List of Wangan Midnight characters
This is a brief list of all the characters that feature in the Wangan Midnight series.
Main characters
Akio Asakura
| Japanese Name | Akio Asakura (朝倉 アキオ Asakura Akio) |
| Car | Nissan Fairlady Z (Z31, Z32 in the live-action movie)
Nissan Fairlady Z-L (S30) "The Devil Z" (悪魔のZ Romaji: Akuma no Zetto) |
| License plate | 53-681, classification 33 (Devil Z),
23-454, classification unknown (Z31) |
| voice actor | Shun Oguri, Yuichi Nakamura (film) |
| Age | 19 (17 before Perfect GT-R arc) |
| Engine | Kitami-tuned 2.8L 12v L28 Kai intercooled with TD06 twin turbochargers (later changed to RHC6 Racing twin turbochargers), bored and stroked to 3134 cc with triple carburetors and tuned to 620 HP (Devil Z) OEM 12v VG30ET (Z31) OEM 24v VG30DETT (Z32) |
| Aero Parts (Z31) | Carbon fiber side mirrors, RS Watanabe Eight-Spoke wheels (red) |
| Aero Parts (Devil Z) | Nissan Z432R Wing, Nissan S30 Race Car aero kit, 1969-1973 S30 taillights, RS Watanabe Eight-Spoke wheels (black in the manga, silver in the anime, bronze in the Maximum Tune games), one-off custom side mirrors, Fog lamps (possibly Cibié) |
| Year | 1974 (Devil Z), 1984 (Z31), 1989 (Z32) |
| Color | Midnight Blue (Devil Z) Red (Z31) Ultra Red (Z32) |
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 Fairlady Z (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. He wears a black jacket over a white T-shirt, and blue pants and brown shoes. In the anime, he wears a red jacket instead of a black one.
He was a fairly good racer during his teens, even though he had a license for a year. He started racing when he was around 17, and he had a reputation. He had to save a lot of money to buy his Z31, and had to sell it to buy the Devil Z. He had trouble adjusting to it, but when it was heard about the Devil Z, it increased his reputation. He also improved his skills driving it.
He is a counterpart to Akira Shimizu in Shakotan Boogie who also drives an S30Z, but with a G-Nose body kit.
Tatsuya Shima
| Japanese Name | Tatsuya Shima (島 達也 Shima Tatsuya) |
| Car | Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 (964) "Blackbird" (ブラックバード Burakkubādo) (Manga/Anime/Movie) Gemballa 3.8 RS (WMMT1-3DX+ Japanese) RUF CTR (WMMT4-5) Ruf RCT (WMMT5DX) Nissan Fairlady Z (Z33) "Blackbird" (WMMT1-3DX+ English) |
| Engine | 3.6L 12v M64 Twin Turbo 700HP (964/CTR/RCT)
JGTC spec 3.5L 24v VQ35DE 700HP (Z33) |
| Parts | Porsche 993/RUF CTR2 Aero Kit (964/CTR, pre-Akasaka Straight arc), Gemballa Aero Kit (964/CTR, Akasaka Straight arc onwards), Gemballa rear wing (RCT), Nismo S-Tune GT aero kit (Z33), Nismo S-Tune GT rear spoiler (Z33), BBS LM (gold) wheels, one-off custom side mirrors |
| License Plate (964) | 22-039, classification 33 |
| Age | 27 |
| Year | 1991 (964), 2003 (Z33), 1988 (CTR), 2015 (RCT) |
| Color | Super Black (Z33), Basalt Black Metallic (964/CTR/RCT/Gemballa) |
| Voice Actor | Shin-ichiro Miki, Kazuki Kato (film) |
A surgeon by day and a racer by night and the rival of Akio, this man is the driver of the RUF Porsche 911 dubbed as "Blackbird". He was the one racing with the original owner of the Devil Z when it crashed. The boyfriend 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. He also made some appearances in the new story arc, Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner. His voice actor is Shin-ichiro Miki who voiced Takumi Fujiwara in another anime and manga, Initial D.
Reina Akikawa
| Japanese Name | Reina Akikawa (秋川 零奈 Akikawa Reina) |
| Car | Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR32) "Reina R" Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec (BCNR33) "RGO Demo Car" Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II (BNR34) (Movie) |
| Engine | 2.6L 24v R32 RB26DETT 400 hp, later tuned to 500 hp (BNR32) 2.6L 24v R34 V-Spec II RB26DETT 500 hp (BNR34) 2.6L 24v R33 V-Spec RB26DETT 800 hp (BCNR33) |
| Age | 24 |
| Parts | Nismo front bumper, Nissan ducktail spoiler, BBS LM wheels, Custom side mirrors |
| Year | 1991 (R32), 1997 (R33), 1999 (R34) |
| Color | Gun Gray Metallic (R32, Return of Devil Z arc), Crystal White (R32, end of Perfect GT-R arc), Pink (R33) (Super Clear Red in the anime), Active Red (R34) |
| License plate | 71-023 classification 34 (BNR32), 48-579 classification 33 (BCNR33) |
| voice actor | Reiko Suhou, Rio Matsumoto (film) |
A high-end fashion model and TV personality who hosts a motoring show and formerly one of Akio's main rivals, she finds herself depressed with how she has pushed others out of her life in her original pursuit of fame. She harbors her sadness and frustration by day, shoot after shoot, until she can get off of work and drive her GT-R on Wangan highway to vent. Finding herself depressed by quite a lot, she finds herself enamored with the Devil Z after it overtakes her on the highway late at night after a shoot. She follows Akio to a parking area, where she then steals the Z, which by now she feels obsessed to drive. Later on, she encounters the Devil Z and the Blackbird having a race and decides to join in but her car spins out and crashes.
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. However, she also proved to be a great racer being able to keep up with the Akio and Tatsuya in a much underpowered car when they're racing. Akio is her primary love interest, and he may also harbor feelings towards Reina. Early in the manga, she wears a white jacket over a black shirt and white pants and black shoes; in later volumes of the manga, she dons a tanktop and a red skirt. In the anime, she wears different clothes, consisting of a white T-shirt, blue skirt and brown fashion boots. She also wears a black jacket over a red T-shirt, white pants and white rubber shoes as the series progresses; or a blue jacket over a yellow dress, a blue short skirt and white shoes. She also wears an orange jacket over a white shirt, a blue skirt and red shoes, which look similar to Scarlet Garcia's attire from Sonic X. Her first name "Reina", is Spanish for the word queen.
Shinji Ogishima
| Japanese Name | Shinji Ogishima (荻島 信二 Ogishima Shinji) |
| Car | Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S) |
| Age | Unknown (possibly in the 20s) |
| Engine | 1.3L 2-rotor 400 hp 13B-REW twin turbo |
| Aero Parts | Gemballa front bumper, carbon fiber hood (C1 Runner), 3D GT wing, Volk TE37 wheels |
| Year | 2001 |
| Color | Pure White (original story and WMMT series), Innocent Blue Mica (C1 Runner) |
Shinji Ogishima is an editor of an automotive magazine "GT Cars", 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 with driving a third generation Mazda RX-7 (FD3S). In the C1 Runner story arc, he is a main character who is joined by his friend, Nobu Setoguchi, who also drives the same car as Ogishima, but with different modifications and appearances. He also made appearances in the new arcade games, Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3DX and 3DX+ as one of the rivals the player has to beat.
Nobu Setoguchi
| Japanese Name | Nobu Setoguchi (瀬戸口 ノブ Setoguchi Nobu) |
| Car | Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S) |
| Age | Unknown (possibly younger than Ogishima in appearance) |
| Engine | Same as Ogishima |
| Aero Parts | Same as Ogishima |
| Year | 2001 |
| Color | Pure White |
Shinji Ogishima's best friend, and one of the editors of "GT Cars". Influenced by his grandfather, he has an old-fashioned behaviour in the society. He works in a factory during his school days, and got interested in cars. After getting driving license, he was advised to drive his white RX-7 around Shuto Expressway. He wears a simple white T-shirt with long trousers.
Recurring Racing Characters
Jun Kitami
| Japanese Name | Jun Kitami (北見 淳 Kitami Jun) |
| Car | Nissan Fairlady Z Z-T/Z-L (260Z) |
| Engine | Original 2.8L 12v L28 325 hp |
| Age | Unknown |
| Aero Parts | Unknown |
| Year | 1975 |
| Japanese voice actor | Kenta Miyake |
Also known as the "Tuner from Hell" (地獄のチューナー Jigoku no Chūnā), 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 big scar on his face, presumably from a past racing incident. Even though he drives a powerful car, he is now only a mechanic.
Compared to other tuners, he has a few strict requirements: for one, he absolutely hates fuel injection engines, favoring carburetor since he is old fashioned about cars; 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. He prefers to drive older Japanese tuning cars and also carburetor over fuel injection.
Kou Tominaga
Kou Tominaga (富永 コウ Tominaga Kou)
A longtime associate of Jun and nearly as fervent in the pursuit of speed. A CPU tuning specialist, he got the nickname "The Jet" from his racing days and his CPU settings were often called "Jetting". Tuned the Monstrous Toyota Supra RZ 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.
- Voiced by: Susumu Chiba
Masaki
| Japanese Name | Masaki (マサキ) |
| Car | Mazda RX-7 GT Limited, Nissan Fairlady Z 280ZX Turbo (S130), Porsche 928 (Manga); Toyota Aristo V300/Lexus GS300 (Wangan Midnight PS3); Gemballa RSR/Eunos Cosmo Type S (Maximum Tune 1-3) Ruf RK Coupe (Maximum Tune 4 & 5) later switched to an Efini RX-7 Type R (FD3S) |
| Age | 30 |
| Aero Parts | One-off custom front bumper, BBS LM wheels, 1998-spec FD spoiler (FD3S), Custom Aero Set (S130) |
| Engine | 1.3 L 13B-T 2-rotor (FC3S), 1.3 L 13B-REW 2-rotor (FD3S), 2.0 L 20B 3-rotor (Cosmo) |
| Year | 1985 (FC3S), 1990 (928), 1982 (S130), 1994 (Cosmo), 2000 (Aristo), 1991 (FD3S) |
| Color | Covert Gray (Cosmo, RSR), Sunburst Yellow (FD3S), Dark Gray Metallic (Aristo), Light Green (FC3S), Carrara White (RK Coupe) |
| Japanese voice actor | Tokuyoshi Kawashima (PS3 video game) |
Known widely as the King of 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 encountered 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. Masaki was skipped in the anime due to unknown reasons, but his car was briefly shown in Episode 21 of the anime. His RX-7 is similar to Keisuke Takahashi's from Initial D because they are both tuned and share the same color.
Koichi Hiramoto
| Japanese Name | Koichi Hiramoto (平本 洸一 Hiramoto Koichi) |
| Car | Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BNR32) "The Authentic Dragon" |
| Year | 1993 |
| Aero Parts | Nissan lip Spoiler, Enkei NT03+M Wheels; Nismo LM GT4 Wheels (anime) |
| Engine | Green Auto Shop 2.6L 24v R32 V-Spec RB26DETT 600 hp |
| License plate | 10-985, classification 33 |
| Age | 28 |
| Color | Spark Silver Metallic |
| 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. Hiramoto 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 | Harada (原田) |
| Car | Nissan Fairlady Z (Z31) |
| Year | 1986 |
| License plate | 20-895, classification 33 |
| Age | 18 |
| Aero Parts | Custom Front Bumper, 50th Anniversary Side Skirts and Rear Bumper, RS-Watanabe 8 Spoke White/Black Wheels |
| Engine | Green Auto Shop 3.0L 12v VG30ET, approximately 450 HP, later tuned to 500 HP |
| Color | Silver Two-Tone |
| 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 Z (Z31) in which its engine overheated when he encountered the Blackbird and tried to chase after it. He is then seen riding with Hiramoto during the latter's encounter with Reina and her R32 on the Wangan, and the race with the Devil Z and the Blackbird.
Takayuki Kuroki
| Japanese Name | Takayuki Kuroki (黒木 隆之 Kuroki Takayuki) |
| Car | Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BCNR33) |
| Age | 30 |
| License plate | 26-649, classification 33 |
| Aero Parts | Nismo aero kit, Volk TE37 wheels (manga and games), BBS RS-GT wheels (anime) |
| Engine | FLAT Racing 2.6L 24v R33 V-Spec RB26DETT 800 HP |
| Color | White |
| Year | 1997 |
| Japanese voice actor | Akimitsu Takase |
A devoted student of street racing, Kuroki 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 causing Akio to pull him into a stop. 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. He is the only character to wear glasses in the manga and anime. His voice actor is Akimitsu Takase who voiced "Smiley" Sakai in another anime and manga, Initial D.
Kouichi Kijima
| Japanese Name | Koichi Kijima (城島 洸一 Kijima Kōichi) |
| Car | Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC3S)/GT-Limited "Legendary FC" (FC3S), Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S) (Maximum Tune 3), Mazda RX-8 (Maximum Tune 2-3) RUF CTR "Yellow Bird" (Maximum Tune 4 & 5), Mercedes-Benz E-Class (R129) (anime) |
| Year | 1985 (GT-Limited), 1990 (GT-X), 2003 (RX-8), 2001 (FD3S), 1987 (CTR), 1996 (W140) |
| Engine | 1.3L 13B 2-rotor with C7 turbo 500 HP (FC3S) |
| Aero Parts | Pro Shop Wave front bumper, BBS LM Wheels, GT Wing (FC3S)/Custom Aero Parts, AVS T6 wheels (FD3S) |
| License plate | 61-725, classification 55 |
| Age | 31 |
| Color | Dover White (GT-Limited), Crystal White (GT-X), Velocity Red Mica (RX-8), Orange (FD3S), Canary Yellow (CTR) (White in the anime), Polar White (R129) |
| Japanese voice actor | Jin Horikawa |
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 co-host 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. His RX-7 is similar to that of Ryosuke Takahashi's from Initial D because they are both tuned and share the same color, while his voice actor is Jin Horikawa who voiced Nobuhiko Akiyama in said series.
Keiichiro Aizawa
| Japanese Name | Keiichiro Aizawa (相沢 圭一郎 Aizawa Keiichiro) |
| Car | Toyota Supra RZ (JZA80) "Monster Supra" |
| Year | 1997 |
| License plate | 61-980, classification 34 |
| Engine | Tominaga-made 3.0L 24v JZA80 2JZ-GTE 500 HP, later upgraded to 800 HP and eventually detuned to 400 HP |
| Age | 19 |
| Color | Silver Metallic Graphite (before detune), Silver Gray Metallic (after detune) |
| Japanese voice actor | Kenichi Suzumura |
Also known by his nickname "Kei", Keiichiro Aizawa is the character who drives the Supra RZ, dubbed as the "Monster Machine" (モンスターマシン Monsutā Mashin) tuned by Kou Tominaga, Kazuo Ota, Kazuhiko Yamamoto and Akio Asakura. After meeting Devil Z, Kei 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. After he lost the race against the Devil Z and Blackbird, the tuners detuned his 800HP engine to 400HP and repainted his Supra to the same Silver as his father's. His Supra is similar to that of Hideo Minagawa's from Initial D. But despite the fact that their cars are both tuned, Minagawa's car is white while Kei's car is silver.
Gatchan (Gen Sasaki)
| Japanese Name | Gen Sasaki (佐々木 元 Sasaki Gen) |
| Car | Toyota Celsior 4.0 V8 (UCF11) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Engine | Speed Shop Mach 4.0L 32v 1UZ-FE + bolt-on turbo, "tuned" to 1000 hp |
| Parts | VIP aero kit |
| Color | "Gatchan Purple" |
| Japanese voice actor | Kenji Takahashi |
A much-maligned character in the manga, Gen Sasaki (佐々木 元 Sasaki Gen), fondly known as Gatchan (ガッちゃん Gacchan), is regarded as a joke in the manga, anime, and arcade game. His own vehicle, the Toyota Celsior (Lexus LS400), which he calls the "Super Celsior" has everything from underbody lighting, to fancy emblems, to dark window tinting; but keeps the air conditioner, radio, and the back seat; all of which are 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. He is also quite obnoxious, frequently bragging about the incredible upgrades he's made to psych people out. He embarrassed Reina when he first met her one night while accompanying Yamamoto, mistaking her for a call girl.
Tomoya
Tomoya (友也)
Car: Honda Integra Type-R (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 (BNR32)
Color: Championship White (R Killer, Integra), Pearl White (R Killer, 180SX), Crystal White (R32), Super White II (R Killer, Corolla)
Engine: ACE 1.8L 16v B18C-R '98 spec (R Killer, Integra), ACE 2.0L 16v S13 SR20DET (R Killer, 180SX), ACE 2.6L 24v R32 V-Spec II RB26DETT (R32)
Custom parts: AVS Model T6 wheels, 2D GT Wing, Nismo carbon fiber hood, C-West carbon fiber trunk
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 R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. 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
Makoto Morishita (森下 マコト Morishita Makoto)
Car: Originally drives a Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version VI (GC8), later switched to a tuned Nissan 300ZX (Z32)
Color: Arctic Silver Metallic (Impreza), Lightning Yellow (Z32, Maximum Tune games and manga), Dark Blue Pearl (Z32, only on the PS3 game)
Engine: OEM 2.0L 16v EJ20 VI turbo 400 hp (Impreza), Yamashita-made 3.0L 24v VG30DE + bolt-on turbo (Z32)
Aero parts: BOMEX front bumper, 2D GT Wing, Volk TE37 wheels
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. Her red hair is similar to Rikako Ota but more auburnish.
Oki
Oki (オキ)
Car: Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD3S)
Color: Light Green (manga, Maximum Tune series), Pure White (PS3 video game)
Engine: 1.3L 2-rotor 13B-REW 500 hp
Aero parts: Gemballa front bumper, carbon fiber hood, 2D GT Wing, AVS T6 wheels
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. He is not seen in the Legendary FC arc of the anime adaptation for unknown reasons.
Eiji & Maki Kamiya
Japanese Name: Eiji Kamiya (神谷 エイジ Kamiya Eiji) and Maki Kamiya (神谷 マキ Kamiya Maki)
Car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR (CP9A) (Eiji), Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR (CP9A) (Maki)
Year: 1998 (Evo V, Eiji), 2000 (Evo VI, Maki)
Plate: 81-265, classification 33 (Evo V, Eiji); 20-552, classification 33 (Evo VI, Maki)
Color: Nayez Blue Pearl (Evo V, Eiji), Scotia White (Evo VI, Maki)
Aero parts: Fog lights removed, Volk Racing TE37 wheels, Custom-made side mirrors, Lancer Evolution V RS taillights (Eiji, Maximum Tune games)
Engine: OEM 2.0L 16v CP9A 4G63 400 HP (Eiji and Maki, while in Osaka), Rikako-made 2.0L 16v redtop CP9A 4G63 V 450 HP bored to 2.2 L (during Eiji's visit to Tokyo)
Japanese Voice Actors: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Eiji), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Maki)
Two half-brothers from the Kansai region. Eiji's the serious racer, and he's tremendously gifted, both as a driver and a tuner. 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 Shima's driving, then decided to visit Tokyo, meeting Rikako Ota in the process.
Note: In the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune series, Maki's Evo VI is an RS, due to white Evos always being the RS versions, while in the original manga and anime it was a GSR.
Rikako Ota
Rikako Ota (大田リカコ Ōta Rikako)
Car: Nissan Silvia Spec-R (S15)
Year: 1999
Color: Pink
Custom parts: Nissan front grille (with fog lamps), 2D GT Wing, Nismo carbon fiber hood, Volk TE37 wheels
Engine: RGO 2.0L 16v S15 SR20DET
Japanese voice actor: Rie Tanaka
Rikako Ota is the daughter of RGO owner Kazuo Ota, and an aspiring tuner herself. Known to inherit RGO from her father after his retirement, she follows her father's footsteps as a tuner by engaging in tuning herself. When Eiji Kamiya comes over to Tokyo and works for RGO, she tunes his Evo along with him and even comes along during his battle with the Devil Z and Blackbird. Her first solo tuning work was with the Devil Z, after Akio specifically asked for her help in tuning the Z's engine. Her addition of a dry sump lubrication system on the Z's L28 engine resulted in Akio's victory against Kijima's FC and the Blackbird. Since then, Jun Kitami has entrusted her with tuning the Devil Z, as he told her before the race with the Z's race with Kijima and Blackbird that he would no longer tune the Devil Z.
Yoshiaki Ishida
Yoshiaki Ishida (イシダ ヨシアキ Ishida Yoshiaki)
Car: Ferrari Testarossa F512M (Manga and Anime); Ferrari F355 (film); Gemballa Avalanche/Subaru SVX (WMMT3DX and DX+); Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (Maximum Tune 4 & 5)
Color: Bianco (White) (Testarossa), Carrera White (Avalanche), Galaxy White Pearl (Corvette), Fly Yellow (F355), White Mica (SVX)
Engine: 4.9L 48v Tipo F113B (Testarossa), 3.5L 5v Tipo F129B (F355), 3.0L 12v M30 (Avalanche), Kitami-tuned 24v EG33 (SVX), 6.2L LS9 (Corvette), tuned to 600 hp
Plate: 41-215, classification 33
Custom parts: Koenig Competition body kit and AVS T5 wheels (Testarossa), BBS LM wheels (Avalanche, SVX, Corvette)
A photographer of Japanese idols. He meets and gets to know Reina, whom 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.
While racing against the Devil Z, Ishida had thoughts of his late father who died of cancer, a poor uneducated man "covered in factory grease" who works all day long for his son's sake; a complete contrast to Ishida's own rich life that is, according to him, "eating good food, drinking fine wine, surrounded by lovely women, partying all night in the sparkling lights of the sparkling big city". He thinks that the live he is currently living is "just a sham", due to his dissatisfaction despite his prestige, and sought the answers within the Devil Z on the Wangan, only to fall back midway through the race for unknown reasons.
Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe, Yoshihiko Hakamada (film)
Ko-chan
Ko-chan (コウちゃん)
Car: Mazda RX-7 GT-Limited (FC3S) (manga and anime) Mazda RX-7 Type R (FD3S) (movie), Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC3S) (Maximum Tune games) Mazda RX-8 (Maximum Tune 4 & 5 Story 1 only)
Color: Dover White (GT-Limited), Pure White (FD3S), Tornado Silver Metallic (GT-X), Velocity Red Mica (RX-8)
Engine: 1.3L 13B-T 2-rotor (FC3S, GT-Limited) 1.3L 13B-T 2-rotor (GT-X), 1.3L 13B-REW 2-rotor (FD3S), 1.3L 13B-MSP Renesis 2-rotor (RX-8)
Custom parts: RS Watanabe Eight-Spoke wheels, Fujita Engineering front lip, RX-7 GT-Limited taillights
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 prior to meeting Kitami. His voice actor is Anri Katsu who went on to voice the fake Takumi Fujiwara in another anime and manga, Initial D. His full name is Kouta Takahashi (高橋 功太 Takahashi Kōta).
Voiced by: Anri Katsu (anime), Masaki Sata (film)
Yuji Kishida
Yuji Kishida (岸田 ユウジ Kishida Yūji)
Car: Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BCNR33), Mazda RX-7 (FD3S from RGO), Honda S2000 (AP1) "ZERO for the Roads" (manga), Mazda MX-5 (NCEC) "ZERO for the Roads" (Maximum Tune 3DX & 3DX+)
Color: White (R33), Pink (FD3S), Silverstone Metallic (S2000), Sunlight Silver Metallic (MX-5)
Engine: YM Speed 2.6L 24v R33 V-Spec RB26DETT (R33) RGO 1.3L 13B-REW (FD3S), YM Speed 2.0L 16v F20C (S2000), YM Speed 2.0 16v MZR-14 (MX-5)
The half-brother of Kazuhiko Yamamoto who also works at YM Speed, as well as a photographer on his own right. He sees the Blackbird as a "fighter jet for the roads" while driving his R33 Skyline GT-R, and so he decides to find the best "ZERO for the Roads" in order to outrun the Blackbird. He found RGO's RX-7 with a rotary engine, but found out that he was not satisfied.
This would cause Yamamoto to build a roadster for Yuji in order to outrun the Blackbird, and so Yuji decides to tune his new roadster (S2000 in the manga, MX-5 in the games) and modify its appearance, until he met the Devil Z at the New Circular Line and was outrun by both cars.
Hayashi
Hayashi (林)
Car: Mazda RX-7 (FC3S) "Legendary FC"
Color: Crystal White
Engine: ACE 1.3L 13B-T 2-rotor 400 hp
Aero parts: Custom front bumper, BBS LM wheels
Koichi Kijima's tuner who was asked for the "Legendary FC" by Kijima. He can be briefly seen test driving his shop's FC RX-7 at Gotemba, before finally giving it to Kijima at the latter's request.
Voiced by: Kōji Ishii
Akio Asakura (original)
Akio Asakura (朝倉 晶夫 Asakura Akio)
Car: Nissan Fairlady Z (S30) "Devil Z"
Color: Midnight Blue
License plate: 53-681, classification 33
Engine: Same as current Akio Asakura
Aero parts: Same as current Akio Asakura
Japanese voice actor: Tomokazu Seki, Shinichiro Ishikawa (film)
Eriko Asakura's actual (deceased) elder brother, who died in an accident while racing against the Blackbird on Wangan while driving the Devil Z. The current Akio Asakura finds it interesting that he shares his name with the deceased Akio, albeit with different writings on their given names (whereas the late Akio's given name is written in kanji (晶夫), the current Akio's given name is rendered in katakana (アキオ)). His voice actor was Tomokazu Seki who voiced Keisuke Takahashi in another anime and manga, Initial D.
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 driven by Ota and Yamanaka themselves. Ota 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 V 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 drives the R33 Skyline. For unknown reasons, the shop was renamed Rikako Speed Factory when Rikako possesses ownership of the shop. Kazuo Ota's wife is Yoko who serves as the queen that controls RGO, hence Rikako's mother.
Japanese voice actors: Kiyoshi Katsunuma (Kazuo), Kōzō Mito (Yamanaka), Ayumi Tsunematsu (Yoko)
- R200 club
Consists of Jun "JPP" Sonoda, Ryoichi "JAPAN" Tezuka, and Yasuro "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, all while driving an R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec. Motoki acts as the leader, Tezuka acts as his crony, and Sonoda, the wisest and best driver, is the "go-to guy". They quickly got wiped out by Reina's white R32 GT-R, Shima's Blackbird and the Devil Z. Since then, they gave up street racing and relegated themselves to mere mechanics, signifying the end of the R200 Club. They are somehow minor villains or antagonists in the manga and anime.
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 Motoki during the chase against the Blackbird. After the R200 club disbanded, tension arose between Miki and the other members (but he remained friendly with Kuroki), and he subsequently disappeared. In Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune's Outrun mode, and later in the new Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3DX Story Mode, he also drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 like the other R200 Club members.
In Maximum Tune's story mode, there is a level where you could race the R200 Club but Reina's GT-R, Shima's Blackbird, and Akio's Devil Z are removed. This could be a reason that their main target was the player in the story mode. Voiced by: Go Shinomiya (Motoki), Daisuke Matsuo (Tezuka, anime), Kiyoshi Katsunuma (Tezuka, PS3 video game), Shinya Fukumatsu (Sonoda, anime), Tomoyuki Shimura (Sonoda, PS3 video game), Yūto Kazama (Miki)
- ACE
Owned by Gen Goto. Tomoya work here, and they tune the Nissan Skyline GT-R exclusively, later driven by Tomoya. Goto himself drives a tuned Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec II N1, which also serves as the tuning shop's demo car.
- Tominaga Speed
Owned by Kou Tominaga. Speciality in ECU Setting and tuned Akio's Z, Shima'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 V-Spec II (BNR 34). Beginning with Maximum Tune 3DX, he drives a 2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STI hatchback. The shop was originally named Yamamoto Speed, but was renamed to YM Speed, it was named that when Reina first came to have her car tuned, the shop reverted to its original name at a later time for undisclosed reasons.
Voiced by: Tomoyuki Shimura (Yamamoto)
- 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, Shima's Blackbird and Ishida's Testarossa. It was once a famous tuning shop that rivaled RGO and Yamamoto Speed (later named YM Speed) until the series of accidents that labeled Kitami as the Devil's Tuner that lead to it slowly losing customers, and consequently close down.
- Works-R
Eiji Kamiya's own tuning shop in Osaka. This is also the shop that tuned the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution of Eiji and Maki. The shop is speculated to have closed temporarily when Eiji came over to Tokyo. The shop is also affiliated with Shige, the famous exhaust maker that made the exhaust pipes of the Kamiya brothers' Lancer Evolutions and Shima's Blackbird.
- ZERO
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.
- SpeedShop MACH
A rag-tag tuning shop specializing in cars that combine luxury with performance (e.g. the Toyota Celsior/Lexus LS400). 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 Kei's late father.
Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Takagi, anime), Bon Ishihara (Takagi, PS3 video game)
- FLAT Racing
The independent shop owned by Takayuki Kuroki. Originally it had a large staff, but Kuroki eventually dismissed all of them and became the sole worker. The shop exclusively tunes the Nissan Skyline GT-R. Kuroki suspended the shop when he decided to challenge the Devil Z, putting all his effort to tuning his personal R33.
Non-racing characters
Ma
Ma (マー)
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. His full name is Masaki Takahashi (高橋 正輝 Takahashi Masaki) and he rides a scooter bike, Suzuki Address.
Voiced by: Kiyotaka Furushima, Kousuke Yonehara (film)
Rumi Shimada
Rumi Shimada (嶋田 るみ Shimada Rumi)
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.
Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi, Maimi Okuwa (film)
Megumi Hiramoto
Megumi Hiramoto (平本めぐみ Hiramoto Megumi)
The wife of Koichi Hiramoto who engaged in Enjo kōsai 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.
Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami
Machida
Machida (町田)
A friend and former racing partner of Kijima during his time in ZERO. He was the one who built the first non-boosted car of the shop, the Legendary FC. After ZERO closed down and he and Kijima went their separate ways, he worked as a renovation expert for mansions and townhouses. When Kijima decided to once again drive the FC, he refused to tune it but he told Kijima of its whereabouts, saying he had given up the racing life.
His voice actor is Keiji Fujiwara, who has previously voiced Shingo Shoji in another anime and manga, Initial D.
Ma-Mi
Mami (マーミ)
Masaki's wife. Named "Marmi" in the English version of the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune games up to 3DX+.
Voiced by: Eriko Kigawa (PS3 video game only)
Kyoko Kitahara
Kyoko Kitahara (北原 恭子 Kitahara Kyoko)
A friend and roommate of Tomoya. Tomoya tried to set her up with Gen Goto, however it fell through.
Mika Murakami
Mika Murakami (村上ミカ Murakami Mika)
A college friend and the former girlfriend of Takayuki Kuroki, and also an associate of Reina Akikawa as a result being a freelance photographer (though often contracted by car magazines to work on various articles). When Kuroki delved into street racing years prior to the current storyline, Mika's relationship with him became strained due to the time he spent on tuning his car, and they broke up and went their separate ways. They met again while Kuroki was planning on challenging the Devil Z. After Kuroki's failed race against the Devil Z where he blew his car's engine and later worked on fixing it with his own hands, Mika realized that his persistence in wanting to be the best was his greatest trait and came to appreciate that part of him. Mika was engaged to an editor of a magazine, but after the incidents with the Devil Z, decided to break it off and get back together with Kuroki. Mika Murakami is not seen in the Maximum Tune games for unknown reasons.
Voiced by: Mami Higashiyama
Yumeko Sasaki
Yumeko Sasaki (佐々木夢子 Sasaki Yumeko)
Car: Toyota Aristo V300/Lexus GS300 Vertex Edition (JZS161)
Color: Pink
Engine: Gatchan-made 3.0L 24v JZS161 2JZ-GTE, possibly tuned to 1000 hp
Aero parts: 2D GT Wing
Gatchan's wife and an acquaintance of Reina Akikawa, though only seen once in the anime conversing with Reina at the Host Club where Keiichiro Aizawa works, where she is apparently a frequent patron. She also appears in Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune in specific circumstances during 10-Outrun mode as a "critic" to the player's performance. In Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4 and 5, she becomes a racing character where she drives a Toyota Aristo V300/Lexus GS300, appearing in one stage with her husband Gatchan in his Celsior.
Tatsuya
Tatsuya (龍也)
An old friend of Keiichiro Aizawa who also works at the host club alongside him. His name is not to be confused with the driver of the Blackbird, Tatsuya Shima, as the kanji in their names are different.
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (PS3 video game only)
Yasu-san
Yasu-san (安さん)
Car: Nissan Diesel Quon
The driver of the express carrier truck that Akio crashed the Devil Z in to. He made an unknown cameo in both anime and manga, however he is prominently featured in the PS3 game as a playable character. His name is not to be confused with former R200 Club member Yasuhiko Miki, despite both characters being referred to as "Yasu-san".
Voiced by: Unknown
The Feeling Team / Racing Wannabes
The Feeling Team (雰囲気組 Fun'iki-gumi)
Car: Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR32) (anime and Maximum Tune 1-3), Mazda Eunos Roadster (NA6C) (anime only), Mazda Roadster RS (NCEC) (Maximum Tune 3DX and 3DX+ only), Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86), Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R (FD3S) (Maximum Tune 4-5DX)
Color: Red Pearl (BNR32), Classic Red (NA6C), Dark Blue Pearl (NCEC, Feeling Team 1) Sunlight Silver Metallic (NCEC, Feeling Team 2), High-Tech Two Tone (AE86), Sunburst Yellow (FD3S)
An unknown group of drivers appearing in the anime and Maximum Tune series. In the anime, they first appeared in a red Mazda MX-5 in the same color of Tohru's MX-5 from Initial D, and later, they suffered from crashing their R32 while racing Akio and Ishida. In Maximum Tune 4, 5, and 5DX, they cosplayed as Project D from the Initial D series, right down to sharing the same cars as the members.
Voiced by: Kenji Takahashi (Feeling Team 1)