Heartwarming / Food Wars!

• Despite how strict of a dorm mother she is, Fumio-sama is a maternal figure that loves all of those who have come and gone from her dormitory. It's clear her strict nature is because of how much she looks into her residents and treats them all as her grandkids. Yuuki and the 'bros' seem particularly close to her. Even alumni like Gin or Saiba treat her with a lot of love, seeing her as a mother figure.
• The residents of Polaris dorm throw a welcome party for Soma, which, by itself is heartwarming in contrast to the snobbery he's encountered so far. What's more, they all give him food they made and he thinks it's all delicious. He is quickly drunk on Ryoko's "rice juice" and declares Shun's jerky to be the best he's every had, which is heartwarming in contrast to his own cockiness (reverse-snobbery, perhaps). All in all, it is a lively and fun gathering where students enjoy each other's food and company.
• Sort of an over-arching moment: Whenever Soma brings out a dish that reminds his then-opponent about their past, it usually implies that they are about to commit to a Heel–Face Turn. Soma and his friends' cooking tends to have an effect on people...and usually brings out the best in those they have defeated, a big example being when he defeated Nikumi in his first Shokugeki, as she felt that his cooking was telling her that she can be herself...not just what others expect of her.
• Megumi freaks out at Soma for challenging Jerkass Chef Shinomiya to a Shokugeki over her expulsion during the Training Camp. If Soma wins, Megumi's expulsion is rescinded. If Shinomiya wins, both Soma and Megumi are expelled. This is the first time we see Megumi well and truly angry — and then she breaks down into tears, asking him why he would take such a stupid risk. Soma first makes fun of her accent, before saying that the reason why he stepped in should have been obvious.
  Soma: You're not meant to drop out of here.
  • Before this, she tries to get Soma to back down, saying she was alright with the results. Soma turns to look at her, sees that she's on the verge of a breakdown, and in the next panel it's obvious that his Berserk Button is well and truly pushed.
  • During said Shokugeki, all the graduates start to argue about Megumi's dish...because they can't decide on a good enough nickname for her. They all agreed that the food was delicious and brings up positive emotions, but they couldn't agree on what was an appropriate title for her. All Megumi could do was try to hold back Tender Tears as she was seeing people who were practically her heroes praise her food.
  • And while she lost, Soma takes the blame for himself and says he didn't help her as much as he can. He's trying to make sure she didn't blame herself for their loss.
• Chef Dojima did the entire off-school Shokugeki not just to help Soma save his friend, he also did it to save Shinomiya who was losing his spark for cooking.
• The way Soma gets some customers starts out with a little girl who was shoved away from Erina's table. He got her to come over with a friendly grin and a neat "magic trick" with the omelet. The way the little girl looked in awe was adorable.
• The final program of the Hellish Training which Doujima Gin presents after a strong speech: A dinner prepared by the former members of the Council of Ten Masters for the students' efforts for the past week.
  • Adding to this is in the following morning, Dojima has a slight realization when Soma leaves and reminds him of his best friend, Joichiro. It's nice to see that the memories were still there early on in the seris.
• Also doubling as a Moment of Awesome, the resolution of the Karaage Miniarc: They defeated Mozuya Karaage by making a quick team work to develop the Sumire Karaage Roll: Every neighbour provided packaging, hardware and ingredients, Mayumi (who by that point thought herself as The Load to Soma) made flyers and helped to manage the business with Tomita and Ikumi moved influences to provide the chicken meat on time.
  • Ikumi put aside all her plans (she wasn't busy, anyway) to rush and help Soma. Even thought Mayumi was also there and both noticed their crushes on Soma, they still stick around to help Soma save the neighbourhood.
  • We see more of Soma's relation to his neighbours: They still call him "Soma-chan" and go quickly to Yukihira's when it opened for the week. Soma was intending to just air it, but agreed to open the restaurant to the public for them, and Soma immediately takes the lead to save the economy of the district because he sees them all as part of his family.
  • Soma expresses to Mayumi that he always thought of her as The Reliable One. Before that, Mayumi thought that Soma barely noticed her at all.
• The Fall Classic preliminaries are full of them, considering it's an excellent way to frame Character Development of multiple side characters.
  • Though Ikumi grumbles at Konishi cheering her on from the bleachers, she blushes and thinks that he's acting like an excitable dad at a school event for his daughter.
    • It comes to say a lot about the two really with how far they have come; Konishi used to be terrified of Ikumi during their intial interactions, but it appears during the time between the Don RS Shokugeki to the Fall Selection, Ikumi and him have grown to a sort of found Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling dynamic, with Ikumi being the one who takes the club work seriously and working to fix it up while Konishi is acting rather overly excitable.
  • Takumi comforting Isami after the latter messes up his recipe.
  Takumi: Aldini will not be complete without the two of us.
  • Later when the final 4 are announced in Block B, it's not necessary any word, but Takumi's hand on Isami's shoulder is more expressive than any other panel in that page.
  • The fact that, even when most of the tastings are illustrated into surreal fanservice arts, Megumi's dishes get the cutest illustrations: Her roommates are happily eating her onigiris in the beautiful garden, Shinomiya gets a flashback to his childhood with his mom, and the judges (after being swept off their feet by Alice) get the best way to close the round: by seating around a table like a family. Indeed her care and kindness translates into her food.
  • Fumio looking on proudly as Megumi proves that she's not a dunce.
  Fumio: "That's it. That's the way. You're a student from the Polar Star Dorm, whom this Daimidou Fumio admitted!"
  • Once the scores are written, Fumio goes up to Yuuki, who's smiling but obviously trying to hold it together. She congratulates Yuuki on doing as well as she did and promises to make her favorites for dinner.
    • There's also the fact that the judges themselves were endeared to Yuuki, one of them even invites her to one of his culinary club meetings. Gotta be a great event for her.
  • There's also the arrival of Megumi's fishermen friends arriving to cheer her on when it was her turn. She looked all bashful about it, but from the flashbacks of her trying to figure out how to carve into the Monkfish by them to help her grandfather, it's like they're her family as well.
    • It also melted the frozen heart of Miyoko, who was dissatisfied with how Megumi relied on the men in her life to get her further...and then sees that they helped support her throughout her career, compared to the chefs in her family's restaurant.
  • There is also the relationship of Hisako and Erina being explored some before hand, with Erina being very concerned for her secretary's well being while she's getting ready. While the two's early relationship is more official given how they usually act, it's kinda cute seeing Erina trying to help her out the same way Hisako does for her.
• At the Autumn Selection, most of the high-scoring dishes are straight-forward awesome but Megumi reaches the top four of her block through the power of heartwarming. The judges don't Imagine Spot anything cosmic or intense but instead just sitting at a kotatsu, sharing a meal while wearing warm and comfortable clothing. Her monkfish curry dish fills them with a soothing warmth that puts them at ease and settles their stomach after all the food they've eaten already.
• After the Fall Classic preliminaries, the Polar Star gang have a party at Marui's room, also inviting Ikumi and the Aldini brothers. It's adorable seeing how they integrated to the friends group and interacting with the other guys.
  • Ikumi getting along very well with Yuuki as both are meat experts (Ikumi compliments Yuuki's wild game).
  • Takumi and Isami enjoying conversation with Ryoko and the two guys. With Takumi reaffirming his rivalry with Soma after some "rice juice" (althought he's really talking to himself aloud, Isami just handwaves this as normal).
  • In the same episode, Soma and Megumi have a talk in the balcony about how Soma has just discovered that the world is big and full of unknown ingredients and how he wants to get stronger, and Megumi tells him how she got stronger thanks to him. A pretty sweet moment that didn't need to become a romantic scene and how the two of them understand each other as equals.
  • Ryoko and Yuuki actually teasing an embarrassed Ikumi about her obvious crush on Soma.
  • And let's not forget Isshiki attending Ikumi, Takumi and Isami like guests by being natural (and by that we mean going full-Naked Apron mode, almost stating they're now part of the Polar Star True Companions circle).
  • Prior to the party, Yuuki comically starts crying when Fumio tells her how proud she is of all of them.
• In chapter 61, Isshiki takes Soma and Megumi to an elementary cooking school, so they cover for the absent teacher. Not only Soma and Megumi cleverly gain the attention and admiration of the children, but they also displayed how well they work together.
  • Megumi also says that the key to make tastier dishes is to "think on someone you want to cook for", which is important for two reasons: That's the tip Soma didn't hear from his father during their phone call, and also because Megumi realizes by this point she is starting to care more for Soma.
• The flashback in chapter 65 to a young Soma interacting with an elderly woman that he sees as a grandmother figure. She starts experiencing hip pain so she can't walk to Yukihira, so the young Soma personally delivers a nori bento to her at home, using up his break time to deliver it. He left her instructions to take the nori off before eating the rice, and she finds a small image of Soma and herself etched in the rice, which reduces her to heartwarming tears after seeing it.
  • Also in that chapter with Soma's dish, the judges were all reminded of the bento lunches they all got as children from their own parents. It's kinda sweet that Soma helped bring these four much older men back to their childhoods.
• In Chapter 67, after Soma's win against Alice, Megumi congratulates Soma for the victory. Both have a little conversation, with Soma recognizing how Megumi has grown since their first meeting, when she couldn't stop staring nervously at the pot. They happily wish each other good luck on the following Shokugekis, showing how much closer their friendship has become.
  • Also the rest of the Polar Star residents (plus Ikumi and Isami) organize a cheer squad for Megumi, with Yuuki making paper fans with Megumi's name for everyone. Although they're all embarrassed from using them, even Shun and Ikumi agree to use the fans.
• In Chapter 72, after the reveal that Ryou Kurokiba won, two jerks were about to mock Megumi as a loser once again, but instead the rest of the students, who until that match were proved slowly that Megumi is a very good chef, applauded her performance and showed how much respect for her they all have now. The two bullies had to keep quiet.
  • Also, the remaining contestants have moments where they get even more determined to win for people they care about: Akira wants to win to make Jun proud, Takumi doesn't want to let Isami down, and Hisako wants to live up to Erina's standards.
• Chapter 75 gives us two great ones:
  • Even when Soma reminded him of how Takumi's Badass Boast turned into an Epic Fail (when he declared they'd meet again in a challenge, only to sit together in the bus minutes later), to Takumi's embarrassment, Soma gave him back his boast by motivating him to win and settle their draw. Takumi's face of joy is heartwarming in many levels.
  • Right before their match, and after Takumi reveals he was highly aware of Subaru Mimasaka's intentions, Takumi gets angry once Subaru insults Isami, showing how much he cares about his brother, even though that's what his opponent is looking for.
• In a minor moment for Erina's character, she genuinely misses Hisako when she left on a hiatus. Erina herself even said she didn't care about Hisako defeat, but Hisako is as proud as Erina and does not consider herself to be worthy of being by Erina's side anymore.
  • Not to mention how sweet and enthusiastically happy Erina is when she runs to the door to greet the arrival, thinking the caller is Hisako— It's actually Soma.
• There are many moments where Akira demonstrates how highly placed Jun is in his life.
  • When Natsume Sendawara, considered "The Queen of Curry", offers him a high-paying job for her company, Akira flat-out rejects it, by declaring "I only fight for Jun".
  • While he boasts and declares to others that he wants to take over the Council of Ten Masters, Akira is really more determined to win so Jun can be proud of him. Jun, already knowing this, tells him she already is, so he doesn't have to stress himself to win.
  • This motivation is what earned him victory over Kurokiba and Soma, and the manga spares no expense illustrating this at the end.
• When the Judges eat the beef stew from Soma, they all imagine themselves having fun at a themepark and even say "Lets be friends forever". Even though one goes Tsun Dere at the end, it was kind of adorable.
• In Chapter 89 there're some of them:
  • After Soma defeats Subaru, all the knives are returned to their original owners. The girl who was sad Subaru took her late mother's knife gave a big tearful thanks to Soma.
  • Even if you hate Subaru, you can't help feeling sorry for him when it's revealed that his nasty behaviour originated from his father being neglectful towards him and practically abandoning him at Tootsuki.
  • When Subaru considers quitting cooking as well, Soma actually calls him out on this and encourages him to keep cooking and look forward, which even makes Subaru tearfully accept his defeat with grace. It's also crowned by a bit of Fan Disservice as well. The girls also point out the irony that Soma put at risk his own future as a chef in order to encourage others to keep trying.
  • Once everyone is done with getting their knives back, Takumi rejects his own Mezzaluna, declaring that he will earn it back on his own accord by defeating both Subaru and Soma in a proper Shokugeki.
• In Chapter 96, after struggling for days to plan a strategy before the Finale, Soma sees Fumio-san drinking sake and loudly joking at a stressed-out Soma. Soma then notices her snacks, which gives him an "Eureka!" Moment and hugs Fumio-san while saying an excited "I love you, Fumio-san". She doesn't crack a joke about it and just smiles. One of many moments that show how much of a Team Mom she is for the residents.
• We get more background on how Alice met Kurokiba and how he came to be by her aide. She basically kept baiting him into shokugeki (using the lovestruck, normally hardened sailors/dockworkers as judges) and beat him repeatedly. When he finally wins for the first time, he looks surprised, then amused by her pouting at her first loss against him and calls her "Miss."
  • Also adding to that is that the aforementioned sailors/dockworkers along with the cooks in Ryou's establishment outright showed massive appreciation to Ryou winning vs. Alice for that first time, with all of them giving out a victory cry and one of them even arm-holding Ryou from behind; despite how much Ryou had a negative impression of him, those very same people were proud of him that one time.
• The roots of Akira and Jun's established relationship is shown fairly early on, but we get a particularly touching flashback in Chapter 103, detailing Akira's move to Japan and admission to the academy. Akira overhears Jun worriedly and tearfully confessing to a visitor that she feels that she is taking advantage of him, as Akira proves to be an amazing student and housekeeper for her. Akira never says anything to her, but his immediate mental response is that she never uses him at all. Instead, he mentally thanks her for giving him a purpose.
  Akira: She's the one who first saw something of value in me. She's the one who gave me a reason to live. My name may mean "light", but the one who truly brought light into my life... was her.
  • during an early flashback to Akira's first days in Japan, at one point Jun can be seen in the background intently reading a book titled "Raising your first child". Jun's fully aware how important it is to be a good parent, and she's trying hard to do it right. Going by the idea that your children are the ultimate judges of how good a parent you are, Jun's done very well.
  • After Akira's victory, Jun is the first to congratulate him in a gushing and tearful So Proud of You. Then she asks why he is so calm and composed as always. Akira's response is to hug her, right there on the stage in front of the school, surprising even himself.
    • While he tries to play it off afterwards, he gets out his signature cinnamon stick out and then we see a flashback to why he does it; it's because Jun told him that it can bring happiness when one smells it.
• During the tasting of Soma's Saury Soy Soup, Alice's mother, Leonara, remembers the day she and her husband, Sōe, first met. The blending of western and eastern in the dish reminded her of the day she met the man she loved.
• Chapter 105 starts stating that the Fall Classic Tournament served also to make stronger bonds between the contestants.
  • Konishi notes happily that Ikumi has become more cheerful and nice after bonding with the Polaris girls, going very often to their place to have cooking practices.
  • Soma has also become Vitriolic Best Buds with Kurokiba and Hayama, since the guys at Polaris mention that Soma has been going a lot to Akira's place to have more debates on whether he did better or not than the other two.
  • Jun has also seem to have mellowed towards Soma, since she serves the boys snacks happily, considering that she first punched Soma after meeting him.
• The Stagiaire arc — Megumi is paired on "Stagiaire" (restaurant internship) with Erina. One of the goals of stagiaire is to leave a positive, lasting impact on the restaurant you are assigned to. Erina, being Erina, completely dominates the kitchen, while Megumi meekly does the scut work assigned to newbies (dish washing). Megumi comes up with a solution to an issue but is unable to stand up to the overbearing head chef, until Erina shuts him up and gets Megumi to proffer her idea, which Erina publicly praises. Erina may be an arrogant, spoiled rich kid but she will recognize and acknowledge intelligence and competence.
  • At the end of the week, Erina offered Megumi a ride and had a very nice conversation together. Erina recognized Megumi's real talent to participate in the Fall Classic (and got angry when Megumi attributed this to Soma instead) and admitted to Megumi that she does miss Hisako.
• Ultimately the first week of the Stagiaire period was more a Character Journey for Hisako, rather than Soma's.
  • She started the week still holding grudges against Soma (really due to Erina's dislike for him rather than her own) and shame for her defeat, not considering herself worthy of Erina's company. Right after their first day at work, Hisako was proven that she needed to step up and learn from Soma (and it's only thanks to him that she realized the true purpose of the Stagiaire, to make an impact on the business rather than just working there.)
  • After her and Soma's teamwork helped to reform and save Mitamura's Restaurant, Hisako finally opened up to Soma and told him how she really felt towards Erina: She never felt secure enough to think of herself as a real friend, but instead a servant, to her. Soma then encouraged her to be exactly that: Being by her side as an equal, not behind her. And with that said, Soma gave her the mangas he had to deliver to Erina so Hisako can have an excuse to see her again. It truly warms the soul to see Hisako drop her cold attitude towards Soma and show genuine gratitude for his kindness.
    • adding to this is the third part of a three-part flashback both Erina and Hisako share; of a young Erina happily playing around in some cherry blossoms and wanting Hisako to play with her. While we later find out that Erina's childhood with her father, this one genuine happy memory means a lot to both of them. Hisako's thoughts as she is leaving the first week of the Stagiaire is of Young Erina's arms open and wanting her to play.
• Chapter 110: We meet some of Shinomiya's staff... who followed him from Paris to help him set up his Tokyo restaurant only to get worked to the bone finishing the last details of furnishing and fixing the building. But they still speak incredibly fondly of him.
  • Adding to this is Abel, his Sou-Chef whom he entrusted with the Japan Location. We see a flashback to when Shinomiya was still a mean person that he was one of the people he was willing to kick out if he went against his recipes, so it should say something of their work relationship that Abel still looks up to Shinomiya and that the young chef entrusts his expansion to him. He's even hard on Soma not just because he's jealous of the two seeming buddy-buddy, but because he doesn't want his boss's hard work to be put down by some kid.
• Shinomiya's bond with his mother is explored twice:
  • First during his unofficial Shokugeki against Megumi and Soma. The dish, despite being made in a lower quality, managed to bring him to tears and remember how his mother cheered him up after the many fights he had as a child. This also helps to develop his Heel–Face Turn and regain kindness and a new goal in life.
  • Much later in chapter 113, when Shinomiya runs the test trials of SHINO's Tokyo, he reserves the whole restaurant to his friends, his teacher and, especially, his mother. When Soma asks him why he chose to pursue French Cuisine as his speciality, he recalled that it was because of his mother's influence. In spite of their humble lifestyle in the countryside, she saved up a lot of money to take him to a middle-class French Restaurant so they can celebrate his admission to Elementary School. Even though he thought his mother's cooking was as good, he was moved by her happiness when eating it, so he devoted himself into making food that will also make her smile. Not only did he succeed, but he also developed his own speciality based on his roots: by using legumes and tubers, which were considered in France as "lower class food", he also honoured his rural origins. Even though he didn't tell this to Soma, Shinomiya still encouraged him to make his own entry.
• The beginning of the Moon Banquet Festival arc has the entire student body singing the Tootsuki anthem. It's a cute reminder that despite the cutthroat nature of the place, at it's core it's still a school and all the students are still kids.
• As the Tootsuki's Autumn Festival arc arrives, Soma challenged Terunori Kuga to a sales duel, and even though he is clearly in disadvantage, there're many people supporting him.
  • Mitsuru readily offered Soma to reserve him a page in the Festival brochure, as a way to support him and compensate for what happened during his Shokugeki against Subaru.
  • Ikumi wanting him to succeed, even saying that she would help his booth if she wasn't busy managing the Don RS. On the same page, Kanachi also noticed that Ikumi's charm had developed to the point of gathering a lot of new members for the club, all of them looking up to her.
  • In a more subtle way, Erina also helps Soma a bit by giving him feedback, even though she also wants him expelled. Unlike other times, she didn't charge him, but still gave him information about Kuga's specialty. Erina also notes that Hisako hasn't stepped up to shoo Soma away from her, and instead encouraged Erina to help him.
  • Megumi reveals that she declined to help at Isshiki's Polar Star booth and her RS post so she could help Soma. Soma welcomes her excitedly and regains confidence by having her help.
  • Miyoko Houjou gave Soma and Megumi advice about Chinese Cuisine in general not because she dislikes Kuga's emphasis on Sichuan Cuisine, but because she was inspired by Megumi's kindness to open herself and trust men again.
• Although Alice knew how to manipulate Jun into letting her take over the Shiomi Seminar booth, there's the fact that the argument that won Jun over was "I want to make memories of the Festival with my friend Akira". Jun actually sheds happiness tears while she thought "Akira finally has friends his age", like any mother would react.
• The Festival opens with the Tootsuki Alma Mater Song (Episode s3e02 in the anime). All the students join together in singing it ... except Soma, who after six months' attendance didn't even know the school had a song, much less what it is.[1]
• After the results of the first day of sales were announced, Kanachi cried with joy when the Don RS placed 3rd in the main area, considering that his club was about to be eliminated a few months ago. And then the revelation that Soma, Megumi, Alice, Ryou and Akira landed on the bottom with red numbers, the reactions were as expected:
  • Erina took time to scold all of them because they were supposed to be Fall Classic finalists. Once Megumi started to cry and apologize, Erina quickly tried to calm her by reminding her that she was scolding the others as well, showing that Erina genuinely cared for Megumi.
  • Most of them are quick to call out Soma's carefree reaction to the results, like Takumi and Erina scolding him (and it seems that Erina also wants Soma to defeat Kuga), and Ikumi highlighting the fact that Megumi is in danger of being expelled as well, showing that she also cares for her new friend as well.
  • In the anime, it's shown how everyone in the room are eating and enjoying Soma's buns (except for Erina, who never accepts food from him), while also including Isami in the group (he wasn't there in the manga). Everyone is shown having an interaction with Soma while eating. Alice is the first to accept the bun, Ryou, as usual, claims that he can do better, while Akira accurately guesses the correct spices. Soma takes the time to thank Ikumi for helping him with the recipe, while Takumi is jealous that Soma didn't ask him too. Even Hisako, who is already in good terms with Soma, is complimenting him.
  • In another additional scene in the anime, Isshiki decides to close the stall earlier so the rest of the team would enjoy the night, which also gives him more time to do preparations for his new business idea. He tells his kouhais that they should enjoy the school festival as part of their student lives.
• Taking in the fact that Nao Sadatsuka is considered by most of the student body as the Creepy Strange Girl who stalks Erina and Hisako, she became friends with Soma, of all people. What made this bond both amusing and heartwarming is that they shared their mutual fascination for experimenting with disgusting dishes, something most of the people consider weird. Nao herself said that she originally intended to harass Soma for working with Hisako at Stagiaire, but decided to be friends with him once they knew each other better.
• Chapter 129: The third member of Soma's stand - Mimasaka Subaru. It makes a LOT of sense why Soma recruits Mimasaka (namely, his replication ability) but given the latter's outcome in the Fall Classic, it's good to see that Soma is giving him a genuine chance at redemption.
• Erina reserved a table at her booth for every day of the festival, just in case Jouichirou dropped by and wanted to try her cooking. When she was little, she asked him to promise to do so once she became a good chef. This is cute by itself, but she evidently knows Jouichirou well know to be aware of his habit of dropping in unannounced on old friends instead making plans like a normal person.
• Doubling as a Moment of Awesome is the results of the Moon Banquet Festival's 4th Day. Soma's booth got even more help:
  • Megumi's RS Club lend her lamps and decorations because they wanted to support her.
  • Although he didn't say it, Subaru was motivated to help Soma because he felt he owed Soma big time for encouraging him not to quit cooking.
  • Ikumi, Takumi and Isami left their stands to their club members so they could help Soma defeat Kuga.
  • They all shared a group high-five once they managed to defeat Kuga as a team. Soma alone wouldn't have had a chance if it wasn't for all the help he got prior and during the whole Festival.
• After all the nightmare fuel that is Erina's dad, a sudden interruption happens that immediately breaks all the tension, and, most notably, brings a big, hope-filled smile to Hisako's face. The kind of smile that says "Thank God, everything's going to be all right now." The interruption in question? Soma, one of his stall's buns in hand, looking to try (read: mooch off of) Erina's booth. He's made quite the impression to get a response like that.
  • Making this even better? Hisako's hope is not in vain. Soma quickly notices how shaken up Erina is, and takes action. That look on his face is not someone who is sincerely asking to join a supposedly "open table". In effect, he is reclaiming a table meant for Erina's idol from her abusive father.
• Gin and Jouichirou's friendship moment is seen in chapter 136. Gin's first reaction is to scold Jouichirou for not contacting him, and the very next scene, the two are drinking together and remembering the good days, while also talking about Soma.
• From Chapter 137:
  • Considering that Alice enjoys teasing both Erina and Hisako on a regular basis, she got very upset when Hisako told her what had happened between Erina and Azami, and her first action was to climb to Erina's room and take her away so she can be reunited with Hisako again.
    • Alice getting her cousin out of Azami's grasp cannot be understated. She is literally risking her hide (and immediate family) just to get Erina away from her abusive father. It speaks volumes just how much she really cares about Erina, all the way since their childhood, even though she likely believed that Erina didn't care about her in quite the same way, as Erina never responded to her letters (because Azami destroyed them).
  • Even though she didn't want to go back to her father, Erina was ready to do so since she didn't want to get Alice, Ryou and Hisako in trouble.
  • Megumi, who at this point is only acquaintances with them, suddenly appears and offers them shelter at the Polar Star dorms.
  • Even thought Kuga has been complaining about Senzaemon making him do "superfluous protocol", his disgust at the rest of the Council is visible, to the point he started to skip and boycott the meeting. Rindou herself^note despite voting for Azami still tries to be the Cool Big Sis, mentioning that she misses Kuga's presence in the meeting and tries to invite Erina for lunch.
  • Soma expresses that he has no intention to interfere with Erina's family issues, but he is still determined to make her admit his cooking is good, which can also be interpreted as Soma not giving up on her.
• Chapter 138:
  • While they were reluctant at first, the Polar Star Dorm members all welcome Erina with open arms after hearing about her Dark and Troubled Past. Yuuki even gives her an Affectionate Nickname, "Erinacchi". Even having her turn down Daigo's dish in her normal cold way doesn't dissuade trying to spend time with her. After how dark the previous chapters were, this is extremely cathartic to see.
  • While Erina still refuses to accept Soma or his cooking, Hisako notes the same thing Senzaemon did two chapters prior about how much Erina is slowly changing by her interactions with the rest of their generation. Soma then notes that Hisako herself has changed a lot too, even more from their time on the stagiaire period together.
  • Shun of all people is in tears about how Erina was treated. He may not show his emotions much, but Shun is actually a big softie on the inside.
• After being ordered to vacate the dorms, everyone is distraught by this, not because it is their dormitory, but because they consider the Polaris Dorm their home and family.
  • Megumi's first thought is to worry about Erina not having a place to hide anymore.
  • Soma reaffirms his Shokugeki against Eizan to protect his home, even knowing that the judges are corrupted. After Eizan accuses him of having a "hero complex", he denies this by stating that he is doing this for himself, but we all know he does care about his roommates.
• In chapter 143, Eizan sent his gang members to vacate the Polaris Dorms in an attempt to break Soma. Fumio tells the guys to not fight back so they won't get expelled, but Megumi and the others decide to resist, since Soma is also fighting by himself. When they decide to resist despite the risk of expulsion, Fumio gives them equipment from the Golden Age, when the residents also defended the dorms, led by Gin and Jouichirou, showing how the Golden Age is returning.
• Chapter 147, when you think about it, is about Souma giving the credit of his dish to his experiences in the Polar Star dorm, managing to move the judges into voting in his favour. It also the character development of Erina. She is shocked that they disregarded her God-Tongue advice for something "chaotic", and is even more shocked at how their chaotic randomness improved the dish.
  • Also, Hisako is standing guard in front of the door to Erina's room, wearing a hard hat and carrying a staff-like pole. She assures "Miss Erina" that she won't let any of Eizan's thugs touch her. Did the secretary just class-change to knight?
• Chapter 149: The Polar Star's and Hisako's belief that Souma will save Tootsuki from Azami's regime. It shows how much they believe that Souma can change Tootsuki for the better.
  • On the same subject, Takumi, instead of scolding Soma like he would normally would, sympathizes with him and recognized that he would have done the same if it was his home in jeopardy.
• The first thing that worries Soma is if Ikumi and Kanachi are having a Shokugeki, trying to call them with no avail. The same with Akira, Jun and Kuga.
  • Then, after Central members were mocking and berating the losing contestants (and even Momo, who referred to those contestants as "lowlifes", was disgusted by them), Soma and Takumi blew discretion and went to the arena to confront one of them.
    • Another one comes for Takumi is him getting praises from Soma and the judges for standing up to the Central members and calling them out on their elitism. Considering how often Takumi makes a fool of himself every time he attempts to look cool in front of his rival, having Soma actually praise him is quite a nice touch for a change.
• Chapter 160: Alice berates her uncle Azami in front of all of Venue D, telling him that she refuses to support his methods, and that she will never forgive him for what he did to Erina. The last pages show that Erina heard every word. Earlier in the chapter, she wondered why Alice still cared about her after everything Erina had done to her. The last page has Alice noticing Erina, and then walk away, pouting about how if it wasn't for Azami, she and Erina would have been so much closer. A note on the side even states that despite their rivalry, Alice loves Erina very much.
• Chapter 170: Any animosity that Erina harbored for Soma has officially gone out the window. Two chapters before, she tells him about how she met his father and how his cooking opened her eyes to how fun it could be. Ever since Azami came back into the picture, Erina has had an internal conflict on who's ideal of cooking she should abide by, her father's or Joichiro's. Soma offers to make her a Yukihira styled dish to remind her of the feelings she felt when she ate Joichiro's dish for the first time. Knowing full well how Soma cooks, she's left in awe at how he could make such amazing dishes with such common ingredients and Soma gives the same answer he did when he beat Eizan; that saying there's one right way of doing something will never produce amazing results and that its the fun of not knowing how things will turn out that makes it worthwhile. That is the same exact reason Joichiro gave to Erina when she tried his dishes for the first time and helps her remember why she wanted to cook in the first place. All of this moves Erina to tears as she happily finishes Soma's dish as the latter looks on with a gentle smile.
  • There's also the smile on Soma's face as he walks away. Not his usual wide, cocky grin, but a small contented smile, satisfied in the knowledge that he's just made someone very happy.
• Chapter 171: After regaining her spirits, Erina decides to immediately spring into action against her father's regime. To that effect, she gathers the Polar Star Dorm residents, who at that point are extremely downtrodden after finding out that Central plans to use the upcoming Promotion Exams as an excuse to get rid of all the dissidents, chastising them for giving up and telling them that as long as they are willing to try, she will help them get past the exams. This causes them to regain their resolve. When Souma compliments her on this, Erina says that she wants to pay back the Polar Star Dorm residents' kindness.
  • Doubles as a Moment of Awesome, since this is the first time we see Erina exert control for herself, not just relying on others but deciding on her own how cuisine should be.
• Chapter 178: When Erina decides to walk around the park in their spare time, Megumi, Ikumi and Isami go with her. This results in some heartwarming moments:
  • Ikumi admits to Erina that she always thought of her with the highest of respect as she could relate to her stress of carrying a prominent family name on her shoulders. She soon realizes that she is blurting out too much and ran away to save herself more embarrassment. Erina then realizes that Ikumi still respected her even after Erina ditched her after her first defeat against Soma and felt remorseful for her previous behaviour.
  • Megumi offers Erina her support even for small things like tea or new romance manga. Then Erina realizes that Megumi was the one who lent her the volumes and thanked her for them. When Soma and Takumi appeared and invited them for dinner, she finally starts to view the city differently now that she has real friends with her to enjoy it.
  • A small moment that also doubles as funny is Hisako trusting Megumi to go with Erina. Considering that Hisako is mostly paranoid about everyone and overprotective of Erina (even to the point of searching Alice for weapons -as in Erina's own cousin-) and a few hours ago she even tasted Megumi's tea in case it was poisoned, it says a lot about how Hisako is slowly trusting them as part of their group.
• Hybrid with Funny: In Chapter 185, the readers find out that Alice's father... is an absolutely doting husband and parent on the level of Maes Hughes. He says that he would be absolutely impartial judge even if he were judging Alice's cooking, because no matter what, Alice is the cutest thing in the world, except for her mother, who is also the cutest thing in the world. He totally zones out at that point.
• Chapter 190-191:
  • Soma's dish this time was made for Akira. Not only did Soma want to defeat Akira, but he did the dish so Akira could acknowledge him and say it's delicious, making him realize that Soma did see him as one of his friends as well.
  • Jun reuniting with Akira once again and deciding that her research and the seminar wasn't worth it if Akira was willing to sacrifice so much of himself much for it. More valuable to her was Akira's happiness, directly telling him that he is like a son to her.
• After Soma makes him realize that he isn't alone and he made the dish with Akira in mind, Akira remembers his life with Jun, and then sees in a different light the time he spent with Ryou and Soma, and later the moments with the rest of the group at the Moon Festival, to the point he even laughed along with them. Despite using it as an excuse to convince Jun, Alice did succeed at making precious memories with Akira in the end, with Akira finally accepting that they are more than just his schoolmates.
• Chapter 192: Despite the chapter being mainly depressing due to almost everyone but Soma and Erina being expelled, Rindou actually passed Takumi and Megumi, because compared to the other members of the Elite 10 whose challenges involved a cooking showdown, her challenge was simply for them to make a dish that she would like, and she quickly approved of their dishes without much fuss.
  • Immediately after passing her own exam, Erina runs to check up on Soma to make sure that he passed, getting her hair disheveled. Her embarrassed reaction as she fixes her hair is adorable. Then when she sees that he had passed, she scoffs (in a relieved manner, though) that such a result was within her expectations. She has definitely came a long way from the Academic Alpha Bitch who wanted nothing more than to see Souma kicked out, eh?
• Chapter 193: Erina running to her father and begging him to rescind the expulsions of all the other "rebels". When her attempt failed, as was expected, the fact that she is willing to face her father — who she fears more than anything — and make such a plea, shows how much she has grown to care for everyone.
  • Also an awesome moment, but Jouichirou and Senzaemon's arrival can't help but bring a smile to your lips, since it shows that the remaining rebels are no longer alone in their fight against Central.
  • It turns out that even after many years, Jouichirou still remembers Erina, as he remarks that she grew up a lot. She is so pleased and happy to receive such kind words from an older man she admires that it is both heartwarming and sad, because Azami, her actual father, never said such things to her.
  • Then there is how Jouichirou greets Soma and congratulates him for finally defeating Akira. Watching Soma squirm over his dad messing up his hair is precious.
• Chapter 203: In the finale of the Red vs. White practice battle, both teams argue over the verdict... because each side thinks the other's dish was far better! Erina especially has come full circle in acknowledging how excellent dishes are truly created - with innovation and collaboration.
• Chapter 205: Soma gathers Megumi, Takumi and his student IDs and gave them to Erina as a sign of confidence that they believe that she'll led them to winning the Regimental Shokugeki.
• Chapter 206: Despite having been expelled from Totsuki, Alice had became The Heart of the group, keeping them together during the month. Instead of falling into depression and pity like the others, she actively tries to cheer them up, kept communication with Soma, welcomed back Akira without giving a second thought, and whined her way to let the group attend the tournament and support their team.
  • Akira's self-deprecation. He still feels bad and can't forgive himself for turning against them during the exams, but Alice and Ryou still welcomed him back because of the bond they formed during the Full Moon Banquet.
  • Ryou cheers Akira up in his own... unique way. Namely by pointing out that, with Akira losing to Soma, the two of them can be considered on equal footing for a rematch, which Ryou boasts that he'd win, of course. It actually kinda works, too.
• When Ryoko and Yuuki were worried about Soma using a pasta making machine to make his Soba Noodles, the people who were the quickest to defend him were, in order: Hisako (Whom worked with him at the Stagiaire and know his hard working nature), Ryou (Who sees him as a true rival), Ikumi (who was the first ever Shokugeki opponent Soma had), Akira (Soma's longest-lasting rival and one who was recently defeated by him) and Erina (Whom took the longest to fully accept his cooking). Megumi, the person who's worked with Soma the longest, also gives a silent agreement to them.
• Chapter 209: Isshiki's opponent, Julio, keep mocks him during their match by saying that he's a drop out for his family, but Isshiki doesn't bat an eye. However, when Julio mocked the Polar Star Dorm, Isshiki makes a point of saying that he'll crush him for insulting his friends. Don't provoke the Polar Star senpai; better to steal a gem from a dragon's lair, because Isshiki's dish is a dragon with eight heads.
• In Chapter 216, Isshiki's dish was made up from ingredients he found at the Polar Star Dorm... meaning he wanted to show the talents of his friends as well as his own.
• Chapter 222: The genuine appreciation that all of the ramen shop owners have for Megishima, after we hear how he strove to ensure that all ramen shops will do well and how he'll do anything to help them succeed in the face of Azami's inference. One of the younger shop owners mentions how Megishima helped him and his family when the father of the shop owner got sick, all the way until the father got better, pretty much saving that family's ramen shop from having to shut down. In just one chapter, we go from barely knowing anything about Megishima to seeing how his talent as an Elite 10 member is only surpassed by his care, loyalty and kindness towards anyone who runs a ramen shop.
• The lead up to Match 3 of the Regiment de Cuisine. Shinomiya arrives to coach the first years, claiming it to be a whim. But when he starts thinking to himself about it, it's obvious he's doing it A) for the sake of his SHINO's Tokyo staff and B) specifically for Soma and Megumi's sake. He gets all embarassed-fluster when Megumi calls him "coach" just like he did when Soma calls him "master".
  • After Megumi lost against Momo, Shinomiya isn't gonna let Megumi cry on his shoulder... but he tells Dojima that if she wants to get better to come to his Tokyo business. He clearly cares about her well being in his own Defrosting Ice King way, and wants to have her train with his people again.
• Takumi's victory over Eizan and his dish not only are a Moment of Awesome, but the true inspiration for his pizza and how he made it are the main Heartwarming keys:
  • First is the shigureni half, a technique he learned at his first Stagiaire internship. His determination and Important Haircut are what convinced his boss to let him step in the kitchen, which later allowed him to learn their signature shigureni recipe.
  • Then he named it "Doppio Mezzaluna Pizza" (or "Two Halves of the Moon"), clearly referencing his relationship with his twin brother Isami. Worth mentioning that Soma is the first one who notices this, along with recognizing how cool Takumi is looking.
  • Despite having lost against Subaru, Takumi had demonstrated that he is way past his resentment towards him and truly forgave him, because he took his tracing tactic as a key to win.
  • Isami is the first person to congratulate Takumi twice. First when the judges outright announced his victory, Takumi went to the cage and high-fived his brother. The second time, Isami is the first one who tackled him to the floor, followed by the rest of the group.
• The way Soma beats Soumei is represented by Soma attacking Soumei with countless weaker swords, representing different techniques. What helps Soma win, however, is when he starts busting out weapons representing his friends. The Katana representing Takumi, the Buster Sword representing Ryou, the Rapier representing Akira, the Naginata representing Subaru, a pair of apple boxing gloves representing Megumi and even a rifle representing Yoshino. The match isn't won by Soma learning some new super technique or pulling some brilliance out of nowhere. It's won through everything he's learned from his friends leading up to that point.
• Chapter 249 elaborates some more on Isshiki and Nene's shared past during his match with Tsukasa. While we already knew Nene had quite an inferiority complex towards Isshiki, we finally get to see Isshiki's perspective. Like Erina, he was naturally talented in the field of cuisine from a young age, specifically Japanese cuisine. His family would always tell him that he can never get complacent and that he should always focus on improving his skills, never even praising him in the process. Naturally, Isshiki never felt any sense of accomplishment or love for cooking at all. That is until he met a person who was diligently working on their craft with a determined and focused expression on their face. Isshiki found their expression beautiful and that person showed him that cooking can be something that can be enjoyed and something he takes pride in, and he expresses his deepest respect for that person. That person was none other than Nene herself. The revelation that the person she resented for so many years thinks so highly of her is enough to drive her to tears.
• One of the cover images had Eishi munching peacefully on Rindou's Valentine Day treat, lizards. The other Seats don't share the same opinion as him.
• Erina's dish during her first match in the Regiment de Cuisine, and her first Shokugeki in a long while, has her make a pancake dish with bean paste in the middle. The dish not only looks like a dish similar to Gin's training group, but the idea of it was based off of the dorayaki Megumi made in her match against Momo. It's obviously her way of avenging Megumi's loss.
  • What's more, the subsequent chapter shows how far she came from her haughty nature in the early stages of the manga. She credits her defrosting to Soma's presence and the warmth she experienced from Hisako and Polar Star, and names her souffle after Megumi for her inspiration in the dish. Erina even borrows Soma's catchphrase when she wins. Which Soma is quick to notice.
• Eishi and Azami enjoy discussing cuisine with each other. Eishi is rarely this animate even with Rindou and even skipped a tasting event to have lunch with him.
• Soma and Erina's "teamwork", such as it is, has many heartwarming moments as they compete against Tsukasa and Rindo.
  • They spend all night arguing about the two course meal, but they argue as equals with respect for each other. This is contrasted with Tsukasa doing his own thing and Rindo chasing after him, despite feeling conflicted.
  • Senzaemon's smirk as he watches the two teens bicker imply that he knows exactly what is going on and is pleased.
  • After seeing what Soma served as an "appetizer", Erina scolds him for not understanding the word "teamwork". He responds that competing against each other is their teamwork, because it suits their relationship better. There is a moment of Held Gaze, and Erina calls him a "dummy" with such tenderness that Alice and Hisako are shocked.
  • As onlookers remark upon, they "steal" from each other. Soma used Erina's God Tongue to calibrate his "appetizer", and used Soma's penchant for disgusting dishes and competitive streak to create a main dish that could appropriate such a "appetizer" and surpass it.
  • Upon their victory, Soma gives Erina permission to use his line again, in his cocky way, and Erina undoes her ponytail simutaneously with Soma untying his bandana.
• Just, the smiles Erina makes during chapter 260. It's a rare moment of pure happiness from her as she presents her dish and talks about it, and it's just wonderful.
• Chapter 262 has Soma remembering his mother while talking about how happy his father was, as well as Hisako saying straight to Azami's face that she wasn't Erina's servant, but her friend.
• Chapter 263 has Erina offering Soma the position of First Seat after their victory against Azami. While there already have been many other moments that showcased Erina's Character Development, this goes to show that she now truly respects Soma and his cooking.
  • Also adding to it is everyone else's reactions to Takumi and Megumi also becoming members of the Ten.
• Chapter 264 shows that the former Council of Ten Masters have graduated and are doing what they do best. And where is former First Seat Tsukasa working, a high class restaurant? No, he's in the middle of a jungle helping Rindou and her team catch fish.
  • What's more, the eternally awkward bundle of nerves that Tsukasa was as the First Seat is gone, replaced by an energetic and smiling young man. He seems like he's happiest working with Rindou.
• When the Chef Noir gets challenged by Megumi, it's kinda sweet to see that Megumi has grown in confidence and just seems REALLY happy to be cooking. She's looking like she's a kid in the candy store as she's cooking up a meal for this guy to show her greatest strength; hospitality.
• The Chef Noir in charge of judging participants at BLUE's first gate, Heigoro Tokiyama, is an old man looking for a last meal, not because he's dying, but because he was planning to commit suicide after his role in the competition ended, due to being too old to continue practicing his passion for cooking. Soma's ferocious cooking and personality, however, end up inadvertently giving the old man the will to live again.

  Heigoro: Getting involved in BLUE was supposed to be my final hurrah. I thought I was going to commit suicide. I really thought me not being able to cook meant my life was meaningless. ...But... He's right. I'm going to spend some more time. Explore that infinite land of possibility! This kid taught me that I need to!

• Eishi meeting Soma, Takumi and Megumi at the BLUE's second gate. Even though they were enemies during the Regiment de Cuisine, he's genuinely happy to see them and greets them as old friends, even proposing that he and Soma have a friendly competition on who can make the best dish on that round. Soma of course responds in kind.
  • After that round, Eishi invites Soma an ice cream pop, while both have a friendly chat about what they have been up to after graduating and where is Rindou.
  • After Eishi loses his duel (and his grater) to Asahi, he and Soma share a brief but still heartwarming moment: Soma gives Eishi a cup of green tea while congratulating him for his effort, while Eishi tells Soma that he has to defeat Asahi. Soma of course promises that he will, and the tone implies he's doing it to avenge him not only as a rival, but as a friend.
• In response to Asahi's luxury dish, Soma prepares an ordinary looking fried rice dish which is actually sumptuous and receives praise from the judges. He insists Mana Nakiri to taste his dish as well, explaining that he was remembering his mother while cooking his dish. Soma's mother had passed away five years prior to the main storyline. Soma fondly recalls how his mother had inspired and influenced his approach of cooking. Asahi derides it but Soma's dish activates Mana's bestowing on a greater magnitude than Asahi's dish ever could.
  • Most fanon depict Soma's mother as a cooking prodigy, but canonly... she's the worst at cooking despite being a diner kid. Despite that, everyone in Yukihira's has a smile on their face and they like to try out her special, even if they would be failures. Fried rice was the first dish Soma learned from his mother since that's the dish she manages to cook with some success. On a different note, anyone notice that a rice dish was the first thing he presents to any Nakiri female?
• Even though Asahi offers to return Joichiro's knife, Soma lets Asahi keep it for winning it fair and square. And Joichiro himself lets Asahi know that what he seeks would be acquired even without worrying.

  Joichiro: Besides...Asahi, as the parent who raised you into a chef, who'd know that better than me?

• Azami becomes distraught upon discovering that Asahi Saiba is his son. He immediately decides to leave the Nakiri household and take responsibility for Asahi, although Erina prevents him from doing so. Later, Erina and Azami go to America to visit Asahi. Erina requests him to return home as her brother. Asahi's wish to have a family came true.
• The final epilogue chapter shows that everyone is doing well in their chef careers, seven years after graduating, and they still keep in touch with each other as close friends. Moreover, the inner monologues of Soma and Erina heavily imply they've developed feelings for each other.

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