History Characters / InitialD

* EnjoKosai: She engages in this; her giving up the practice and facing the consequences of such a decision is a good part of her CharacterDevelopment.
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Before the start of the series, Takumi got into a fight with Miki when he accuses her of being one. Subverted when he finds out about it in ''Second Stage'' thanks to a mysterious letter addressed to him at school.

* AdaptationDyeJob: For some reason, in the ''Arcade Stage'' games, imposter Keisuke's hair is colored black.

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: How he views his driving especially in contrast to the perspectives of other drivers. This is best exemplified in the two times where Iketani goes for a ride with him down Mount Akina: Iketani screams and outright ''faints'' from Takumi's riskier-looking technique, while Takumi pretty much thinks nothing of it.

** His idea of secretly training Takumi into becoming a seasoned street racer is to send him on tofu delivery runs up Mount Akina every day, regardless of weather conditions. Which pays off, as Takumi's rain experience allows him to [[CurbStompBattle smoke]] Kenta, [[TheWorfEffect the RedSuns' rain specialist]], as well as Miki during a snowy day.

* PosthumousCharacter: She's already died three years before the start of ''Initial D''.

* SenpaiKohai: Iketani and Kenji are the seniors, with Takumi and Itsuki their juniors.

* BadassBaritone: In the anime series, Bunta's given a deep, gruff voice to signify his experience behind the wheels.

* BadassBaritone: Whether it's Creator/TakehitoKoyasu or Creator/DaisukeOno, Ryosuke has a notably deep voice among the main cast.

* {{Pride}}: Is angered when Kyoichi instructs him to tail Takumi for most of the race to understand Takumi's technique, believing he shouldn't have to in what he perceives to be an inferior vehicle. [[spoiler:He impatiently discards that plan and overtakes Takumi early during their race on Mount Akina, only to lose the lead he gained later because there's only so much he can learn from watching the Trueno in his rearview mirror, thanks to Takumi's gutter drop technique]]. Seiji earns a slap and a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]] from Kyoichi for [[YouHaveFailedMe his efforts]].

* DreamTeam: InUniverse to the whole of Gunma, being touted as the best non-professional drivers the prefecture has to offer.

* {{Superboss}}: In ''Arcade Stage''[='=]s Legend of the Streets single-player mode, he's consistently encountered as an optional and ''brutal'' extra boss after you defeat Takumi for the last time. If you let him pass, you can pretty much kiss your chances of getting back in front of him good-bye; thankfully, beating him is not necessary for [=LotS=] mode to be counted as completed and the credits will still roll. ''Arcade Stage Ver. 2'' and ''Ver. 3'' feature Bunta Challenge, where you face off against Bunta, who is already ridiculously difficult, but every time you defeat him, he becomes ''even faster'', and gains two major upgrades along the way: The Trueno's engine swap at 5 stars and his Impreza at 10 stars, with the max level being 15 stars. Oh, and every time you lose in Bunta Challenge, you ''lose points''.

* FiveManBand: Subverted; it's actually four members, though one of them fulfills a dual role on the team.
** TheLeader: Doubling as TheSmartGuy, Nobuhiko is Wataru's cousin and the one who decides on using a Cappuccino for Sakamoto in the Alliance's rematch against Project D.
** TheLancer: Wataru, TheAce driver for the team.
** TheChick: Kyoko, the only female racer in the Alliance.
** TheBigGuy: Sakamoto, a professional rally driver brought in because of his experience.

* SempaiKohai: Iketani and Kenji are the seniors, with Takumi and Itsuki their juniors.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Their politeness is only a front so they can see their opponents lose badly thanks to their dirty tactics. And should they even lose, they'll calmly call a bunch of bōsōzoku gangsters while warning them in a sinister tone. [[spoiler:This would lead to their downfall as the gang members they called upon were former acquaintances of Keisuke.]]

* UnskilledButStrong: While their driving skills are far below average, their cars are extremely high performance [=AWD=] vehicles, even by Project D's standards. {{Lampshaded}} by Takumi, who comments to Shuichi during Keisuke's race against Aikawa he should have already won after the start, [[spoiler:but the match up is balanced because he's using Kyoko's RX-7 rather than his own due to the crash and Keisuke hasn't had enough ample time to practice the course]].

* WhatTheHellHero: Post-race, Aikawa attempts to accuse Keisuke of trying to crash into his car when there's little road on the course due to a construction barricade, since two cars wouldn't fit side-by-side to pass it. Subverted when Keisuke explains in full detail Aikawa had more than enough space on his side of the road (next to the guardrail) to give his FD room, since his car was roughly two centimeters away from hitting the barricade, whereas Aikawa's Lancer Evolution V was at least five centimeters from touching the guardrail.

* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler:Ichijo goads Takumi into throwing their race on the threat of an incoming ''bosozoku'' gang to beat up Project D; he even states he'll let Takumi off from the beatings so long as he loses]].

* LightningBruiser: Deconstructed hard, when Hideo went all out for the sake of his pride. The Supra is a disgustingly fast car with its 2JZ big-block engine tuned to 500 HP, meaning that it could go fast in spite of weighing 1.5 tons, just as heavy as Hoshino's GTR. However, the heavy chassis and engine combined with Hideo pushing the car to high speeds meant that the Supra's tires would've worn down faster especially on the uphill.

* TheAce: Since Sidewinder are touted as the best in Kanagawa, Go is Kanagawa's fastest hillclimb driver.

* {{Pride}}: Is angered when Kyouichi instructs him to tail Takumi for most of the race to understand Takumi's technique, believing he shouldn't have to in what he perceives to be an inferior vehicle. [[spoiler:He impatiently discards that plan and overtakes Takumi early during their race on Mount Akina, only to lose the lead he gained later because there's only so much he can learn from watching the Trueno in his rearview mirror, thanks to Takumi's gutter drop technique]]. Seiji earns a slap and a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]] from Kyouichi for his efforts.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: In a rare male-to-male example, Kyouichi slaps Seiji Iwaki for [[spoiler:refusing to follow his "Simulation 3" tactic that would've secured his victory against Takumi]].

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Gives one to Takumi in a case of MistakenIdentity after her friend Tomoko was previously approached by his Imposter Project D doppleganger.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Their politeness is only a front so they can see their opponents lose badly under their dirty tactics.

* DirtyCoward: Not only does the team sabotage the race for Project D, [[spoiler:they are such {{Sore Loser}}s that [[DisproportionateRetribution they call in a ''bōsōzoku'' gang to beat up Project D members just because they lose]]. After it turns out the same gang is on Project D's side, they immediately begin begging for mercy]].

-> Voiced by: Matsuo Amada, Creator/BryanMassey (Funimation)

* BerserkButton: [[ItsAllAboutMe Drivers who are full of themselves]]; Daiki assumes Project D is nothing but weak drivers that brag about their accomplishments. When he meets them in person, however...

* MidSeasonUpgrade: Played with - his car turns from a "complete joke" to "somewhat-less-of-a-joke" after he installs a turbo in it.

** MirrorCharacter: Kai and Takumi are raised by their respective fathers to be exceptionally skilled drivers; although Kai is the one who is a professional kart racer when he appears in the series, Takumi is being groomed to eventually go professional post-Project D. Kai also subtly {{Lampshades}} how the [=MR2=] is precious to him, just as Takumi loves his [=AE86=].

* RareVehicles: Subverted; the Sileighty is pretty common among drifters, but most of them, like Mako's, aren't genuine units, but were actually user-modified cars created from 180SXs with S13 Silvia front ends[[note]]This was an attempt to reduce repair costs, since the 180SX and the S13 Silvia share the same chassis, but S13 front panels and lights are cheaper than the equivalent 180SX replacement parts[[/note]].

* RareVehicles: His car is basically a limited edition version of the Lancer Evolution VI, named after Finnish rally champion Tommi Mäkinen.

* TheDreaded: Their appearance in Gumna and their effortless victories over several teams there causes every team in the prefecture to crap their pants.

* JapaneseRanguage: Despite the full name, their team name is acronymed as SS''R''.

* RedOniBlueOni: The cocky, foul-mouthed Aikawa is the red to Ichijo's cunning, scheming blue

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Anyone seated next to Takumi will not only witness his skills firsthand, but will likely faint. Poor Koichiro Iketani passes out after ''three turns'' on Mount Akina. Bunta, on the other hand, takes this UpToEleven. What can you say about a driver who [[spoiler:''lights up a cigarette in the middle of a drift]]''?

* BonusBoss: In ''Arcade Stage'', ''only'' after defeating Takumi in the last encounter with him in Legend of the Streets mode will Bunta challenge players. It's unlikely players will win, as his RubberBandAI will snap if he makes a pass. Regardless of a win or loss, the credits will roll.

* {{Superboss}}: In ''Arcade Stage''[='=] Legend of the Streets single-player mode, he's consistently encountered as an optional and ''brutal'' extra boss after you defeat Takumi for the last time. If you let him pass, you can pretty much kiss your chances of getting back in front of him good-bye. ''Arcade Stage Ver. 2'' and ''Ver. 3'' feature Bunta Challenge, where you face off against Bunta, who is already ridiculously difficult, but every time you defeat him, he becomes ''even faster'', and gains two major upgrades along the way: The Trueno's engine swap at 5 stars and his Impreza at 10 stars, with the max level being 15 stars. Oh, and every time you lose in Bunta Challenge, you ''lose points''.

-> Voiced by: Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (1998-2013 TV series, OVA, and Game), Creator/DaisukeOno (2014 film), Creator/LexLang (Tokyopop), Creator/JMichaelTatum (Funimation), Edison Chan (Live-action), Guillermo Rojas (Latin Spanish dub)

-> Voiced by: Creator/KeijiFujiwara (1998-2013 TV series, OVA, and Game), Shuhei Sakaguchi (2014 film), Creator/QuintonFlynn (Tokyopop), Creator/VicMignogna (Funimation)
-> Car: 1995 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic_Si Honda Civic SiR II (EG6)]], Mario Hernández (Latin Spanish dub)

* MetaGuy: He basically serves as an avatar for viewers who wonder why everyone else in the series drifts through corners when in reality that would be much slower than just gripping through them. He quickly learns that unfortunately, showboating his BoringButPractical approach in a world where [[RuleOfCool drifting is written to look awesome and skillful]] isn't going to work, losing to Takumi and later to Team Emperor.

* MetaGuy: He basically serves as an avatar for viewers who wonder why everyone else in the series drifts through corners when in reality that would be much slower than just gripping through them. He quickly learns that unfortunately, showboating his BoringButPractical approach in a world where drifting is written to look awesome and skillful isn't going to work, losing to Takumi and later to Team Emperor.