Keiichi Tsuchiya helps with editorial supervision.
The story focuses on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, where all the action is concentrated in the mountain passes and rarely in cities nor urban areas, and the drift racing style is emphasized in particular. Both the manga and anime series were initially licensed for distribution in North America by Tokyopop (2002–2009) the anime license has since been picked up by Funimation Entertainment, while the manga is no longer available in English.
It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by Pastel, Studio Gallop, OB Planning, Frontline, Gainax and A.C.G.T which premiered in Japan on Fuji TV and Animax, and a live action film by Avex and Media Asia. Initial D ( 頭文字D Inisharu Dī ?) is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995.