Frustrated by a botched arrest, the Major dives straight into the Cabinet Intelligence Agency's servers to interrogate Gouda about his designs, while the rest of the team chases down a chain of refugee suicide bombers across the city.
Summary
A failed effort to bring in an ex-army officer for questioning pushes Kusanagi to stop working through intermediaries. Backed by Tachikoma that batter down the building's defensive barriers, she penetrates the Cabinet Intelligence Agency's server under the handle Chroma to pull Gouda's intentions into the open.
In their exchange she learns that Gouda once craved a seat among the powerful and has since abandoned that dream. His new aim is to manufacture a figurehead the public can rally behind, someone they connect with far more deeply than a mere name or face. He expects that figure to seize control of the crisis he is engineering and steer the nation into a conflict he believes will restore its lost stature.
Key Events
Elsewhere Batou, Borma, and Togusa trail a suicide bomber, always a step behind, until Batou acts on instinct and has Aramaki comb the local surveillance feeds. The footage reveals the bombers to be refugees, prompting a citywide alert to watch for refugees behaving strangely.
One such young woman surfaces at a subway station, claiming to be carrying a bomb. Togusa nearly talks her into giving up before Batou arrives and forcibly puts her down with a shot near her jaw. The device turns out to be inside her stomach, wired to a tooth that served as the trigger, and her panic had brought her close to setting it off, so she is placed into isolated medical care.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Hope Named Despair about?
The Hope Named Despair is the ninth episode of 2nd GIG. Motoko Kusanagi hacks directly into the Cabinet Intelligence Agency's servers to confront Gouda about his plans, while the rest of Section 9 chases a string of refugee suicide bombers across the city.
What does Kusanagi learn from Gouda in this episode?
Posing as Chroma, Motoko Kusanagi learns that Gouda has given up his old ambition of gaining political power and now intends to manufacture a public figurehead the people will connect with deeply, one he expects to seize control of the crisis he is engineering and push the nation into war.
How does Section 9 identify the suicide bombers?
After Batou has Aramaki review local surveillance footage, Section 9 discovers the bombers are refugees, prompting a citywide alert to watch for refugees acting strangely.
What happens with the young woman at the subway station?
A young refugee woman claims to be carrying a bomb at a subway station, and after Togusa nearly talks her down, Batou shoots her near the jaw. The device turns out to be inside her stomach, triggered by a tooth, and she is taken into isolated medical care.
What is the subtitle of The Hope Named Despair and where does it fall in the series?
The episode is subtitled AMBIVALENCE and is the ninth installment of 2nd GIG, falling between Vegetarian Dinner and One Angry Man.
Sources & Information
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View on FandomThis content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Dragon Ball anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.
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