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Watch order

How to watch Ghost in the Shell in order.

Every Ghost in the Shell season, movie and special, in the order it was released. Tick entries off as you watch. Your progress stays in this browser.

  • 14 entries
  • 5 in the main story
  • 42.9 hours total

Ghost in the Shell viewing order

Main story in release order

  1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (TV, 2002, 26 episodes)
  2. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (TV, 2004, 26 episodes)
  3. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (TV Special, 2006)
  4. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 (ONA, 2020, 12 episodes)
  5. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2 (ONA, 2022, 12 episodes)

0 of 14 watched1 d 18 h 51 min left

  1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex

    Main storyTV200226 eps24 min each≈ 10 h 24 min

  2. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG

    Main storyTV200426 eps25 min each≈ 10 h 50 min

  3. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days Fan Disc

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma na Hibi - Interval

    Side storySpecial20043 eps1 min each≈ 3 min

  4. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man

    RecapOVA20051 ep160 min each

  5. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man - Tachikomatic Days

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man - Tachikoma na Hibi

    Side storySpecial20051 ep2 min each

  6. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven

    RecapOVA20061 ep161 min each

  7. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven - Tachikomatic Days

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven - Tachikoma na Hibi

    Side storySpecial20061 ep3 min each

  8. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society

    Main storyTV Special20061 ep108 min each

  9. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma na Hibi (TV)

    Side storyTV200712 eps3 min each≈ 36 min

  10. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society: Uchikomatic Days

    Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society - Uchikoma na Hibi

    Side storySpecial20071 ep4 min each

  11. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045

    Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045

    Main storyONA202012 eps24 min each≈ 4 h 48 min

  12. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - Sustainable War

    Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 - Jizoku Kanou Sensou

    RecapMovie2021118 min

  13. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2

    Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 Season 2

    Main storyONA202212 eps24 min each≈ 4 h 48 min

  14. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - The Last Human

    Koukaku Kidoutai: SAC_2045 - Saigo no Ningen

    RecapMovie2023126 min

Ghost in the Shell at a glance

TypeEntriesEpisodesWatch time
Special4612 min
TV36421 h 50 min
OVA225 h 21 min
ONA2249 h 36 min
Movie224 h 4 min
TV Special111 h 48 min
Total14991 d 18 h 51 min

Where the movies, OVAs and specials fit

Extras are placed by premiere date. “Premiered during” names the TV series that had most recently started, so watch it up to that point first. Main-story extras are linked as sequels or prequels; side stories are optional; recaps retell episodes you have already seen.

EntryTypePremieredPremiered duringWatch it?
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic Days Fan DiscSpecial2004Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGOptional side story
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing ManOVA2005Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGOptional recap
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man - Tachikomatic DaysSpecial2005Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGOptional side story
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual ElevenOVA2006Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGOptional recap
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG - Individual Eleven - Tachikomatic DaysSpecial2006Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGOptional side story
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State SocietyTV Special2006Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGMain story
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society: Uchikomatic DaysSpecial2007Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Tachikomatic DaysOptional side story
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - Sustainable WarMovie2021Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045Optional recap
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - The Last HumanMovie2023Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2Optional recap

Ghost in the Shell by the numbers

Start with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002), 26 episodes. The main story is 2 TV series, 1 TV special and 2 ONAs in release order, about 32.6 hours in total. The other 9 entries (5 side stories and 4 recaps) can be skipped on a first watch, which saves 10.2 hours.

The franchise spans 2002 (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) to 2023 (Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - The Last Human). The single longest entry is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, at 10 h 50 min. At 42.9 hours, it is longer than 73% of the 147 franchise guides on AnimeSparks. At 2 hours a day, everything takes about 22 days and the main story about 17 days.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002) is animated by Production I.G, adapted from a manga and tagged award winning, mystery and sci-fi. On MyAnimeList it averages 8.42 and ranks 640th by popularity.

Main-story entries5 of 14
Side stories5
Recap entries4
Release span2002–2023 (21 years)
Longest entryGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (10 h 50 min)
Main story share of watch time76%
Days at 2 hours a day22 (everything) · 17 (main story)

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start with Ghost in the Shell?

Start with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002), the first main-story entry in release order. 4 main-story entries follow.

How long does it take to watch all of Ghost in the Shell?

About 42.9 hours (99 episodes) for all 14 entries, or 32.6 hours for the main story alone. At 2 hours a day that is roughly 22 days.

Do I need to watch the side stories and recaps in Ghost in the Shell?

No. Of 14 entries, 5 are main story. The other 9 5 are side stories and 4 are recaps, so skipping them loses no main plot.

How this list is built

Entries are gathered from MyAnimeList’s sequel, prequel, side-story and summary links, starting from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. They are then sorted by original premiere date. Main-story entries are joined by sequel and prequel links. Everything else is marked as a side story or recap so you can skip it.

Watch time uses each entry’s listed runtime. Ongoing series count only the episodes aired so far, and unannounced entries count as zero until they premiere.

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Relations, air dates and runtimes: MyAnimeList via the Tenrai API · refreshed October 20, 2026.