Hit cooking anime Food Wars follows small-town Soma Yukihira of Yukihira diner as he aims for the top spot at ultra-elite Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute. Through challenging cooking classes and trail and error, Soma climbs through the ranks of the culinary academy. Not all dishes are a tasty treat, especially when Soma begins his experiments. Octopus tentacles and peanut butter? No thanks!

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From facing off with his peers to professional chefs in shokugeki – food competitions – Soma steadily journeys to the top as he battles each opponent with wit and ingenuity: Serving up 10 awesome things you didn’t know about Food Wars season 3.

10 Totsuki Challenge VS. Shokugeki

Yes, there is a huge difference between the two. Totsuki challenge: those issued by the academy, such as with the advancement exams arc beginning on episode 13. Shokugeki: Those issued by one student to another, such as when Soma challenged Eizan to overturn Polar Star's dormitory eviction. The goal of the Azami administration and Central is to rid the academy of those who go against the new regime, which involves taking over land and clubs. The awesome part? Even with a rigged shokugeki and sabotaged Totsuki challenge, the Rebels prevailed. It’ll take more than a few underhanded methods to rid the academy of those aspiring chefs.

A super cool fact about the show is that its food and cooking are true to real life. Feel like becoming the next amateur chef? Pull up episode 8 and try serving up Singapore rice chicken - A Hainanese chicken rice dish adapted from China. It's considered a national dish of Singapore. With Eizan's recipe, the dish keeps the judges drooling.

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Although not a nationally acclaimed dish, coulibiac - the French adaptation of a Russian dish - is a pastry stuffed with salmon. It's a fancy name for an easy dish to make.

8  Ma La, A Stone Oven, and Sorta Danzi Noodles

The first arc of season 3 - Moon Banquet Festival - stars Soma and Kuga in a battle between food stalls. It comes as no surprise that Soma needs to use his wits and ingenuity when challenging a member of the Elite 10. Over the course of the festival, Soma learns of the delicate balance with spices Ma and La, which involve the use of Sichuanese peppercorns. What's awesome is the complexity that goes into Soma's food over the span of three days.

Using Ma and La, Soma concocts a pepper bun - a Taiwanese street food - then provides a show of cooking the buns in a stone oven - a kiln used to cook bread, popular in India. The third day consists of the bun dough turned into Danzi noodles, but that was just the beginning. Finally, through trial and error, Soma puts together his final dish: a meatball curry in a mapo tofu noodle bowl. It's awesome how Soma is perceived as putting together slapdash meals, but this arc clearly demonstrates his culinary knowledge and skills.

7 A Fair Maiden And Her Creepy Vampire Dad

erina being controlled by her father

Erina Nakiri's character is a himedere, meaning she has a princess complex, but in the face of Azami - Erina's father - she becomes a helpless maiden. As is the case with episode 6 aptly titled "The Imprisoned Queen," where the story dives into Erina's and Azami's dark past. She cannot help but quiver in fear at her father's contempt, yet she continues to seek his approval. Their relationship becomes an arc of its own, but what really discerns Azami's character is his overall vampiric look: dark outfit, dark hair, dark aura, and eery black eyes. It's no wonder his appearance screams villain.

6 No Cooking, No Food, No Ecchi

Cooking, food, and ecchi are the three cornerstones of this series. However, the plot strays from these mainstays a time or two throughout the season. Is this considered awesome? Not to all, but to some, it's a much-needed break for other pieces to fall into place.

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In episode 7, nothing makes sense anymore: Totsuki is under Azami's new regime, judges are being bought off, clubs are being dismantled left and right, and dormitories are shutting down. So, on top of cooking, food, and ecchi, we now have Nakiri family drama and school reforms.

5 Polar Star Dormitory "War" Supplies

Fumio, head of the Polar Star dormitory, is a tough lady who won't back down without a fight. For violence to descend upon a cooking anime, in season 3 no less was a shock. When Eizan's eviction team threatens to kick them out, the Polar Star residents band together to protect their home. With that fighting spirit, Fumio provides the gear for war, including shields, helmets, water hose, smoke bombs, shovels, and poles from the days when students would frequently storm the dormitory. Despite her age, Fumio is kicking butt and taking names for the sake of saving the dorm.

4 Stomachs Of Steel

It's anime. Although that should be enough of an excuse, one can't help but wonder how the judges are able to stomach round after round of food. If you've followed the series up 'til now, then you've seen how the judges don't simply taste test the food - they gobble down whole bowls. It's in the last arc of the 3rd season, during the team shokugeki between Central and the Rebels, that the WGO - World Gourmet Organization - become the judges. Just how many bowls of soba noodles can they stomach before tapping out?

3 Anime Logic When It Comes To Mental Health

Episode 21 titled "Pioneer of the Wasteland," tells of Souma's father - Saiba Joichiro - and his life as a chef. To sum it up, Saiba had stopped growing; he was depressed. In anime logic: "When was the last time you were truly happy when you cooked?" What's awesome about this, is that we can see the struggle, pain, and emotional despair that Saiba goes through. This scene makes Saiba a highly relatable character. So, while mental health is not explicitly voiced, the imagery and dialogue show the symbolic link between the two.

2 Polar Star Progenies Are Worth Their Salt

Welcome to Polar Star dormitories were a ragtag group of aspiring chefs reside and cultivate their skills. Throughout the series, viewers see a glimpse into each of the residents' skills; however, season three brings to light just how skilled they are. In episode 23, Ishiki-senpai makes the risky move of using ingredients that come from his fellow dorm mates, including a newly developed natural cheese, rice juice, and smoked meat. As a former member of the Elite 10 and resident of Polar Star, Ishiki-senpai refuses to allow anyone to diss his juniors.

1 It's... Shockingly Accurate

From the food, cooking techniques, and procurement, this show mimics real life. The fancy, even the more mundane, dishes come from various countries, such as China, Russia, or France. It's easy to guess that soba noodles, tempura, gyoza, eel, and soffrito all reside on this side of the screen. However, for the fancier dishes - matelot or hachis parmentier - it's not as easy to guess. In episode 16, Akira has his revenge match against Soma, and the main component is bear meat. What's awesome about this is that in Northern Japan, they really do eat bears.

 NEXT: Food Wars! Does Not Need a Fifth Season (But We’re Getting One Anyway)