[WIND BREAKER] Season 2 Special Interview with Satoru Nii – Part 1

Interviews #Satoru Nii #WIND BREAKER July 6, 2026

This article was originally published on November 25, 2024.

To celebrate WIND BREAKER season 2, we sat down with Satoru Nii for a special interview!

――As soon as WIND BREAKER began serialization, it made a huge splash and season 1 of the anime which was released in April 2024 was very well received. Season 2 is set to start airing in April 2025 and many fans are voicing their excitement.
Today, we’d like to dive into what makes WIND BREAKER such a success. Thank you for joining us.

Satoru Nii:
Thank you for having me.

――First of all, we’d like to talk about the theme. What made you want to draw a manga centered on delinquent characters? The genre of delinquent manga is quite popular in Japan and has quite a long history, but WIND BREAKER breaks the mold a little.

Satoru Nii:
Actually, I didn’t start off thinking that I wanted to draw a manga about delinquents.
I’d say the way I approach is it more like a sports manga. I feel that fighting is a type of sport. It also has elements of the “sentai” genre (i.e. Power Rangers) where the heroes defeat an enemy and the people around them thank them for it. The combination of those is probably what makes it feel a little different.

――So what was it that sparked the creation of the manga?

Satoru Nii:
I started thinking about it feeling that I wanted to make a manga where there are a lot of cool guy characters, and where the story would make the reader feel good. From there, I ended up coming up with the characters and the world which kind of resembled a delinquent manga.

――Thank you. Alongside the world itself, one of the biggest selling points is the diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique experiences. Is there a character who you’re most fond of?

Satoru Nii:
I like all of the characters I’ve created, and I do have a favorite, but coming up with Sakura was quite a challenge so I am quite fond of him. When I first started out, I had really wanted to create a character like Umemiya, and he was actually originally going to be the main character. I just couldn’t quite get it right though so, Sakura was born to become the lead. Because he was to be the main character, I needed to give him a solid core otherwise it would be difficult to work out what he’d do or think, so I had to consider what his likes and dislikes were, etc. I remember really putting a lot of thought into it while I was working on him. Thanks to all that, though, the readers really love him as a character, which makes me happy.

――Among all your characters, fan favorites Kaji and Tsubakino finally make their debut in season 2. Could you tell us about how they came to be?

Satoru Nii:
When I’m thinking of characters, I typically have two patterns: one where I come up with the look first, and the other where I come up with their role or personality first. Kaji is one of those characters whose art came first.
I wanted to make him a more aloof character at the start, but he ended up being nothing of the sort [laughs].

――I think his relationship with Hiragi is also pretty popular among the readers, but was that relationship intended from the start?

Satoru Nii:
It was pretty much decided from the start that he would be Hiragi’s kouhai, and that he would stick with Hiragi because he owes him a great deal. The details of how that came to be were built upon gradually.

――I see! Next, could you tell us about Tsubakino?

Satoru Nii:
I already had a solid concept for Tsubakino before we even began serialization. I think out of the big four, he was the one who was the most concrete. When we decided that the story would be set in an all-boys’ high school, I thought it would be cool to have a character who looks like a girl.
From there, I dove into his character more. I’m personally quite fond of Tsubakino.

――He’s got many moments where his character shines, like his love for cute things and for Umemiya.

Satoru Nii:
Yeah. One of the pillars of his character is that by expressing his cuteness and beauty, he makes himself happy and can enjoy life. That’s why he wants to be that way.
Tsubakino is a guy, though. It’s just that the things he likes and the way he dresses are more feminine. He loves Umemiya, and romantically, he is interested in men, but he doesn’t hate that about himself. He also fully understands that this love will never come to fruition. He’s simply the kind of guy who is really upfront about what he loves.

Stay tuned for part 2 featuring a special rough sketch!