Set in the 21st century, Ghost in the Shell is superficially a futuristic spy thriller, dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a major in the covert operations organization "Section
9," which specializes in fighting technology-related crime. Kusanagi herself is almost completely mechanized, a
human brain in an artificial body, capable of superhuman feats, and specialized for her
job. The setting of Ghost in the Shell is distinctively cyberpunk, similar to that of William
Gibson's sprawl trilogy, though Shirow's work is more focused on the ethical and philosophical ramifications of the widespread merging of humanity and technology, the development of artificial intelligence, and an omnipresent
computer network, in particular related to
human identity and uniqueness. The manga, in particular, tackles these questions head on, as Kusanagi and her colleagues face both external threats and puzzles, and internal conflict over their own nature, being more machines than
humans.
