A.D. 2029

Ghost In The Shell is set in 2029, in a world where the Net has reached its peak of development. This is a world where no one ever needs to step outside: work, pleasure and life's daily necessities are all online.

However, not matter to what extent information fills society, in order to be useful it needs a suitable outlet. Newspapers, radio, TV and other media for sorting and collecting information are still developing. Electronic networks like the Internet are coming into daily use. Anyone, individuals or organizations, can hook up to the Net. Likewise, anyone can be a source of information, and anyone may receive it. The variety, speed and reciprocal nature of this information swapping has brought society many advantages of massive value.

Ever more advanced, cyborgs are commonplace in 2029. The cyborgs of Ghost In The Shell have powers surpassing human capabilities, not least because all vital organs except the brain are replaceable. Cyborgs are hooked up to the Net, where information exchange can flow directly to and from the brain. However, this has led to questions about the ethics of swapping human organs with artificial ones. What makes a person human? What is the soul? The answer in 2029 is this: you are defined by your 'ghost'. No matter how much of your flesh is man-made, you remain human as long as your 'ghost' is intact.

Not all the benefits of this cybernetic society are being used for peaceful purposes, as the military has been greatly empowered by this technology. In the war of information, those who use the Net wisely reap the rewards - while those who do not suffer. The more powerful humans become and the more access they have to information, the more sophisticated a calibre of criminal will emerge to smuggle in weapons, carry out indiscriminate acts of terrorism - and make criminal use of the Net. Crimes that were once impossible to stage without an accomplice are now child's play with the help of the Net and cyborgs of 2029. For this reason the government has formed a secret service unit in order to combat a wave of crime it cannot deal with alone under conventional methods. Enter the all cyborgs Shell Squad…