Initial D (Japanese: 頭文字（イニシャル） D, Hepburn: Inisharu Dī) is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 tankōbon volumes. The story focuses on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, where all the action is concentrated in the mountain passes and rarely in cities or urban areas, and with the drifting racing style emphasized in particular. Professional race car driver and pioneer of drifting Keiichi Tsuchiya helped with editorial supervision. The story is centered on the prefecture of Gunma, more specifically on several mountains in the Kantō 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 an anime franchise which includes six main installments (five series and one feature film) labeled as Stages: First Stage (co-animated by Studio Comet and Studio Gallop) ran in 1998; Second Stage (animated by Pastel) ran from 1999 to 2000; Third Stage (feature film animated by Studio Deen) premiered in 2001; Fourth Stage (animated by A.C.G.T) ran from 2004 to 2006; Fifth Stage (animated by SynergySP) ran from 2012 to 2013; and Final Stage (animated by SynergySP) ran in 2014. An anime film trilogy retelling the beginning of the manga, New Initial D the Movie, animated by Sanzigen and Liden Films, was released from 2014 to 2016. A live action film by Avex and Media Asia was released in 2005. Several video 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 by Tokyopop; the anime series later acquired by Funimation (later Crunchyroll), while the manga was re-licensed by Kodansha USA.
By April 2021, Initial D had over 55 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. Initial D has been followed by the manga series MF Ghost (2017–2025) and Subaru and Subaru (since 2025).
Contents
Plot
Takumi Fujiwara is a high school student working part-time at a gas station in Gunma 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 morning tofu deliveries for his father Bunta in their aging Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86).
The racing scene in Gunma is disrupted when the Red Suns, a formidable team from Mount Akagi led by Ryosuke Takahashi, challenge the Speed Stars to a downhill race on Mount 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-powered Mazda 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 through hairpin 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 in Mitsubishi 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 a Toyota 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 a Toyota 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 a Subaru 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.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno, Initial D was serialized for eighteen years by Kodansha in the seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine, starting on the July 17, 1995 issue, and concluded on July 29, 2013. Kodansha collected its 719 individual chapters in forty-eight tankōbon volumes, released from November 6, 1995, to November 6, 2013.
In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Tokyopop (along with the anime series) in 2001. The company changed the names of the characters in the anime edition, and subsequently changed them in the manga to match. These name changes matched the name changes that Sega implemented into the Western releases of the Initial D Arcade Stage video games. Tokyopop also censored the brief sex scenes from the original manga. In addition, "street slang" was interlaced in translations. The company released 33 volumes from May 21, 2002, to January 13, 2009, before it announced in August 2009 that its manga licensing contracts with Kodansha had expired. In April 2019, ComiXology and Kodansha USA announced that they had released volumes 1 to 38 digitally, while volumes 39 to 48 were released in July of the same year. In August 2023, Kodansha USA announced that it would be re-releasing the manga in an omnibus format with new translation and lettering beginning in 2024. The first volume was released on March 19, 2024; it had three cover variants: a new cover made by Kodansha USA, a Crunchyroll and direct market exclusive variant, and a Kinokuniya Books variant. As of September 1, 2026, eleven volumes have been released.
Anime
The first anime television series adaptation of Initial D (referred to retroactively as Initial D First Stage) was produced by OB Planning and Avex Entertainment and co-animated by Studio Gallop and Studio Comet. It was broadcast for 26 episodes on Fuji TV from April 19 to December 6, 1998.
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. A two-episode original video animation (OVA), Initial D Extra Stage, was released by Avex on November 10, 2000.
A 104-minute anime film, Initial D Third Stage, animated by Studio Deen and distributed by Toei Company, premiered on January 13, 2001. A compilation of the 17 races featured across the first three Stage series, Initial D Battle Stage, was released by Avex on May 15, 2002; 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.
A third anime series, Initial D Fourth Stage, animated by A.C.G.T, ran for 24 episodes on SKY PerfecTV!'s Perfect Choice pay-per-view service from April 17, 2004, to February 18, 2006. A follow-up OVA to Initial 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. A compilation of Fourth Stage, including new scenes not featured in the series, Initial D Battle Stage 2, was released by Avex on May 30, 2007.
A fourth anime series, Initial D Fifth Stage, animated by SynergySP, ran for 14 episodes; it was previewed on Animax on November 4, 2012, and later ran on SKY PerfecTV!'s Perfect Choice Premier 1 channel from November 9, 2012, to May 10, 2013.
The fifth and final series, Initial D Final Stage, once again animated by SynergySP, ran for four episodes, which were released on Animax's video on demand service, Animax Plus, from May 16 to June 22, 2014. A compilation of Fifth Stage and Final Stage, Initial D Battle Stage 3, was released on March 5, 2021; unlike the previous two Battle Stages, this does not feature any new scenes or character dialogue.
Video games
Initial D Gaiden (1998): Game Boy
Initial D Koudou Saisoku Densetsu (1999): Sega Saturn
Initial D (1999): PS1
Initial D: Ryosuke Takahashi's Fastest Typing-theory (2000/2001): PC/Mac & PS2
Initial D Second Stage: Fastest Typing in Kanto Project (2001): PC/Mac
Initial D Arcade Stage / Initial D (2002): Arcade (NAOMI 2)
Initial D Another Stage (2002): GBA
Initial D Arcade Stage Ver.2 / Initial D Ver.2 (2003): Arcade (NAOMI 2)
Initial D Collectible Card Game (2003): Collectible Card Game
Initial D Special Stage (2003): PS2
Initial D Mountain Vengeance (2004): PC
Initial D Arcade Stage 3/Initial D Version 3 (2004): Arcade (NAOMI 2)
Initial D Street Stage (2006): PSP
Initial D Arcade Stage 4 / Initial D 4 (2006): Arcade (Lindbergh)
Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Limited (2007): Arcade (Lindbergh)
Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Kai (2008): Arcade (Lindbergh)
Initial D Extreme Stage (2008): PS3
Initial D Arcade Stage 5 (2009): Arcade (Lindbergh)
Live-action film
A live-action film based on Initial D was released on June 23, 2005, in Asia. The film was jointly produced by Japan's Avex Inc. and Hong Kong's Media Asia Group. It was directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, whose credits include the 2002 Hong Kong blockbuster Infernal Affairs. The adaptation featured Taiwanese singer Jay Chou as Takumi Fujiwara and Hong Kong stars Edison Chen as Ryosuke Takahashi and Shawn Yue as Takeshi Nakazato. Despite many changes to the original plot, the film was met with generally positive reviews and was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Picture, at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards, winning many of them.
In October 2023, actor Sung Kang stated that he is working on developing another live-action film and is "trying" to direct it.
Reception
By July 2013, collected tankōbon volumes of the Initial D manga series had sold 48 million copies. By April 2021, Initial D had over 55 million copies in circulation.
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." Bamboo Dong of Anime 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." Some fans of Initial 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.
Reviews of the Funimation re-release of the anime note a marked improvement from the Tokyopop iteration, with most complaints leveled against the lack of anamorphic widescreen on the DVDs. Initial D has drawn comparisons to the later Fast & Furious film franchise (debuted 2001), particularly The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), for which Initial D's consultant, Keiichi Tsuchiya, served as a stunt coordinator and also made a cameo appearance in the film as a fisherman.
