Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3: KEEL's true leader appears as Sakura reunites Tsuchiya with her friends

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 was expected to focus primarily on resolving the lingering plot threads from the KEEL fight, especially those focused on Nagato and Anzai. Officially released on Thursday, April 17, 2025, the installment did this and more, even introducing the true leader of KEEL in its final moments.

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 continued this focus from the previous episode, which saw protagonist Haruka Sakura and his allies actually defeat KEEL. Likewise, the start of Anzai and Nagato's reunion in the final moments of the previous release directly led into the opening shots of the latest installment.

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 sees Sakura realize he truly cares for his new friends

Brief episode recap

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Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 began with Nagato explaining how he got involved with KEEL. Right after his and Anzai's middle school graduation ceremony, he found someone being bullied and having his money taken. Remembering when Anzai once stood up for him, he tried doing the same. Unfortunately, this only led to him getting beaten up. A KEEL member arrived and saved him—it was Shingo Natori.

Natori showed respect and admiration for Nagato over what he did, praising his mindset specifically. He said he was looking for people like him to join his team, as focus shifted to his first KEEL meeting. Someone was then being beaten up for trying to leave KEEL, with Nagato trying to convince Natori to stop it. He instead turned around and punched Nagato, calling him easy to control and "the perfect sucker" who'd never be able to leave KEEL.

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 then began a brief montage of Nagato being forced to bring KEEL ever-increasing piles of money. When he couldn't pay it, he was beaten up in exchange for the missing cost. This desperation is what drove Nagato to begin purse snatching, thus setting the current events in motion.

Anzai blamed his weakness in the present, to which Nagato said he wouldn't have gone with him anyway since he's such a horrible person.

Sakura gets overwhelmed by his emotions in Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 (Image via CloverWorks)

Nagato explained that he only wanted to emulate Anzai, whom he called cool and strong. Anzai simply hugged him in response, as a flashback to the two of them and Mio Tsuchiya playing as children was shown. A young Anzai was shown in awe at Nagato's ability to not flinch at his own pain since no one else was hurt, saying he was always cool and strong in the present. Focus then shifted to Akihiko Nirei waking up as he was being carried home by Taiga Tsugeura.

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 saw Hayato Suo approach Nirei and flick him in the forehead, telling him not to be so reckless like he was earlier. However, the two of them and Mitsuki Kiryu then acknowledged that Nirei's decision to contact their upperclassmen is what saved the day. Haruka Sakura was then shown to be walking behind everyone, with Nirei and his other close friends stopping to wait for him.

Nirei then praised Sakura for the job he did as Grade Captain, but Sakura countered that he actually did an awful job when considering how everything went. This caught the attention of the others, save for Kyotaro Sugishita, who kept on walking. Anzai and Nagato then expressed their thanks to Sakura and their pride in him. The others also commented that their injuries were their own faults, not his, with the others' words also reassuring Sakura.

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Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 saw everyone gather around Sakura, reassuring him that he had nothing to worry about or to blame himself for. Sakura then got a new feeling, trying to figure out what it was and what was causing it.

Ren Kaji, Takeshi Enomoto, and Yuto Kusumi then discussed Kaji's early days as Grade Captain, which saw a similar situation occur. Kaji instead asked their opinion on KEEL, revealing his suspicions that Natori wasn't the true leader.

Focus then jumped ahead to that night, where Sakura and the others went to report to Bofurin's leader, Hajime Umemiya. Despite the tension, Umemiya was unbothered, deciding they should all eat together after. Anzai was shocked to see this was all that would come of it, with Umemiya forgiving all the transgressions Anzai tried to assign to himself. Realizing the problem, he offered Nagato a plate of food in order to help Anzai feel like Nagato wasn't only his friend, but theirs.

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 saw Umemiya ask Sakura what was wrong, to which he said he was disappointed in himself for not living up to his promise. However, Umemiya countered that his inability to move when he saw his friends getting hurt proved that he cared for them. This angered Sakura, who started to blush and shout. After they all parted ways, Umemiya and Toma Hiragi both mused on how strong Sakura would one day become.

Sakura oversees Anzai and Nagato's reunion with Tsuchiya in Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 (Image via CloverWorks)

Sakura, Anzai, and Nagato then met up with Tsuchiya, where she began hitting Nagato and calling him a moron. She then cried while saying they were both so beaten up before welcoming them back sincerely. Sakura tried leaving during this, but she asked him her name before he left and thanked him after. Focus then shifted back to KEEL's warehouse, where all of its members were still unconscious, save for one who stood up.

Wind Breaker season 2 episode 3 saw them comment on coming here to watch the fight with Furin before asking them why they lost. He added that Furin had gotten weaker, even if they were first-years, before saying this was the end of KEEL as he left. The episode ended with this character removing his KEEL hoodie, some of his tattoos being seen, while he said he now had a great card to play against Furin.

Final thoughts

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Season 2 episode 3 does a great job of balancing several equally significant and meaningful focuses. This not only includes introducing KEEL's true leader but also fully wrapping up the KEEL Arc while also ensuring Sakura’s character development stays in focus. Likewise, with such a clear endpoint for recent events, fans can expect the subsequent release to begin developing whatever's next for the second season's story.

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About the author

Joseph has been working as an anime content specialist for Sportskeeda since the past 2.5 years. Primarily covering his core genre, he also contributes to popular culture writing news stories and cult classic features on older series.

Joseph holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Delaware, United States. His love of anime, combined with his background in literature, influenced his interest in engaging readers through the written word. He maintains complete accuracy in his content by verifying each and every piece of information regardless of how long it takes, and ensure that the output is impartial and free of bias.

Chainsaw Man, One Piece, Berserk, Undead Unluck, Re:ZERO, Tower of God, Jujutsu Kaisen, Inuyasha, and Fire Punch are some of Joseph’s favorite animanga. His exposure to 4kids' Sonic X series, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Dragon Ball Z on Toonami fueled his enthusiasm for the medium.

When not dissecting anime plots, Joseph likes to cook, play games, work on cars, browse new music, and watch pro wrestling, especially AEW. He also enjoys ocean-based activities - beach trips, fishing, swimming and watersports.

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Edited by Joseph Brogan