Wind Breaker, Episode 4 titled “Clash” begins with Bofurin’s leader, Umemiya, obsessing over his leafy vegetables for a solid five minutes.
it is then Sakura realizes that Hiragi’s stomach issues stem from Umemiya’s incessant talking and lack of listening skills.
The comedic vegetable discussions take an unexpected turn, however, when Sasaki, the middle-schooler whom Bofurin saved, shares his story of why he was being chased by Shishitoren.
Apparently, he chased a shoplifter and found himself in Shishitoren’s territory, where Sakura and Sugishita eventually rescued him by beating one of the guys chasing him.
After Sasaki apologizes for creating the clash between Bofurin and Shishitoren, Umemiya’s compassionate leadership becomes evident as he thanks Sasaki for protecting the city, and stresses it was not his fault.
Sakura, blushing like a ripe tomato, can’t help but admire him.
Umemiya then goes one step further by congratulating Sakura for calling the Shishitoren second-in-command Jo Togame “lame”, and agrees the whole gang seems to have been weak and lame lately.
However, trouble brews when Shishitoren’s leader, Choji Tomiyama, arrives at Furin High.
Tomiyama, who looks like an immature middle-schooler seeking a fight for fun, challenges Umemiya.
Suddenly, Umemiya transforms into a responsible leader and, as Sakura realizes he can’t defy him, he also starts to understand why the rest of the Bofurin hold him in such high regard.
As Tomiyama insists he wants to fight Umemiya as, since he became head of the Shishitoren, he says, life has become boring, more Shishitoren members appear, including the second-in-command, Jo Togame.
Shishitoren then propose one-on-one fights in a fight tournament: Arima vs Sugishita, Kanuma vs Suo, Hiragi vs Sako, Togame vs. Sakura and Tomiyama vs. Umemiya.
The stage is now set for an intense showdown.
Later, at Kohota’s café (a favorite Bofurin hangout), everyone assembles to talk about the next day’s fights.
We learn that Kotoha, Umemiya’s “sister,” grew up in the same group home as him, which is why he is so incredibly protective of her to the point of bordering on obsession.
That is why Hiragi discreetly warns Sakura not to reveal Kotoha was in danger the first day he was in town, or Umemiya will retaliate.
It is also then that, despite her incredibly maturity, we learn Kotoha is still only 16-years-old.
As the conversation progresses, Hiragi comments that Shishitoren seems to have changed.
Not long ago, the rival gang’s sole goal was the pursuit of power, but it would never have included chasing a middle-school student. Now, though, things seem to have gone horribly wrong since Tomiyama became the gang’s leader.
As the Bofurin members leave Kotoha’s cafe for the night, middle-schooler Sasaki thanks Bofurin for saving him, and wishes them good luck in the next day’s fight tournament against Shishitoren.
Umemiya tells him not to worry as they will take care of things.
As Sakura, embarrassed, starts to complain that he isn’t fighting for Sakura’s sake, Kotoha chastises him and tells him just to tell Sakura to leave things to him. Which he does.
The episode ends with Bofurin walking into Shishitoren territory, and the five Shishitoren fighters “welcoming” them, which sets the stage for what promises to be a series of epic fights to come.
Just like Wind Breaker‘s previous episodes, Episode 4 delivered superb character development, nicely introduced several new characters who may just become important, added some laugh-out-loud humor, and was written so well it beautifully showed the escalation of the tension between the two rival gangs.
You can read recaps of Wind Breaker‘s previous episodes — Wind Breaker, Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3 here on Baozi Buns.
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