Shingo Shoji

Shingo Shoji (庄司 真吾 Shōji Shingo) is a member of the NightKids who drives a red Honda Civic SiR-II (EG6). Shingo races dangerously: he will nudge his rival's car in order to make the other driver lose control. He doesn't find plain downhill races any fun, preferring to race under a mutual handicap he calls the Duct (Gum) Tape Death Match. In this handicap match, both drivers tape their right hand to the steering wheel for the duration of the race. By doing this, a driver limits their own steering capabilities and it makes turning a challenge in a rear wheel drive car, as "catching" a car's oversteer on the exit becomes quite difficult. In a front-wheel drive car though, the use of the handbrake assists in turning the vehicle in corners. He detests Takeshi Nakazato because he believes that he is unfit to be leader of the NightKids, a position that Shingo openly covets. In terms of racing ability, Shingo is the second best driver on the Night Kids team. He is also a childhood friend of Impact Blue's navigator, Sayuki.

Shingo actually shares many beliefs with Takeshi, but whenever they watch other battles, they stay away from one another so that people won't mistake them as friends. There were also times that he supported his teammate for the Night Kids' sake, like the battle against Seiji Iwaki and his Evo IV. In 5th Stage, Takumi remebered and mentioned that Shingo lost to Takumi.

Profile

 * Likes: FF cars
 * Dislikes: FR cars

Trivia

 * In Initial D 5th Stage, Shingo is a dark-skinned blonde.
 * It might be slightly hinted that he may be a fan of Mugen Motorsports, a Honda Car Tuning Specialist.
 * When he made his first appearence intimidating Iketani's S13 in the anime, it appears that the Mugen RNR wheel is painted in Metallic Silver. But later in the anime, especially when racing with Takumi in the Gum Tape Deathmatch in Episode 15 of First Stage, his Mugen RNR wheels suddenly became Black with a Red Trim. In the Initial D Arcade Stage video games, his Mugen RNR Rims are again only shown in Metallic Silver.