Motoko Kusanagi

Little is known about the Major's past. She keeps her personal life to herself, and even her closest associates don't know her true identity. Motoko Kusanagi is merely a pseudonym given to her after she underwent cyberization. Under that name, she enlisted in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and served for some time, until Daisuke Aramaki recruited her to work for his Public Security Section 9, a private investigation group. She is the second-highest-ranking member and the most cybernetic person on the team. As the years pass, Motoko and her team are enlisted in the cases of Stand Alone Complexes, in the pursuit of a cybercriminal hacker known as The Laughing Man, and later in the second season, the Individual Eleven case. She has a special knack for fighting injustice and strives for the justice of humanity, a legacy she yearns to possess. Although hinted at many times, it is finally revealed in season 2 that Motoko underwent cyberization as a child, being a survivor of a disastrous plane crash. She and another disabled child were the only ones successfully treated. The transformation procedure had erased most of her childhood memories, but she could remember the fact that the other survivor, who was roughly her age, had dedicated himself to her while she was in a coma, folding cranes while desperately wishing for her recovery. Outside of the circumstances, they had lost contact with each other and went their separate ways. Motoko eventually became who she is today, while the other boy disappeared from sight.

Motoko Kusanagi frequently changes her prosthetic bodies. Despite this habit, she maintains distinguishable features among the many shells she uses. She is tall and slender with an athletic build. She keeps her hair violet and her eyes crimson red, similar to her childhood shell. Sometimes, she wears maroon glasses.

Motoko Kusanagi frequently changes her prosthetic bodies. Despite this habit, she maintains distinguishable features among the many shells she uses. She is tall and slender with an athletic build. She keeps her hair violet and her eyes crimson red, similar to her childhood shell. Sometimes, she wears maroon glasses.

Her outfit is more efficient and streamlined, and is slightly different from the first season. Motoko wears a sports jacket that only reaches her biceps and collarbone, with protection around her neck. She keeps her characteristic leotard. Her pants are light purple, with a black belt. She still has her black fingerless gloves and boots. Since Motoko is mainly seen in this version of her Section 9 uniform, it could be said that it is her signature outfit.

Motoko is dressed in her usual plain gray bodysuit and combat boots, with a black combat trench coat. She's wearing other clothing underneath. The outfit doesn't appear to be from Section 9's combat uniforms, as it lacks the same designs as those she wore with her combat uniform. She continued wearing fingerless gloves. She seems to have replaced her traditional maroon glasses with regular black lenses. It's likely Motoko wore this outfit during her two years outside Section 9, as she remained secretly active. At this point, she probably discarded her signature leotard outfit.

When attending conference meetings, Motoko wore a khaki military uniform, with insignia indicating her rank as a major. When assigned to a top-secret mission, Motoko wore combat gear provided to her and her team for the mission. This included a brown vest over a black short-sleeved shirt, with a pair of combat pants as well. When assigned to travel to other locations, Motoko wore a white coat with a gray belt. Underneath, she wore a white shirt with a tucked-in black tie, along with tall gray boots.

The Major is known to be extremely stoic and forward-thinking. She always takes the best and most optimal routes in the world she lives in. Her life experiences have made her an assertive woman with sharp judgment. Her enemies fear her for her skill and prosthetic advantages, while her friends and associates enjoy her company. Although mostly professional in her duties, Motoko maintains a rather comical and friendly relationship with her Section 9 agents, especially with Batou, with whom she has a close bond. Motoko also understands many human concepts, such as desire and lust. She exploits this to her advantage, as she generally tends to wear revealing clothing to deceive her foolish opponents. In her mind, the shell she wears is not what defines her true self. However, deep down, she secretly yearns for a sign that can prove her humanity. There are many indications of this personal quest, as Motoko is sometimes shown experiencing human activities such as socializing, people-watching, and having sexual relations. Despite being ostracized by society due to her lack of outward humanity, Motoko harbors no resentment towards the world and always tries to make the best of reality. In reality, the hope she clings to is her childhood, at the time when she had lost all her loved ones and close ones. When all seemed lost, there was a boy who gave her hope: a motivation to live and find purpose again. Motoko was never one to believe in fairy tales, but the boy's determination motivated her to continue with her life. After becoming a cyborg, Motoko befriended him, but she thought she had disappointed him because she couldn't repay the efforts he had made for her. Thus, leaving the first person she loved, the Major followed her own path. And as an adult, she fulfills herself, but ultimately, as a token of gratitude.

The Major has access to the most advanced combat cyborg technology in Japan. Despite this, she maintains a good balance between a human-like body and technologies useful for her job. Being entirely prosthetic and mechanical except for her human consciousness, Motoko is quite prone to mind-traveling to the afterlife. Besides her physical and mental abilities, she is a consummate fighter with great judgment and self-control. She is knowledgeable in many forms of martial arts and strategy, as demonstrated many times throughout the events of Ghost in the Shell. She is also a skilled hacker, capable of accessing restricted information across the globe. Her weapons of choice are the Seburo M5 pistol and the C-26A assault rifle. Even if she is a force to be reckoned with, Motoko is not invincible and can barely be surpassed in different outcomes, due to her versatility and balanced body composition, lacking specialization in a specific domain. In the continuity of Ghost in the Shell, Motoko has only been surpassed by her greatest enemies, particularly in the cunning of the enigmatic Laughing Man, the influence of CIS's Kazundo Gouda, and the emotions of the complete cyborg revolutionary Hideo Kuze, the latter of whom she shares many similarities with.