- 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.
Main characters (Fujiwara Tofu Shop)
Takumi Fujiwara
Age 18/19 Sex Male Car Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86) Year 1983 (Without the digital styled cluster) Color High Tech Two-Tone Engine a TRD Group A AE101 20v Silvertop 4A-GEU (installed in 2nd stage on episode 8) with 240/250HP and revs to 11,000 RPM Custom Parts Cibié T353 Fog Lights, RS Watanabe Eight Spoke F8-Type Wheels (Black), Fujitsubo MC50 Muffler, OEM Door Visor, ItalVolanti Admiral Red Trim Steering Wheel, Smiths 12,000 RPM Tachometer, Smiths auxiliary gauges (Oil Pressure/Water Temperature), 2 TRD Sports Seats, Vent Cup Holder, TRD Carbon Fiber Hood, Carbon Fiber Headlight units, and Bridgestone Potenza RE01 tires, Japanese voice actor Shinichiro Miki English voice actor Dave Wittenberg (Tokyopop dub), Joel McDonald (Funimation dub) Actor Jay Chou Takumi Fujiwara (藤原 拓海 Fujiwara Takumi, "Tak") is the main character of the Initial D series and the son of legendary street racer Bunta Fujiwara. Throughout the series, Takumi develops his racing skills to be one of the fastest drivers in Kanto while driving an old Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86. This is due Takumi's job delivering tofu to Lake Akina every morning for 5 years (since 7th grade). Although Takumi believes this to be just a job, he had actually been manipulated subtly by his father into developing driving skills, without being fully aware of Bunta's intent.
Takumi works part-time at a gas station with his best friend Itsuki Takeuchi, and the leader of the Akina Speed Stars, Iketani. Early in the series, both Itsuki and Iketani think that Takumi has no driving ability because of Takumi's total disinterest in cars and racing. But actually, Takumi has far more experience on Mt. Akina than Iketani and Itsuki. The only person that suspects Takumi's superior driving skills is his boss, Yuichi, after Takumi correctly identified the correct technique to a four-wheel drift (much to Iketani and Itsuki's obliviousness).
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 with his Eight-Six 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 quickly adapt to nearly any situation that presents itself during a race. One factor in his nearly unparalleled driving skill 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. This ability only takes effect if he has driven on the road before, which was not the case in some later races. He is an instinctive rather than an intellectual driver. Although the mizo otoshi technique (a technique where the driver drops the inside tires into the rain gutters on the side of the road to defeat centrifugal force) is a great but difficult technique that his father taught him, it led him to many victories throughout the story.
At first, Takumi was not part of any team (he was just loosely affiliated with the Akina Speed Stars), but later joins Project D, a special team created by Ryosuke Takahashi aimed at breaking every course record in the Kanto region.
Takumi looks docile and weak-minded, but he is stubborn and strong-willed, many remarks have been said about that. Yuuichi realized that Takumi was like his father in his behavior. Because he is not as outwardly ill-tempered as Keisuke, the mechanics of Project D tend to find him docile. However, to those who have raced against him, Takumi possesses tremendous concentration and instinctive insight once behind the wheel (and these qualities are most evident when he is chasing after his opponent). His apparent docility became traps for many opponents. Keisuke asks Takumi to become professional racers together and now Takumi's eventual goal is to become a professional racer with Keisuke. Keisuke and Takumi become rivals that aspire to the same dream.
Bunta Fujiwara
Age 43/44 Sex Male Car Subaru Impreza WRX STI Coupe Type R Version V (GC8) Year 1998 Color Sonic Blue Mica (Anime, Arcade Stage' 4, 5 and 6 AA)/Gunmetal Gray Mica (Manga, Arcade Stage 1, 2, 3 and Street Stage) Custom Parts STI WR-typed front bumper (difference from those of limited car 22B STi Version), STI Sports interior trim (red accented), STI Sports Momo steering wheel (black with red accents), Bridgestone Potenza RE-01 tires, STI Sports exhaust. Japanese voice actor Unshō Ishizuka English voice actor Kerrigan Mahan (Tokyopop dub), Kent Williams (Funimation dub) Actor Anthony Wong 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" AE86 Sprinter Trueno 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 which 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, which is shown early in the series when he pushes the Trueno with Yuichi 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. 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, it is seen that Bunta is, once again, proven to be the most formidable opponent in Akina.
Project D
Project D (プロジェクトD Purojekuto Dī, Stylized as Project.D) is a racing team created by Ryosuke Takahashi with the purpose of taking the best drivers in the Gunma Area (Takumi and Keisuke), and traveling 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 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 and Fumihiro seen in earlier stages, is part of the Project D support staff; he usually scouts the course before the team and is more or less a gofer for Keisuke and occasionally drives one of the support vans.
Akagi RedSuns
The Akagi RedSuns (赤城レッドサンズ Akagi Reddosanzu) is 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.
Ryosuke Takahashi
Age 23/24 Sex Male Car Mazda Savanna Infini III RX-7 (FC3S) Year 1990 Color Crystal White Custom Parts (RedSuns) Cibié T353 Fog Lights, Fujita Engineering Front Lip, MazdaSpeed Single Exhaust, 2.0 Boost Meter, MS 01 Rims (Episode 1 of 2nd Stage and 1st Stage), Works Meister S13 Rims (Battle Stage of 1st Series), RS Watanabe Eight Spoke F8 Rims (Episode 7 of 2nd Stage-3rd Stage), Ryosuke-Made Side Mirrors, Bucket Racing Seats, MazdaSpeed Steering Wheel and RedSuns Sticker. Custom Parts (Project.D) Cibié T353 Fog Lights, Fujita Engineering Front Lip Bumper, MazdaSpeed Single Exhaust, 2.0 Boost Meter, Repainted Frontlip, Work Meister S13 Rims (Silver), Ryosuke-Made Side Mirrors, Bucket Racing Seats and MazdaSpeed Steering Wheel. Japanese voice actor Takehito Koyasu English voice actor Lex Lang (Tokyopop dub), J. Michael Tatum (Funimation dub) Ryosuke Takahashi (高橋 涼介 Takahashi Ryōsuke, "Ry") is one of the most skilled drivers in the series (he is the RedSuns' fastest member as well as their leader); he and his younger brother Keisuke (the Takahashi Brothers, also known as the Rotary Brothers because they both drive RX-7's, albeit different generations of the vehicle) have been featured in racing magazines and are regarded highly by other drivers. Ryosuke drives a second-generation Mazda RX-7 (FC3S) 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 is 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 widespread throughout Japan that he has been given the moniker, "Akagi's White Comet" (赤城の白い彗星 Akagi no Shiroi Suisei). He is also referred to by "Akagi's Lone White Comet", possibly in reference to his inherent weariness towards females.
His only rival would be Kyoichi Sudo. They argued about racing theories when Ryosuke ended Kyoichi'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. But before retiring from street racing, and with 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 is a coach for Project D while his brother Keisuke races in his place.
There is a rift in Ryosuke's past involving Rin "Shinigami" Hojo. An altercation between the two in medical school led to another student named Kaori (also another medical student and Rin's girlfriend) taking her life. Rin retreated from the racing scene for years, becoming a recluse, before making an abrupt return against Team Spiral's Leader, Ikeda. Ryosuke races against Rin at Daikan, Kanagawa with Ikeda spectating behind.
Ryosuke is modeled after the "Drift King" Keiichi Tsuchiya's mentor, retired race car driver Kunimitsu Takahashi.
Keisuke Takahashi
Age 21/22 Sex Male Car Mazda Ẽfini RX-7 Type R (FD3S) Year 1993 Color Competition Yellow Mica Custom Parts (RedSuns) Fujita Engineering FRP Lip(1st-2nd), Mazdaspeed A-Spec Spoiler Type II (look too big in 1st Stage because of CGI), MS-01 Rims (1st Stage-2nd Stage), MS 02 Rims (Battle Stage and 3rd Stage ), Mazdaspeed Turbo Gauge, Mazdaspeed Muffler, Recaro Bucket Racing Seats, MazdaSpeed A-Spec Front Bumper(3rd Stage), Mazdaspeed Steering Wheel and RedSuns Sticker. Custom Parts (Early Project.D) MazdaSpeed Steering Wheel, MazdaSpeed Muffler, MazdaSpeed A-Spec Front Bumper Type II, MazdaSpeed MS-02(Black)Rims, MazdaSpeed Muffler, MazdaSpeed A-Spec Spoiler Type II, 2.0 MazdaSpeed Turbo Gauge, and Bucket Racing Seats Custom Parts (Later Project.D) RE Amemiya GT-AD aero with Carbon Fiber Canards, RE Amemiya AD9 Hood, RE Amemiya Fixed HID Headlights, RE Amemiya GT II Wing, Apex'i Power FC, RE Amemiya TA Dolphin Tail Muffler, SSR Type C(Bronze)Rims, RE Amemiya AD Mirror Type 1, RE Amemiya Steering Wheel, 1.5 RE Amemiya Turbo Gauge, Roll Cage and A'PEXi Power FC Japanese voice actor Tomokazu Seki English voice actor Steven Jay Blum (Tokyopop dub), Todd Haberkorn (Funimation dub) Keisuke Takahashi (高橋 啓介 Takahashi Keisuke, "K.T.") is the number two driver for the RedSuns. Keisuke drives Mazda's third generation 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 Ryosuke got Keisuke involved in street racing he was the leader of a Bōsōzoku 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 Ryosuke's ability to compute and analyze amazes Keisuke. But at the same time, Keisuke's ability to think less while he is driving, and to do only what he feels amazes Ryosuke. While Ryosuke 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. Though visibly getting along, they still have some kind of argumentation over who is the ace, he has respect for Takumi. He stated once he was not as strong minded as Takumi, because Takumi fell asleep really fast before a great battle, making him ask himself if he knew what was pressure.
Kenta Nakamura
Age 19/20 (?) Sex Male Car Nissan Silvia Q's Aero (S14) Year 1993(Zenki) Color Orange (Anime)/ Super Clear Red (Game) Custom Parts Nissan Smoke Film, RedSuns Sticker (Until 4th Stage), Japanese voice actor Kousuke Okano English voice actor David Rasner (Tokyopop dub), Greg Ayres (Funimation dub) Kenta Nakamura (中村 賢太 Nakamura Kenta, "Kent") is one of the youngest members of the Akagi RedSuns and the third best driver of the team. 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.)
He drives the #2 van for Project D and mostly does the reconnaissance recording of courses before the team actually travels to the locations, and has said once that he uses his S14 for it - only to be criticized by Keisuke for his imprecise driving.
Hiroshi Fumihiro
Age Late 20's Sex Male Car Toyota MR2 GT-S (SW20) or Mazda Roadster (NA6C) Color Silver (MR2), Red (NA6C) Japanese voice actor Osamu Hosoi English voice actor Chris Cason Hiroshi Fumihiro (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.
Shuichi Matsumoto
Age Unknown (Likely late 20's, early 30's) Sex Male Car Nissan 180SX Type S (RPS13) Japanese voice actor Rintarō Nishi English voice actor Mike McFarland Shuichi Matsumoto (松本 修一 Matsumoto Shūichi) is the personal mechanic for Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 and possibly Chief Mechanic for Project D. He is the driver for Project D's support van #3 during their expeditions. In chapter 39 of the manga, Matsumoto was asked by Ryosuke to tune his FC for his anticipated encounter with Rin Hojo.
Another thing to note about Matsumoto is his close relationship with Ryosuke, as he is often seen talking to Ryosuke about Project D. and Takumi during the latter's races.
Tomiguchi
Age Unknown (Likely late 20's, early 30's) Sex Male Car Toyota Hiace Japanese voice actor Ryoukichi Takahashi Keisuke's assigned mechanic in Project D. He's likely the driver of van #4 during the latter part of Project D's expeditions where they go to farther prefectures.
Teams
These are the teams from their respective cities or regions.
Akina Speed Stars
The Akina Speed Stars (秋名スピードスターズ Akina Supīdosutāzu) is 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 using erroneous techniques.
Name car section Koichiro Iketani Nissan Silvia K's (S13) Downhill Kenji Nissan 180SX Type X (RPS13) Uphill Itsuki Takeuchi Toyota Corolla Levin SR (AE85) Uphill Koichiro Iketani
Age 21/22 Sex Male Car Nissan Silvia K's (S13) Year 1988/1992 Color Lime Green two tone Custom Parts Nissan Front Lip & Side Skirt Japanese voice actor Kazuki Yao English voice actor Crispin Freeman (Tokyopop dub), Eric Vale (Funimation dub) One of Takumi's friends, Koichiro Iketani (池谷 浩一郎 Iketani Kōichirō, "Cole") 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 SpeedStars. Iketani drives a Nissan S13 Silvia. At first, Iketani thinks that the SpeedStars are the best drivers in Akina but later his boss Yuichi tells Iketani of the mysterious driver of an Eight-Six 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 Speed Stars.
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 1983-1987 Toyota Sprinter Trueno or Corolla Levin with the 4A-GE engine, one can simply call it an AE86, or more simply, an "Eight-Six".
Itsuki Takeuchi
Age 18/19 Sex Male Car Toyota Corolla Levin SR (AE85) Year 1985 Color High Tech White Custom Parts Toyota Door Visor, Turbocharger Japanese voice actor Mitsuo Iwata English voice actor Robbie Rist (Tokyopop dub), Josh Grelle (Funimation dub) Actor Chapman To Itsuki Takeuchi (武内 樹 Takeuchi Itsuki, "Iggy") 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 Corolla Levin (to complement Takumi's AE86 Trueno) but mistakenly buys an inferior (less power, poor brakes, less chassis bracing, and looser suspension) AE85. This upsets him until Takumi takes him for a drive (ultimately racing it downhill), demonstrating that the driver's skill can make a difference. With a car, he is a self proclaimed member of the Akina Speed Stars. He eventually purchases a turbocharger for his Eight-Five.
Kenji
Age 21/22 Sex Male Car Nissan 180SX Type X(RPS13) Year 1994/1996 Color White Custom Parts Nissan Front Grill & Nissan Skirt Japanese voice actor Wataru Takagi English voice actor Jason Spisak (Tokyopop dub), Christopher Bevins (Funimation dub) 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 Yuichi. He has respect and admiration for Iketani and Takumi; Iketani since he is 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 mysterious "Tofu Shop Eight-Six" 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, it's probably safe to say that he is about the same age as Iketani. His occupation is also unknown, although he often goes to the gas station where his friends work bringing car magazines and racing news.
Thunder Fire
Not much is known about team Thunder Fire and where their home course is. Their symbol is a lightning bolt with the word Thunder Fire written within it. After mistaking Itsuki's Eight-Five as the infamous Eight-Six of Akina and taunting Itsuki himself in front of Takumi, the three team members (two in a black Silvia S13 and one a Gray 180SX) were passed back to back on Akina's downhill by Itsuki's Eight-Five with Takumi behind the wheel. Thunder was the first team that was defeated by Team Emperor in the beginning of Stage Two. A purple 180SX driven by one of the members was beaten by Seiji Iwaki's Evo IV, and tore their team sticker in half and stuck upside down on the spoiler. The same car also hit the guardrail midway in Second Stage, which halted the unofficial race between Keisuke and Wataru. Thunder Fire's prominent team members and skill level are unknown, but like the Akina Speed Stars, Thunder Fire may be just a group of friends who race in their leisure time with little knowledge on proper technique.
Team Thunder Fire is an anime-exclusive team, and therefore are not part of the manga series.
Myogi NightKids
The Myogi NightKids (妙義ナイトキッズ Myōgi Naitokizzu) is 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 the team's number two driver, Shingo. Based in Gunma, their home course is Myogi. Shingo and Takeshi both show aggressive driving styles, hence why both their races with Akina's Eight-Six ended in a crash.
Name car section Takeshi Nakazato Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II (BNR32) Uphill Shingo Shoji Honda Civic SiR II (EG6) Downhill Takeshi Nakazato
Age 22 Sex Male Car Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II (BNR32) 380 HP Year 1994 Color Black Pearl Metallic Custom Parts Work Meister S1 3Piece Rims (Manga & Anime), '91 R32 Rims (Battle Stage) TRIAL Front Bumper (manga and arcade), Nismo front bumper (anime only), Japanese voice actor Nobuyuki Hiyama English voice actor Wally Wingert (Tokyopop dub), John Burgmeier (Funimation dub, Third Stage), Chris Burnett (Funimation dub, First & Second Stage) Takeshi Nakazato (中里 毅 Nakazato Takeshi, "Zack"), also known as the Black Lightning (黒い稲妻), is the leader of of the Myogi NightKids. He made his first appearance at the race in Akina where Keisuke Takahashi of the RedSuns is to race against Takumi. Surprised that Takumi could defeat Keisuke, Takeshi decides that he is going to be the one to challenge and defeat the "Akina downhill specialist", and that the RedSuns are next on his list.
He is an intelligent and skilled driver, notably recognizing Takumi's the gutter hook technique while observing the Eight-Six's first battle with Keisuke's FD. 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 (or rather silver) R32 on his home course of Myogi. Following the defeat by the 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.
He is a fan of the GT-R just like Kunimitsu Takahashi.
Shingo Shoji
Age 20 Sex Male Car Honda Civic SiR II (EG6) Year 1995 Color Milano Red Custom Parts Mugen RNR Silver Metallic tire, Honda Door Visor, Mugen Aero Set Japanese voice actor Keiji Fujiwara English voice actor Quinton Flynn (Tokyopop dub), Vic Mignogna (Funimation dub) Shingo Shoji (庄司 真吾 Shōji Shingo) is a member of the NightKids 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 (Gum) 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 it makes turning a challenge in a rear wheel drive car, as "catching" a car's oversteer on the exit becomes quite difficult. In a front-wheel drive car though, the use of the handbrake assists in turning the vehicle in corners. He detests Takeshi Nakazato because he believes that he is unfit to be leader of the NightKids, 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.
Impact Blue
Impact Blue (インパクトブルー Inpakuto Burū) is a partnership between its two members, Mako and Sayuki. Their home course is Usui. It is revealed that Impact Blue is disbanded in Extra Stage 2 due to Mako leaving for Tokyo to race there for a year.
Mako Sato and Sayuki
Age Both 20/21 Sex Female Car Nissan Sileighty/Sil80 (RPS13) Year 1996 (Manga), 1998 (Anime) Color Midnight Purple Pearl Custom Parts Nismo Aero side skirts & grill Japanese voice actor Michiko Neya and Yumi Kakazu English voice actor Kate Higgins and Bridget Hoffman (Tokyopop dub)
Colleen Clinkenbeard and Monica Rial (Funimation dub)
Mako Sato (佐藤 真子 Satō Mako, "Maya") is the driver of the Usui combination; Sayuki (沙雪, "Simone") is her co-driver/navigator, a combination similar to that found in the WRC. Mako is interested in Iketani of the Akina Speed Stars. She originally got close to him in order to race Takumi's Eight-Six 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 is 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 Usui.
Emperor
Emperor (エンペラー Enperā) is a highly skilled team led by Kyoichi Sudo. 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.
Name car section Kyoichi Sudo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III GSR (CE9A) Downhill Seiji Iwaki Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR (CN9A) Downhill Kyoichi Sudo
Age Unknown (possibly similar to Ryosuke/Nakazato) Sex Male Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III GSR (CE9A) Year 1995 Color Pyreness Black Custom Parts RALLIART Muffler and Rally-style Anti-Lag "Misfiring System". Japanese voice actor Masahiko Tanaka English voice actor Richard Cansino (Tokyopop Dub), Christopher Sabat (Funimation dub) Kyoichi Sudo (須藤 京一 Sudō Kyōichi, "Kyle") is the team leader and driving ace of the Lancer Evolution-only Emperor team from Gunma (according to his license plate), and one of the best drivers in the series. 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 Ryosuke Takahashi of the Akagi RedSuns, Kyoichi is much like Ryosuke: he is a calm and composed driver, compared to his teammate Seiji. Eager to show Ryosuke that he and his team are the best, Kyoichi and the Emperor team goes on to beat the various teams of Gunma, including the NightKids. He believes in the ultimate superiority of his race circuit techniques, whilst Ryosuke 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 blew out his engine at Akagi, but lost 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. Kyoichi declared Takumi as the winner for merely being able to resist being overtaken at the last part of the course where other drivers fell prey to him. To Kyoichi, 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 Todo School.
Seiji Iwaki
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV RS (CN9A) Year 1996 Color Scotia White Custom Parts Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR Rims, and Bucket Racing Seats Japanese voice actor Kazuhisa Kawahara English voice actor Grant George (Tokyopop dub), Jason Douglas (Funimation dub) Seiji Iwaki (岩城 清次 Iwaki Seiji, "Hawk") is the number two driver in the Lancer Evolution-only Emperor team, therefore he drives the Lancer Evolution IV. Seiji is a driver with good racing skills, but he is rather arrogant and overconfident and occasionally imprudent. He has won many races driving for Emperor against other teams, including Takeshi Nakazato of the NightKids and a member of Thunder.
After defeating various teams in Gunma, the Emperor team then set their sights on the Akina Speed Stars, aiming to beat Akina's infamous Eight-Six. Seiji volunteered to race for the Emperor team in his Evo IV against Takumi's Eight-Six, but he was humiliated when his overconfidence and impatience led to his downfall, causing Kyoichi, the team leader, having to race the Eight-Six 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. In Battle Stage, his Evo IV also raced Keisuke's FD, and lost.
One of Seiji's trademarks is to take the team sticker of teams he has defeated, cut it in half, and stick it on the sideblade of his spoiler upside-down, emulating the "kill" markers that fighter pilots paint on their planes.
Seven Star Leaf
Seven Star Leaf (セブンスターリーフ Sebun Sutā Rīfu, "SSR") is an average skilled team, and the first team to face Project D in 4th Stage, there are previous Project D victories mentioned prior to the start of 4th Stage. Based in Tochigi, their home course is the Nichien-Momiji line. Like the Akina Speed Stars, they are named after the same Japanese wheel manufacturer (Speed Star Racing).
Name car section Tohru Suetsugu Mazda Eunos Roadster S-Special II (NA6C) Downhill Atsuro Kawai Nissan Skyline 25GT - T (ER34) Uphill Tohru Suetsugu
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Mazda Eunos Roadster NA Special Package(NA6C) Year 1989 Color Classic Red Custom Parts Mazda Roadster 1993 Wheel, Mazda Front Lip, Mazda Eunos Roadster Spoiler, Mazda Eunos Roadster Mud Guards, Mazda Mirrors, Mazda Attachable Hard Roof top, Momo Steering Wheel, Bucket Racing Seats, RS Aizawa Individual Throttle Bodies, and TODA 1800cc Kit Japanese voice actor Daiki Nakamura English voice actor Chris Patton Tohru Suetsugu (末次 トオル Suetsugu Tōru) is the downhill racer for the Seven Star Leaf team and 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 is practically broke almost all of the time and borrows money from her often.
When the Seven Star Leaf team is challenged by Ryosuke'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 is defeated, he'll have to stop racing, or they will 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.
Atsuro Kawai
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Nissan Skyline GT-T 2.5 Turbo Coupe (ER34) Year 1998/1999 Color Dark Blue Pearl Custom Parts SSR Team Sticker, Sports Muffler, 400hp tune Japanese voice actor Seiji Sasaki English voice actor Scott Freeman Atsuro Kawai (川井 淳郎 Kawai Atsurō) is the hillclimb racer and the leader of the Tochigi-based Seven Star Leaf. 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 400hp.
Atsuro races against Keisuke during Project D's first expedition in Tochigi.
- Note: Atsuro is driving a 2.5L Turbo RWD Nissan GT R34 also known as 25GT-T Skyline not an AWD Nissan Skyline GT-R R34.
Todo School
The Todo School (東堂塾 Tōdō Juku) is a racing school run by a performance shop owner/ex-rally driver named Todo. They are very highly skilled, with many of their graduates going semi-pro/professional. Interestingly, they prefer FWD cars, particularly Hondas, using the Civic Type R as their best "demonstration" car. Based in Tochigi, their home course is the Enna Skyline or Happogahara.
The Todo School exclusively use parts from Spoon Sports to modify their cars.
Name car section Daiki Ninomiya Honda Civic Type R (EK9) Downhill Smiley Sakai Honda Integra Type R (DC2) Uphill Tomoyuki Tachi (OB) Honda Civic Type R (EK9) All - around Daiki Ninomiya
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Honda Civic Type R (EK9 Kouki) Year 1998 Colour Sunlight Yellow Custom Parts Spoon Grill, Spoon Wing, Spoon Muffler, Spoon Mirrors, Todo School-Made Rims Japanese voice actor Toshiyuki Morikawa English voice actor Ian Sinclair The ace and current student of the Todo School, Daiki Ninomiya (二宮 大輝 Ninomiya Daiki, "Dice") is one of the better drivers of the series. Driving a yellow Civic Type R (EK9), 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.
Smiley Sakai
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Honda Integra Type R (DC2) Year 1999 Color Championship White Custom Parts Spoon Carbon Bonnet, Todo School-Made Muffler, Todo School-Made Rims, Turbo with 1.5 psi Japanese voice actor Akimitsu Takase English voice actor Anthony Bowling Another driver and current student of the Todo School, Smiley Sakai (スマイリー 酒井 Sumairī Sakai, "Smiley") 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.
Judging by the way that Daiki refers to him with the san honorific (Smiley-san), it can be inferred that Smiley is a senior student of the Todo School, and probably the reason why he knows much of Todo's experiences in racing, especially the school's rivalry with Purple Shadow and their top racers.
Tomoyuki Tachi
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Todo School Spoon Honda Civic Type R (EK9) (Demo Car) Year 1998 Color Sunlight Yellow Custom Parts Spoon Rims, Spoon Exhaust, Spoon Mirrors, Spoon Carbon Fiber Hood, Spoon Front Bumper, Bucket Racing Seats, Spoon 11,000 RPM Gauge Cluster, Rear Fixed Suspension, Spoon Coilovers, Spoon Brakes, and Advan Sticker Japanese voice actor Kazuhiro Nakata English voice actor Jeff Johnson The Todo School could not live with their team being completely annihilated by outsiders, so they invited Tomoyuki Tachi (舘 智幸 Tachi Tomoyuki, "Touch"), a graduate of the school who is now a professional racer, to have a rematch against Project D on Happogahara, which is a course that consists of both downhill and hill climb sections. 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 Spoon-tuned demonstration EK9, at Happogahara. Tachi tuned the Civic the best he could to be able to compete with the FD on the straights, but surprisingly, Ryosuke decided to send out the Eight-Six. He lost the race to Takumi when he steered off the center of the road to avoid hitting a racoon that crossed the street near the finish line. Because of this dodging he creates enough space for Takumi to pass him in his Eight-Six. Afterwards Takumi asks Tachi why he suddenly created space for Takumi to pass. Tachi responded that he saw a raccoon jump across the road and because of his racing reflexes immediately dodged it. Takumi's headlights were turned off as part of his technique.
It is highly speculated that his professional racing outfit seems to be based on the racing outfit that Keiichi Tsuchiya wears during his racing days and his appearances in Best Motoring. The Green Racing suit, Green Kei Office(now K1Planning) gloves and the red Onitsuka Tiger racing shoes are evidence to this speculation.
He attended the Todo School with Kyoichi Sudo.
Northern Saitama Alliance
A racing group made of teams located in the Northern Saitama Prefecture. Included in this alliance, is the team that Nobuhiko and Kyoko are on, which remains unnamed, and also includes Wataru. They joined together to meet the challenge they knew would be coming from Project D. Nobuhiko Akiyama is the leader of the Alliance. The Alliance faces Project D twice, on two different courses. The Alliance throws the first downhill race against Project D so that Nobuhiko can gather enough information on Takumi to defeat him during the second set of races. Nobuhiko recruits Sakamoto for the job of defeating Takumi and all of the Alliance members (except Kyoko) chip in to purchase a Suzuki Cappuccino for Sakamoto to use in the race.
Name car section Wataru Akiyama Toyota Corolla Levin GT - Apex (AE86) Uphill Nobuhiko Akiyama Toyota Altezza (SXE10) Downhill Kyoko Iwase Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S) Uphill Sakamoto Suzuki Cappuccino (EA21R) Downhill Wataru Akiyama
Age 21 (22 in Project D) Sex Male Car Toyota Corolla Levin GT APEX (AE86) Year 1985 Color High Tech Two Tone Custom Parts (Lone) TRD Wing, Toyota Door Visor, HKS Single Turbo and Boost Meter, SSR Dori Dori Mesh wheels, Nardi Classic Steering Wheel, TRD Sports Seat, and a 6-point roll bar Custom Parts (Alliance) TRD Wing, 6-Point Roll Bar, TRD Carbon Fiber Hood, Toyota Door Visor, Toyota Skirt, Toyota 4A-GZE engine swap (stock superchaged 4A-GE), Wataru-Made Rims and ItalVolanti Admiral Red Trim Steering Wheel (seen while turning on the Wipers against the FD) Japanese voice actor Yasunori Matsumoto English voice actor Michael Lindsay (Tokyopop dub), Robert McCollum (Funimation dub) Wataru Akiyama (秋山 渉 Akiyama Wataru, "Aki") was one of the first racers from Saitama to actually race against Takumi with his Singled-Boost (which lags a lot) turbocharged Levin, he appeared later in the Project D arc, this time replacing the turbocharger with a supercharger for more linear acceleration. 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. As well as to watch over his sister Kazumi, who just got a job at a hotel with her aunt. Wataru is Nobuhiko's cousin, as seen when he watches Takumi race against the Northern Saitama Alliance in the hopes of finding a weak spot.
Wataru later raced against Keisuke Takahashi in a wet-weather race, but when his tires lost grip upon touching a metal gutter while he adjusted his wipers, he was defeated.
Some time later, Wataru confronts the imposter Project D somewhere in Saitama and helps the real Project D expose them as the frauds they are.
Nobuhiko Akiyama
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Toyota Altezza RS200 (SXE10) Year 2003 Color Silver Metallic Custom Parts TRD Wheel, TRD Muffler, TRD Side Skirts, & TRD Grille Japanese voice actor Jin Horikawa English voice actor Justin Pate The leader the Northwest Saitama Alliance, Nobuhiko Akiyama (秋山 延彦 Akiyama Nobuhiko, "Nobu") 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. It is revealed that Nobuhiko is Wataru Akiyama's cousin (as they share the same surname and looks pretty similar).
Kyoko Iwase
Age 20 Sex Female Car Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S) Year 1993 Body Brilliant Black Custom Parts Kouki FD3S Spoiler, Kyoko-Made Hood, Kyoko-Made Muffler, BORDER Front Bumper, BORDER Side Skirts, Knight Sport Aero Mirrors Type 1, RE-Amemiya AW-7 Rims, and RE Amemiya 1.0 Single Turbine upgrade Japanese voice actor Megumi Toyoguchi English voice actor Caitlin Glass A skilled uphill driving ace in the Northwest Saitama Alliance, Kyoko Iwase (岩瀬 恭子 Iwase Kyōko, "Kylie") was originally the fastest in the alliance, but after racing against Keisuke Takahashi, she falls in love with her opponent. This creates a conflict of interest between defeating Project D and supporting her love. Love prevailed. Attesting to this, Kyoko later lent her FD to Keisuke after he damaged the left front suspension of his own FD in an accident during a trial run on Tsuchisaka. Keisuke went on to win the race with her car, instead of the loaned FD Ryosuke planned for him to use. Unfortunately for her, Keisuke chooses to focus on Project D to the exclusion of all romantic relationships, although he admits liking her.
Kyoko's FD is a single turbo (compared to Keisuke's twin-turbo FD). Because of this, it has less torque and more turbo lag despite the power output being almost the same.
Sakamoto
Age 26 Sex Male Car Suzuki Cappuccino (EA21R) Year 1995 Color Antares Red Custom Parts Elite SPL Front Bumper, Rear Spoiler Japanese voice actor Hiroyuki Yoshino English voice actor Orion Pitts Sakamoto (坂本, "Sid") is a rally driver who trains 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 was outsourced by Wataru Akiyama, recruited by Nobuhiko in a desperate measure to defeat Takumi Fujiwara of Project D in a downhill race using a Suzuki Cappuccino, a Kei Car lighter than the Eight-Six. His speciality is driving Front engine, rear drive layout cars.
Unnamed Lan Evo Team in Tsuchisaka
This team, composed of two Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, challenged Project D on Tsuchisaka. They race for money, and they win by all means necessary (including cheating). When they were defeated by Project D, they asked a bunch of bozozoku gangsters (see below on 'Minor characters') to beat them up. Little did they know that these gangsters they called were actually from the Gunma area (the base of Project D), and former subordinates of Keisuke Takahashi. As a result, for the humiliation, the gangsters turned on the losers.
Name car section Ichijo Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR T.M. Edition (CP9A) Downhill Aikawa Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR (CP9A) Uphill Aikawa
Age mid 20s Sex Male Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR (CP9A) Year 1998 Color Scotia White Custom Parts VOLK TE37 Rims, Carbon fiber mirrors,and fog light covers Japanese voice actor Masuo Amada English voice actor Bryan Massey Aikawa (会川), known as the Man in Evo V in Arcade Stage Ver.3 and Kuro Waru in Battle Stage 2, is the uphill racer for the final team that Project D races in the Saitama Prefecture. He faces Keisuke on the uphill run on the Tsuchisaka pass. Unlike previous opponents, both Aikawa and his racing partner Ichijo are more than willing to use cheap, unfair tactics, such as spilling oil on the road, to defeat Project D (albeit 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, Aikawa 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 (who drove Kyoko's black FD), he displays little skill (Keisuke compares him to Atsuro Kawai, the ER34 Skyline driver of Seven Star Leaf) 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 straightaway with a barricade on the left side of the road. He was humiliated when he was given a lecture by Keisuke when he complained of "reckless driving."
In Arcade Stage 3 and in the PSP version, the Evo V is an RS, while the anime is a GSR.
Ichijo
Age mid 20s Sex Male Year 1999 Color Scotia White Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR( CP9A) Custom Parts T.M Edition Bodykit (w/o wing) Japanese voice actor Mitsuaki Madono English voice actor Jonathan Brooks Ichijo (一条 Ichijō) known as the Man in Evo VI in Arcade Stage 3 and Shiro Waru in Battle Stage 2, is the downhill racer for this team. Unlike Aikawa, Ichijo 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 that Shiro 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 is 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 the oil had been spilled earlier. Ichijo 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 were plenty of chances to outrun him, but he was spooked by Takumi's drifting of the Trueno on the final corner. There 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.
Purple Shadow
Purple Shadow (パープルシャドウ Pāpuru Shadō) is a two-man team consisting of Toshiya "God Arm" Joshima and Kozo "God Foot" Hoshino, both of whom are legendary around those parts. Based in Ibaraki, they drive on a course called F-Line. They challenged Project D on Mount Tsukuba.
Name car section Toshiya Joshima Honda S2000 (AP1) Downhill Kozo Hoshino Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nür (BNR34) Uphill Toshiya Joshima
Age 40+ Sex Male Car Honda S2000(AP1) Year 2002 Custom Parts Myumyu Papa Factory Front Bumper, Cusco 30 GT Wing, MUGEN MF-10(Bronze) wheels, J's Racing Type S Bonnet, Myumyu Papa Factory SSP Exhaust, with Late '03 Gauge cluster and Rear Bumper Color Monte Carlo Blue Pearl Japanese voice actor Masashi Ebara English voice actor R. Bruce Elliott Dr. Toshiya Joshima (城島 俊也 Jōshima Toshiya) is one of the two leaders of Purple Shadow, known as "God Arm" (ゴッドアーム Goddo Āmu) due to his one-handed steering and his ability to control 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.
Joshima'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 Joshima, Takumi felt as if he were being chased by Bunta in the Impreza. Initially Joshima toyed with Takumi, hiding his true ability, trying to instill confusion and self-doubt, confident he could dominate the battle. After Joshima finally sprang his tactical trap, Takumi recovered and retook the lead. The astonished Joshima 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 a loss for Takumi, except that Joshima'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. After the race, Joshima admits that Takumi's comeback put him under so much pressure that he was forced to put his left hand back on the steering wheel, something that hadn't ever happened to him.
However, Takumi did not feel that his victory was justified. Afterwards, Takumi requests a favor from Joshima, asking him to ride in his S2000 as he drives down the mountain again so that Takumi could watch God Arm's technique firsthand and hopefully improve upon his own techniques.
Kozo Hoshino
Age 40+ Sex Male Car Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nür (BNR34) Year 2002 Color Millennium Jade Metallic Custom Parts Yokohama Super Advan Racing SA3R Silver Wheel, Amuse R1 TITAN exhaust system, Apex'i sports catalyser, Rebuilt RB26DETT N1, Nismo Front bumper (manga only) Japanese voice actor Ryuzaburo Otomo English voice actor John Swasey Kozo Hoshino (星野 好造 Hoshino Kōzō) is one of the two leaders of Purple Shadow, known by the name of "God Foot" (ゴッドフット Goddo Futto) due to his extraordinary acceleration control (he has the ability to drift a Skyline GT-R with the ATTESA-ETS AWD 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. He 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. He has owned a total of 4 GT-Rs: an R32, an R33 in which he was disappointed with, another R32, and finally the R34 in which he uses in the race against Project D. He displays incredible control of his accelerator and brake pedals, but his heavier car is chased down by Keisuke's lighter FD in the first run although it barely wins the first run. The second run displays Hoshino's cunning as he overtakes Keisuke on the uphill/downhill pylon, though his heavier GT-R begins losing traction. Keisuke's doggedness inspires Hoshino to initiate a drift battle which make his tires suffer even more. Near the goal line, Hoshino drifts too far because of his tires, allowing Keisuke to attempt to pass him on the outside. Although Hoshino's weaker tires made him bump Keisuke slightly, the FD pulled out in front and finished the second round in the lead. Hoshino conceded the match as his traction was now not enough to win another run.
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. Although he lost, his time attack record still remains unbeaten, even by Keisuke no matter how hard he tried.
His last name may be a nod to Kazuyoshi Hoshino, a professional race driver known for driving Skylines and other Nissans in several major Japanese circuits, and the founder of Impul.
Team 246
Team 246 (チーム246(ツーフォーシックス) Chīmu Tsū Fō Shikksu), also known as "The 246ers", is a team based in the Kanagawa Prefecture. Racing in Yabitsu, they are direct rivals to Team Sidewinder, another team located in the Shizuoka Prefecture. According to Bunta and 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.
Name car section Satoshi Omiya Mazda MX - 5 Roadster (NB8C) Downhill Kobayakawa Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR (CT9A) Uphill 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 Fumihiro has made fun of, as he is 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 modified Mazda Roadster.
Satoshi Omiya
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Mazda Roadster (NB8C) (manga) Year 2004 Colour Orange/Red Satoshi Omiya (大宮 智史 Ōmiya Satoshi) is Team 246's leader and downhill representative who drives a 2nd generation Mazda Roadster. After seeing Kobayakawa's defeat, he decides to lead in the downhill planning to take the same approach as Keisuke. During the race, he also holds back until he sees an opening to go all out against Takumi. When he finally did so, his superior braking technique began to show. While miraculously keeping up, Takumi is distraught to see that he loses in terms of braking technique.
The race becomes so intense that while a rear wing would normally be considered purely cosmetic in the touge, Eiji Kubo of team Sidewinder notes that at the speed that both cars is enough to let aerodynamics be a possible deciding factor in the race. Trying to find any method of speeding up, Takumi turns his headlights off to reduce the Eight-Six's coefficient of drag. Omiya, after deciding earlier on not to look back and turns his rear-view mirror away, does not notice the eight-six disappearing and so, would negate the usual effect of the blind attack. However, when approaching a corner, Takumi decides to turn on his headlights again. Seeing that the road ahead was suddenly lit up, Omiya is led to believe that there is an oncoming car and brakes early while leaving the outside lane open. Takumi jumps in to go side-by-side, but Omiya refuses to budge and maintains the inside. However, because the line was so tight, the Roadster's wing collided with a road sign, leaving it hanging on the car, imbalancing its aerodynamics.
Ryosuke mentions how Mazda's FR layout cars are naturally oversteery because their rear ends are always uniquely higher than the front, making the rear very light. He notes that while the FD makes good use of these dynamics, the Roadster suffers from excessive oversteer and that an imbalance to the car would be Takumi's best opening. This manifests itself after Omiya retakes the lead but oversteers the last corner and spins out, losing the race.
Kobayakawa
Age 20 Sex Male Car Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR (CT9A) (manga) Year 2001 Color Yellow Custom Parts C-West Bodykit, Roll Cage, Bucket Racing Seats and Momo Steering Wheel Japanese voice actor Kenji Hamada Kobayakawa (小早川) is Team 246's uphill representative who drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII. Sure of his own skill and of 4WD's abilities on the uphill, he chooses to chase behind Keisuke with the plan of observing his opponent from behind; confident that he can overtake if Keisuke is underwhelming. Keisuke tunes his FD with as much power as possible with the plan of outrunning his opponent in the first round. This has a disadvantage, however, because the extra power causes the FD to become oversteery and would wear the rear tires very quickly (Kobayakawa notes during the race that the FD was looking clumsy). Kobayakawa becomes aware that Keisuke plans to lose him and attempts to anticipate when the FD driver plans to attack. The race progresses, however, without a sign of Keisuke's attack and Kobayakawa lowers his guard. Just when he did this, however, Keisuke initiated his attack and pulled away. Kobayakawa was unable to catch up and lost the race by a margin of 7 seconds.
Racing Team Katagiri Street Version
Racing Team Katagiri Street Version (レーシングチームカタギリ ストリート バージョン Rēshingu Chīmu Katagiri Sutorīto Bājon, often called "R.T. Katagiri S.V.") is a team who is the next opponent for Project D after Team 246. They are also known as "The Second Line". Their home ground is Nagao. The team was named after the real professional racing team, Katagiri.
Name car section Kai Kogashiwa Toyota MR-S S - Edition (ZZW30) Downhill Hideo Minagawa Toyota Supra SZ - R (JZA80) Uphill Kai Kogashiwa
Age 19 (20 in later stage) Sex Male Car Toyota MR2 G-Limited (SW20)/Toyota MR-S S-Edition (ZZW30) Year 1996 (SW20)/ 2003 (ZZW30) Color Dark Purple Mica(SW20)/Silver (ZZW30) Custom Parts (SW20) TRD Muffler, Wheel and decal Custom Parts (ZZW30) Techno Pro Spirits Parts, Nardi TRD Steering Wheel, Carbon Mid - Engine hood, TRD GT Wing, Techno Pro Spirits Muffler Japanese voice actor Nobutoshi Canna English voice actor Will Short Kai Kogashiwa (小柏 カイ Kogashiwa Kai) is a street racer from Tochigi prefecture, and a son to a legendary Downhill ace and Bunta's rival, Ken Kogashiwa. Ken taught Kai in the racing world from a young age, participating in karting competitions which made him specialised in midships (colloquial term for mid engine, rear drive). Before his transition to street racing, Kai was the fastest motorcyclist on Irohazaka. It can be seen that Kai's speciality on Irohazaka is similar to Takumi on Akina as he lives at Lake Chuzenji (which is at the top of Irohazaka) and takes the road during his daily commute to the bottom.
Kai had challenged Takumi on the Emperor's home course of Irohazaka. Kai had defeated Seiji Iwaki of Emperor and wanted to defeat Kyoichi as well, but set his sights on Takumi after Sudo's defeat. Kai uses a trick taught to him by his father to overtake Takumi by jumping a turn in a break in the guard rail on 33rd corner. However, he spins out on the final straightaway after his car loses traction from landing on leaves on the side of the road and was defeated.
Kai reappears as an opponent for Project D in Kanagawa prefecture. Kai represents the downhill ace for R.T. Katagiri against the Eight-Six. However, he spins out at the last sector costing him the race.
Originally, Kai drives his father's Toyota SW20 MR2 but later switches to a silver Toyota MR-S ZZW30(3rd Generation MR2 Roadster), leaving the SW20 to his father.
Hideo Minagawa
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Toyota Supra SZ-R (JZA80) Year 1996 Color Super White II Japanese voice actor Katsuyuki Konishi Hideo Minagawa (皆川 英雄 Minagawa Hideo) is a professional racer who represents Racing Team Katagiri as their uphill ace. On Hakone, he races against Keisuke and decides to go all out in an attempt to pressure Keisuke into making a mistake and capitalize, causing their tires to wear. He concedes the race after lightly tapping Keisuke's rear bumper.
Team Spiral
Based at Hakone Nanamagari, Team Spiral (チーム・スパイラル Chīmu Supairaru) is the 3rd line in the "4 lines of defense" strategy formulated by team Sidewinder. Their philosophy is tuning a car to bring out its full potential to fit the characteristics and skills of the driver through heavy modification, which is often misconceived as simply buying the most expensive parts. Unlike Racing Team Katagiri, the members of Team Spiral have no professional racing background and have acquired their near professional level skills from racing in the streets. The ranks of Team Spiral are unusual in the fact that Ikeda, while being team leader, is not considered the number 1 driver.
Name car section Hiroya Okuyama Nissan Silvia (S15) Downhill Ryuji Ikeda Nissan Fairlady Z/350Z (Z33) Uphill Ryuji Ikeda
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33) Year 2005 Colour Burning Red Japanese voice actor Kazuya Nakai Ryuji Ikeda (池田 竜次 Ikeda Ryūji) is the leader of Team Spiral and referred to as Zero. Ikeda's father is a wealthy head priest of a temple and as a result had ample funds to finance his car racing.
Ikeda believes in a theory he created known as "Zero Theory" in which car and driver come together to become a single entity. To do so, a great deal of tuning has to be done to a car in order to match the characteristics of the driver to attain a higher level of racing. Ikeda is an older racer and is very calm and level headed even in the heat of a race. He prepares for races by zoning out. When asked by Junichi Sakamoto, the number 2 driver of Team Spiral, what he thinks about when zoning out, Ikeda replies with "I don't think about anything. It's how I empty my mind and focus."
Shortly before Team Spiral's race with Project D, Ikeda is challenged to an unofficial race by Shinigami. Ikeda is pushed to his limits and bows out of the race in an attempt to prevent any damage to his car before the race with Project D. During the race with Project D, he remains in a confident position until he reaches a section of the track where it had been fogged over. This makes Ikeda hesitate, which goes against his zero theory. Keisuke, with assistance from Kenta, passes Ikeda at the start of a higher speed section near the end.
Hiroya Okuyama
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Nissan Silvia Spec R Aero(S15) Year 2000 Colour Brilliant Blue Japanese voice actor Shūhei Sakaguchi Hiroya Okuyama (奥山 広也 Okuyama Hiroya) is the number 1 driver or Zero 1. Okuyama too believes in Ikeda's "Zero Theory" and is disappointed when he won't be able to use his car's full potential due to the rain. Okuyama, unlike Ikeda is very arrogant and confident in his abilities. He also refuses to greet Project D upon meeting them. His battle against Takumi is raced in the team's first fog battle, but the result was similar to Takumi's battle against Nobuhiko of the Saitama Alliance: Takumi used half his potential until the first hairpin, where he left Okuyama behind.
Junichi Sakamoto
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Unknown Junichi Sakamoto (坂本 順一 Sakamoto Jun'ichi) is the number 2 driver of Team Spiral. It is not known what car he drives and is only briefly seen talking to Ikeda before his race with Keisuke.
Sidewinder
Sidewinder (サイドワインダー Saidowaindā) is the team that organized the "4 lines of defense". Their home course is the Tsubaki Line, but nearby Daikan maybe part of their home course (Ryosuke's battle with Rin Hojo was raced there). There are many rumors that they might be the "fourth line" or the last team in Kanagawa that Project D will compete with. In the storyline this team is trying to analyze Project D's weaknesses. They collect information by watching Project D during their practices and races.
Name car section Go Hojo Honda NSX-S Zero (NA1) Uphill Shinji Inui Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX Coupe(AE86) (Possibly) Downhill Rin Hojo Nissan Skyline R32 GTR V-Spec II (BNR32) Downhill Go Hojo
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Honda NSX-S Zero (NA1) Year 1999 Colour Formula Red Go Hojo (北条 豪 Hōjō Gō) is the Chief Driver of this team. He seems to have known Ryosuke Takahashi well as he mentioned him many times in the recent manga volumes. However, he does not have any past connections or quarrels with Ryosuke. Instead Hojo reveals that his elder brother known as "Shinigami" is the one who had a past quarrel (or connection) with Ryosuke alluding to a girl named Kaori. Hojo helps the Chief Mechanic of Sidewinder named Eiji Kubo to evaluate Project D's weaknesses.
Shinji Inui
Age Unknown (Younger than or as same age as Takumi) Sex Male Car Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX Coupe(AE86) Year 1986 Colour High Tech Two Tone Shinji Inui (乾 信司 Inui Shinji) makes his debut during Project D's battle against Team Spiral. Shinji is a member of Sidewinder and therefore second driver of this team. Shinji appears to be a boy (possibly younger than Takumi) but seems very intelligent. Shinji's car is the notchback coupe variant of the AE86 Trueno (not to be confused with Takumi's Eight-Six). He is the third character to drive a Toyota AE86 model, after Wataru's Levin AE86.
Rin Hojo
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Nissan Skyline GT-R V-SPEC II(BNR32) Year 1994 Colour Gun Grey Metallic Japanese voice actor Yuichi Nakamura Rin Hojo (北条 凛 Hōjō Rin), known as "Shinigami", is Go Hojo's elder brother and a legendary driver of Kanagawa. Apparently in Volume 39, Hojo stated that Ryosuke has a past connection or quarrel with Rin. It also becomes apparent that the long-standing feud between Ryosuke and Rin (according to Tsuyoshi) is because of a girl named Kaori, who was Rin's fiance at the time. There is a possibility that she took her life because an altercation between Ryosuke and Rin. Rin left the racing scene and became a recluse, locking himself in his home for years, before making a surprising return and racing (unofficially) against Team Spiral's leader, Ikeda. Rin is an extremely skilled driver who utilizes a dangerous driving style. He races against Ryosuke in an attempt to make him pay for a past incident involving Kaori.
Eiji Kubo
Age 40s Sex Male Car Unknown Eiji Kubo (久保 英次 Kubo Eiji) is the Chief Mechanic of Sidewinder. Kubo appears to have a high amount of knowledge about a car's performance and capabilities as well as race theories. He can make very precise anticipations as he did during Project D races against Team 246. As seen in the manga, Kubo has been entrusted to analyze and evaluate Project D's weaknesses.
Other characters
Natsuki Mogi
Age 18 Sex Female Japanese voice actor Ayako Kawasumi, English voice actor Kat Cressida (Tokyopop dub), Brina Palencia (Funimation dub) Actress Anne Suzuki Natsuki Mogi (茂木 なつき Mogi Natsuki, "Natalie") is Takumi's initial love interest, and one of the few characters who does not get scared when riding in a car being driven by Takumi. She is known to have been with at least three males in the series: Miki (Takumi's classmate), "Papa", and Takumi. Before she hooked up with Takumi, she engaged in enjo kosai to make some extra money with a middle-aged man driving a white Mercedes (nicknamed "Papa"). It is also revealed in First Stage that Miki, Takumi's classmate, has had sexual relations with her before. After getting to know Takumi, she falls in love with him and ends her relationship with "Papa". Mogi decides to free herself from her stained past by working hard to enter a university in Tokyo.
The status of her relationship with Takumi is somewhat unclear at this point: in volume 17 of the manga (and at the end of 3rd Stage), she and Takumi appear to mutually break up as they are going their separate ways; however, she appears in the first episode of 4th Stage in a flashback sequence where she and Takumi promise to find each other again.
Saori
Age 17 Sex Female Japanese voice actor Orine Fukushima English voice actor Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Tokyopop dub), Jamie Marchi (Funimation dub) Saori (沙織) is a character who appeared only in first stage and was Itsuki's first love interest. Later. she breaks up with him after being involved in a car accident caused by Shingo, who mistook Itsuki's Eight-Five for Takumi's Eight-Six. Itsuki negligently engaged in a downhill battle with Shingo while Saori (still in the vehicle) pleaded with him to stop. The reason for the breakup was that if she stayed with Itsuki, her memories of the accident would come back to haunt her, so it would be better to break it off completely.
Yuichi Tachibana
Age 42 (43 in stage 4) Sex Male Japanese voice actor Tomomichi Nishimura English voice actor Michael McConnohie (Tokyopop dub), Chuck Huber (Funimation dub) Yuichi Tachibana (立花 祐一 Tachibana Yūichi, "Boss") is the boss of the gas station that Takumi worked in. An old friend of Bunta's and a racer in his youth, Yuichi acts like a father figure to the Akina Speed Stars.
It seems that he drives a black Toyota Chaser that is seen during some of Takumi's races that he watched, specifically the races against Nakazato's R32 and Ryosuke's FC3S.
Masashi Suzuki
Age 40s Sex Male Japanese voice actor Koji Ishii English voice actor Kirk Thornton (Tokyopop dub), Bob Carter (FUNimation dub) Masashi Suzuki (鈴木 政志 Suzuki Masashi) 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 in the AE86: a TRD tuned Group A Silvertop 20V 4A-GE from an AE101 race car (after Takumi blows the engine in a run against Kyoichi). He also was entrusted by Bunta to find him a "suitable" car for him (after he handed the Trueno to Takumi), and as a result he finds him the GC8V (Coupe) Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version V.
Tsukamoto
Age 20 Sex Male Car Nissan 180SX Type II (RPS13) Year 1989/1991 Custom Parts Nissan 2nd 180SX grill Tsukamoto (塚本) is a minor character that appears in the manga around the time of Takumi's race against Kyoichi of Emperor. Tsukamoto was a high school senior when Takumi and Natsuki were freshmen, but now he is mildly involved with the street racing scene in Akagi. Although he believes that his skills are extreme, they are in fact far from it. He soon experiences real extreme driving when Takumi drives his 180SX down Akagi after a request by Natsuki to pass a cocky couple in a Silvia S13, leading to Tsukamoto fainting.
Miyahara
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Toyota MR2 (SW20) Japanese voice actor Tomoyuki Shimura English voice actor Yuri Lowenthal (Tokyopo dub), Regan Adair (Funimation dub) Miyahara (宮原) is a character that appeared in Extra Stage, who encountered Mako during a vacation at a ski resort. He had minor interest in racing and planned to replace his car with a more practical family mover. He developed an affection to Mako and asked her to quit racing and settle down, but she invited him to sit with her in the SilEighty, where she drove hard, implying that she still wanted to race.
Voice on the Phone to Bunta in Stage 1, Ep23
The voice on the phone to Bunta in Stage 1, Ep23 is actually Keiichi Tsuchiya, who is considered the father of Drift and who is on the Technical advisory crew for the anime series. In the second episode of First Stage, the Speed Star drivers are shown watching and chatting over his video, The Drift Bible, a beginner's guide to drift. Takumi buys Tsuchiya's Best Motoring Video Special Vol. 41 video in Third Stage. Here in the series, Keiichi and Bunta appear to be old friends. The younger Tsuchiya is voiced by Yuji Ueda in Japanese. In English, Tsuchiya is voiced by Neil Kaplan in the Tokyopop dub and Kyle Hebert in the Funimation dub, respectively.
Kazumi Akiyama
Age 19 (20 in stage 4) Sex Female Japanese voice actor Ryoka Yuzuki English voice actor Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Tokyopop dub), Cherami Leigh (Funimation dub) Kazumi Akiyama (秋山 和美 Akiyama Kazumi, "Carrie") is Wataru's younger sister. She was Itsuki's second love interest after Saori "left" him. She is an impatient girl that came to Gunma from Saitama to work in her aunt's inn, but left due to being framed by a senior worker (in 2nd Stage). Kazumi appeared in 4th Stage in Saitama with Wataru against the race with Project D, then after started spending some time with Itsuki and she reveals she broke up with a working adult man then after she patched up with him again (after he begged for her forgiveness), leaving Itsuki heartbroken.
Ken Kogashiwa
Age 40+, possibly similar to Bunta Sex Male Car Toyota MR2 G-Limited (SW20) Year 1996 Custom Parts Same as Kai Kogashiwa Japanese voice actor Kinryu Arimoto English voice actor Bruce Carey Ken Kogashiwa (小柏 健 Kogashiwa Ken) is Kai's father and Bunta's life-long rival when Bunta was still racing with the AE86 Trueno.
Miki
Age 20? Sex Male Car Celica GT-Four (ST205) Year 1998 Custom Parts None Japanese voice actor Wataru Takagi (First Stage), Takumi Yamazaki (Third Stage) English voice actor Chris Ayres Miki (御木) is 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 in 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.
Two Guys From Tokyo
Age Unknown Sex Both Male Car Nissan Silvia Spec R (S15) Year 1999 Custom Parts Bucket Racing Seats Japanese voice actor Koji Ishii (Otaku 1), Makoto Hiso (Otaku 2) English voice actor Sonny Strait (Otaku 1), Craig Dvorak (Otaku 2) These racers are originally from Tokyo, the capital of Japan. During a visit to the Gunma area they chance upon Itsuki and Iketani while they are driving up to the top of Mt. Akina. They appear out of nowhere with their Nissan Silvia S15 and quickly blow by both cars. When Itsuki and friends reach the top and check out the newly installed turbo in his Eight-Five, these two guys reappear in their S15. They begin making insults about Itsuki's car and gloat about the experience they've obtained by racing on circuit tracks. Iketani tells them to get lost. The two boys get in and wait for Iketani to descend the mountain to force him into a race to defend his honor as a racer. The S15 passes Iketani relatively quickly but is subsequently passed themselves by Takumi driving Itsuki's AE85. Being passed by such a "lowly" car persuaded them to stop picking any more battles with the local racers.
The Bosozoku Gang Leader
Age Unknown Sex Male Car Nissan Cima (FY33) (Manga), Toyota Celsior (UCF10) (Anime) Year 1998 (Cima)/1994 (Celsior) Custom Parts Unknown (but they refer to VIP style tuners such as Impul) Japanese voice actor Tomoyuki Shimura English voice actor Bob Carter Based on Gunma Prefecture (as same as Project D), the Bosozoku Gang Leader is also Keisuke Takahashi's old friend, as Keisuke was a gang leader himself at one point. This gang appears in Tsuchisaka as a bunch of gangsters defeated by Project D call them to beat up Project D, but they end up turning on their would-be employers.
Imposter Project D
Age Unknown Sex Both Male Car Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86) and Mazda RX-7 RS (FD3S) Year 1986 (Fake Takumi) & 2000 (Fake Keisuke) Japanese voice actor Anri Katsu (Fake Takumi), Hirokazu Miura (Fake Keisuke) Imposter Project D (ニセプロジェクトD Nise Purojekuto Dī) are Two guys that pose as Takumi and Keisuke. These imposters go around living off Project D's success. Posing as Takumi and Keisuke, they talk down to people that ask them questions, gloat about their "skills" and try to pick up women. Their antics are quickly put to an end when they are confronted by the real members of Project D and were humiliated.
Mika Uehara
Age 18 Sex Female Mika Uehara (上原 美佳 Uehara Mika) is Takumi's love interest during the latter part of the Project D story arc. When the Fake Takumi blows off her best friend Tomoko, she gets angry and decides to confront Takumi about it (not knowing it wasn't the real Takumi that did it). She takes the train out to Yuichi's gas station and asks to see Takumi; when he arrives, she slaps him hard in the face. Bewildered to why she did this, Mika tells her story to Takumi and his friends. They in turn ask Mika to send a photo of Takumi via cell phone to her friend to confirm if the real Takumi was the guy that blew her off. She comes to find out from her friend that the real Takumi had nothing to do with it. Later, Takumi drives out to Saitama (where she lives) to see her. She apologizes for her previous actions and they talk for several hours. After exposing the imposters, the Fake Takumi apologizes to Mika's friend. Mika thanks Takumi and they continue to see each other as the story progresses.
Mika is a senior in high school and is exceptionally talented at playing golf. Her father has raised her to play golf early in life the same way that Bunta raised Takumi to drive early in his life.
Mr. Uehara
Age ?? (same as Bunta?) Sex Male Mika's father. He supervises Mika as she practices golfing at the golfing range.
References
Initial D by Shuichi Shigeno Series Video Games Initial D Arcade · Initial D Arcade Stage Version 2 · Initial D Arcade Stage Version 3 · Initial D Arcade Stage 4 · Initial D Arcade Stage 5 · Initial D: Street Stage · Initial D Extreme StageCategories:- Lists of anime and manga characters
- Fictional racecar drivers
- Initial D
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