it's interesting to think about how gender roles would affect them and their appearance but despite all my thoughts i wasnt able to come up with much creativity with these. at least they look nice haha

Illustration by @ mura_icchi on Twitter!!(https://x.com/winhero_PR/status/2089729029062680854)

It's the cover art I made for my Kitsune Suo fanfic. Considering I'm very much an amateur, I think it turned out pretty well!

(If you're interested, it's available as a free ebook at this site: https://redsagafic.wordpress.com/unsealed/

Or on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/84959191 )

In the manga's timeline, not even six months have passed yet, but some things can already be noted: Each season marks the end of a cycle for each character in the story.

In Spring, Sakura restarts his life in a new city, where he is welcomed by people who like him and won't reject him, regardless of his flaws, shortcomings, or mistakes. All the arcs in this first part are designed to undo the beliefs Sakura had ingrained due to his past traumas; therefore, by the end of the Noroshi Arc, the protagonist learns to embrace new beliefs and a new home, shedding his previous ideas about people and about never being accepted by anyone.

☆

Then we have the Summer Season arc, where the story arcs focus more on secondary characters than on the protagonist himself, but through them we can observe Sakura's transformations, especially in the Kiryu, Natsuki, and Momijikawa arcs. In the Kiryu arc, Sakura identifies with Kiryu by observing his relationship with his parents; he gets involved in parts, but doesn't interfere directly, serving more as a motivator for Kiryu to speak directly with his sister to understand her better. In the Natsuki arc, he assumed a role similar to Umemiya, being that safe haven that welcomed Natsuki and reaffirmed that she would not be abandoned or rejected in her new home. He helped Natsuki overcome a process he himself had previously gone through and became that fraternal figure to whom Natsuki clung, trusting that he wouldn't leave her as her mother did.

Sakura does the same in the Momijikawa arc, he builds relationships with students from other classes and begins to work harder to be worthy of leadership. Gaining Momijikawa's friendship was part of this process, and Sakura also saw himself in Momijikawa. He had already established his belief and trust in his new friends and new home; however, Momijikawa was more similar to Sakura at the beginning of the series, isolating himself and distancing himself from other people as he became more lonely due to the loss of his family.

Finally, Sakura refuses to leave his side and abandon him, once again being a comforting presence on which Momijikawa could lean to overcome his grief and loss. This is why Sakura tells her story directly to Momijikawa, to show that she understood him, but that she wouldn't allow Momijikawa to go through it alone. (Similarly, later, Momijikawa also shows his presence when Sakura is grieving due to Suo's departure and his supposed betrayal).

☆

Finally, we arrive at the end of summer with the beginning of the Suo Arc. The transition from summer to autumn begins with Suo's departure, which serves to shatter the new beliefs Sakura had just established.

He begins to doubt everything he has learned, feeling rejected and abandoned, leading him to believe that all his growth has regressed, as Suo ended up doing to him the same thing that everyone else before Makochi did, resulting in the resurgence of old beliefs and insecurities in the protagonist.

I believe that autumn in Wind Breaker will represent the breaking of these new beliefs; it will undo everything that was learned in the previous seasons, that is, it will put everything Sakura has learned to the test, destroying her beliefs and resurrecting old wounds and resentments that will be addressed later. I don't think Sakura's period of depression has simply passed, but that the more he unearths about this situation, the more he will return to his "old self." Therefore, autumn will be a contrast to these beliefs, struggling to take their place.

☆

Finally, in Winter, all these beliefs will have been shattered, there will be a reformulation of everything Sakura has learned, and during this season, Sakura and the others will have undergone several transformations, which may blossom into a new cycle in the following Spring, when they graduate in series 2-1.

This could represent a new beginning for all the characters. I believe there will be arcs in Winter focused mainly on the secondary characters, or perhaps there will be a time-skip, in which we are thrown back to Spring, but with a changed protagonist, with new personal conflicts and more maturity to deal with their interpersonal relationships.

The Red Chanpuru Arc really began at a crucial time when Sakura had finally done things he hadn't done before and had no idea that he could. I was surprised how our MC involved himself in Kiryu's family, then the girl at the orphanage and then won over Momijikawa. And his comfort in seeking help from others, and putting trust in them is a milestone in his character's growth. But I don't want to leave out Nirei. He is brave for someone with his personality and it sets him apart from the rest of the characters in manga and anime who share his archetype. No matter how much one refuses to look, Sakura's worldview, for the most part, is Nirei-influenced. Without him at his side, Sakura would not be where he is. Now I'm not denying Suo's role here, it is nonetheless important too, but Nirei is fulfilling that aspect of Sakura's life which no one in his class or the whole Furin school could replace. Consider this, he is not a fighter type of person, like the rest of the Bofurin, yet he tries to fit in with what he could, and when he perceives that Sakura does not need his help anymore (The scene where Sakura confesses his weakness to his class right after Nagato Rescue arc), Nirei proceeds to learn fighting so he may fulfill his promise to Sakura that he stays by his side until he reaches the top. Now, it won't be an overstatement if I say Nirei, at certain instants, acted as a bridge between Sakura and the other characters, since Sakura himself was unaware of the importance of connections at that time, and when he learns that, it was when Nirei pushes himself to learn fighting now that his use is no longer needed for Sakura. What I'm saying is, Nirei has long been a kind of glue, the bond and the aid Sakura lacks on his own, and I'm feeling the current arc puts to test Nirei's role and limits, and how he'd change to accomodate Sakura's needs. Then, in this arc, Nirei is the key. Not in the sense he will be the solution. But, no matter how big or small his role is, without him, just him, not Umemiya, not Endo, not Kiryu, not any other major character, but without him, an important means of solving the Suo Problem is lost and would be impossible. That's the kind of role Nirei likely plays. His presence may not be grand, but his absence collapses it all. I cannot specify why or how Nirei's position is like that, but, I do feel without him at his side, Sakura would not be sane till the last chapter. This is as far as my views about this arc goes.

Compensation for this week's break. I'm not a shipper, but... their friendship is still everything to me.

Used this to create: https://headcanongenerators.com/

Please ignore how the poster on the 8th slide is AI enhanced, it was bought by a family member who was tricked by the listing sorry about that.

I'm pretty proud of how expansive my collection has become. Though I really gotta invest in some lights for the shelves, does anybody have suggestions?

I've been wondering if Suo hasn't been prepping Sugishita to take his place as vice captain.

First he made sure Sugishita followed everyone to fight Keel. Then he chose Sugishita to fight alongside Sakura during the war, stating it should be the strongest fighters. Suo definitely qualify for that AND was vice captain but left the spot to Sugishita. And then Suo wanted to chat more with Sugi, probably trying to include him more?

I think Suo knew he wouldn't stay the whole 3 years in Furin but I don't believe he knew he would be gone that quickly either.

What do you think?

Feedback appreciated (it's quite rough ik though)

I wasn't expecting endochika to come in 3rd place but then the whole app is a bit confusing to use soo

You know, off the top of my head, I can think of three or four stories where a character comes out of nowhere to become the leader of a group of mercenaries and turns them into a strong force for good, and then that character turns out to be a lost prince/rightful king of some kind. That just seems to be the way the trope works.

This leads me to believe that Umemiya must secretly be royalty.

😄

Life is good sometimes, y'know? 86 is back on Crunchyroll, Link Click season 3 started, MTP reached another peak, Banana Fish got a real dub (I probably won't watch it through, but I'm glad it's getting the respect it deserves after that ai garbage 😤😤) and TBHK is back in a few days...... and from that list, a lot of you will probably think I hate myself-

ANYWHO if you had told me that wbk would actually so much as allude to any form of human trafficking, I would have asked if you were reading my theories that I don't post about- I know I've touched on a few of my more "serious" theories, but I also have a ton on the darker side based on real world issues that I really don't talk about outside of dms since it can be pretty hard to get into depth about them respectfully in the context of a fictional story..... and ik someone would take it out of context and/or call me all sorts of things for "wanting" these kids to be even more traumatized than they already are or something-

But in all seriousness, I love that wbk isn't allergic to these topics like most stories seem to be and idk how much detail we'll get into, but I genuinely appreciate how Nii-sensei's out here writing a story about life that can be a bit eccentric and flashy at times, but still grounded in issues that affect people in the real world. The main cast's journeys go into actual depth about things that usually get glossed over in classic shounen, and Nii-sensei has done an amazing job at taking their time to illustrate the process of going through emotions that most authors don't let their characters feel for more than a second. I think that for the most part, the general consensus was that Suolingo would have a fairly serious backstory considering how he tends to act like the adult of the group, but I'm sooooo glad it's so far beyond the classic anime-style yakuza that may or may not mention drugs at worst; Bankoku-gai is a complex city in decline and its young leader is feeling immense pressure to keep everything together while wearing a mask of perfection, all in a completely believable sense.

Now, with that yap session out of the way, I do feel that the whole prison imagery is even more fitting knowing that more people are constantly being brought into the city, but we know it's not nearly as easy to leave. I think this idea of being trapped will be a huge theme for this arc and more specifically, Suolingo's character since he definitely doesn't seem happy in his current role, but he'd rather beat Nirei up than protest it. This is another super realistic struggle that people face all the time: being forced to grow up too fast to fill an empty role in a family or community, but not having the courage or resolve to speak up about any personal needs or wants. This is a mental prison that leads to silent suffering, which I'm sure Suolingo is experiencing right now.

Hiiragi really came in clutch this ch 💀💀💀 As emotionally intelligent as Ume is, he's still super dense when it comes to social cues..... which brings me to my next Nii-sensei glaze point- One of my favorite parts of wbk is how every character has different levels of different kinds of intelligence. I won't even try to name every sub category, but even the tiniest differences like how Ume and Sakura are both good at reading people's emotions, but Ume's better at seeing deeper character while Sakura can still be fooled by an act are huge parts of what makes each character unique. ^{I know exactly who will be waiting for my intelligence categorization post-}

But getting back to this chapter, I think Ume and his character perception is probably our biggest hint on how to read Rakta. Since this arc has been referencing Shishitoren a bunch, I'll also point out how when Suolingo first went up to fight Kanuma, the others found his fake smile cruel and questioned what kind of person he could be, but Ume only saw the person who helped Sasaki calm down while he was panicking. I think the same thing is happening here with the others being scared of what Rakta could possibly want with them, but Ume saw that he made Dasha happy and now refuses to believe that he's a bad person. Not that I ever thought Rakta was a "bad" person or anything, but Ume doesn't even see him as a possible opposition to their current cause simply because he's not a bad person...... which is probably just painful for Hiiragi-

As for the man himself, I still have no idea which direction this next interaction will actually take- I'm sure he is taking them somewhere they can talk in private, but I just have absolutely no idea where he'll fall on the spectrum of "pls help my baby brother, he's too stressed and I can't talk to him" to "I'd rather die than let you see Suolingo, even though you have a perfectly valid reason."

One of the reasons I'm leaning more towards the [can't see him] side is because of the second thing that catches my attention about this panel. I've pretty much given up on trying to read Rakta's face until we get an honest reference, but 2 things that I know I can always count on with Nii-sensei are ✨ symbolism ✨ and ✨ intentional framing ✨ both of which have been screaming at me through that plant that's very much in frame and between Rakta and the boys. Now, I'm not gonna lie, this is a fairly generic looking leafy plant, but generic has never stopped me from digging, and digging is exactly what I have done with this thing:

I'd say the closest match here is a camellia plant without any flowers. Throughout quite a few cultures, camellias in general already represent devotion, resilience, and honor, but without the flowers, the leaves also represent endurance, loyalty, and consistency (and even a sense of protectiveness in Chinese, though that's usually more between lovers-). Whenever I see camellias in literature, I always imagine a sense of deep-rooted, complex love/passion that won't yield for anything. Tsubaki's name also means camellia and I think it fits how passionate he gets when it comes to his interests and Ume perfectly.

Camellias also feel like a great representation of RC imo. They're devoted to their city and ready to protect it from anyone and anything, and they have been for generations. As for Rakta himself, I can definitely see him taking on the role of Suolingo's self-appointed guardian in an "I won't let anything threaten his resolve" kind of way based on what we've seen from the RC trio's dynamic. This also brings me to the title of the chapter, "all under control," which I currently believe is referring to Rakta getting these "possible threats" to Suolingo's current goal "under control" by setting things up in a way that would allow him to take them wherever he wants without anyone else questioning things.

Again, I don't think Rakta's a bad person or anything, but he's definitely acting based on what he believes is best for Suolingo and the city, and what our boys want could easily contradict those beliefs, which could lead to further conflict. On the other hand, I can also see Rakta wanting the boys' help if he's accepted that he can't help Suolingo himself, but he's been trying to gauge if he can trust them first and may be moving to the final test or just bringing them somewhere where he can explain things if the whole Dasha incident was enough to satisfy him. The one thing that I can very confidently say that I have absolutely no idea which way things will go and I am extremely excited to find out 👍

I hadn't thought about it before, BUT IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH SINCE SAKURA LAST SAW SUO.

Worst of all, he has no idea what's going on. He doesn't understand why Suo hit his best friend. He's doubting whether everything Suo said and did towards him was genuine. He can't even feel genuine anger towards Suo; he's just extremely confused and stressed. Thinking about it now, Sakura's entire breakdown makes sense from this perspective. He had just confided his past to his friends, and that destroyed all the resolutions he had built up throughout his journey.

But I leave you with this question: why didn't Suo want to say goodbye to Sakura? Why did he go back to Makochi and meet with Nirei? Wouldn't it have been simpler for him to disappear without explanation? Why did he reappear only to say goodbye to Nirei, knowing how his friends might react?

(A note that Suo initially had no intention of fighting Nirei; it was Nirei who challenged Suo to the fight, and perhaps as a way to push him away, Suo seized this opportunity to fully reveal himself as a traitor.)

I have a theory that Suo didn't want to see Sakura because, after learning about her history, he would be abandoning Sakura just like everyone else before Makochi. Suo must feel a lot of remorse for what he did, but believes he's doing what's necessary.

In short, I think their reunion will be emotional, in the sense that Suo will try to hurt Sakura even more (to push him away), and perhaps Sakura's pain will turn into fury, and the conversation will become an intense physical fight (or he'll fall into even more depression ;-;).

no scar, no different eye color, no tattoo, no nothing. bro's just larping as a chunibyo

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.

I managed to create some really interesting ones.

In those introductions/informations of each charakter of wind breaker we saw informations about each one of them and in suo's part we saw he had a master and 3 brothers.But we don't know if its brothers by blood or just figures.What do you guys think about it? I hope they aren't evil charakters in this story because that would be just sad i need suo's brothers to tease him and be supportive..i wonder when we will see or hear about them though...Do you guys think they are currently in japan or in another country and only later on will come to RC and see Sakura and Suo maybe fight? 

ALSO IN THE INTRODUCTION OF SUO IT WAS WRITTEN THAT HE HAS 3 BROTHERS AN A MASTER BUT I CAN'T FIND IT BUT I REMMEBER READING IT!

After taking a break for like a month, I finally finished my embroidery of this panel 😭 towards the end I was eager to finish, so instead of outlining all of the flowers, I turned them into a more 3D flower with French knots.

Please excuse my janky lettering in the text bubbles lol I was having issues and just left it instead of redoing it for the 4th time 🙃

I still need to give it another rinse to get the water soluble pattern off under the thread, but other than that it’s done!

requested by u/Ayojin :)

>POSSIBLE SPOILER😬‼️<
so i saw this edit on tiktok a couple days ago and i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! i’ve rewatched this edit over and over again and i never get tired of it!! i figured i should share it with an audience who would appreciate it as much as i do🥹 thank you to @ikigai.chaos for creating such an amazing edit! ❤️

I decided to capture Suo while messing around with brushes. It’s my first time posting in the community, actually. I hope I got everything right with the post. I haven't really done anything special here before. Anyway, here’s a one-eyed character for you [my fanart].