When does Tokyo Drift take place in the Fast and Furious timeline?

If you were wondering when the events of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift happened in the Fast timeline, we’ve got you covered.

The time of the Fast and Furious franchise might seem a bit wonky at first glance but, if you know how to watch the movies in the correct order, everything becomes crystal clear.

When it comes to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which is technically the third movie in the franchise, many fans have wondered where it belongs in the chronological order of the Fast movies as it becomes the catalyst for movies released later.

Here’s where The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift belongs in the Fast and Furious timeline.

Where does Tokyo Drift sit in the Fast & Furious timeline?

The events of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift occur way later in the franchise. While it’s the third movie in the franchise, it actually takes place as the sixth movie, in between Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7.

Universal Pictures

Tokyo Drift follows teen Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) as he goes to live with his father in Japan after getting in trouble with the police due to his street racing. While in Japan, Sean meets Twinkie (Bow Wow), a military kid who introduces him to the world of drift racing.

After getting into a confrontation with Takashi, also known as the Drift King, Sean races against him in a car loaned by Han Lue, a former member of Dominic Toretto’s crew who is now living in Japan. Sean totals the car and then goes to work for Han, who also teaches him how to drift.

The events of this movie are ultimately inconsequential as Sean and Twinkie are never mentioned in the franchise again, but it does have a huge impact on the following movies in the series as Han supposedly dies at the end of the film.

In the beginning of Furious 7, the movie that follows Tokyo Drift in the chronological order, the team is being hunted by Deckhard Shaw, the older brother of Owen Shaw who was the antagonist of Fast & Furious 6. In a mid-credits scene in Fast 6, Han is involved in a fatal car crash in Tokyo and it’s revealed that the mastermind behind his death was Deckhard, who killed Han as his first act of revenge against Dom.

Han’s death was a huge blow to fans as he was a beloved member of the original crew, but they got the shock of the century when it was revealed in F9 that Han was alive. It turned out that he faked his death in Tokyo Drift with the help of Mr. Nobody, a reoccurring government agent who had recruited Dom and his crew for jobs multiple times over the years. Thankfully, Han is officially back for one last ride in the original franchise’s two-part finale.

Fast X is in cinemas now, and you can check out the rest of our Fast and Furious 10 coverage below:

Fast X review | Post-credits scenes | Ending explained | Who dies? | Is Fast X streaming? | Will there be a Fast & Furious 11? | Fast X cast and characters | Fast X soundtrack | How long is Fast X runtime? | Fast X budget | Is Paul Walker in Fast X? | Meadow Walker cameo | Does Gad Gadot return? | Who does Pete Davidson play? | Is Mr Nobody in Fast X? | Is Leon in Fast & Furious 10? | Is The Rock in Fast X? | Will there be a Hobbs & Shaw 2? | Who does Alan Ritchson play? | How to watch Fast and Furious movies in order