The anime adaptation of Wind Breaker is captivating fans with its unapologetic display of schoolyard scuffles, so now’s the perfect time to jump into the manga. The good news? It’s readily available for to read.
Wind Breaker is the latest addition to a proud lineage of fight-centric school stories– a genre immortalized by titles like Crows, Great Teacher Onizuka, and Tokyo Revengers. The delinquent story takes us to Furin High School, a battleground where the student body speaks louder with fists. Our main character, Haruka Sakura, is a newbie who’s determined to become the ultimate tough guy on campus.
There’s no doubt that the story contains a lot of “furyo” cliches. But just because something is a cliche doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. In fact, there’s a reason these tropes have become so ubiquitous in the genre – they work. There’s something satisfying about watching a character overcome obstacles and grow stronger. And when those tropes are executed well, as they are in Wind Breaker, it’s a comfort food for the soul.
Where can you read Wind Breaker?
Created by the Satoru Nii, Wind Breaker first graced the pages of Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket in January 2021. It didn’t take long for the series to catch the eye of Kodansha USA, who decided it was high time for international readers to experience the unique educational philosophy of Furin High. By 2022, they made it happen, and now, with translations available up to volume 14, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from.
The first volume of the series can be yours for just $0.99. The average price for volumes 2 through 13 is $5.99, with the latest translation coming in at $7.99. Of course, like any platform, Kodansha has its pros and cons. Their selection might not be as extensive as Viz Media’s, and for most Shonen fans, Viz Media is often the preferred destination for its cheap subscription model. However, Kodansha’s niche lies in its user-friendly digital experience and they’re constantly working to improve it.
Kodansha’s 2021 rebrand was the first major overhaul the company had undergone in over a century. Since then, it has been pushing to grab a bigger slice of the manga pie. And so far, it looks like their efforts are paying off. More than one million copies of the Wind Breaker manga are in circulation as of now, which is a pretty impressive number for a relatively new series.