One Great Character: Nirei, from Wind Breaker
He doesn't fit, and that's the point.
These one great characters are all taking a very similar spin—characters who don’t necessarily fit into the ensemble puzzle, and why that makes them great characters. Maki, from The Summer Hikaru Died, for instance, being the idyllic child in a town full of supernatural threats.
Nirei, from Wind Breaker, is much the same.
In Wind Breaker, the entire point of the story is all these rival schools fighting each other in abandoned warehouses or alleyways, y’know, generally dingy places. Nirei is not a fighter. Yet he chose Furin, the most prestigious fighters in all of high school-dom, and for what purpose?
For the purpose of this article.
No really though, at a baseline, Nirei is an exact foil to Sakura. Whereas Sakura is tough, quiet and a loner, Nirei is soft, loud and depends on his support group. That alone makes him an interesting character to follow, but that alone wouldn’t make him a one great character.
What makes him such a great character is that he doesn’t stop at just being a foil of Sakura. While that would be “good enough,” it’s not good enough for Nirei. He wants more out of his time at Furin. He wants to be useful, to be able to fight, to provide something to the team. And that is the starting place from which he grows into a really integral piece of the ensemble puzzle.
Everyone in Furin has a unique hook. The muscle head, the lady’s man, the mysterious one, the ornery one, they all fight in ways that complement who they are as people. Which is part of what makes them work so well as an ensemble. Everyone’s complementary personalities and fighting styles bring out the best in each other.
For all intents and purposes, Nirei could be considered an unnecessary character. What does he actually add to Furin? But that’s part of why he’s so brilliant. His potential for growth is the most exciting next to Sakura, and his very presence allows Furin to show how tight knit of a community they are. None of these other high school gangs would have Nirei. Not a chance. He can’t fight, and that’s essentially all they value—strength.
Which isn’t lost on Nirei. He realizes that he needs to contribute something, even though Furin would never ask that of him. And that’s another thing I find mighty endearing. Speaking of characters having agency over their actions, it would have been quite easy to build a device where Furin requires Nirei to contribute to the team or get to packing. But that wouldn’t reflect well on Furin, not to mention it would rob Nirei of his agency. Now he’s in the same position, but only because he’s forced to.
By allowing him to decide for himself that he wants to be more for Furin, he elevates as a character. He levels up, if you will. And along the way, even though he isn’t the best fighter yet, he also contributes in other ways. He’s intelligent, takes diligent notes, and is something of a strategist.
But again—that isn’t enough. He’s still taking the time to learn to fight because he wants to feel like he’s fully Furin.
There were so many opportunities for Wind Breaker to stop at “good enough” with Nirei, but they didn’t. They kept giving him more opportunities to grow in new and exciting ways. And each time he answers the call and pushes for more.