Rokusaburo Michiba (blue) - The oldest, not to mention mightiest, of the original three and the first Iron Chef Japanese. Hey, when some people say "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen", they mean it! Primarily the source of his early retirement was his scheduling conflicts between the show and his restaurant, the Queen Alice, and he even said doing the show would be too much pressure on him. he has participated in the least amount of battles, only at 8, compared to Chen, who has participated in the most at 93 battles. A member of Club de Trentes and a proprietor of numerous products, he believes that his dishes and sauces can bloom like the artisan he is. Yutaka Ishinabe (green) - The first Iron Chef French. And keep in mind, this was the 90s - a time before using shark fins in Chinese food was considered controversial. He has a crucial weakness, however - he's known to struggle against female challengers. Known as the Szechuan Sage, he's the son of Chen Kenmin, the so-called "god of Szechuan cooking". It all comes down to taste and judgment, whether quality or quantity in the dishes, and if a challenger prevails, they will bestowed in the glory of the people's ovation and fame forever.Ĭhen Kenichi (yellow) - The youngest of the original three, and the only consecutive Iron Chef Chinese. Yukio Hattori, as well as their field reporter Shinichiro Ohta. During the red-hot competition, the action will be commentated on by Kenji Fukui & Dr. And as you know, a challenger has to go against one of them to prove their greatness! All it takes is one hour to prepare as many dishes as possible, using a theme ingredient that Kaga reveals, usually as an analogy relating to the challenger's background. To truly fulfill his fantasy, Kaga recruited three of the nation's top culinary artists, and named them "the Iron Chefs". He issued this simple request - for any chef in Japan to enter and amaze him. His fascination led him to forge "the Gourmet Academy", and its centerpiece he calls Kitchen Stadium. that around 1993, a Japanese eccentric named Takeshi Kaga devoted his life to the culinary arts.