Iron Chef - Notable Challengers

Notable Challengers

Certain challengers have made repeat appearances, or have been particularly memorable.

(Japanese names are not in the traditional Japanese style but have been written in standard European style .)

• Dominique Corby: a chef at la Tour d'Argent Tokyo, who fought iron chef Chen Kenichi. He is the only competitor to have tied the Iron Chef twice—once initially and again in the overtime battle; he and Chen were subsequently declared joint winners of that battle.
• Alain Passard: Three star French chef and owner of L’Arpege, located in Paris. Ties Iron Chef Koumei Nakamura in the 1997 World Cup championship and was the final challenger in Kitchen Stadium, losing to Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai in the finals of the "King of Iron Chefs."
• Cheng Kazuhiko: First challenger to defeat an Iron Chef. The theme ingredient was octopus.
• Tadamichi Ōta: defeated Iron Chef Sakai in an octopus battle, in which Sakai was particularly squeamish about handling the live creatures. Later became the leader of the "Ōta Faction" (大田軍団) of traditional Japanese chefs. The Ōta Faction regularly challenged Iron Chef Morimoto and his neo-Japanese style, winning one out of five battles. Ōta Faction was the name used in the translated version shown on Food Network. In the original Japanese version (shown in the U.S. and transcribed by the Iron Chef Reporter in southern California) the group is called Ōta’s Party of Heaven and Earth (OPHE; 大田天地の会). Every time he appeared, Fukui would point out that he was not related to Shinichiro Ohta, the show's floor reporter.
• Kyoko Kagata: The first female chef to appear on the show, and the youngest chef to be victorious. Challenged Chen Kenichi. An interesting side note is that the second female challenger, cooking show host Katsuyo Kobayashi, also faced Chen. Kobayashi indirectly picked Chen because she allowed Kaga to pick for her. Chen lost both battles, and purportedly caught some flak from chef-friends of his. Chen fought another two female challengers in separate battles and won. Later, she appeared again and challenged Chen Kenichi. This time, Chen won the battle with all three of the four judges gave him 20 and gave Kagata 19. Kishi gave Chen 19 and Kagata 17.
• Toshiro Kandagawa (three wins out of six battles): Regular challenger who aligned himself with the Ōta Faction, a group of hardline traditionalists in Japanese cuisine, and often led his army of fellow chefs and protegés into Kitchen Stadium during challenges. Kandagawa has taken part in several battles wherein he supported apprentices to battle an Iron Chef (only one out of the ten won). Kandagawa also participated in several "battle special" episodes, including the 21st Century Battle. Rokusaburo Michiba was his main rival until Michiba's retirement as Iron Chef Japanese; he has recorded victories over Chen, Nakamura and Sakai.
• Bobby Flay: Flay entered into a bit of a rivalry with Iron Chef Japanese Morimoto during the show's special New York Battle. Flay complained that his side of the kitchen was poorly laid out (it was noted in an Iron Chef America "Behind the Scenes" episode that the kitchen was hastily set up in the provided forum). At one point Flay received an electric shock, transmitted by a wet floor and faulty wiring, when he grabbed a metal pan on the range. When Flay stood on his cutting board at the end of the battle, Morimoto declared that Flay was "not a chef" for disregarding the cleanliness of one's cutting board. Morimoto won, but Flay was offered a rematch. He accepted, and got his revenge, in the 21st Century Battle in Japan, where, at battle's end, he tossed the cutting board off the counter before climbing on it, so as not to offend Morimoto again. Flay is now an Iron Chef alongside Morimoto on Iron Chef America. This rivalry was renewed for a third time with Morimoto defeating Flay during the Holiday Ice Battle (November 2009- Iron Chef America)
• Ron Siegel: Then of Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco and currently Chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, also in San Francisco. In Battle Lobster, became the first American chef to defeat an Iron Chef (Hiroyuki Sakai).
• Michael Noble: The first Canadian to appear on the program, challenged Morimoto in Battle Potato in 1999 and lost.
• Serie A (セリエＡ?, also known as the "Big Leaguers"): A group of Italian chefs which named itself after Italy's top football league and frequently challenged Iron Chef Italian Kobe: Mario Frittoli, Constantino Gemmoli, and Franco Canzoniere. No group member ever defeated Kobe, although one member did defeat Morimoto (pasta specialist Marco Paolo Molinari in a porcini mushroom battle).
• Club Mistral (クラブミストラル?): A group of young specialists in French cuisine that targeted Iron Chef French Sakai in a similar fashion, although they took on Iron Chef Chinese Chen and Iron Chef French Ishinabe once each as well. Only one of them managed a win (Kazutaka Okabe versus Sakai, in a lamb battle) despite several attempts.
• Heichinrou (one win out of three battles): The oldest restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown sent three challengers to challenge Iron Chef Chinese Chen in 1999, losing two battles with Chinese ingredients before winning the final.
• Dr. Yukio Hattori: A gentlemen's agreement went on between the Chairman of Gourmet Academy (Kaga) and the President of Culinary Academy (Hattori) where the Doctor agreed to battle an Iron Chef. If he won, he would be given a spot alongside the Iron Chefs and if he lost he would keep working for Kaga. As he remained a commentator until the end of the series, one can easily deduce the outcomes of his two battles. Joel Robuchon was invited as a guest judge for the event.
• Takashi Saitō (not to be confused with the baseball player): top apprentice of Chen Kenmin, and coach of Chen Kenichi. Chen beat his tutor in a prawn battle. Saito recreated Kenmin's original prawns in chili sauce, while the younger Chen created his father's modern version of the dish (Canapé Style with ketchup). In the 2000th Dish Special, Kaga said that Chen's prawns were his favorite dish to that point.
• Kenichi Miyanaga: a graduate of Hattori Nutrition College, he was an assistant chef for several battles in Kitchen Stadium, and was eventually hired by Iron Chef Michiba after his retirement. He challenged Iron Chef Morimoto in a battle involving sweetfish.
• Yūji Wakiya (one win in three battles): A master of "neo-Chinese" cuisine, Wakiya lost to Iron Chef Sakai in Battle Sea Urchin but defeated Iron Chef Chen with papayas. He later became part of Chen's team for the 2000th Dish Special. He was also named the second Iron Chef Chinese in the Millennium Cup and was supposed to take over Chen's place, but he never actually battled under the new title until the first episode of the 2012 revival.
• Kazunari Takeda: the first challenger defeat Iron Chef Masahiko Kobe in 30 minutes overtime battle with the theme ingredient Pink Prawn. He first tied with Masahiko Kobe during the battle of Cod Soft Roe and finally he made way to the 30 minutes overtime battle and won.
• Liang Shuqing: Liang Shueng's younger brother became the second challenger defeat Iron Chef Chen Kenichi in 30 minutes overtime battle with the theme ingredient Konnyaku. He first tied with Chen Kenichi during the battle of Pork belly and finally he made way to the 30 minutes overtime battle and won.
• Kentaro: Katsuyo Kobayashi's son who wants to defeat Iron Chef Chen Kenichi like his mother did before. He first appeared in his mother's cook show at the age of 5 and at age 25 he further his skills in art, music and cooking. During the battle with Iron Chef Chen Kenichi he refused to use the same recipes like his mother. Chen beat Kentaro in the new potatoes battle.
• Jun'ichi Itō started French cooking at age 18 and left for France at age 28. He left for Italy three years later and joined Enoteca Pinchiorri. When he was 35, he opened his restaurant Herle Quin in Tokyo. He chose Chen Kenichi as the opponent, in battle yogurt. Chen won in a unanimous vote.
• Other female challengers include: Fuyuko Kondō, Yoshie Urabe, Yoshiko Takemasa, Katsuko Nanao, Kumiko Kobayashi, and Miyoko Sakai, as well Australian Gillian Hirst, Chinese Cui Yufen, and Korean Lee Myong Suk. Among the women listed above, only Cui won in her battle (coincidentally against Chen).