Initial D is an anime based on the manga by Shigeno Shuichi, set among mountain road racers, and has been broadcast and aired as an anime, live-action film, and new movie version. The anime first aired in 1998, and the most recent version was Initial D - Legend 3 - Mugen -, released in 2016, which saw a complete change of voice actors, and the car driven by the main character, Fujiwara Takumi, is a "Hachiroku."
The Fastest Tofu Shop
The delivery trucks of the Fujiwara Tofu Shop in S City, Gunma Prefecture, are unbeatable on Mt. Akina. The first battle was with Keisuke Takahashi, the younger brother of the Takahashi brothers of Akagi RED SUNS. On his way back from a tofu delivery, Keisuke overtook Mt. Akina, who had come to scout the mountain, leading to a battle. He later became known as the "Downhill Specialist" and "Akina's Hachiroku."
Takumi Fujiwara and the Hachiroku
The Hachiroku driven by the main character of this anime, Takumi Fujiwara, is a 1983 AE86 Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX 3-door, owned by his father, Bunta, who is self-employed. It was an early model (Fujiwara Tofu Shop (private use)) and had a high-tech two-tone black and white paint job on the body, earning it the nickname "Panda Trueno" due to its color scheme. When the anime began, the hood was also pure white, but after joining "Project D," the hood was changed to carbon fiber. Since middle school, Takumi has driven up the Akina mountain pass every day to make tofu deliveries for his privately owned business, and his father, Bunta, has said, "Takumi doesn't like driving. Driving a car is like helping out with business," so at the start of the anime, he didn't feel any attachment to his Hachiroku.
What is a Hachiroku?
Although it's called the Hachiroku, its official name is the "Corolla Levin/Sprinter Trueno AE86," a car manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation, and it's called "Hachiroku" after the "86" model number. The AE86 model featured in the anime was manufactured and sold from 1983 to 1987. The Hachiroku is a rear-wheel drive (FR) car with a maximum output of 130 PS (horsepower) and a 5-speed manual transmission, weighing between 900 kg and 940 kg (varies depending on the number of doors), making it relatively light and less powerful among sports cars. Also, in the story, the best friend Takeuchi Itsuki mistakes it for the Hachiroku and buys it, and the AE85 (Hachigo) was also on sale, which looked almost identical but had a different engine.
Summary
What did you think? Apparently, the Levin was actually more popular than the Trueno during the Hachiroku era, and sales of the Trueno were low. Its popularity was fueled by Initial D, and it still commands a high price on the used car market today. Although the car is over 30 years old, you can still see it being driven today, so you can really feel the popularity of Initial D.
