Published May 3, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT The essence of Initial D lives on in Forza Horizon 6, but it will never be replaced Forza Horizon 6 has me rewatching the best racing anime ever made Image: Kodansha With only a month left before the release of Forza Horizon 6 , the hype to sprint through its sakura-strewn streets and serpentine mountain roads has reached a fever pitch. Playground Games has layered its latest open-world racing sim with all the hallmarks of Japan, from the neon-lit city avenues of Tokyo to the snow-capped peaks of the Japanese Alps. Forza Horizon 6 is set to offer a kind of serenity behind the wheel that few games have truly captured, but the wait for its official debut is starting to drag on. If the flood of early gameplay footage isn't enough to satisfy that pull toward rubber-streaked pavement for the next month, it might be time to look back at the manga and anime that defined it. Image: Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios Before The Fast and the Furious , there was Initial D .…