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Azami Nakiri
By this time tomorrow, all shall be complete. This is Japan's gourmet food kingdom and I am its new king.

—Azami Nakiri to Senzaemon Nakiri.

Azami Nakiri ( () (きり) (あざみ) , Nakiri Azami?), Nakamura ( (なか) (むら) , Nakamura?) is the husband of Mana Nakiri and the father of Erina and Asahi Nakiri who is the former Director of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, having manipulated the Elite Ten into ousting Senzaemon Nakiri (Azami's father-in-law) from the position that he would later be ousted himself and replaced by Erina as Director of Tōtsuki.

Azami was a Tōtsuki Academy Alumni and a former member of the Golden Age of the Polar Star Dormitory who started out as a 3rd seat of the Elite Ten Council as a freshman before being promoted to 1st seat during his second year.

Appearance[]

Azami is a handsome man with a pale complexion and slick black hair that has a single streak of white hair swept into the back on the right side, empty black eyes with pale grey sclera (from up close), a notably grim looking face and a quite muscular physique. In his high school days, his white streak was a long bang that went down on the right side of his face.

Upon his introduction, Azami’s outfit is predominantly black consisting of a trench coat, suit, vest, undershirt, leather gloves, slacks, shoes and his tie is silver in color.

After his return, his hair is now loose with the white streak hanging over on the right side of his face while he has bangs hanging on the left side. He no longer wears his black trench coat and currently wears a black button up shirt, black pants and shoes.

Personality[]

Ever since his school days, Azami admired his senior, Joichiro Saiba, viewing him as the paragon of culinary excellence. However, he was deeply affected after watching Joichiro drop out of Totsuki. Believing that Jōichirō had been broken by his pursuit of culinary innovation, Azami came to deem all forms of culinary creativity as impurities. After seeing his wife, Mana, suffer a similar fate, along with his high standards for cooking, it led him to view the culinary world as rotten.

Azami began to develop his rigid belief of "True Gourmet", his ideal for absolute culinary perfection. He began to indoctrinate Erina with his beliefs, which caused her to fear her own father. However, Azami earnestly believed he was doing his best to protect Erina from her mother's fate.

Many years later, when Azami returned, he took over Totsuki and discarded anything and everything that did not align with his ideals. He was effectively a vain and intolerant tyrant morbidly obsessed with "True Gourmet", disdaining anyone who couldn't appreciate his belief. Azami wasn't afraid to express his contempt for virtually everyone, including eminent figures in the culinary world, because they couldn't appreciate his ideals. He presented himself as a calm and reasonable headmaster, but he was presumptuous and intolerant of culinary innovation.

Nevertheless, Azami wasn't completely unreasonable as he viewed Totsuki's excessive competition to be a hindrance. Rather than favouring the gifted students at the expense of the regular students, Azami sought to provide opportunities to all students to develop outstanding culinary skills. In practice, however, the students were taught to imitate teachers without any questions and were ignorant of the underlying theory. Culinary innovation was banned.

After he is sacked as the director of Totsuki, Azami becomes more subdued in disposition and worries about Mana and Erina. After the shocking revelation that Asahi is his son, Azami regretted not being there for him. Azami was prepared to renounce his status and ties with the Nakiri family to be with Asahi, but with Erina's encouragement, he claimed Asahi as son. In the epilogue, he seems to be content, living with his family.

History[]

During his high school years, Azami attended Tōtsuki and was a member of the Polar Star Dormitory Golden Era. It is mentioned that Azami had won the Tōtsuki Autumn Election for first-years. In his first year at Tōtsuki, he obtained the 3rd Seat of the Elite Ten Council under the third-years Gin Dōjima and Jōichirō Saiba, becoming the first student in Tōtsuki's history to join the Council as a first-year. Saiba inspired Azami due to his unique talent and natural genius. However, a certain incident involving Jōichirō cause Azami to begin to lose his passion for cooking. In his second year of Tōtsuki, he obtained the 1st seat. While serving as the 1st seat of the Elite Ten, Azami met Mana Nakiri, who insulted his cooking. Initially bent on forcing her to remove her insults, her skills as a chef and her God's Tongue eventually inspired Azami to reignite his passion for cooking.

In his adult life, he later married into the Nakiri family and sired a daughter named Erina, whose latent abilities which she inherited from her mother manifested when she was as young as 3 years old. When Mana fell ill after her God Tongue ability rendered her incapable of eating food normally, and realizing that those with gifts in the culinary world would suffer despair from their own talents, Azami determined that the culinary industry was rotten and needed to change. Azami began subjecting Erina to a brutal training regimen, forcing her to compare dishes and throw away all the contents of the dishes that were inferior. If Erina showed any sort of resistance, he was not above using physical force to ingrain his doctrine of food into his daughter. To ensure that Erina would comply, Azami cut off her contact with the rest of the world, including her cousin and only friend Alice. Eventually, Senzaemon caught wind of Azami's abuse and promptly exiled him from the Nakiri Family and the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. Save a few newspaper articles and word-of-mouth knowledge, Azami's entire presence in Tōtsuki was effectively erased, leaving no trace of his history.

In the meantime, Azami began to create a culinary business and community solely for the wealthy in America and began to expand his business into the East, Middle East, and southern Asia. Despite his excommunication from Tōtsuki, Azami managed to contact the Elite Ten Council shortly before the Moon Banquet Festival and proposed to them to make himself the director of Tōtsuki.

Plot[]

Moon Banquet Festival[]

Main Article: Moon Banquet Festival Arc

Azami, after many years, finally returned to Tōtsuki on the fifth day of the Moon Banquet Festival. At the time, Erina was running a booth which Azami paid a visit to.[3] Upon arrival, he greeted his daughter and walked into the main dining room. In a matter of seconds, Azami insulted the patrons, claiming that they were unworthy to eat her food.[4] Even when confronted by Shingo Andō and Natsume Sendawara, Azami coldly continued to insult and reject their accomplishments. He explained his view of cuisine to that of appreciation of fine arts, something that requires an artistic sense, quality of character, and proper education.[5] Eager to see how much his daughter has grown in skills since his excommunication, Azami promptly sat down at an open table that Erina had left open for Jōichirō Saiba in case he came, despite her attempts to protest.[6] Just as Erina nearly began to serve Azami, Sōma Yukihira paid the booth an unexpected visit as well.[7] Not knowing who he was, Sōma asked Azami if he could share the table with him, prompting Azami to lose interest and leave the establishment.[8] As he left the booth, he was stopped by a posse of cars lead by Senzaemon himself. The father- and son-in-law got into a heated argument about their respective visions of what Tōtsuki should be for the culinary industry.[9] Although Senzaemon was nearly able to force him to leave, Azami brandished an official document signed by the Elite Ten Council. In it, six of the ten members including Eishi Tsukasa and Rindō Kobayashi, the current first and second seats, voted to have Azami appointed as the new director of Tōtsuki. The only 4 who did not vote in favor were Satoshi Isshiki, Terunori Kuga, Tōsuke Megishima, and Erina. With the majority of the Elite Ten backing him up, Azami walked away, declaring himself the new "King" of Tōtsuki.[10]

Central[]

Main article: Central Arc

News of Azami's replacement of Senzaemon quickly spread across campus and was officiated within a few days. At his appointment speech, Azami stated that he was honored to now carry the reins of Tōtsuki and was eager to set the Academy forward on a "better" path. Though his friendly and caring facade was welcomed warmly by some of the attendees, some of the more notable guests were uncertain to the true sincerity of his words and his impending actions. Azami quickly went to work pulling Erina back under his wing, first by relieving Hisako of her duties as Erina's Secretary, opting to take that role for himself. Despite Erina's clear upset feelings over his decision, she was ultimately unable to stop Azami. Later, Azami received word from his aide, Shawn Aida that Erina was missing from her room. Without showing any form of concern, he figured that Alice smuggled her out, but was fine with the news, even canceling the plans he had for her the next day. At his first meeting with the Academy board, Azami introduced his new education method for Tōtsuki, much to the shock of the board members. His new format for the Academy requires all students to cook dishes selected by a Central group. Ultimately, all students will be able to learn to cook Elite Ten Council-worthy dishes. Although most of the board members opposed, Roland Chapelle especially, his format was nonetheless put into immediate effect. Additionally, he officially disbanded all seminars and Research Societies on campus. Finally, he targeted the Polar Star Dormitory, forcing them to close down.

After the Yukihira Vs. Eizan Shokugeki ended, Central announced that the seminars and Research Societies could avoid their disbandment with a Shokugeki with the promise of neutral judging. That night, Azami paid Polar Star Dormitory a visit here he was greeted at the entrance by Sōma. Azami let himself into the dormitory and immediately headed to the dining hall where he found Erina and the other Polar Star residents. Immediately the residents rushed forward to block him from Erina, but after beckoning her to come, Erina walked to him. However, instead of taking her back to the mansion, Azami merely petted her head and assured the residents that she could stay in Polar Star as long as she wanted. After Fumio greeted him, Azami revealed that he was once a Polar Star resident himself back in his heyday, much to their shock. However, Azami warned them that their short lived victory is but a prelude for an impending "checkmate". As he prepared to head back to the Nakiri Mansion, he was confronted by Sōma who was curious as to why Azami was targeting a place that he possibly could have had an emotional attachment to. Azami brushed him off, saying that it does not belong in his world, albeit in it's current state. However, he reminisced the Golden Days when he spent it with a respected senpai of his, stating that Jōichirō Saiba and his dishes "shone with a brilliance" that still remained in him over 20 years later. Upon hearing this, Sōma informed him that Jōichirō was his father. Taken aback slightly, Azami wondered what he meant and Sōma restated that Jōichirō was his father. Just then he noticed Erina, who was experiencing a heavy amount of shock herself, and the two wondered how the other knew Jōichirō. After Sōma's claims were confirmed with a picture of him and Jōichirō, Azami pondered on this news for a bit, he realized that there was more to the story than just mere coincidences of the age of their children and Erina's exposure to Jōichirō. As he prepared to depart, he told Sōma that his revolution was all for the sake of correcting the "rotten culinary world" that "tainted his dear Saiba-senpai."

A few days later, Azami continued with his plans, next by officially dismissing Satoshi Isshiki, Terunori Kuga, and Tōsuke Megishima from their positions as Elite Ten Council members since they did not agree with his ideas. However, Satoshi had left a little present for him by revising the Shokugeki condition in order to prevent corrupt judging. While most clubs continued to shut down thanks to his Central enforcers, several managed to win thanks to the efforts of some 92nd Generation. Noticing that the 92nd Generation standouts were stronger than past generations, Azami began planning ways to take them down in the upcoming Promotion Exams.

Promotion Exams[]

Before the promotion exams, Azami conducted a series of Shokugekis to select three students to replace the vacant seats of the Elite Ten. In the end, Shoko Kaburagi, Akira Hayama, and Julio Shiratsu were chosen to fill the missing seats. It is revealed that Azami blackmailed Akira to join Central by threatening to close Jun Shiyomi's research. Azami attempts to set impossible handicaps for the Rebels, but all the students pass the exams. In the end, Azami expels the students by forcing them into cooking matches with the Elite Ten. However, Soma defeats Akira Hayama, while Takumi and Megumi are given a free pass by Rindo Kobayashi when she deems their cooking satisfactory. Erina is devastated by her father's expulsion of her classmates. To everyone's surprise, Joichiro Yukihira and Gin Dojima appear at the scene. Joichiro suggests that Azami accept a Regiment de Cuisine, here the Rebels shall face Azami's Central. Thrilled at the prospect of having his former senior being his subordinate, Azami accepts Joichiro's offer.

Regiment de Cuisine[]

Main Article: Rebels Vs. Central Régiment de Cuisine

As per the agreement, the Rebels and the Central decide to settle their differences with a Regiment de Cuisine, where three chefs on each team are permitted to help each other in their respective matches. From the 4th bout onwards, Azami takes over the judging panel by inviting two first class officers, Courage and Decora. The fifth and the final bout is scheduled to take place between Eishi and Rindo on one side and Soma and Erina on the other. Senzaemon suggests that the theme of the final bout be "True Gourmet", which Azami readily accepts.

The following day, the final bout commences. Rindo decides to cook the appetizer while Eishi cooks the main dish. On the other hand, Soma cooks the appetizer while Erina prepares the main dish. Azami and his judges laud Eishi and Rindo's two-course gourmet meal. Meanwhile, Soma uses guidance from Erina's God Tongue to prepare his appetizer, the Time Fuse: Brazen Youngster-Style Primeval Meat. Despite the appetizer's unorthodox appearance, Azami acknowledges the dish. However, Azami criticizes Soma for ruining the experience of a two-course meal, because his appetizer outshines most main dishes. Soma helps Erina prepare her main dish, the Le Plat Véritable ~Delinquent Daughter Style~ and presents it to Azami. After tasting the dish, Azami derides Erina's cooking; however, he is unable to control his Nakiri blessing which strips several spectators, including himself. Thus, the Regiment de Cuisine reaches its end with the victory of the Rebels. Erina succeeds her father as the new director of Totsuki, while Soma Yukihira is appointed as the First Seat of the Elite Ten.

BLUE Tournament[]

During the semi-final match between Asahi Saiba and Soma Yukihira, Joichiro summons Azami to the venue. Azami reveals that his actions to revolutionize the world of cooking was for the sake of saving Mana and Erina from the curse of the God Tongue. Azami narrates the story of how he met his wife, Mana and how he regained his passion for cooking. However, when Mana left the family due to being unable to eat anything, Azami sought to change everything to save Erina from the despair. Azami believes that Asahi should win for the sake of saving Erina and Mana. However, he is shocked when Soma is able to evoke an unprecedented blessing from Mana, thus winning the bout against Asahi. Later, Azami and Senzaemon watch the final bout between Soma and Erina. Although Soma's dish causes the entire building to be destroyed due to the Nakiri blessing, Erina is declared the winner.

Le Dessert[]

After the conclusion of the BLUE, Mana investigates the background of Asahi Saiba. Azami is taken aback upon discovering that Asahi is his biological son, born from a drunken one-night stand during his high school days (before he met Mana). Azami feels remorse for unwittingly abandoning Asahi and is prepared to renounce the Nakiri family to be with his son. However, Erina slaps her father. Azami and Erina visit North America , where they claim Asahi. About eight years later, Azami is seen with his family during a meal, where he scolds Asahi's conduct. This causes onlookers to remark that they have truly become father and son.

Cooking Style[]

Azami himself has not been shown cooking. However, he has considerable skill considering that he obtained the 3rd Seat of the Elite Ten Council as early as the fall of his first year at Tōtsuki and later achieved 1st Seat in his second year. He is shown personally teaching a class on Italian Cooking In Japan, so it is implied that Azami is proficient in Japanese and Italian cuisines[11].

Skills[]

  • Persuasion - Azami has great powers in persuasion, skillfully able to convert people into believing his doctrine and vision for the culinary industry. However, the means in which he achieves this can vary, especially in the realm of ethics. He is known for using extortion, fear tactics, and even verbal/mental/emotional torture to achieve this. The effects have had a varied effect on individuals, from Erina having a long-time fear of her father or Urara Kawashima having her whole personality flipped.

Trivia[]

  • Azami (薊) literally means "thistle". Nakiri (薙切) uses the kanji for "to mow down" (薙 Na) and "to cut" (切 Kiri). His original last name, Nakamura (中村), uses the kanji for "middle" or "center" (中 Naka) and "village" (村 Mura), alluding to his role as leader of Central.

References[]

  1. Shokugeki no Sōma Fanbook (page 249)
  2. Twitter
  3. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 131, pages 18-19
  4. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 133, pages 4-5
  5. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 133, page 11
  6. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 133, pages 14-16
  7. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 133, pages 18-19
  8. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 134, pages 5-6
  9. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 134, pages 11-12
  10. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 134, pages 14-19
  11. Shokugeki no Sōma chapter 172, pages 10-11

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