Science SARU has shared all new visuals and staff details for its upcoming anime series The Ghost in the Shell. First announced last May, it's been a while since we've had any substantial news, but this week, we got a new teaser trailer, visual key art, and staff announcements.
It was confirmed that Mokochan will direct the upcoming series with a script by EnJoe Toh, and character designs by Shuhei Handa, who will also serve as executive animation direction. Shuhe Handa is actually the one who illustrated the newest visual of Major, and it looks like the new series will stick closely to the original manga's design.
Mokochan, who previously worked as storyboarder and key animator for Dandadan and The Heike Story, is making his directorial debut at Science SARU. EnJoe Toh is perhaps best known as the writer of The Empire of Corpses novels, although he has worked on some anime scripts, such as Space Dandy.
In addition to the visual, a second teaser trailer was shared. It feels like more of a conceptual video as it still doesn't give us a look at actual animation, but it's hard not to be impressed with the cyberpunk, sci-fi vibes it gives off. It also reaffirms the series will be broadcast in 2026, although we're not sure if this will apply to North America as well.
Lastly, we have comments from series creator Shirow Masamune. Sharing his excitement for the latest anime adaptation of his manga, the Ghost in the Shell creator had this to say to fans about the production's release next year:
Anime adaptation-wise, this new THE GHOST IN THE SHELL marks the fourth version following those by Oshii, Kamiyama, and Kise. Alternatively, if we separate GHOST IN THE SHELL and Innocence, categorize the S.A.C. series into Seasons 1, 2, and Solid State Society, divide ARISE into its own series along with The New Movie, and split SAC_2045 into Seasons 1 and 2, this would be the tenth adaptation overall.
Considering the shift in production staff, one could even consider this the first installment of a second generation. The original manga is quite old, so I ask for your understanding on that point (sorry!). That said, I sincerely hope this will once again be an enjoyable visual experience in some form.
The original Ghost in the Shell manga was serialized from April 1989 to November 1990 in Kodansha's Young Magazine. An English version is available through Kodansha, which describes the manga as "an epic dystopian tale of politics, technology, and metaphysics."
There have been numerous adaptations inspired by the manga, the most notable being Production I.G.'s 1995 film and its 2004 sequel, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. There was also the 2022 television series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and its 2020 follow-up, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. In 2017, the Rupert Sanders-directed live-action Ghost in the Shell film, starring Scarlett Johansson, was released in theaters.