Ghost in the Shell timeline of events

[Motoko2030]

Does anyone know of the timeline of events that happens in Ghost in the Shell, I know that World War III is before 2010, but does anyone know when it started. In the episode Angel's Share, Motoko says that the SAS gave the world the first cyberized unit, if this is the very first cyborg, does anyone when the first cyberized unit came around. If Section 9 is six years old then it would have been formed during the time of the first Laughing Man incident, I have seen website that say that Section 9 was formed in 2029.

Does anyone have an estimate of how old Motoko Kusanagi is, if she is in the thirties then she would have been born in early 2000 and she was about six when she had her first prosthetic body, so she would have the operation after 2006.

[simon's ghost]

Good point. Hardly seems possible now, but back when GitS was written, I guess it was a perhaps enthusiastic, but nonetheless possible prediction by Sirow.

[Spica]

In the manga Motoko is supposed to be in her early to mid twenties, I think she is supposed to be a bit older in both the movie and in SAC.

I don't know about SAC or the movie, but the first chapter of the manga is partially about the formation of Section 9. Apparently Motoko, Batou, Togusa, etc. were origionally part of a special ops team under the control of the Minister of Internal Affairs, but, with the passing of a budget for the creation of a hostage rescue unit on April 10, 2029, this special ops team split off of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and formed Public Security Section 9.

[Motoko2030]

I will check my SAC episodes again to see if it mentions when Section 9 was formed, I thought it mentioned it somewhere, I know that Togusa when he was arrested at the end of the first season of Stand Alone Complex said that Section 9 wasn't around when Laughing Man pointed a gun to Serano's head.

[Lightice]

In SAC the characters are supposed to be younger than in the movies, where they all are a bit weary of their jobs. They have been doing their job together for some time, already, though.

In the manga the Section 9 gets offically formed in the start, though it seems that they've been doing freelance jobs for the goverment for some time, before that.

In the movies the Section 9 seems to have been around for a bit longer.

All three continuums take place either in 2029 or 2030, so there are obviously large differences in their timelines. Since the SAC gives more info, than any other continuum, it propably can give the most full timeline. However, I have a feeling that even it'll have a few inconstancies...

[simon's ghost]

It always happens when you don't decide these things prior to the writing process...

[Slipstream]

Here is result of the research I discovered for Stand Alone complex. I know the manga differs.

Section 9 was formed years before SAC1 (maybe as much as 5), but after the events of the Laughing Man so its assumed to have been the same year or the year after. The Laughing man incident occures barely months after the conclusion of World War IV. The original members of Section 9 seems to have been Ishikawa, Aramaki, Batou, and Kusanagi. Kusanagi was probably asked to enlist members herself as we know she got Togusa herself. She knew Ishikawa the longest and met both Batou and Saito during the war (Batou was in her unit. She would encounter Saito in the field). When she recruited personnel for Section 9, its assumed she called up these very men almost right away. Its never indicated when Boma and Paz joined but its assumed it was soon after. Togusa would not join until years later, maybe only a year or a matter of months before the beginning of SAC1, even though he had numerous years in the police force beforehand.

World War III has already begun, according to the timeline, ending around 2005 and 2008. WWIV would fire up around 2020. Micromachines, which heralded the beginning of the cyberage as they know it, began during the finally of WWIII. I do not know what came first, Micromachines revolutionizing the cybernetic industry, or the Japanese Miracle, which vaulted Japan to the top of the Political food chain. But the first "new-age" cyberized components emerged quite soon. Motoko, one of the first full body prosthetic humans, appeared proably shortly after. I imagine she was born around 1999 or 2000 and became cyberized around 6 or 8.

Unfortunately, time is never an ally for a storywriter. Whenever a date locks down, one must come to the eventual realization that the future simply will not be arriving as fast as we would like.

Kubrik envisions moon bases and missions to Jupiter by the turn of the century. Scott saw flying cars by the end of next decade. Shirow believed cybernetics would be commonplace by now.

Even though Ghost in the Shell sits a roomy 25 years in the future, time has already proven this date unreasonable for the story. Kusanagi received her first complete prosthetic body around 6 (and we know her to be in her 30s); this would mean she would be fitted with her first complete prosthetic body very soon. As we have seen, the advancement of prosthetics hasn’t come close to reaching that goal. Shirow envisioned this technology catapulting due to the medical need after not one, but two more world wars. The first supposedly took place already.

And Kahn Noonian Sing left in the Botany Bay 10 years ago.

[Spica]

In the manga, as in SAC, Motoko has known Ishikawa the longest. They were the only two members of what would become Section 9 working together when they ran afoul of Toru Soma (the terrorist who attacked Motoko in the Think Tank in the first manga) in the year 2026.

[Spica]

In the manga, as in SAC, Motoko has known Ishikawa the longest. They were the only two members of what would become Section 9 working together when they ran afoul of Toru Soma (the terrorist who attacked Motoko in the Think Tank in the first manga) in the year 2026.

[Motoko2030]

In the episode called Lost Heritage where it involves an incident happening at Okinawa where Vice Minister Jin (I think) was involved in the death of Yu's mother. Does anyone know any details about this incident?

[Black Mamba]

Here is result of the research I discovered for Stand Alone complex. I know the manga differs.

Section 9 was formed years before SAC1 (maybe as much as 5), but after the events of the Laughing Man so its assumed to have been the same year or the year after. The Laughing man incident occures barely months after the conclusion of World War IV. The original members of Section 9 seems to have been Ishikawa, Aramaki, Batou, and Kusanagi. Kusanagi was probably asked to enlist members herself as we know she got Togusa herself. She knew Ishikawa the longest and met both Batou and Saito during the war (Batou was in her unit. She would encounter Saito in the field). When she recruited personnel for Section 9, its assumed she called up these very men almost right away. Its never indicated when Boma and Paz joined but its assumed it was soon after. Togusa would not join until years later, maybe only a year or a matter of months before the beginning of SAC1, even though he had numerous years in the police force beforehand.

World War III has already begun, according to the timeline, ending around 2005 and 2008. WWIV would fire up around 2020. Micromachines, which heralded the beginning of the cyberage as they know it, began during the finally of WWIII. I do not know what came first, Micromachines revolutionizing the cybernetic industry, or the Japanese Miracle, which vaulted Japan to the top of the Political food chain. But the first "new-age" cyberized components emerged quite soon. Motoko, one of the first full body prosthetic humans, appeared proably shortly after. I imagine she was born around 1999 or 2000 and became cyberized around 6 or 8.

Unfortunately, time is never an ally for a storywriter. Whenever a date locks down, one must come to the eventual realization that the future simply will not be arriving as fast as we would like.

Kubrik envisions moon bases and missions to Jupiter by the turn of the century. Scott saw flying cars by the end of next decade. Shirow believed cybernetics would be commonplace by now.

Even though Ghost in the Shell sits a roomy 25 years in the future, time has already proven this date unreasonable for the story. Kusanagi received her first complete prosthetic body around 6 (and we know her to be in her 30s); this would mean she would be fitted with her first complete prosthetic body very soon. As we have seen, the advancement of prosthetics hasn’t come close to reaching that goal. Shirow envisioned this technology catapulting due to the medical need after not one, but two more world wars. The first supposedly took place already.

And Kahn Noonian Sing left in the Botany Bay 10 years ago.

Thanks! Cleared alot up. Your a great contributor to these forums Slipstream.

[Motoko2030]

Yes that does clear up some issues that I was concerned with the timelines for the manga, films and tv series.