Latest news with #Furin
Daily Maverick
15-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
TB's tight grip: Why this curable disease is so hard to treat
TB can be cured, but ridding the body of the bug often takes many months and usually requires taking four or more medicines. In this special briefing, Spotlight zooms in on what makes the TB bacterium so hard to beat. There are many things we've learned from studying the ancient Egyptians. One especially fascinating discovery was evidence of skeletal deformities in mummies, which serve as silent markers of a tenacious bug still stalking us today: tuberculosis (TB). With about 10.8 million people around the world getting sick with TB in 2023, it remains the leading infectious disease on the planet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In just South Africa, it claims more than 50,000 lives a year. In this Spotlight special briefing, we take a closer look at the bacterium that causes TB and why, even now in an era where TB is curable, beating it still requires months of treatment with multiple medicines. Adapted for survival The mystery of TB's staying power starts with the bug itself. As explained by Dr Jennifer Furin, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is well adapted to survive on multiple fronts. Furin is an infectious diseases clinician and medical anthropologist who specialises in TB. First, she explains, there is its size. TB is spread through the air when someone who has the bacterium in their lungs coughs it up. It's then contained in small amounts of fluid called droplet nuclei. This droplet is precisely the right size to hang in the air, allowing TB to survive for hours and even days. These droplets can then be inhaled by other people and are just the right size to travel to their lungs. 'It is really amazing from an evolutionary point of view and would be absolutely fascinating if it did not lead to such a horrible disease,' says Furin. Secondly, the bacteria themselves are well adapted to avoid being killed, sporting a thick, slimy coating called mycolic acid. This coating makes it difficult for drugs or immune system cells to get into the organism to kill it. The bacteria also have some clever ways of getting around the human immune system, which allows them to 'persist in the body for years and years'. Furin says one way it's able to stay in the body for so long is the bacterium's ability to go into a 'metabolically quiet state' when the immune system starts coming after it. In this state, it stops multiplying until the pressure from the immune system quiets down. It is this combination of being able to pass from person to person and lay dormant in the body when challenged by the immune system that enables TB to thrive in humans. How the body fights back Though hard to estimate with great accuracy, it is thought that only in the region of one in 10 people who inhale the TB bacterium and become infected actually fall ill with TB disease. In fact, some people's immune response is so good that even though they've been exposed to TB, there's no evidence that it was ever able to establish an infection in the lungs. For everyone else exposed to TB, one of two things happens. Either the body mounts an immune response that contains and may eventually kill the bug, or the bacteria get past the immune system and cause illness. To make people ill, the bug needs to get past the first line of defence and get a foothold in the lungs. Unfortunately, the antibodies relied on to kill other bacteria or viruses don't work against TB. Instead, Furin explains, special pulmonary macrophages recognise TB as a threat and 'gobbles it inside them'. Macrophages work by 'swallowing' bugs and then neutralising them by 'digesting' them. But the bacterium's thick, slimy mycolic acid layer prevents the macrophages from killing it. The macrophages with the TB inside, along with other essential immune system cells called CD4 and CD8 cells, then signal more macrophages to help out. These cells then work together to build a wall around the bacteria to keep it contained. Furin compares the CD4 and CD8 cells to foremen who oversee the building of a wall called a granuloma, while the macrophages are like the bricks and cement that form the actual structure. This wall around the TB bacteria needs to be constantly maintained by the immune system. If the immune system is weakened, Furin says the walls break down and the bacterium escapes, coming out of its dormant state and starts multiplying again. If this happens, TB could spread beyond the lungs to other parts of the body. If the walls are built right and maintained, then eventually the bacterium is starved to death. Yet, this process can take a long time, sometimes years, because of the bacterium's ability to go dormant. 'Double-edged sword' The 'interaction between TB and the immune system is a double-edged sword', says Professor Graeme Meintjes, an infectious diseases specialist with a research interest in HIV and TB at the University of Cape Town. 'The immune system is trying to contain and kill TB. But at the same time, TB is using the immune system to perpetuate infection from one person to the other,' he says. Meintjes explains that TB has evolved alongside people and developed special proteins and molecules that cause the immune system to react to it. It needs this reaction to cause damage in the lungs, leading to its being released during coughing or even breathing, which helps spread it to other people. 'The TB excites the immune response that causes damage [to the lungs] and that allows it to be released into the airway and either coughed or breathed out. So, there's some evidence that TB has evolved to elicit the immune response in order to achieve that,' he says. Adding to this, for some people cured of TB, Furin says that a condition known as post-TB lung disease can in part be caused by the granulomas grouping together, which causes cavities to form in the lungs. This can lead to scarring and sometimes surgery is required to remove these areas of destroyed lung tissue. The immune system can also start 'over-functioning' if it senses the bacterium has escaped from the granulomas and is spreading. This causes the immune system to send out special chemicals called cytokines that can cause indiscriminate killing of the lung cells around it. She says this is like the immune system going after one target with the intention to kill it, but then blowing up the whole neighbourhood. TB works differently in different people The complex interplay between the immune system and TB makes it difficult to predict which individuals will become sick with TB and who won't, although there are some clear trends. Meintjes says factors like malnutrition, poverty, overcrowded living or working conditions and multiple exposures to TB are some of the biggest drivers of infection and disease. Factors like genetics, the amount of TB someone is exposed to, or a person's initial immune response are also thought to play a role. 'But still, in a given setting where you have two people living in a household, one of them might go on to develop TB disease with the same exposure and the other not. And there are factors that are not fully explained about why some people will develop TB and others won't,' he says. Probably the most important risk factor for TB in South Africa over the past three decades has been untreated HIV. Because HIV targets specifically CD4 cells, it was the worst thing that could have happened in a world with TB, Furin says. HIV infiltrates and kills a person's CD4 cells, which means the immune system then has fewer of the cells ready to fight TB. In 2024, over half (58%) of all adults receiving TB treatment in South Africa were also living with HIV, according to estimates from Thembisa, the leading mathematical model of HIV and TB in the country. Another group that is at high risk of TB disease is children, particularly those younger than two. The good news is that there is a vaccine that reduces this risk. As Furin explains, the BCG (bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine works by showing the CD4 and CD8 cells how to build the 'protective wall' against TB, because the immune systems of children are still too 'immature' to know how to do it without help. 'It [the BCG vaccine] only works for a little bit of time, but it works great to protect kids against those very severe forms of disease, while their own immune systems are learning [how to fight TB],' says Furin. Because the vaccine protects children only for a short time, the WHO recommends that one dose be given at birth for children in countries with a high TB burden. Despite many research efforts to find another vaccine, and a promising candidate being studied in a phase 3 trial, BCG remains the only TB vaccine in use for now. A brief history of TB treatment Though TB has been making humans sick for many centuries, the bug that causes the illness was identified only in 1882, by the German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch. It would be roughly another 60 years before the first effective treatments would become available. Until the 1940s, TB treatment mainly involved staying in a sanatorium. The first drugs to treat TB with any success were the antibiotics streptomycin and para-aminosalicylic acid. These two drugs had significant side effects, and using only two drugs often led to TB becoming resistant to the treatment. As described in this excellent overview, what followed was a 'great flurry of drug discovery research' that lasted from the 1940s to the 1960s. The four drugs used to treat most cases of TB today – isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol – were all first used to treat TB in this period. After the 1960s, there was a lull in investment in TB research for several decades, probably because TB rates in wealthy countries had declined, and what cases there were could generally be cured with the new treatments. 'The Global North was very much of the perspective that it's [TB] a disease that's waning and 'it's no longer our problem',' Meintjes says. 'It was seen as a disease of poverty; a disease of other countries, and money was put into diseases that are common in the Global North.' This all changed around the turn of the century with the HIV epidemic and a resurgence of TB, particularly drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) in Europe and North America, says Meintjes. By definition, DR-TB means that some of the standard drugs used to treat TB no longer work. The renewed interest in TB resulted in a new flurry of TB drug discovery. Maybe most notably, in the 2010s, a drug called bedaquiline replaced older DR-TB drugs that were associated with hearing loss. A slightly older antibiotic called linezolid also became a cornerstone of DR-TB treatment. Today, in South Africa, 'normal' drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) in adults is treated with a six-month treatment course – consisting of four drugs for two months and then two drugs for the next four months. A four-month treatment course has been shown to work in a clinical trial, but is not yet routinely provided in the country. Kids are typically treated for four or six months. DR-TB is treated with anything from three to six drugs, for any time from six to 24 months. How someone's TB is classified is largely determined by which drugs their particular strain of TB is resistant to. Lindsay McKenna, co-director of the TB Project at the Treatment Action Group, suggests thinking of it as a ladder. If the standard four drugs all work for your TB, then you don't have to climb any rungs. If rifampicin doesn't work for you, you have rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) and must climb to the first rung to find drugs that work. If both rifampicin and isoniazid no longer work, you have multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and must climb another rung. If you have resistance to even more drugs and you have pre-extensively drug-resistant TB and after that, extensively drug-resistant TB. (In practice, TB programmes often classify RR-TB and MDR-TB together since the same medicines are used to treat them.) All of the above treatments are for people who are ill with TB disease. There is also so-called TB preventive therapy, which aims to kill the TB bacteria in the lungs of someone who is infected, but who hasn't yet become ill with TB disease. These preventive treatments typically involve taking one or two medicines for one to six months, depending on the specific treatment regimen. It is possible that new long-acting formulations could allow for an entire course of preventive therapy to be administered as a single injection, though that research is still at an early stage. How the treatments work One reason for the complexity of TB treatment is the bacterium's large and complex genome. Meintjes says that HIV has nine genes, while TB has around 4,000. Having so many genes means the bug has lots of potential to bypass the effect of drugs targeting certain molecules or pathways and still survive. On the other hand, the many genes, at least in theory, provide many potential targets for antibiotics to attack. As noted, to cure TB, one typically has to attack the bug with at least three or four drugs. Meintjes says it is like a group of lions taking down a large buffalo – each one targeting a different part of the buffalo. Along these lines, TB drugs can broadly fit into different categories based on which part of the bacterium they target. Some drugs attack the way the bacterium builds its cell wall, others disrupt how the bug makes its protein, yet others interfere with how the bacterium produces or gets energy, and finally, some sabotage the way TB replicates. As Meintjes explains, isoniazid targets the cell wall of the bacterium by affecting the formation of molecules within the wall, ultimately causing it to leak and die. Rifampicin targets the genetic mechanisms of the TB bacterium, which prevents it from replicating. Bedaquiline works by targeting the mechanisms that allow the bug to metabolise energy, essentially starving it of fuel. A class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, specifically levofloxacin and moxifloxacin, target the TB bacteria's DNA while it's trying to copy itself and stops that process, explains Furin. Another drug, linezolid, interferes with how the bacterium makes proteins, which it needs to survive. It is not entirely clear how some other drugs, like clofazimine and pyrazinamide, work, says Furin. Even when attacking TB with several drugs and from multiple angles like this, it can still take months for all the bacteria in someone's body to be killed and for them to be cured. This is because, according to Furin, sometimes the protective wall formed by the immune system to contain the TB becomes too thick for the drugs to get through. And the environment inside the wall is often very acidic and deactivates some of the drugs that do manage to get in. How treatment could improve Novelist George Orwell, who was diagnosed with TB in 1947, was one of the first people to be treated with streptomycin. 'I am a lot better, but I had a bad fortnight with the secondary effects of the streptomycin. I suppose with all these drugs it's rather a case of sinking the ship to get rid of the rats,' he wrote in a letter at the time. More than 75 years later, TB treatments have improved massively, but drug side effects remain a real problem, especially when treating DR-TB. Some older treatments for TB involved injections of toxic drugs and had horrible side effects, including hearing loss and kidney damage. While newer drugs are better, there are still issues. Linezolid, for example, can cause peripheral neuropathy (painful tingling in the hands and feet) and anaemia. McKenna says none of the TB drugs is 'necessarily a walk in the park' and all come with side effects. This is because of the drugs themselves, the dosages required to kill the TB bacterium, and how long the drugs need to be taken. Because of this, much of the focus in TB research has been on finding drug combinations that can reduce the duration of treatment and the severity of side effects. For Furin, an ideal future regimen includes 'fewer pills' – she's hoping for one pill once a day for no more than eight weeks, 'fewer side effects', and doing away with the one-size-fits-all approach. Her reference to the 'one size fits all approach' points to one of the central tensions in TB treatment programmes. People with TB often do not get optimal treatment based on the specific characteristics of their own illness. For example, in countries with limited testing for drug resistance, people might be treated with medicines that their specific strain of TB is resistant to. They might thus suffer the side effects of that medicine without any of its benefits. This is less of an issue in South Africa than elsewhere, since the country's health system provides routine testing for resistance against several of the most important TB drugs. There are also questions about whether everyone really needs to be treated for six months to be cured. A landmark study called Truncate has shown that many people can be cured in two months. The difficulty is that we can't currently predict who will be cured after two months and who will need the full six months, or even longer. Figuring this out, as McKenna points out, would enable more personalised care that would mean fewer people are over- or under-treated. Some in the TB world have argued for the development of a pan-TB regimen – a combination of three or so drugs that nobody is resistant to and that accordingly could be given to everyone with TB, no matter what strain of TB they have. The benefit of such a pan-TB regimen would be that it would dramatically simplify the treatment of TB if it worked. But the experts interviewed by Spotlight agree that resistance is likely to develop against the drugs in such a regimen, and as such, testing people for drug resistance will remain necessary, as will alternative treatment regimens. Furin also points out that pharmaceutical companies have a greater incentive to invest in a pan-TB regimen since its potential market share is bigger than for drugs in a more fragmented treatment model. A hard task, getting harder One of the biggest obstacles in the way of finding new TB treatments is that there really aren't any reliable shortcuts when it comes to doing the research. With HIV, one can get a good idea as to whether a treatment is working by looking at biomarkers such as a person's viral load and CD4 count. TB, by contrast, doesn't have any similarly clear biomarkers that tell us whether a treatment is working or not. Arguably, the most promising biomarker for TB is bacterial load – essentially, how many bacteria are left in someone's sputum a while after treatment has begun. Having a high TB bacterial load is associated with a poor treatment outcome, but the problem is that it is difficult to measure reliably. Without a good biomarker, the only way to measure how well treatment is working is to follow patients for a long time and see if they are cured, and if they are, whether they suffer a relapse. Because of this, TB treatment trials often take several years to complete. Despite these challenges, there has been a good deal of activity in recent years. 'There are about 20 different new drugs in clinical trials at the moment – either early or later phase,' says Meintjes. But much of that momentum might now be lost because of the United States' abrupt slashing of research funding, including much TB research. The US government has until now been the largest funder of TB research by some distance. It spent $476-million or over R8.7-billion through its agencies on TB research in 2023, according to a report by TAG. Many ongoing US-funded TB clinical trials have already been affected, according to McKenna, although there have recently been indications that some research funding might be restored. Where does this leave us? That most people with TB can be cured is something worth celebrating. That treatment for DR-TB has become a lot better and shorter over the past two decades is also something to be grateful for. But as we have shown in this Spotlight special briefing, TB is a tough and ancient adversary and keeps adapting. The treatments at our disposal today are far from as good as we'd like them to be. The treatment side effects are often horrible, and many people find it very hard to take these drugs for month after month. We didn't linger on it, but many people who are cured struggle with post-TB lung disease for the rest of their lives – meaning the bug might be gone, but that person's lungs are never the same again. The scientific search for better TB treatments is not a matter of convenience. It is critical to reducing the suffering that several million people will endure just this year. It is also vital for reducing the number of lives that are still being claimed by this age-old disease. And of course, TB will keep mutating, and we will likely see more and more resistance developing against the drugs that we are depending on today. That is why it is imperative that governments, donors, and pharmaceutical companies all maintain and increase their investment in the search for better TB treatments. After all, TB claims more lives than any other single infectious agent on the planet. If that alone doesn't warrant more investment, what does? But there is also a case to be made that we should change the way we conduct TB research. Ideally, more research should be driven, and informed by, what actually matters to people with TB and to people in the communities where TB is rampant. After all, when given the choice, who wouldn't opt for more personalised and more respectful treatment and care? 'The TB community keeps making the same mistakes over and over and then acts mystified when things do not turn out the way they want,' says Furin. 'All the new drugs and new regimens in the world will never be enough if we do not listen to what impacted communities need, and follow their lead.' DM Additional reporting by Marcus Low.
The Review Geek
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Wind Breaker – Season 2 Episode 11 Recap & Review
Episode 11 Kanji and the rest excitedly celebrate at a restaurant where one of the Roppo-Ichiza members works. Even though they're mostly unscathed, and Suzuri and Shizuka are with them, some aren't that happy. Nirei is scared out of his mind, and Sakura is furious at the guy who attacked them. So, we go back to the start of that new confrontation. The strange tattooed man jumps off the roof of a bar, trying to copy the 'hero landing' they see on TV. Instead, he hurts his knees and complains about how hard it is. Still, Kanji and Tsubaki don't laugh at all his clownery; they put up stances, ready for a fight. When the guy starts speaking seriously again, Sakura and Suou do the same, noticing a shift in his tone. Suzuri intervenes, saying his deal was with him, which angers everyone. Even those who knew the mysterious man didn't expect he'd be the one behind everything. He actually was a Furin student from the same year as Tsubaki, but he left the school. His name's Endo Yamato, and he's a legend among the students. However, not knowing him, that doesn't impress Sakura, who insults him for trying to kidnap Shizuka. What affects the boy, however, is that Endo says he was there in the attack against KEEL, and he saw Sakura desperately fighting. With that, he realized Sakura didn't belong in Furin. Nirei is the first to jump out and defend Sakura, screaming Endo can't say that without knowing them. Tsubaki, Kanji, and Suou quickly follow behind, talking with their fists. To them, there's no one more fit to be in the school than him. Endo easily evades their blows, that is, until Sakura joins in and kicks him, which obligates the former student to defend. Yamato tries to calm their nerves, saying he doesn't think Sakura is beneath the school; it's quite the contrary. In his opinion, Furin only drags him down, so Sakura would be better off alone. When the boy says he's the only one who can choose where he goes, Endo forms a wicked smile, remembering someone else. Because of that, he gets excited to 'play' with them a little. But Suzuri comes in between them again, saying it's not their fault. He grovels in front of Endo, begging him to leave the others alone. The guy laughs hysterically at how humiliating that is and tells him he can solve their problem alone, intimidating the old man who ordered Shizuka's kidnapping. After that, he leaves, completely carefree, but not before scaring Sakura once again. It's clear he's a force to be reckoned with. Back to the present, Suzuri apologizes to Sakura about Endo, but the boy says he doesn't need to do that. He's only mad at Endo, so no one else needs to be sorry. Then, they start partying again and bring out a console, as Suzuri's biggest wish is to play games. He has a lot of fun doing that, even though he's awful. Tsubaki gets so happy with the situation that his eyes water. Sakura also plays for the first time, but he gets furious for losing every round. To this day, Endo has only given compliments to one person, so Kanji worries about what he wants with Sakura. Because of that, Tsubaki contacts Umemiya, who organizes a meeting with the three boys. The next day, Sakura, Suou, and Nirei go to Furin's roof to meet all the devas and their aides. The episode ends right when Umemiya is ready to start their discussion. The Episode Review Wind Breaker gives us its newest antagonist and the one behind every conflict we've seen throughout the season. Endo already feels like a threat by the way he looks, but his attitude is way worse. The episode doesn't give that much attention, but even with 4 people going against him, they can't land a single blow. The only one who hits him is Sakura, but he still defends himself. If Sakura has this guy going after him, he needs to step up his game fast. And talking about that, the gaming session is a nice change of pace here. The anime doesn't downplay Endo's arrival, but it gives us a chance to spend some time with the new characters. Tsubaki almost crying over Suzuri's happiness is a nice touch that shows how much being yourself is important to him. That's actually at the core of many characters in the series, but Sakura and Tsubaki embody it perfectly. The next episode is a big one because everything indicates Umemiya is finally telling the boys about when he changed Furin. With Endo being a former student, it makes a lot of sense for him to have been one of Umemiya's enemies in the past, as well. But there's probably another bigger problem, or at least there were. Sakura reminds him of someone, and that same 'someone' is the only person Endo ever complimented. As this new arc will be so deeply rooted in Furin and Umemiya's story, it's hard not to get excited. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Pink Villa
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Wind Breaker Chapter 182: Sakura Decides To Forge His Own Path—Recap, Release Date, Where To Read And More
The last Wind Breaker chapter, titled 'Lamplight,' opened with Togame telling Sakura he believed he had grown into a leader. Instead of feeling encouraged, Sakura was unsettled, comparing himself to Umemiya and feeling unworthy. Togame reassured him, offering a metaphor about plum and cherry blossoms to better illustrate that Sakura did not need to emulate Umemiya but follow his own path. Sakura admitted his struggle with his purpose going forward. The chapter ended with Sakura quietly affirming his resolve to forge his own future without mimicking another's. Expected plot in Wind Breaker Chapter 182 Wind Breaker Chapter 182 will likely transition back to the summer festival setting, where characters from Furin and Shishitoren are enjoying a brief moment of calm. The tone is expected to be more relaxed, with possible scenes of bonding among members, such as Tomiyama, Tsubakino, and Hiragi. Wanijima may continue his interactions with Sakura and Umemiya, possibly revealing more about his character. The chapter may end on a casual note, or subtly introduce the first signs of the next conflict approaching. Wind Breaker Chapter 182: Release date and where to stream Wind Breaker Chapter 182 will be released on Wednesday, June 11, 2024, at 12 am JST. Fans can read the new chapter on Kodansha's K Manga platform, the official site for the English version of the series. The manga service, once limited to the U.S., has expanded to include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Mexico, and Brazil. Fans can access Wind Breaker Chapter 182 through both the mobile app and the website. For more updates from the Wind Breaker manga, stay tuned to Pinkvilla.
The Review Geek
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Wind Breaker – Season 2 Episode 8 Recap & Review
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!
Pink Villa
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 8: Roppo Ichiza's Origins Revealed; Recap, Release Date, Where To Stream And More
The seventh episode of Wind Breaker Season 2, titled 'Night Street,' saw Sakura, Suo, and Nirei meet up with Tsubakino in Keisei Street's red-light district. When a girl named Shizuka fled from thugs, Sakura intervened to help. Trusting Nirei to protect her, Sakura saw Nirei successfully fight, thanks to Suo's training. After the brawl, they learned Shizuka was a singer and Kanji Nakamura, who attacked them by mistake, was her friend. Kanji, leader of Roppo Ichiza—a group with a history of fighting Furin—recognized Tsubakino, revealing they worked together at the bar where the episode ended. Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 8 should explore the origins of Roppo Ichiza, as well as explain why Shizuka was targeted. Tsubakino and Sakura, as current Furin leaders, will likely offer help, though Roppo Ichiza may resist due to past conflicts. The group should then explain their history with these enemies and their current dilemma. However, this resistance will probably motivate Sakura, Tsubakino, and the others to assist even more, with a strong chance that they will seek involvement from Hajime Umemiya and possibly the other Four Kings. Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 8 is slated to release in Japan on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 12:26 am JST. Due to time zone differences, most international viewers can expect to watch it on May 22, with release times adjusted accordingly. In Japan, Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 8 will air across 28 MBS/TBS stations during the "Super Animeism TURBO" programming block. It will also stream on platforms like ABEMA, Netflix, U-NEXT, and Lemino. International audiences can access the episode via Crunchyroll with a subscription. For more updates from the second season of the Wind Breaker anime, keep up with Pinkvilla.
