Editing Initial D (section)

===Anime===
{{See also|List of Initial D episodes{{!}}List of ''Initial D'' episodes}}

Avex has released the anime in several parts called Stages. A recurrent feature of the anime is its extensive usage of [[Eurobeat]] as background music in race scenes, especially by Italian singers.

* ''Initial D'' (referred to retroactively as ''First Stage''): 26 episodes (1998)
* ''Initial D Second Stage'': 13 episodes (1999)
* ''Initial D Extra Stage'': 2-episode OVA side-story focusing on Impact Blue (2000)
* ''Initial D Third Stage'': a 104-minute movie (2001)
* ''Initial D Fourth Stage'': 24 episodes (2004–2006)
* ''Initial D Extra Stage 2'': a 50-minute OVA side-story focusing on Mako and Iketani (2008)
* ''Initial D Fifth Stage'': 14 episodes (2012–2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.perfectchoice-pr.com/program/page/000203.html|title=Initial D Fifth Stage #07 (13 story, 14 Story)|publisher=Perfect Choice|access-date=April 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425023922/http://www.perfectchoice-pr.com/program/page/000203.html|archive-date=April 25, 2013}}</ref>
* ''Initial D Final Stage'': 4 episodes (2014)
* ''[[New Initial D the Movie|New Initial D the Movie - Legend 1: Awakening]]'': feature movie (2014)
* ''[[New Initial D the Movie|New Initial D the Movie - Legend 2: Racer]]'': feature movie (2015)
* ''[[New Initial D the Movie|New Initial D the Movie - Legend 3: Dream]]'': feature movie (2016)

The Battle Stages are [[musical film]]s serving as a compilation of the racing action scenes in the preceding series, stripped of all but minimal character dialog and featuring new music.

* ''Initial D Battle Stage'': a 50-minute movie (2002) 
** ''Battle Stage'' is a compilation of races from the first three series, except for Extra Stage. The battles from ''First Stage'' have been reanimated and remastered with the more advanced CGI used in ''Third Stage'', however the character art remains the same. A battle not featured in either the manga or the anime is featured, using the new CGI and old character art.
* ''Initial D Battle Stage 2'': a 1-hour movie (2007)
** ''Battle Stage 2'' is a compilation of races from ''Fourth Stage'' with unchanged CGI, even for the hidden battles. It features Keisuke's first two races as part of Project D, as they were not featured in Fourth Stage.
* ''Initial D Battle Stage 3'': (2021)
** ''Battle Stage 3'' features every race from ''Fifth Stage'' and ''Final Stage''. Unlike the previous two battle stages, it does not feature any new battles, and does not feature any character dialogue.
* ''New Initial D the Movie Battle Digest'': (2022)
** A recap of the movie trilogy with additional scenes of the characters test driving their cars.

In 1998, ''Initial D'' was adapted into an animated television series produced by OB Planning and Prime Direction. The first episode premièred on [[Fuji TV]] on April 8, 1998. The initial series ran for 26 weekly episodes with the finale airing on December 5, 1998.

The second series, named "Second Stage", aired from October 14, 1999, to January 20, 2000, with a one-week break over the New Year period. This was followed by animated feature film in 2001 and an OVA documenting all battles from the previous three stages, with the battles from ''First Stage'' being re-animated.

''Initial D ''Third Stage'' '' was a feature film covering the story arcs between the second and fourth stage, released in Japan on January 13, 2001.

In 2004, ''Initial D Fourth Stage'' aired on SkyPerfecTV's pay-per-view service, airing two episodes back-to-back every two months. 24 episodes were made until the final episodes were aired in February 2006.

Following ''Second Stage'' in 2000, ''Initial D Extra Stage'' was aired as a spinoff to the original series. This story focused on the all-female Impact Blue team of Usui Pass and their point of view of the recent events of ''Second Stage'' and the upcoming ''Third Stage'' movie. This was followed by ''Extra Stage 2'' in 2008, which look at the relationship between Impact Blue's Mako Sato and Iketani of the SpeedStars (following on from the original side-story in the manga).

Eight years after the release of "Fourth Stage" in 2004, Animax aired "Initial D Fifth Stage". Animax has aired the series on a [[pay-per-view]] basis on [[SKY PerfecTV!]]'s Perfect Choice Premier 1 channel.<ref name="perfectchoice">{{cite web|script-title=ja:「頭文字D」新アニメはアニマックス presents PPVで放送|url=http://natalie.mu/comic/news/74182|website=[[Comic Natalie]]|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|access-date=August 16, 2012|archive-date=June 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626132216/http://natalie.mu/comic/news/74182|url-status=live}}</ref> The first two episodes aired on November 9, 2012. The rest of the episodes were broadcast two per month till May 10, 2013.<ref name="perfectchoice" />

In 2014, "Initial D Final Stage" became the latest installment in the anime series. Animax has aired its first two episodes on a [[pay-per-view]] basis on its own brand new Animax Plus channel, on May 16, 2014, on its new subscription [[video on demand]] (VOD) service, which allows subscribers to watch all the latest anime series. ''Initial D Final Stage'' starts right after where ''Fifth Stage'' left off. It consists of four episodes.<ref name="animaxplus">{{cite web|script-title=ja: 「頭文字D」イニシャル|url= http://www.animax.co.jp/special/initial-d|publisher= [[Animax]]|access-date=February 15, 2023|archive-date=April 26, 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140426005147/http://www.animax.co.jp/special/initial-d/|url-status= dead}}</ref> The final two episodes were broadcast on June 22, 2014.

Since the anime's original run, Japanese musical group [[m.o.v.e]] has performed all of the opening and some ending themes of the series. This followed on from the success of one of their first hits, "Around the World", which was used as the first opening of ''First Stage''. Their latest single to be used in the series is called "Outsoar The Rainbow" and it is used as ''Final Stage'''s opening.<ref name="m.o.v.e">{{cite web|last=Komatsu|first=Mikikazu|title="Initial D Final Stage" to Feature m.o.v.e's Unreleased Songs|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/03/01/initial-d-final-stage-to-feature-moves-unreleased-songs|website=[[Crunchyroll News]]|access-date=August 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305174118/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/03/01/initial-d-final-stage-to-feature-moves-unreleased-songs|archive-date=March 5, 2014|date=March 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> They had another recent unreleased song, "Days". It was played in the finale of "Final Stage".

Like in the manga, Tokyopop changed elements of the anime to suit Western audiences. As well as changing the names and using western slang, the company also changed the anime's music from the series' staple [[eurobeat]] tracks to originally developed tracks of rap and hip-hop via [[Stu Levy]] (DJ Milky), the Tokyopop CEO and an in-house musician.<ref name="tokyopopletter">{{cite web|last1=Macdonald|first1=Christopher|title=Tokyopop Open Letter regarding Initial D|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-07-13/tokyopop-open-letter-regarding-initial-d|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=December 8, 2021|date=July 13, 2002|archive-date=October 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002094705/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-07-13/tokyopop-open-letter-regarding-initial-d|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, [[Funimation]] announced that it would be distributing the DVDs of the anime (since Tokyopop's original distributor went bankrupt). This new distribution was marked by slightly revised packaging and two box sets corresponding to the licensed seasons Tokyopop had dubbed, although the DVDs themselves were exactly the same as the original Tokyopop release.

Tokyopop had completed an English subtitled version of ''Third Stage'', and screened it at the Big Apple Anime Fest on August 29, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|last=Phillips|first=George|title=BAAF to screen Initial D: ''Third Stage''|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-03-17/baaf-to-screen-initial-d-third-stage|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=August 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409012837/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-03-17/baaf-to-screen-initial-d-third-stage|archive-date=April 9, 2023|date=March 17, 2003|url-status=live}}</ref> This version of ''Third Stage''  reportedly retained the original Japanese soundtrack, in contrast to their treatment of the rest of the anime series. This version of the film was never released on DVD, although Tokyopop mentioned its plan to release it in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mays|first=Jonathan|title=Initial D Marathon in LA|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-08-08/initial-d-marathon-in-la|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=October 20, 2024|date=August 8, 2006|archive-date=December 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213134751/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-08-08/initial-d-marathon-in-la|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the [[New York Anime Festival]] 2009, [[Funimation]] announced that it would be re-releasing and re-dubbing ''Initial D: First Stage'', Second Stage, Extra Stage, ''Third Stage'', and Fourth Stage. Their release included a brand new English dub and retained the original music from the Japanese in an uncut format. Funimation released the series out of order, with the Third and Fourth Stages releasing before the First and Second Stages.<ref>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|title=Funimation Adds X TV/OAV, 5 Initial D Anime Stages|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-25/funimation-adds-x-tv/oav-5-initial-d-anime-stages|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=August 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110091457/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-09-25/funimation-adds-x-tv/oav-5-initial-d-anime-stages|archive-date=January 10, 2024|date=September 25, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The first ''Extra Stage'' was included in the ''Second Stage'' box set.