First Stage - Act 22

'''Fierce Uphill Battle! '(激闘!ヒルクライム, Gekitō! Hirukuraimu'') is the twenty-second Act of Initial D First Stage.

This episode features the battle between Keisuke Takahashi and Takeshi Nakazato.

It also features the beginning of the battle between Takumi Fujiwara and Kenta Nakamura.

Synopsis
At Itsuki’s behest, Takumi heads out to watch an uphill race between two of his former foes - Takeshi of the NightKids and the RedSuns’ Keisuke.

Airdates

 * Fuji TV: October 24, 1998

Characters

 * 1) Takumi Fujiwara
 * 2) Kenji
 * 3) Itsuki Takeuchi
 * 4) Koichiro Iketani
 * 5) Bunta Fujiwara
 * 6) Keisuke Takahashi
 * 7) Takeshi Nakazato
 * 8) Shingo Shoji
 * 9) Kenta Nakamura
 * 10) Ryosuke Takahashi

Cars

 * 1) Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86)
 * 2) Nissan Silvia K's (S13)
 * 3) Mazda ɛ̃fini RX-7 Type R (FD3S)
 * 4) Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II (BNR32)
 * 5) Mazda SAVANNA RX-7 ∞ III (FC3S)
 * 6) Nissan Silvia Q's (S14)

Music

 * 1) Break In2 The Nite - m.o.v.e
 * 2) Love & Money - Za-Za
 * 3) One Night In Arabia (B4 Za Beat Remix) - Go Go Girls
 * 4) 奇跡の薔薇 (Kiseki No Hana) - Galla

Quotes

 * " On Myogi's uphill, I didn't think anyone could keep up with my 'R' "
 * " His steering's started to get aggressive. Is he increasing his pace to pull away? "
 * " If he tried that on the downhill, his tires would undoubtedly wear out "
 * " It started raining, And the goal's so close! "
 * " This is the first time that I was inspired by other racers "

Differences from the Manga

 * In the manga, Takumi gets out of his daydreams while witnessing the impromptu battle between Takeshi Nakazato and Keisuke Takahashi on Akina. This battle isn't featured in the anime, and so the scene was merged into the main battle here.