Nothing rings in the holiday season like a festive meal, and with the best anime chefs at the ready to help “chop” through every possible menu, whipping up a mouthwatering repast has never been easier. Gourmet anime, or anime where the focus is on food and cooking, has seen an uptick in interest in recent years. Indeed, over 80 different gourmet anime series have debuted over the last decade and many of those have enjoyed popular success.
While there are plenty of anime chefs that possess the skill and prowess to create dishes for even the most experienced gourmand, there are a select few that stand out, and with their talents and personalities, would make excellent kitchen companions for the holidays.
10 Ye Jiayao
Cinderella Chef is created by Wawayu Animation, and based on the original series by Ziyi 281
Cinderella Chef follows the story of aspiring chef Ye Jiayao. Jiayao gets her chance to be the master chef she’s always dreamed of becoming when she is transported back to ancient China and forced to cook for survival. Combining her modern cooking sensibilities, techniques, and deep understanding of traditional dishes, she soon has everyone eating out of her hands.
Jiayao’s unrivaled knowledge of cooking history, from ancient recipes to cooking philosophies, makes her addition to the holiday feast cooking team a no-brainer. Figuring out how to make a modern dish without modern-day accessories and conveniences means that she would be able to bring out the true and original flavors of any dish – naturally. What more could one want in a holiday feast?
Watch on Crunchyroll
9 Teuchi
Naruto is created by Studio Pierrot and based on the original manga by Masashi Kishimoto
As the proprietor and head chef of Naruto‘s famous Ramen Inchiraku, Teuchi has dedicated his life to providing the ultimate bowl of ramen. To that end, he’s gone to great lengths to ensure his ramen is the tastiest, and always at the cutting edge of the local community’s food principles. As a result, he’s built quite a reputation with Konoha’s shinobi.
While holiday feasts are oftentimes bombastic – with a wide assortment of dishes and a plethora of food types – something can be said for the enjoyment of one simple dish cooked to perfection and with tender, loving care. That’s what Teuchi brings – the perfect singular bowl of ramen. Served as a pre-feast starter or a post-feast ye xiao – it’s the ultimate in culinary mastery. Moreover, Teuchi’s engaging conversational manner would add a relaxing and comforting aura to any holiday festive atmosphere.
Watch on Crunchyroll
8 Komatsu
Toriko is created by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
If the window to a chef’s soul is expressed in the food he cooks, then Toriko‘s Chef Komatsu offers an amazing perspective on a man who wished to be the best chef he could be, and in an effort to achieve that goal, faced his fears, swallowed his pride, and realized his dream.
Komatsu’s journeys with Toriko to procure the best ingredients available not only improved his culinary skills, but also helped him achieve the secret sauce of a great chef – the belief in oneself. Accordingly, Komatsu will be a great holiday feast chef because of the story he will tell with his food. It may not be what the diner expects for a feast, but it will be a very personal – and tasty – expression of the holiday spirit Komatsu is feeling.
Watch on Crunchyroll
7 Liu Maoxing
Chūka Ichiban! is created by Etsushi Ogawa, and was adapted by Nippon Animation
Chūka Ichiban! (Cooking Master Boy) follows the story of teenager Liu Maoxing, whose mother owns a popular restaurant. However, when his mom dies unexpectedly, Maoxing decides to follow in his mom’s footsteps despite more than a few of the community members’ advice that he should find a new profession. While the going was tough at first, Maoxing eventually finds success not only in keeping his family’s business going, but also in becoming a renowned chef.
It’s that family legacy that makes Maoxing an excellent choice to prepare a holiday feast. Growing up in a restaurant environment makes cooking food almost second nature. Maoxing does not need to think about the food, he just needs to taste it. Knowing his way around a kitchen since his youth, there aren’t many dishes he can’t make after seeing them made once. Moreover, he’s sure to add his own innovations to stodgy old recipes.
Watch on Crunchyroll
6 Ryo Machiko
Kōfuku Graffiti is originally created by Makoto Kawaii ad adapted by Shaft Animation
Kōfuku Graffiti (Gourmet Girl Graffiti) follows the cooking adventures of Ryo Machiko, a middle school student with exceptional cooking talent that she developed under her grandmother’s tutelage. However, after her grandmother’s passing, Ryo discovers that her meals don’t seem to be as appetizing as they used to be. Worried that she’s lost her touch, Ryo despairs. But then, after inviting some family and friends over to share a meal, Ryo starts to get her cooking back on track and discovers the secret of the deepest enjoyment of food – sharing it with others.
While Ryo’s cooking skills will be a welcome addition to a holiday feast, her presentation and connection skills will be even more worthwhile. Ryo is absolutely buoyant in a crowded meal space. Her food just gets better with every new guest’s arrival. She will get the party started right and make sure the fun and laughs continue until the last guest leaves.
Watch on Crunchyroll
5 Vinsmoke Sanji
One Piece is created by Toei Animation and based on the original manga by Eiichiro Oda
While Sanji is one of the Straw Hat Pirates’ best fighters, he’s also their only cook. Fortunately for Luffy and the crew, Sanji is a natural chef, and his cooking skills have only gotten better since his days of being a young cook on a cruise ship. The quest for the titular One Piece, it seems, has done wonders for his technique. Sanji even wrote a recipe book on his favorite dishes.
Sanji’s adventurous and global approach would be an awesome addition to any holiday feast team of cooks. His travels have undoubtedly introduced him to flavors, foods, and dishes of unparalleled diversity. That knowledge will most likely lead to creative tweaks to traditional holiday dishes that are better tasting than the original. Moreover, he’ll likely add a few new dishes to the menu that are sure to become favorites thereafter.
Watch on Crunchyroll
4 Senku Ishigami
Dr. Stone is created by Riichiro Inagaki and adapted by TMS Entertainment
Dr. Stone is mainly focused on Senku Ishigami’s attempt at bringing back human civilization. But Senku’s scientific approach to achieving his goals can be an awesome “taste multiplier” for foods. In Dr. Stone episode 8, Senku’s Alton Brown approach to cooking and food preparation helped him recreate ramen thousands of years after humanity was petrified. It also says a lot about his skill set when it comes to food.
Like Brown, Senku will be able to bring out the best in any dish through the application of tried-and-true scientific methodology. Senku’s use of technology, locally available resources, and an artist’s core creative principles will be a boon for not only the dishes he decides to cook for the feast, but will also help other chefs on the cooking team achieve the best flavors.
Watch on Crunchyroll
3 Senshi
Delicious in Dungeon is created by Ryoko Kui and will be receiving an anime adaptation by Studio Trigger
It’s said that a good cook can make a tasty dish with whatever ingredients are available to them at the moment. If that’s true, then Delicious in Dungeon’s dwarf warrior/cook Senshi must be considered a master chef. Not only is he able to concoct scrumptious dishes from whatever is available in a dungeon – including dragon meat, he’s also able to turn his compatriots into dungeon cuisine gourmands.
That ability to create “good eats” from nothing is exactly why he needs to be included in the holiday feast cooking team. There’s no telling what mouth-watering ambrosia he’d be able to whip up from whatever is in the pantry. Indeed, who else can turn holiday feast leftovers into savory morsels that might be better than the original dishes?
Watch on Netflix
2 Yoichi Ajiyoshi,
Mister Ajikko is created by Daisuke Terasawa and adapted by Sunrise Studio
If there’s anyone who knows how to cook a scrumptious meal quickly in a way that thoroughly satisfies a group of diverse palates, it’s Mister Ajikko‘s Yoichi Aijiyoshi. Put to the test against some of the best chefs in Japan, from the early age of fourteen, Yoichi has consistently demonstrated that he’s just better. Naturally, his talents have enticed chefs from other nations to take on the challenge of upstaging Yoichi. None have succeeded yet.
That constant testing of his cooking skills has provided Yoichi with the experience, innovation, and drive to create dishes that people love, even when it’s foods or ingredients that a person normally hates the taste of or finds disgusting. He’s also one of the friendliest guys around – just don’t make fun of his cooking.
Watch on Trakt.TV
1 Yukihira Soma
Food Wars! | Yuto Tsukuda | J.C.Staff
Ever since he was a child, Yukihira Soma has wanted to be the best cook in the world. Unfortunately, his father is far more expereinced – and has no problem telling Yukihira how far he has to go to be good. Even after his father sends him away to the chef’s school, Yukihira must continue to prove himself a worthy chef. Despite all the push-back, Yukihira’s innate cooking sensibilities and his competitive drive allow him to establish himself as one of the best young chefs in the nation.
Through these trials, Yukihira has developed two characteristics that make him an essential invite to cook at a holiday feast. First, there’s his creativity. The only limit to his creativity is the natural and inherent opposition of some ingredients like lemon juice and milk. Second, any problem in his creativity is usually overcome by his collaborative nature; that is, his ability to make friends with other cooks and pick their brains on the best way to make a dish. These skills will work well in making a feast everyone will love.
Watch on Crunchyroll
