Ghost in the Shell is making a comeback, courtesy of a brand-new anime by Scott Pilgrim Takes Off studio Science SARU and longtime franchise studio Production I.G (Kaiju No. 8).
Revealed on Saturday morning, the series—currently titled The Ghost in the Shell–will mark the newest anime installment for the franchise since Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 in 2020. Much of the franchise has revolved around the 2002 series Stand Alone Complex through movie and TV sequels and video game spinoffs. Save for a short teaser and poster, no further details on the anime were given, but it’s scheduled to release sometime in 2026.
Created by Masamune Shirow, the original 1989 Ghost in the Shell manga is one of the biggest and most influential Japanese cyberpunk stories around. The majority of the franchise revolves around an anti-crime and counterterrorism group dubbed Public Security Section 9, and more specifically its cyborg field commander Motoko Kusanagi. Beyond Stand Alone Complex, folks likely glommed onto Shell thanks to the 1995 film, which garnered a huge cult following on home video and is now considered one of the best sci-fi films ever. And if they didn’t see either of those, they probably know of the 2017 live-action movie, which…exists.
Still, even if you haven’t seen anything from Ghost in the Shell, you’ve seen stuff that was influenced by it, like the Matrix films, Cyberpunk 2077, Avatar, and plenty more. The franchise has been in a weird place for a few years now, but maybe SARU and I.G can revitalize it with whatever their plans are with this upcoming anime.
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