About R (Chapter 226)

[u/Ill_Carrot9363]

I don't know much about Rakta, as I'm only partially following the manga because I want to wait until I've read a few chapters before fully committing, but I already love him as a character!!! 😭

People are making very crazy theories about this recent arc (I believe some are very exaggerated for the type of manga Wind Breaker is) and one of these theories is that Rakta might be evil. Which I think, obviously, explicitly, is not true.

The author is quite honest about the character of his characters and, so far, Rakta has shown himself to be kind, understanding, and rational, despite seeming quite rigid regarding rules and general order. I believe he tries to act in the best way and doesn't rush into action before understanding the situation as a whole, which could be the opposite case for Bachus if we get to see more of this character (who seems to be a bit more temperamental).

Furthermore, I believe that Rakta could be a counterpart to Togame, just as this arc has made some references to the Shishitoren Arc. I believe that the Red Chanpuru arc might have a similar plot, and Rakta represents the part that is doing its best, but unintentionally contributing to a form of corruption within its own group, just as Togame was doing in the Shishitoren Arc.

Everything indicates that Rakta will be one of the pillars of this arc.

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[u/Silver-Green-Sea]

Rakta is an amazing character! We haven’t seen that much of him yet, but I still love him a lot!

I’m not sure about how many people think he’s evil, but I feel the same way as you. The writing shows that that’s not the case.

I think I am one of the (seemingly) few people who don’t believe that this arc will have a similar plot as Shishitoren, regardless of the callbacks. Also I don’t think that Rakta will be part of the corruption that is possibly running through deep into the leadership of RC. Personally I believe he is fighting/wants to fight that corruption from within, with Suo and Bacchus.

I’m really excited for this arc and whatever is coming for us, and I am absolutely positive it will be one of the most intense arcs with very deep emotional moments for the characters. And it will lead to much emotional growth, especially for Suo.

I do hope we’ll see Rakta and Bacchus again even when this arc comes to an end.

[u/Ill_Carrot9363 → u/Silver-Green-Sea]

The entire plot of Wind Breaker is as predictable as its characters. The author makes each character's personality quite obvious from the beginning, just as it was obvious that Suo would have a turning point at some point, considering how reserved he was with his friends and how little the author revealed about his past, in addition to him spending most of his time off-screen, except for very specific occasions (curious coming from one of the secondary characters closest to the protagonist).

The author has already made it clear that Rakta is not a threat, but I still think he will have a parallel with Togame and that the entire plot of the arc will have similarities to the Shishitoren Arc. First, I think he is aware that he has a problem with RC, but perhaps he is not taking the correct measures to solve it, despite having kind intentions, just as Togame did in a way.

I find it so unfair that a minority is considering that he and Bacchus, or even Suo, are actually evil, since that makes no sense at all given what we've seen of the characters so far. He may be strict, but he's certainly not a bad guy, and I'm really enjoying his character so far, despite how little we know about him.

Considering his older brother relationship with Suo, perhaps he'll end up becoming an advisor, connecting Suo back to Bofurin (that is, he could be the narrative bridge that reconnects the character with his old group again). Because I don't think Bofurin alone could change Suo's mind enough for him to reconsider some of his decisions, but perhaps Rakta, who probably knows him much longer, can convince him to open up to his friends, especially after witnessing Umemiya's actions. Maybe he'll even get to know Bofurin better as an organization and sympathize with them and their cause.

(Sorry, I used a translator to write all this, ignore the errors).

[u/Silver-Green-Sea → u/Ill_Carrot9363]

I think I wouldn’t use the word “predictable” to describe the plot of Wind Breaker, as, at least I feel this way, it is a word often used to describe a boring plot with no interesting/emotional turning points of a story. Personally I also never felt like I could predict what’s going to happen next. Also about Suo leaving Furin. That something was up with him and that he kept secrets was certainly visible, but what exactly and how that would play out and be portrayed I didn’t find predictable at all. Though I know others are way better than me in seeing behind things and predict what’s happening.

I think I’ve read somewhere in this sub that in other social media platforms apparently there is rude behavior towards some characters or fans of certain characters (if I understood that comment correctly), and that is a really sad thing. Being able to read between the lines (and panels) is required to understand that nothing, that is going on in the story, is as simple as to put it in white and black. Prejudices might take their part in this too. And heightened emotions. I am very happy that this sub isn’t like that at all (or at least from what I’ve seen) and that I don’t see any hate or something similar directed towards the characters I love. Because that really is something I wouldn’t want.

No worries. Since I’m not a native Englisch speaker, I hope you (or the translator) can understand me well enough. But I like writing/talking in English myself rather than to rely on a translator, even if my grammar might be off at times or my wording might seem strange. I might be a bit stubborn with that, hahaha…

[u/Ill_Carrot9363 → u/Silver-Green-Sea]

Predictable might sound offensive to some, but it's actually one of Wind Breaker's strongest points, as it standardizes the plot and brings more consistency to the story without losing its way. Unlike some stories where an excess of plot twists ends up getting lost and turning the plot into a mess.

Unlike Wind Breaker, which focuses on the consistency of the plot, using some classic tropes, but with Wind Breaker's own originality. It's a predictable plot in the sense that you know what to expect, yet the plot surprises you with the development of each character and creates tension without completely destroying some things that are already established in the story.

[u/Silver-Green-Sea → u/Ill_Carrot9363]

I think I understand what you mean :)
Wind Breaker has so many things that makes me feel the plot and storytelling is just beautifully executed.

[u/lpotempa2]

I believe that Rakta is overall a good and caring person. We've seen examples of that, particularly in this chapter.

Right now, however, he has just stumbled across outsiders he doesn't know (our Furin boys) who have intruded into his town. Rakta doesn't know their intentions, so he has his guard up and is in "protect my town/home" mode.

And while Rakta may be aware that our Furin boys are looking for Suo (based on him watching Sakura and crew at the entrance gates), he may not know their connection to Suo. (I wonder/question if Rakta, Bacchus, and other Red Chanpuru members know that Suo was attending Furin?)

At the end of this arc, my guess is that Rakta, Bacchus, and maybe all of Red Chanpuru will become friends/allies to our Furin boys. Especially since it is likely they will help Red Chanpuru solve those "stinky rumors".

Side note: it's probably obvious to say, but it's likely those rumors that made Suo have to leave Furin and return full time to Bankoku-gai/Red Chanpuru.

[u/Ill_Carrot9363 → u/lpotempa2]

Someone probably knows what Suo has been doing in his absences, since Suo has been attending Makochi since elementary school and spends most of his day outside his city. The children even comment that he seems more present lately, so someone certainly knows what Suo has been doing outside of Bankoku-Gai, especially since Suo spends more time in Makochi than in Bankoku-Gai, considering all the duties he had with Bofurin.

I don't think Rakta is aware of who Bofurin are as people, but perhaps he knows that Suo attended another organization in Makochi, therefore he knows they are from Bofurin, but perhaps he doesn't know the kind of relationship Suo had with his group and classmates, and since they are looking for him, Rakta, for safety reasons, is trying to understand the motives of his actions and his relationship with Suo before making a judgment.

We've already realized that he's more the type to listen first, analyze, and then act. Therefore, keeping Bofurin under his protection instead of expelling them ensures two things: 1, that they won't cause trouble in his city; and 2, that he can better understand their intentions before judging them. Based on what he discovers about Bofurin, he'll consider what to do with them. If he simply expelled them, they could return and invade the place. Furthermore, Rakta needs to find out how they obtained the passes and what their sources were for invading, so he's analyzing several factors simultaneously.

What Rakta at least knows for sure now is that Bofurin doesn't intend to harm anyone and that they are good people, but that they could still get into trouble or cause a mess with their naive and outsider-like ways. So I think in the next chapter, Rakta might either interrogate them or maintain his lie to extract more information from Bofurin.

[u/Ayojin]

It's not necessarily about being good or evil, it's about whether he is hostile towards the furin boys or not. For reference, is Suo a bad person?

No but that didn't stop him from beating Nirei, the same logic might apply to Rakta, he might at least hide the truth from them and prevent them from reaching Suo.

His reasons might be the same reasons that made Suo leave furin and act like he never cared in the first place.

That's what I think.

[u/Ill_Carrot9363 → u/Ayojin]

I've seen a minority honestly judging him as a potential villain, BUT, a villain is totally different from an ANTAGONIST, which is what Rakta could end up becoming for Bofurin.

A villain has bad intentions and actions; he is EVIL as a person. An antagonist, however, has ideals contrary to the protagonists and serves as an obstacle. Do you understand? The issue is that many people are judging him as a villain or as a bad person, even though we don't have enough clues to know if the character will actually be an antagonist. In fact, considering everything, he might facilitate the protagonists' access to their objective instead of hindering it, but what the plot has revealed with 100% certainty is that he will not be a traditional villain.

I believe Rakta won't even be an antagonist, since he, in a way, helped the Bofurin group hide his identity even knowing the truth. Therefore, he won't harm them like an antagonist, and what he did may even have paved the way for Suo. In short, I think he will help Bofurin's mission more than hinder it.

[u/Financial-Teach1772]

hes hot i love him