Episode Title:
Surpassing Dad.
Episode Description:
After Asahi takes his leave, Erina reveals to Soma and Megumi that while the God Tongue is considered a blessing to cooking, it is considered a curse in the Nakiri family as those who possess it will inevitably become too sensitive to the taste of food and become incapable of eating, doomed to a life of suffering. Erina begins to express her doubts about overcoming the curse of the God Tongue, and wonders if Asahi's Crossed Knives really will be the answer. Soma simply assures her that he will defeat Asahi. Soma, Erina, and Asahi advance up the tournament brackets until Soma faces Asahi in the semifinal match. Soma reminisces about how he learned how to cook from his late mother Tamako. Even though she wasn't a good cook, she never gave up even if her dishes turned out bad. Meanwhile, many of Soma's acquaintances such as Joichiro, Gin, and the Polar Star members arrive to cheer on Soma. As the match starts, Mana decides that the theme should be combining the "Five Grand Cuisines": French, Chinese, Turkish, Indian, and Italian, into a single dish. Asahi immediately starts off using his Crossed Knives, incorporating every cooking tool he has obtained, including Joichiro's knife. While everybody is certain Asahi will win, Soma is not intimidated. By observing how Crossed Knives works, he concludes that it's just a "cheat code" that lets him gain cooking knowledge at a rapid pace, meaning Soma still has an opportunity to catch up and surpass him. Soma the prepares to start cooking his own dish.
