in the shell

You folks do know that there are different character designs of Motoko from the movies, the anime, and the manga. IMO, I gotta go with the SAC Motoko. She's hot! <3

Close call between Manga Motoko and SAC Motoko, but Manga Motoko wins due to the muscle tones. If MMI is included in the Manga Motoko there's no contest in my mind. MMI Motoko is just pure awesome.

If your judgeing purly on outward appearence, I would go with manga Motoko (for all those who have the 2nd edition manga )

SaC Motoko comes in second just for the fact we know more about her and the movie Motoko coming in last because she was a complete robot (in a good way that worked with the movie).

I would have to go with what Black Mamba says about this.

SAC and Manga with Manga beating out SAC.

My vote goes for Motoko from the manga, especially the first manga then SAC because Motoko from the manga is the true representation of Motoko Kusanagi since she is Shirow's own creation.

While saying that, the manga version of Motoko Kusanagi in my opinion would never look right in a TV series, so I would have to pick Motoko Kusanagi in SAC for my second choice.

I would like to see more screentime of Motoko Kusanagi in SAC 2nd Gig, since she is my favorite character in the Ghost in the Shell universe, I am just hoping that the new Ghost in the Shell anime will feature more screentime of her.

SAC motoko is my fave visually, when she's been drawn in something more substantial than the pink swimwear/officewear combo outfit she looks good. :p

Like most of you, I would have to go with the manga Motoko. I'm a big fan of Shiro's second period work, so I especially like the MMI Motoko. The muscular look of the original manga Motoko has its charm though.

i gotta go with manga motoko. movie motoko kinda no longer dressed to impress. SAC looks nice, but she lacked flair like none-other than masamune shirow's cheescake art.

Poor Marto.

I bet you guys are going to guess what I voted for before I even say it. Movie Motoko it is, but as I can see, my beloved lost to SAC and manga.

~Marto's silhuette casting its shadow down the road, as he walks away sulking due to the unpopularity of his ludacrist obsession.~

Yeh boys, (and some girls) like nearly naked chicks, yawn, not much of a surprise.

But for coolness Sac 2nd gig is the best.

She looked pretty foolish sometimes wandering around in her undies, dontcha think? There is a line between sexy and stupid.

I think you get a much better effect with inference than exposure. But Im a girl with a differnt set of brain circuts.

Whatever about girls, is there a Batou poll???? Kuze???

I have to agree with you. Besides the horrible, horrible noises that are the Tachikomas' voices, (Which still make me turn the sound down when I watch 2nd GIG) 1st Gig Motoko's mutant lingerie/bikini thing is probably the worst thing in the first season, and by far the worst type of fashion I've ever seen.

I like the 2nd GIG's formalware, but the purple blue jumpsuit still looks a bit weird. I wish they would show her wearing that trenchcoat from the intro sequence more often... that looked awesome. Either that or more casual, everyday clothing, like Batou or Ishikawa... a black leather jacket would look nice.

meep... I like the Tachikoma's voices... sorry.... well I have the dubbed copies, maybe they are worse in Japanese if you have those. I can see them being annoying though too.

I also like the trench coats, but I do like the uniform too. Im trying to bid on the action figure with the uniform. Did anyone notice that the action figure from the 3rd set had her uh behind airbrush shaded red...like maybe she had been sitting for a long time. That was weird. My husband had to angle it so he couldnt see it on the shelf.

There's nowt particularly wrong with Motoko's pink battle-bikini. Although when she does get vocal she is very deep, she is for the most part a quiet character who expresses herself through spectacular actions, the tight skimpy outfit could simply be considered a means to emphasize the very physical aspects of her character. This is the same reason why old superheros or dancers wear skintight outfits.

I voted for the Movie Motoko. Even though Bikini Motoko Aramaki(in the MMI manga) was reallly hot, but the Movie Motoko was.. I dunno, kind of special in the way she was so strong and at least a little bit REALiSTIC. I like my women hard to get ha ha!

You all have a strange idea of "hot"... But then, I have no idea of "hot"... Just that SAC Motoko is a little bit too cartoony to qualify (her features, I mean- she's very strylised in that kind of anime's way... I couldn't tell her features apart from the next lead female character as they don't really give much detail to them). Movie Motoko is very seriously drawn, more about realism than about creating a pin-up. And Shirow's style in the first manga was to add a little glamour at times (the shades and blue denin/vest panel, for instance), and he definitely seems to be thinking of sex with the one (kind of ugly-looking) boat scene. Plastic people.

Ehh, cartoon characters male and female are almost completely not "hot", at least visually.

But if you took the word "hot" out and replaced it with "character deign that appealed most to you", I would day movie Motoko.

"Now quit using stupid, undignified terms like "hot"." It sounds like the talk of ditzy cheerleaders in highschool movies.