MACHINE/SOUL
Ghost in the Shell

// Batou

The "muscle" behind Section Nine and Major Kusanagi's frequent partner, Batou is a committed and serious agent when engaged in a mission, and a good companion and occasional comedian when he's not. Like most of Section Nine's team, Batou possesses a cyberbrain. In addition, he has cybernetically enhanced eyes. When not on duty, Batou spends much of his time exercising in the gym.

Being the one of the main male characters, Batou is in command somewhere after the Major, and one of the best fighters on the team. He's quite the joker, but also has a fiery temper and is quick to anger. This is especially true when he witnesses injustice (though he's not as idealistic as Togusa) and when other government agencies dump their mess on Section 9. He is the Major's closest confidant in the team.


//Dive Deeper

The Mementos Like the Major, Batou has seemingly a useless item of high sentimental importance. For Batou, it's his set of training weights, which he increasingly collects. He doesn't need to, considering his body is mostly cyborg. Since he used to be a Ranger in the Japanese Self Defense Force (military special ops), Batou's voice actor has commented that this practice to remind himself of his individuality and his history.

The Tachikomas Batou gives the tachikoma tanks much care and affection, like pets. For this reason, he also a favorite member of the tachikoma tanks. He has even designated a favorite tank and feeds the tanks natural oil as a treat. This special attention causes the tachikomas to develop individual personalities, which often leaves the viewers wondering about the nature of humanity.

Character Design Shirow and GitS's staff have mentioned that his character design was influenced by Steven Seagal and the Minotaur. Steven Seagal is popular action film star who, in the 1980s-1990s, held an archtype of being hyper masculine, similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. The Minotaur is a figure in Greek mytholgy that is half man and half bull.


// Featured Episodes

Season 1: Ep 10 JUNGLE CRUISE
There's a serial killer on the loose who has a horrific style of torturing his victims. Batou recognizes this, as he saw the same methods employed years ago on the battlefield. The killer is a former soldier driven mad by the memories of the terror tactics he was made to use. Batou, angered by what he had seen, starts to lose his cool, reverting back to the mentality of the jungle. In the end, he shows his maturity by overcoming the urge to kill the maniac and follow through with his responsibilities.

Season 1: Ep 16 AG20
Batou goes undercover as a gym trainee to investigate a former Olympic athlete who may be a spy. He becomes friends with the man, and respects him, which makes it all the more difficult when it turns out that athlete is a spy. It's hard when your hero fail you, and it's even worse when you're the one who has to bring down your hero. Batou struggles with his sentiment, conscience, and disappointment. This ep shows Batou's opinions on his work that we've never seen before.