Wind Breaker Volumes 10 and 11 Review

Although Season 2 of the Wind Breaker anime came to an end, we’ve still got plenty more of this franchise to enjoy as Kodansha keeps up the speedy release of the source material. With another two volumes in hand, let’s check in with our favourite group of delinquents.

Volume 10 picks up with Haruka, Hayato, Nirei and the Roppo Ichiza gang facing off against Gravel, a group who are here to kidnap Shizuka Narita. Knowing how important Shizuka is to both the Roppo Ichiza group and Tsubakino, the Bofurin kids aren’t just about to hand her over to Gravel without a fight. But as the group soon find themselves overwhelmed and Shizuka appears on the scene to offer herself up in a bid to protect everyone, things seem like they’re taking a turn for the worse!

That is, until Tsubakino arrives on the scene and challenges the Gravel leader, Shuhei Suzuri. With him out of the picture, the Roppo Ichiza can focus on taking down the regular thugs while Haruka, Hayato and Nirei are tasked with making sure Shizuka stays out of harm’s way. Haruka is annoyed about being sidelined from the action, but after the events of the KEEL fight, he’s beginning to see the value in protecting others rather than engaging in all-out brawls.

And this is very much Tsubakino’s fight. Suzuri’s group has invaded his turf, threatened someone he loves and brought harm to the juniors he dotes on. And in true Wind Breaker fashion, Tsubakino can sense that there’s a reason behind why Suzuri leads Gravel the way he does, and he wants to get to the bottom of that to bring this senseless mission to an end.

This fight takes us through to Volume 11, which deals with the aftermath and closes out the arc. Most importantly, it introduces us to Yamato Endo, who is the man orchestrating this chaos from behind the scenes and someone Tsubakino and the older members of Bofurin know all too well. Now he has his eye on Haruka, which sets off alarm bells for Tsubakino, who knows Endo’s history. For those of you watching the anime, this volume is more or less where Season 2 ended as well.

While Volume 10 is an action-packed instalment, Satoru Nii slows things down considerably for #11 as we finish off the arc and learn more about Bofurin’s history and how the group came to be what they are today. But as always, both of these releases are compelling reads. I especially appreciate that, once again, although Suzuri absolutely could have just been an evil villain and that was it, Nii goes out of their way to ensure he has a suitably emotional backstory that humanises him and offers something for readers to think about.

Pitting Suzuri against Tsubakino also proves rewarding, as it offers a chance for further character development for him, too. Although Tsubakino is still a relatively new face among the Wind Breaker cast, this arc feels like an extension of his introduction and helps solidify his character and what’s important to him. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the main cast are sidelined by any means; it feels like there’s plenty here for fans of Haruka and the others, too. And now we’re off to a new arc, which is sure to bring plenty of new challenges for our protagonist.

Wind Breaker Volumes 10 and 11 come to the West thanks to Kodansha and continue to be translated by the capable Jacqueline Fung with lettering by Michael Martin (Andrew Copeland is credited for the digital version). While there are no colour pages or translation notes, both of these releases include an ‘another style’ illustration at the end depicting the cast in different outfits, which is a treat.

Kodansha have already released Volumes 12 and 13 of the series, with the next release being #14 in early September. We’re still hanging in there with a monthly schedule, which is nice to see, as it seems fans can’t get enough of this one. Excitingly, the series has also been nominated for Best Manga in the 2025 Harvey Awards alongside hits like The Summer Hikaru Died, Witch Hat Atelier, and The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All.

Overall, these two volumes of Wind Breaker bring the current arc to an end while offering plenty of action and character development. Once again, it showcases Satoru Nii’s talent for combining compelling battles and heartfelt storylines.

Our review copies from Kodansha were supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.