Initial D: First Stage poster

Initial D: First Stage

★ 8.5 6K votes 1998–1998 1 season · 26 episodes Ended ANIMAX
AnimeJapanese animation traditions and grammar.This show: 9/10Distinctive scoreMusic inseparable from the show's identity.This show: 8/10AdrenalineAction and thrills as the primary reward.This show: 8/10TenseSustained suspense and pressure from start to finish.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Shin'ichiro MikiMitsuo IwataKazuki YaoSteve BlumIan SinclairJ. Michael Tatum
Written by
Shuichi Shigeno
Starring
Shin'ichiro MikiMitsuo IwataKazuki YaoSteve BlumIan SinclairJ. Michael Tatum
Written by
Shuichi Shigeno
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
063125188250

Initial D: First Stage Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6E7E8E9E10E11E12E13E14E15E16E17E18E19E20E21E22E23E24E25E26
S18.07.87.77.68.58.17.57.47.48.78.57.87.67.38.38.57.77.78.48.17.67.27.77.88.08.39.0

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Initial D: First Stage episode ratings heatmap infographic

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About

"The anime that turned mountain roads into legend"

A sleepy tofu delivery driver in the mountains turns out to be an unmatched street racer, running perilous hairpin turns every morning before school without knowing how good he is. When local racing legends notice him, he's pulled into the touge racing scene where reputations and cars mean everything. The show is slow-burn and character-driven, with long stretches of everyday teenage life punctuated by adrenaline-soaked night races scored to pounding Eurobeat. The dated CGI cars clash with hand-drawn backgrounds, but the tension and technical driving detail carry it.

Watch it for

the escalating mountain races and Eurobeat-fueled tension between overlooked talent and cocky rivals.

Maybe skip if

you find early-2000s CGI car models distracting or want fast-paced plotting over slow character build.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
First Stage1998
8.04K2611h 23m
The story begins when street racers called the RedSuns, a team from Mt. Akagi, come to challenge Mt. Akina's local SpeedStars team to a "friendly" race. After seeing how skilled the RedSuns are, the SpeedStars treat it as a race for pride, determined not to be humiliated on their home turf. However, the SpeedStars are left in a bind when their team leader and primary downhill driver Iketani has an accident during a practice run.
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1Ultimate Tofu Guy Drift7.8
24128 min
▶2Declaration of Revenge!7.7
19726 min
▶3Downhill Specialist Arrives7.6
18526 min
▶4The Battle Begins8.5
19225 min
▶5Dogfight!8.1
17828 min
▶6A New Challenger7.5
16126 min
▶7Pride of a Racer7.4
15526 min
▶8Time's Almost Up7.4
15426 min
▶9Battle to the Limit8.7
17826 min
▶10The Five Consecutive Hairpins8.5
15926 min
▶11Shingo Arrives7.8
14726 min
▶12The FR Killer7.6
14226 min
▶13Itsuki's First Date7.3
14126 min
▶14Improving Genius of Drift8.3
15025 min
▶15Takumi's Fury8.5
15328 min
▶16The Angel of Usui7.7
13626 min
▶17Sudden-Death Deathmatch7.7
13726 min
▶18Hot Winds & Furious Driving8.4
14225 min
▶19Super Drift!8.1
14526 min
▶20The End of Summer7.6
14026 min
▶21Challenge from a Superstar7.2
13328 min
▶22Severe Uphill Climb7.7
13125 min
▶23Downhill Rain Battle7.8
13428 min
▶24Akina's Superstar8.0
13725 min
▶25Last Battle!8.3
14228 min
▶26New Downhill Legend9.0
19626 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Shin'ichiro Miki Takumi Fujiwara
Mitsuo Iwata Itsuki Takeuchi
Kazuki Yao Kouichiro Iketani, Kôichirô Iketani
Steve Blum Keisuke 'K.T.' Takahashi
Ian Sinclair Additional Voices
J. Michael Tatum Ryosuke Takahashi
Jason Spisak Kenji
Scott Menville Goro, Shoichi
Monica Rial Sayuki
Todd Haberkorn Keisuke Takahashi

Crew

Shuichi Shigeno

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