If you're like a lot of people, you may have seen the 2017 live-action adaptation of Ghost In The Shell and thought you maybe didn't need to know any more about post-cyberpunk future Japan. That would be a shame since there is plenty to enjoy and discover about this rich, intriguing world.
One of the coolest things about secondary worlds are their organizations. Think about it. Hogwarts. Jedi Order. Planet Express. Ghost In The Shell has a great one in Section Nine, a secret intelligence service mostly off the books. Let's take a look at ten things you may not have known about Section Nine.
10 Cyber-Security
Section 9 exists to defend Japan against cyber warfare in the mid-21st century setting of the series. In the future, cybernetics have become so pervasive in society that the difference between the technological and the human are fuzzy. Especially for the agents of Section 9. Many of these agents, like Major Motoko Kusanagi, have cybernetic implants to aid them in their fight. The other sections of Japan's armed services do not have access to these technologies or are even aware in general of the existence of the highly covert Section 9.
9 Carte Blanche
This becomes evident right away, especially in the inaugural 1995 anime which kicked off the franchise. We're introduced without much hand-holding to the Major, staking out what appears to be a shady transaction between some suits. We understand quickly she's part of the police and something called Section 9 but she's also working against Section 6. Section 6 storms the room where the suits are meeting to do good-guy stuff and arrest the bad guys, which breaks down thanks to some diplomatic immunity. The Major drops in, blows one guy's head off, and proves there's no immunity to bullets.
8 Real World Basis
While cybercrime is an increasing concern in the real world, Section 9 has real-world influences in its organization. Public Security Section 9 was modeled in part on the German intelligence service GSG-9. GSG-9 is the elite tactical unit of the German Federal Police, which means they're serious business. The GSG-9 is a response to the terrible incident at the 1972 Olympics when terrorists murdered members of the Israel national team. German police now have advanced tactical units to counter stuff like that. While no specific incident seems to have motivated Section 9, not all is right in the world of Ghost In The Shell.
7 Japanese Miracle
One reason cybernetics are so advanced - and such an issue - in future Japan is that the rest of the world suffered from a nuclear war. World War III largely spared Japan, and the development of radiation scrubbers - AKA the "Japanese Miracle" - makes Japan both an oasis and a target.
Nuclear fallout, refugees, and the demands of a post-nuclear world where the United States is now three separate countries makes for a hyper-vigilant Japanese government determined to maintain the country's newfound power and position in the mid-21st century.
6 A Secret Agency By Any Other Name
Due to the different mediums Ghost In The Shell has appeared in over the years, there have been some differences in character, plot, and tone. One of these changes has to do with Section 9. While the basic idea behind the super-secret organization is the same, its official name has been different depending on the medium it appears in. In the original 1989 manga publication, it was Mobile Armored Riot Police Section 9. In the original 1995 anime film, it was called Shell Squad, or alternately Security Police Section 9.
5 New Port City
Section 9 is based out of New Port City, a fictional Japanese city properly known as Niihama-shi. The exact location of their headquarters remains a closely guarded secret, even to members of the Japanese government. The location of Niihama-shi is a bit easier to pin down. The city is located near Kobe, on the Seto Inland Sea. This land was reclaimed after World War III - and later World War IV - left the Kanto region of the country submerged beneath the waves. Tokyo, Kawasaki, and other cities all fell into the sea, and Niihama-shi became the new capital of Japan.
4 The Movie Got It Right (Mostly)
The 2017 feature-film wasn't well-received (to put it mildly) but it did get one thing right: its depiction of Section 9. Though the film borrows pretty liberally from every iteration of the franchise, blending elements and plot from the manga and anime, Section 9 translates pretty much wholesale. The Major is leading the show, with Batuo as her primary comrade in arms. The other team players are there and in their respective roles. The only significant change, aside from cosmetics, is the addition of the character of Ladriya, who is original to the film.
3 Batuo
The comic relief in Section 9 is Sergeant Batuo. Second in command under the Major, he's always in her ear and covering her six. Large and imposing, his original design was inspired by the mythic figure of the Minotaur, though beyond his bulky frame it is hard to see.
His name, in Japanese, means "horse." This is hard to see, too, so the main idea may just be he's big, which he is. Batou is by far the closest Section 9 agent to the Major in all the different versions of the story.
2 Think-Tanks
The unique eight-legged walking tanks deployed by Section 9 are primarily featured in one strand of Ghost In The Shell's continuity. That would be the Stand Alone Complex manga universe, overseen by the artist Masamune Shirow. A fun little detail you may not know about these spider-tanks is that they also appear in another popular manga Shirow created, Appleseed. Cool as they are, copyright conflicts between the different IPs have kept these tanks out of the anime. This is a real shame for fans of the manga. There's really nothing cooler than spider-tanks.
1 The Major
Though Major Motoko Kusanagi is certainly unique in Section 9, she's not entirely one of a kind. Her body, with the exception of her brain and spinal cord, are entirely synthetic. Shirow intended her body to be a bit off the shelf, meaning there are potentially tens of thousands of women in the world who look just like her. However, her mind and spirit are definitely her own, along with the majority of her internal parts.