Kogashiwa, Kai

小柏カイ

Kai Kogashiwa is a street racer from Tochigi Prefecture and the son of Ken Kogashiwa, a legendary downhill ace and rival of Bunta. Ken introduced Kai to racing at a young age, entering him in karting competitions that specialized him in midships (the colloquial term for mid-engine, rear-wheel drive). Before turning to street racing, Kai was the fastest motorcyclist on Irohazaka. His dominance on Irohazaka mirrors Takumi's on Akina, as Kai lives at Lake Chuzenji (located at the top of Irohazaka) and uses the road for his daily commute to the bottom.
Kai challenged Takumi on Irohazaka, the Emperor's home course. He had previously defeated Seiji Iwaki of the Emperor and intended to defeat Kyoichi as well, but focused on Takumi after Sudo's defeat. Kai employed a trick taught by his father to overtake Takumi by jumping a turn through a gap in the guardrail at the 33rd corner. However, he spun out on the final straightaway after his car lost traction upon landing on leaves by the roadside, resulting in his defeat.
Kai later reappeared as an opponent for Project D in Kanagawa Prefecture. Representing Racing Team Katagiri as their downhill ace against the Eight-Six, he spun out in the final sector, costing him the race.
Originally, Kai drove his father's Toyota SW20 MR2, but he later switched to a silver Toyota MR-S ZZW30 (3rd Generation MR2 Roadster), returning the SW20 to his father.