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Wikipedia This article uses Creative Commons licensed content from Wikipedia's Togusa article.

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Togusa (トグサ Togusa) is the second most prominently featured male character in the Ghost in the Shell manga and anime series. In Stand Alone Complex, as well as the original Ghost in the Shell movie, it is stated that he is the only member of Section 9 who has not undergone cybernetic replacement in some manner as he had been referred to as a natural (though he does have a cyberbrain). In the manga, he is cybernetic like all other members.

Background[]

Togusa is married and has a young daughter, although it depends on the incarnation; in the S.A.C. universe, he also has a daughter. Togusa's personality varies somewhat between the manga, movies, and series. His personality in the manga he tends to be more emotional and plagued with feelings of failure; in the movies he is savvier but aware of his inexperience, and in the Stand Alone Complex his personality is a combination of the two. He also tends to be very temperamental and emotional, getting so outraged at one criminal committing murder right under his nose in an episode of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, that he seriously wounded the criminal and ends up on trial. He seems to be very friendly with Batou and he was arguably the one who cracked the Laughing Man case.

Togasa and His daughter

His history of being uncorrupted detective is one of the reasons he was recruited (as well as being a family man), to add an element of variety and unpredictability to the team. Togusa is the only member of Section 9 who had not come from the military, which at times makes him feel somewhat insecure in his abilities. Very fond of his archaic Mateba Autorevolver, Togusa is opting to use it over the standard-issue Seburo M5 even in the field, citing that it cannot jam and that "six bullets is enough to get the job done", a decision which everyone inquires about occasionally.

Togusa's fashion is rather distinctive: a thick mullet of hair, turtleneck sweaters and sports jackets.

Ghost in the Shell (film)[]

Togusa first appears in the 1995 film right at the beginning in a short scene in a surveillance van with Batou, but he is not introduced. He gets introduced a bit later when he is driving an armored van while Major Kusanagi dons her police armor in the back. He reveals his newness to the group by asking the Major why she requested he be transferred from the police to Section 9, and the Major tells him that different skills and ideas are necessary in the unit, because homogenization equals death in their line of work. Later Togusa's police instincts come into play, when he suspects something untoward involving Section 6, which leading up to the theft of The Puppet Master.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence[]

GITS2 takes place in the years after the events of the first film, featuring a cold and emotionless Batou as the lead. Togusa knows he's upset at the disappearance of Major Kusanagi and he's downright timid in the film.

This portrayal seems to break continuity from the original film, given that Innocence takes place years afterwards. He says early on he knows he can never replace the Major, but he never really asserts himself, either, and the unit seems to be carried entirely by Batou. Togusa agrees to babysit Batou's Basset hound during the case, much to his daughter's delight and his wife's consternation.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex[]

In Stand Alone Complex, several episodes involving an illegally used wiretap called an Interceptor refer to his background as a detective in the police force and his subsequent recruitment into Section 9. Togusa is the only member of Section 9, other than Batou, whose history is explored in Stand Alone Complex. Despite his background revelation, his first name was not mentioned. He is the one who actually breaks the Laughing Man Case.

Togusa is the least-augmented member of Section 9, but he can still fare well in melee combat against cyborgs (as seen in at least two episodes). All he has is the implanted cyber-brain, just like Chief Aramaki. He is somewhat skeptical of blurring of the lines between man and machine, but he also suffers the worst injuries due to being human. In the manga, Togusa is injured and hospitalized after got caught near a bomb blast. In Stand Alone Complex, he's shot while doing an investigation, which makes him wonders aloud if he shouldn't be a full cyborg. When Aramaki is taken away for questioning, Togusa got arrested and detained for some time before being released; it is stated that Aramaki did this intentionally in order to keep Togusa out of immediate danger, due to having a family and his earlier brush with death. Later he is shown working at the security company as an official cover while working for the government and is unaware of the fate of the other members for several months, effectively leaving him out of the loop because he was being heavily monitored. Though such behavior from the rest of Section 9 is rather odd as they can hack into government records without being discovered. Under normal circumstances, it is safe to presume that they would have no problem working around surveillance, and therefore should have been able to alert Togusa to the section's survival. Their failure to do so results in Togusa suffering a minor psychological break, and attempting to assassinate one of the perpetrators in the Laughing Man case, which would have been detrimental to the protection given to him.

Togusa expresses some disdain for the Tachikoma tanks, not to mention Batou's penchant for favoring one of the blue tanks. He dismissively calls one of them as "just a machine", causing outrage from the Tachikomas in the Section 9 hangar, with one calling him a bigot and another demanding a retraction of the statement. This contentious relationship continues in Second Gig, when Togusa and a Tachikoma are teamed up and go on a mission to abandoned Tokyo and the tank serves to mostly get under his skin (before saving it). But despite his dislike for the sentient machines, he can still spend leisure time with them; he is seen playing Othello with one, (although the Tachikoma thought they were playing 'Go' and attempts a critical stone capture, exclaiming "Checkmate", to which an exasperated Togusa replies "That's a completely different game!").

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society[]

In this feature film set in the S.A.C. universe, Major Kusanagi has left Section 9 and Togusa is now the head of field operations. Section 9 has grown considerably in this film, with a staff of more than 20. He has replaced his revolver for a Seburo M-10 pistol, although he carries his revolver on a back holster and his pistol on a shoulder holster. He has also undergone some form of cyberization (though what was cyberized was not mentioned) He has also informed his family of his work in Section 9. His cyberbrain was hacked while he was trying to get his daughter to safety. To stop his body from taking his daughter to the S.S.S., he was forced to attempt suicide with his revolver, but was stopped by the Major. He later on took part in the raid of the Solid State Society in their headquarters. He took out one exoskeleton and then acted as the bodyguard for Aramaki. It is shown that because he is now the field leader of Section 9, he is unable to spend time with his family as much as he used to, reflecting the common problem in Japan of disconnection between a salaryman and their families. Togusa has discussed undergoing full cyberisation with his family, in order to enhance his abilities for Section 9.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. [1]ntv.co.jp, Togusa
Characters of Ghost in the Shell
Public Security Section 9

Motoko Kusanagi | Daisuke Aramaki | Batou | Togusa | Ishikawa | Saito | Pazu | Boma |
Proto | Azuma | Yano | Tsunagi(Algorithm) | Purin Ezaki(SAC_2045) |
Maven(First Assault) | Kuro(First Assault) | Reiko(First Assault) | Sitara(First Assault) | Ladriya(2017)


Japanese Government and Military

Kubota | Kaoru Yakushima(S.A.C.) | Prime Minister(S.A.C.) | Yoko Kayabuki(2nd GIG) |
Takakura(2nd GIG) | Kazundo Gouda(2nd GIG) | Mamuro(Arise) | Chris Otomo Tate(SAC_2045)


Other Affiliations

Puppet Master | Laughing Man(S.A.C.) | Hideo Kuze | Kurutsu(Arise) | Akira Hose(Arise) |
John Smith(SAC_2045) | Standard(SAC_2045) | Post-humans(SAC_2045)

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