Iron Chef

Iron Chef is a Japanese television program made by FujiTV. The original Japanese title is Ryōri no tetsujin (料理の鉄人, "Ironmen of Cooking"). It began airing in 1993 as a half-hour show, and after 23 episodes was expanded to a one-hour format. Aired as a prime-time TV show, the series lasted for six years and more than 300 episodes. The final regular season episode was broadcast in September 1999, with specials continuing to 2002.

Notable challengers

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

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

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• Kazuhiko Tei - First chef to defeat an Iron Chef. The theme ingredient was octopus.
• Tadamichi Ota - Leader of the "Ota Faction" of traditional Japanese chefs. The Ota Faction regularly challenged Iron Chef Morimoto and his neo-Japanese style. Ota Faction was the name used in the translated version shown on FoodTV. In the original Japanese version shown in the U.S. and transcribed by the Iron Chef Reporter in southern California the group is called Ota?s Party of Heaven and Earth (OPHE).
• Kyouko 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 also (although indirectly because she allowed Kaga to pick for her!) challenged Chen. Strikingly, Chen lost in both, and purportedly caught some flak from chef-friends of his.
• Toshiro Kandagawa - Regular challenger who aligned himself with the Ota Faction. Kandagawa has taken part in several battles wherein he supported apprentices to battle an Iron Chef and after numerous defeats finally agreed himself to battle an Iron Chef.
• Bobby Flay - A well-known American chef, 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 Scences" episode that the Kitchen was hastily setup in the provided forum), and at one point, water on the floor managed to electrocute Flay when he grabbed a metal pan on the range. Morimoto took exception to Flay's behavior, especially when Flay stood on his cutting board at the end of the battle. Flay has said in interviews that he was asked by show producers to play up an ugly American stereotype. Morimoto won, and Flay demanded a rematch. He got his wish, and his revenge, in the 21st Century Battle in Japan. Flay is now an Iron Chef alongside Morimoto on Iron Chef America.
• Ron Siegel - Then of Charles Nob Hill 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, challenging Morimoto in Battle Potato in 1999 and losing; however, some believe that the result should have gone the other way.
• Serie A - A group of Italian chefs which named itself after Italy's top football league and frequently challenged Iron Chef Italian Kobe. No group member ever defeated Kobe, although one member did defeat Morimoto.
• 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 was given a spot alongside the Iron Chefs and if he lost would keep working for Kaga. As he remained a commentator until the end of the series, one can easily deduce the outcome of that battle.