In the near future, nanomachine and cybernetic technology have advanced to the point of becoming commonplace. Almost all humans have integrated technology into themselves. However, the world keeps turning, and governments and corporations alike jockey for control over the populace. Technology has merely allowed for new avenues of oppression and terrorism. Major Motoko Kusanagi and Public Security Section 9 are at the forefront of this new battlefield, fighting both technologically enhanced criminals as well as cyberspace hackers who lurk on the net.