Wind Breaker vol 4 by Satoru Nii

The final fight between Shishitoren and Furin begins, and Umemiya sees right through Toriyama's façade. He breaks down what Toriyama has been hiding behind as the Top for Shishitoren, trying to prioritize having fun and being free instead of building up those below him and truly making his organization powerful. After the fighting is over, Umemiya calls for a celebration back at the diner, and wants to talk with Sakura to dissect his fight and who Sakura is. Sakura tells Umemiya his plans to become the Top of Furin and attests that he had no plan of trusting anyone, but Umemiya says Sakura's actions since arriving bely that intention.

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This series started out as a lot of fighting and posturing, focusing primarily on the action and social strata of Furin, but there are some deeper character developments going on that I'm really enjoying. Umemiya is a really deep thinker who brings out the best in people by really making them do some introspection. Sakura also started out as a one-dimensional character, but his conversation with Umemiya has given him some depth and allowed his backstory to breathe in a beautiful way. This issue also gave some more information on the town and the history of the school, as well as Umemiya and his Kotoha, who runs the diner. I sense a romantic thread beginning to weave between Sakura and Kotoha!

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3

Publisher: Kodansha
Publication Date: February 13, 2024​
ISBN: 9781646518388 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, School Life, ​Kodansha