Wind Breaker episode 3 review: just your average brutal beatdown

In our Wind Breaker episode 3 review, we look at the introduction of a new gang as well as the Umemiya, the Bofurin leader.

The Wind Breaker Episode 3 review

Wind Breaker episode 3 picks up right where episode 2 left off, with Sugishita assaulting Sakura, forcing the latter to dodge his blows. The fight ends after Sakura manages to land a swift and brutal kick to his assailant’s face, causing his nose to bleed from the impact. Soon after, Bofurin leader Umemiya addresses the rest of the Bofurin gang and tells them to enjoy their youth. Sakura is quickly accepted by his peers into their ranks and is forced to go out on patrol with Sugishita, along with Nirei, Suo (a lighthearted Bofurin with an eyepatch), and Hiragi, a Bofurin who appeared in the first episode.

After helping a shop owner paint over some graffiti on his place of work, they soon come across a middle schooler being chased by the Shishitoren gang, who value strength above all else. Both Sugishita and Sakura neutralize one of the three gang members before a high-ranking member, Togame, shows up. He punishes the member the two Bofurin stopped just a moment one by inflicting a brutal beatdown on the guy and after Togame says Sakura has “Othello hair,” he and the two remaining lackeys leave, ditching the other member and declaring that he’s no longer one of the boys. The episode ends with the Bofurin escorting the middle schooler to Furin High and meeting with Umemiya.

This installment helps show us how an average day in this universe goes (at least for these two factions) and illustrates just how brutal other gangs can be. It makes sense that the Bofurin have to help people with everyday tasks since just protecting people from ruffians doesn’t happen every day and they’re also kindhearted individuals. The explanation Hiragi gives to Sakura about going on patrols to dissuade other gangs from causing havoc upon innocent people shows there’s more to the gang than simply being strong and protecting the weak. This lesson is reinforced when he also explains that the Bofurin once enjoyed getting into fights, but learned that it’s better to aid others instead.

Introducing the Shishitoren

The highlight of this episode is the scene where the Bofurin team meets the Shishitoren gang as we get to see the ideology of this faction and how they treat others as well as their comrades. Like Sakura, they’re obsessed with being the strongest but instead of being disinterested in the weak, they actively punish those who lose in fights before leaving them bloodied and beaten on the street, no longer a member of the gang. It’s an appropriate deviation from Sakura’s mindset and shows him that innocents need to be shielded from people like this.

Togame makes a strong impression in his first appearance, being somewhat creepy with his slow (and occasionally menacing) voice as well as ruthless with how he beats his subordinate before removing their Shishitoren jacket and leaving him there.

The beating starts with Togame shattering a glass bottle over his head before he pummels him repeatedly until Hiragi yells at him to stop, all while blood splatters quickly fill a black screen as it cuts to the reactions of members of both factions. The fact that one member looks down on his friend while the other has a happy reaction shows just how abhorrent, vicious and messed up in the head these guys are. The accompanying background music also helps to keep you focusing on Togame’s savage actions, keeping things dark and tense.

Related: Wind Breaker and Tokyo Revengers are even more unlike than haters realize.

The usual stuff

Prior to this, there were the usual funny moments that the series has. Hiragi’s outraged tone and over-the-top reactions, like when Sakura mentions the fight from episode one, are amusing to witness. The same goes for Sakura, like when his classmates welcome him with open arms and compliment him on landing a hit on Sugishita, only for him to attack one of them out of embarrassment.

The moment where Togame calls Sakura “Othello Head” was unexpected, but was also a well-executed transition from the harsh punishment the former doled out to him pointing out the leading man’s hair. It was well-timed as it immediately cuts the tension stemming from Torage’s punishment and was a good way to end the scene. I wasn’t outright laughing, but I was still amused.

We also learn more about the Bofurin, like the fact that head honcho Umemiya has four captains called Heavenly Kings (Hiragi included) serving under him, each commanding three classes to patrol and assist citizens. The episode shows that Umemiya’s people have a great deal of respect for him and that he’s got some strategy in mind. Susishita is also visibly afraid of the prospect of him finding out that he assaulted somebody on day one. It’s clear that this guy is a big shot for a good reason and I’m eager to see what he’s made of in the next episode.

As for the rest of the cast, there’s not much. Sakura is starting to get used to people treating him with kindness, Sugishita doesn’t like the leading man and is completely devoted to Umemiya, and Nirei and Suo also hang around, but don’t do much. Nirei’s reaction when he’s threatened by Sugishita when the former questions Umemiya’s idea of going to the beach in the summer is amusing, however.

Clashing right off the bat

Besides the beatdown Togame dishes out, episode 3 starts with Sakura and Sugishita scrapping with each other. It shows the latter is fast and vicious in his attacks, but even though he may not be as fast, Sakura can still react fast enough to take advantage of an opening he sees. This leads to a swift kick to his attacker’s face, complete with blood dripping out of his nose. The animation is very fluid here and the Sakura’s kick looked like it hurt. If it weren’t for the Shishitoren segment, this would be the best part of episode 3.

Overall, I’d say that Wind Breaker episode 3 does a fantastic job at giving us a peek into how rough other gangs play in this series and the humor lands just like it did in the previous episodes. It is becoming a bit tiring to see Sakura becoming blindsided whenever someone is kind to him and I hope that future episodes focus less on that and more on the action scenes moving the story forward. Suo and Nirei also didn’t do much besides talk in some scenes and I’m hoping they can contribute something in the future.

Final score: 7/10

Wind Breaker can be streamed through Crunchyroll.