The True Heroes of Ghost in the Shell - The AI walker-robots
There are many important characters in the world of Ghost in the Shell but there is one special group that deserves honoring; the one-person support tanks from Public Security Section 9 more commonly known as the AI walker-robots.
The AI walker robots are four-legged tanks that can be operated by one person. Furthermore, they also possess artificial intelligence and can act independently. Their AI personalities have individual characteristics but they are gender- and nameless. These walker robots are extremely agile and can handle many types of terrain. On top of that, they also possess thermo-optic camouflage.
There are three types of AI walker-robots that slightly vary in design and appear in different segments of the Ghost in the Shell universe: the Fuchikoma [Original Manga by Masamune Shirow], the Tachikoma, and the Uchikoma [Anime series].
What would Major Kusanagi and all the other team members do without these robots? Probably walk. Imagine having to hunt rogue cyborgs while on your bicycle. Ring ring, Major Kusanagi coming through, excuse me! … The series would’ve taken a very different path had it not been for these smart four-legged robot tanks.
Their artificial intelligence gives them individual characters and they regularly engage in conversations with the Public Security Section 9 Team. They’re also not always too happy being told to do the dirty work. Unless of course, Batou promises them an oil change after a successful mission.
These robots are a vital part of the Public Security Section 9 under the leadership of Major Kusanagi. In the original manga, a single walker robot is deliberately programmed to incite a “revolution against the humans” among his fellow walker robots by Major Kusanagi as a way to test the reliability of the AI. However, the rest of the walker robots collectively decide that revolution would be an “absolutely stupid idea” and having to change and clean their own machine parts instead of relying on humans for help would be too annoying.
Let’s hope this never changes …
