Initial D Battle Stage 2 (頭文字D Battle Stage 2)

"This story is fiction. All names of characters, places and organizations in the story are fictional. Follow the traffic rules and drive safely."

Ordered to help with the family business - his father's tofu shop - Takumi Fujiwara began delivering tofu by car in his first year of middle school. Initially he did not want to start driving. However, without realizing it, he began to acquire marvelous driving techniques from his daily runs. In his third year of high school, as he was coming down Akina after completing a delivery like he always did, Ryosuke Takashi of the Akagi Red Suns appeared before him.

After his unexpected battle debut at the cape, written challenges came to Takumi one after another. During the challenges, his meetings with the Red Suns Ryosuke Takahashi - who touted the "theory of the maximum speed on highways" and aimed to dominate Gunma - influenced Takumi's course greatly. When he graduated, Takumi decided to join the out-of-province visitation team "Project D" led by Ryosuke.

Project D's very first Kanto visitation stage was Tochigi. This battle's opponent is the Tochigi Seven Star Leaf's kamikaze downhiller, Toru Suetsugu/ Receiving Ryosouke's advice - that overcoming the coverless gutters is key to winning - the battle begins in a front-lead, rear-chase style.

Choosing the lead was right for me.

After all, having your rhythm broken while going downhill spells your end.

Using every last bit of my skill is more important than winning.

I can win this battle!

H–He’s right on me!

How?

I’m on a roll. This is my best race ever.

What the hell is going on?

His charge-in is amazing.

He knows everything about this course.

However,

the 86 is faster while he recovers from a corner and the next time he brakes.

He’s an extraordinary driver.

I can’t lose him!

I need to see how he drives from behind him.

What kind of driver is he?

I want to see how he tackles my home course,

how he does it differently.

I’ll make this go into a second round.

I need to see his technique!

I can see the line!

Bastard!

Aren’t you afraid of the uncovered gutters at all?!

Shit!

I won’t let you have it!

If I get ahead by at least a third, then I’ll have control!

I won’t give you the space!

I won’t let you pass!

What the hell?!

Impossible!

I haven’t given him enough room.

There’s no road there!

What is he driving on?!

He passed me!

Am I dreaming or something?!

What just happened?

Shit!

If an 86 can do it, then so can my car!

No! I can’t get back!

Atsurou Kawai feels intimidated by Keisuke, who's calm even though he's facing an opponent of unknown skill on a brand new course. Following Toru's advice of "protect your own pace," the hill climb battle begins.

Two!

One!

Go!

He’s pulling ahead on the straights.

His engine is powerful,

but the issue is how much of that power he can use.

I won’t use the same trick as Fujiwara.

I’ll leave the circus tricks to him.

I’m going to do things my own way.

I’m D’s ace!

The 34 isn’t light by any means, but it has the heart to pull it through.

The only thing it needs is power!

You don’t have to take control of the inside so much.

I don’t plan on going that way.

I already decided not to use the same method as him.

Pass me if you can, pretty boy.

Don’t get so cocky.

I know your weakness!

I have a greater ability to recover.

I can pull ahead faster on the straightaways.

I’ve got it!

I can break away from him in the first round!

That was some messed up cornering.

Your driving isn’t interesting in the least.

You just rely on power and mash the gas as much as you can, whenever you can.

It's not so simple to deal with the mountain pass.

But if you ask me, that kind of driving is weak.

Even an idiot can accelerate on a straight course.

I wasn’t trained by my theory-loving brother for nothing!

I’ll show you!

The real maximum speed theory learned directly from Ryosuke Takahashi!

Even if you stick to my ass in the corners, I can lose you as much as I want on the straights!

What?

What’s this?!

I told you that you were weak.

A straightaway’s top speed acceleration relies on how a driver recovers from a corner.

It’s cornering that emphasizes recovery.

The Todo School: a driving technique training class set up by former rally racer Todo to find and train a successor. The current best driver at Todo school, where even pros attend, is Daiku Ninojima. Daiku loses interest when he finds out his opponent is an 86 and chooses to take the rear in the front-lead, rear-chase. Takumi receives two pieces of advice from Ryosuke and starts.

Go!

Oh?

Does the Todo School even have someone who could drive at this level after spending only one night on the course?

And his car…

I don’t know how he tuned it,

but it can accelerate as quickly as the B16B engine, and on top of that, it corners well.

That’s no 86.

I need to break past him somewhere.

Everyone knows that an FR is faster than an FF in this class.

And this is the ultimate Type-R.

I can’t stay behind an 86 forever.

I’ll end this in one round no matter what!

I can tell that he’s stuck right on me without looking into my rearview.

I feel the pressure tingling painfully on my back,

but I can concentrate pretty well since I decided not to look behind me.

I screwed up.

I made a mistake by choosing to be the chaser in the first round.

It’s like I’m the one having a hard time here.

Okay, round two!

No one can keep up with my speed! I’ll end this right away!

He’s fast!

There’s no room. He’s right at the limit.

He’s faster than he was in the first round!

I’m frightened.

If I get off the accelerator, I’m done.

But it’d make this so much easier.

Another part of myself is telling me "Don't aim for it!"

I can’t lose him!

He’s sticking to this pace, even though it’s several levels faster than the first round’s!

Hell of a thing to do…

That was a big mistake.

I put unnecessary stress on my tires!

It’s not just my imagination.

His lead-in is getting slower.

His tires?

His tires are losing traction due to heat.

Right now, my tires are still intact.

I’ll break past this fast EK and end this!

What?!

Particular about FF cars, Sakai drives an aftermarket turbocharged integra. He's been given the nickname "Smiley" because he seems to smile when he's concentrating and tense. Sakai swears to avenge Daiki. The battle rages on, using tactics to screw up the FD's rhythm.

He’s fast.

So, an FF can get this much traction going uphill.

He’s fast!

Is he stupid?!

Combining the Integra Type-R with a turbocharger was the right way to go.

In addition to this car’s mobility, it adds enough torque to accelerate uphill.

Now, follow me.

The trap I set is already in motion.

I’ll show you the Todo School’s indecent side.

I’ll avenge Daiki.

He’s really driving hard.

I thought the locals here were pretty good, but I’m beginning to understand his rhythm.

He’s a good driver.

He’s got a hang of the line and timing,

but that’s going to cost him.

The open maw of a pitfall is waiting for you.

What?!

Son of a bitch, he got me!

He’s using my time lag between slowing down and boosting back up to his advantage.

He’s still green.

Feints using the brake lights are used every day at the Todo School.

A battle isn’t just about fairly competing with speed.

The Todo School’s tactics are for the mastery of disrupting the opponent’s rhythm.

Just remember that there are many different kinds of techniques for winning.

I won’t let you go!

I’ll definitely catch up!

Damn it!

I got caught in his rhythm and charged in too much!

Don’t go!

Not that way!

Come back!

Please, come back!

Yeah!

I got through!

W–What?

That was a double-layered trap;

muddling his rhythm with the brake light, and then forcing him to be impatient.

He recovered from that?

He’s catching up.

I can’t lose, for the sake of the Todo School’s reputation.

No matter what, I’ll reach the goal first!

Come on, B18C turbo!

Hell of a thing to happen.

Normally, this corner alone isn’t a problem,

but just having another car present while trying to control my racing line is killing my speed.

I never imagined a new, low-speed corner would be created just because of him.

Tomoyuki Tachi is a professional driver who got his start at the Todo School. When he hit a wall in his racing activities, Todo tells him "try street racing again." A rematch of the 86 - which now has a carbon fiber hood to make the car lighter - and the EK9, the Todo Shop's demo car, is about to begin.

Go!

The narrow, hard-to-predict road suddenly changes after this point.

The brand new second section that just underwent widening…

It looks pretty, but the surface is horrible.

The asphalt’s joints are bumpy and bounce the car.

He seems to have the power, but how long will the 86’s old suspension hold up?

Now we start the third section, a tight downhill.

I can’t play with you for too long.

I have to save face as a pro.

He’s passing me here?!

It’s uphill after this bridge.

If my car doesn’t have enough power, I won’t be able to keep up.

Come on, 86!

I’m counting on your heart!

What?!

I can't shake him. It's a little embarassing.

Adjusting the gear ratio to make the best

of the top-speed portion on this course to counter the FD, which gains speed on straights,

is working against me here.

My gear ratio isn’t suited for low-speed, uphill corners.

It’s hard to notice going downhill, but it shows on the uphill.

The gears on the 86 behind me are working together better.

But more importantly, since being overtaken, this 86 is more focused.

At this rate, there’ll never be any space for me to pass.

What do I do?!

I can do it if he can’t see me!

I’ll just have to try it!

Now!

He’s gone.

The 86 disappeared from my mirrors!

This isn’t the sound of my car.