Initial D
頭文字 (イニシャル)D (Inisharu Dī)
Genre	Action, Racing, Drama
Manga
Author	Shuichi Shigeno
Publisher	Kodansha (講談社) Tokyopop Haksan Publishing
Demographic	Seinen
Serialized in	Young Magazine
Original run	1995 – current
Volumes	36
TV anime: Initial D First Stage
Director	Noboru Mitsusawa
Studio	Studio Gallop, Pastel
Network	Fuji Television, Animax TV3 Indosiar Animax, GMA NT1
Original run	April 18, 1998 – November 28, 1998
Episodes	26
TV anime: Initial D Second Stage
Director	Shin-ichi Masaki
Studio	Pastel
Network	Fuji TV, Animax 8TV Animax Indosiar NT1
Original run	October 14, 1999 – January 6, 2000
Episodes	13
OVA: Initial D Extra Stage
Director	Shishi Yamaguchi
Studio	Pastel
Episodes	2
Released	February 22, 2000
Runtime	56 minutes
Animated movie: Initial D Third Stage
Director	Noboru Mitsusawa
Studio	Pastel
Released	January 13, 2001
Runtime	104 minutes
OVA: Initial D Battle Stage
Studio	Pastel
Episodes	1
Released	May 15, 2002
Runtime	45 minutes
TV anime: Initial D Fourth Stage
Director	Tsuneo Tominaga
Studio	Frontline, Gainax
Network	Animax, SKY PerfecTV! (Pay Per View)
Original run	April 17, 2004 – February 18, 2006
Episodes	24

Initial D (頭文字(イニシャル)D, Inisharu Dī^?) is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by Pastel, Studio Gallop, and OP Planning, which premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and Animax, and a live action film by Avex and Media Asia. Both the manga and anime series were licensed for distribution in North America by Tokyopop. Initial D may refer to: Initial D Initial D (film) Initial D Arcade Stage Category: ... Image File history File links Initial_D_Logo. ... The action genre is a class of creative works characterised by a greater emphasis on exciting action sequences than on character development or story-telling. ... This article is about the speed competition. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... This article is about the comics created in Japan. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... The head office of Kodansha Kodansha Limited ) is the largest Japanese publisher of literature and manga, headquartered in (Bunkyo), Tokyo. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For the music movie, see Tokyo Pop. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Korea. ... Seinen not to be confused with adult )) is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at an 18–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be much older with some comics aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Young Magazine (ヤングマガジン yangumagazin) is a Japanese manga magazine published weekly by Kodansha. ... Present redirects here. ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ... TV redirects here. ... Animé redirects here. ... Noboru Misawa ) is an anime director and storyboard artist in Japan. ... Studio Gallop is a Japanese animation studio. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Fuji Television Network, Inc. ... Animax ) is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad (STMB) or TV3 was incorporated in 1983 as Malaysia’s first commercial television station. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... Indosiar logo Indosiar is a privately owned national television station in Indonesia, which has been operating from West Jakarta since 1994. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Philippines. ... Animax ) is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. ... GMA can refer to: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines GMA Network, a leading broadcast network in the Philippines Good Morning America, a morning show on ABC Intel GMA, Intel Graphic Media Accelerator, a line of integrated graphic processors (IGP) Good Morning Australia, a 5 day-a-week morning... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Network termination 1 (NT1): In Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN), a functional grouping of customer-premises equipment that includes functions that may be regarded as belonging to OSI Layer 1, functions associated with ISDN electrical and physical terminations on the user premises. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 332nd day of the year (333rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... TV redirects here. ... Animé redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Fuji Television Network, Inc. ... Animax ) is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... 8tv is a common name for television channels. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong. ... Animax ) is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... Indosiar logo Indosiar is a privately owned national television station in Indonesia, which has been operating from West Jakarta since 1994. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Network termination 1 (NT1): In Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN), a functional grouping of customer-premises equipment that includes functions that may be regarded as belonging to OSI Layer 1, functions associated with ISDN electrical and physical terminations on the user premises. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Original Video Animation ), abbreviated OVA ), is a term used for anime titles that are released direct-to-video, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Original Video Animation ), abbreviated OVA ), is a term used for anime titles that are released direct-to-video, without prior showings on TV or in theaters. ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... TV redirects here. ... Animé redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan. ... Animax ) is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. ... SKY Perfect Communications Inc. ... is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the comics created in Japan. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... The head office of Kodansha Kodansha Limited ) is the largest Japanese publisher of literature and manga, headquartered in (Bunkyo), Tokyo. ... Young Magazine (ヤングマガジン yangumagazin) is a Japanese manga magazine published weekly by Kodansha. ... Animé redirects here. ... Studio Gallop is a Japanese animation studio. ... The Fuji TV headquarters in Odaiba is known for its eccentric architecture. ... Animax ) is a Japanese anime satellite television network, established and owned by Sony Corporation, and dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. ... Initial D is a 2005 live-action film based on the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series. ... North American redirects here. ... For the music movie, see Tokyo Pop. ...

The anime and manga focus on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, where all the action is concentrated in the mountain passes and never in cities nor urban areas, and the drift racing style is emphasized in particular. Keiichi Tsuchiya helps with editorial supervision. The story is centered around the Japanese prefecture of Gunma, more specifically on several mountains in the kanto area and in and their surrounding cities and towns. Although some of the names of the locations the characters race in have been fictionalized, all of the locations in the series are based on actual locations in Gunma Prefecture. Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal auto racing which takes place on public roads. ... Touge ) is a Japanese word literally meaning pass. ... A Toyota Supra in drifting exhibition in Atlanta in 2005. ... Keiichi Tsuchiya , born January 30, 1956, Nagano, Japan) is a professional racing driver. ... See Gunma (disambiguation) for other places whose name is Gunma in Japan. ...

American licensing and alterations

The manga and anime have also been licensed by Tokyopop for an English release. Many fans questioned Tokyopop's intent when it changed some characters' names and gave others Americanized nicknames. For instance, the main character, Takumi, became Tak (a nickname many Japanese-Americans change their names to), and his best friend Itsuki became Iggy. Some characters, such as Takumi's father, Bunta, retained their original names. These name changes were to reflect the name changes that Sega implemented into the western releases of the Initial D Arcade Stage video games {see below} due to name length limits. Viewers are able to view the episodes with the original Japanese 5.1 track should they wish. In addition, Tokyopop cut out a character's enjo kōsai relationship with another character and edited sex scenes, appearing in volumes 1 and 9 in the original tankōbon manga. In addition, "street slang" has been interlaced in translations (a drift is described as "slammin'", for example), and there have been accusations that Tokyopop has put out incorrect spec sheets on the characters' cars in the manga. The company also changed the music from the series' staple eurobeat tracks to originally developed tracks of rap and hip-hop via an in-house DJ called DJ Milky. ^[1] (Complete Initial D Eurobeat Song Selection.) The massive editing has been attributed to rumors that Tokyopop was hoping to cash in on the growing Import Scene brought about by The Fast and the Furious with edits that would conform to American broadcasting standards (Americanization) on TV.^{[citation needed]} The anime airs on Adult Swim in Australia. For the music movie, see Tokyo Pop. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Enjo-kōsai (援助交際) or its shortened form enkō (援交), in which enjo means subsidy or support and kōsai means company or association, literally translates to subsidized dating or compensated dating. ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ... SUPER EUROBEAT Vol. ... The Import scene or Import racing scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars (commonly referred to as imports), especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing in foreign countries. ... Adult Swim is the name for an adult-oriented television programming network. ...

FUNimation announced that it would be distributing the DVDs of the series (since Tokyopop's original distributor went bankrupt).^[2]

The manga was also subject to the same name editing as the anime; the street slang was toned down and Tokyopop has been leaning toward the Japanese names in later volumes.

Synopsis

See also: List of Initial D chapters

Set in the late 1990s in Japan's Gunma Prefecture, the series follows the adventures of Takumi Fujiwara, an eighteen year old who helps his father run a tofu shop by making deliveries every morning to a hotel on Akina with his father's Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX. It is revealed that Takumi has been driving on Mt. Akina every morning to deliver tofu to the summit five years before he even had his license. As a result his skills in mountain racing were honed; he is able to drive under adverse weather conditions. This is the manga /anime volume/episode guide of the hit Japanese anime series Initial D. The original manga is currently still running weekly (or bi-weekly) on Kodasha with 485+ chapters. ... Gunma redirects here. ... Mount Haruna (Japanese: 榛名山) is an active stratovolcano in eastern Honshū, Japan. ... A Toyota Corolla Levin AE86 (Hachiroku) in its natural environment, drifting on the racetrack The Toyota AE86 is a small, lightweight coupe introduced by Toyota in 1983 as part of the fifth generation Corolla line-up. ...

First Stage

Keisuke Takahashi vs Takumi Fujiwara, the first battle of the series.

The story begins when street racers of the Red Suns, a team from Mt. Akagi, come to challenge Mt. Akina's local Speed Stars team to a "friendly" race. After seeing how skilled the Red Suns are, the Speed Stars treat it as a race for pride, determined not to be humiliated on their home turf. However, the Speed Stars are left in a bind when their team leader and primary downhill driver Iketani has an accident during a practice run. Image File history File links Initial_D_Keisuke_vs_Takumi. ... Image File history File links Initial_D_Keisuke_vs_Takumi. ...

Iketani learns from Yuuichi, the manager of the petroleum station he is working in, that the fastest car in Akina's downhill was a panda-colored AE86 owned by a tofu maker, and traces the car back to a local tofu shop. He discovers that the shop's owner, Bunta Fujiwara, was a street racer of great repute in his younger days. Iketani appeals to the older man to take his place in the race against the Red Suns. Iketani is confident that Bunta will come to save the day. But when the race day comes, his son Takumi appears with his Toyota Trueno AE86 instead. Although at first reluctant to let Takumi race, Ikatani relents after it is revealed that he is actually the "Ghost of Akina," the one who outran Keisuke while on one of his delivery runs. Takumi proceeds to defeat Keisuke Takahashi and his Mazda RX-7 FD3S, causing considerable astonishment in the local racing community and putting an end to the Red Suns winning streak. 1984 Toyota Sprinter Trueno liftback The 1983–1987 Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, also known as the Hachi-Roku (Eight-Six, from the Japanese hachi for eight and roku for six), is a car made famous by the hit anime series Initial D. Before that, it was known among Japanese car... The Mazda RX-7 (also called the Ẽfini RX-7) is a sports car produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1978 to 2002. ...

Originally apathetic about the notion of racing, having only raced Keisuke on the condition his father would let him have the car with a full tank of fuel for a day to use on a date, Takumi begins to grow more interested as he receives other challenges. He begins to understand the concept of a street racer's pride when everyone advises him to duck a challenge from a driver of Mt. Myogi's Night Kids team who drives an extremely powerful, technologically advanced Nissan Skyline R32. The competition against another member of the Night Kids, Shingo Shoji, becomes personal for Takumi after Shingo attempts to wreck Iketani and later forces his friend and co-worker Itsuki to crash when he mistook Itsuki's Toyota AE85 Levin for Takumi's Toyota AE86 Trueno. Following this, they decided to settle their disoute in a race, which resulted in Shoji's defeat (in his Honda Civic EG6 hatchback--reportedly the rival to the AE86--in a "Duct Tape Deathmatch", where the right hand of the driver is strapped using duct tape(hence the name duct tape deathmatc) to the steering wheel, which reduces the ability to turn drastically. Note that this race is extremely favourable to the FF Honda Civic, and rather disadvantageous to the FR layout AE86 Trueno) came a duel with a female driver/navigator duo team hailing from Mt. Usui known as Impact Blue and their Nissan Sileighty. Even though it was his first time on the course, Takumi still came up triumphant in their Outrun race, defeating Mako(The Driver) and Sayuki(The Navigator) The Nissan Skyline is a mid-size car originally produced by the Japanese automaker Prince Motor Company starting in 1957 and later by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1966. ... This article is about the Japanese motor corporation. ... Civic can refer to multiple things: Civics, the science of comparative government Honda Civic, a small car produced by the Honda Motor Co. ... A Sileighty is a Nissan 180SX with an S13 Nissan Silvias headlights, front fenders, hood, and front bumper installed, hence the Sil in front and the eighty rear. ...

Each of the races presents seemingly impossible odds to overcome. The opposing cars are almost always much more powerful than Takumi's AE86, and the race against Shingo is a "Duct tape Deathmatch," in which both drivers' right hands are taped to the steering wheel, a format which severely limits ability to steer and highly favors Shingo's Honda Civic EG-6, which is a front-wheel drive. Takumi's rear-wheel drive AE86 would be much harder to control, but by instinct, he figures out his own technique and went on to win the race. Shingo actually tried to crash into Takumi's car planning to end the race with a tie, but the AE86 entered a turn and dodged the EG6 and sent the latter to a major crash. The race against Impact Blue is the first for Takumi outside of Mt. Akina, in the completely unfamiliar environment Mt Usui, the SilEighty team's home course.

Takumi's first wet race was against Kenta Nakamura of the Red Suns, driving an S14, which happened in Myogi after Keisuke's race with Nakazato. That previous battle happened before the rain, with Nakazato leading all throughout until his tires lost grip, letting Keisuke drift his way to victory. Afterwards, the audacious Kenta asked the spectators if they wanted a race against the AE86, and they did. Takumi accepted the challenge. Kenta, having a more powerful car, led during the uphill part but Takumi went ahead on the downhill, finishing with a huge distance. This was among Takumi's easiest races, as he himself had tons of experience in more adverse weather conditions.

While Takumi races others over the course of the summer, Keisuke's brother Ryosuke Takahashi, who is the leader of the Akagi Red Suns, formulates what he refers to as his "Fastest Racer Theory" to defeat Takumi, relying on computer simulations that he had formulated. As summer draws to a close, Ryosuke challenges Takumi to a race and is defeated when he is overtaken by Takumi on one of the last turns before Akina's finish line. Ryosuke acknowledges that Takumi was faster than him, and advises him not to be satisfied with Akina's small stage and to seek out bigger challenges.

Second Stage

A group of street racers called Team Emperor, led by the professionally trained driver Kyouichi Sudou and all Lancer Evo drivers, appears in the Gunma Prefecture. They move through Gunma challenging and defeating the best team on each mountain they arrive at. However, Kyouichi's real goal is to have a rematch with Ryousuke Takahashi, unaware that he has recently been defeated by Takumi. When he discovers this, Team Emperor challenges the Akina Speed Stars to a race in the hopes that Takumi will compete in his 86. Takumi becomes the first person in Gunma to defeat a member of the Emperor team on the downhill when he beats the Evo team's second best driver, Seiji Iwaki. 2005 Lancer Evolution VIII MR Edition The Lancer Evolution is Mitsubishis flagship sports car, initially based on the Mitsubishi Lancer sedan, and is colloquially known as the Evo. The Evolution is the homologation model for Mitsubishis efforts in the World Rally Championships Group A class and SCCA...

Kyouichi then challenges Takumi to a match to “teach him some things” and as a sort of cover event for his race with Ryosuke. Although initially uninterested, Takumi eventually decides to go to Akagi. During this race the engine of Takumi's 86 is blown and effectively destroyed. Kyouichi lectures Takumi on the disadvantages of using such an old car in a modern street race. The Emperor leader also didn't consider it a real battle. He tells Takumi to get a more competitive car and race him again. The loss was not due to the 86's lack of power, as Ryosuke explains, it was because Takumi had not driven on Akagi before and didn't know the entrance speeds or anything else about the course that he could use to his advantage, basically leaving him driving blind in front of a power mongered Lancer Evolution 3 with the Misfiring System (anti-lag). If Takumi only knew the course even a little the race would have probably ended differently.

Finally, the long-awaited battle commences. Kyouichi was hungry to beat Ryosuke once and for all. The race started with the white FC leading, as Kyoichi formulated a new technique, Simulation X, for this battle alone. Midway through the race, the black Evo 3 passes Ryosuke and went on to lead until Ryosuke discovers his opponent's weakness. After defeating Kyouichi again, he explains to him that he still had that fear of right-hand corners, wherein a car running to the opposite direction can collide head-on. His local mountain pass, Irohazaka, was a one-way road, which is why Kyouichi wasn't able to work on removing that fear.

On the other hand, Bunta, knowing that the engine in the 86 was about to give out, had already bought a new engine - a high-revving, race breed variation of the standard Toyota 4A-GE 20 valve twin cam engine, which is used for Group A Division 2 Touring Class races in the Japanese Touring Car Championship. He installs the engine without a new tachometer to teach Takumi the importance of learning mechanical knowledge and understanding why the car behaves as it does. Takumi encounters a fellow 86 driver named Wataru, who after reacting with great surprise to Takumi's lack of mechanical knowledge explains that the engine is an extremely strong powerplant and requires several new gauges including a high-revolution tachometer, to be useful. The A Series engines are a family of straight-4 internal combustion engines with displacement from 1. ... The Japanese Touring Car Championship (abbr: JTCC, officially known as All Japan Touring Car Championship, Japanese name: 全日本ツーリングカー選手権), was a series of championship for touring cars held in Japan. ... Tachometer showing engine RPM (revolutions per minute), and a redline from 6000 and 7000 RPM. A tachometer is an instrument that measures the speed of rotation of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. ... Tachometer showing engine RPM (revolutions per minute), and a redline from 6000 and 7000 RPM. A tachometer is an instrument that measures the speed of rotation of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. ...

Once Takumi has made these modifications, Wataru challenges him to a race anywhere of Takumi's choosing. Takumi chooses to race on Wataru's home course of Shomaru, an abandoned mountain pass that is very dangerous. The race becomes one of endurance, and will only end if the chaser overtakes the leader, or the leader greatly outpaces the chaser. Wataru and Takumi switched positions several times, until Takumi discovers a change in the course's environment brought on by their many high speed passes and overtakes Wataru on a stretch that was previously too narrow for him to do so.

Extra Stage

Capitalizing on the popularity of the all-female street racing team known as Impact Blue which appeared in First Stage, this OVA focuses on Impact Blue's dynamic duo of Mako and Sayuki rather than Takumi and the usual main cast. It takes place during Second Stage and through Third Stage, but not spoiling the upcoming story. A human ovum An ovum (loosely, egg or egg cell) is a female sex cell or gamete. ...

As Extra Stage begins, Mako is battling emotional wounds from what she thinks was a rejection by Iketani. Sayuki's childhood friend Shingo (of the Myogi Night Kids) calls and arranges a meeting with him and his teammate, Nakazato, to warn Impact Blue of the threat of Team Emperor; a team that defeated the Night Kids on their home course just as they have so many other street racing teams in the region. Mako's driving has been adversely affected by her preoccupations, and she worries about her ability to measure up to the Emperor's challenge in her current emotional state. Finally, a pair of Emperor affiliated Evos show up in Usui. The challenger, an arrogant blonde driving an Evo 4, insults the female racers and overconfidently states that he can easily win. In the late stages of the race the Evo 4 can no longer keep up with the Sil-80. The race is finally decided in a long turn, called C-121, where the Evo 4 loses traction and strikes the guardrail. Shingo and Nakazato are late and don't get to see the race. Thinking the girls also lost, they console them saying they lost on their home course as well, but Sayuki unexpectedly tells them that they won. The Night Kids leaders are startled, thinking the girls raced against the top Emperor drivers whereas in reality they only defeated an off-beat member.

Though Mako decides she doesn't need a man in her life for a while, she gradually develops a relationship with a friend of Shingo's named Miyahara after Shingo and Sayuki discreetly play matchmaker. Miyahara is a street racer himself, not a good one though, and he intends to give it up because he believes he has reached the highest level he possibly can, with no chance of progressing further. He has lost interest and intends to move on. He drives a red MR2 and plans to switch to an SUV in pursuit of settling down after racing. Mako feels differently, knowing there are many drivers better than her whose level she wishes to attain. As Mako and Miyahara grow closer, Miyahara reveals that he wishes Mako would quit racing also for her safety's sake, because if she was his girlfriend he would be consumed with worry for her each time she raced.

However, after Mako takes him on a drive on an unknown pass, that was home to the mountain snow resort they were vacationing at, he finally understands why she will not give up racing and realizes that she is in love with another man, Iketani.

Third Stage

Takumi Fujiwara preparing to overtake Kai Kogashiwa's MR2.

Ryosuke approaches Takumi with an offer. Ryosuke has been putting together a racing team featuring the best racers of the Gunma prefecture, and would like Takumi to join. Image File history File links IDStage3. ... Image File history File links IDStage3. ...

Takumi doesn't want to decide whether or not to accept the proposal until he settles his score with Emperor driver Kyouichi Sudou. He arrives at Kyouichi's home course of Irohazaka, and after driving the course once, challenges Kyouichi to a race. Sudou lets Takumi go first, planning an overtaking maneuver at the slippery area at the bottom of the mountain. To his surprise, Takumi was able to steer properly at that spot, so he wasn't able to execute his plan. At the end of the race, Takumi thought it was a tie, but Kyouichi conceded because of his failed attack. Shortly after, another Irohazaka local surfaces, Kai Kogashiwa. Having first defeated Seiji, he had then set his eyes on Kyouichi as his target, but upon knowledge of his defeat, he challenged Takumi instead. Kai turns out to be the son of Ken Kogashiwa, who was once Bunta's rival and ultimately lost to him in the final race that counted between the two of them. Kai takes Takumi by surprise by taking the "one guaranteed line" his father told him about before the race. He passes Takumi by cutting a hairpin corner short and jumping the ledge. However, Kai mistimed his strategy and this allows Takumi time to recover and catch on. He emulates this line in order to keep up with Kai. Before the race Bunta knew Takumi would be behind at this point, and cryptically told him Irohazaka's dead leaves would be his only chance. As the race approaches its finish, Takumi uses the gutters to come up inside, forcing Kai on to the side of the road where leaves are collecting, then passes when Kai spins on the leaves before the finish line.

The Christmas holiday approaches and Natsuki surprises Takumi at his house, and celebrates Christmas with him and Bunta. On New Year's Day, Miki, a former student at the same high school Takumi attended who Takumi once punched over Miki's bragging about his sexual exploits with Natsuki (seen in a flashback from 1st Stage), arrives at Natsuki's workplace and threatens to make a scene if she does not get in his car. He takes her to Lake Akina with the intention of having sex with her, but after she reveals her feelings for someone else, he flies into a rage and attempts to rape her. She escapes his car briefly and calls Takumi. When Miki hears Takumi's name, and realizes that Takumi is the one Natsuki has feelings for and that he will be coming to save her, he forces her back in the car to take her somewhere else. They pass Takumi, who is coming in the opposite direction. Takumi turns around to chase Miki. As Miki tries to get away he enters a turn too fast in the snow and loses control of his car, crashing into the guardrail. Takumi then takes Natsuki home, both confessing their feelings on the way. As spring comes, Takumi tells Ryosuke that he wants to request another battle with him, this time on Mt. Akagi, before making his decision regarding the team. It is unclear who actually wins the race, but during the race Keisuke reveals to the other members of the Red Suns that the race is not really about who wins or loses. As they approach the finish, side by side, Takumi decides that it is his desire to remain with Ryosuke and join the team.

Battle Stage

Initial D Battle Stage (special) summarizes the major street races from the two TV series. Rather than simply using clips from the TV series, the new special entirely re-animated all of the original CG car and background footage with new computer graphics rendering. The special also features a battle between the yellow FD3S of Keisuke against the white Evo 4 of Seiji, but no such race took place in the anime (although it does take place in the manga). Music is from an entirely new Super Eurobeat songs and guest commentary from legendary "Drift King" Keiichi Tsuchiya. Keiichi Tsuchiya , born January 30, 1956, Nagano, Japan) is a professional racing driver. ...

Fourth Stage

Keisuke Takahashi vs Kyoko Iwase

This series focuses on the exploits of the new team founded by Ryosuke, Project D, which is comprised of Ryosuke (leader and strategist), Takumi Fujiwara (downhill specialist), Keisuke (uphill specialist) and a staff consisting primarily of members of the Akagi Red Suns. The team travels the region, challenging other teams and posting the results of the battles on their website. Each race is intended by Ryosuke to develop a specific area of his drivers' skills. Image File history File links IDStage4. ... Image File history File links IDStage4. ...

Takumi matures slowly into a more confident and knowledgeable street racer, while Keisuke improves on his technical driving skills. Takumi instinctively develops many new techniques through his own ingenuity after some prompting by Ryosuke, such as passing with his headlights off so that his opponent is unable to see him coming and block him, and using weight shifting to execute maneuvers similar to the gutter-hook technique on Akina.

Project D's opponents get progressively tougher. Their first adversaries are members of local racing teams, but then they progress to facing students at the Todo-juku, a professional racing school, and then Tomoyuki Tachi, an actual professional racer, first when the school enlists one of their graduates to avenge their defeat and then when a street racing team they had previously faced calls upon a professional driver to race Takumi in an ultra-lightweight car. Cram schools are specialized schools that train their students to meet particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or universities. ...

As Project D's quest to conquer the area's street racing scene goes on, new relationships and old enemies complicate things for the team's members. Keisuke struggles with his attraction to Kyoko Iwase, a female street racer and fellow FD driver from Saitama who he met by chance shortly before they ended up facing each other in a battle, as he fears having a girlfriend would take away too much time from his driving and cause him to lose his focus. Later on in the series, Keisuke breaks Kyoko's heart when he confides to her that their relationship will not work. Meanwhile, Takumi's old rival and fellow 86 driver Wataru watches Project D's exploits with interest, looking for a way to bring about their defeat. Saitama (Japanese: さいたま市; -shi) is the capital city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan. ...

The team encounters yet another different kind of challenge as a new set of opponents turn to deceit and intimidation rather than skill for victory. They damage Keisuke's FD, and he borrows Kyoko's to defeat them. Plans to beat them up were thwarted humorously when those thugs hired bosozoku from Gunma, and ex-subordinates of Keisuke at that... (Note: Project.D is based in Gunma...) Bousouzoku (暴走族) (literally speeding tribe, known also as kamikaze bikers) is a Japanese subculture very similar to car clubs: gangs of young men who share a common interest in designing (often law-breaking) modifications to cars and motorcycles. ...

Eventually Project D face off with the senior members of the Purple Shadow Team. Kozo Hoshino, known as "God Foot", is a driver known for his magnificent footwork (able to make his Skyline, a moderately weighed and wide car, accelerate without lag naturally instead of through the use of a misfiring system) and possessed of an uncanny ability to maintain his concentration. He screams loudly while driving to release tension and prevent himself from making an error due to overconcentration. With his amazing combination of skills, he's able to make his 4WD GT-R drift, a feat considered impossible because a stock BNR34 has the ATTESA E-TS Pro anti-slip system, which corrects the car's line if it were to begin to lose control. The GT-R he drives is a BNR34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nür, a run-out special featuring the handbuilt engine from the N1 homologation version. Joshima Toshiya, Kozo's counterpart who known as "God Hand", is a driver known for driving skillfully with one hand using a Honda S2000, reminiscent of the "Duct tape deathmatch" forced upon Takumi when he raced Shingo in First Stage. With his one-handed technique, he can limit countersteer and perform an ideal drift, conserving his tires while still gaining speed on corners. The overall theory for the one handed driving is that in doing so one is able to choose easily between the infinite driving lines possible in a race. Joshima spent all of his recent years trying to find out the limits of the technique, and in his studies after the race he teaches Takumi the theory of one handed driving. Though he doubted that Takumi would start driving with one hand, he did believe he would master using the infinite lines to his advantage in future races. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... ATTESA-ETS (acronym for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All - Electronic Torque Split) is the advanced electronic version of Nissans ATTESA four-wheel drive system. ... The Nissan Skyline is a mid-size car originally produced by the Japanese automaker Prince Motor Company starting in 1957 and later by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1966. ... “S2000” redirects here. ...

Battle Stage 2

Keisuke Takahashi vs Smiley Sakai

Initial D Battle Stage 2 summarizes the major street races from the recent Fourth Stage TV series. While the first Battle Stage had every battle re-animated from scratch, the only episodes altered in the second version were the early races in stage 4, to match with the visual style of the latter portion of Stage 4. Additionally, two races that were previously seen only in the manga were animated specially for the feature. The first race is Takahashi Keisuke vs. Smiley Sakai, and the other is Keisuke vs. Kawai Atsuro. Both races are noticeably shorter than the other races in the feature. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ...

Battle Stage 2 was released on DVD on May 30, 2007. The official soundtrack to Battle Stage 2, featuring 24 Eurobeat songs that played during the feature, was released on September 5, 2007.

Characters

Main article: Initial D characters and teams

Initial D contains a myriad of characters, many of whom appear in a very small number of episodes, usually to race one of the main characters or as a teammate of another racer. The most frequently recurring characters are the protagonist Takumi Fujiwara, his love interest Natsuki Mogi, his father Bunta, the members of the Akina Speed Stars, and the members of the Akagi Redsuns (later Project D). The information is taken from both the manga and the anime series. ...

List of releases

Manga

• Initial D Manga Japanese Release - 36 Volumes (1995 - new volume released every 5 months)
• Initial D Manga Tokyopop Release - 29 Volumes (2002 - new volume released every 3 months)

DVD box art for Initial D Extra Stage

Image File history File linksMetadata Initial_D_Extra_Stage_1_DVD.jpg Summary DVD Cover for Initial D: Extra Stage (Japan Domestic Release) Original Source: Bluelaser. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Initial_D_Extra_Stage_1_DVD.jpg Summary DVD Cover for Initial D: Extra Stage (Japan Domestic Release) Original Source: Bluelaser. ...

Anime

Avex has released the anime in several parts called Stages. One noticeable feature is that it uses Eurobeat music as background music in race scenes. SUPER EUROBEAT Vol. ...

• Initial D (referred to retroactively by fans as "First Stage") - 26 episodes (1998)
• Initial D Second Stage - 13 episodes (1999)
• Initial D Extra Stage - 2 episode OVA side-story focusing on Impact Blue (2000)
• Initial D Third Stage - a 2 hour movie (2001)
• Initial D Battle Stage - a 50 minute movie.(2002)
• Initial D Fourth Stage - 24 episodes (2004—2006).
• Initial D Battle Stage 2

Games

Main article: Initial D Arcade Stage

Numerous arcade and other platforms video games have been released (note: The U.S. versions of the arcade titles are called simply "Initial D"). For other uses, see Initial D (disambiguation). ...

• Initial D Arcade Stage Version 1 (Arcade)
• Initial D Arcade Stage Version 2 (Arcade)
• Initial D Arcade Stage Version 3 (Arcade)
• Initial D Arcade Stage Version 4 (Arcade)
• Initial D (Saturn)
• Initial D (PS1)
• Initial D: Special Stage (PS2)
• Initial D Mountain Vengeance (PC)
• Initial D: Street Stage (PSP)
• Initial D Gaiden (Game Boy)
• Initial D Another Stage (GBA)
• Initial D Collectible Card Game (Collectible Card Game)
• Initial D: Extreme Stage (PS3) ^[3]

For other uses, see Initial D (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Initial D (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Initial D (disambiguation). ... Initial D Arcade Stage 4 underwent location testing October 21-30, 2006 in three game centers in Tokyo, Osaka and Aomori Japan. ... For other uses, see PlayStation (disambiguation). ... PS2 redirects here. ... The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP)[6] is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. ... The Game Boy ) line is a line of battery-powered handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo. ... “GBA” redirects here. ... Collectible card games (CCGs), also called trading card games (TCGs), are played using specially designed sets of cards. ... The PlayStation 3 , trademarked PLAYSTATION®3,[3] commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment; successor to the PlayStation 2. ...

Feature film

Main article: Initial D (film)

A live-action movie based on Initial D was released on the 23 June 2005 in Asia. The movie was jointly produced by Japan's Avex Inc. and the Hong Kong Media Asia group. It was directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, whose credits include the 2002 Hong Kong Blockbuster Infernal Affairs and 1999's The Legend of Speed, a previous street racing melodrama. The movie featured Taiwanese star Jay Chou as Takumi Fujiwara and Edison Chen as Ryosuke Takahashi. It has been met with mixed reviews from Fans. Initial D is a 2005 live-action film based on the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series. ... is the 174th day of the year (175th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... avex trax, is the music department of the Japanese commercial giant Avex Group. ... Media Asia Group, or Media Asia, is a Hong Kong production company and distributor for films made in Hong Kong and throughout China. ... Andrew Lau Wai Keung (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born April 4, 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, cinematographer and presenter. ... Siu Fai MAK (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a Chinese scriptwriter and co-writer with Felix Chong the story of Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. ... For other uses of internal affairs, see internal affairs. ... This article is about the history, geography, and people of the island known as Taiwan. ... Jay Chou (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou Chieh-lun; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chiu Kia̍t-lûn) (born 18 January 1979) is a World Music Award-winning Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director. ... Edison Chen is a Chinese Canadian Hong Kong movie actor, singer, pop icon currently on indefinite leave from his career, founder of , and the CEO of Clot Media Division Limited. ...

See also

• Initial D Arcade Stage
• List of Initial D episodes
• List of Initial D chapters
• List of Initial D characters and teams
• Initial D: Street Stage

For other uses, see Initial D (disambiguation). ... This is a list of episodes for the anime series Initial D. // Act 01 : The Ultimate Tofu Store Drift Takumi Fujiwara is an 18 year old highschool student who usually appears aloof and disinterested in most things. ... This is the manga /anime volume/episode guide of the hit Japanese anime series Initial D. The original manga is currently still running weekly (or bi-weekly) on Kodasha with 485+ chapters. ... This is a list of characters from the anime and manga series Initial D. // These are the protagonists from the Initial D Manga/Anime Series. ...

References

1. ^ Open letter from Tokyopop. Retrieved 3 June 2006.
2. ^ 2006 press release. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
3. ^ Initial D for the PlayStation 3 confirmed :: PlayStation Universe (PSU)

is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Initial D The Movie Info Page
• Avex webpage for Initial D
• North America Premier of the Live Action Initial D
• Real-Life Locations Gallery Stage (Japanese)
• Initial D Arcade Stage Version 3.0