Koukaku Kidoutai Shousetsu Anthology

The Ghost in the Shell: Five New Short Stories
攻殻機動隊小説アンソロジー
The Ghost in the Shell Novel Anthology

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Synopsis

Neither a utopia nor a dystopia, it's still a world of nations at strife, as dominated by corporations as ever. Technology hasn't made humans nearly obsolete, but rather bettered us, if you will, attaching to our bodies and even brains as enhancements—for those who can afford it. Comics artist Masamune Shirow's vision of our coming society, animated to global acclaim and finally the basis of a major Hollywood production, branches out in five original stories by some of the most beloved SF novelists working in Japan today. A standalone collection, it requires no familiarity with the franchise to be enjoyed but is indispensable for fans for its thoughtful exploration of the series' implications. While reality may never become virtual, it will be increasingly networked and augmented. Navigate herein age-old questions about man that will return, not so ironically, in full force: What is the self? Is there such a thing as the soul? (Source: Vertical Inc.)

Publication notes

Koukaku Kidoutai Shousetsu Anthology was published in English as The Ghost in the Shell: Five New Short Stories by Vertical Inc. on April 4, 2017.

Published

Mar 28, 2017

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MAL rank: #40462
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Parent Story

Koukaku Kidoutai: The Ghost in the Shell

Main characters

Motoko Kusanagi11361 fan favorites
External profile
Height: 5'6" Motoko Kusanagi is the mysterious, even enigmatic woman who has led a group of SpecOps for years, and was recruited by Aramaki to work for Section 9. Almost nothing is known about her, her origins, birthdate, etc. She could not be older than 60 or so, since the widespread use of full-cyborgization was not in use until then. She was fully cyborged at a very young age and as she "grew" she went through a series of artificial bodies. This, more than anything, likely contributed to her great ease at controlling cyborg bodies of various types, even multiple at the same time. More mysterious is her incredible ability as a hacker, as she is equally at ease in a cyborg body as she is without one while diving the net; she is also officially registered as a Super Wizard Class Hacker. Her romantic life does not officially involve anybody in the Stand Alone Complex series; however, in the original manga she is bisexual and dates the leader of Section 1 for some time. Whatever her age, Major Kusanagi now prefers the body of a 20-something woman. She is most often identifiable by her short violet hair and violet eyes in her Stand Alone Complex design. Her Arise design features her with short, indigo hair and blue eyes and features the Major at a younger age as she fights for her autonomy from Unit 501 of the Army.
Batou1797 fan favorites
External profile
Batou (also Batto, Bato) is nominally the second-in-command of Section 9. Little is known about the strange, large foreigner who has been with Motoko Kusanagi for years. He was once American and served in the Special Forces in South America. His amount of cyborg-ization is variable according to the storyline, from his limbs only up to most of his body, second only to the Major herself. Despite the availability of superior eyes, he grew superstitious about his old-style eye replacements, popular with many high-level military operatives. He also retains some residual body-image issues, causing him to continually purchase workout equipment despite the obvious anachronism. In the two Stand Alone Complex series, Batou's personality is more like that in the manga version. He is an outgoing joker, but one with a quick temper. Being emotional and not 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 movies, hint at some romantic tension between the two, particularly near the end of each Gig. This tension is touched upon, briefly, in the Solid State Society movie, where Batou admits that he's been covering up any of the Major's appearances in cases prior to the Puppet Master case. Batou had served in a military special forces team before entering Section 9. Most of his body is comprised of cybernetic prosthetics. Despite the fact that exercise will do his cybernetic body parts no benefits, Batou lifts weights as a hobby. Based on several of the Stand Alone Complex episodes, Batou seems to have served in the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force at some point before he joined Section 9. It is suggested several times that he held a JGSDF Ranger qualification. His unit was involved in World War IV and was 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's eyes are grey and clearly prosthetic. They are standard cybernetic equipment issued to Ranger Special Forces operatives.
Togusa485 fan favorites
External profile
Togusa is the newest member of Section 9 and the only one not originally recruited from Kusanagi's team of SpecOps. Recruited from the regular police forces, Detective Togusa (no first name is yet known) has only the most basic of augmentation and no cyberization outside of his cyberbrain. The Major wanted him for his perspective as a real policeman and as an outside opinion so as to avoid intellectual incest within Section 9. Togusa mostly feels inferior to the rest of the team, forgetting to recognize the reason for his inclusion in the group. He is the only member with a spouse and child and he continues to carry his Mateba revolver, although it has been highly modified to fire anti-cyborg rounds.