Nakiri Erina has been the main heroine of Shokugeki no Soma since the beginning. At first, she was a character who harbored hostility towards Soma and was always on the fence, but in the third season, she became the leader of the Rebel Alliance and challenged the Ten Elites with her friends. Then, in the fourth season, Erina finally takes part in a Shokugeki! You can enjoy plenty of Erina's Shokugeki in the middle and final stages. Here, we'll give you a sneak peek at how Erina will play an important role in the fourth season. We'll introduce you to Erina, who has grown significantly not only in her cooking skills but also mentally.
Erina was afraid of Thistori before the Solidarity Shokugeki
Erina's growth in this Solidarity Shokugeki isn't limited to her cooking skills and her bonds with her teammates. In particular, she will experience significant mental growth. Before the Solidarity Shokugeki began, Erina was clearly afraid of Thistori due to past events. However, by the end of the Solidarity Shokugeki, she acts on her own terms and breaks free from the curse of Thistori, which had been drilled into her like a special education since childhood.
Erina has become a delinquent!? Erina has finally begun to rebel against Azami
Erina is known for her queenly attitude! Although she kept a low profile in front of Azami, when she joins forces with her friends to compete in the Solidarity Shokugeki, she finally speaks her mind to her father, Azami. The "good girl" she speaks of here refers to the time when she was submissive to Azami, and she is completely rebellious against her father. It's a belated rebellious phase! (lol) This expression and line are so Erina-like and amazing.
Erina slowly becomes more like Alice
The first-year trio of Soma, Takumi, and Megumi were chosen for the third bout of the Solidarity Shokugeki! Erina hasn't appeared in the Solidarity Shokugeki yet, but it was Erina who sent the three of them out as a team. This Shokugeki is one where "solidarity" is literally important. It seems she thought that she could maximize her solidarity with these three people she knew so well. What caught my eye was Erina cheering them on. Her powerful support was unimaginable for the Erina of the past, and people even said she was starting to resemble Alice.
Erina's first battle in the Solidarity Shokugeki begins with the Fourth Bout!
After cheering in the third bout, Erina finally joins the Solidarity Shokugeki in the Fourth Bout! Her opponent is third-place Akanegakubo Momo. With Momo specializing in sweets, the theme ingredient is "brown sugar." It looks like another baking showdown is in the cards.
In the Fourth Bout, Erina made a dorayaki (a type of pancake) using soufflé.
In this Rentai Shokugeki, Erina made a dorayaki-like dessert using soufflé. Her motivation for making this dessert came from seeing the dorayaki that Megumi made in the Third Bout, which she sadly lost to. Moved by Megumi's challenging spirit, Erina created this dish with a sense of revenge in mind. The name of the dish is "Souffle Léger de Glace." Souffle Léger means "light souffle" and glace means "blessing." She also fights for her friends. This is where we can see Erina's growth.
The results of the Force Bout were not only approved by Erina and the judges, but also by her opponent.
The soufflé leger de glace she made during the Force Bout was so well-received that the judges even called it "a revelatory answer that goes beyond common sense, like a divine intervention." However, upon seeing the dessert, Momo gave it a definite 95 points. Her reasoning was that turning the soufflé into a dorayaki pancake dulled the texture and flavor. However, when Erina offered to give her a sample, she took one bite and was instantly hooked... As you can see, her eyes were filled with hearts, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "This dorayaki is so cute!"
Force Bout, Erina's final catchphrase was "Thank you for your hard work."
Erina won her match against Momo 3-0. Her final words were "Thank you for your hard work," a phrase familiar to the protagonist Soma. While slightly adapted, it's clearly a reference to Soma. When they return to their friends, Soma approaches them, grinning and saying, "You stole my copy!" Erina denies that she was inspired by Soma, but... The fact that they unconsciously use the same words makes it seem like they're lovers (lol).
Erina will be the main character in the Final Bout, but...
The theme of the Final Bout is "course meal." One person will make the appetizer, and the other will make the main dish. Naturally, the two of them argue over who will make the main dish. While the pair Tsukasa and Rindou were perfectly in sync and had already decided on their roles in advance, Soma and Tsukasa were arguing until the very end over who would be in charge of the main course. Even when they finally showed up at the venue, they ended up playing rock-paper-scissors. Erina was ultimately chosen to make the main course, but even here, further problems arose.
A Food War in the Middle of a Food War!? Erina and Soma Fight Even Among Friends
After much debate, Soma was chosen to make the appetizer, but then he began to do something completely outrageous. Appetizers are important dishes that complement the main course. For the appetizer, Soma makes a bone-in piece of meat, similar to the ones cavemen eat in the anime. Naturally, he's criticized for not being worthy of being an appetizer, but this is a challenge to Erina. He challenges her to come up with a specialty dish that uses this dish as an appetizer.
What is Erina's specialty dish?
"True Gourmet Flying from Paradise - Delinquent Girl Style." This is the name of Erina's specialty dish, but it's actually an oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl). Although the oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl) is quite different from the one we're familiar with, the oyakodon, the tentacle peas used in it, and the furikake (sprinkled seasoning) that transforms it into a final dish all seem to be inspired by dishes Soma has made in the past. This shows how Erina has grown to incorporate the opinions and talents of others in order to forge ahead with new dishes.
Azami's reaction to Erina's specialty is crazy! (lol)
This photo makes you want to ask, "What's going on, Dad?" The impact is quite strong (lol). Azami has a very special ability called "Osasuke," which causes the clothes of those around her to fly off when she eats something delicious. After tasting Erina's food, even her own clothes fly off with the Osasuke. Even so, with that face and in that position, wearing only briefs... it's quite a surreal scene.
After the Rentai Shokugeki, Erina is promoted to the head commander of Totsuki!
The Solidarity Shokugeki concluded, and the Rebel Alliance achieved a complete victory. Now it was time to choose the new Top Ten. But then, another commotion arose. As mentioned earlier, the oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl) Erina made in this final bout was heavily inspired by a dish Soma had made in the past. Because of this, Erina recommended Soma for the top spot, citing him as the greatest contributor. However, Soma was not happy with this. In the end, Soma was not satisfied unless Erina, who created a specialty that surpassed his own appetizer, was ranked higher than him, so he recommended her to the position of president, a higher rank than himself. Thus, Erina assumed the position of president.
Will Erina's mother, Managi, appear in Season 4? It's unclear.
This episode's Shokugeki focused on Erina and her father, Azami, but in the story that follows, Erina's biological mother, Managi Nakiri, finally makes an appearance. However, it's unclear whether the fourth season will go this far... (It may end with the Rentai Shokugeki). Like Erina, Managi also possesses the divine tongue, and she was the one who inspired Azami to develop her current personality.
A Summary of Erina, the Leader with the Divine Tongue
So far, what do you think of Erina? The story has progressed quite a bit, and each character has grown, but Erina's growth has been particularly significant. At first, Erina would pick a fight with Soma at every opportunity, but by the fourth season, she's grown to the point where they join forces and respect each other... Everyone, please keep an eye on Erina's growth.
