Initial D watch order
Takumi Fujiwara has been delivering tofu down Mount Akina every morning in his dad's Toyota AE86, and without realising it he's become one of the best downhill drivers in Gunma. Shuichi Shigeno's street-racing manga, told across six 'stages' of TV series and a film from 1998 to 2014, with a 2014–16 film reboot and the sequel series MF Ghost.
First time? Watch First Stage, Second Stage, the Third Stage film, then Fourth, Fifth and Final Stage. The two Extra Stage OVAs are optional side stories, and the Battle Stages are race compilations you can skip.
Story order
The original series in order with the two Extra Stage side stories where they're set, then the sequel MF Ghost. The Legend films are at the end because they're a separate retelling of First Stage, not because they come later. Battle Stages and the recap are left out.
- Initial D First Stage
Takumi's tofu runs turn into races as the Akina SpeedStars take on challengers: Keisuke Takahashi of the Akagi RedSuns, the Night Kids, and finally Keisuke's brother Ryosuke, the 'White Comet'.
- Initial D Second Stage
Team Emperor and their Lancer Evolutions arrive to beat every team in Gunma, led by Kyoichi Sudou. The season ends with Takumi's engine blowing mid-race.
- Initial D Extra Stage (optional)
Two side stories about Mako and Sayuki of Impact Blue: Team Emperor challenges them on Usui pass, and Mako's love life. Set around Second Stage; optional but liked by fans.
- Initial D Third Stage
A 104-minute film, not a TV season, that's the next part of the story: Takumi's rematch with Sudou, a race against Kai Kogashiwa, graduation, and Ryosuke's offer to join his new team, Project D. Don't skip it.
- Initial D Fourth Stage
Project D, with Takumi on downhill and Keisuke on uphill, goes on expeditions to take on the best teams outside Gunma. Aired irregularly over almost two years.
- Initial D Extra Stage 2 (optional)
A 54-minute side story set during the Fourth Stage period: Mako and Iketani meet again by chance months after their missed date, and Mako thinks about going pro. Optional; watch it after Fourth Stage.
- Initial D Fifth Stage
Project D's last campaign in Kanagawa against four lines of defence, including Ryosuke's showdown with Rin Hojo.
- Initial D Final Stage
The last four episodes: Project D against Team Sidewinder, ending with Takumi's AE86 against another AE86 driven by Shinji Inui. The end of the story.
- MF Ghost
The sequel series, set in the near future when self-driving electric cars are the norm. Kanata Katagiri, trained in England by Takumi, enters the MFG racing series that Ryosuke founded.
- MF Ghost Season 2
Continues Kanata's first MFG season.
- MF Ghost Season 3
Aired January to March 2026. A fourth and final season has been announced, with no date yet.
- New Initial D the Movie: Legend 1 – Awakening
The first of three hour-long films retelling the start of the story with a new cast, new CG and J-rock in place of Eurobeat. Covers the opening up to Takumi's race with Keisuke. A reboot, not a sequel.
- New Initial D the Movie: Legend 2 – Racer
The reboot continues with Takumi's races against the Night Kids' Nakazato and Shingo.
- New Initial D the Movie: Legend 3 – Dream
The reboot's last film: Takumi against Ryosuke. It ends with a hint at Project D, but the reboot wasn't continued.
Release order
Everything in the order it came out. Apart from the compilations, the original series' release order and story order are the same.
- Initial D First Stage
Takumi's tofu runs turn into races as the Akina SpeedStars take on challengers: Keisuke Takahashi of the Akagi RedSuns, the Night Kids, and finally Keisuke's brother Ryosuke, the 'White Comet'.
- Initial D Second Stage
Team Emperor and their Lancer Evolutions arrive to beat every team in Gunma, led by Kyoichi Sudou. The season ends with Takumi's engine blowing mid-race.
- Initial D Extra Stage (optional)
Two side stories about Mako and Sayuki of Impact Blue: Team Emperor challenges them on Usui pass, and Mako's love life. Set around Second Stage; optional but liked by fans.
- Initial D Third Stage
A 104-minute film, not a TV season, that's the next part of the story: Takumi's rematch with Sudou, a race against Kai Kogashiwa, graduation, and Ryosuke's offer to join his new team, Project D. Don't skip it.
- Initial D Battle Stage (optional)
About 50 minutes of races from First to Third Stage cut together with no plot, some re-rendered with new CG, plus one race from the manga that the TV series didn't animate (Keisuke against Iwaki). A compilation; skippable.
- Initial D to the Next Stage: Project D e Mukete (optional)
A feature-length recap of First to Third Stage with staff commentary and a preview of Fourth Stage, released with the Fourth Stage DVDs. Skippable.
- Initial D Fourth Stage
Project D, with Takumi on downhill and Keisuke on uphill, goes on expeditions to take on the best teams outside Gunma. Aired irregularly over almost two years.
- Initial D Battle Stage 2 (optional)
The Fourth Stage races cut together, plus two of Keisuke's races from the manga that the anime didn't include. A compilation; skippable.
- Initial D Extra Stage 2 (optional)
A 54-minute side story set during the Fourth Stage period: Mako and Iketani meet again by chance months after their missed date, and Mako thinks about going pro. Optional; watch it after Fourth Stage.
- Initial D Fifth Stage
Project D's last campaign in Kanagawa against four lines of defence, including Ryosuke's showdown with Rin Hojo.
- Initial D Final Stage
The last four episodes: Project D against Team Sidewinder, ending with Takumi's AE86 against another AE86 driven by Shinji Inui. The end of the story.
- New Initial D the Movie: Legend 1 – Awakening
The first of three hour-long films retelling the start of the story with a new cast, new CG and J-rock in place of Eurobeat. Covers the opening up to Takumi's race with Keisuke. A reboot, not a sequel.
- New Initial D the Movie: Legend 2 – Racer
The reboot continues with Takumi's races against the Night Kids' Nakazato and Shingo.
- New Initial D the Movie: Legend 3 – Dream
The reboot's last film: Takumi against Ryosuke. It ends with a hint at Project D, but the reboot wasn't continued.
- Initial D Battle Stage 3 (optional)
A 93-minute compilation of the Fifth and Final Stage races with a new Eurobeat track list. No new races; skippable.
- MF Ghost
The sequel series, set in the near future when self-driving electric cars are the norm. Kanata Katagiri, trained in England by Takumi, enters the MFG racing series that Ryosuke founded.
- MF Ghost Season 2
Continues Kanata's first MFG season.
- MF Ghost Season 3
Aired January to March 2026. A fourth and final season has been announced, with no date yet.
Explained
Is Third Stage a movie? Do I need it?
Yes, it's a 104-minute film, and yes, you need it. It's the full next chapter between Second and Fourth Stage, including how Project D starts. Some streaming services list it separately or leave it out, so look for it on its own.
What are the Battle Stages?
Compilations of the races with the story cut out, set to Eurobeat. They add a few short races from the manga that the TV series skipped, but there's nothing you need. Skip them on a first watch; they're fun afterwards if you just want the driving.
Should I start with the Legend movies?
Most fans say no. The Legend trilogy is a 2014–16 reboot with a different cast and a J-rock soundtrack, and it only covers the first part of First Stage before stopping. Watch the original series first and treat the films as an alternate take.
Which English dub should I watch?
Tokyopop's original dub of First and Second Stage renamed the characters (Takumi became 'Tak') and swapped much of the Eurobeat for new music. Funimation later recorded a new, uncut dub of First through Fourth Stage that keeps the Japanese names and music. Fifth and Final Stage have no English dub, so switch to subtitles there.
What's MF Ghost, and is there more coming?
MF Ghost is Shigeno's sequel, set years later with a new lead, Kanata, who learned to drive from Takumi. Its anime has run for three seasons since 2023, and a fourth and final season was announced in March 2026 with no date yet. Nothing new for Initial D itself has been announced as of October 2026.