Initial D: First Stage (1998)

Action · Animation · Comedy

Takumi’s job as a tofu delivery boy has turned him into one of the most formidable drivers around. Behind the wheel of his Eight-Six, he’s one with the road—and his life shifts into high gear when the underground street racing world takes notice. Drivers from across the region are lining up for a shot at the new guy. Takumi’s not just focused on winning—he’s out to prove he’s the best.

IMDb rating: 8.5 (5,708 votes)
Episode average: 7.9 -0.6 vs IMDb
Seasons: 1
Language: JA
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1998)

7.93 avg 26 episodes 7.8 → 9.0 26 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Ultimate Tofu Guy Drift	7.8	240
2	Declaration of Revenge!	7.7	196
3	Downhill Specialist Arrives	7.6	184
4	The Battle Begins	8.5	190
5	Dogfight!	8.1	176
6	A New Challenger	7.5	160
7	Pride of a Racer	7.4	154
8	Time's Almost Up	7.4	153
9	Battle to the Limit	8.7	177
10	The Five Consecutive Hairpins	8.5	158
11	Shingo Arrives	7.8	146
12	The FR Killer	7.6	141
13	Itsuki's First Date	7.3	140
14	Improving Genius of Drift	8.3	149
15	Takumi's Fury	8.5	152
16	The Angel of Usui	7.7	135
17	Sudden-Death Deathmatch	7.7	136
18	Hot Winds & Furious Driving	8.4	141
19	Super Drift!	8.1	144
20	The End of Summer	7.6	139
21	Challenge from a Superstar	7.1	132
22	Severe Uphill Climb	7.7	130
23	Downhill Rain Battle	7.8	133
24	Akina's Superstar	8.0	136
25	Last Battle!	8.3	141
26	New Downhill Legend	9.0	195