This is the page for the characters of Food Wars! who include Totsuki staff and former students.

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Totsuki Personnel

Deans

Senzaemon Nakiri

Voiced by: Banjo Ginga (Japanese), John Swasey (English), Aldo Lumbia (Latin Spanish)

Former dean of Totsuki and Erina and Alice's grandfather.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: He humbly bows his head while asking Soma to save Erina from her father's influence.
Big Good: Despite being the dean of an elite school, he sincerely believes that everyone has the right to cultivate his/her culinary talents, regardless of status. It was also revealed that he was the one who not only suggested that Joichiro enroll Soma at Totsuki, and hand picked many students in the 92nd generation, but also sent Joichiro on his wandering ways as he saw the state he was in.
The Bus Came Back: After appointing Erina as the new dean, Senzaemon doesn't reappear except in a small flashback. That is until chapter 292 where he and Joichiro are watching the BLUE competition from a tower.
The Comically Serious: He also has many unintentional funny moments.
- When he inhaled to give a big speech, he almost choked... and proceeded like nothing happened.
- Also when presenting the staff board the new flyers for an upcoming event, he says proudly that he drew the chibis himself (also implying he did the same poster design for the Training Camp). Some of the members mention that the designs are too friendly and casual for the event.
- He has a very serious talk with Soma about Erina's Dark and Troubled Past... while working out at the park. Most of the Mood Whiplash moments come from Soma's reaction at the old guy jogging and pulling hanging bars.
Cool Old Guy: Despite his intimidating, macho appearance, Senzaemon is pretty affable for a dean. During the Autumn Election he even smiles back at his granddaughter (and competitor) Alice waving to him.
Everyone Has Standards:
- He is very strict, pushes the students to their limits, and doesn't hesitate to expel anyone who fails to meet Totsuki's high standards. But even he is sickened by Azami's abusive teaching methods and elitist view of the culinary world.
- When trying to test the skills in a 3 vs. 3 between Joichiro and Gin's teams plus the rebels, Senzaemon cannot help but sweatdrop in front of both Soma and Joichiro's arguments, basically saying "don't make me have to disqualify both of you...."
Face of a Thug: He is known as "The Gastric Godfather", "Food Demon" and many other intimidating nicknames and his looks are tough as well (with his very muscular body and scar), but in reality he is a loving grandfather to both his granddaughters and a Cool Teacher, as he believes that the education at Totsuki is for everyone who can cook, regardless of their social status.
Fundoshi: Wears one of these. Cooks with limitless potential can make him subconsciously untie it rather than remove his shirt, as Megumi did.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a large scar across an eye to accentuate his badassery.
Gym Bunny: It's very clear that his muscles are the product of a regular workout. When he finally meets Soma in person, he chooses to have his very important talk with him at the park, while working out.
In the Blood: His stripping when eating good food extends to his family members. It doesn't have to be cloth-stripping either, in Alice's mother's case, it was her 'stripping' her broken Japanese.
Intergenerational Friendship: With Joichiro. Even though the latter dropped out of Tōtsuki, Senzaemon has immense respect for his culinary prowess and maintained contact with him all these years. It was Senzaemon who insisted Joichiro to enroll Soma at Tōtsuki. Several weeks prior to Azami's return to Tōtsuki, Joichiro had warned Senzaemon about the possibility. Senzaemon agreed with Gin and Joichiro's plan to remove Azami and appointed the two to mentor the Rebels. Many chapters later, Senzaemon and Joichiro attend BLUE, watching the competition.
Like Father, Unlike Son: To his granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law. He is the White Sheep of the Nakari family, being The Comically Serious Reasonable Authority Figure in charge of the academy, a far cry from what one might expect from the elitist institution that has the stern Academic Alpha Bitch Erina as a top pupil. Yet, he tries to be a Cool Old Guy towards Erina and actually cares for her, unlike her parents, as Senzaemon's cold daughter Mana and his son-in-law Control Freak Azami are less of a parent towards Erina than her grandfather.
Mundane Made Awesome: Everything he does. The man could rival Gai in dramatics.
My Greatest Failure: He regrets allowing Azami to warp Erina's culinary mindset throughout her childhood.
Old Master: His age-old authority and experience is vividly presented via his sheer appearance and intimidating aura.
Papa Wolf:
- When he found out what Azami did to Erina, his own daughter, Senzaemon basically threatened him with violence if he didn't leave. Do not mess with the man's grandchildren.
- His ultimate goal over the series, to make a "Jewel Generation" of talented chefs Tootsuki has never seen before, is in reality his way of cultivating a student so good their cooking can end the curse of the God Tongue for good. He crushed a lot of young dreams to save his daughter and granddaughter.
Parental Substitute: According to Hisako's father, Senzaemon is the only parental figure Erina has, and her father's name must never be mentioned.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite his intimidating reputation and appearance, Senzaemon is also pretty affable and level-headed.
- He accepted Soma's application and overrides Erina's veto simply because she cannot comprehend the idea of a commoner being able to cook quality food.
- During the Autumn Election he provided accurate commentary and assessment without being overly critical to the losers.
- He emphasizes that Totsuki is founded not only on the pursuit of excellence, but also on encouraging young chefs to aspire for greatness regardless of social standing — a philosophy not shared by his son-in-law Azami.
- Regarding Joichiro, Chapter 135 reveals that it was his idea to have the latter send his son Soma into Totsuki, and still later, Chapter 193 also reveals that he gave Joichiro his blessing to drop out after seeing him under psychological distress.
- Chapter 205 also reveals that he helped Doujima get out of his own frustrations over expectations heaped upon him by encouraging him to work at the Totsuki Resort.
Red Baron: "Gastric Godfather" and "Demon King of Food" amongst other names.
So Proud of You: When reflecting on the close relationship between Soma and Joichiro, Senzaemon gently imparts to his granddaughter Erina that she has the right to be selfish like that with her own father, especially after everything Azami put her through during her childhood. When Erina takes his advice and finally stands up to her father by giving up her seat on the Council of Ten to fight for her friends, Senzaemon has a small but proud smile on his face.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He has the tendency to strip off his shirt when he eats a good dish. When Soma finally has his first conversation with him, he meets him shirtless in his room, flashing his muscles for no good reason.
White Sheep: Senzaemon was Erina's only immediate relative who actually cared for her. Erina's father, Azami is an abusive Control Freak who had to be exiled for brainwashing her. Erina's mother is likewise callous and selfish, prioritizing food over her daughter's wellbeing.
Workout Fanservice: Played for Laughs. In spite of his advanced age, he has very well developed muscles, and is seen doing his workout along with Soma (who watches with surprise how the old man can do pull-up bars with ease).

Azami Nakiri (formerly Azami Nakamura)

Azami Nakiri

Voiced by: Sho Hayami (Japanese), Ian Sinclair (English)

Azami is Erina's father, Mana's husband, Senzaemon's son-in-law and former First Seat of the Council of Ten. He was banished from the family and from Totsuki for basically brainwashing his daughter against her will to adopt his mindset, but makes a reappearance at the end of the Full Moon Banquet, where he usurps Senzaemon's position as Dean. He is the one who taught Erina everything she knows about cooking and where her extremist attitude comes from.

Abusive Dad: He claims that he only educated his daughter Erina, but he raised her as a Tyke-Bomb by locking up Erina in a dark room so that she can sample her food; if she refused, Azami would strong-arm her into compliance. This caused Senzaemon to exile Azami from the Nakiri family.
Arc Villain: The main antagonist of the Central saga.
The Ace: Back when he was a student, Azami was one of the top students at Tōtsuki. In his first year, Azami was a strong performer at the Autumn Elections and in the same year won the Third Seat of the Council of Ten, an unprecedented feat. In his second year, Azami succeeded Gin Dojima as the First Seat of the Council of Ten. Shortly after graduating from Tōtsuki, Azami married into the prestigious Nakiri family, taking their surname and enhancing his already stellar status.
Affably Evil: While he's a despicable person who abuses his authority in his bid of reforming the culinary world of Japan in his image, he conducts himself as someone you would expect from the aristocratic class. This is because he doesn't see anything wrong with what he's doing.
The Alcoholic: He used to be one after he became depressed when Joichiro dropped out, with Asahi implied to be a result of one particularly hefty night on the town. He's usually seen with A Glass of Chianti on his desk or carrying it around with him, and even fishes out the wine menu during the Regimental Shokugeki where all other judges so far had stuck to water as to not influence their palaté.
All for Nothing: As it turns out, his crusade to take revenge on the cooking world for "ruining" his beloved Senpai's happiness was pointless since Joichiro had already moved past the things Azami had been dwelling on for so long.
Ambiguously Bi: Gives off strong Homoerotic Subtext vibes in relation to Joichiro (admired Senpai) and Eishi (admiring Kouhai), but Azami loved his wife and seems to remain faithful to her even after years of separation.
And There Was Much Rejoicing: The members of Totsuki and the rebels rejoiced when they won against Central and Azami leaves with dignity.
Archnemesis Dad: He reappears at his own daughter's booth, humiliating her in front of all her customers. His main goal is to reform Totsuki by destroying the Status Quo, while also insulting all of her customers. After chapter 133 he becomes the new dean, booting his former father-in-law from the position, and now has the power to do as he pleases with the academy. She later decides to lead the rebellion and take back Totsuki from him, even if it means resigning from the Council of Ten and confronting him face-to-face.
The Atoner: By the time he resurfaces in the BLUE arc, he's settled down and is quite clearly regretful for his actions during the Central Arc. He also regretted abandoning his unborn son, Asahi. After discovering their blood relation, Azami's first action is to attempt reconciliation with him.
Behind Every Great Man: After Joichiro left, Azami was disappointed. It was after meeting his future wife Mana that he regained his passion for cooking. But when Mana had to leave due to her condition, Azami was heartbroken and he snapped.
Black Eyes of Evil: While his irises and pupils are definitely there, his eyes are always closed to slits, leaving almost none of his sclera visible. The effect is extremely unsettling; combined with his completely black outfit and dark hair, he looks like a devil.
Break the Haughty: He's subjected to this by Erina in the final bout of the Regiment de Cuisine. Azami is completely cornered and Soma's Shut Up, Hannibal! hammers the final nail. He is stripped to his underwear in front of the whole school and is booted off as the Dean, effectively disbanding Central.
The Bus Came Back: After being sacked from his position as the Headmaster, Azami doesn't appear until chapter 309. This time he is a crestfallen man concerned for his wife and daughter.
Characterization Marches On: In his later appearances after the Regiment de Cuisine arc, Azami comes across as a meek, diffident and melancholic person, in stark contrast to his Control Freak tendencies. Upon discovering his true relation with Asahi, Azami (unlike most wealthy people) immediately acknowledges him and resolves to bring him under his care.
Chekhov's Gunman: Back when Joichiro visited, we're treated to an image of him and Gin along with the name of the Third Seat of the Council of Ten during their time, Azami Nakamura (whose face is out of frame). Sure enough, he shows up about 100 chapters later as Azami Nakiri and Erina's father.
The Chessmaster: He literally says he is this to Soma and the Polaris residents, since he views Eizan's defeat as only one pawn in his massive chessboard.
Cloudcuckoo Lander: It is downplayed, definitely, but his niece remarks that he has a tendency to say crazy things out of nowhere at random moments.
Control Freak: He treats Erina as a pawn to further his goals. It's no wonder Erina's the way she is with that kind of parentage. And then his plan for the new Totsuki takes this up to eleven where he essentially plans to control the entire student body in much the same manner in order to mass-produce cooks that cook food according to his vision of what real gourmet food is! To make things worse, Eishi reveals that Azami plans on shutting down all of Japan's restaurants that don't live up to his standards. Chapter 194 reveals that this even applies to his idol, Joichiro, to the point where Azami wants to shut down his senpai's diner and make him The Dragon.
- Soma's Shut Up, Hannibal! to him sums it up nicely at the end of the Regime de Crusine.
Soma: Um, couldja stop telling people what they're supposed to think is happiness, please?
The Corrupter:
- He's responsible for Erina's initial elitist views and he "brainwashes" many students into adopting the same views.
- This reaches absolutely horrifying levels with his corruption of Tsukasa, who used to be simply determined to improve his cooking and rather bad with people before Azami practically stalked the poor kid until he was manipulated to his way of thinking.
Crazy-Prepared: Chapter 141 reveals that he replaced all the Shokugeki judges with his own loyalists, just to prevent the already slim chance that naysayers will defeat and override his supporters.
Creative Sterility: He's a brilliant chef in his own right whose dishes could only be called "Gourmet cooking", but he neither sees the need nor has the drive to innovate and improve. During a flashback where he finds Saiba trying to improve a dish he used to win Gold at a contest all he could ask was "Wasn't this dish correct as it was?"
Cruel Mercy: Grants Eizan one which results in him being humiliated by his own Central colleagues.
Cynicism Catalyst: After Joichiro dropped out to escape from the pressure of constantly perfecting his dishes, Azami completely lost all passion for cooking and wandered around the world taking jobs at restaurants to see if he could enjoy it again with no success. It was through meeting Mana and being faced by her harsh criticism that Azami was motivated to rediscover his love for cooking. Then Mana fell ill after tasting too many dishes overloaded her God's Tongue and caused her to not be able to eat anymore. Azami came to believe it was the imperfections in cooking skills that caused Joichiro and Mana to fall apart, and so he started the True Gourmet plan to create a world where only the most perfect dishes could be served.
Dark Messiah: His proposal to make everyone exclusively follow the Council of Ten's cooking methods while making it easier to graduate actually tempts a lot of students to support him. And if the new judges are any indication, he managed to build a group of devotees during his time away from the Nakiri family.
Death Glare: When Soma requests a seat with him at Erina's banquet, he gives a rather chilling look.
Disappeared Dad:
- He has been absent from Erina's life for ten years, to the point that Hisako's parents say that Senzaemon has essentially served as her father figure. Note that this was not by choice, nor was it even a bad thing.
- He is also Asahi Saiba's father, but Azami discovered that after BLUE.
Disproportionate Retribution: Those council members that didn't vote for him? He boots them off the council in return once he comes to power.
Dissonant Serenity: What's unnerving about him is how serene he looks despite his foreboding and intimidating presence.
The Dreaded:
- Both Erina and Hisako got intimidated by him suddenly appearing at Erina's Full Moon Banquet stall, and Hisako's parents understandably refuse to talk about him.
- He's this to members of Central, his own underlings, as well. Azami's unexpected appearance at Venue D after the end of the first day of the Survivors' Hunt startles not just the normal Central soldiers, but also Fourth Seat Akanegakubo Momo, who flinches immediately when she hears his voice.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: He has a very pale skin tone, even rivaling Alice's already unusually white complexion. This, combined with his jet black hair, makes him look even more creepy.
Establishing Character Moment: On his first appearance, he intimidated Erina and Hisako, berated all of her customers, declared that food below High Class gourmet is just animal feed, and described Totsuki's current state as low.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- He's a selfish zealot with little to no regard to other people's feelings, but Azami loves his wife Mana dearly and was devastated when the God Tongue took a toll on her. He feared that Erina would also fall prey to the God Tongue and so Azami formulated the True Gourmet plan to save his family and Joichiro. He imposed a strict education on Erina in an attempt to minimize her exposure to taste and keep her from hitting the sensory-threshold for as long as possible.
- Azami becomes concerned for Asahi after discovering that the latter is his son from a one night stand he had during high school. He blames himself for being so careless and irresponsible for such a mistake and wants to take responsibility for his son.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He's so obsessed with establishing his world of gourmet as "revenge" for what happened to Joichiro that he totally failed to realize that the latter was very much happy and content running his diner with his wife and son. Even when Soma points this out during his breakdown, he still refuses to accept it.
Evil Is Hammy: The guy sounds like a Chuunibyou who forgot he is an adult. He views the cooking world as High Fantasy and himself as its Dark Lord. It is surprising he got so much support.
Evil Plan: His coup to oust his father-in-law as director of Totsuki is a stepping-stone in his revolution of Japan's culinary industry so that only what he recognizes as "true gourmet cooking" is practiced everywhere. This is rooted in his desire to avenge his idol Joichiro's burn-out and leaving school. To make this happen, he has to crush the rebel students who disagree with him and reassert his control over his daughter, and thus her God Tongue.
Evil Sounds Deep: Fittingly for a character voiced by Sho Hayami, he has a very low and sinister baritone.
Evil Wears Black: Black hair, black suit, black gloves, black socks, black underwear and a dark personality. He even wears black outfits in sweltering heat.
The Exile: He was banished from his family ten years ago due to his abuse of his own daughter, Erina. Furthermore, Senzaemon tells him that he has no right to bear the Nakiri name.
Fair-Play Villain: Played With. While he himself doesn't engage in much misconduct, he has no issue with his underlings doing so and a turned a blind eye to things like: Eizan rigging Shokugeki with biased judges to get easy wins, and the Hokkaido exam instructors blatantly sabotaging Soma and Co.'s exams to fail them. When he's appointed one of the judges during the Regiment de Cuisune, he gives genuine critique of the rebel's dishes even if he's absolutely confident they cannot beat his Council of Ten Masters.
- Despite all that, he’s shown to not be above taking action to stack the odds in the favor of his chosen elite. When he appoints Akira to the task of defeating Soma during the Advancement Exams, he spares no expense to have Akira equipped with a full lab’s worth of cutting-edge equipment and a top-tier staff, all for the purpose of ensuring that Soma has no chance of winning.
Fanboy: Turns out that he idolized Joichiro back then, and his whole revolution is centered around the idea of avenging what happened to "his DEAR Saiba-senpai" (yes, he literally said "dear").
Fantasy-Forbidding Father: To a truly disturbing degree too. He's basically trying to control Erina's entire social life as he cuts her off from both family and friends so she can focus more of her time on refining her God's Tongue, and cultivates an environment where he can keep an eye on her at all times. Well, until Erina resigns from the Council of Ten to side with her friends at least...
Foil: To Joichiro, Senzaemon, and Erina.
- Joichiro — Where the former simply allowed Soma to cultivate his passion for cooking on his own by observing, emulating and challenging him (which nevertheless created a genuine bond based on mutual respect), Azami explicitly controlled Erina throughout childhood by creating an environment where she can only rely on him, resulting in a fear-and-control-based relationship. Furthermore, Azami believes in the existence of a cuisine which is "absolutely perfect", whereas Joichiro himself does not believe it and is constantly evolving his own skills.
- Senzaemon — Both are incredibly strict instructors and disciplinarians, but where Senzaemon at least passes judgment based on students' performance and adaptation, Azami prefers a disturbingly direct approach to ultimate perfection that left even the former sickened at his methods.
- Erina — Post-character development, Erina is also actively teaching others how to cook. Unlike Azami, who acts like an easygoing teacher while making his students blindly imitate him, Erina is an incredibly strict teacher who teaches her friends the basics and ensures they deeply understand the theory behind her lectures so they can apply it to their individual cooking styles. Also they admire Joichiro's opposite aspects; Azami was fascinated by his Asura side, while Erina grew to admire his gentler cooking.
- Indirectly, to Mitsuru as well — Aside from the fact that his younger self looks very similar, Azami had the same admiration towards Joichiro, like Mitsuru towards Soma. Unlike Mitsuru, who admires Soma because of what he represents, Azami had a disturbing fascination with Joichiro's darker side.
Freudian Excuse: Turns what he did in Central wasn't just him obsessing over Joichiro dropping out. His wife Mana is physically ill because of possessing the God's Tongue, which has rendered her incapable of tasting food. Azami wanted to create a world where there could be a perfect dish his wife could eat. His abusive behavior towards Erina was him trying to protect her from enduring Mana’s fate.
Good Hair, Evil Hair: In his youth, and return in the Blue tournament he has his bangs let down. After his Start of Darkness, he slicks his hair back and adopts his darkened clothes.
Graceful Loser: After the Rebels win the Regiment de Cuisine, Azami calmly accepts defeat and leaves Totsuki.
Hate Sink: He goes out of his way to be as despicable as possible by physically abusing Erina into adopting his mindset on cooking, which caused the rest of the Nakiris to disown him. Unfortunately, he ends up returning due to his allies in the Council of Ten, who appoint him as dean. He then turns the tough-but-fair (mostly) academy into a place where students are forced to imitate his chosen elites rather than polish their own style of cooking. Not to mention he also held Jun's research hostage in order to force Akira to serve Central. Anyone who opposes him has to deal with rigged exams, corrupt Shokugeki judges, etc., though it's not confirmed if he's endorsing his followers' foul play.
Hero-Worshipper: He reveals that the only thing he holds dear from his student days is the memory of Joichiro Saiba, since his cooking was one of the few things that fit in his high standards. Joichiro himself exploits this by betting his own allegiance with Central in order to make him accept a Team Shokugeki against the Rebels and the Council of Ten.
Hope Spot: After Joichiro dropped out of Totsuki, Azami lost all his passion for cooking. Then, he met Mana on one of his jobs as the Elite Ten, who ended up reigniting his passion again. However, like Joichiro, she was also eventually overwhelmed by the pressures of the gourmet world and ended up leaving him. Seeing two of the most important people in his life destroyed by the gourmet world, and the fear that it would happen to Erina, has what pushed him into starting his True Gourmet plan.
Hypocrite: He indirectly calls Soma an unwelcome obstacle when Azami had arrived at Erina's booth during the Moon Banquet Festival. Azami himself did the same thing, barging into Erina's booth uninvited and insulting all the guests over there.
Azami: During the Moon Banquet Festival, a rather unwelcome obstacle got in the way.
Soma: Hm. Someone got in your way? I guess they were some really rude dudes. Getting in the way of someone's food and stuff.
In Love with Your Carnage: While he was a lot nicer when he was a student at Totsuki, there was something dark about him. Most explicitly shown when, after Joichiro outright destroys fifty people in a team Shokugeki all by himself, he reacts with great pleasure, calling it "exquisite", and is unable to comprehend why Gin was so disturbed by it.
Informed Ability: Back in the day, Azami was himself a prodigy chef alongside Gin and Joichiro. The audience barely gets to see him cooking, but it is safe to say that Azami has the culinary skills to match his lofty ideals of True Gourmet. From what little is seen, Azami is fairly proficient in Japanese and Italian cuisines. He was also capable of satisfying the God Tongue as well, for a while at least.
Insane Troll Logic: Azami wants to supersede all restaurants in Japan with perfect gourmet restaurants which can only be enjoyed by few gourmets. Considering the fact that he calls many rich people as pigs and that only a select few people would be able to afford it, the idea is impractical. He also wants to prevent innovation in cooking since he believes that was the reason for Joichiro's downfall. What Azami does not realize is that without innovation, the skills of even the best chefs would stagnate over time. He also doesn't register the fact that a few years after Joichiro left, the latter's skills had exponentially improved far beyond Totsuki's elite standards.
Intergenerational Friendship: Chapter 255 establishes that he has this with Eishi, having bonded over their mutual dislike of the masses` attitude towards the cooking of the gifted.
It's All About Me: In his eyes, the world of food and gourmets has to bend to his will and ideals or it's all worthless. Central is just one means to that end. Even as he's about to be defeated by a dish he deemed unworthy, he can only rant how chefs can only be happy under his regime. Subverted in the BLUE arc which reveals that for all his selfishness, Azami perpetrated his grand revolution in a desperate attempt to save Mana and Erina from the curse of the God Tongue.
It's Personal: He deeply resents the culinary world that ruined Joichiro and Mana so much that he wants to exact revenge on it.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- He mentions that he doesn't understand how people think anything with first-class ingredients is automatically "gourmet food" — something Soma has disproved time and time again.
- He justifies his instauration of the Central Gourmet Association by pointing out that Totsuki's old system was unfair for those who couldn't live up to the insane standards of the Institute. While the heroes are okay with this system because they're that good, it is true that, realistically speaking, it's a very poor education method.
- Erina admits to herself that despite being subjected to his abuse, her god's tongue had made it so that she was already highly disillusioned with the number of "ill-made dishes". Therefore, she agrees to some extent with his ideals.
Karma Houdini: While his plans are ultimately foiled by the rebel's efforts, Azami leaves Totsuki on his own terms and gets away with abusing his power as dean scot-free.
Knight of Cerebus: Compared to every other antagonist before, his appearance is played completely seriously with very few quirks to balance out. The worst we saw of parents in this series is Parental Neglect from Subaru's father — Azami outright abuses his daughter.
Knight Templar: Completely convinced that his way of thinking will lead towards the "true path of Cuisine" in his own words, and that those who cannot comprehend his thinking aren't necessary towards that goal.
Knight Templar Parent: Chapter 309 clarifies his motivation a bit. While he's still a bigot and convinced of his own righteousness until the end, ultimately it's because he wanted to make a world to save his daughter Erina from the same fate of his wife Mana and being overwhelmed by her God's Tongue.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When the Rebels win against Central in the Régiment de Cuisine, Azami decides to leave his position as dean.
Love Makes You Evil: As it turns out, most of his actions end are rooted in his love for his wife, and his desire to prevent Erina from sucumbing to the same illness the God Tongue entails. However, in doing so he completely ignored the emotional toll this would have on everyone, including his own daughter.
Luke, I Am Your Father: Azami is Asahi Saiba's father. The Reveal came as a shock for both of them.
Manipulative Bastard: He's ridiculously good at convincing people to do what he wants, and part of the reason he was able to take over Totsuki and establish Central. He digs at people's insecurities and convinces them that his way of thinking is correct and that they should follow him.
Moral Myopia: He wants revenge on the culinary world for "ruining" his idol, yet he doesn't seem to realize that he's acting exactly like the people who caused Joichiro to hit his burnout in the first place (namely, singing praises of Joichiro's natural talents while overlooking all of his hard work).
My God, What Have I Done?: Azami is shocked to the core when he discovers that he had unknowingly sired Asahi Saiba. Although this was before he had even met Mana, Azami is saddened that he abandoned his son and chooses to make amends with him.
A Nazi by Any Other Name: Considering that Central has several fascist parallels with Nazi Germany, Azami serves as a stand-in for Adolf Hitler among others.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: By attempting to lure Erina to join Central when she finally confronts him, she relinquishes her position as a member of the Council of Ten to side with her friends and ultimately win against Central.
Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Almost all of his panels are too creepy.
Not So Stoic:
- He's visibly shaking with excitement when Jou offers to be his servant as part of their agreement to a Team Shokugeki should the latter lose. It's actually a bit unsettling considering how unflappable he was up to that point.
- On a more positive note are the rare occasions where he's shown to be genuinely rattled, such as learning that Soma is Jochiro's son; being openly defied by Alice after Ryo beats one of his hand-picked Central chefs; and, finally, when he's confronted with Erina's specialty, which is built almost entirely of ideas and methods that he's deemed inferior garbage, which she was able to make taste absolutely delicious. In the lattermost case, when he's ranting about how terrible it is for defying his idea of True Gourmet, it's clear that he's on the verge of blowing his top. Which he does in the following chapter when despite his protests, his "endowment" has an even greater effect than Tsukasa and Soma's dish after tasting Erina's dish, to the point where even he's stripped by it.
The Nudifier: Azami's Nakiri Family "stripping" ability somehow inflicts this on people around him when he eats delicious food. He's also not immune to it himself as shown when he finally tastes his daughter's dish that he deemed to be filled with "impurities". He is stripped to his underpants in front of the whole school.
Obviously Evil: Let's see, his introduction is framed in pitch-black darkness, induces an Oh, Crap! moment in the normally arrogant Erina, and dresses primarily in black with his hair slicked back. He also spends most of his debut insulting the customers in his daughter's restaurant as well as humiliating her publicly. By chapter 134, he becomes the new dean of the academy after 6 out of 10 Council of Ten members vote for him, namely 9, 6, 5, 4, 2, and 1.
Oh, Crap!:
- Azami is visibly alarmed when he witnesses an unprecedented variation of the Nakiri bestowal from Mana Nakiri, which is a consequence of her tasting Soma's delicious fried rice dish.
- Has another one when he witnesses Erina's bestowal destroy a wall when she tastes Soma's dish.
Parents as People: As it later turns out, his behavior was all because he didn't want Erina suffer the same fate as her mother by creating a world of nothing but the finest gourmet food. However, his despair over Mana's situation and fear for Erina's future caused him to snap and become a callous and cruel man in his attempts to save them.
The Perfectionist: While we haven't seen him cooking, Azami is morbidly obsessed with the "True Gourmet", his concept of the perfect and ultimate cuisine. Erina gets her tendencies from this due to her upbringing. He also had the top skill and status (was the 1st seat of the 71st generation) as well as the perfect pedigree (took the name Nakiri).
Powered by a Forsaken Child: His vision of "True Gourmet" depends on his daughter's Divine Tongue to determine the perfect cuisine. To this end, he brainwashed Erina since childhood to only accept the most perfect of cooking and regard the rest as trash, turning her into the Alpha Bitch we see at the beginning.
The Proud Elite: He really likes strutting about as a culinary elite due to his skill and he insists that people address him as "Nakiri" instead of "Nakamura". He's a lot worse than Erina in this regard.
Revenge: He claims that all he wants is to shape a new world for gourmet cooking, but Fumio disagrees — she says that he wants "revenge". After we learn the source of his ideals — namely, Joichiro's mental burn-out and self-imposed exile — she's probably right.
Sarcastic Clapping: Does this after Kurokiba wins his match against Rentarou and hears Kurokiba's friends celebrating his victory.
Sex for Solace: Joichiro dropping out hit Azami so hard that he went through a period of depression in which he had a one-night stand with at least one random woman without caring about anything. Asahi is the result.
Shared Family Quirks:
- Azami and his daughter as well as son idolize Joichiro as the ideal chef.
- On another note, marrying into the Nakiri family actually granted him a "stripping" ability too.
The Sociopath: Downplayed. Azami isn't outright violent, but he is abusive, manipulative and narcissistic. He lacks empathy and will do anything to achieve his goal.
Sore Loser: Played for Laughs when Joichiro used to tease him every time he lost against him in their cooking battles, which caused Azami to react with a pouty face and on the brink of tears, causing Gin to scold him for bullying their junior.
Start of Darkness: Joichiro's self-imposed exile and Mana's condition took its toll on his psyche badly.
The Svengali: Azami trains his daughter Erina to become a highly accomplished chef and attempts to use her as a pawn to further his plans. In a flashback it's shown that he did the same thing to Tsukasa by being disturbingly charming and friendly rather than abusive.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Despite everything, still a looker.
This Cannot Be!:
- Said word for word when Erina's dish in the finals of the Regime De Crusine trumps over Central's.
- He also refuses to believe Soma telling him that Joichiro eventually worked through his sorrow and was happy again after marrying his wife and starting his diner.
Took the Wife's Name: He took his wife Mana's surname when he married her. Considering that the Nakiri line is culinary royalty, Azami probably did that deliberately to increase the prestige of his own name and reputation. His father-in-law prefers to call him "Nakamura" due to exiling him from the family household, and so does anyone who doesn't respect or agree with him (such as Joichiro and Soma).
Tough Love: He imposed a strict education on Erina in an attempt to minimize her exposure to taste and keep her from hitting the sensory-threshold like her mother did for as long as possible.
True Art Is Incomprehensible: Azami believes that fine arts, including gourmet cooking, can only be truly appreciated and understood by people with refined taste and proper education.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: Many of the characters get a strong sense of unease once he takes over, describing the atmosphere of the school as "eerie". And indeed Azami kicks off his reign by personally firing Hisako as Erina's assistant, claiming he'll take care of her responsibilities from there on in. The next day, he enforces a new study program based on his standards of gourmet foods, such that even a few of the teachers disagree with it. What's more, he disposes of the self-governing rule of the school and gives absolute power to the Council of Ten, allowing them to do whatever they please, so if they want to close down what they see as a weak link in the school, they can. As you can imagine, some of the less then savory members quickly start abusing this rule, causing problems for the students. Oh yeah, and he likewise boots those who didn't vote for him off the council.
Un-person: All references to him (except one photograph) have been removed from Totsuki's books. This is particularly significant, as Azami has a large number of accomplishments under his belt, including being the first student to achieve as high as the third seat of the Council of Ten while in his first year. Erina's comparable achievement of being the first middle schooler to reach the Council of Ten is in a way significantly less impressive.
Unknown Relative: Asahi Saiba is Azami's biological son. He was the result of a seventeen year old Azami having a drunken one night stand with an American woman. This was before Azami had met Mana, at high school. Over twenty years later, Mana found Asahi suspiciously familiar and did a thorough background check on him, including paternity tests, which confirmed everything. Azami is shell-shocked on learning the truth and immediately sought his son.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Played with. As a student he was very sincere, almost shy and a huge Joichiro fanboy, but as the flashback progresses it becomes clear that that he was already a self centered elitist who at best didn't understand his hero and at worst didn't actually care about him as a human being with actual emotional needs.
Villain Has a Point:
- Under Azami, the school functions more like a genuine elite cooking school instead of a place where you had to be exceptional just to get in and could be expelled at the drop of a dime for seemingly petty reasons. The manga does acknowledge this at a few points, however. First, students who are exceptional rather than the average cooks Azami is elevating to new heights aren't allowed to actually innovate or show their brilliance. Second, the students that Azami seems to favor can't do anything more than exactly what they've been taught because Azami never taught them why you cut the meat a certain way or follow a certain order, so they haven't really learned anything.
- Outside of the academy, he has a point about how oppressive the cooking world can be towards those seen as outsiders, as shown in the case with Soumei's mother. Though considering Central's policies, this doubles as Hypocrite Has a Point.
- During the Regiment de Cuisune Shokugeki when he's appointed one of the judges of the final bout. After tasting Soma's dish, he acknowledges that while it's a dish worthy of going against the 1st seat of the Council of Ten Masters, he gives him zero points because Soma was supposed to make the appetizer but made a dish that's good enough to be the main course, which completely misses the point of the contest being a course meal. Of course, that wasn't Soma's intention from the start.
Villain Respect: To say that Azami admires Joichiro Saiba is an understatement. He will gush about "Saiba-senpai" at length to anyone who will listen. This is while he is trying to expel Saiba-senpai's son and other students for disagreeing with his ideals, one of those ideals being his abusive treatment of his daughter.
Villainous Breakdown: After trying Erina's dish in the finale of the Regime De Crusine, he tries his hardest to resist the fact that he likes it and keeps verbally lashing out that his ideals are the only one in the right. Gets more desperate as he see others getting stripped from just the pure aura the dish exhumes. This reaches it's peak when Soma reveals Joichiro didn't suffer after leaving the cooking world and that he was happy being a family man which Azami refuses to accept. Ultimately he himself is stripped and he's forced to accept the outcome as the Rebels are declared the winners of the contest.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he is by no means sympathetic, his motivation is ultimately to create a cooking world where chefs are both recognized for their talents and so that they don't succumb to the pressures brought on by being a top class chef; something he witnessed firsthand with his idol, Joichiro and his wife, Mana. However, he's done a lot of questionable and outright criminal things to achieve that end.
Wicked Cultured: Azami is of the opinion that gourmet cuisine is an art which should only be shared amongst people with rarefied tastes. As such he loathes people who merely praise chefs just because they are famous and not because they actually understand the skill behind their dishes. Azami trains with a sword in the Nakiri dojo, is a Sharp-Dressed Man and is frequently seen with a glass of red wine within arm's reach.
Wine Is Classy: The first thing he does when he takes over as judge during the Regimental Shokugeki is ask Couragé to go fetch them the wine menu, contrary to the WGO Judges who drank water and remaining respectful of the dishes served being were done by underage teenagers who can't legally test a wine pairing for their dishes. Asahi couldn't care less; Wine is definitely part of his True Gourmet.
With Us or Against Us: His ideology in a nutshell, either you support him or you're an enemy to his beliefs. He boots off Satoshi, Terunori and Tosuke, the three Council of Ten members who didn't vote for him for this very reason.

The New Dean

See her page here.

Other Totsuki Personnel

Roland Chapelle

Voiced by: Yuu Mizushima (Japanese), John Gremillion (English), Franco Patiño (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/88d07fbc1a0cb69d120212cf93b78ba7.jpg

A stern French chef and lecturer at Totsuki, as well as head of its French Cuisine Division.

The Dreaded: Played for Laughs — even now the legendary alumni still fear his wrath long after they've graduated, and they briefly panicked when he almost found out about the unofficial Shokugeki between Kojirou and Megumi/Soma.
Everyone Has Standards: Even he, one of the strictest teachers at Totsuki, balks at Azami's vision of Totsuki as a utopia for students to perfect their craft, thinking he is actually creating a regime of totalitarian imitation, enforced by a handpicked oligarchy.
French Jerk: Nicknamed "The Chef Who Doesn't Smile" because his standards are ridiculously high. To emphasize, he states any dish that doesn't reach a grade of "A" is an automatic "E".
Perpetual Frowner: Almost always seen to be scowling or glaring at someone, hence his nickname "The Chef Who Doesn't Smile".
Reasonable Authority Figure: Even though he's incredibly strict, he does recognize talent. For example, even when Soma and Megumi had the lowest chances in his class after some students sabotaged their dish, he complimented them for coming up with a creative solution to bounce back. Then he noticed Ikumi's growth as a meat chef during the Autumn Election. Later on, when he got invited to SHINO's last day of trials, he greeted Kojirou, who had been his best student, and complimented him noting that he didn't have any darkness in his cooking anymore, to which he expressed how proud he was.
Stern Teacher: Has very high standards and very few students can get a smile out of him, yet he judges all of them purely on the merits of their cooking.
When He Smiles: The other students are gobsmacked at the sight of the otherwise unsmiling Roland ecstatic over the dish Soma and Megumi prepared for their first class. He is also seen smiling in satisfaction after watching Soma defeat Etsuya at a Shokugeki and declare his second Badass Boast.

Jun Shiomi

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese), Monica Rial (English), Guillermina Cabrera (Latin Spanish)

74th Generation alumna and second-year professor, Joichiro and Gin's former roommate at the Polaris Dormitory, and mother-figure to Akira.

Absent-Minded Professor: Jun is entirely reliant on Akira to perform daily tasks around the office and lab, because she constantly forgets to do them herself.
Apologizes a Lot: Seeing Megumi and Jun interact, Soma’s eyes glaze over as he realizes they’re stuck in an infinite loop of apologies.
Berserk Button: Never mention Joichiro's name in front of her.
Break the Cutie: Downplayed. While she was genuinely upset that the Shiomi Seminar was to be abolished as per Azami's reforms, she nevertheless remained calm through it all, going so far as to try to warn Akira against accepting Azami's offer of joining Central and defeating Soma if he wants her work back.
Cute Clumsy Girl: While she didn't admit it, back when she was Soma's age she was known as "The Consummate Klutz" because of the many mistakes she made during Stagiaire Week.
Disproportionate Retribution: No sooner had Soma mentions he's Joichiro's son than she punches him without warning. If that isn't enough, Jun flat-out refuses to help him in his spice studies simply because he is Joichiro's son.
Doting Parent: She is proud of Akira's achievements and gets emotional at the slightest hint of Akira's friendships.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: She gets annoyed whenever Akira calls her by her first name instead of "professor", only for Akira to remind her of all the chores she skipped. Subverted, since Akira only says this to provoke her. He really adores her, even if he doesn't say it.
First-Name Basis: Akira uses her first name, much to her chagrin.
Foil:
- To her protégé Akira — both know their spices, but Jun merely puts it into theory, while Akira takes a hands-on approach. Unlike the mature, reliable, street smart, cool and down-to-earth Akira, Jun is naive, ditzy, easily angered and dependent.
- Like Megumi, she's a shy Cute Clumsy Girl who Apologizes a Lot and was regularly forced to taste disgusting experiments made by a Yukihira. While Megumi became best friends with her tormentor, the mention of Joichiro's name is her Berserk Button.
Fun Size: Even when Akira was a boy, he was One Head Taller than her.
Genius Ditz: Jun discovered many formulas and scientific research on spices, but forgets everything else outside of her studies. This is why she relies on Akira to assist her.
Harsh Word Impact: She gets them from Akira.
Jun: No way?! Hayama-kun, you scored perfectly on all of them?! Western Cooking History, Nutrition... Even Math, Contemporary Literature, Geography, and History?! I always had almost failing grades in non-cooking related subjects!
Akira: So you were truly a spice idiot, huh.
(ax to the head)
Ms. Exposition: She delivers scientific explanation about how spices work in base of chemistry, and also gives the guys explanation about the other school tradition of Stagiaire Week.
Noodle Incident: Joichiro used her for his experiments back in their high school days; whatever he did was something so traumatic it makes her hate him and anything to do with him in the present.
Older Than They Look: Despite being roughly the same age as Gin and Joichiro, she still looks like a middle schooler. When Akira was a child, he thought she was a wandering minor alone in a dangerous market. Naturally, he's surprised when Jun tells him she's 26. Jun attributes her young appearance to all the spices she eats, claiming they have medical benefits. Soma thinks it’s a terrible excuse.
Parental Substitute: Jun took Akira under her wing and served as both his mentor and mother figure.
Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: She's childish and excitable compared to the aloof and collected Akira.
Sensei-chan: She's 34 years old but still looks like a middle schooler, unmarried, her best student has a First-Name Basis with her, and she's very Hot-Blooded and impulsive.
Super-Strength: Boy, she has a mean punch/slap. Both boys she hit are about twice her size, yet she knocks them down to the floor easily with one hit. Akira also mentions she's heavier than she looks, indicating more musculature hidden underneath her loose lab coat.
Techno Babble: Jun gets into this mode when explaining theories about spices. Akira is tasked with translating it into practical use.
The Unapologetic: She doesn't apologize to Soma for decking him when he mentions his father; hell, she refuses to aid him because he's his father's son. Akira had to force her to do so, reminding her of her duties and manners as a teacher. She does end up genuinely apologizing to Soma after accidentally hitting him in the stomach with the door knob, though.
Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Even though she is Akira's adoptive mother, she is aware that he is taking care of her instead and feels like she's not giving him enough. Akira disagrees and, even though he scolds her for only focusing on her studies and her occasional childish behaviour, he apreciates that she changed his life.
What the Hell, Hero?: Tried to warn Akira against aligning himself with so untrustworthy a person as Azami, even if he has her lifelong work hostage.

Fumio Daimidou

See the "Polaris Dormitory" page

Gin Doujima

See the "Gin Doujima" folder under Legendary Totsuki Academy Alumni

Hisanao Kageura

Voiced by: Yasuaki Takumi (Japanese), Mike Boike (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hisanao_2600.png

The president of the Shokugeki Administration Bureau.

Everyone Has Standards: Out of all people, he is the most disgusted by the new regime, since he values the true purpose and honor of a Shokugeki.
Opaque Lenses: His eyes haven't been shown yet.
Sharp-Dressed Man: He wears a suit with a card motif pattern. People are impressed by that pattern.
Stoic Glasses: He has always a serious expression and his Opaque Lenses reflects the part.
- Not So Stoic: He doesn't take the Azami administration's rigged Shokugeki very well.

Leonora Nakiri

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese), Emily Neves (English), Victoria Funes Grimaux (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/270px-lenora_nakiri_7976.jpg

Alice's Danish mother, head of Totsuki's Research Division Nakiri International, and judge for the final round of the Autumn Election.

Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: She mentions on the open that, right after Alice lost her match against Soma, she called her mother to cry and whine for nine hours straight over international lines. Alice is notably annoyed by this.
Bait-and-Switch: Being a Nakiri, one is led to believe that she'll go barechested once she tries something delicious. Instead, trying something delicious "strips away" her poor Japanese, allowing her to speak in near complete fluency for a short time. Everyone involved lampshades how ridiculous this sounds.
Yuuki: How the heck does that even work?!
Beware the Nice Ones: Leonora is warm and friendly, but she holds an intimidating presence when telling Soma that his dish better be delicious, lest she becomes angry.
Ditzy Genius: Although she speaks in very basic and broken Japanese that sounds cute to many and Alice notes that her perception of Japan is romanticized^note, she is the current Research Division Head of Totsuki International in Denmark and part of the Nakiri Family.
Eating the Eye Candy: She openly comments how hot Soma, Ryou and Akira look while cooking, to which Alice jokingly calls her a "cougar".
Funny Foreigner: After doing an elegant entrance, leaving everyone breathless by how beautiful she is, she suddenly starts talking with broken Japanese and a goofy face. Some of her other hilarious scenes involve the language barriers she encounters, like thinking Erina called her "grandma"^note or how eating gloriously delicious dishes makes her speak fluently about it.
Gorgeous Gaijin: Aside for being a stunningly beautiful Caucasian, her other main charm is her broken Japanese, which many in the audience find cute.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She arrives wearing a purple dress.
Happily Married: To Soe Nakiri.
Head-Turning Beauty: Many people in the audience of the 43rd Autumn Election's Finals noted that she is very beautiful.
Intimidation Demonstration: When talking to Soma, the boy who defeated and made her daughter cry after the Autumn Election quarterfinals. Even her weak Japanese suddenly got better.
Ma'am Shock: She takes offense on her niece Erina calling her "oba-san". Erina has to explain she means it as in aunt instead of old woman (since the words are homophones in Japanese).
Motor Mouth: The anime shows that her not only does she lose her awkward Japanese when she eats delicious food, she describes it in extreme detail really fast.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Just like Alice, as she glared with a menacing presence at Soma, warning him to make her an exciting dish.
Shout-Out: Appears to be be one, appearance-wise, to Irisviel von Einzbern from Fate/Zero. The anime adaptation ran with it and got the same voice actress.
Stacy's Mom: Being Alice's mother doesn't stop the other Totsuki students from drooling over her beauty.
Strong Family Resemblance: She is basically a grown-up Alice.
Troll: She enjoys messing with Erina frequently and sometimes embarrasses her own daughter in public for a good laugh.
Leonora: It's nice to see you Alice. It's nice to see you too, Erina. [goofy face] You're super angry as always.
Erina: That's because of your daughter!
Wall of Blather: Will break into them after eating and being driven to comment upon delicious food. When it happens, her broken Japanese gives way to nearly fluent speech.

Soe Nakiri

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese), Alan Brincks (English)

Alice's father, Leonora's husband, Senzaemon's son, and founder of Nakiri International. He served as judge during Soma and Akira's rematch during the Hokkaido Promotion Exams.

Cold Ham: He's every bit as dramatic as his father, but constantly maintains a cool head and rarely, if ever raises his voice.
Doting Parent: He loves his daughter very much and keeps a photo of her in his wallet, calling her the "cutest girl in the world". He's also a doting husband as well toward Leonora, who is "the other cutest girl in the world".
The Ghost: Wasn't seen in person for some time, only referenced. Then he was The Faceless in an Early-Bird Cameo through an Imagine Spot or flashback of Leonora's to their courtship. He makes his full appearance when asked to judge the match between Sōma and Akira.
Happily Married: Loves his wife Leonora dearly.
Only Known by Their Nickname: In said flashback to their courtship Leonora called him "Summer-san", since it was summer. (This is clearer in hindsight. Because she says "Natsu-san" in the original Japanese, for some time the fandom thought his name must be Natsu - which means "summer".)
Shirtless Scene: Shares with Senzaemon the habit of stripping when he tastes delicious food, which is displayed to wonderful effect via a full page in chapter 187.
- Two chapters later, it's revealed that, not only does he do it, he can temporarily make others who aren't even related to him do it, simply through the sheer force of will he exudes while doing it. The English dub of the anime refers to it as "Endowment".
Unusual Eyebrows: Has a pretty odd eyebrow design which he shares with Senzaemon.

Central Judges

Azami's appointed judges, who all share his ideology on food.

Hanging Judge: The previous judges are usually partial even if they underestimate the underdog. These guys won't even taste a cook's dishes if they consider it B-class at first glance.
Hope Crusher: Eizan convinced them to make their bias as obvious as possible in order to demoralize anyone who opposes Central.
Only in It for the Money: Chapter 140 makes it seem like Eizan bribed them to vote for him, but this is subverted in the following chapter in an even worse way because they were already fanatically loyal to Azami to begin with. All Eizan did was give them a verbal push to go along with his plans.
The Proud Elite: Like Azami, they think any dish that uses non-Central methods are automatically worthless. Though Soma's gyoza dish caused them to doubt their elitism, since his dish was inspired by a lot of experimentation.

Professor Hiroi

Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese), Julie Oliver-Touchstone (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiroi_food_wars.png

A professor at Totsuki who performs the first of the examinations during the Hokkado exams.

Beat Them at Their Own Game: Her exam is simply to cook salmon, but she then adds they have to do it by Azami's design. What's more, she sticks Soma's group with inferior ingredients, thinking they wouldn't be able to make the intended dish, and even taunts them to try and find fresher salmon, even though the winter weather makes that next to impossible. However, not only did the group use said ingredients, but found a summer salmon much fresher than the autumn variant used in the exams. Ultimately, they make the best dish of the classroom and she begrudgingly is forced to let them pass.
Evil Old Folks: Very elderly, and supports Azami's beliefs.
Faux Affably Evil: Even though she's making her sabotage of the rebels' ingredients as obvious as possible, she still has the audacity to act cheerful and wear a nearly permanent smile in front of them.
Noblewoman's Laugh: Befitting of her character, she does this when she thinks Soma's group won't pass her exam.
Oh, Crap!: Twice, when Soma's group found a summer salmon, and again when they not only manage to finish their dish, but make it the best in the class, despite only having thirty minutes left to cook.
The Proud Elite: Shows nothing but mockery for the non-Central students.
Sadist Teacher: She and several other Central professors are out to break the spirits of Azami's detractors.
Smug Snake: She's on Azami's payroll, so naturally she shares his beliefs and tries to rig the exam so that Soma's group fail.
Sore Loser: Double subverted. She begrudgingly passes Soma's group after they make the best dish of the classroom... then she is shortly after seen fuming when she is informed that none of the remaining rebels could be failed.
Starter Villain: She's the first hurdle Soma's group has to get over in the Hokkado trials. The rest of the Polaris and Autumn Contestants that resist Azami's rule likewise have to deal with similar crooked examiners.
Underestimating Badassery: She thought she definitely screwed over Soma's group, apparently not knowing of their feats during the Autumn Election, let alone their ability to work around inferior ingredients (though taking some notes from Erina didn't hurt either). Soma even calls her out on it.

Professor Endo

Voiced by: Yoji Ueda (Japanese), Deke Anderson (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/endo_food_wars.png

A Hokkaido examiner who oversees the second part of the Hokkaido trials.

Assumed Win: As with Hiroi, he thinks he's got the Totsuki rebels beat by calling them last so that they can't get the ingredients needed to make his dish and a blizzard will keep them from going into town and procuring more.
Didn't See That Coming: he didn't think the rebels make their own noodles, and from potatoes.
Hypocrite: He, himself a teacher, complaining to Erina when he finds out that she trained the rebels.
The Proud Elite: Another Central supporter, so as such he looks down on the rebels.
Smug Snake: As with any Central supporter, he sports the obnoxious ego as well.
Sore Loser: Subverted. He initially complains to Erina when he finds out that she trained the Totsuki rebels. After she retorts that all she did was show them the ropes of advanced cooking, then left them to find their own solutions, Endo relents, drops to his knees, and admits defeat.
Underestimating Badassery: Like Hiroi, he completely underestimates the Totsuki rebels and their ability to improvise.
Villainous Breakdown: Gets several as the Totsuki rebels remain undeterred by his crooked methods and goes full throttle when they not only overcome his trial by making their own noodles but living up to their boasts that it'll be the best in his class.

Other Students

Mitsuru Soutsuda

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita (Japanese), Patrick Poole (English), Jeremías Aguirre (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/270px-mitsuru_2779.png

A ninth-grader from Totsuki's middle-school division and member of its Newspaper Club, as well as the sole exception to the student media's negative publicity on Soma.

Audience Surrogate: As he is investigating Soma, he brings the point of view of someone new to his cooking style during the test runs.
Child-Like Voice: Mitsuru has a fittingly boyish tenor to match his endearing, spunky personality, courtesy of Daiki Yamashita.
Fanboy: Of Soma. He was fascinated by him since the preliminary round of the Autumn Election. Later it's revealed he is the only member of the newspaper who is focused on Soma, since all his senpais are interviewing Subaru.
Fan of Underdog: He's one of the few students who actually likes Soma and for the same reason most of the other students don't: He's always at the disadvantage yet overcomes the odds, which he finds inspiring.
Keet: He is cheerful and optimistic about everything Soma does, taking note and pictures of everything.
Nice Guy: There isn't a mean bone in his body, being nothing but polite to Soma and basically everyone he meets.
The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Subaru later points out that accessing his PC was the easiest part, because Mitsuru used his own birthday date as password.
School Newspaper News Hound: He is one of the juniors of the Totsuki Sports, the school's newspaper. He wants to be great reporter rather than a good cook, hounding Soma in hopes of getting an exclusive story prior to Soma's match with Subaru.
Tag Along Kid: Soma doesn't consider him of much help, since he got full of his test dishes instead of giving him any constructive criticism. Still, Soma allows him to tag along to Erina's house.

Chinese Cuisine RS

Members of Terunori Kuga's Chinese Cuisine RS which has become heavily focused on Szechuan cuisine in recent years due to Kuga's influence. This has driven some members like Houjou (who does Japanese-Chinese) out of the club, which apparently used to be more multifaceted in it's take on Chinese.

Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: They used to underestimate Soma as well before the Moon Banquet. By the time of the promotion exams, they supported him as well.
Crippling Overspecialization: All the members only know how to replicate Kuga's recipes perfectly, and while they're a formidable kitchen, they lack restaurant managing skills and need to be drilled by Kuga if he wants to introduce new dishes to combat Soma's evolving booth which is just not feasible during the Moon Banquet where every waking hour is spent on cooking and prepping for more cooking the next day.
Undying Loyalty: To Kuga. They follow Kuga's lead even after Azami's takeover.

Regional Cuisine RS

Members of the Regional Cuisine RS and Megumi's club mates.

No Name Given: The President's name still has to be revealed.
Supporting Leader: Like Konishi, the president is not the face of the club, with Megumi representing the RS against Central.
True Companions: Despite Megumi not joining their booth for the Moon Banquet, they showed support to her in the 4th day by lending their lamp collection, knowing well that she must have an important reason.

Legendary Totsuki Academy Alumni

In General

The Ace: All of them are considered the best chefs from their respective generations. They're called the "Legendary Alumni" with all the merits since only a handful of students can graduate. Gin and Kojirou held the First Seat of the Council of Ten in their respective generations, while Joichiro (who dropped out), Hinako, Fuyumi, Taki and Sonoka were Second Seats.
Everyone Went to School Together: They all know each other from their student days at Totsuki. Joichiro, Gin, Jun and Azami used to live together in Polaris during the former two's third-year tenures; Kojirou, Hinako, Fuyumi and Donato are lifelong friends, with Hitoshi as their senpai; and Taiki and Sonoka seem to know each other as well.
Supreme Chefs: As alumni, they belong to the 1% who graduated from Totsuki and many of them were also part of the Council of Ten.
Teen Genius: Aside of most having a seat on the Council of Ten, all of them have the distinction of opening successful restaurants not long after graduating Totsuki. For example, Kojirou became the first Japanese winner of the Pluspol, France's highest culinary award while Sonoka and Taki already own successful restaurants at nineteen and twenty respectively.
Throw the Dog a Bone: At the end of the hellish training camp, after suffering hard challenges every single day, the students who pass get a special dinner made by the alumni.

Kojirou Shinomiya

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (adult) and Yumiko Kobayashi (child) (Japanese), Benjamin McLaughlin (English), Nelson González (Latin Spanish)

Owner of French cuisine restaurant SHINO's, Kojirou was a 79th Generation alumnus and First Seat of the Council of Ten back in his day, as well as the very first Japanese chef to win the Pluspol Award, France's most prestigious culinary achievement. Also infamous for his insufferable attitude and incredibly strict regimen.

The Ace: During his student days, Kōjiro held the 1st Seat of the Council of Ten, meaning that he was the best chef of his generation. Later in his career, Shinomiya gained worldwide fame as the Legumes Magician and the distinction being the first Japanese to win the Pluspol award, France's highest culinary honor.
Always Someone Better: Naturally, as he was at the top of the academy until he graduated. Back in their Totsuki days, Kojirou beat Fuyumi Mizuhara by one Seat, and while Fuyumi got an "A" in Italian cuisine (her speciality), Kojirou got an "A+" there, much to her frustration.
Birds of a Feather: With Soma, almost to the point of being a non-related Generation Xerox in Totsuki. Both are red-haired, love challenges, hate losing, hail from simple backgrounds, and pushed themselves beyond the limits to perfect their skills. Both also have developed intense rivalries with each other as well as with stubborn Ice Queens (Erina and Fuyumi, respectively). Soma becomes one of the few chefs Kojirou has acknowledged. Both of them were/are First Seats of the Council of Ten.
Break the Cutie: He left Japan with youthful hopes and dreams of making it big in France. He came home with a Pluspol Award, but a soul shattered by years of struggle and discrimination.
Breakout Character: Despite appearing very rarely, Kojirou is frequently in the top 10 of the popularity polls and even got a spin-off with him as the protagonist.
Broken Ace: Despite his prodiguous cooking skills, Shinomiya had to endure the racism and envy of his French colleagues. To the point that he nearly went bankrupt and alone in France. Since then, Shinomiya became extremely dictatorial, not allowing any innovation from his staff except his own and firing them at the drop of the hat. Dōjima calls him out for dwelling there for too long and not progressing in his skill. Shinomiya heeds Dōjima's advice as he holds a dish creation contest for his staff and sets himself a new goal.
The Bus Came Back:
- He reappears after the Autumn Election, having opened his first overseas SHINO's branch in Japan... which so happens to be Soma's second Stagiaire Week assignment.
- Kojirou comes back again when he is asked by Doujima to help out the rebels in preparing them for the Regiment de Cuisine Shokugeki against Central's Council of Ten. He specifically is taking care of Megumi, the vegetable specialist in Soma's group.
Celibate Hero: In L'Etoile, he gets easily flustered when Hervé and Rebecca kiss in front of him. Also his friends tease him about not being able to have a girlfriend because of his bad temper, which Kojirou doesn't mind.
Cool Teacher: Played with. He is very harsh towards his apprentices, although he does believe in their potential. He wished Soma to become the 1st Seat of the Council of Ten (which became true). Megumi also became the member of the Council of Ten.
Culture Clash: In L'Etoile, he is very shocked by how French people are more expressive, as he is uncomfortable seeing a couple kissing each other, which makes him feel like people there has No Sense of Personal Space.
The Cynic: Considers himself the only reliable person in the kitchen, believing the staff will bring him down.
Cynicism Catalyst: Back in his youth Kojirou was determined to start a restaurant in France. While moderately successful, his staff began dismissing him for being a foreigner, sabotaging his recettes to the point he almost went out of business. This is what makes him the hardened, stern chef he is now.
Don't Call Me "Sir": Near the end of Soma's internship at Shinomiya's new Japanese location, Shinomiya helps Soma improve on an idea that Soma had submitted for a staff recipe contest. Soma is so appreciative that he begins to call him "Shinomiya-shishō," ("Master Shinomiya"). Shinomiya finds this formal title incredibly embarrassing, especially when the others start to mock him. Several chapters later, Megumi calls him "coach", much to Shinomiya's embarrasment.
The Dutiful Son: He took an interest in French cuisine because his mother, after saving money to take him to a French restaurant to celebrate his admission to grade school, was so happy eating the food that he made it his goal in life to excel at it.
Establishing Character Moment: In his very first appearance, he expels a student purely for using a citrus scented hair product, as he believes it demonstrates a chef more concerned about appearance rather than cooking and saying that the smell from the hair product would interfere with the aroma of the food, which he tells the student only after expelling him. This cements his high standards and jerkassery right from the get go.
The Fashionista: His casual clothes are very stylish, has an earring in his left ear and on his first day at the training camp he fired a student because of the smell of his shampoo.
Foil: In many ways, to Megumi. Both are vegetable specialists from rural backgrounds, but where Megumi is a meek, nervous Nice Girl who specializes in Japanese comfort foods and is almost pure Performer, Shinomiya is a brash, arrogant haute cuisine specialist who leans very heavily towards Technician. Then, there's the times they have clashed. As it turns out, Kojirou initially was too meek and not confident and commanding enough, which almost ruined his reputation and forced him to close his restaurant in France. He therefore kicks all students out who wouldn't survive the harsh enviroment of a pro chef. Megumi was that kind of student, but due to her great potential, endurance and Character Development, she slowly becomes a chef Kojirou approves of.
Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Kojirou is the only examiner in the training camp who wears glasses, and he is considered the worst of the lot. He immediately expels a student before camp officially begins because he used a strong-smelling shampoo, gives Megumi a failing mark for altering his recipe even though her reasons are justified, and threatens to do the same to Soma for coming to her defense.
French Cuisine Is Haughty: Already a French cuisine expert as a student, Kojirou was convinced he will make a name in France as the best French-Japanese chef. After a long struggle and Break the Haughty process, not only did he succeed, but he became more arrogant, as he refused any slight alterations to the recipes as he considered them already perfect.
Freudian Excuse: Kojirou did his best to ensure SHINO's would thrive, but the other French chefs disliked him simply because he was Japanese and wouldn't follow his recipe to the letter. He barely managed to keep it afloat after emotionally hardening himself, getting rid of anyone who questioned his skills in the kitchen. Unfortunately, being stuck with this mindset meant he refused to make exceptions or try other methods to his dishes after reaching the top, allowing his skills and standards to stagnate.
Goal in Life
- His primary motive was to be the first Japanese chef in France with the Pluspol medal. After winning, he lacked a new motivation and kept cooking without improving.
- After his Heel Realization with Megumi's dish, Kojirou decides to be the first Japanese chef in France to achieve three stars (likely the Michelin format) for his restaurant.
Gratuitous French: Occasionally uses French phrases, such as saying "recette" instead of recipe, and sarcastically refers to Gin as Monsieur when accepting the unofficial Shokugeki. Somehow, he manages to do this even when he's actually speaking French in France.
Hero of Another Story: He is the main character of the Spin-Off Etoile, focusing on his earlier days struggling to survive in the French culinary world.
Hidden Heart of Gold: When he realizes his own inadequacies as a cook, he actually votes against himself in a Shokugeki against Megumi and Soma.
Hyper-Awareness: He is very sharp when it comes to cooking. He was the only one from the Alumni who recognized the allspice in Megumi's terrine.
Hypocrite: He justifies how harsh he is in the Training Camp arc by saying he is treating the students as though they were his employees, even accusing the student who protested expulsion over citrus-scented shampoo of trying to ruin his restaurant. Yet he deliberately includes sub-standard ingredients in his lessons to guarantee some students will fail, which Soma points out would be a failure on the part of management, not the chefs, in an actual restaurant.
Hypocritical Humor: He berates Megumi for being so narrow-minded, which he kind of expected from a country hick. Never mind that he also is a country boy (which Hinako and Fuyumi would have called him out on if they had been present).
I Am Not Left-Handed: Discussed by Gin, who wonders why Kojirou didn't prepare one of his special dishes in the unsanctioned Shokugeki against Soma and Megumi. Lampshaded by the other Legendary Alumni.
Kojirou: "My opponents are just students. Did you think I'd be so merciless?"
Hitoshi: "He'd do it."
Donato: "He'd defeat them so easily that they can't ever cook again."
- Subverted when Gin deduces correctly it was a way for Kojirou to cover his stagnating culinary skills.
Irony: He had originally expelled Megumi and criticised her for being so clumsy. He later ends up training her for the Regiment de Cuisine and she becomes a member of the prestigious Council of Ten.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- In his debut, he expels a student purely because he had strong hairspray. Seems overly harsh, but it was also to make a point about students who cared more about their appearance than their cooking.
- He expelled Megumi during his test for what seemed to be very petty reasons, namely not following his recipe because she improvised to adapt for bad ingredients that she only ended up with because he made sure there wouldn't be enough quality ingredients for everyone in the first place. However, he was making a point that a chef needs to be confident and aggressive because he believes anyone who held back so long that they ended up with poor ingredients has only themselves to blame. One of Megumi's most obvious recurring flaws is a lack of aggression and ability to stand up for herself, which Shinomiya's own backstory shows can lead to failure no matter how good of a chef you are.
Jerkass Realization: During his match with Megumi, he does a technically perfect dish that is far better than Megumi's elegant and supportive dish, netting him all three votes. However, Gin gives a bonus vote for Megumi for thinking of the customer's needs and prompts Kojirou to try it himself. When he does, he judges that it's far below the quality of what he made, but is cooked using a more flexible style intended to suit the consumer's tastes. He gives a bonus vote of his own to his competitor and when the score ends up tied following Hinako's unofficial vote, he realizes he could both learn something from her and that failing her before really wasn't fair. He lets her pass and when he shows up again, he seems to be acting more like he was as a student which is still rather unsocial and demanding, but less aggressive. His staff members are quite surprised at how much less difficult he's become.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: His mother always believed that he's a good kid deep down despite getting into many fights. While he grew emotionally hardened due to his experiences with his racist staff, he eventually returned to his younger self after his Jerkass Realization — still stern, stubborn and short-tempered, but well-meaning, adaptable and open to change.
Manly Tears: He is moved to tears after tasting Megumi's terrine, realizing that while it has none of the technical perfection of his chou farci, her dish is nonetheless suffused with the kind of love and dedication he had been lacking for years, as well as the fact that he was not only unfair to Megumi, but also vented out his frustrations over his lagging creativity onto her.
The Mentor: After his Heel Realization, he becomes a more suportive (still keeping his strict personality) mentor to both Soma and Megumi.
- He gets to train Soma in French techniques during his Staigiare, to the point Soma starts calling him "Master". Kojiro is sure that Soma will be able to take over as the First seat.
- Before the Régiment de Cuisine, Doujima summons Shinomiya to be Megumi’s mentor. Noticing that Megumi is still afraid of him, Kojiro decides to go from another angle as a sport manga coach to motivate her (Megumi is a fan of sports manga). After the training, Megumi starts calling him “coach”.
Morton's Fork: He sets up his assignment in the training camp such that it's impossible for everyone to pass. Produce a substandard dish because you are shoved away from the ingredients until only inferior ones are left? Fail for having a non-tasty dish. Change the recipe slightly to improve the taste to compensate for inferior ingredients? Fail, because changing the recipe isn't allowed, and therefore, forbidden (as opposed to most challenges being "anything not forbidden is allowed").
Neck Lift: More like a Face Lift, and often does it to Hinako when she starts getting on his nerves. He once did it to Hinako and Lucie with each hand when they were about to refer to a particular Noodle Incident.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In L'Etoile Chapter 3, on his very first job after graduation he catches a sous chef cajoling a meat vendor into spiking up his prices (with said chef taking the extra cash). He lets the chef off the hook, warning him to never do that again. The next day, Kojirou is fired for apparently messing up a recette (which he senses was an inside job by that same chef).
No Social Skills: He's not the easiest person to get along with, and he gets into plenty of brawls with other kids when he was younger. Lampshaded by his peers before he leaves for France after graduating from Totsuki.
Hinako: "Shinomiya-senpai isn't sociable so he definitely won't make any friends. I'm sure he'll also fight with the other staff!"
Fuyumi: "I agree with that..."
Once Done, Never Forgotten: He called Gin a "sad hired chef for Totsuki" exactly once in a fit of pique, during the Training Camp arc, and Gin keeps teasing him about it all the way through the Stagiaire arc.
Pretty Boy: Has very impressive looks and handsome features. However, his friends all agree that his crappy social skills cancel it out, meaning he still can't hold on to a girlfriend.
Red Baron: Le magicien de légumes (The Vegetable Magician).
Rich Boredom: After winning a Pluspol, he becomes a stern chef who wouldn't alter his mindset or recipes for anything in the world.
Self-Made Man: Unlike many rich students, Kojirou came from the countryside. After graduating, he made his goal to move to France, work from scratch, save money and open his own restaurant. L'Etoile goes in detail about how he reached his dream and his struggle to keep going.
Ship Tease: He goes tsundere to Hinako, secretly caring about her despite how much they bicker.
Sink or Swim Mentor: During Soma's Stagiaire period at his restaurant, he refuses to give him any tips or advice and only tells him to step up and learn the ropes himself. This is because he genuinely believed that Soma could overcome this challenge by himself since he had the guts to challenge him to an unofficial Shokugeki. However, Shinomiya did teach Soma about French culinary methods while on the job and showed him how to improve his speciality.
Stern Teacher: He is very strict towards his interns, employees and the students, immediately firing the ones who don't meet his expectations. After the Training Camp and his own Jerkass Realization, he mellows a bit and starts rewarding his employees when he returns, but still dope slaps with no hesitation. His sous chef and interns, on the other hand, admire his skills and try to learn everything they can from him.
Token Minority: He is the only Japanese person during his time in France, and also the only Japanese in SHINO's staff (Wei is Chinese and Abel and Lucie are French).
Took a Level in Kindness: According to his staffs, while still strict, Kojirou has somewhat become more approachable after returning from training camp. Particularly, his sous chef Abel notes the contrast between his past self, who threatened to fire him for voicing an opinion, to his current self, where he is now more open to suggestions and new recipes from anyone.
Tsundere:
- When Soma asked him why he chose to follow French cuisine, he had a flashback to himself about the love for his mother and having her as an inspiration. Of course, Kojirou declined to answer with a frown.
- Happens again when Soma submitted his new dish for his first Shino's branch in Japan. Instead of complimenting his effort and offer him some advice, Kojirou claims it was low-level and he can show him how to make it better. Of course Hinako and Lucie were quick to notice this and tease him even more when Soma called him "Master" (earning them a face-lift). Days after Soma's Stagiaire shift, his dish has become a part of the menu.
- In Etoile, it is shown that deep down he did care about Hinako being upset over him leaving to France on short notice, but he just kept the cocky façade in front of everyone.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Back in his youth Kojirou was prideful but friendly, until his experiences in France left him shell-shocked. Fortunately he returns to his old self after his encounter with Megumi.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With the rest of the Legendary Alumni, especially Hinako and Fuyumi. He and Hinako bicker a lot, while he enjoys provoking Fuyumi into Shokugekis. Nevertheless, when he refused Gin's offer to judge at the Autumn Election, he ends his call by having him send his regards to both women.
We Help the Helpless: The first major arc of Etoile is focused on him protecting Herve's restaurant from closure (by encouraging him to reignite his culinary passion).
What You Are in the Dark: Gin lampshades this to him during his time spending at France. This also worries Hinako, and Fuyumi before going to France due to having an unfriendly nature. Finally becomes subverted during training camp, when Soma and Megumi challenged him to a Shokugeki, and Gin forced him to confront his demons and return to the way he was.
Worthy Opponent: After Soma screwed up on his first day at his Stagiaire Week shift with him, his staff questioned why he didn't give him any feedback. Days later, Kojirou is pleased that Soma managed to bounce back on his own, since he expected it from the only person who challenged him to a Shokugeki.
Koujirou: "You're one of the only chefs I've ever acknowledged. Hurry up and join me at the top, Yukihira Soma"
Would Hit a Girl: Played for Laughs as he shows no qualms in Dope Slapping Hinako whenever she is being too goofy for him to handle (that or grabbing her by the face and lifting her into the air). The same with Lucie.
You Remind Me of X: According to Rebecca, Herve must have taken him in because he looked so much like his deceased son, who would have been his age.

Gin Doujima

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Ty Mahany (English), Aldo Lumbia (Latin Spanish)

General Head Chef of Totsuki Resort and a member of the board of directors, Gin supervises the freshmen training camp. A former roommate in the Polaris Dormitory with 69th Generation batch-mate Joichiro and their middle-school underclassman Jun, he was also the First Seat of the Council of Ten in his time.

The Ace: Seems to be the head among the alumni. He was First Seat of the Council of Ten, and graduated with the highest marks in Totsuki's history.
Always Second Best: His name means "Silver", which is generally associated with second place and always felt like that's what he was destined for. Despite graduating as a First Seat and with the highest grades in Totsuki's history, his culinary skills still pale before Joichiro's, and he was content with it out of deep respect for his best friend.
Bash Brothers: According to Fumio, he and Joichiro were in charge of defending the Polaris Dorms from its many enemies, by barricading the entrance or winning the Shokugekis.
Berserk Button: Irresponsibility from Joichiro back in their younger days really pissed him off. Simply remembering how Joichiro used to shirk his duties as the Second Seat of the Council of Ten, skip meetings, sleep during classes, among other escapades causes the now adult and composed Gin to visually (and comically) get enraged in front of Erina, Megumi, and Takumi.
The Bus Came Back: He returns as guest judge for the Autumn Election semi-finals and Soma's rematch with Akira during the Hokkaido Promotional Exams.
Cool Teacher: He is capable of seeing how other people can be better chefs. Also, when asked why he still works for Totsuki rather than opening his own restaurant, Gin always puts the students and his alma mater as his first priority. Later, when Azami took over Tōtsuki, Gin collaborated with Joichiro to train and support the Rebels.
Embarrassing First Name: Back during his days at Totsuki, he didn't like his given name (which is Japanese for "silver") due to its association with second place. However, he eventually got over it and no longer saw second place as a big deal.
Fan Disservice: He doesn't look bad and has a rather impressive muscular body, but him being displayed in girls' clothes when he tastes a dish is a little bit off-putting.
Foreshadowing: After Akira wins the Autumn Elections, Gin notes that his attitude was just a way of psyching himself up and warned him that his own talent, without the right mental fortitude, could be his undoing. This is exactly what happened to his best friend Joichiro, which prompted him to drop out.
Friendly Rival: To Joichiro back in their high school days. Even after so many years, Gin still sees Joichiro's long shadow in the form of his son.
Heart Is an Awesome Power: He believes Megumi's hospitality can be her greatest culinary tool, and encouraged her to polish it. As her performance at the Autumn Election shows, it paid off.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Joichiro, hailing all the way back from their Totsuki days.
Hyper-Awareness: A Big Damn Heroes example.
- He starts suspecting that Soma's last name is familiar when Takumi calls him "Yukihira". After he suddenly notices some of Soma's mannerisms, he later finds out that Joichiro, his old friend/rival, is his father. Chapter 205 further reveals that this started when Joichiro dropped him a call a few years years after his departure from Totsuki, revealing that he has changed his surname to "Yuki_ra", is already a father, and, more importantly, started cooking again.
- Gin is the first to notice that Kojirou is preparing one of his basic dishes instead of going full-force against Soma and Megumi in their unofficial Shokugeki, in the process realizing that he was trying to hide the fact that his skills hadn't improved much since graduating.
- He also notes later Akira's obsession with winning and the dependency on his nose at the Autumn Election, warning him to be careful against losing himself. As it turns out, he was speaking as a witness to Joichiro's mental burnout back in their Totsuki days.
Informed Ability: He is supposed to be Totsuki's greatest alumnus, surpassing even Joichiro and Kojirou, but besides his keen sense for talent and innovation, we see little of his culinary ability until flashbacks reveal that he was indeed an awesome chef, albeit only second to Joichiro.
It's All My Fault: A downplayed example, in that he partially blames his own expectations of Joichiro and lack of foresight for his best friend's mental burnout, resulting in his premature departure from Totsuki.
Mr. Fanservice: He's very well-built, and has been shown naked at least twice.
My Greatest Second Chance: Chapter 205 reveals that he decided to work at Totsuki Resort, itself an examination venue for students, to help future generations avoid the same fate that befell Joichiro. In particular, he sees teaching his friend's son Soma as his personal atonement.
Naked First Impression: How Soma meets Gin in the public bath.
Nice Guy: Despite his intimidating looks and aura, and his occasionally intense and strict behavior, Gin is a genuinely kind and supportive person.
Reasonable Authority Figure
- He forces Kojirou to accept a match with seemingly nothing in it for him because he feels the latter’s current thinking is flawed. However, he also points out that if Soma handles the match for Megumi then even if he wins, Megumi will have learned and proved nothing, so she’s forced to handle the cooking herself with Soma as her silent assistant.
- In Chapter 92, he sees that putting a lot of pressure on Sonoka to break the tie between Akira and Ryou was unfair for her, so he convinced the Council of Ten to make the Finals a three-way match between them and Soma.
Tender Tears: Breaks down in sympathy for Joichiro after realizing that the weight of expectations was taking its toll on his best friend, and that his expectations aren't helping, either.
Unusual Eyebrows: His eyebrows resemble sideways "V's".
Vitriolic Best Buds:
- When he and Joichiro run into each other in a foreign country after many years, Gin's first reaction is to scold Joiuichirou for not keeping in touch with him, calling him an "stray dog". The next moment, both of them are having drinks and talking about the old days.
- With Kojirou, this comes to a head when Gin specifically orchestrated the Shokugeki between him and Megumi and Soma, to give the girl a second chance and to get his fellow alumnus out of his creative rut.
Wholesome Crossdresser: During reaction shots at least. Gin shows up, dressed as a magical girl when reacting to Shinomiya's dish and later appears dressed as a schoolgirl in his reaction to Soma's beef stew.
Workout Fanservice: His Naked First Impression with Soma happened because he was doing his body maintenance while taking his bath. He also told Soma that the previous year, both him and Satoshi did their workout together, since they were the only ones there at the time.

Hinako Inui

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Allison Sumrall (English), Mariana Martí (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bc7544c55a62933fcd4e4e31affb0e46.jpg

80th Generation alumna, former Second Seat of the Council of Ten, and proprietor of the Japanese cuisine restaurant Kirinoya.

Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Given her goofy antics, it is easy to forget that Hinako graduated from Tōtsuki as the Second Seat of the Council of Ten and is renowned for her mastery in Japanese cuisine.
The Bus Came Back: Hinako, along with Fuyumi and Gin, are chosen to be judges for the Autumn Election semifinals.
Butt-Monkey: She's usually disposed of in humorous ways by Kojirou whenever she annoys him.
Cannot Keep a Secret: She almost blabbered about the unofficial Shokugeki between Shinomiya and Megumi/Soma in front of Roland. The others are quick to distract him while both Fuyumi and Kojirou dope slapped her.
The Chew Toy: A rare instance where the female victim of a male's slapping ends up getting Played for Laughs as well. She tends often to make fun of Kojirō, only for her to receive a swift chop to the head from him. Even hes comrades tend to punish her when she talk too much.
Cuteness Proximity:
- She gets easily distracted when Megumi is near, having to be reminded by the other Legendary Alumni to get back to supervising.
- Happens also when she notices Taki smiling when tasting Soma's "Amusement Park Stew", and compliments with misty eyes how smooth her hands are.
Early-Bird Cameo: She first appeared in Chapter 4, a good deal prior to her main appearance later in the story. This was retconned in the anime, where her first appearance outside the opening credits was at her training camp debut.
Fangirl: Of Megumi, following her unofficial Shokugeki against Kojirou. When training camp is over, she, Hitoshi and Donato offer Megumi to do internships in their respective restaurants. She also seems to be a fan of Soma's, as her commendation earned him bonus points for being immediately selected for the Autumn Election. She also always gets excited when she sees and tastes his cooking.
Hypocritical Humor: Seems to come to Megumi's rescue after Donato starts flirting with her, only to prove she's just as bad when she instantly starts flirting with Megumi herself (and Megumi finds her even scarier, because Hinako would go even further by stroking her cheeks, caressing her hands and say "[Megumi] is so sweet she could eat her"). She also frequently gives rather unwanted compliments or stares lustfully at Megumi across the room.
Plucky Comic Relief: Her goofy personality keeps the Megumi/Soma vs. Kojirou match from getting too tense, such as complimenting a bad pun Soma made or constantly having to be tied up again to keep from annoying Kojirou while he's cooking.
Red Baron: The Mist Empress.
Slipped the Ropes: Her antics cause her fellow alumni to tie her up to make her stop (though mostly Kojirou), but she will always slip out of them later in the same scene. This is always done for comedy.
Tareme Eyes: Her eyes are slightly drooped down, both to contrast Fuyumi's Tsurime Eyes and highlight her gentle nature.
Tender Tears: Shown openly crying after Kojirou's graduation, but out of frustration that he's leaving for France on short notice, as well as fear for his career given his short-tempered nature.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Comes along as this towards Kojirou. Hinako frequently makes fun of him, and Shinomiya would Dope Slap her (or even grab her by the head and lift her) in response. However, they still get along really well, and she seems to be very eager to support his work.
Yamato Nadeshiko: Subverted. She looks the part with her kimono, has mastered traditional Japanese cooking, speaks in a soft and kindly manner and certainly has the determination to graduate from a place like Totsuki. However, she's quite a tease — she purposely dawdled when asked to judge between Soma and Takumi's dishes before hastily announcing a draw when her group was ordered to return to the HQ, and she seems to enjoy making fun of Shinomiya. She also shares the same competitive ideology as her colleagues and will not hesitate to expel subpar chef students, even looking along in amusement as they panic. She's also pretty excitable and enjoys flirting with high school girls.

Donato Gotouda

Voiced by: Takayuki Kondō (Japanese), David Wald (English), Santiago Dora (Latin Spanish)

Hinako's half-Italian batch-mate and owner of French auberge Tesoro.

But Not Too Foreign: His name and appearance implies that he is part-European.
The Charmer: Immediately flirts with Megumi the moment he is introduced.
Funny Foreigner: In the anime, his accent is even more thick and his reaction to Erina's food is even more of a Large Ham.
Gratuitous Italian: In a flashback-bonus, Donato is seen greeting Fuyumi with a "Ciao!"
Mr. Fanservice: In the anime his foodgasms are detailed, as Erina's cooking would also strip his clothes off.
Platonic Life-Partners: Being batch-mates, he is often seen hanging around with Hinako without flirting with her, or either Fuyumi.

Fuyumi Mizuhara

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Chaney Moore (English), Guillermina Cabrera (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shokugeki_fuyumi.jpg

Hinako and Donato's upperclassman from the 79th Generation and owner of Italian Ristorante F, as well as former Second Seat of the Council of Ten behind batch-mate and rival Kojirou.

Always Second Best: Back in their Totsuki days, Kojirou beat her by one Seat, and while Fuyumi got an "A" in Italian cuisine (her speciality), Kojirou got an "A+" there, much to her frustration.
Boyish Short Hair: She has short hair and is definitely not as feminine or compassionate as Hinako. She's also the only female Autumn Election juror to wear pants and a tie.
The Bus Came Back: Fuyumi, along with Hinako and Gin, are chosen to be judges for the Autumn Election semifinals.
Deadpan Snarker: Even though she enjoyed the chou farci Kojirou made for the unofficial Shokugeki, her comment about it is less than positive.
Fuyumi: If it could only erase all memory of Shinomiya, it would've been perfect.
Kojirou: Sucks to be you.
Fangirl: After the training camp, she invited both the Aldini twins and Soma to work for her in her restaurant. Unfortunately for her, all three declined, as they all have their own family diners.
Not So Stoic: A bonus flashback reveals that the only person who could make her snap and get flustered was Kojirou, as noted by Hinako and Donato.
The Rival: Back in their high school days she was this with Kojirou, and has repeatedly challenged him to Shokugekis.
The Stoic: Constantly shows an indifferent expression. The only time she lapses out of this is when she tastes Kojirou's dish during the unofficial Shokugeki.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She's often deadpan, sarcastic and serious most of the time. Although she and Kojirou often butted heads with each other, when they graduated she wished him well for his departure to France.
Tsurime Eyes: Her eyes are slightly slanted upwards, both to contrast Hinako's Tareme Eyes and highlight her slightly more unfriendly nature.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kojirou. Back in high school, she often got irritated by his arrogant smirks, but at the same time respected him as a chef.

Hitoshi Sekimori

Voiced by: Junji Majima (Japanese), Chris Gibson (English), Franco Patiño (Latin Spanish)

Owner of sushi restaurant Ginza Hinora and senpai of Kojirou, Hinako, Donato and Fuyumi.

The Generic Guy: His presence doesn't affect much of the story, as he is there to serve as a commentator along with Donato and Fuyumi.
Straight Man: He, along with Donato, tried to get along with Kojirou (though that didn't stop them from making observations about his attitude), unlike Hinako and Fuyumi, who were constantly exchanging insults with him. Back in the four friends' high-school days, when he noticed Hinako being upset at Kojirou, he threatens to deny the latter more toppings unless he patch things up.

Taki Tsunozaki

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English), Fernanda Rojas (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/175-taki_9690.jpg

88th Generation alumna and former Second Seat of the Council of Ten, Taki owns the Spanish restaurant Taki Amarillo. She's invited to be guest judge for the Autumn Election semifinals.

Alliterative Name: Her first name and last name both begin with the letter "T".
Establishing Character Moment: In her first appearance, she showed her Hot-Blooded persona when talking about Subaru, her bully qualities (by playing with Sonoka's boobs) and how she didn't respect Hinako as her senpai (but she does respect Fuyumi, though).
Everyone Has Standards: Even a hot-headed, disrespectful girl like her cannot help but be righteously infuriated at the sight of Subaru, having learned of the underhanded methods with which he won his quarterfinals match against Takumi.
Hot-Blooded: When she recalled how Subaru stained Takumi's Mezzaluna with gum, she started ranting about how she would beat him up until he learned not to mess with her. Also she almost got into a fight with Ryou for yelling at her.
Jerkass: She is constantly bullying Sonoka, disrespecting her senpais (mostly Hinako) and talking about beating up people she doesn't like. Also she started to berate Soma with only hearing his background as a cook from a special-of-the-day shop, though in this case she figured he was unsuited to cook something like a beef stew given how different it is from what he normally makes.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The dark to Sonoka's light. To contrast Sonoka's light clothing, light hair and mellow character, Taki is wearing black clothes, has dark hair and a brash and aggressive personality.
Perpetual Frowner: Her introductory chapter shows her frowning most of the time while watching Soma and Subaru's showdown.
Tsurime Eyes: She has very sharp eyes, which denotes her aggressive attitude.
When She Smiles: It does happen once she tries the first bite of Soma's Meat Amusement Park, to the point she hallucinates being a schoolgirl at the fair with the other judges. She, begrudgingly, gives her vote to Soma, in spite of having predicted that he was going to be defeated. Hinako is quick to notice how cute she got, to Taki's embarrassment. This happens again in the other semifinals match, where she looks down on Ryou and argues with him, only to admit that his dish had more impact than Akira's.

Sonoka Kikuchi

Voiced by: Asuka Nishi (Japanese), Molly Searcy (English), Victoria Funes Grimaux (Latin Spanish)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/175-sonoka_9125.jpg

89th Generation alumna and former Second Seat of the Council of Ten, demure Sonoka owns the Western restaurant Shunkatei. She's invited to be guest judge for the Autumn Election semifinals.

Buxom Beauty Standard: Her breasts are noticeably larger than the rest of the cast (and that's saying something), hence Taki calling her "Tit Monster".
Extreme Doormat: For someone who used to be so high among the Council of Ten back in her school days, she's quite submissive. Taki bullies her by calling her "Tit Monster" and she got easily intimidated when Ryou yelled at her to already give her vote and the audience started to criticize her for not making a choice quickly, in both occasions being reduced to tears.
Foil: To Taki. While Taki is severe looking and flat, she is more mild-mannered and more endowed.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The light to Taki's dark. To contrast Taki's black clothes, dark hair and brash and aggresive personality, Sonoka is more mellow, has light hair and her clothes are bright.
Nervous Wreck: To decide the result of Akira and Ryou's match, Sonoka crumbles under the pressure of deciding who had to win, to the point the viewers and Ryou himself were pushing her around. It was only because of Gin's intervention that she didn't completely snap.
Shrinking Violet: She gets easily intimidated by Taki.

Riko Ebisawa

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sin_ttulo_1_0.png

A former resident during the Golden Age and former 4th Seat of the Council of Ten.

Living Prop: She is the only named resident aside from the main characters during Jouichirou's flashback arc, but unlike Azami, Jun, and Gin, she doesn't appear in the current timeline.

Characters / Food Wars! - Totsuki Academy

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Totsuki Personnel

Deans

Senzaemon Nakiri

Voiced by: Banjo Ginga (Japanese), John Swasey (English), Aldo Lumbia (Latin Spanish)

Azami Nakiri

Voiced by: Sho Hayami (Japanese), Ian Sinclair (English)

Other Totsuki Personnel

Roland Chapelle

Voiced by: Yuu Mizushima (Japanese), John Gremillion (English), Franco Patiño (Latin Spanish)

Jun Shiomi

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese), Monica Rial (English), Guillermina Cabrera (Latin Spanish)

Hisanao Kageura

Voiced by: Yasuaki Takumi (Japanese), Mike Boike (English)

Leonora Nakiri

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese), Emily Neves (English), Victoria Funes Grimaux (Latin Spanish)

Soe Nakiri

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese), Alan Brincks (English)

Professor Hiroi

Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese), Julie Oliver-Touchstone (English)

Professor Endo

Voiced by: Yoji Ueda (Japanese), Deke Anderson (English)

Other Students

Mitsuru Soutsuda

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita (Japanese), Patrick Poole (English), Jeremías Aguirre (Latin Spanish)

Legendary Totsuki Academy Alumni

Kojirou Shinomiya

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (adult) and Yumiko Kobayashi (child) (Japanese), Benjamin McLaughlin (English), Nelson González (Latin Spanish)

Gin Doujima

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Ty Mahany (English), Aldo Lumbia (Latin Spanish)

Hinako Inui

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Allison Sumrall (English), Mariana Martí (Latin Spanish)

Donato Gotouda

Voiced by: Takayuki Kondō (Japanese), David Wald (English), Santiago Dora (Latin Spanish)

Fuyumi Mizuhara

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Chaney Moore (English), Guillermina Cabrera (Latin Spanish)

Hitoshi Sekimori

Voiced by: Junji Majima (Japanese), Chris Gibson (English), Franco Patiño (Latin Spanish)

Taki Tsunozaki

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English), Fernanda Rojas (Latin Spanish)

Sonoka Kikuchi

Voiced by: Asuka Nishi (Japanese), Molly Searcy (English), Victoria Funes Grimaux (Latin Spanish)

Riko Ebisawa

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