Motoko Kusanagi

Ghost in the Shell is one of the most famous names in science fiction anime. This 2026 TV series is a brand-new take on it, made by the studio Science SARU. It is directed by Mokochan, with scripts by the novelist EnJoe Toh and character designs by Shuhei Handa. It ran for 10 episodes from July to September 2026, on Japanese TV and on Amazon Prime Video in most countries. It adapts the original 1989 to 1991 manga (Japanese comic) by Masamune Shirow. It is not a remake of the well-known 1995 movie or the Stand Alone Complex TV series. Instead, it goes back to the manga and focuses on how the team first came together. The story takes place in Japan in the year 2029. Technology has changed daily life. Many people have cyber-brains, meaning computer parts linked to their minds, so they can go online just by thinking. Some people have gone further and replaced almost their whole body with machine parts. They are called cyborgs. In this world, the word shell means the artificial body, and ghost means a person's mind or soul. If your brain is online, it can be hacked. That makes crime more dangerous and harder to understand than ever before. The hero is Major Motoko Kusanagi. Her entire body is artificial, and she is one of the most skilled fighters and hackers alive. She leads a small elite combat team, which includes Batou, a big, tough cyborg with special eyes who is also her loyal partner. Kusanagi has an idea for a special unit that can stop dangerous threats before they happen. At the same time, Daisuke Aramaki, a sharp and experienced official in the government, is planning a very similar team. He brings Kusanagi and her people on board. Together, they form Public Security Section 9. Togusa, a detective who has almost no cyber parts, also works with the group. Section 9 takes on complex cybercrimes, terrorism, and conspiracies that cross national borders. As their cases pile up, one name keeps appearing: the Puppet Master. The Puppet Master is a mysterious hacker who can break into people's cyber-brains and control them. No one knows who, or what, is behind that name, or what it really wants. The show mixes fast action and gunfights with slower, deep ideas. It asks what makes a person human, whether a mind can exist without a human body, and what identity means when memories can be changed. It also has some mature and sexual content, which is part of the manga's style. Science SARU brings its own bright, bold animation style, which makes this version look quite different from the dark, serious look many fans know. It is a good entry point for new viewers, and a fresh angle for longtime fans.