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Food Wars!
24 episodes covering Soma's entrance to Totsuki, the training camp, and the start of the Autumn Election.
9 titles
Updated Oct 1, 2026
Food Wars! Watch Order (2026 Guide)
Soma Yukihira grew up cooking at his father's neighborhood diner, until his father sends him to Totsuki Culinary Academy, an elite school where few students make it to graduation. There, disputes are settled by Shokugeki, formal cooking duels with real stakes, and Soma sets out to beat the academy's best, including the headmaster's granddaughter Erina.
Recommended Order
Quick answer
- Food Wars!
- Food Wars! The Second Plate
- Food Wars! The Third Plate
- Food Wars! The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc
- Food Wars! The Fourth Plate
- Food Wars! The Fifth Plate
Plus 3 optional extras.
6 titles · 86 episodes · ~35 hours
Watch the five TV seasons in order. The Third Plate comes in two halves, and the second half, Totsuki Train Arc, follows straight on from the first. Below the line are three bonus OVAs released with the manga in Japan; each note says which season to finish before watching it.
2
Food Wars! The Second Plate
13 episodes that pick up from the end of the first season.
3
Food Wars! The Third Plate
The first 12 episodes of the third season. It stops mid-arc, so have the Totsuki Train Arc ready.
4
Food Wars! The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc
Episodes 13-24 of the third season, continuing directly from The Third Plate. Not a separate season.
5
Food Wars! The Fourth Plate
12 episodes continuing from the end of the third season.
⚠ The manga's hot spring investigation arc (Chapters 264-276) is not animated; it is condensed into the credits of the final episode.
6
Food Wars! The Fifth Plate
The final season. 13 episodes that take the story to the manga's last chapter.
⚠ Parts of the final arc are condensed or changed from the manga.
Optional Extras
7
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma OVA
Two bonus episodes. Watch after the first season.
⚠ Bundled with manga volumes 18 and 19 in Japan.
8
Food Wars! The Second Plate OVA
Two bonus episodes. Watch after The Second Plate.
⚠ Bundled with manga volumes 24 and 25 in Japan.
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Food Wars! The Third Plate: Erina at Polar Star Dormitory
A single bonus episode. Watch after both halves of The Third Plate.
⚠ Bundled with manga volume 29 in Japan.
Why This Order
Food Wars! is one continuous story told across 86 TV episodes, from Soma's entrance exam at Totsuki to the final BLUE competition. Every season picks up from the one before, so none of them can be skipped.
The only part that needs explaining is The Third Plate. It was split into two halves, and the second half carries its own subtitle, Totsuki Train Arc. It is not a new season: it continues the same arc from the episode where the first half stops.
The OVAs are kept below the line because they were bonus discs packaged with manga volumes in Japan and none of them moves the plot forward. They are most enjoyable once you know the cast at that stage of the story, so the notes point to the season each one should follow. If you only want the main story, the six TV entries are all you need.
How Many Episodes and Seasons Does Food Wars! Have?
Food Wars! has 6 seasons in the main run — 86 episodes altogether.
Main Run
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Wars! | TV Series | 24 episodes | April 2015 |
| Food Wars! The Second Plate | TV Series | 13 episodes | July 2016 |
| Food Wars! The Third Plate | TV Series | 12 episodes | October 2017 |
| Food Wars! The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc | TV Series | 12 episodes | April 2018 |
| Food Wars! The Fourth Plate | TV Series | 12 episodes | October 2019 |
| Food Wars! The Fifth Plate | TV Series | 13 episodes | April 2020 |
Optional Extras
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma OVA | OVA | 2 episodes | May 2016 |
| Food Wars! The Second Plate OVA | OVA | 2 episodes | May 2017 |
| Food Wars! The Third Plate: Erina at Polar Star Dormitory | OVA | 1 episode | May 2018 |
6 titles · 86 episodes · ~35 hours
Source Material
Manga
Completed
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma
Food Wars! Spin-offs and Side Stories
Only spin-offs that tie into the main story are listed here — anthologies, fan books and the like are left out.
Shokugeki no Souma: L'étoile
Spin-off Manga
The anime adapts the manga through its final chapter (Chapter 315), so there is no point to continue from. The Fourth Plate leaves out the hot spring investigation arc (Chapters 264-276), and The Fifth Plate condenses and changes parts of the final arc. After the finale, the manga has a three-chapter epilogue, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: Le Dessert, which is not animated.
Food Wars! Watch Order FAQ
Where should I start with Food Wars?
Start with Episode 1 of the first season, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (2015). Every later season continues from the one before it, so there is no other entry point.
What is the correct order to watch Food Wars?
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (2015), The Second Plate (2016), The Third Plate (2017), The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc (2018), The Fourth Plate (2019), and The Fifth Plate (2020). The optional OVAs go after the first season, after The Second Plate, and after the Totsuki Train Arc.
How many seasons of Food Wars are there?
There are five seasons with 86 episodes in total: 24, 13, 24, 12, and 13. The third season is split into two halves of 12 episodes, and the second half is titled Totsuki Train Arc. The episode table on this page lists the two halves separately, so it counts six entries in the main run; officially that is still five seasons.
Is the Totsuki Train Arc a separate season?
No. It is the second half of The Third Plate (Episodes 13-24), which began airing on April 9, 2018. It continues from the exact point where the first half stops, so watch the two back to back.
Do I need to watch the Food Wars OVAs?
No. The five OVA episodes were bonus discs packaged with manga volumes 18, 19, 24, 25, and 29 in Japan. Some adapt bonus manga chapters and some are original side stories, and none of them advances the main plot.
Is there an English dub?
Yes. Sentai Filmworks dubbed all five seasons, and the dub aired on Adult Swim's Toonami from July 2019 to June 2023. The main cast stays the same across the seasons: Blake Shepard as Soma, Stephanie Wittels as Erina, and Jad Saxton as Megumi.
Are there any filler episodes?
No. All 86 TV episodes adapt the manga. The anime does the opposite of filler in places: The Fourth Plate skips the hot spring investigation arc, and The Fifth Plate condenses and changes parts of the final arc.
Where can I watch Food Wars?
In the US, the first two seasons stream on HIDIVE, and The Third Plate through The Fifth Plate stream on Crunchyroll. The first two seasons left Crunchyroll in March 2022. Availability differs by region, so check the services in your country.
Is Food Wars finished?
Yes. The Fifth Plate is the final season and ended on September 26, 2020, after a COVID-19 delay that paused it from April to July. The manga ended in 2019, and no further anime has been announced.
Does the Food Wars anime cover the whole manga?
It reaches the manga's final chapter (Chapter 315), but not everything is adapted. The hot spring investigation arc (Chapters 264-276) is left out, and The Fifth Plate condenses the final arc and changes some events, such as replacing Erina's kidnapping with a late-night challenge.
Where should I start the manga after the anime?
There is no point to continue from, because the anime ends at the manga's final chapter. To read what the anime left out, go to Chapters 264-276 for the skipped hot spring investigation arc, then the manga's final arc for the parts The Fifth Plate condensed. The three-chapter epilogue, Le Dessert, comes after the finale.
How long does it take to watch Food Wars?
The 86 TV episodes take about 35 hours at roughly 24 minutes per episode. Adding the five OVA episodes brings the total to about 37 hours.