Awesome / Food Wars!

This page contains unmarked spoilers. You Have Been Warned!

"They have their own scented weapons, different styles in all-out warfare!"

Awesome moments in Food Wars! are built on Mundane Made Awesome, by exploring the wonderful world of cooking while keeping shonen themes and keeping the fantastical elements to Imagine Spots. The culinary victories are all accomplished through completely realistic means, and thoroughly explained afterward through both the science and history of specific dishes.

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Introduction Arc

• Soma's very first challenge to defend his restaurant: After all the stock of his restaurant was destroyed by the land sharks that targeted his business, he manages to give the Alpha Bitch a "juicy meat dish" made basically of mashed potatoes wrapped with bacon thanks to them not knowing about Soma's breakfast groceries. It was so good that it made her beg for more.
  • To give context on how he thought of this: he came up with this idea after a mistake in plating gave a potato dish a more savory taste. Effectively given she was talking about top quality dishes at high end resturants, Soma gave her a dish that was basically a plating screw up and she wanted to devour it.
• Soma Yukihira delivers a speech to the Tōtsuki freshmen — saying he thinks of Tōtsuki, a school with a 10% passing rate, as a mere stepping stone. A Badass Boast without shouting.
  • Then later telling Erina Nakiri - who tried to pettily flunk him - that he's had 12 years in the kitchen, as opposed to two years of education, and sooner or later, he'll make her admit that she liked his food.
  • Related to this, Dean Senzaemon Nakiri found Soma's dish and rejection mark. After trying the dish, he immediately crushes the rejection notice, because he realized Erina was only doing it to spite Soma and that he should have passed. It bears mentioning that he is the grandfather of Erina, as well, and he checked the dish out after she told him nobody passed.
    • The anime even added onto that. We see that Senzaemon was actually present, but out of sight during Soma's test, so he heard the entire thing. After he tastes the dish once everybody has left, it actually make him partially strip after tasting it. If he strips, that's a good sign.
  • His speech not only garnered all of the hatred of the average students, but also started to grab the interest of many of the hidden talents of the 93rd Generation, which was exactly what Isshiki would later predict.
  • During his first lesson under Laurent Chapelle who is known as "the chef who never smiles", Soma finds out that his and Megumi Tadokoro's in-progress dish was sabotaged by the other students, which freaks Megumi out since they need to replace one hour of preparation within 30 minutes. Soma just brings some backup ingredients and is willing to start again with a twist, managing to not only submit it in time, but the honey he used to speed up the process (learnt from an experiment years ago about reading that a pineapple breaks down and softens meat, but had to find a substitute due to his age) manages to make Laurent smile! For bonus points, this event also distracted the students who sabotaged him and accidentally ruin their food in the exact same way and fail.
• Soma's first Shokugeki against Ikumi Mito, who was then Erina's henchwoman. Not only did Soma win her over, but did so utilizing a cheap discount steak from the supermarket, against Ikumi's A5 Wagyu beef dish.
  • Too add to this, Soma didn't just defeat her with cheap ingredients, he did so without overpowering anything like Ikumi did. He was able to keep the balance of the flavors and got the judges to taste every bit to the point that they were begging for seconds.
  • He also did all of this on only two hours of sleep.
  • To not discount Ikumi too much, we see through her cooking that she has her own speciality like Erina does; her sense of touch is to the point that she can expertly know when something is at the correct temperature. This allows her to masterfully cook a rather large piece of meat without anything being overcooked.

Training Camp Arc

• Takumi and Isami's introduction during the Training Camp. Takumi demonstrated his ability as a quick thinker outside the box by choosing aigamo (Japanese duck), while most of the others chose obvious fish dishes, and improvised Italian inspired recipes with the available ingredients, giving them a Japanese twist.
  • Isami doesn't get left behind as he can clean and cut the meat perfectly at a very quick pace, even though he says Takumi is three times faster than him.
  • To counter him despite having the same ingredients as the other students, Soma confirms with the overseeing chef that anything within the facility boundaries can be used, then reaches for her snack since that's technically within the ground as well. After further scavenging for more ingredients, makes an impressive tempura with the crushed snack as coating.
  • On top of all of this, both Soma and Takumi were giving a aura of power that made Megumi nervous because it was a competition between two actually experienced cooks. It was a fated meeting between Worthy Opponents and the overseer, Hisako, actually had trouble choosing between them. This and Soma's musings imply that the two are near equal in skill.
• After finishing the 50 meals assignment, Soma heads to the bath, very pleased with himself, believing that he finished by far the earliest. It's not until later that he realizes that Erina was already leaving the bath by the time he was heading there, and what it means.
• Soma challenging Koujirou Shinomiya, a Tootsuki alumnus and the former first seat of the Council of Ten Masters, to a Shokugeki. It helps that Shinomiya is a major Jerkass.
  Soma: Does that Tōtsuki rule apply to Alumni, too?
  Shinomiya: What are you talking about?
  Soma: Shokugeki!
  • Adding a bit of Heartwarming Moments into the mix, what motivates Soma to go against Shinomiya is Megumi's unfair treatment. She actually went with a good idea with and he acknowledged that she was doing the best with what Shinomiya's blatant sabotage to the first years. And when she tries to stop him, instead of listening to her, he gets even gets even more angry at Shinomiya. At that point, it was ON.
  • Even though Soma loses the match, Shinomiya tries the food Soma and Megumi Tadokoro made and it makes him relive his childhood (and yes it's an obvious glen from Ratatouille) so much that he adds in his own coin to the duo's plate. Shinomiya realizes his error in his stubborn ways and allows Megumi, as well as Soma, to stay in the school.
  • Not only that, Soma was not the head chef: Megumi was forced to take the position. Her recipe, with Soma's assistance, and getting props from the Legendary Chefs, despite not winning, adds to her credibility and staying power at Tōtsuki.
    • Added with Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, the four top chefs actually started to argue over her proper title as a chef. Implying that they see her as someone worth keeping around, even if they did ended up choosing Shinomiya's dish. This also made Dojima challenge him further by having 'him' taste it as well, because everyone else also caught something else while they ate: They knew Shinomiya played it safe.
  • Kojirou dismisses Soma's perfectly valid argument on why Megumi's failing grade was bogus because he's the head chef, so what he says, goes. Dojima later throws this right back in his face to force him to participate in the Shokugeki because Dojima is in charge of the training camp, so what he says, goes.
• Soma's comeback in the breakfast buffet trial, where he serves 200 plates in a meager 30 minutes.
  • To put this into perspective, Erina easily serves 407 plates in the 2-hour period, whereas Alice serves 380 plates with more than 10 minutes to spare, and stopped only because she had no more ingredients to keep making dishes. Soma's failed omelette manages to serve 10 plates, but with 30 minutes left on the clock, he improvises by putting on a live cooking performance that attracts more customers, and serves the 190 needed to pass the trial. Repeat: he made 190 dishes... IN THE SPAN OF 30 MINUTES.
  • To add a dash of extra awesome, his live cooking performance is so entrancing that he even manages to take customers away from Erina, who at that point had been monopolizing a good chunk of the crowd.
  • Extra dash of awesome, Soma was improving his cooking method while cooking live. No pauses to consider, no external advice, not even feedback, he had it so deeply engraved in his reflexes and control that he reacted to a timer before the timer started ringing.
  • Of course that's not discounting the others food as well: Ikumi's Egg Bowl showed her character development in terms of understanding the ingredients, Megumi's quail egg soup was made to help ease people in the morning and used vegetables so well that it made a Vegetable Tycoon wish to have her marry his grandson, and Takumi even showed a well-made quish dish that was able to wow the crowd. This shows that all of Soma's friends and rivals have high skill with a challenging set up.

Karaage Wars Arc

• Soma takes a break to go check on his shop and finds that the shopping district it's built in is once again endangered by a big business chain. He meets a representative of one of its brands, Mozuya, who's selling karaage (fried chicken). Said representative is naturally cocky and flies off the handle when Soma challenges her, thinking he's beneath her. So Soma then comes up with an improved version of karaage and, two days later, causes Mozuya's sales to plummet. The representative heads to Soma's shop and realizes just how badly she underestimated him, especially when she's pressured to try his version. To add insult to injury, her boss is one of the Totsuki Elite 10 who told her specifically to report to him if Soma tries anything. Needless to say, she has a lot of explaining to do.
  • One for that whole shopping block in general. Soma may have made the food that brought business back to the area, but it was thanks to the efforts of the other shop owners working together that he managed to pull it off in such a short time.
• Mayumi and the Box Lunch shop owner also deserve high props for their abilities to help come up wtih solutions on the spot. It's through them that the shopping district followed Soma's example and basically breathed new life into their district, using their community as a way to take on the big conglomerate's award-winning chicken. The business woman even compared it too a legendary figure in Japanese History building a fortress in less than a week.

Tōtsuki Autumn Elections Arc

• The Reveal that Joichiro is actually a legendary chef renowned across the world. Soma's friends at the Polar Star Dorm are awestruck with Joichiro's consummate skill.
• Jouichirou Yukihira demolishing his son in their 490th cooking duel. If you thought Soma's skills were awesome, his father is culinary awesomeness PERSONIFIED.
  Fumio Daimidou: "Even when Soma's dish could be given a perfect score, it feels like he [Jouichirou] could surpass it easily!"
• Megumi carving a hanging monkfish in the middle of the Fall Classic tournament. No one even knows how she'll use it in her curry, not even the Queen of Curry herself!
  • Also the backstory to how she learned it; she looked to be about 7-8 years old at the time and went right to the local fishermen to get taught. They were doubtful that a little girl could learn how to do the hanging carving style, but they taught her anyway...and it seemed to have taken weeks if not months of training. When Megumi wants to help others, very little is gonna stop her from giving up even if she wants to get through it.
    • To add a bit of Fridge Awesome to the explanation, in real life, monkfish butchering is NOT an easy skill. Many professional Japanese chefs consider it one of the hardest and most impressive skills one can master, and most people who do master it are literally raised from childhood to do so. Formal training for monkfish begins at age 13, in a bit of a coming-of-age for most culinary families, while the training to start developing the muscles and reflexes to butcher monkfish begins at age 5 to develop the skills and reflexes to do the precise slices to properly hang and butcher a monkfish. This is because when butchering monkfish, one must have a steady hand to perform very precise slices in order to prevent puncturing the intestines and ruining the meat, so most chefs who are trained to do so have to start as early as possible to develop that precise muscle memory. In addition, when most traditionalist families train their children for the task of monkfish butchering, they usually only pick the oldest male in the family, who will usually become the heir to the family, due to the fact that monkfish is an expensive delicacy and thus monkfish butchering is seen as a boy manning up and taking responsibility. So not only did Megumi not only manage to learn how to perform a technique normally only taught to the oldest boys in traditional Japanese cooking, but she also mastered it at a much earlier age than most people who are properly trained.
• Nao Sadatsuka is the first to score beyond a "40", going all the way to the top of the list at 82. Her dish is so delectable that it makes even its revolting stench part of its allure.
  • This makes Hisako's curry all the more impressive, not only scoring higher but "breaking Nao's curse" on the judges. One of them even starts looking and acting like a buff martial arts archetype.
• Marui Zenji finally casts off his Butt-Monkey status and displays his real skills by using his extensive knowledge to compensate for his average cooking sense, even earning his own title like the others as "The Professor of Taste".
• Adding to it is basically all of the main characters that appear in Block A to the older of the Curry twins: after spending all that time at the competiton only giving out 0's; Ryou, Ikumi, Ryuko, Zenji, Shun, Akira, Soma and Mimasaka all plowed through her expectations.
• Chapter 57:
  • Alice's dish, which is so strange and delicious that the judges can't find the words to describe it, and she made in to finals in the Fall Classic by getting the highest score in Block B.
  • Megumi makes it to the final eight. Time for the little bird to take flight from her small, small garden. It's worth mentioning that the judges could really feel "human warmth" in it, right after they just had Alice's extravagant curry.
• Shun's smoked cooking gets him a lot of praise, which makes it clear that he's one of the best cooks of Polar Star. He may not be on Isshiki or Soma's level, but he's likely one of the most unique cooks there with his smoking skills.
• Soma's entry for the Fall Classic is Curry Omelette Risotto, which not only rivals Akira Hayama's dish (who gets plenty of merit because he's the favorite for the theme), but because it indirectly splits the judges' opinions: Akira scores 94 (two perfect 20s, three 18s), but Soma gets 93 (two 18s, three 19s); the three judges who awarded Akira 18s declare they enjoy Soma's dish more, thus giving him 19s. This begs the question, "Of the two, if they compete in a Shokugeki, who would win?"
  • The implications of the scores are taken even further in the anime, and are not lost on Ryoko, Ikumi or Akira; it's all but directly stated that, if the tournament had been following the rules of an official Shokugeki, Soma would have beaten Akira..
  • As Satoshi Isshiki points out, Soma's dish was a combination of two of his "previous fails": the omelette from the breakfast buffet trial at Training Camp, and the Apple Risotto made during his 490th duel against his father. Soma refuses to let those go as failures, thus used the experience in his favor.
  • Fumino put it best: Soma is the Ultimate Sore Loser, so he is only gonna use every defeat he has to get better. Something a lot of other chefs tend to ignore.
• First match of the Final Round: Soma defeated Alice's molecular cuisine techniques, making a bento box that had the only thing Alice's didn't: It made the judges feel the joy of eating it.
  • Not only that, it's also the details on the entries: Alice's dish was a Temari Bento, which included a vast amount of techniques of molecular gastronomy and ingredients, regarded as a "jewelry box". On the other hand, Soma defeated her with a Nori Bento (considered one of the cheapest and most basic bentos in the market) by making it fun to discover, prompting the judges to regard it as a "treasure chest". Senzaemon explained that while Alice's bento was created using the cold and her food was extremely delicious, she could have also cooked it for a sushi competition. He added that Soma wasn't fixated on just putting food inside the box but also figure out a way to keep the food warm for half a day; he questions Alice if her bento is enjoyable as Soma's.
• Chapter 69 has Megumi delivering a Kirk Summation moment to Ryou Kurokiba during their Fall Classic duel, boldly declaring that food is supposed to bring people together and cooking food should be done to make that happen. Given that Ryou is compared to a "nasty feral dog" by Yuuki for his Social Darwinism, this is quite impressive, and all the more so since Megumi used to be timid.
• Chapter 70: Ryou Kurokiba's cooking and showmanship give such "foodgasm" to the judges, they compare it to being knocked senseless. It makes Senzaemon strip from the waist up.
• Chapter 71: The scenes of Megumi's combat with Ryou. Thus far, combat scenes have been used to dictate rivalries between people as a metaphor for their cooking clash. But all of these people have been naturally competitive. Seeing ultra-Nice Girl Megumi bust out a Stand and go toe-to-toe with Kurokiba Ryou, who's been pointed out as using a cooking style that is "pure force" and looks like a serial killer, is more awesome than when others do it.
• Chapter 72: After the match is over, two students try to make fun of Megumi, only to be shut out by the entire audience of students applauding and praising her. From the very start, Megumi has been seen as a dunce and a failure due to her low scores in tests, but through sheer hard work and facing off the highly-skilled Ryou, she has earned the respect of her peers.
  • In the very same chapter Megumi ends up losing to Ryou, with the audience noticing that, unlike how he did so with Ryou's dish, dean Senzaemon didn't strip after eating Megumi's dish, but it's also noticeable that we never see his reactions or hear his thoughts about it throughout the tasting. After the judges retire, Senzaemon suddenly excuses himself to go to the bathroom, where once alone, he notes that his fundoshi came loose without him realizing it, which he sees as a sign that Megumi has immeasurable potential. The dean of the most elite culinary school in the entire country, a man who stands at the top of everything related to food and the culinary industry, believes that shy, meek little Megumi's potential as a chef is so big that it can't even be measured!
• Chapter 73 has the initial stages of Hisako Arato vs. Akira Hayama displaying their techniques. Not only does Akira make a big kebab, but Hisako momentarily overshadows him when she beheaded a living turtle and opened the shell in front of a shocked audience without even batting an eyelash. Worth mentioning is that the only ones who were not amazed by this were the judges and ''Yuuki'', who is a wild game chef and thus used to this. ^note  Nao is amazed, but at how beautiful her "mistress" can appear while flicked with fresh blood and wearing a dignified expression.
• Finally in Chapter 74 and 75, Hayama counters back with a Kebab dish. This results in Hisako's defeat, even when her dish had a lot of taste and visual impact. Also equally awesome was Hayama's lecture on her: Hisako lost because she settled down to be Erina's Number Two and never leaving her shadow, while Akira himself has the ambition of reaching the Top of Tootsuki by dethroning Erina and taking over the Council of Ten Masters, very much like Soma declared.
• Despite losing in his Shokugeki against Subaru, Sanzemon does acknowledge Takumi's efforts in that he effectively created a new type of desert and christined it right then and there.
• Chapter 80: After winning against Takumi in their shokugeki, Subaru instantly goes to Soma's bedroom to likewise challenge him to one as they're paired off for the next stage of the election. Subaru hopes that seeing one of his friends defeated would get him riled up enough to accept. However, Soma stays cool-headed throughout the encounter and even ups the stakes. If Soma wins, he gets all 100 of Subaru's ill-gotten kitchen tools, but if Subaru wins Soma will give up being a cook and shut down his restaurant. Subaru warns Soma of the risk he's taking, but Soma, without a ounce of hesitation, tells him to bring it on. And to even top it all off, he tells Subaru what he's even going to make!
  • Chapter 87: As Mimasaka presents his completed meal to the judges in their match, even when Soma's idea of improvising the beef stew dish's ingredients the morning before their match to limit the perfect trace was anticipated by Mimasaka, Soma still keeps his cool and even gets him to question what may happen next. The look on Mimasaka's face just shows that we could be in for a satisfying win by our protagonist. See for yourself.
  Subaru Mimasaka: All of what he's trying to do should be within my expectations. Yet, what am I afraid of?
  • Chapter 88: Mimasaka recognized that there were two ways people could counter his Perfect Trace: with a bluff or with complete improvisation. He believed that Soma chose the latter type, but he failed to see one crucial detail. Soma manages to win because he wasn't just thinking of ways to improve the dish as he was cooking it, but by integrating his knowledge of beef in general to construct his dish all from the moment he chose his dish - just never physically. Mimasaka is completely waylaid by this as it leaves no tangible clues for him to pick up. Additionally, in his match against Takumi, Mimasaka said that he believed that Takumi would be able to rise above his prior dish which is why Mimasaka was able to stay ahead of him.
  Yukihira Soma: Believing in your opponent, I also did that. I also spent this whole week thinking about you, you know?
• Chapter 89:
  • Likewise listed in the Heartwarming section, but all the kitchen utensils returned to their proper owners. One girl even properly thanks him for getting her kitchen knife back as it was a keepsake from her late mother.
  • After Soma wins, an official shows his friends the contract he had signed that would make it official that he would never cook again. He promptly rips it up much to Soma's friends' joy and relief.
  • Soma telling Subaru not to stop cooking as he realizes he does indeed have a talent for it.
• Chapter 92 concluding the Hayama vs. Kurokiba match by doing it a three-way finale between both of them and Soma. To elaborate on how it happened, both Hayama's duck stew and Kurokiba's eel dish had their own strong points (Akira had the aroma combo, while Ryou packed a big explosion of flavor on it), which gave the judges a hard time to decide who they liked more. While Hinako and Fuyumi voted for Hayama, and on the other hand Doujima and Taki gave their votes to Kurokiba, the final vote was up to Sonoka. Seeing that she was under a lot of pressure from the audience and Kurokiba himself, Doujima suggested both of them deserved a win.
  • The artwork for both Chapters 91 and 92 were awesomely drawn, with Hayama's entry resembling a Card Duel, and Kurokiba going feral.
• Chapter 102 has Isshiki explaining to Eizan why everyone is rampant on putting down Soma: because if they decide to acknowledge him, then they are admitting that they haven't been making enough of an effort themselves. This is then followed by many people in the audience doing just that: Soma's fellow classmates are finally acknowledging his skill.
  • Akira may have won the competition with his dish, but what got many is the fact that he did it with a simple spice instead of something complex like Soma or Ryou's dishes.

Stagiare Arc

• Chapter 107: For the first week of the Stagiaire period, Erina and Megumi are sent to a high-class restaurant run by a rude, obstinate chef who obviously doesn't want them there and tries to relegate them to grunt work which is well below their skill level and wouldn't allow them to complete their assignment. Erina calls him out on it and by the next day takes control over the kitchen. Under her leadership, the quality of cooking raises immensely. In the end, even the head chef bows down before her asking for advice, allowing Erina to earn an easy pass on the assignment. Like a boss.
  • Overall, Erina is shown to not unjustly deserve her position as "God's Tongue" and 10th Seat of the Student Council. Only the aftermath of one of her shokugeki is shown but she easily demolished her opponent — as she goes up to him and details exactly what he did wrong, including boiling seafood too long by seconds. She's shown finishing her assigned resort meals with ridiculous ease in each night of the training camp. During the breakfast buffet challenge, she makes and passes out 407 plates; the only individual to surpass 400 meals. She also is able to immediately detect the flaw in Soma's dish.
  • Megumi does not fall behind when it comes to the first week of the Stagiaire period. She does not have the experience or palate that Erina does, and is relegated to be a simple dishwasher, something she knows won't allow her to pass, and yet by looking at the leftovers of the plates she has to wash, she goes ahead to suggest that a specific dish should be served with the sauce on the side, allowing the customers to serve as much or as little sauce as they feel like. The head chef refuses, but right then a waiter comes in to say a customer is asking for more sauce, confirming Megumi's hunch and giving a solid back-up to her suggestion. Even Erina herself is impressed with Megumi, having initially agreed with her idea, and though we don't see more of how their Stagiaire went, it's clear that Megumi's contributions on how people enjoy their food allowed her to pass successfully alongside Erina.
• Chapter 112 may not initially seem worthy, but watching Soma plow through what has to be one of the most demanding work environments imaginable is incredibly awesome. Even though he starts out way behind and out of his depth, Soma manages to catch up and pull his weight. The most amazing thing is that he doesn't even bother to get irritated or discouraged because he's simply way too excited about picking up a whole new skill-set. On top of that, Shinomiya's wordless faith in Soma's perseverance shows just how far he's come from the jerkass he used to be back at the training camp.
• Chapter 116 establishes the end of the Internship period, which also served to eliminate the average students and keep the real good ones.
  • Ryou manages to reform all the Japanese Delinquents that scared the other customers, which also doubles as a Heartwarming Moment when the gang members want to appoint Ryou as their "big brother".
  • The Tootsuki personnel deserve one as well. One of the students argue to the examiner that he did such a good job and give 'results'. The examiner then tells him three things to prove he didn't. One, during the restaurant peak hours, he never considered what to improve that is not based on his task. Two, she manages to spy him bragging on the phone on how he's working at a starred restaurant rather than improving his own skills. And finally, she manages to show him his tweet complaints about the restaurant staffs. After giving him a "Reason You Suck" Speech she immediately fails and kicks him out of school immediately for his behavior. Lesson to be learned, never underestimate the skills of a Tootsuki personnel.
  • Even though Daigo and Shoji didn't compete at the Fall Classic and they kept bickering during most of their Internships, the two managed to pass perfectly by creating a new dish for the restaurant.
  • Isami successfully cleared his Internship, also demonstrating that he gained enough level to support Takumi instead of depending on him.
  • Shun, even after saving a restaurant from bankruptcy, couldn't be happy about this because he still felt that he was below Soma, Megumi, and Isshiki.
  • Megumi also became more confident in contrast to her experience with her first Internship site, even assuming the roles of the waitresses at her current Ryokan. Though we don't see a lot of detail, it's clear that she's in her element — a complete opposite of the very nervous Shrinking Violet the readers were introduced to in the first few chapters.
  • During his two-week absence, it turns out that Soma had been receiving a lot of Shokugeki challenges from many upperclassmen, because of his Fall Classic performance and also for clearing the Stagiaire stage, which placed him as an equal to the rest of the school. Not only did Soma accepted right away a challenge from a 2nd year, but he also declared that he was going to accept all the other challenges. Not only he did get more confidence and skills, but his appearance also seems to have matured and he gained a new fire in his eyes.

Moon Banquet Festival Arc

• This was built up from Chapter 118 to Chapter 119. 2nd Year and 8th Seat of the Council of Ten Masters, Terunori Kuga, started to boast and say that they shouldn't waste time with the first years. The very first thing that comes out from Soma's mouth is to request a Shokugeki from any of them, which earns the collective shock from everyone there. Even though they declined, Soma was still unimpressed by all the privileges given to the Council of Ten. What finally lit the fire was Kuga berating all the First Years by declaring that neither of them has a chance against the Council of Ten Masters. The whole group (except for a scared Megumi and an unimpressed Erina) was burning with silent anger and ready to take them down anytime.
  • And even though she was scared to the core, Megumi agreed that the Council of Ten Masters had no right to talk to them like that and she wished Soma would defeat them, even when she herself was afraid of that possibility.
• In Chapter 126, Soma manages to advance a few ranks during the 2nd day, despite the disadvantage of setting up his stand next to Kuga's.
• In Chapter 128, Soma gives a Badass Boast to Kuga, telling him that he is the better one of the two when it comes to managing a restaurant. It gets him a Death Glare from Kuga but the next chapter shows that Soma is picking up the pace thanks to some help from Mimasaka. The imagery is an example of Soma showing that he Took a Level in Badass throughout the week as rather than Soma being a cat facing a lion (Kuga) he is now another lion worthy enough to be considered a rival to Kuga.
• Finally in Chapter 130 Soma's booth manages to surpass Kuga's booth because of their teamwork:
  • Megumi applied her experience as a hostess to manage and give her kindness to the customers, caring for their needs beyond just the food and making them comfortable, something Kuga's restaurant lacked.
  • Subaru copied Soma's pace perfectly without lowering the quality.
  • They got additional decorations thanks to the Regional Cuisine RS, who went to support Megumi, knowing that she had good reasons to decline her spot with them.
  • Pulling off a Big Damn Heroes moment Ikumi, Takumi and Isami appeared to help, with Ikumi managing the Hujiao Bing buns, Isami taking charge of the noodles and Takumi aiding both Soma and Subaru.
    • Which is even more impressive is that Takumi, right away and without any practice or information of the Mapo-Noodles recipe, kept a perfect pacing with Soma on his first try, which took Subaru three days to perfect by himself.
• Chapter 131: Alice, Ryou and Akira get themselves out of the red by finally utilizing their talents in the form of a curry rice topped with a 3-D printed chocolate sculpture flavored with spices.
• Chapter 132: Soma and Megumi are treated to the Moon Festival booth of the current First Seat, Eishi Tsukasa, by none other than the Second Seat, Rindou Kobayashi. When Soma tries Eishi's food for the first time, his reaction to the taste cuts to a pure-white void with nothing other than Soma and the current dish. Which is only the first of nine.
  • It's then followed by Soma and Megumi watching as Eishi awkwardly frets over his customers, asking if the air conditioning is too cool, if they need more water, if they're comfortable, etc. As amusing as it is, Soma points out to Megumi that for all his obsessive worrywarting, Eishi never feels the need to ask one question: How does it taste?.

Central Arc

• After being forced to resign from the Deanship at Tootsuki, Senzaemon decides to go talk to Soma. What makes their conversation so awesome is the fact that Senzaemon, a man in his elder years, is doing workout along with the teenager with ease, showing off his developed muscles and doing pull-up bars with a very quick pace. Soma is visibly impressed.
  • Him expelling Azami from Tootsuki and the Nakiri family counts as this. The main reason he did this was out of genuine anger and indignation at Azami for brainwashing Erina with his Training from Hell. Senzaemon clearly shows that he is a Papa Wolf in the flashback and in the present as he forms a plan to save Erina from Azami by asking Soma to save her.
• Chapter 137:
  • So, thought Soma was gonna be the only one to help Erina? Nope, Alice isn't having any of that shit. She gets both Hisako and Ryou and take Erina as far away from Azami as possible. Her and Erina may butt heads at times, but they clearly love each other as sisters and this shows it.
  • Speaking of Soma, his response to Senzaemon's request above? Despite saying he understands Erina's situation is complicated, he knows exactly what he has to do and reminds us that he still hasn't forgotten when she called his dish disgusting and reaffirms his vow to get her to admit his food is delicious. He puts two and two together quickly and is confident he can get the job done. We then cut to Senzaemon musing about Jouichiro's reason for enrolling Soma in Tootski, that if anyone can free Erina, its him and their entire generation.
  • Also; Kuga Terunori of the Elite 10, despite his jerkass introduction, expresses disgust to the point where he boycotts a fucking council meeting.
• Chapter 141
  • Despite knowing full well the judges have been rigged, and that his chances of winning are slim to none. Soma formally challenges Eizan to a Shokugeki to save the Polar Star Dorm from demolition.
  Soma: I'm not doing this for the guys back at dorm, I'm doing this for me. The Polar Star Dorm is where I can further master my own style of cooking. That's why you'll be accepting this Shokugeki. I won't let you destroy my dorm.
• Chapter 143:
  • Soma and the PSD members refuse to be intimidated by Eizan, with the latter fighting back with barricades and hoses. This causes Eizan to freak out a bit before deciding to take the Shokugeki seriously.
    • Soma doesn't even flinch when Eizan tries to intimidate him through his roomates. He is just interested to make his dish well.
    • Of all people, Megumi is the one who decides to defend the dorms, giving them the confidence to do so.
  • Fumio reveals to the residents that during the Golden Age it was commonplace for them to defend the dorms, with Jouichirou and Gin protecting from the front... and Jun cowering in a corner. Erina and Hisako are surprised to hear that it was an everyday ocurrence back then.
  • Special mention goes to the fact that the Gang was LOSING when Eizan went to call to see how things were doing, and finds out that they're getting their collective asses handed to them by the Polaris Star Dorm. That is not a group of chefs you want to mess with! Especially with Yuuki leading the charge.
• Chapter 144:
  • Eizan decides to cook in order to defeat Soma. It is then revealed by Rindou and the judges who were bribed by Eizan that Eizan is an excellent cook and that his skills could be better than some of the members of the Council of Ten. Considering the fact that Eizan has the second lowest seat in the Council of Ten, that's quite an accomplishment.
    • What's more, we get more information on how the Council of Ten are selected. The most important criteria is your record in Shokugeki (something that talented chefs like Soma will have no problems fulfilling). Eizan's excellent business sense coupled with his cooking knowledge secured more money than what Totsuki got from their tuition fees in the year he applied, unanimously securing him a spot on the Council of Ten despite Eizan having almost NO Shokugekis under his name!
• Chapter 145
  • Soma taunts Eizan. Eizan's face says it all. Doubles as Funny
• Chapter 146
  • Soma makes Eizan give his Oh, Crap! face and manages to make the judges taste his food.
• Chapter 147: Soma finally beats a member of the Elite 10 in competition. In a total Curb-Stomp Battle to boot.
  • What makes this sweeter is that Eizan's loss is entirely his own fault. He made it a point of constantly antagonizing Soma and provoking him. Then when Soma finally challenges him to a Shokugeki, he's absolutely confident he will win because the judges are on his side and will declare him the winner regardless of the outcome. When Soma is completely unfazed by Eizan's efforts to beat him, the latter decides to win legit by making a better dish. The judges are sure that anything Soma cooks won't compare to anything Eizan makes and even Rindou notes that if he put his mind to it, Eizan could be a better cook than the entire Elite 10. Soma gets them to taste his food anyway with some well-placed taunts. Both Eizan and the judges are reduced to fools after tasting Soma's dish.
  • Soma's dish was the result of all the time he has spent with the Polaris residents. Erina, for her part, realizes that the guys managed to make superior dishes not by following her exact instructions, but because they trusted more their own instincts and feedback from their friends. Because of this she starts to realize that, while her palate is very precise, she doesn't have the last word. Cooking does have endless possibilities and not just one way to make something delicious. There's even a bit of a Call-Back to the pilot when Soma acknowledges that thinking there's only one right way of doing something is boring.
    • To reiterate: Soma won the shokugeki against Eizan by using a dish that his dormmates helped him perfect. Not only did he absolutely crush the Smug Snake in terms of cooking, he did it in such a way so as to prove the value of the Polar Star dorm's existence. It wasn't enough for Soma to simply beat Eizan, because the judges could have voted for Eizan even while liking his dish more, if they wanted. No, instead he won in such a way that voting for Eizan would have destroyed the source of a superior dish, thereby tying the judges' hands and forcing them to vote fairly. Soma knew going in that people were backing Azami for his philosophy of one right method and one alone, and knew if he could prove it wrong, they wouldn't be able to bring themselves to destroy a source of such cooking, because money's not the issue to these people, quality is. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Batman Gambit at its finest.
  • The fact that Soma got the most stubborn of the judges to eat his food through sheer force of personality and the food's allure, allowing him to secure a complete shutout victory over Eizan even though the match was rigged against him. For Soma, there's no such thing as "hopeless".
• Chapter 148:
  • After defeating Eizan, Soma grabbed the camera and boasted that he and his friends won't tolerate any abuse and will fight back. Even if it's from a Council member. Even after winning, Soma said that he wanted a rematch against Eizan at his best condition.
  • Isshiki knew from the beginning the outcome and opted to just let things happen. That's how confident he is on Soma's potential to change Tootsuki for the best.
  • When Soma returns to Polar Star afterwards all of Eizan's cronies are visibly terrified and actively avoid Soma as he strides back through the gates to the dorm. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of badass.
• Chapter 150: When you think about it, Jouichirou managing to have Azami, an extreme Control Freak idolized him is awesome in itself. Also, Azami being a first seat in his Second Year in Tootsuki and trying to be one of the circle of the Demon Kings of food.
• Chapter 152: So Isshiki's been kicked out of the Council of Ten (as well as the 8th and 3rd seats) and the rest are going to participate in at least some of the upcoming Shokugekis against the RS clubs, nicknaming it the "Survivor's Hunt". What does he do? Well, being the chessmaster he is, he sneaks in one final act before leaving the Council of Ten: a set of rules and clauses for the upcoming Shokugekis that prevent anything remotely similar to the corruption that Eizan pulled previously, including requiring the judges to be unaffiliated with Tootsuki and preventing ANY contact with them from the dueling parties. In short, while it's still no walk in the park, he's at least guaranteed that the rest of the Tootsuki students have a 100% fair, fighting chance to save their clubs - a sentiment in line with the previous administration.
• Even though the readers are rooting against Central, it's really impressive that almost all of them (aside from the Council of Ten members) managed to defeat 0-3 all the clubs they have faced during the chapter.
  • Which makes the moment even more impressive when, after getting enough from the arrogant mockery from the Central guys, Soma and Takumi finally decided to screw discretion and challenge him.
  • It continues in the following chapter, where this time is Takumi who gives "The Reason You Suck" Speech to the arrogant Central recruit, pointing out that his repetitive emphasis on being chosen doesn't speak about his real talent. Both Soma and the judges seemed impressed by this.
    • Even better, the speech itself is Fridge Brilliance when you consider that Takumi is probably thinking of his brother, who was overlooked in favor of himself despite Isami's own talents.
  • Despite Alice just finding out that she owns the Cutting-Edge RS and being delighted by the title of "Captain", she still used the opportunity to challenge Central, mainly because she wants to do something to oppose Azami.
  • As of 155, it turns out that it was really Ryou who was the one who challenged Rentarou, not Alice.
• Chapters 158 & 159: After several chapters of listening to Rentarou boast and brag about how great Central is and how worthless everyone else is, Kurokiba shuts him up epically by becoming the first challenger to defeat him, in a 3-0 result at that.
  • Equally important is that he did it by actually learning from his defeat in the Fall Classic. He ended up working in an Indian restaurant during his Stagiare, so he had to learn to build upon his weakness with spices, and he used his knowledge to create a dish with more intense flavor than Rentarou's as a result.
• Chapter 160: The chapter is basically one long one for Alice combined as a Heartwarming Moment. After Rentarou is beaten, Azami shows up to scold him on his loss and Alice, in no uncertain terms, gives him one hell of a Calling the Old Man Out for cutting off contact between her and Erina. Azami tries to intimidate her and Alice says she doesn't give a damn and plainly states how much she hates him for what he did and will do everything in her power to protect Tootsuki and Erina from him. What makes it even better is this the first time anyone has broken Azami's composure as he's clearly unsettled by her words, this is after Erina tells Isshiki that she believes Alice wants nothing to do with her.
• Chapter 161: Soma, managing to impress the current First Seat Eishi, prompting the latter to offer a spot to Central.
  • Though it is noted that he has impressed Former First Seats Gin and Koujirou.
• Chapter 162: First Seat Eishi Tsukasa challenges Soma to a cooking match right then and there, offering the title of First Seat if he loses! If Eishi wins, Soma will have to join Central as his underling! Regardless of what the outcome may be, Soma not only accepting, but telling him to Bring It, is pretty awesome.
• Chapter 164 shows us that Soma is one of the few chefs that former First Seat Koujirou genuinely approves of and he's secretly rooting for Soma to reach the top and take the First Seat.
• Chapter 166: Megumi and Ikumi win their matches against Shigemichi and Mea, saving their research societies. Even more impressive is that the Central recruits won all their matches EXCEPT for those two, and not only did they beat their very skilled opponents 3 to 0, as if to point out how much of a Curb-Stomp Battle it was, they even had the judges finish their portions and ask for seconds.
  • The anime adds a quick scene showcasing that Marui defeated Rui 2 to 1 and was able to save the Miyazato Seminar.
  • Even thought Soma lost against Tsukasa, Tsukasa still recognized that Soma's cooking, as uncontrollable as it was, also had a potential he couldn't understand yet, considering a better rival than he thought initially and that this Generation in particular was very special.

Promotion Exams Arc

• Chapter 174: After being given very low quality salmon for their first test in the Promotions Exams as a blatant sabotage, the team of Soma, Megumi, Yuki, Alice and Ryou manage to get their hands on flash frozen, extremely high quality salmon, and work like a well oiled machine to prep and produce a stunning dish that allows them to pass in less than a half hour. The best part of the whole thing is the smug examiner being forced to swallow her pride and eat her words by giving them all a pass grade.
  • The following chapter reveals that the other 'rebels', despite getting the exact same treatment, managed to pass as well.
• Chapter 177: Despite another attempt at sabotage by the examiners for the second phase of the exam, the "rebels" pass again thanks to Erina teaching them all the different ways the potato can be used. What truly makes this awesome is that it actually shows Erina herself taking a stand and essentially declaring her intention to oppose her father for the first time since he showed up.
  • There's even a page showing the examiner seeing Erina as Joan of Arc, who's name is used in the chapter's title.
• Chapter 184: So after hearing that Hayama was blackmailed into serving Central by Azami, Soma quickly finds Hayama and gives one hell of a What the Hell, Hero? for surrendering so easily to Central's whims and not even attempting to fight back, and declaring he's not going to lose to someone he considers that pathetic. Hayama's reaction is simply pure rage, even moreso than when Ryou called him a "one-trick pony" during the Autumn Elections.
• Chapter 191: Despite how long it dragged, this chapter gives Soma his first and unambiguous defeat of Hayama. Further emphasized with flashbacks to the latter beating him twice during the Autumn Elections, and Soma visibly shaking that his determination to win finally paid off against one of his longtime and toughest rivals.
• Chapter 192: Says Soma, "If we can just take those seats, we can overturn everything, expulsions and all." He's always been gunning for the Council of Ten. Now, he has reason to actually take it over. May God help them.
• Chapter 193: Just when it seems like Azami is going to refuse Soma's brazen challenge for the seats in the Council of Ten Masters, along come Senzaemon and Jouichirou to change his mind and set the stage for perhaps the biggest Shokugeki thus far.
  Jouichirou: Soma's proposition... I don't think you should throw it out quite yet, you know? So let's make them do it the usual way.
  Azami: Huh...?
  Jouichirou: A Team Battle. Tootsuki's traditional irregular Shokugeki! Where chefs who share the same convictions face off against each other in a team battle. "The Régiment de Cuisine"!
• Chapter 194: Doujima Gin begins to give some insight toward his generation. Namely, the fact that despite being 1st Seat and Jouichirou being 2nd, Gin only ever won 20 out of 121 Shokugeki matches against Jouichirou, and he thoroughly believes Jouichirou to be the best of their generation. You know, in case you needed MORE reason to believe that Jouichirou is the best chef in the series.
• Chapter 196: Jouichirou's past in Tootsuki, when it shows off that he initiated the above-mentioned "Régiment de Cuisine" in the past as well toward a group of close to 50 chefs, and won against every single one by himself. Also part Nightmare Fuel, because this moment is where he obtained his infamous nickname of "Asura".
• Chapter 201: We finally get to see Takumi's Stagiaire, which took place at a traditional Japanese restaurant with an equally traditional owner. Said owner took one look at Takumi's picture and decides that he's a showoff brat who he'd make pluck weeds for a week based entirely on his Bishōnen looks. However, when Takumi shows up with his hair cropped down to a more traditional Japanese cut and with such an undeniable burning resolve in his eyes that the owner of the restaurant allowed him to work in the kitchen after just a few days.
• Chapter 204: Erina defiantly looks Azami in the eye and relinquishing her seat on the Council of Ten to fight for and with her friends. This speaks volumes of how confident the girl has grown since she last saw Azami. Back when she first encountered Azami after several years, she was haunted by his actions. But now, she's not afraid to stand up to him.
• Chapter 206: Subaru, Kuga, Isshiki, and former third seat Megashima join Soma, Erina, Takumi and Megumi in facing the Council of Ten. Now it's an eight-on-eight showdown!
• Chapter 209: Satoshi is being very lax about things as the match is underway, just casually watching Soma cook and coming up with more possible business ideas while waiting for his charcoal fire to start, drawing the ire of his opponent, new Elite 10 member Julio Shiratsu and making other people ponder if Satoshi could actually win. Anything Julio snaps at Satoshi just rolls off of his shoulders... until Julio insults the other Polar Star Dorm members. Cue Satoshi politely giving him a Shut Up, Hannibal! and displaying the skill expected from a member of the Council of Ten. In one swift motion, he slices a full eel, from head to tail, with such perfect precision that it took a couple of seconds for the eel's blood to start flowing, leaving everyone stunned, including Julio, Soma and seafood specialist Kurokiba, with Satoshi declaring that he will get serious and crush his opponent.
  Satoshi: "Alright then, I've made up my mind! I'm going to get serious, and I'm going to crush you."
• Chapter 215: Soma winning against Kinokuni by playing to his strength — consideration to his customers and the environment they eat in.
  • His victory is made all the more superb by taking into account the soba preparations. As soon as soba was chosen as the main theme, Nene jumped headfirst into what she knows best. Soma, always aiming to satisfy the people sampling his dishes, immediately noticed that something was wrong with the first two soba flour choices and chose to use "Third flour", a more robust flour, in order to maintain flavor and aroma in his noodles and utilized techniques and accompaniments that would enhance it even more. It's even stated outright that Nene had lost the match before it had even began.
• Chapter 216: Satoshi's effortless victory over Julio with his dish. Extra points for his dish consisting of various ingredients prepared by his fellow dorm-mates, and even more points for providing Julio a plateful under the condition that he apologizes for insulting his underclassmen if he finds it delicious, which he does.
• Chapter 217: Megishima winning his match off-screen, and from the looks of it he didn't break a sweat.
  • Beforehand, Urara tried to discourage the rebels by telling them who the third competitor is on Central's side, with an unfazed Kuga replying that the competitor may be the new Fifth Seat, but she is up against the former Third Seat. The manga then shows Megishima's opponent, who's in the same state as Julio after his loss to Satoshi.
• Chapter 220: The reveals of Rindou and Megishima's specialties, rare ingredients and ramen, respectively. Especially Megishima, who is taunted by the crowd, who think he's scared after Rindou carved up an alligator perfectly in an instant, a Slasher Smile plastered on her face through the whole process. He's not scared at all.
• Chapter 222: In spite Megishima initially turned down his request, as well as Erina's information about him hating the Shokugeki, Soma and Megumi decided to pay Megishima a visit anyway. When Megishima insisted his refusal in spite of Megumi's plea, Soma challenged him in a cook off...and lost. Still, numerous punishments from Megishima ain't stopping him from getting back from his feet and it was his undying tenacity of learning finally convinced Megishima to change his mind and even made a promise to him in joining Team Rebel and win
  • Points for Megishima for absolutely schooling Soma despite his stance on competition. Just goes to show that despite making some progress towards their skill level, Soma is still far behind his upperclassmen.
  • The fact that Megishima managed to obtain the Third Seat completely by accident. He simply took Shokugekis when he thought that it would get people to stop challenging him and leave him alone, implying that he's been barely trying in those matches. Who knows how strong he really is now that he's completely serious.
• Chapter 223: A badass moment for Subaru in helping Kuga by tossing a glass of an apparently mysterious ingredients to the latter, all the while reminding everyone in the stadium that teamwork is allowed in the Team Shokugeki.
• Chapter 224: Subaru shows everyone just how much he has improved his Perfect Trace. Before the Trace required weeks of stalking and reconnaissance in order to understand everything about the opponent, but in the Regiment De Cuisine every dish must be thought up and made on the spot which would make it useless. Not so anymore, now he can follow, trace and copy his opponent in an instant, creating the Perfect Trace: Flash. Everyone is left gobsmacked when Subaru shows how effective the new trace is against Sushi Chef Somei Saito.
  • Kuga revealing how he's planning on using the Green Tea in his dish, smoking them in order to impart their flavor into fried pork. To further emphasize the smokiness, he uses what Subaru passed over to him in the previous chapter, Smoked Soy Sauce. Such a tactic is praised by both the Prince of Smoke Ibusaki and Scent Expert Hayama.
  • Why is Kuga accepting help from Subaru even though he wished to personally take revenge against Eishi? He's not so immature to put Honor Before Reason and knows that he has to do everything he can to defeat Eishi and pave way for the other Rebel members' future victories.
• Chapter 225: Saito uses a different preparation technique for every different piece of sushi and Subaru copies him perfectly at every turn no matter how difficult such a task is.
  • In a flashback we see just how hard Subaru trained for the Regiment De Cuisine. Due to the Regiment's format he won't know what opponent he will be up against which forces him to trace every single member of the Council of Ten at once which heavily wears down on his stamina and concentration. But he does so anyway because he feels like he must pay back Soma and Takumi for convincing him to continue cooking after the Autumn Selections.
  • Subaru begins his personal Arrangement
• Chapter 226: Urara tries to give a "Reason You Suck" Speech to the Rebels... again. She states that the sushi making is so difficult that a brute like Subaru would never be able to copy Saito. He promptly shuts her up by creating three pieces of the set both he and Saito plan on giving to the judges and dares her to try them. The result? Urara is forced to eat her words and admits that the taste is equivalent to that of the Council of Ten that she previously tried during Festivals. Furthermore, Saito used ingredients that are incredibly hard to work with but Subaru still copied him perfectly.
  • We see Subaru's Arrangement, an incredibly elaborate piece of Gunkan-Maki Sushi that he's putting all of his chances on to beat Saito.
  • All the others finish their dishes at the same time as well. As an awesome moment for the Judges they reveal that their palettes are more than refined enough to taste each of the dishes together and not mix the flavors up.
• Chapter 227: Each of the dishes the Rebel team presents.
  • Subaru's Sushi Set is on the same level of destructive flavor potential as Megishima's dish, proving that he has copied the Council of Ten's work perfectly. The Gunkan-Maki sushi is given incredible praise by the Judge, being called the "Ultimate Negitoro Tamago Kake Gohan Gunkan" for using meringue, quail egg yolk and the very same Smoked Soy Sauce he prepared for Kuga.
  • Megishima's African Ramen has the main ingredient of Chili Peppers on the side as a Harissa spice blend. While the Judge is at first incredulous and wonders if that fulfills the requirement. Once it's applied however, the Judge can't stop adding more no matter how spicy it gets as the flavor and aroma of the broth becomes richer, deeper and more flavorful as more is applied.
  • Kuga's Black Vinegar Sweet and Sour Pork, the Judge is at first dismissive as she can't smell anything of note despite the smoking with Green Tea. Once she tries it however, she's left moaning with how good it is. The flavor and the aroma of Green Tea has been made the star of the dish by the removal of the pork's greasy aftertaste. Furthermore the sauce isn't just of Szechuan roots, but of French as well, specifically Sauce Au Vinaigre Balsamique. Why? Kuga realized he had to branch out if he was to even have a chance at using Green Tea effectively in this dish and growing stronger and defeating Eishi.
  • Villainous Example: Despite everything, Kuga, Megishima and Subaru all lose 0-3. In one round the Rebels have lost two of their four Ex Council of Ten Members and their strongest Support Member.
  • We're only shown Tsukasa Eishi's dish, but it left our Judge completely shocked and suffering from Sensory Overload from how delicious and complex the flavor was. From only a small, incomplete portion of the dish. She had to be force fed the all four purees mixed with the soup in order to experience the full flavor of the dish before it cooled down.
  Eishi: But we Third Years shouldn't be taken lightly. That amount of effort won't be enough to topple us...I think.
• Chapter 228: Even though Central won the second bout, it wasn't exactly a total defeat for the Rebels, since the match left three of the Council of Ten so exhausted that it would take longer than a day for them to regain their full strength, leaving them vulnerable for a defeat the second time they compete.
  • Due to his exhaustion Eishi tells Soma that they will not be facing each other on the 3rd Bout but he tells Soma to "quit" if the latter wants to "increase" Team Rebel's chances of winning. Soma's response? He insists on participating in the 3rd Bout anyways by not only declaring that he and his friends will win as a team, but he further asserts that they will cripple Team Central so hard that he will leave everything in the end to Erina and Satoshi. Oh, did we forget to mention that Soma tells Eishi that he will challenge him whenever he wants if Team Rebel wins?
  • The assembling of Soma, Megumi and Takumi for the 3rd Bout is this. Remember that these three were the very few who passed the Promotion Exam's third test, with the latter two passing under bizarre circumstances while the former won by beating Akira, who was previously undefeatable. Not to mention, they were trained by Doujima, Senzaemon and even Joichiro within one month prior to the Regiment de Cuisine.
  • Erina should also given some credit for remaining calm in spite of the defeat. Why? Well, before the Regiment de Cuisine, Erina discussed a strategy in beating Team Central: Given how incredible the Council of Ten are (especially Rindou and Eishi), they have to be very cautious in choosing their teammates while avoid senseless defeat, meaning their objective is to weaken them instead of defeat them, just in case both Eishi and Rindou showed up anyway, and it works! Adding more awesomeness is Erina further asserts that their defeat further contributing their chances of winning and showing the the teamwork.
  • Unique Villainous Example: Saito was exhausted a little bit after the bout yet he appears in the next bout ready to go after going through his training. That is saying something considering that his partners that were even higher in skill than he is didn't.
• Chapter 230: Megumi's way in overcoming her trauma and hesitations is this after hearing Shinomiya's rousing speech. You see, her reunion with Shinomiya itself has already brought her some nightmare considering she had to be trained by one alumni chef who ironically almost got her expelled if it wasn't Soma's interference. Thankfully for her, Shinomiya has other ideas as he give her a speech of guts that will boost her confidence very quickly.
• Chapter 231: Well, how do we even begin....
  • First of all, we see a formation discussion from Soma, Takumi and Megumi by encircling each other like a mini version of the NFL Football Players. Second, they also discuss their role and planning on sharing the announced ingredients with each other, which means they will going to support each other throughout the entire bout whichever the card they are. Let's not forget that Erina is coaching the three from the sidelines!
  • This tactic however garners Momo's irritation so much to the point she calls Soma out for the team's "relaxed" attitude and reminds him of the consequences of their defeat. Not Soma isn't intimidated by Momo by telling her the same thing, given their similar situation, he also nonchalantly tells her not to underestimate them, the first years. Looking at Momo's and Eizan's irritated faces cannot be more than satisfying...
  • Speaking of which, it is awesome to see Takumi confront Eizan and "thank" him for the previous Autumn Election. If anything is indicated, Takumi's defeat from the Autumn Elections was part of Eizan's plan so Subaru can face Soma at the Semifinals. This may show that Takumi vows to avenge his loss against Eizan, the culprit behind Subaru's victory over him.
• Chapter 233: The overall teamwork between Soma, Megumi and Takumi in this Shokugeki is this, such as where Takumi passes the flour to Megumi and Soma pass the beef to Takumi. It is so astonishing, to the point even Anne believes that Team Rebel may have a chance to win this round.
• Chapter 236: Takumi's counterattack against Eizan. Full. Stop.
  • Takumi already knew that Eizan was going to use artichokes to sabotage him and created his pizza according to it, and this is only the first half of his pizza.
  • Chapter 237 has Takumi reveal that Eizan's dish was just part of Takumi's meal plan— he has the judges eat Eizan's dish first, then the first half of the pizza, then the cheesy half, in order to experience the full flavor of the dish. It's no wonder he gets an overwhelming win in the end.
• Chapter 240: Momo defeats Megumi 2-1. However, when Momo walks off, she says that Megumi isn't cute. Fridge Brilliance kicks in when you realize that she considers everyone beneath her to be 'cute,' giving them a cute nickname. Momo, a member of the Council of Ten, has acknowledged Megumi as an EQUAL.
  • It's more impressive than that. Momo's whole schtick is that cuteness is everything, so calling Megumi's crying "ugly" was just a petty insult. What was actually surprising was that she was worn down and shaken by the fact that Megumi tried to put some innovation into her dessert instead of doing what she knows she could win with. That sacrificial nature to aim higher is what truly takes Momo down in the long run.
  • Bonus for Megumi. She starts to cry over her loss, but she recovers immediately, composing herself and cheering on Soma.
  • This was also the first split-decision in the Régiment de Cuisine. The fact it wasn't an outright stomp (3-0) shows how much Megumi grew.
• Chapter 243: Doubles as Heartwarming. Soma DEFEATS Saitou 3-0. Saitou accepts defeat like the warrior he is. And in the process, his words seem to haven shaken the hearts of the Central-loyalist students.
  • How does he pull this off you ask? Soma's greatest strength has always been being able to make a dish that satisfies those who he serves to, but his training with Subaru, tracing as Saitou at the time shows that it's simply not going to be enough on its own. So what does he do? He incorporates an ingredient from almost every single ally he's gained thus far and manages to blend them together in way that showcases them all without overshadowing the main theme of the match. And all of this is represented by the awesome imagery of Soma standing in a Field of Blades represented by said allies (doubling as a Shout-Out to a certain other series in the process) and using each one to combat Saitou.
• Chapter 245: During her match against Erina, Momo presents what's easily the biggest dish in the story to date, by far, and it's basically an actual castle constructed with rolled cakes decorated with adorable animal faces, hearts and stars, alongside glossy, shiny pulled sugar worked to perfection and some fruit. And of course, not only is it a stunning sight to behold in its sheer size and cuteness, it's also incredibly delicious, with Momo even managing to work in soy sauce into the dessert.
  • The cake is so delicious it actually KNOCKS OUT one of the judges for a moment. The only other cook to do that is Eishi.
• Chapter 246: Erina is completely unfazed by Momo's castle, even as she hands out pieces of it to her fellow students. She remains calm, her preparations drawing the attention of the students away from Momo. The judges even acknowledge that Erina is the key element in Azami's plan for Central. Once she finishes her dish, a fluffy dorayaki (doubles as Heartwarming, as it could easily be inferred that she's attempting to avenge Megumi's dish), the female judge and Urara are almost immediately seduced by the taste, the male judges enticed as well. Brimming with confidence, showing no fear whatsoever, she offers Momo a taste of her dish, taunting her.
• Chapter 247: Erina gets Momo, Totsuki's resident master of cuteness, to admit Erina's pancake dish is far cuter than her big roll cake castle. Erina wins 3-0.
• Chapter 248 & 249: The theme for this round is rabbit. Satoshi's entry into this round is a Wan dish, a specialty Japanese dish that requires absolute precision and delicacy in making. Using wild game, known for its aroma, in such a dish is considered by everyone in the arena to be wildly reckless. And not only does Satoshi do it, he does it so masterfully that it creates one of the most intense foodgasm hallucinations in the series, the judges likening it to an intense Japanese dance. One that scores a solid hit on the White Knight of the Table's armor and leaves it cracked.
  • Eishi answers with an equally inventive dish that revolutionizes a centuries-old French recipe and even incorporates clever wordplay.
• Chapter 251: Azami himself has taken over the judging, bringing a loyalist judge to the table as well. Soma shows NO FEAR, glad to meet Azami head on with his cooking.
• If anyone had concerns of Azami being an unfair judge, his reaction to Eishi's specialty dish stripped three people who didn't taste it. Considering he hadn't displayed this kind of reaction to Rindou's dishes or Eishi's standard dishes in the past, Azami might be onto something about his vision of true gourmet.
  • Rindou's dish is nothing to sneeze at either. Her dish is surprisingly delicate, but she manages to enhance its flavor by using formic acid extracted from ants. Not only did Azami rank her appetizer as 100 out of 100, but the formic acid and mushrooms help boost the flavor of Eishi's dish.
• Soma's appetizer was good enough to get Azami, of all people, to acknowledge it was delicious! So much so that he said it could even rival Eishi's main course dish. It even triggered a 'blessing,' stripping the clothes off of his two allies in the judges! And while Azami declared it unfit to as a course dish, Soma simply turned around and dared Erina to do BETTER than him.
• Erina then does the unthinkable with her improvised main dish: creates a main dish that goes well after Soma's appetizer, and making it work with finely-minced squid tentacles and peanut butter. Yes, that's right: she took Soma's infamous horrible combination, worked it into her dish, and made it taste delicious. Her Badass Boast to Soma sells it.
  Erina: Even this ridiculous pairing that Yukihira has been pushing all along... can, in my hands, be transmuted into the heights of gourmet cuisine!
  • Rindou and Tsukasa's reaction to the appetizer-main course combination was enough to convince Azami to give the main dish a taste, where Erina reveals that there's still a level beyond what they just sampled. And what does that level entail? Copying Soma's Transforming Furikake that he used in his entrance exam.
  • Azami instantly deems Erina's dish a failure and even refuses to taste it. Erina's response is to snark that her father must be so amazing if he can judge a dish so well just by looking at it. She's come a long way from the scared girl who couldn't fight back when Azami first appeared.
• Azami denies the value of Soma and Erina's course combination. Too bad his blessing is literally stripping everyone on the stage, no matter what he says to the contrary. Heck, even Azami is stripped to his black underpants, right in front of the school.
  • Think about it. Only those of Nakiri blood like Senzaemon and his son/Alice's father are capable of stripping. How good is the course that it made Senzaemon's son-in-law STRIP?
  • Soma manages to pull an epic Kirk Summation on Azami, by pointing out that it's not his place to decide other people's happiness, and that Soma's father Saiba found his own happiness eventually.
  • Finally, Soma telling Erina that she's ripped off so much from him already, she might as well steal one more thing and close out the shokugeki like a true leader.
  Erina: Happy to serve!
• In the aftermath of the Regiment de Cuisine, Erina insists that Soma be given the first seat on the Council of Ten. And Soma in turn insists that Erina become dean! And to top it off, Senzaemon agrees! And There Was Much Rejoicing from the students.

Hot Spring Investigation Arc

• Soon after being named First Seat, Souma immediately puts his position up for grabs for anyone who wants to challenge him to a Shokugeki, no wagers required, simultaneously giving the entire academy a Dare to Be Badass and Bring It. Four months later, not only has Souma defended his position, but the precedent that he's set has kickstarted a surge of energy in the academy where everyone is encouraged to challenge anyone, even the greatest.
  • Akira managed to get back onto the Council of Ten, this time on his own terms and all the way up to Fourth Seat, and trailing right behind him in Fifth and Sixth are Alice and Ryou, whose records are so close that their positions have been constantly shuffling around.
  • And of course, there's also Megumi; who's now taken Erina's spot as the Tenth Seat of the Ten. That is not anything to sneeze at; Megumi has come a long way since the girl who was about to flunk out on her first day of high school.
• During the Hot Springs Arc, Megumi and Soma find the culprit, who is a chef who works with the Mafia, Yakuza etc. and uses super expensive and rare ingredients to make amazing dishes. It's not Soma who challenges the guy, but Megumi, who does so entirely without stuttering or showing any doubt, and cooks completely by herself, cheerfully and all casually. And she serves the guy her meal as a traditional Japanese hotel hostess, with a smile on her face that is barely hiding some scary Tranquil Fury.
• Chapter 269. We see what Megumi has cooked for the Mafia Chef. A kids' meal. A kids' meal that brings the man to absolute tears of joy and helps him realize what true hospitality is.
  • To elaborate, the kids' meal served typically uses curry and is initially mistaken to be so, but the Mafia Chef recognizes it as Gumbo, a dish from his home town. How did Megumi figure this out? She used her Elite Ten connections to travel across the world and experience numerous cultures to expand her sphere of hospitality and used this experience to recognize both the Mafia Chef's Accent (Mexican Spanish) and clothing (American).

Beach Exams Arc

• Chapter 280. The second years are facing the end-of-term exams - They have to make $27,000, which translates to about 3 million yen, at a beachside restaurant. After two days of arguing and accomplishing nothing, especially since they had to use those days repairing their restaurant, the second year members of the Elite Ten not only RALLY, they COMPLETELY MONOPOLIZE the customers on the beach. Megumi's hospitality, Alice's sex appeal and salesmanship, Hayama's mastery of flavorful smells, as well as the impressive live cooking show of Takumi, Soma, and Ryou making the dishes draws in everyone, stealing away every customer's attention. And not only to they hit their mark, they completely blow it out of the water, making over 6.5 MILLION YEN! Doubling what they had to make.
• Soma, Takumi and Megumi are invited to participate at the prestigious BLUE competition.

BLUE Arc

• An anime-only moment for Megumi, in which instead of simply being invited, only 3 Totsuki students are going to go the BLUE from the start, and it's decided through a cooking competition in which basically the whole dang cast competes to make the best soup. Only the top 3 get in, and even Soma only manages to clinch the 3rd spot. Megumi edges everyone out with a set of incredibly plain-looking seafood meatballs—but inside every single one of the at least dozen meatballs was a different kind of miso soup—every single one using a different type of miso and enhanced with ingredients local to where that miso was produced. Even Erina acknowledged it was a dish worthy of representing Totsuki to the BLUE, and Soma himself admitted defeat.
  • One more time, for those in the back: Megumi. Defeated. Soma.
  • Not as standout a moment as the one mentioned above, but props also go to Isami during this competition, as he manages to come in 6th place overall, beating out most of the people competing, including half of the Council of Ten.
• The first trial at the BLUE is to cook an elderly Noir chef's last meal. Soma makes an "Ankimonaka" (a monaka, a type of Japanese tea cake, stuffed with ankimo, monkfish liver). The result is so good, it restores the judge's will to live. One of the noir chefs even notes that the judge was carrying two guns: one loaded with blanks, used to celebrate a chef's success, and another loaded with real bullets, reserved for himself. Soma's dish was so delicious, it made him realize that, even though he's too old to cook, he can still enjoy the world of food. Soma tells the old Noir that he is willing to cook him a last meal if he believes he is really going to die.

• The second trial of BLUE is to create a $100 gourmet dish using convenience store products as ingredients. Soma's first dish is a failure receiving a -$14 price from the judge, Lanterby, while Eishi Tsukasa's dish fetches a $587 price, the highest by far. Lanterby looks down on Soma, saying that his diner dishes are simply ill-suited for this trial.
  • Soma is unfazed and cooks Yukihira style Osechi. Lanterby once again mocks him as the dish is of the same quality as his previous failure. However, Soma has ingeniously structured the dish in such a way that no matter whatever order Lanterby eats the side dishes, there will be harmony equal to top class gourmet. In other words, she cannot stop eating and will crave for more. Onlookers are shocked and the judge realises Soma used a "massive addition method" as opposed to Eishi's multiplication and created a top class dish which she thought was impossible. Lanterby takes back her words and desperately tries to apologise to Soma. She realizes that trying to price Soma's dish might bankrupt her!
• The third trial of BLUE is to impress a Noir Chef judge, who demonstrates her skill by slicing and spicing a cut of beef with a spice-laced CHAINSAW. Her sample beef dish ends up so good that the judges declare it to be 'Specialty-Class,' one of Tootski's highest honors. And the three Noir Chefs who show off their dishes, including a Monster Clown who juggles his pot to cook and season his beef, a Mad Scientist using a device reminiscent of Scarecrow from the Arkham series to inject the beef with blood, and a Cute Bruiser Combat Sadomasochist lunatic who slices her meat with a guillotine, all pass. Most of the Light Chefs are intimidated and taken aback by the crazy methods the Noir Chefs use, but Megumi, Eishi, Takumi are all visibly unafraid, studying the dishes while preparing to make their own.
• Soma, Eishi, Takumi and Megumi successfully cross the third gate and enter the inner citadel for the final round. The first battle is between Major Sarge and Soma.
  • What makes it amazing is that Soma, Takumi and Megumi were among the complete underdogs of the competition. They were assigned to the first gate which is reserved for the most inferior competitors. The trio managed to cross all three gates and made it to the final round.
  • Eishi's precision with a specialized grater and Megumi's application of presentation are wonderful even if we don't see the final dish, but what is worth noting is that Takumi is using his crescent-shaped knife again, the one he told Soma to hold onto until he won a Shokugeki against him since the Autumn Elections. Since we didn't see the knife during Azami's reign, Takumi must have won his knife back after Soma was made First Seat.
  • And the dish Soma made to pass the third gate challenge? The chapter skips over that. Bear in mind that even the back-to-back Shokugekis after the Internship had some preparations and victory shots, but none of that happened with Soma. And Major Sarge's reaction doesn't hint how Soma's dish tastes or was made except that "superhuman" abilities might not be involved. In other words, a Specialty-Class dish wasn't worth mentioning for Soma at this point.
• Chapters 293-95: Sarge bakes an impressive Christmas cake using strange utensils like a chainsaw, a detonator and a sledgehammer. Soma is unfazed and goes on to show everyone why he is so badass. He bakes a Christmas log using convenience store ingredients, without using sugar or dairy products. He uses ice cream spoons to create a realistic wooden texture for the cake. The judges are amazed by the sophisticated taste and admit that deciding the outcome between Sarge and Soma is a tough decision. Just taking one bite causes one of the judges to stand on her chair in ecstasy. Sarge starts panicking but Soma reveals that the judges are yet to reach the main part of his dish.
  • There is a flashback revealing why Soma is so innovative. For four years, his father used to give him all sorts of cooking challenges while running the diner, forcing him to build a flexible mindset which can cater to a wide variety of situations. This is a valuable asset that separates Soma from most chefs.
  • Sōma is declared winner of the first match and Sarge is forced to accept the outcome.
• Chapter 296: Asahi defeats a heavily powered up Eishi. Asahi's ability, "Cross Knives" allows him to gain another chef's ability by briefly using the said chef's knife or implement. He can hybridize the skills of multiple chefs to create and enhance new techniques, making Asahi near invincible.
• Chapter 297: Just when things look bleak for Takumi, Soma shows up to help him against Don Calma and his men.
  • There is a flashback of the Aldini brothers defeating many pro chefs in Tōtsuki, becoming an invincible duo.
• Chapter 299: Soma and Takumi swiftly crush Don Calma and his team with a turtle and cheese dish.
  • Flashbacks reveal that Takumi did win the Mezzaluna back, only for Soma to challenge him and win causing Takumi. This caused Takumi to give back the Mezzaluna until he has a proper win. In fact the two had so many matches over the Mezzaluna that Soma practically learned how to use it.
• The Chairman decides to change the brackets, forcing Erina to face all of her opponents consecutively, all of them Noirs with a few third gate qualifiers. Erina bulldozes through all of them and goes to confront the Chairman about it afterwards without taking a moment to rest first.
• Chapter 302: Megumi confronts Asahi and calls him out on his bullshit, blaming him for all the trouble they were facing. She also emphatically tells him to leave Erina alone. Megumi demonstrates her ability by swiftly crushing one of Asahi's subordinates, one of the top contestants of BLUE. The next chapter is about Asahi and Megumi facing each other in battle.
  Narration: Megumi declares war!!
• Chapter 303: Asahi curb stomps Megumi then starts indulging in an infamous Evil Gloating where he presumptuously declares himself the winner of BLUE and claims Erina for himself. He dares Erina to show him a chef who disputes his victory. Everyone is nervous around him. Just then, one voice cuts through the tense atmosphere.
  Soma: Um, you asked so... I disagree!
• Chapter 304: Tired of Erina wallowing in her sorrows, Soma calmly walks away, telling her he doesn't care about her issues. The next day, he is fully determined to defeat Asahi, even after discovering that Asahi had defeated Joichiro.
• Many eminent heads of the Japanese culinary world are shocked to see Joichiro's return. They call him a legend among legends and many of them had spent years trying to trace his whereabouts within Japan.
• The Semi-final round between Soma and Asahi is amazing as it counts as the rematch Soma had wanted after he previously lost to Asahi. The theme is to create a dish incorporating the five grand cuisines: French, Chinese, Turkish, Indian and Italian. Soma cooks five different dishes and integrates them into a single dish which resembles ordinary fried rice. Against all odds, Soma's dish performs so well, it is incredible. The dish also does the impossible by overwhelming Mana's God Tongue, activating a spectacular explosion that shreds clothes of the majority of spectators. Mana admits that Soma's dish is indeed delicious. Soma wins against Asahi Saiba by unanimous decision 3-0, and advances to the BLUE finals.
  • Bonus points go to Mana for spelling out why Soma's dish curbstomped Asahi's. As Mana points out, Soma's dish has innovation and uses ingrediants in unique ways; allowing Soma to think outside the box and innovate. Asahi, on the other hand, while making a delicious dish, had no innovation to his dish at all whatsoever. This also highlighted what might be Asahi's biggest weakness, being completely inflexible with how he uses his ingredients even when he uses each ingredient perfectly. In short Mana's god tongue spotted how inflexible the dish was from the ingredients used, while Soma's dish used ingredients in imaginative and innovative ways, which is one of Soma's greatest strengths.
• In the finals Soma and Erina are tasked by Erina's mother, who's also The Bookmaster, with making a dish the world has never seen before. Erina breaks down and pretty much gives up on her cooking, only for Soma to come over, taste her dish, point out that she's never one to cry, and from there makes a combination egg tempura and eggs benedict dish using two previous dishes he and Erina made as inspiration. The Bookmaster fully admits that to make a dish as delicious and unique as Soma did would take superhuman cooking technique!
  • After eating Soma's dish Erina snaps out of her Heroic BSoD and tops Soma's dish offscreen, winning the BLUE.

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