Original subtitles

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

PLEASE DRIVE SAFE AND FOLLOW THE RULES.

(Initial D Final Stage)

Why...

Why...

He's really interesting. Well done.

Mr. Hojo?

That kid told me he wants to be a hero.

If he loses, he won't become a hero.

He's not unaware of the rules.

He definitely wants to win.

Which is to say,

he did that foolish thing because he has the confidence to overtake again.

Facing the fastest and invincible downhill expert in North Kanto,

no driver has dared to be this disrespectful.

Now it's all messed up.

Nobody knows what will happen from now.

What's going on?

Aren't we in a race?

What are you thinking?

The race is already out of control.

But...

I think this fits the final race of the "Project D".

The actors are already in place.

There's no need for such a third-rate script anymore.

The two of them are going to put on the best performance.

(Episode 3: Dangerous Scent)

Am I supposed to keep the lead like this?

Is this really okay?

Oh no.

I can't concentrate at all.

But...

If our goal is to win,

we can only make the best of this opportunity, right?

Although Fujiwara's pride might not allow it,

we have a chance to win in this way.

Hiroshi.

You still don't understand the situation.

If he lets us pass,

it means that he's confident in overtaking us again.

No way.

How could he possibly do it?

The second half of this road is extremely narrow.

There's not enough space to overtake.

In top-level races, victory is often decided by the smallest thing.

Fujiwara is our downhill ace.

In both North Kanto and Kanagawa,

his speed is unrivaled.

Perhaps you're right.

I don't have anything to prove it,

but according to my intuition for racing,

something will happen next.

I agree with Keisuke.

The opponent definitely won't just allow Fujiwara to lead all the way.

Ryosuke...

You might want to abandon

your usual way of thinking for now,

Hiroshi.

That's why I said...

he is the perfect last opponent for Fujiwara.

I didn't expect

that there's someone of this talent here.

I can only keep pushing forward.

The key to this race

is in the technical contest area before the finish line.

All I have to do is make the tires last until there...

For the two cars in the uphill race,

the 86 with extremely weak horsepower should have a decent speed on the straights.

I guess it's because it corners fast.

The 86 is truly an amazing car.

What the audience are seeing now

is probably a heated race.

Because it's full of speed.

Yes.

But for us,

neither of these two have given their all yet.

Right now, it's like the peace before a storm.

You're right.

But I can't shake the feeling that something's off.

This race is making me breathless.

I understand that feeling.

The 86 behind seems to be up to something.

No.

Perhaps he has already begun.

There is clearly a dangerous vibe right now.

This race is bound to get very exciting.

I can't see...

I don't see those wings today.

Why?

This is very disappointing.

If you don't let me see them...

Then I won't need to follow you anymore.

It's very difficult to drive when following behind Shinji.

Anyone following him would lose their rhythm.

The reason lies in his astonishing cornering speed,

and also his unique sense of rhythm.

The better the driver, the easier it is to be thrown off rhythm by him.

It's as if they've been hypnotized by him.

They keep making minor mistakes.

Everyone who has driven behind him has said so.

Some people tried to keep up and ended up skidding out of control.

That's why I said he has to be the one in front.

Running behind just can't bring out his strengths.

Don't be so angry.

Mr. Kubo.

He changed position as he wanted.

They both drive the 86, he must have felt something from Fujiwara.

This is a good thing.

This is the first time Shinji has shown interest in how others drive.

He was only interested in his own driving before.

If the race tonight is just about winning,

then he doesn't need to care about anything else.

But if we want Shinji to continue to grow,

it may do him good to have a setback.

Although his ignorance is the reason for his strength,

it is also his limit.

The one who can make him breakthrough...

is that other gifted driver who has traveled from Gunma.

I really don't understand.

Why would Shinji yield way?

As a local "Sidewinder" driver, taking the lead should be more beneficial.

This is the proactive way.

They should strike first and end it quickly.

But he...

I just can't understand it.

Moreover, he's so young...

How did he become the ace racer of the strongest team in Kanagawa?

I don't know either.

But Takumi is the same if you put it this way.

When he raced with us on Usui Pass a year ago, he was just a high school student.

You're right.

If there are more than one gifted boy in the world at the same time,

it shouldn't be considered rare.

They're here.

How could he...

He overtook...

Is there something wrong with the driver of that two-door 86?

No normal person would think about overtaking here.

I can't believe it.

The monster-like Takumi Fujiwara,

who has defeated countless experts in Kanagawa,

was overtaken...

He was overtaken.

That Gunma's 86.

Taku... Takumi was overtaken!

How could it be...

How could this happen?

What do we do now?

Is there any spot for overtaking later?

I can't believe it...

Mako, what do you think?

I also think it's impossible.

It's truly unbelievable.

This hairpin turn is shaped like an "S".

There is only one line to drive.

He actually drove tightly against another car here.

No one would want to do that.

But he just rushed straight forward.

Let alone his opponent is Takumi.

This is just my speculation...

Can I say it?

Hm.

Was Shinji... just trying to show off to you?

It has nothing to do with the route or anything else.

Maybe he could overtake at any time?

But how...

How is that possible...

He bumped into me.

So you're this kind of person.

Since you want to play this way...

(Initial D Final Stage)

(Initial D Final Stage)

Mr. Hojo's prophecy came true.

Geez.

This kid is too terrifying.

I heard that he overtook at the hairpin turn of the observation deck.

He completely ignores the theory.

He overtook there?

Yes.

When Shinji concentrates and enters the zone,

he simply becomes like another person, completely opposite of his usual calmness.

He doesn't care whether he will hit the car or not.

His type of driver is really rare.

Street racers in road races try their best to avoid damaging their cars.

He doesn't seem to have the concept of protecting his car when driving.

After all, the car has been battered since he started driving it.

Even if the car hits the guardrails or bushes,

he doesn't care.

But what's amazing is, he's only had minor scratches so far.

He's never damaged the car seriously.

He can probably see through an opponent's attacks like a martial artist.

I even replaced the battered body with sheet metal and repainted it.

This is also one of my tactics.

Otherwise, the opponent would be guarded.

The spot he overtook is really surprising.

No one can understand what Shinji's thinking.

But...

He made his move too early.

I don't think he can keep the lead all the way.

Boldness is good,

but Shinji...

Takumi Fujiwara is a much more terrifying opponent than you imagine.

FUJIWARA TOFU STORE

The hairpin turn of the observation deck?

No way.

He got overtaken there?

It's hard to imagine

someone would attempt to overtake there.

How can he toy with our downhill ace like that?

Damn.

Fujiwara himself must feel worse.

I hope he doesn't get disheartened because of this.

He won't be discouraged by something like that.

That guy isn't driving for himself now.

Right.

All the drivers who have competed with him in North Kanto are watching him...

That will become a tailwind and push him forward.

No matter what happens, he won't be discouraged.

The race is just beginning now.

How can one be happy to be let through by others?

We just returned their position, that's all.

Yes, that's right.

Yeah.

That makes sense.

This incident isn't too serious for Fujiwara.

Things aren't that bad.

If he was overtaken at high speed, that would've been a big blow.

But he probably maintained a steady speed to avoid tire wear.

It could be said that Fujiwara was too careless for this sudden attack,

but facing such a tough cornering,

not blocking him and letting him pass

was the correct choice.

This isn't bad.

After being pushed, Fujiwara should develop new abilities again.

Because Takumi Fujiwara

is a genius who evolves and accelerates at the same time.

This is good.

As long as we return to the lead,

all unstable factors will disappear.

I didn't voice this out because making overly optimistic predictions feels dumb.

But this race should be settled by now.

Takumi Fujiwara is indeed very strong.

However, the more confident a driver is in his speed,

the more dangerous it is for them to follow Shinji.

No one can mimic the way Shinji drives.

If you try to keep up with him,

you'll make a mistake.

Shinji really is a local driver.

We used to practice in Usui every day, so we can tell

that he remembers every corner of every turn.

Only those who practice daily

whether it's windy or rainy would have a grasp of such details.

Even his reckless overtaking just now

is made possible because he knows this road so well

That's a huge advantage.

Because Takumi is driving here for the first time, right?

Huh?

I can't shake him off.

He's keeping up with my speed.

He's faster than before.

Hey, Sayuki, do you remember?

The race Takumi had with us on the Usui Pass?

How could I forget?

It was Takumi's first time running the Usui Pass then.

I believe

it must be the beginning of his long journey.

He followed us, the fastest local drivers, learning my driving style.

You were in front of him, he could instantly learn your racing line

and the speed when you cornered.

That requires great focus.

I wonder if Takumi can recreate that situation.

No matter how well Shinji knows this mountain road,

even if his speed is high enough to ignore any theory,

as long as Takumi can see him with a humble attitude,

maybe he will recall the feeling when we were racing with him.

Even though he is now hailed as the undefeated downhill racer,

I believe that is his starting point.

He learned how to pass the hardest "C-121 bend" on Usui Pass in an instant.

I will never forget in my lifetime

the impact he gave me then.

Indeed...

You are really good.

You are very fast.

But we are both driving 86.

In that case...

If you can corner at that speed,

I definitely can as well.

I think this turn is the hardest one

on this mountain road.

The difficulty of the exit is even higher than the entrance.

No one has ever been able to make the turn at the same speed as me.

What's with him?

No way.

This is the first time I have seen someone able to do that.

Though it is hard, I should be able to handle it.

Eh?

Why?

I didn't shake him off.

I have already given it my all.

But I can't shake him off.

What...

I just received a report from the staff at Hairpin No. 3.

Just as Mr. Hojo knew,

that place is the most difficult turn on this mountain road.

Although it is not difficult during the uphill race,

in the downhill race,

that place would become a dangerous turn that gets harder to handle as you speed up.

After all, only the guardrails there are battered.

As for that medium-speed hairpin turn,

only Shinji was able to pass it at high speed.

Even if other drivers enter the turn at the same speed,

as soon as they reach the exit, they'll rush out for whatever reason,

crashing directly into the guardrails.

But Takumi Fujiwara kept close to the guardrails

and went right around.

I think this should be a big blow to Shinji.

Judging from the section time, Shinji must be pushing his limits now.

This is a good sign.

The world that the kid spent 13 years to build

was surpassed by a genius in an instant.

Takumi Fujiwara is not easy to handle.

It might sound rude,

but Mr. Hojo, you seem a bit different.

In a good way.

Until yesterday, you didn't care about anything but winning.

But you are different now.

You are looking at things from a broader perspective.

You are not just concerned about the result.

You are also thinking about Shinji's growth.

Maybe.

In terms of the result, I lost the race.

But I also gained something from it.

It would be a pity if it were merely about the result.

Perhaps, everyone present at this grand event

has been influenced by the "Project D".

Shinji is very fortunate

to be on this fantastic stage.

Although I'm not sure if that child would win,

I'm quite surprised...

that he didn't avoid reality

and stood on the starting line.

Seeing his behavior this morning,

I thought he would flee at the last minute like before.

I guess he must be very scared.

After all, without a steering wheel, he's just a timid child.

But once he starts driving,

he will not rely on anyone,

nor will he find any excuses.

Racers are always lonely.

He is so fast.

I can't beat him after all.

Mom.

That child is currently fighting against his vulnerability.

He will definitely grow.

I've had enough.

I want to escape from all this.

No...

Shinji is not weak at all.

That kid spent so much time in practice

to possess that unique sensibility and driving skill.

Even if he lost confidence momentarily and was down for a bit,

a racer that fast could never be weak.

Men in battle

can only rely on the spirit built by his own sweat.

Shinji is very strong.

That kid has so much potential.

So scary.

Mom...