In 1989, writer/illustratorMasamune Shirowintroduced Major Motoko Kusanagi to readers everywhere in the mangaGhost in the Shell. Nearly 30 years later, after numerous adaptations, sequels, spin-offs, and acclaim, the Major will be realized in live-action for the first time byScarlett JohanssoninRupert Sanders' adaptation. This version will not only test the limits of filmmaking technology in bringing a militarized, life-like cyborg combatant to the big screen, but also encourages the discussion of the philosophical boundary between humans and machines.
It’s this second element that’s at the heart of Shirow’s original story and has been a core part of every adaptation since.Ghost in the Shellis beloved for more than exhilarating action sequences and unforgettable characters; it succeeds far better in getting audiences to think about consciousness, what it means to be human, and whether or not mechanical and computerized augmentations reduce one’s humanity or improve upon it. In short,Ghost in the Shellremains one of the best explorations of cyberpunk and, more specifically, cyborg themes in all media.
But perhaps you’re not ready to dive into such heady material just yet. WhileGhost in the Shellcertainly looks to be a fun and entertaining action movie, the more intellectual nuances of the story may escape some viewers or be a little out of their comfort zone. However, if the idea of a story that explores the interface of man and machine entices you, I’ve provided a few suggestions to ease your transition into the world of cyborgs.
There are plenty of cyborgs to be found through science-fiction, fromStar WarstoStar Trekand beyond, but this list will focus on anime with standout cyborg characters or outright cyborg stories. Sorry, no androids or straight-up robots; cyborgs need to have a human component to them. I’ll also be avoiding sillier series likeAll Purpose Cat Girl Nuku NukuorSilverHawks, and outright bonkers characters like the Nazi cyborgRudol von StroheimfromJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but they’re certainly worthy stories to explore in the sub-genre. But if you’re looking for something approaching the level ofGhost in the Shell, I’ve got you covered!
‘Ghost in the Shell’ Franchise
What better place to start than with the anime that started it all? Though prequels, sequels, and spin-offs have emerged over the years, with some being better efforts than others, it’s worth starting with the original 1995 anime written byKazunori Itōand directed byMamoru Oshii. This film sees the Major leading public security agency Sector 9 in tracking down a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master, who’s “ghost-hacking” people’s cyberbrains for nefarious purposes. Like the cyborgs themselves, there’s much more going on here than meets the eye. And you shouldn’t worry too much about spoilers for the live-action film since they’ve chosen to focus on a different antagonist entirely.
Don’t feel bad if you have to watchGhost in the Shella few times to fully take in the plot; they throw a lot at you all at once. It’s rich in technical jargon, big on political intrigue and head games, and distracts you with stunning visuals and action set-pieces, not to mention the iconic score. If it’s your first watch or your hundredth, you’ll find something new and interesting to explore as the real-world interface between humans and machines continues to narrow more and more in the real world.
Speaking of more, here’s a look at the many options available in theGhost in the Shellfranchise should you choose to continue your journey:
But if you need a gentler easing into anime cyborgs, or are just looking for something a little different, try the following suggestions.
‘Appleseed’
Okay, maybe notthatdifferent, sinceAppleseedis another sci-fi franchise based on a manga that sprang to life from the imagination of Shirow. The original run of the manga actually preceded that ofGhost in the Shellby a few years, but you’re able to see where Shirow’s interests lie. This story, too, takes place in the near future after the Third World War has decimated the Earth, though via non-nuclear weapons. With traditional world powers finding it difficult to maintain order, new entities rise up to establish dominance, the powerful utopian city of Olympus chief among them. It’s here, in the city’s E.S.W.A.T. (E is for Extra), that former L.A.P.D. S.W.A.T. members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires are recruited to defend and protect the city and its bionically augmented population.
Sounds pretty similar toGhost in the Shell, right? The connections and inspirations are clear, andAppleseedenjoyed its own media franchise, though one that wasn’t as extensive asGhost in the Shell. The adaptations tended to stray a bit from the source material, such as the 1998 Gainax-animated OVA. It’s worth checking out the 2004 computer-generated action film of the same name that followed Knute’s search to restore reproductive capabilities to a race of genetically engineered clones, known as Bioroids. She’s aided by her former lover (and cyborg) Hecatonchires, who just so happens to boast one of the more iconic designs out there. (He’s no Major though…)
Appleseedhas strong political and philosophical underpinnings to its action-focused story, one that folds in the controversy surrounding genetic engineering alongside biomechanical augmentation. Oh and there’s a complicated love story to boot. It’s a great one-two punch when paired withGhost in the Shell, leading fans to theorize a possible shared universe.
‘Samurai 7’ - Kikuchiyo
And now for something very different! If Shirow’s high-tech worlds aren’t your thing, perhaps you’d prefer something along the lines ofAkira Kurosawa’sSeven Samurai. If so, seek outSamurai 7, a 2004 anime series directed byToshifumi Takizawathat reimagines the title warriors in a brand new way.
Samurai 7is once again set in the future, but this world finds humble villagers being terrorized by Nobuseri bandits, former samurai who had their cells integrated with machines to become weapons of war. The villagers of Kanna resolve to recruit living samurai–whom they’ll pay in rice–to defend them from the threat of men who are more machine than not.
While the villains of this piece are mostly machines themselves, the good guys have a cyborg on their side in the form of Kikuchiyo, a take onToshirô Mifune’s famous character. This version of Kikuchiyo isa former farmer who has become bonded to a mechanized exoskeleton and sports a massive sword. Despite his size and strength, Kikuchiyo is seen as a bit of a clown and not treated as an equal, rightly so, by the other samurai. However, his arc is one of the most interesting in the series thanks to his quest to become a samurai despite his lack of training and clumsy mechanical body. It’s on the sillier side, to be sure, andSamurai 7doesn’t put the focus on cyborgs, per se, but it’s still a unique take worth watching.
‘Afro Samurai’ - Jinno / Kuma
Sticking with cyborg samurais (because why wouldn’t you?), we turn next toAfro Samuraifrom manga writer/illustratorTakashi Okazaki. Arriving in manga form in 1999, Gonzo adapted the story into an anime series in 2007 and an award-winning TV film in 2009. Steeped in American soul and hip hop music,Afro Samuraitakes place in a future-but-feudal Japan and follows the title character’s efforts to avenge his father’s death and regain the Number 1 headband. Along the way, he battles a ton of would-be usurpers, including a couple of cyborg warriors along the way.
One of those machine-enhanced humans was a fighter by the name of Kuma, who wielded two swords in his signature style and made quite the statement by wearing a giant teddy bear head as a helmet. The reveal that Kuma is actually Jinno, a friend of Afro’s from his childhood, isn’t the most shocking part of the story. That honor goes to Kuma’s status as a cyborg, having been saved after an attempted suicide and remade with machine parts, specifically a cybernetic eye alongside his human eye that can never stop crying. Though he suffers critical life support systems failure and multiple defeats, he keeps on ticking thanks to the efforts of the mad scientist Dharman, himself a cyborg. Jinno/Kuma’s arc is made all the more potent thanks to his non-human state, but if you need more robotic humanoids, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a machine version of the hero himself, known as Afro Droid. (This show is great.)
‘One Punch Man’ - Genos
If you want to enjoy a riff on the typical cyborg character, look no further than Genos fromOne Punch Man. This more recent addition to the cyborg anime canon encapsulates alotof stories and characters that came before him. And whileONE’s manga and webcomic focuses on the title character also known as Saitama, Genos' story exists alongside his mentor and sensei as he attempts to get stronger from fight to fight in the name of justice. He’s an S-class hero also known as the Blonde Cyborg or Demon Cyborg, but his origin story is a heartbreaking one, if a bit strange.
When Genos was a normal, 15-year-old human boy, a rogue cyborg laid waste to his hometown, killing everyone except him. A scientist by the name of Dr. Kuseno rescued him and transformed him into a powerful cyborg in his own right in order to track down the villain and avenge his friends and family. As serious as Genos' story is inOne Punch Man, his own relentless seriousness is a source of hilarity in this series. No matter how hard he tries, he can never outrank Saitama in terms of raw strength or speed, even though he outclasses him in every other aspect. Though he eventually chills out a bit, his self-serious streak is a nice nod to similar cyborg characters throughout history as they self-indulgently grapple with their sense of identity. The funny thing is that Genos is arguably the strongest of all of these characters and certainly packs the most firepower; if only we could get an all-cyborg tournament going to see who the ultimate champion would be!
‘One Piece ' - Franky
If you want another sillier take on cyborg fare, set sail with “Iron Man” Franky fromOne Piece. This pirate-themed anime series, arguably one of the most successful and popular anime series of all time, doesn’t focus on cyborgs as a rule, but if you stick around for about 230 episodes or so, you’ll meet Cutty Flam, a.k.a. Franky.
Abandoned by pirate parents at an early age, Franky entered into an apprenticeship as a shipwright, but an accident severely damaged his body. Now outfitted as a cyborg with an iron nose and massive forearms that house Franky’s favorite weapons, the outlaw became a notorious bounty hunter, ship dismantler, and underworld boss, professions which eventually brought him into contact with Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates. Though they began as enemies, Franky became one of the tallest (and strangest) crew members aboard the Thousand Sunny. Franky might not be the first character you think of when you think of cyborgs, but we’ve already had samurai cyborgs, so why not pirates?
‘Cowboy Bebop’ - Jet Black
A more serious take on the trials and tribulations of the life of a cyborg can be found in episodes ofCowboy Bebopfeaturing Jet Black and his complicated, heart-breaking backstory. (Perhaps there’s something about being a cyborg and being a bounty hunter that is mutually beneficial.) This acclaimed and beloved series focusing on the space-based adventures of a group of ragtag bounty hunters gives almost equal time and weight to its characters–whether it’s a former assassin, a cryogenically unfrozen con woman, an androgynous hacker genius, or a retired cop with a cybernetic arm–so I’ve singled out the best Jet episodes.
Jet Black acts as the anchor of theBebopcrew, rarely leaving the titular ship. When he does venture out into various worlds, it’s with good reason. In “Ganymede Elegy”, Jet revisits his last post as a detective, but trouble in the form of an ex-girlfriend soon finds him. “Boogie Woogie Feng Shui” sees him acting in an awkwardly fatherly way to aide the daughter of an old friend. But it’s “Black Dog Serenade” where Jet’s entire story unfolds. It tells of his past in the ISSP, the loss of his arm, and the path those events set him on; it’s not to be missed. This episode’s twists, turns, and callbacks would cement it as a solid half-hour drama regardless of Jet’s cyborg status, but those extra elements make his story all the richer.
‘Cyborg 009’
If you want to take a deep dive into Japan’s cyborg sub-genre, you’ll have to go more than 50 years into the past. In 1963,8 Man, a creation of science fiction writerKazumasa Hiraiand manga artistJiro Kuwata, became the country’s first cyborg superhero. you’re able to probably see the inspiration forRoboCopin his origin story: After being murdered by criminals, a detective’s consciousness is placed in an android body gifted with super-speed and shape-shifting abilities. But while this granddaddy of them all went on to have its own anime and film adaptations, another cyborg series created that same year puts a team of sentient sentinels together.
Cyborg 009, created byShotaro Ishinomori, continues to see adaptations of the original story even today. The first anime series, back in 1968, followed nine strangers from around the world who were kidnapped and subsequently experimented on by the villainous Black Ghost organization, turning them into super-powered cyborgs. This plan backfired spectacularly and Black Ghost was destroyed by their own creations, after which the nine cyborgs stayed together to take on more traditional foes, like mad scientists and so forth.Cyborg 009is a fun series that gets to explore a bunch of different cyborg characters, their unique powers, and the personalities that go with them. Additionally, we get to see them working together as a team, something echoed more than 30 years later in our next suggestion.
‘Project ARMS’
Leave it to the 90s to take traditional ideasto the extreme!ARMS, and the eventual anime series known asProject ARMS, was a manga by writer/illustratorRyoji Minagawalaunched in 1997. It centers on Ryo Takatsuki, a young man who lost his right arm in an accident … or at least he thinks that’s what happened. But likeCyborg 009, it turns out that Ryo was an experimental subject for the Egrigori, genetics researchers and creators of nanomachine implants known as ARMS.
Ryo wasn’t alone in this strange situation, since Kei Karuma, Takeshi Tomoe, and Hayato Shingu all suffered the same fate. The good news is that they teamed up to put a stop to the nefarious organization using the very weapons given to them. The craziest thing about these weapons was that they have various battle modes which could adjust to a variety of situations, even taking over the user’s body completely. The craziest thing about theshowis its motif of using characters fromLewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” to name the various weapon system; nothing says “intimidation” better than a weapon named “Dormouse.”
‘Battle Angel Alita’
Here’s another lady cyborg property that has been rumored for adaptation for quite some time, but likeGhost in the Shell, seems to be headed for the big screen with stacked talent both behind and in front of the cameras.Battle Angel Alita, also known literally as “gun dream”, is a manga created byYukito Kishiroin 1990; it came to the U.S. as the two-part OVABattle Angelin 1993, but has captivated audiences ever since.
The title character, originally named Gally in Japan, is a female cyborg initially found as only an intact head and chest at the local dump by cybermedic expert, Dr. Ido. He rebuilds her, only to find that she has near total amnesia, except for one peculiar trait: a mastery of the legendary martial art known as Panzer Kunst. This single clue leads Alita down a path of self-discovery to piece together her past and provides her with a future, sometimes as a bounty hunter, other times as a pit fighter. Her ultimate destiny is something else entirely…
At the moment,Robert Rodriguezis directing a live-action adaptation ofAlita: Battle AngelwithRosa Salazarplaying the title character andChristoph Waltzplaying Dr. Ido.Mahershala Ali,Jackie Earle Haley,Jennifer Connelly, also star in anticipation of a June 18, 2025 release date.
