Ghost In The Shell: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Laughing Man

Since the resounding success of the 1995 original worldwide ghost in shell Anime, with several spin-off series. One of the most beloved storylines in the cyberpunk universe comes from ” Ghost in the Shell: Independent Complex. Throughout the season, the elite Season 9 police task force tries to unravel the identity of the ingenious cyber hacker “The Man Who Laughs”.

The Laughing Man has resonated with fans of the series thanks to his smart partner, a pioneer in Internet meme and counterculture. When creating the character, the crew used a variety of cultural allusions to shape the character’s aesthetic and worldview. This intertextuality adds to the mystery of the characters.

campaign group through smiling man icon

Similar to Guy Fawkes . Mask V for vendetta Already a symbol of counterculture, online groups are using the Laughing Man symbol as a rallying flag, representing their cause, for better or worse. Notable among these groups is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates for civil liberties online. A loose anarchist cybercriminal group calling themselves “Anonymous” also uses the Laughing Man symbol, among other pop-culture-inspired symbols.

AoI merges with Motoko

During the season finale, when Benko and Amaki faced off against AoI, the two members of Team Nine were never seen together before leaving. As someone who can blind people, there are predictions that AoI won’t be present in the final scene. Instead, he fuses with Motoko as she swaps bodies, so the scene where the two talk is just a projection and Motoko is actually talking to herself.

In addition, Motoko and Armaki do not appear together until the very last minute, because the AoI is invading Armaki, and thus indirectly affecting the viewer’s perception of the events.

The creators integrated the story of the Laughing Man into the OVA

simple right Ghost in the Shell: Independence Complex – The Laughing ManDirector Kenji Kamiyama combined the central events of The Man Who Laughs’ plot into one film. For those who prefer movies to TV or don’t have the time to spend twenty-six episodes, the original animated video (OVA) does a good job of condensing the story without missing important details. However, be sure to plan your evening schedule as the OVA lasts 160 minutes.

The Laugher’s Alias ​​was inspired by a short story by JD Salinger

The name of the Laughing Man has its literary basis. at the end of the first season Ghost in the Shell: Independent ComplexThe Laughing Man shares Mokoto’s love of books, philosophy, and movies. Famous writer Catch children in green fieldsJD Salinger wrote a short story called “The Laughing Man”, so the terrorist image of the famous cyber hacker is an allusion to this short story. Other references to this story are found throughout the story of the Laughing Man. Just as the kids in the MHLW rehab center call the Laugher “The Leader,” Salinger’s heroic figure shares the same name.

The smiley symbol also has its basis in a short story by JD Salinger

When London-based graphic designer Paul Nicholson received a brief description of the project’s mission, he was struck by the surprisingly simple yet whimsical nature of his work. In the letter, director Kamiyama Kenji instructed him to read the story “The Laughing Man” by JD Salinger and design a logo based on the events in the story. Because the story focuses on a minor league baseball team, Nicholson included elements like baseball caps that are reminiscent of the original material he designed. The cryptic quotes that surround the perimeter of the logo also come from Catch children in green fields.

The Laughing Man logo also mimics Starbucks’ mermaid

In an easily overlooked line, the smiling man mentions the Starbucks chain of coffee shops. He mentioned that, during a little-known meeting at the Starchild cafe, he designed his cyber hacker logo under the name Starchild Coffee. The Starchild Coffee Company is a model that mimics the company’s coffee business where many people around the world enjoy buying their morning cup of coffee. Given the Laugh Man’s motive is to disrupt the corporate world order, it’s ironic that he uses this symbol for his own provocative purposes.

Laughing man thinks pop culture is fake

What is frustrating for the Laughing Man is that his logo has received public attention as a banner expressing public discontent. The popularity of the Smiling Man symbol as a symbol demanding government transparency has become a point of grievance for the Laughing Man, who has denounced the public’s use of the symbol and its purpose. Its not real. While the public’s political slogans are consistent with his own, The Laughing Man’s criticisms of them suggest that his political motives are just a cover for wrongdoing. his left.

The Laughing Man’s Menace overlaps with the original 1995 cartoon

Legend season 1 Ghost in the Shell: Independent Complex The story takes place before the original 1995 animated film, which centers on the robot-hacking villain “The Puppeteer”. The story of “The Puppeteer” takes place in 2029, while the origin of “The Laughing Man” can be traced back to 2024.

At the time, the Laughing Man’s logo first appeared after he attacked the CEO of Serano Genomics. He then spends six years underground, during which time the threat of the Puppet Master occurs, before reappearing in 2030, the setting of the TV series.

The Laughing Man’s true identity is an anagram

The modern day laughing man is revealed to be an intelligent and precocious young man whose name is suspected to be AoI. Whether this name is also an alias is unknown. The first and last letters form the acronym “AI”, which means artificial intelligence. Theoretically, AoI’s name implies that he is not the original Laughing Man and that the cyber hacker is actually an unidentified artificial intelligence.

The Laughing Man’s real identity is uncertain

When AoI confesses to Mokoto and Aramaki his crime inspirations and origins at the end of the season, he explains that he initially took action when he discovered a document outlining brutality and corruption. of the company. However, who created the file remains a mystery. Among the leaders of the Ninth Group, the original publisher of this criminal record was a real laugher.