Togusa
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Togusa (トグサ) is the second most prominently featured male character in the Ghost in the Shell manga & anime series. In Stand Alone Complex, as well as the original Ghost in the Shell movie, it is stated that he is the only member of Section 9 who has not undergone cybernetic replacement in some manner as he had been referred to as a natural. In the manga, he is cybernetic like all other members. Togusa is 27 years old and is 5' 10 inches in height. His Japanese voice is provided by Koichi Yamadera, and Crispin Freeman does the English dubs for the TV series and the English dub of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which was released only in the UK.
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[edit] Background
Togusa is married and has a young daughter, although it depends on the incarnation; in the S.A.C. universe, he also has a son. Togusa's personality varies somewhat between the manga, movies, and series. In the manga he tends to be very emotional and plagued with feelings of failure; in the films he is savvier but still aware of his inexperience, and in the Stand Alone Complex his personality is a combination of the two. He also tends to be the most emotional and temperamental, getting so outraged at one criminal committing murder right under his nose in an episode of Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG he seriously wounded the man and ends up on trial. He seems very friendly with Batou and he was arguably the one who cracked the Laughing Man case.
His history as an uncorrupted detective is one of the reasons he was recruited (as well as his being a family man), to add an element of variety and unpredictability to the team. Togusa is also the only member of Section 9 to have not come from the military, which makes him feel somewhat insecure in his abilities at times. He is very fond of his archaic Mateba Autorevolver, opting to use it over the standard-issue Seburo M5 even in the field, a decision which everyone inquires about occasionally.
His fashion is rather unique: a thick mullet of hair, turtleneck sweaters and sports jackets.
[edit] Ghost in the Shell (film)
Togusa is introduced in the 1995 film by Mamoru Oshii right at the beginning in a short scene in a surveillance van with Batou, but he is not identified. We get to know him later when he is driving an armored van while Major Kusanagi dons her police armor in the back. He establishes his newness to the group by asking the Major why she requested he be transferred from the police to Section 9, and the Major answers him by stating that different skills and ideas are necessary in the unit, because homogenization equals death in their line of work. Togusa's police instincts come into play later, when he suspects something untoward involving Section 6, leading up to the theft of The Puppet Master.
[edit] Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
GITS2 takes place in the years after the events of the first film, featuring a cold, emotionless Batou as the lead. Togusa knows he's upset at the disappearance of Major Kusanagi and is downright meek in this film.
It's rather odd, given that Innocence takes place years after the first film. Togusa is not a rookie any more, but he comes off as one. He says early on he knows he can never replace the Major, but he never really asserts himself, either, and the film is carried entirely by Batou. Togusa agrees to babysit Batou's Basset hound during the case, much to his daughter's delight and his wife's consternation.
[edit] Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
In Stand Alone Complex, several episodes involving an illegally used wiretap called an Interceptor refer to his background as a detective in the police force and his subsequent recruitment into Section 9. He is pretty much the only character other than Batou whose history is shown in the first season since the other members of Section 9 appear in certain episodes. Despite this background revelation, his first name has not yet been mentioned.
He is the least-augmented member of Section 9. All he has is the implanted cyber-brain, just like Chief Aramaki. He is somewhat skeptical of the blurring of the lines between man and machine, but he also suffers the worst injuries due to being human. In the manga, he is injured and hospitalized after being caught near a bomb blast. In Stand Alone Complex, he's shot while doing an investigation and wonders aloud if he shouldn't be a full cyborg. When Aramaki is taken away for questioning Togusa is arrested and detained for some time before being released, Aramaki apparently did this intentionally in order to keep Togusa out of immediate danger, possibly due to his having a family and his earlier brush with death. He is later shown working at the security company that was his official cover while working for the government and is unaware of the fate of the other members for several months, effectively leaving him out of the loop because he was being monitored heavily.
He expresses some disdain for the Tachikoma tanks, not to mention Batou's penchant for favoring one of the blue tanks. He dismissively calls them "just a machine", prompting outrage from the Tachikomas in the Section 9 hangar, with one calling him a bigot. The contentious relationship continues in Second Gig, when Togusa and a Tachikoma go on a mission to abandoned Tokyo and the goofy little tank serves to mostly get under his skin (before saving it). Strangely, despite his dislike for the sentient machines, he is not above spending leisure time with them, he even is seen playing chess with one (which the Tachikoma wins) in an episode.
[edit] Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society
In this feature film set in the S.A.C. universe, Major Kusanagi has left Section 9 and Togusa is now the head of field operations. Section 9 has grown considerably in this film, with a staff of more than 20. Has replaced his revolver for an automatic pistol, although he carries his revolver on a back holster and his pistol on a shoulder holster. His cyberbrain was hacked while he was trying to get his daughter to safety. To stop his body from taking his daughter to the S.S.S., he was forced to try and kill himself with his revolver but was stopped by the Major. He later on took part in the raid of the S.S.S. main headquarters. He took down one exoskeleton and then acted as the bodyguard for Aramaki. It is shown that because he's now head of Section 9 that he is unable to spend time with his family as much as he use to, reflecting the common problem in Japan of disconnect between a salaryman and their families.
