Anime & Manga
- Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: Ghost in the Shell gets a shout-out in episode 9 when Maria jumps out of the classroom window, holds her hand up as she falls, and vanishes.
- Psycho-Pass:
- The MLIT
plays a major role in the second season, just as it did in Ghost in the Shell: Arise OVA 2 Ghost Whispers, also written by Tow Ubukata. - Season 3 has yet more references to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG with Dejima being mentioned to be the focal point of refugee relocation, and a plotline involving five refugees who have been implanted with suicide bombs and going after unknown targets.
- The MLIT
Comic Books
- Batgirl (2011): Issue #40 is called "Ghost in the Cowl," and the title is even drawn in a pastiche of that series' logo.
Film
- Ex Machina: The blond robot in Nathan's closet is missing her arms and legs, making her look like a dead ringer of the Puppet Master from Ghost in the Shell. Further, Ava, like the Puppet Master, has the ability to turn off the power and the question of her sentience is a key plot issue.
- Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System: The trilogy has several references to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex:
- Case 1 involves a secret mining operation at a former disaster site digging up radioactive materials.
- Case 2's climax deals with a plot point involving Kyushu Island, a district called "Dejima," and a nuclear submarine.
- Case 3 has a not-very-subtle reference to the first season finale when Frederica destroys an enemy drone by repeatedly shooting it at point blank range with a bolt-action anti-materiel rifle.
Live Action TV
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: One of the promotional posters features Cameron's body from her disembodied upper torso up being suspended by wires. Visually, this resembles the Puppet Master's iconic pose from Ghost in the Shell.
Tabletop Games
- Eclipse Phase has a lot of thematic overlap with GITS, mostly of the transhumanist variety, but a more direct one is a variant of the Arachnoid synthmorph characters can inhabit. The variant is called the Arachnikoma, described as being a larger variant with a capsule/cockpit for a human passenger or cargo, very much like the Tachikomas.
Video Games
- Binary Domain: The Hollow Children (at least those who believe that they're human) living in normal society is taken from the original Ghost in the Shell and partially from Blade Runner.
- BlazBlue:
- Arakune has Color Palettes that reference a Tachikoma
- Bullet has Color Palettes that reference Motoko Kusanagi, Asuka Kazama, Axl Low, Yukino Mazuyumi, Azrael
- Cyberpunk 2077:
- The Yaiba Kusanagi motorcycle is named after Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell (or the ancient sword that forms part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, which Motoko named herself after, since Yaiba literally means "blade"). The Kusanagi's design somewhat resembles Kaneda's bike from AKIRA.
- The parade in Japantown is inspired by the one seen in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.
- The HJSH-18 Masamune assault rifle is named after Masamune Shirow, the creator of Ghost in the Shell.
- One of the cyberpsychos (Lt. Mower) strongly resembles the Major.
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution:
- One of the augmentation companies mentioned in the Picus news reports is called Kusanagi.
- The 10mm Zenith pistol grip is taken from the Seburo M-5, the standard issue pistol of Public Security Section Nine.
- When the Japanese dub of Human Revolution was announced, people were not surprised to see Atsuko Tanaka voice the Big Bad of the series...given how she was most famous for her role as one of Cyberpunk's most famous works.
- Fallout 4: The creation of the Synths that you see in the Institute's Robotics Division is very similar to both Leeloo's re-creation in The Fifth Element and the famous construction sequence from Ghost in the Shell.
- Neptunia: When Vert introduces the group to Ran-Ran, she says that Ran-Ran is the Stand Alone Complex of Leanbox.
- Overwatch: Echo's "Ghost" spray recreates the iconic pose of Motoko Kusanagi laying on her knees while hooked up to numerous wires from Ghost in the Shell.
- Red Alert 3: Paradox:
- The Izanagi Devastator Tank is based on episode #2's super-tank in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
- Masamune Drones owe their name and design to Shirow Masamune and Tachikoma respectively.
Web Original
- Fisheye Placebo: The consistent use of the police face to censor a nude Vance is similar to the "face" of The Laughing Man from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
- Medlife Crisis has a video with a Ghost in the Shell style Thumbnail titled Ghost in the Cell, through its and proper full title is The Ghost Viruses Hiding in Your DNA.
- In Reds!: A Revolutionary Timeline, the UASR State Sec/Secret Police agency is called Section 9.
