Forum - View topicGitS: Confused on characters
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Hisdon
 Posts: 411 Location: Poquoson, VA |
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Basically, I'm confused over who's humen and who's cyborg, and what the difference is.
From what I'm gathering from my limited viewing so far, everyone seems to have some sort of implant that allows them to do a variety of things, and then there's cyborgs, who are even more mechanical than natural. However, this is extremely confusing to me, since I really don't get what the differences are. In the world that GitS takes place in, are there even people who have no form of implants? At what point in these implants does one become a cyborg? Or are the cyborgs more like artificial humens than humens who recieved heavy implantation? Thanks in advance |
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sean
Posts: 101 |
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First off, its humans. But getting beyond that, everyone in GITS has what they call a cyber brain. I am assuming this is some sort of capsule that keeps the brain functioning without the need of a body. They also commonly refer to themselves as having a soul, implying that the soul is linked to the brain. But that is neither here nor there. It seems that you can either have this cyber brain implanted into your body or you can chose to have your cyber brain implanted into a mechanical body for obvious reasons.
There are strict definitions on the terms cyborg, but I am just going to assume based on your question that you mean a robot without a human brain. Therefore, it is just that, a robot with some sort of artificial intelligence. |
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Johnni86
Posts: 23 |
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Not all of the members of section 9 have implants. If i am not mistaken Togusa does not have a cyber brain he also has minimal implants, i mean he is actually flesh and bones where as all the other members are fully cyborg. As for the other non-section9 members not everyone has implants or a cyber brain it is basically a personal preference there are people who want them and people who want to be all natural. From my understanding the cyber brain does not actually have a human brain in it, it is just a computer with the person's "sole" in it, i got this because in one eps Motoko actually changes cyber brains. As for where the line is between human cyborg and robot, this is kind of one of the questions the show seeks to answer, like Motoko has no real flesh and bone so is she a cyborg or a robot or even human. As far as an answer the show more or less leaves it up to the viewer.
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Azathrael
 Posts: 745 |
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The point of the anime is to address that specific question: what's the borderline between "man" and "machine"?
Every major character that appears in Ghost in the Shell has some kind of implant (specifically the thing behind their neck that allows them to hook themselves up to peripherals using a cable link). Children obviously aren't born with them. Togusa has minimal implants so he'd be considered most human. Same goes for Aramaki, I think. Batou is a full cyborg, meaning he has no human body part whatsoever. I'm not sure about Motoko, but she probably is full cyborg also, seeing as how she's spoiler[able to switch bodies] There is no mention of a "soul" in Ghost in the Shell. It's specifically called a "Ghost" and what Motoko does when she spoiler[transfers bodies] is probably something like transferring her Ghost and her mind to a machine like copying a hard drive onto another. This is all in assumption that your mind can exist in a machine-platform rather than an organism-platform and that it can also be transferred without loss of data or some kind of side effect from having your Ghost transported from one body to another. Another thing to note is that in Solid State Society, spoiler[Motoko controls up to two separate bodies at once, like a machine.] That raises the question of what a Ghost actually is, whether it can exist in multiple places at once, and exactly how it remains with your mind, spoiler[and where the mind actually is when Motoko is controlling two bodies with one mind]. There are "artificial" humans, which are computers that only look and move like a human with limited reasoning capabilities, and they're the work dogs of Section 9. You see them as generic female characters that all look the same or the one male character that appeared quite frequently in Solid State Society. |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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Years ago I visited the Vancouver Art Gallery to view their show based on the theme of cyborgs and the image of post-industrial mankind in visual art. I went along for the guided tour of the show that started off with the guide providing an somewhat unusual definition of what a cyborg is. His definition was one of a human with any form of mechanical or material augmentation to supplement or enhance the capabilities of the base human form. Thus by that definition a person who wears glasses to correct their vision is a cyborg. Hardly the thought that makes for enthralling science fiction but an interesting definition. The cyberbrain depicted in Ghost in the Shell lies on that train of thought and at a further distance away according to my understanding: it is a human brain (and presumably part of the stem) enhanced by mechanical/electronic implants. Furthermore it is encased and appears to be transferrable from one cranium to another.
My understanding is that a cyborg by the above definition must have organic/human components. Following that reasoning then a humanoid without human components is by definition a robot. Though personally I'd have trouble accepting a human body with a mechanical "brain" as being a cyborg. The problem being that such an entity would be lacking a "ghost". I think at best such an entity would posses a dubbed ghost and that isn't exactly a good arrangement. I've forgotten the details but I think there was a concept in the show about dubbed ghosts being inherently unstable or unsustainable or that a ghost that was being dubbed would eventually deteriorate. Someone correct me on this point please. In closing I believe it's safe to say that a large proportion of the characters in the Ghost in the Shell universe are cyborgs. Some obviously have more cybernetic enhancements than others with the penultimate form being the essentially robotic body with a cyberbrain at the helm. |
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Samurai-with-glasses
 Posts: 628 |
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So the line between an artificial "ghost" and a real "ghost" was blurred -- not made clear. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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It depends on which Ghost in the Shell incarnation the movie-verse or the Stand Alone Complex series universe, but anyhow here's what I remember from SAC:
Major Motoko Kusanagi: Full Cyborg, completely mechical. Batou: Full Cyborg Saito: Mechanical right arm, Left Eye, and Cyberbrain only Togusa: Cyberbrain only, everything else is what he was born with Bouma: Mechanical eye ogmentation, cyberbrain, possible other stuff Pazu: Cyber brain, probabally other stuff Ishkawa: Cyberbrain, probabally other stuff
Then the show accomplished it's goal. It's intended to make you think philosophically and psychologically. 
A Cyberbrain is basically an incasement for the brain that allows the person to access the internet wireless with just a thought, as well as transfer and store memories outside of your body. The indications of which are those plugs in the back of people's necks that allow them to connect to other people and computer terminals. Although the majority of people in the GITS universe have them, there are purist and naturalist groups of people that believe they're violations of the body and don't use them. Then there's the fact that cyberization costs money and that it's not something the lower class or the poor can afford. Also there's a lot of people like Togusa who want to be as natural as possible in order to enjoy what life has to offer, touch, taste, sight, sound, smell and believe that if they get artificial parts that those senses will only be a simulation of what they once were and not the real thing. Then again those at section 9 have the better top of the line parts as opposed to what would generally roll off of a normal assembely line as they are government employees who get millitary grade hardware. |
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