In the story of Food Wars!, Soma Yukihira is the protagonist, but arguably, the story is really about Erina Nakiri, the granddaughter of the dean of Totsuki Academy. Erina was born with the God Tongue and extensive training and education in all things cuisine, but she didn't have a chance to fully blossom.

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Instead, Erina suffered under the selfish tyranny of her father Azami, but over time, Erina learned to fight back and re-evaluate what's really important to her as a chef. Now, Erina stands firm as a symbol of creativity, freedom and optimism for all chefs, and she has a squad of loyal friends to prove it. Now, here is some outstanding fan art featuring the greatest chef of her generation.

10 At Knifepoint

The gallery begins with a fine tribute to Erina's newfound confidence and her burning desire to keep the culinary world a free place for creative chefs everywhere. She had had enough of being her father's tool; now, she will challenge anyone who tries to exploit their fellow chefs.

Artist Kunniki chose sheets of flame as the vivid background for this piece, and Erina is posing like a warrior princess as she wields that knife to challenge all comers. Soma's goofy reflection is shown in the knife, alluding to the good friend who helped inspire Erina's new vision.

9 In A Good Mood

Erina is not always haughty or distant; she has her warm side too, and she carefully chooses good friends with whom she can share her life. On good days, Erina is relaxed and cheerful, and she isn't afraid to show it, either.

Artist queenshocker nicely depicts Erina in such a good, making a flirty pose and giving a coy look to someone off-screen. The negative space is filled with all kinds of ornate patterns, and Erina has a single heart outline for a little extra flair and to show the love she had for her friends.

8 Getting Ready

Erina isn't the type to pick fights (that's Ryo's department), but if someone speaks ill of the Nakiri name or of Totsuki itself, Erina just might challenge the offender to a proper shokugeki to see who's boss. And she's bound to win.

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After getting all kinds of support from Hisako, Soma, Alice and the others, Erina is 100% confident in her abilities and her role in the world, and she will gladly turn on the oven and wash her hands when the call to battle is sounded. She now follows Soma's example and backs up her words with action, too, as artist dweidbun234 shows here.

7 Dual Nature

Erina isn't ultra-competitive like Ryo and Takumi Aldini are, but then again, there is always the possibility that she has a hidden aggressive side to her. Perhaps she has some pent-up anger or resentment that needs to be released, like pressurized steam.

Artist XDarkneX depicts Erina as a girl of two minds. Her outer self is calm and dignified, and a bit vulnerable, too. But inside, the God Tongue wants to be set free and crush everyone in its way, and Erina can't contain that side of her much longer. She needs to declare a shokugeki on someone and keep that bloodthirst sated, and soon.

6 Innocence Of Childhood

Erina Nakiri was happier in her girlhood, before Azami decided to use her as his tool of domination in the culinary world. In those early days, Erina got along great with her cousin Alice, and they had fun baking cakes for each other.

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As a tribute those happy early days, and the happy days Erina will now have as a free chef, artist StayAlivePlz artworks depicted Erina has a carefree youngster running under the open sun, a straw hat on her head and a plate in her hands. No doubt she came up with a great new dessert, and wants Alice to try it.

5 The Path Of Cuisine

Erina is the foremost chef of her generation, and there is no ingredient on Earth that she hasn't either cooked with or read about during her tutelage. She has roamed the entire world of cuisine, and this fascinating fan art by artist Robert Jaskowski proves that.

Erina is in miniature form, walking carefree along what appears to be a block of cheese that's starting to come unraveled, to depict how Erina can unravel the secrets of any dish or flavor to please her customers.

4 Thank You For Waiting

Erina wasn't always the type to personally serve food; in fact, she is more often working as a culinary critic or a judge rather than a regular chef or waitress. However, making new friends at Totsuki and following Soma's example opened up all kinds of new ideas to her.

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Now, Erina would be delighted to prepare a nice lunch for a friend and serve it herself, to add a personal touch, and artist NeoArtCorE Thongmai shows such a scene here. Erina prepared some hot soup for her friend, and she's proud to show it off. She can't wait to hear what the diner thinks about the exquisite flavors.

3 Time To Herself

Even before she broke free from her father's cruel grip, Erina sometimes had free afternoons to herself, and her pastime of choice is reading the hottest Shojo manga titles out there. She can while away the hours, stretched out on the bed with a stack of volumes next to her.

Artist danielcamilo used colored pencils to depict a charming and relaxed Erina halfway through a good read, and it's clear that she's being entranced by a good yarn. After all the work she does for the culinary world, she definitely earned a little break.

2 Summer Beauty

Erina doesn't get in touch with her Japanese roots as deeply as Isshiki and Nene do, but she does love her heritage, as this exquisite fan art by artist Unrealyeto shows. Erina is an upper-class young lady, and she can afford the finest kimono and vacation homes.

Erina is cozy this evening, making a comfortable pose on the wooden deck while making a coy expression. She chose a robe that closely matches her lovely hair color, and her green sash contrasts well with the color.

1 Best Of Friends

Erina isn't really looking for a boyfriend (Alice even asked about it once), but she has learned to greatly admire and appreciate everything Soma has done for her ever since they met. Soma didn't make the best first impression, but over time, he became one of the most influential, uplifting and overall important people in Erina's life.

In this charming fan art by artist II-hikari-II, Erina and Som have an intimate moment together, where Soma just paid her a compliment and Erina bashfully says thank you. She's not sure what to say next, but her actions as a free-thinking chef are answer enough.

NEXT: Food Wars: Ranking the Top 15 Hero Chefs From Worst to Best