1995 anime classic Ghost in the Shell is streaming free on Prime Video

Collider reports that the influential 1995 animated film Ghost in the Shell is now available to stream for free on Prime Video’s ad-supported tier.

Directed by Mamoru Oshii and based on Masamune Shirow’s 1989 manga, the film has a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating and an 89 percent score from regular users. It follows Major Motoko Kusanagi of Public Security Section 09 as she hunts a mysterious hacker called the Puppet Master in a near-future Japan where widespread cybernetic modification separates a person’s “ghost” from their body; the Major combines philosophical reflection with intense action, including a one-on-one fight with a robot tank.

The piece highlights the movie’s lasting influence—crediting it with shaping films such as The Matrix—and notes the broader franchise includes a non-canonical, headier sequel, a remastered version, several TV adaptations and an ill-conceived live-action remake starring Scarlett Johansson; the article adds that nothing has really managed to live up to the original. The film is listed with a December 8, 1995 release date, an 83-minute runtime, and credits that include directors Mizuho Nishikubo and Mamoru Oshii and writers Shirow Masamune and Kazunori Itô.

Key Topics

Culture, Mamoru Oshii, Masamune Shirow, Major Motoko Kusanagi, Prime Video, Puppet Master