Japan Welcomes the Largest 'Ghost in the Shell' Exhibition in Franchise History
Showcasing over 1,600 rare production materials and offering immersive AR experience.
Summary
- A massive Ghost in the Shell exhibition opens in January 2026 at TOKYO NODE, exploring 37 years of franchise history
- Visitors can “dive” into digital installations and view 1,600+ original production archives
- Interactive AR experiences include Tachikoma-led tours and “Laughing Man” face-hacking
The first large-scale exhibition to cover the entire Ghost in the Shell anime series is set to open in Tokyo, Japan, presenting the most comprehensive exploration of the franchise’s 37-year history. As the year 2029 – the setting of the original masterpiece – approaches, the event examines the evolving boundary between the “Ghost” (spirit) and the “Shell” (vessel) in our modern era of AI and cloud computing.
The journey begins in Gallery A (Node), an immersive cyberspace installation featuring the “Nerve Net” visualizer and the “World Tree,” a 15-meter-high network of cascading cables. This entrance transforms visitors into nodes of thought, allowing them to dive into a pulsating sea of information that spans every iteration of the anime series.
In the 1,000-square-meter Gallery B (Dig), fans can access over 1,600 production materials, including original drawings, background art, and cels from legendary directors like Mamoru Oshii and Kenji Kamiyama. This section features the “Cyber Vision” AR experience, where visitors wear specialized glasses to tour the archives with real-time commentary from a Tachikoma. The exhibition further blurs reality through the “Laughing Man Mirror”, which utilizes AR hacking techniques to mask visitors’ faces in real time. For a tactile connection to the creative process, the Analog Dig allows guests to purchase “Cut Bags” containing replicas of production drawings.
Offering an unparalleled immersive experience into the world of Ghost in the Shell, the exhibition will run from January 30 to April 5, 2026, at TOKYO NODE. For more details, visit the Ghost in the Shell official website and watch the exhibition trailer below.
TOKYO NODE
2-6-2 Toranomon, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 105-0001, Japan
