Wind Breaker is back on our screens this week, kicking off its much-awaited second season! Meanwhile, the manga keeps arriving briskly from Kodansha, who have shifted to releasing the physical copies monthly starting in June. With two fresh volumes out, let’s dive into the upcoming adventures for Haruka and his friends.

In Volume 7 of Wind Breaker, the KEEL arc concluded, showcasing Haruka’s showdown with a daunting group to save a friend. However, in the aftermath, Haruka felt disheartened realizing that he lost himself in the fight and failed to protect anyone. Thus, Volume 8 begins with Haruka seeking guidance from Kaji, the leader of the second-year class, on how to proceed.

Kaji advises Haruka that it’s only he who believes that people will reject him and encourages him to see others as they truly are. For Haruka, who has been isolated all his life up to now, this is challenging. Eventually, he apologizes to his friends and classmates for any trouble he’s caused them and is comforted knowing no one thinks poorly of him. The group pulls him along for a meal where they all express their fears, proving that although their fears differ, they’re all the same. Haruka feels secure at Bofurin, recognizing that he’s found a place where he belongs, a realization slowly dawning on him.

With Haruka’s arc resolved (for now), we move on to a new story revolving around one of the Four Kings: Tsubakino. Bofurin leader Umemiya has invited all the students together to show off his garden and allow them to mingle and, thanks to the fight against KEEL, the upperclassmen are very aware of the capabilities of the first years. Tsubakino has been itching to properly talk to Haruka, not only due to the rumours of his strength but also because he’s really in love with how stylish our protagonist’s appearance is!

While Volume 8 begins with a focus on Haruka, it’s fair to say that these two volumes are actually about Tsubakino. Standing at the top of the school as one of the Four Kings, Tsubakino is greatly respected for his strength but he also stands out for his outspoken and bubbly personality. He also draws attention due to his long hair, wearing make-up and more feminine outfits, but to his surprise, Haruka is completely accepting of this without making any judgement, even on their initial meeting.

As a child, Tsubakino was always interested in cute things but tried to hide these interests and instead focus on things more appropriate for a boy to fit in with the world. That is, until he met an elderly couple who saw him for who he truly was and Tsubakino realised that there are people who will accept him.

In all my time reading Wind Breaker, Tsubakino has been my favourite character since his introduction. In this day and age, I think it’s important to have this kind of representation where the emphasis is on the fact your likes and dislikes aren’t tied to gender and that you’re free to enjoy anything you want. Tsubakino is not a trans character, the fandom did wonder about this initially, but the editorial team made clear the character uses he/him pronouns, so they’re just Tsubakino and that’s perfectly fine. He’s a boy who likes cute things and embraces their identity without worrying about how others perceive them and he’s someone who, much like Haruka, has found a place to belong in Bofurin. This story will certainly resonate with anyone who has felt like they don’t belong, due to their interests, identity or anything else.

I feel like I say this every time I review Wind Breaker, but I really appreciate that this is a series so full of heart. Yes, the fierce fistfights and action scenes are the biggest attraction for most readers, but Nii balances those so well with these heartfelt storylines and character developments. And that is the true appeal of the series in my opinion. We can cheer for these characters no matter what because we’re given ample opportunity to get to know them when the story slows down for a while.

Tsubakino’s storyline mostly revolves around him inviting Haruka and friends to help cheer up the older gentleman he knows, who has grown depressed lately after the passing of his wife. There’s no way to resolve this with brawn and because these chapters are intertwined with telling Tsubakino’s backstory, they’re very emotionally charged. It’s just so much better written than you’d expect from the initial premise. Nii crafts this series with so much care and tells a story so unlike other battle shonen currently running. I’m very excited to see these adapted into the anime later on in Season 2, that’s for sure.

As mentioned earlier, Wind Breaker Volumes 8 and 9 come to the West thanks to Kodansha and continue to be translated by Jacqueline Fung with lettering by Michael Martin (Andrew Copeland for the digital editions). Both volumes read well and have several extras in the form of character profiles and ‘another style’ illustrations, showing the cast in differently themed outfits.

Kodansha has Volume 10 scheduled for an English release in April with #11 following in June and then monthly releases until we get caught up. On the Japanese side, this is up to 21 volumes with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Season 2 of the anime is streaming on Crunchyroll starting April 3rd!

Overall, these two volumes of Wind Breaker contain one of my favourite storylines in the entire season. Not only do they cap off Haruka’s recent struggles, but we finally get to meet Tsubakino who represents everything that makes this series such a compelling read.

Our review copies from Kodansha were supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.