# List of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episodes
*Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex* (攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX) is a Japanese animated television series directed by Kenji Kamiyama and produced by [Production I.G](https://www.edgepedia.org/production-i-g), comprising two 26-episode seasons broadcast in 2002–2003 and 2004, followed by the television film *Solid State Society* in 2006.[1](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/introduction/article/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex) The series follows Public Security Section 9, an elite counter-cybercrime unit, in a future where humans commonly have cybernetic bodies and cyberbrains.[2](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/news/stand-alone-complex-youtube)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 episodes, first broadcast in 2002 on SKY PerfecTV as pay-per-view, later on over-the-air television[1](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/introduction/article/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex) |
| Season 1 air dates | Episode 1 on October 1, 2002; episode 26 on October 1, 2003[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1935/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/episodes) |
| Episode types (season 1) | Stand-alone (SA) episodes are self-contained; complex (C) episodes advance the main plot arc, the Laughing Man incident[4](https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell%3A_Stand_Alone_Complex_%28Episodes%29) |
| Season 2 (2nd GIG) | 26 episodes aired January 1, 2004 to January 8, 2005, centered on the Individual Eleven storyline and refugee unrest[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1935/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/episodes) • [5](https://skipthefiller.com/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex-arcs) |
| Television film | *S.A.C. Solid State Society*, listed as a special dated September 1, 2006, set in 2034, two years after the refugee uprising[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1935/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/episodes) • [6](https://theghostintheshell.jp/series/stand_alone_complex) |
| Compilation films | *The Laughing Man* (2005, 159 minutes) re-edits season 1 around the Laughing Man case with new footage and re-recorded dialogue[7](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac-the-laughing-man/) |
| Music and staff | Directed and series-composed by Kenji Kamiyama, music by Yoko Kanno, produced by Production I.G[8](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/series/stand_alone_complex) |
## Season 1 (2002–2003)
The first season follows Section 9, led by Chief Daisuke Aramaki and Major Motoko Kusanagi, as it handles cybercrime cases while investigating the Laughing Man, a hacker whose identity spawns copycat crimes, the "stand alone complex" phenomenon the series is named for.[9](https://www.criterionchannel.com/series/KEdyodxa/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex) Episodes are designated either stand-alone (SA), complete in themselves, or complex (C), tied to the Laughing Man storyline.[4](https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell%3A_Stand_Alone_Complex_%28Episodes%29)
The 26 episode titles below follow the Production I.G episode guide, which gives each episode a Japanese title and a romanized subtitle.[10](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac/episodes/index.html)
| # | Japanese title | Subtitle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 公安9課 | SECTION-9 |
| 2 | 暴走の証明 | TESTATION |
| 3 | ささやかな反乱 | ANDROID AND I |
| 4 | 視覚素子は笑う | INTERCEPTER |
| 5 | マネキドリは謡う | DECOY |
| 6 | 模倣者は踊る | MEME |
| 7 | 偶像崇拝 | IDOLATER |
| 8 | 恵まれし者たち | MISSING HEARTS |
| 9 | ネットの闇に棲む男 | CHAT! CHAT! CHAT! |
| 10 | 密林航路にうってつけの日 | JUNGLE CRUISE |
| 11 | 亜成虫の森で | PORTRAITZ |
| 12 | タチコマの家出 映画監督の夢 | ESCAPE FROM |
| 13 | ≠テロリスト | NOT EQUAL |
| 14 | 全自動資本主義 | ¥€$ |
| 15 | 機械たちの時間 | MACHINES DESIRANTES |
| 16 | 心の隙間 | Ag2O |
| 17 | 未完成ラブロマンスの真相 | ANGELS' SHARE |
| 18 | 暗殺の二重奏 | LOST HERITAGE |
| 19 | 偽装網に抱かれて | CAPTIVATED |
| 20 | 消された薬 | RE-VIEW |
| 21 | 置き去りの軌跡 | ERASER |
| 22 | 疑獄 | SCANDAL |
| 23 | 善悪の彼岸 | EQUINOX |
| 24 | 孤城落日 | ANNIHILATION |
| 25 | 硝煙弾雨 | BARRAGE |
| 26 | 公安9課、再び | STAND ALONE COMPLEX |
**The Laughing Man arc.** The case begins with the kidnapping of Ernest Serano, CEO of Serano Genomics, and expands into corporate blackmail tied to a government cover-up of the Murai vaccine's effectiveness against cyberbrain sclerosis.[11](https://thescholarship.ecu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1c8cc485-6160-4c25-9e7b-df48d2d05dbd/content) Section 9 eventually establishes that the original Laughing Man was a person named Aoi, whose only crime was the initial kidnapping; every other act committed under the identity was carried out by copycats, making the Laughing Man itself a stand-alone complex.[11](https://thescholarship.ecu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1c8cc485-6160-4c25-9e7b-df48d2d05dbd/content) In the final episode, set in the National Library, Motoko meets Aoi, hears why he acted, and he declines an offer to join Section 9.[12](https://www.animehistory.org/anime/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/lore/laughing-man-incident/)
## Season 2: S.A.C. 2nd GIG (2004)
The second installment, *Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG*, aired in 2004 with the first season's staff reassembled for another 26 episodes.[13](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac-2nd-gig/index) Its story is set in 2030, half a year after the Laughing Man case, when about three million refugees invited to Japan deepen tensions with nationalist "Individualist" factions, and a terrorist group calling itself the Individual Eleven carries out attacks and self-destruction.[6](https://theghostintheshell.jp/series/stand_alone_complex) Episodes 27 through 52 of the overall series center on Section 9's investigation of the Individual Eleven, a terrorist cell exploiting refugee unrest, while political intrigue around a former prime minister's return draws the team into a national power struggle.[5](https://skipthefiller.com/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex-arcs)
| # | Japanese title | Subtitle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 再起動 | REEMBODY |
| 2 | 飽食の僕 | NIGHT CRUISE |
| 3 | 土曜の夜と日曜の朝 | CASH EYE |
| 4 | 天敵 | NATURAL ENEMY |
| 5 | 動機ある者たち | INDUCTANCE |
| 6 | 潜在熱源 | EXCAVATION |
| 7 | 狂想は亡国の調べ | 239/94Pu |
| 8 | 素食の晩餐 | FAKE FOOD |
| 9 | 絶望という名の希望 | AMBIVALENCE |
| 10 | イカレルオトコ | TRIAL |
| 11 | 草迷宮 | affection |
| 12 | 名も無き者へ | SELECON |
| 13 | 顔 | MAKE UP |
| 14 | 左眼に気をつけろ | POKER FACE |
| 15 | 機械たちの午後 | PAT. |
| 16 | そこにいること | ANOTHER CHANCE |
| 17 | 修好母子 | RED DATA |
| 18 | 天使の詩 | TRANS PARENT |
| 19 | 相対の連鎖 | CHAIN REACTION |
| 20 | 北端の混迷 | FABRICATE FOG |
| 21 | 敗走 | EMBARRASSMENT |
| 22 | 無人街 | REVERSAL PROCESS |
| 23 | 橋が落ちる日 | MARTIAL LAW |
| 24 | 出島、空爆 | NUCLEAR POWER |
| 25 | 楽園の向こうへ | THIS SIDE OF JUSTICE |
| 26 | 憂国への帰還 | ENDLESS∞GIG |
## Solid State Society and compilation releases
The third installment, *Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society* (2006), is a full-length television film set in 2034, two years after the refugee uprising. A rebuilt Section 9, expanded by twenty new members, confronts a wave of incidents linked to the super-wizard-class hacker known as the Puppeteer (傀儡廻), while Kusanagi, who has left the unit, investigates independently using multiple remote prosthetic bodies.[6](https://theghostintheshell.jp/series/stand_alone_complex)
Two compilation films re-edit the television seasons. *The Laughing Man*, released on DVD on September 23, 2005 at 159 minutes, re-edits the first season's 26 episodes around the Laughing Man incident with new cuts and newly recorded dialogue.[7](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac-the-laughing-man/) A corresponding *Individual Eleven* compilation condenses the second season's 26 episodes into about two hours and forty minutes.[14](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iuswrrest/api/core/bitstreams/9f37ef5b-6f8e-4001-bf62-88e9e1438f8b/content)
## Broadcast and availability
The first season was broadcast as pay-per-view on SKY PerfecTV in 2002, and its later over-the-air broadcast broadened the audience to younger and female viewers; the work is often called the third "Ghost" of the franchise after the original manga and [Mamoru Oshii](https://www.edgepedia.org/mamoru-oshii)'s 1995 film.[1](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/introduction/article/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex) [Home video](https://www.edgepedia.org/home-video) releases began with DVD volume 1 on December 21, 2002, containing the first two episodes.[15](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac/goods/dvd_bd.html) In 2025, Kodansha streamed all 26 first-season episodes free on the official Ghost in the Shell YouTube channel, with weekly premieres every Friday at 9:00 PM JST from May 2 to October 24, 2025, each archived for two days.[2](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/news/stand-alone-complex-youtube)
## References
1. [GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX – INTRODUCTION, Ghost in the Shell Official Global Site](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/introduction/article/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex)
2. ["Ghost in the Shell: STAND ALONE COMPLEX" to Stream for Free on YouTube, Ghost in the Shell Official Global Site](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/news/stand-alone-complex-youtube)
3. [Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Episode List, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/1935/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/episodes)
4. [Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Episodes), Ghost in the Shell Wiki](https://ghostintheshell.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell%3A_Stand_Alone_Complex_%28Episodes%29)
5. [Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Arcs Guide, SkipTheFiller](https://skipthefiller.com/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex-arcs)
6. [STAND ALONE COMPLEX, 攻殻機動隊グローバルサイト](https://theghostintheshell.jp/series/stand_alone_complex)
7. [攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX The Laughing Man, Production I.G](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac-the-laughing-man/)
8. [STAND ALONE COMPLEX – STAFF/CAST, Ghost in the Shell Official Global Site](https://theghostintheshell.jp/en/series/stand_alone_complex)
9. [Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Criterion Channel](https://www.criterionchannel.com/series/KEdyodxa/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex)
10. [攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX 各話紹介, Production I.G](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac/episodes/index.html)
11. [The Laughing Man and the Concept of a Stand Alone Complex, East Carolina University scholarship](https://thescholarship.ecu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/1c8cc485-6160-4c25-9e7b-df48d2d05dbd/content)
12. [Laughing Man & Complex, AnimeHistory.org](https://www.animehistory.org/anime/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex/lore/laughing-man-incident/)
13. [攻殻機動隊 S.A.C. 2nd GIG, Production I.G](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac-2nd-gig/index)
14. [Ruh PhD dissertation, Indiana University ScholarWorks](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iuswrrest/api/core/bitstreams/9f37ef5b-6f8e-4001-bf62-88e9e1438f8b/content)
15. [攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX DVD・Blu-ray情報, Production I.G](https://www.production-ig.co.jp/works/ghost-in-the-shell-sac/goods/dvd_bd.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Anime series, episodes, and franchises › Anime episode lists and season guides*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license