Season 5

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The challenger is the 25-year-old son of a prominent Chinese cuisine chef whose restaurant "Kochouran" in Kobe was demolished during the huge earthquake back in 1995. It's been 2 years by the time they taped this, and the chairman, while disappointed that the chef of Kochouran permanently quit the business when his restaurant was destroyed, was pleased to find the chef's son as the head chef of Canton Shuka "Ten" in Kobe.

Kaga's theme announcement expressed confidence that Kobe was indeed building its "pillars" or foundations firmly after the disaster. The word for "pillar" in Japanese is "hashira". This immediately brings to mind "kai-bashira" (shell-pillars, a common idiom for the adductor muscle of bivalves). But not just any kaibashira - no, they had to be the most prized "kaibashira" in Chinese cuisine - dried scallops, also known as ganbei or conpoy.

Judges: Eimoto Takinori (Baseball?), Megumi Oishi (Newscaster), Zaitsu Ichiro (Actor?), Asako Kishi (Critic)

The challenger is the head chef of a London restaurant that was established in 1798. He is a master of Gibier (wild game) cuisine. Only four months after this episode originally aired in Japan, Chef Kennedy died after a fall in his restaurant.

It is only the second overtime battle in the history of Kitchen Stadium. The chefs used most of the supplies and ingredients in the first battle, so they must be creative during this 30-minute overtime cook-off.

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The challenger is Premier Chef in China. He is an expert in Fujian Cuisine. This is a battle between two outstanding Chinese chefs.

Club Mistral is back with yet another challenger for Sakai. Shimada trained in France for 5 years before returning to Japan. He hopes to show that the new generation of French chefs in Japan is ready to take over. Can Sakai fight back the challenge?

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This battle does not have a theme ingredient, but it does have a theme. Hanami, or flower viewing, is the theme of this battle. The challenger is a Chinese chef. He heads a Chinese restaurant with a long history. The tasting area is set up outside under the Sakura.

Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Asano Yuko, Eiji Bando, Masumi Okada, Asako Kishi

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The challenger is a woman who specializes in the cuisine of Spain. This is a very close battle that is decided by one point. Judges: Tenmei Kano, Minako Tanaka (Actress), Tsurutato Kataoka (Actor), Asako Kishi (Critic)

The challenger trained under the legendary French chef Paul Bocuse. (I think he may have been the first Japanese chef that Bocuse trained.) Judges: Tenmei Kanoh (Photographer), Sayuri Ishikawa (Actress), Sanshi Katsura (??), Asako Kishi (Critic)

The challenger was once a chef at Nadaman, the restaurant where Nakamura currently works.

Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Kishimoto Kayoko, Hideki Takahashi, Asako Kishi

Despite having had challengers from around the world, Chairman Kaga had not welcomed a chef from Australia. The challenger is the owner/chef at Indigo. She began her training at age 19. At age 31, she opened her own restaurant. She wants the world to know that Australian cooking is more than just prawns on the barbecue and beer in the hand. Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Chizuru Azuma, Masaki Kanda, Asako Kishi

Kitchen Stadium has been open for a little more than three and a half years. The last of the original Iron Chefs is Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. The challenger excels at Shanhai style cooking. He challenger began his training at the age of 15. He feels he is the best Japanese Shanghai style chef. What better ingredient for competing styles of Chinese cuisine than the Chinese delicacy Pitan (thousand-year egg)? Judges: Tenmei Kanoh, Lisa Junna, Chai Ran, Joji Yamamoto

The brother of the challenger did battle against Chen in a Swordfish battle two years earlier. It is an Italian vs. French battle.

Judges: Tamio Kageyama (Novelist), Keiko Saito (Actress), Tatsuo Umemiya (Actor), Asako Kishi (Critic)

The challenger is the number two man at one of Kandagawa Honten, the main restaurant of Toshiro Kandagawa. He is only 27 years old. Judges: Emoto Takenori, Reiko Takashima, Tsurutaro Kataoka, Asako Kishi

Debut battle of Iron Chef Italian Masahiko Kobe.

Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Masumi Okada (Actor), Kazuko Katoh (Actress), Asako Kishi

The challenger lives on the Izu Peninsula, west of Tokyo. It is a region known for its hot springs and abundant fish. Of course, his dishes are full of the flavors of the sea. Judges: Shinichiro Kuriimoto, Akiko Yano, Kunihiko Mitamura, Asako Kishi

The challenger is a top chef from Hong Kong. He has won many cooking competitions.

Judges: Tenmei Kanoh, Saya Takagi, Chai Lam, Asako Kishi

The challenger trained in France, but he now specializes in Vietnamese cooking. Judges: Tamio Kageyama, Keiko Saito, Hideki Takahasi, Asako Kishi

The challenger started training to be a chef at the age of 15. He earns praise from both Iron Chef Chen and Dr. Yukio Hattori. The Chairman calls him the future of Chinese cooking in Japan.

Judges: Takenori Emoto, Megumi Oishi, Yasosuke Bando, Asako Kishi

The challenger is a sushi chef from Yokohama who is a favorite of famous athletes and entertainers. He entered the sushi world at age the age of 16. Chairman Kaga calls him a sushi artisan.

Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ichiro Zaitsu, Asako Kishi

This is the second battle in Kitchen Stadium for the new Iron Chef Italian, Masahiko Kobe. He lost his first time in action, and the Chairman wants to see if he has what it takes to win as an Iron Chef.

The challenger has cooked for many famous celebrities. He began cooking at age 13. He headed the kitchen at a hotel restaurant in Italy before leaving to head a restaurant in Japan. He arrived in Japan just two months before this battle.

Judges: Tamio Kageyama, Hitomi Takahashi (Actress), Sunplaza Nakano (Musician), Asako Kishi (Critic)

The challenger is the fourth sent by Club Mistral to take on Iron Chef Sakai. The chef operates a restaurant in Ginza. I think the ladies of Ginza really like his dishes.

It has been three years since Club Mistral sent their first challenger to Kitchen Stadium. We will have the theme ingredient again that was used by the chairman Miyamoto. Milk is the theme and the Chairman arranges for two cows to be brought into Kitchen Stadium so the chefs can have the freshest possible theme ingredient.

Judges: Takenori Emoto, Naomi Kawashima, Takao Horiuchi, Asako Kishi

It is summertime, and Chairman Kaga wants to celebrate with a summer festival. The Iron Chefs are divided into two teams: Asia Team (Chen and Nakamura) and Europe Team (Sakai and Kobe). Kaga asks, What theme do I choose for a dream tag match? That summer fruit. Watermelon. Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Keiko Saito, Tatuo Meidaka, Asako Kishi

It is time for the Obon Festival in Japan. (It traditionally takes place in mid-August) The challenger is a buddhist monk who prepares vegetarian meals. She is the younger sister of the challenger from Season 2, Sakai vs. Sotetsu Fujii in the Yam Battle

Judges: Tenmei Kanoh, Harumi Inoue, Kotaro Satomi, Asako Kishi

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The challenger is the number one French chef on Kyushu. He opened his own restaurant at the age of 26.

Judges: Tenmei Kanoh, Senri Yamabuki, Tetsuya Bessho, Yoshiko Ishii

The challenger is the number one French chef on Kyushu. He opened his own restaurant at the age of 26. The previous battle between these two chefs was declared a no contest by The Chairman. Judges: Tenmei Kanoh, Hiroko Moriguchi, Gitan Ootsuru, Yoshiko Ishii

The challenger has declined many invitations from Chairman Kaga to do battle in Kitchen Stadium. He heads a French restaurant in Aoyama, Tokyo. He trained in top restaurants in France. It’s a French on French battle as Toshiyuki Nakajima takes on Iron Chef Sakai in Battle Beef Cheek.

To add to the tension, apparently Sakai’s restaurant is not far from the challenger’s.

This challenger is the youngest ever to enter Kitchen Stadium. At the young age of 22, she already heads the kitchen of a bustling Chinese restaurant in Tokyo. She was only 7 when she began helping her father in the kitchen that she eventually took over. She feels that a chef’s job is more important than that of a doctor. Once again, Chen is called upon to take on a female challenger.

The challenger’s restaurant is often visited by Crown Prince Akihito, Princess Masako and Princess Kiko. He started his culinary training at the age of 15. He became a head chef at 24. The Chairman spent 1 million yen on the theme ingredient for these young chefs. (That’s a little over $12,000 now, about $8,200 back then.)

1997 "World Cup" tournament in Arashiyama. Liu Xikun vs. Nakamura (Beef) and Alain Passard vs. Patrick Clark (Homard Lobster). The winners face each other in a Foie Gras Battle.

Judges: Shinichiro Kurimoto, Yoshizumi Ishihara, Keiko Saito, Asako Kishi

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Iron Chef Kobe is the Prince of Pasta. His challenger tonight is the Prince of Chinese cuisine. Judges: Tenmei Kanoh, Kazuko Kato, Koki Mitani, Chieko Honma

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