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What is Motoko whispering to Batou in the end of the first series?

![](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5AXSc.gif)

(Spoiler ahead)

> This is the scene where Motoko and Batou are ambushed by the Section 9
> extermination squad. Motoko is the prime target and is ordered to be
> eliminated. Sniper on a helicopter shoots Motoko in the head, but before
> that Batou notices the red laser sight dot and alerts Motoko, to which she
> silently responds with the phrase in question. Since she's very calm about
> all this, I suppose it's something along the lines of "Survive".


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2014-06-15T15:24:29.253
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2017-07-26T06:14:31.123
2017-03-20T02:03:41.270
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question
ghost-in-the-shell-sac
What does Major Kusanagi whisper to Batou at the end of episode 25 of GITS SAC?


**She said 「な・あ・に」 ( _na-a-ni_ , "What").**

In Japan, there's a TV program on BS2 channel called
[BSアニメ夜話](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/BS%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A1%E5%A4%9C%E8%A9%B1)
(BS Anime Night Talks), and on 26 February 2009, it's talking about _Ghost in
the Shell: Stand Alone Complex_.

Regarding that scene, the original storyboard revealed that she was supposed
to say " _na-a-ni_ ". With cold expression, Major Kusanagi didn't convey
anything to Batou even in that situation. [Toshio
Okada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshio_Okada) (anime producer & co-
founder and former president of Gainax) responded
with「[ドS](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/4435/)ねーちゃんですね」("She is
a very sadistic girl, eh.")

* * *

**Fun fact** : before this information was revealed, many Japanese fans
theorized that she was actually saying 「と・け・い」 ( _to-ke-i_ , "(Wrist)watch")
because

> she tried to tell Batou that she wasn't wearing a watch, which means that
> she was _not_ the real Major Kusanagi, only a body double of her.

The fan theory was also strengthened by the close-up of her wrist after that
scene (spoiler image below)

> ![Major Kusanagi's wristwatch](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wItxNm.png)

* * *

Source:

  * [jademetal's blog post (Japanese)](http://jademetal.exblog.jp/9713472/)
  * [Yahoo! Chiebukuro (Japanese)](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1236546452)


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2017-04-15T16:45:18.383
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2017-04-15T16:45:18.383
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