Ghost in the Shell (2026) Ep.10 - Wait, that's it? That's the ending?

Episode 10 of Ghost in the Shell (2026) concludes the series with an ending reminiscent of the original movie I watched long ago, and it honestly left me stunned because I was not expecting it to end so abruptly. Keep in mind that I never read the manga, so I didn't know what was coming in this series.

Long story short, the series ends with Motoko and the Puppet Master merging into a single entity that is neither of them. After a time skip, Motoko wakes up in a new body that Batou prepared and begins her new life, while Section 9 remains active. Of course they just leave a side line note about it, but never show what happened to everyone else.

I still think the 90s style, but adapted to the new level of quality of anime of 2026 was a great choice. Motoko feels more...original.

I had a severe lack of good screenshots in this episode for some reason so here's another one with Motoko from another angle.

It's exactly what happened in the original movie I watched long ago, but while the body was a goth lolita back then, this time around it was a feminine male. The look on Batou's face when he realized the body wasn't female was priceless; I guess he was hoping for something else.

As for the rest, there was the entire section featuring the philosophical discussion between Motoko and the Puppet Master about what it means to be alive, which was genuinely interesting and shallow at the same time. It felt like a "been there, done that" kind of thing, but I'm not faulting the series here, because the source material is ancient and was novel back then.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to think about this series, because it started great and I loved the new personality they gave Motoko. The cheerful demeanor, her relationships with female friends, and her past as a mercenary were all amazing hints that unfortunately led nowhere.

There were many episodes that felt like "why is this here?," feeling like just a way to add a new mechanic or event without really progressing the plot. You know, that episodic approach to anime that was more common two decades ago. It's usually not bad when the content is good, but in this case, it was spotty at best.

The whole philosophical part of the discussion was interesting, but why was she naked? Fanservice? Not that I mind.

Poor guy, he was always interested in Motoko, but never got as much as a glance from her. Even till the very end!

The series never really delved deeply enough into any of those side threads, focusing mostly on chasing the Puppet Master and searching for the truth behind this entity. It's not a bad idea, but getting people hooked on the setting and then not delivering isn't great. I still enjoyed the series as a whole, but honestly, I'd find it hard to recommend to anyone who isn't already a fan of the franchise. I guess that was the point...