Ghost in the Shell is widely considered one of the greatest cyberpunk anime movies of all time, but before its big screen debut, it was a hit manga series. Created by Masamune Shirow, the manga has been around since 1989, and in 2026, the ultimate edition of it will be released. Available to preorder for $112 (was $140) ahead of its release on February 17, The Ghost in the Shell Legacy Edition Box Set brings the original Japanese manga to the West in a high-quality and uncensored package.
$119 (was $140) | Releases February 17
The new Legacy Edition is a deluxe hardcover box set of the Ghost in the Shell manga and its sequels, The Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human Error Processor and The Ghost in the Shell 2.0: Man-Machine Interface. This reprint includes the original Japanese version of the manga, with restored scenes and artwork that Shirow himself edited out of the western release. Each book comes in a premium slipcase featuring brand-new illustrations by Shirow.
The box set also includes a collection of multicolored Fuchikoma robot stickers, a double-sided poster with Shirow explaining his artistic process, and 10 posters from the rare, limited-edition 1997 Cyberdelics release. Each poster is 10 inches wide and features etched metallic paper, vinyl stock, and holographic spot gloss. They come rolled and packed inside a protective box.
If you don’t feel like waiting for this collector’s edition, you can pick up the Ghost in the Shell: Fully Compiled hardcover set for $31.71 (was $55). While this is the censored version, it’s still a hard-hitting collection of manga with plenty of graphic violence and mature themes at its core. The hardcover is over 800 pages in size, and it includes all the manga series, the “lost” stories from Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface, notes on the series, all of the original cover pages, and cover art that Shirow illustrated specially for it.
Set in a not-so-distant future, Ghost in the Shell follows the cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi and other members of the counter-terrorist group Section 9. The cyberpunk manga examines how crime has evolved in this new age of brain jacks, neural chips, military drones, and optical camo. The manga was adapted into a film in 1995, which remains a landmark piece of animation that influenced a generation of anime and Western filmmakers alike, including the Matrix trilogy. If you’re interested in checking out the Ghost in the Shell film, it made the leap to 4K a few years ago. This version includes an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and the original theatrical trailer. The film spawned its own unique sequels, spin-offs, and reboots, including Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and the acclaimed Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime series. The series even got a live action adaptation of the original film in 2017 starring Scarlet Johansen. While the film received middling reviews, it at least captured some of the anime and manga’s signature visuals.
Ghost in the Shell Blu-rays
Later in 2026, Shirow’s other hit manga series Appleseed will also be getting a Deluxe Edition release.Appleseed is set in the year 2127, after a devastating global war left the planet ruined. Caught in the wake of this catastrophic conflict are former SWAT team member Deunan and the cyborg Briareos, who are recruited to work for Olympus, an ultra-advanced, experimental city-state that survived the apocalypse.
This new version of the sci-fi classic will comprise multiple volumes, each featuring wrap-around cover art, full-color end sheets, a ribbon bookmark, and gilded edges. Volume One launches on August 11 and collects Appleseed: The Promethean Challenge, Prometheus Unbound, The Scales of Prometheus, and The Promethean Balance. Preorders are available for $70 at Amazon.
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