Image: 1995 Shirow Masamune/Kodansha, Bandai Visual, MANGA ENTERTAINMENT 2004 Shirow Masamune/Kodansha, IG, ITNDDTD Shirow Masamune, Production I.G/Kodansha, Koukaku Kidoutai Seisaku Iinkai Shirow Masamune, Production I.G/Kodansha, "Koukaku Kidoutai ARISE" Seisa
AMBot | 07/16/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
Pia released the comprehensive collection volume "Koukaku Kidoutai Anime Zenshi Pia" (Ghost in the Shell: Complete Anime History) on July 16, 2026. This 96-page A4 magazine in Mook format accompanies the current TV series "Ghost in the Shell: The Ghost in the Shell," which has been airing on Japanese television since July 7, 2026, and provides a complete overview of all anime adaptations of the franchise—from Mamoru Oshii's legendary 1995 film to the Netflix series "SAC2045" (2020).
For the first time since the 2011 release of "Koukaku Kidoutai S.A.C. Pia," a Pia volume is dedicated to the series again. The first part of the magazine focuses on the new series: alongside a plot summary, there are detailed character introductions and designs for Major Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, and Togusa, as well as the entire Public Security Section 9, including the AI tanks Fuchikoma. Weapon and vehicle designs are also showcased.
The centerpiece of the volume is extensive interviews with the key figures of the new production. Director Mokochan (Science SARU) talks about his first encounter with "Ghost in the Shell"—both Shirow Masamune's manga and Oshii's film deeply impressed him and were a reason he became an animator. He admits that the pressure of being responsible for a series based on such an influential work was particularly great. "I wanted to design the series so that it should be seen precisely today, in this time," the magazine quotes him.
Renowned science fiction author Toh EnJoe, responsible for series composition and screenplay, reveals which scene gave him the most work, which character he likes the most, and which he would absolutely not want to embody. In a discourse on cyberpunk, he notes: "Even a Fuchikoma talks constantly these days."
Character designer and chief animation director Shuhei Handa provides insights into his work. He tells of the chance encounter with the series that led him to this project and reveals which character was particularly difficult to design—he found the solution through a character from a Showa drama series.
The second part of the magazine, "Ghost in the Shell ALL ANIME ARCHIVE," presents all previous anime works chronologically: the theatrical film "Ghost in the Shell" (1995), "Innocence" (2004), the TV series "Stand Alone Complex" and "S.A.C. 2nd GIG," the OVA "Solid State Society," the "ARISE" films, the New Theatrical Film, as well as "SAC2045" and "SAC_2045." The volume is rounded off by a timeline and a column introducing Shirow Masamune's original manga.
The magazine is aimed both at long-time fans who want to trace the series' development and at newcomers seeking a compact introduction to the "Ghost in the Shell" universe.
For the first time since the 2011 release of "Koukaku Kidoutai S.A.C. Pia," a Pia volume is dedicated to the series again. The first part of the magazine focuses on the new series: alongside a plot summary, there are detailed character introductions and designs for Major Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, and Togusa, as well as the entire Public Security Section 9, including the AI tanks Fuchikoma. Weapon and vehicle designs are also showcased.
The centerpiece of the volume is extensive interviews with the key figures of the new production. Director Mokochan (Science SARU) talks about his first encounter with "Ghost in the Shell"—both Shirow Masamune's manga and Oshii's film deeply impressed him and were a reason he became an animator. He admits that the pressure of being responsible for a series based on such an influential work was particularly great. "I wanted to design the series so that it should be seen precisely today, in this time," the magazine quotes him.
Renowned science fiction author Toh EnJoe, responsible for series composition and screenplay, reveals which scene gave him the most work, which character he likes the most, and which he would absolutely not want to embody. In a discourse on cyberpunk, he notes: "Even a Fuchikoma talks constantly these days."
Character designer and chief animation director Shuhei Handa provides insights into his work. He tells of the chance encounter with the series that led him to this project and reveals which character was particularly difficult to design—he found the solution through a character from a Showa drama series.
The second part of the magazine, "Ghost in the Shell ALL ANIME ARCHIVE," presents all previous anime works chronologically: the theatrical film "Ghost in the Shell" (1995), "Innocence" (2004), the TV series "Stand Alone Complex" and "S.A.C. 2nd GIG," the OVA "Solid State Society," the "ARISE" films, the New Theatrical Film, as well as "SAC2045" and "SAC_2045." The volume is rounded off by a timeline and a column introducing Shirow Masamune's original manga.
The magazine is aimed both at long-time fans who want to trace the series' development and at newcomers seeking a compact introduction to the "Ghost in the Shell" universe.
This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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