With the likes of the touge and drifting legend, the “Drift King” Keiichi Tsuchiya working on the series behind-the-scenes, it comes as no surprise Initial D was not only entertaining but also impressively educational at the same time. With the ability to make the races more exciting than possible in real life, combined with the ability to go beyond reality, the epic street races featured in the series kept fans coming back for more.ĭespite there being no boundaries on what was possible, the series thankfully kept a sensible and relatable approach to Japan’s underground street racing scene. Initial D’s magazine manga series, written and illustrated by Shuchi Shigeno for the Weekly Young Magazine, spanned across 48 tankōbon volumes from 1995 before Initial D went on to evolve into the hugely popular anime show.įrom here, the legendary series went on to achieve insane popularity worldwide. Starting life as Manga comics, it soon captured the heart of JDM fans who were desperate to see the incredible drawings of their favorite cars come to life. With the Japanese touge roads of Gunma Prefecture’s Mount Haruna inspiring the creation of the fictional Mount Akina, these much-loved twisty mountain roads would set the stage for some of the most incredible races ever witnessed. Takumi’s AE86 emerged as the cult icon of Initial D, but the series’ RX7’s also captured the hearts of many.
