'Initial D' Fan Group Chat:
"It's time!"
"You guys ready?"
"We finally get to see just how strong this villain, Ryosuke Takahashi, really is tonight."
"This whole show is basically saying—if your driving skills aren't on Fujiwara Takumi's level, then don't date anyone. Look at Itsuki—takes a girl for a ride, gets hit by Shingo Shoji, lands in the hospital, girl dumps him.
Iketani spends more time thinking about love than training, and boom—Sato Mako hits him with a 720 spin rejection.
Only Takumi is stable—his relationship with Natsuki is progressing steadily, no signs of a crash."
"Exactly. 'Initial D' is telling us: don't fall in love. Ryosuke doesn't date—his skills are sharp as hell. Takumi only survives because he's the main character. Everyone else who catches feelings gets wrecked."
"So drivers only need two things—cars and hands, huh?
This road is a lonely one."
Yue Xuan smiled at the ridiculous commentary flooding the fan chat.
But then—episode 10 of 'Initial D' officially began.
Just like earlier episodes, the ceremonial drive up Mount Akina was on. As the AE86 began its ascent, fan group messages exploded:
"AE86 is going up!"
At that moment, the AE86 was the soul of every viewer.
Fujiwara Takumi was their mountain god.
With ten full minutes of intense build-up, the race finally began.
With Jing Yu playing Takumi and the charismatic Ryosuke Takahashi on-screen together, their presence drew more attention than the high-end race cars in the show.
And right as the race kicked off—
The plot took a sharp turn away from fan expectations.
Just like the classic anime tropes in Jing Yu's past life—
"Smoke but no damage,"
"Energy blasts = left side loses,"
"MC sits by the window,"
"Blonde girl = guaranteed loss,"
"Big bad dies from talking too much…"
Fans had now identified another 'Initial D' law after 10 episodes:
The "Leads Early, Loses Later" Law
Anyone who pulled ahead of the AE86 early—trying to win with raw performance—would always be overtaken at the last moment.
But Ryosuke Takahashi was different.
He let the AE86 take the lead… and then tailed it!
Yue Xuan frowned at the screen.
In the fan group, the chat exploded:
"Ryosuke is too cunning!"
"He's gonna use the 'lead-loses' law to bait Takumi into losing?!"
"Damn, every past rival tried to blow past the AE86 with better hardware. But Ryosuke is watching him—studying him—copying his line."
"He's smart. Unlike those muscle-car idiots, he's a strategist."
"Oh crap… he's not just observing Takumi—he's replicating his every move!"
"How did they shoot this? These long tracking shots are insane!"
"It's all technique from start to finish. Jing Yu clearly pulled out all the stops for this one."
As the race unfolded, Takumi pushed harder and harder—climbing toward his limit, and then breaking past it.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke…
As he put it in the episode:
"The fastest driver on Mount Akina… is Fujiwara Takumi."
Delivering tofu for five years meant Takumi knew the course like the back of his hand—every bend, every ideal line, every nuance engraved in his bones.
If Ryosuke tried to lead, he wouldn't be able to go that fast.
But by tailing Takumi, mimicking his technique, he could descend at his speed.
Even so, as Takumi gave it his all, the anxiety of not being able to shake him started creeping in.
"Okay, this guy's… got something serious going on."
"Don't tell me the writers are gonna let Takumi lose?"
"Is this why they placed the race in episode 10? To have Takumi lose to Ryosuke—then spend the final three episodes climbing back?"
"No way! I can't watch Takumi lose!"
"Wait… is even the main character bound by the 'lead and lose' law?"
"That said… these cars are flying!"
"They said this match will be 7–8 seconds faster than the one with Ryosuke's little brother, Keisuke Takahashi."
"Is that a big difference?"
"Uh, yeah? At 100 km/h, 7–8 seconds is over 200 meters. That's a huge lead—basically destroying your opponent!"
"Damn, I'm getting as anxious as Takumi!"
"Is he actually going to lose?!"
"Ryosuke is too strong!"
On screen, the AE86 and Ryosuke's FC drifted side-by-side down the winding mountain roads—two white ghosts racing through the dark.
No special effects.
No fast-cut edits.
Just raw footage—and yet, it had viewers sweating.
Yue Xuan took a sip of water.
In the story, Takumi, rattled by nerves, made a critical misstep in the latter half of the descent.
Ryosuke, trailing close behind, seized the moment.
On the turn, he overtook the AE86.
Yue Xuan blinked.
On-screen, Jing Yu's face showed the same shock as Takumi's as the FC flew past him with flawless technique.
He overtook him?!
Ryosuke Takahashi's FC actually overtook the AE86?!
"How dare you?!"
The fan group, which had been tense, suddenly erupted:
"This guy nuts?"
"Did he not watch the first nine episodes? Takumi always overtakes at the final five-hairpin combo. You can't just go off-script!"
"He fell for it! This is Takumi's bait!"
"Honestly… if Takumi hadn't set him up, Ryosuke might've actually won. This guy is way too scary."
"And now, we're back in familiar territory—Takumi is chasing again!
Hahaha, Ryosuke spent the whole episode tailing him, and now he's in front? The tables have turned!"
"AE86: Tactical error? Nope. Tactical plan."
"Takumi: You didn't see this coming, huh? That 'mistake'? That turn? That was my ultimate move!"
Right then, the soundtrack hit hard.
While Takumi had been leading, the background music was tense and heavy.
But the moment Ryosuke passed him, the music flipped—fierce, powerful, driven.
Yue Xuan clenched his fists—his body trembling in excitement.
In his empty room, he started yelling like a teenager:
"GO! GO! Come on AE86—don't lose!"
In the show, Takumi's expression also changed.
The earlier anxiety faded—replaced by calm focus.
Because now, he had a target.
Before, with the FC behind him, he couldn't see it.
But now, with Ryosuke in front—he finally had something to overtake.