Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 season 2 follows the Section 9, led by Major Kusanagi, as they try to take down Takashi and his plans for an independent nation called “N”.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Section 9 is still on the lookout for Togusa who had disappeared. But meanwhile, they come to know about a cyber-brain engineer named Philip Kukushin who claims to know the code that led to the emergence of the post-humans.
Section 9 heads to find out more about the matter before John Smith could find him. Purin Esaki, using her deduction, traces down an assistant robot used by Philip to hide his identity but they also come across another post-human Suzuka Mizukane, who’s trying to eliminate Philip.
Purin and Batou had been tapped and Suzuka followed them to find Philip. Suzuka attacks the convoy containing Philip. Purin calls the Tachikomas for assistance, but Suzuka Mizukane manages to escape.
Batou comes to know from Philip that the American government created the AI to control the sustainable war. Purin discovers from the AI called 1A84 that the Americans created the AI to give birth to a system that would profit America resulting in the Global Simultaneous Default.
However, ultimately the NSA tried putting the AI in stasis when the AI escaped and started creating replications to enter other cyber-brains resulting in the post-humans.
Major Kusanagi decides to confront John Smith regarding the NSA’s role in the emergence of post-humans. The PM orders Smith’s arrest for espionage.
Meanwhile, Major Kusanagi keeps Esaki in quarantine as she suspects her to be a post-human as well. As the Major and Batou accompany John Smith to detain him, Esaki manages to escape the quarantine and lands up at PM Tate’s residence where she shoots one of his bodyguards before being taken down in retaliation.
The government decides to conduct a third-party enquiry but Chief Aramaki is confident that Esaki was not an American agent even if she was a post-human. It’s later revealed that the bodyguard shot by Esaki was the real assassin sent by John Smith, proving Esaki’s innocence.
Elsewhere, Togusa finds out that he is trapped in his own memories. He witnesses some memories before being suddenly transported to a devastated Tokyo in the year 2045. He calls Batou from a payphone.
Batou and the others head to Tokyo to find Togusa as reports start coming in that 3 million people have gathered in Tokyo to carry on a raid. In the meantime, an android robot attacks an American nuclear submarine.
On the other side, Togusa gets attacked by a group of people who identify themselves as “N” before being rescued by Batou and his team. Later, they notice that American special forces are being deployed in Tokyo.
They also find out Takashi and Suzuka are planning something big in the city as they have declared themselves to be “N”, a group of people aiming to create a free and equal society under the leadership of Big Brother, Takashi.
Meanwhile, Purin Esaki awakes as a fully prosthetic robot with the help of the Tachikomas. She decides to go to Tokyo to help the others.
An American soldier found by Batou and Togusa tells them that the post-humans promised not to attack America with the nuclear missile if the “N” are left alone, along with Suzuka and Takashi. He also reveals that the post-humans sleep only for 15 minutes in the day when they could be subdued.
Batou and his team decide to head to Suzuka’s base. They meet Major Kusanagi there following Suzuka. Having no way out, Major Kusanagi decides to capture Suzuka before the Americans do to avoid turning Tokyo into a warzone.
Meanwhile, Major Kusanagi chases Suzuka while Batou and Esaki close in on Takashi, along with others. Major Kusanagi attempts to get the switch to the network created by Takashi from Suzuka but the interference by American SEALs results in her death.
Togusa gets his hands on Takashi, who’s been sleeping, but before he could make his next move, Takashi wakes up from his sleep and realises that Suzuka is dead.
In a standoff, Major Kusanagi warns Takashi against launching the nuclear attack.
Takashi takes control of the Tachikoma carrying Togusa and reveals that he has transferred the power to launch the submarine to the 3 million “N” residing in Tokyo. He leaves with the Tachikoma with Togusa trapped inside.
The PM and Aramaki try to decode the next move by the Americans while Section 9 decides to track down Takashi before any of the “N” could use the nuclear button. Takashi releases Togusa and leaves with the Tachikoma while Togusa swears to stop him from achieving his goals.
Esaki hacks into the Pentagon and finds out that the Americans plan to use a smart gas to kill people in Tokyo.
If you have any doubts about the ending, here’s a complete breakdown.
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 season 2 ending explained in detail:
The armageddon
The PM contacts Section 9 to inform them that Chief Aramaki’s car has been bombed. He promises to talk to the American President to convince him to give up the plan of bombing Tokyo while Section 9 tries to capture the post-humans.
Takashi appears before Esaki and converts her to his cause. It’s also found out that Chief Aramaki is not dead.
Batou and Major Kusanagi find out about Esaki who confronts them. Togusa, meanwhile, finds his way to the nuclear submarine and takes down the android robot, which had taken control of the submarine.
Multiple members of Section 9 die in the fight with Esaki. Batou tries to convince Esaki while Major Kusanagi heads toward Takashi.
Major Kusanagi shoots Takashi and tries to remove the ghost hack used by him on the “N” while the Americans had started dispersing the smart gas on Tokyo. But upon Takashi’s death, the “N” click the button and the android robot wakes up in the submarine and launches the missile.
Double Think
As the nuclear missiles are launched into the air, Major Kusanagi is seen falling to the ground next to Takashi.
A while later, Section 9 is seen returning to their normal lives with the PM giving them a raise and a medal. Major Kusanagi realises that something is wrong as she seems to be stuck in a brain maze.
She visits John Smith to find the truth when she realises that she is connected to the network created by Takashi.
She’s able to wake herself up and comes across Esaki who tells her that Takashi has created a world devoid of any conflict using the concept of “Double Think” through which people are continuing their lives, before everything that happened, in a more peaceful world. Purin indicates that it could have begun when Togusa disappeared.
Afterwards, Esaki takes Kusanagi to Takashi who’s still engaged in spreading Double Think across the world through a network of wires.
The critical point
Takashi had converted the Americans to “N” an hour before the gas was dispersed. He had everything planned by playing out both sides according to his plans and has been successful in creating an equal world. Now, majority of the humans live in the Double Think without even realising it.
Takashi tells Kusanagi that he has failed by not making a contingency plan to stop Major from discovering everything. He tells her that she can restore the world by taking the cord out from his neck. Kusanagi asks Purin why she did not return to Section 9 and Purin reveals that it’s because she felt she betrayed Batou.
As Major gets ready to pull the wires out of Takashi, the screen blacks out and moves to the Section 9 headquarters where Kusanagi introduces Purin to the other members. PM Tate thanks Chief Aramaki.
In the end, Major Kusanagi bids farewell to Batou and decides on the code word “1A84” in case they do not recognise each other the next time they meet.
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