Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma is a Japanese manga series written by Yuto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki, with recipes contributed by Yuki Morisaki. The story follows Soma Yukihira, a confident young chef from a humble diner who enrolls at Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, an elite academy where only the best survive. There, students engage in shokugeki, high-stakes cooking duels that determine their future. The series blends intense competition with detailed cooking techniques and real recipes, creating a unique mix of sports manga and food porn.

Serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from November 2012 to June 2019, its 325 chapters were collected into 36 tankobon volumes. Viz Media licenses the series in North America, releasing digital chapters since March 2014 and print volumes starting August 2014. With over 20 million copies in circulation by March 2020, the manga has a dedicated fanbase. The anime adaptation by J.C. Staff aired five seasons between 2015 and 2020: The First Plate, The Second Plate, The Third Plate (split into two cours), The Fourth Plate, and The Fifth Plate. Two video games also launched in 2015.

Critics praise the narrative and authentic recipes, though the frequent fan service draws mixed reactions. The series stands out for making cooking exciting and educational, even when the foodgasms get over the top. A sequel manga, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma: Le Dessert, continued the story, and a spin-off, The Second Bout, reimagined events from different perspectives. A real-world cookbook, the Official Cookbook, was also released.[edit]