History Manga / InitialD

* AdaptationDyeJob: [[spoiler:Bunta Fujiwara]]'s Subaru Impreza WRX [=STi=] is supposed to be painted "Cool Gray Metallic", just like Shigeno's own Impreza. It appears as such in the manga, the first 3 versions of ''Arcade Stage'', and the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 port ''Special Stage''. When the car made its anime debut in ''Fourth Stage'', the Impreza was painted in "Sonic Blue Mica", and said color [[RetCon became the default paint job for the vehicle]] in subsequent appearances. The same trope also affects Kozo "God Foot" Hoshino's Skyline GT-R R34, which was originally blue in manga but appeared in Millenium Jade Metallic color (complete with V-Spec II Nur trim as opposed to the regular V-Spec II) in Fourth Stage and Arcade Stage games

* AdaptationDyeJob: [[spoiler:Bunta Fujiwara]]'s Subaru Impreza WRX [=STi=] is supposed to be painted "Cool Gray Metallic", just like Shigeno's own Impreza. It appears as such in the manga, the first 3 versions of ''Arcade Stage'', and the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 port ''Special Stage''. When the car made its anime debut in ''Fourth Stage'', the Impreza was painted in "Sonic Blue Mica", and said color [[RetCon became the default paint job for the vehicle]] in subsequent appearances. The same trope also affects Kozo "God Foot" Hoshino's Skyline GT-R R34, which was originally blue in manga but appeared in Millenium Jade Metallic color in Fourth Stage and Arcade Stage games

* AdaptationDyeJob: [[spoiler:Bunta Fujiwara]]'s Subaru Impreza WRX [=STi=] is supposed to be painted "Cool Gray Metallic", just like Shigeno's own Impreza. It appears as such in the manga, the first 3 versions of ''Arcade Stage'', and the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 port ''Special Stage''. When the car made its anime debut in ''Fourth Stage'', the Impreza was painted in "Sonic Blue Mica", and said color [[RetCon became the default paint job for the vehicle]] in subsequent appearances.

* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: Well known for it, and usually turns up in parodies through blatant ArtShift. The effect is most severe on earlier stages, as CGI technology was less developed and more expensive in [[TheNineties the late '90s]] and [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]].
* AdaptationDyeJob: [[spoiler:Bunta Fujiwara]]'s Subaru Impreza WRX [=STi=] is supposed to be painted "Cool Gray Metallic", just like Shigeno's own Impreza. It appears as such in the manga, the first 3 versions of ''Arcade Stage'', and the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 port ''Special Stage''. When the car makes its anime debut in ''Fourth Stage'', the Impreza is wearing the "Sonic Blue Mica" paint, and said color [[RetCon becomes the default paint job for the vehicle]] in subsequent games released from that point on.

** The anime left out several things from the manga, such as who's responsible for [[spoiler:sending the letter to Takumi warning him of Natsuki's [[EnjoKosai "practices"]]]] and the race between Seiji and Keisuke (preceding the final duel between Kyoichi and Ryosuke) in ''Second Stage'', as well as the opponents Keisuke faces in the first half of ''Fourth Stage''. At the very least, Keisuke's missing battles are reincorporated in the ''Battle Stages''.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Two words - "[[RunningGag lonely driver]]". If there's a potential romance involving a main character brewing in the series, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption it's going to be shot down]]. [[ExaggeratedTrope Horribly]]. The Speed Stars bemoan this to no avail (particularly Itsuki).
** In ''First Stage'' and both ''Extra Stages'', Iketani and [[NiceGirl Mako]] [[BadassDriver Sato]] have mutual crushes on each other, but thanks to a series of mistakes, misinterpretations, and plain bad luck, both remain convinced the other party hates them. ''Extra Stage 2'' [[spoiler:puts the final nail in the coffin of their crush, as although the two reconcile their friendships, Mako has received an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a professional racer in Tokyo. Iketani chooses not to confess, as he fears romance would just negatively affect Mako's performance in the circuit]].
** Poor Itsuki goes through this ''twice'', both involving the same girl he crushes on.
*** In ''Second Stage'', Itsuki goes through his FirstLove after meeting [[spoiler:Kazumi, who hails from Saitama and moved to Gunma to work with her aunt, and forming a friendship with her]]. It doesn't take long for [[spoiler:her to get [[FrameUp wrongly framed for a wrongdoing]] by a [[{{Jerkass}} senior worker]], prompting her to request to spend the night with Itsuki to avoid facing her aunt's wrath]]. Naturally, this leads to [[spoiler:her family freaking out over her absence, and demanding her to return home to Saitama, forcing her to part ways with Itsuki, who [[CannotSpitItOut can't muster the courage to confess his love for her]]]].
*** In ''Fourth Stage'', the two meet again when Itsuki and company [[spoiler:travel to Saitama to root for Takumi's race against Northern Saitama Alliance, given how Kazumi's brother Wataru is part of said Alliance. The two begin going out after said race, [[HopeSpot and it looks like they will actually get together this time]], especially as it's revealed that Kazumi is trying to avoid her ex-boyfriend, an older man who can't get over their break-up]]. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:just as she is about to confess to Itsuki that she wishes to be with him, to avoid her ex, Wataru arrives in the scene after tracking her down, with Kazumi's ex on the passenger seat. Kazumi's ex successfully convinces her to return to his arms]], leaving poor Itsuki [[HeroicBSOD paralyzed in denial and disbelief]].
** Also in ''Fourth Stage'', Kyoko Iwase falls head-over-heels for Keisuke, having admired him long before Project D was even founded. Keisuke, however, maintains from the beginning that he doesn't have time for girls, as he believes that [[LoveIsAWeakness love will only slow him down]] [[MarriedToTheJob and distract him from racing]]. [[spoiler:Like with Itsuki, toward the end of the Stage, things seem like they will work out for Kyoko, as Keisuke invites her to spend a day together going out, visiting a large mall, and eating together. However, it was actually an attempt from Keisuke to soften the blow on Kyoko when he makes it clear - although in a kinder way - that he doesn't want to be in a relationship with her, since he really wouldn't be able to make time for her, as he requires maximum concentration to excel in his races. [[BreakTheCutie It doesn't work]]]].
** Takumi with Natsuki is one of the few relationships in the entire series to work flawlessy, [[spoiler: or at least until Takumi learns Natsuki is engaged in [[EnjoKosai compensated dating]]. This essentially broke them up in all but name, in spite of Natsuki's attempts to fix the situation. The issue is rendered moot when they graduate from high school at the end of ''Third Stage'', however, as she goes to study university in Tokyo while Takumi joins Project D. It is hinted that Takumi forgave Natsuki in the end of ''Third Stage'']]. In ''Fifth Stage'', [[spoiler:he gets into a fully-reciprocated relationship with Mika Uehara, averting the trope once and for all]].
* AnachronismStew: The series began in 1995 and takes place in the then-present day (stated in the manga as [[YearX 199X]] to allow vehicles up to 1999, which many of them are on the cusp of). As the series continued, despite two or three years passing at most, cars from the early to mid-2000s start showing up, not just as background fluff that the untrained eye wouldn't notice, but as actual racing machines, such as the 350Z and the Evo VII.[[note]]Both started production in 2001; the Evo VII ended production in early 2003 to be replaced with the Evo VIII, while the 350Z remained in production until 2007.[[/note]] Technology improves at a similar pace, with the racers' timekeepers going from handheld radios to smartphones and laptops.

** However, despite that, [[http://i.imgur.com/QfgZ2yZ.png Bunta]] at one point demonstrates that he's the real king of the touge in an incomparable class of his own, by [[spoiler: [[TheWorfEffect easily passing Takumi]] (post-Project D training, no less) while test driving the Impreza]] in ''Fourth Stage''.
*** And, because it deserves mentioning, Bunta at one point ''lights a cigarette while in a full-speed four-wheel drift''.

* BattleAura: Post-''Second Stage'', with the exception of ''Third Stage''.
** {{Foreshadowed}} by Takeshi Nakazato on the second battle between Takumi and Keisuke, as seen on the page quote.

* BlandNameProduct: All over the Stages.

* BookEnds: The beginning and end of the manga shows Takumi Fujiwara racing alone in the Gunma prefecture on Mount Akina. Likewise, the beginning of First Stage shows Takumi in his [=AE86=] drive past Yuuichi's Toyota Chaser, while in the end of the Final Stage, [[spoiler:a new Toyota 86 [[note]][=GT86=] for Europe, Scion [=FR-S=] for North America[[/note]] drives past him while delivering tofu in his father's Impreza]].

* CCGImportanceDissonance

* CoolCar: A lot of them, though subverted with the [=AE86=], as it's one of the lesser cool cars.
** The subversion is itself [[DoubleSubversion subverted]], as RealLife demand for the car increased through drift contests and the show's popularity. While drift circles had already praised the vehicle, ''Initial D'' is the reason why every fan wants an old [=AE86=].
** Once the reason for its popularity suddenly skyrocketed, Toyota and Subaru collaborated together to create the Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ, specifically as a SpiritualSuccessor to the [=AE86=]. That's how cool this car is.

** Much of the manga handles this through the author's notes.

* CulturalTranslation: The first English dub from {{Creator/Tokyopop}} had all kinds of special effects added to it, and threw out the Eurobeat soundtrack in favor of rap. This didn't sit very well with purists of the series, and for good reason. The justification behind this was Tokyopop was only going to change the music for the TV broadcast in order to introduce up and coming new artists, but the original music would be retained in the subtitled version (or something like that).
** They did avoid flipping the transparancies for the manga reading left-to-right, which would've yielded the "bonus" of all the cars being driven on the left side of the road and moving on the right side (well, mostly), likely because it would also have resulted in the gas pedal being on the left.
** After Tokyopop folded, Creator/{{Funimation}} redubbed the first four Stages along with the first ''Extra Stage'' OVA, keeping the original music and scripts intact.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In ''First Stage'', Shingo is introduced to viewers while he goads and pretty much directly forces Iketani into an impromptu mountain race match by [[CarFu repeatedly aggressively rear-ending]] Iketani's [=S13=], ''while he was in the middle of practicing''. He then proceeds to win the match by ramming Iketani in the middle of a corner, causing him to spin out of control and nearly crash. Then as if that wasn't enough, Shingo [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating proceeds to mock Iketani]] for driving an [=FR=][[note]]Front-engined, Rear-wheel drive[[/note]] car due to their low stability in corners compared to [=FF=][[note]]Front-engined, Front-wheel drive[[/note]] cars, like his Civic [=EG6=].
** Note that Iketani had ''just'' taken his car back from the repair shop, after he crashed spinning out due to pushing himself beyond his limit while practicing to race against Keisuke before Takumi showed up. If Iketani had missed the margin by just a little bit, his car would've been once again hospitalized ''right'' after it was finally fixed up.

* GracefulLoser: Quite a few racers are pretty accepting of their defeats. Of note is [[spoiler:Kyoichi Sudo]], who ties with [[spoiler:Takumi]], but [[WeWinBecauseYouDidnt considers a draw on his home course]] [[InvertedTrope a victory for the visitor]].

* ItsAlwaysSpring: Averted; Every stage takes place during a different season. ''First Stage'' and ''Second Stage'' are set in summer; ''Third Stage'' is set in fall and winter; ''Fourth Stage'' is set in spring, and beginning of summer; ''Fifth Stage'' and ''Final Stage'' are set in summer.

* OhCrap:
** The initial reaction of many racers upon seeing Takumi's [=AE86=] catching up to them, and later overtaking them.
** Yuichi does one of this riding with Bunta in the [=AE86=] as Bunta ''lights up a smoke in the middle of a drift''.

* OpposingSportsTeam: Deliberately [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by Ryosuke for Project D; he intends to "[[{{Heel}} play the part of a hated villain]]" to make their opponents more competitive. This also has caused multiple racing teams in ''Fourth Stage'' to be surprised and confused by Project D's team being so organized, but more importantly, so ''polite'', as their webpage and issued challenges often makes their opponents expect them to be [[SmallNameBigEgo loud-mouthed brats with no real skill]].

* PoliceAreUseless: The police don't even ''appear'' in the series until ''Fifth Stage''. And even then, they're present only as background traffic vehicles while the main characters are driving legally in a city or highway.
** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], if barely, as the police can't be everywhere at once, and focusing their attention on the tightly-packed cities and other populated areas is both easier and wiser than on the long, sparse and desolate mountain passes, with little traffic that could be endangered in the middle of the night - especially as most street racers worth their salt would check to see if the roads are clear before racing.

* TheRival: At least half the cast.
** UnknownRival: In ''First Stage'', multiple racers take offense to Takumi's unexplained victories with an underpowered [=AE86=] and vow to take him down no matter what, often getting angry at even the mere idea of someone defeating him before they get to defeat him themselves. Takumi is always completely unaware of this until he suddenly has a battle invitation - or a battle ''demand'' - slapped on his face.
** ArchEnemy: Most notably Takumi and Kai. Ryosuke and The Grim Reaper as well, toward the end of ''Fifth Stage''.

* TricksterMentor / WaxOnWaxOff:
** Bunta's tofu delivery runs for his son are training for his road racing ability. This is not known to Takumi until a few episodes/chapters into the series, at which point he had been performing deliveries for five years.
*** A more dramatic example occurs following Takumi and Kyoichi's first race: [[spoiler:Bunta ''planned'' for the stock engine in the [=AE86=] to be used to its limit, so that Takumi will be forced to accept the engine swap his father had prepared for the Trueno]].

* WhatAPieceOfJunk: Woe to the racer who underestimates the [=AE86=] or Takumi to a group of racers at the wheel of [[JokeCharacter Itsuki's AE85]].
** At one point, one of Takumi's opponents notes that Takumi's signature technique--the gutter run--is only possible because he drives an older car with a higher ride height and less fragile undercarriage.
* WorldOfBadass: Kanagawa Prefecture. Described by Ryosuke as "the holy grail of street racing", pretty much every racing team from there is a BadassDriver with an [[CoolCar equally-badass car]] to match. [[TheDreaded It's also the home prefecture of]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Grim Reaper]], whom even the locals are afraid of. Kanagawa's average skill level is very high, a fact that Ryosuke often reminds Project D of in the beginning of ''Fifth Stage''. When Takumi tells Bunta that his next races will take place there, Bunta considers it the first time Takumi will receive "real" challenges - something not to be taken lightly, given how tight and difficult the matches of ''Fourth Stage'' were.

[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/230px_initiald_vol1_cover.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:230:''[[{{Eurobeat}} Do you like...]] [[WhatAPieceOfJunk my car?]]'']]

* BookEnds: The beginning and end of the manga shows Takumi Fujiwara racing alone in the Gunma prefecture on Mount Akina. Likewise, the beginning of First Stage shows Takumi in his [=AE86=] drive past Yuuichi's Toyota Chaser, while in the end of the Final Stage, [[spoiler:a new Toyota 86 [[note]]([=GT86=] for Europe, Scion [=FR-S=] for North America)[[/note]] drives past him while delivering tofu in his father's Impreza]].

Takumi Fujiwara is an average eighteen-year-old in Gunma Prefecture with an average part-time job as a gas station attendant and a not-so-average hand in his family's tofu business. Ever since he was thirteen -- five years before he was even qualified for a driver's license -- he has been helping out his father Bunta by delivering tofu on the latter's Toyota Sprinter Trueno ([=AE86=]) to a hotel at the summit of Mt. Akina every morning at 4:00 AM, but with a challenge: he must negotiate the slopes and curves without spilling a drop of water from a cup placed on the dashboard. Otherwise, the tofu would be ruined.

** In ''First Stage'' and both ''Extra Stages'', [[CoolLoser Iketani]] and [[NiceGirl Mako]] [[BadassDriver Sato]] have mutual crushes on each other, but thanks to a series of mistakes, misinterpretations, and plain bad luck, both remain convinced the other party hates them. ''Extra Stage 2'' [[spoiler:puts the final nail in the coffin of their crush, as although the two reconcile their friendships, Mako has received an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a professional racer in Tokyo. Iketani chooses not to confess, as he fears romance would just negatively affect Mako's performance in the circuit]].

[[caption-width-right:230:''[[{{Eurobeat}} Do you like...]] [[CoolCar my car?]]'']]

[[caption-width-right:230:''[[AwesomeMusic Do you like his car?]]'']]

** Even Shingo takes his defeat against Takumi well, despite [[spoiler:his car flipping end over end in a failed attempt to ''ram Takumi off the mountain pass'']].

Compare and contrast with ''Manga/WanganMidnight'' and ''Anime/{{REDLINE}}''. See also ''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift'' which glenned some inspiration from this series (ironiclly the movie came out the following year after the live action film did). Not to be confused with [[Manga/OnePiece the Will of D]].

A live-action movie based on ''Initial D'' was released in 2005. There are also numerous video game adaptations of the material, notably the ''VideoGame/InitialDArcadeStage'' series, which brought the competitive arcade racing scene to life.

* OffModel: Prevalent in ''First Stage'', thanks to the poor-quality CGI. Due to animation mistakes, sometimes cars swap colors: in one particular scene, the Takahashi brothers' [=RX-7s=] change colors. In another scene, [[http://idforums.net/images/initialdglitchmistake.png Takumi's Trueno visibly clips through the guardrail]].

* OhCrap: The initial reaction of many racers upon seeing Takumi's [=AE86=] catching up to them, and later overtaking them.

* [[OnlySixFaces Only One Face]]: ''Fifth Stage'' really took this direction, as all characters begin looking more and more like Takumi, [[http://i58.tinypic.com/juzprr.jpg including Mika]].
** In most of their appearances, such as the original manga, Mako and Sayuki looked nearly identical, with the latter having a somewhat more rounded jawline ([[BuxomIsBetter as well as certain other parts]]). ''Final Stage'' made them look less like twins, but also switched their head shapes around.

* InsistentTerminology: Amongst racers, you don't say "turns" or "curves", you say "corners". And you don't "race" against opponents, you ''battle'' them.

* {{Irony}}: [[https://youtu.be/Ksj99gz_ixg?t=9m9s The song "Night of Fire" plays in the middle of a race in the rain]]. [[UpToEleven The song itself even has]] [[FireWaterJuxtaposition samples of rain noises in it.]]

* PantyShot:
** Used and lampshaded in ''First Stage'' as the characters (especially Itsuki) wonder why the school decided to make the uniforms so short.
** In ''Fifth Stage'', [[AllMenArePerverts a bunch of guys stare in awe and excitement at Mika]] as she swings her golf club while demonstrating a proper club swing strategy to Takumi... while she's wearing her school uniform, short skirt and all, due to not having time to change to normal clothes. Takumi immediately requests her to not swing for the day, pointing at the men staring at her. Cue a massively embarrassed Mika.

* BrokenAesop: Takeshi Nakazato talks about how grip cornering is a more BoringButPractical approach to racing, writing off drifting as theatrics that have no purpose in a competition of who's faster/fastest. Unfortunately he's then shown losing to Takumi, who drifts like everyone else. While this could be chalked up to Takumi simply that good, no other racers in the series are shown using grip cornering, let alone winning against Takumi with it, so Nakazato's internal ramble about drifting being CoolButInefficient ends up feeling empty in a series that focuses on [[RuleOfCool making drifting look cool]].

-> ''"A car driven by a street racer who is at the level where he can [[BadassDriver maneuver it as easily as his hands and feet]] [[BattleAura has an aura about it]]. Ryosuke Takahashi's driving has a strong aura. His brother Keisuke's aura is still weak. But that Eight-Six was emitting a strong aura. If he represents Akina, then the winner is still up in the air."''