Miki Norihei 三木のり平

A chef famous for his brand of seaweed, he entered Yakitate!! 9 with the intent of challenging Azuma after seeing him on TV during the Monaco Cup. Despite the techniques Azuma used during the competition, Norihei was able to defeat him, making him the only competitor who has done so. Despite his win, Norihei encouraged Azuma to strive to do better by giving him a recipe book on seaweed.