The movie follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, a man who became a legend in the world of aviation. From the very beginning, we see his dream of flying and building beautiful and functional airplanes. Jiro comes across as a man whose passion and dedication to his ideal is unwavering. He overcomes many obstacles, including technical difficulties and social constraints, to achieve his goal. The film explores the theme of dreams coming true and the price one has to pay to realize them. In the process of building airplanes that he wanted to believe would serve the world, Jiro faces ethical dilemmas and internal conflict. Despite this, his beliefs and his love of art and science keep him on the path to his dream.

Technically, it's the story of real-life aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi, but in fact the character is also inspired by the director's father, who also worked on building airplanes. Miyazaki's own fascination with aviation and his mother's severe illness influenced the plot: in the movie, the protagonist's beloved is infected with tuberculosis.

In "The Wind Rises," the director no longer softens painful themes with fantasy conventions. In the background unfolds World War II, and one of the scenes reproduces the Great Kanto Earthquake - it affected about 4 million people in 1923.
This is a poignant, heavy movie about a dreamer who is forced to live in constant conflict with his own conscience. About doomed love, which is sure to be cut short by death. Finally, about the horror of a creator who realizes that he cannot control his own creations.