Set in the early 1990s, the Initial D series follows the adeventures of Takumi Fujiwara, a teenager who helps his father run a tofu shop by delivering every morning to a hotel over the nearest mountain (Mount. Akina). Having driven the mountain pass every morning for the last five years, Takumi's skill is highly developed. The story begins with a racing team from a neighboring area (the Akagi Redsuns) throwing down a challenge to the local racers. Takumi is the only one who can drive in such a way as the beat the redsuns. The Initial D series focuses on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, and the drift racing style in particular. It is responsible for a large part of the growing popularity of drifting as a sport.
