Title: Wind Breaker
Author: Satoru Nii
Demographic: Shonen
Genre: Action
Published: 2021 – present
English-translated Volumes: 20 and ongoing
MyAnimeList Rating: 8.04
Rating: 9/10
Welcome to Makochi, the town of the infamous Furin High School known for delinquent brawlers. Haruka Sakura is about to start his first year at Furin with only one goal in mind… to fight his way to the top. But what will happen to Sakura once he meets the other students at the school?
Pros
Great, relatable characters
You will undoubtedly find some characters that you love in Wind Breaker. The author did a tremendous job crafting fleshed-out, well-rounded, and relatable characters. My personal favorites are Ren Kaji, Hayato Suo, and Jo Togame.
Exciting fight scenes
Wind Breaker has some of the most entertaining and exciting fighting scenes. The author cleverly uses the fights to show character development, empathy, and personal growth. As the story builds up to the war in the later volumes, you get more intense, suspenseful fights that beautifully show character relationships and camaraderie.
Well-crafted enemies
Wait… why do I suddenly like a character who was the enemy in the last volume? Satoru Nii has set the standard for well-crafted enemies. Right when you think you hate a character, a fight scene or background story suddenly has you rethinking everything you thought you knew about that character.
Life lessons
Umemiya is not a simple high school student. He is the mentor, therapist, and role model throughout the story. His impact and influence on the Furin students brings out the best in everyone and there have been multiple times where I’ve learned a lesson or two from Umemiya’s conversations.
Immediately captured my attention
With manga, it is often difficult to capture the audience’s attention in the first volume. But Wind Breaker did just that. I was hooked from the very start of the story and I am eagerly awaiting the next volume release.
Cons
Some things that don’t make sense
Where are the parents? How can a 16-year-old manage a cafe? Is Furin an actual school? There are parts of the story that don’t make a ton of sense. As of volume 20, you won’t meet any parents or teachers, there’s seemingly no homework or school requirements, and some underaged kids have questionable jobs and responsibilities. If the author had made the characters older instead of high school students, it would have removed a lot of these holes in the story.
Overall…
If you are looking for a shonen, action manga that features friendships, strong main characters, and personal growth, Wind Breaker may be what you’re looking for. The anime is also a great place to start if you’re looking to try it out.
Caroline’s Library 