What do you think?
Rate this book
食戟のソーマ [Shokugeki no Sōma] #16
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 16
Food fights and fan service—what more could a fan want?
Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!
Day three of the Autumn Moon Festival has begun, and Soma is still trying to recover from ending deep in the red on its first day. Looking to finally overtake Restaurant Kuga in overall profit, Soma unveils his ace in the hole—a new mapo tofu recipe! Will it be enough to push this first-year to victory over a Council of Ten member?
Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!
Day three of the Autumn Moon Festival has begun, and Soma is still trying to recover from ending deep in the red on its first day. Looking to finally overtake Restaurant Kuga in overall profit, Soma unveils his ace in the hole—a new mapo tofu recipe! Will it be enough to push this first-year to victory over a Council of Ten member?
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2016
40 people are currently reading
411 people want to read
About the author
Yūto Tsukuda
94 books125 followersYūto Tsukuda (附田 祐斗, Tsukuda Yūto) is a Japanese mangaka who is mostly known for his manga, Food Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
April 8, 2025
Ahhh we find out so much in this volume. I can't say much, but I definitely think that we are moving into interesting territory with this manga. I can't believe we meet some characters and that conclusion was crazyyyyy. I'm so in love with this manga it's ridiculous and I can't wait to pick up the next volume which I've already purchased!!
January 8, 2018
[3.5 Stars]
October 11, 2025
What a plot twist!
June 7, 2017
Quick thoughts: What a change in direction. Total mixed feelings here. I liked the way the series was building and was looking forward to it continuing in the same vein with all the new characters and challenges introduced in recent volumes, then everything takes a left turn and it's like I'm reading an entirely different manga. It's all logically done and a character that also seemed destined for a bigger spotlight finally gets it, but I can't shake the feeling that this series didn't really need this kind of villain or to get this dark. We'll see how it goes.
The finish to the festival arc was strong, with some fun surprises.
The finish to the festival arc was strong, with some fun surprises.
August 23, 2019
that bastard father of ERINA!! my gosh!
June 24, 2024
Soma did great at the food festival! But ugh, I do not like Azami! He’s the worst!
May 15, 2022
La storia si fa sempre più interessante. Capiamo meglio le motivazioni e i comportamenti di alcuni personaggi, grazie anche all'arrivo del padre di Erina. Bellissima serie, mi fa solo venire voglia di andare avanti!
August 17, 2023
This made me cry. Poor Erina :(
December 6, 2021
Overall, this was an enjoyable volume. We learn more about how the current festival, as well as the school itself, works. We also learn more about some of the characters that have been recently introduced, the 'big names' as it were, who alongside Erina and Isshiki make up the council of ten.
Foremost is the on-going (and largely one-sided) competition between Soma and Kuga. Until now the contest has been largely in Kuga's favour, but Soma seems to be gaining ground with each day that passes. Will he once again pull off a hat-trick and win overall?
The latter part of the novel introduces the upcoming story arc. With a bit of underhanded politics, the school headmaster has been overthrown by a vote of the council of ten. We don't know the reasoning behind this vote, but it's unlikely to be anything good, especially as it was largely influenced by the new headmaster - Erina's estranged father. Between the man's elitist attitude (which you can just tell is going to put him at odds with Soma), the underhanded dealings that gained him his position, and the clearly terrified and distressed behavior Erina shows towards him, the next story arc should be quite interesting.
Foremost is the on-going (and largely one-sided) competition between Soma and Kuga. Until now the contest has been largely in Kuga's favour, but Soma seems to be gaining ground with each day that passes. Will he once again pull off a hat-trick and win overall?
The latter part of the novel introduces the upcoming story arc. With a bit of underhanded politics, the school headmaster has been overthrown by a vote of the council of ten. We don't know the reasoning behind this vote, but it's unlikely to be anything good, especially as it was largely influenced by the new headmaster - Erina's estranged father. Between the man's elitist attitude (which you can just tell is going to put him at odds with Soma), the underhanded dealings that gained him his position, and the clearly terrified and distressed behavior Erina shows towards him, the next story arc should be quite interesting.
May 26, 2017
Okay, Food Wars, you win - I understand Erina and the school's toxic competitive culture more now. In fact, I even feel sorry for Erina. No one should have to live through that - or be on the cover in such a compromising position with her own father.
July 24, 2020
With the introduction of a new antagonist, the story took a turn I didn't expect! & I'm Sorry to say but I Don't Like it, Turn Away if You don't Like Child Abuse, Bribery & Corruption! & The Cover Make it Even Worse so I'm Sorry But I'm Giving this Volume of the manga A Miserable 1 star!
April 1, 2017
Ok, yeah, the cover is suuuper creepy. But the book is still good. Also, I love how Yukihira is so chill and also sometimes has no idea what's going on. Is the festival over? I'm a little confused about that... Did he win? I thought there were more days, but then it just seemed to be gone...
June 12, 2018
Whoa, that took quite a twist.
October 5, 2019
What a twist!
Does this also mean that Erina and Soma are the officially ship? 😜
Does this also mean that Erina and Soma are the officially ship? 😜
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2022
read this in one sitting like I'm truly gagged
June 24, 2023
Poor Erina!
December 18, 2020
Sería más un 4.5. La parte de la competencia me gustó, pero el personaje de Azami no me gustó, a mi gusto está loco.
February 7, 2018
From the cover of this volume, you'd think straitlaced Erina has joined (and succumbed!) to some kind of goth leather bondage club that tortures people with food while restraining them. But nope, it's just Azami, her creepy estranged father who has some hardline elitist ideology about the culinary arts and who should be allowed to create and consume it.
The action really kicks up in this book -- Soma's friends and even rivals all pitch in to help him as the festival begins its 4th and penultimate day. I can understand why Subaru would help him, but I'm not fully convinced that the Aldini brothers would be pitching in (so that Soma survives to fight another day...Takumi still wants his duel against Soma) -- their possible motivation is lost on me. Besides -- aren't they supposed to be running their own trattoria booth? How can both of them abandon it?
For the first time, Soma's booth ends up turning a profit, and he even manages to exceed Kuga in the rankings, thanks to improvements to his booth (large seating area, less wait time, unique take on Chinese cuisine).
Later, the second seat of the Elite Ten (who has sampled the food of all 120 booths but one) takes Soma and Megumi to the full-course restaurant of Eishi, the Elite Ten first seat, such a select dining establishment that there are only 3 tables and all the food is prepared by the first seat. The dishes they eat are on a completely different level, and Soma is inspired to continue improving his own cooking.
After they leave, Soma decides to stop by Erina's restaurant, despite the fact that it's reservations-only. He interrupts a tense confrontation between Erina, her lackey Hisako, and Erina's imposing father, Azami. Erina's father insults the other diners (people we've seen as judges in the Fall Classic competitions) by spewing the tenets of his ideology. He reveals that a majority of the Elite Ten (who have ultimate decision-making powers at Totsuki) have agreed that he should become the new director of Totsuki, ousting Erina's grandfather. Erina's father then exits without eating Erina's food, leaving a shaken Erina and shocked diners and students in his wake.
It's fairly obvious that the series has been setting Soma and Erina up to be some kind of hate-to-love couple since the start, and when her grandfather pays Soma a visit, telling him how Azami essentially brainwashed Erina when she was a child and then asking him to save her from her father, this pairing becomes more overt. Erina begins to have a change of heart toward Soma, as she witnesses how her friend Hisako and Soma's roommates seem to believe he is capable of working miracles against the odds. I personally don't want to see them together -- I think Ikumi is very cute in the way she crushes on Soma and would rather see them together. Aside from this, I take issue with the notion that Erina needs "saving" by a man (Soma), from a man (her father). I'd like to see Erina, who has always seemed to have her own power and agency, save herself.
The action really kicks up in this book -- Soma's friends and even rivals all pitch in to help him as the festival begins its 4th and penultimate day. I can understand why Subaru would help him, but I'm not fully convinced that the Aldini brothers would be pitching in (so that Soma survives to fight another day...Takumi still wants his duel against Soma) -- their possible motivation is lost on me. Besides -- aren't they supposed to be running their own trattoria booth? How can both of them abandon it?
For the first time, Soma's booth ends up turning a profit, and he even manages to exceed Kuga in the rankings, thanks to improvements to his booth (large seating area, less wait time, unique take on Chinese cuisine).
Later, the second seat of the Elite Ten (who has sampled the food of all 120 booths but one) takes Soma and Megumi to the full-course restaurant of Eishi, the Elite Ten first seat, such a select dining establishment that there are only 3 tables and all the food is prepared by the first seat. The dishes they eat are on a completely different level, and Soma is inspired to continue improving his own cooking.
After they leave, Soma decides to stop by Erina's restaurant, despite the fact that it's reservations-only. He interrupts a tense confrontation between Erina, her lackey Hisako, and Erina's imposing father, Azami. Erina's father insults the other diners (people we've seen as judges in the Fall Classic competitions) by spewing the tenets of his ideology. He reveals that a majority of the Elite Ten (who have ultimate decision-making powers at Totsuki) have agreed that he should become the new director of Totsuki, ousting Erina's grandfather. Erina's father then exits without eating Erina's food, leaving a shaken Erina and shocked diners and students in his wake.
It's fairly obvious that the series has been setting Soma and Erina up to be some kind of hate-to-love couple since the start, and when her grandfather pays Soma a visit, telling him how Azami essentially brainwashed Erina when she was a child and then asking him to save her from her father, this pairing becomes more overt. Erina begins to have a change of heart toward Soma, as she witnesses how her friend Hisako and Soma's roommates seem to believe he is capable of working miracles against the odds. I personally don't want to see them together -- I think Ikumi is very cute in the way she crushes on Soma and would rather see them together. Aside from this, I take issue with the notion that Erina needs "saving" by a man (Soma), from a man (her father). I'd like to see Erina, who has always seemed to have her own power and agency, save herself.
June 10, 2019
Enter Lord Voldemorte!
World: Solid art once again. The world building is good with the food festival and also the heads of the school. The new added piece of Lord Voldemorte is clichéd but still fun.
Story: The story was fun and interesting with the food festival. Once again it's more about restaurant management and that was pretty fun. The friends showing up was nice, felt like the Justice League coming together. The end with Voldemorte was unexpected so bravo. This really changes the status quo and makes me more intrigued.
Characters: Voldemorte is just evil so that's fun. He's mwaa haa haa so that will be interesting. The ten are also interesting and their motivation I hope we will see later. Erina just became more interesting and Soma had a clear mission now.
A good status quo change.
Onward to the next book!
World: Solid art once again. The world building is good with the food festival and also the heads of the school. The new added piece of Lord Voldemorte is clichéd but still fun.
Story: The story was fun and interesting with the food festival. Once again it's more about restaurant management and that was pretty fun. The friends showing up was nice, felt like the Justice League coming together. The end with Voldemorte was unexpected so bravo. This really changes the status quo and makes me more intrigued.
Characters: Voldemorte is just evil so that's fun. He's mwaa haa haa so that will be interesting. The ten are also interesting and their motivation I hope we will see later. Erina just became more interesting and Soma had a clear mission now.
A good status quo change.
Onward to the next book!
February 23, 2017
I like the developments in the food festival competition, but I have some major reservations about the introduction of a new villain in the second half of the volume. I want to trust in the creators, but I'm in wait and see mode as I hope this is not a plot blunder in one of my favorite manga series.
August 31, 2017
I quite liked this volume, I really enjoyed the Moon Festival although I wish the wrapped it up in a more concise way. I also found the new character introduced in the volume pretty interesting. The only other downside is this cover, I was already a little uncomfortable with it but I felt even more awkward when I found out who the character was. Never trust a book by its cover I guess😂😂
April 25, 2020
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Sōma!, Vol. 16 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (128–136) of the on-going manga series.
The Moon Festivals continues and Sōma Yukihira needs to be in the black by the end of the festival or be expelled from Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute. In order to make a profit, Sōma expands his offerings to include noodles made from the same dough as the buns, and slowly climbs up the rankings in profits.
On the fourth day, he rolls out a bunch of benches and takes advantage of the frustrated customers in line for Terunori Kuga's restaurant by offering a mapo tofu dish combined with a lion's head meatball with curry. The customers start to defect to Sōma's booth, but as it gets crowded, Subaru Mimasaka comes to help, reproducing the dish. Ikumi Mito and Takumi Aldini also join in to support, and the food cart clinches first place for that day. Afterwards, Second Seat Member Rindō Kobayashi invites Sōma to try out First Seat Member Eishi Tsukasa's work.
Meanwhile, Team Shiomi turns a profit finally when Alice Nakiri 3-D prints chocolate designs to go with Ryō Kurokiba and Akira Hayama's dishes. Erina Nakiri is shocked when she receives a visit from her father Azami Nakiri, who was banished from Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute. Azami announces he has taken over the school as the new dean by majority vote by the Council. He dismisses Hisako Arato as Erina's aide.
This tankōbon is written by Yūto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki. It concludes The Moon Festival storyline and introduces a far more interesting one – the Nakiri Family. Senzaemon Nakiri, the patriarch of the Nakiri Family and Dean of Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute is ousted of his position by his son-in-law, Erina Nakiri’s father, and Tōtsuki dropout, Azami Nakiri, who somehow maintain this position and is determine to make sweeping changes to Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute.
All in all, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Sōma, Vol. 16 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
The Moon Festivals continues and Sōma Yukihira needs to be in the black by the end of the festival or be expelled from Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute. In order to make a profit, Sōma expands his offerings to include noodles made from the same dough as the buns, and slowly climbs up the rankings in profits.
On the fourth day, he rolls out a bunch of benches and takes advantage of the frustrated customers in line for Terunori Kuga's restaurant by offering a mapo tofu dish combined with a lion's head meatball with curry. The customers start to defect to Sōma's booth, but as it gets crowded, Subaru Mimasaka comes to help, reproducing the dish. Ikumi Mito and Takumi Aldini also join in to support, and the food cart clinches first place for that day. Afterwards, Second Seat Member Rindō Kobayashi invites Sōma to try out First Seat Member Eishi Tsukasa's work.
Meanwhile, Team Shiomi turns a profit finally when Alice Nakiri 3-D prints chocolate designs to go with Ryō Kurokiba and Akira Hayama's dishes. Erina Nakiri is shocked when she receives a visit from her father Azami Nakiri, who was banished from Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute. Azami announces he has taken over the school as the new dean by majority vote by the Council. He dismisses Hisako Arato as Erina's aide.
This tankōbon is written by Yūto Tsukuda and illustrated by Shun Saeki. It concludes The Moon Festival storyline and introduces a far more interesting one – the Nakiri Family. Senzaemon Nakiri, the patriarch of the Nakiri Family and Dean of Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute is ousted of his position by his son-in-law, Erina Nakiri’s father, and Tōtsuki dropout, Azami Nakiri, who somehow maintain this position and is determine to make sweeping changes to Tōtsuki Saryo Culinary Institute.
All in all, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Sōma, Vol. 16 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
February 11, 2019
Este volumen presenta la conclusión del festival de comida de Totsuki. Como ya es costumbre, Soma decidió enfrentarse a un reto mucho mayor del que debería y se metió en verdaderos aprietos. Quedan dos días para vencer a Kuga y su ultra puesto de comida china.
La conclusión del festival es satisfactoria. Vemos las fortalezas de Soma potencializadas, alimentadas por un claro crecimiento del personaje que han construido lentamente desde las elecciones de otoño. El estilo de Soma todavía no se define completamente pero creo que el personaje comienza a darse cuenta de cuáles son sus fortalezas.
Me gustó mucho la manera en la que los demás personajes se suman a combatir contra Kuga. Lamentablemente no construyen a Kuga todavía y nos revelan muy pocos detalles sobre su pasado, pero es un personaje interesante.
También podemos ver un poco de la personalidad y actitud del "Primer asiento de Totsuki" me gusta porque no es la personalidad que uno esperaría del primer asiento, aunque su estilo de cocina no lo termino de comprender. Definitivamente me gustaría verlo enfrentarse a Soma por lo opuesto de sus estilos.
La segunda mitad del volumen nos introduce a lo que parece ser "el villano" de los siguientes volúmenes, si ese adjetivo es válido para el Sr. Nakiri. Su idea sobre gourmet y cocina de lujo me parece bastante intensa y funcionará muy bien para el cambiar el status de los personajes, especialmente nuestros protagonistas, por ejemplo Soma y su estilo de Teishoku, es lo opuesto a gourmet.
El conflicto no comienza en este volumen; es sólo una introducción para el siguiente arco largo. Me entusiasma de cualquier manera.
La conclusión del festival es satisfactoria. Vemos las fortalezas de Soma potencializadas, alimentadas por un claro crecimiento del personaje que han construido lentamente desde las elecciones de otoño. El estilo de Soma todavía no se define completamente pero creo que el personaje comienza a darse cuenta de cuáles son sus fortalezas.
Me gustó mucho la manera en la que los demás personajes se suman a combatir contra Kuga. Lamentablemente no construyen a Kuga todavía y nos revelan muy pocos detalles sobre su pasado, pero es un personaje interesante.
También podemos ver un poco de la personalidad y actitud del "Primer asiento de Totsuki" me gusta porque no es la personalidad que uno esperaría del primer asiento, aunque su estilo de cocina no lo termino de comprender. Definitivamente me gustaría verlo enfrentarse a Soma por lo opuesto de sus estilos.
La segunda mitad del volumen nos introduce a lo que parece ser "el villano" de los siguientes volúmenes, si ese adjetivo es válido para el Sr. Nakiri. Su idea sobre gourmet y cocina de lujo me parece bastante intensa y funcionará muy bien para el cambiar el status de los personajes, especialmente nuestros protagonistas, por ejemplo Soma y su estilo de Teishoku, es lo opuesto a gourmet.
El conflicto no comienza en este volumen; es sólo una introducción para el siguiente arco largo. Me entusiasma de cualquier manera.
December 8, 2023
Gets a second star because it gives us a character we all love to hate. Stupid "special powers"/"I'm better than my mentor/parent(s)"/"I'm special" arc.
Not as good as the earlier (1-4) volumes. At this point, I should have stopped reading the series, but I had too much time on my hands and the library had the series. It follows the standard formula of any other high school manga where characters are competing to be the best of the school because apparently their parent or mentor was/is a legendary figure. Somehow MC has special traits that make them special. MC falls for the second best/Second best falls for them, but they pretend like they hate each other. Different characters, different powers, same story.
Not as good as the earlier (1-4) volumes. At this point, I should have stopped reading the series, but I had too much time on my hands and the library had the series. It follows the standard formula of any other high school manga where characters are competing to be the best of the school because apparently their parent or mentor was/is a legendary figure. Somehow MC has special traits that make them special. MC falls for the second best/Second best falls for them, but they pretend like they hate each other. Different characters, different powers, same story.
July 13, 2017
I am serious impressed. I can say that in the last two books the story has been kicked up a notch. Gone is the reliance on food/sex gimmicks of the early books. The story telling is tighter and has fewer filler pages. New set of characters in the upper level students and the administration surprise in this book has created a brand new more serious tone and given the story so much more meat. I'm loving the development of so many of the characters we've seen in the past 10 vol or so. I would not have expected this in the middle of a series where most tend to fizzle. I can't wait for the next book to see if the momentum keeps up.
September 12, 2021
Apparently this series is no longer about food and is now about child abuse. What fun. What a good way to end a school festival arc, by focusing on politics and corruption. Hurray. Not that the festival arc was going to end well anyways, with how much of a crapshoot ass-pull it got, but this is genuinely disturbing. I first thought the series was uncomfortable because of the teenage characters stripping naked because they liked the food, now it's uncomfortable because we're watching characters have emotional breakdowns and PTSD. That's surely what everyone wanted from this series.
March 20, 2017
Just finished this book and I found it slow. This volume felt like a filler graphic novel. I hope the next one is better than this one, because Shokugeki no Souma. There were some parts that interested me, and I know the author is slowly bringing working towards a goal especially since he introduced Erina's father, and I think he is going to be the big bad. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
November 26, 2017
The Autumn Festival comes to an end and Erina's scary father shows up.
The first half of this volume is the usual Food Wars - fun, upbeat, Soma cooking his heart out. The second half, with the introduction of Erina's father, is creepy. The cover pretty much sums it up - to the right, Erina. At the left, hovering over her chained up body, her father. Yuck. This doesn't bode well for the series but I'll definitely keep going.
The first half of this volume is the usual Food Wars - fun, upbeat, Soma cooking his heart out. The second half, with the introduction of Erina's father, is creepy. The cover pretty much sums it up - to the right, Erina. At the left, hovering over her chained up body, her father. Yuck. This doesn't bode well for the series but I'll definitely keep going.
December 9, 2019
Desde el volumen 1 hasta el volumen 30, este manga es increíble. No puedo creer la velocidad a la que lo devoré, definitivamente fue un gusto enorme encontrarme con esta historia.
Todos los volúmenes tienen un inicio y un final que te deja con muchas ganas de seguir leyendo y sobre todo, la comida, la historia, los diálogos, todo tiene un sentido y espero que todas esos platillos sean posibles en la vida real.
Todos los volúmenes tienen un inicio y un final que te deja con muchas ganas de seguir leyendo y sobre todo, la comida, la historia, los diálogos, todo tiene un sentido y espero que todas esos platillos sean posibles en la vida real.
August 24, 2020
Well, this volume took a sudden turn in direction! Changing from a relatively straightforward series about competitive cooking and chef school into a serious family drama, before the school festival story is even complete, was jarring. So was the cover illustration, but in the context of the story it does make sense...but the story makes sthe imagery even creepier.
I am really curious to see where the story is going from here.
I am really curious to see where the story is going from here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews