Original subtitles

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

PLEASE DRIVE SAFE AND FOLLOW THE RULES.

(Initial D Fifth Stage)

I see.

No wonder the left rear wheel is slipping with the spoiler damaged like this.

This is why the car lost control when making a left turn.

It oversteered.

Omiya...

There's nothing I can do, sometimes it is destined.

I think my performance today was already very good.

It made me realize again that my place is on the mountain road.

You can't experience this on the racetrack.

That kind of stimulating feeling that leaves your mind blank.

I'm very happy that I was able to seriously compete this time.

After all, you don't get such experiences many times in your life.

That being said, I was wrong this time. I didn't expect Omiya to lose to the 86 guy.

That car is really strange.

It's a pity they don't run timed races anymore.

Otherwise, we could gauge the car's power through the recorded time

and also know the potential of the young man who drives the 86.

It means our enemies are smart.

Don't underestimate Ryosuke Takahashi.

Inform the people in other parts of the mountain.

We can go back now.

Kogashiwa, do you know the result? Who won?

Of course I asked.

Isn't this result just right?

After all, it's our turn next time.

That's true.

I have a score to settle with Takumi Fujiwara of "Project D".

I will get back what I lost in Irohazaka when we meet in Hakone.

(Episode 4: Revenge Battle of Fate)

-Hi, we've been waiting for long. -The ace is here.

No, I...

Now, let the reporter Itsuki conduct the interview.

Takumi Fujiwara, the racer of "Project D" who won the first battle in Kanagawa, please make a speech.

Don't do this.

So, Mr. Fujiwara,

please tell us how you feel now.

Full tank of 98, cash.

You idiot! This is too boring.

You're always so uninspired and unsociable.

Because I'm just here to refuel.

What do you want from me?

Geez.

Are you going to be okay for the next race?

Takumi.

When's the second race in Kanagawa?

We are taking a break for a week.

From now on, we'll race every other week.

In that case, you can rest well on the weekend.

Yeah.

Although Kanagawa is a bit far, we also want to cheer for "Project D".

No, we're going to cheer for Takumi.

That's cool.

Since we're going, let's stay for a night. I want to watch their training.

We can visit attractions during the day, like hot springs.

Hot spring, Senior Iketani?

Mixed bathing...

It's not necessarily mixed bathing.

This is a man's dream.

Well...

If you're planning to go watch, it's better to go early.

Because if we lose the match, we'll leave immediately.

Don't say such things.

You have to keep winning.

Geez.

Yes, this is Matsumoto.

Ryosuke, what is it?

Actually, I have a favor to ask of you. I need your skills for this.

Anything you want.

So, you want to modify the 86 to "mechanical supercharge"?

No, that's not what I meant.

Eh? The FC...?

Yes.

Why modify that car?

I can't say right now.

There's just something that has been bothering me.

Yes...

This has nothing to do with the "Project D".

For now, just keep it between us.

I'm counting on you.

I understand.

As long as the "Sidewinder" has Go Hojo,

"that person" will definitely show up.

I know it well.

This is a destiny that I can't change.

Running away isn't a solution.

At that time, I won't be a captain of the "Project D",

but the street racer,

Ryosuke Takahashi...

Maybe I should settle things with "that person".

Kaori...

So, you are off this Sunday, Takumi?

Yes.

Really?

Then let's go to the beach, okay?

But... I can't stay overnight.

I can't go home too late either.

That's okay.

We just need to set off early in the morning.

That's right.

So we are really going to the beach.

The beach... It's been a long time since I went there.

There must be many hotties at the beach.

I also want to see hotties in swimsuits.

No one says "hottie" anymore.

I've always found it incredible.

Like high school girls.

Their uniform skirt used to be so short that their underwear would show.

Right...

And there are still people wearing it now.

Think about it... This is really strange, right?

Regardless of being ugly or having thick legs, everyone would wear those super short skirts.

And no one found it strange.

Could this be some kind of collective hysteria?

You have a point.

This phenomenon also occurs at the beach in the summer, or at swimming pools.

For me, girls in swimsuits are sexier than being nude.

Is... is it?

And... in broad daylight,

why can women wear such attire without feeling embarrassed?

After all... everyone dresses like that.

Isn't that the kind of outfit that can only be seen by certain people in a dimly lit room?

That's what I think too.

Senior Iketani.

You can understand me?

You are just envious, aren't you?

I should just become a monk, I've had enough of this lascivious world.

Yeah.

I'm sorry.

I always make you come to Saitama.

You don't have to worry.

But we are pretty amazing too.

We only had a date at Familys before,

now we are meeting so early in the morning, and even come all the way to the beach.

This is a new record for us.

Yes.

This feels so unreal.

I feel that

Takumi has been looking pretty good lately.

Yes, that's true.

He's more masculine than before.

He used to always have a poker face,

always expressionless like a child.

It must be because he is more confident now.

After all, he performed so well in the "Project D".

He lived up to Ryosuke Takahashi's expectations and achieved good results.

He has grown a lot,

much more than we imagined.

Even though the process might be tough, he must feel very happy.

What are you referring to?

The fact that Takumi is part of "Project D", of course.

Forming a team and working together for a common goal,

it's truly admirable.

Not everyone can have such an experience.

For those of us who lack ambition, he is indeed a shining star.

That brat...

He chose to drive the Impreza out just because the air conditioning is cooler.

Takumi, thank you for today.

It's still quite early before my curfew.

I'm so glad we didn't have any traffic on our way back.

Goodbye.

Takumi, be careful on your way home.

Miss Mika, you too.

Takumi, wait a minute.

Well...

Don't call me "Miss Mika".

Try calling me "Mika".

Okay?

Um...

Mika.

It's great.

You should keep calling me like this.

Bye.

The balance of the whole car is better than I imagined.

This Ryosuke Takahashi does have some skills.

He was able to adjust the chassis so well in such a short time.

I can't do that.

In this way, it should be able to achieve good results.

But it may still not be able to last until the end.

Well, I'm just going to start preparing the necessary stuff.

This might be the last thing I can do for that kid.

(Initial D Fifth Stage)

(Initial D Fifth Stage)

Wow, it feels amazing.

So the "security product" you mentioned is actually the roll cage.

After installation, the whole car feels different.

It feels like sitting in a solid box, it's really amazing.

You guys have been putting a lot of effort in recently.

I guess the "Project D" factory knows that the race in Kanagawa will be tough.

Are you about to start your second race in Kanagawa?

Takumi, where is the race this time?

I heard it's in Hakone...

Pretty good, huh?

Perfect.

Completely reconfigured to be the most suited for this route.

After all, we can't afford to lose to those amateur teams.

No matter what, the main battleground of our "Racing Team Katagiri"

is not on the mountain roads, but on the racetrack.

Don't worry.

No matter how I think about it, I don't think we'll lose to them.

This time, I have to beat Takumi Fujiwara.

No...

The 86 from Akina.

The reason those guys are so powerful is that they're just youngsters.

Youngsters?

Yes.

When you keep racing on the racetrack,

you start to fear driving on mountain roads because you got used to "safety".

But that's quite normal.

After all, there is no buffer zone on the mountain road.

You never know what will be ahead in the blind turn.

Any adult who is aware of the danger wouldn't want to do it.

I was just about to say this to you, Kogashiwa.

You understand these things, but you still want to compete.

This means I'm still somewhat of a youngster.

This competition is my graduation ceremony.

In another year, I might start to fear mountain roads.

However,

before my feel for the mountain roads disappears,

I can still compete fearlessly.

I want to beat him beautifully and graduate from road racing.

The key in this race is not our respective driving skills,

but who is the more reckless youngster.

Even though it's not very clear at night,

Mount Fuji looks really magnificent so up-close.

I wonder if it's higher than Mount Akagi.

Are you an idiot?

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.

Right.

But this makes it feel even more real.

We really came to Hakone.

You guys...

We're not here for a field trip.

Come and have breakfast quickly.

Okay.

So, Hiroshi... Are you the team leader now?

They've arrived...

"Project D" is here.

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE

Hello, Fujiwara Tofu...

It's me.

Kogashiwa?

You always call when I'm about to forget you.

I'm ready. We can start the race at any time.

So,

please choose the starting position for the first run.

We always let the home team make the choice.

Either is fine with me.

Shall we make a decision by tossing a coin?

Heads means I will go first, tails and you will go first.

Oh... No objection.

Okay.

Tails.

So it's decided, I'll be chasing.

Okay, the race is about to start.

It's against your son again?

Yes, that's right.

This time we're sure to win.

My son is about to surpass me.

He has decided to retire from street racing and enter the world of professional racing.

Not everyone can achieve this.

He seized the opportunity through hard work.

That's really something.

What about your son, Fujiwara?

Can he surpass you?

Counting down.

-Five. Four. -I'll avenge what happened in Irohazaka.

Three.

Two.

One.

GO!

The race has started!

Go, Kogashiwa!

Ryosuke, do you still remember him?

The Kogashiwa who drives the MR-S.

I remember.

He is the one who challenged Sudo of the "Emperor" on Irohazaka.

He skillfully controlled the mid-engine car with the skills trained in karting.

I really didn't expect him to be here.

Looks like this race won't be easy either.

Keisuke's opponent is also a professional racer.

They are the real racers.

Indeed, the sense of time of professional racers is different from ordinary people.

They know clearly how to effectively shorten the time.

There may not be much chance of winning on the racetrack against them.

But this is a mountain road.

We don't need to be afraid of the titles of opponents.

As long as everyone does their part,

we can definitely win.

I never participate in races that we're bound to lose.

That car has evolved again.

No wonder it could dominate the whole North Kanto.

But now that car is not mysterious to me at all.

Its cornering performance simply relies on the performance of the tires and the balance of load.

The acceleration performance only on the horsepower and the balance of the car weight.

You can deceive others, but not me.

As long as I make no mistakes, I can definitely win.

I want to see your current strength in the first run,

and completely defeat you in the second run.

The route this time

can be divided into three sections to devise tactics.

The beginning is a relatively spacious section where the speed can be increased.

The middle is a series of extremely low-speed sections with continuous narrow turns.

Then we enter a medium-speed section,

which is narrow but enough to somewhat press the accelerator.

Though for professional racers, these should all be extremely low-speed.

The top speed in mountain racing is pretty low to begin with.

If you raise the average speed, the gap between professionals and amateurs is more visible.

But I will not use these as excuses.

The key to victory lies in the final section.

If I were Fujiwara, I would make my move there.

Can this really be done?

The opponent is a professional after all.

There's no other choice.

Fujiwara must showcase his real skills there.

I have this feeling... a premonition.

"That" will appear on this mountain road.

Do you mean...

Please don't say such things.

I'm really scared of that stuff.

Idiot, I'm not saying that a ghost will appear.

Making the inner wheel off the ground? Amazing.

But I really doubt how much influence it would have on the speed.

We professional racers do not need such tricks.

We are either fast or slow.

That's all.

My brother named it the "Fujiwara Zone".

It's somewhat different from the "zone" spoken by those top athletes.

This is a unique phenomenon that appears when Fujiwara and the 86 are combined.

What kind of phenomenon is that?

Only my brother could explain its principle clearly.

I don't quite understand it myself.

When I practice, I occasionally follow behind Fujiwara.

Sometimes, I suddenly find myself being left behind by him somehow.

That's a kind of illusion-like phenomenon. No one knows if it has occurred or not.

But the "Fujiwara Zone",

it does exist.

When specific conditions are met, it will appear.

The most important thing is the unique rhythm on the mountain road.

What was that just now?

Did I make a mistake?

I can't be negligent.

I must not forget that I lost to him once.

Again, he pulled away from me at the moment of coming out of the turn.

Was it my mistake? My tactics couldn't be wrong.

What I can't stand the most is...

I'm panicking because of it.

Am I being led by the nose by the opponent?

"The point of switching the rhythm".

Yes.

Step on the accelerator and immediately let go, repeat this move at this rhythm.

Then slightly slow down and change the rhythm.

Right now, these two cars are exactly at that point.

If something is to happen, it would be there.

What would happen at that time?

The "Fujiwara Zone", I think.

I've been wanting to ask you this.

What kind of phenomenon is it?

It didn't just suddenly occur.

It is a phenomenon that has existed since before,

I saw it when I was racing against him in Akina.

After the battle with the "Purple Shadow",

this ability has become even more mature.

Simply put,

it is actually his proficiency in controlling the 86.

Fujiwara has entered a realm that we can hardly imagine.

This is probably a product of a special training environment.

I think you mentioned something in the last race,

like "listening to the voice of the 86".

The industry often uses the term "unity of driver and car",

but it's impossible for anyone to control a ton of metal as freely as their own body.

However, the combination of Fujiwara and the 86

has produced a phenomenon that is extremely close to this term.

He can control its state freely at the moment when the tire starts to slide,

and can control the timing of sliding to change the direction or sprinting forward as will.

As for what this results in...

It gives the 86 an acceleration ability comparable to a 4WD vehicle.

How can this be? That's unthinkable.

Of course, this is impossible.

After all, no matter how hard the 86 tries, it is still a RWD vehicle,

what I mean is that it can give the car following behind such an illusion.

It can be quite a shock to see this from behind.

If the opponent is discerning,

even if they enter the corner under the same conditions,

he can quickly steer the car to the exit, perform a "0 Counter", and then step on the gas,

then he can accelerate faster than his opponent.

And this driving style

just so happens to be very suitable for that 86.

Even I actually can't explain this principle clearly.

There is a phenomenon that even you can't explain?

Of course there is.

Especially the potential of Fujiwara and the 86.

It's something that can't be explained with theory alone.