The Ghost in the Shell Anime Reveals Its Japanese Voice Cast, With Maaya Sakamoto as Motoko

A new cast steps into Section 9

The team behind Ghost in the Shell has revealed the Japanese voice cast for The Ghost in the Shell, the new Science SARU television series, alongside a fourth key visual and a sixth promotional video. Bandai Namco Filmworks shared the lineup through its V-STORAGE news channel, and Anime News Network confirmed the full roster.

Maaya Sakamoto headlines the cast as Motoko Kusanagi. The role carries added weight this time. Atsuko Tanaka, who voiced the Major across the franchise for decades, died in August 2024. Sakamoto is no stranger to the character, having voiced her in the Ghost in the Shell: Arise films, which makes the succession feel less like a reset than a handover of a role that has defined the series since 1995.

Who is joining her

According to the announcement, Kazuhiro Yamaji voices Daisuke Aramaki, Hiroki Yasumoto plays Batou, and Yuichi Nakamura takes on Togusa. The wider Section 9 ensemble rounds out with Kosuke Goto as Ishikawa, Toru Nara as Saito, and Tomoko Kaneda as Fuchikoma, the series' iconic think tank. Anime News Network lists further supporting roles, including Marie Oi as the unit's Operator and Chafurin as the Minister of Home Affairs.

The reveal arrived with comments from the cast and fresh promotional material, a sign the production is treating the new lineup as a centerpiece of its rollout rather than a quiet footnote.

What the series is

The Ghost in the Shell is a fresh adaptation of Masamune Shirow's cyberpunk manga, produced by Science SARU with a production committee that also includes Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, and Production I.G. It returns to the near future of 2029, where Motoko Kusanagi leads Public Security Section 9, an elite unit built to counter cybercrime, terrorism, and the conspiracies that thread through a hyper connected society.

Music is a notable draw as well. King Gnu performs the opening theme, "Go Ghost," while MILLENNIUM PARADE, featuring Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar, handle the ending theme, "Blue."

Where and when to watch

The series premiered on July 7 in Japan on the "Ka-Anival!!" Tuesday night block across Kansai TV and Fuji TV. It is streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and regions, with the first two episodes having screened earlier at Annecy in June and at Anime Expo on July 4. For a franchise defined as much by its voices as its visuals, the new cast is the clearest signal yet of how this incarnation wants to sound.