Wind Breaker is probably one of the biggest surprises of 2025. I was genuinely impressed by how good this show is.

I originally started watching it because I thought Sakura’s design was interesting. Especially the dual colors of his hair and eyes. I ended up watching both seasons over a few days, and as I said above, I was pleasantly surprised by how strong the series turned out to be.

The animation is very solid for the most part, and the characters are entertaining and likable, especially the protagonist, Sakura. I appreciate when a tsundere personality isn’t just a random quirk, but instead stems from a deeper issue. Both the fighting and slice-of-life elements are enjoyable and balance each other well.

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Commentaires

Wooden-Strawberry4642025-12-31 23:37

Chill bruh it ain't that good😭 you just need to watch more Anime. It's decent at best nothing too unique or crazy

hasanman62025-12-31 23:45

Oh no other peoples opinions

Psychicmind22025-12-31 23:48

I mean, it’s my opinion. I’ve watched a lot of anime over the last few years, and I still think this show is good. It doesn’t have the world-ending stakes that many shonen shows do, for example, but in my opinion, the writing is still pretty strong.

Wooden-Strawberry4642025-12-31 23:50

I'm not saying it's not good as I said pretty decent, but your title makes it sound like you jus stumbled Upon the Best written show of all time by surprise

One_Outside90492026-01-22 20:20

To be fair, it’s confusing when you said “pretty decent” when you meant “good”, as you should have just said it was “good”. I bet his response to you would have been totally different if you had. Being clear and concise in communication is vital, especially online.

Sahtras19922026-01-01 00:00

there arent many shows that are about people just punching eachother in a somewhat realistic way. and it looks fucking great while doing that.

N7CombatWombat2025-12-31 23:37

I thought it was fine and the fights were well done and entertaining, but I didn't think it was all that much on the story or characters, I'd say the series is entertaining for sure, but I wouldn't call it strong, and I found the MC to be pretty damn insufferable for most of the first season, but not so much so that I felt I needed to drop it.

beer_curmudgeon2025-12-31 23:39

And here I thought it was about farts...

Icy-Organization-9012025-12-31 23:39

The characters and the constant cliche backstory made me drop this one, one of the few anime that annoyed me.

avboden2026-01-01 00:29

It’s certainly a show that you’re not supposed to think too hard about to watch it

MusubiKazesaru2025-12-31 23:41

I keep getting pissed off at how good the animation this disaster of writing gets.

Chodus2026-01-01 01:03

What makes it a disaster?

Wysteiria2026-01-01 01:13

Going off the first season alone and how it entirely focused on one arc I can sorta see why some people would think that way. With some people not seemingly being a fan of the "talk no justsu" and the MC winning through arguments as opposed to pure fights.

But it all depends on how far you saw into it. For seeing the antagonist's worldview and mental state change for the brighter as a result of their duels was impactful. Where for me having to overcome mental health issues on my own was severely challenging, so seeing it being a natural/bit lengthy process I really appricated

MusubiKazesaru2026-01-01 01:42

What makes it good?

Chodus2026-01-01 01:44

I'm not saying it is. I'm curious about why *you* think it's a disaster.

MusubiKazesaru2026-01-01 02:05

I think the characters are straight up annoying, the way the narrative is delivered is hokey (like a lot of stuff delivered from that cafe owner lady or the whole "the town loves these delinquent kids because they're nice but they're totally also delinquents!"), and you get weird writing decisions like spending half of S1 after you hardly know anyone on a Dark Tournament style delinquent showdown.

Wysteiria2025-12-31 23:43

Oh boy, knowing some of the demographic of the people that saw this show, I can easily see half the comments saying "Season 2 fell off fast. The action in this show was lacking compared to season 1" LOL!

But I highly agree. As someone who grew up with autism and social anxiety, I could highly relate to the protagonist and other characters. Although action was one of the major factors, the show was amazing in showcasing mental health issues and emotional growth. Despite his life, Sakura manages to maintain a strong mentality - he just needed to learn how to interact with people in general. Other characters also demonstrate various degree of mental health issues, to which the story arcs end up solving. The senpai around him provides solid life advice. Where despite the timeline being only 3 days for the first season, nothing felt dragged out, where every scene had a purpise.

Overall my favorite message from this show was this:

"Don't give up on people. There will be someone or a group of people out there that will accept you for who you are, not what you do or accomplish. Don't be afraid, to jump right in!"

And from my favorite character he showcased this message:

"When you lose your mind, the limbs no longer function properly"

There was a continuation of it in the manga, but seeing those scenes made me realize as to why characters such as Takemichi was allowed to be a Leader. That having a strong mentality is what allows you to overcome anything. Talent? Even talented people can find themselves not performing as expected if they find themselves in a constant dark mental state / rabbit hole.

All I can say, is that after this week's chapter release in the manga, the story for the protagonist came back full circle. So if you haven't yet I highly recommend checking it out.

Wysteiria2026-01-01 00:02

Just going to add this in here as well. For maybe it's just what I've come across, but even after having a steady stream of Persona 5 songs the lyrics of the soundtrack also provided a solid message as well. Where [Higher I'll Go](https://youtu.be/JKcwym8EpFo?si=oaxgREtB5Ti_dJYs) constantly gives a reminder to not let others determine what your true worth is

Psychicmind22026-01-01 00:03

I'm currently reading the manga and yes, it's pretty good. Sakura's struggles are very understandable, considering how awful his past is. It's clear by simply looking at his apartment in season 2. It's just sad and empty.

But I'm glad he's slowly but surely healing.

Few-Insurance-64702026-01-01 01:58

I generally avoid action, because I don't really like it, but I thought season 1 was awesome in terms of pacing, character growth, and writing. Season 2 felt less real to me, that new gang was just kind of.... Well it lacked a degree of emotional and logical realism compared to the first season.

Wysteiria2026-01-01 02:11

If you're talking about the first one, oh yeah. That one was trash, your typical bad gang sort of thing. Going off later into the manga, it was meant to serve as a crucial learning point for the protagonist, for something he did later on was as a result of learning from his experiences in that arc. Even though I often rewatch this show, I find myself avoiding that arc since I'm not a fan of that gang.

lobsterwine2026-01-01 02:41

I knew WB was going to be divisive when I first found it. There's just too many action fans that don't want realistic emotional depth nor focus on mental health issues. BUT, as a drama/SoL fan that also likes action, it's such an amazing series. The problems are grounded, but the fights are flashy and fun. I also really love that Nii doesn't waste time on things that don't matter. The story is about how Sakura's peers help him grow into a better person and overcome his past traumas. All the people complaining about lack of police or teachers want extra scenes that take away from the actual point of the show.

Every single situation, Sakura is learning something new about how to be a person others can rely on, and how others should be treated. Sometimes it's through his own faults, but most often it's through watching the faults of others and helping reach a conclusion. I won't give away details, but the emotional growth from ep1 to the latest chapter released is insanely huge. I can't help but adore an incredibly wholesome and sensitive action-packed story. I wish we had more like it.

Wysteiria2026-01-01 03:12

I've been straying away from getting into online anime communities until now, so it was definitely a surprise to me to see current trends of people and demographics when it comes to anime. But you pretty much perfectly summed up the key highlights of this show is all about.

I've started watching anime since childhood in early 2000s, where the only real series I've come across that demonstrated a clear show of emotional growth and clear moral lessons in a style that actually stood out was in a game - Persona 5. So seeing an anime that actively focuses on mental health was really a pleasant surprise, in a way that got straight to the point.

Although I'm fine now mentally, at times I couldn't help but wonder how differently my life could've been if I grew up watching this show as a kid. For I had to learn how to socialize the hard way after a series of heated arguments with toxic family members, with no solid support of people around me growing up, and local mental heath resources in my area not being helpful at all. So I agree, I do wish we have more like this. For oh boy, the number of times I've seen people on other Subreddits discuss situations about depression and anxiety and how negatively it impacts their lives is unrreal.

gunswordfist2026-01-16 06:14

"Don't give up on people. There will be someone or a group of people out there that will accept you for who you are, not what you do or accomplish. Don't be afraid, to jump right in!"
🥹🥹

Also, yes, Sakura's development is really coming together in the manga. I really love the Momijikawa arc. I think Wind Breaker may have the first or second best comic book story of 2025. On The Way To Meet Mom is the other contender

ActualRound76992025-12-31 23:47

one of my favorites so far. it’s definitely fun, and I’ve enjoyed every episode so far. I’m excited to see more for sure!

Psychicmind22025-12-31 23:55

I really hope season 3 will arrive soon. But again, they should take their time with the animation quality. They don't need to rush anything

ActualRound76992026-01-01 00:08

exactly. I want it done well, not just quickly.

Psychicmind22026-01-01 00:10

And the anime studio is CloverWorks. They can cook really well

AdWhich73552025-12-31 23:50

Its too generic for me lost interest after 4 eps

carlosstjohn1162025-12-31 23:52

I like the animation and fighting, but I can’t get over how dumb of a premise the story and setting is. A high school with no adults and the almost baseless reason why they’re fighting haha.

Sahtras19922026-01-01 00:02

thats just the fictional part. exactly like all the stores offering them free food, which would make them go bankrupt in no time judging by the amounts of food they give away.

carlosstjohn1162026-01-01 00:08

I would say that if you can’t really create a believable or semi-plausible setting and reason for the action, then you probably need to work it some more.

I still watched all of season 1 an enjoyed it for the most part, but I very much needed to just suspend my disbelief and watch it for purely fun, not really any logic or reason behind it.

Sahtras19922026-01-01 01:21

there also wasnt any police afaik. the wind breakers had to defend their territory against goons.

the world is just lacking teachers and police officers, nothing crazy about that :P

JamesSomdet2025-12-31 23:59

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kitaknows2026-01-01 00:03

I am in the same boat as you, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would and started following the manga.

Shout out to the fight choreography in the series in particular, I got a lot of enjoyment out of that in the anime. For mostly being pretty standard fist fights, they sure made them look good.

CodeMonkeyX2026-01-01 00:05

That sounds like an amine I can identify with. I am certainly a wind breaker too.

AN1MAN1AC2026-01-01 00:08

I loved this show. I was there for Cloverworks’s animation at first because I always watch their new releases, but as good as the fights were, I stayed for the characters. The fights were very fun to watch, but I absolutely love all the characters, their dynamics and how they all feel like genuine friends. I feel like they delved into real themes and topics extremely well to the point that I wanted more of that over the fights. I was very pleased with season 2’s direction thanks to that. I’m not going to say the overall plot is anything incredible. It’s fun, but it’s not some groundbreaking story. The character writing though is great and I really hope we get a third season soon.

Psychicmind22026-01-01 00:24

Yeah, the plot and the overall story are nothing that special, but the animation, fights and characters make up for that. I'm amazed how much I like all these characters.
Sakura as a protagonist clearly develops.

Those boys in the class are just likable.

kitaknows2026-01-01 00:30

100% more a character-driven story than a plot-driven story, but the author definitely realizes that and seems to try to prioritize accordingly.

AN1MAN1AC2026-01-01 01:01

Yeah, and it absolutely works. I love when an author or creator knows exactly what they’re going for and can make a great product focusing on at least one particular aspect of it. For me, games can do this too. Something can have a subpar story, but if the gameplay is incredible, I’ll still be able to enjoy it. One of my favourite games is Project X Zone. It’s a fan service, crossover game where the story really isn’t anything special. Just another save the world and get back to our homes story, but the fun is in the characters and how they interact. Plus, I genuinely love the gameplay, as repetitive as it is. Meanwhile, if a game has a good story and middling or bad gameplay, I will be less inclined to enjoy it. It’s all in the medium and how a creator puts their strengths to use.

Then there’s an anime called Arifureta which is definitely not great, but the author is self aware about it and at least makes it fun for me. It’s not striving to be a masterpiece. It’s ridiculous and it knows that, so there’s fun to be had there. It’s maybe a 6/10 at best, but it’s a guilty pleasure of mine

Comrade_SOOKIE2026-01-01 00:12

I watched because someone told me about Tsuki and was very pleasantly surprised. I expected something really tropey, and while all the delinquent story trappings are there, the characters themselves have a surprising amount of depth for a shounen. I’m a fan.

Psychicmind22026-01-01 01:25

I'm glad to hear that.

Tsubaki's introduction episode showed some of the ugliest aspect of some "fans" tho. It's a shame because I really Tsubaki has solid writing, like most characters in the show. You understand their perspective.

Comrade_SOOKIE2026-01-01 01:45

Yeah the show treats them as just them rather than a symbol for a bunch of different groups all at once so they have serious depth.

awesomenessofme12026-01-01 00:14

Season 2 was so much worse. I'm not even just talking about the lack of action in itself (although that's an issue). One of the most interesting parts of the first season was the exploration and development of characters through fighting, and that was barely there in S2 in comparison.

HomersApe2026-01-01 00:14

I remember reading some of this series when it first started publishing, and thinking, "This is one of the dumbest things I've read. Who would read this?"

Little would I have known at the time that it would eventually get an anime and have a second season, no less.

Can someone explain to me what the appeal of this series is that I don't get? It's been a couple of years since I read the earlier chapters, so I'm a bit foggy on it. But isn't it just a bunch of hoodlums with no prospect of their futures fighting for some reason? Is there an actually interesting plot with themes to think about, or is it just a 'turn your brain off and you'll enjoy it' series?

Titanium_Beard2026-01-01 00:16

What I love about this series is it does a great job of making the fights have purpose and also the characters are really well fleshed out especially the second season. There's a lot of great moments in the second season that aren't just cool fights. That's why I like it so much.

HomersApe2026-01-01 01:05

What purpose are they fighting over? I know there's conflict with other groups (gangs maybe?), but outside of that, aren't these kids with no prospects of futures that don't involve either dying young or prison?

Titanium_Beard2026-01-01 01:07

Furin protects the town the school is in, honestly it's worth a watch just to get to know the characters and their motivations. It's kind of wonderful that way because each character has something propelling them to be better.

Wysteiria2026-01-01 00:38

Granted there were a few times the show had some metaphors in which I had to get around with for a bit fully understand. But the series focuses on characters that often start with dark mental states / bad family & life environments and learning to overcome them.

I remember how in Yu Yu Hakusho and other shonen characters while they can easily say "leave it up to me" or "i will be the best" with absolute confidence, Sakura in this show does not. The first episode hinted at this, but he grew up absolutely alone. So while he is strong right off the bat, he simply doesn't know how to interact with people socially. So for him the new community he moves into basically has him learning to accept people and gradually learn to trust in others

DependentOnIt2026-01-01 08:46

Shonen of the week

tehcharizard2026-01-01 09:12

The appeal of the series is in the characterization. The series is always showing different perspectives and emotional cores. Sakura's "path to the top" isn't about how many people he punches or how hard, but the personalities and world views that he's going to bounce off of and how they affect him on his way.

Playest_42472026-01-01 00:21

Was the second season any good? I missed it

Psychicmind22026-01-01 00:28

I would say, yes. This is, of course, my opinion. There is less fighting and bigger focus on the character development, but I would say it's pretty good.

dfiekslafjks2026-01-01 00:27

People seem to either love the delinquent genre or hate it. The exact same conversations happened with Tokyo Revengers.

Wysteiria2026-01-01 01:08

More so than the genre, I think it's a matter of story. Shows such as Yu Yu Hakusho and Fragrant Flower Blooms both features delinquents, but given the story those two are rather popular. I gave Tokyo Revengers a good try, but ended up falling off on that due to how dark the storyline turned out to be at times.

adzpower2026-01-01 00:33

The show makes absolutely no sense, where are their parents? Why are they not at an actual school?

And yet, it feels very heartwarming and cozy to me. I love it lol.

Psychicmind22026-01-01 01:21

Apparently, there was an interview with the author and he said that Furin students do have normal classes. He just doesn't show it since it's not really relevant to the story.

And I get it. The story is all about the characters and their shenanigans in the town.

duncandun2026-01-01 12:10

I just assumed they lived in an alternate delinquent reality where the kids run the school lol

nefarious_dareus2026-01-01 03:33

That’s why it’s so good. It’s like a fantasy show. They live in a fully fictional city that’s like, a different time period depending on what part of the city they are in and the only adults who exist there are village people who need saving and the teenaged gang members are like adventurer guilds. It’s so unapologetically far from realism that it’s so easy to suspend disbelief. I love it.

chum-guzzling-shark2026-01-01 16:40

also concussions dont exist in this universe

BlueAlphaShark082026-01-01 00:34

Is it dubbed? May check it out! Almost done with Rascal Does Not Dream series.

Psychicmind22026-01-01 01:28

Yeah, it definitely has a dub

BlueAlphaShark082026-01-01 05:31

Sweet! Thanks for the recommendation!

biggiebass132026-01-01 00:45

I dropped it after a few episodes. The animation was decent but that's about it.

teerre2026-01-01 00:47

Really? OP main character for no reason. Not a single good fight. Literally no plot

Wysteiria2026-01-01 01:04

Well, for those who are expecting pure action I can easily see this anime not being it for them. In Sakura's case he had to be that strong, otherwise he wouldn't have survived before he moved into the city for the first ep.

teerre2026-01-01 01:34

Uh, if you take the action out then it's even more mindless drivel

Wysteiria2026-01-01 01:45

Then feel free to stick with the shows you like! It's clear you have a very strong mental strength to not be able to resonate with the core themes of this show. Good on you! I personally am not a fan of horror/gore anime, since I'm not a masochist and not want to see characters being tortured over and over.

Other_Total55362026-01-01 01:07

I thought it was okay. I've been enjoying Tojima wants to be a Kamen Ryder about 100x more

CadenceSSBM2026-01-01 01:07

Tokyo Revengers but the mc can fight

ClemFire2026-01-01 01:48

It's in my top 10. I love both male and female tsunderes so always had a soft spot for Sakura, and the character work they did with him in S2 was really good.

Also I really loved the Tsubaki's backstory, my favorite part of S2.

Overall, Wind Breaker is the type of story that wants to interact with you emotionally which are always my favorites.

Cyd_arts2026-01-01 01:58

Its one of my favorite anime! And the manga holds up!

I dont think this sub is the target demographic for it lol but it does decently well in japan and among the female demographic who likes seeing emotional bonds between characters (for example, fans of haikyuu teams and fans of natsume book of friends have some overlap with fans of wind breaker)

Very character driven. The plot is simple, but I like that it allows the series to take its time exploring many characters in depth. The mc also goes through a lot of character growth. There are many kind characters and the found family vibes are nice and strong here. It touches on some darker stuff but it also shows hope to the characters. Obviously reality is different since humans aren't kind, but it works for the wholesome vibes of the show.

Psychicmind22026-01-01 13:11

Yeah, I agree. The plot isn't deep, but the real meat is the characters interacting and becoming close. The theme of a found family is great.

Although I agree, this sub doesn't seem like the target demographic.

CordobezEverdeen2026-01-01 02:05

Season 2 lost me.

It's not that I don't appreciate discussions over the fighting, I loved Vinland Saga Season 2 for example.

It's just that the problems feel so... childish? It's all good logical writing that the MC would have these problems and would slowly overcome them and grow as a person but I feel like his growth is **too obvious and predictable**. Oh boo ooh he's lonely and shunned so now that people like him he feels embarrassed and on the spotlight and needs to delegate etc etc

It all makes perfect sense but since I already know what the outcome is and such a big part of Season 2 is all about the MC's growth it makes it feel dull. Also a lot of the fighting felt really disconnected with the story (minus Tsubaki vs Manbun).

While even something as trashy and repetitive as Tokyo Revengers that's just "Takemitchy rallies his troops, gets his ass beat for the entire season and then some super op ally comes to the rescue" for 3 seasons straight is much more fun to watch because that cliched formula isn't what the entirety of the seasons are based around.

IceBlue2026-01-01 02:24

The anime started in 2024

dododomo2026-01-01 03:12

One of my favorite recent series! I started to read the manga at the end of the first season and I'm enjoying it. The characters development is one of things I love the most in this series. Hopefully they'll announce the season 3 soon

Ordinary-You81022026-01-01 04:58

Show went from *Crows Zero* to a woke group therapy session at a community center real fast. The only thing getting 'broken' in the second half is the pacing and my patience with these deep-and-meaningfuls. 💀

Bradybigboss2026-01-01 06:32

So this was actually my introduction to high school fight manga lol. The anime drew me in the same way it did you—my tastes are pretty varied otherwise.

But also if this grabbed your attention and you’re a reader—this led me to a Korean Manhwa series called Lookism. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever read. My favorite Manga are One Piece, HxH, JJK, Gundam, Cowboy bebop, etc. and I’m telling you give this series a try if you read comics

oddtoddlr2026-01-01 09:16

I really like it but sometimes the feeling parts take a little to long and they need more punch an kicking parts

Downtown_Reindeer_462026-01-01 13:01

Watched it earlier this year and was blown away with how good it was they do a fantastic job of making you care about literally every single character.

Own-Coat41602026-01-01 14:21

No offense. But, i dropped after 1st season. The vibe is too "nice" for me for supposed delinquent characters. But, from what its worth, the characters were aesthetically pleasing while fighting scene was better than average

traw0562026-01-02 19:22

I was so unbelievably disappointed in this show. The first couple episodes, I thought for sure it was going to be amazing. But then I realized that it was just too happy go lucky for my liking. Everyone likes the mc despite him being an ass to everyone. He’s already one of the strongest fighters and his school wipes everyone else so they have no rivals. The townspeople already love them so they have no societal enemies. Honestly, if the wouldn’t have had all 3 of those problems, I think I would love it because the fighting looks good and the shows characters seem like they have potential.

loki1012152026-01-09 15:55

Heard they put a pause on the anime to make a live action show not sure how true that is