Subaru Mimasaka is a student at Tōtsuki Culinary Academy, first appearing as a rival during the Autumn Election. He honed his skills working at his family's Restaurant Mimasaka, demonstrating an uncanny ability to perfectly replicate his father's signature cakes solely through observation. Seeking recognition, Subaru instead faced his father's dismissal, who stressed the necessity of originality. A turning point came when Subaru modified his father's cake for a VIP event, garnering superior customer praise. This resulted in his expulsion from the restaurant and enrollment at Tōtsuki, profoundly shaping his perspective. Physically imposing, Subaru is tall and muscular. His distinctive appearance features shaved sides of his head decorated with lightning bolt patterns, multiple ear piercings, and initially long braided hair tied in a ponytail, which later grows out freely. He typically wears a black athletic jacket bearing chevron designs and his self-embroidered name inside. At Tōtsuki, Subaru adopted a ruthless culinary strategy, perfecting his "Perfect Trace" technique. This involved meticulously stalking opponents—studying their cooking methods, personal habits, and histories—to replicate and marginally surpass their dishes during Shokugeki duels. His methods earned him the moniker "King of Stalkers" and a 99-win streak. Upon victory, he claimed his opponents' most prized kitchen knives as trophies, often taunting them to provoke reactions. He allied with Etsuya Eizan's faction, which facilitated his aggressive tactics. In the Autumn Election preliminary, he scored 91 points with a curry dish, advancing. During the quarterfinals, he battled Takumi Aldini in a dessert Shokugeki. After provoking Takumi by insulting his brother and defiling his cherished mezzaluna knife, Subaru used Perfect Trace to copy Takumi's semifreddo, enhancing it with adjustments like biscuit-style whisking and mascarpone cheese. Though Takumi improvised a fourth layer, Subaru anticipated the change and secured victory, claiming the mezzaluna. Subaru next faced Sōma Yukihira in the semifinals. He replicated Sōma's beef stew but underestimated Sōma's adaptability. Sōma's last-minute refinements defeated Subaru, ending his streak. As agreed, Subaru surrendered all 100 collected knives, which Sōma returned. Crushed by defeat, Subaru considered abandoning cooking, but Sōma convinced him chefs must persevere. This marked a turning point, softening Subaru's sadistic tendencies. Post-defeat, Subaru joined Sōma's rebel faction against Azami Nakiri's Central regime. During the Moon Banquet Festival, he secretly practiced Sōma's recipe and assisted his team under pressure, striving to match Sōma's speed and precision. Later, in the Regimental Shokugeki against Central, he battled sushi expert Sōmei Saitō but lost due to a critical oversight. Despite this, he fought for the rebels' cause, signaling his shift from antagonist to ally. Subaru's culinary prowess centers on extreme attention to detail, captured in his motto: "Right down to a gnat's eyebrow." Beyond Perfect Trace, he excels in delicate tasks despite his imposing physique and possesses broad knowledge to enhance diverse cuisines. His skill extends to embroidery, evidenced by his self-embroidered jacket.