Things are looking good for Tak after being recruited to a new racing team and trouncing the only guy to ever "beat" him on the road. There isn't much time to sit on his laurels though, because there's a new racer on the scene. His name is Kai Kogashiwa. He drives a sweet Toyota MR2 and he's gunning for Tak. Turns out, that not only was Kai trained to race by his father like Tak, but his dad is also Bunta's old archrival. Kai's dad lost to Bunta years ago, and now it's up to Kai to bring honor back to the family name. Before this momentous race, Bunta, for the first time, gives his son some racing advice as he cautions Tak about the dried leaves on the asphalt this time of year. Taking his dad's words with him, Tak and Kai launch into a fierce road battle between second generation rivals.

Takumi Fujiwara
An 18-year-old with a passion for driving, Tak began his motoring career by delivering tofu every morning to a hotel. He was trained by his father.

Bunta Fujiwara
Owner of a tofu restaurant, Bunta is Tak's dad. He is the mysterious driver who holds the fastest downhill record in Akina.

Natalie Mogi
She is Tak's love interest and goes to the same school as Tak and Iggy.

Iggy Takeuchi
Iggy is Tak's best friend. He works with Tak at the gas station.

Shuichi Shigeno

Something magical happens when Shigeno-sensei touches pencil to paper and begins to render the street poetics of drifting, oversteering, powersliding, and studder cuts. His visual palette in Initial D is grace personified - characters, cars, and movement leap off the page with power ... and with an economy of stroke that is stunning.

A veteran manga-ka (manga artist), Shigeno-sensei is also known as the creator of an earlier series on motorbike racing called Bari Bari Densetsu.