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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!

Binge this in 21h 40m•Peaking at 8.8/10

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 are too difficult for the police. Section 9 employs hackers,

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 25 - C: Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets; BARRAGE
    8.8/10(317 votes)

    #1 - C: Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets; BARRAGE

    S1:E25

    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

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  2. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 26 - IN: Return to Patriotism; ENDLESS∞GIG
    8.6/10(269 votes)

    #2 - IN: Return to Patriotism; ENDLESS∞GIG

    S2:E26

    The tables seem to be turning in favor of Section 9, but the nuclear missile is still being prepared for launch.

    Director:Masayuki Yoshihara
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  3. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 21 - C: Left-Behind Trace; ERASER
    8.5/10(304 votes)

    #3 - C: Left-Behind Trace; ERASER

    S1:E21

    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

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  4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 11 - IN: Kusanagi's Labyrinth; affection
    8.4/10(247 votes)

    #4 - IN: Kusanagi's Labyrinth; affection

    S2:E11

    While field testing new recruits, the Major finds herself hacked, and an old woman tells her a story from her past.

    Director:Jun Matsumoto
    Writers:Kenji Kamiyama, Yutaka Omatsu

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  5. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 24 - C: Sunset in the Lonely City; ANNIHILATION
    8.3/10(273 votes)

    #5 - C: Sunset in the Lonely City; ANNIHILATION

    S1:E24

    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

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  6. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 24 - IN: Aerial Bombing of Dejima; NUCLEAR POWER
    8.3/10(219 votes)

    #6 - IN: Aerial Bombing of Dejima; NUCLEAR POWER

    S2:E24

    The Prime Minister is taken into custody, and the military begins its strike on Dejima. The Major and part of Section 9 head to Dejima to try to hand over the nuclear device to the military there, in order to defuse the situation, while Ishikawa heads to SPring-8 to deliver the rest of the plutonium.

    Director:Masaki Tachibana
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

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  7. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 25 - IN: To the Other Side of Paradise; THIS SIDE OF JUSTICE
    8.3/10(214 votes)

    #7 - IN: To the Other Side of Paradise; THIS SIDE OF JUSTICE

    S2:E25

    Kuze manages to take down the jamming plane, but becomes trapped in rubble with the Major. The Tachikomas begin discussing what to do about the nuclear submarine they have spotted, and Batou manages to convince the special forces that have been sent to kill them to listen to him.

    Director:Jun Matsumoto
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  8. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 26 - C: Public Security Section 9, Once Again; STAND ALONE COMPLEX
    8.2/10(351 votes)

    #8 - C: Public Security Section 9, Once Again; STAND ALONE COMPLEX

    S1:E26

    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

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  9. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 10 - SA: A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise; JUNGLE CRUISE
    8.1/10(323 votes)

    #9 - SA: A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise; JUNGLE CRUISE

    S1:E10

    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

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  10. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 20 - C: Vanished Medication; RE-VIEW
    8.1/10(280 votes)

    #10 - C: Vanished Medication; RE-VIEW

    S1:E20

    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

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  11. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 14 - DI: Beware the Left Eye; POKER FACE
    8.1/10(229 votes)

    #11 - DI: Beware the Left Eye; POKER FACE

    S2:E14

    Saito recounts his first run-in with the Major, and how he became part of the group that would eventually become Section 9.

    Director:Masayuki Yoshihara
    Writers:Kenji Kamiyama, Taiki Sakurai

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  12. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 23 - C: The Other Side of Good and Evil; EQUINOX
    8.0/10(270 votes)

    #12 - C: The Other Side of Good and Evil; EQUINOX

    S1:E23

    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

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  13. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 18 - DI: Angel's Poem; TRANS PARENT
    8.0/10(218 votes)

    #13 - DI: Angel's Poem; TRANS PARENT

    S2:E18

    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.

    Director:Toshiyuki Kono
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  14. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 21 - IN: Escape in Defeat; EMBARRASSMENT
    8.0/10(205 votes)

    #14 - IN: Escape in Defeat; EMBARRASSMENT

    S2:E21

    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.

    Director:Masayuki Yoshihara
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  15. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 6 - C: The Copycat will Dance; MEME
    7.9/10(324 votes)

    #15 - C: The Copycat will Dance; MEME

    S1:E6

    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

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  16. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 12 - SA: Tachikoma Runaway, The Movie Director's Dream; ESCAPE FROM
    7.9/10(311 votes)

    #16 - SA: Tachikoma Runaway, The Movie Director's Dream; ESCAPE FROM

    S1:E12

    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

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  17. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 22 - C: Corporate Graft; SCANDAL
    7.9/10(267 votes)

    #17 - C: Corporate Graft; SCANDAL

    S1:E22

    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

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  18. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 12 - IN: To Those Without Even a Name...; SELECON
    7.9/10(210 votes)

    #18 - IN: To Those Without Even a Name...; SELECON

    S2:E12

    The Tachikomas, Ishikawa, and Borma locate a suspicious file believed to be the Individual Eleven virus, The Major, Batou, Saito go after Kuze, and the Individual Eleven prepare to put their plan into action.

    Director:Masaki Tachibana
    Writers:Kenji Kamiyama, Yutaka Omatsu

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  19. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 23 - IN: The Day the Bridge Falls; MARTIAL LAW
    7.9/10(217 votes)

    #19 - IN: The Day the Bridge Falls; MARTIAL LAW

    S2:E23

    The government declares martial Law in Dejima, believing that the refugees have a nuclear device and plan to use it to gain independence. When the refugees' connection to Kuze is cut off, one shot begins a bloody war.

    Director:Toshiyuki Kono
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  20. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 11 - C: Inside the Forest of the Sub-Imagoes; PORTRAITZ
    7.8/10(308 votes)

    #20 - C: Inside the Forest of the Sub-Imagoes; PORTRAITZ

    S1:E11

    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

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  21. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 20 - IN: Confusion at the North End; FABRICATE FOG
    7.8/10(206 votes)

    #21 - IN: Confusion at the North End; FABRICATE FOG

    S2:E20

    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.

    Director:Kenichi Takeshita
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  22. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 4 - C: The Visual Device will Laugh; INTERCEPTER
    7.7/10(362 votes)

    #22 - C: The Visual Device will Laugh; INTERCEPTER

    S1:E4

    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

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  23. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2 Episode 4 - DU: Natural Enemy; NATURAL ENEMY
    7.7/10(228 votes)

    #23 - DU: Natural Enemy; NATURAL ENEMY

    S2:E4

    A routine live-fire exercise goes wrong, leaving a fleet of AI controlled helicopters flying above a refugee area, firing on anyone who comes near. And a mysterious and creepy man known as Gohda arrives to tell Section 9 how to handle it.

    Director:Masayuki Yoshihara
    Writers:Junichi Fujisaku, Kenji Kamiyama

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  24. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 2 - SA: Proof of Recklessness; TESTATION
    7.6/10(426 votes)

    #24 - SA: Proof of Recklessness; TESTATION

    S1:E2

    Kenbishi Heavy Industries has built a state-of-the-art multiped tank. There's only one problem–it's gone haywire and started moving on its own. Section 9 is called in to stop it, as the Self Defense Force will not get involved. Now, it's up to Motoko, Batou, and the rest of Section 9 to stop the tank and figure out what made it go berserk in the first place.

    Director:Toshiyuki Kono
    Writer:Junichi Fujisaku

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  25. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 15 - SA: Time of the Machines; MACHINES DÉSIRANTES
    7.6/10(290 votes)

    #25 - SA: Time of the Machines; MACHINES DÉSIRANTES

    S1:E15

    The Major has become worried about the Tachikomas. It appears that their AIs have developed much more quickly and in ways that were not anticipated; they have begun speaking about their "individuality".

    Director:Kenichi Takeshita
    Writer:Taiki Sakurai

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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 8.8/10 based on 317 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".