Wind Breaker manga receives stage play adaptation in Japan

Modified Sep 29, 2024 21:01 GMT

Wind Breaker manga receives stage play adaptation in Japan (Image via CloverWorks)

Thursday, September 26, 2024, saw author and illustrator Satoru Nii’s original Wind Breaker manga series receive a stage play adaptation, set to run in January 2025 in Japan. The play, titled Butai Wind Breaker (meaning Stage: Wind Breaker), will run from Wednesday, January 1 through Friday, January 3, 2024, at the WW Hall of the Cool Japan Park Osaka. This will be followed by a run at Theater H in Tokyo from Friday, January 10 through Sunday, January 19.

The news regarding the Wind Breaker manga’s upcoming stage play adaptation came via the opening of an official website for the project. In addition to the project’s announcement, a key visual was also shared, and the cast for the Bofurin group was revealed. Based on the key visual and these casting announcements, it seems that the play will at least adapt source material through the Shishitoren Arc.

Wind Breaker manga’s stage play adaptation likely to focus on Bofurin vs. Shishitoren based on key visual, cast

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The currently announced cast for the stage play adaptation of the Wind Breaker manga includes Ryoga Ishikawa as Haruka Sakura, Hiroki Sana as Hajime Umemiya, Shunichi Takahashi as Toma Hiragi, Yuto Ando as Hayato Suo, Taiga Nakamoto as Kyotaru Sugishita, and Kazan Yokoyama as Akihiko Nirei. Based on the key visual, it seems that additional castings for the Shishitoren group are still to come.

Likewise, the presence of Shishitoren members on the key visual suggests that the play will at least go through the Shishitoren Arc, if not beyond. Unfortunately, this is unconfirmed as of this article’s writing, with no other official information available beyond the play’s run dates, Bofurin cast, and the above key visual. However, fans can expect additional info to be revealed in the coming weeks and months as 2024 comes to an end.

This stage play adaptation notably comes shortly after the incredibly successful Spring 2024 television anime adaptation of Nii’s original manga series. Despite being something of an underdog heading into the crowded season, it quickly cemented itself as one of the best offerings, garnering proportional popularity resultantly. Many anime-only fans have also shared online that they switched to the manga immediately following the anime’s conclusion.

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Nii’s original Wind Breaker manga first began serialization in Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket app in January 2021, where it is still ongoing and regularly serialized today. A 19th compilation volume is imminently releasing in Japan on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Of the 188 currently released manga volumes, 16 have been translated into English. However, only the first 10 volumes currently have print English releases, with the others being digital.

The series follows delinquent protagonist Haruka Sakura, who attends Furin High School to become the strongest in an environment known for degenerates with brawling strength. However, he quickly learns that things at Furin aren’t quite as he thought, growing as a person and learning more about himself along the way.