Inside Tokyo’s largest Ghost in the Shell exhibition. Where archives, augmented reality, and networked thought converge at TOKYO NODE.
Ghost in the Shell, The Exhibition, currently on view at Tokyo Node, stands as the largest comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the franchise to date. Rather than functioning solely as a retrospective, the exhibition positions Ghost in the Shell as a living network of ideas, one that continues to evolve through technology, archives, and audience participation.
Spanning over 1,600 production materials, including original drawings, background art, and animation cells from across the animated franchise, the exhibition combines analog artifacts with immersive digital and AR-based experiences. This hybrid approach mirrors the series’ long-standing interrogation of the boundary between physical bodies and information networks.
Upon entering Gallery A, titled “NODE: A Nexus of Thought,” visitors encounter an immersive virtual installation visualizing the franchise’s conceptual backbone, the “Nerve Net.” Dominating the space is the World Tree, a 15-meter-high structure of interconnected cables that evokes both organic growth and digital infrastructure. Functioning as an experiential gateway, this installation invites visitors to situate themselves within the informational universe of Ghost in the Shell, not merely as spectators, but as active nodes within its network. Gallery B, “Dig,” expands this engagement through direct access to the franchise’s archival materials. Spread across a 1,000-square-meter space, the gallery presents production works from influential directors such as Mamoru Oshii and Kenji Kamiyama. Here, the exhibition emphasizes process over nostalgia, revealing how visual experimentation and philosophical inquiry have shaped the series over decades.
The exhibition concludes by extending its influence beyond animation, presenting works by contemporary artists inspired by Ghost in the Shell. This final section reframes the franchise not as a closed canon, but as an ongoing cultural and artistic dialogue, one that continues to inform discussions around technology, identity, and consciousness. Running from January 30 to April 5, 2026, Tokyo Node, Ghost in the Shell: The Exhibition transforms archival material into an experiential network, reaffirming the franchise’s relevance in an era increasingly defined by digital entanglement. (Text Betsy Kristianto)