Batou

is a main male character in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell series. He is the second-best melee fighter in Section 9, and is the second in command under Major Motoko Kusanagi. He is a battle-hardened cyborg special operative with a long distinguished military career and a no-nonsense attitude. Though he looks imposing, he is known for his warm heart, sense of humor, and love for animals. Conception and creation Batou serves as pointman whose combat specialty is "near combat." Batou often acts as the Section 9 team's comic relief. Background Batou's limbs are all prosthetic; despite the fact that exercise provides negligible benefit, Batou enjoys jogging and weightlifting as a hobby. Shirow's characterization of Batou in the manga, and indeed the other members of Section 9, is notably more light-hearted than the characterization used in Mamoru Oshii's films of the same name. His eyes, though prosthetic, often bulge comically when he is alarmed. He frequently jokes with Motoko, Togusa, the Tachikomas, and practically everyone else who crosses his path. His serious side becomes much more pronounced in a chapter of the manga where Yano, a trainee of Batou's, is murdered by a cybercriminal named Koil Krasnov. Batou loses his temper and impulsively calls up Section 9 Chief Aramaki, demanding an explanation for Yano's death, then storms off announcing (in the English translation), "That… Koil is dead meat!" Batou had seemingly hated anyone who tried to make Section 9 fix the mess of another organization, such as the AI hijacking of the Jigabachi choppers in the SAC series. However, in the Ghost in the Shell movie he appears more stoic and silent than his TV and manga counterpart. Particularly in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Batou also appears moderately distant and possibly bitter. In addition, he jokes around with a hint of irony being mentioned.