Azami Nakiri, originally named Azami Nakamura, attended Tōtsuki Culinary Academy and resided in the Polar Star Dormitory during its "Golden Age." He achieved unprecedented success as a first-year student, winning the Tōtsuki Autumn Election and securing the 3rd Seat on the Elite Ten Council, marking the first time a freshman joined the council. By his second year, he ascended to the 1st Seat. During his time at Tōtsuki, Azami held deep admiration for his senior, Joichiro Saiba, considering him the pinnacle of culinary skill. Witnessing Joichiro's eventual departure from the academy profoundly impacted Azami, fostering a belief that the culinary world was fundamentally flawed. Following graduation, Azami married Mana Nakiri, daughter of Tōtsuki's headmaster Senzaemon Nakiri, and was adopted into the Nakiri family, taking their surname. The couple had a daughter, Erina Nakiri, who inherited her mother's "God Tongue" ability. When Mana's God Tongue rendered her unable to enjoy ordinary food, Azami subjected young Erina to a brutal training regimen to cultivate her palate. This involved forcing her to critique dishes in isolation and discarding any food deemed inferior, using physical coercion if she resisted. Her contact with the outside world, including her cousin Alice, was severed. Discovering this abuse, Senzaemon exiled Azami from the Nakiri family and Tōtsuki, erasing nearly all records of his existence at the academy. During his exile, Azami built a global culinary empire catering exclusively to the wealthy, expanding across America, Asia, and the Middle East. He developed a rigid philosophy called "True Gourmet," advocating for absolute culinary perfection and rejecting creativity as an impurity. Years later, he returned to Tōtsuki during the Moon Banquet Festival. Leveraging support from six Elite Ten members, he forcibly replaced Senzaemon as director. Azami implemented sweeping reforms under "Central," an authoritarian system mandating strict adherence to standardized recipes, banning culinary innovation, and disbanding all research societies and independent student groups, including the Polar Star Dormitory. His goal was to create a culinary world serving only "perfect" dishes, aiming to prevent talented chefs like Joichiro or Mana from suffering due to their gifts. Azami's regime faced resistance from students led by his daughter Erina and Sōma Yukihira. After losing the Regimental Shokugeki, the cooking competition determining control of the academy, he was ousted as director. This defeat prompted introspection. During the subsequent BLUE cooking tournament, further motivations were revealed: he sought to eliminate "subpar" restaurants to create a gourmet paradise capable of curing Mana's God Tongue affliction. He also reconciled with Asahi Saiba, revealed as his illegitimate son from a period of alcoholism following Joichiro's departure. Encouraged by Erina, Azami publicly acknowledged Asahi as his son. In the series epilogue, Azami adopted a more subdued demeanor, focusing on familial reconciliation. He lived contentedly with his family, expressing concern for Mana and Erina while atoning for past actions through quieter involvement in their lives.