Nobody remembers this one, but the ones who do talk about Akagi like he's a real person they knew. He's not a genius who was born ready, he's a kid from nowhere with no connections, no money, no talent yet, just pure stubborn refusal to quit. The show doesn't mythologize racing or make it beautiful. It makes it brutal and real and completely unglamorous, which is why watching some teenager from a farm actually claw his way into Formula One feels earned instead of lucky.

Akagi Gunma is a rash, impulsive teenager from the countryside who keeps stirring up trouble with his souped-up tractor, to the annoyance of his father Souichirou, an aspiring politician who wants the family to behave. One night on the highway, with his best friend Tamotsu Oishi along, Gunma is passed by a speeding car. He takes it as a challenge, tries to catch it and fails badly. The loss lights a fire in him, and he vows to beat the mysterious driver. After another clash with his father, he leaves his quiet rural home for the city, set on becoming a Formula One racer.