History Characters / ShokugekiNoSomaTootsukiAcademy

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[[WMG:[[center: [- ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'' '''[[Characters/ShokugekiNoSoma Main Character Index]]'''\\
[[Characters/ShokugekiNoSomaPolaris Polaris Dormitory]] | [[Characters/ShokugekiNoSoma92ndGeneration 92nd Generation]] | [[Characters/ShokugekiNoSoma91stGeneration 91st Generation]] | [[Characters/ShokugekiNoSoma90thGeneration 90th Generation]] | '''Tootsuki Academy''' | [[Characters/ShokugekiNoSomaOther Other]]]]-]]]

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This is the page for the characters of ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'' who include Tootsuki staff and former students.
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[[foldercontrol]]

!Tootsuki Personnel

!!Deans

[[folder:Senzaemon Nakiri]]
!!Senzaemon Nakiri
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BanjoGinga (Japanese), Creator/JohnSwasey (English)

[[quoteright:195:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/senzaemon_nakiri_anime.png]]
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Former dean of Tootsuki and Erina and Alice's grandfather.
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* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler:He humbly bows his head while asking Soma to save Erina from her father's influence.]]
* BadassGrandpa: Via his sheer appearance and intimidating aura.
* BigGood: 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. [[spoiler:It was also revealed that he was the one who suggested Jouichirou to enroll Soma at Tootsuki. He's also the one who sent Jouichiro on his wandering ways as he saw the state he was in.]]
* TheBusCameBack: 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.
* TheComicallySerious: 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 [[MoodDissonance too friendly and casual for the event]].
** He has a very serious talk with Soma about Erina's DarkAndTroubledPast... ''while working out at the park''. Most of the MoodWhiplash moments come from Soma's reaction at the old guy jogging and pulling hanging bars.
* CoolOldGuy: 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.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He is very strict, pushes the students to their limits, and doesn't hesitate to expel anyone who fails to meet Tootsuki's high standards. But even he is sickened by [[spoiler:Azami's abusive teaching methods and elitist view of the culinary world.]]
** When trying to test the skills in a 3 vs. 3 between Jouichirou and Gin's teams plus the rebels, Senzaemon cannot help but sweatdrop in front of both Souma and Jouichirou's arguments, basically saying "don't make me have to disqualify both of you...."
* FaceOfAThug: 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 CoolTeacher, as he believes that the education at Tootsuki 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, [[spoiler:as Megumi did.]]
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a large scar across an eye to accentuate his badassery.
* GymBunny: 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''.
* InTheBlood: 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.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: 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.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: ''Everything he does.'' The man could rival [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Gai]] in dramatics.
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler:Allowing Azami to warp Erina's culinary mindset throughout her childhood.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Senzaemon was Erina's only immediate relative who actually cared for her. Erina's father, Azami is an abusive ControlFreak who had to be exiled for brainwashing her. [[spoiler:Erina's mother is a callous bitch who prioritizes food over her daughter's wellbeing.]]
* PapaWolf: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: According to Hisako's father, Senzaemon is the only parental figure Erina has, and her father's name must never be mentioned.
* RatedMForManly: For an old man he's pretty muscular and has a very intimidating presence. Also every time he tastes a good dish, he would strip and reveal his muscles as an approval sign. He can easily keep pace with people way younger than him in terms of working out.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: 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 Tootsuki 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 Jouichirou, Chapter 135 reveals that [[spoiler:it was his idea to have the latter send his son Soma into Tootsuki]], and still later, Chapter 193 also reveals that [[spoiler:he gave Jouichirou his blessing to drop out after seeing him under psychological distress]].
** Chapter 205 also reveals that [[spoiler:he helped Doujima get out of his own frustrations over expectations heaped upon him by encouraging him to work at the Tootsuki Resort]].
* RedBaron: "Gastric Godfather" and "Demon King of Food" amongst other names.
* SoProudOfYou: When reflecting on the close relationship between Soma and Jouichirou, 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. [[spoiler: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]].
* WalkingShirtlessScene: 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.
* WorkoutFanservice: PlayedForLaughs. 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).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Azami Nakiri (formerly Azami Nakamura)]]
!!Azami Nakiri
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ShoHayami

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/azami_nakiri_anime.png]]
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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 Tootsuki 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.
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* {{Abusive Parent|s}}: He claims that he only educated Erina, but he raised her as a {{tykebomb}} 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.
* ArcVillain: The main antagonist of the the Central saga.
* TheAce: 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.
* AffablyEvil: 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.
* AllForNothing: As it turns out, [[spoiler: his crusade to take revenge on the cooking world for "ruining" his beloved Senpai's happiness was pointless since Jouichiro had already moved past the things Azami had been dwelling on for so long.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: Gives off strong HoYay vibes in relation to Jouichiro (admired Senpai) and Eishi (admiring Kouhai) but is also implied to sleep in the same room as two MsFanservice judges introduced as his [[ALadyOnEachArm arm-candy]]. Also he was once shown to be affectionate towards his wife.
* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: [[spoiler:The members of Tootsuki and the rebels rejoiced when they won against Central and Azami leaves with dignity]].
* ArchnemesisDad: He reappears at his own daughter's booth, humiliating her in front of all her customers. His main goal is to reform Tootsuki by destroying the Status Quo, while also insulting all of her customers.[[spoiler: 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 Tootsuki from him, even if it means resigning from the Council of Ten and confronting him face-to-face]].
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Hey you know how Erina becoming the Tenth Seat of the Council of Ten while in middle school made her a prodigy? [[spoiler: Azami made ''Third Seat'' in his first year of high school (directly under Gin and Jouichiro, who were third years at the time). And by his second year, he made '''First Seat'''.]]
* BehindEveryGreatMan: [[spoiler:After Joichiro had 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.]]
* BeneathTheMask: Azami comes across as a haughty elitist who will exploit anyone for his own ambition. In actuality, [[spoiler:he is a sad man who desperately longs for a happy family.]]
* BlackEyesOfEvil: 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.
* BreakTheHaughty: He's subjected to this by Erina in the final bout of the Regiment de Cuisine. Azami is completely cornered and Soma's ShutUpHannibal 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.
* TheBusCameBack: After being sacked from his position as the Headmaster, Azami doesn't appear [[spoiler:until chapter 309. This time he is a crestfallen man concerned for his wife and daughter.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Back when Jouichirou 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.]]
* TheChessmaster: 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.
* ControlFreak: 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 Tootsuki takes this up to eleven where he essentially plans to [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:this even applies to his idol, Jouichirou, to the point where Azami wants to shut down his senpai's diner and make him TheDragon]].
** Soma's ShutUpHannibal 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?
* TheCorrupter: 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 [[spoiler: Tsukasa, who used to be simply determined to improve his cooking and rather [[NoSocialSkills bad with people]] before Azami practically ''stalked'' the poor kid until he was subverted to his way of thinking.]]
* CrazyPrepared: 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.
* CreativeSterility: 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. [[spoiler: 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?"]]
* CruelMercy: [[spoiler:Grants Eizan one which results in him being humiliated by his own Central colleagues.]]
* DarkIsEvil: Black hair, black suit, black gloves, black socks, black underwear and a [[CastingAShadow dark personality]]. He even wears black outfits in sweltering heat.
* DarkMessiah: 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.
* DeathGlare: When Soma requests a seat with him at Erina's banquet, he gives a rather chilling look.
* DisappearedDad: 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.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Those council members that didn't vote for him? [[spoiler: He boots them off the council in return once he comes to power.]]
* DissonantSerenity: What's unnerving about him is how serene he looks despite his foreboding and intimidating presence.
* TheDreaded:
** Both Erina and Hisako [[OhCrap 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.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: He has a very pale skin tone, even rivalling Alice's already unusually white complexion. This, combined with his jet black hair, makes him look even more creepy.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: 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 talked about reforming Tootsuki's current state as low.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He's a selfish zealot with little to no regard to other people's feelings, but [[spoiler: his love for his wife and daughter is genuine and is what ultimately motivates him to kick start his "true gourmet" plan in an attempt to save them from the curse of the God Tongue.]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He's so obsessed with establishing his world of gourmet as "revenge" for what happened to Jouichiro that he totally failed to realize that the latter was very much happy and content running his diner with his wife and son. [[spoiler: Even when Soma points this out during his breakdown, he still refuses to accept it.]]
* EvilIsHammy: The guy sounds like a {{Chuunibyou}} who forgot he is an adult. He views the cooking world as HighFantasy and himself as its DarkLord. It is surprising he got so much support.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Fittingly for a character voiced by Creator/ShoHayami, he has a very low and sinister baritone.
* FairPlayVillain: 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 Shokugekis 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. [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler:idolized Jouichirou 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").]]
* TheExile: [[spoiler: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.]]
* FantasyForbiddingFather: 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 [[spoiler:Erina resigns from the Council of Ten to side with her friends at least...]]
* {{Foil}}: To Jouichirou, Senzaemon, and Erina.
** Jouichirou -- 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. Also Azami believes in the existence of a cuisine which is "absolutely perfect", whereas Jouichirou 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 Jouichirou'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 Jouichirou, like Mitsuru towards Soma. Unlike Mitsuru, who admires Soma [[HopeBringer because of what he represents]], Azami had a disturbing fascination with Jouichirou's darker side.
* GoodHairEvilHair: In his youth, [[spoiler: and return in the Blue tournament]] he has his bangs let down. After his StartOfDarkness, he slicks his hair back and adopts his darkened clothes.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After the Rebels win the Regiment de Cuisine, Azami calmly accepts defeat and leaves Tootsuki]].
* HateSink: He goes out of his way to be as despicable as possible because of 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. [[spoiler: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]].
* HeroWorshipper: [[spoiler:He reveals that the only thing he holds dear from his student days is the memory of Jouichirou Saiba, since his cooking was one of the few things that fit in his high standards. Jouichirou 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]].
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: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 [[CruelToBeKind 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.]]]]
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: After Jouichirou dropped out of Tootsuki, 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 Jouichirou, she was also eventually overwhelmed by the pressures of the gourmet world and ended up leading 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''': [[CaptainOblivious Hm. Someone got in your way? I guess they were some really rude dudes. Getting in the way of someone's food and stuff.]]
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: [[spoiler:While he was a lot nicer when he was a student at Tootsuki, there was something ''dark'' about him. Most explicitly shown when, after Jouichirou 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]].
* InformedAbility: 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, [[spoiler:for a while at least.]]
* InsaneTrollLogic: 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 Jouichirou's downfall. What Azami does not realize that without innovation, the skills of even the best chefs would stagnate over time. He also doesn't register the fact that few years after Jouichirou left, the latter's skills had exponentially improved far beyond Totsuki's elite standards.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: 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.
* ItsAllAboutMe: 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. [[spoiler: 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.]] [[spoiler: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.]]
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:He deeply resents the culinary world that ruined Joichiro and Mana so much that he wants to exact revenge on it]].
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** 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.
** 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.
* KarmaHoudini: While his plans are ultimately foiled by the rebel's efforts, Azami leaves Tootsuki on his own terms and gets away with abusing his power as dean scot-free.
* KnightOfCerebus: Compared to every other antagonist before, his appearance is played ''completely'' seriously with very few quirks to balance out. [[spoiler:The worst we saw of parents in this series is parental neglect from Subaru's father -- Azami outright abuses his daughter.]]
* KnightTemplar: 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.
* KnightTemplarParent: 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 [[spoiler: 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.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:When the Rebels win against Central in the Régiment de Cuisine, Azami decides to leave his position as dean]].
* LoveMakesYouEvil: As it turns out, most of his actions end are rooted in [[spoiler: 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.]]
* TheMaidenNameDebate: Judging by the school photo of him, he took 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.
* ManipulativeBastard: He's ridiculously good at convincing people to do what he wants, and part of the reason he was able to take over Tootsuki 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.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Considering that Central has several fascist parallels with UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, Azami serves as a stand-in for UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler among others.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: By attempting to [[spoiler: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]].
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Almost all of his panels are too creepy.
* NoodleIncident: [[spoiler:It is revealed that Azami's wife is Mana Nakiri the CEO of the World Gourmet Organization, which explains how Azami had connections to it. She too has the God Tongue. [[BlessedWithSuck Due to complications arising from that ability]], she had abandoned Azami and the Nakiri family although the exact details are unknown. The current status of their relation is unknown.]]
* NotSoDifferent: Chapter 309 reveals he was this with both Soma and Jouichiro. [[spoiler: After the latter had dropped out he too grew disillusioned with the culinary world and lost his passion for cooking. Similarly, it wasn't until he met his future wife Mana that he regained his passion through his continued efforts to get her to admit his cooking was delicious after she insulted it, which is the exact same way Soma and Erina met.]]
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: learning that Soma is Jouchiro'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 "bestowing" 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.]]
* ObviouslyEvil: Let's see, his introduction is framed in pitch-black darkness, induces an OhCrap 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.[[spoiler: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.]]
* OhCrap: Azami is visibly alarmed when he witnesses [[spoiler:an unprecedented variation of the Nakiri bestowal from Mana Nakiri, which is a consequence of her tasting Soma's delicious fried rice dish.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: As it later turns out, [[spoiler: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 [[FallenHero become a callous and cruel man in his attempts to save them.]]]]
* ThePerfectionist: 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).
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: His vision of "True Gourmet" depends on his daughter's Divine Tongue to determine the perfect cuisine. To this end, [[spoiler:he [[ParentalChildAbuse brainwashed Erina since childhood]] to only accept the most perfect of cooking and regard the rest as trash, turning her into the AlphaBitch we see at the beginning]].
* TheProudElite: A lot worse than Erina.
* {{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". [[spoiler:After we learn the source of his ideals -- namely, Jouichirou's mental burn-out and self-imposed exile -- she's probably right]].
* SarcasticClapping: Does this after [[spoiler:Kurokiba wins his match against Rentarou and hears Kurokiba's friends celebrating his victory.]]
* ShamefulStrip: Azami's Nakiri Family [[TheNudifier "stripping" ability somehow inflicts this on people around him]] when he eats delicious food. [[spoiler: 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.]]
* SharedFamilyQuirks: [[spoiler:Both him and his daughter idolize Jouichiro as the ideal chef.]]
** On another note, marrying into the Nakiri family actually granted him a "stripping" ability too.
* SkunkStripe: He has black hair and a white stripe.
* TheSociopath: Downplayed. Azami isn't outright violent, but he is abusive, manipulative and narcissistic. He lacks empathy and [[TheUnfettered will do anything to achieve his goal]].
* SoreLoser: PlayedForLaughs when Jouichiro 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.
* SpeakOfTheDevil: As far as most of Tootsuki is concerned, Azami was not supposed to exist anymore. Even among the Aratos, long-time associates of the Nakiris, his name is considered unmentionable.
* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:Jouichirou's [[TragicDropout self-imposed exile]] and Mana's condition took its toll on his psyche ''badly''.]]
* TheSvengali: 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.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Despite everything, still a looker.
* ThisCannotBe: Said word for word when [[spoiler: Erina's dish in the finals of the Regime De Crusine trumps over Central's.]]
** He also [[spoiler: refuses to believe Soma telling him that Jouichiro eventually worked through his sorrow and was happy again after marrying his wife and starting his diner.]]
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe example. Azami believes that fine arts, including gourmet cooking, can only be truly appreciated and understood by people with refined taste and proper education.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Many of the characters get a strong sense of unease once he takes over, describing the atmosphere of the school as "eerie". [[spoiler: 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.]]
* UnPerson: All references to him (except one photograph) have been removed from Tootsuki'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.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Played with. As a student he was very sincere, almost shy and a huge Jouichirou 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.
* VillainHasAPoint:
** 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 HypocriteHasAPoint.
** 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. [[spoiler: Of course, that wasn't Soma's intention from the start.]]
* VillainRespect: To say that Azami admires Jouichirou Saiba is an understatement...
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: 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 Jouichirou 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.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: 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; [[spoiler: something he witnessed firsthand with his idol, Jouichiro and his wife, Mana]] However, he's done a ''lot'' of questionable and outright criminal things to achieve that end.
* WickedCultured: Trains with a sword in the Nakiri dojo, and frequently seen with a glass of red wine within arm's reach.
* WithUsOrAgainstUs: His ideology in a nutshell, either you support him or you're an enemy to his beliefs. [[spoiler:He boots off Satoshi, Terunori and Tosuke, the three Council of Ten members who didn't vote for him for this very reason.]]
[[/folder]]


!!Other Tootsuki Personnel

[[folder:Roland Chapelle]]
!!Roland Chapelle
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Yuu Mizushima (Japanese), JohnGremillion (English)

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/88d07fbc1a0cb69d120212cf93b78ba7.jpg]]

A stern French chef and lecturer at Tootsuki, as well as head of its French Cuisine Division.
----
* TheDreaded: PlayedForLaughs -- 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.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Even he, one of the strictest teachers at Tootsuki, balks at [[spoiler:Azami's vision of Tootsuki as a utopia for students to perfect their craft, thinking he is actually creating a regime of totalitarian imitation, enforced by a handpicked oligarchy]].
* FrenchJerk: Nicknamed "[[RedBaron 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".
* PerpetualFrowner: Almost always seen to be scowling or glaring at someone, hence his nickname "The Chef Who Doesn't Smile".
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: 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.
* SternTeacher: Has very high standards and very few students can get a smile out of him.
* WhenHeSmiles: 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. [[spoiler:He is also seen smiling in satisfaction after watching Soma defeat Etsuya at a Shokugeki and declare his second BadassBoast.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jun Shiomi]]
!!Jun Shiomi
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MikakoTakahashi (Japanese), Creator/MonicaRial (English)
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/31_junshiomi_9946.jpg]]

74th Generation alumna and second-year professor, Jouichirou and Gin's former roommate at the Polaris Dormitory, and mother-figure to Akira.
----
* AbsentMindedProfessor: Jun is entirely reliant on Akira to perform daily tasks around the office and lab, because she constantly forgets to do them herself.
* ApologizesALot: Seeing Megumi and Jun interact, Souma’s eyes glaze over as he realizes they’re stuck in an infinite loop of apologies.
* BerserkButton: Never mention Jouichirou's name in front of her.
* BreakTheCutie: Downplayed. [[spoiler: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.]]
* CryCute: PlayedForLaughs twice. First when Akira won the Autumn Election, as she ran to him while comically crying, only to be surprised by a sudden hug from him. Then when Alice expressed how much she wanted to work with Akira, which made Jun shed happy tears because ''Akira finally had friends his age''.
* CuteClumsyGirl: 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.
* DisproportionateRetribution: No sooner had Soma mentions he's Jouichirou'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 Jouichirou's son.
* DotingParent: She is proud of Akira's achievements and gets emotional at the slightest hint of Akira's friendships.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: 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.
* FirstNameBasis: 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 CuteClumsyGirl who ApologizesALot and was regularly forced to taste disgusting experiments made by a Yukihira. While Megumi became best friends with her tormentor, the mention of Jouichirou's name is her BerserkButton.
* FunSize: Even when Akira was a boy, he was OneHeadTaller than her.
* GagBoobs: While perhaps not as massive as some on the show, they are relatively huge for her [[FunSize height and frame.]]
* GeniusDitz: 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.
* HarshWordImpact: 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)''
* {{Meganekko}}: Paired with her lab coat, which reinforces her role as the Cute Scientist, who is the Theoretical expert in spices.
* MsExposition: 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.
* NoodleIncident: Jouichirou 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.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Despite being roughly the same age as Gin and Jouichirou, 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. [[HandWave Jun attributes her young appearance to all the spices she eats]], claiming they have medical benefits. [[LampshadeHanging Souma thinks it’s a terrible excuse.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Jun took Akira under her wing and served as both his mentor and mother figure.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: She's childish and excitable compared to the aloof and collected Akira.
* SenseiChan: [[OlderThanTheyLook She's 34 years old but still looks like a middle schooler]], unmarried, her best student has a FirstNameBasis with her, and she's very HotBlooded and impulsive.
* TechnoBabble: Jun gets into this mode when explaining theories about spices. Akira is tasked with translating it into practical use.
%%* TomboyishPonytail
* TheUnapologetic: 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.
* WackyParentSeriousChild: 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.
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Tried to warn Akira against aligning himself with so untrustworthy a person as Azami, even if he has her lifelong work hostage.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fumio Daimidou]]
->''See the "[[Characters/ShokugekiNoSomaPolarStarDormitory Polaris Dormitory]]" page''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gin Doujima]]
->''See the "Gin Doujima" folder under Legendary Tootsuki Academy Alumni''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hisanao Kageura]]
!!Hisanao Kageura
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hisanao_2600.png]]

The president of the Shokugeki Administration Bureau.
----
* EveryoneHasStandards: Out of all people, he is the most disgusted by the new regime, since he values the true purpose and honor of a Shokugeki.
* OpaqueLenses: His eyes haven't been shown yet.
* SharpDressedMan: He wears a suit with a card motif pattern. People are impressed by that pattern.
* StoicGlasses: He has always a serious expression and his OpaqueLenses reflects the part.
** NotSoStoic: He doesn't take the Azami administration's rigged Shokugeki very well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Leonora Nakiri]]
!!Leonora Nakiri
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SayakaOhara (Japanese), Creator/EmilyNeves (English)

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/270px-lenora_nakiri_7976.jpg]]

Alice's Danish mother, head of Tootsuki's Research Division ''Nakiri International'', and judge for the final round of the Autumn Election.
----
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: 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.
* BaitAndSwitch: 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?!
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Leonora is warm and friendly, but she holds an intimidating presence when telling Soma that his dish better be delicious, lest she becomes angry.
* DitzyGenius: 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]]Leonora comments that Tootsuki's tradition of the Full Moon in the Finale is "very Japanese"[[/note]], she is the current Research Division Head of Tootsuki International in Denmark and part of the Nakiri Family.
* EatingTheEyeCandy: She openly comments how hot Soma, Ryou and Akira look while cooking, to which Alice jokingly calls her a "[[MrsRobinson cougar]]".
* ForeignFanservice: Aside for being a stunningly beautiful Caucasian, her other main charm is her broken Japanese, which many in the audience find cute.
* FunnyForeigner: After doing an elegant entrance, leaving everyone breathless by how beautiful she is, [[MoodWhiplash 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]]Erina calls her ''obasan'' (i.e. "aunty"), which she mishears as "obaasan" (i.e. "grandma")[[/note]] or how eating gloriously delicious dishes makes her speak fluently about it.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: She arrives wearing a purple dress.
* HappilyMarried: To Soe Nakiri.
* HelloNurse: Many people in the audience of the 43rd Autumn Election's Finals noted that she is very beautiful.
* IntimidationDemonstration: 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.
* MotorMouth: 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''.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Just like Alice, as she glared with a menacing presence at Soma, warning him to make her an exciting dish.
* ShoutOut: Appears to be be one, appearance-wise, to Irisviel von Einzbern from ''Anime/FateZero''. The anime adaptation ran with it and got the same voice actress.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Phoentically, the "o" in her name is written as "''ō''", which equates to "''ou''".
* StacysMom: Being Alice's mother doesn't stop the other Tootsuki students from drooling over her beauty.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: 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!
* WallOfBlather: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Soe Nakiri]]
!!Soe Nakiri
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RyotaroOkiayu (Japanese)

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/soenakiri.jpg]]

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.
----
* ColdHam: He's every bit as dramatic as his father, but constantly maintains a cool head and rarely, if ever raises his voice.
* DotingParent: 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".
* TheGhost: Wasn't seen in person for some time, only referenced. Then he was TheFaceless in an EarlyBirdCameo through an ImagineSpot or {{flashback}} of Leonora's to their courtship. He makes his full appearance when asked to judge the match between Sōma and Akira.
* HappilyMarried: Loves his wife Leonora dearly.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: 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".)
* ShirtlessScene: [[LikeFatherLikeSon 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. Gin calls it "Bestowing".
* UnusualEyebrows: Has a pretty odd eyebrow design [[LikeFatherLikeSon which he shares with Senzaemon.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Central Judges]]

Azami's appointed judges, who all share his ideology on food.
----
* HangingJudge: 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.
* HopeCrusher: Eizan convinced them to make their bias as obvious as possible in order to demoralize anyone who opposes Central.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: 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 [[ManipulativeBastard Eizan]] did was give them a verbal push to go along with his plans.
* TheProudElite: Like Azami, they think any dish that uses non-Central methods are automatically worthless. [[spoiler:Though Soma's gyoza dish caused them to doubt their elitism, since his dish was inspired by a lot of experimentation.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professor Hiroi]]
!!Professor Hiroi

A professor at Tootsuki who performs the first of the examinations during the Hokkado exams.
----
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: 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.
* EvilOldFolks: Very elderly, and supports Azami's beliefs.
* FauxAffablyEvil: 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.
* NoblewomansLaugh: Befitting of her character, she does this when she thinks Soma's group won't pass her exam.
* OhCrap: 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.
* TheProudElite: Shows nothing but mockery for the non-Central students.
* SadistTeacher: She and several other Central professors are out to break the spirits of Azami's detractors.
* SmugSnake: She's on Azami's payroll, so naturally she shares his beliefs and tries to rig the exam so that Soma's group fail.
* SoreLoser: 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.
* StarterVillain: 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.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professor Endo]]
!!Professor Endo

A Hokkaido examiner who oversees the second part of the Hokkaido trials.
----
* AssumedWin: As with Hiroi, he thinks he's got the Tootsuki 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...
* DidntSeeThatComing: ...However, he didn't think they'd make their own noodles.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He, himself a teacher, complaining to Erina when he finds out that she trained the rebels.
* TheProudElite: Another Central supporter, so as such he looks down on the rebels.
* SmugSnake: As with any Central supporter, he sports this as well.
* SoreLoser: Subverted. He initially ''complains'' to Erina when he finds out that she trained the Tootsuki 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.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Like Hiroi, he completely underestimates the Tootsuki rebels and their ability to improvise.
* VillainousBreakdown: Gets several as the Tootsuki 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.
[[/folder]]

!Other Students

[[folder:Mitsuru Soutsuda]]
!!Mitsuru Soutsuda
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/DaikiYamashita (Japanese), Patrick Poole (English)

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

A ninth-grader from Tootsuki'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.
----
* {{Adorkable}}: He is a cute middle-school student who worships Soma and follows him with all his reporter equipment. In Chapter 82 (and extended in the anime), Mitsuru goes to comical lengths to get Soma to agree to be the subject of his report, bowing profusely in public, getting him a hot towel, and even preparing lunch for him!
-->'''Mitsuru:''' ''[bowing to Soma in the middle of campus]'' Please let me write a story about you!
-->'''Mitsuru:''' ''[bowing to Soma outside of the bathroom with a hot, wet towel]'' PLEASE let me write a story about you!
-->'''Mitsuru:''' ''[Bowing to Soma in class with a boxed lunch]'' [[SerialEscalation PLEEEEEEASE let me write a story about you!]]
* AudienceSurrogate: As he is investigating Soma, he brings the point of view of someone new to his cooking style during the test runs.
* {{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.
* FanOfUnderdog: He's one of the few students who actually likes Souma 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.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He started crying in despair when he realized that he unintentionally leaked data about Soma to Subaru.
* NiceGuy: There isn't a mean bone in his body, being nothing but polite to Soma and basically everyone he meets.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Subaru later points out that accessing his PC was the easiest part, because Mitsuru used ''his own birthday date'' as password.
* SchoolNewspaperNewsHound: He is one of the juniors of the Tootsuki 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.
* TagAlongKid: 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.
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chinese Cuisine RS]]
Members of Terunori Kuga's Chinese Cuisine RS, heavily focused on Szechuan style.
----
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: They used to underestimate Soma as well before the Moon Banquet. By the time of the promotion exams, they supported him as well.
* BaldOfAwesome: All of them have shaved heads, have been extensively trained by Kuga himself, being capable of replicating his main dishes exactly the same.
* CripplingOverspecialization: All the members only know how to replicate Kuga's recipes, but lack on restaurant managing.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Kuga. They follow Kuga's lead even after Azami's takeover.

----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Regional Cuisine RS]]
Members of the Regional Cuisine RS and Megumi's club mates.
----
* NoNameGiven: The President's name still has to be revealed.
* SupportingLeader: Like Konishi, the president is not the face of the club, with Megumi representing the RS against Central.
* TrueCompanions: 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.

----
[[/folder]]

!Legendary Tootsuki Academy Alumni

[[folder:In General]]
* TheAce: 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 Jouichirou (who dropped out), Hinako, Fuyumi, Taki and Sonoka were Second Seats.
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: They all know each other from their student days at Tootsuki. Jouichirou, Gin, Jun and [[spoiler: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 Chef}}s: As alumni, they belong to the 1% who graduated from Tootsuki and many of them were also part of the Council of Ten.
* TeenGenius: 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 Tootsuki. 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.
* ThrowTheDogABone: 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.
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kojirou Shinomiya]]
!!Kojirou Shinomiya
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/YuuichiNakamura (adult) and Creator/YumikoKobayashi (child) (Japanese), Benjamin [=McLaughlin=] (English)

[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kojirou_shinomiya_anime.png]]
%%[[caption-width-right:155:some caption text]]

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.
----
* TheAce: 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.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Naturally, as he was at the top of the academy until he graduated. Back in their Tootsuki 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.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Soma, almost to the point of being a non-related GenerationXerox in Tootsuki. 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 Queen}}s (Erina and Fuyumi, respectively). Soma becomes one of the few chefs Kojirou has acknowledged. [[spoiler: Both of them were/are First Seats of the Council of Ten.]]
* {{Bishonen}}: 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.
* BreakTheCutie: 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.
* BreakoutCharacter: 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.
* BrokenAce: 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.
* TheBusCameBack:
** 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.
** [[spoiler: 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.]]
* CelibateHero: 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.
* CoolTeacher: 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.
* CultureClash: 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 NoSenseOfPersonalSpace.
* TheCynic: Considers himself the only reliable person in the kitchen, believing the staff will bring him down.
* CynicismCatalyst: 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.
* DontCallMeSir: 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.
* TheDutifulSon: 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.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: 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.
* TheFashionista: 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 NiceGirl who specializes in Japanese comfort foods and [[TechnicianVersusPerformer 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, [[{{Determinator}} endurance]] and CharacterDevelopment, she slowly becomes a chef Kojirou approves of.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: 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.
* FrenchCuisineIsHaughty: 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 BreakTheHaughty 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.
* FreudianExcuse: 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.
* GoalInLife
** His primary motive was to be the first Japanese chef in France with the Pluspol medal. [[spoiler:After winning, he lacked a new motivation and kept cooking without improving]].
** [[spoiler:After his HeelRealization with Megumi's dish, Kojirou decides to be the first Japanese chef in France to achieve three stars (likely the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide Michelin format]]) for his restaurant]].
* GratuitousFrench: 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.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: He is the main character of the SpinOff ''Etoile'', focusing on his earlier days struggling to survive in the French culinary world.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: When he realizes his own inadequacies as a cook, he actually votes against himself in a Shokugeki against Megumi and Soma.
* HyperAwareness: 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.
* HypocriticalHumor: 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).
* IAmNotLeftHanded: 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."
** [[spoiler: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.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** 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.
* JerkassRealization: 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.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: 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 JerkassRealization -- still stern, stubborn and short-tempered, but well-meaning, adaptable and open to change.
* ManlyTears: 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.
* MortonsFork: 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").
* NeckLift: More like a [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1l-kp_QfERE/VTT4Qxklh8I/AAAAAAABB0Q/GkEPZ2BHn7Y/014.png?imgmax=3000 Face Lift]] once Hinako and Lucie were about to refer to a particular NoodleIncident.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: 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).
* NoSocialSkills: 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 Tootsuki.
-->'''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..."
* RedBaron: Le magicien de légumes (The Vegetable Magician).
* RichBoredom: After winning a Pluspol, he becomes a stern chef who wouldn't alter his mindset or recipes for anything in the world.
* SelfMadeMan: 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.
* ShipTease: With Hinako.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: 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.
* SternTeacher: 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 JerkassRealization, he mellows a bit and starts rewarding his employees when he returns, but still {{dope slap}}s with no hesitation. His sous chef and interns, on the other hand, admire his skills and try to learn everything they can from him.
* TokenMinority: 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).
* TookALevelInKindness: 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.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: 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.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With the rest of the Legendary Alumni, especially Hinako and Fuyumi. [[ShipTease 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.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: The first major arc of ''Etoile'' is focused on him protecting Herve's restaurant from closure (by encouraging him to reignite his culinary passion).
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: 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.
* WorthyOpponent: 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"
* WouldHitAGirl: PlayedForLaughs as he shows no qualms in {{Dope Slap}}ping 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.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Coral-colored hair, in his case.
* YouRemindMeOfX: According to Rebecca, Herve must have taken him in because he looked so much like his deceased son, who would have been his age.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gin Doujima]]
!!Gin Doujima
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakehitoKoyasu (Japanese), Ty Mahany (English)

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gin_doujima_anime.png]]
%%[[caption-width-right:250:some caption text]]

General Head Chef of Tootsuki 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 Jouichirou and their middle-school underclassman Jun, he was also the First Seat of the Council of Ten in his time.
----
* TheAce: Seems to be the head among the alumni. He was First Seat of the Council of Ten, and graduated with the highest marks in Tootsuki's history.
* AlwaysSecondBest: His name means "Silver", which is generally associated with second place and always felt like that's what he was destined for. [[spoiler:Despite graduating as a First Seat and with the highest grades in Tootsuki's history, his culinary skills still pale before Jouichirou's, and he was content with it out of deep respect for his best friend.]]
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: He was the First Seat of the Council of Ten back in his day, with Jouichirou as his Second Seat during their time. He also became the protector of the Polaris Dorms back then.
* BashBrothers: According to Fumio, he and Jouichirou were in charge of defending the Polaris Dorms from its many enemies, by barricading the entrance or winning the Shokugekis.
* BerserkButton: Irresponsibility from Jouichiro back in their younger days ''really'' pissed him off. Simply remembering how Jouichiro 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 [[spoiler:Erina, Megumi, and Takumi.]]
* TheBusCameBack: He returns as guest judge for the Autumn Election semi-finals and [[spoiler:Soma's rematch with Akira during the Hokkaido Promotional Exams]].
* CoolTeacher: He is capable of seeing how other people can be better chefs. Also, when asked why he still works for Tootsuki 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 Jouichirou to train and support the Rebels.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Back during his days at Tootsuki, 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.
* FanDisservice: 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. [[spoiler:This is exactly what happened to his best friend Jouichirou, which prompted him to drop out.]]
* FriendlyRival: To Jouichirou back in their high school days. Even after so many years, Gin still sees Jouichirou's long shadow in the form of his son.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: 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.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Jouichirou, hailing all the way back from their Tootsuki days.
* HyperAwareness: A BigDamnHeroes 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 Jouichirou, his old friend/rival, is his father. Chapter 205 further reveals that [[spoiler:this started when Jouichirou dropped him a call a few years years after his departure from Tootsuki, 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. [[spoiler:As it turns out, he was speaking as a witness to Jouichirou's mental burnout back in their Tootsuki days.]]
* InformedAbility: He is supposed to be Tootsuki's greatest alumnus, surpassing even Jouichirou and Kojirou, but besides his keen sense for talent and innovation, we see little of his culinary ability until [[spoiler:flashbacks reveal that he was indeed an awesome chef, albeit only second to Jouichirou]].
* ItsAllMyFault: A downplayed example, in that [[spoiler:he partially blames his own expectations of Jouichirou and lack of foresight for his best friend's mental burnout, resulting in his premature departure from Tootsuki]].
* MrFanservice: He's very well-built, and has been shown naked at least twice.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: [[spoiler:Chapter 205 reveals that he decided to work at Tootsuki Resort, itself an examination venue for students, to help future generations avoid the same fate that befell Jouichirou. In particular, he sees teaching his friend's son Souma as his personal atonement.]]
* NakedFirstImpression: How Soma meets Gin in the public bath.
* NiceGuy: Despite his intimidating looks and aura, and his occasionally intense and strict behavior, Gin is a genuinely kind and supportive person.
* NotSoDifferent: A mild example with him and Soma. Both of them are {{friendly rival}}s to Joichiro and find his antics annoying, both of them were runners up at the Autumn Elections. Both of them held First Seats of the Council of Ten.
** A case of BadassMindsThinkAlike. Both Soma and Gin were devising plans to overthrow Azami by taking over the Council of Ten. Soma and his friends were trained by Gin and Joichiro to face the Council of Ten in a Team Shokugeki.
* RatedMForManly: Has a really muscular body with a similar masculine aura like Jouichirou.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
** 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 [[HelpingWouldBeKillStealing 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.
* TenderTears: Breaks down in sympathy for Jouichirou after [[spoiler:realizing that the weight of expectations was taking its toll on his best friend, and that his expectations aren't helping, either]].
* UnusualEyebrows: His eyebrows resemble sideways "V's".
* VitriolicBestBuds:
** When he and Jouichirou 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.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: 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.
* WorkoutFanservice: His NakedFirstImpression 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 [[NakedPeopleAreFunny Satoshi]] did their workout together, since they were the only ones there at the time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hinako Inui]]
!!Hinako Inui
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MamikoNoto (Japanese), Creator/AllisonSumrall (English)

[[quoteright:225: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''.
----
* BiTheWay: On one hand, Hinako enjoys flirting with her female underclassmen. She said Megumi is her "type", tells Taki how cute she is when she smiles, and loves to hold their hands. On the other hand, she also likes teasing Kojirou, bordering on a ShipTease.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: 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.
* TheBusCameBack: Hinako, along with Fuyumi and Gin, are chosen to be judges for the Autumn Election semifinals.
* CannotKeepASecret: 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 slap}}ped her.
* TheChewToy: 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.
* CutenessProximity:
** 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'' [[spoiler:when tasting Soma's "Amusement Park Stew"]], and compliments with misty eyes how smooth her hands are.
* EarlyBirdCameo: She first appeared in Chapter 4, a good deal prior to her main appearance later in the story. This was [[RetCon 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.
* HypocriticalHumor: 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.
* PluckyComicRelief: 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.
* RedBaron: The Mist Empress.
* SempaiKohai: She is the kohai to Gin, Kojirou and Fuyumi back in their high-school days.
* ShipTease: With Kojirou.
* TaremeEyes: Her eyes are slightly drooped down, both to contrast Fuyumi's TsurimeEyes and highlight her gentle nature.
* TenderTears: 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.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Comes along as this towards Kojirou. Hinako frequently makes fun of him, and Shinomiya would DopeSlap 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.
* YamatoNadeshiko: Subverted. She may look gentle, but she's actually 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Donato Gotouda]]
!!Donato Gotouda
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TakayukiKondo (Japanese), Creator/DavidWald (English)

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/28_donatogotouda_2549.jpg]]

Hinako's half-Italian batch-mate and owner of French auberge ''Tesoro''.
----
* ButNotTooForeign: His name and appearance implies that he is part-European.
* TheCharmer: Immediately flirts with Megumi the moment he is introduced.
* FunnyForeigner: In the anime, his accent is even more thick and his reaction to Erina's food is even more of a LargeHam.
* GratuitousItalian: In a flashback-bonus, Donato is seen greeting Fuyumi with a "Ciao!"
* MrFanservice: In the anime his foodgasms are detailed, as Erina's cooking would also strip his clothes off.
* PlatonicLifePartners: Being batch-mates, he is often seen hanging around with Hinako without flirting with her, or either Fuyumi.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fuyumi Mizuhara]]
!!Fuyumi Mizuhara
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi (Japanese), Chaney Moore (English)

[[quoteright:225: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.
----
* AlwaysSecondBest: Back in their Tootsuki 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.
* BoyishShortHair: 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.
* TheBusCameBack: Fuyumi, along with Hinako and Gin, are chosen to be judges for the Autumn Election semifinals.
* DeadpanSnarker: 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.
* NotSoStoic: A bonus flashback reveals that the only person who could make her snap and get flustered was Kojirou, as noted by Hinako and Donato.
* TheRival: Back in their high school days she was this with Kojirou, and has repeatedly challenged him to Shokugekis.
* TheStoic: Constantly shows an indifferent expression. The only time she lapses out of this is when she tastes Kojirou's dish during the unofficial Shokugeki.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: 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.
* TsurimeEyes: Her eyes are slightly slanted upwards, both to contrast Hinako's TaremeEyes and highlight her slightly more unfriendly nature.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Kojirou. Back in high school, she often got irritated by his arrogant smirks, but at the same time respected him as a chef.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: She has bluish green hair.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hitoshi Sekimori]]
!!Hitoshi Sekimori
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JunjiMajima (Japanese), Chris Gibson (English)

[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/30_hitoshisekimori_7080.jpg]]

Owner of sushi restaurant ''Ginza Hinora'' and senpai of Kojirou, Hinako, Donato and Fuyumi.
----
* EyesAlwaysShut
* TheGenericGuy: His presence doesn't affect much of the story, as he is there to serve as a commentator along with Donato and Fuyumi.
* StraightMan: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Taki Tsunozaki]]
!!Taki Tsunozaki
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MikakoKomatsu (Japanese), Creator/KiraVincentDavis (English)

[[quoteright:175: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.
----
* AlliterativeName: Her first name and last name both begin with the letter "T".
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: In her first appearance, she showed her HotBlooded persona when talking about Subaru, her bully qualities (by playing with Sonoka's boobs) and how [[MouthyKid she didn't respect Hinako as her senpai]] (but she does respect Fuyumi, though).
* EveryoneHasStandards: 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.
* HotBlooded: When she recalled how Subaru [[PracticalTaunt 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.
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: 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.
* PerpetualFrowner: Her introductory chapter shows her frowning most of the time while watching Soma and Subaru's showdown.
* TsurimeEyes: She has very sharp eyes, which denotes her aggressive attitude.
* WhenSheSmiles: It does happen once she [[spoiler: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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sonoka Kikuchi]]
!!Sonoka Kikuchi
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Asuka Nishi (Japanese), Creator/MollySearcy (English)

[[quoteright:175: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.
----
* ExtremeDoormat: 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.
* GagBoobs: Her breasts are noticeably larger than the rest of the cast (and that's saying something), hence Taki calling her "Tit Monster".
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: 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.
* NervousWreck: 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 [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Gin's intervention]] that she didn't completely snap.
* ShrinkingViolet: She gets easily intimidated by Taki.
----
[[/folder]]

----

** 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 even left the former sickened at his methods.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: 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. Getting more desperate as he see others getting stripped from just the pure aura the dish exhumes. This reaches it's peak when Soma reveals Jouichirou 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.]]

* NotSoDifferent: Chapter 309 reveals he was this with both Soma and Jouichiro. [[spoiler: After the latter had dropped out he too grew disillusioned with the culinary world and lost his passion for cooking. Similarly, it wasn't until he met his future wife Mana that he regained his passion through his continued efforts to get her to admit his cooking was delicious after she insulted it, which is the same exact way Soma and Erina met.]]

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MikakoTakahashi (Japanese), Creator/MonicaRial (English)

* AmbiguouslyBi: Gives off strong HoYay vibes in relation to Jouichiro (admired Senpai) and Eishi (admiring Kouhai) but is also implied to sleep in the same room as two MsFanservice judges introduced as his [[ALadyOnEachArm arm-candy]]. Also he was once shown to be very loving towards his wife.

* TheBusCameBack: After being sacked from his position as the Headmaster, Azami doesn't appear [[spoiler:until chapter 309. This time he doesn't have his arrogant airs anymore and is melancholic about his wife and daughter.]]

* BeneathTheMask: Azami comes across as a haughty elitist who will exploit anyone for his own ambition. In actuality, [[spoiler:he is a sad man who desperately wants a happy family.]]

* GoodHairEvilHair: In his youth, [[spoiler: and return in the Blue tournament]] his hair was neatly kept. After his StartOfDarkness, he slicks his hair back and adopts his darkened clothes.

[[folder:Azami Nakiri (born Azami Nakamura)]]

* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: After Jouichirou dropped out of Tootsuki, Azami lost all his passion for cooking. However, then he met Mana on one of his jobs as the Elite Ten, who ended up reigniting his passion again. However, like Jouichirou, she was also eventually overwhelmed by the pressures of the gourmet world and ended up leading 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.]]

* InformedAbility: 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.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Gives off strong HoYay vibes in relation to Jouichiro (admired Senpai) and Eishi (admiring Kouhai) but is also implied to sleep in the same room as two MsFanservice judges introduced as his [[ALadyOnEachArm arm-candy]]. Also he did beget Erina.

** ParentsAsPeople: As it later turns out, [[spoiler: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 [[FallenHero become a callous and cruel man in his attempts to save them.]]]]

* TheExile: [[spoiler: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.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: An even bigger one than Erina. Although Azami may be cruel when he's first introduced, he loves Mana and Erina [[spoiler:as demonstrated when he wanted to help Erina not suffer the same fate as her mother's through his harsh training]].

** ParentsAsPeople: As it later turns out, [[spoiler: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.]]

* {{Abusive Parent|s}}: He claims that he only educated Erina, but he raised her as a {{tykebomb}} 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. But as it later turns out, [[spoiler:his behavior was all because he didn't want Erina suffer the same fate as her mother's]].

* NoodleIncident: [[spoiler:It is revealed that Azami's wife is Mana Nakiri, the CEO of the World Gourmet Organization (which explains how Azami had connections to it). She too has the God Tongue. [[BlessedWithSuck Due to complications arising from that ability]], she had abandoned Azami and the Nakiri family although the exact details are unknown. The current status of their relation is unknown.]]

* {{Abusive Parent|s}}: He claims that he only educated Erina, but he raised her as a {{tykebomb}} 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. [[spoiler:As it turns out, however, it was all because he wanted Erina to not suffer the same fate as Mana]].

* {{Abusive Parent|s}}: He claims that he only educated Erina, but he raised her as a {{tykebomb}} 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.
* ArcVillain: Of the Central saga.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Although he may be cruel when he's first introduced, he loves Mana and Erina [[spoiler:as demonstrated when he wanted to help Erina not suffer the same fate as her mother's through his harsh training]].

* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:He deeply resents the culinary world that ruined Joichoro and Mana so much that he wants to exact revenge on it]].
* {{Jerkass}}: His cruel personality is even worse than his own daughter's. [[spoiler: As an example, in chapter 135, he fires Hisako so that Erina will not become soft.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: 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. [[spoiler: 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.]]
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:He deeply resents Jouichirou so much that he wants to exact revenge on him and his ideology of cooking]].

* BigBad: [[spoiler: Some time after his appearance in chapter 131, he informs to Senzaemon that he got signed approval of 6 out of 10 Council of Ten members to become a new dean]]. Which makes him closest thing to a villain so far.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: 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; [[spoiler: something he witnessed firsthand with his idol, Jouichiro.]] However, he's done a ''lot'' of questionable and outright criminal things to achieve that end.

* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: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 [[CruelToBeKind imposed a strict education on Erina in an attempt to slow down the God Tongue's curse.]]]]

* StartOfDarkness: [[spoiler:Jouichirou's [[TragicDropout self-imposed exile]] took its toll on his psyche ''badly''.]]