Ghost in the Shell, the iconic sci-fi anime, is a bible for cyberpunk lovers. I guarantee it will give you a new perspective on the relationship between humans and machines, that is, if you can figure out how to begin it.
Before we get into the watch order, let me explain that there are three timelines in the Ghost in the Shell series: ‘Ghost in the Shell (Movies)’, ‘Stand Alone Complex,’ and ‘Arise.’
All of these narrate separate stories and do not have any correlation. In theory, they can be viewed in any order, but the original movie introduces some themes that amplify your enjoyment of the other parts. To take the load off your brain, we have arranged the anime into its perfect order to leave you with a filler-free juicy center!
1. How to watch Ghost in the Shell in Order?
The recommended way to watch Ghost in the Shell is to follow the order below. The list contains all the main installments of the franchise without any unnecessary specials or compilation movies in between.
- Ghost in the Shell Movie (1995)
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence Movie (2004)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Seasons 1 and 2
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society Movie (2006)
- Ghost in the Shell Arise Movies 1-4
- Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Alternative Architecture
- Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)
2. Ghost in the Shell Release Order
| Title | Type | Air Date |
| Ghost in the Shell | Movie | Nov 18, 1995 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days | Special | Oct 1, 2002 – Mar 25, 2003 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | Anime Series | Oct 1, 2002 – Oct 1, 2003 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | Anime Series | Jan 1, 2004 – Jan 8, 2005 |
| Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence | Movie | Mar 6, 200 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Tachikomatic Days | Special | Sep 10, 2004 – Sep 27, 2006 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man – Tachikomatic Days | Special | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man | Compilation Film | Sep 23, 2005 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Individual Eleven – Tachikomatic Days | Special | Jan 27, 2006 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Individual Eleven | Compilation Film | Jan 27, 2006 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society | Movie | Sep 1, 2006 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days | Special | May 2, 2007 – Apr 13, 2008 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society: Uchikomatic Days | Special | Jul 24, 2007 |
| Ghost in the Shell 2.0 | Movie | Jul 12, 2008 |
| Koukaku Kidoutai Arise: Another Mission | Special | Jun 4, 2013 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 1: Ghost Pain | Movie | Jun 22, 2013 |
| Koukaku Kidoutai Arise: Ghost in the Shell – Logicoma Specials | Special | Jul 26, 2013 – Sep 24, 2014 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 2: Ghost Whispers | Movie | Nov 30, 2013 |
| Koukaku Kidoutai Nyuumon Arise | Special | Jan 7 – Jul 1, 2014 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 3: Ghost Tears | Movie | Jun 28, 2014 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone | Movie | Sep 6, 2014 |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Alternative Architecture | Anime Series | Apr 5 – Jun 14, 2015 |
| Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie | Movie | Jun 20, 2015 |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 | ONA | Apr 23, 2020 |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Sustainable War | Movie | Nov 12, 2021 |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2 | OVA | May 23, 2022 |
| Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 – Saigo no Ningen | Movie | Nov 23, 2023 |
3. Where to watch Ghost in the Shell with Eng sub and dub?
You can watch Ghost in the Shell on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and scattered around other websites. However, not all seasons and movies are available to stream.
| Title | Watch with Eng Dub | Watch with Eng Sub |
| Ghost in the Shell | Tubi, Freeve, Pluto TV | – |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | Spectrum, Adult Swim, Hoopla, Direct TV | – |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | Spectrum, Adult Swim, Hoopla, Direct TV | – |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Tachikomatic Days | Crunchyroll, Funimation | Crunchyroll, Funimation |
| Ghost in the Shell 2.0 | Youtube Free, Freeve | |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Alternative Architecture | Crunchyroll, Funimation | Crunchyroll, Funimation |
| Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie | – | Funimation |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 | – | Netflix |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Sustainable War | – | Netflix |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2 | – | Netflix |
| Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 – Saigo no Ningen | – | – |
3.1 Where to watch Ghost in the Shell in your country?
| List | Canada | UK | Japan | Australia |
| Ghost in the Shell | Hollywood Suite, Prime Video | Prime Video, Mubi, Funimation, ITV | Netflix, Hulu, U-Stop | Stan |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | – | – | Hulu, U-Stop, Netflix, Prime Video | Tenplay |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | – | – | Hulu, Netflix | Tenplay |
| Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence | – | – | Netflix, Hulu, U-Stop | – |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man | – | – | Hulu | – |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society | – | Funimation | Netflix, Hulu | – |
| Ghost in the Shell 2.0 | Prime Video | Funimation | – | Prime Video, Plex, Tenplay |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 1: Ghost Pain | – | – | Netflix | – |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Alternative Architecture | Crunchyroll | Crunchyroll, Funimation | Netflix | Funimation, Crunchyroll |
| Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie | – | Funimation | Netflix, Hulu | Funimation |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 | Netflix | Netflix | Netflix | Netflix |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Sustainable War | Netflix | Netflix | Netflix | Netflix |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2 | Netflix | Netflix | Netflix | Netflix |
| Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 – Saigo no Ningen | – | – | – | – |
4. Can you download and watch Ghost in the Shell offline?
Most streaming services allow the download option with their subscription packages, so you can definitely download and watch Ghost in the Shell offline on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, and more.
| Crunchyroll | Fan – $7.99/month | No |
| Mega Fan – $9.99/month | Yes | |
| Ultimate Fan – $14.99/month | Yes | |
| Funimation | Premium: $5.99 a month / $59.99 per year | No |
| Premium Plus: $7.99 a month / $79.99 per year | Yes | |
| Premium Plus Ultra: $99.99 per year | Yes | |
| Netflix | Basic with ads: $6.99/month | No |
| Basic: $9.99/month | Yes | |
| Standard: $15.49/month | Yes | |
| Premium: $19.99/month | Yes | |
| Hulu | Ad-Supported: $7.99/month (or $79.99/year) | Yes |
| No Ads: $14.99/month | Yes | |
| Tubi | – | No |
| Pluto TV | – | No |
| Peacock | Premium: $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year | No |
| Premium Plus: $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year | Yes | |
| Vudu | Only Owned or Rented Movies/ Series | Yes |
| Hoopla | Free | Yes |
If the Ghost in the Shell anime, movies, or specials aren’t available on any streaming website in your area, then you can use a VPN to bypass the geo-block. Some of the top VPN service providers in the game are ExpressVPN, Nord VPN, Proton VPN, Cyberghost, and Private Internet Access, to name a few.
All you have to do is connect to a country where your preferred anime is streaming, and voila, you can now watch Ghost in the Shell even if it is unavailable in your region.
There are many unpaid VPN services at hand or free browser extensions. However, using low-tier VPN providers might decrease your speed and get you blocked by streaming services. Connection drops and unsecured encryption are also other disadvantages.
The important thing is that Ghost in the Shell is present on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Funimation’s catalogs, so set your VPN to a suitable location to access the anime from anywhere.
6. How much time will it take to complete Ghost in the Shell?
If you want to complete watching the whole Ghost in the Shell franchise, it will take you around 52 hours with no breaks. It will take you way less time if you just watch the recommended installments. However, a more realistic time would be if you break it up over the course of a week.
| Title | Duration |
| Ghost in the Shell | 82 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days | 26 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | 650 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | 650 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence | 99 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Tachikomatic Days | 26 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man – Tachikomatic Days | 2 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – The Laughing Man | 160 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Individual Eleven – Tachikomatic Days | 3 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG – Individual Eleven | 161 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society | 108 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days | 36 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society: Uchikomatic Days | 4 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell 2.0 | 83 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society 3D | 108 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society 3D: Tachikomatic Days | 12 Minutes |
| Koukaku Kidoutai Arise: Another Mission | 3 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 1: Ghost Pain | 118 Minutes |
| Koukaku Kidoutai Arise: Ghost in the Shell – Logicoma Specials | 12 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 2: Ghost Whispers | 56 Minutes |
| Koukaku Kidoutai Nyuumon Arise | 104 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 3: Ghost Tears | 58 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone | 59 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Alternative Architecture | 240 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie | 99 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 | 288 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Sustainable War | 98 Minutes |
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2 | 288 Minutes |
| Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 – Saigo no Ningen | 126 Minutes |
7. Which Ghost in the Shell Installment should you watch first?
It is hard to find a perfect viewing order for Ghost in the Shell, as many of its installments take place in different timelines. They do not connect with each other and can thus be watched separately. However, many otakus like to start the franchise by watching the 1995 movie.
8. About Ghost in the Shell
Ghost in the Shell is a cyberpunk-themed manga series created by Masamune Shirow and was first serialized in 1989 under Kodansha’s Young Magazine Kaizokuban. The story focuses on the protagonist Motoko Kusanagi who is a cyborg.
Set in the mid-21st century, Motoko leads a fictitious counter-cyberterrorist organization called the Public Security Section 9. Together, Motoko and her friends fight against dangerous cyberterrorists.
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