Itsuki Takeuchi

Itsuki Takeuchi (武内 樹 Takeuchi Itsuki, known as Iggy in the Tokyopop version) is Takumi's best friend; he provides the comic relief in the series, and is generally quite loud and obnoxious. Itsuki works part-time at a gas station with Takumi and Iketani; Itsuki plans to use the money he earns to buy an AE86 Corolla Levin (to complement Takumi's AE86 Trueno) but mistakenly buys an inferior (less power, poor brakes, less chassis bracing, and looser suspension) AE85. This upsets him until Takumi takes him for a drive (ultimately racing it downhill), demonstrating that the driver's skill can make a difference. With a car, he is a self-proclaimed member of the Akina SpeedStars. Unlike Kenji and Iketani, Itsuki is the most optimistic and excitable "member" of the SpeedStars. He eventually purchases a turbocharger for his Eight-Five. Self-proclaimed "Lonely Driver".

Likes: Taiwanese bananas, cheesecake, all cars popular among street racers and horsepower, cute girls in miniskirts, his AE85, AE86 (both Trueno and Levin).

Dislikes: FF, his scooter, trash talkers, and Automatic diesel cars.

Special skills: Hill road takeoff.

Bloodtype: O

Takumi Fujiwara
Takumi is his best friend in high school as well as his workmate. After discovering he is Akina's fastest, he envies his driving skills and bought an Eight-Six, which, upon closer inspection, is actually an Eight-Five. After feeling embarrassed and humiliated by the rest of the SpeedStars members, Itsuki gained inspiration after Takumi drove his car in an impromptu downhill battle and would practice driving to one day follow his footsteps.

Natsuki Mogi
A classmate in one of his classes as well as a good friend. He adores her good looks but always gets envious whenever she is together with Takumi.

Koichiro Iketani
He is his workmate at the gas station as well as a friend whom joined his team the Akina SpeedStars after Takumi demonstrated his driving skills on his Eight-Five.

Saori
His first love interest, in the anime, whom Natsuki introduced him to. While driving her home, Shingo starts an impromptu battle with Itsuki (thinking it is Akina's Eight-Six) which resulted to a crash. Although Saori wasn't badly hurt, she dumps him due to bad memories.

Kazumi Akiyama
His first (second in the anime) love interest. At first, she mistook Itsuki as a vandal when he was flirting with her older brother's Eight-Six Levin. The following day, she took a liking after covering her the coin shortage in the taiyaki stand. She also taught Itsuki how to drift and found it easier to learn from her whereas he finds learning from Takumi difficult. As she parts to Saitama with her brother, Itsuki became heartbroken. He eventually saw her again during Project D's battle against Sakamoto. Kazumi eventually dumped him, leaving Itsuki disheartened.

Trivia

 * Itsuki is the first Initial D character to have a dialogue (i.e. when he reads a car magazine about the price of an S13). In the anime, instead, it is Yuichi who talks that he happens in the scene where he notices Bunta's 86 (unbeknownst to him that he's driving Takumi).
 * Itsuki returns to chapter 96 of MF Ghost where he still lives in Shibukawa and still works at the gas station (although it is an ENEOS EV station). He is married and has children. It is revealed that his body weight increased 20 pounds.
 * Itsuki is the only member of the Speedstars to have a major development in history especially in his driving skills.