Series synopsis
Initial D, also known as 頭文字D is a Japanese animation action & adventure drama television series that premiered on ANIMAX on April 18, 1998. It ended on June 22, 2014. It stars Shin-ichiro Miki, Atsushi Abe, Takehito Koyasu and Tomokazu Seki.
Takumi’s job as a tofu delivery boy has turned him into one of the most formidable drivers around. Behind the wheel of his Eight-Six, he’s one with the road—and his life shifts into high gear when the underground street racing world takes notice. Drivers from across the region are lining up for a shot at the new guy. Takumi’s not just focused on winning—he’s out to prove he’s the best.
Premise
Takumi’s job as a tofu delivery boy has turned him into one of the most formidable drivers around. Behind the wheel of his Eight-Six, he’s one with the road—and his life shifts into high gear when the underground street racing world takes notice. Drivers from across the region are lining up for a shot at the new guy. Takumi’s not just focused on winning—he’s out to prove he’s the best.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Shin-ichiro Miki as Takumi Fujiwara (voice)
- Atsushi Abe as Shinji Inui (voice)
- Takehito Koyasu as Ryosuke Takahashi (voice)
- Tomokazu Seki as Keisuke Takahashi (voice)
- Hidenobu Kiuchi as Go Hojo (voice)
- Yasuyuki Kase as Eiji Kubo (voice)
- Yuuka Hirose as Shinji's Mother (voice)
- Mitsuo Iwata as Itsuki Takeuchi (voice)
Supporting cast
- Kazuki Yao as Koichiro Iketani (voice)
Guest cast
- Unsho Ishizuka as Bunta Fujiwara (voice)
- Ayako Kawasumi as Natsuki Mogi (voice)
- Tomomichi Nishimura as Yuichi Tachibana (voice)
- Toru Furusawa as Papa (voice)
- Wataru Takagi as Kenji (voice)
- Kenji Nojima as Man (voice)
- Makiko Miyagi as Woman (voice)
- Nobuyuki Hiyama as Takeshi Nakazato (voice)
- Nobuyuki Tanaka as Man (voice)
- Shogo Sakamoto as Man (voice)
- Naoki Imamura as Man (voice)
- Yuka Nagayoshi as Woman (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 6 seasons with 89 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 8 | March 22, 2001 | March 5, 2021 |
| Season 1 | 26 | April 18, 1998 | December 5, 1998 |
| Season 2 | 13 | October 14, 1999 | January 20, 2000 |
| Season 3 | 24 | April 17, 2004 | October 18, 2005 |
| Season 4 | 14 | November 4, 2012 | May 10, 2013 |
| Season 5 | 4 | May 16, 2014 | June 22, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Extra Stage 1 Part 1 - Beyond Impact Blue... As usual Mako and Sayuki are racing on Mt. Usui. But Mako is battling emotional wounds from what she thinks was a rejection by Iketani, while Sayuki's childhood friend Shingo (of the Myogi Night Kids) and his teammate Nakazato arrive to warn them that a team made of Lancer Evolutions called Emperor is targeting Usui now, to conquer the Gunma area. |
March 22, 2001 |
| 2 |
Extra Stage 1 Part 2 - Sentimental White To make Mako’s world better, Sayuki sets up a perfect match for her best friend. At first this seems alright, but is it worth it if it means giving up her dreams in street racing for a relationship? |
March 22, 2001 |
| 3 |
Battle Stage Initial D Battle Stage (special) will summarize the major street races from the two TV series. Rather than simply using clips from the TV series, the new special will entirely re-animate all of the original CG car and background footage with new state-of-the-art computer graphics rendering. The special will also feature entirely new Super Eurobeat music and guest commentary from legendary "drift racer" Keiichi Tsuchiya. |
May 15, 2002 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Ultimate Tofu Store Drift High school kid Takumi works at a gas station with his buddy Itsuki. When the guys join their co-worker Iketani for a night of street racing action on Mt. Akina, Takumi’s life will never be the same. |
April 18, 1998 |
| 2 |
Revenge! The Rumbling Turbo When his boss reveals that the Eight-Six driver from Mt. Akina owns a tofu shop, Iketani begins to wonder if the legendary racer might have an intimate connection to Takumi. |
April 25, 1998 |
| 3 |
Downhill Specialist Arrives Iketani’s out of commission for the race against the RedSuns, so he tries to convince Bunta to take his place. Takumi’s working on a deal of his own - he need’s his dad’s car for a date with Natsuki. |
May 2, 1998 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A New Threat Emperor, a team of Lan Evos from the Tochigi prefecture has arrived with the goal to crush every team in Gunma. Soon they realize the fastest car in Gunma isn’t just Akagi’s White Comet, but also a new downhill legend known as Akina’s Eight-Six. |
October 14, 1999 |
| 2 |
Team Emperor on Akina What would happen if the Eight-Six gets a new upgrade? That’s exactly what Iketani and Itsuki has been thinking about to increase the performance of Takumi’s vehicle. But would Bunta allow it? Elsewhere, team Emperor’s winning streak isn’t slowing down as they continue to sweep across Gunma, defeating every race team with ease. Their next target, Akina’s Eight-Six. |
October 21, 1999 |
| 3 |
The Feeling of Defeat Kyoiichi senses an uncanny fighting spirit within the Eight-Six’s driver, as he gives Seiji strict rules against the race. Seiji however decides to ignore these rules and launches his Evo IV into full power. Takumi is outclassed in almost every category as the Evo IV’s power is truly amazing. The battle risk escalates when the race reaches it’s second half point of the coarse. |
October 28, 1999 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Project D Project D's reputation is growing with every race. The team's next match pits Takumi against a downhill racer with technique very similar to his own. |
April 17, 2004 |
| 2 |
Full Speed! Downhill Battle Tohru's promised to quit racing forever if he loses his next match. The course is dangerous, and with Project D's downhill specialist on his tail, one wrong move could spell disaster. |
April 17, 2004 |
| 3 |
The Most Powerful Man of the Toudou School The guys of Project D are great at keeping their cool, but the pressure can't be denied as they prepare to face their next opponents - the students of the Toudou Racing School. |
June 19, 2004 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Encounter of Destiny Following their narrow victory against Purple Shadow, Project D's reputation is at stake after a pair of imposters parade around Saitama. Initially Takumi seems oblivious to the incident, but takes notice after he is mistakenly blamed for taking advantage of a girl. Meanwhile, the final stage of Project D's expeditions is upon them, and is to be the hardest yet. |
November 4, 2012 |
| 2 |
A New Battlefield The first stage of Project D's Kanagawa expeditions is against Team 246: Satoshi Omiya and Kobayakawa. Although racing for their own pride, 246 are actually part of a grand plan initiated by Team Sidewinder's Go Hojo and Eiji Kubo. As the uphill race begins, Kobayakawa is about to be shown the true ability of Keisuke Takahashi. |
November 9, 2012 |
| 3 |
Dead Line As the first battle winds down, the downhill between Takumi’s Eight-Six and Omiya’s NB8C Roadster begins. As both cars reach their limits, the control of the drivers will determine the outcome. Against Omiya’s miraculous car control, will Takumi be able to win? Another factor will come into play. |
December 14, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Natural Takumi and Shinji's match thus kicks off on an instant. Shinji is given the lead. Bunta steps out of the tofu shop and breaks his key pouch after accidentally dropping it. Bunta speculates an unfortunate event that will happen. Shinji starts to show his dormant power, leaving Takumi to be shocked himself. |
May 16, 2014 |
| 2 |
The Strongest Enemy Takumi and Shinji continue with their match with Takumi, still bewildered by Shinji, starts to focus. But suddenly, Shinji allows Takumi to pass, which disturbs Takumi even more. Even Kubo is utterly disheartened by the turn of events, but both Go and Ryosuke believe this was inevitable, creating a suitable conclusion to Project D's expeditions. |
May 16, 2014 |
| 3 |
Dangerous Scent Both drivers are equally strong, towards the middle of the race. They face a battle of gaining the lead. |
June 22, 2014 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ANIMAX |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 18, 1998 |
| Last aired | June 22, 2014 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | Ended |