List of Initial D characters and teams

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This is a list of characters from the anime and manga series Initial D.

Contents

[edit] Primary Characters

These are the protagonists from the Initial D Manga/Anime Series.

[edit] Takumi Fujiwara

Age 18
Sex Male
Car AE86 Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex
Body Color Panda two-tone (white/black)
Custom Parts Cibie Fog lights, RS Watanabe Wheels, Fujitsubo Muffler, Door Visor
Number 群馬 55 お 13-954
Japanese Seiyuu Shinichirou Miki (三木 眞一郎)
English Voice Actor Dave Wittenberg

Nickname in English adaptations: "Tak"

18 years old, Takumi Fujiwara (藤原拓海 Fujiwara Takumi) is the son of Bunta Fujiwara, the owner of a tofu shop in his hometown Akina. He rarely shows emotion. His best friend is Itsuki Takeuchi, who is a racing fan.

Takumi works part-time at a gas station with Itsuki, along with Iketani, who is a member of the local racing team, the Akina Speed Stars. In the first few episodes both Itsuki and Iketani think that Takumi has no driving ability because of Takumi's total disinterest in cars and racing.

The only one who suspects that Takumi has an advanced driving technique is the owner of the gas station, Yuuichi, as seen in the episode where Takumi discusses drifting technique with Itsuki or Iketani combined. In fact, Takumi has far more experience on the touge than Iketani and Itsuki, as Takumi has been driving his father's AE86 Trueno for five years (since he was 13 in his first year of junior high school, 7th grade), delivering tofu to a hotel at 4 a.m. every day. Takumi has been manipulated subtly by Bunta into developing driving skills, without being fully aware of Bunta's intent.

Bunta aside, Takumi's driving technique is the best on Akina; the very fact that he has managed to win races against far more powerful cars (such as Takeshi Nakazato's Nissan Skyline GT-R) with his AE86 Trueno is testament to his driving skills. As a result of constant everyday practice and over 5 years of experience on Akina, Takumi is able to adapt to nearly any situation that presents itself during a race with astonishing speed. One factor in his nearly unparalleled driving skills is his ability to visualize the road in his head, thus making up for the lack of visibility no matter how dark the mountain pass may be. He is an instinctive rather than an intellectual driver. Although the mizutoshi technique is a great but difficult technique that his father taught him, it lead him to many victories through out the story.

At first, Takumi was not part of any team (he was just loosely affiliated with the Akina Speed Stars), but later, Takumi joins Project D, a super-team created by Ryosuke Takahashi aimed at capturing all the time records in Japan. But despite this, he has yet to beat his father in a race.

Takumi looks docile and weak minded, but he is stubborn and strong -willed, many remarks are said about that. Yuuichi figure out he was like his father in his behavior. As he is rarely show mark of high character like Keisuke, the mechanics of Project D tend to find him docile. But all those who had a race against him know he has a tremendous concentration, more when he is behind.

[edit] Bunta Fujiwara

Age 43
Sex Male
Car Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type R Version V (GC8)
Body Color Sonic blue mica
Custom Parts STi WR-typed front bumper (difference from those of limited car 22B STi Version)
Number 群馬 52 が 13-600
Japanese Seiyuu Unshou Ishizuka (石塚 運昇)
English Voice Actor Kerrigan Mahan

Bunta Fujiwara (藤原文太 Fujiwara Bunta) is the owner of a tofu shop in Akina, and the father of Takumi. He used to be the No.1 downhill racer in Mt. Akina years ago, but he no longer races, preferring to guide Takumi's racing development. He is the original driver of the mysterious "white ghost of Akina" Trueno AE86 Sprinter that holds the record of the fastest downhill time at Akina. Bunta has a unique way of training his son to drive; every morning when Takumi delivers tofu, Bunta gives Takumi a cup of water. The cup of water is placed in the drink holder; Takumi must not spill even a drop of it while he is driving. This is ostensibly to prevent breaking the tofu in the boot, but it forces Takumi to drive very smoothly. As for Bunta, he is still considered the best downhill racer in Akina. We see proof of this early in the series as he pushes the Trueno with Yuuichi in the passenger seat lighting a cigarette while drifting around a corner.

Later in the series, Takumi used the Trueno more than Bunta, so he gave the car to Takumi. While test driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type R Version V on Akina, Bunta defeated his son, inducing a 4WD complex in Takumi. Bunta decided to buy the car, but hid this fact from Takumi for some time (Fourth Stage, 14th episode). After revealing that he was the driver, he then told Takumi to alternate between the Impreza and his Eight-Six for deliveries—another strategy to improve Takumi as a driver, showing him the potential of modern cars, and the characteristics of 4WD. While this shows his training strategy, we still see that Bunta is, once again, proven to be the most formidable opponent in Akina.

(Trivia: There is a lot of confusion about Bunta’s car. It is a Subaru Impreza GM8 (M = Coupe, C = Sedan F = Wagon). Many confuse his car with the legendary Subaru Impreza 22B. This is because Bunta’s Impreza is not wearing the stock Version V front bumper, but rather the STi Sport Bumper which looks identical in almost every way to the 22B stock front bumper. It also has a different rims compare by the GM8 and 22B.)

[edit] Project D

Project D was created by Ryosuke Takahashi with the purpose of taking the best drivers in the Gunma Area (Takumi and Keisuke), and travelling to challenge other teams in various prefectures. While he vocalizes the purpose of Project D to establish a legend, it is apparent that the primary reason of D is to develop the skills of its drivers to a new and extraordinary level. Ryosuke points out before the formation of Project D that he has only one year left to realize his dream. While it is never revealed why this is the case, a commonly held belief is that Ryosuke pursuing a career in the medical profession prevents him from remaining involved in racing. While he never states anything explicitly, Ryosuke reveals on separate occasions as 4th Stage progresses that both the purpose of "D" and the true meaning of "the initial" will be come to light.

Project D is different from the other mountain racing teams as it has a highly technical regimen and a support team of technicians, who are mostly members of the Akagi Redsuns. Each car has a dedicated mechanic, as well as other support personnel. Kenta Nakamura, being the only member of the RedSuns other than the Takahashi brothers seen in Stages 1 and 2, is part of the Project D support staff; more or less as a gofer for Keisuke and occasionally driving one of the support vans.

[edit] Akagi RedSuns

A highly skilled team led by Ryosuke Takahashi. The RedSuns' team policy is not to race on their home course, because, according to Keisuke, they "can't get excited about it". Based in Gunma, their home course is Akagi.

[edit] Ryosuke Takahashi

Age 23
Sex Male
Car Mazda Savanna RX-7 (FC3S)
Japanese Seiyuu Takehito Koyasu (子安 武人)
English Voice Actor Lex Lang

Nickname in English adaptations: "Ry"

Takahashi Ryōsuke is modeled after the "Drift King" Keiichi Tsyuchiya's mentor and retired race car driver Takahashi Kunimitsu.

(高橋 涼介 Takahashi Ryōsuke) One of the most skilled drivers in the series (he is the Red Suns' fastest member as well as their leader); he and his younger brother Keisuke (the Takahashi Brothers, also know as the Rotary Brothers because they both drive RX-7 versions) have been featured in racing magazines and are regarded highly by other drivers. Ryosuke drives a Mazda FC3S RX-7 and was previously undefeated until he met Takumi Fujiwara. Ryosuke is very serious about racing; he pours over technical data just like any professional driver and he's one of the few drivers with skills as a mechanic to match those he possesses as a driver. He can usually be found in his room going over data on his laptop. He is known to be able to tell what kind of modifications have been made to a car just by hearing it, and what a driver is capable of just by watching the car drift. Ryosuke's fame is so wide spread throughout Japan that he has been given the moniker, "Akagi's White Comet".

His only rival would be Kyouichi Sudou. They argued about racing theories when Ryosuke ended Kyouichi's winning streak a year before the series' start. Currently, he is enrolled in college studying medicine, and planning to become a doctor to work at his father's clinic. He has only one year of racing left, he estimates, and assembles a new team (named Project D) aimed at capturing all of the records in Japan. In fourth Stage, he's a coach for Project D while his brother Keisuke races in his place.


[edit] Keisuke Takahashi

Age 21
Sex Male
Car Mazda RX-7 Type-R (FD3S)
Japanese Seiyuu Tomokazu Seki (関 智一)
English Voice Actor Steven Jay Blum

Nickname in English adaptations: "K.T."

Keisuke (高橋 啓介 Takahashi Keisuke) is the number two driver for the Red Suns. Keisuke drives a Mazda FD3S RX-7 and is a skilled driver, second only to his brother. Keisuke is a rather hot-headed young man and does not like losing. Keisuke is also known to drive with his emotions, for example if he realises that he cannot win his driving suffers and if he is in the lead he is carefree and much relaxed. Before Ryousuke got him involved in street racing he was the leader of a Bosozoku gang. He joins his brother's new team and has a rivalry with Takumi. Keisuke races the Hillclimb (Uphill) on most races, while Takumi races the downhill.

Keisuke isn't analytical like his older brother, and Ryousuke's ability to compute and analyze amazes Keisuke. But at the same time, Keisuke's ability to think less while he's driving, and to do only what he feels amazes Ryosuke. While Ryousuke has decided that he won't race much longer, and that he will become a doctor in the future, Keisuke has dedicated his life to racing, his eventual goal is to become a professional racer. But first he must defeat Takumi.


[edit] Kenta Nakamura

Age 18?
Sex Male
Car Nissan Silvia Q's (S14)
Japanese Seiyuu Kousuke Okano (岡野 浩介)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Kent" in the manga & anime

(中村 ケンタ Nakamura Kenta) One of the youngest members of the Akagi RedSuns, Kenta absolutely adores Keisuke Takahashi and is always eager to prove himself to Keisuke. Kenta was recognized by Keisuke himself for his driving skills, and has been somewhat taken under Keisuke's wing. Kenta specializes in rain conditions, because he had a habit of practicing in the rain since the wet roads wouldn't wear his tires down as much.

In the First Stage, he arrogantly challenged Takumi to a wet race and lost. This was the time when Takumi used Itsuki as ballast, simulating a load of tofu. (Note that Takumi delivers tofu everyday, even if it rains.)

In Fourth Stage, He drives the #2 van for Project D.


[edit] Hiroshi Fumihiro

Age Late 20's
Sex Male
Car Toyota MR2 (SW20)
Japanese Seiyuu Osamu Hosoi (細井 治)

(史浩 Fumihiro) serves as Project D's second in command and handler, setting up and organizing battles with other teams, as well as scouting out prospective courses. In many ways he is also a sort of Executive Assistant to Ryousuke Takahashi. He had the same role during his time with the Akagi RedSuns and, presumably, has known Ryousuke for some time. It is not specifically known whether he has a history as a street racer or how he came into contact with Ryosuke and the RedSuns; his personal car, a Toyota SW20, is only seen once during a daytime meeting with Takahashi Keisuke but is never seen at any races. Fumihiro typically drives the Number 1 van during Project D's events. Curiously, he also looks a lot like Iketani.

[edit] Shuichi Matsumoto

Age Unknown (Likely late 20's, early 30's)
Sex Male
Car Unknown
Japanese Seiyuu Rintarou Nishi

(松本 修一 Matsumoto Shūichi) Personal mechanic for Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 and possibly Chief Mechanic for Project D.

[edit] Teams

These are the teams from their respective cities or regions. More information of every team's customizations of each car as well as character relations can be found in Initial D Car Modifications and Character Relations

[edit] Akina SpeedStars

A team made up from a bunch of friends who like to race in their leisure time. Based in Gunma, their home course is Akina. Named after a Japanese brand of wheel, they are among the weakest teams in the series not having proper training and erroneous techniques.

[edit] Kouichiro Iketani

Age 21
Sex Male
Car Nissan Silvia K's (S13)
Japanese Seiyuu Kazuki Yao (矢尾 一樹)
English Voice Actor Crispin Freeman

Nickname in English adaptations: "Cole"

One of Takumi's friends, Iketani (池谷 浩一郎 Iketani Kōichirō) works at a local gas station with both Takumi and Itsuki. Itsuki admires him, as Iketani is leader of the local racing team, the Akina Speed Stars. Iketani drives a Nissan S13 Silvia. At first, Iketani thinks that the Speed Stars are the best drivers in Akina but later his boss Yuuichi tells Iketani of the mysterious driver of an AE86 who was the fastest driver in his time, and that he suspects that the driver is the owner of the local tofu shop.

He is an average racer at best, but his skills are decent enough for him to be leader of the Speedstars.

It is Iketani (along with Itsuki) who explains to Takumi the practice of referring to street-racing cars by their chassis codes, since this is the simplest way of denoting different body style/engine combinations. For example, instead of specifying the 1983-1986 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX hatchback with the 4A-GE engine, one can simply call it an AE86, or more simply, an "Eight-Six".

[edit] Itsuki Takeuchi

Age 18
Sex Male
Car Toyota Corolla Levin SR-5 (AE85) (anime/manga)
Japanese Seiyuu Mitsuo Iwata (岩田 光央)
English Voice Actor Robbie Rist

Nickname in English adaptations: "Iggy"

Itsuki (武内 イツキ Takeuchi Itsuki) is Takumi's best friend; he provides the comic relief in the series, and is generally quite loud and obnoxious. Itsuki works part-time at a gas station with Takumi and Iketani; Itsuki plans to use the money he earns to buy an AE86 Levin (to complement Takumi's AE86 Trueno) but mistakenly buys an inferior (less power, poor brakes, and worse suspension) AE85 Levin. This upsets him until Takumi takes him for a drive, demonstrating that the driver's skill can make a difference. With a car, he is a self proclaimed member of the Akina Speedstars. In Fourth Stage, it is revealed that Itsuki has installed a turbo for his 85.

[edit] Kenji

Age 21
Sex Male
Car Nissan 180SX (RPS13)
Japanese Seiyuu Wataru Takagi (高木 渉)
English Voice Actor Jason Spisak

A member of the Akina Speed Stars and Iketani's best friend, Kenji(健二) drives a Nissan 180SX. He hangs out at the gas station - where Iketani, Takumi and Itsuki work - from time to time, usually discussing cars and driving techniques with Iketani and Yuuichi. He has respect and admiration for Iketani and Takumi; Iketani since he's the leader of the Speed Stars and Takumi for his driving skills.

Kenji is believed to be the second-best driver of the Speedstars. He was set to race Keisuke in the first battle because Iketani was injured and the AE86 driver was thought to be a no-show.

To this day, his last name hasn't been revealed in any media form of Initial D. His age has also not been explicitly stated, though judging from Iketani and Itsuki's constant joking in regards to Kenji not having a girlfriend at his age, and that he and Iketani don't address each other as 'Senpai' (meaning older mentor in Japanese), it's probably safe to say that he is about the same age as Iketani.


[edit] Thunderfire

Not much is known about team Thunderfire and where their home course is, but they have made many appearances in stage one and two. Thunder was the first team that was defeated by Team Emperor in the beginning of stage two. Thunder's prominent team members and skill level are unknown, but like the Akina Speedstars, Thunder may be just a group of friends who race in their leisure time with little knowledge on proper technique.

They appear only in the anime and is not part of the manga series

[edit] Myogi Night Kids

A team of average skill led by Takeshi Nakazato. Even though the team is united under Takeshi, there seems to be two factions fighting for leadership, aligned with Takeshi and Shingo. Based in Gunma, their home course is Myogi.

[edit] Takeshi Nakazato

Age 22
Sex Male
Car Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II (BNR32)
Japanese Seiyuu Nobuyuki Hiyama (檜山 修之)
English Voice Actor Wally Wingert

Nickname in English adaptations: "Zack"

Takeshi Nakazato (中里 毅 Nakazato Takeshi) of the Myogi Night Kids, also known as the Black Lightning, first makes his appearance at the race in Akina where Keisuke Takahashi of the Red Suns is to race against Takumi. Surprised that Takumi could defeat Keisuke, Takeshi decides that he's going to be the one to challenge and defeat the 'Akina downhill specialist', and that the Red Suns are next on his list.

He is an intelligent and skilled driver, notably recognizing Takumi's gutter-drop technique while observing the 86's first battle with Keisuke's FD3S. However, his downfall is his anger and emotions getting in the way of his mind, resulting in poor throttle control. He also races all-out and usually fails to consider tire wear, so in the end, he loses the race, sometimes crashing his car. He is very good at acceleration and is known for his grip driving philosophy. His previous car was a Nissan Silvia (S13), with which he used drifting techniques. He changed to the R32 after a devastating loss to a white R32 on his home course of Myogi. Following the defeat by the white Skyline, his philosophy changed, favoring grip driving techniques over "weak" and "showy" drifting techniques. He also believed that no matter what skill a driver has, a car will not run beyond its capabilities.

Takeshi is the leader of the NightKids team on Mount Myogi and he has shown an interest in Sayuki of Impact Blue.


[edit] Shingo Shoji

Age 20
Sex Male
Car Honda Civic SiR II (EG6)
Japanese Seiyuu Keiji Fujiwara (藤原 啓治)
English Voice Actor Quinton Flynn

Shingo Shoji (庄司 真吾 Shōji Shingo) is a member of the Night Kids who drives a red Honda Civic SiR-II (EG-6). Shingo races dangerously -- he will nudge his rival's car in order to make the other driver lose control. He doesn't find plain downhill races any fun, preferring to race under a mutual handicap he calls the Duct Tape Death Match. In this handicap match, both drivers tape their right hand to the steering wheel for the duration of the race. By doing this, a driver limits their own steering capabilities and makes turning a challenge. He detests Takeshi Nakazato because he believes that he is unfit to be leader of the Night Kids, a position that Shingo openly covets. In terms of racing ability, Shingo is the second best driver on the Night Kids team. He is also a childhood friend of Impact Blue's navigator, Sayuki.

Shingo actually shares many beliefs with Nakazato, but whenever they watch other battles, they stay away from one another so that people won't mistake them as friends. There were also times that he supported his teammate for the Night Kids' sake, like the battle against Seiji Iwaki and his Evo IV.

[edit] Impact Blue

This team is a partnership between its two members, Mako and Sayuki. Their home course is Usui.

[edit] Mako Sato and Sayuki

Age Both 20
Sex Female
Car Nissan SilEighty (RPS13)
Japanese Seiyuu Michiko Neya (根谷 美智子)
and Yumi Kakazu (かかず ゆみ)
English Voice Actor Kate Higgins

Nickname in English adaptations: "Maya and Simone"

Mako Satou (佐藤 真子 Satō Mako) is the driver of the Usui combination; Sayuki (沙雪) is her co-driver/navigator, similar to that in the WRC. Mako is interested in Iketani of the Akina Speedstars. She originally got close to him in order to race Takumi's AE86 in Usui, offering her virginity in exchange. But she and Iketani had true feelings to each other later on. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding kept them apart.

Sayuki is a cheerful, outgoing girl and she's always looking for good looking guys like the Takahashi brothers. She also developed a crush on Takumi, finding him cute and invited him to a pool after his race against them. As navigator, she gives out instructions to Mako when they're racing (when to brake, what drifting technique to use etc.). Her last name is unknown.

Driving a blue Nissan SilEighty, the duo are the fastest in their hometown.

[edit] Team Emperor

A high skilled team lead by Kyouchi Sudou. The entire team is made of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, claiming their cars are the king of the mountains. Based in Tochigi, their home course is the one way road of Irohazaka.

[edit] Seiji Iwaki

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV RS (CN9A)
Japanese Seiyuu Kazuhisa Kawahara (川原 和久)
English Voice Actor Grant George

Nickname in English adaptations: "Hawk"

(岩城 清次 Iwaki Seiji) The Number two driver in the Lancer Evolution-only Emperor team, Seiji Iwaki drives the Lancer Evolution IV. Seiji is a driver with good racing skills, but he is rather arrogant and overconfident and not that smart. He has won many races driving for Emperor against other teams, including Takeshi Nakazato of the NightKids and a member of Thunder, driving a purple 180SX.

After defeating various teams in Gunma, the Emperor team then set their sights on the Akina Speed Stars, aiming to beat the infamous AE86 Trueno. Seiji volunteered to race for the Emperor team in his Evo IV against Takumi's AE86, but he was humiliated when his overconfidence and impatience led to his downfall, causing Kyouichi, the team leader, to have to race the AE86 before the team could move on to the next opponent. It was also verbally stated that Seiji lost to Kai Kogashiwa in Irohazaka, but no actual battle was shown in the series.

One of Seiji's trademarks is to take the team sticker of teams he has defeated, cut it in half, and stick it on his spoiler upside-down, emulating the "kill" markers that fighter pilots paint on their planes.

[edit] Kyouichi Sudou

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III (CE9A)
Japanese Seiyuu Masahiko Tanaka (田中 正彦)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Kyle"

(須藤 京一 Sudō Kyōichi) From Nikko, Tochigi and rated as one of the best drivers in the series, Kyouchi Sudou is the team leader and driving ace of the Lancer Evolution-only Emperor team. He drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III powered up to 350hp equipped with a WRC style misfiring system. In his philosophy a car must have a high power turbo and all-wheel drive.

An old acquaintance of Ryousuke Takahashi of the Akagi Red Suns, Kyouichi is much like Ryousuke - he is a calm and composed driver, compared to his teammate Seiji. Eager to show Ryousuke that he and his team are the best, Kyouichi and the Emperor team goes on to beat the various teams of Gunma, including the Night Kids. He believes in the ultimate superiority of his race track techniques, whilst Ryousuke holds that street racing has its own special requirements. His home course is one way, so he is unable to fully attack blind corners on two way roads, supporting Ryousuke's view. He is also often considered the first driver to have beaten Takumi, when Takumi forfeited by venting his 4A-GE's block, but he lost to Takumi during a rematch at Irohazaka. It should be noted however, that the result should normally be considered a tie at best, and the race itself did not last more than one round. Kyouichi declared Takumi as the winner for merely being able to resist being overtaken. To Kyouichi, who takes pride in his ability to win, a tie at his home turf is equivalent to a loss.

He is also a graduate of the racing school, the Toudou Juku.

[edit] Seven Star Leaf

Another average skilled team. They are the first team in Fourth Stage to face Project D. Based in Tochigi, their home course is Momiji lane. In the manga version, they are abbreviated as SSR, or due to quirks in the Japanese language, "Seven Star Reaf." - like the Akina SpeedStars, they are named after the same Japanese wheel manufacturer (Speed Star Racing)

[edit] Toru Suetsugu

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Mazda/Eunos Roadster (NA6C)
Japanese Seiyuu Daiki Nakamura (中村 大樹)

Driving a red MX-5 Roadster, Tohru (末次 トオル Suetsugu Tōru) is the downhill racer for the S.S.R team known for his reckless, kamikaze downhill style. Tohru is also the only driver in the series who actually has a decent relationship; he has a girlfriend called Nao. Nao cares for him very much and she doesn't really approve of him racing, especially that he's practically broke almost all of the time and borrows money from her often. He promised Nao, before racing Takumi, he would quit street racing and they would settle down.

From the Tochigi Prefecture, the S.S.R team is the first team to race against Ryousuke's Project D. Tohru is slated to race against Takumi. Again he borrows money from his girlfriend for a new set of tires. She agreed, with a condition: if he's defeated, he'll have to stop racing, or they'll have to break up. He lost when he tried to emulate Takumi's weight-shifting technique of bypassing the uncovered gutters: his right front wheel snagged on the open gutter, flipping his car over once before coming to a standstill.

[edit] Atsurou Kawai

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Nissan Skyline 25GT-T (ER34)
Japanese Seiyuu Seiji Sasaki (佐々木 誠二)

Atsurou (川井 淳郎 Kawai Atsurō) is the hillclimb racer and the leader of the Tochigi-based S.S.R team. He seems to be a decent enough driver, again favouring the grip racing techniques, but his mastery of it is uncomparable to that of Takeshi Nakazato. His car is powered up to 400 hp.

From the Tochigi Prefecture, the S.S.R team is one of the first to battle against Ryousuke's Project D. Tohru is slated to race against Takumi, while Atsurou is to race against Keisuke.

[edit] Todo Juku

(東堂塾 Tōdō Juku) is a racing school run by a Performance Shop owner and an ex-Rally Driver named Todo (東堂). They are very highly skilled, with many of their graduates going semipro/professional. Their favorite make is Honda, using the Civic Type R as their best "demonstration" car. Based in Tochigi, their home course is Enna.

[edit] Daiki Ninomiya

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Honda Civic Type R (EK9)
Japanese Seiyuu Toshiyuki Morikawa (森川 智之)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Dice"

The ace and current student of Toudou-Juku, Daiki (ニノ宮 大輝 Ninomiya Daiki) is one of the better drivers of the series. Driving a yellow Civic EK-9 Type R, Daiki races against Takumi of Project D in a downhill battle. He excels in braking, being able to release the brake pedal in the perfect spot during a corner, every time. Daiki is also one of the school's all time three best downhill drivers.

[edit] Sumirie Sakai

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Honda Integra Type R Turbo (DC2)
Japanese Seiyuu Akimitsu Takase (高瀬 右光)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Smiley"

Another driver and current student of Toudou-Juku, Sakai (スマイリー 酒井 Sumairī Sakai) is one of Daiki's friends and drives an Integra Type R, equipped with an aftermarket turbocharger. Sakai races against Keisuke of Project D in a hillclimb battle. He uses two techniques to race, first, using high speeds to enter a corner to get the other person to do the same, then correcting his speed during the turn. The other trick is to brake-test his opponent, forcing them to back off while he speeds away. His face tenses up when he is racing to make him look like he is smiling, hence his nickname, Smiley Sakai.

[edit] Tomoyuki Tachi

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Honda Civic Type R (EK9)
Japanese Seiyuu Kazuhiro Nakata (中田 和宏)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Touch"

Toudou Racing School could not live with their team being completely annihilated by outsiders, so they invited Tachi (館 智幸 Tachi Tomoyuki), a graduate of the school who is now a professional racer, to have a rematch against Project D on Happogahara. Tachi took Ninomiya's EK9 and beat Takumi's downhill record in one try, without pushing the car to the limit. Tachi agreed to use the school's top car, the Demonstration EK9, at Happogahara, which is a course that consists of both downhill and hill climb sections. Tachi tuned the Civic the best he could to be able to compete with the FD3S on the straights, but surprisingly, Ryosuke decided to send out the AE86. He lost the race to Takumi when he steered off the center of the road to avoid hitting a cat that crossed the street near the finish line. Because of this dodging he creates enough space for Takumi to pass him in his AE86. Afterwards Takumi asks Tachi why he suddenly created space for Takumi to pass. Tachi responded that he saw a (cat) jump across the road and because of his racing reflexes immediately dodged it. His loss was considered as the silliest Deus Ex Machina (for Takumi) in the series which is next to Takumi's technical win against Dr. Toshiya Joushima in the last race of Fourth Stage.

He attended Todou Racing School with Sudou Kyouichi.


[edit] Northern Saitama Alliance

A racing group made of teams located in the Saitama Prefecture. Included in this alliance, is Nobuhiko's Team which remains unnamed, and includes Wataru. They had to band together in order to match the organized Project. D.

[edit] Wataru Akiyama

Age 21
Sex Male
Car Toyota Levin (AE86TURBO)
Japanese Seiyuu Yasunori Matsumoto (松本 保典)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Aki"

One of the first racers from Saitama to actually race against Takumi with his turbocharged Levin, he appeared later in Stage 4, this time replacing the turbocharger with a supercharger for more linear acceleration. Wataru (秋山 渉 Akiyama Wataru) is a skilled driver who honed his skills on the treacherous Shomaru Pass. He came to Gunma in hopes of facing new racers to challenge and to watch over his sister Kazumi, who just got a job at a hotel with her aunt. Wataru reappeared in episode 9 of stage 4 as Nobuhiko's cousin, to watch Takumi race against the Northern Saitama Alliance in the hopes of finding a weak spot.

[edit] Nobuhiko Akiyama

Age Unknown
Sex Male
Car Toyota Altezza RS200 (SXE10)
Japanese Seiyuu Jin Hosokawa (堀川 仁)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Nobu"

The leader of a team within the Northwest Saitama Alliance, Nobuhiko (秋山 延彦 Akiyama Nobuhiko) is very intelligent and analytical. His skills as a driver, however, are not very good. Because of this, he usually recruits other highly skilled drivers and uses his technical data to further tune their cars according to each course. Nobuhiko did race against Takumi once on the downhill, but was left behind after the first hairpin and only because Takumi was letting him keep up, upon Ryousuke's instruction.


[edit] Kyoko Iwase

Age 20
Sex Female
Car Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S)
Japanese Seiyuu Megumi Toyoguchi (豊口 めぐみ)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Kylie"

A skilled uphill driving ace for Nobuhiko's Team. Kyoko (岩瀬 恭子 Iwase Kyōko) was originally the fastest on Nobuhiko's team, but after racing against Keisuke Takahashi, she falls in love with the blonde racer, and that creates a conflict of interest between defeating Project D, or supporting her love. Unfortunately for her, Keisuke chooses to focus on Project D to the exclusion of all romantic relationships. Kyoko later lent her FD3S to Keisuke after he damaged the left front suspension of his own FD3S in an accident. Keisuke went on to win the race with Kyoko's car, instead of the loaned FD Ryosuke planned for him to use. Also Kyoko's FD is unlike Keisuke's FD is single turbo. because of this, the power output is kinda the same but it has way more turbo lag.


[edit] Sakamoto

Age 26
Sex Male
Car Suzuki Cappuccino (EA11R)
Japanese Seiyuu Hiroyuki Yoshino (吉野 裕行)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Sid"

Part of another team within the alliance, a rally racer, Sakamoto(坂本) is trained almost exclusively on mountain passes. He has the uncanny ability to take any car and put it in a drift on a mountain pass, usually to figure a car's characteristics and limitations. He's recruited by Nobuhiko as the downhill racer to take on Takumi Fujiwara of Project D. His speciality is driving FR cars.


[edit] Emperor - EVO Team

This team, composed of two Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, challenged Project D on Tsuchizaka. They race for money, and they win by all means necesaary. However, they were defeated by Project. D, so they asked a bunch of bosozoku gangsters who, unknown that the team was Project D, were former subordinates of Keisuke Takahashi, to beat them up...but it backfired.

[edit] Lancer Evolution V Driver

Age mid 20s
Sex Male
Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR (CP9A)
Japanese Seiyuu Masuo Amada (天田 益男)

The uphill racer for the final team that Project D races in the Saitama Prefecture. He faces Keisuke on the uphill run on the Tsuchizaka pass. Unlike previous opponents, both this driver and the other racer are more than willing to use cheap, unfair tactics, such as spilling oil on the road, to defeat Project D (albeitly they want to win only to promote a garage they are affiliated with). It is due to this team's slicking of the road with oil that leads to Keisuke spinning out on the road and damaging his FD to such a state that it cannot be used in the race.

As a person, this character is depicted as being an "ugly", mid to late 20s, arrogant jerk, an example of which occurs when he confronts Project D after Keisuke crashes his FD, at which point he acts innocent in regards as to who was at fault for slicking the road. In his race versus Keisuke, (in which Keisuke uses Kyoko's black FD) he displays little skill (Keisuke compares him to Atsurou Kawai (Seven Star Leaf driver of the Skyline 2.5GT) and considers the Lancer Evolution to be in a totally different class apart from the Mazda RX-7 FD. He loses when he was spooked as Keisuke takes the inside when the two cars drive along a long straighaway with a barricade on the left side of the road.

[edit] Lancer Evolution VI Driver

Age mid 20s
Sex Male
Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR T.M. EDITION (CP9A)
Japanese Seiyuu Mitsuaki Madono (真殿 光昭)

The downhill racer for this team. Unlike the EVO V driver, this racer is more cunning and tactful, in that he arranges for the oil spill on the road and bringing a group of gangsters (via another team member) to beat up Project D's members should Project D win. Although there is no mention of who the leader of this team is, it seems this character shows more of a leadership role than his teammate. Prior to his race against Takumi he advises for Takumi to lose his match otherwise there will be dire repercussions.

As a racer he's depicted as having good braking skill, but in comparison to Bunta, his skill is not as good. In the race with Takumi he takes the runner position and leads for a fair share of the race until they hit the corner where oil had been spilt earlier. The EVO VI manages to slip on a bit of the oil and slides to the outside, allowing Takumi to easily pass him and take the lead. There was plenty of chance to outrun him, but he was spooked by Takumi's drifting of the Trueno on the final corner. One more thing: he finds out that Takumi is a different, terrifying animal once he is driving, unlike the timid guy he tried to scare before the race.

[edit] Purple Shadow

This team is kind of the same as SpeedStars and Thunderfire except for "God Foot" and "God Hand" who are legendary around those parts, based in Ibaraki, they drive on a course called F-Line. Challenged Project D on Tsukuba

[edit] Kōzō Hoshino

Age 40+
Sex Male
Car Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nür (BNR34)
Japanese Seiyuu Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (大友 龍三郎)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Kozo"

(星野 好造 Hoshino Kōzō) A member of a two-man team of middle-aged racers, he is known by the name of "God Foot" due to his extraordinary acceleration control and his ability to drift the BNR34 with the ATTESA-ETS 4WD system activated, which is considered almost impossible. He shouts exclamations during a race in order to keep himself from over concentrating. If he becomes silent and concentrates too hard, he will drive without braking. Races Keisuke Takahashi in a full lap (uphill and downhill) battle, demonstrating his sense of fairness, as the FD3S would have no chance against the GT-R Nür uphill. Has owned a total of 4 GT-R's, an R32, an R33 in which he was disappointed, another R32, and finally the R34 in which he appears for the race with Project D. After his race with Keisuke, he offers to introduce him to his professional racing contacts. Keisuke refuses the offer, as he has unfinished business he wishes to take care of first.


[edit] Dr. Toshiya Joushima

Age 40+
Sex Male
Car Honda S2000 type-v (AP 1)
Japanese Seiyuu Masashi Ebara (江原 正士)

Nickname in English adaptations: "Toshiya"

(城島 俊也 Jōshima Toshiya) Known as "God Hand" due to his ability to single-hand steer, controlling the car's yaw rate with very delicate steering/throttle inputs. He is the downhill half of the two man Purple Shadow team. He battles in a refined intellectual style, intentionally pulling his punches, for his own private satisfaction.

God Hand's techniques also include gutter jumps, and the ability to confuse his chaser by manipulating his race line. Some of his team consider his methods very cruel, especially given the irony that he is a doctor. During Takumi's battle with God Hand, Takumi felt as if he were being chased by Bunta in the Impreza. Initially Joushima toyed with Takumi, hiding his true ability, trying to instill confusion and self doubt, confident he could dominate the battle. After Joushima finally sprang his tactical trap, Takumi recovered and retook the lead. The astonished Joushima eventually had to abandon his game, and used his ultimate time attack line to pull away. Takumi broke his suspension trying desperately to catch up, and was reduced to limping down the mountain. This would have been another loss for Takumi, except that Joushima's fatigue from multiple rounds of downhill got to him and forced him to make a vomit stop. The crippled Trueno hobbled past to a technical victory.

However Takumi did not feel that his victory was justified. Afterwards Ryosuke requests a favor from Joushima, asking him to allow Takumi to ride alongside Joushima in his S2000 as he drives down the mountain again, so that Takumi could watch the God-Hand technique first hand and hopefully improve upon his own techniques.

[edit] Team 246

A team located in Kanagawa Prefecture. They are direct rivals to Team Sidewinder, another team located in the Shizuoka Prefecture. According to Bunta Fujiwara and Takahashi Ryosuke, Shizuoka is the center of street (drift) racing, notable for its mountainous regions (Mount Fuji is located there) as well as the Fuji Speedway. Therefore, Shizuoka attracts many racers, amateur and professionals alike.

Team 246 has many members, where representatives for a race are voted by its 31 members. The representative who will race against Keisuke on the uphill : Kobayakawa received 26 out of 31 votes, and races with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (which Keisuke has made fun of, as he's an emerging FD Evo Killer). Takumi will race against 246's leader : Omiya, who unanimously received 31 votes to represent Team 246 on the downhill. He will be driving a heavily modded Mazda Roadster.

[edit] Kobayakawa

Age 20
Sex Male
Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII (CT9A) (anime/manga)

[edit] Racing Team Katagiri

This team is located in Kanagawa. It is Project D's next opponent after the defeat of team 246. This team has 2 aces:

Name car section
Kai Kogashiwa Toyota MR-S downhill
Hideo Minagawa Toyota Supra uphill

[edit] Kai Kogashiwa

Age 19
Sex Male
Japanese Seiyuu Nobutoshi Canna(神奈 延年)

(小柏 カイ Koshigawa Kai) A racer from the Tochigi Prefacture. He appeared in the 3rd and the 5th stage of the series. It has to be noted that his age is listed as 19 since it has been a year since Takumi, then 18, was racing. This means they are likely to have the same age. During his race with Takumi he uses his father's Toyota MR2 (SW20). His father tells him that there is a certain line after a certain corner (the 33rd to be exact) that will enable him to win. This line involves a series of "jumps" over retaining walls. however, later when he joins the new team, he left his fathers car for a Toyota MR-S (ZZW30)


[edit] SideWinders

They may be the final and hardest opponents for Project D in Kanagawa. We know 2 members of this team : Tsuyoshi Hokujou (He is a pilot and has a black Honda NSX) and Eiji Kubo (chief mechanic of the team).

[edit] Minor characters

[edit] Natsuki Mogi

Age 18
Sex Female
Japanese Seiyuu Ayako Kawasumi (川澄 綾子)
English Voice Actor Kathryn Cressida
Actress Anne Suzuki

Natsuki Mogi (茂木 なつき Mogi Natsuki) / Natalie Mogi - Takumi's love interest. Before she hooked up with Takumi, she engaged in enjo kosai to make some extra money. In the movie, it appears that she was engaged in prostitution or sugar-daddy kind of relationship with a middle aged man driving a white Mercedes.


[edit] Saori

Age 18
Sex Female
Japanese Seiyuu Orine Fukushima (福島 おりね)

Saori (沙織) - Appeared in 1st Stage then was removed from screen until Shingo hit Itsuki's 85 on Akina to a crash due to being thought to be an 86. Then she decided not to date Itsuki again because it brings back the bad memories.


[edit] Yuuichi Tachibana

Age 50
Sex Male
Japanese Seiyuu Tomomichi Nishimura (西村 知道)
English Voice Actor Michael McConnohie

Yuuichi Tachibana (立花祐一 Tachibana Yūichi) / Boss - The boss of the gas station that Takumi worked in. An old friend of Bunta's, and a racer in his youth.


[edit] Masashi Suzuki

Age in his 40's
Sex Male
Japanese Seiyuu Kôji Ishii (石井 康嗣)

Masashi Suzuki (鈴木 政志 Suzuki Masashi) - He is a mechanic with an incredible list of connections that enables Bunta to get even the most outrageous car parts from him, including the engine that he and Bunta installed on the Fujiwara Tofu Shop Hachiroku: a TRD tuned Group A Spec 20V SilverTop 4A-GE from an AE101 Trueno (after Takumi blows the engine in a run against Kyouichi). He also was entrusted by Bunta to find him a "suitable" car for him (after he handed the Hachiroku to Takumi), and as a result he finds him the GC8V Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version V.

[edit] Voice on the Phone to Bunta in Stage 1, Ep23

Voice on the Phone to Bunta in Stage 1, Ep23 - This is actually Keiichi Tsuchiya, who is considered the father of Drift and who is on the Technical advisory crew for the Anime series. In Ep2, First Stage, the Speedstar drivers are shown watching and chatting over his video, The Drift Bible, a beginner's guide to drift. Takumi buys Tsuchiya's AE86 Street Tuning video in Third Stage. Here in the series, Keiichi and Bunta appear to be old friends.


[edit] Kazumi Akiyama

Age 19
Sex Female
Japanese Seiyuu Ryoka Yuzuki(柚木 涼香)

Kazumi Akiyama (Kazumi Akiyama) Wataru's young sister. She was Itsuki's second love interest after Saori 'left' him. An impatient girl that came to Gunma from Saitama to work in her aunt's inn then left due to being frame by a senior worker (in 2nd Stage). Appeared in 4th Stage in Saitama with Wataru. She broke up with a working adult man then patch up with him again. (Left screen after that.)


[edit] Ken Kogashiwa

Age In his 40s
Sex Male
Car Toyota MR2 G-Limited (SW20)
Japanese Seiyuu Kinryu Arimoto　 (有本 欽隆)

Ken Kogashiwa (小柏 ケン Kogashiwa Ken) - Kai's father. Bunta's life-long rival.


[edit] Miki

Age 22
Sex Male
Car Celica GT-Four (ST205)
Japanese Seiyuu Takumi Yamazaki (山崎 たくみ)

Miki (御木) - A senior in the football(soccer) club of the school that Takumi attended. He drives a Celica GT-Four (ST205). He was punched in the changing rooms by Takumi (1st Stage) for bragging about his sexual exploits with Natsuki, during the time when Takumi was ignorant of the truth. During winter, he kidnaps Natsuki and forces her to come to Lake Akina with him. His plans are foiled by Takumi who gets Natsuki's call for help and chases Miki with his Trueno until he spins out on the snow and Natsuki escapes his Celica.

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