# Where to Watch Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

**Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex streams on Netflix and Hoopla, and it's essential cyberpunk. Elite officer Major Motoko Kusanagi leads Section 9, a covert unit tackling cybercrime and political conspiracy in a future where minds can be hacked as easily as machines, headlined by the unforgettable Laughing Man case.**

## Where to Watch

- [Hoopla](https://www.hoopladigital.com/television/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex-season-1-mary-elizabeth-mcglynn/11079586)
- [Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/70213091)

Netflix and Hoopla both stream Stand Alone Complex, subbed and dubbed. Netflix is the most convenient option for most viewers; Hoopla is a great free alternative if your local library offers it.

## Synopsis

In a near-future where people routinely augment their bodies and connect their brains directly to the net, the line between human and machine has all but dissolved, and so have the old certainties about identity and truth. Major Motoko Kusanagi and the operatives of Section 9 investigate crimes that live in that blur: hacked memories, cyber-terrorism, and a mysterious figure whose face is erased from every feed. Balancing standalone cases with a slow-burning central conspiracy, it's a thoughtful, gorgeously realized thriller that asks what a 'self' even means when everything about you can be copied.

## Fast Facts

- **Format:** TV
- **Episodes:** 26
- **Premiered:** 2002
- **Studio:** production i.g., inc.
- **Score:** 8.2

## Watch Order

This is the first Stand Alone Complex season, the ideal entry point. It continues into a second season called 2nd GIG, and the famous 1995 film tells a separate story in its own continuity.

- Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG — sequel
- Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma na Hibi — side\_story
- Koukaku Kidoutai: Stand Alone Complex - Tachikoma na Hibi - Interval — side\_story

## If You Liked This

- **[Psycho-Pass](https://hozuna.com/anime/psycho-pass)** — Psycho-Pass is the natural next watch, a cerebral cyberpunk thriller about crime, control, and technology gone too far.
- **[Cyberpunk: Edgerunners](https://hozuna.com/anime/cyberpunk-edgerunners)** — Cyberpunk: Edgerunners brings the same neon-soaked, augmented future with a shorter, harder-hitting punch.
- **[Cowboy Bebop](https://hozuna.com/anime/cowboy-bebop)** — Cowboy Bebop shares the mature, jazzy, philosophical sci-fi sensibility that makes this world so easy to sink into.
- **[Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2](https://hozuna.com/anime/attack-on-titan-season-3-part-2)** — 
- **[Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood](https://hozuna.com/anime/fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood)** — 
- **[Re:Zero Season 4](https://hozuna.com/anime/re-zero-season-4)** — 
- **[Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc](https://hozuna.com/anime/chainsaw-man-reze-arc)** — 
- **[Steins;Gate](https://hozuna.com/anime/steins-gate)** — 

## FAQ

### Where can I watch Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex?

It streams on Netflix and Hoopla, in both subbed and dubbed versions.

### How many episodes is Stand Alone Complex?

The first season is 26 episodes, followed by a second season, 2nd GIG.

### Do I need to watch the Ghost in the Shell movie first?

No. Stand Alone Complex is its own continuity, separate from the 1995 film, so you can start here without any background.