Erina Nakiri

Erina Nakiri (薙切 えりな Nakiri Erina) is one of the tsundere characters in Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma.

Appearance
Erina has pinkish-purple eyes and long honey blonde hair that flows just above her lower back. Her side bangs partially cross her cheeks and go down all the way to her neck. She is considered by most of the students in Tōtsuki to be extremely beautiful. According to her fans and followers, this trait coincides with her status. During her second year, her hair became longer and wilder. As a third year, Erina changed her hair style while also having cut it, reaching only up to her chin.

She wears whatever Tōtsuki uniform corresponds with the current season. Whenever she cooks, she wears a standard white chef's uniform and occasionally wears a chef's hat. She has never been shown in casual clothing except for a cotton jacket and a bikini during her pool outing and a simple nightgown when sleeping.

Her measurements are: bust 88cm, waist 56cm and hip 87cm (35-22-34).[1]

Personality
Hailing from a wealthy and noble background, Erina comes across as a highly privileged and pampered girl, used to only the best things in life. She is admired and feared throughout Tōtsuki for her talent, looks and her influential status. Erina comes across as an egotist, holding dogmatic ideals on absolute culinary perfection. She enjoys a great reputation across the culinary world for her "God Tongue" which was said to either make or break a chef's career. The mere mention of her name was enough to terrify the applicants of Tōtsuki except for one who was unaware of her reputation.

Much of Erina's personality is a result of the abusive training that her father Azami subjected her to in her early childhood. She also developed a deep rooted fear of her father, becoming petrified in his presence and unable to think or do the right thing.

Due to Erina's haughty personality, she cannot make friends easily as she looks down on almost everyone. She lacks knowledge on some social conventions. While she detests the idea of romance and showing no interest, she began to like reading Shōjo manga to learn more on romance when Alice tease her about lack of knowledge about romance. Due to her sheltered background, Erina was not used to living on her own, unable to operate a washing machine. However, during her time in the dormitory, she gained many general living skills and even showed pride in knowing what all the laundry symbols on clothing meant.

After defecting to Polar Star Dormitory, Erina's perspective on cooking changed after she met the residents over there. She also made new friends who empathised with her after finding out what Azami did to her. Erina comes to care a lot for her friends and shared her knowledge with them, which allowed the rebels to pass the rigged promotion exams. Erina later overcame her fear of her father and vehemently opposed him, denouncing his beliefs.

Like her father, Erina adulates Saiba Jōichirō as the ultimate chef, when the latter had once cooked for her in her early childhood. As such she judges everyone according to his standards. When she discovered Jōichirō's paternal connection with Sōma, she was shocked to the core.

Trivia

 * Erina ranked 2nd in the first popularity poll with 803 votes.[15] She ranked 2nd again in a second popularity poll, with 5046 votes. And ranked 1st in the third popularity poll with 3350 votes,
 * According to the Volume 23 Extras, Erina's favorite song is Amaryllis, and she enjoys Card Games (Especially Seven)
 * Erina currently holds the record for earliest inauguration into the Elite Ten, entering the council while she was still in Middle School.
 * Erina (えりな) is from Eleanor, which was a very common name among women of high nobility during the High Middle Ages - thus reflecting Erina's prestige in the cooking industry. Nakiri (薙切) uses the kanji for "to mow down" (薙 Na) and "to cut" (切 Kiri).
 * Nakiri is also a name for a Japanese-style vegetable knife.