Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

At a geisha house, the female androids have gone out of control. They have taken hostage two members of a foreign body, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister's secretary, and the head of the Minister's Support Association. The situation is complicated by a feud over authority between the police and the military. Section 9 Chief Aramaki lends a helping hand and brings in his unit to resolve the crisis.

A prototype multiped tank has destroyed two other prototypes and broken out of a testing facility. Section 9, employing its own smaller multipeds, the Tachikomas, is brought in to stop it. The hijacker is using the ID of the tank's designer who had recently died. Whoever is operating the tank, their motives are unknown. Section 9 has little time to figure out these two mysteries before the tank enters the urban area.

A certain type of android, the GA07_JL, nicknamed Jeri by its users, has been affected by a virus. Recently, all Jeri model androids have been committing "suicide". Section 9 is called in as it may be related to a virus detected in an android at the National Assembly Building.

A former colleague of Togusa's named Yamaguchi calls and asks him to look at some sensitive data related to the Laughing Man case. Before Yamaguchi can arrive with the material, however, the car he is driving swerves off of the road and explodes. Aramaki allows Togusa to investigate Yamaguchi's death and Togusa is able to retrieve the information that his colleague wanted him to look at. The information could implicate high-ranking officials within Police HQ.

During a press conference in the previous episode, Superintedent-General Daidō had been publicly threatened by the person known as the Laughing Man. Through an intermediary, the Laughing Man had demanded that Daidō reveal "the truth" or else he would be, "removed from the stage." For six years the Special Investigations Unit, which is part of the Metropolitan Police that Daidō oversees, has been working on this case. It now seems that they have found a possible suspect in Nanao=A, a man with dubious connections. Still acting from behind the scenes, Section 9 continues their own investigation into the Laughing Man incident.

At a press conference, the Superintendent-General makes himself a prime target for the Laughing Man's threat. Section 9 has gathered enough evidence to arrest Nanao=A, but before they can, he is able to release a modular, delayed-action virus. The virus seems to only affect those on the security detail that is guarding Superintendent-General Daidō. However, Section 9 will not know who on the security team has been taken over by the virus until the symptoms begin to manifest. By that time, it may be too late.

It has come to the attention of the Minister of Home Affairs that Jenoma revolutionary leader Marcelo Jarti has been visiting Japan regularly every five months. Jarti is one of the world’s foremost wanted men, and has been targeted for assassination by commandos of the United States Delta Force and United Kingdom Special Air Service (SAS) a total of six times. Miraculously, he has survived each of these attempts. When Jarti returns to Japan following the most recently failed assassination attempt, Section 9 is called in to trail him and determine why Jarti has been visiting their country, with unexpected results.

Motoko is asked by her friend Kurutan to investigate a strange scenario. A six-year old girl's life was saved by an immediate heart transplant. When her parents tried to send their gratitude to the donor, the donor's parents filed a police report since they never gave permission for the donation. What's more, the investigating officer has now been hospitalized after an accident. There is more to this case then meets the eye and Motoko and her colleagues must find out who's behind these apparent illegal organ donations.

A gathering is initiated in cyberspace to discuss the Laughing Man. After a six year absence, the super-hacker reemerged from the shadows of the net and publicly threatened to assassinate Superintendent-General Daido of the Niihama Metropolitan Police ("INTERCEPTER"). With an audience watching across the net, several people take their places at a table in order to pass around their theories as to why the Laughing Man returned and to discuss what happened during the assassination attempt at the press conference ("DECOY" and "MEME").