History YMMV / InitialD

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Aside from the opening and ending songs by Japanese band "m.o.v.e.", it's the {{Eurobeat}} songs that [[{{Pun}} drive]] the soundtrack and AnimatedAdaptation into what it is.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: {{Zigzagged}} - while ''VideoGame/InitialDArcadeStage'' {{Averted}} this by proxy of launching the competitive arcade racing scene, ''Mountain Vengeance'' plays this straight - an ObviousBeta that even the [=CG=] seen in ''First Stage'' looks better by visual comparison.

* MoralEventHorizon:
** In ''First Stage'', [[spoiler:Shingo almost crosses it when he '''tries to kill Takumi mid-race by ramming him off the mountain'''. It fails and [[EpicFail Shingo ends up in a serious (though non-fatal) accident instead]]]].
** In ''Fourth Stage'', [[spoiler:the Tsuchizaka Lan Evo Team crosses it when they ''[[DisproportionateRetribution hire a bosuzoku gang to beat up Project D]]'' simply because they defeated them despite the Lan Evo Team's efforts at sabotaging their races. When the gangsters arrive, the team giggles with anticipation and the ways they expect Project D to be dealt with]]. Talk about SoreLoser taken to the extreme.
** In ''Fifth Stage'', [[spoiler:Rin "Shinigami" Hojo is on the edge of the event horizon due to aggressively challenging racers, only to violently shunt and wreck their cars in a bid to lure Ryosuke Takahashi to him, so Rin can kill him. Whereas the Tsuchizaka Lan Evo Team merely wanted Project D to get their just desserts, Rin has been contemplating Ryosuke's demise such that he's willing to commit MurderSuicide just to succeed. Fortunately, [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight Ryosuke is able to bring Rin out of his funk in the midst of their impromptu race]]; by the last race in the series, Rin looks [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments visibly happier]] after the fact]].

** As mentioned in JustHereForGodzilla, some don't take kindly to the series [[TheRedStapler popularizing a car]] that they consider SoOkayItsAverage at best, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny especially by today's standards]].

** Of all the vehicles seen in the series, the signature Toyota Sprinter Trueno [=AE86=]: fans were disappointed its RealLife counterpart doesn't live up to its fictional example, claiming ''Initial D'' has overblown what's been there, yet ignore variables such as track conditions and the fact that most of the car's spoils comes from Takumi's own driving prowess than the car itself.[[labelnote:Note]]By ''Final Stage'', it's had a serious amount of overhaul retrofitted for Project D's specifications, including [[spoiler:a one-time engine swap in ''Second Stage''.]][[/labelnote]] Even with an extensive amount of skill, the [=AE86=] has [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny dated specs and is relatively underpowered]], such that most of the ones seen in actual competitions are heavily modified to meet modern standards.

* AssPull
** The series is chock full of these with regards to race results, particularly Takumi Fujiwara's luck randomly bailing him out of {{Unwinnable}} situations. Take his race in ''Fourth Stage'' against Toshiya "God Arm" Joshima, for example: [[spoiler:the [=AE86=]'s suspension breaks after being strained to the limit following eight rounds of "cat-and-mouse", causing him to fall far behind Toshiya on the last rotation. However, Toshiya is forced to bail out of the race to vomit on the side of the road after exhausting his body in the absurdly long race, giving Takumi VictoryByEndurance. The problem is there are no prior indications in the previous seven rounds of exhaustion seen in Toshiya]].
** Also in ''Fourth Stage'', it looks like Itsuki Takeuchi [[spoiler:is going to get a RelationshipUpgrade with Kazumi Akiyama. From out of nowhere, Kazumi's older brother Wataru arrives with Kazumi's ex, who begs her forgiveness and asks her to stay with him. To Itsuki's horror, she ''agrees and takes him back'', despite having every reason not to[[note]]It's loosely suggested the ex abused Kazumi[[/note]], leaving Itsuki heartbroken]]. This entire sub-plot is so contrived as it [[DiabolusExMachina specifically makes Itsuki feel miserable]] and ensures ThisLoserIsYou continues to be in effect for him.

* BaseBreakingCharacter
** Fans of Takumi see him as a [[TheEveryman prodigal, down-to-earth]] street racer with various tricks up his sleeves and is admired for his [[TheStoic levelheadedness]] in every situation he comes across, but detractors find him a bland, boring InvincibleHero who only loses twice with no strong personality - that his battles are rather formulaic and predictable compared to others is another factor. A third party brushes aside his personality traits and writing fumbles and [[JustHereForGodzilla are just here to see him perform his]] {{Signature Move}}s and fancy tricks.
** Itsuki is either a loyal {{Sidekick}} and friend in need for Takumi, who takes the poorest consequences like a champ, or an obnoxious lecher that doesn't fit with the show's tone and narrative (at least until ''Second Stage''), whose sole purpose is to be yanked-off from any chance of romance when it's given to him. In all fairness, most of the criticism from Itsuki's naysayers are directed not towards his characteristics, but rather how the story treats him.
** Of all the vehicles seen in the series, the signature Toyota Sprinter Trueno [=AE86=]: fans were disappointed its RealLife counterpart doesn't live up to its fictional example, claiming ''Initial D'' has overblown what's been there, yet ignore variables such as track conditions and the fact that most of the car's spoils comes from Takumi's own driving prowess than the car itself[[labelnote:Note]]By ''Final Stage'', it has a serious amount of overhaul retrofitted for Project D's specifications, including [[spoiler:a one-time engine swap in ''Second Stage'']][[/labelnote]]. Even with an extensive amount of skill, the [=AE86=] has [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny dated specs and is relatively underpowered]], such that most of the ones seen in actual competitions are heavily modified to meet modern standards.
* BrokenBase

** A minor example in late-''Fourth Stage'': some fans detest the MidSeasonUpgrade Keisuke Takahashi's [=FD=] receives post-Tsuchisaka Lan Evo Team, mostly because the iconic pop-up headlights of the Mazda RX-7 is replaced by after-market fixed headlights, while others don't mind the cosmetic change to the overall vehicle.
* CultSoundtrack: The Anime's high energy {{Eurobeat}} soundtrack became so famous that the whole genre has a SongAssociation with the Anime version of Initial D. Songs like Max Coveri's ''Running in the 90s'', Dave Rodgers' ''Deja Vu'' and Manuel's ''Gas Gas Gas'' [[SongAssociation became memes]] on their own right to the point most people know Initial D's soundtrack without even knowing what Initial D is.
* DieForOurShip: Predictable towards named female characters of the series, considering the vast male cast, and the greater focus on the races.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Myogi Night Kids duo, Takeshi Nakazato and Shingo Shoji, is popular among the fandom for all [[MemeticLoser the wrong reasons]], but especially Shingo thanks to the DracoInLeatherPants section above. They were also responsible for [[FountainOfMemes all the jokes and giggles related to them]].

* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans who disliked ''Fifth Stage'' and ''Final Stage'' outright refuse to acknowledge it as {{Canon}}, claiming the AnimatedAdaptation ended on ''Fourth Stage''.
* FirstInstallmentWins

* GatewaySeries: To drift racing, ''[[UsefulNotes/SubculturesInJapan touge]]'', or even racing, in general, for {{Anime}}. Also serves as a pretty good gateway to {{Eurobeat}}.
* HarsherInHindsight: Any scene where Bunta [[SmokingIsCool is seen smoking]] also falls into this as his voice actor, Unshō Ishizuka died from esophagus cancer two years earlier. [[TruthInTelevision Smoking is also one of the causes of the said illness]].
* HilariousInHindsight

** In ''Second Stage'', when Team Emperor starts their Gunma Prefecture campaign, Keisuke expresses disgust about the incredibly large spoiler on one of the team's Lancer Evolutions. Fast forward to ''Fourth Stage'' where Keisuke's RX-7 FD gets a new aerodynamic upgrade, complete with a larger, after-market spoiler in comparison to the stock spoiler on a Lancer Evolution[[note]]Keisuke's FD during ''First Stage'' sported quite the tall spoiler too, but it was reduced to normal size in ''Second Stage''; it may not be so much as HypocriticalHumor as it is a justification for his comment regarding the Evolution's spoiler. Hell, the FD's spoiler in ''First Stage'' could even be chalked up as a case of OffModel, considering the RX-7 never had a stock spoiler with ridiculous proportions as it was portrayed back then[[/note]].

* HypeBacklash

* JustHereForGodzilla
** The series has caused this in the American automotive scene, with hundreds of American fans trying to buy [=AE86=]s from shady importers[[note]]Usually a ''terrible'' idea, because if the paperwork isn't perfect, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will roll up to the purchaser's house with a mobile car crusher[[/note]], specifically because the car is the "main character" of the series rather than on the merits of the car itself. WebVideo/RegularCarReviews [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNF5sic8WHo made a rant about this]] when he covered the [=AE86=] Trueno.

* {{Macekre}}: The Creator/{{Tokyopop}} English dub of the anime, which in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience, Americanized the names, censored out the suggestive themes, and [[TotallyRadical attempted to be hip]] by inserting street slang in the dialogue and replacing the iconic Eurobeat soundtrack with rap and hip-hop. Some strange visual effects and cuts weren’t there originally. It’s telling that fans strongly prefer the more faithful Funimation redub over TokyoPop’s, thanks to retaining the original Japanese soundtrack and script.
* MemeticMutation: Now on its own [[Memes/InitialD page]].
* MemeticLoser: Whenever Takeshi Nakazato is brought up, [[NeverLiveItDown someone will make a joke about him understeering and crashing his [=R32=]]] or explicitly call him a terrible driver. Made worse by the fact that [[{{Jerkass}} Shingo]] also feels this way about him - [[TheStarscream in the loosest sense of the term]] - "colleague", and Shingo [[EnsembleDarkhorse is a fan-favourite]] [[DracoInLeatherPants of the series]].
* MemeticTroll: Due to his EnsembleDarkhorse status, Shingo has become this when being involved in certain memes featuring car crashes including in online games. [[MemeticMutation Double crash]] jokes aside, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opOKozy0dxQ here's an example]].
* MoralEventHorizon
** In ''First Stage'', [[spoiler:Shingo almost crosses it when he '''tries to kill Takumi mid-race by ramming him off the mountain'''. It fails and [[EpicFail Shingo ends up with a serious (though non-fatal) accident instead]]]].

** In ''Fifth Stage'', [[spoiler:Rin "Shinigami" Hojo is on the edge of the event horizon due to aggressively challenging racers, only to violently shunt and wreck their cars in a bid to lure Ryosuke Takahashi to him, so Rin can kill him. Whereas the Tsuchizaka Lan Evo Team merely wanted Project D to get their just desserts, Rin has been contemplating on Ryosuke's demise such that he's willing to commit MurderSuicide just to succeed. Fortunately, [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight Ryosuke is able to bring Rin out of his funk in the midst of their impromptu race]]; by the last race in the series, Rin looks [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments visibly happier]] after the fact]].

* TheScrappy
** With the exception of Mako Sato and Mika, pick any female LoveInterest: they are easily one of the most contested or downright despised character archetype by the fandom for this series, and not just for the aforementioned DieForOurShip reasons, either.

*** Kazumi Akiyama was pretty much left under the radar by fans despite being a typical LoveInterest for [[ThisLoserIsYou Itsuki]] in ''Second Stage''. Although the the romance is left on a bittersweet note at the end of ''Second Stage'', most fans wanted to give them a second chance, but once the AssPull in ''Fourth Stage'' happened, Kazumi was suddenly subjected to a lot of hate by the fandom for essentially writing off all the meaningful things she did with Itsuki.

** "Deja Vu" especially seems to get this treatment, to the point where if you just went based on the memes you'd be forgiven for thinking this is the only song in the show's entire soundtrack.
* SpecialEffectFailure: In ''Final Stage'', [[spoiler:Takumi blows out the [=AE86=]'s engine because he fails to see that he accidentally revs the engine well past its limits while executing the "[[DangerousForbiddenTechnique blind attack]]", leaves the tachometer dark and therefore unreadable. However, a scene is shown from his perspective in the car while performing the blind attack, yet the tachometer is visibly lit]].
* TearJerker
** During the battle with Kyouichi Sudo in ''Second Stage'', [[spoiler:Takumi's [=AE86=] has an engine breakdown and he's forced to make an emergency stop, with Kyouichi declaring him the loser of the match. Takumi's father Bunta subsequently has the car towed while Takumi's in tears, thinking he's the one at fault. Yes, Bunta knew beforehand it was going to happen, and [[DramaticIrony so did the audience]]. Yes, Bunta was going to replace the engine and ''allowed'' the breakdown to happen, just so Takumi will have a better appreciation of the new engine; otherwise, Takumi would either protest to having the engine replaced or get angry for having the engine replaced under his nose. Yet, think of it from Takumi's point of view - the car that he had made a name for himself in just a few short months has made its literal last revolutions. For all he knew, his racing career was effectively over. [[FromBadToWorse And it gets worse]] as in ''Final Stage'', where [[HeroicRROD the car itself breaks down again (beyond repair)]] while performing a blind attack against Shinji Inui, putting a final nail in the coffin for the [=AE86=] Trueno]].

** [[spoiler:Kyoko]] in Episode 18 of ''Fourth Stage'': getting to spend a whole day with [[spoiler:Keisuke]] after helping him out with his latest race was all she could wish for. The catch is despite his understanding (and, in a way, reciprocating) her affections for him, he can't focus on anything else, but racing - his passion. The last scene between them [[spoiler:as he goes on full attack mode on Mount Akagi (per Kyoko's request, with her riding shotgun)]] was enough to bring her to tears, realizing she will never love anyone else as fiercely as him ever again.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The ''Legends'' trilogy isn't nearly positively received as the original ''First Stage'' that it rebooted due to the change of voice actors, lack of Eurobeat, and not getting Tsuchiya Keiichi back on board as the supervisor.

* TheWoobie: [[spoiler:Depending on your prespective, it's very hard to not feel sorry for Itsuki, who gets dumped twice both in ''First Stage'' (Thanks to [[{{Troll}} Shingo]]'s shenanigans) and ''Fourth Stage'' (as Kazumi went back to have a relationship with her ex-boyfriend, with the courtesy of her brother Wataru). Hence why he and Iketani are both self-proclaimed as "Lonely Drivers"]].

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: More apparent from ''Fourth Stage'' and on, thanks to advancements in CG technology, making the details of each car near-accurate to how they look in RealLife, as well as improvements to the races without them feeling static.

* GatewaySeries: To drift racing, ''[[UsefulNotes/SubculturesInJapan touge]]'', or even racing, in general, for {{Anime}}.
** Also serves as a pretty good gateway to {{Eurobeat}}.
* HarsherInHindsight: The scene in ''First Stage'' where [[spoiler:[[HoistByHisOwnPetard Shingo Shoji wrecks his own Honda Civic EG6 when attempting to ram Takumi's AE86 off the road]]]] becomes even more depressing regarding Keiji Fujiwara's passing in April 14th, 2020 after a long battle against cancer.
** Also, any scene where Bunta [[SmokingIsCool is seen smoking]] also falls into this as his voice actor, Unshō Ishizuka died from esophagus cancer two years earlier. [[TruthInTelevision Not to mention that smoking is also one of the causes of the said illness]].

* RonTheDeathEater: However, due to becoming less of a {{Jerkass}} after his loss against Takumi in ''First Stage'', some of the fans wanted him to retain his AxCrazy Pre-Character Development persona.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Bunta is repeatedly stated to be a racing legend, better than even his son Takumi, yet the most we ever see of his abilities are his "drift while lighting up a cigarette" technique and a brief impromptu race against Takumi's Trueno in his new Impreza; there are no full scenes or arcs that show him doing a full race. While you can race against him in ''Arcade Stage'', either as an extra boss of Legend of the Streets Mode or in a dedicated mode in ''Arcade Stage Ver. 2'' and ''3'', the way he races in the games is not necessarily indicative of his abilties due to the use of RubberBandAI and the limitations of the game engines and video game artificial intelligence.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Bunta is repeatedly stated to be a racing legend, better than even his son Takumi, yet the most we ever see of his abilities are his "drift while lighting up a cigarette" technique and a brief impromptu race against Takumi's Trueno in his new Impreza; there are no full scenes or arcs that show him doing a full race. While you can race against him in ''Arcade Stage'', either as the BonusBoss of Legend of the Streets Mode or in a dedicated mode in ''Arcade Stage Ver. 2'' and ''3'', the way he races in the games is not necessarily indicative of his abilties due to the use of RubberBandAI and the limitations of the game engines and video game artificial intelligence.

* NarmCharm: Almost all vehicular scenes throughout all Stages are [[TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects animated in 3D]]. In ''First Stage'', it's made more apparent as each racing segment looks like a video game from the early 2000's (compared to ''Second Stage'' and beyond, where the 3D work is done much better). However, despite its egregious use for the {{Anime}}, many fans enjoy the racing scenes due to (or because) of its {{Narm}}y appearance. It does help races are very well choreographed with exciting and interesting angles.

** The fandom is fractured between those who are completely alienated from the series' writing and [[JustHereForGodzilla only follow it for the races and Eurobeat]] and those who either don't mind the narrative or enjoy it regardless. Surprisingly, this friction between the bases does not cause many {{Flame War}}s, as the two generally [[Pun steer clear]] of each other.

** The fandom is fractured between those who are completely alienated from the series' writing and [[JustHereForGodzilla only follow it for the races and Eurobeat]] and those who either don't mind the narrative or enjoy it regardless. Surprisingly, this friction between the bases does not cause many {{Flame War}}s, as the two generally [[AccidentalPun steer clear]] of each other.

** The fandom is fractured between those who are completely alienated from the series' writing and [[JustHereForGodzilla only follow it for the races and Eurobeat]] and those who either don't mind the narrative or enjoy it regardless. Surprisingly, this friction between the bases does not cause many {{Flame War}}s, as the two generally steer clear of each other.

* {{Macekre}}: The Creator/{{Tokyopop}} English dub of the anime, which in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience, Americanized the names, censored out the suggestive themes, and [[TotallyRadical attempted to be hip]] by inserting street slang in the dialogue and replacing the iconic Eurobeat soundtrack with rap and hip-hop. Some strange visual effects and cuts weren’t there originally. It’s telling that fans strongly prefer the more faithful FUNimation redub over TokyoPop’s, thanks to retaining the original Japanese soundtrack and script.

* {{Macekre}}: The Creator/{{Tokyopop}} English dub of the anime, which in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience, Americanized the names, censored out the suggestive themes, and [[TotallyRadical attempted to be hip]] by inserting street slang in the dialogue and replacing the iconic Eurobeat soundtrack with rap and hip-hop. There were also strange visual effects and cuts that weren’t there originally.

** In ''Fourth Stage'', [[spoiler:the Tsuchizaka Lan Evo Team crosses it when they ''[[DisproportionateRetribution hire a bosuzoku gang to beat up Project D]]'' simply because they defeated them despite the Lan Evo Team's efforts at sabotaging their races. When the gangsters arrive, the team giggles with anticipation and the ways they expect Project D to be dealt with]]. Talk about SoreLoser [[UpToEleven taken to the extreme]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Myogi Night Kids duo, Takeshi Nakazato and Shingo Shoji, is popular among the fandom for all [[MemeticLoser the wrong reasons]], but especially Shingo thanks to the DracoInLeatherPants section above. They were also responsible for [[FountainOfMemes all the jokes and giggles related to them]]. v

** Surprisingly applied to Kyoko Iwase, seeing as her [[LoveAtFirstSight relationship]] [[BestHerToBedHer with Keisuke]] got a good amount of focus mid-way into ''Fourth Stage'', which meant she was interrupting the FoeYay[=/=]HoYay between him and Takumi. [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} after Episode 18, as Keisuke explicitly [[ShipSinking sinks the ship to oblivion]]]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Myogi Night Kids duo, Takeshi Nakazato and Shingo Shoji, is popular among the fandom for all [[MemeticLoser the wrong reasons]], but especially Shingo thanks to the DracoInLeatherPants section above. They were also responsible for [[FountainOfMemes all the jokes and giggles related to them]].

* SeasonalRot: Some fans felt the series got progressively worse with each Stage. ''Fourth Stage'' is the exception to some, viewed either as almost or just as good as ''First Stage''. Meanwhile, ''Third Stage'' is often seen as {{Filler}}, ''Fifth Stage'' and ''Final Stage'' are poor attempts at PanderingToTheBase and ''Second Stage'' is hardly ever discussed.

* SophomoreSlump: Even though there's a significant AnimationBump, ''Second Stage'' is not usually deemed to be on par with ''First Stage'' due to its shorter length and having less narrative charm. That the plot in this Stage focused less on Takumi by giving more screen-time to Team Emperor's conquest of Gunma, the InternalReveal and fallout of [[spoiler:Natsuki's ''EnjoKosai'' habits]] and Itsuki's friendship with Kazumi may explain the slump.

* {{Macekre}}: The Creator/Tokyopop English dub of the anime, which in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience, Americanized the names, censored out the suggestive themes, and [[TotallyRadical attempted to be hip]] by inserting street slang in the dialogue and replacing the iconic Eurobeat soundtrack with rap and hip-hop.

** RonTheDeathEater: However, due to becoming less of a {{Jerkass}} after his loss against Takumi in ''First Stage'', some of the fans wanted him to retain his AxCrazy Pre-Character Development persona.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Fans who disliked ''Fifth Stage'' and ''Final Stage'' outright refuse to acknowledge it as {{Canon}}, claiming the AnimatedAdaptation ended on ''Fourth Stage''. Another {{Downplayed}} example are fans who discovered the last two Stages years following their release, having believed the series ended at ''Fourth Stage''[[note]]''Fifth'' and ''Final'' was never localized in the West, thus fans didn't even know they existed at all[[/note]], but wish they hadn't watched them.

** {{Subverted}} with Mika Uehara: [[spoiler:while many were quick to dismiss her as a ReplacementScrappy, considering she slapped Takumi by mistake in ''Fifth Stage'', upon discovering she is a NotSoDifferent [[TheAce Ace]], some fans double-backed and stated Mika is a better LoveInterest than the aforementioned Natsuki]].