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Chūka Ichiban!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaChūka Ichiban!

Cover art for the first volume of the Chūka Ichiban!manga released by Kodansha

!Genre Adventure , Comedy , Culinary

angaWritten by tsushi "ga#a

Published by KodanshaDemographic ShōnenMagazine Weekly Shōnen MagazineOriginal run $%%& ' $%%%Volumes $(Anime television seriesDirected by asami AnnoStudio )ippon AnimationNetwor Fu*i +elevision

Original run( April $%%( ' $- .eptember

$%%/pisodes &

"nime and Manga portal

Chūka Ichiban! 0 !? , lit1 The best in Chinese (food) 2 is a manga created by tsushi "ga#a 1 In $%%(, it #adapted into an anime series directed by asami Anno of the same name1 +he story is centered on a boy #hoseaim is to become the best chef he could be1

In $%%&,Kodansha published the manga1 From $%%& to $%%(, it #as seriali3ed in Weekly .h4nen aga3ine 1 5o#ever, during seriali3ation, the character 6 6 #as added, so from $%%( to $%%%, it #as seriali3ed as Shin Chūka

Ichiban! 0 !? , True er " The best in Chinese (food)! 21

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In some other countries, the anime adaptation #as also called #oo ing Master $oy 1

#ontents• $ .etting• .tory

o 1$ 7nderground Cooking .ociety• - 8egendary Cooking 7tensils• 9 Characters

o 91$ ain characterso 91 inor characters

• & Anime theme songs• : ;elated information• ( .ee also• / ;eferences• % <ternal links

Setting

+he story takes place in $%th century China during the =ing >ynasty , #here the mperor #as #eakened and thecountry #as close to chaos1 It is also during a fictitious era called ?+he ra of the Cooking Wars?1 It #as an era in#hich top chefs #ith different cooking styles tried their best to improve their skills and to become the best chef inChina1 It is a country #here insulting a high@grade chef or fooling around #ith cooking could land a person in a

*ail, and impersonating a top@chef is as good as usurpation of authority1 Chefs compete #ith each other in order togain respect and even po#er, but also #ith the risks of losing everything1

+he country of China has four ma*or regions Bei*ing, .3echuan , .hanghai , and uangdong 1

+he beginning of the story takes place in .3echuan, ao6s birthplace1

Story

After the death of ao6s mother, Dai, #ho #as called the 6Fairy of Cuisine6, ao becomes a .uper Chef in order totake the title as aster Chef of his mother6s restaurant 1 5o#ever, before he takes his mother6s place as aster Chef,he continues to travel China in order to learn more of the many #ays of cooking, in the hopes of becoming alegendary chef, *ust like his mother1 >uring his *ourney, he meets great friends and fierce rivals #ho #ish tochallenge him in the field of cooking1

%nderground #oo ing Society

+he 7nderground Cooking .ociety, also called the >ark Cooking .ociety, is an organi3ed group #hich aims tocontrol all of China through the cooking field1 ven though they already have a strong influence all over thecountry, they still search for all eight of the 8egendary Cooking 7tensils in order to gain absolute po#er1 +hey doanything to #in and e<terminate those #ho get in their #ay1 When they see a great chef #ho may become a threatto their master plan or if a chef beats one of them, they6ll continue to send chefs to challenge that person until theylose1 +heir training is very strict, and cruel, and most trainees don6t survive and often kidnap young children andforcibly disconnect them from their family through murder1 +o initiate a chef #hose survived the training, they#ould sometimes scar that person6s face andEor body1 "nce inducted into the organi3ation, there6s no turning backand trying to escape is suicidal1 +hose #ho fail a task for the organi3ation meet #ith a terrible end1

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8iu ao Hing+he $-@year@old protagonist of the story1 ao basically gre# up in the kitchen #atching his mother cook inher restaurant1 >ue to this, he gre# up learning his mother6s cooking skills and also ended up #ith the samelove for cooking his mother had1 Although, even though he had that kind of kno#ledge, ao didn6t cookmuch and everyone *ust thought of him as a kid #ho *ust played around and #ho didn6t even kno# ho# tocook1 It #asn6t until his mother6s restaurant #as in *eopardy that he decided to cook1 +o everyone6s surprise,

ao #as a genius chef1 .eeing his talent, eneral 8ee sends him on a *ourney to become a .uper Chef1ventually, ao becomes the youngest .uper Chef in history and decides to travel the country even more,

so he can learn more about cooking techni ues1ven though he doesn6t have much e<perience, ao has the pride of a truly e<perienced chef and having

learned from his mother that a chef6s purpose is to create a dish that makes people happy, he al#ays put hiscustomers6 needs first and is al#ays able to make a creative dish that greatly satisfies them1 Along #ith hiscuriosity in #anting to learn more about cooking, ao also has uni ue taste buds having the ability toremember every single food he6s eaten and its ingredients, he could even identify or name all of theingredients in the food he6s currently eating1 +hese traits make ao a strong contender in the battlefield ofcooking1

ei 8i+he $:@year@old daughter of Chouyu1 "riginally, she #as a helper at the Jang .pring ;estaurant1 .he fell inlove #ith ao after seeing ho# much he loves cooking and ho# he also cares about others1 .he only kno#sa little about the cooking field, but she6s useful #hen it comes to little facts and often tries to help ao #ithvarious other things1 After finding out that ao #as leaving the Jang .pring ;estaurant to travel China , sh#as heartbroken since she thought that she could live a life #ith him1 .he eventually made up her mind anddecided to also leave the restaurant, in order to travel #ith him 0In the manga, she did not accompany aoin his *ourney around China21 ei often gets into arguments #ith .hirou and al#ays ends up slapping orhitting him1 .he also gets very *ealous every time another #oman gets near ao1 An e<ample of heranimosity to#ards #omen that gets close to ao is #hen his sister, Karin, visits him to bring their mother6scooking materials she says that Karin #ill never be good for ao, that is until she finds out that she is hissister1 In another occasion, #hen the female chef, An3u, finally reali3ed the #ay of making singe cuisine,she kissed ao as a sign of gratitude, but ei 8i became angry and began to e<press her anger by hitting.hirou1 Although, she says that her number one rival for ao6s heart is his love for cooking1 .he6s a spittingimage of her deceased mother, eika1

hi 8ao 0.hirou2A $ @year@old mischievous travelling companion1 5is mother is Gapanese, making him half Gapanese andhalf Chinese1 5e first met ei 8i and ao #hen they found him passed out, due to hunger, in the forest 0Inthe manga, he bumped into ao after stealing food from people21 5e left his village #hen he #as $L so hecan fulfill his promise of becoming a .uper Chef1 Although, during his t#o@year travel, he didn6t becomeone, so he pretended to be one #hen he returned to his village 0#hich #as moments before meeting aoand ei 8i21 5e #as soon found out #hen a cooking official said his .uper Chef badge #as fake1 Afterfinding out that ao #as a .uper Chef, he made himself ao6s apprentice and decided to travel #ith him15e often teases ei 8i and constantly grabs her breasts, resulting in him being constantly hit by her1 5emay not be a cooking genius, but he kno#s more about cooking than ei 8i and is only some#hat averagein cooking1 .hirou often gets into trouble and also causes trouble for the other group members1 5e later

becomes a chef@in@training at Jang .pring ;estaurant1Hi r 0.hell2

A >im .um master from .an .ei1 5e is also called ?.teel .taff .hell?1 5e is in his t#enties and isconsidered to be the youngest >im .um aster1 5e al#ays carries #ith him a heavy steel staff, #hich heuses as both a #eapon and a cooking utensil1 .everal yello# stars are engraved on the end of the staff,signifying the number of .uper Chefs he has defeated1 After challenging ao to a cooking battle, heengraved a black star on his staff because he had lost1 5e one day hopes to replace that black star #ith ayello# one1.hell is considered to be a nomad he often encounters ao and his friends during their travel1 .tarting at ayoung age, he has travelled around China in order to learn more about cooking1 5e has a very optimistic

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vie# on life and often scolds .hirou 05e6s had a bad impression of .hirou ever since .hirou unkno#inglymade him a bad plate of food21.hell is very athletic and also happens to be good at math1 5e later travels #ith ao and the others insearch for the 8egendary Cooking 7tensils1 5is fookien name is Gi 8ong1

8i Wen 08eon28eon initially introduced himself as a member of the >ark Cooking .ociety he is kno#n for using seafoodas primary ingredients for his dishes and can prepare them to their utmost potential thanks to his superiorknives and the skills to #ield them1 5e first appeared at the Jang .pring ;estaurant demanding that ;uohgive him one of the 8egendary Cooking 7tensils that he says he is entitled to1 ;uoh then said that he had to

battle ao in order to find out the utensil6s true successor1 +he battle #as #on by ao and 8eon soonrevealed everything to him after reali3ing that he still loves cooking, and like ao, 8eon is also thesuccessor to the ver@.oul knife1 8eon revealed that he betrayed and escaped the >ark Cooking .ocietyafter reali3ing the kind of organi3ation they are1It turns out that a young 8eon #as a cook for the Jang .pring ;estaurant a fe# years ago1 8ike ao, 8eon#as a natural genius in the field of cooking, having learned and comprehended *ust about everythingChouryuu had to teach him in *ust one month1 5e #as also a kind child not #anting to kill animals, but#hen he does, he places a red paper talisman on the dead animal and prays for it1 .ince he #anted to learnmore about cooking, he left the restaurant and ventured around China1 >uring his travels, he began to gro#a strong urge to become a better cook, but #hen he couldn6t find anymore suitable things to learn, hedecided to *oin the >ark Cooking .ociety in order to learn their >ark Cooking +echni ues1 While in the7nderground, his knife skills evolved to an unreachable level1 Corrupted by the organi3ation, he becameeven more obsessed in becoming the best chef1 5e sought out 8uo Hie, the best knife forger in China, andhad him forge the best knives1 8uo Hie called his creation the .even@.tar Knives, the best knife set in all ofChina1 "n a cliff top, #hen 8uo Hie said that he #ill one day create a better set, 8eon #as enraged, and in afit of anger, stabbed him in the abdomen, causing him to fall off1 +his traumati3ed 8eon and began to makethings right from that point1 5e is the only person #ho possesses the coveted .even@.tar knives1 Although,on the episode ?+he +rue "#ner of the .even@.tar Knives?, he encounters an 7nderground female chef,.han An, #ho possesses duplicates15e travels #ith ao retrieving the 8egendary Cooking 7tensils, in order to prevent the >ark Cooking.ociety from possessing them1

.ancheA $9@year@old chef from.hanghai #ho used to be a 9th level chef at Jang .pring ;estaurant1 Initially, hedidn6t like ao because he kne# that ao #ould eventually take his spot at the restaurant and then he#ould have to leave1 5e #asn6t liked much in the restaurant since everyone thought that he #as a la3y cook#ho didn6t even like cooking in the first place1 It #asn6t until ao found him practicing his cooking skills,late at night, that ao reali3ed that he likes to cook1 .anche revealed to him that his father #as a great chef,

but he had e<tremely strict teaching methods1 >ue to the stress, .anche ended up cutting his hand andinstead of being #orried, his father scolded him even more causing his mother to interfere1 .ince sheinterfered, she ended up getting the blame1 )ot being able to stand it anymore, .anche ran a#ay from homeand started #orking in the Jang .pring ;estaurant1 5e ended up getting a scar from #hen he cut his handand he says that he has difficulty cutting ingredients because every time he sees his scar, he6s reminded ofall those terrible events1 After talking .anche into not giving up as a chef, they #orked all night to come up#ith an idea that #ould convince Chouyu, the Mice Chef at Jang .pring, to not kick .anche out of therestaurant1 +hough they succeeded in doing so, .anche decided that he #ould go back home to make up#ith his father, since he still loves him, and to also take up his father6s strict training again, so he can honehis skills even more1When .anche encountered ao and his group in .hanghai, he #as already a 5ead Chef at his father6srestaurant and had greatly improved his cooking skills, especially his knife skills1

8an Fei 5ongA handsome $:@year@old genius chef1 Although he is considered to be a more kno#ledgeable chef than

ao, he is the one chef that could be considered as ao6s true rival in cooking1 7nlike ao, Fei is a calmand collected chef #ho can al#ays do things in an organi3ed manner1 5e #as first introduced as one of

ao6s opponents during the .uper Chef tournament1 ven though he #as an opponent #ho seemed to have

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a cold personality, he helped ao a fe# times during the competition1 5e, along #ith ao, made history#hen they both passed the .uper Chef test at the same time1 It turned out that he kno#s about ao6smother, and that he sees her as his savior1When he #as young, his entire family #as killed by the 7nderground Cooking .ociety that also kidnappedhim1 5e #as brought to them and #ent through strict training in order to create perfect dishes and see #hohas the greatest potential to become a member of the 7nderground Cooking .ociety1 5e #as forced to gothrough torturous training everyday or face death or torture1 When he escaped, he passed out in front ofKikkaro ;estaurant1 Dai found him, treated his #ounds, and fed him herbal soup that re*uvenated his body1Before meeting her, Fei thought of cooking as this horrible thing that caused him so much pain1 When hemet her, he reali3ed that cooking #as something #here you create dishes that #ould make people happy1After learning from her he #ent to travel around China1When ao encountered Fei again, Fei #as a chef #orking for the >ark Cooking .ociety and #as about to

become the 5ead Chef of the Imperial Kitchen1 ao couldn6t believe that Fei #as a bad guy and challengedhim to a cooking battle that #ould be *udged by the mperor himself1 ao ended up #inning the battle andfound out that Fei #as being manipulated by the 7nderground1 After being healed by the 8egendaryCooking 7tensils, Fei revealed that he #as drugged by the >ark Cooking .ociety, so he #ould turn evil and

become one of their pa#ns in taking over China1 When he found out that the organi3ation that killed his parents and kidnapped him #as the >ark Cooking .ociety, he #anted to seek revenge and infiltrated theirhead uarters1 7nfortunately, that #as #hen he #as captured and drugged1 ven though he #as beingmanipulated, his actions #ere still bad1 eneral 8ee ordered Fei to protect ao as he looks for the8egendary Cooking 7tensils 0not to make it obvious that he #as being lenient to Fei21 .o, Fei ended uptravelling #ith the rest of the group1

Dai+he legendary chef from .3echuan and ao6s deceased mother1 .he #as the former aster Chef ofKikkaro ;estaurant1 Dai #as called the 6.3echuan Fairy6, or the 6Fairy of Cuisine6, and #as one of the mostrespected chefs in all of China1 ven though she didn6t directly teach ao her cooking techni ues, she didteach him her ideals1 .he taught him ho# to use cooking to make people happy and healthy1Dai #as such a great chef that she #as considered a threat to the 7nderground Cooking .ociety1 In her earlyyears as a chef, the 7nderground #ould al#ays send chefs to battle her, #hich she al#ays #on1 .he evenmade a notebook compiling all the information she gained from battling chefs from the >ark Cooking.ociety, #hich #ould include the >ark Cooking +echni ues that they used against her1 ao #ouldeventually come to have possession of this book1In the manga, it is revealed that she died from e<haustion1 After her former pupil, .houan, became a .uperChef, he stole all the chefs that #ere cooking in her restaurant, making her do all the #ork on her o#n1+hough she died, her teachings #ould live on in her son, ao1

Minor characters

Chouryuu+he Mice Chef of Jang .pring ;estaurant1 Chouyu is kno#n to be one of the best chefs in uang3hou 1 5e6usually the main chef in the restaurant since ;uoh rarely cooks anymore1 5e has strict rules for the chefs@in@training in the kitchen1 any say he has a steel heart and barely changes his e<pressions, but they stillrespect him greatly1 ;uoh seems to be the only person that he listens to and is also the only person that canirritate him1 5e becomes ao6s aster and is also ei6s father1 ven though he is very skilled in cooking,he is a bad fisherman 1 5e tried to challenge ;uoh in fishing, but *ust ended up irritated by ;uoh6s #in1

;uoh+he aster Chef of Jang .pring ;estaurant1 A skilled, e<perienced, and very #ell respected Chef in

uang3hou 1 5e may not seem like it at first glance, but he is an e<tremely #ell@built man #ith ama3ing po#er1 5e has the nickname of 6.uperman Chef6 in uang3hou1 5e uses the >evil Co# Knife 0#hich isused to chop co#s6 heads in one s#ing, and butcher it in another2 to display his skill, 6+he .kill of od6,#hich uses his e<treme strength 0though, he no longer uses it too often due to his old age21 ;uoh is oftenseen drinking alcohol1 5e is also Chouyu6s aster and is one of the four Cooking lders of uang3hou1

.houan

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ao6s first cooking rival1 5e used to be Dai6s best apprentice until an accident left him scarred and unable tocook properly1 After uitting, he turned rotten and returned to take over Kikkaro ;estaurant1 5e ended up

being the ma*or contributor to Dai6s death1 Although, after losing a cooking battle, *udged by eneral 8ee,against ao, he #as forced to permanently uit as a chef, #hich #as the conse uence of losing1 Although,he didn6t stay gone for too long, later sho#ing up to challenge ao once again, but this time as a chef forthe 7nderground1 After once again losing to ao, he #as prepared to sacrifice himself, along #itheveryone else, by blo#ing up the boat they #ere on1 When he #as about to fall to his death, ao grabbedhis arm and tried to save him1 After a fe# #ords by ao, .houan understood his love for cooking and #asable to let go of his hatred for ao and Dai1 7nfortunately, it #as too late, and if ao didn6t let go of.houan6s hand, ao #ould fall #ith him1 5aving turned good again, he saved ao from falling #ith him

by cutting his o#n hand off and falling to his death 0In the anime, .houan simply slipped from ao6s handand fell to his death21 Before he died, he gave ao the other half of Dai6s book, #hich had detailedinformation on the 7nderground1

Admiral 8ee 5ong JueAn Admiral for the Imperial Army of China1 5e is the aster Chef of the mperor6s Imperial Kitchen#hich makes him a highly skilled chef and basically the number one ranked chef in China1 5e6s the one#ho sent ao on his *ourney in becoming a .uper Chef after seeing his natural talent and infinite potential18ee often bumps into ao during their *ourney and usually gives him other tasks, in the hopes of making

ao a great chef1Karin

ao6s older sister1 .he #orks at the Kikkaro ;estaurant as a #aitress1 When her mother died, she #as theone left to take care of the restaurant1

"nime theme songs

Opening ,hemes$1 #Sora# 0 ? , .ky2 by aki "hguro 0episodes $@$/2

1 #Iki $o %ekinai# 0 ? , I Can6t ven Breathe2 by ard 0episodes $%@-:2-1 #&i$i Sae Ireba# 0 ? , If "nly Jou Were 5ere2 by >een 0episodes -(@& 2

nding ,hemes$1 #'oi Sora ni %eaeta# 0 ? , et in the blue sky2 by Arisa +su*io 0episodes $@ L2

1 #Mineral# 0 Mineraru ? 2 by Kaori )anao 0episodes $@-:2-1 #&aze no ou ni iyuu# 0 ! ? , Free as the Wind2 by Keiko 7toku 0episodes -(@& 2

-elated in*ormation

7nlike most manga and anime #ith far@fetched ideas and concepts, the resulting dishes of Chūka Ichiban aremostly realistic1 +hough, the cooking techni ues are highly e<aggerated 0e1g1 lightspeed cutting of ingredients inmid@air2, along #ith the character reactions and the final results of prepared dishes 0e1g1 dishes emitting glo#ingdragons or blinding bright light21 ven though the process is flashy, anyone can actually follo# and reproduce thedishes 0similar to Jakitate!! Gapan 21