Opposites Attract: A Design Analysis
(i cant think of a better title)
Wind Breaker probably has the most unique character designs I’ve seen in animanga. It’s clear that Nii Satoru puts a lot of care in them, whether it be their clothing styles to what the designs themselves symbolize, and how they pertain to the characters themselves.
This is also a common theme in other mangas as well. However, there has been one particular aspect of certain character designs that have always intrigued me: ones which involve two characters meant to contrast each other (whether narratively or just their personalities) having blatantly opposing elements in their designs and traits.
In this analysis, I’ll be talking about these specific design choices when it comes to the Wind Breaker characters, specifically Togame and Choji!
I’ve already briefly gone over some of their design elements in one of my other posts, but I’ll reiterate it here to save you some time, as well as provide some more in-depth analysis.
Prior to Choji becoming the leader of Shishitoren, Togame and Choji’s hair were short, most likely to highlight their youth at the time. Not much to say here, since their hairstyles look rather similar, but I’ll talk more about this later I’m still sad the anime cut their pre sstr appearances they were so cute
Right after Choji becomes the leader, Togame has noticeably longer hair that he lets down. This could represent that Togame had nothing to tie him down (ie. he was still free) before Choji went haywire. Choji’s hair stays the relatively the same.
After Togame makes his promise to Choji, he braids his normally let down hair to signify how he’s now bound to Shishitoren and Choji wishes. On the other hand, Choji’s hair is now much more longer and messier during the Shishitoren Arc, mostly likely to represent his tattered mental state.
During the climax of Togame vs. Sakura however, he removes his hairtie and lets his hair flow freely again—now that he’s seen the true error of his ways, he no longer ties himself down to Shishitoren.
On the contrary, Choji rips out his own hair during his fight with Umemiya. This is meant to further highlight his degraded mental state, and his frustration upon hearing Umemiya’s words + him not being able to understand his current situation. In a way, this could also symbolize how Choji had ripped Shishitoren apart (hence the title of the chapter being called ‘Ripped Down).
Post-Shishitoren, both boys go through a Expository Hairstyle Change and decide to cut their hair. Togame even has an undercut to solidify that he truly has nothing that ties himself down anymore. Even Choji’s hair is less messier. Their current hairstyles are also somewhat reminiscent to when they were younger in my opinion; showing that Shishitoren has gone back to normal.
Choji and Togame’s hair also contrast each other. Togame has straighter, black hair that used to be much longer than Choji’s, while the latter has beige curly hair that stays relatively short throughout the series.
To start, Togame and Choji are the classic Tall x Shorter duo, with a whopping 39 centimeter (~15 inches or 1 foot and 1/4ths in 🇺🇸🦅 units) height difference:
Choji is pretty thin, while Togame is more bulkier in build.
Togame’s face is much more broad and chiseled, while Choji’s is a lot more rounder (like a bunny….). Choji’s has a button nose, and Togame’s long and thick too.
Speaking of which, their facial features can be attributed to their namesakes; Tomiyama has the Japanese character for rabbit in it, while Togame has the turtle kanji in his.
Choji’s eyes are round and wide, while Togame’s are slanted and narrow. Additionally, Choji’s eyes are sometimes colored a reddish-brown/red (it reminds me of a REW rabbit), while Togame’s are emerald; red and green are complimentary/contrasting colors.
Togame and Choji had ‘soulless’ eyes during the Shishitoren arc. It’s more apparent for Choji’s eyes—which shows the drab state of his mentality at the time and the empty feeling he has after becoming Shishitoren’s leader. Togame’s eyes are less empty on the other hand, representing the cruel façade he put up. Both of their eyes eventually return to normal and regain their shines after they reconcile.
Togame and Choji are a literal reference to ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’, from their story to their namesakes. Yes, the Aesop fable. They even mention a race in their backstory:
Since Choji is the hare and Togame is the tortoise, they are fast and slow respectively. Choji speaks very rapidly and excitedly, while Togame speaks in a very drawn out and slow way:
This translates to their fighting styles. Togame uses his weight and grappling skills against his enemies, while Choji uses his height and speed to his advantage.
Since Togame calls Choji the Sun, this implies that he’s the Moon given that he’s Shishitoren’s second in command. Choji and Togame’s relationship fits the Sun and Moon dynamic overall (Togame is drawn to Choji and Choji’s ‘rays’ allows him to shine as well, but the Sun and Moon cannot coexist without each other). You might as well call him the love of your life Togame
(ran into image limit) Togame doesn’t like texting and prefers calls, while Choji texts a lot
Choji dislikes waiting, whereas Togame doesn’t like being pressed for time (lines up with the tortoise and hare correlation)
Togame stretches first thing in the morning, Choji likes to bask in the sun
Both have eating competitions listed as their hobby
Togame’s dream is to have a quiet/retired life, while Choji wants to open a shop with Togame WE GET IT!!! YOU’RE MARRIED!!!!
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