Sakura’s friends help him when he’s sick, making him question his whole life.
When someone spends their whole life being alienated by society because of how they look or behave, it becomes much harder for them to trust others. This is unfortunately the case with the protagonist of the Wind Breaker anime, Haruka Sakura. After the fight with KEEL, he falls sick, and his friends come to visit him. He wants to depend on them, but doesn’t know how. So he goes to his senior Kaji for help.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
For the first time in his life, Sakura has people who care for him when he's sick
Suo and Nirei go to Sakura’s place when they find out he catches a cold. However, they are surprised to find that Sakura lives in a rundown apartment alone without any family. He doesn’t even have a proper kitchen to cook in. When he seems unwilling to converse or take their help, Nirei and Suo leave some food with him.
Later after leaving Sakura's apartment, Nirei says that he’s frustrated about not being able to help Sakura. Suo points out that unlike them, Sakura probably never had anyone care for him, and uses an analogy involving a smartphone to talk about his thoughts regarding Sakura's situation.
If someone gets lost, they can use a smartphone to find their way home, but if that person doesn’t know how to use a smartphone, it’ll be nothing but an annoyance for them. Similarly, Sakura, who never received help from anyone, doesn’t know how to respond to their efforts.
Nirei tries to protest this but they meet Kotoha. Later, Kotoha visits Sakura with some food and medicine. She also gives him a lecture about learning how to trust people slowly, especially those who have always been there for him. She advises him to receive help from others, as with their support, he can do better things. It’s not always right to try and do everything by oneself, as it can just prove to be even more difficult.
Unfortunately, after being pushed away by people all his life, Sakura doesn’t know how to depend on others or ask for help without seeming weak. For some clarity, he goes to another tsundere class captain, Ren Kaji.
Kaji proves to be a great senior, despite his attitude
Kaji takes Sakura to the roof and explains that sometimes, it’s not possible for one to do everything. But Sakura doesn’t know how to ask for help as he doesn’t want to admit his weakness and have his friends leave him. Kaji points out that just like changing a bottle’s label doesn’t alter its contents–presenting oneself to be stronger than they are doesn’t change their real strength. He says that Sakura’s friends already know that he’s scared of losing and seeming weak, and they love him despite all that. In return, Sakura will have to look at them straight in the eyes and ask them to support him with his head held high.
It was really sad to see how Sakura lives alone in terrible condition, even though he’s only 16 years old. Nothing has been revealed about the protagonist’s family life yet, so we can assume that he’s not close to his family. After being treated horribly by everyone around him, I understand why Sakura has closed himself off from all emotional connection.
But it’s amazing to see how his friends, seniors, and the residents of the town are extending their loving hands towards him despite his prickly demeanor. With their guidance, Sakura might finally find a place to call his own.
The final moments of the episode were a perfect combination of comedy and emotion. Kaji punching Umemiya square in the face after being scared and embarrassed by him was the highlight of the episode for me. The fact that Kaji took Sakura to the roof to talk to him was because Hiragi took him to the roof once to give him advice was a beautiful moment. It showed how much Kaji has grown since then, and now he wants someone else to experience the love and support of friends as well. I can’t wait to see Sakura finally talk to his friends in the next episode! Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 18 is coming out on Thursday, 1 May, 2025.
Want a thorough break down of each episode? Check out our Wind Breaker Season 2 review compilation!
