Takumi Fujiwara vs Hiroya Okuyama

The battle between Takumi Fujiwara and Hiroya Okuyama is the forty-sixth battle of Initial D.

Prior to the Battle
Following his defeat in the battle against Keisuke Takahashi, Ryuji Ikeda speaks to a member of Team Spiral, Junichi Sakamato about his loss and some aspects of the Zero Theory, explaining that it might need to be improved. After some short discussion with the remaining members of Spiral, Hiroya Okuyama prepares for his battle against Takumi Fujiwara. Okuyama insists on being the chaser assuming that the position would give him the ultimate advantage. Go Hojo and Eiji Kubo, members of team Sidewinder, discuss the hill-climb battle between Takahashi and Ikeda. Ryosuke Takahashi approaches Fujiwara and offers some pacing advise before the race begins. Ryosuke states that he should finish Okuyama off before the end of the first third of the course.

During the Battle
After a countdown by Hiroshi Fumihiro, the two take off at a normal pace, with Okuyama following behind Fujiwara. Go Hojo calls Shinji Inui's mother in order to inform them of the two racers that are heading in their direction, telling Shinji to pay attention to them as they pass. Shinji states that he is uninterested, just before Takumi reaches them, with Okuyama still trailing behind. As Takumi goes through the corner, Shinji visualizes that there are "wings" sprouting from Takumi's car. After a few more corners, Okuyama gains confidence that he can keep up with Fujiwara. Hiroshi and Ryosuke have a quick conversation, with Ryosuke explaining that he had sent Fujiwara entirely without a strategy, knowing that his natural talent in the rainy conditions would take care of the battle on it's own. After a short while, Fujiwara accelerates suddenly and picks up the case, slowly leaving Okuyama behind. Okuyama praises Fujiwara's driving sense and his ability to drive in the low visibility due to the immense fog. Okuyama states that he would make his move when Takumi makes a mistake during the second half of the course. Kenta Nakamura and Keisuke Takahashi have a short discussion about their take on the battle, with Kenta stating that Okuyama's Silvia is potentially more fine-tuned than Fujiwara's AE86. Keisuke objects, saying that in the current conditions, the battle would be decided by the driver and not the characteristics of their cars. Okuyama notes that Fujiwara is challenging him to a braking battle and refuses to push his Silvia to the limit, thinking that an accident might ensue. Fujiwara makes a sudden move during a hairpin turn, entering it at immense speeds and inching away from Okuyama. As Okuyama attempts to keep up, Fujiwara suddenly pulls away, completely disappearing from Okuyama's view and eventually leaving him behind, winning the battle.

After the Battle
Following the battle, Ryuji Ikeda and Junichi Sakamoto have a quick discussion about Okuyama's loss, in which Ikeda states that he had sent Okuyama into the battle with no advise in hopes that he would lose, which would give him an experience that he would not have attained otherwise. Eiji Kubo notes to Go Hojo that there was a slight miscalculation in the recon team's findings. The Project D expedition to Nanamagari is over with a victory for both battles.

Fifth Stage

 * 1) I Won't Fall Apart - Jager

Arcade Stage 8 Infinity

 * 1) Heart's On Fire - David Dima

Arcade Stage 8 RivalSide Info
Story arc: Team Spiral

Driver: Hiroya Okuyama

Car: Nissan Silvia Spec-R (S15)

Opponent: Takumi Fujiwara

Team: Project D

Car: Toyota Trueno GT-APEX (AE86)

Mission: Outrun the Rival

Course: Nanamagari

Rule: Downhill

Start: Standing

Weather: Rain

Time of day: Night