English Dub Review: Wind Breaker “The Dependable One”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Ren Kaji, Yuto Kusumi, and Takeshi Enomoto, second-year students from the Tamon Team, start their ruling on who will be Grade Captain for first-year Class 1.  Suo is the first to raise his hand, immediately nominating Sakura as the other classmates vote for him one after the other.

Our Take:

This week’s episode shows that the Turf War was the first of many challenges Sakura faced during his pursuit to become the top fighter.  After being introduced to Class 1’s other classmates, the second-year students of Furin High arrive to choose the class’s Grade Captain.  In a shocking revelation, the classmates voted for Sakura to be their Grade Captain, with Suo and Nirei as his Secondaries.  This further validates the students’ acceptance of Sakura as their friend and ally despite Sakura’s stubborn yet shy attitude.

The episode showcases Sakura facing the challenge of being a Grade Captain, meaning he’ll have to do much more than punch his way to the top.  Unsurprisingly, “The Dependable One” offers a remarkable mix of comedy and heart bolstered by its themes, mainly the values of leadership.  The first half involves Sakura being mentored by the Grade Captain of the second-year class, Ren Kaji, while helping with the case of the missing child.  By that, I mean a cat.  Kaji didn’t have a motivation as Sakura hoped he would.  However, Sakura learned from him that Kaji was chosen because his friends counted on him as much as he counted on them, emphasizing trust as a part of leadership.

In the second half, Sakura finds himself in a daze when he has to remember the names of every student in the school, including his classmates.  Fortunately for him, Nirei is a pro at remembering the students’ names and facts, in case it wasn’t obvious enough.  This part showcased another value of leadership: trusting not just their allies but also their allies’ skills and abilities to help reach one’s goal.  Overall, “The Dependable One” is another strong chapter in Wind Breaker that progresses Sakura’s growth from a castaway to a leader.  With the Four Kings of Furin High arriving at the scene, next week’s finale is going to be a knockout.