A Fuchikoma is a compact one-man combat tank used by Section 9 of the National Public Safety Commission. Best known for their appearances in Ghost in the Shell, these machines combine practical military hardware with surprisingly expressive personalities.
They're equipped with a basic AI that lets them operate independently in the field, but it's their behavior off-duty that really stands out—when not in active combat, Fuchikomas act childlike and goofy, providing much of the series' humor while also serving as vehicles for Shirow's philosophical ideas. The catch is that their AI lacks the typical safety protocols you'd find in standard military tech. Because they develop something resembling emotions, Section 9 keeps close watch for signs of instability, and syncs them nightly or after missions so the whole unit can learn from each collective experience.
Physically, they're built on four legs with two retractable arms ending in three-fingered hands that double as machine guns. Their "face" is distinctive—a large main lens with two smaller sensors below, and a mouth-like opening that's usually a grenade launcher. The pilot sits hunched inside a rear pod, jacked directly into the machine through neural interface cables, though Fuchikomas can receive orders and act without anyone piloting them.
They're remarkably versatile: four-legged walkers that can scale walls, rappel, roll out wheels for driving, and even submerge underwater.
In Mamoru Oshii's 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, Fuchikomas were cut entirely, replaced by a larger "think tank" model that appears near the end. When the TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex rolled around, they got redesigned as Tachikomas—taller, with four rotating sensor pods instead of a single large eye, and significantly smarter AI. After the events of S.A.C. 2nd GIG, the Tachikomas sacrifice their AI to stop a nuclear explosion and are succeeded by Uchikomas, essentially Fuchikoma-Tachikoma hybrids.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
