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In 2027, following the devastation of the Fourth World War, cyborg military specialist Major Motoko Kusanagi returns to Newport City to investigate the assassination of her commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mamuro. Attached to the 501 Secret Unit, Motoko finds herself entangled in a web of military corruption, cybernetic arms smuggling, and digital brain-hacking. Partnering with public security official Daisuke Aramaki, Motoko must determine whether Mamuro was a traitor involved in black-market cyber-brain trafficking, all while battling phantom false memories implanted directly into her neural cyberbrain by an elusive hacker.
⚠ Background — may contain spoilers
Motoko discovers that her unit commander, Kurutsu, and military officials framed Mamuro to cover up an illegal arms trade and money-laundering network. Motoko's own memories were manipulated by the Fire Starter virus, causing her to doubt her own ghost. With tactical assistance from detective Togusa and cyber-commando Batou, Motoko infiltrates the military funeral, exposes Kurutsu's digital tampering, and neutralizes the automated combat cyborgs. Motoko formally resigns from the 501 Organization to operate as an independent tactical operative under Aramaki's newly formed Public Security Section 9 division.
It feels a little too simple visually, and threatens to become bogged down in its homages to the original film, but this opening endeavour is a strong foundation upon which Arise can hopefully build significantly.
