"The Voice Acting Is Completed with the Animation": Yuma Uchida & Nobunaga Shimazaki Share Their Passionate Behind-the-Scenes Insights on the TV Anime 'WIND BREAKER'

On December 26, 2024, the "Japan Anime Trend Grand Prize 2024" was broadcast on ABEMA. Voice actors Yuma Uchida and Nobunaga Shimazaki, who appeared on the program, shared passionate insights about their work 'WIND BREAKER' in an unpublished segment. In this article, we bring you the conversation between the two that was not aired during the program.

'WIND BREAKER' is a TV anime based on the manga of the same name by Nii Satoru, serialized in "Magazine Pocket" (Kodansha). It portrays the story of Haruka Sakura, a lonely delinquent high school student aiming to be the best fighter, who grows through interactions with various people as a member of the city-protecting group "Bofurin." Season 1 aired from April 2024, and Season 2 is set to begin in April 2025.

During the broadcast of "Japan Anime Trend Grand Prize 2024," Uchida and Shimazaki discussed the charm of the work, but in the unpublished segment, they delved deeper into the character of the protagonist, Sakura. Shimazaki started by saying, "Haruka Sakura is great, really! Yuma-kun's (portrayal of) Haruka Sakura is!" He praised Sakura for "building relationships step by step with everyone," adding that this aspect motivates him to continue supporting Sakura and the work 'WIND BREAKER.'

The discussion then moved to the changes from Season 1 to Season 2. Shimazaki noted, "What we do doesn't change, but," as he prefaced his comments, "the introduction of new characters and new factions increases the range of relationships," and pointed out that "with more relationships, the human drama becomes richer."

Uchida nodded in agreement, referring to it as "the accumulation of communication with new characters," and remarked on the commonality with his approach as a voice actor, saying, "Acting is about following a life, so we too are creating the work as various elements accumulate."

Regarding the gradual change in Sakura due to relationships, Shimazaki passionately argued, "It's not like he changes dramatically! (laughs) The way he changes naturally is what's great!" Uchida echoed with, "Naturally, yes," citing the reasons why people can't change suddenly, such as "things they've clung to to be themselves, or things they thought had to be a certain way."

He also touched on the theme presented since Season 1, "Fighting is 'dialogue,'" concluding that "understanding the opponent and oneself through fists is both the interesting and thrilling part of it."

When the topic of 'fighting' came up, Shimazaki enthusiastically promoted, "The action scenes in the fights are outstanding!" Uchida deeply agreed, saying, "Absolutely! Each movement, like martial arts moves, the weight of the body, the sense of speed—they depict those things with incredible detail. I realized animation can express so much."

Shimazaki further analyzed the directing, saying, "The direction is great! The storyboard is probably part of why too." He continued, emphasizing that "although voice actors are put in the spotlight for promotional appearances, anime is created together by everyone. That's the point."

He humorously explained this with an example of his own acting approach for his character, Hayato Souma, saying, "During battles, Souma is strong, so I don't include breaths like 'huff!' or 'hah!' in my acting, but when it becomes an anime, the action scenes look incredibly cool. That's why it's not my accomplishment at all, it often gets misunderstood (laughs)." To this, Uchida concluded Shimazaki's statement with, "The voice acting is completed with the animation," and "it's a comprehensive art form with everything combined."

In the unpublished segment, Uchida and Shimazaki unfolded a passionate and intense discussion. Their enthusiasm further raises expectations for the TV anime 'WIND BREAKER Season 2.'

(C)にいさとる・講談社/WIND BREAKER Project