Wind Breaker episode 12: Sakura officially becomes Grade Captain as Furin's Four Kings are introduced

Wind Breaker episode 12 was expected to continue its focus on the Grade Captain selection process, which unsurprisingly ended with Haruka Sakura being “forced” into the role. However, Hayato Suo and Akihiko Nirei also paid for their roles in this development, becoming Sakura’s Secondaries and likewise becoming Grade Officers themselves.

Wind Breaker episode 12 also focused on characters other than Sakura, introducing some other Bofurin leadership members in the process. Likewise, the episode’s final moments set up the long-awaited introduction of Bofurin’s Four Kings and their Secondaries.

Wind Breaker episode 12 sees Sakura finally come around to the idea of friends and close relationships

Brief episode recap

Wind Breaker episode 12 sees Suo push forward in his plan to make Sakura Grade Captain despite his complaints (Image via CloverWorks)

Wind Breaker episode 12 began with Taiga Tsureuga, Akihiko Nirei, and Mitsuki Kiryu all agreeing with Hayato Suo’s nomination of Haruka Sakura for Grade Captain. Sakura tried getting out of it, but the rest of the class agreed with them, prompting Suo to volunteer himself and Nirei as his Secondaries for the role.

Sakura then began questioning recent events, alluding to the fact he believes himself to be just like Choji Tomiyama. However, this was interrupted by Ren Kaji yelling at them for taking too long. He ordered Sakura to do it, saying nobody expects a perfect performance from the beginning and that if he’s useless, someone else can take over.

Wind Breaker episode 12 then saw Takeshi Enomoto reveal to Sakura that Ren was the second-year Grade Captain. Sakura was then confirmed as Grade Captain since fellow Grade Captain Ren decided it, which Sakura asserted in the first place. However, his friends and the class in general assured him it was fine and that they should take it easy, resulting in Sakura being embarrassed.

Wind Breaker episode 12 sees Nirei and Suo join Sakura in his leadership duties as Secondaries (Image via CloverWorks)

Sakura, Suo, and Nirei then exchanged contact info with the rest of their class and the second-year Grade Captain and Secondaries. Takeshi then gave Sakura advice on how to lead, saying do what he wants to do for now. However, Sakura lamented this answer as he had nothing he wanted to do, with Takeshi revealing that the Tamon team was doing after-school rounds and that the new officers would be with Ren.

Wind Breaker episode 12 saw Ren and the others approached by an older woman asking for help finding a lost child. Ren seemed frustrated but still promised to help. He told the woman to go home, before telling Yuto Kusumi to take care of the rest. Sakura and the others were in disbelief at this, with Sakura specifically using Umemiya as a frame of reference.

Suo then hilariously sent a group chat text revealing how fired up Sakura was, with the others praising Sakura, causing him to get embarrassed. At that moment, a cat appeared and jumped off Sakura’s head, being revealed as the “girl” they were looking for by an arriving Takeshi. The cat was seemingly out of reach, but Sakura climbed on a nearby wall to hit the rooftops and continue the chase.

Wind Breaker episode 12 sees Sakura's thoughts on the Grade Captain position change after meeting Ren Kaji (Image via CloverWorks)

Wind Breaker episode 12 saw the others chase after him in turn, while Ren was seemingly shocked by Sakura’s actions. Meanwhile, Sakura chased through Furin after the cat Risa until it jumped off a bridge into a river. At this moment, Ren appeared and leaped after the cat, with the others helping him out of the water and eventually returning the cat to her owner, the old woman.

Sakura then approached Ren and asked him what he wanted to do, asserting that he must’ve become Grade Captain for a reason. However, Ren said that wasn’t the case and that he didn’t even want to be Grade Captain, but his friends told him to do it. Sakura was shocked at this, asserting that if this wasn’t the case then there was no reason to do it.

Episode 12 of Wind Breaker saw Ren grow angry at this but calm himself down by sucking on a lollipop. He then explained all the things he's bad at but his Secondaries excel at, explaining that he’s always relying on them, but they also still rely on him even with that. Likewise, he said that he did what he could to live up to them, asserting that this was all that was behind his role as Grade Captain.

Expand Tweet

This resonated with Sakura, who began doubting himself, but Nirei then approached and complimented him, pulling him out of the funk. Nirei also called Sakura "reliable" here, causing him to sheepishly ask if the reason they nominated him is because they’re counting on him, to which they both agreed. They also said to count on them in turn.

Wind Breaker episode 12 then shifted focus to Sakura at Kotoha Tachibana’s cafe, where it looked as though he couldn’t sleep. Sakura confirmed this to himself, revealing that he stayed up all night while thinking about what he could do in the context of Ren’s words to him. Kotoha then discovered that he was the Grade Captain, calling it a good thing. Sakura argued against this since he didn’t know what to do, to which she told him to start with what he could do.

Sakura initially argued this but clammed up as he asserted it had nothing to do with her. Kotoha then asserted that he could start by learning the names of everyone in his class and calling them by their proper names. Sakura then realized he’d never called anyone in Furin, even Kotoha, by their names. The grandma he often carried around then introduced herself as Chiyoko, while both forced Sakura to call them by their names.

Expand Tweet

However, Wind Breaker episode 12 saw him depart out of embarrassment before doing so. Kotoha then asserted that Sakura wasn’t just bashful, but genuinely afraid of building close relationships. Meanwhile, at school, Sakura was asking Nirei for help with names, frustrated that he was having trouble with this. Suo and Nirei tried determining what sparked this change, but Sakura refused to tell.

Sakura and Nirei then noticed a classmate named Anzai was hurt, with Sakura moving to check in with him before he left the class. Umemiya then came over to the loudspeaker and ordered all first and second-year Grade Captains and Secondaries to go the roof. This was revealed to be so they could all meet each other, with Sugishita also being present for some reason.

Sakura became overwhelmed by needing to memorize more people, but Nirei said he’d help out there as Sakura needed. Wind Breaker episode 12 then revealed that Nirei memorized the names and faces of everyone in the entire school, doing so to help Sakura out. Suo and Sakura were amazed at this, prompting Suo to volunteer as the “negotiator” of their group given his social skills.

This caused Sakura to be embarrassed before calling them by their names for the first time yet. Umemiya then appeared, with the Four Kings of Furin and their Secondaries appearing as the episode ended.

In review

Expand Tweet

Wind Breaker episode 12 serves as yet another perfect microcosm of the series’ approach to storytelling via a character-driven narrative. While there are clear events that spur the episode along, the major beats, conflicts, and resolutions all center around the character of Sakura and his fellow Bofurin members.

Sakura specifically (and rightfully) gets a major focus throughout the episode, with him clearly coming around the idea of being Grade Captain and forming relationships with others. Although it’s clear he still has a long way to go, the penultimate episode of the first season makes it clear that he wants to change and is actively trying to do so.

In summation

Likewise, with Wind Breaker episode 12 having primarily focused on Sakura’s growth versus the Boufrin command hierarchy, the season finale seems set to elaborate on this with the Four Kings’ appearances. With Anzai’s injury seemingly being built up, Umemiya likely has some significant news to share with the Grade Captains.