Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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#initiald #頭文字d #イニシャルd #anime #manga #eurobeat #jdm #ae86

Initial D: Excite Battle Special (頭文字[イニシャル]D エキサイト バトル スペシャル Inisharu D Ekisaito Batoru Supesharu) is a 1998 behind-the-scenes "making of" special for Initial D First Stage. It aired on October 1, 1998, prior to the broadcast of Act 20 of First Stage.

Contents:
The special is broken up into different battles, covering the four major battles that had been featured in the series at time of release. Each section features a recap of the battle, alongside a breakdown of the battle by Keiichi Tsuchiya and Takashi Nojima. The special is narrated by Osamu Hosoi, the narrator for the anime, as well as the voice actor of Fumihiro.

Also featured are interviews with the voice actors about their respective characters. Another section is dedicated to the studio Nest Corporation, and how they created the 3DCG models featured in the show, as well as several problems they faced. A segment about music is featured, with interviews with sound director Masafumi Mima, M.O.V.E., and Galla.

Several sections feature the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya driving in an Eight-Six, including a section where he duct-tapes his hand to the steering wheel to show the difficulty of the battle with Shingo. A later part features Shinichiro Miki (voice of Takumi Fujiwara), Yumi Kakazu (voice of Sayuki) and Michiko Neya (voice of Mako Sato) talking with Tsuchiya, before they are shown drifting with him.

Release date:
Initial D Excite Battle Special aired on Fuji TV on October 1, 1998, at 24:40 JST (12:40 AM on October 2), prior to the broadcast of Act 20 of Initial D First Stage. It was later released on the first Initial D DVD Box on March 28th 2001.

Soundtrack:
Sound Files from Initial D Sound Files Vol. 1 and Initial D Sound Files Vol. 2, composed by series composer Ryuichi Katsumata, were used in the special.

Opening Theme:
"Number One" - Fastway

Ending Theme:
"Rage your dream" - M.O.V.E.
The Eurobeat insert songs featured in the special were later included on Super Eurobeat Presents Initial D ~D Selection 3~, which was released on CD on January 1, 1999.