Initial D is a highly popular Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. Serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine from 1995 to 2013, it was compiled into 48 tankōbon volumes. The series immerses readers in the thrilling world of illegal Japanese street racing, with the action predominantly set in treacherous mountain passes and emphasizing the technical art of drifting. Renowned professional race car driver and drifting pioneer Keiichi Tsuchiya provided editorial supervision, lending authenticity to the racing sequences. The story takes place primarily in Japan's Gunma Prefecture, utilizing actual locations in the Kantō region, albeit some with fictionalized names. By April 2021, Initial D had achieved immense success, circulating over 55 million copies, solidifying its place as one of the best-selling manga series in history, later followed by spin-offs like MF Ghost.
The widespread popularity of the manga led to a comprehensive media franchise. This included a major anime adaptation spanning six main installments, known as "Stages" (First Stage, Second Stage, Third Stage (film), Fourth Stage, Fifth Stage, and Final Stage), which ran from 1998 to 2014. Additionally, a new anime film trilogy, New Initial D the Movie, retold the beginning of the manga between 2014 and 2016. The franchise also expanded into a live-action film in 2005 and numerous video games. Initially licensed by Tokyopop for English-language distribution in North America, the anime rights later transferred to Funimation (now Crunchyroll), while Kodansha USA re-licensed the manga.
The central narrative follows Takumi Fujiwara, a seemingly ordinary high school student in Gunma Prefecture who works part-time at a gas station. Unbeknownst to his friends, including Akina Speed Stars leader Koichiro Iketani, Takumi has unknowingly honed exceptional driving skills over years by making early morning tofu deliveries for his father, Bunta, in their aging Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86. Takumi's talent is thrust into the spotlight when the formidable Red Suns challenge the Speed Stars. After Keisuke Takahashi of the Red Suns is unexpectedly defeated by a mysterious AE86, Bunta secretly arranges for Takumi to race in his place. Utilizing an unconventional "gutter run" technique—driving with the wheels in drainage channels to maintain speed through hairpin turns—Takumi decisively defeats Keisuke, earning him the moniker "Legendary Eight-Six of Akina."
Though initially indifferent, Takumi gradually develops a profound passion for racing. His skills are rigorously tested against formidable opponents like the Emperors, a team specializing in high-performance Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, leading to his first defeat and an engine blow-out. With assistance from the Red Suns and his father, Takumi refines his technique and car. He continues to defeat numerous rivals, including avenging his loss against Kyoichi Sudo. Seeking even greater challenges, Takumi joins Project D, an elite expeditionary racing team founded by Ryosuke and Keisuke Takahashi, aiming to become the fastest driver in Japan. During this period, he is humbled by a defeat at the hands of his father, driving a Subaru Impreza, which forces him to adapt to four-wheel-drive dynamics.
Project D's campaign culminates in a climactic race against Shinji Inui of Team Sidewinder. Despite his engine blowing out mid-race, Takumi masterfully coasts backward across the finish line to secure a dramatic victory. Following this, he retires his iconic AE86, intending to restore it, while Ryosuke disbands Project D, having achieved its objective and shifting focus to mentoring new talent. Keisuke pursues a professional racing career, and Takumi returns to tofu deliveries, now using his father's Subaru. The series concludes with Takumi eventually transitioning to rally racing, becoming a world champion, a path that ultimately leads to the events depicted in Shigeno's subsequent manga series, MF Ghost.