【Initial D Pilgrimage】 Ryosuke Takahashi's Final Battle! Driving on the "Hakone Turnpike" against Hojo Rin

One of the most popular characters in Initial D, Ryosuke Takahashi. I drove on the Hakone Turnpike, where the battle between Ryosuke and Hojo Rin unfolded just before the last section of the Kanagawa area edition, the Tsubaki Line. I made a pilgrimage to this highly acclaimed course known for its divine episode.

The fateful battle between RYOSUKE and RIN HOJOU unfolded at the Anest Iwata Sky Lounge

during the decisive Kanagawa area confrontation. The battle between "Takahashi Ryosuke" and "Hojou Rin" takes place on the Hakone Turnpike. In the story, these two have a relationship where they once fought over a single woman, which ultimately led to a deep bond of fate as the woman took her own life. Therefore, what is at stake in this battle is not only speed and pride, but also life, making it a significantly different kind of fight than before.

Matsumoto, the mechanic accompanying Ryosuke, prays for Ryosuke's safety and declares in the parking lot that he will absolutely not return unless it's the same FC he came with. Matsumoto also tuned the car for high-speed battles to match up against the opponent, Hojou Rin's GT-R.

The battleground is the Hakone Turnpike

The stage of this battle, the Anest Iwata Turnpike Hakone (Hakone Turnpike), is a toll road with a designated operating time (5:30 AM to 10:30 PM). It does not feel like a deep mountain road where fierce battles take place, but rather gives the impression of a well-managed route. From the very start, there is a steep 10km downhill stretch, making it a high-speed course.

On the way, Team Spiral's Ryuji Ikeda joined

The indispensable character in this battle, Ryuji Ikeda from Team Spiral, was waiting in the parking lot. Rin Houjou, who had lost her mind, was wreaking havoc on the public roads, using circuit training techniques to crash street racers, earning the title of "Grim Reaper." Just as two battles began, Ikeda was waiting to stop Houjou.

Ikeda immediately pursued and took on the very important role of thoroughly explaining the battle.

After the leading FC was struck sideways by the GT-R with a side press, it dashed up and avoided the shoulder of the road. At this moment, Ikeda mentioned the performance of Nissan's 4WD system, ATTESA E-TS, making it a scene worth praising for doing good work early on.

Rin Houjou added further pressure on the deep valley bridge. Although the vehicle was pressed against the guardrail, the FC pulled the nose out and avoided it with full brakes. As a result, the two cars lost their weight balance and broke their stances, executing twin drifts to clear the corner in a spectacular moment.

Crossing the line again, Ryousuke took the lead, and the battle became tangled beyond Houjou's expectations.

Heading towards the last stretch before the tollgate.

As a result of Ryosuke's godlike speed continuing to evade attacks, the heavy GT-R's brakes overheated and became uncontrollable. At this point, the outcome of the contest was determined, and Ikeda, who sensed the situation from their behavior, wished for them to escape to the emergency evacuation site, but Hojo continued forward. Right after that, he yelled, "You idiot!" because he knew there was a tollgate ahead, and it was clear they couldn't stop like this.

Ryosuke did not shake off the GT-R, which was heading straight as if it was ready to self-destruct; instead, he decelerated and positioned himself to intercept the car ahead, bringing it to a stop along with his vehicle. Alone, the braking power was insufficient, and they found themselves in a situation where speed wasn't decreasing. When Ikeda, who caught up from behind, assisted, both cars applied full brakes. During the deceleration that exceeded limits, the hatred between the two was sublimated, and their longstanding battle concluded safely.

The divine episode involving Ryosuke, Hojo Rin, and Ikeda Ryuji took place at night, so this time I would like to come at a later hour to see the night view of Odawara from down the hill.

Reporting/Writing by Kazuma Tanaka

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