Initial D (Japanese:頭文字 D,Hepburn:Inisharu Dī) is a Japanesestreet racingmanga series written and illustrated byShuichi Shigeno. It was serialized inKodansha'sseinen manga magazineWeekly Young Magazine from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48tankōbon volumes. The story focuses on the world of illegal Japanesestreet racing, where all the action is concentrated in themountain passes and rarely in cities or urban areas, and with thedrifting racing style emphasized in particular. Professional race car driver and pioneer of driftingKeiichi Tsuchiya helped with editorial supervision. The story is centered on the prefecture ofGunma, more specifically on several mountains in theKantō region and in 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 Japan.
Initial D was adapted into ananime franchise which includes six main installments (five series and one feature film) labeled asStages:First Stage (animated byStudio Comet andStudio Gallop) ran in 1998;Second Stage (animated by Pastel) ran from 1999 to 2000;Third Stage (feature film animated byStudio Deen) premiered in 2001;Fourth Stage (animated byA.C.G.T) ran from 2004 to 2006;Fifth Stage (animated bySynergySP) ran from 2012 to 2013; andFinal Stage (animated by SynergySP) ran in 2014. An anime film trilogy retelling the beginning of the manga,New Initial D the Movie, animated bySanzigen andLiden Films, was released from 2014 to 2016. Alive action film byAvex andMedia Asia was released in 2005. Severalvideo games based on the series have also been released.
Both the manga and anime series were initially licensed for English-language distribution in North America byTokyopop; the anime series later acquired byFunimation (later Crunchyroll), while the manga was re-licensed byKodansha USA.
"Takumi Fujiwara (character)" redirects here. For sports manga character, seeDear Boys§Characters.
The first battle of the series, Keisuke Takahashi (FD3S) vs. Takumi Fujiwara (AE86), as seen in the anime
Takumi Fujiwara is a high school student working part-time at a gas station inGunma Prefecture alongside his friend Itsuki Takeuchi and their supervisor, Koichiro Iketani, leader of the local Akina Speed Stars racing team. Unbeknownst to them, Takumi has spent years honing his driving skills while making early morningtofu deliveries for his father Bunta in their agingToyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86).
The racing scene in Gunma is disrupted when the Red Suns, a formidable team fromMount Akagi led by Ryosuke Takahashi, challenge the Speed Stars to a downhill race onMount Akina. After witnessing the Red Suns' superior performance, the Speed Stars grow demoralized. Later that night, Keisuke Takahashi, the team's second-in-command driving a high-poweredMazda RX-7, is unexpectedly defeated by a mysterious Sprinter Trueno. Investigations point to Bunta as the driver, but when Iketani crashes during practice and begs for his help, Bunta declines before secretly arranging for Takumi to race in his place. Utilizing an unorthodox "gutter run" technique—placing the car's wheels in the road's drainage channels to maintain speed throughhairpin corners—Takumi soundly defeats Keisuke.
The victory establishes Takumi as the "Legendary Eight-Six of Akina", attracting challengers from across the region. Though initially indifferent, Takumi gradually develops a passion for racing. His skills are tested when he faces the Emperors, a team specializing inMitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. Outmatched by their superior machinery, Takumi loses to their leader, Kyoichi Sudo, and blows his engine in the process. The Red Suns intervene, defeating the Emperors and preserving Gunma's racing reputation. Bunta replaces the AE86's engine, and with guidance from friends, Takumi refines his technique. He later graduates from high school but continues racing, defeating rivals such as Wataru Akiyama in aToyota Levin and avenging his loss against Kyoichi on the latter's home course, the Nikko Irohazaka. He also overcomes the son of Bunta's old rival, who drives aToyota MR2 (SW20). A personal crisis arises when his girlfriend Natsuki Mogi is kidnapped, leading to a dramatic rescue at Lake Akina during winter, though their relationship eventually ends amicably.
Seeking greater challenges, Takumi joins Project D, an expeditionary racing team founded by Ryosuke and Keisuke Takahashi, aiming to prove himself as the fastest driver in Japan. The team faces numerous opponents, including skilled racers from Todo Racing School, the Northern Saitama Alliance, and the underhanded Tsuchisaka Lancer Evolution team. During this time, Takumi is humbled when his father, driving aSubaru Impreza WRX STI, defeats him, forcing him to adapt to four-wheel-drive dynamics. He also develops a relationship with Mika Uehara, while Ryosuke confronts a bitter rival tied to a past tragedy.
Project D's campaign culminates in a climactic race against Shinji Inui of Team Sidewinder. Despite blowing his engine mid-race, Takumi coasts backward across the finish line to secure victory. He retires the AE86 from competition, opting to restore it gradually. Ryosuke disbands Project D, revealing the meaning behind its name and shifting focus to mentoring new drivers. Keisuke pursues professional racing, while Takumi resumes tofu deliveries in his father's Subaru.
Years later, Takumi transitions torally racing, eventually becoming a world champion; this would lead to the events ofMF Ghost, another series by Shigeno.
Written and illustrated byShuichi Shigeno,Initial D was serialized for eighteen years byKodansha in theseinen manga magazineWeekly Young Magazine, starting on the July 17, 1995 issue,[a] and concluded on July 29, 2013.[7][8] Kodansha collected its 719 individual chapters in forty-eighttankōbon volumes, released from November 6, 1995,[9] to November 6, 2013.[10]
In North America, the manga was licensed for English release byTokyopop (along with the anime series) in 2001.[11][12] The company changed the names of the characters in the anime edition, and subsequently changed them in the manga to match.[13][14] These name changes matched the name changes thatSega implemented into the Western releases of theInitial D Arcade Stage video games.[13] Tokyopop also censored the brief scenes of nudity from the original manga.[1] In addition, "street slang" was interlaced in translations.[14] The company released thirty-three volumes from May 21, 2002,[15] to January 13, 2009,[16] before they announced in August 2009 that their manga licensing contracts with Kodansha had expired.[17] In April 2019,ComiXology andKodansha USA announced that they had released volumes 1 to 38 digitally, while volumes 39 to 48 were released in July of the same year.[18][19] In August 2023, Kodansha USA announced that they would be re-releasing the manga in an omnibus format with new translation and lettering beginning in 2024.[20] The first volume was released on March 19, 2024; it has three cover variants: a new cover made by Kodansha USA, a Crunchyroll and direct market exclusive variant, and aKinokuniya Books variant.[21] As of December 2, 2025, eight volumes have been released.[22]
A second series,Initial D Second Stage, animated by Pastel, was broadcast for 13 episodes on Fuji TV from October 15, 1999, to January 21, 2000.[28][29][c] A two-episodeoriginal video animation (OVA),Initial D Extra Stage, was released by Avex on November 10, 2000.[31][32]
A 104-minute anime film,Initial D Third Stage, animated byStudio Deen and distributed byToei Company, premiered on January 13, 2001.[33][34] A compilation of the 17 races featured across the first threeStage series,Initial D Battle Stage, was released by Avex on May 15, 2002;[35] mainly focusing on music and racing scenes, it features reanimated and remastered scenes with more advanced animation techniques, as well as a new original race.[36]
A third anime series,Initial D Fourth Stage, animated byA.C.G.T, ran for 24 episodes onSKY PerfecTV!'sPerfect Choice [ja]pay-per-view service from April 17, 2004, to February 18, 2006.[37][38] A follow-up OVA toInitial D Extra Stage,Initial D Extra Stage 2, was released on SKY PerfecTV! on October 3, 2008, before being released on DVD by Avex on December 5 of that same year.[39] A compilation ofFourth Stage, including new scenes not featured in the series,Initial D Battle Stage 2, was released by Avex on May 30, 2007.[40]
A fourth anime series,Initial D Fifth Stage, animated bySynergySP, ran for 14 episodes; it was previewed onAnimax on November 4, 2012, and later ran on SKY PerfecTV!'s Perfect Choice Premier 1 channel from November 9, 2012, to May 10, 2013.[41][42][43]
The fifth and final series,Initial D Final Stage, once again animated by SynergySP, ran for four episodes, which were released on Animax'svideo on demand service, Animax Plus, from May 16 to June 22, 2014.[44][45] A compilation ofFifth Stage andFinal Stage,Initial D Battle Stage 3, was released on March 5, 2021;[46] unlike the previous twoBattle Stages, this does not feature any new scenes or character dialogue.
A film trilogy retelling the beginning of the manga,New Initial D the Movie, animated bySanzigen andLiden Films, was released from 2014 to 2016. The first film,Awakening, premiered on August 23, 2014;[47] the second film,Racer, premiered on May 23, 2015;[48] the third film,Dream, premiered on February 6, 2016.[49] A compilation of the trilogy,New Initial D the Movie: Battle Digest, was released on January 7, 2022.[50]
In North America, the anime series was licensed byTokyopop in 2001.[51] The company releasedFirst Stage,Second Stage, andExtra Stage across fourteen DVDs from September 16, 2003, to November 8, 2005.[52][53] Tokyopop altered the series for Western audiences by modifying names, adding slang, and replacing the characteristiceurobeat music with original rap and hip-hop tracks produced by Tokyopop CEO and an in-house musician,Stu Levy (DJ Milky).[13][54][55]
An English-subtitled version ofThird Stage was screened it at the Big Apple Anime Fest on August 29, 2003.[56][57] Tokyopop never released it on DVD, despite having mentioned in 2006 plans to release a "theatrical movie-length animated feature" in the near future.[58]
In 2006,Funimation announced that it would be distributing the Tokyopop DVDs.[59] The company releasedFirst Stage andSecond Stages in two separate box sets;First Stage was released on March 13, 2007, andSecond Stage on October 16 of that same year.[60][61] At theNew York Anime Festival 2009, Funimation announced that it would be re-releasing and re-dubbingFirst Stage,Second Stage,Extra Stage,Third Stage, andFourth Stage. Their release included a brand new English dub and retained the original music from the Japanese in an uncut format.[62] Funimation first releasedThird Stage on May 11, 2010;[63]Fourth Stage was released in two sets on May 11 and June 29, 2010, respectively;[64][65]First Stage was released in two sets on September 21 and November 16, 2010, respectively;[66][67]Second Stage andExtra Stage were released in a single set on February 1, 2011.[68] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under theCrunchyroll brand, the series (includingFirst Stage toFourth Stage andExtra Stage) began streaming on the platform in May 2022;[69] however, the episodes are no longer available on the platform.[70]
By July 2013, collectedtankōbon volumes of theInitial D manga series had sold 48million copies.[84] By April 2021,Initial D had over 55 million copies in circulation.[85]
Initial D received praise. The Anime Review rated it A−, with the reviewer calling it "simply the best show I've seen in a long time."[86] Bamboo Dong ofAnime News Network rated it B−, stating it "is the first time in a long while since I've been so fired up about a series, so I recommend to everyone to at least check this out."[87] Some fans ofInitial D reacted negatively to the Tokyopop's extensive editing and changes made in the English-language version of the manga. Similar reactions were made towards their English dub's script and voice acting, and the removal of the original music from the anime series. Tokyopop said that it was trying to Americanize the series so it could be aired on television, while at the same time keeping the Japanese spirit of the series.[13]
Reviews of the Funimation re-release of the anime note a marked improvement from the Tokyopop iteration, with most complaints leveled against the lack ofanamorphic widescreen on the DVDs.Initial D has drawn comparisons to the laterFast & Furious film franchise (debuted 2001), particularlyThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006),[88][89] for whichInitial D's consultant,Keiichi Tsuchiya,[90][91][92] served as a stunt coordinator and also made a cameo appearance in the film as a fisherman.[92][93]
^"Initial D Zip Zaps Available Now".IGN. October 17, 2003.Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2019.Its coming-of-age plot follows the adventures of reluctant hero Tak (Taki, in the Japanese anime and manga)
^"News" (in Japanese). OB Planning. Archived fromthe original on April 2, 2004. RetrievedDecember 7, 2025.
^頭文字［［イニシャル］］D Fourth Stage.Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research.Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. RetrievedDecember 7, 2025.
^頭文字[イニシャル]D Fifth Stage.Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research.Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. RetrievedDecember 7, 2025.
^頭文字D ： 人気"走り屋"マンガ次週完結 18年の歴史に幕.Mainichi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). July 22, 2013.Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. RetrievedNovember 28, 2013.
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