Chapter 081

Forever Rivals (宿命のライバル, Shukumei no Raibaru, "Fated rival") is the eighty-first chapter of Initial D.

Plot
Kyoichi tells Ryosuke his plan to beat all of Gunma's best racers. Ryosuke tells him that it won't be as easy as he thinks, but Kyoichi says he isn't the same racer he'd faced before, and that this time he will end his winning streak. Ryosuke informs him that his streak had already been broken a few weeks prior by an Eight-Six, which shocks Kyoichi. Ryosuke leaves, and Seiji wants to engage him in an impromptu battle, but is shut down by Kyoichi. Kyoichi realises that the Eight-Six must be the one he had seen on Myogi.

At the Fujiwara Tofu Store, Yuichi tells Bunta about the SpeedStars plan to turbocharge the Eight-Six, and that Takumi would probably benefit from the car having a boost in power. Bunta admits the engine isn't in the best of condition, and that it needs an overhaul. He shocks Yuichi by telling him that he's already bought a new engine, and offers to show him.

At a garage, Bunta shows the new engine to Yuichi. He's undecided as to when to upgrade the car, as they would need to overhaul the rest of the car at the same time. He tells his mechanic, Masashi Suzuki, that he'll need to rely on him for the upgrades. Yuichi reminds Bunta that even Takumi wants some more power, but Bunta thinks that Takumi isn't ready for it, and he needs to learn one more lesson in the Eight-Six.

In Tochigi, Kyoichi meets with the other members of Emperor, and tells them that they will be adding another target to their list, the Eight-Six on Akina.

Japan

 * March 31st 1997 (Weekly Young Magazine, 1997 Volume 15)
 * September 5th 1997 (Tankōbon, Volume 08)

Chinese

 * August 1st 1998 (Tankōbon, Volume 08, Sharp Point Press)

English

 * October 7th 2003 (Tankōbon, Volume 08, Tokyopop)
 * April 17th 2019 (Digital re-release, Volume 07, Kodansha USA)

French

 * April 22nd 2010 (Tankōbon, Volume 08, Kazé)

Italian

 * August 29th 2023 (Tankōbon 2-in-1, Volume 04, J-Pop)

Characters (in order of appearance)

 * Ryosuke Takahashi
 * Kyoichi Sudo
 * Seiji Iwaki
 * Bunta Fujiwara
 * Yuichi Tachibana
 * Masashi Suzuki

Cars (in order of appearance)

 * Mazda SAVANNA RX-7 Infini III (FC3S)
 * Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV RS (CN9A)
 * Toyota Sprinter Trueno 3door GT-APEX (AE86)
 * Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III (CE9A)

Tokyopop/Kodansha USA version

 * Kyoichi says that Emperor "consists entirely of Lancer Evo IVs". This is untrue, as Kyoichi himself drives an Lancer Evolution III.