List of recurring Wangan Midnight characters
Encyclopedia
This is a brief list of all the characters that features in the Wangan Midnight
series.
The main protagonist in the series, Akio is a 19-year old live-alone student who was running in the Wangan with Ma and his friends in his Nissan 300ZX (Z31) when he was easily defeated by the Blackbird. He then found the scrapped body of the blue S30 Z known as the Devil Z in which he bought and restored to good condition. His racing life began since then. He was surprised to learn that the former (and deceased) owner of the Devil Z shares the same name that he has. In the new story arc Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, the whereabouts of Akio are unknown.
A surgeon by day and a racer by night, this man is the driver of the Porsche 911 dubbed as "Blackbird". He was the one racing with the original owner of the Devil Z when it crashed. A close friend of Eriko, he assumes the role of taking care of her in place of her dead brother. When he met Kitami, he asked him to tune the Blackbird to match the Devil Z. In the beginning of Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, Tatsuya gave up challenging Akio, for unknown reasons.
A magazine model and TV Personality who hosts a motoring show, she does this hectic job and decides to run her gray GT-R on the Wangan nightly. One night, she encountered the Devil Z and the Blackbird having a race and decides to join in but her car spun out and crashed. After this incident, she is content to just follow the other racers without trying to pull into the lead. Her GT-R is tuned by Kazuhiko Yamamoto. As a safety precaution it is fitted with a rollcage and later repainted white to be more visible to other cars. Akio is her primary love interest, and he may also harbor feelings towards Reina.
Shinji Ogishima is an editor of an automotive magazine, and also a driving specialist, formerly a member of RGO team. He made a debut appearance in the last volumes of the original Wangan Midnight manga. He became one of the main characters in the Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner story arc, replacing Akio Asakura. He was known as "FD Master" as he made a debut appearance. Ogishima drives a third generation Mazda RX-7
(FD3S) and is a skilled driver. He is also a friend to Tatsuya Shima.
Also known as the , he is the one that originally tuned the Devil Z and later Black Bird as well. He laughs in the face of danger and will gladly take anything past the "safe" 600BHP mark. Unfortunately, the cars he tunes are so powerful that they are extremely difficult to control, hence his reputation as the "Devil's Tuner." Has a scar on his face, presumably from a past racing incident. Compared to other tuners, he has a few strict requirements: for one, he absolutely hates fuel injection
engines, favoring carburetor
; even when he accepted the offer to tune the BlackBird just to make a car that can challenge Devil Z, he still complained a lot about it. Incidentally, he owns a Bike Shop, and was once a pro racer, racing in GT
back in his younger days.
along with Akio Asakura, mainly providing the lightening carbon parts. Before he established his "Tominaga Speed" tuning shop, he was once a tuner working for ZERO with Kijima and Machida.
}
|-
|Car||Mazda RX-7 GT Limited
, Nissan Fairlady Z 280ZX Turbo(S130), Porsche 928
(Manga); Gemballa RSR
/Mazda Eunos Cosmo
(Maximum Tune) later switched to a Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R FD
|-
|Age||30
|-
|Aero Parts||Stock (Cosmo & 928), Custom Front bumper, Efini Brake & Logo, BBS Wheels(FD3S),Custom Front Bumper(FC3S),Custom Aero Set(S130)
|-
|Year||1985(FC3S), 1990(928), 1982 (S130), 1994 (Cosmo), 2001 (FD3S)
|-
|Japanese voice actor||Tokuyoshi Kawashima
|-
|}
Known widely as the King of High Speed before a bad accident 10 years ago while trying to break 300 km/h in an RX-7 FC, he was inspired to go back to street racing when he countered the Devil Z, going as far as to get a new car, a highly tuned RX-7, from his oldest friend Kazuo Ota, a genius tuner who founded the Speed Factory RGO with Masaki long ago. He has a special fondness for rotary engines, and makes up for a lack of raw power with handling ability.
}
|-
|Car||Nissan Skyline GT-R
V Spec (R32)
|-
|Year||1993
|-
|Aero Parts||Stock, Nissan lip Spoiler, Enkei Wheel; Nismo LM GT4 Wheels (anime)
|-
|Age||28
|-
|Japanese voice actor||Daisuke Namikawa
|-
|}
A hardworking man in the Green Auto Shop for 15 years who often races on the Wangan with his friend Harada until one day, the two encountered Reina's gray GT-R (white in the anime) which makes Hiramoto decide to get his own car, despite his promise to his pregnant wife Megumi that he had put his racing days behind him. When she learns of his decision, she leaves him to go live with her parents because it is better than wondering every night if he'll even come home. After extensive tuning of his GT-R, he challenges both the Devil Z and Blackbird. They run a long race, neck and neck the whole time. Koichi encounters one chance to pull ahead at the risk of his own life, but instead pulls back and drops out, realizing that there are more important things to live for. He then sells his car, giving up racing and returning to his wife who by then gave birth to their child.
}
|-
|Car||(Chuki)Nissan Fairlady Z
(Z31)
|-
|Year||1986
|-
|Age||18
|-
|Aero Parts||Custom Front Bumper, 50th Anniversary Aero Parts (Not Front Bumper),Wantanabe 8 Spoke White/Black Wheels
|-
|Japanese voice actor||Tsubasa Yonaga
|-
|}
Hiramoto's friend and also works in the Green Auto Shop who helped him tune his R32 to race with the Devil Z and the Blackbird on the Wangan. He drives a Nissan Fairlady Z31 in which its engine overheated when he encountered the Blackbird and tried to chase after it.
A devoted student of street racing, he spends hours just analyzing his vast storehouse of data and coming up with strategies. He staunchly believes in the superiority of the Nissan Skyline GT-R
R33 and refuses to drive anything else. His intellect is formidable, and he puts his plans into motion with absolute precision and confidence. He's one of the very few drivers who managed to get a clean one-on-one victory over Tatsuya Shima but, when facing Akio, the engine overheated and blew. Also, he is fiercely independent, and not associated with ANY tuners like some of his rivals. He shows up relatively late in the manga and quickly becomes a ubiquitous figure. Formerly a member of the R200 club before they disbanded.
A much-maligned character in the manga, fondly known as , which is regarded as a joke in both the arcade game and the manga. His own vehicle, the Toyota Celsior (Lexus LS400) has everything from underbody lighting, to fancy emblems, to dark window tinting. He staunchly refuses to remove the air conditioner, radio, or anything that's normally removed during the lightening process. Although he is a pretty good driver, he gets clobbered every time he goes up against something built to race. Also, he is quite obnoxious, and frequently brags about the incredible upgrades he's made to psych people out. He embarrassed Reina Akikawa when he first met her one night while accompanying Kazuhiko Yamamoto, mistaking her for a call girl.
(DC2) "R Killer"; Toyota Corolla (ZZE124) (Maximum Tune) "R Killer", Nissan 180SX Type X (Maximum Tune) "R Killer", but later switches to Nissan Skyline GT-R
V Spec II (R32)
A young friend of Akio who lives with a woman named Kyoko Kitahara known for the quote "I'm a person who disappears...". He works for a tuning shop known as ACE, and he tries (unsuccessfully) to "fix up" Kyoko and his fellow mechanic, Gen Goto. He drives a Honda Integra
Type-R but eventually switches to his tuning shop's project car, the "ACE32R", a modified Nissan Skyline GT-R
R32. He is a timid, insecure character and after trying unsuccessfully to overtake the Devil Z and BlackBird for Wangan superiority, he feels "out of place" and moves away from Tokyo.
(GC8), later switched to a tuned Nissan 300ZX (Z32)
Another model who was friendly with Reina, she got drawn into street racing after hearing of Reina's exploits. She received a Subaru Impreza WRX from her boyfriend as a gift, but after encountering the Devil Z and failing to keep up with it, she got rid of the car and broke up with her boyfriend, then searched for a better car.
Spirit R Type A (FD3S)
A touge
ace in the manga. Hailing from Hakone, Oki has long been unchallenged on the mountain road... until the Devil Z came along. As such, he's decided to give it a try racing it on Tokyo's highways.
Car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
V (Eiji) and VI (Maki)
Two brothers from the Kansai region. Eiji's the serious racer, and he's tremendously gifted. Maki has potential but for the moment mainly just tags along. They met Tatsuya Shima and his Blackbird when the latter visited Osaka while looking for a new exhaust pipe. Eiji, inspired by Tatsuya's driving, then decided to visit Tokyo, meeting Rikako Ota in the process.
; Gemballa Avalanche/Subaru Alcyone SVX
(WMMT3 DX only)
A photographer of Japanese idols. He meets and gets to know Reina, who he happens to share the same passion for racing and aspiration to defeat the Devil Z. He has had his car tuned by Kitami to around 600 hp.
GT Limited (FC3S)
Akio's friend who helps him tune the Devil Z before he met Kitami. He owns a local tuner shop with the help of his brother Ma. He is also the one watching over Akio when he tunes the Z.
A shop owned by Kazuo Ota. Infamous in the manga for tuning Masaki's monstrous Mazda RX-7 and a light blue R33 Skyline
driven by Kazuo and Yamanaka themselves. Kazuo is familiar with Jun Kitami and scoffs at anyone trying to chase down the Devil Z. His teenage daughter, Rikako, a university student, studies under his wing. She's inexperienced but learning, and she's even developing a taste for actual battling, driving a Nissan Silvia
. She actually started tinkering with engines since she was in middle school by dismantling scrapped engines (and being scolded by her father for it), and eventually she was the one who assembled the engine of the tuning shop's demo car, a pink R33 Skyline. She was also the one responsible for enhancing Eiji Kamiya's Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI along with her father (Eiji then tried to get her to go with him back to Osaka, but she staunchly refused). She even got to tinker with the engine of the Devil Z, going as far as to take it completely apart in the process of tuning it. It is revealed that in ten years, she is slated to inherit RGO from her father. Yamanaka, who challenged the Blackbird also works here and also drives Skyline.
Consists of Jun "JPP" Sonoda, Ryoichi "JAPAN" Teizuka, and Yasuo "CCR" Motoki; a ragtag alliance of speed shop owners who banded together due to their inability to beat anyone alone. Named themselves R200 from the fact that they claimed to be among the first drivers to break the 200 mph speed limit. Yasuo Motoki acts as the leader, Ryoichi Teizuka acts as his crony, and Jun Sonoda, the wisest and best driver, is the "go-to guy". They all drive the Nissan Skyline GT-R
R33 V-spec...and quickly got wiped out by the Blackbird. Since then, they gave up street racing and relegated themselves to mere mechanics.
The group also had minor members and friends, though only Yasuhiko Miki and Takayuki Kuroki (see above) were named. Miki rode as a passenger with Yasuo Motoki during the chase against the Blackbird. After the R200 club disbanded, tension arose between Yasuhiko and the other members (but he remained friendly with Takayuki), and he subsequently disappeared. In Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune's Outrun mode, and later in the new Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 DX Story Mode, he also drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R
R33 like the other R200 Club members.
Owned by Gen Goto. Tomoya, Kouichi Hiramoto and Harada works here, and they tune the Nissan Skyline GT-R
exclusively, later driven by Tomoya.
Owned by Kou Tominaga. Speciality in ECU Setting and tuned Akio's Z, Tatsuya's Blackbird and Kei's Supra. More of a companion to Kitami's shop than a rival due to the owners' acquaintances with one another.
Owned by Kazuhiko Yamamoto; the shop that specializes in Nissan Skylines. Reina's White GT-R (BNR 32) was tuned there. Kazuhiko Yamamoto drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R
V-Spec II (BNR 34).
A regular bicycle/motorcycle shop owned by Jun Kitami with a large warehouse to tune cars. It is the very shop in which he built Akio's Z and Tatsuya's Blackbird.
The shop that tuned the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
of the Kamiya brothers. Based in Kansai region.
The shop that tuned the Legendary FC that Kijima used to create a course record in Tsukuba
. ZERO is famous for tuning boosted up cars and was featured in numerous car magazines for the boosted cars' course record. Some known workers of this shop are Kouichi Kijima, who races the tuned cars, Machida, who tunes the demo cars and Kou Tominaga, who sets up the boost and ECU settings along with Machida.
A rag-tag tuning shop specializing in cars that combine luxury with performance (e.g. the Toyota Celsior). It is not a serious shop by any means, as it is "owned" by Gen Sasaki.
The shop specializing in bodywork, it was there that the bodies of the Devil Z and Blackbird were worked on. It is owned by Yuichi Takagi, an expert in welding, who actually was among those who helped first build the Devil Z years ago. He worked on the Devil Z again after it was destroyed in a collision, and repaired the body of the Blackbird when it was later involved in an accident. He also worked on the body of the Supra RZ/Monster Machine of Keiichiro Aizawa, as he was a close friend of Keiichiro's late father.
The independent shop owned by Takayuki Kuroki. Originally it had a large staff, but Takayuki eventually dismissed all of them and became the sole worker. The shop exclusively tunes the Nissan Skyline GT-R
. Takayuki suspended the shop when he decided to challenge the Devil Z, putting all his effort to tuning his personal R33.
while her husband worked at a tuning shop so they could save enough money to buy a house in the countryside. She was distraught when Koichi took their savings to buy a Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 to go street racing, and in response moved away, but later reunited with him after she gave birth to their child.
Wangan Midnight
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki and serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits since 1990, later in Kodansha's Young Magazine. In 1999, it won the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga....
series.
Akio Asakura
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Nissan Fairlady Z (Z31, Z32 in the live-action movie), later switched to a first generation Nissan Fairlady Z-L (S30) |
| License plate | 横浜 33 て 53-681 |
| voice actor | Shun Oguri Shun Oguri is a Japanese actor, director and voice actor.-Career:Born to a theater director father, Tetsuya Oguri, and having an actor brother, Ryo Oguri, Shun Oguri started his acting career quite early in his life... , Yuichi Nakamura Yuichi Nakamura is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with Sigma Seven.-2001:* Dennou Boukenki Webdiver , Griffion, Ligaon, Raada* The Prince of Tennis , Ginka Center member 1-2003:* Crush Gear Nitro , Hugo... (film) |
| Age | 18 (before Devil Z burn), 19 |
| Engine | L28, bored and stroked to 3.1 liters (600 hp), twin-turbos, carburators and later RB26DETT 800 hp with F1 Turbine |
| Aero Parts | Nissan Z432R Wing, Nissan S30 Race Car front bumper, Nissan S30 Race Car rear bumper,1969-1973 Tail Lamp |
| Year | 1974 (Devil S30Z) and 1984 (Fairlady Z Z31) |
The main protagonist in the series, Akio is a 19-year old live-alone student who was running in the Wangan with Ma and his friends in his Nissan 300ZX (Z31) when he was easily defeated by the Blackbird. He then found the scrapped body of the blue S30 Z known as the Devil Z in which he bought and restored to good condition. His racing life began since then. He was surprised to learn that the former (and deceased) owner of the Devil Z shares the same name that he has. In the new story arc Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, the whereabouts of Akio are unknown.
Tatsuya Shima
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6/RUF CTR RUF CTR The Ruf CTR also known as the CTR Yellowbird or simply Yellowbird, was a limited-production, high performance sports car produced by Ruf Automobile of Germany.... 'Yellowbird' (964) (Wangan Midnight), Gemballa Gemballa Gemballa is a tuning company based in Leonberg near Stuttgart, Germany, which was founded by, and named after, Uwe Gemballa in 1981. They provided aftermarket parts mainly for Porsche. In May 2010, the Gemballa factory was seized by German authorities and shut down following the disappearance of... 3.8 RS (Japanese version)/Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33) Nissan 350Z The Nissan 350Z is a two seat sports car that was manufactured by Nissan from 2002 to 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered production in late 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model. The first year there was only a coupe, as the roadster did not debut... "Blackbird" (Maximum Tune) |
| Engine | Boxer 700HP (964), VQ35DE JGTC spec tuned to 700HP (Z33) |
| Parts | TBK Body Kit (911), black paint (CTR Yellowbird-Blackbird) |
| Age | 27 |
| Year | 1993 (964), 2003 (Z33), 1988 (CTR) |
| voice actor | Shinichiro Miki Shinichiro Miki is a Japanese voice actor. He is a member of 81 Produce.Miki is most known for the roles of Kojiro , Takumi Fujiwara , Kisuke Urahara , Akira Yuki , Lockon Stratos , and Roy Mustang .According to the Anime News Network, as of Spring 2007, Miki is... , Kazuki Katou (film) |
A surgeon by day and a racer by night, this man is the driver of the Porsche 911 dubbed as "Blackbird". He was the one racing with the original owner of the Devil Z when it crashed. A close friend of Eriko, he assumes the role of taking care of her in place of her dead brother. When he met Kitami, he asked him to tune the Blackbird to match the Devil Z. In the beginning of Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner, Tatsuya gave up challenging Akio, for unknown reasons.
Reina Akikawa
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32, R34 in the movie) later switched to (Zenki) Nissan Skyline GT-R Nissan Skyline GT-R The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring... N1 (R32) "Yamamoto R32" |
| Engine | RB26DETT twin turbo tuned to 500 hp |
| Age | 24 |
| Aero parts | NISMO Skirt & rear lip spoiler (N1) |
| Year | 1991 (first color is charcoal) (second color, after Yamamoto Tuning, White) |
| voice actor | Reiko Suhou, Rio Matsumoto Rio Matsumoto Rio Matsumoto is a Japanese actress, model and singer. She has had a prolific career in television drama series since the mid 1990s and since 2003 has also been in several films... (film) |
A magazine model and TV Personality who hosts a motoring show, she does this hectic job and decides to run her gray GT-R on the Wangan nightly. One night, she encountered the Devil Z and the Blackbird having a race and decides to join in but her car spun out and crashed. After this incident, she is content to just follow the other racers without trying to pull into the lead. Her GT-R is tuned by Kazuhiko Yamamoto. As a safety precaution it is fitted with a rollcage and later repainted white to be more visible to other cars. Akio is her primary love interest, and he may also harbor feelings towards Reina.
Shinji Ogishima
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Mazda RX-7 Type RZ Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980... (FD3S) |
| Age | Unknown |
| Engine | Mazda 16B Wankel engine Mazda Wankel engine The Mazda Wankel engines are family of car engines derived from experiments in the early 1960s by Felix Wankel, a German engineer... with twin turbochargers, approx 400 hp |
| Aero Parts | Carbon fibre bonnet and rear wing |
| Year | 2001 |
Shinji Ogishima is an editor of an automotive magazine, and also a driving specialist, formerly a member of RGO team. He made a debut appearance in the last volumes of the original Wangan Midnight manga. He became one of the main characters in the Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner story arc, replacing Akio Asakura. He was known as "FD Master" as he made a debut appearance. Ogishima drives a third generation Mazda RX-7
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
(FD3S) and is a skilled driver. He is also a friend to Tatsuya Shima.
Jun Kitami
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Nissan Fairlady Z Z-T/Z-L(260Z) |
| Engine | Original L28 325 hp |
| Age | Unknown |
| Aero Parts | Unknown |
| Year | 1975 |
| Japanese voice actor | Kenta Miyake Kenta Miyake is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with 81 Produce.He is known for his unusually low voice .After the death of Hirotaka Suzuoki in 2006, Kenta took over the role of Giovanni during Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. He has since expanded this role into the new series, Pokemon Best Wishes... |
Also known as the , he is the one that originally tuned the Devil Z and later Black Bird as well. He laughs in the face of danger and will gladly take anything past the "safe" 600BHP mark. Unfortunately, the cars he tunes are so powerful that they are extremely difficult to control, hence his reputation as the "Devil's Tuner." Has a scar on his face, presumably from a past racing incident. Compared to other tuners, he has a few strict requirements: for one, he absolutely hates fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
engines, favoring carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
; even when he accepted the offer to tune the BlackBird just to make a car that can challenge Devil Z, he still complained a lot about it. Incidentally, he owns a Bike Shop, and was once a pro racer, racing in GT
GT
-Science, technology, engineering, measurement:* Gas turbine, a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas* Geometry & Topology, a mathematical journal* Giant trevally, a species of fish from the Carangidae family...
back in his younger days.
Kou Tominaga
A longtime associate of Jun and nearly as fervent in the pursuit of speed. He got the nickname "The Jet" from his racing days. Tuned the Monstrous SupraToyota Supra
The Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
along with Akio Asakura, mainly providing the lightening carbon parts. Before he established his "Tominaga Speed" tuning shop, he was once a tuner working for ZERO with Kijima and Machida.
Masaki
| Japanese Name |
|-
|Car||Mazda RX-7 GT Limited
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
, Nissan Fairlady Z 280ZX Turbo(S130), Porsche 928
Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 was a sports-GT car sold by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995. Originally intended to replace the company's iconic 911, the 928 attempted to combine the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the refinement, comfort, and equipment of a luxury sedan to create what some...
(Manga); Gemballa RSR
Gemballa
Gemballa is a tuning company based in Leonberg near Stuttgart, Germany, which was founded by, and named after, Uwe Gemballa in 1981. They provided aftermarket parts mainly for Porsche. In May 2010, the Gemballa factory was seized by German authorities and shut down following the disappearance of...
/Mazda Eunos Cosmo
Mazda Cosmo
There have been four generations of Mazda automobiles which went by the name of Cosmo, although they are not all particularly related. All were Grand tourers, with the first proving a successful launch for the Mazda Wankel engine and acting as a "halo" vehicle for the new Mazda brand...
(Maximum Tune) later switched to a Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R FD
Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
|-
|Age||30
|-
|Aero Parts||Stock (Cosmo & 928), Custom Front bumper, Efini Brake & Logo, BBS Wheels(FD3S),Custom Front Bumper(FC3S),Custom Aero Set(S130)
|-
|Year||1985(FC3S), 1990(928), 1982 (S130), 1994 (Cosmo), 2001 (FD3S)
|-
|Japanese voice actor||Tokuyoshi Kawashima
Tokuyoshi Kawashima
is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with 81 Produce.- Roles :* Ah! My Goddess: The Movie as Miwa* Ayakashi Ayashi as Houzaburo Ogasawara* D.Gray-man as Mark * Emma - A Victorian Romance as Willam Jones* Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as Riddle...
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Known widely as the King of High Speed before a bad accident 10 years ago while trying to break 300 km/h in an RX-7 FC, he was inspired to go back to street racing when he countered the Devil Z, going as far as to get a new car, a highly tuned RX-7, from his oldest friend Kazuo Ota, a genius tuner who founded the Speed Factory RGO with Masaki long ago. He has a special fondness for rotary engines, and makes up for a lack of raw power with handling ability.
Koichi Hiramoto
| Japanese Name |
|-
|Car||Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
V Spec (R32)
|-
|Year||1993
|-
|Aero Parts||Stock, Nissan lip Spoiler, Enkei Wheel; Nismo LM GT4 Wheels (anime)
|-
|Age||28
|-
|Japanese voice actor||Daisuke Namikawa
Daisuke Namikawa
is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with Across Entertainment.He started acting in 1984. He is sometimes mistaken for fellow voice actor Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of voice casting, he is usually cast as young,...
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A hardworking man in the Green Auto Shop for 15 years who often races on the Wangan with his friend Harada until one day, the two encountered Reina's gray GT-R (white in the anime) which makes Hiramoto decide to get his own car, despite his promise to his pregnant wife Megumi that he had put his racing days behind him. When she learns of his decision, she leaves him to go live with her parents because it is better than wondering every night if he'll even come home. After extensive tuning of his GT-R, he challenges both the Devil Z and Blackbird. They run a long race, neck and neck the whole time. Koichi encounters one chance to pull ahead at the risk of his own life, but instead pulls back and drops out, realizing that there are more important things to live for. He then sells his car, giving up racing and returning to his wife who by then gave birth to their child.
Harada
| Japanese Name |
|-
|Car||(Chuki)Nissan Fairlady Z
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
(Z31)
|-
|Year||1986
|-
|Age||18
|-
|Aero Parts||Custom Front Bumper, 50th Anniversary Aero Parts (Not Front Bumper),Wantanabe 8 Spoke White/Black Wheels
|-
|Japanese voice actor||Tsubasa Yonaga
Tsubasa Yonaga
is a Japanese voice actor who works for Ken Production. He was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He won for best Male Rookie Actor in the 2nh Seiyū Awards for his role as Ren Mihashi in Ookiku Furikabutte.-Anime:2007*Big Windup! 2008...
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Hiramoto's friend and also works in the Green Auto Shop who helped him tune his R32 to race with the Devil Z and the Blackbird on the Wangan. He drives a Nissan Fairlady Z31 in which its engine overheated when he encountered the Blackbird and tried to chase after it.
Takayuki Kuroki
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Nissan Skyline GT-R Nissan Skyline GT-R The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring... V Spec (R33) |
| Age | 30 |
| Aero Parts | Nismo 400R Front Bumper & Side Skirt,RAYS Wheel |
| Year | 1997 |
| Japanese voice actor | Akimitsu Takase Akimitsu Takase ' is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-TV Anime:*Ceres, Celestial Legend *Daphne in the Brilliant Blue *E's Otherwise *Fafner of the Azure *Fullmetal Alchemist... |
A devoted student of street racing, he spends hours just analyzing his vast storehouse of data and coming up with strategies. He staunchly believes in the superiority of the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
R33 and refuses to drive anything else. His intellect is formidable, and he puts his plans into motion with absolute precision and confidence. He's one of the very few drivers who managed to get a clean one-on-one victory over Tatsuya Shima but, when facing Akio, the engine overheated and blew. Also, he is fiercely independent, and not associated with ANY tuners like some of his rivals. He shows up relatively late in the manga and quickly becomes a ubiquitous figure. Formerly a member of the R200 club before they disbanded.
Kouichi Kijima
| Japanese Name | |
| Car | Mazda RX-7 Mazda RX-7 Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980... ∞ III (FC3S)/GT Limited "Legendary FC" |
| Year | 1987(GT Limited),1990(Infini III) |
| Aero Parts | Custom Aero Parts,BBS Wheels,GT Wing |
| Age | 24 |
| Japanese voice actor | Jin Horikawa Jin Horikawa is a Japanese voice actor from Hyōgo Prefecture. He is a member of Office Osawa, the same agency that employs distinguished voice actors such as Yuji Ueda, Mitsuo Iwata, and Fumihiko Tachiki... |
- A car enthusiast and writer for numerous famous car publications, also a TV personality, as such, he knows many prominent people. He is Reina's cohost for their motoring show Drive Go Go. He's experienced a tremendous variety of vehicles in his career and knows how to get the most out of each one. Once known as the "Big Mouth Slugger" back in the day, he was both a tuner and a driver who set records at the Tsukuba circuit along with his fellow tuners Ko Tominaga and Machida. Their shop, ZERO, created the legendary FC, which after 5 years of leaving the scene, is restored to its former glory and challenged the Devil Z and Blackbird, which ends in Kijima retiring from the race.
Keiichiro Aizawa
- Car: Toyota SupraToyota SupraThe Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
RZ/Toyota SupraToyota SupraThe Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
Twin Turbo (JZA80) "Monster Supra"
- The character who drives the Supra RZToyota SupraThe Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
/Supra Twin TurboToyota SupraThe Toyota Supra is a sports car/grand tourer that was produced by Toyota Motor Company from 1979 to 2002. The styling of the Toyota Supra was derived from the Toyota Celica, but it was both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra became its own model and was no longer based on the Celica...
, dubbed as the tuned by Kou Tominaga and Akio Asakura. After meeting Devil Z, he decided to chase after him. His desire for racing and his car choice was inspired by his father, who drove a MkII Supra and was killed by a drunk driver. He works in a host club to finance his racing activities.
Gatchan (Gen Sasaki)
Car: Toyota Celsior (UCF11)A much-maligned character in the manga, fondly known as , which is regarded as a joke in both the arcade game and the manga. His own vehicle, the Toyota Celsior (Lexus LS400) has everything from underbody lighting, to fancy emblems, to dark window tinting. He staunchly refuses to remove the air conditioner, radio, or anything that's normally removed during the lightening process. Although he is a pretty good driver, he gets clobbered every time he goes up against something built to race. Also, he is quite obnoxious, and frequently brags about the incredible upgrades he's made to psych people out. He embarrassed Reina Akikawa when he first met her one night while accompanying Kazuhiko Yamamoto, mistaking her for a call girl.
Tomoya
Car: Honda Integra Type-RHonda Integra
The Honda Integra is a compact luxury performance coupe made by Honda during the years 1985 to 2006. The sporty front wheel drive car is able to house five passengers with a two door hatch or four door sedan available.The Integra was on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list six times, in...
(DC2) "R Killer"; Toyota Corolla (ZZE124) (Maximum Tune) "R Killer", Nissan 180SX Type X (Maximum Tune) "R Killer", but later switches to Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
V Spec II (R32)
A young friend of Akio who lives with a woman named Kyoko Kitahara known for the quote "I'm a person who disappears...". He works for a tuning shop known as ACE, and he tries (unsuccessfully) to "fix up" Kyoko and his fellow mechanic, Gen Goto. He drives a Honda Integra
Honda Integra
The Honda Integra is a compact luxury performance coupe made by Honda during the years 1985 to 2006. The sporty front wheel drive car is able to house five passengers with a two door hatch or four door sedan available.The Integra was on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list six times, in...
Type-R but eventually switches to his tuning shop's project car, the "ACE32R", a modified Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
R32. He is a timid, insecure character and after trying unsuccessfully to overtake the Devil Z and BlackBird for Wangan superiority, he feels "out of place" and moves away from Tokyo.
Makoto Morishita
Car: Originally drives a Subaru Impreza WRX STiSubaru Impreza WRX STI
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI, has the highest trim in the Subaru Impreza compact car line, produced by Japanese automaker Subaru.In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities...
(GC8), later switched to a tuned Nissan 300ZX (Z32)
Nissan 300ZX
The Z31 chassis designation was first introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the US only. The 300ZX, as its predecessors, was known as a Nissan in other parts of the world. This continued in the US until 1985 model year when Nissan standardized their brand name worldwide and dropped...
Another model who was friendly with Reina, she got drawn into street racing after hearing of Reina's exploits. She received a Subaru Impreza WRX from her boyfriend as a gift, but after encountering the Devil Z and failing to keep up with it, she got rid of the car and broke up with her boyfriend, then searched for a better car.
Oki
Car: Mazda RX-7Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
Spirit R Type A (FD3S)
A touge
Touge
is a Japanese word literally meaning "pass." It refers to a mountain pass or any of the narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around the mountains of Japan and other geographically similar areas, like the legendary Nordschleife in Germany....
ace in the manga. Hailing from Hakone, Oki has long been unchallenged on the mountain road... until the Devil Z came along. As such, he's decided to give it a try racing it on Tokyo's highways.
Eiji Kamiya & Maki Kamiya
andCar: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo, is a high-performance sedan manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral...
V (Eiji) and VI (Maki)
Two brothers from the Kansai region. Eiji's the serious racer, and he's tremendously gifted. Maki has potential but for the moment mainly just tags along. They met Tatsuya Shima and his Blackbird when the latter visited Osaka while looking for a new exhaust pipe. Eiji, inspired by Tatsuya's driving, then decided to visit Tokyo, meeting Rikako Ota in the process.
Yoshiyaki Ishida
Car: Ferrari TestarossaFerrari Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer...
; Gemballa Avalanche/Subaru Alcyone SVX
Subaru Alcyone SVX
The Subaru Alcyone SVX, also known outside of its home market Japan as the Subaru SVX, is a two-door grand tourer coupé that was sold by Subaru, the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries . Produced from 1991 to 1997, it was FHI's first...
(WMMT3 DX only)
A photographer of Japanese idols. He meets and gets to know Reina, who he happens to share the same passion for racing and aspiration to defeat the Devil Z. He has had his car tuned by Kitami to around 600 hp.
Ko-chan
Car: Mazda RX-7Mazda RX-7
Series 1 is commonly referred to as the "SA22C" from the first alphanumerics of the vehicle identification number. This series of RX-7 had exposed steel bumpers and a high-mounted indentation-located license plate, called by Werner Buhrer of Road & Track magazine a "Baroque depression."In 1980...
GT Limited (FC3S)
Akio's friend who helps him tune the Devil Z before he met Kitami. He owns a local tuner shop with the help of his brother Ma. He is also the one watching over Akio when he tunes the Z.
Tuning Shops
- RGO
A shop owned by Kazuo Ota. Infamous in the manga for tuning Masaki's monstrous Mazda RX-7 and a light blue R33 Skyline
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
driven by Kazuo and Yamanaka themselves. Kazuo is familiar with Jun Kitami and scoffs at anyone trying to chase down the Devil Z. His teenage daughter, Rikako, a university student, studies under his wing. She's inexperienced but learning, and she's even developing a taste for actual battling, driving a Nissan Silvia
Nissan Silvia
The S12 was produced from 1984 to 1988, with revisions to the exterior trim in 1987 . It was sold in three configurations—a coupe , a hatchback, and a widebody chassis called grandprix .A number of different engines were equipped in the S12 chassis, depending on production year and more...
. She actually started tinkering with engines since she was in middle school by dismantling scrapped engines (and being scolded by her father for it), and eventually she was the one who assembled the engine of the tuning shop's demo car, a pink R33 Skyline. She was also the one responsible for enhancing Eiji Kamiya's Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI along with her father (Eiji then tried to get her to go with him back to Osaka, but she staunchly refused). She even got to tinker with the engine of the Devil Z, going as far as to take it completely apart in the process of tuning it. It is revealed that in ten years, she is slated to inherit RGO from her father. Yamanaka, who challenged the Blackbird also works here and also drives Skyline.
- R200 club
Consists of Jun "JPP" Sonoda, Ryoichi "JAPAN" Teizuka, and Yasuo "CCR" Motoki; a ragtag alliance of speed shop owners who banded together due to their inability to beat anyone alone. Named themselves R200 from the fact that they claimed to be among the first drivers to break the 200 mph speed limit. Yasuo Motoki acts as the leader, Ryoichi Teizuka acts as his crony, and Jun Sonoda, the wisest and best driver, is the "go-to guy". They all drive the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
R33 V-spec...and quickly got wiped out by the Blackbird. Since then, they gave up street racing and relegated themselves to mere mechanics.
The group also had minor members and friends, though only Yasuhiko Miki and Takayuki Kuroki (see above) were named. Miki rode as a passenger with Yasuo Motoki during the chase against the Blackbird. After the R200 club disbanded, tension arose between Yasuhiko and the other members (but he remained friendly with Takayuki), and he subsequently disappeared. In Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune's Outrun mode, and later in the new Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 DX Story Mode, he also drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
R33 like the other R200 Club members.
- ACE
Owned by Gen Goto. Tomoya, Kouichi Hiramoto and Harada works here, and they tune the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
exclusively, later driven by Tomoya.
- Tominaga Speed
Owned by Kou Tominaga. Speciality in ECU Setting and tuned Akio's Z, Tatsuya's Blackbird and Kei's Supra. More of a companion to Kitami's shop than a rival due to the owners' acquaintances with one another.
- Yamamoto Speed
Owned by Kazuhiko Yamamoto; the shop that specializes in Nissan Skylines. Reina's White GT-R (BNR 32) was tuned there. Kazuhiko Yamamoto drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
V-Spec II (BNR 34).
- Kitami Cycle
A regular bicycle/motorcycle shop owned by Jun Kitami with a large warehouse to tune cars. It is the very shop in which he built Akio's Z and Tatsuya's Blackbird.
- Works-R
The shop that tuned the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo or Evo, is a high-performance sedan manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. There have been ten official versions to date, and the designation of each model is most commonly a roman numeral...
of the Kamiya brothers. Based in Kansai region.
- ZERO
The shop that tuned the Legendary FC that Kijima used to create a course record in Tsukuba
Tsukuba Circuit
The Tsukuba Circuit is a motorsport race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is long, has 32 pits and the longest straight is long. There is a small chicane corner that is used for motorcycle racing only and increases the total length to...
. ZERO is famous for tuning boosted up cars and was featured in numerous car magazines for the boosted cars' course record. Some known workers of this shop are Kouichi Kijima, who races the tuned cars, Machida, who tunes the demo cars and Kou Tominaga, who sets up the boost and ECU settings along with Machida.
- SpeedShop MACH
A rag-tag tuning shop specializing in cars that combine luxury with performance (e.g. the Toyota Celsior). It is not a serious shop by any means, as it is "owned" by Gen Sasaki.
- Body Shop Sunday
The shop specializing in bodywork, it was there that the bodies of the Devil Z and Blackbird were worked on. It is owned by Yuichi Takagi, an expert in welding, who actually was among those who helped first build the Devil Z years ago. He worked on the Devil Z again after it was destroyed in a collision, and repaired the body of the Blackbird when it was later involved in an accident. He also worked on the body of the Supra RZ/Monster Machine of Keiichiro Aizawa, as he was a close friend of Keiichiro's late father.
- FLAT Racing
The independent shop owned by Takayuki Kuroki. Originally it had a large staff, but Takayuki eventually dismissed all of them and became the sole worker. The shop exclusively tunes the Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
. Takayuki suspended the shop when he decided to challenge the Devil Z, putting all his effort to tuning his personal R33.
Eriko Asakura
The sister of the Devil Z's original owner (who shares the same name as the Akio Asakura that is currently driving it) and Tatsuya's love interest. She steals the Devil Z one time and tries to dump it in the harbor, but is stopped by Tatsuya when he crashes into it. She then moved to London, England to study college there.Ma
A friend of Akio Asakura and the brother of Ko-chan, he enjoys riding with him and picking up girls. However, when Akio gets the Devil Z, Ma, like other people, grows concerned of him, as Akio puts his life and chances of graduating with Ma in danger to drive the Z.Rumi Shimada
Akio's homeroom teacher. Knowing Akio's poor attendance record (caused by his obsession with the Devil Z), which forced him to repeat his last year of high school, Rumi is sent to learn why Akio has yet to attend her class. It is slightly hinted that she has a slight love interest in Akio.Megumi Hiramoto
The wife of Koichi Hiramoto who engaged in Enjo kōsaiEnjo kosai
means "compensated dating" and is a practice which originated in Japan where older men give money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship and, possibly, for sexual favors. The female participants range from primarily school-aged girls to housewives. A common misconception is...
while her husband worked at a tuning shop so they could save enough money to buy a house in the countryside. She was distraught when Koichi took their savings to buy a Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 to go street racing, and in response moved away, but later reunited with him after she gave birth to their child.