Original subtitles

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

PLEASE DRIVE SAFE AND FOLLOW THE RULES.

(Initial D Fifth Stage)

Reality is...

His speed has obviously increased.

Is it because I am no longer a rookie?

Am I not able to charge forward regardless?

Is it because I want to make no mistakes, and preserve the tires for the second lap?

Is it these calculations that make me so slow?

What a joke.

I believe myself to be faster than anyone else,

which is why I joined the racing world.

He hit the guardrail.

What happened?

A professional racer is showing his true skills

when facing an amateur racer in an 86.

What was that? How did he do it?

He made the turn!

Professional racers are indeed formidable.

This is already my limit.

I can't increase my speed anymore.

Does this mean that a direct confrontation with him is disadvantageous for me?

Fujiwara is caught up.

Is the race finally reaching its end?

To win this race, I have to be reckless just like a rookie.

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE

(Episode 5: Fujiwara Zone) FUJIWARA TOFU STORE

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE

Hey, Fujiwara,

how long will you let your son do such meaningless things?

Your words sound really harsh.

You clearly enjoyed speeding on mountain roads too when you were young.

Times have changed.

It's only meaningful to race on the track.

No matter how much you practice on the mountain roads, you'll hit a plateau.

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE Your son is very talented.

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE I am saying this for his own good.

FUJIMI CAFE The race must be tough now.

FUJIMI CAFE It's like being pursued by the opponent.

You are wrong.

Hiroshi, his evolution is beyond your imagination.

Really?

If he takes the lead, he should adopt a swift attack strategy.

I gave Fujiwara detailed instructions yesterday.

The real place to attack is the section up ahead.

He should still be able to maintain his concentration.

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE Whether an amateur can surpass a professional,

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE I don't understand such things.

I can guarantee you.

We will definitely win this duel.

I'm telling you in advance, there's no absolute answer to who will win.

Ryosuke was right.

I need to stay focused here.

I have to do my utmost and gamble here.

This ability to push the vehicle to its limits

is the real value of the "Fujiwara Zone".

When he's driving the 86,

he can enter a realm that even professional racers can't compete with.

Although my strategy is betting on this,

the opponent should have realized our intention by now.

Are you saying our strategy has failed this time?

No.

Do you think a professional racer would shy away from this kind of technical duel?

Even if he puts his honor at stake, he would still accept.

At least that's how today's opponent is.

After all, he is the kind of person who'd decide the starting position by flipping a coin.

For someone who has so much confidence in themselves,

even if they see their opponent has tricks, they would still face the challenge.

Let alone the race is in the mountains.

My son is an expert in mountain racing.

The finish line is already in sight.

I will decide the victory by surpassing the limits in the corners.

This is the real way to win on mountain roads.

If you can make the turn at this kind of speed,

then there's no way I can't do it.

I accept your challenge.

The potential of Fujiwara and the 86

let them make turns at a speed that professional racers deem impossible.

Turning the impossible into reality.

"Fujiwara Zone" is capable of overthrowing all conventional ideas.

Same speed, same racing route.

Besides, the car I drive is a mid-engine, RWD MR which performs better than a front-engine, RWD FR.

Are you kidding me?

I lost.

I know everything I say now would sound like an excuse,

but my car is mid-engined and has a spoiler.

If it's about braking, I believe I could never lose.

"Professionals" should control their cars before getting into a situation like just now.

You were able to control the car till the very last moment,

but I ran away...

That's why my car spun out of control.

This is the part I'm most unwilling to accept.

Though I'm not sure whether forcing my way would get me round the turn,

or perhaps it might cause me to lose control and crash into the mountain wall,

it's hard to say what the result would be,

but my competitiveness lost to the fear of veering off the track.

And it caused me to lose to you.

I initially wanted to recommend you to the racing world.

But my thoughts changed a bit after this race.

Your unique style may not necessarily help you in the racing world.

I think that would be a great pity.

You should continue to delve into the world of road racing.

You should be able to become a one-of-a-kind.

This is my advice to you.

Thank you.

I'll take this call. It must be my son calling to tell me he won.

Hello, it's me.

What?

How... how is this possible?

Really? Takumi...

He won, didn't he?

How could something like this happen?

Damn it!

It was just a chasing game on the mountain roads, it's no big deal.

Don't comfort me.

How could you possibly understand how I feel?

I am Minagawa.

I am Keisuke Takahashi.

I heard... you're quite fast.

You have never been defeated by 4WD cars.

Let's see if you can escape from me.

Let me see your proudest sprint acceleration.

Are you implying that you want me to lead?

I see.

Can you keep up with me though?

Just wait and see.

Kenta.

Yes.

This race has a special meaning to me.

Do you understand?

I do.

Watch me, I will definitely win.

I wonder if Takumi's race has finished.

He should at least give me a call to tell me.

He's completely oblivious in this respect.

He has no idea how worried we are.

Oh well, there's no use worrying here.

Though we are worried about Takumi,

isn't Keisuke Takahashi's opponent a professional racer as well?

Yeah, neither of them can be casual about this,

whether it's Takumi or Keisuke Takahashi.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get.

Five seconds to go.

Three.

Two.

One.

GO!

I have this inexplicable feeling of anxiety.

Why do I feel like I want to rampage?

I want to beat you completely.

I know perfectly well

what Keisuke meant by "special".

Because this time the opponent is a professional racer.

He wants to test his skills to see how they match up against a professional racer.

Even if you've defeated those amateur 4WD racers many times,

that's merely because those laymen can't fully utilize the car's performance.

All you need to do is accelerate at the right time.

Even the heavy A80 Supra can easily corner.

This race is a showdown between RWD drivers.

The key is on the wear of each one's rear wheels.

Real tire management

is a skill you cannot learn unless racing on the track.

Push hard on your first run, wear out your rear wheels.

You, the mountain road racer who is proud of his speed,

will have no more tricks up your sleeve then.

(Initial D Fifth Stage)

(Initial D Fifth Stage)

FUJIMI CAFE

Ryosuke, do you remember?

I remember that it was the second round against "Todo School" in Tochigi.

That race was a mixed route with uphill and downhill.

The opponent was the professional racer, Tachi Tomoyuki.

Everyone thought you would choose Keisuke's FD to compete,

yet you picked Fujiwara.

Your explanation at that time was impressive and unforgettable.

You said you used two approaches to realize your "Fastest Road Theory".

That's also the reason why the "Project D" has two racers.

Is that what you want to talk about?

You have a good memory.

How could I forget? Your words carried deep meaning.

You mentioned that Fujiwara is a driver born for mountain roads.

In a way, he can be considered a non-conventional driver.

I think you've completely pinpointed his characteristics.

Meanwhile, Keisuke is traditional, who applies professional skills to mountain roads.

If they are both traditional drivers, we stand no chance against a professional.

That's why you chose Fujiwara to race.

I did say that.

How will today's race turn out?

Isn't today's opponent a top-tier traditional racer?

The young man in the 86 won the downhill race.

How about the uphill race then?

This time, I want to hear your prediction, Mr. Hojo.

Minagawa is very confident in his skills.

He would never believe that he could lose to an amateur driver.

But Ryosuke Takahashi's little brother is even more remarkable than he thinks.

His throttle control skills are strictly trained.

This also enabled that FD to break through all obstacles to get here.

I see.

And he has Ryosuke Takahashi behind him.

I don't think he would let his younger brother participate in a hopeless race.

I feel the same way.

This race will be intense.

If you think Minagawa will win easily,

you are sorely mistaken.

Mr. Hojo, whose side are you really on?

What's the grudge between you and their captain?

There's no tie between Ryosuke and me.

The one who has a grudge with Ryosuke ...

is my brother.

The driver known as the "Grim Reaper"?

The FD takes the lead first.

Minagawa chose to chase?

The position of the first lap will be key in deciding victory.

My horsepower can't compete with his.

But horsepower isn't the key in this race.

We both understand this very well.

Indeed.

Keisuke's opponent this time is a top traditional expert.

His techniques honed in professional races leave him flawless.

His unbelievably precise sense of timing,

a willpower that won't collapse even under extreme conditions,

and also physical strength.

Street racers are far from matching him in these areas.

Though it'd be best to use a varied approach to handle him, instead of direct confrontation,

Keisuke won't make such a choice.

Despite that, I confidently picked Keisuke for the race.

Because Keisuke has grown a lot.

"Special training course"?

You mean I'll have special training?

Yes.

It's extremely tough to rely on a RWD FD3S to compete and win against a 4WD vehicle.

The crux of victory lies in how to effectively use the tires.

This special training is exactly for this practice.

You just have to run back and forth five times a day.

For the ten runs up and down the hill, you need to abide by the time I've set as best as you can.

Record every lap's time in a notebook, and show me every day.

If the time you get have a major discrepancy compared to the time I've set,

think about the reasons yourself,

and try to write a detailed report for my review.

This is all you have to do.

I can do that.

But the time you set is much slower than Akagi's fastest record.

Isn't this too easy?

I don't mean you just need to reach the time I set.

You can't drive too fast or too slow.

Whether it's uphill, downhill or raining,

even if you happen to encounter a car in front that's very slow,

you have to run within the time I set, no exceptions.

If you think this is easy, you're terribly mistaken.

You will soon find out how difficult this is.

If you feel upset about me not letting you race with Tachi Tomoyuki in Tochigi,

then try to follow this training program every day until autumn.

If you want to succeed and defeat all challengers in Kanagawa, this is a must.

So that's it...

I didn't even know that Keisuke was undergoing this special training.

It's because of the second round with the Todo School?

But what's the point of this special training?

Although this practice was modified for Keisuke,

it's basically the same training I've done before.

You've done it too...

If you merely rush forward recklessly,

it only increases the burden of the car, and your technique will not improve.

If you drive at a speed close to the limit, the time it takes will naturally be similar.

But to keep the car at a moderate speed, it would be more difficult.

You get either too fast or too slow.

You can't control the throttle accurately just by stepping on it vigorously.

What's really needed is the technique to control the throttle opening smartly.

And this special training is not just about that.

When it rains,

you must adjust your speed to match the changing friction coefficient of the road.

If you encounter a very slow car in front, how to deal with it is also a problem.

If you slow down by four seconds due to the car ahead,

then you need to find a way to make up the four seconds after overtaking.

Furthermore, you can't rely on the stopwatch. You must rely on your physical feel.

Can that really be done?

Of course, it can't be achieved immediately.

But with more and more training, gradually, you will be able to do it.

Practicing driving is exactly like this.

Repeatedly doing monotonous exercises,

letting your body memorize a huge amount of data,

developing your sensitivity to changes in time.

I need to carefully control the force on the throttle.

Controlling the speed precisely

is a lot harder than a full sprint.

The most amazing thing about Keisuke

is the fact that when he sets his mind to something, he will carry it out to the end.

Aside from the days of the expedition,

he practices every day.

Every day?

He keeps practicing

and correcting the mismatch between his physical movement and the actual time.

And then he starts to understand what causes him to slow down,

and what causes him to speed up.

Writing it all down in a report

develops the habit of constantly analyzing.

This gives the intuitive Keisuke a theoretical backup.

I think he must have already discovered it,

that "byproduct" brought by that training.

Brother says this is special training for throttle control,

but I feel that's not all there is to it.

To constantly win in this racing battlefield of Kanagawa,

this technique is absolutely necessary.

Brother, just watch.

I finally understand.

Hiroshi, think about our first race in Kanagawa.

The race with the LAN EVO of "Team 246"?

Keisuke managed to overtake in one breath after halfway through the race and won.

Although Keisuke performed spectacularly in the first half to avoid tire wear,

the more important thing was his final sprint.

What I call the "byproduct"

is actually "speed".

The ability to control tires cultivated on the mountain roads and the sense of time.

To let his body master these two abilities

is the real purpose of my special training for Keisuke.

But what's amazing is

even though the training was supposed to slow him down

it seemed to have made him even faster.

And the strategy for the race today

is to demonstrate this "byproduct".

So...so you mean

you want him to decide the victory with a professional racer by sprinting?

I can't always let Fujiwara take the lead.

The legend of the fastest and strongest "Project D" in Kanto

will be created by me.

Such a cunning guy.

Every time he comes out of a turn, he will restrain me by changing the throttle opening.

The throttle opening fluctuates between 85 and 90 percent.

Is he calculating the distance between our cars

while looking for the opportunity to sprint?

I didn't expect his skills to be so excellent.

This guy is a lot stronger than I thought.

They should be halfway in the uphill race now.

Fujiwara, what do you think about this opponent?

What are your thoughts after actually competing with them?

If we're talking about speed, my opponent is indeed very fast.

He truly deserves the title of a professional racer.

There was a time when I managed to pull a distance from him.

I thought I just had to speed up and shake him off later on,

but despite me giving my all in sprinting,

I still got caught up by him.

I was really shocked at that moment. I didn't expect him to catch up at that speed.

I can understand.

But I think Keisuke and I are not quite the same.

How should I put it?

Recently, Keisuke emanates a kind of "aura".

It makes people not want to compete with him.

It makes me think... thank god he's one of us.

There are many racers who drive really fast,

but competing with Keisuke now would be very tough.

Are you about to sprint?

It's up to you now, Keisuke.

If my team doesn't have two genius racers,

we could not be undefeated in the Kanagawa area,

and the "Project D" could not be completed.