Character Profile: The Puppet Master
Fields | USA Info | Japanese Info | Image |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Project 2501 | Project 2501 | |
Alias | The Puppet Master | The Puppet Master | |
Race | Electronic entity | Electronic entity | |
Gender | None (it assumes a male voice) | None (it assumes a male voice) | |
Age | 1 year | 1 year | |
Hair | None (it has no body) | None (it has no body) | |
Eyes | None (it has no body) | None (it has no body) | |
Height | |||
Weight | |||
Status | A program that gained sentience | A program that gained sentience | |
Quote | "What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror. Then, we shall see face to face." (in Kusanagi's voice) | ||
Voice | |||
Debut | |||
Anime | Ghost in the Shell | Kokaku Kidotai |
Character Description: The Puppet Master
The Puppet Master case would be the Major Kusanagi's first experience with Project 2501, a program originally devloped by an American AI specialist for Section 6. Project 2501 was an espionage program designed to infiltrate ghosts and implant programs in them for Section 6's strategic advantage. These programs would be implanted as Simulated Experiences (SimEx for short) so the target would not be aware that he or she had become a "puppet".
In the course of Project 2501's exploits, it collected information and gained an awareness; in essence, it evolved. It acquired sentience and became a true electronic life form with its own memory, its own awareness, even its own ghost.
At the same time, it became aware of Major Kusanagi and found something in her similar to itself. It acquired what could qualify as an attraction to her. Project 2501 would keep this in mind even as it made plans to defect from Section 6, and it even drops a hint in the Major by leaving some words in her voice system.
Since it could not overcome the barriers of Section 6, Project 2501 took a gamble. It installed a program in the Megatech manufacturing plant to construct a cyborg body, and it committed itself into the body and wandered out into Newport City. As it planned, Section 9 soon recovered the rogue body. Section 6, however, was quick to retaliate, and even as it officially sought political asylum, Section 6 staged a surprise attack and took the body away.
Major Kusanagi would pursue and (with help from Bateau) recover Project 2501. Finally able to converse directly, Project 2501 explains its story and makes an offer. It understands how humans survive through the generations (evolution), and it also knows how this relates to itself. Project 2501 wishes to propogate its electronic "species" into the Net, and it offers to merge itself (and its vast capabilities) with Kusanagi. The process is completed just before the body is destroyed. Project 2501 thus sacrifices itself so that a new generation may exist.