List of Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma characters

Sōma Yukihira (幸平 創真, Yukihira Sōma)

Voiced by: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (anime)

The main protagonist, Sōma is the son of Jōichirō Saiba and worked at his father's diner, Yukihira, until it was closed when Jōichirō decided to work overseas. Sōma then enrolls at Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. He receives a cold reception, seemingly overconfident as the heir to a common family restaurant, but after gradually proving his worth in cooking matches and Shokugeki, and always having a positive attitude, the student body begins to warm-up to him and he makes many new friends. Sōma eventually learns that his father was a legendary student at the academy, though this is not generally known due to a name change.

Sōma enjoys experimenting, seeing failure as a learning opportunity, and is a very confident and positive person. Due to regular cooking matches with his father, he isn't afraid of any cooking challenge no matter how insurmountable it seems. A theme in Sōma's cooking is using common Japanese dishes (e.g. curry or beef bowls) and common or cheap ingredients as bases for artful everyday dishes. After the stagiaire (internship) period, he begins to develop his own specialty by adapting techniques from other cooking styles. Once he learns of his father's ties with the Nakiri family and of Erina's darker past caused by Azami, Sōma indirectly agrees to help her. After the third Promotional Exam where Sōma redeemed Hayama and survived along with Takumi, Erina and Megumi, the rebel students were aided by Jōichirō and Senzaemon. Azami accepted the challenge of a team Shokugeki between the rebel students and Azami's Elite Ten, with Jōichirō's lifelong service to Azami bet against Azami and his Elite Ten being ousted from the academy.

Erina Nakiri (薙切 えりな, Nakiri Erina)

Voiced by: Risa Taneda (season 1–2), Hisako Kanemoto (current) (anime)

One of the two main heroines in the manga, Erina is initially the primary antagonist of Sōma Yukihira, until this develops into more of a friendship. Erina is the only daughter of Azami Nakiri and an unnamed mother who is Senzaemon's biological daughter. Erina often detests whoever is considered "common" due to her regal pedigree and status within the Tōtsuki organization. Her "God Tongue" can accurately describe the taste and composition of any food, and she gives harsh critiques to chefs and students alike. However, there have been rare occasions where she gives credit to chefs with skill. She had been promoted as the Elite Ten's 10th seat as a middle-schooler.

Erina's "God Tongue" was developed years ago by Azami, through abuse and brainwashing which left her traumatized by his presence. Following this, Erina was taken in by her grandfather, Senzaemon. Despite the progress of her recovery – thanks to Jōichirō Saiba/Yukihira, Alice, Hisako and her uncle Natsu and aunt Leonora – Azami's dark influence remains a part of her. When Azami returns to replace Senzaemon as director of the academy, he again isolates Erina whose emotional condition worsens until she is nothing more than his puppet. Erina is convinced by her cousin Alice to leave the Nakiri mansion, taking shelter at the Polar Star dormitory. Erina is readily accepted by its residents, who she finds mysterious for defying her God's Tongue (which had never happened before) and their creative ideas. Learning that Sōma is Jōichirō's son, Erina explains how Jōichirō was the first person able to surprise her with creative cooking. Sōma is able to reproduce this effect with his eccentric chicken egg tempura, and Erina recovers.

With new-found courage, Erina helped the other first-year students, preparing them for a series of matches against the chefs of Central. After several of them are expelled, Erina openly rebels against her father and resigns from the Elite Ten to directly take part in the team Shokugeki that will decide the fate of the academy.

Megumi Tadokoro (田所 恵, Tadokoro Megumi)

Voiced by: Minami Takahashi (anime)

Megumi is one of the two main heroines and Sōma's most-prominent cooking partner and friend. Originating from a snowy outstation in Japan, Megumi sought to become a chef to help run her family's ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), giving up a table-tennis scholarship to attend Tōtsuki Academy. Megumi's poor social skills and extreme stage fright cause her to underperform in her early days at the academy. Inspired by Sōma, her confidence has grown throughout the series. She is also a resident of the Polar Star Dormitory and is great friends with the other female residents, Ryōko Sakaki and Yūki Yoshino. The secret weapon in her cooking is hospitality, which creates a feeling of familial love and nostalgia in those who eat her dishes (once regressing an arrogant chef to his childhood in the Japanese countryside). She also has a very motherly nature, seen during a cooking class she taught for small children. It is hinted that Megumi has developed feelings for Sōma. She was defeated in the quarter-finals of the Autumn Elections tournament by Ryō Kurokiba in a match represented by fantasy battles that pay homage to series such as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Sukeban Deka.

During the stagiaire period, she partnered with Erina in a French restaurant and survived thanks to Erina's bravery in taking over the restaurant from its ruthless chef. During the Moon Banquet Festival, she helps Sōma run his booth and they are later assisted by Mimasaka Subaru. On the eve of the festival's last day, Kobayashi Rindō invites Megumi and Sōma to Eishi Tsukasa's restaurant where she witnesses the skills of the Elite Ten's first seat as well the return of Nakiri Azami who was appointed Tōtsuki's new director. The next evening, Megumi discovers Erina with those who had helped her escape the Nakiri mansion, and invites them into the Polar Star Dorm. Upon learning the truth about Erina from Hisako, Megumi, along with the rest of the dorm's residents, happily accept Erina.

When the Polar Star Dorm was ordered shut down by the Azami Administration, Megumi and other residents defend the dorm from Eizan's minions until Sōma won a Shokugeki to save it. Following this, Megumi fought and won a Shokugeki against an elitist Central student member to save the Regional Cuisine RS (research society). Megumi was one of three rebels who survived the Promotional Exams, and stands to take part in the team Shokugeki to decide the fate of the academy.

Takumi Aldini (タクミ・アルディーニ, Takumi Arudīni)

Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae (anime)

Takumi is the oldest nephew of the owner of the Trattoria Aldini, a trattoria (family-style restaurant) located in Florence, Italy. He is half-Japanese but, unlike his brother Isami, appears more European – with blond hair and blue eyes – and is noted as being extremely handsome, having fan clubs in Tōtsuki Academy and his hometown. He enrolled in Tōtsuki at the behest of his uncle, taking with him his mezzaluna (two-handed knife) and a bottle of homemade olive oil as a good luck charm. His specialty is Italian cuisine, although many professional chefs noted that he has a broad vision; like Sōma, he will incorporate ingredients and methods from other culinary styles to create inventive dishes, and can modify his recipes while cooking. He is very kind and supportive of his less-skilled brother, to the point of risking his pride to defend Isami's honor.

Takumi has a fierce (and somewhat one-sided) rivalry with Sōma. Takumi sees Sōma as someone similar to himself – both having grown-up working at small family restaurants – and a worthy rival, and jumps at any chance to compete with him. He frequently tries to challenge Sōma to informal cooking challenges (usually leading to an embarrassing situation for himself), hoping to one day defeat Sōma in a formal Shokugeki. Despite their rivalry, both he and Sōma greatly respect each other, and likely view each other as friends outside of the arena.

In the quarter-finals of the Autumn Elections tournament, Takumi was provoked by Mimasaka Subaru into betting his mezzaluna on their match, and lost. Sōma defeats Subaru in a Shokugeki held parallel with their semi-final match and obtains the mezzaluna, but Takumi tells Sōma to keep it until he can win it back. During the Moon Banquet Festival, Takumi and Isami open a booth as a branch of Trattoria Aldini, and achieve the highest sales in their area. Later, the brothers form an alliance with Sōma and the other rebels against the Azami Administration. During the third stage of the Promotional Exams, Takumi and Megumi pass a simple cooking task given by Rindou, but learn from Sōma and Erina that the other rebel students failed and were expelled. Takumi stands with the survivors to take part in the team Shokugeki which will decide the fate of the academy.

Takumi and his brother Isami are the main characters of the Shokugeki no Soma – Fratelli Aldini spinoff manga which focuses on their time in Italy before going to Tōtsuki Academy.

Polar Star residents

The Polar Star Dormitory is a student residence within Tōtsuki Academy, intended to house less-affluent students. In order to become a resident, students must first cook a dish to the satisfaction of the dormitory manager. The dormitory gained prominence during its golden era, a generation before the main story, when residents Gin Dōjima and Jōichirō Saiba held the first two seats of the Elite Ten; they won considerable funding and territory for the building's expansion, including vegetable gardens, workshops, and hardened security against actions by students envious of their success. Jun Shiomi and Azami Nakamura also resided at the dorm.

The current generation of students at Polar Star Dormitory are led by sophomore Satoshi Isshiki, and include a number of talented students with diverse specialties. Six of the eight freshman-members of the dormitory competed during the Autumn Election, receiving high scores in the elimination phase, with Megumi and Sōma advancing to the quarter-finals and finals (respectively).

Polar Star became a symbol of defiance against the Azami Administration and was ordered to be demolished. This was avoided when Sōma won a Shokugeki despite his opponent, Eizan, having bribed the judges. During this match, the other residents defended the dorm from Eizen's subordinates who were sent ahead of schedule to evict them and wreck the dorm. The rebel students were then targeted individually, with ruthless tactics that resulted with most of them being expelled at the Promotional Exams. However, if the remaining rebel students manage to win the Regimental de Cuisine against Central, they will be able to get their friends and restore Tōtsuki back, thus disbanding Central, and dismantling Azami and his followers out from Tōtsuki for good.

Fumio Daimidō (大御堂 ふみ緒, Daimidō Fumio)

Voiced by: Mari Yokoo, Hitomi Nabatame (young) (anime)

Fumio is an elderly lady with blond, backwards-combed, spiked hair. Declaring herself the "Madonna of Polar Star", she is the warden of the dormitory, and administers the cooking test that all residents must pass. At first appearing to be intimidating and stern, Fumio is revealed to be a caring mother-figure to the Polar Star students. She was happy when six of the Polar Star students were chosen for the Autumn Elections, calling it a resurgence of the dorm's golden era.

Fumio has pride in the past achievements of the dormitory, which for a time held the top three seats on the Elite Ten. She still maintains contact with Gin, and would receive Jōichirō on his sporadic visits. She was surprised upon learning that Sōma is Jōichirō's son, and thereafter showed considerable interest in his development. Fumio seems to know Azami quite well; she calls Azami by his former family name, Nakamura, and dismisses as revenge his so-called "salvation to the culinary world".

Satoshi Isshiki (一色 慧, Isshiki Satoshi)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (anime)

Initially the seventh seat of the Elite Ten and a sophomore student at Tōtsuki Academy, Satoshi Isshiki is a handsome and carefree boy with a penchant for wearing nothing but an apron and a fundoshi (thong loincloth). He is very supportive of his underclassmen at Polar Star, and is one of the first to recognize Sōma's talent. Two days before the Autumn Election, Isshiki was entrusted by Jōichirō to watch over Polar Star. Isshiki realizes that Eizan was acting behind-the-scenes against Sōma, and lectures Eizan not to underestimate Sōma's true skills.

Isshiki did not accept Azami as the new director, and was not made aware of the change in administration until it had been decided. Isshiki was dismissed from the Elite Ten, but not before secretly writing a set of rules for the upcoming "survival hunt" Shokugeki to ensure the judging would be fair and impartial. Isshiki, along with former-Elite Ten members Kuga and Megishima, were seen trying to assist the first-year rebels on passing the Promotional Exams, until in the third Exams has most of the first-year rebels except Sōma, Takumi and Megumi are expelled caused by Central's ruthless tactics on sending the current Elite Ten members to expel them through Shokugeki. Thankfully since Jōichirō's full return to Tōtsuki and challenges Azami a Regimental de Cuisine match between the rebels and Central to save most of their whom Central members expelled and restore most of Tōtsuki's former systems, Isshiki and his two fellow former-Elite Ten members participate as well.

Yūki Yoshino (吉野 悠姫, Yoshino Yūki)

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (anime)

Yūki is a petite, energetic girl with odango (double-bun hairstyle), and a first-year student at Polar Star. She is the most hyperactive of the dorm's residents, often acting childishly, teasing the other students, and reacting to situations with exaggerated mannerisms. She has a flat chest and, as a running gag, is often shown to be envious of well-endowed students like Ryōko, though Ryōko and Megumi remain her closest friends in the dormitory. Yūki is also frequently shown reacting in exasperation to Sōma's antics.

Yūki's specialty is cooking wild game. She raises and breeds a large number of game animals in the dormitory, including deer and boar. During the Autumn Elections, she prepared a wild-game curry that won high praises from the judges, finishing 7th in her block.

Ryōko Sakaki (榊 涼子, Sakaki Ryōko)

Voiced by: Ai Kayano (anime)

Ryōko is a tall, mature-looking girl with long purple hair, orange eyes, and a large bust. She is gentle and kind, responding to the eccentrics of the other Polar Star residents in a level-headed manner and comforting the other students when they are troubled. Ryōko's specialty is fermented foods due to her parents owning a well-known fermented-goods shop, and she maintains a workshop near the dorms to produce her own ingredients. She also keeps a bottle of "fermented rice drink" that she would sometimes bring out during parties and celebrations, which Sōma suspects is illegally brewed sake.

During the Autumn Elections, she presented a "curry soy-natto rice" using charcoal-fermented natto and homemade rice-sauce fermented with koji. The dish garnered praise from the judges, who suddenly felt as if they were in a festival due to the quintessentially Japanese and festive taste of the dish. She ultimately took 7th place in her block.

Shun Ibusaki (伊武崎 峻, Ibusaki Shun)

Voiced by: Taishi Murata (anime)

Shun, usually going by his last name Ibusaki, is a first-year resident of Polar Star. He has messy hair that usually covers his eyes, and a quiet nature. Ibusaki is shown to be very calm and perceptive; he quickly noticed that Satoshi was holding back during his informal competition with Sōma, and was one of the few students that remained calm during the gruelling breakfast challenge despite mounting pressure.

Ibusaki's specialty is smoked food. Like many of the other Polar Star students, he would often use the dormitory lounge for smoking food, and would hand-chop the wood he uses. He presented a curry using an array of applewood-smoked items during the Autumn Election, including smoked eggs and smoked salt. He was given the nickname "Prince of Smoke" for this dish, placing 5th in his block.

During a stagiare at a French restaurant, Shun took inspiration from his friends Sōma and Megumi, and pushed himself to try and surpass their cooking level.

Zenji Marui (丸井 善二, Marui Zenji)

Voiced by: Yūsuke Kobayashi (anime)

Zenji, usually going by his last name Marui, is a first-year student and resident of Polar Star. He has a stereotypical-bookworm appearance, with bobbed hair and oversized glasses, and is shown to have poor stamina. Among the Polar Star students, he was the most exhausted by the Summer Training Camp curriculum, comically shown to be near-death on several occasions. Despite this, he is a very competitive chef, and the star of Miyazato Seminar food culture club, despite being a freshman. He has no specialization; instead, he researches cooking styles from all over the world and employs them as needed to make unique, free-style dishes. Because of this, his club gave him the nickname "The Professor of Taste".

During the Autumn Elections, he presented a white-porage curry-udon using cooking methods dating to 1920. This dish was praised by judges, and he tied with Ibusaki for 5th in his block. As a running gag, and despite his protests, Marui's room in Polar Star is often commandeered by his dorm-mates for hosting parties and other social activities, which extended to his hotel room during the Summer Training Camp.

It is currently unknown if the Miyazato Seminar food culture club survived the "survival hunt" Shokugekis.

Daigo Aoki (青木 大吾, Aoki Daigo) and Shōji Satō (佐藤 昭二, Satō Shōji)

Voiced by: Junichi Yanagita (Daigo) (anime)
Voiced by: Kengo Kawanishi (Shōji) (anime)

These two are constantly fighting, but they are united when it comes to defending the honor of the dormitory and its members. These two fought since they were in middle school when Aoki stole Sato's favorite toy. During one of their cook-offs, Aoki thought it would be funny to get revenge by ruining one of Sato's dishes by adding salt to it. Since then they continue to fight over everything.

Despite their lack of screen time compared to the other members of the Polar Star dorm, they are apparently skilled cooks as they were accepted into the Polar Star dorm, survived the Summer Training Camp and passed their stagiaires – though they came home completely worn-out despite their usually high stamina.

Other first-year students

These characters are all introduced by the preliminaries of the Autumn Election and, along with the main characters and Polar Star Dorm residents, represent the most-talented first-year students.

Isami Aldini (イサミ・アルディーニ, Isami Arudīni)

Voiced by: Yūki Ono (anime)

Isami is Takumi's brother, and the younger nephew of the owner of Trattoria Aldini. Unlike his brother, he has more of a Japanese appearance, with black hair and sharp eyes. Isami is originally shown to be overweight, with his eyes and mouth drawn in a simple fashion, although he briefly became much thinner during the Autumn Election preliminaries. Like Isami, he enrolled in Tōtsuki to hone his skills at the behest of their uncle.

Although an equally talented chef, Isami is shown to be less sophisticated than his brother. He was scolded for trying to (and failing to) revise a dish that Takumi had made during their time in the trattoria, and constantly sought to be praised for his cooking like Takumi. Though Isami is supportive of his brother, he does aim to eventually surpass him as a cook. Nonetheless, the brothers are very close.

At the Autumn Election, he presented a tomato-curry calzone that was praised by the judges. He aimed to surpass his brother's score with the dish, but ultimately finished 5th in his block. He tried to support Takumi in his quarter-finals match against Subaru Mimasaka, and was devastated when Takumi lost to his own dish. He and Takumi opened a booth during the Moon Banquet Festival, naming it a branch of Trattoria Aldini, and gained first place in sales in their area. He is targeted as a rebel by the Azami Administration's Promotional Exams, defeated by Eishi on the third exam and expelled.

Isami and Takumi are featured in the Shokugeki no Soma – Fratelli Aldini spinoff manga which focuses on their time in Italy before enrolling at Tōtsuki Academy.

Ikumi "Nikumi" Mito (水戸 郁魅, Mito Ikumi)

Voiced by: Shizuka Ishigami (anime)

Ikumi is a first-year student who specializes in meat-based dishes and, later, in meat-based donburi (rice-bowl dishes, abbreviated 'don'). She is often called "Nikumi", a portmanteau of the Japanese word for "meat" and her given name, although she strongly dislikes when most people use this nickname. (Her family name, "Mito" is also a reference to the English word "meat".) She is the heir to a large meat distributor and conglomerate, which has a near-monopoly on the national beef market, allowing her access to exceptionally high-quality ingredients. Although initially an antagonist, she becomes a close friend of Sōma and the residents of Polar Star Dormitory. She is considered very beautiful and is known for her provocative and revealing attire, often cooking in little more than a bikini. Nikumi's talent with meat lies in her incredibly sensitive lips, allowing her to accurately judge the temperature of meat with a single taste. She also specializes in using A5 grade beef, which is so tender that it doesn't have to be chewed.

Nikumi admires Erina's grace and dignity, having often seen Erina during their families' business meetings and conferences. On Erina's order, she attempts to take over the Don RS's clubroom, but her callous behavior led Sōma to challenge her to a beef-bowl-themed Shokugeki. Nikumi lost this match because the high-grade beef on top of her dish filled the judges' stomachs so well that they couldn't finish the rice underneath, and as a result she was forced to join the Don RS. Nikumi developed an obvious crush on Sōma after this match, and often goes out of her way to help him (despite her tsundere tendency to claim otherwise).

Nikumi grew to respect bowls to the point of making a beef bowl during the Autumn Elections preliminary stage, finishing 7th in her block (tied with Ryōko). During the Moon Banquet Festival, Nikumi and the now-successful Don RS opened a booth which placed third in sales for their area. Nikumi opposed the new curriculum of the Azami Administration, and was able to win a Shokugeki to save the Don RS. However, targeted as a rebel during Central's Promotional Exams, she was defeated by Momo on the third exam and expelled.

Hisako Arato (新戸 緋沙子, Arato Hisako)

Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi (anime)

Erina's secretary and close friend, Hisako specializes in medicinal-based dishes. She thinks of Erina as the best, that only she could be Erina's number two and nobody could ever get past her to Erina's level. She advanced to the main tournament of the Autumn Election where she was defeated by Hayama, who told her that someone who only aims to be second could never beat him. This hurt Hisako's pride and caused her to feel unworthy of being near Erina. While partnered with Sōma for their stagiaire, Hisako reveals her insecurities but Sōma convinces her otherwise and she cheers-up. They then worked together to improve their assigned restaurant with Hisako acting as the restaurant's auditor and business manager while Sōma handled the kitchen. Hisako has since returned to Erina's side and become friendlier towards Sōma.

Hisako once read an old cooking-magazine that featured Erina's father, Azami, but Hisako's own father warned her against ever asking about Azami. When Azami returns and replaces Senzaemon as the academy's director, Hisako is fired as Erina's secretary and becomes extremely depressed. Hisako, Alice and Ryō convince Erina to leave the Nakiri mansion, taking shelter inside the Polar Star Dormitory where Hisako reveals Erina's history. Hisako leaves Erina in their care, though she would visit every day to bring Erina a change of clothes. Hisako sought Sōma as the last hope of restoring the academy, and entrusted Megumi to take care of Erina, before commencing the 3rd stage of the Promotional Exams – where Hisako was defeated by Saito and expelled.

Alice Nakiri (薙切 アリス, Nakiri Arisu)

Voiced by: Chinatsu Akasaki (anime)

Alice is Erina Nakiri's cousin and a first-year student of Tōtsuki Academy. She is half-Danish and half-Japanese. Like her cousin, she has a dignified appearance with fair skin and a curved body, though she possesses short, silver hair and a pair of stylized eyes that often deform into cartoonish shapes. Like Erina, Alice has a haughty attitude, thinking highly of herself due to her pedigree and her cooking skills, and would often look down on her opponents – though never dismissing them like her cousin. Unlike Erina, Alice is much more friendly and sociable with those she considers rivals. Although she is very interested in experiencing new things and often teases Erina for her lack of knowledge on common matters (such as dating or romance), she herself lacks knowledge of many common things. She also enjoys teasing Erina in order to manipulate her into embarrassing situations. For most of her childhood, she lived in Erina's shadow; to improve herself, she traveled to Denmark at the age of 5 to improve her culinary skills, hoping to eventually surpass her cousin. Despite their rivalry, she and Erina get along well.

Alice is an extremely talented chef. Her specialty is molecular gastronomy, expressing her belief that cooking should be an art as well as a science. As such, all of her dishes are carefully arranged and appear like pieces of art. Her expertise in molecular gastronomy is broad, extending to thermal control, flavor extraction, texture manipulation, and other techniques to manipulate the appearance and taste of her dishes. She earned the highest score in the Autumn Election preliminaries, with the judges unable to describe the flavor of her dish. Nonetheless, she lost to Sōma in the bento-themed quarter-finals because her dish merely showcased a good progression of flavors but did not fully utilize the novelty and features of a bento. Despite crying over the loss, she continued to be amicable toward Sōma.

Alice, Ryō, and a reluctant Hayama opened a booth under the Shiomi Seminar's banner at the Moon Banquet Festival. Their sales, however, were very low due to Alice constantly changing the menu; she eventually decides to consider the needs of the customers, allowing their sales to finally improve. When Alice learns Azami has returned to become Tōtsuki's new director, it is revealed that Alice knew from her parents of his cruel treatment toward Erina as well as the fact that Azami destroyed her letters to Erina. Alice, Ryō, and Hisako convince Erina to escape from the Nakiri mansion and shelter at the Polar Star Dorm. Alice stood as de facto captain of the Cutting Edge RS (having beaten the previous captain in a Shokugeki to claim its space and equipment) though was indifferent toward its disbandment during the "survival hunt"; however, her aide Ryō was provoked by Rentarō Kusunoki's insults, and defeated him in a Shokugeki. Alice publicly berates Azami afterwards, and joins the fight against Central. During the Promotional Exams targeting the rebels, Alice and Ryō are defeated by the Elite Ten and expelled from the academy. During Regimental de Cuisine match where Alice and her friends are watching Soma and his team against Central, Alice reminds her friends including a redeemed Hayama as long as they are on the same side against Azami's regime, their bonds will never be broken. Before the match starts in one month ago, she, Akira and Ryō helps the rebel teams on providing the recipes and find reliable remainig rebel students to expand their team members into 8 members to beat Central behind the scenes, through communicating with Sōma via Skype.

Ryō Kurokiba (黒木場 リョウ, Kurokiba Ryō)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (anime)

Ryō is Alice Nakiri's aide, and the two are very close. He once owned a local pub in a rowdy port-district in Denmark, where he served as the executive chef. He was very controlling, having absolute authority in the kitchen and with his customers. He met Alice while she lived in Denmark and became her aide at some point in the following ten years, although the exact details of when he left his restaurant is unknown. Ryō ordinarily appears to be inattentive, lazy, and subservient to Alice, though he often quips back at her and comments on her reactions in a deadpan manner. His demeanor changes when he puts on his headband to cook: he takes on an aggressive appearance, with sharp eyes and a savage grin. In the manga, he had been described as a "mad dog" and a "dictator in the kitchen". He considers the kitchen to be a battlefield between a cook and his customers, and believes that a chef should make a customer submit to his tastes. As such, he despises camaraderie among chefs, and is fiercely independent in his cooking. Ryō is an exceptional cook, possibly even more so than Alice.

Ryō's specialty is seafood dishes, and his cooking has frequently been described as "violent" and "forceful", characterized by rich and sharp flavors. At the Autumn Election, Ryō placed 2nd in his block (tied with Sōma). He proceeded to defeat Megumi in the quarter-finals of the tournament and tied with Akira at the semi-finals, in a match represented by a Yu-Gi-Oh-style fantasy battle, then went on to a three-way final against Akira and Sōma. After losing to Akira, Ryō sought to improve his skills with spices at an Indian restaurant during the stagiaire period. At the Moon Banquet Festival, Ryō, Alice, and an unwilling Akira Hayama open a booth under the banner of the Shiomi Seminar. Ryō goes along with Alice's whims despite Akira's complaints about her leadership and their poor sales. Ryō later accompanies Alice in aiding Erina's escape from Azami at the Nakiri mansion.

Ryō challenges a Central sophomore Rentarō Kusunoki to a Shokugeki for insults underestimating the freshmen chefs, defeating him and removing the need for Alice to defend the Cutting Edge RS. During the Promotional Exams, he and Alice learned that Azami blackmailed Hayama into betraying the rebels; Ryō and Alice are defeated by the Elite Ten, and expelled. During Regimental de Cuisine match where Ryo and his friends are watching Soma and his team against Central, after Alice gave a warm speech about their broken bonds on the same side against Azami's regime, Ryō learns that Akira lost to Sōma as part of his redemption, thus challenging Akira in their future Shokugeki once their expulsion has been dissolved, in which Akira agrees.

Akira Hayama (葉山 アキラ, Hayama Akira)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (anime)

An assistant of Professor Jun Shiomi, Akira comes from overseas; they met when he was an orphaned child and warned her about adultered spices in a market (presumably in India). Jun recognized the dormant talent in him and brought him back to Japan, where he was adopted by her teacher, Hayama. Akira quickly learned Japanese, and studied spices and aroma under Shiomi. Jun became a mother-figure for him, and his motivation to succeed at cooking stems from wanting to give something back to Jun. Akira specializes in curry dishes, with a wide knowledge of spices and aroma. He is a tall and handsome man with tanned skin and silver hair. Like Sōma, he aims to be at the top of the Elite Ten. His nose is very sharp when it comes to spices, capable of identifying ingredients and grade of cooking by the first smell, considered a worthy match of Erina's God's Tongue and being identified as an "Aroma Master". Although Jun and Akira are both experts in spices, she uses theoretical knowledge while he depends on his sense of smell. In contrast to Jun's naive, ditzy, easily angered and dependent persona, Akira is mature, reliable, street smart, cool and down-to-earth.

At the Autumn Elections, Akira had the highest score in his block, defeats Hisako in the quarter-finals, and tied with Ryō in the semi-finals. This led to a three-way final with Sōma, which Akira won, and showed his happiness by hugging Jun. Despite Akira's victory, Gin noticed some inner darknesses within Akira during the Autumn matches, warning the latter not to let his skills consume him, or else that skills cost Akira lost his desire to cook for someone's happiness, such as Jun's. Later, Alice talks Jun into using the Shiomi Seminar's booth during the Moon Banquet Festival, leaving Akira frustrated with Alice's mismanagement until they are able to settle on a proper menu.

The Azami Administration disbanded the Shiomi seminar, compromised the seminar's business partnerships and held their research data hostage to extort Akira's allegiance. Compelled by his love for Jun, Akira joined the ranks of Central as a temporary 9th seat on the Elite Ten, vowing to protect the Shiomi seminar. In the Promotional Exams, Akira is ordered to defeat Sōma again, and though he seems to have the upper hand, the judges note that Akira had lost the desire to cook to make someone (ie: Jun) happy, a similar warning by Gin to him back in Autumn Election. Tasting Sōma's dish, Akira realizes what he'd lost; Jun wishes Akira to grow independent and discover the meaning of friendship, and Akira thanks Sōma for redeeming him, but is expelled for his failure and due to his time when he was being blackmailed by Central, thus unable fulfill Soma's offer to join Polar Star. During Regimental de Cuisine match where Akira and his friends are watching Soma and his team against Central, Akira is easily forgiven from his previous status as a blackmailed Central member, as Alice ensure as long they are actually on the same side, their bonds will never be broken.

Senzaemon Nakiri (薙切 仙左衛門, Nakiri Senzaemon)

Voiced by: Banjō Ginga (anime)

Senzaemon is headmaster of Tōtsuki Academy and Erina's grandfather. Known as the "Gastric Godfather", he has the tendency of stripping his upper body when he eats a good dish. Despite his appearance and reputation, he is reasonable and gives accurate commentary and assessment for the food he tastes without being overly critical to the losers.

Many years previously, Senzaemon and Gin noticed Jōichirō Saiba's critical condition at the start of a tournament, and took upon themselves some of the blame for pressuring Jōichirō into becoming mentally trapped in the creation of his dishes. Feeling Jōichirō's talent was beyond the tasks of the academy, Senzaemon freed his former student to travel abroad and learn independently, a proposal Jōichirō happily accepted. For a period thereafter, Senzaemon hired Jōichirō as his private chef.

Six years ago, Senzaemon exiled his son-in-law, Azami, for abusing Erina with brainwashing. Senzaemon became Erina's legal guardian and had Azami's name struck from the Tōtsuki records. However, in the year Erina enrolls in the academy, Azami returns and a majority of the Elite Ten vote to support Azami as headmaster, replacing Senzaemon. In the aftermath, Senzaemon revealed to Sōma that he advised Jōichirō to have him apply to the academy. Senzaemon remains active behind-the-scenes with Jōichirō, working through tips from informants to wrest control from Azami.

Roland Chapelle

Voiced by: Yū Mizushima (anime)

Roland Chapelle is a French chef and lecturer at Tōtsuki, head of its French Cuisine Division. He is nicknamed "The Chef Who Doesn't Smile" due to his high standards and stern demeanor. Even alumni fear his wrath after they've graduated, and a few briefly panicked when he almost found out about the unofficial Shokugeki of Kojirō Shinomiya versus Megumi and Sōma. He was shown to smile when he tasted Sōma's dish for his class, apologizing that he could not give a higher grade than an A. This extraordinarily rare act further fueled the awe or hatred of other students for Sōma, including Erina when news reached her.

Roland is among the staff first told of the Azami Administration's new curriculum, which leaves him shocked and ultimately in opposition to the "gourmet utopia" plan which he calls a dystopia. Roland is happy when Sōma wins a critical Shokugeki against Eizan, who had bribed the judges, and believes that Sōma and the other rebels will restore Tōtsuki's lost honor. After the second survivor purge, Roland is horrified at Azami's actions in brainwashing the middle-school chef students into copies of Azami.

Jun Shiomi (汐見 潤, Shiomi Jun)

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (anime)

Jun Shiomi is an alumnus of Tōtsuki's 74th generation who became a professor at the school, and head of the Shiomi seminar. Jun is a former-housemate of the Polar Star Dormitory with Jōichirō, Gin and Azami. Jōichirō used her to taste-test his cooking experiments when they were students, which left her traumatized enough to hate anything to do with him. Despite her age, she still looks like a middle-school student, and is a very timid, shy, and reserved person. While researching spices overseas, Jun met Akira and, recognizing his talent, brought him back to Japan and became his mentor and mother-figure.

Under the Azami Administration, Jun's research seminar was threatened. Azami used this to extort Akira into joining Central, leaving Jun broken-hearted. Jun left the academy in protest, reappearing at Dojima Gin's invitation during the third phase of the Promotional Exams to witness Akira and Sōma's match, where a repentant Hayama lost. Jun rebuked Akira for being reckless in joining Central and expressed that despite losing the research society, she only wanted him to continue to grow as a chef with his fellow classmates and enjoy cooking from his heart.

Takao Miyazato (宮里 隆夫, Miyazato Takao)

The president of the Shokugeki Administration Bureau.

Gin Dōjima (堂島 銀, Dōjima Gin)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (anime)

Gin is the General Head Chef of the Tōtsuki Resort and a member of the board of directors, and supervises the training camp for the first-year students. He is known at the academy as the "Living Legend" as he holds the record for the highest graduating-exam score. Despite his skills as a chef, Gin sees himself as more of a mentor, educator and father-figure at Tōtsuki Academy, where he is highly respected by both undergraduates and alumni. He is a tall and extremely muscular man with a buzz cut, and had brown spikey hair in his youth.

Gin was a student of the 69th generation, and a resident of the Polar Star Dormitory with best-friend Jōichirō, Jun and Azami, and held the 1st seat on the Elite Ten. He regards Jōichirō highly, respecting his skill and his spirit as a chef. Gin believes that Jōichirō has better cooking skills, having a record of 20–101 in their matches. During Jōichirō's last day of their third year at Tōtsuki, at the time B.L.U.E. competition was held, Gin and Senzaemon noticed Jōichiro's critical condition, blaming themselves for pressuring Jōichiro into becoming mentally trapped in the creation of his dishes. Gin agreed with Senzaemon's suggestion to release Jōichirō from the academy so he could travel the world and let his talents grow naturally. In the same year when he refused the other restaurants' offers to recruit him as some of their chef since Jōichirō's departure from Tōtsuki, Gin's current jobs in Tōtsuki as of the present was an offer from Senzaemon.

After the completion of the first year's training camp, he is the first to notice Sōma is Jōichirō's son, having heard his last name "Yukihira" after Jōichirō return to Japan and have a wife, but deemed Sōma had much to learn to surpass his father. In addition to the annual first year's training camp, Gin often appears as a guest judge for events associated with Tōtsuki, including the Autumn Elections and the Promotional Exams in Hokkaido. Although officially neutral, Gin was appalled by the sudden removal of Senzaemon and the installment of Azami as headmaster. He helped the rebels behind-the-scenes, keeping in touch with them until an unexpected scheme caused Sōma's allies (except Takumi and Megumi) to be expelled. At this point, Gin, Senzaemon and Jōichirō came forward as coaches for the remaining rebels.

Jōichirō Yukihira (幸平 城一郎, Yukihira Jōichirō) a.k.a. Jōichirō Saiba (才波 城一郎, Saiba Jōichirō)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (vomic and anime)

The father of Sōma Yukihira, and owner of the diner Yukihira in the Sumire Shopping District. His passion for cooking knows no bounds and his skill is world-class. As the sole parental-figure and family member in Sōma's life, he is a mentor, teacher, and rival to his son. Like Sōma, Jōichirō is laid-back but professional and has a serious side that emerges when he is cooking. The two share the same habit of creating horrible experimental dishes. Jōichirō is supportive of his son but does occasionally like to see Sōma stressed and frustrated by challenging him to many cook-offs – always ending in Jōichirō's victory – to show him how much he has to grow. He left home to work abroad and sent his son to Tōtsuki Academy, telling Sōma that he needs to succeed in Tōtsuki if he ever wants to surpass him.

World-famous as Jōichirō Saiba (才波 城一郎, Saiba Jōichirō), he attended Tōtsuki Academy under this name, a 69th generation student, resident of the Polar Star Dorm, and 2nd seat of the Elite Ten council. Gin Dojima, the 1st seat and Jōichirō's best friend, felt that Jōichirō's cooking was superior, having a record of 20–101 in their cooking matches. Jōichirō often skipped responsibilities and cooked for fun until he won the Grand Prix cooking tournament. He earned the nickname Azura ('feared chef', literally 'demon') when hired as a VIP exclusive chef and noticed something wrong with one of his customers. Jōichirō's skill distanced him from much of the student body, and he became frustrated and lost his enjoyment in cooking. During the middle of his third year, before the B.L.U.E. tournament, the pressure on Jōichiro seriously affected his health. Gin and Senzaemon blamed themselves, and on their suggestion Jōichiro withdrew from the academy to travel the world and learn about cooking on his own terms. Azami, who was one year behind Jōichirō and wanted to push Jōichirō's skills to fulfill his ideal of "true gourmet", was devastated when Jōichirō left without graduating. Eventually, Jōichiro returned to Japan where he met his wife and opened a family restaurant.

Jōichirō is a close friend of the Nakiri family, often requested by Senzaemon to privately cook for him. On one such occasion, a young Erina curiously followed the aroma of his cooking, and was allowed to join them. Jōichirō's cooking and manner inspired Erina to follow a brighter path as a chef, and this became one bright memory she held onto through Azami's brainwashing. Years later, Jōichirō reluctantly sent his son to Tōtsuki Academy, and while traveling abroad had friends check-up on Azami and his schemes. Following the expulsion of many anti-Azami rebels at the Promotional Exams, Jōichirō arrives and helps force Azami to accept an irregular team Shokugeki, Regimental de Cuisine, betting his lifelong servitude to Azami against Azami and his cohorts' expulsion from the academy. Jōichirō, Senzaemon and Gin then act as coaches, giving special lessons to the rebel students in preparation of the upcoming team match.

Riko Ebisawa (海老澤 理子, Ebisawa Riko)

A former resident of Polar Star dorm and 4th seat of Elite Ten. She was a student of the 70th generation, below Gin and Jōichiro.

Kojirō Shinomiya (四宮 小次郎, Shinomiya Kojirō)

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura (anime)

Owner of a French cuisine restaurant called Shino's, Kojirō was a student of the 79th generation and held the first seat of the Elite Ten. He is commonly seen sporting glasses and red hair. Known as the "Legumes Magician", Kojirō was convinced he was going to be successful in France with his French–Japanese fusion restaurant, Shino's. However, his French staff refused to follow his recipes, even sabotaging his dishes. Facing financial ruin, he hardened himself emotionally and fired anyone who questioned his skills in the kitchen. Although this allowed him to reach the top, his proud and stubborn refusal to make exceptions resulted in his skills stagnating over the years.

Kojirō returns to Tōtsuki as a guest teacher, and "fires" Megumi for altering his recipe despite there being an insufficient quantity of suitable ingredients. He threatens to do the same to Sōma for coming to her defense, leading Sōma to challenge him to an unofficial Shokugeki. During this match, Shinomiya makes a technically perfect dish that is the unanimous winner. However, Gin gives a bonus vote for Megumi's dish, prompting Shinomiya to try it and admit that her flexible cooking style suits the tastes of the customer. Shinomiya is reminded of his mother's kindness, and taking this to heart lets Megumi pass.

Kojirō reappears in the story when Sōma is assigned as a stagiaire (intern) at his new restaurant, Shino's Tokyo. His personality has noticeably softened since their last encounter, and he helps Sōma by improving the latter's dish which earns a place on his menu. It is revealed during this time that Kojirō chose to specialize in French cuisine in order to make his mother happy.

Shinomiya Kojirō is the main character of the Shokugeki no Soma – Etoile spinoff manga which focuses on his time in France after he graduates from Tōtsuki Academy.

Hinako Inui (乾 日向子, Inui Hinako)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (anime)

Proprietress of the Japanese-cuisine restaurant Kirinoya, Hinako was a student of the 80th generation and held the 2nd seat of the Elite Ten. During her time as a student, she was feared as the "Mist Empress". At the graduation of Kojirō, Fuyumi and Donato, she cried upon learning of Kojirō's departure to France, predicting that his abusive and unfriendly nature would cause quarrels with his staff, to which the others agree. Hinako later challenged Kojirō to a Shokugeki to not leave, but intentionally held back as she felt he should indeed go.

Hinako often returns to Tōtsuki as a judge, such as during the Autumn Election. She takes a liking towards Megumi's cuteness. She appears gentle but is a tease – purposely dawdling between Sōma's and Takumi's dishes until she is called away, and hastily announces a draw. She continues to enjoy making fun of Shinomiya, which always results with him comically punishing her.

Fuyumi Mizuhara (水原 冬美, Mizuhara Fuyumi)

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (anime)

Owner of the Italian restaurant Ristorante F, Fuyumi was a student of the 79th generation and held the 2nd seat of the Elite Ten, subordinate to Shinomiya. She often got irritated with Shinomiya because of his arrogant smirks, but at the same time respected him as a chef. She is often deadpan, sarcastic and serious; she has short hair and is the only female judge who wears a tie and pants. She tried but failed to recruit the Aldini brothers and Sōma for her restaurant after the Summer Training Camp. She reappears as a judge at the Autumn Election.

Taki Tsunozaki (角崎 瀧, Tsunozaki Taki)

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (anime)

Former 88th generation student and Elite Ten member, owner of the Spanish restaurant Taki Amarillo. She is invited to be a guest judge for the Autumn Election Tournament. She is an aggressive and short-tempered person, who is constantly bullying Sonoka because of her 'assets', disrespecting her seniors (such as Hinako, but respects Fuyumi) and talking about beating-up people she doesn't like. She looked down on Sōma for his background as a diner cook, but after tasting his dish she and the other judges vote for him.

Sonoka Kikuchi (木久知 園果, Kikuchi Sonoka)

Voiced by: Asuka Nishi (anime)

Former 89th generation student and Elite Ten 2nd seat, owner of the Western restaurant Shunkatei. She is known for having the largest bust among the female characters. She's quite submissive and prone to panic. While judging Akira and Ryō's semi-final match in the Autumn Election, Sonoka crumbles under the pressure with the spectators and Ryō trying to sway her until Gin Dōjima intervenes.

Elite Ten members

Elite Ten is a student council of Tōtsuki Academy, formed by the ten best students as selected by a special committee. Academic grades, performance in training camps, election tournaments, stagiaire, and Shokugeki records have been major factors for members chosen for the council. Members are ranked with the 1st seat being the best student in the academy, expected to have the most prominent future after graduation. Members will occasionally challenge each other for higher seat on the council; it is possible for a non-seated student to win a place through Shokugeki, though a council member will rarely accept such challenge. The majority of council members are second- and third-year students, though Azami obtained the 3rd seat during his first year and Erina was granted a seat while still in the academy's middle school.

The council's authority in the academy rivals that of the director/headmaster, and a majority of the Elite Ten can overrule the director's wishes or formally request a new director. Elite Ten is responsible for handling the academy's internal evaluations and helping organize events. Its members are given large budgets by the academy to utilize in any cooking-related pursuit, and freedom to carry out personal projects such as Erina's kitchen expansion which resulted in the demolition and disbanding of many long-standing clubs.

Six of the Elite Ten – Eishi, Rindō, Momo, Saitō, Nene and Eizan – supported Azami's takeover as the new director. Under the Azami Administration, the merit-based Elite Ten has been supplanted by the authoritarian organization, Central.

Eishi Tsukasa (司 瑛士, Tsukasa Eishi) (first seat)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (anime)

The current first seat of the Elite Ten and a third-year student. An extremely talented chef, Eishi was nicknamed "the teacher killer" during middle school as teachers were knocked-down at the power of tasting his dishes. Despite his high position, he suffers from stage-fright and public anxiety, and wishes for somebody to beat him in an official Shokugeki to relieve him of his duties; rather than appearing in public, he prefers to do background administrative work. He easily falls into small depressions and needs reassurance from the rest of the council to avoid being crippled by doubts. However, he has absolute confidence in his cooking and never asks his customers how his food tastes. He specializes in gourmet-European cuisine, and due to his all-white color scheme is known in the culinary world as Der Weiße Ritter der Tafel (lit. 'The White Knight of Table'). As a fellow food elitist, he supported Azami's ideals, including the closing of all cooking establishments throughout Japan deemed to be inferior.

Rindō Kobayashi (小林 竜胆, Kobayashi Rindō) (second seat)

The current second seat of the Elite Ten and a third-year student. A happy-go-lucky girl who has cat-like facial features and enjoys eating; she spent the Moon Banquet Festival visiting and eating from each of the 120 booths. She's been close with Tsukasa since meeting in their first year of middle school, and she often tries to get him to relax. Despite her support for Azami's installment as the new Headmaster, she is not fully influenced by Azami's ideals: she disagrees with the expulsion of Isshiki, Megishima, and Kuga from the Elite Ten; is reluctant to wear Central's badge; and gives easy tests to Takumi and Megumi in the third phase of the Promotional Exam.

Tōsuke Megishima (女木島 冬輔, Megishima Tōsuke) (third seat, pre-Azami)

The current third seat of the Elite Ten and a third-year student. He did not support Azami, and was dismissed from the Elite Ten after Azami's installation as the new director. Later, he and his two fellow pre-Azami era's current Elite Ten Isshiki and Terunori joins the rebel team in Regimental de Cuisine against Central.

Momo Akanegakubo (茜ヶ久保 もも, Akanegakubo Momo) (fourth seat, pre-Survivor's Purge; third seat, Promotional Exams

The current fourth seat of the Elite Ten and a third-year student. She is diminutive and looks like a middle-schooler, carrying a stuffed toy cat known as Butchy (ブッチー, Bucchi) which aids her in cooking by using its hands as oven mitts. Momo specializes in western-style desserts and sweets, and her pâtisserie was ranked first-in-sales during the Moon Banquet Festival. She is shown as anti-social and arrogant, deeming her cooking to be superior to the non-Elite Ten students. Momo has a phobia of flying on airplanes.

Sōmei Saitō (斎藤 綜明, Saitō Sōmei) (fifth seat, pre-Survivor's Purge; fourth seat, Promotional Exams)

The current fifth seat of the Elite Ten and a third-year student. He usually carries a sword, used in his cooking style, and always has his eyes closed. He takes part in hunting down research societies and seminars to close them under the Azami Administration, accepting these Shokugeki as part of his training.

Nene Kinokumi (紀ノ国 寧々, Kinokuni Nene) (sixth seat, pre-Survivor's Purge; fifth seat, Promotional Exams)

The current sixth seat of the Elite Ten and a second-year student. She is currently ranked as the best second-year student at the academy.

Terunori Kuga (久我 照紀, Kuga Terunori) (eighth seat, pre-Azami)

The eighth seat of the Elite Ten and a second-year student, Terunori Kuga is a specialist in Sichuan cuisine. He traveled widely as a child and took an interest in Chinese cuisine, including Sichuan, Hunan, and Guizhou cuisines. Earning a place in the Elite Ten, he used the influence and resources this brought to further develop himself in the field. He leads the Chinese Cuisine Research Society where he trains dozens of students with army-like efficiency to follow his recipes. He is the most laid-back in the Council, often rowdy, and has a short fuse. Terunori is someone who seeks a challenge in order to improve his skills.

During the Autumn Leaf Viewing of his first year, Terunori challenged the Elite Ten members, with Tsukasa accepting and defeating him in a Shokugeki. Terunori challenged Tsukasa again during the Moon Banquet Festival: should he achieve first in sales every day in his area, he and Tsukasa would have a rematch. However, Sōma managed to beat Terunori's sales on the fourth day, thus voiding his resolve. Terunori did not accept Azami as the new director, and was dismissed from the Elite Ten under the Azami Administration. So far, the Chinese RS has not been shut down. He later appeared during the Promotional Exams to help Sōma prepare for a match against Akira Hayama, then fully joins the rebel team in Regimental de Cuisine.

Etsuya Eizan (叡山 枝津也, Eizan Etsuya) (ninth seat, pre-Survivors Hunt; sixth seat, Promotional Exams)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (anime)

The ninth seat of the Elite Ten and a second-year student, Eizan sees himself as a food consultant and businessman rather than a chef, and has been a sought-after consultant since middle school. However, he still possesses exceptional cooking skills worthy of acknowledgement in the food industry. He is nicknamed Alquimista (lit. 'Alchemist'). He is manipulative, and presents himself as a puppet-master or gangster, working behind the scenes to get his way.

Eizan forms a grudge against Sōma for foiling his business plan to take over the Sumire Shopping District, where the Yukihira diner is located. He tries to get rid of Sōma by spreading false news about him, and tasks Mimasaka Subaru with provoking him into a Shokugeki during the Autumn Election.

Eizan supported Azami as Tōtsuki Academy's new director, and arrogantly visited the academy's clubs to announce their disbandment. This provoked Tetsuji Kabutoyama, head of the Skewer RS, to challenge Eizan to a Shokugeki, not knowing that the judges were Eizan's business partners who voted against Tetsuji without tasting his dish. Although this was designed to crush the spirit of rebellion, Sōma challenged Eizan for the survival of the Polar Star Dorm, and unanimously won his Shokugeki through creativity and tenacity. The integrity of the Shokugeki was restored at the conclusion of the match, and a humiliated Eizen vowed revenge against Sōma. As a blackmailed Hayama Akira was given the 9th seat for the Promotional Exams prior his lost and redemption by Sōma, after Isshiki, Tosuke and Terunori are dismissed by Azami, Eizan is currently ranked up to 6th seat.

Central Gourmet Institute

Central (officially, 'Central Gourmet Institute') is a ruling organization within Tōtsuki Academy which supplanted the Elite Ten during the Azami Administration. It is composed of students selected by Azami, including the six Elite Ten members who supported him as director. Central was created as a student-run organization to assist Azami's goal of educating all academy students with the skills and techniques to cook dishes at an Elite Ten-level. Central dictates what dishes the students are required to make, and the correct recipe and method for their preparation. Any attempt modify or defy these choices results in stiff reprimanding from proctors and professors. The rebel students consider Central to be nothing more than Azami's puppets, copying the techniques of others with no confidence of their own.

Azami Nakiri (薙切 薊, Nakiri Azami) a.k.a. Azami Nakamura (中村 薊, Nakamura Azami)

Azami is Erina's mysterious father who returns from banishment, and becomes the main antagonist from the 16th tankōbon of the series. He replaces his ex-father-in-law Senzaemon as the director/headmaster of Tōtsuki Academy, and uses bribery, fear and intimidation to effect sweeping changes in a scheme to achieve his ideal of a gourmet utopia. Azami took the prestigious Nakiri name on marrying Senzaemon's daughter; previous to that he was known as Azami Nakamura.

Azami was an academy student, resident of Polar Star dorm and member of the Elite Ten – 3rd seat as a freshman then promoted to 1st seat as a sophomore until his graduation. Jōichirō and Gin were his seniors, and he particularly admired Jōichirō whom he believed could achieve his ideal of "true gourmet", not realizing the pressure he was putting on Jōichirō. Azami mistook the situation when Jōichirō left before graduating and felt the academy had ruined his senior's reputation, and began upon a plan to radically alter the academy.

Azami molded Erina's "God Tongue" and indoctrinated her as a food elitist in the isolation of a dark room. Keeping Erina dependent on himself alone, he would have her taste and compare dishes, and order her to throw away those which were inferior. He would punish her for defiance and taught her to neither forgive nor show mercy toward inferior food, no matter how minor the failure. This ultimately brainwashed her. Azami was banished from Tōtsuki when Senzaemon discovered what he had done, and his name was struck from the academy records. Made unwelcome in Japan, Azami created a gourmet society for the wealthy of the United States, later expanding to the Middle East and South Asia.

Azami returned to Tōtsuki Academy having convinced a majority of the Elite Ten to make him the academy's new director, replacing Senzaemon. In a speech to the academy, he reveals his ideology and reforms: to purge the seminars, clubs, research societies and associations, and replace these independent organizations with a Central Gourmet Institution that would teach all students Elite Ten-level skills and techniques. This meant the merit-based system which graduated 1% of students would be replaced with an authority-based system which would graduate everyone that submits to its teachings. Azami began brainwashing Tōtsuki's middle-school students to be compliant to his ideology, intending to create an army of chefs who would dominate the restaurant industry in Japan, making identically perfect dishes, driving out inferior restaurants, and eventually spreading his gourmet utopia to the rest of the world.

Azami attempted to isolate Erina and use her God Tongue to further his plans. When she ran away, he visited her at Polar Star Dorm and learned that Sōma is Jōichirō's son. Azami then moved against possible resistance, dismissing Isshiki, Megishima and Terunori from the Elite Ten, and launching the "survivor's purge" against the holdout research societies. He was very angry when Ryō Kurokiba saved the Cutting Edge RS, the second Shokugeki loss by Central. He took matters into his own hands and stole the Shiomi Seminar's research data to extort Autumn Election-champion Akira Hayama's allegiance against the rebels. In the Promotional Exams, Central targeted the rebel students by giving them poor-quality or insufficient ingredients to complete the recipes, and managed to have most of the rebels expelled for losing their cooking matches.

With only three standouts against his total control of the student body, Azami was tempted when Jōichirō proposed an irregular team Shokugeki – Regimental de Cuisine – of the Elite Ten against the rebels, Jōichirō betting his lifelong service to Azami against Azami and his Elite Ten being ousted from Tōtsuki. Azami accepts, though when Erina resigns from the Elite Ten so she can't be used against her friends, Azami swears he will get her back.

Shawn Aida (相田 ショーン, Aida Shōn)

Azami Nakiri's loyal secretary.

Mea Yanai (梁井 メア, Yanai Mea)

A second-year student with a pink hair and mischievous attitude. She lost to Nikumi in the second survival match.

Rentarō Kusunoki (楠 連太郎, Kusunoki Rentarō)

An arrogant second-year student who often underestimates his opponents, and can be recognized by his bandanna, a tattoo on his left cheek, and crosses on his cooking outfit. His speciality is low-temperature cooking techniques. He is sent by Azami to demolish the Cutting Edge RS, and calls the first-years lowlifes when de facto captain Alice Nakiri is indifferent about the RS. This insult leads Ryō Kurokiba to challenge and defeat Rentarō in a Shokugeki, causing Central to lose face.

Shigemichi Kumai (熊井 繁道, Kumai Shigemichi)

Nicknamed 'Shige', he is a second-year student with a brutish appearance. However, unlike his fellow Central members and despite his appearance, Shige is a very reasonable chef with a code of honor. He stops Rentarō from making trouble with the other chef students like Sōma and Takumi, and reminds his comrades to follow their important task. He lost to Megumi in the second survival match.

Rui Kofuru (小古 類, Kofuru Rui)

A mysterious second-year student with long white hair and bangs over her eyes (like Shun Ibusaki).

Kanichi Konishi (小西 寛一, Konishi Kanichi)

Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (anime)

A second-year student, the president and (at the beginning of the story) only current member of the Don RS. He has a pompadour and constantly embarrasses Nikumi by acting like a parent towards her. After Nikumi joins and presents an impressive donburi during the Autumn Elections tournament, the Don RS becomes popular and gains more members, much to Kanichi's pride.

Urara Kawashima (川島 麗, Kawashima Urara)

Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (anime)

The Master of Ceremonies of the Shokugeki and other competitions at Tōtsuki, she greatly enjoys the attention she gets from her male fans and audience, and greatly dislikes it when other women take this attention from her.

As of the day after Azami takeover Tōtsuki in his regime, Urara is amongst of neutral students to be brainwashed by Azami.

Yua Sasaki (佐々木 由愛, Sasaki Yua)

Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (anime)

The other Master of Ceremonies at the Autumn Election. Unlike Urara, he has trouble keeping the attention of the audience.

Nao Sadatsuka (貞塚 ナオ, Sadatsuka Nao)

Voiced by: Saori Gotō (anime)

Nao is freshman who is obsessed with Erina, and tries to defeat Hisako in order to become Erina's secretary. As a result of losing a Shokugeki against Hisako during middle school, she is required to stay 50 metres (160 ft) away from Erina at all times, but Nao still watches Erina with binoculars and writes her 30 letters per day. Her cooking has a hideous smell, but the taste is actually far superior than the average, making her earn the first high score in the Autumn Election preliminaries (though ultimately eighth in her block). Nao's obsession with Erina transfers to Hisako, after being defeated and charmed by her cooking. During the academy's Moon Banquet Festival, Nao becomes friends with Sōma due to their shared interest in making weird dishes.

Miyoko Hōjō (北条 美代子, Hōjō Miyoko)

Voiced by: Asami Seto (anime)

The heir of a Chinese cuisine restaurant in Yokohama, Miyoko's specialty are Chinese techniques and wok maneuvers. Her father's restaurant had many men who looked down on her cooking skills because of her sex and tried to drive her out of the kitchen, causing her to have a low opinion of men in general. After the Autumn Election preliminaries, she gives Megumi her support for the next round, indicating Megumi earned her respect as a chef. She was invited by her senior, Terunori Kūga, to join his Chinese Cuisine RS, but she refuses because Terunori was being too annoying for her; undeterred, he welcomed her to join him if she changed her mind. She also mentions that her relationship with the employees of her father's restaurant has started to improve since the Autumn Election.

Subaru Mimasaka (美作 昴, Mimasaka Subaru)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (anime)

A heavily built student who is introduced during the Autumn Election. Despite his look, he's smarter than he appears and has a strong sense for details. He has no specialty, but painstakingly researches and copies the chefs he faces, predicting the exact dish they will make and marginally improving upon it. He loves intense cooking-duels and totally defeating his opponent, so he always bets his opponent's precious tool at Shokugekis. He is a gracious host and not averse to having a casual chat with future opponents. However, before and during a match he will mock, belittle and set out to destroy his opponent.

Subaru first appears during the Autumn Election preliminaries, taking the fourth spot from Zenji Marui and Shun Ibusaki. He insults Takumi and his brother, provoking Takumi to bet his mezzaluna, and having previously stalked Takumi and investigated his preparations, Subaru copies Takumi's dish with a slight improvement. Although the judges dislike his actions and methods, Subaru's dish is judged superior. This leads Sōma to challenge Subaru to give back all 100 cooking tools he'd won, against the total defeat of Sōma quitting being a cook. Sōma circumvents Subaru's research method by waiting until the competition starts before thinking of ways to improve his dish, something Subaru didn't believe was possible. After his defeat, Subaru tries to leave Tōtsuki and quit as a cook but Sōma convinces him to continue his studies. Subaru later appears when Sōma asks for assistance at his stall during the Moon Banquet Festival. In preparation for this, Subaru went to the Yukihira diner in order to do his "image training", and was able to accurately copy Sōma, allowing the booth to increase production and sales.

During Azami's regime on "Promotional Exams", Subaru started out as neutral, until the third half where most of Soma's rebel friends except Takumi and Megumi are expelled, Subaru joins the rebel team led by Erina, as its 8th member during Regimental de Cuisine match.

Mitsuru Sōtsuda (早津田 みつる, Sōtsuda Mitsuru)

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita (anime)

Mitsuru is a third-year middle school student at Tōtsuki Culinary Academy and a member of the Newspaper Club. He is a cute middle school student who worships Sōma and follows him with all his reporter equipment.

Tetsuji Kabutoyama (甲山 鉄次, Kabutoyama Tetsuji)

Tetsuji is a second-year student at Tōtsuki Academy and a member of Skewer Research Society. He is known as the Iron Skewer for his skewer-cooking techniques and has a Shokugeki winning rate of 80%. He took an interest in Sōma after seeing his cooking during the Autumn Elections. He challenged Sōma to a Shokugeki after Sōma returned from the stagiaire period, but was defeated, and as a result promised to teach Sōma about skewering.

Tetsuji and the Skewer RS participated in the Moon Banquet Festival by opening a stall that won second place in sales for their area. Days later, Tetsuji opposed the disbandment of the Skewer RS under the Azami Administration, and challenged Eizan Etsuya to a Shokugeki while betting his expulsion from Tōtsuki should he lose. However, Eizan's victory was announced before the judges tasted the dishes, causing Tetsuji to accuse Eizan of bribery which he indirectly confirms. Nonetheless, Tetsuji is expelled.

Mayumi Kurase (倉瀬 真由美, Kurase Mayumi)

Voiced by: Ai Kakuma (anime)

Mayumi is Sōma's classmate from middle school who was a taste-tester in one of Sōma and Jōichirō's cooking contests at the start of the series. She has a crush on Sōma and is constantly pressured by Aki to confess to him. Mayumi assists Sōma and Nikumi in reviving the Sumire Shopping District which was losing business due to a popular fried chicken chain opening near the train station, stealing the district's customers. After Sōma returns to Tōtsuki Academy, Mayumi helps Yūya Tomita in running the district's own flourishing fried-chicken shop.

Yūya Tomita (富田 友哉, Tomita Yūya)

Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (anime)

One of Sōma's friends, a frequent patron of the Yukihira diner, chairman of the Sumiredōri Shopping District and the 2nd-generation owner of Tomitaya. He appears in the anime much earlier than his chapter-34 debut in the manga. He often assists Sōma during critical problems, such as the Karaage Wars to restore the shopping district's economy, and during the fourth day of Moon Banquet Festival against Terunori Kuga.

Leonora Nakiri (薙切 レオノーラ, Nakiri Reonōra)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (anime)

Leonora is Alice's mother, the Danish wife of Sōe and co-head of Nakiri International. She appeared as a judge for the final match of the Autumn Elections, along with Gin and Senzaemon. She is very kind and loving but has difficulty speaking Japanese. However, when she tastes an exceptional dish, she would illuminate (or "baring" as Alice would call it) and describe the dish in detail with perfect Japanese. Like her daughter, Leonora is very knowledgeable in molecular gastronomy, and her eyes comically deform into cartoonish shapes when she is flustered or emotional. In the past, she was also present upon Azami's betrayal and his abusive treatment toward his daughter Erina when she and Alice never had a news letter from Erina, as Azami ruthlessly shreds Alice's letter to Erina many times.

Sōe Nakiri (薙切 宗衛, Nakiri Sōe)

Sōe is Alice's father, Leonora's husband, Senzaemon's son and co-head of Nakiri International. He soon learned the betrayal of Azami after what happened 10 years ago, then learned that Azami has compromised Tōtsuki, acting as a new director. Unlike his ex-brother-in-law, Azami, Sōe is kind to his family. During the third phase of the Promotional Exams, he and Gin Dōjima attend the revenge match between Akira Hayama and Sōma Yukihira, acting as a neutral judges to ensure a fair result.