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The Best Episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1

Every episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1!

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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
    Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 25 - C: Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets; BARRAGE
    8.8/10(351 votes)

    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 1 Episode 21 - C: Left-Behind Trace; ERASER
    8.5/10(334 votes)

    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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  3. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 24 - C: Sunset in the Lonely City; ANNIHILATION
    8.3/10(307 votes)

    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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  4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 26 - C: Public Security Section 9, Once Again; STAND ALONE COMPLEX
    8.2/10(387 votes)

    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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  5. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 10 - SA: A Perfect Day for a Jungle Cruise; JUNGLE CRUISE
    8.1/10(367 votes)

    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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  6. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 20 - C: Vanished Medication; RE-VIEW
    8.1/10(312 votes)

    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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  7. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 23 - C: The Other Side of Good and Evil; EQUINOX
    8.0/10(300 votes)

    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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  8. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 6 - C: The Copycat will Dance; MEME
    7.9/10(368 votes)

    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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  9. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 22 - C: Corporate Graft; SCANDAL
    7.9/10(297 votes)

    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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  10. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 11 - C: Inside the Forest of the Sub-Imagoes; PORTRAITZ
    7.8/10(349 votes)

    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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  11. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 12 - SA: Tachikoma Runaway, The Movie Director's Dream; ESCAPE FROM
    7.8/10(353 votes)

    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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  12. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 2 - SA: Proof of Recklessness; TESTATION
    7.7/10(486 votes)

    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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  13. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 4 - C: The Visual Device will Laugh; INTERCEPTER
    7.7/10(407 votes)

    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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  14. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 15 - SA: Time of the Machines; MACHINES DÉSIRANTES
    7.6/10(326 votes)

    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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  15. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 5 - C: The Inviting Bird will Chant; DECOY
    7.5/10(376 votes)

    S1:E5

    The Laughing Man, having returned after a six-year absence, threatens to assassinate the Superintendent-General of the police. Aramaki, however, thinks it's a cover-up. He briefs Section 9 on the prime suspect, Nanao=A, an incredibly gifted programmer who developed the micro-machines that are currently the foundation of Serano Industries.

    Director:Ryutaro Nakamura
    Writer:Junichi Fujisaku

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  16. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 7 - SA: Idolatry; IDOLATOR
    7.5/10(347 votes)

    S1:E7

    Section 9 is on the trail of Marcelo Jarti, a South American revolutionary hero who has arrived in Japan. However, Jarti is a hard man to catch because he employs look-alikes to deceive people. Nevertheless, Section 9 is convinced that the one they're tracking is the real thing, and after a rather out-of-control gunbattle in an upscale hotel, they track him to an old warehouse.

    Director:Atsushi Wakabayashi
    Writer:Junichi Fujisaku

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  17. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 13 - SA: Unequal Terrorist; NOT EQUAL
    7.5/10(317 votes)

    S1:E13

    In a briefing, Aramaki shows a photo of a girl who looks like Eka Tokura, the daughter of Tokura Electronics, who was kidnapped 16 years ago. But there's one problem–the photo was taken two days ago!

    Director:Kazunobu Fuseki
    Writer:Shoutarou Suga

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  18. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 16 - SA: Chinks in the Armour of the Heart; Ag2O
    7.5/10(316 votes)

    S1:E16

    Batou goes undercover on a military base to shadow one of his former heroes, a man named Zaitsev who was an Olympic silver medalist. Now, however, he's under suspicion of espionage. Batou befriends him easily, and the two really seem to get along--which is unusual for Batou. But when Batou learns the truth behind his hero, he must make a very difficult decision.

    Director:Masaki Tachibana
    Writer:Nobutoshi Terado

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  19. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 17 - SA: The True Reason for the Unfinished Love Affair; ANGELS' SHARE
    7.4/10(301 votes)

    S1:E17

    While at an international police conference in London, Aramaki drops by to visit an old flame who's now in the wine brokering business. She asks him to help her put a stop to the corruption in her company, but he tells her that it's out of his jurisdiction. Just then, however, two thieves break into the building and take them hostage.

    Director:Yasuhiro Geshi
    Writer:Taiki Sakurai

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  20. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 18 - SA: Assassination Duet; LOST HERITAGE
    7.4/10(296 votes)

    S1:E18

    Aramaki attends the funeral of an old war buddy, and is greeted by his departed friend's daughter. Later, Section 9 is assigned the task of protecting the Chinese Foreign Minister from being assassinated.

    Director:Masayuki Yoshihara
    Writer:Junichi Fujisaku

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  21. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 1 - SA: Public Security Section 9; SECTION-9
    7.3/10(547 votes)

    S1:E1

    Public Security Section 9 is an elite special ops unit that works directly under the control of the Prime Minister. They've been called in to rescue a high-ranking government official from a hostage situation. But something doesn't seem right to Major Motoko Kusanagi.

    Director:Toshiyuki Kono
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  22. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 8 - SA: The Fortunate Ones; MISSING HEARTS
    7.3/10(342 votes)

    S1:E8

    Motoko's friend Courtin asks her to come to the hospital where she works. It seems a little girl just received a heart transplant, but the donor's family doesn't remember ever agreeing to donate the heart. When Motoko mentions this story to Aramaki, he tells them to determine if this is tied to a ring of black-market organ smugglers supposedly run by the mafia.

    Director:Kazunobu Fuseki
    Writer:Taiki Sakurai

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  23. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 14 - SA: Automated Capitalism; ¥€$
    7.2/10(301 votes)

    S1:E14

    The Chinese government contacts Section 9 to let them know that an assassin may have entered Japan to kill a famous reclusive millionaire. Despite their considerable efforts, however, Section 9 is unable to contact him to warn him, so they go directly to his residence.

    Director:Hideyo Yamamoto
    Writer:Kenji Kamiyama

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  24. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 3 - SA: A Modest Rebellion; ANDROID AND I
    7.1/10(429 votes)

    S1:E3

    A certain type of android, the GA07_JL, nicknamed Jeri by its users, has been affected by a virus. Recently, all Jeri model androids have been committing "suicide". Section 9 is called in as it may be related to a virus detected in an android at the National Assembly Building.

    Director:Masayuki Yoshihara
    Writer:Taiki Sakurai

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  25. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 1 Episode 9 - C: The Man Who Lurks in the Darkness of the Net; CHAT! CHAT! CHAT!
    7.1/10(348 votes)

    S1:E9

    Motoko enters into an online chat room devoted to the Laughing Man to see if she can find any new information on him. What she discovers is a spirited debate among the self-proclaimed "fans" of the Laughing Man, but very little hard evidence.

    Director:Masaki Tachibana
    Writer:Dai Sato

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"C: Smoke of Gunpowder, Hail of Bullets; BARRAGE" is the best rated episode of "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" season 1. It scored 8.8/10 based on 351 votes. Directed by Kazunobu Fuseki and written by Taiki Sakurai, it aired on 10/1/2003. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "C: Left-Behind Trace; ERASER".