The manga's popularity caused a surge in used-car market prices for the AE86 Toyota Sprinter Trueno, which had actually been a less popular variant compared to its sibling the Corolla Levin before the series' success reversed that trend.

This renewed popularity of the AE86 is considered one of the influences that led Toyota to develop the small FR sports car '86', released in 2012.

Racing driver Keiichi Tsuchiya, a fan of the manga, served as supervisor for the anime and personally recorded the engine and tire-squeal sounds of the AE86; racer Nobuteru Taniguchi later took over this role for the New Initial D movies.

Voice actor Shin'ichiro Miki, who played protagonist Takumi Fujiwara, was so influenced by the role that he bought his own AE86, while Kenichi Ono voice actor Tomokazu Seki got his driving license because of the show.

Because some viewers tried to imitate driving techniques shown in the series such as the 'gutter run', both the manga and the anime began displaying warnings urging readers and viewers to obey traffic laws and drive safely.

The live-action film adaptation was shot entirely in Japan, using locations such as the Yahiko Skyline in Niigata Prefecture and Shibukawa in Gunma Prefecture, and was produced by staff from the Infernal Affairs film series with a pan-Asian cast.

After the live-action film was shot, the tofu shop used as Takumi's family store kept operating under the sign 'Fujiwara Tofu Shop' until around 2007; after the building was demolished in 2009, the original signage was preserved and put on display at the Ikaho Toy, Doll and Car Museum.

Real-life WRC drivers have referenced the series: Oliver Solberg posted a self-portrait styled after the manga's first volume cover, Kalle Rovanperä joked about 'carrying tofu like in Initial D', and Nikolai Grjazin raced a Škoda Fabia Rally2 lettered with 'Fujiwara Tofu Shop (Private Use)' at the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally.

Most of the series' opening and ending themes were performed by the group m.o.v.e, while battle scenes throughout the anime were scored with Super Eurobeat tracks, later compiled into the 'Initial D D Selection' compilation album series.

In the anime, most vehicles were rendered in 3DCG, with car shapes, handling and even engine and tire-squeal sounds faithfully reproduced; later seasons like Fourth Stage used physics simulators to make vehicle movement increasingly realistic.

A parody doujinshi called 'Densha de D' ('Train de D') exists, replacing cars with trains, with its version of Takumi piloting a Hankyu 2000 series train; a poster for this parody was officially displayed at a 2014 Initial D event with Kodansha's approval.