Original Air Date: July 23th, 2016
With the shocking news that the next round would also be a Shokugeki, the fourth duel is on: Takumi vs. Subaru.
This episode provides examples of:
- Adapted Out: Takumi's girl-fanclub is absent from the tournament.
- Crazy-Prepared: Subaru not only investigated what Takumi was going to make, but also added improved twists in his own version, like making menringue and adding almond flour to the batter of the sponge cake, and preserved lemons to each layer of the semifreddo. He even investigated Takumi's whole personality, since it would also help him predict any possible comeback Takumi would do and how to further humilliate him by citing both Isami and his rivalry with Soma.
- Ditto Fighter: The core of Subaru's cooking style. He essentially becomes his rival after several days of stalking and later makes his own twists to up his own counter attack.
- Evolving Credits: In the Opening Rough Diamonds, Subaru's name and his face are finally shown. In the ending Snow Drop, the person in the flower field this time is Takumi.
- Honor Before Reason: Discussed and Subverted. The judges are disgusted by Subaru's lack of ethics as a chef, but they still have to choose objectively which dish tastes better by itself.
- Hope Spot: Takumi, cornered by Subaru's unexpected adjustments to his recipe, remembered that olive oil he always carried as a good luck charm, so he used it to make a new layer of Lemon Curd to his semifreddo. But despite this momentary recovery, Subaru reveals that he anticipated this move and it wasn't enough to surpass all the fixes he applied to his own semifreddo.
- Impossibly Delicious Food: While both being the same recipe, each version has its own variations and reactions from the judges.
- Subaru's Improved Lemon Semifreddo was made with such finesse that the judges momentarily felt like teenage girls while sampling it.
- Despite Subaru winning, Takumi's 4th layered Lemon Semifreddo was very close due to the last minute layer of improvised Lemon Curd, made with olive oil, wich gave the judges the sensation of a Mediterranean breeze and Takumi surrounded by fresh lemon scent.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: To Ikumi's shock, the bulky and rough Subaru was actually skilled in delicate work, to the point Shoji and Daigo couldn't help but perceive him as a maiden doing embroidery.
- Loophole Abuse: Even though the judges are disgusted by Subaru's strategy of copying the opponent's dish, Subaru retorts that the rules in the Shokugeki don't prohibit presenting the same dish on both sides, since the only thing that matters is which one is the best.
- Mr. Exposition: Shun is the one who explains to the others how Subaru works by stalking his oponents, bait them to accept a Shokugeki and take their knives as trophy. Turns out that he investigated Subaru out of spite.
- Nerves of Steel: Despite Takumi losing to Subaru and him having a copy of his bedroom key and stalking him there as well, Soma prepared tea and invited him dinner.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After Subaru's attempts to provoke Soma, he still remained calm and told him that instead of fear or anger he felt so sorry for Subaru because of his great talent but lack of honor. That ended with Soma accepting the Shokugeki, but also raising the stakes.
- Stalker without a Crush: Subaru reveals that he has been stalking both Soma and Takumi in search for useful details, since he not only does research on their cooking styles, but also in their personalities and how they will affect any possible outcome. This ended up helping him on how to press their Berserk Buttons and what Takumi would do to improvise at the very last minute.
- Throwing Down the Gauntlet: To make their Shokugeki official, Takumi threw a glove to Subaru. If Subaru loses, he would have to personally apologise to Isami for staining the mezzaluna.
- Wham Line: "If you win, I'll never cook again."
