Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell[a] is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of The Ghost in the Shell, and later published as its own tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, told the story of the fictional counter-cyberterrorist organization Public Security Section 9, led by protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi, and is set in mid-21st century Japan.
This article is about the media franchise in general. For specific works and entries in that franchise, see Ghost in the Shell (disambiguation).Ghost in the Shell
- The Ghost in the Shell
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface
- Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-Error Processor
- Ghost in the Shell: Arise ~Sleepless Eye~
- Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma no Hibi (Tachikomatic Days / animated shorts)
- Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven
- Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG - Tachikoma no Hibi (Tachikomatic Days / animated shorts)
- Ghost in the Shell: Arise
Animation studio Production I.G has produced several anime adaptations of the series. These include the 1995 film of the same name and its 2004 sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence; the 2002 television series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and its 2020 follow-up, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045; and the Ghost in the Shell: Arise original video animation (OVA) series. In addition, an American-produced live-action film was released on March 31, 2017.
Overview[edit]
Title[edit]
The original editor Koichi Yuri says: At first, Ghost in the Shell came from Shirow, but when Yuri asked "something more flashy", Shirow came up with "攻殻機動隊 Koukaku Kidou Tai (Shell Squad)" for Yuri. But Shirow was attached to including "Ghost in the Shell" as well even if in smaller type.[1]
Legacy[edit]
Ghost in the Shell influenced some prominent filmmakers. The Wachowskis, creators of The Matrix and its sequels, showed it to producer Joel Silver, saying, "We wanna do that for real."[34] The Matrix series took several concepts from the film, including the Matrix digital rain, which was inspired by the opening credits of Ghost in the Shell, and the way characters access the Matrix through holes in the back of their necks. Other parallels have been drawn to James Cameron's Avatar, Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Jonathan Mostow's Surrogates. James Cameron cited Ghost in the Shell as a source of inspiration,[35] citing it as an influence on Avatar.[36]
Bungie's 2001 third-person action game Oni draws substantial inspiration from Ghost in the Shell's setting and characters.[37][38] Ghost in the Shell also influenced video games such as the Metal Gear Solid series,[39] Deus Ex,[40] and Cyberpunk 2077.[41][42]