Cast announcement for the movie "WIND BREAKER"

The cast of the righteous delinquent gang "Bofurin" that protects the town from the live-action movie "WIND BREAKER," based on the popular delinquent manga by Nii Satoru Nii that is currently being serialized on Kodansha's web manga service "Magapoke," was announced on June 25th. Actor Koshi Mizukami Koji will play the lead role as Bofurin , a lonely first-year student at Fuurin High School whose only redeeming quality is fighting. Taisei Kido will play Nirei Akihiko, who is terrible at fighting but skilled at gathering information, and Keito Tsuna will play Sofang Junhi, whose trademark is the eyepatch on his right eye.

Motoki Nakazawa , who is also making waves for playing Takashi Yanai 's younger brother Chihiro in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan ," will play Hiiragi Toma, a third-year Fuurin High School and one of the four heavenly kings, the most martial artist at Bofurin, while JUNON from the dance and vocal group "BE:FIRST" will play Sugishita Kyotaro, a rough boy who worships Umemiya Hajime, the head of Fuurin High School, and Uesugi Shuhei will play Umemiya Hajime, the representative of Fuurin High School. Character posters of the six Bofurin members have also been released.

Original author Satoru Nii,"I also had the opportunity to visit the filming location, and was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the cast and staff. The powerful action scenes were worth watching, but I also felt that each and every cast member had carefully considered their own interpretation of the characters in the story, such as Sakura and Umemiya, and created their roles. I also imagine that there are many ways of showing the story that can only be done on film, and my time on the tour made me look forward to the finished product."

A Teaser trailer was also released, showcasing the members of Bofurin. It also contains some impressive action scenes, such as an exchange of spin kicks between Sakura and the mysterious man. The theme of the action in this film is "wind," and on set, multiple special machines were deployed to create blasts of wind that were so strong it was difficult to stand up, and action scenes full of a sense of speed were shot in the raging wind.

"WIND BREAKER" began serialization on Magapoke in January 2021. It depicts the story of the protagonist, Haruka Sakura, who has lived a solitary life with only fighting as a redeeming quality, as he enrolls in Fuurin High School, once feared as a den of delinquents, and fights as a member of the Bofurin group that protects the town. In 2022, it won the "Recommended Comics 2022 Selected by Booksellers Nationwide." The TV anime series has also garnered popularity, with the first season airing from April to June 2024 and the second season airing from April to June this year. The comics have sold over 8 million copies in total.

The movie will be directed by Kentaro Hagiwara, who has worked on films such as "Blue Period" and "30 Minutes to Say Goodbye," and written by Yosuke Masaike, who has worked on films such as "Haken Anime!". It will be released in December.

Comments from the cast are as follows.

◇Comment from Koshi Mizukami , who plays Haruka Haruka Sakura

I am Koshi Mizukami , who played the role of Haruka Sakura . Basically, in this forum, I have to make a comment that will inspire everyone who reads this comment to watch the film, and present my intentions for appearing in this film. However, I am now thinking about what some veteran film directors of the past said, "I left what I wanted to say in the film." I will stop complaining here, but this film is a delinquent film unique to the Reiwa era. The way it is expressed and perceived has changed from the delinquent films of my youth, and I feel the changing times. While feeling nostalgic, I will never forget the days when I rushed forward every day (to filming) with Haruka Sakura and many other staff members, just like Haruka Sakura, towards a new era. Please look forward to further updates. Please look forward to my complaints again.

◇Comment from Daisei Kido, who plays Taisei Kido

When I read the original manga, I felt like I was seeing a new kind of yankii image that had never been seen before. I was deeply moved by the way they fought to "protect" the city and its people, and by every word they uttered. When I found out that "WIND BREAKER" was being made into a live-action movie, I was really happy to participate as Nirei Akihiko. The exhilarating action scenes, of course, but the heartwarming conversations between the characters are a major highlight of this work. Please enjoy the charm of "WIND BREAKER" on the big screen!

◇Comment from Keito Tsuna, who plays Su Fang Junhi

I am Keito Tsuna, who played the role of Su Fang Junfei. I love the original work and Su Fang, so I remember being overjoyed when I was chosen for the role. What I wanted to keep in mind when making this live-action film was that I didn't want to just imitate him because I love him. I was conscious of acting after thinking about the meaning of this role, which only I can play. When I was worried, director Hagiwara-san was very sincere with all the actors, so he saved me in many scenes. I was really happy to be able to create this work together this time. It was so much fun to see each of the roles come to life on set. Wind Breaker was created with my passionate co-stars and the staff. I would be happy if you could watch this movie and warm your heart a little in the winter. I think it's a work that makes you feel like you want to hug your friend's shoulder instead of "I want to fight" after watching it. Please look forward to the movie "WIND BREAKER"!

◇Comment from JUNON, who plays Kyotaro Sugishita

I am JUNON from BE:FIRST, and I will be playing the role of Kyotaro Sugishita. I had seen "WIND BREAKER," so I was very surprised when I heard about the role, but I was also happy. Kyotaro Sugishita, who I played, is a silent, seemingly violent character who is also obedient to the head of the company, but in a sense he also has comedic elements, so I felt it was difficult to know how to portray him in a live-action version. This was my first time working on a film, so I was full of anxiety and tension before filming began, but I learned a lot from the acting of my co-stars and how they approached their roles through filming. The set was really warm, and it saved me a lot. I hope everyone will love this work.

◇Comment from Motoki Nakazawa, who plays Motoki Nakazawa

Despite his appearance, Hiiragi Toma has a kinder heart than anyone else and is a character who can act for others. As an upperclassman, I played the role while being conscious of his motherly position that brings the first-year students together. I hope you will support Hiiragi, who carries stomach medicine with him and does his best, even though he is pushed around by the idiosyncratic members of Boufurin. The film is full of detailed psychological portrayals, beautiful images, and powerful action scenes that can only be achieved through live-action adaptations. I hope you will be able to immerse yourself in the world of Windbreaker! And since it was shot entirely on location in Okinawa, I communicated a lot with the cast and staff while tackling this project, so I hope you will look forward to its release!

◇Comment from Shuhei Uesugi, who plays Hajime Umemiya

Before filming began, I spoke with Director Hagiwara and we said, "This film does not glorify fighting or make you feel violent. Instead, let's make a film that makes you think of someone close to you when you leave the cinema and feel like you want to protect them." We faced the challenge of trying to protect people and places with all our might. I feel that Umemiya's strength in accepting and trying to understand others may seem selfish to some, but the main reason he was able to push forward believing only in what he holds dear was because he received tremendous energy from all the other cast members. With the best cast, staff, and environment, I think we were able to create a meaningful work that is performed by humans. Please take a look! (All the scenes shot in the storm were tough.)