Tamal Kundu
Major Motoko Kusanagi and Batou are two main characters in the ‘Ghost in the Shell’ universe. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War’ is a condensed version of the first season of the TV anime ‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.’ Set in 2045, the film depicts Major, Batou, and their team’s conflict with the newest global threat, the posthumans. When the film begins, it has been 11 years since the events of ‘Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society.’ The former members of Public Security Section 9 are now mercenaries working under the code name GHOST. If you are wondering whether Major and Batou survive in ‘Sustainable War,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does Motoko Kusanagi Die?
No, Major Motoko Kusanagi doesn’t die in ‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War.’ At the start of the film, GHOST works for a security firm known as Obsidian. While on a mission to deal with a group of raiders set to attack a gated community, Major and her team discover that a one-percenter has supplied the hooligan group with their weapons. After the mission ends unsuccessfully, NSA agent John Smith approaches GHOST and tasks them to retrieve Patrick Huge, who is later revealed to be a posthuman, an entity who has unprecedented levels of intelligence and cognitive speed and the ability to control humans and cyborgs’ cyberbrains.
Major and her team eventually return to Japan and begin searching for the three posthumans present there — former boxer Sanji Yaguchi, school student Takashi Shimamura, and Suzuka Mizukane. They don’t learn much about Mizukane, but the other two make their presence known. Yaguchi begins killing corrupt politicians and exploitive business people, whereas Shimamura comes to visit his mother while Major and Togusa are there. Eventually, Yaguchi has the chance to attack the prime minister but doesn’t take it. Major defeats him and reluctantly hands him over to the NSA.
Does Batou Die?
No, Batou doesn’t die in ‘Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War.’ He is Major’s closest subordinate and has been with her since the beginning. In this film, he develops an antagonistic relationship with Smith because the latter’s activities often put him and his colleagues in grave danger. After Batou returns to Japan, he helps Major as she tries to find the three posthumans.
Toward the end of the film, Batou travels to Kyoto with Togusa to learn more about Takashi Shimamura, a student who has become a posthuman. He follows Togusa as the latter experiences Shimamura’s memories. He looks away for a moment. When he turns back, Togusa is gone.
In one of the final scenes of the movie, Togusa calls on the landline, seemingly from the memories of Shimamura. He seems to be as surprised as Batou that he is alive. After leaving a cryptic message with Batou, Togusa ends the call, and a tear rolls down his face. Even though Togusa’s whereabouts are unknown, the entire Public Security Section 9 survives their first encounter with the posthumans.
