Wind Breaker – Season 2 Episode 8 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

23-05-2025

Episode 8
Tsubaki orders the boys plenty of food from the club to thank them for helping him before. Now, Ito-san has been dressing up and going out almost daily, as he wants to have new stories to tell when he meets Yui again. In all his happiness, Tsubaki orders dessert for them, but he doesn't realize his vice-captains, Seiryu and Uryu, are also taking the food for themselves. Realizing his mistake, he puts a stop to the orders.
He also explains how he ended up dancing in the club. He fell in love with pole dancing when he learned about it, so he instantly searched for places to dance. Unfortunately, there were none close to Furin. His only option was to try joining this club, which accepted him. That's when Kanji arrives and teases him for crying when he asked to join them.
He also thanks the boys for helping them and talks more about Roppo-Ichiza. He's the group's watchman, and their mission is to stop any conflict around the area. They're much like Furin, although Umemiya has done far greater and more complex work to change the school and its surroundings.
As the lights go out, everyone turns their attention to the stage and Shizuka. She enchants all clients with her beautiful and soothing singing. It feels like she could even bring them to tears with such an amazing skill. However, their happiness soon ends.
The guys who attacked her before arrive again and start wreaking havoc outside the club. Kanji doesn't tell Tsubaki anything, as he doesn't want him to worry. He wants to leave alone, but Sakura, Nirei, and Suou go out the door before he can refuse their help.
There are more thugs than before, but that's not a problem for Roppo-Ichiza. Even though they're a small team, all of them are elites. Each of them swiftly knocks out two or three guys without help or breaking a sweat. The kids watch the scene with surprise, but something more incredible is yet to happen.
When one of the gangsters demands that they bring Shizuka, Kanji destroys him with a single punch. But he doesn't stop there and clobbers a few more guys, displaying a protective aura similar to Umemiya's.
Kanji continuously pummels all the other gangsters with ease, as if he could win the fight all by himself. When two guys attack him at the same time, Sakura comes to his rescue and defeats one of them. The boy's strength even impresses other members of the Roppo-Ichiza, like Akihito Miyoshi, who's fighting by Suou's side.
While everyone is fighting, Nirei wonders what he could do to help. He understands he can't do what he did during the brawl against KEEL, so he stays back and reflects. He also realizes they are almost out of enemies, meaning the fight is almost over. At least, it'd be good if it actually meant that…
Suddenly, a new group arrives, unconcerned by the several knocked-out men on the floor. They are GRAVEL, a team from the Sunaba district, which is incredibly poor, resulting in many of its citizens resorting to burglary and other crimes. Their leader says they'll get paid if they take Shizuka, so he tries to reason with Kanji.
Obviously, neither the Roppo-Ichiza nor the Furin boys will give up without a fight. But Kanji surprises him and Sakura by saying he doesn't even care if he loses the fight; no matter what happens, no one will touch the girl.
The Episode Review
Wind Breaker expands its world in a really interesting way. Although it has a 'gang of the arc' style (similar to a villain of the day type of deal), they always serve a bigger purpose. For example, KEEL transformed Sakura into a better leader and made him understand his weaknesses. And they paint a clearer picture of the city for us.
So, even if we don't know their lasting effects, GRAVEL and Roppo-Ichiza show how other people band together to fight against a situation. Be it poverty or simply guaranteeing entertainment for others.
It's also entertaining to think about how they'll affect the protagonists. Even though it's too soon to say, Kanji's mindset about losing a fight not mattering will probably influence Sakura in some way. He has just started thinking about depending on others, but he's still obsessed with fighting and winning. So, he might actually learn a thing or two from losing (or fighting differently).
Still, it's an odd choice to take Tsubaki out of the fight. We learn a lot about the characters from seeing them confront other gangsters, so he'll probably find his way into the conflict later. It'll be even greater if the creator adapts his style to his way of thinking or flexibility. He enjoys dancing, so seeing that affect his brawls would be a nice touch.
Previous Episode
Next Episode
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!