The year is 2034; two years after Major Motoko Kusanagi left Public Security Section 9, the elite counter-terrorist and anti-crime unit specializing in cyber warfare. In that time, Section 9 has increased its appointed personnel to 20 operatives, with Togusa taking over as leader of the unit.

Section 9's latest assignment sees the team confronted by a rash of mysterious suicides involving operatives of the disbanded Siak Republic, many of whom had sought asylum in Japan. They manage to track down Ka Gae-Ru, a former Siak Colonel who has taken a hostage in the hope of negotiating safe passage out of the country. Confronted by Section 9, a fearful Gae-Ru issues a cryptic warning that The Puppeteer is coming, before killing himself. Investigations suggest that The Puppeteer is an ultra-wizard hacker who is not only responsible for the recent spate of suicides but is also behind a series of child abductions. But who is the Puppeteer and what is the connection to the so-called Solid State Society? An unexpected encounter between Batou and Major Motoko leaves the former with his own theory, one that is almost impossible to comprehend...

Written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost In The Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG; Blood: The Last Vampire) and produced by the same creative team responsible for the hugely successful Stand Alone Complex series, this completely new and all-original chapter in the action-packed sci-fi saga is as thematically and visually breathtaking as its predecessors!