The anime "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru," which began airing in the fall of 2018, is set against the backdrop of the Hakone Ekiden marathon. It is based on the novel of the same name by Shion Miura. It has also been adapted into a manga by Sorata Umino, with a total of six volumes published. It has also become so popular that it has been adapted into a film, a stage play, and a radio drama. In this article, we will introduce some of the best scenes from "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru," based on the manga, and rank them in our own way.
10th Place: Kakeru and Heidi's Bet
Source: The Wind is Strong © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
The members of Aotake have begun full-scale practice at the athletic field. The team decides to measure their 5000m times, and the eight people, excluding Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) and Kurahara Hashiru (Kakeru), start by timing their times. After that, Heidi and Kakeru decide to run together. Heidi then proposes a bet to Kakeru: "If you lose to me, let's aim for Hakone together." Kakeru says he'll "maximize my speed alone," but Heidi adds, "If you lose, it means there's a limit to how fast you can pursue speed on your own, right?" The two decide to compete. Once they start running, Heidi keeps running at a pace that seems to keep her close to Kakeru. Heidi then asks, "What are you running for?" Kakeru then remembers that he was a successful track and field athlete at a powerful school in high school, but then threw it all away. Heidi picks up the pace and pulls away from Heidi. But Heidi still keeps up. Seeing Heidi like that, Kakeru looks a little happy and continues running with gusto. In this famous scene, Kakeru, who felt abandoned by his club members and his family in high school and thought he had abandoned everything himself, begins to think that maybe he can trust Heidi.
No. 9: Prince's True Feelings
Source: The Wind Rises © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
Kashiwazaki Akane (Prince) is the least athletic student at Aotake. One day, Prince and Kakeru (Kakeru) happen upon each other on campus. Kakeru asks the prince if he's serious about running, to which the prince replies in a loud voice, "I have no choice but to run! My precious manga might get thrown away!" Because running is everything to Kakeru and manga is everything to the prince, they seem unable to understand each other. Despite this, the prince says he understands that just as he loves manga, Kakeru and Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) love running and think it's important to them. He continues, with a serious look in his eyes, "Of course I don't want to run. But if I'm the only one person who can crush the feelings of everyone at Aotake and Heidi, then maybe I can run a little." At first, the prince reluctantly runs for the sake of his manga, but this memorable scene reveals that he's a kind person who cares not only about manga, but also about Heidi and Kakeru, who loves running.
8th Place: Kakeru Finally Makes Up His Mind
Source: The Wind Rises © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) confronts Kurahara Haseru (Kakeru), who is anxious about this situation and is worried that things can't continue like this. However, Heidi suddenly loses consciousness while trying to convince Kakeru of the importance of the team. A doctor reveals that she fell asleep due to lack of sleep, fatigue, and overwork. Kakeru regains his composure and apologizes to Akane Kashiwazaki (the Prince) for taking out his frustration on him when he was feeling anxious. The Prince replies, "It's okay," and happily remarks, "You stayed in my room with me when I collapsed from dehydration, didn't you?" With the awkward atmosphere between Kakeru and the Prince resolved, the Aotake residents suggest taking turns preparing meals to avoid placing a burden on Heidi, who was responsible for all the cooking and cleaning. Kakeru, who had been absentmindedly listening to this, says, "Okay, that's it!" He then declares his determination for the first time, saying, "I'm determined to make up my mind and seriously aim to compete in the Hakone Ekiden with everyone!!" The Aotake members seemed shocked and shocked that he hadn't been serious up until then, and a lively and fun argument began. Heidi woke up in the middle of the argument and said with a happy look on her face, "Kakeru is a weird guy after all." It was a great scene in which Kakeru, who had been unable to take that final step, finally did so.
7th Place: The Last One, the Tenth One
Source: Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
In order to compete in the Hakone Ekiden, Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) was searching for the final tenth person. However, he was having trouble finding that last person, and he was getting anxious. As she spends her days wondering if anyone is there, Heidi comes out of the public bath as usual when she sees someone pass by in front of her at an astonishing speed. That person is Kurahara Hashiru (Kakeru). Kakeru had lost all his money gambling and was starving, so he shoplifted some bread and ran away. So Heidi jumps on a nearby bicycle and chases after Kakeru. Catching up to him, Heidi stops him and invites him to come to Chikusei-so if he's short on money, saying, "Why don't you join me in aiming for the Hakone Ekiden?" This is the famous scene where the story begins, as Heidi finds the last key person, Kakeru, and the 10th member she had been searching for throughout her university life.
6th Place: Kakeru Pushes Senior Nikochan
Source: The Wind Rises © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
Akihiro Hirata (Nikochan) used to be a track and field athlete. During his high school years, he was told that his muscular build made him unsuited for long-distance running. At the time, Nico-chan was worried about not being able to break 17 minutes for the 5000m. However, Nico-chan loved running and continued to work hard, determined to be selected as a long-distance runner. Today, she thought, she might be able to break 17 minutes, but she ran, feeling frustrated and wondering if she wasn't cut out for it after all. In the end, she couldn't break 17 minutes. Even now that she's a university student, Nico-chan still has negative feelings about running, and she seems to have given up on this Hakone Ekiden. However, one day during practice, she suddenly realized she was running slower than Akane Kashiwazaki (Oji), the slowest runner at Aotake. Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) was wondering what to do about Nico-chan, who had a tendency to give up even though she should be able to endure, when Kurahara Hashiru (Kakeru) said, "I think you could run if you pushed and pulled her," and it seemed to hit home. Heidi ordered Kakeru to push Nico-chan's back and run. Nico-chan is surprised when she suddenly feels a load on her back. Kakeru pushes her back and says, "Come on, senpai, do your best." Nico-chan, who needed the words "do your best" the most, reaches the finish line with a refreshed look on her face, and resolves to continue trying to quit smoking first. It's a great scene in which Kakeru's words made Nico-chan, who had been reluctant for a long time, feel motivated to try.
4th Place: Honest Jota and George
Source: Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
It was after Kakeru Kurahara and Haiji Kiyose had competed in the 5000m. Heidi suggested, "If I win, let's aim for Hakone together," and Kakeru agreed. The race ended with Kakeru's victory. However, despite his victory, Kakeru felt a sense of defeat for some reason. Heidi then asked, "You're certainly 'fast,' but are you really 'strong?'" Kakeru seemed lost in thought. At this moment, Yohei Sakaguchi (King) spoke up, saying, "That's great. You'll win and you'll be able to get away with running the ekiden you wanted." Kakeru, however, remained lackluster. When asked if he still wanted to run in the Hakone Ekiden, he denied it, but insisted that if he dropped out, they wouldn't be able to run in the race. The other residents of Aotake remained silent, looking as if they thought the Hakone Ekiden was impossible. At this moment, Jotaro (Jota) and Jojiro (George) cheerfully tapped Kakeru on the shoulder and said, "Let's do it." King asks Jota and George if they still want to compete on the same level as Kakeru and Heidi after seeing their impressive run. To which, the honest Jota and George reply, "We honestly thought it was great! It looked like it felt amazing!!" and "You might say it's impossible, but if you could run like that... I'm sure everyone thought the same." Hearing Jota and George's words, the Aotake members gradually became more honest, and they were determined to aim for Hakone again. Thanks to the honest Jota and George, it was a memorable scene that made the other members want to try again.
3rd Place: Musa's Word That Changed the Atmosphere
Source: The Wind Rises © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
When participating in a track meet hosted by Tokyo University of Health and Sport Sciences, Kakeru Kurahara (Kakeru) was sneaking around, not wanting to run into anyone he knew from high school. However, he immediately encounters Sakaki Kosuke, the person he least wanted to see. When Sakaki asks him why he's there, Kakeru replies that he's participating in a race. However, Kakeru had a history of causing an incident in high school that led to him quitting the club, forcing the remaining members to suspend their activities until graduation. Sakaki, not convinced that Kakeru has returned despite that, meaningfully remarks to the Aotake members, "He's the kind of guy who easily betrays people." As the surrounding area becomes noisy and the Aotake members begin to distrust Kakeru, Musa Kamara covers his ears and says, "I'm not interested!" He then replies, "I don't know about your past, but after spending two weeks with you, I don't think you're a bad person!" The Aotake members seemed to agree, saying "That's true!", and once again the united members decided to form a circle and get pumped up for the track meet. It was a memorable scene in which the team's bond was almost at risk, but one word from Musa put an end to it.
Second Place: First Track Meet
Source: Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
At a track meet hosted by Tokyo University of Health and Sport Sciences, Kakeru Kurahara, known for his speed since high school, was surely attracting attention. Finally, the race began, featuring the fastest runners, including Kakeru and his friends. However, since it had been a while since Kakeru's last race, his instincts seemed to have completely faded. Furthermore, the races Kakeru competed in were filled with top-class runners who had undergone extensive training, so he was gradually left behind. Kakeru's performance was struggling and he was getting anxious. Then, he heard the cheers of his Aotake teammates, who had already finished the previous race, cheer him on. They shouted, "Kakeru!!!" "Kakeru!! You're almost there!!!" "You can do better, Kakeru!!! This is it!" "Go for it!!!" Hearing their cheers, Kakeru seemed to feel something for the Aotake members he had never felt even with his middle and high school teammates. Until now, Kakeru had insisted on running alone, but he feared that if he ran poorly, the Aotake members would be criticized, and he became determined to win. This is a memorable scene, as if it changed the meaning of running for Kakeru, who had previously been obsessed with running alone.
2nd Place: Everyone, Running at Full Power
Source: Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru © Shion Miura, Shinchosha/Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
The grueling summer training camp is over, and there's only one month left until the qualifying tournament. The Aotake members continued to train even more intensely, relieving summer fatigue while also pushing themselves to improve their running ability. However, as the actual race approached, the pressure and tension seemed to be building. Finally, the day of the qualifying round arrived. Heading to the venue, manager Katsuta Hanako noticed that each university had 12 runners. Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) explained that the competition would be based on the combined time of the 10 runners, but only 12 could participate. He also explained that the Aotake team, with only 10 members, had to finish the race without missing a single member. Hearing this, the members' expressions clouded and their heads hung low. However, Heidi then addressed the team directly, saying, "All we have to do is run as hard as we can without missing a single person. Hasn't that been how we've been getting through the past six months together?" Hearing this, the members recalled past practice sessions and seemed to be re-energized, saying, "Let's do Kansei University a favor!" The team was feeling down before the qualifying round, which would determine whether they would be able to compete in the Hakone Ekiden, but this is a memorable scene in which they regained their motivation and confidence.
No. 1: The Importance of Teamwork
Source: Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
Kakeru Kurahara was happy as his teammates at Aotake changed one after another. However, during his second Tokyo University of Health and Sport Sciences track meet, something happened. When Kakeru reunites with his high school teammate, Kosuke Sakaki, he is told that the Aotake members are still slow. Kakeru realizes that he's absolutely right and begins to panic. From then on, Kakeru spends his days running even harder, and the Aotake members seem to notice the change. Kakeru eventually blames his poor performance on Akane Kashiwazaki (Oji), who has the slowest time on the Aotake team. Oji, who happens to overhear this, goes out for a run by himself. However, he collapses mid-run from dehydration. Kakeru tells Oji, "You could have died if you'd been bad. This is what's happening because you're running half-heartedly, right!?" The Aotake members counter that this is not the case. They then point out that Kakeru has been acting strange lately. He tells Kakeru to consult him if he needs anything, but he expresses his anger, saying that he has no idea what to ask the Aotake members, who are practically amateurs. At this point, Kiyose Haiji (Heidi) grabs Kakeru and says, "We've all been practicing together and spending time together, and we've noticed a change in you. We're worried about you. You need to respond to that!" He then adds, "We're a team! What are you all here for?! Please realize this soon." After these words, Kakeru decides to seriously aim for the Hakone Ekiden with the Aotake members. Heidi, noticing the change in Kakeru, who is anxiously agitated, turns to face him head-on, making this a passionate and memorable scene that is one of the charms of sports manga.
Ranking of Famous Scenes, Summary!
Source: "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru" © Shion Miura, Shinchosha / Kansei University Track and Field Club Supporters Association
This article introduces a unique ranking of memorable scenes from "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru," primarily based on the anime and manga. Watching the members of Aotake, who started out as amateurs but continue to work hard every day to achieve their goal of competing in the Hakone Ekiden, is both inspiring and encouraging. This work features many such memorable scenes, so be sure to check it out. Thank you for reading to the end.
