Ghost in the Shell's Real Rock Connection Isn't Metallica — It's The Police (and U2)

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 20:57:02 +0000

A stubborn fan myth says “Master of Puppets” was inspired by Ghost in the Shell. The timeline kills that in one move — and the real rock connections buried in this franchise are better than the myth ever was.

Here’s the claim, as it circulates: Metallica wrote “Master of Puppets” about the Puppet Master, the body-hopping villain of Ghost in the Shell. Puppets, puppet master, control, loss of self — the vocabulary lines up so neatly you can see why people want it to be true.

Brian Eno on Real Rock Lab

Ghost in the Shell's Real Rock Connection Isn't Metallica — It's The Police (and U2)