New Ghost in the Shell Anime Recasts Main Voice Cast, Maaya Sakamoto Takes Over as Motoko Kusanagi After Atsuko Tanaka

The new television anime in the Ghost in the Shell series, titled THE GHOST IN THE SHELL, aired on July 7 on the Kansai TV and Fuji TV network. Cast information was also revealed, confirming that the main cast has been completely renewed. Maaya Sakamoto now voices protagonist Motoko Kusanagi, a role previously performed by voice actress Atsuko Tanaka, who died in 2024.

Other cast changes include Kazuhiro Yamaji taking over the role of Daisuke Aramaki from Osamu Saka, Hiroki Yasumoto taking over Batou from Akio Otsuka, Yuichi Nakamura taking over Togusa from Koichi Yamadera, Kosuke Goto taking over Ishikawa from Yutaka Nakano, Toru Nara taking over Saito from Toru Okawa, and Tomoko Kaneda taking over Fuchikoma from Sakiko Tamagawa, who previously voiced Tachikoma.

The highly anticipated Motoko Kusanagi appeared early in the episode. Her first line was, “You are noisy. I know. If you leave cipher conversion to AI, even cats and mice will hear it.”

About the Ghost in the Shell Series

Ghost in the Shell is a science fiction work created by manga artist Masamune Shirow. It began serialization in 1989 in Young Magazine Kaizokuban, a special issue of the youth manga magazine Young Magazine. The story follows Motoko Kusanagi, a full body cyborg with exceptional abilities in cyber warfare and hand to hand combat, and the assault unit known as Ghost in the Shell, which she leads as it confronts increasingly sophisticated violent crimes.

With realistic and detailed artwork, cyberpunk elements, and philosophical themes, the series deeply explores the fusion of humanity and technology, as well as questions of personal identity. It has influenced many creators. The three collected volumes, The Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Man Machine Interface, and Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human Error Processor, have been published by Kodansha.

The series has also expanded across multiple media. Beginning with Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 animated film Ghost in the Shell, it has continued to deliver a wide range of works, including animation projects and a Hollywood live action film, becoming a popular franchise that has continued to surprise and inspire audiences around the world.

Story of the New Anime

The new anime is set in Japan in the year 2029, a near future where corporate networks cover the planet and electrons and light move through the world, yet society has not become so fully information based that nations and ethnic groups have disappeared.

Motoko Kusanagi, a full body cyborg, leads an elite unit that includes Batou while seeking to establish a special unit designed to prevent crimes before they happen. Daisuke Aramaki of the Ministry of Home Affairs, who has been planning a similar unit, recruits Kusanagi and her team. They then begin operating as Public Security Section 9, an offensive organization also known as Ghost in the Shell.

As they confront cyber crimes amid international conspiracies, the investigation of one case leads to the emergence of an unidentified hacker known as the Puppet Master. What fate awaits Kusanagi, and what is the Puppet Master’s true objective? The anime depicts a new era of cyberpunk action.

Atsuko Tanaka’s Legacy

Atsuko Tanaka was known for dubbing many international actors, including Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez. In anime, she was widely recognized for roles such as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell, Misuzu Suenaga in Salaryman Kintaro, Caster in Fate/stay night, Hanami in Jujutsu Kaisen, and Flamme in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.

Source : ORICON NEWS