8.7/10272 votesLoading...#1 - C: Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets; BARRAGE
Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 10/1/2003
Despite their best efforts, the remaining members of Section 9 are rounded up one by one by the government forces; only Batou and Motoko are left.
Director: Kazunobu Fuseki
Writer: Taiki Sakurai
8.5/10229 votesLoading...#2 - IN: Return to Patriotism; ENDLESS∞GIG
Season 2 Episode 26 - Aired 1/8/2005
Kuze and the Major come up with a plan to save the refugees, but the chances of its success are slim. Realizing this, the Tachikomas disobey the Major's orders and come up with a plan of their own. Batou has also disobeyed the Major's orders to go to the bridge and is desperately searching for her in the ruins of Dejima. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is frustrated with being spurned by the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Determined to be remembered as more than a mere figurehead, she takes matters into her own hands.
Director: Masayuki Yoshihara
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
8.4/10268 votesLoading...#3 - C: Left-Behind Trace; ERASER
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 8/1/2003
After being shot, Togusa's in the hospital and about to go into surgery, but he is desperate to pass on what he's learned to the rest of Section 9. As Togusa fights for his life, the rest of Section 9 takes over the case, but others within the government have learned of the investigation and are not happy.
Director: Kenichi Takeshita
Writer: Dai Sato
8.3/10235 votesLoading...#4 - C: Sunset in the Lonely City; ANNIHILATION
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 9/1/2003
The government orders Section 9 disbanded. Aramaki is taken away, and Togusa is arrested. Motoko assembles the remaining team members at HQ for one final mission. They prepare for a full-scale assault while Elite troopers and Armed Suits descend on Section 9 HQ.
Director: Yasuhiro Geshi
Writer: Taiki Sakurai
8.3/10212 votesLoading...#5 - IN: Kusanagi's Labyrinth; affection
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 6/5/2004
Training has commenced to find new recruits for Section 9. With Motoko acting as the target, Batou and Togusa watch as the recruits try to keep up with the Major. After ditching some of the recruits, Motoko has to lose just one more pair. She ascends some stairs in an alley and the recruits follow her. Moving out into the street above, the recruits see that they have lost the target. However, Batou and Togusa have lost contact with the Major as well.
Director: Jun Matsumoto
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama, Yutaka Oomatsu
8.2/10315 votesLoading...#6 - C: Public Security Section 9, Once Again; STAND ALONE COMPLEX
Season 1 Episode 26 - Aired 10/1/2003
Togusa has been released from jail and he's given papers showing the dissolution of Section 9. Out of work and depressed, he tries to find information on the others, but there is nothing available. Thinking that he has nothing left to lose, he goes to assassinate the man responsible when he is stopped by–Batou!
Director: Toshiyuki Kono
Writer: Dai Sato
8.2/10186 votesLoading...#7 - IN: Aerial Bombing of Dejima; NUCLEAR POWER
Season 2 Episode 24 - Aired 12/4/2004
With the felling of Dejima Bridge by the refugees, a rumor circulates around the Cabinet that the refugees plan a mass suicide bombing using nuclear bombs. Fearing this, the Cabinet steps up the attack against the city. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kayabuki has been secretly arrested and taken to an unknown location. Aramaki, Togusa and Proto, in trying to help the P.M. are also taken into custody and secured in her office. With Section 9 having entered the non-communication zone and Aramaki being cut off from communication, Ishikawa and a Tachikoma make their way to Spring-8 on their own. Meanwhile, Gouda has sent an unwitting Section 4 after Section 9 to retrieve the plutonium.
Director: Masaki Tachibana
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
8.2/10180 votesLoading...#8 - IN: To the Other Side of Paradise; THIS SIDE OF JUSTICE
Season 2 Episode 25 - Aired 1/8/2005
As the attack on Dejima escalates, the Major catches up with Kuze. She explains the whole situation to him and he agrees to follow her. They are about to leave when both are attacked by the Self-Defense forces and in the confusion are trapped under the rubble. Togusa rescues the Prime Minister and brings her back to her office. There, Aramaki hopes her influence will stop the launching of the ultimate weapon. Meanwhile, Batou reasons with Section 4.
Director: Jun Matsumoto
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
8.1/10193 votesLoading...#9 - DI: Beware the Left Eye; POKER FACE
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 7/3/2004
While on an assignment guarding the Prime Minister, Saitou and the Tachikomas pass the time playing poker with a few policemen who are also assigned to the case. Much to the chagrin of the other men, Saitou wins hand after hand. The Tachikomas take notice of Saitou's uncanny accuracy and start to comment. Their constant chattering quickly gets on the other player's nerves, so to smooth things over Saitou recounts his time working as a sniper for mercenaries in Mexico.
Director: Masayuki Yoshihara
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama, Taiki Sakurai
8.1/10173 votesLoading...#10 - IN: Escape in Defeat; EMBARRASSMENT
Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 11/6/2004
Much to the chagrin of Batou, Motoko, and the rest of the team, Kuze and the refugees manage to escape in one of the camouflaged boats. They are further hampered when an explosion causes heavy losses, leaving them unable to follow the fleeing boat. Regrouping, the team decides to refocus the investigation to the events surrounding Kuze. They start a secret investigation into Sagawa Electronics, the company responsible for the nuclear material transaction, and find that Gouda was involved. Meanwhile, as the boat heads for Dejima, Kuze makes his own unsettling discovery.
Director: Masayuki Yoshihara
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
8.0/10278 votesLoading...#11 - SA: A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise; JUNGLE CRUISE
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 2/1/2003
Marco Amoretti, a former Navy Petty Officer from the American Empire, has come to Japan and is committing heinous acts of brutality against women. Section 9 is assisted in this matter by the American Empire's CIA. While this doesn't sit well with Public Security's members, Batou finds the whole case particularly hard on his psyche as the nightmares from his past rear their ugly head.
Director: Jun Matsumoto
Writer: Dai Sato
8.0/10245 votesLoading...#12 - C: Vanished Medication; RE-VIEW
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 7/1/2003
Togusa is on the trail of the Laughing Man again, and this time, his investigations lead him towards both a leading micromachine corporation and an NGO called the Sunflower Society.
Director: Toshiyuki Kono
Writer: Dai Sato
8.0/10234 votesLoading...#13 - C: The Other Side of Good and Evil; EQUINOX
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 9/1/2003
The Laughing Man returns! And, just as he did six years ago, he kidnaps the president of Serano Genomics without being detected. Section 9 arrives at Serano's house too late, and sets out to find him.
Director: Jun Matsumoto
Writer: Junichi Fujisaku
8.0/10184 votesLoading...#14 - DI: Angel's Poem; TRANS PARENT
Season 2 Episode 18 - Aired 9/4/2004
The Major and Batou are flown to Berlin in an effort to track down a terrorist called "Angel's Feathers". While there, Batou attracts the attention of a young girl in a wheelchair. The girl is waiting for the yearly visit from her father, but Batou's appearance piqued her curiosity. As the days lead up to her father's visit, her curiosity in this stranger grows stronger.
Director: Toshiyuki Kono
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
8.0/10184 votesLoading...#15 - IN: The Day the Bridge Falls; MARTIAL LAW
Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 12/4/2004
The Chief Cabinet Secretary uses the excuse of the refugees possessing 10kg of plutonium to mobilize the military against Dejima. With the available evidence against the refugees, Prime Minister Kayabuki reluctantly agrees. However, she soon learns from the Chief Cabinet Secretary that he's aligned himself with Imperial America and is now after her job. Knowing her days as P.M. are numbered, she agrees with Aramaki's plan and calls the U.N. in for a nuclear inspection of Dejima. The move buys them some time to defuse the situation, and Section 9 heads to Dejima to meet up with the U.N in two days. However, with tensions running high it is only a matter of time before someone fires the first shot.
Director: Toshiyuki Kono
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
7.9/10278 votesLoading...#16 - SA: Tachikoma Runaway, The Movie Director's Dream; ESCAPE FROM
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 3/1/2003
One of the Tachikomas decides to take a little stroll through the city. It meets a little girl, Miki, who is searching for her lost dog and it agrees to help her. On their journey, the Tachikoma finds a strange box.
Director: Masayuki Yoshihara
Writer: Taiki Sakurai
7.9/10234 votesLoading...#17 - C: Corporate Graft; SCANDAL
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 8/1/2003
Motoko is about to be fitted for her new prosthetic body. But when the doctor arrives and begins the procedure, it's clear that she has no intent of letting Motoko out alive. Meanwhile, Aramaki receives a disturbing message that his brother has been kidnapped.
Director: Masaki Tachibana
Writer: Junichi Fujisaku
7.9/10177 votesLoading...#18 - IN: To Those Without Even a Name...; SELECON
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 6/5/2004
Section 9 has uncovered Shō Kawashima's ("FAKE FOOD") external memory device on the net. Hidden in a route to the Asian matrix only accessible through the European array, Section 9 concludes that the device was hidden by Gouda. Unfortunately, Gouda has left no trace of his movements in the device. The Major prepares to dive into the device with Bōma and Ishikawa watching her closely. However, before she can dive, Aramaki notifies her that someone even more important than the external memory device has just surfaced...
Director: Masaki Tachibana
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama, Yutaka Oomatsu
7.8/10283 votesLoading...#19 - C: The Copycat will Dance; MEME
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/1/2002
As Togusa and Bato track down Nanao, Motoko and Paz are attempting to protect the Superintendent-General at a press conference about the police misuse of interceptors. When the virus does hit, Motoko and Paz have to act fast to save the intended victim. Meanwhile, the road to Nanao=A hits a dead end.
Director: Masaki Tachibana
Writer: Junichi Fujisaku
7.8/10268 votesLoading...#20 - C: Inside the Forest of the Sub-Imagoes; PORTRAITZ
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 3/1/2003
Togusa goes undercover at a hospital for patients with Closed Cyberbrain Syndrome, a hospital completely cut off from communication with the outside world.
Director: Toshiyuki Kono
Writer: Taiki Sakurai
7.8/10176 votesLoading...#21 - IN: Confusion at the North End; FABRICATE FOG
Season 2 Episode 20 - Aired 10/2/2004
Section 9 heads to Etorofu in search of Kuze. During their investigations, the Major finds an interesting floppy disk on the body of a dead addict. The floppy proves to be a goldmine of information, as it contains records of plutonium transactions. The last buyer to purchase the material was a group of Asian refugees. Realizing the transaction is about to take place, the team rushes to the location and is surprised by what they find.
Director: Kenichi Takeshita
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
7.7/10316 votesLoading...#22 - C: The Visual Device will Laugh; INTERCEPTER
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 11/1/2002
While working late, Togusa gets a call from one of his colleagues from his days on the police force. It seems that he's uncovered something strange happening with the investigators in the Laughing Man Unit, a special task force formed to catch the infamous cyber criminal known only as the Laughing Man. But before he can meet with Togusa, he's killed in a car accident.
Director: Hideyo Yamamoto
Writer: Shoutarou Suga
7.7/10195 votesLoading...#23 - DU: Natural Enemy; NATURAL ENEMY
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 2/7/2004
A joint training exercise between the Japanese Ground and Maritime Self-Defense Armies that takes place within the sealed sector of New Port City's Refugee District goes awry, putting the Asian refugees in danger. Section 9 Chief Aramaki takes the matter up with Kubota, his friend at the Ministry of Defense. While there, Aramaki is approached by a man from the Cabinet Intelligence Service: Kazunoto Gouda. Acting as a representative for his superior, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Gōda requests that Aramaki bring the full force of Section 9 to bear on the situation. There's just one catch...
Director: Masayuki Yoshihara
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama, Junichi Fujisaku
7.7/10175 votesLoading...#24 - IN: Chain of Symmetry; CHAIN REACTION
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 10/2/2004
Despite close scrutiny by the authorities, the Dejima refugees declare their independence. Kuze is suspected to be the mastermind behind this new resistance and Section 9 is sent to detain him. The Major hacks into the refugee cyberbrain hub and easily locates Kuze. When the team rushes to capture him, however, they find themselves in the middle of a trap.
Director: Kazunobu Fuseki
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama
7.7/10170 votesLoading...#25 - DU: Abandoned City; REVERSAL PROCESS
Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 11/6/2004
The city of Fukuoka is evacuated when a live nuclear bomb is found. With the Dejima Refugees targeted as the prime suspects, the government sends the Self-Defense Forces into the city. Aramaki suspects the CIS's involvement in this latest incident is deeper then it appears. Batou is sent to gather more information from Gouda, but will he be able to hold his temper against the arrogant agent?
Director: Itsuro Kawasaki
Writer: Kenji Kamiyama, Dai Sato
The Best Episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Every episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex!
In the future when technological enhancements and robotics are a way of life, Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 take care of the jobs that...
Genres:Action & AdventureAnimationCrimeSci-Fi & Fantasy
Network:Perfect Choice
Best Episodes Summary
"C: Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets; BARRAGE" is the best rated episode of "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex". It scored 8.7/10 based on 272 votes. Directed by Kazunobu Fuseki and written by Taiki Sakurai, it aired on 10/1/2003. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "IN: Return to Patriotism; ENDLESS∞GIG".