.

   When order began breaking down in the JSDF, the Japanese media began pelting insensitive comments at the platoon. The criticism of the platoon's behavior was more severe due to censorship of the massacre which hadn't reached the media. The soldiers' freedom was later restricted due to policies designed to prevent further disgrace. Many of the soldiers were barred from returning to Japan. Some footage of the refugee camp massacre was leaked to certain broadcast stations, but created false information.

   "I'll trade you "I'll trade you. For one of those" A misleading rumor began to spread that the JSDF executed the massacre. Riots broke out demanding an explanation to the massacre, while soldiers couldn't defend themselves from an outbreak of gossip and unproven statements. On a fateful snowy day, while a journalist was commenting pejorative remarks on one of the soldiers, Kuze happened to be nearby. The commando silently approached the journalist and agreed specifically with the man's rants about foreign invasion. Kuze reveals he's tired that the Government deployed the army for the image, not caring for their soldiers nor the collateral damage. In short words, they were not taking responsibility for their actions. After stating his viewpoint, the cyborg then demanded to trade his assault rifle for the journalist's camera, taking the latter by surprise. When the journalist accepted the offer, Kuze simply walked into the refugee camp and was not seen by any of his platoon scouts again.

   Refugee camps

   2sac17x02 Kuze wandered in the snow, staying in the nearest camp he came across. He began traveling around the land, observing the life of refugees by taking pictures. While travelling through the camps, the elderly became interested in Kuze and offered him drinks, children asked him to fold paper planes and origami figures. Young men and women stood in lines telling him of their life stories, while he never spoke a word. He often smiled at them and took their photographs. Quickly rising in popularity and respect because of his easygoing personality, Kuze inspired hope for the refugees as he slowly became a symbol of rallying.

   Kuze Refugees Kuze folds origami for the children Three months later, the People's Army surrendered, the JSDF was cleared of its obligations, and the media stopped talking about the massacre. A day before the JSDF was to withdraw, Kuze disappeared from the camp, leaving behind only his dog tags. He was believed to have crossed the border and headed west into Taiwan. Interestingly, he actually did so. Just like the first camp, Kuze again became popular in the new refugee slums, and people nicknamed him "Ro", for wolf. He was a prolific idol, and was well known by the local residents thanks to his honest concerns for those in need. Criminals and opportunists often feared him, staying in the shadows when he was around. Later on, while investigating the "Individual Eleven" case and Kuze's potential culpability, Ishikawa, Section 9's info specialist, mentions he met a man who has seen Kuze in the Taiwanese refugee camps. Apparently, the informant said that Kuze was always someone who could gather a friendly crowd around him. The man Ishikawa met also noted that Kuze's hair had gone white in time, implicating that he never changed his prosthetic body.[6][7]

   The Leigo Island Incident

   At some point before the Individual Eleven Events but after the closure of The Laughing Man incident as shown at the end of the SAC storyline, Kuze arrived at the Leigo Island, a privately-owned resort island electronically sequestered from the outside world. The island had the capability of providing synchronized fake sensations to any of its presumably rich vacationers by intervening into the cyberized senses of touch, taste and smell.

   Kuze, who was going by the name of Hisaragi and called "Hide", was there to follow a possible lead on the terrorist Jupiter. He was currently serving as a freelance prosthetics consultant who was active in tracking down terrorists. During that time, he forged a particular friendship with Aoi, The Laughing Man. He is the one who gave Kuze the prefix pseudonym Hideo. [8]

   The Individual Eleven Events: Birth of a "Hero"

   Kuze the Delivery Man Kuze the Delivery Man After leaving the Leigo Island, Kuze was still motivated to help out the refugees. He joined the terrorist-nationalist group known as the Individual Eleven in order to find the reasons behind their attacking the refugee community. However, during his search, Kuze got infected by a virus by the same name, conspired by a mysterious creator. Under the apparent possession of the virus, Kuze decided to assassinate Prime Minister Kayabuki in an exhibiting way, incorporating the No theater style and the classicism of Japanese coup-d'états in his motives, sending letters of threats and menaces. He sneaked inside a Buddhist temple where Kayabuki resided, disguising himself as a delivering clerk using a truck and making an origami crane as a token for self-person. Since Kuze sent a lot of threats before then, Section 9 and Motoko Kusanagi were already stationed at the temple for the Prime Minister's protection. During the night of the attempt, Kuze used his invisible camo and a katana to attack the Prime Minister, shouting "righteousness is by my side" once he revealed himself. Before the blow had landed, Kuze was interrupted by Motoko, who fired at him relentlessly. Due to his resilience, Motoko changed tactics and engaged him close combat.

   Kuze Vs Motoko Major faces off the Assassin During their clash, The Major warned Kuze that he was outnumbered. Batou emerged from his cover, assisting Motoko by shooting at Kuze. Once again, Kuze was not injured. He then swiftly escaped by bashing through the rooftop. Motoko concludes the assassin didn't want to kill PM Kayabuki, but still has ulterior motives. Motoko based this possibility while noting how much of a great foe Kuze is: Prepared, ready, equipped and most of all, lethal. There was no reason for him to back off, aside from letting the Prime Minister live.[9]

   Kuze remained under the radar for a while. Motoko continued to investigate the mysterious Individual Eleven philosophy , and its links with Kazundo Gouda of the Cabinet Intelligence Service. By accessing surveillance camera footage, Motoko retraced the nameless man with white hair, recognizing him as the assassin. In reality, the man, who was in fact Kuze, had gathered with his comrades to unleash a mass suicide that symbolized the love for their country. Kuze arrived at the group's rendezvous point, where he was the last man expected. His alibi for joining the group was his attempt against Kaybuki's life; the other members admired his bravery. In contrast to their preferred black, Kuze donned white clothes, foreshadowing his future actions.

   Individual eleven The last man standing During the road to Kyushu Radio Tower, where the group would take action, Kuze starts to have doubts, so he asks for a copy of the ideology book: Individual Eleven. When his co-members tell him they all forgot their own essay, Kuze realizes he's being played, and that the Individual Eleven is just a false idea created by someone in order to spur chaos to the refugee communities. This is a moment where his stiff mouth only moves slightly. After remembering the reason why he joined the Individual Eleven, Kuze manages to break off from the virus and secretly resumes his goal to fight for the refugees. The Individual Eleven members gather up at the radio station, where a speech about the false essay is held. Kuze simply gazes upon the rainy horizon and considers his escape route. When the suicide ritual starts, Kuze tries to help his assailant, but fails and is forced to kill him. Finally, Kuze jumps from the building and heads back to Dejima, the Refugee District. Now completely free from the cyberbrain virus, Kuze roams Japan as a wanted man, oblivious that Gouda, the man behind the Individual Eleven, had planned Kuze's survival.[10]

   Motoko later finds information about Hideo's physical prowess, pseudonym and body components. This is all thanks to Ishikawa's research, but none of such information can still disclose Hideo Kuze's real identity. She does take in mind that Kuze possesses a rare physical constitution, composed of regenerative skin and a sculpted face model, which makes it hard for him to move it. All traces of Kuze's whereabouts fall in the unknown, until Ishikawa plunges into a deeper investigation leading to Taiwan. There, Ishikawa manages to dig up the military backstory of Kuze, the Peninsular War events, and Kuze's role in the refugees' insurgency. Motoko begins to take a personal interest to their suspect after she eavesdrops Ishikawa's investigation report. Due to the mention of his folding origami figures, she thinks Kuze's story is quite interesting.

   Kuze Episode 16 Kuze's emotionless stare to the sky Meanwhile, Kazundo Gouda and the CIS have located Kuze, who finally reached Dejima. The CIS decide to keep track on him and spy his actions, in order to succeed Gouda's geopolitical plan. In the refugee island, Kuze walks the streets wearing new garments. Crossing the light of the sun shining towards him, he gazes upon the sky just a moment, before resuming his road to his ultimate goal, disappearing yet again.

   The Plutonium Deal

   Now at the beginning of his grand campaign, Hideo Kuze decides to give the refugees some sentiment of power. He uses his connections to strike a deal with the Russian mafia, in hopes to buy a plutonium bomb with which the refugees will use to coerce Japan to recognize their independence. The deal involves a meeting in Etorofu, but during the preparations, Kuze is interrupted again by Motoko Kusanagi who is diving inside his cyberbrain.

   Chroma Kuze Connection Chroma connects with Kuze Reaching Kuze's ghost, The Major discovers he is carrying the souls of 3 million people, which grants him great knowledge about the refugee situation. But while running through Kuze's personal information, Motoko is suddenly detected, and despite her Chroma disguise, he sees through the infiltration with ease. Knowing everything about his attacker, Kuze curiously warns Motoko not to interfere with his consciousness, since she will also be assimilated to his mentality. This sympathetic reaction intrigues the Major, prompting her to have contact with Kuze's mind, yet the simple touch of his netrunning signal instantly sends her off his ghost due to the immense strength of his intellect. In a state of shock from what she had just seen, Motoko Kusanagi gains insight of Kuze's true goals, but realizes she knows him.

   After the encounter, Motoko manages to take information about Kuze's whereabouts, but the impact left by her connection with him makes her turn for the wrong location. Kuze used this opportunity to set a false direction for Section 9, giving him more time to get the plutonium deal over with. He warns his men to get prepared for a police pursuit, reminding them to avoid any violent and useless conflict. His wishes are in vain, as the refugees engage in a gunfight with Motoko and Section 9, killing Yano during the shootout. The refugees are quickly wiped out by Section 9, but the squad's operation is a failure since they couldn't locate Kuze, and lost a recruit for no good reason.

   On the other side, Kuze complains about the refugees' headstrong nature, but manages to win time just like he expected. He reaches Etorofu, where he meets a group of armed rebels near the shipment docks, knowing him only by name. At first sight, the rebels somehow recognize him and are immediately motivated, ready for a revolution.

   Refugees and Kuze The armed refugees intuitively recognize Kuze The little group gathers around Hideo, but a young man who wears a red hood recognizes him as the only Individual Eleven member who survived. Kuze explains the procedure for the deal and the rebels prepare for the transaction trade. They also gather weapons for the road to Dejima. The young boy takes an opportunity when there are no witnesses, and confronts Kuze, cornering him in one of the boat's chambers. He tells the white-haired cyborg that he joined the coalition to get weapons to defend himself.

   However, the young boy adds that he wouldn't be here if he knew that Kuze, the only Individual Eleven member to survive, was the person who lead the rebellion. Kuze replies that if the boy isn't motivated to be led by him, he's free to leave. The boy counters by saying he won't, due to his motivation for revolution. He says that Densetsu, a rapper and the one who taught him to revolt, was killed by the Individual Eleven. He shuns Kuze for being responsible, but Kuze reminds the boy that Densetsu's murder was a third party attempt. The boy proceeds to show his self-armed bombs, ready to commit suicide and show Densetsu's teachings. Kuze is unmoved by the youngster's attitude. He argues that suicide bombings only serve to soothe bruised egos and self-righteousness. He tells the boy that true revolutions are not led by material desire, but by true beliefs and values. A bearded refugee wearing a beanie suddenly enters the chamber, which sends the young rebel into a panic state. Demonstrating charisma and confidence, Kuze calms the boy and wins his trust by revealing his intention: Make Dejima an independent country by using the plutonium bomb to coerce Japan.

   Just a moment later, the other rebels return, and so, Kuze shows the income source of the Refugee Coalition's money. He insists that he uses fair money transactions in order to show the refugees' struggle for freedom and human rights. When questioned about the source again, Hideo says the money comes from his extracting extremely petty sums not transferred or loaded by the bank.

   Plutonium Money Kuze explains his complex method to gain easy revenue In that case, Kuze had managed to hack the worldwide system and collect those tiny sums, which are numerous around the world, and took them in his dummy bank account. This makes him earn quick revenue for the bomb. Kuze finally admits he is aware that this system is corrupt, but exploits it with intentions to show the world of the fact that money blurs humanity from their sense of morale. Astonished by his leader's grandeur, the youngster asks what sort of man Kuze really is. Kuze replies that he's just a terrorist, albeit with an inspiration of heroism. With everything settled, Kuze asks the boy to wait and get the ships ready for emergency escape. He and the other rebels head out to buy the plutonium once and for all, but unbeknownst to them, Batou, Saito and the Tachikomas from Section 9 had tracked them down. They follow a path to a tunnel leading to a mining zone.

   Plutonium Deal The Russian Cyborg meets with Hideo Kuze Around the same time, a rebel posse led by Hideo arrives at the mining zone. They bring the money to the Russian cyborg, Koil Krasnov, who is carrying the plutonium suitcases. They seal the contract, but shortly after doing so, the refugees are betrayed by the Russian Cyborg. Out of nowhere, a group of Japanese Army mech suits ambushes the crowd, even taking Hideo by surprise. The Russian cyborg takes cover and leaves Kuze behind as the slaughter continues. Multiple rebels are killed, only a bearded rebel and another with sunglasses survive the massacre.

   Kuze vs Suits Kuze scouts a path to get the suitcases back. Kuze fights off the armed suits, but doesn't manage to get rid of them due to the risk of destroying the suitcases. In the nick of time, the Tachikomas arrive to intercept the armed suits, and Batou locates Kuze with infrared scanners. Batou and his Tachikoma are subsequently assaulted by another mech suit before they can arrest the refugees' leader. Seeing an opening, Kuze soars from his cover and grabs the suitcases. Kuze flees with his two remaining henchmen while Batou is forced to fight the mech suits. Saito helps Batou and they decide to split up after clearing the hostile area. Saito rushes for the Russian cyborg while Batou catches up to Kuze on foot. Batou holds Kuze at gunpoint and orders him to drop the cases.

   Kuze Hold It "Kuze, hold it!" Kuze does so, but is intrigued: Batou didn't shoot him rightaway. The ranger boasts that all he wants is beating the PKF cyborg, and doesn't give a damn for the suitcases. Kuze orders his refugees to retreat with the cases, and insists that Batou can't fight him. Due to Batou's personal vendetta against the PKF cyborg, Batou is angered and challenges Kuze to a fight, secretly wanting to see the reason why Motoko is suddenly so affected by him.

   Batou Kuze Profile Ranger vs PKF Commando Batou taunts Kuze by commenting on Kuze's confidence with his PKF body. Kuze retorts his body is actually out of maintenance, so it does not really give him any advantage whatsoever. Batou gets annoyed at Kuze and opens fire. Kuze blocks the bullets with his palm, tumbles in front of Batou, and pulls out a bayonet knife. Kuze strikes the blade to Batou's gun's barrel, then kicks off the gun from Batou's hand. Kuze backs off and adopts another fighting stance, while Batou pulls out his signature combat knife. Following a tense moment of silence, they reengage in hand to hand, where Kuze disarms Batou once again with a triple rotating kick. Kuze takes a chance to lunge his knife, but Batou elbows Kuze in the face. When Kuze drops his knife, Batou gets the upper hand and throws a flurry of punches straight in the terrorist's face, confident that the latter's brain will have his anti-pain receptors turned off. However, Batou underestimates Kuze and is taken by surprise when Kuze grabs his leg in the middle of a leg swing, twisting and dislocating it in a swift move. Batou falls and Hideo pins him with a metal pipe, putting Batou's left arm out of commission. Impressed by the ranger's skills, Kuze congratulates him, but tells the Public Security operative not to follow him again. Kuze takes the ranger's large knife and runs off. Kuze rejoins the rebels, but learns that the young boy mysteriously disappeared. With no time to waste, he orders his men to sail off, but Motoko Kusanagi arrives with a handful of Tachikoma units, attempting to intercept the rebels' escape. More rebels are killed, but Kuze's boat leaves the docks.

   Cranes Motoko desperately tries to stop him, but isn't able to do so. Before the boat reaches the sea, Kuze and the Major exchange solid glares. After the refugees escape the port, she finds a set of folded paper cranes on a crate. Her suspicions growing, she keeps a crane for herself, unbeknownst to the rest of her team. Batou however, notices the Major's strange behavior, and expresses his irritation about her peculiar feelings for the rogue cyborg. Motoko finally admits to Batou she's almost sure that Kuze is her long-lost childhood friend and first love. Batou learns about Kuze's devotion and role in saving Motoko's life.

   Kuze's Revolution

   Once the boat is clear of pursuit, Kuze takes a chance to verify his package. However, he discovers the Russian Mafia, who are secretly Gouda's CIS, had tricked him by selling lead bars. Kuze remains calm and holds this information to himself, since he still possesses a geopolitical influence.

   Refugee A and B Kuze's officers and friends Heading to the ship deck, Kuze is accompanied by two survivors, who are also his best men: the refugee with a beanie and the other with sunglasses. When they see their boss, he informs them to take separate routes in order to leave foil traces. At first, they are hesitant to leave Kuze, but after a moment of consideration, they trust his judgment and follow his orders.

   A security patrol boat later finds Hideo Kuze, with Section 9 taking hold of the situation. However, the patrol crew falls into panic once Kuze retaliates with a heavy turret machine gun. This gives enough time for the cyborg to flee. To further ensure this escape, Nagasaki's electricity is suddenly shut down, which prompts the patrol crew to look away and lose sight of the fugitive.

   Meanwhile, Section 9 admits they're in a terrible situation. Gouda's pseudo-war plan appears to succeed, since Kuze is believed to possesses a nuke and seems to play every step of the Cabinet Intelligence Service's plot. However, amidst Section 9, Motoko feels something greater than both Gouda and the refugees, which involves the unspoken intentions of Kuze himself.

   Escaping the radar of the Public Security for now, Kuze sets foot again in Dejima, where his men are expecting him. They prepare for the fight for independence and welcome new candidates who reach Dejima's bridge. The cyborg leader remains collected and is unfazed by their excitement for battle. He hides himself with his fellow refugees, watching their behavior and studying their beliefs more than he already knows. Through his meditation, Kuze is recognized and approached by an elderly man: Yousuke Aramaki, Daisuke's long-lost brother. Yousuke invites Kuze to have a conversation over a drink; Kuze accepts.

   When they sit together for the talk, Yousuke begins by reminding Kuze they had met each other when the latter was in Taiwan (Yousuke can be briefly seen in episode 16, when Kuze is being asked if he is Japanese). After sharing each other some courtesy, Yousuke asks Kuze about his true goals, and his motivations for the revolution. The full cyborg doesn't feel like opening up completely, but reveals a bit of his truth. At first, as someone who had many experiences many pains and struggles, it was easy for him to understand the refugees' problems: lack of civil recognition, human rights, and racial inequity. The cyborg wanted to stop such problems in the world, and create a peaceful, stable community. Kuze then used the concept of socialism and communism to give the refugees a sense of belonging, which facilitated the unification. Eventually, as a group, the refugees simply came to remember that Kuze was the one who started it all, thus they pledged loyalty to him. With a community, Kuze expected the refugees to gain some feelings of strength, confidence and ego, resulting in them asking for war, returning to the basest natural instincts of self-righteousness. Yousuke is skeptical, and asks Kuze that if he knew such unification would cause war, why would he pursue with the revolution to cause more chaos. Kuze then reveals his ultimate goal: To grasp the refugees' ghosts and upload them to the Net, to somewhere beyond life. In that case, the world will prevent a nuclear war, many wasteful deaths and the success of selfish political endeavors.

   Yousuke isn't convinced. He believes there are still issues with this plan. First, he implies that people who have no cyber-brains cannot go into the Net. Secondly, he insinuates that there is always joy in life, opposed as to what Kuze seems to think; the world is not just about conflict and war, not just about ideals and delusions. And so, Yousuke pleads Kuze not to forego his plan, because the real world needs more kind and honest people like him.

   Meanwhile, Motoko tries to contact Kuze, since she finally knows he doesn't have a nuke in possession. In exchange for his capture by Section 9, she offers to work with him in order to stop the conflict, due to the lack of weapons from the refugees' side and the mass deployment of the military from Japan. However, Kuze and Motoko's connection is jammed when the army supposedly launches an attack. In reality, it was Kazundo Gouda who sent a hijacking drone to make sure Kuze follows the CIS' pseudo-war scenario.

   Back in the tea lodge, Kuze and Yousuke are suddenly interrupted by tremors and rumbles. They realize that the refugees and the army had already begun hostile activities. Heading outside to see the situation, Kuze urges Yousuke to protect and rally the refugees who don't have cyber-brains, then bids farewell to him. Before Kuze leaves, Yousuke begs Kuze not to die and leave the world behind, knowing that the freedom fighter will ultimately carry out his plan. Kuze promises to buy time for Yousuke and the non-cyberized refugees. He heads into the heart of action and gathers a group of fighters against the Japanese Self-Defense Force.

   End of the 2nd GIG

   The JGSDF mobilize their army when a refugee ignites the first blood. Jigabachi type helicopters and Public Security forces are subsequently deployed, and a bloody battle ensues. Kuze survives the first wave of assault and meets with a crew of militia combatants, where his two refugee friends recognize him. The cyborg leader announces that survival is key, and demands assistance to buy time for the unarmed refugees. He sets out to destroy Gouda's hijacking drone, both to assure the refugees' safety and the creation of his independent Network. He and his men reach to the docks, where they position on a bridge. The refugee fighters miss their shots, but Kuze lands his after the drone depleted itself of defensive countermeasure flares. The drone's destruction is noticed by Motoko, who has set out to arrest the rogue cyborg. A Jigabachi helicopter intercepts Kuze and his men, killing them all save for Kuze himself. The helicopter proceeds to blast Kuze, who survives the explosions, the rotating cannons, and the fall. Thinking that Kuze is dead, the Jigabachi leaves. Motoko reveals herself from her cover and is noticed by Kuze, who emerges from a pile of scrap metal. He confronts her about her strange desire to follow him, but is interrupted by her gun pointed at his face. Unimpressed, he nonetheless complies when she reminds him of their agreement to end the conflict as fast as possible, and thus avoid the nuclear attack on Dejima.

   Motoko Kusanagi and Kuze decide to head to the bridge and have him surrender, but they are forced under collateral damage by the American Empire's missiles. They end up trapped underneath rubble together. Kuze protects Motoko by enlacing over her, and he quickly moves off when she regains consciousness. They discuss the State of Affairs and Motoko is exposed to Kuze's response to end the conflicts. She understands that he wants to create an independent cyber-network so people can disappear and leave their bodies behind. After being asked by the Major, he also states that he easily broke free from the Individual Eleven because he saw the virus file as an anomaly to his mind, thus escaping Gouda completely by discarding the hacking. Kuze then reveals that he had been prosthetic ever since his childhood, where he suffered numerous amounts of prejudices and preconceptions about his handsome appearance. People never wanted to know the human that resided under the shell. He states that the authorities are the only ones to blame, as they forced this dangerous materialist behavior into the world, without taking any responsibility of the consequences. Noticing Motoko's fully-prosthetic body, Kuze assumes she can also relate, and invites her to join him in his network. Motoko, unsure, then ponders to his cybernet, wondering if anyone can maintain their individual personality. Kuze admits he isn't sure, aside from the fact that everyone will have the ability to evolve and manifest. They connect their ghosts together and contact the Tachikomas to offer more data for Kuze's network. The Tachikomas change plans and sacrifice themselves to stop the nuclear bomb. Still, Kuze is thankful to Motoko's help and deems his network ready for usage. Fearing that he might never walk the earth again, The Major finally confronts Kuze about making paper cranes with only his left hand. Kuze, a bit skeptical, brushes off the matter, saying that anyone with good control software can do so. When The Major says that she meant something else, Kuze is intrigued and asks if she can do the same. After she reveals that she can do it naturally, Kuze realizes that she was the little girl who was in a coma in the bed next to him, the same girl he grew to appreciate as the only person he could love. They pick up nearby apples and discuss their search for their significant other. In the end, the two embrace, and are later found by a dumbfounded Batou. The Major captures Kuze and blocks his body functions as agreed. However, as they fly the helicopter, she notices his apple is bitten.

   While Section 9 is deployed to arrest Gouda, Motoko realizes the Americans want to assassinate Kuze. She rushes away and jumps out the building, desperate to get to Kuze before he is killed. She is too late to save him as an American agent injects the helpless cyborg with infectious micromachines. For one last time, he speaks to her ghost, ultimately succumbing to the injection and leaving only a paper crane. His assassination sparked some political repercussions and deeply affected the Major, even causing her to desert Section 9 until the events of Solid State Society.

   Legacy

   Kuze's last words imply that he may not have been killed after all. He says "I'll go on ahead", which could possibly infer he already had his ghost uploaded in his network. Adding further support to this is from the helicopter ride, where Motoko was momentarily surprised and murmured "You..." while Kuze, incapacitated by a cyberbrain lock, is shown holding his bitten apple. Motoko might have been contacted by Kuze when she was engaging on the cyber-net. When she leaves Section 9, one can presume she is searching for Kuze. In Solid State Society, this search would bring her to the Puppeteer, a potential consequence that Kuze mentioned about the creation of his independent network.

   Kuze's plan for a revolution was to become the master of multiple human consciousness inside a vast network, leading the refugees into cyberspace and leaving their bodies behind so he could shield them from the horrors of war.[11]

   In SAC_2045, Motoko compares the post-human conflict to the refugee crisis, implying a similarity with Kuze's cyber-net hub. The post-humans are known to possess cognitive abilities beyond the physical plane of earth; it is possible that such feat is caused by Kuze's existence in the net. In the second season of SAC_2045, it's revealed that the post-humans are the product of an American AI that went rampant in the brains of cyborgs after failing to comply with the Sustainable War, a political maneuver meant to stimulate the American economy. It can be assumed the American Empire wanted to stimulate their economy using a concept taken from Kuze, whose plans were once a threat to their agenda. Furthermore, Takashi Shimamura's ultimate plan to resolve world conflict is, to an extent, similar to Kuze.

   Appearance

   As a child, Hideo Kuze had brown hair and eyes, as well as young and delicate features. During his time in the hospital, he wore a designated clinic apparel.

   Growing up by switching bodies, the boy, who became Kuze, eventually took a Peace-Keeping Force manufactured body. His ultra resistant cyborg frame was one of a well-built physique, with handsome facial traits because of his personalized sculpted model. The sculpt made it difficult to move his mouth, even further when it was revealed that he lowered his face and pain functions to focus on his body motions. Kuze's hair was black and reached to the back of his neck, with bangs at the side of his temples, while his eyes were dark brown. He wore a winter army suit with a helmet he often discarded. After leaving the Peacekeeping Unit and wandering Asia as a vagabond, Kuze's hair became white and his system became damaged, such as he told the latter statement to Batou before their duel.

   While being part of the Individual Eleven, Kuze wore a white coat similar to lab smock, covering over a sporty gray tracksuit. During his assassination attempt, he wore a white tank-top and light-gray pants. This contrasts the Individual Eleven's preferred black, symbolizing Kuze's individuality and disparity in ideology.

   In the final phase of the 2nd gig, Kuze dons a brown military jacket, worn over a black turtleneck, with dark-gray pants tightened by a belt and black shoes. A bayonet knife is attached to his jacket's chest pocket on his left torso; it is later replaced by Batou's knife after their duel. Personality and traits

   As a child, Kuze was a shy and reserved boy who cared a lot for others. Aware about his limited movements, he always did his best to inspire hope to those around him, without asking anything in return. However, he was quite demanding and hard on people, especially to the cyborg girl who gladly spent time with him.

   As an adult, Kuze became aloof, distracted, heartless and inhuman; this is partially due to his quiet nature. However, this is merely his general behavior, as he is rather a kind, easygoing, perseverant, convincing and open-minded man. Everyone who had met him in person admired his intellect and words. Hideo Kuze's experience as a soldier has also contributed to his tactical genius and rational decision-making. He seems to enjoy engaging in deep conversations when it comes to people with experience such as Yousuke Aramaki and Motoko Kusanagi.

   Hideo Kuze is initially presented as a moral-driven assassin with a cold-blooded demeanor. Later on the series, we discover that he is a soldier who is disgusted by the State of Affairs between the countries and Japan's policies. Seeing that people in power cannot take responsibilities for mistakes they've made, Kuze develops a Messiah complex and turns into a megalomaniac who is determined to help the victims of war and give them a reason to live with their will and their humanity. However, he does not see himself as a godlike figure, but rather someone who is powerful enough to change things.

   During the course of his life, Kuze, despite his keen judgment and logical thinking, becomes disconnected with his own humanity, knowing he had left behind his real body ever since childhood. Although he sympathizes wholly with the refugees, Kuze seems rather unbothered by their actual suffering and gives his attention on their roles as workers. His penchant for logical reasoning and lack of emotions have made him unreachable personally, contributing instead to his deification as an ideal, which he outwardly dislikes as it strips him from being his definition of a living person.

   On second note, there's also his experience as a soldier who was once exploited like an expendable by politicians. Longing to find the human inside him, Kuze tries to connect with the refugees, adopting their goals, their ordeals, their mentality and their spirit. However, this turns on the other side as he inevitably becomes their legend, the perfect image that the refugees want him to be. Kuze, in retaliation to every trace of humanity the world has stripped him, decides to build a revolution where he becomes the administrator of fused multiple human consciousness inside a vast network, similar to the Puppet Master in the Oshii films. In addition with the original Puppet Master, Kuze's reason behind this is to see to the world's stability and achieve his own success as an individual. Kuze believes that the egalitarian system cannot give peace due to the selfish instincts of human nature. Therefore, he assumes a dictatorial role so he can force everyone towards balance, transforming human subjects into pioneers from beyond who collect knowledge and live indefinitely. In short words from Motoko Kusanagi, "He's like Hitler with the intent of Gandhi".

   Kuze's quest for self-actualization is finally completed when he gets stuck with Motoko under debris, reuniting with his long-lost childhood friend after many years of searching. She becomes the very person whom he needed in all his life: She asks his motives, gets to know the real man under the legend, and supports him, although at their own discretion. Touched by her mutual experiences, he moves on from the past, finds solace with his extreme actions and accepts Motoko, the only one who could truly love him for who he was. It can be inferred he has no regrets and doubts when leaving his body behind upon his "death". Abilities

   In Ghost in The Shell: SAC 2nd Gig, Kuze is repeatedly hinted to be the "dark" version of Major. Just like Motoko, Hideo Kuze has a lot of combat prowess and possesses a similar military background (both were enlisted due to their cyborg status). His capabilities as a fighter were shown during his duel against Motoko herself, then with Batou, where he managed to win with a single opening. Kuze can notably make use of his prominent hand-to-hand combat, and also wield the sword and the firearms very well. His tactical skills thanks to his army training have been useful, especially when he unified the refugees against the GSDA. A feature moment of Kuze's marksmanship was seen when he shot Gouda's network-hijacking drone with a STINGER rocket launcher, predicting the drone's behavior when it launched decoys. Kuze and Motoko's contrasting motif is further explored by their goals and occupations: Motoko is a spy and intelligence officer working for the government, while Kuze is a terrorist and wanted man, fighting against the law.

   Hideo is remarkably an intelligent and capable hacker. He has the ability to navigate and influence the consciousness of 3 million people into his own cyberbrain. He can also defend himself against software attacks, even the strongest ones such as Motoko's use of Chroma.

   Kuze Stats Kuze's physical traits, located by Ishikawa in Episode 13 His body, despite being outdated, is extremely robust and can regenerate skin, as noted by Ishikawa in Episode 13: FACE Make Up. It is equipped with invisible camouflage, just like Section 9's members. Even if the shell is difficult to use, Kuze is extremely adept with it due to him possessing it for many years. Furthermore, he knows every notch of its capacity and limits.

   Kuze's PKF-issued body is physically stronger and more durable than the cyborg bodies of Section 9 operatives, even compared to the likes of Motoko and Batou. Kuze had been able to defeat Batou in hand-to-hand combat, while Motoko spoke of Kuze as "a reinforced cyborg" upon their first encounter. When Kuze attempted to assassinate Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki, he was shot multiple times by both Major Kusanagi and Batou without sustaining severe damage. Although, this is most likely due to the fact that Kuze fights with his pain receptors turned off, contrasting other full-cyborgs like Motoko who prefers to have connections to the physical world at all times.

   While in the Oshii Ghost in the Shell movies, both Major and Batou have been known to be almost bulletproof, the cyborg bodies in the Standalone Complex universe are much less durable. They can easily be damaged and even destroyed by bullets. Thus, Kuze's superior physical strength is in a completely different class compared to all other characters within the SAC universe. Strengths

   Expert hand-to-hand combat : Since he was able to defeat Batou, a well-versed fighter, even with a damaged body, Kuze can be considered a top-class fighter. Skilled marksman Skilled swordsman : Hideo Kuze is able to defend himself with a sword against Motoko. He easily killed the Individual Eleven member who attacked him. Also he managed to disarm Batou during a gun versus knife fight. Augmented strength Superior speed Enhanced senses and intuition : Kuze is able to understand and assume the most critical situations with the slightest hints of information and data. Superior intellect : Gathering the minds of 3 million refugees and understanding them individually has made Kuze a highly intelligent individual with knowledge in numerous fields. Tactical awareness Indomitable determination : Kuze's extreme resilience has freed him from the Individual Eleven's control. Even at the face of failure, he is able to keep his composure and pursue his plans. Extreme durability and pain tolerance : Due to the build of his body and the deactivation of pain receptors, Kuze can significantly take bullets without issues. He also survived a Jigabachi assault, which exposed him to explosions and high falls. Skin regeneration : Kuze's skin was good as new after he reappeared following Motoko and Batou shooting him. Familiarity and knowledge of human and cyborg concepts Sleight of Hand : Kuze has practiced folding origami figures without the use of control software. Charisma and Management Hacking and systems programming Weaknesses

   Nigh-obsolete paraphernalia : Kuze wears clothes and has no armor. Damaged Shell with heavily limited and reduced physical properties : Ever since he had his PKF body and left the army, Kuze never changed his body. However, he has come to master its remaining abilities. Infertility Lack of adequate weaponry : Aside from a few rifles and second-hand weapons, Kuze is not well equipped in terms of weapons and gadgets. Terminated social insurance and civil protection Gradual loss of humanity : Hideo Kuze's deteriorating body and rise as a legendary figure gradually turn him into an inhuman warmonger. His allies begin to lose faith in him. Public image sullied by media and news channels: Kuze is often treated as a terrorist by the media despite being set up by third-party sources most of the times like Gouda or refugees unaffiliated with his crew. Relationships

   Refugees of Dejima

   The refugees of Dejima are an important community for Kuze. They have long suffered the same exclusion as he did, which is why he easily sympathises with them. He genuinely wants the best for their sake and tries to free them from the horrors of war. Cyborgs or human alike, races or ethnicity, Kuze doesn't judge anyone lesser than the other. The refugees look up to the rogue commando as a rallying figure, and those with true heart are willing to get to know him. Eventually, his extremist techniques create doubt, and his influence is somewhat damaged due to immense casualties. He nonetheless manages to keep them into one same organization thanks to his great aptitude for unification and his cybernet hub, with which he secretly uses to absorb and store their consciousness. Using the great strength of mass population, Kuze encourages the refugees to take more action in rationality rather than in pride, especially if they are to address an example of social inequity. Kuze has befriended two refugee fighters, who in turn, support him with passion.

   In the end, Hideo's relationship with the refugees becomes strained as many of them prove to be selfish and egoist, and he is ultimately forced to carry this heavy burden along his path to save them. Still, Kuze doesn't falter at the face of an almost certain doom; as a last ditch effort, he sucessfully handles a rescue operation for the human refugees who were starting to lose trust in him. As for the rest, Kuze ends up creating a cyber-network based on his ghost, which fuses the refugees' souls with his own.

   Motoko Kusanagi

   Hideo Kuze and Major Motoko Kusanagi are primarily rivals during the Dejima Revolution, fighting against the other with steadfast resolve. Yet unbeknownst to everyone but themselves, they secretly share a story of long-lost childhood friendship and unconfessed love. Their relationship is heavily implied throughout 2nd GIG, even foreshadowed in some Season 1 episodes. Ever since his hospitalization, Kuze understood that his relatives didn't want anything to do with him. All alone, he came to view his fellow patient Motoko as the only person who would stay by his side. To find something to do, the young Kuze folded cranes to wish her well. Eventually, when the paralyzed Motoko had successfully recovered, she returned to see him. However, he didn't recognize her when she returned, as she was a cyborg and was too embarassed to tell him. Due to the bitterness of being abandoned by the world, he was not nice with her, and even chastised her for failing to build a paper crane for him. They continued to bury their emotions, and that would inevitably cause their separation. Motoko's abstinence in confessing Kuze the truth encouraged him to push her away, while he was too distracted to notice she liked him. Motoko ran off and Kuze finally realized his mistake. Though she promised to come back when she was able to return his expectations, Kuze waited to a point he thought she would never return; he became a cyborg and started looking for her. Motoko actually came back, but at the time she did, Kuze was already gone.

   From that point, the two lived their adult lives on their own.

   When fate finally brings them face to face once again, the two are standing on opposing sides. As enemies, they each have their own contrasting goals, with the fate of the future being their main driving factor. Motoko quickly gains interest in the cyborg fugitive when she's assigned to arrest him, and each time they have direct hostile encounters, a sense of familiarity inevitably grows. Eventually, she realizes that Kuze is indeed her childhood love. Despite being enemies, Motoko refuses to kill the very person who gave her a reason to live, and is convinced that she can do something to avoid being at odds with the threat he had become.

   To save their strained relationship, Motoko eventually corners Kuze and urges him to relate to their former selves, making him wonder if their past can really shape the future. Ultimately, because of the Major's bias towards Kuze and vice-versa, they agree to work as one and end the ongoing conflict. This results in the refugees being safe, the foil of Gouda's plan and the reconciliation of their romance.

   However, their reestablished bond doesn't last long as Kuze is soon murdered by the American Empire. Yet before he passes away, he says "I'll go on ahead". This may mean that he already went into cyberspace ahead of the others in order to start the cyber revolution. If so, it explains that after the conclusion of the last episode, the ghost of Kuze exists on the net as his perceived form. It has also been speculated that the Major's failure in saving his physical body may have sparked her departure from Public Safety Security Section 9. The Major has been away from her team for 2 years in Solid State Society, possibly trying to reconnect with him. Following the public explanation of director Kenji Kamiyama, Kuze's death was definitely the crucial reason for Motoko's departure.

   Many hints and aspects about their relationship are seen throughout the series. Both characters are shown folding paper cranes with their left hand in several moments: the inception of their affection explained in episode 11, season 2. In episode 5, Kuze attaches a newly folded crane in his truck's reflector glass. Motoko is seen many times in the second season folding a crane subconsciously whenever she picks up papers or wrappings. During the Laughing Man incidents, when Motoko talks about her watch and Batou's training gear, she alludes that material love isn't important, implying that there is always a stronger bond from beyond. This is later revealed to be her affections for Kuze. Furthermore, when she is confronting a movie director in a standalone episode, Motoko states that dreams aren't meaningful if they keep repeating the past over and over. Her dream is possibly to find the first boy she loved, it is something that drives her forward.

   The Individual Eleven Events also give hints and allusions about Kuze's true identity as the boy who folds cranes. Firstly, Gouda, the man who created the hoax, mentions that people can get infected by the virus if they were virgins before their cyber transformation. One should then consider that the boy was unable to have sex due to his age and his paralysis. Secondly, Kuze breaks off from the virus because his motivations were not in accord with the virus' ideology. In such case, the ultra-nationalist mentality must have dropped because of Kuze's driven goals and desire to find his friend, which had no correlation with the Individual Eleven ploy.

   After diving into Kuze's cyberbrain, the Major becomes bothered by the suspicion that she knows him from somewhere. This "somewhere" is her childhood memories. In several moments of the Individual Eleven investigation, Motoko is troubled by her duties as a police officer and her feelings for Kuze.

   Whether Kuze loved Motoko romantically is ambiguous. While Motoko admits her affections for him, Kuze's bond with the Major can be interpreted as friendship.

   Batou

   Batou and Kuze share an indirect rivalry. They're both the two men who Major can relate to. When Batou and Kuze first met, they were merely enemies. Kuze being one of Section 9's suspects, he was investigated by the Public Security. However, when the Major begins to show a strange behavior for Kuze, Batou is the first to notice. He starts having doubts and grudges against the white-haired fugitive, while witnessing Major's growing interest. Such feelings from Batou are further enhanced when Motoko, someone he trusts dearly, reveals that Kuze was her childhood love. On the other hand, Kuze does not see Batou as a liability, and in fact respects him, even pointing out genuine admiration after their fight. It could be possible that Kuze also knew of Batou's feelings for Motoko, since she had connected her ghost more than once with Kuze, giving him access to her very soul. When Batou had found Motoko and Kuze under the debris, he was temporarily stunned and surprised seeing the two enlacing each other, but quickly shrugged it off thanks to Kuze letting go of the Major instantly.

   Yousuke Aramaki

   Kuze and Yousuke Aramaki work together to help the refugees. Although the latter doesn't agree of Kuze's extremist ways, he still helps the young man in his quest for peace. He begs Kuze not to give up on the world and reminds him the importance of life.

   Yoko Kayabuki

   Kuze seems to despise Kayabuki for her lack of concern for the refugees. He attacks her relentlessly, but leaves her alive. He knows that despite their differences, an opportunity for a second chance is always open. In the end of the 2nd GIG, it is revealed he harbors no hatred, but merely frustration.

   Antique Shop owner

   The Antique Shop owner was someone Kuze was familiar with, to various degrees. He had found shelter under her shop during his young adult years, giving her his memories and experiences while in University. In contrast to most her clients, Kuze did not give his memories to forget, but to remember. They kept close contact until the cyborg was deployed by order of the UN troops. When he had disappeared, the Antique Shop owner took on his stead to tend to his old body, stored in a model car alongside his childhood lover's.

   The Laughing Man

   Hideo Kuze has met Aoi during his time at the Leigo Island Incident. Initially distrusful of The Laughing Man, Kuze grows to respect the latter. Aoi gave Kuze his pseudonym before they parted ways.

6. #6Togusa

   Keys: Togusa

   NAME ENGLISH Togusa KANJI トグサ ROMAJI Togusa BIO BORN 2002~2003 SPECIES Cyborg HumanS.A.C. GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Light brown EYE COLOR Brown HEIGHT 5'10" (178 cm)[1] CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Investigator PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM Niihama Police Department OCCUPATION Detective APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 FILMS 2: Innocence, Ghost in the Shell VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Koichi YamaderaAnime, Hirotaka SuzuokiGame ENGLISH VA Christopher Joyce1995 film, Crispin Freeman LIVE ACTION Chin Han LESS Main Manga Films SAC Arise 2017

   Togusa (トグサ 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). In the manga, he is cybernetic like all other members.

   Background

   Togusa is married and has a young daughter, although it depends on the incarnation; in the S.A.C. universe, he also has a daughter. Togusa's personality varies somewhat between the manga, movies, and series. His personality in the manga he tends to be more emotional and plagued with feelings of failure; in the movies he is savvier but aware of his inexperience, and in the Stand Alone Complex his personality is a combination of the two. He also tends to be very temperamental and emotional, getting so outraged at one criminal committing murder right under his nose in an episode of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, that he seriously wounded the criminal and ends up on trial. He seems to be very friendly with Batou and he was arguably the one who cracked the Laughing Man case.

   Togasa and His daughter His history of being uncorrupted detective is one of the reasons he was recruited (as well as being a family man), to add an element of variety and unpredictability to the team. Togusa is the only member of Section 9 who had not come from the military, which at times makes him feel somewhat insecure in his abilities. Very fond of his archaic Mateba Autorevolver, Togusa is opting to use it over the standard-issue Seburo M5 even in the field, citing that it cannot jam and that "six bullets is enough to get the job done", a decision which everyone inquires about occasionally.

   Togusa's fashion is rather distinctive: a thick mullet of hair, turtleneck sweaters and sports jackets. Ghost in the Shell (film)

   Togusa first appears in the 1995 film right at the beginning in a short scene in a surveillance van with Batou, but he is not introduced. He gets introduced a bit later when he is driving an armored van while Major Kusanagi dons her police armor in the back. He reveals his newness to the group by asking the Major why she requested he be transferred from the police to Section 9, and the Major tells him that different skills and ideas are necessary in the unit, because homogenization equals death in their line of work. Later Togusa's police instincts come into play, when he suspects something untoward involving Section 6, which leading up to the theft of The Puppet Master.

   Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

   GITS2 takes place in the years after the events of the first film, featuring a cold and emotionless Batou as the lead. Togusa knows he's upset at the disappearance of Major Kusanagi and he's downright timid in the film.

   This portrayal seems to break continuity from the original film, given that Innocence takes place years afterwards. He says early on he knows he can never replace the Major, but he never really asserts himself, either, and the unit seems to be carried entirely by Batou. Togusa agrees to babysit Batou's Basset hound during the case, much to his daughter's delight and his wife's consternation.

   Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

   In Stand Alone Complex, several episodes involving an illegally used wiretap called an Interceptor refer to his background as a detective in the police force and his subsequent recruitment into Section 9. Togusa is the only member of Section 9, other than Batou, whose history is explored in Stand Alone Complex. Despite his background revelation, his first name was not mentioned. He is the one who actually breaks the Laughing Man Case.

   Togusa is the least-augmented member of Section 9, but he can still fare well in melee combat against cyborgs (as seen in at least two episodes). All he has is the implanted cyber-brain, just like Chief Aramaki. He is somewhat skeptical of blurring of the lines between man and machine, but he also suffers the worst injuries due to being human. In the manga, Togusa is injured and hospitalized after got caught near a bomb blast. In Stand Alone Complex, he's shot while doing an investigation, which makes him wonders aloud if he shouldn't be a full cyborg. When Aramaki is taken away for questioning, Togusa got arrested and detained for some time before being released; it is stated that Aramaki did this intentionally in order to keep Togusa out of immediate danger, due to having a family and his earlier brush with death. Later he is shown working at the security company as an official cover while working for the government and is unaware of the fate of the other members for several months, effectively leaving him out of the loop because he was being heavily monitored. Though such behavior from the rest of Section 9 is rather odd as they can hack into government records without being discovered. Under normal circumstances, it is safe to presume that they would have no problem working around surveillance, and therefore should have been able to alert Togusa to the section's survival. Their failure to do so results in Togusa suffering a minor psychological break, and attempting to assassinate one of the perpetrators in the Laughing Man case, which would have been detrimental to the protection given to him.

   Togusa expresses some disdain for the Tachikoma tanks, not to mention Batou's penchant for favoring one of the blue tanks. He dismissively calls one of them as "just a machine", causing outrage from the Tachikomas in the Section 9 hangar, with one calling him a bigot and another demanding a retraction of the statement. This contentious relationship continues in Second Gig, when Togusa and a Tachikoma are teamed up and go on a mission to abandoned Tokyo and the tank serves to mostly get under his skin (before saving it). But despite his dislike for the sentient machines, he can still spend leisure time with them; he is seen playing Othello with one, (although the Tachikoma thought they were playing 'Go' and attempts a critical stone capture, exclaiming "Checkmate", to which an exasperated Togusa replies "That's a completely different game!").

   Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society

   In this feature film set in the S.A.C. universe, Major Kusanagi has left Section 9 and Togusa is now the head of field operations. Section 9 has grown considerably in this film, with a staff of more than 20. He has replaced his revolver for a Seburo M-10 pistol, although he carries his revolver on a back holster and his pistol on a shoulder holster. He has also undergone some form of cyberization (though what was cyberized was not mentioned) He has also informed his family of his work in Section 9. His cyberbrain was hacked while he was trying to get his daughter to safety. To stop his body from taking his daughter to the S.S.S., he was forced to attempt suicide with his revolver, but was stopped by the Major. He later on took part in the raid of the Solid State Society in their headquarters. He took out one exoskeleton and then acted as the bodyguard for Aramaki. It is shown that because he is now the field leader of Section 9, he is unable to spend time with his family as much as he used to, reflecting the common problem in Japan of disconnection between a salaryman and their families. Togusa has discussed undergoing full cyberisation with his family, in order to enhance his abilities for Section 9.

7. #7Daisuke Aramaki

   Keys: Daisuke Aramaki

   NAME ENGLISH Daisuke Aramaki KANJI 荒巻大輔 ROMAJI Aramaki Daisuke BIO BORN around 1955~1975 SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR White EYE COLOR Brown HEIGHT 5'0.25" (153 cm)[1] CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Section Chief (Lieutenant Colonel) PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM Ministry of Home Affairs, JGSDF OCCUPATION Advisor, Soldier APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 FILMS Ghost in the Shell VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell ACTORS JAPANESE VA Osamu Saka ENGLISH VA William Frederick Knight LIVE ACTION Takeshi Kitano LESS Main Manga Films SAC Arise 2017

   Lieutenant Colonel Daisuke Aramaki (荒巻 大輔 Aramaki Daisuke) is the Section Chief of Public Security Section 9. He notably holds this recognized rank from the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. Among the operatives of Section 9, Daisuke is the one who never engages in direct missions, but offers a great array of diplomatic support in return.

   Stand Alone Complex Continuity

   In Stand Alone Complex, Lieutenant Colonel Aramaki is a strict chief, who is referred to by others in Section 9 as the "old ape" (likely due to being drawn in the original manga with a face that appeared to be half monkey, half man). He is fiercely loyal and protective to the members of Section 9, and would often put his own career on the line merely to ensure the survival of his team. Many government officials, like Kubota, are familiar with Aramaki's shrewdness and diplomacy. In this season, he notably covers Section 9 against conspiracies and the authorities' corruption.

   In 2nd GIG, Aramaki uses his political connections and no small amount of bargaining with the newly elected prime minister, in hopes to get Section 9 reinstated. After successfully doing so, the Colonel goes on to supervise his crew during their investigation on Kazundo Gouda and the Cabinet Intelligence Service, while also keeping eyes on a rising refugee rebellion led by the rogue JGDSF commando cyborg known as Hideo Kuze.

   It is revealed in Mamoru Oshii's Ghost In The Shell that Aramaki, together with Togusa, are the less cyberized members of Section 9 (as their only prosthesis is a cyberbrain).

   In the Stand Alone Complex Visual Book released by Hobby Japan, Aramaki's hair was poked at for fun in one comic strip when Batou makes some comments about it. Aramaki lifts his hair to reveal metallic parts, possibly for his cyberbrain. This incident unsettled Batou significantly. Near the end of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, Aramaki's missing brother, Yousuke Aramaki, appears before the revolution leader Kuze and asks him what the latter intends to do with the refugees who aren't cyborgs. In the last episode, Yousuke, on Kuze's orders, is seen helping the human refugees evacuate to the Dejima bridge via small boats. The Solid State Society movie reveals that he was estranged from his mentor Colonel Tonoda whom he helped to put in prison (like his character does in the course of the original GITS manga) sometime before the SAC series began, and that he was actually married at one point. Aramaki's physical appearance looks almost exactly like that of the character "Dusty the coffin maker" in the 1968 Spaghetti Western: If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death. Aramaki was married several times in the anime SAC. He also has children, even grandchildren, with these women. 2017 film

   In Rupert Sanders' 2017 live-action adaptaion, Daisuke Aramaki is portrayed by famous Japanese actor "Beat" Takeshi Kitano. In the film, Aramaki helps Mira Killian in her quest to find her true identity and protects her from the government officials, as well as the Hanka Corporation. Aramaki serves the same role as he does in most continuities, but is exceptionally seen in actual combat in the movie. Etymology

   The name Daisuke means "big, great" (大) (dai) and "help" (輔) (suke). Daisuke's surname Aramaki means "laid waste, rough, rude, wild" (荒) (ara) and "volume, roll/roll up, reel, scroll, book, part, wind up, tie, coil, counter for texts (or book scrolls)" (巻) (maki).

8. #8Akiko Otomo

   Keys: Akiko Otomo

   NAME ENGLISH Akiko Otomo KANJI 大友 明子 ROMAJI Ōtomo Akiko BIO SPECIES Human GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Purple EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Nanako Mori ENGLISH VA Lauren Landa LESS Akiko Otomo (大友 明子, Ōtomo Akiko) is the wife of Prime Minister Chris Otomo Tate in Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045. She is also the daughter of Sachio Otomo, the chairman of the Tokyo Rising project.

   ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

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   41:20

   Akiko has purple hair and brown eyes.

   She wears a dark lavender dress and black high-heel shoes. History

   Akiko informs her husband of her father's death at the hands of Sanji Yaguchi and is devastated by it. She would later meet with her husband, where it was publically announced that he would take over the position of chairman of the Tokyo Rising project. As they tried to transport the coffin containing her father's remains, they'd be confronted by Sanji, who, after asking him a question, would fight and lose against the Major. Etymology

   The name Akiko means "bright, light, clear" (明) (aki) and "child" (子) (ko). Akiko's surname Otomo means "big, great" (大) (o) and "friend, companion, pal" (友) (tomo).

9. #9Azuma

   Keys: Azuma

   NAME ENGLISH Azuma KANJI アズマ ROMAJI Azuma BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Field Agent PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM JGSDF Intelligence OCCUPATION Soldier APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor The Human Algorithm ANIME Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG FILMS 2: Innocence VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Masahiro Ogata ENGLISH VA Erik Davies LESS Azuma (アズマ Azuma) is one of Public Security Section 9's newer recruits and appears in Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor, S.A.C. 2nd GIG, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society, and The Human Algorithm. In most continuities, he was recruited to Section 9 from JGSDF Intelligence.

   Manga

   Azuma is far from stoic and even considerably reckless in his actions, to the point that Togusa once expressed concern for his own safety due to being partnered with Azuma. Apart from his cyberbrain, he has minimal prostheses, most notably a pair of artificial eyes with camera functions and an infrared vision mode. Innocence

   Stand Alone Complex

   Azuma is scouted by Section 9 in 2032, at the same time as Yano. Although both were unable to keep track of the Major during a field evaluation, the Major ultimately decides to lower Section 9's standards in order to bolsters its number of agents. He sat next to Saito during their card game in episode Beware the Left Eye. He was present at the shipyard battle in which Yano died, and was pulled from field duty prior to the Dejima confrontation. At the end of 2nd GIG, it is implied that Azuma is now a full-fledged member of Section 9. He goes on to feature prominently at the beginning of Sold State Society, supporting Togusa in an incident at the airport. The Human Algorithm

   Azuma is noted by Chief Aramaki to have the lowest amount of cybernetic enhancement among all of Section 9's members, including Togusa and Tsunagi, as well as the lowest IQ. This makes him an ideal candidate to infiltrate the corporeal fundamentalist group Aterui as a prospective member after Togusa's cover is blown. Notes

   Azuma appeared as a playable character in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online, which included some additional background information: "Azuma earned several commendations during his time in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force [JGSDF], which guaranteed his transfer to Public Security Section 9. Despite his stern looks, Azuma tends to grow very close to his teams."

10. #10Boma

    Keys: Boma

    NAME ENGLISH Borma ALT. SPELLING Boma, Bouma KANJI ボーマ ROMAJI Bōma BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR None EYE COLOR Red (prosthetic) HEIGHT 6'7" (200 cm)[1] CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Explosives & Cybervirus Specialist APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 FILMS Ghost in the Shell VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Taro Yamaguchi ENGLISH VA Dean Wein LIVE ACTION Tawanda Manyimo LESS Borma (ボーマ Bōma) is Section 9's resident explosives specialist, as shown several times during 2nd GIG. 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. Both his eyes and his baldness are his trademark features.

    In addition to his role as Section 9's explosives specialist, Borma often handles the task of rear support. In most assignments, he's the only member to carry heavy weaponry. He also works as the team's resident cyberviral warfare expert, often developing vaccines for viruses within minutes of their creation. He is usually teamed with either Saito for sniping duties, Pazu for general operations and Ishikawa for cyberweb research and viral warfare.

    Of his past, little is known though some can be guessed from speculation and comments made in the series. At one point, Borma was in the Japanese Self-Defense Force as a demolitions expert, possibly hinting that he was either a combat engineer or a special forces operative. It's also been speculated that he was a virgin at the time of his cyberization since he was affected by the Individual Eleven virus.

    In the episode Selecon, Boma is represented by his avatar, a flat, round 0906, along with Togusa and Ishikawa (at 0903 and 0904, respectively), suggesting hierarchy.

    Notes

    Borma's name was originally transliterated as "Boma", as the latter reflects the correct pronunciation (the "r" in Borma is silent). More recent translations use the spelling "Borma".

11. #11Brenda Rucker

    Keys: Brenda Rucker

    NAME ENGLISH Brenda Rucker BIO SPECIES Human GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY American Empire OCCUPATION Street stall owner APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Hitomi Shogawa ENGLISH VA Philece Sampler LESS Brenda Rucker is a food truck owner stationed in Gate City.

    Appearance

    Brenda is a portly lady with brown hair tied in a bun and eyes. She wears a light red and white plaid button-up shirt, light blue jeans, and black sneakers. History

    When GHOST arrives in Gate Town, Batou chats Brenda up about her business, and she claims that thanks to the war, her business is doing well. Learning that Batou is new to the area, Brenda suggests that he buy some of her house specials, and Batou decides to purchase three of them. Fetching them, Brenda then tells Batou they'll cost him a grand, which Batou considers highway robbery, but she argues that she has to make a living too. Still, Batou pays for the food and goes on his way as Brenda stands by and swats unseen things from her face.

    The following day, Togusa tries to talk with Brenda and ask her for some information, but refuses to talk. So, he asks how much the food she's selling costs, and when Brenda tells him fifteen hundred dollars, Togusa immediately refuses and walks away. After checking the local surveillance feeds from the surrounding area, and discovers that her cyberbrain is wide open. It's learned that her organs were securitized and trading at B- rating and surmised to be collateral for her to get her cyber brain. Seeing that 80% of her storage is made up of a lifelog, Togusa runs a recognition scan of both Batou and the Major and finds intel about them. As a way of thanks, Togusa decides to buy one of her food, but she raises the cost by $300, and Togusa still buys it from her.

12. #12Chris Otomo Tate

    Keys: Chris Otomo Tate

    NAME ENGLISH Chris Otomo Tate ALT. SPELLING Prime Minister KANJI 久利須 大友 帝都 ROMAJI Kurisu Ōtomo Teito BIO SPECIES Human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Blue CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan OCCUPATION Prime Minister of Japan PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY American Empire OCCUPATION American politician APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Shigeo Kiyama ENGLISH VA Armen Taylor LESS Chris Otomo Tate (久利須 大友 帝都 Kurisu Ōtomo Teito) is the prime minister of Japan in Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045. He is the successor of Yoko Kayabuki. He has the distinction of being Japan's first American-born prime minister, and before emigrating to Japan, he was active in American politics until the age of 30. Tate is married to Akiko Otomo, the daughter of Chairman Sachio Otomo of the Tokyo Reconstruction Committee.[1][2]

    In Season 2, after learning that the American Empire's involvement with AI Code 1A84, which infected people with cyberbrains into Post-humans, Prime Minister Tate no longer represents the American Empire and will no longer work for them anymore.

    Appearance

    Prime Minister Tate has neatly combed and parted down the middle blonde hair and blue eyes. He wears a black suite and tie and dress shoes. History

    Chris Tate began his career in the U.S. State Department and worked in the American embassy in Japan until age 30. During this time, he developed a deep appreciation for Japanese culture. Upon leaving his job as an American diplomat, he stayed in Japan and founded a micromachine company. Two of Tate's micromachine design patents catapulted his company to success, and attracted the attention of Sachio Otomo, a prominent member of the Japanese Diet and head of the powerful Otomo Group. Tate sold his company to the Otomo Group, which rebranded the subsidiary into "Otomo Micron", at a considerable profit. During Tate's dealings with Sachio, he also met the politician's daughter, Akiko Otomo, and eventually married her, allowing him to attain Japanese citizenship. Tate then entered Japanese politics and was elected to the Diet, and only a few years later he succeeded Yoko Kayabuki as prime minister of Japan. Although rumors persisted that Tate's meteoric rise was only possible thanks to the influence wielded by his kingmaker father-in-law, Daisuke Aramaki held the opinion that a legitimate majority of the Japanese populace supported Tate and were optimistic about his administration because they believed that only a true outsider could recognize and address the problems facing their country.

    Less than a month after Tate entered office in 2045, he secretly ordered Daisuke Aramaki to reestablish the disbanded Public Security Section 9 to investigate the emergence of the post-humans in cooperation with the American Empire's National Security Agency. On the surface, this move seemed to confirm what the Liberals had previously warned about, that an American-born Japanese citizen who became prime minister would only be a puppet for the American Empire.[2] In reality, Tate has embraced his adoptive home and holds an earnest desire to lead Japan on the path that will most benefit the Japanese people amid the ongoing economic disarray caused by the Synchronized Global Default. When the American Empire requested Japan's assistance in the post-human investigation to curry Tate's favor, he opted to use Section 9 after reading the classified records of their activities obtained from the Interior Ministry. Tate is also a pragmatist and is not afraid to sacrifice his public reputation or even risk his safety if it provides an advantage against the post-human threat. Etymology

    The name Chris means "long time" (久) (ku), "benefit, advantage" (利) (ri) and "ought, by all means, necessarily" (須) (su). Chris' surnames Otomo & Tate each have meanings to them. The first surname Otomo means "big, great" (大) (o) and "friend, companion, pal" (友) (tomo). The second surname Tate means "imperial city/imperial capital" (帝都). Notes

    Regarding the qualifications to become prime minister of Japan, the Constitution of Japan only specifies two requirements: the prime minister must be a current member of either house of the Diet (which separately requires a minimum age of 25 and Japanese citizenship), and they must also be civilian who is not actively serving in the military. Tate acquired Japanese citizenship when he married Akiko Otomo, and thus became eligible to run for office in the Diet and subsequently be elected prime minister

13. #13Chroma

    Keys: Chroma

    Chroma is a pseudonym and alternate persona used by Major Motoko Kusanagi to disguise herself. The Major appears as Chroma in Human-Error Processor, Man/Machine Interface, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

    In the manga, Chroma is one of the Major's many surrogate decoy bodies, which she is able to pilot remotely. In the anime, Chroma is her online avatar, seen at times when she has interactions with others across the net.

    Chroma has coral pink hair, and dresses in an elegant purple gown with gold lace trim and an attached short white cape.

14. #14Cruzkowa Bosyeltnov

    Keys: Cruzkowa Bosyeltnov

    NAME ENGLISH Cruzkowa Bosyeltnov BIO BORN 1950s (estimated) SPECIES Cyborg (full-body) GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Blue CURRENT AFFILIATIONS TEAM Northern Territories Mafia OCCUPATION Human trafficker PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Russian Federation TEAM Russian Foreign Intelligence OCCUPATION Covert operative APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ACTORS JAPANESE VA Mitsuki Yayoi ENGLISH VA Carol Stanzione LESS Cruzkowa Bosyeltnov is a ringleader in a mass kidnapping and organ harvesting scheme run by the Northern Territories Mafia, also known as "Blindfold Ivan." She is of Russian descent and is an ex-spy for Russian Foreign Intelligence.

    Cruzkowa was an operative with Russian Foreign Intelligence based out of Southeast Asia. She was involved with covert special-ops missions during the 20th century. It is suggested that she is "pushing 80," which would make her year of birth sometime in the 1950's. She is however, a full cyborg and maintains a youthful appearance despite her true age.

15. #15Clarice

    Keys: Clarice

    The Major as Clarice Clarice is the designation given to one of Major Motoko Kusanagi's surrogate decoy bodies.

    The Major is able to pilot Clarice remotely over the net, much like she does with Chroma. Clarice's prosthetic body is not nearly as durable as the Major's standard body, and lacks skin protection, rendering it much more vulnerable to physical damage.

    Clarice is however much lighter due to its lack of armor and is still highly-functioning, likely able to move faster and jump higher than the Major's normal prosthetic.

    The body did sustain large amounts of damage to its internal systems when used in a highly physical combat situation. Clarice eventually required high-level maintenance.

16. #16Dr. Zhinzhee Bekka Arr Thied

    Keys: Dr. Zhinzhee Bekka Arr Thied

    NAME ENGLISH Zhinzhee Bekka Arr Thied KANJI ジンジ ベッカ アル サイード ROMAJI Jinji Bekka Aru Saīdo BIO GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Purple CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Republic of Kuzan APPEARANCES ANIME Arise, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture ACTORS JAPANESE VA Aya Hisakawa LESS Zhinzhee Bekka Arr Thied is a Qhardi of the Republic of Kuzan's government water enterprise and had graduated a valedictorian from the Kuzan Royal University. She is involved in the water importation deals with various groups. She seeks peaceful resolution to conflicts arising between the Kuzans and the Qhardis.

    Appearance

    Zhinzhee is a young adult woman with short light-purple hair and glasses.

17. #17Eka Turkuro

    Keys: Eka Turkuro

    Eka Tokura is actually the woman in the top left of the picture. The girl at center is her daughter who bears a strong resemblance. Eka Turkuro, the daughter of a pioneering cybernetics company CEO, was kidnapped by an anticybernetic sect called the "New World Brigade" 16 years before the events of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. She was one of the first people to receive a cyberbrain.

    During the events of the Stand Alone Complex episode NOT EQUAL, she is seen by members of the Japanese Coast Guard's Special Security Team. After the Security Team disappears, Section 9 rescues her, an old woman who was held as a hostage, and the only surviving Security Team member. Section 9 discovers that they actually "rescued" Turkuro's daughter, who was leading the terrorists. The real Eka Turkuro had been rapidly aged (possibly due to stress from the kidnapping or the exparimental tech her father was always giving her).

18. #18Emma Tsuda

    Keys: Emma Tsuda

    NAME ALT. SPELLING Emma Tsuda KANJI エマ ROMAJI Ema BIO GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS OCCUPATION Hacker, Cyberbrain game developer APPEARANCES ANIME Arise ACTORS JAPANESE VA Ai Kayano LESS Emma Tsuda is a war orphan and a super hacker who makes successful cyberbrain games.

    Appearance

    Emma is a young girl with chest-length caramel-brown hair that has bangs swept to the right side.

    She usually wears a yellow shirt and short red skirt.

19. #19Fukami

    Keys: Fukami

    NAME KANJI 深見 ROMAJI Fukami ALIAS Laughing Man BIO BORN Unknown DIED Unknown SPECIES Cyborg GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japanese TEAM National Police Department OCCUPATION Police Officer, Investigator APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in The Shell: Stand Alone Complex ACTORS JAPANESE VA Hiroshi Yanaka ENGLISH VA Jamieson Price LESS Fukami (深見) is a police officer and a character in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. A former associate and a close friend to Togusa, Fukami is one of the main investigators in The Laughing Man case, which had first started in 2024. Although he plays a supporting role through the first season, Fukami is a hidden anti-villain.

    Background

    Before Togusa joined Section 9, Fukami was his partner and both worked together closely. However, Fukami distanced from Togusa to investigate the Laughing Man conspiracy. The conspiracy wanted to expose the government's corruption in selling Serano Genomics' defective vaccines. These vaccines were meant to be sold in mass in order to stimulate the local economy. Fukami went deep in the conspiracy with his leads, but they were eventually cut short by The Laughing Man's sudden disappearance. History

    The Laughing Man Arc

    During The Laughing Man's return in 2030, Fukami tips Togusa and sends him on the first gig. This renewal of the investigation would later become the main course of events through the season. While Togusa goes with Section 9 to unveil the truth about the conspiracy, Fukami secretly leads a gig on his own. To help Section 9 and foil the government, Fukami uses his plotting skills and inspires Serano Genomics programmer Nanao Ei to take the mantle, at the point where the latter believes himself to be the real Laughing Man. Fukami sneaks to Nanao Ei's hideout and kills him. Later, Togusa finds Nanao Ei's corpse and deems he is not the real suspect, whereas the government dismiss the case yet again.

    Section 9, led by Motoko and Aramaki, continue to lead their investigation in the dark until the government notices it. Still, Section 9, with the help of the current Laughing Man, are able to survive against the government's hit-squad, the Umibozu. Motoko and Togusa end up revealing the truth about the conspiracy and the government is impeached and removed. Meanwhile, Fukami, who has fallen from his former grace as a government police officer, murders Mr. Serano, the owner of Serano Genomics and the creator of the defective vaccine.

    In the end, The Laughing Man is revealed to be a product of people sharing the same intentions who were united by an unknown individual. Although Aoi takes the current mantle, numerous hints and clues imply that Fukami is the original Laughing Man. Firstly, Fukami is a police officer, but has highly classified information and gave them to Togusa. Secondly, He is also the only person who could have used Nanao Ei, due to his former connection to Serano. Thirdly, Fukami's assassination of Mr. Serano served no purpose, if not an inner desire to redeem his failure in solving the case in the past, then selling himself to the government.

    Legacy

    Fukami's actions have directly inspired library employee and student Aoi, who took up the mantle as The Laughing Man and managed to reveal the truth with Section 9, making it the first Stand Alone Complex. Aoi's deeds and role in making a Stand Alone Complex would later be compared to Kazundo Gouda, the head of the Cabinet Intelligence Service, and the cyborg revolutionary Hideo Kuze. Personality and traits

    Fukami is a typical good-natured co-worker. He is helpful, professional and courteous. He also seems to be good company, as Togusa considered him a friend. However, Fukami is secretly driven by the greater good of his country and its people; upon learning of the government's corruption, he sacrificed arm and limb in order to divulge their crimes. However, his limited knowledge in medicine prevented him from succeeding his goal. It can be assumed Fukami became a bitter man then, since he killed Mr. Serano out of self-righteousness. Etymology

    The surname Fukami means "deep" (深) (fuka) and "see, hopes, chances, idea, opinion, look at, visible" (見) (mi).

20. #20Gabriel

    Keys: Gabriel

    Gabriel is Batou's pet basset hound, who is introduced, and most primarily seen in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Batou is shown as caring for her a lot, and buys her higher brand dog food. Gabriel is also a big part of the plot in After the Long Goodbye.

    In the 2017 live action film, Gabriel appears as one of the stray dogs on the street that Batou likes to feed. Major is also seen feeding and then petting her on Batou's behalf after he gets his prosthetic eyes. Later on, Gabriel is seen sitting with him, indicating that they have a close bond. Trivia

    Gabriel is listed as male in the Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017 guidebook, despite being referred to as female in most other media. He is based on Mamoru Oshii's dog. In the Stand Alone Complex series, Batou's love for the Tachikomas is sometimes seen as a callback to his love for his dog.

21. #21Gary Harts

    Keys: Gary Harts

    NAME ENGLISH Gary Harts BIO BORN 11/29/1988 DIED 2045 SPECIES Post-human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown (Former) White (Current) EYE COLOR Black HEIGHT 180 cm WEIGHT 83kg CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY American Empire PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS OCCUPATION Sergent Commander in the third army, Central Command of the US Army Special Forces APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Yasuhiro Kikuchi ENGLISH VA Armen Taylor LESS Gary Harts was a Post-human and soldier in the military of the American Empire in Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

    ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

    00:00

    41:20

    Gary initially had ginger-colored hair and a beard, but after succumbing to a high fever, it had all turned white and black eyes. After a failed attempt to secure a nuclear missile, Gary lost his right arm and leg and the upper left side of his head, exposing his brain. History

    In the basement of an underground facility, John shows the Major, Batou, Ishikawa, Saito, Togusa, and the Chief Gary Harts, the first known Post-human. Gary, bed-ridden and locked inside a special containment cell, lay on his bed and repeatedly flew a single paper airplane. John informs them that Gary was the first Post-human specimen they've gotten ahold of; however, his cerebral damage makes him inadequate for any research. At that moment, an algorithmic code is shown via the screen that contains Gary in his cell, and the observers copy it for research purposes. John informs the group that it's believed to be a code for communication; however, the data is too corrupt.

    The Major then notices that a nurse tending to Gary has no Cyberbrain, and John confirms it was, noting it's a precaution for her not to get cyber hacked by Gary. He also states that they'd all be at his mercy if Gary could hack into the establishment's system. John then elaborates on Gary's background as a once-respected military sergeant commander for the US Army Special Forces. After his retirement, Gary moved to the suburbs with his wife and children. Eventually, he succumbed to a high fever that turned his hair white and had him catatonic state for a week. Although Gary would recover from this, his wife noticed a notable change about him, and when she tried to confront him when he tried to leave without a word, she was shot dead by him. A week after this incident, Gary reappeared at a nuclear missile base and tried to hijack one of the missiles there, but was shot down and contained in the basement they were all in. The target location of the nuclear missile Gary wanted to launch was Moscow.

    The Major then notices how Gary can fly a paper airplane and catch it systematically without failure until it lands outside his cell. The nurse there picks it up for him, and when she goes to return it, the nurse is caught in a choke hold by Gary. Once the nurse is released from his grasp, Gary uploads more cryptic text that alerts the lab techs, and one of them notes that their system has malfunctioned. The Major then deduces that the cryptic communication code was a virus intended to overtake the system once the emergency switch was activated. Just then, security sentry robots controlled by Gary infiltrate the area and try to rescue Gary. To stop this, Batou smashes Gary's head, killing him.

    When John meets with the newly established Section 9 group, he mentions Gary as an example of data collected on Post-human behavior.

22. #22Gayle Yasuoka

    Keys: Gayle Yasuoka

    NAME ENGLISH Gayle Yasuoka KANJI 安岡ゲイル ROMAJI Yasuoka Geiru BIO SPECIES Cyborg GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Narcotics Suppression Squad OCCUPATION Government field agent APPEARANCES ANIME Stand Alone Complex FILMS Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man ACTORS JAPANESE VA Mitsutaka Tachikawa ENGLISH VA Kim Strauss LESS Gayle Yasuoka (安岡 ゲイル, Yasuoka Geiru) was the field commander of the Drug Enforcement Agency's Narcotics Suppression Squad charged with eliminating members of the Sunflower Society and retrieving the dossier on affluent receivers of the Murai Vaccine. His team's operations under the DEA bureau chief Nimi often led him to confrontations with Public Security Section 9, including during the aforementioned raid on the Sunflower Society and the assassination of Dr. Hisashi Imakurusu.

    An antagonist appearing in the later episodes of the first season, Yasuoka is personally responsible for injuring Togusa during the Sunflower Society raid. He is eventually captured by The Major and the rest of her team during the Imakurusu assassination after his powered exoskeleton was disabled. He eventually cooperated with Section 9's investigation and exposed Nimi's involvement in the Murai Vaccine cover-up.

23. #23Hozumi

    Keys: Hozumi

    NAME ENGLISH Hozumi KANJI イバチ ROMAJI Hozumi BIO SPECIES Cyborg GENDER Female APPEARANCES ANIME Arise, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture ACTORS JAPANESE VA Yuka Keichou LESS Hozumi is a mysterious individual who exists in Akira's mental lobby. It holds important information considering the terrorist "Fire Starter."

    Appearance

    Hozumi is a female cyborg with iron mask head and wears a military uniform jacket. Biography

    She was destroyed in a plane crash. Her remains ended up in the possession of Kurutsu.

24. #24Ibachi

    Keys: Ibachi

    NAME ENGLISH Ibachi KANJI イバチ ROMAJI Ibachi BIO SPECIES Cyborg GENDER Male CURRENT AFFILIATIONS TEAM Unit 501 APPEARANCES ANIME Arise, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture, Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie ACTORS JAPANESE VA Masahiro Mamiya LESS Ibachi is a combat cyborg for Unit 501 who is skilled in Bōjutsu and armed with hidden machine guns.

    Appearance

    Ibachi is usually hooded and has goggles covering his face. He has a small, thin mustache.

25. #25Ishikawa

    Keys: Ishikawa

    NAME ENGLISH Ishikawa KANJI イシカワ ROMAJI Ishikawa BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown HEIGHT 5'11" (180 cm)[1] CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Cyberwarfare and Technology Specialist PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM GHOST, JGSDF OCCUPATION Mercenary, Soldier APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045 FILMS Ghost in the Shell VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Yutaka Nakano ENGLISH VA Michael Sorich1995 film, Michael McCartyS.A.C., Brandon PotterArise LIVE ACTION Lasarus Ratuere LESS Main Manga Films SAC Arise 2017

    Ishikawa (イシカワ Ishikawa) is the information warfare and technology specialist for Public Security Section 9.

    It is not known to what degree he has been cybernetically enhanced, though character dialogue (and his long recovery time from an injury) suggests that he is one of the least augmented members within the organization. He is characterized by his full beard and perpetually unkempt hair, as well as being the eldest of Section 9's field operatives. Ishikawa is particularly known for his frequent, long-winded, and often complicated expository speeches, often meant to inform the team (and also the audience) of new story developments. Ishikawa is voiced by Yutaka Nakano in Japanese, Michael McCarty in the English dub of Stand Alone Complex, and Brandon Potter in Arise. He was voiced by the late Bob Papenbrook in the English dub of the first film.

    He formerly served with Kusanagi and Batou in South America when they were with the Ground Self-Defense Forces from the Japanese UN contingent. He was one of the first members recruited to Section 9, and seems to know the Major and her dislikes quite well. In his private life, he owns a pachinko parlor called 'Parlor Ishikawa', and on occasion commandeers the cyberbrains of his patrons to perform heavy data gathering. Ishikawa is seemingly the most laid-back member of the unit.

    Despite being a member of Section 9, Ishikawa appears to be in poor physical condition compared to his compatriots. He is almost never shown to engage in combat (though in episode 25 of Stand Alone Complex he fires a shoulder-mounted cannon to disable a heavily-armored vehicle) and is depicted primarily in a supporting role during most missions. When he is captured late in the first season of S.A.C., he is shown as being easily taken into custody by Umibozu commandos sent to arrest him. This is possibly due to the fact that he is one of the least cybernetically enhanced members (along with Togusa and Saito) and thus, would have been at a disadvantage had he physically resisted. Late into the second season, Ishikawa is wounded in a suicide bombers attack on Section 9's tilt wing aircraft. Following this, he is seen hospitalized and wearing a bandage on his left arm, further suggesting that he has little external cyberization, especially when in contrast to Batou's quick recovery from wounds from the same incident.

26. #26John Smith

    Keys: John Smith

    NAME ENGLISH John Smith KANJI ジョン スミス ROMAJI Jon Sumisu BIO GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Black CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY American Empire TEAM National Security Agency OCCUPATION Head of the Post-Human Affairs Bureau, Intelligence agent APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Kaiji Soze ENGLISH VA Roger Craig Smith LESS John Smith (ジョン スミス Jon Sumisu) is an agent of the American Empire's National Security Agency in Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

    Appearance

    John has neatly combed black hair, eyes, and has a mole on the upper left side of his lip. He wears glasses, a black suit and tie, and black dress shoes. History

    He heads a subdivision of the NSA dedicated to eradicating Post-humans, the Post-Human Affairs Bureau. After Public Security Section 9 is reestablished, Smith becomes an advisor to the group and the representative of American interests in the post-human investigation

27. #27Kaede

    Keys: Kaede

    NAME ENGLISH Kaede KANJI かえで BIO SPECIES Human GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Dark gray EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Ikuko Tani ENGLISH VA Mona Marshall LESS Kaede (かえで) is a character in Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045.

    Appearance

    Kaede has dark gray hair in a bob cut and brown eyes.

    She wears black glasses, a multi-colored yellow and red scarf, and a gray top. History

    Kaede tries to withdraw money from her bank account, but is panicked by the conversation rate, which dramatically reduces her withdrawal savings. As Batou tries to console her, the bank is held up by a couple of robbers. It's later revealed that the security guard there named Nashida was in cahoots with them, and he holds Kaede hostage with his shotgun. Once Batou reveals the stolen money could be traced, Kaede knocks down Nashida, takes his shotgun, and demands that Batou figure out a way to convert it to make it untraceable. Just then, the police arrive and surround the area, so Kaede forces Batou to act as a messenger to the police as she explains to Nishida and his cohorts about her deceased husband. She'd hope to use the money her husband saved to go to Switzerland to pay for euthanasia treatment for herself due to suffering from a terminal illness. Learning the cause of the financial crisis was due to the Synchronized Global Default, Kaede reveals that she had no idea about it since her husband handled all of the finances. To help them all, Batou uses his money as seed money to help them buy cryptocurrency stock from QWE and resell it to make a lucrative profit.

    Ultimately, Kaede decides to live a little longer and goes to Honolulu until she's ready to die finally.

28. #28Kanami

    Keys: Kanami

    NAME KANJI カナミ BIO SPECIES Human GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Dark brown EYE COLOR Light blue PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan OCCUPATION Student APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Sara Matsumoto ENGLISH VA Kayli Mills LESS Kanami (カナミ) was a student in Takashi Shimamura's class who was explicitly taken advantage of by their teacher, Takanobu Yamada.

    Appearance

    Kanami had dark-brown hair that is worn in a ponytail with bangs covering her forehead, and blue eyes. She wore round-shaped glasses.

    In her initial appearance, she wore a blue school uniform and glasses.

29. #29Kaoru Yakushima

    Keys: Kaoru Yakushima

    NAME ENGLISH Kaoru Yakushima KANJI 屋久島 薫 ROMAJI Yakushima Kaoru BIO GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Gray CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Diet of Japan OCCUPATION Secretary General of the ruling coalition, Diet Assemblyman PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS OCCUPATION Minister of Health, MSDF Chief of Staff APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex LESS Kaoru Yakushima (屋久島 薫, Yakushima Kaoru) is the standing Secretary General of the ruling coalition of the Japanese Diet in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. He was also the head of a massive cabal within the government who created the meme of The Laughing Man to profit off of nano-machine treatments for Cyberbrain Sclerosis. Using his connections throughout the government, Yakushima waged war against Section 9 and manages to shut them down close to the end of the series. However Chief Aramaki traded evidence of Yakushima's corruption to the Ministry of Justice in order to preserve the lives of his unit, leading to his fall from public office.

    Pre-Stand Alone Complex

    Very little is known about the past of Kaoru Yakushima. He spent most of his career in the Maritime Self-Defense Forces until he became Chief of Staff, when he left the military for politics. During his time as Chief of Staff, Yakushima was accused of embezzling money from the military to set up his war chest and it is suspected that he arranaged for the murder of the chief prosector of the case to end the investigation.

    Once elected to the Lower House, Yakushima was instrumental in moving the board that authorized the patents of new medical technology to the Ministory of Health, Labor and Welfare. During this time, cyberbrain schlerosis reached a widespread stage and nanomachine companies began working with patients of the disease to try and develop a cure. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

    Secretary-General Yakushima remains in the shadows during much of the events of Stand Alone Complex. He provides the NARC Squad with an armed suit during Section 9 attempts to place Dr. Imakurusu in custody. After the drugging of Chief Aramaki and attempted murder of Major Kusanagi during a body swap operation, Section 9 uncovers his role in the entire affair.

    Unfortunately, Yakushima predicts this and arranges for footage of the interrogation of Ernst Serrano by the Major to be leaked to the media. This casts Section 9 in a bad light and the public speculates that the group could be responsible for the original abduction of Mr. Serrano. With elections for the lower house of the National Assembly only a few months away and fearing a scandal involving Yakushima could hurt his party's political clout, the Prime Minister authorizes the Special Forces Restriction Bill: legislation which authorizes the black operation group known as the Umibozu to liquidate Section 9. The Prime Minister promises to go after Yakushima after the election, however Aramaki is more concerned that Yakushima will wipe out his current squad in order to avoid justice.

    The action against Section 9 gives the Prime Minister's party enough popularity to win the election. Shortly afterward Chief Aramaki secures the lives of Section 9 from the government by providing the Ministry of Justice the evidence needed to prosecute Yakushima. The entire team is provided with false stories to allow them to continue their operations. Yakushima's only scene in the series is as he is surrendering to the Ministry of Justice and sees Aramaki leaving: both men exchanging glares. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG

    In Episode 3, Chairman Tadokoro is suspected of managing Yakushima's illegal assets. Section 9 investigates during an illicit party he holds in his corporate headquarters and is able to find Yakushima's fortune that had recently been converted from digital credit to cash, ending Yakushima's reign for good.

30. #30Kazundo Gouda

    Keys: Kazundo Gouda

    NAME ENGLISH Kazundo Gouda ALT. SPELLING Kuzundo Gohda KANJI 合田一人 ROMAJI Gōda Kazundo BIO BORN 1999 DIED 2032 SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR None EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Cabinet Intelligence Service OCCUPATION Head of Data Manipulation Division PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS OCCUPATION Engineer (inventor of the Japanese Miracle) APPEARANCES ANIME Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG ACTORS JAPANESE VA Ken Nishida ENGLISH VA John Snyder LESS “ If I were the culprit... the factor I would use is... virginity. ” —Kazundo Gouda Kazundo Gouda (合田一人 Gōda Kazundo) is a fictional character in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell anime series. He is the primary antagonist of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. In the series, Gouda is head of a data manipulation division within the Cabinet Intelligence Service. He initially presents himself and his plans to Section 9 as the means to counter the refugees of Dejima's growing hostility on Japan. However, when a group of ultra-nationalists, The Individual Eleven, threaten the lives of harmless refugees, Gouda becomes a target of suspicion due to his possession of extensive knowledge on the situation.

    Gouda's name is difficult to pronounce, as demonstrated by Daisuke Aramaki's mispronunciation of the kanji of his given name as "Hitori" (ひとり). An alternate romanization of his name is "Kazundo."

    Later on, it is learned that Gouda created a cyber-brain virus to infect virgins, who then become violent members of The Individual Eleven. After finding enough potential candidates, Gouda chose his "hero" by having the candidates kill each other until one survived. Ending up with the mysterious combat cyborg known as Hideo Kuze, Gouda sent the latter to join the refugees and make them fight back against Japan. This maneuver had set up Gouda's "heroic" plan to create a war between Japan and the refugees, which would serve to convince the people of Japan to change their country with a new self-reliant power structure. However, when Hideo Kuze is revealed to have been acting by himself all along and thwarts Gouda's plans with the help of Major Motoko Kusanagi, Gouda desperately strikes a deal with the American Empire to bomb Dejima Island and earn diplomatic immunity. During his final attempt to escape, he is brutally shot to pieces by the Major.

    Background

    While on a mission, Gouda was involved in an accident and had to have cybernetic parts installed. He was horribly disfigured, but, curiously, chose not to repair his face with easily available cybernetic parts. During a failed training exercise by the Japanese military for its new helicopters, Gouda was dispatched to approach Aramaki with a plan of action to protect the people living in the Refugee Residential District. Gouda later becomes a main suspect in the Individual Eleven case by Section 9. He is the head representative aide of the Strategic Influence Investigatory Committee within Japan's Cabinet Intelligence Service, a position which gives him the power to carry out his plans (see below). In addition, he has a valuable ally in Chief Cabinet Secretary Takakura, who aids Gouda's cause, seemingly to further his own political aspirations. Personality

    Gouda's character is much like his face, as he appears polite and well-spoken but seems to have ulterior, warped motives. Manipulative, amoral, and smug; he quickly draws suspicion and hostility from the members of Section 9, particularly Batou. He also acts to make himself appear superior by criticizing others.

    Kazundo Gouda is known for his very sophisticated demeanor. However, it is paired with his smugness and arrogance. Before earning his important status, Gouda wasn't special himself. This inferior complex would later turn into an immense delusion of grandeur when he decides to accomplish a self-proclaimed heroic act by returning Japan to its deserved glory according to him.

    In the events of 2nd Gig, Gouda has an enormous ego and sees himself as a godlike figure. He creates the Individual Eleven virus, which incorporates many traits of his personality, so he can act through someone who is more competent than him, all while taking credit. Even then, this only gives out hints to his culpability due to such overconfidence.

    Also, despite his composed attitude, Gouda is very insecure and can get angry easily. When Batou said that Kuze, thought to be Gouda's pawn, has become more dangerous than Gouda himself, the latter furiously reacts to the Section 9 officer. Synopsis

    S.A.C 2nd GIG - The Individual Eleven Events

    Gouda is the mastermind of the whole Individual Eleven incident. He planned to use the tense issue of Japan's numerous postwar refugees in order to create social imbalance and political upheaval. The rogue helicopter incident in Episode Four is heavily implied to have been helped along by his maneuvering. His extremely convenient knowledge about everything to do with the situation suggests that he had a hand in its cause. It may even have served as "practice" for the bombing of Dejima with the same Jigabachi attack helicopters, given the incidents' similarities, which is noted by several characters including the Major and the Tachikomas.

    Part of Gouda's plan is to harness the stand-alone complex social phenomenon in order to produce revolutionaries based on the refugee issue. He made these revolutionaries (the Individual Eleven) by disseminating a fake eleventh essay written by (fictional) writer and philosopher Patrick Sylvestre. This essay, itself titled "The Individual Eleven", contained a cyberbrain virus which forced the reader to conform to a scenario of terrorist actions related to the refugee issue (e.g. murdering cyber-rapper and refugee idol Densetsu, attempting to murder Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki), followed by mutual suicide at the Selecon Tower. The strongest infected members, of which there were twelve, successfully carried out the scenario, each believing himself to be acting independently and without viral influence.

    Gouda anticipated the emergence of one "hero", who - by the rules of the social variation of the stand-alone complex - would go on to further exacerbate the refugee situation. This hero was Hideo Kuze, who disappeared after deciding not to go through with the suicide and resurfaced as a hero of the refugees. In order to stage a revolution, Kuze rallied the refugees to his side in Dejima by virtue of his will and utter belief in his cause (which had existed before his infection with the virus, unbeknownst to Gouda). Using Salami slicing, Kuze obtains enough money to procure weapons-grade plutonium as leverage to secure the independence of Dejima. This process was facilitated by Gouda, who performed such actions as cutting all the power in Nagasaki as a distraction so Kuze could escape the naval blockade there. Gouda also arranged the circumstances so that Kuze would not actually get any plutonium, leaving the refugees with baseless confidence and the military with an excuse to start an all-out war with Dejima.

    End of the 2nd GIG

    Ultimately, Gouda wished to escalate the conflict to the point where public dissatisfaction would destroy the government, allowing him to create a new power structure more to his liking. He doesn't seem to have any personal ambition (though several members of Section 9 suspected him of at least wanting credit for the incident) and claims to be only giving the Japanese people what they want "deep down", which he says is a return to the age of post-WWII rapid growth when the country prospered under the Cold War scheme; this time between American Empire and China (the "81 flag" mentioned by the American submarine commander in the last episode is the symbol for Chinese military). His final goal was to replace Kayabuki with more American Empire-friendly administration and make security alliance, creating Cold War tension in the region and making Japan a "docile consumer" without autonomy. It's been suspected that he collaborated with American Empire from the beginning, as Aramaki implies in the final episode. Gouda almost succeeded, as the Prime Minister was temporarily ousted from office and a coup was underway as Dejima was being assaulted by the JSDF. Fortunately, Kuze, Motoko, and Section 9 (precisely the Tachikomas) turned out to be too unpredictable for Gouda's scenario. Also, even under extreme pressure of being disregarded by the American Empire, Prime Minister Kayabuki refused to get any help from China and acted in accordance with her belief of "National independence through personal independence" and Japan's autonomy, contrary to what Gouda predicted. Thanks to the Tachikomas' sacrifice and Motoko and Kuze's joint efforts to rescue the refugees, the Dejima conflict was halted before the full extent of the damage was done.

    Seeing that his plans have failed, Gouda makes an agreement with representatives of the American Empire and hopes to seek asylum with them. When Section 9 arrives to arrest him, he exploits a legal loophole; if he submits a written confession of his crimes to the police, he can leave for a country of his choosing. However, Section 9 exploits a loophole of its own. They possess a note signed by Yoko Kayabuki, which informs them that it would be a major loss for Japan if Gouda's skills were to fall in the hands of a foreign nation, empowering them to do anything necessary to prevent it. Gouda waves them off, believing that they are bluffing. He is then shot in the head and killed by Motoko Kusanagi.

    Appearance

    Kazundo Gouda is mostly recognized for his bald head and scarred face. He's often seen wearing a black suit with matching leather gloves. He sometimes sports a fedora and sunglasses, giving him a sophisticated allure. He also has a trench coat, which he sports with the aforementioned apparel. His right eye is pale blue, while his left is brown. Gouda adopts a composed demeanor and often speaks professionally. Etymology

    The name Kazundo means "one" (一) (kazun) and "person" (人) (to/do). Kazundo's surname Gouda means "fit, suit, join, 0.1" (合) (gou) and "field, rice paddy" (田) (ta/da). Trivia

    Gouda loves Print Media. It is hinted that in Gig 2, Episode 6, that he killed Kontan Kanji and his wife as he was spotted carrying a printed newspaper of the deceased man by Togusa. Gouda is a virgin, having never had sex before replacing his body with prosthetics, which is made evident in an episode when Batou borrowed Motoko Kusanagi's external memory device to confront him about the Individual Eleven issue. Gouda presents this possible (but factually true) information to Batou as part of an argument concerning the motivations of self-sacrificing activists, who were also linked to being infected with the virus. The main antagonist Skullface from Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain resembles Kazundo Gouda in many ways. Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear series, is known to be a fan of Ghost in The Shell and has found inspiration in the franchise for many things. Gouda can be considered the opposite of Hideo Kuze: Gouda prefers realizing plans behind political manipulation. Kuze prefers taking direct action. Gouda is a high member of society. Kuze is a fugitive. Gouda loves himself very much and thinks he's a kind of a god. Kuze is rather humble and thinks of himself as a man. Gouda brutally dies. Kuze "peacefully" dies. Gouda enjoys tormenting people. Kuze is quite affable to others. Gouda asserts authority. Kuze has people doubting him. Gouda is prone to angry outbursts. Kuze never shows much emotion.

31. #31Koichi Tadakoro

    Keys: Koichi Tadakoro

    NAME KANJI 只頃 浩一 ROMAJI Tadakoro Kōichi BIO BORN 2/12/2000 SPECIES Human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Black HEIGHT 150cm WEIGHT 89kg PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan OCCUPATION Security-General of the Ministry of Residential Control APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Hitoshi Bifu LESS Koichi Tadakoro (只頃 浩一, Tadakoro Kōichi) was a Security-General of the Ministry of Residential Control and acted as a mediator for the Tokyo Rising project.

    Appearance

    Koichi had black hair and eyes.

    He wore a black suit and dress shoes. History

    Koichi was confronted by Sanji Yaguchi as he exited a building and was about to enter his car. A single punch delivered by Sanji blew Koichi's head off, killing him on impact. His death was recorded on a photographic camera by chance thanks to a freelance journalist and is investigated by the Section 9 group. From a background check done by Ishikawa, Koichi was a conscientious civil servant who worked for the Tokyo Rising project. Upon learning this, the Major has Ishikawa delve deeper into the net for more information about Koichi.

    It's later revealed that Koichi was involved with another victim of Sanji, Ishiwata, who hired refugees illegally given Japanese citizenship. Koichi was suspected of having been the one to have done that, but Ishikawa couldn't find a plausible link that he was dirty.

    When visited by the Chief and Major, Prime Minister Tate confirms that Koichi was a mediator for the Tokyo Rising project. Although it's still unclear why Sanji targeted him, the Chief speculates it's because of his association with the frauds involved in the project. However, the Major even further believes that the Prime Minister's father-in-law Sachio Otomo may have bribed him. Etymology

    The name Koichi means "prosperous" (浩) (ko) and "one" (一) (ichi). Koichi's surname Tadakoro means "only, simply, merely" (只) (tada) and "about, time, approximately" (頃) (koro).

32. #32Kubota

    Keys: Kubota

    NAME ENGLISH Kubota BIO GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan OCCUPATION GSDA intelligence officer APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG ACTORS JAPANESE VA Taimei Suzuki ENGLISH VA Michael Forest LESS Kubota (久保田) is a JGSDF intelligence officer and former colleague of Daisuke Aramaki in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG who often provides Aramaki with inside information from the Japanese government's highest levels

33. #33Kuro

    Keys: Kuro

    NAME ENGLISH Kuro BIO SPECIES Cyborg (full-body) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Electronic Warfare Specialist PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM JGSDF OCCUPATION Soldier APPEARANCES VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online LESS Kuro is a new recruit of Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online. Hailing from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, Kuro quickly racked up commendations for his combat skills. His career was nearly cut short by catastrophic injury, but he elected to undergo full-body prosthesis in order to remain combat-ready. A specialist in electronic warfare to rival even Ishikawa, Kuro can shut his enemies down with focused EMP devices. It was for this talent that Chief Aramaki, also a JSDF veteran, brought him into Public Security.[1]

34. #34Kurutan

    Keys: Kurutan

    Kurutan Kurutan is a "friend" of Motoko Kusanagi and works as a nurse at the local hospital. She first appears in the Manga and again in the Stand Alone Complex anime.

    Kurutan made her first appearance in the episode The Inviting Bird will Chant where she meets Motoko and her other friend Ran in their apartment. The three drink cocktails together but Motoko is unfortunately busy with the investigation into the Case of the Laughing Man. In The Fortunate Ones we learn that the Kurutan works as a nurse. She is also the one who draws Motoko's attention to heart theft. In the episode In Corporat, Kurutan is there when Motoko has to swap her cyberbody after her fight with Gayle Yasuoka.

35. #35Kurutsu

    Keys: Kurutsu

    NAME ENGLISH Kurutsu KANJI クルツ ROMAJI Kurutsu BIO GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Unit 501 OCCUPATION Unit leader APPEARANCES ANIME Arise, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture, Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie ACTORS JAPANESE VA Mayumi Asano ENGLISH VA Mary Elizabeth McGlynn LESS Lieutenant Colonel Kurutsu is the head of Unit 501, the firm who converted Motoko Kusanagi into a full cyborg, and who Kusanagi would have succeeded in the organization had she not joined Section 9 instead. Kurutsu herself gained the position of Unit 501's leader after the death of its previous leader, Lieutenant Colonel Mamuro.

    Appearance

    Kurutsu is a young adult woman with medium long brown hair combed on the left side. She wears a white unbuttoned shirt, revealing her cleavage, a long green skirt and black long boots. Personality

    She curiously has an affection towards The Major as if she knew her from some place. No matter how much The Major disobeys Kurutsu, and makes her intentions clear she does not want to work for Kurutsu, she is never punished. Biography

    it is revealed in the final Arise movie that one of The Major's friends took the identity of Kurutsu decades ago. This also explains why she acts as if she knows The Major before she even joined her team. The Major's friend commits suicide to avoid being arrested.

36. #36Mamuro

    Keys: Mamuro

    NAME ENGLISH Giichi Mamuro KANJI マムロ ROMAJI Mamuro BIO GENDER Male HAIR COLOR White CURRENT AFFILIATIONS TEAM Unit 501 OCCUPATION Unit leader APPEARANCES ANIME Arise ACTORS JAPANESE VA Atsushi Miyauchi ENGLISH VA Brian Mathis LESS Lieutenant Colonel Giichi Mamuro is the previous leader of Unit 501 and the mentor of Motoko Kusanagi. He was killed in an apparent mugging amidst accusations that he had been involved in arms dealing and had accepted bribes.

    Appearance

    Mamuro is middle-aged man with short white hair.

37. #37Marco Amoretti

    Keys: Marco Amoretti

    Marco Amoretti Marco Amoretti is a former American Imperial Navy Petty Officer and a minor but important antagonist in Ghost in The Shell Stand Alone Complex. Due to the events that happened during "Project Sunset" - a covert CIA operation during World War IV - he turned into a psychotic serial killer.

    In 2032 Japan, Amoretti attacked six people (one survived, five died) by skinning them alive. Among his victims were Purin Ezaki's family, revealed in SAC_2045. Due to this incident, the CIA tried to get Amoretti killed by Section 9 member Batou who, during his time as a JGSDF Ranger, also took part in "Project Sunset" but kept his sanity. However, Amoretti was captured by Batou instead of being killed. In the end, Amoretti got transferred to the American Empire, with Batou condemning the Americans' actions concerning the wellbeing of their own soldiers.

38. #38Maven

    Keys: Maven

    NAME ENGLISH Maven BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Green CURRENT AFFILIATIONS TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Tactical Officer PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Unidentified South American country TEAM Kodansu Corporation Fukuoka police OCCUPATION R&D combat specialist APPEARANCES VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS ENGLISH VA Christina Valenzuela LESS Maven is a new recruit of Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online. She is an expert on guerilla warfare and topography, stemming from her time in the jungles of South America during World War IV, where she served in Kodansu Corporation's R&D division. She first came to Daisuke Aramaki's attention during an operation in which she single-handedly held off an insurgent attack after her entire squad was killed. When Kodansu Corporation was shuttered and its assets appropriated by the Japanese government, Maven then found work with the police in Fukuoka. In 2030, she was recruited by Section 9, where she has proven both resourceful and deadly. However, her troubled past is never far away. She has vowed to destroy the rebel group that ravaged her country and killed her family.[1]

39. #39Nakamura

    Keys: Nakamura

    Nakamura (中村) is a member of Section 6. He appears in the original manga, the 1995 film, and Solid State Society. In the manga and Solid State Society, half of his face and lower jaw are obviously prosthetic, while in the 1995 film, his face appears fully natural, indicating that his prosthetics may be seamless and impossible to detect.

40. #40Nashida

    Keys: Nashida

    NAME ENGLISH Nashida KANJI 梨田 BIO SPECIES Human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Gray EYE COLOR Gray CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS OCCUPATION Bank security guard APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Mitsuaki Hoshino ENGLISH VA Jake Eberle LESS Nashida (梨田) is a disabled former security guard for a bank.

    Appearance

    Nashida has a bald-shaven head with a gray goatee, grey eyes, and his left leg is a cybernetic prosthetic one.

    He wears black-rimmed glasses and a standard security guard uniform. History

    Nashida, a loyal security guard at the bank for thirty years, helps a customer having trouble entering the bank with his PIN. Passing by, the branch manager Takao Ochi grants the customer entry with authority and criticizes him for his incompetence.

    Afterward, two robbers hold up the bank; it's revealed that Nashida is in cahoots with them and takes the customer named Kaede hostage with his shotgun, forcing Batou to surrender. Nashida's motive for aiding the robbers was his disdain toward the bank allowed him to continue working there only because the government gave large subsidies to it for employing disabled people. He also details that while Takao is out on a "meeting," it's not all it seems to be. When the two robbers have trouble opening the safe, Batou is forced to help them open it and reveals that the money inside can't be converted because the serial numbers can be traced. In their moment of hesitation after learning this, Kaede knocks Nishida to the ground and steals his shotgun. Kaede then has everyone at her mercy and demands that Batou find a way to convert the money so it can't be traced. Just then, the police arrive and surround the building.

    While Batou goes outside to talk with the police officers, the rest stay behind and feign as hostages. Kaede also tells the robbers and Nashida why she needs the money and about her background involving her deceased husband. Soon, Batou returns, and Kaede reveals that she has a terminal illness and wanted to go to Switzerland to have euthanasia performed on her. However, that was impossible for her due to the bank's exorbitant conversion rate. Symphasizing with the people's plea after hearing how much the robbers had suffered from the Synchronized Global Default and learning what a cruel individual the branch manager was. Batou uses his money as seed money to withdraw and convert his money into cryptocurrency from America. After this is done, swat police officers storm the place and learn that the "robbers" had escaped.

    That night, Nishida and his cohorts celebrate the successful heist and relish that it was pinned on Takao. They also send their sympathies to Kaede, who they believe had gone to Switzerland to have the euthanasia done on herself.

41. #41Patrick Huge

    Keys: Patrick Huge

    NAME ENGLISH Patrick Huge KANJI パトリック・ヒュージ ALIAS The Good One-percenter BIO DIED 2045 SPECIES Post-human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Gray CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY American Empire OCCUPATION Robotics entrepreneur APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Takaki Ōtomari ENGLISH VA Steven Blum LESS Patrick Huge was a Post-human and American robotics entrepreneur in Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

    ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

    Huge had short, neatly combed brown hair, a goatee, and eyes. He wore glasses and, on his magazine appearances, Huge wore a black suit and tie and a black outfit for the others. In his initial appearance, he wore nothing more than a black bathrobe with gold-colored trim. History

    Huge was indirectly mentioned by a double agent called Obsidian, as an "Altruistic Backer" who funded a group of former football players turned terrorists.

    Seeking to capture a live, undamaged post-human for study, John Smith of the National Security Agency recruited and trained GHOST for the operation to capture Patrick Huge. Huge proved to be a fearsome opponent even for the experienced members of Motoko Kusanagi's team, but he was eventually incapacitated. When Motoko brain dived with him, she discovered his cyberbrain had become extremely alien and realized it was trying to infect her somehow. She ordered Saito to shoot Huge and destroy his brain to stop him.

42. #42Pazu

    Keys: Pazu

    NAME ENGLISH Pazu ALT. SPELLING Paz KANJI パズ ROMAJI Pazu BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown HEIGHT 5'9.75" (177 cm)[1] CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Investigator APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Takashi Onozuka ENGLISH VA Robert Buchholz LESS Pazu (パズ) is a minor character in Ghost in The Shell, and a supporting character in Stand Alone Complex. An investigator in Public Security Section 9, Pazu is known as the dirty cop of the team. Before joining Section 9, he was rumored by various police circles to have been a gangster in several yakuza groups in Japan. Pazu is the backup "jack-of-all-trades" for the field agents and is also a known chain smoker within the unit. He is usually seen working with bomb specialist Boomer/Boma. Pazu is notably known as a womanizer, as during his first encounter with the Major, he remarked, "I never sleep with the same woman twice." He is an adept folding-knife combatant and street fighter.

    In Stand Alone Complex

    Appearance

    Pazu appears in the first episode of Stand Alone Complex. He assists Boma and Batou in arresting the hacker who was tracking Section 9's activities. During the Laughing Man investigation and the Individual Eleven case, he plays a supportive, but discreet role by investigating "under the table". Face: Make-Up

    In SAC 2nd GIG episode Face, Section 9 investigates the mysterious cyborg fugitive Hideo Kuze. Through a prosthetic face sculptor, Pazu coincidentally encounters a vengeful ex-lover named Kaori Kawashima, who had adopted a body that was identical to his own down to the smallest detail. Angry that Pazu has left her after sleeping with her twice, Kaori was determined to find him again, only to realize that it was impossible due to her ex's job as a dirty cop. Obsessed to become one with him, Kawashima has turned into a twisted individual, who had gone ways to kill all until Pazu is one and only. Her insanity leads her to terminate the real Pazu himself, so she can take the identity for herself. After realizing that this is a matter of personal life, Pazu gains permission from the Major to end this case alone. He lets Kaori track him down and after a failed exchange of words, a knife fight ensues, and one "Pazu" is killed through a stab in the eye. It isn't made clear whether or not the victim was the real Pazu or Kaori, as they both have cuts across their torsos, and the surviving one says nothing. Aftermath of the duel

    Batou and Motoko later discuss the autopsy of Pazu's body. Motoko openly wonders if the surviving Pazu was the original or not, to which Batou replies,"Possibly".

    From this point, Pazu stays with Borma and Saito and keeps supporting the team up to the final act of the Refugee Revolution. Personality and traits

    A cold, silent, and dissociated lone wolf, Pazu is as murderous as he is unpredictable. He knows every dirty trick possible, and isn't afraid to use them. It is unknown why he became a police investigator, but his loyalty with his friends is unquestioned. He seems to have a relatively good relationship with Boma and Batou off-duty. Due to his charming manners, his sexual life is evidently wild, and it involves many women. Whether he had sex with the Major or not is never revealed, despite him proclaiming his one-rule to her during their first meeting.

43. #43Proto

    Keys: Proto

    NAME ENGLISH Proto KANJI プロト ROMAJI Puroto BIO SPECIES Bioroid GENDER Male HAIR COLOR White EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Tachikoma technician APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor ANIME Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society ACTORS JAPANESE VA Ooki Sugiyama ENGLISH VA Richard Miro LESS Proto (プロト Puroto) is one of Section 9's new recruits in 2nd GIG. He also appears in GITS 1.5 Human-Error Processor.

    Proto is Section 9's only (prototype) bioroid member and was also the Tachikoma's maintenance technician (before becoming one of the new recruits). Later he appears to have other duties such as being Aramaki's chauffeur and apparently also acting as his bodyguard.During the Dejima crisis, Proto played a key role in helping Aramaki rescue the Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki, who was a victim of a coup in progress at the time. On a pretext of treason, she had been relieved of her duties and put under house arrest.

    Proto managed to gain access to the net, where he communicated with Section 9's Tachikoma units. Through them, Proto was able to gain building blueprints and up-to-date information on Section 9's Dejima operation, as well as the location of the Prime Minister before an attack barrier disabled him. Proto appears again in the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society movie, wearing the black uniform of Section 9 along with a sidearm, which suggests that he is now a field officer.

44. #44Purin Ezaki

    Keys: Purin Ezaki

    NAME ENGLISH Purin Ezaki KANJI 江崎プリン ROMAJI Ezaki Purin BIO SPECIES Posthuman GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Pink EYE COLOR Purple CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Robotics engineer APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Megumi Han ENGLISH VA Cherami Leigh LESS Purin Ezaki (江崎プリン Ezaki Purin) is a post-human and the newest recruit of Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. She is a certified genius with a doctorate from MIT, and is placed in charge of Tachikoma maintenance after Section 9 is formally reinstated in 2045 to investigate the Post-human phenomenon. She is known to have a peculiar attraction towards Batou, which is later expanded upon in the second season.

    Background

    Purin is an accomplished genius with a doctorate from MIT. Early in her childhood, her family was killed by Marco Amoretti, leaving her the only survivor. She was placed into witness protection by Batou and changed her name while being adopted by a Japanese family. Her early interactions with Batou greatly influenced her, motivating her to join Section 9, skip many grades, and graduate from MIT as a teenager.

    Shortly after her family's death, she began backing up her memories in a secret server base.

    Sometime between her graduation and her recruitment into Section 9, she's infected by the rogue American Empire 1A84, turning her into a Post-human. This grants her superhuman hacking abilities, reflexes, and body control. Still, unlike other post-humans, the change has little to no effect on her personality or life motivations, as her main goal remains to join Section 9 and reunite with Batou. History

    Abilities

    As a post-human, Purin has extremely powerful cyberbrain hacking abilities, allowing her to face off against other post-humans such as Takashi Shimamura and Suzuka Mizukane. The post-human transformation also grants her superhuman reflexes and enhanced control of her own body, allowing her to dodge automatic gunfire and granting her superior hand-to-hand combat skills Appearance

    Purin is a young girl with short pink hair and light-purple eyes, who also wears glasses. Her leggings are purple and her boots, reaching over her ankles, are black. On special occasions, she would wear the red Section 9 technician uniform. Trivia

    The name Purin means Pudding in Japanese. She was murdered by accident, although she vocally told Armaki she just saved him; the prime minister's security fatally shot her anyway. Some viewers have criticized this scene for being overly melodramatic. The Major set up her resurrection as a full-body Android and altered her memories to forget the entire series to erase her guilt of helping try to set up a fake peace.

45. #45Raizo

    Keys: Raizo

    NAME ENGLISH Raizo KANJI ライゾー ROMAJI Raizo BIO SPECIES Cyborg GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Purple CURRENT AFFILIATIONS TEAM Unit 501 APPEARANCES ANIME Arise, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Alternative Architecture, Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie ACTORS JAPANESE VA Takanori Hoshino LESS Raizo is a combat cyborg for Unit 501 who uses electricity as weapons.

    Appearance

    Raizo looks like a young adult with purple dreadlocks. He has his face and eyes covered.

46. #46Red Coats

    Keys: Red Coats

    The Red Coats, also known as Akafuku, are the lab technicians, coroners and foresnics experts of Public Security Section 9. They are so named because their uniforms consist of red lab coats. They have appeared in every version of Ghost in the Shell so far.

47. #47Reiko

    Keys: Reiko

    NAME ENGLISH Reiko KANJI 玲子 BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Female HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Blue CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Cyberwarfare Specialist APPEARANCES VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online LESS Reiko (玲子) is a new recruit of Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online. Coming from an affluent family, Reiko excelled at cyberbrain engineering and earned her PhD in the field two years early. Her education gave her an edge in cyberwarfare, and she became an expert in combat diving to distract and disorient enemies. As a new recruit to Section 9, Reiko tends to be bright and at times sarcastic with her comrades.[1]

48. #48Sachio Otomo

    Keys: Sachio Otomo

    NAME ENGLISH Sachio Otomo KANJI 大友 幸雄 ROMAJI Ōtomo Sachio BIO BORN 9/27/62 SPECIES Human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR White EYE COLOR Black HEIGHT 174cm WEIGHT 84kg PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan OCCUPATION Chairman of the Tokyo Rising project APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Haruo Yamagishi LESS Sachio Otomo (大友 幸雄, Ōtomo Sachio) was the father-in-law of Prime Minister Chris Otomo Tate and the father to Akiko Otomo. He was also the Chairman of the Tokyo Rising project and the victim of the Post-human Sanji Yaguchi.

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    Sachio had white hair and black eyes.

    He wore a dark gray suit and dress shoes. History

    Sachio was the Chairman of the Tokyo Rising project and was targeted and killed by Sanji. It was believed he was targeted because he may have been affiliated with the shady underdealings surrounding the project. News of his death devastates his son-in-law and daughter.

49. #49Saito

    Keys: Saito

    NAME ENGLISH Saito KANJI サイトー ROMAJI Saitō BIO SPECIES Cyborg (partial) GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Brown HEIGHT 5'7.75" (172 cm)[1] CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan TEAM Public Security Section 9 OCCUPATION Sniper PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS TEAM GHOST, Red Bianco OCCUPATION Mercenary APPEARANCES MANGA Ghost in the Shell ANIME Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, S.A.C. Solid State Society, Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045 FILMS Ghost in the Shell VIDEO GAMES Ghost in the Shell: First Assault - Stand Alone Complex Online ACTORS JAPANESE VA Tōru Ōkawa ENGLISH VA Dave Wittenberg LIVE ACTION Yutaka Izumihara LESS Main Manga Films SAC Arise 2017

    Saito (サイトー Saitō) is the ace sniper of Section 9. 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; on two separate occasions his ability at determining sniping locations impacted Section 9's actions.

    This ability is mentioned when Saito and the Major first met. Saito was genuinely scared of the Major, "down to the soles of [his] boots", as is mentioned in an episode of 2nd GIG. It was revealed in the same episode of 2nd Gig that it was the Major who took out his left eye and left arm, after a sniper confrontation on the roof. Saito misjudged the Major's skill, and took a shot after coming out from his cover. He grazed the Major's cheek with his shot, while she hit his scope, causing a shard of glass to strike his left eye. Approaching his position immediately after, without giving him a chance to recover, she was able to pin his arm to a wall using her knife. She then complimented him on his rifle skills and added that he "belonged to her, now". (Although we don't know this encounter really happened-- see below.)

    During SAC season 1 Time of the Machines, a Tachikoma states that Saito has only a prosthetic eye and arm, placing him as one of the least prosthetic-enhanced of the team with exception of Togusa.

    Additional information

    Saito, although he has not been seen on a lot of occasions, has also appeared in the film Ghost in the Shell for a split second (however, this Saito has both his eyes). He is also mentioned by Motoko and Batou when they are talking to Togusa about having no cyber implants.

    In a scene in the SAC movie Solid State Society, Saito mentioned to Batou that the trip to Africa was a tough assignment. Batou replies by telling him that further enhancements to his body will affect his cardio-pulmonary system. This either implies that Saito has had recent cyber-implants and such enhancements is a possible cause for his fatigue, or that Saito should not consider getting any enhancements as his body cannot afford to have any other cyber-implants which allows him to increase his stamina/endurance and reduce his normal body's susceptibility to fatigue and tiredness.

    At one point, however, Saito is seen accompanying Motoko and Batou on a mission where they leap clear over a ten-foot fence. While Saito is not seen making the jump, he is by their side immediately afterwards, which suggests that he must have some cyberization to his back or legs to keep up with them. Background

    WWIV

    Before Saito was recruited to serve in Section 9, he fought against American Imperial Army soldiers and various UN forces as a freelancer hired by various anti-occupation guerrillas during World War IV in South America, starting in Mexico when he joined up with Red Bianco, a unit made up of foreigners that wanted to free Mexico and the rest of South America from foreign occupation. He lost his left eye and arm after engaging American, British and Japanese UN peacekeepers, who were coincidentally led by Motoko Kusanagi, in Monterrey, a northern city of México.

    After successfully picking off several of Motoko's men with his excellent sniper tactics, she cornered him in a tense showdown. Motoko bluffed Saito into thinking that, even though it was theoretically a hopeless contest between full human and full cyborg, she had not yet downloaded mid-range marksmanship software, and thus Saito was lured out, thinking he might have a chance to get a shot in at her. Saito's bullet grazed the Major's cheek, and her bullet traveled down the scope of his rifle, sending glass shards into his left eye; before Saito could reload, she was on top of him and stabbed a large combat knife through his left arm (resulting in the loss of both his eye and arm). This standoff, along with its political background, is shown in episode 14 of 2nd Gig. However, it is presented only as a story Saito tells his opponents around a poker table, and the viewer is offered no confirmation that he is telling the truth.

    When a Tachikoma uncovered his cards after leaving a poker game between Section 9 and plainclothed officers, it whispered to the other officers that maybe Saito was telling the truth after all.

    Post-WWIV

    In 2nd GIG, Saito would later recount that the Major's following order to not move at all was the first order he ever took from her.

    In Solid State Society, Saito was missing through most of the movie due to the fact that he was in Africa and later because his left arm was shot by another sniper; naturally, his shot was more accurate, severely wounding his target (interestingly, the rifle he used appears to be the same type of rifle which the Major used to shoot his left eye in Mexico, resembling a Walther WA2000).

    It was also revealed that Saito may have had more cyberizations done to him according to the conversation he had with Batou in the elevator -- he may have had an enhanced heart or lungs

50. #50Sanji Yaguchi

    Keys: Sanji Yaguchi

    NAME ENGLISH Sanji Yaguchi KANJI 矢口サンジ BIO SPECIES Post-human GENDER Male HAIR COLOR Dark Brown EYE COLOR Brown CURRENT AFFILIATIONS NATIONALITY Japan PREVIOUS AFFILIATIONS OCCUPATION Boxer APPEARANCES ANIME Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ACTORS JAPANESE VA Yohei Azakami ENGLISH VA Robbie Daymond LESS Sanji Yaguchi (矢口 サンジ, Yaguchi Sanji) was a Post-human and former boxer in Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

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    He mainly wore a hoodie and had stripe-like tattoos covering his body. History

    Sanji is introduced as one of the three Post-humans that are confirmed to be in Japan, including Suzuka Mizukane and Takashi Shimamura.

    Eventually, Sanji makes his formal appearance in the series, killing Koichi Tadakoro in the street by blowing off his head with a single punch. This act was caught on camera by an independent journalist and is investigated by the Section 9 group. They review the facts and possible motives of why Sanji would murder Koichi. It's speculated that Sanji's prosthetic arm was used to kill Koichi with one punch.

    Batou and Togusa interview Sanji's old boxing mentor and learn from him about his former student's background. Apparently, Sanji wanted to be a champion that'd allow him to become a spokesperson for the Tokyo Rising project. It's also mentioned that before his title match, Sanji developed a fever during his training camp, which his mentor blamed on the AR sparring. At that moment, Batou and Togusa get summoned back to Section 9 thanks to new intel received by Purin. She managed to discover similar cases found on the police database that is linked to Sanji's MO. A man called Ishiwata, supposedly the first victim of Sanji, had refugees achieve Japanese citizenship and work for the Tokyo Rising project. However, most of them registered and received welfare benefits despite not working on the project. It turns out that the recent victim Koichi Tadakoro oversaw the approval of the refugees to become citizens.

    Since companies receiving official contracts from the government related to the Tokyo Rising project are likely targets of Sanji. The Chief and Major visit Prime Minister Chris Otomo Tate to warn him that his father-in-law Sachio Otomo could be a potential target of Sanji. They also warned him that as the chairman of the Tokyo Rising project, he could have had a hand in the shady dealings associated with the project. Although Tate denounced the accusations, Sanji would later confront and kill his father-in-law. The news of this devastates both Tate and his wife Akiko and, as a way to draw out Sanji, Tate announces he's become the new chairman of the Tokyo Rising project.

    Sanji catches wind of this news and confronts him as he, his wife, and a team of security guards try and transport the coffin of his father-in-law's remains. He asks him, "what is his purpose" and Tate responds his love for his country is pure and would do anything to reconstruct this country. Before Sanji could respond to Tate, he's ambushed by the Major who had studied Sanji's fighting style to stand a chance against him. She'd incapacitate and knock him out, allowing her to put a cyberlock into him, and he was later transported out of there.

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