Mana Nakiri, Erina Nakiri's mother and a central figure in the Nakiri lineage, possesses a striking resemblance to her daughter. She sports thigh-length salmon-pink hair, usually tied back, with two small strands framing her forehead and two medium strands resting on her shoulders. Her appearance is distinguished by sharp purple-pinkish eyes, inherited by Erina, and small round eyebrows. She frequently wears traditional Japanese attire like kimonos, often paired with dark cardigans and a fan. Mana was born with the Nakiri family's rare genetic trait, the "God's Tongue," enabling her to discern minute flavor details. This ability eventually deteriorated into a debilitating curse. She developed a profound physical and mental repulsion towards nearly all food, with even food odors inducing nausea. Severe malnutrition resulted, forcing her to sustain herself via intravenous nutrient injections. Despair over finding no satisfying food plunged her into deep depression, prompting her to abandon the Nakiri household and her young daughter Erina during Erina's early childhood. Her departure coincided with Azami Nakiri's harsh training regimen for Erina, though Mana was absent. Senzaemon Nakiri, her husband, explained her absence to Erina as a journey to cure her "sickness," promising her eventual return. Mana later became the Bookmaster for the World Gourmet Organization (WGO), using her position to identify chefs capable of creating dishes satisfying her God's Tongue, though she remained unsuccessful. Mana exhibits a cold and callous personality, particularly towards Erina. She dismisses the God's Tongue as unnecessary while simultaneously obsessing over other "superhuman" culinary skills, like those of the underground group Les Cuisiniers Noirs. Her culinary fixation manifests as a relentless quest for novel food experiences, driving her isolation from her family. She explicitly views Erina as irrelevant to fulfilling her goals. During the BLUE culinary competition, Mana actively interferes by designing a gauntlet-style bracket that forces Erina to face consecutive opponents. Erina identifies Mana as the architect due to the bracket's structure. Mana's perspective shifts during the final round between Soma Yukihira and Erina. Witnessing Soma's unwavering dedication to crafting dishes that satisfy Erina prompts Mana to recognize the significance of cooking with devotion for a specific individual. This realization catalyzes a fundamental change in her goals and personality, leading to reconciliation with Erina. Mana subsequently rejoins the Nakiri family, abandoning her solitary obsession.