The Full Story of the Laughing Man | Drunk on Media

[@surjiv22]

We now have reached the Laughing Man Incident Date in real life. Feb 1st 2024

[@ScuubaSteefe]

And now, arguably, this week in December 😂

[@TheMightyPatapon]

We now have a near literal actual happening of it now.

[@thekidzcantfathom]

Today is the day The Laughing Man Incident occurred. 2024.02.03.

[@Yora21]

It actually occurred 2024.12.04.

[@ansatsu83]

Today is the canonical day of the laughing man incident. February 3rd 2024.

[@jonathanj.3695]

Even though this anime is almost 20 years old now, it's actually kind of scary how well it predicted the problems that we're now facing with the internet, social media, false information, internet culture, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence here in 2023. The fact that show takes place in the year 2024 (less than a year from now) seems like both a warning and a cruel irony.

[@The__Creeper]

Literally all of these problems existed when Ghost in the Shell SAC premiered.

[@The__Creeper]

​@JtothePrez Yes, social media did exist in 2003. It's much older than you realize and there was a massive internet culture at the time. You really shouldn't talk about topics you weren't alive to experience and haven't bothered to do any research into. "There were hardly problems back then." There was literally an entire war in 2003 that only happened because of false information. Please do some research into the history of the internet and also the Iraq War. GiTS SAC was literally based on things happening at the time of production, including 9/11, the "war on terror" (the second season is literally about Japan's involvement in the Iraq War and the Japanese election in 2003), and internet culture of the time. This isn't a speculative science fiction show about a possible future, it's saying the shit happening in 2002-2004 was fucking shit.

[@The__Creeper]

@JtothePrez Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex was literally based on things happening at the time of production. Screaming and crying about nonsense will not change this fact. Once again, the second season is literally based on a war that >>STARTED BECAUSE OF MISINFORMATION!

[@The__Creeper]

@JtothePrez "Nobody is disputing that" he says after trying to dispute it and the precedes to try to dispute it. You said a thing that was >>factually incorrect

[@jace5151]

Hello we are here!

[@alexandertheresurrection2810]

This anime aged like fine wine.

[@TheMightyPatapon]

Especially where we are now. Why the guy who got the UHC CEO really did it is irrelevant to the growing sentiments around it.

[@Clos93]

​@@TheMightyPataponcrazy part is, the company was the highest earning in the industry by using AI to deny claims. Interesting times we are in....

[@Boggsy.]

The conversations between The Laughing Man and both Serrano and Imakarasu are seriously both some of my favorite dialogues in any piece of visual media, ever. The psychological, sociological, economic, and political motivations woven through them are so realistic; Aoi/TLM’s idealism and rage vs the weary, jaded, self-serving “pragmatism” of the businessman and doctor are so fleshed out.

[@dennisl9176]

They say that art imitates life. and if its profound enough, it can even be prophetic

[@Ukitsu2]

And it is about health vs money, too.

[@DooF_Moppet]

This anime aged like a fine wine if the fine wine was a prophetic vision of the hellscape we currently live in

[@rishnix]

There's some frightening parallels to real life in this series since the past year.

[@peterconway6584]

Even before that. Compare the Interceptors scandal to Edward Snowden in 2013, who laid bare how we are all under surveillance through our tech.

[@failure3653]

idk why this SAC series of GITS keep getting more relevant to our world as time goes by arghhh what a miracle anime

[@memegazer]

Thats bc the show is based on a trew story

[@antoinne1]

Interceptors are real, and what they are trying to change data.

[@xanderson444]

@@peterconway6584 Research Morgellons. We all have interceptors inside us right now

[@B1SCOOP]

Fun fact: laughing man logo was designed by Paul Nicholson, same guy who made Aphex Twin icon.

[@Dampfish]

Some time ago I stumbled upon a real-life case called the Glico-Morinaga Incident, which started off with the newly appointed CEO of Glico being kidnapped and the company later terrorized by someone calling themselves "The Monster with 21 Faces." Having watched GitS alot in my teens, I could never shake the feeling that The Laughing Man Incident was in some part inspired by that event, or at least to me they feel very similar.

[@ocean_punk1206]

Yep

[@RedBonkleMan8534]

Life imitates Art

[@joshportal2808]

In the original Ghost in the Shell manga series, you find out how the laughing Man got the files. The manga doesn’t go to into the story as well or detail as the anime but does show some light on the situation. Manga only, there is a group on the web called the “Have.” Little is known about this group until the last manga of the original series. Basically the Have knew the laughing man was looking throughout the web to fix his boredom and the Have took a file and sent it to the laughing man Anonymously. Actually they gave it to “ A wizard class” hackers that were on the web at the time, even the Major got the file but didn’t understand it until about 9 years later. The manga summaries the story into 5 chapters while the anime goes into more depth. In the anime the laughing man doesn’t join section 9 because he wants to relax and read books. In the manga he joins the “Have” and try’s to recruit the major to the group. She doesn’t technically join the Have until the last book.

[@Dr.HooWho]

Where can I read the book or manga and I thought laughing man was someone else that the hacker just was given the name from people he didn't choose it

[@Cyberium]

"I've discovered a single possibility, to obtain individuality from the parallelization of information." "Probably, curiosity." The internet era is even more obsessive than Masamune Shirow ever imagined, though his vision shined even brighter because of it.

[@frostbolt4359]

Excellent video. However, I would just like to point out it wasn’t The Laughing Man who killed Nanao-A. From my understanding it was the special investigator Togasa met with regarding the use of interceptors. He’s seen leaving the Decoy building just as Batou and Togusa enter.

[@ShadowWolfIsTheGOAT]

Yes I thought this too. That was in no way AOI. They wanted to pin it on Nanao and because section 9 were on to them they had him killed instead of captured.

[@theblanketfortcohort7332]

Did you know that in chat, chat, chat, 3 of the people round the table are avatars used by the kids Aoi interacted with at the centre? Also he's not actually deaf or mute. The quote around the logo is from catcher in the rye, Holden thought about pretending to be deaf and mute so he wouldn't have to engage in useless conversations.

[@ShimaS-0079]

All the times I watched it never crossed my mind till I just rewatched whole show.

[@c.a.r.n.a.g.e4288]

Gits the reason I fell in love with scallinger work I have the laughing man logo tattoo on my wrist I must of read catcher in the rye 1000 times

[@peterconway6584]

I never noticed that! I'll have to re-watch. It took me a long time to come across a transcript of the series and learn that Master Omba in Chat! Chat! Chat! was one of the kids in the facility.

[@Mabidemonstrations]

I knew one of the kids were. The host gave himself away when Togusa went to the centre by saying his catch phrase. I thought the other people were just randos, not also from the centre. Theres no proof.

[@ShadowWolfIsTheGOAT]

That’s pretty slick of you Mr 🤌🏼

[@後で-d4o]

the logo text is quoting a frase from 'The Catcher in the Rye', book who jump to fame after being the inspiration for the john lennon assesination

[@hyghfidelity7888]

this is extremely timely as I just started rewatching the series, cheers mate

[@jace5151]

Bros its getting real

[@moiseslgaristo6785]

It’s too boring for anyone until it’s starts happening irl , this storyline was too brilliant

[@bpalpha]

"Saito! Give me that weapon!" Excellent. I own most of the GitS series on blue ray and dvd. I have some of the special edition DVDs with the impressive dts audio and even the metal "lunch box" holders for both SAC catalogues. Thanks for the informative breakdown. My favorite anime. Up there with Akira and Patlabor.

[@entyropy3262]

It made me read "Catcher in the Rye". 2nd GiG is also spectacular. I don't think anything will ever compete with the depth of this anime. Probably binge watched the whole Story 20 times and now I feel like it is about time to make it 21 !

[@laughingman7467]

**plays eminem slim shady intro** Will the real Laughing Man please stand up?

[@Italiangentleman2394]

Ahh a man of culture I see

[@zacharythomas8617]

Tupac is better.

[@AK47Prepper]

oh Good. 20 years of watching the anime over and over and i needed someone to explain everything lol

[@Qbone_]

literally finished season 1 and watched this. Such an amazing show.

[@badlaamaurukehu]

I just time travelled 20 years.

[@critically_red8722]

I don't know if you're still reading comments for this video but thanks so much for it. I feel so dumb when I try to follow complicated stories like this, but my ADD literally won't let me. lol. So it was very nice to finally have some clarity.

[@Mtaalas]

Who's watching this in December 2024? Damn...

[@kristopherwillis8075]

Me 😊

[@trentgibson581]

@Drunkonmedia #Drunkonmedia STANDING OVATION BROTHER!!! I gotta hand it to yah, you broke that down in such a masterful way, that made it SO EASY to understand while avoiding all the convoluted pit falls and hang ups this story has (which can EASILY rival ANY metal gear solid or kingdom hearts storyline ever produced )! I've been in love with the GITS universe ever since my mid teens in the late 90's, which was only exasperated ten fold by the time this show started airing on Cartoon Network's late nite Toonami back in the early 2000's. From its time on Toonami, to later having owned the full season box set DVDs, along with everything n anything else GITS related movies or SAC 1 & 2- thank you to my old job at FYE in my local mall back in the day- now THERES a throwback!) back in my mid 20's, to NOW, owning all the GITS content digitally in my mid 30's, I've watched this show in it's entirety 2,3, maybe even 4 times now at different points over the years. And for probably the past two years now I've been contemplating restarting the series again once more. Except, the only thing that's held me back so far is remembering exactly HOW MUCH of an undertaking this story is! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not an idiot. While I know I'm not the smartest person in the world, I also know I'm a bit smarter than what I would consider the average bear. And yet even with a mind like mine- one that genuinely enjoys puzzles, problem solving, and mysteries- I found this series just BEYOND convoluted in an unnecessary, and almost pompous kind of way. Again, don't get me wrong, through all the red herrings, subterfuge and intrigue this story brings, even with broad strokes I've always been able to pick up on most of the finer points involved. HOWEVER, even through the thick of it all, I KNEW there were plenty of plot points I had missed time and again. So I absolutely APPLAUD you in breaking this down in such a easy and digestible manner which in turn has relit the candle I hold for this series and once more piqued my interest. What a magnificent EPIC this story is!! Lastly, on a side note, I found it very interesting that- according to your breakdown of JUST the laughing man episodes/storyline- it's TOGUSA who's the instrumental section 9 officer in solving this case! I've never watched any of the OVA's and have never streamlined the laughing man episodes alone. Any time I've watched this series, it's always been in it's entirety and from that perspective its The Major who usually shines as the series' protagonist. So to see Togusa get some love was pretty cool! Well, I'm off to go see if you have a breakdown for 2nd gig now. Once more my hats off to you brother! Thank you so much for such an awesome video n srry for such a long winded reply! Be well bro- Trent

[@LemonTangWang]

Good vid, hope we get that part 2.

[@OhNoRh1no]

great vid! Is it just me or the Ministry of Health Welfare and Labor part giving off One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest vibes? Chief, pretending to be deaf and mute, also the warden or whoever showing Togusa around looks very similar to the Nurse from the movie...

[@DrunkonMedia]

I have not watched the movie, but it would not surprise me at all. Thanks as always for the support.

[@Darkstar263]

I've never actually seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But I just looked it up photos on google. The woman in that episode has a similar hairstyle to Nurse Ratched. Can't believe I have never noticed that before. I recently rewatched the first season as well.

[@fwobebe5164]

For all we know, you're The Laughing Man.

[@sdsloveslife]

I love GitS SAC. Thank you so much for this excellent summary of The Laughing Man story.

[@flyingchimp5012]

Ivermectin and mRNA. Mirrored in anime. One surpressed to normalize the other. And like micromachines, mRNA-therapy has, in theory amazing applications. And, just like micromachines, it's beginnings are basically a useless, but more effective medicine has been surpressed for the purpose of pushing the idea with amazing potential forward.I love this anime.

[@mykalkelley8315]

Based

[@IAmMajor101]

Gotta say; the episodes you refer to as ‘filler’ are just as important as the others, as they are designated as ‘stand alone’ episodes, which tie in with the series title “Stand Alone Complex.” To me they are some of the more creative episodes as far as episodic plot development is concerned. (They actually interest me more than the Salinger related episodes which by themselves - much as I LOVE THIS AWESOME ANIME - sometimes have my eyes glazing over.) Please don’t underestimate them. - M.

[@chilenozo]

At 6:48 , how did you know the real laughing man (albeit he never called himself like that) killed the copycat? , I took it as the conspirators that were behind the copycat were the ones who decided to "clear all evidence" right away. Did the laughing man admit guilt?

[@ArmoredNeko]

Real laughing man did not kill the guy, I remember the shooter said something alone the line of "there's a change of plans" before pulling the trigger. The shooter is either with cops or cooperation, who is realizing the scapegoat plan won't work and ties up the loose end.

[@peterconway6584]

@@ArmoredNeko The guy who killed Nanao-A is the same one who talked to Togusa earlier. Nanao-A made the mistake of claiming to have pulled off the second Laughing Man appearance, and that he had several other surprises in the works. To his controllers, Nanao-A was going off-script and this was unacceptable. As mentioned in Chat! Chat! Chat! Nanao-A was also one of the people triggered by the Laughing Man's threat to Gen. Daido.

[@eyeseer1]

Laughing Man remains a unique character to a post-cyberpunk society for pop culture. Terrorism, anti-corporate technophobia, conspiracy and corrupt legalities resonance to society outside the fiction. Laughing Man is indeterminate as a villain or antihero. Laughing Man subjects bloggers and identity thieves before they became modern labels today.

[@jessicadane5172]

Thank you!! Rewatched the series for the 3rd time and this reallt answers a lot of my questions

[@dangerbeans9639]

I just started rewatching Stand Alone Complex so this is insane to me that now I'm getting this video in my recommended.

[@LagmasterB]

You had me at “favorite of all time”

[@GorcStew]

I watched the movie version of Laughing Man before the series...I found in the show it is much more fleshed out and easier to understand...don't watch the movie first loll. Thanks for the upload it helped clarify a lot of things

[@frankjaeger2565]

It's a recap movie, it's not supposed to be watched before the series

[@CarltonMasonNorwood]

I sincerely believe if someone assisted you in the development of your channel. You would have a larger subscription base. Unique voice and some interesting subject matter deserves more. Sorry to see you stop creating. ✌️-MN

[@supersonicprime]

Really dug this look back into Stand Alone Complex. Gonna hop straight into the next video!

[@sniperfire95]

good shit, good content, carry on plz

[@Aoi-uv8ee]

Underrated channel

[@frankjaeger2565]

Honestly I found it hard to swallow the scene when Imakurusu was shot; it seemed unlikely to me that a professional like Batou would lose sight of an amatour like Imakurusu. I understand that he thought he had nowhere to escape, but still..

[@Dr.HooWho]

Probably just plot, if they wanted him to get them he would tbh

[@frostbolt4359]

I agree, I don’t understand why The Laughing Man would ghost-hack him in that situation anyway. He was literally about to board the helicopter.

[@ShadowWolfIsTheGOAT]

@@frostbolt4359 laughing man wanted to give him the file and have him testify. That was his last play. When he got shot laughing man found Motoko and instructed section 9 to finish what he started.

[@magheed_gaming]

Even though the original Laughinh Man never existed, Aoi and the original sender of the message are the originals. An idea and a brain to organize and put events into motion. Let say a homeless guy with little intelligence had the disease and was thought how to use the net in order to distributed information to individuals we knew were smarter than him or more willing to take action. No matter how you see it even a small portion of logical decision making is enough to be dub as an aspect of the birth of the Laughing Man as long as he part of the inception, conception, and the net or physical action. Aoi and this individual are both the Laughing Man, even if corrupt business men first used the logo and word to label Aoi and this individual, The Laughing Man. The real question is whether the original Laughing Man was actually intelligent and knew what would happen or if he was just and random and Aoi simply picked up the pieces thereafter. Personal I like the idea that the original is still out there and is very intelligent, just not the type like Aoi. His or her intellect is moving smart chess pieces that act in independently once properly motivated. So I do believe the original is still out there and will move again one day when the demand is needed. Unless he or she is old, the original Laughing Man still exist.

[@TheOpticalFreak]

It has begun!

[@laughingman194]

You don't know my life!

[@Nionic]

Awesome! Where's part two?

[@SuperAntichicken]

Really gets the noggin joggin

[@montgomeryfitzpatrick473]

Pretty sure Motoko is the top in her waifu relations

[@AG-en5y]

Wow great video. Thanks!

[@TheSareus]

14:22 - Jesus way to make me feel 6yro again!

[@edd2184]

Thankyou for this!!!

[@imperiajor]

I finally understand this plot, thanks friend 😅 (al fin entiendo esta trama, gracias amigo) 😋

[@geasobd]

Great video sir.

[@SuperAntichicken]

If I was one of those deaf-mutes...

[@doxielain2231]

Holy shit. Stand alone complex is at the heart of q-anon and its ilk.

[@DrunkonMedia]

Wait like the concept or the actual anime?

[@GatorMilk]

Q Anon is a fake meme to keep boomers onboard with Weimerica's goals

[@anomitas]

@@GatorMilk based AND redpilled

[@peterconway6584]

I, too, have seen the similarity. I've commented on it in places, but don't know how widespread the idea has gotten.

[@peterconway6584]

@@DrunkonMedia Speaking just for myself, it's the same effect. No one knows who Q is; he (they) post(ed) anonymously but identifiably; highlighted the deep, dark corruption in the establishment; encouraged people to research on their own; has become a cultural idea now, though the corrupt establishment media, after ignoring or scoffing at it for the entirety of the time of Q's postings, is now three months late to start making hit pieces about it.

[@blakegeist6509]

What a strange time to discuss anime vaccine conspiracies. I'm legit worried about getting banned for talking about a cartoon now.

[@jotarokujo5305]

Well well well

[@RunzPwnz]

Awesome video!

[@PaulHFleming]

Isaki Hamotorus, you might be wondering, Who that?🤨🤔😁

[@rodneydaub3812]

I've not watched yet, but I searched out specifically SAC 1st season laughing man related content, because it's hard to understand. It's very complicated, i hop you can shed some light

[@BonePapi]

Motoko with underwear? Impossible. 12:10

[@City-Hunter]

great writing

[@mptyyegdlc]

What exactly happened to Serano in his last scene when he is about to get into his car? Was he killed by some sort of booby trap? And who was that other guy with pointy teeth observing it all? He seems to be the same guy who killed Nanao=A but I couldn't figure out who he is. We will probably never know, it seems to me that the plot was overcomplicated and the writers intentionally left some mysteries to remain as such forever.

[@konakun7878]

Well here is a spoiler, the original laughing man is the same guy who met tagusa at the beginning and the same guy who killed Nanao=A and Serano :)

[@Bbbbbbbbb547]

Is there something like this for season 2?

[@dantefachmann3057]

new reboot is sorry to say garbage ,,,,

[@hotpotts]

avoid the live action (cia, psy-op) hollywood crap, too

[@dolphin8815]

Intro reminds me of aquaFPS lol Its cool i like it.

[@mohammadomar4002]

Can you do a video about individual 11 please

[@dr.pastrami5272]

Damn you nanomachines

[@TheJpmuzz]

I always wondered who killed aNow

[@cyborg7898]

It wasn't The Laughing Man. That part is incorrect. It was: "Fukami is a police officer and a character in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. A former associate and a close friend to Togusa, Fukami is one of the main investigators in The Laughing Man case"

[@butmunch19121993]

i need the next part

[@Butterflywings011]

Thank God they made a OVA, focusing solely on the Laughing Man

[@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2]

I don't get the link with memes tough ....... hysteria on social media yes ..... but memes?!?!?

[@d0pestar]

The definition of "meme" in ghost in the shell is a bit different compared to the modern online definition. in gits it's based on the word meme as defined by Richard Dawkins.

[@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2]

@@d0pestar Thank you ☻☻☻

[@gamingplus2884]

I thought this was going to be about Th3Laughingman1. Not complaining was just uninformed

[@LiquidSnake1988]

Why say full 🌕

[@bobcostas6272]

Next part please)))

[@MattBraynardChannel]

This is a good video but the title is misleading: this isn't the "full story."

[@premk9687]

I don't care its 20 yrs old its still relevant today & literally inspired The Matrix !! atleast tats wat I heard! Also I don't kno abt waifu bait, but it reminds of a time when sci-fi stories had strong female lead. Classic like Alien 1979 & etc. Just nostalgic! Stories so imaginative, distant, futuristic almost unreal (which includes showing female as protagonist 😅, I kno female lead stories come out buts its so rare!). And the open song & the singer behind- Origa's Inner universe. These days cinematic universe just misses it !!

[@flamestoyershadowkill]

with the female lead part, especially ones that are well written

[@GoldandAppel]

"BOB"?

[@rainphantom]

By the way ghost in the Shell Netflix's version is utter trash

[@EvilPanda187]

So many P’s...your alliteration feels like social engineering. Pretty cool.

[@aygwm]

The story is very poignant with relation to current world events.

[@coolcalmcoop3650]

WHO DAT?!

[@RedVelvetUnderground333]

I like the new one, it’s a tonal change but entertaining

[@elliottevans5583]

Holy shit, covid 19 is our Cyber brain sclerosis.

[@AK47Prepper]

a swing and a miss....

[@josuefairy]

Probably Black mushroom for eyes inside mucomosis and brain evolving non Covid-19 to due cancer brain survive working and hard oxygen and neuronal and chip brain than smartphone and nanobots helping to live stream-human

[@dwellersart7538]

📡

[@MrSocalmaal]

I have the logo tattooed on my chest. The plugs on my neck also.

[@fumothfan9]

I remember i watched it awhile back but it was on at night so i couldn't get much into it. Then i went back to rewatch it and holy shit it blew my mind. What i like is that at the end they did show the real laughing man and he confesses to the first crime but the twist was he didn't take part in anything after that. His logo was just a a scapegoat and hijacked by a copycats. Then the copy cats of that copycat and the copycats of those came out. Everyone it starts from the no lifers then to the people the coorperations and finally the government all because one guy went crazy. Amd he went crazy by chance. The truth of the origins is entirely lost but the message and the battle of the ideals wasn't. At least that is what i got from the laughing man storyline. Japan really predicted all this shit waaayyy before it blew up in the modern age is pretty amazing. From the people using it to then hijacking it, the coorperations hijacking it, and finally the government or switch the last 2 around. Anything in general. And the way it was spread was through media. A simple TV broadcast and some security camera footage. It's all it took to get a 2nd or 3rd and 4th guys to bandwagon. Then the rest cascaded until you see the logo on everything as a common household icon.

[@ConspiratorialReport]

Who's here in 2025

[@zacharythomas8617]

Don't care.

[@josuefairy]

That's for identified "Laughing Man" called ANONYMOUS (Guy Fawkes is disgusting not working streamer) is expectative is smartest for activist Vía Streaming-Human for online and live to see for Java Script to added "Laughing Man" does for joke of infected hacker people-social kill our Business, Chief Police and Politicans assassination another hacker of Serrano (Not for her Aoi is genius and invisible Stream-Human) but Serrano corrupted for humanitary I don't know to see Laughing Man created by Aoi is smartest genius for Super S Rank is not criminal

[@odinsrensen7460]

"Top tier waifu bait" No accounting for taste. Major's an interesting character, sure, but I don't think you're even supposed to like her, at least not in this story.

[@ghostoastt]

FiRSt