Masanori Ota (太田正典, Ōta Masanori), better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (士郎 正宗, Shirō Masamune), is a Japanese manga artist. Shirow is best known for the manga Ghost in the Shell, which has since been turned into three theatrical anime films, two anime television series, an anime television film, an anime ONA series, a theatrical live action film, and several video games. He is a key figure in the development of cyberpunk aesthetics and themes in Japan during the 1980s and 1990s.

Born in the Hyōgo Prefecture capital city of Kobe, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts. While in college, he developed an interest in manga, which led him to create his own complete work, Black Magic, published in the manga fanzine Atlas. His work caught the eye of Seishinsha President Harumichi Aoki, who offered to publish him. The result was Appleseed, a full volume of densely-plotted drama taking place in an ambiguous future.

Shirow is also known for creating erotic art.