Update: The Food Wars! Season 5 anime has been officially confirmed. The remainder of this article remains as originally published. Please see our new article for more details.
The number of episodes for Food Wars! Season 4 has been officially confirmed by an update to the Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma website. However, there are unconfirmed rumors that Shokugeki no Soma: Shin no Sara (Food Wars! The Fourth Plate) will be a split-cour anime, which means the fourth season could have a Part 2.
A “split-cour” is where a single anime season takes a multi-month break before resuming TV broadcasting. Since the third season of the Food Wars! anime was a split cour, it wouldn’t be surprising if Food Wars! Season 4 is also a split-cour anime.
The episode order for Food Wars! Season 4 was revealed by the new Blu-Ray/DVD page. It shows a single disc box set being released on April 29, 2020. The listing also shows 12 episodes, which means that the finale episode for the Fourth Plate, Food Wars! Season 4 Episode 12, will (barring any unexpected broadcasting delays) release on December 27.
The Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma manga series by writer Yuto Tsukuda and illustrator Shun Saeki ended in mid-2019 with Chapter 316 in Volume 36. The final ending was released as an epilogue called Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma ~ Le Dessert, which added three more chapters to the story.
As of Food Wars! Season 4 Episode 6, the anime has adapted 26 out of the 46 remaining manga chapters of the current story arc, which is focused on the Regiment de Cuisine matches. Assuming the first cour of the Fourth Plate adapts the remaining 20 chapters, that leaves 56 chapters unadapted, including the BLUE story arc and the three-chapter epilogue.
『食戟のソーマ 神ノ皿』Blu-ray & DVD BOXが2020年4月29日発売決定🎉
神ノ皿全話をお得なBOXでおあがりよ🍽
Blu-ray BOXにはオリジナルサウンドトラックを収録した特典CDも付きます💿
※DVD BOXに特典CDは付きませんのでご注意ください。https://t.co/dnt76YyvXH#shokugeki_anime— 『食戟のソーマ』TVアニメ公式 (@shokugeki_anime) November 25, 2019
Does that mean the anime’s ending will be Food Wars! Season 5? It entirely depends on the plans and schedule of the animation studio, J.C. Staff.
In the past, LiveChart claimed on Twitter that Food Wars! Season 4 would number 25 episodes based upon a snippet of the Japanese text of unknown origin. If that unverified information is correct, it’s possible that the fourth season will be a split-cour anime.
Assuming that is true, the Food Wars! Season 4 Part 2 release date will likely be scheduled for April 2020 (although, it could also be July or October 2020). Based on the way the third season’s split cour was titled in the past, Part 2 of the fourth season could potentially be labeled as Food Wars! The Fourth Plate: BLUE Arc.
Let’s just hope the Food Wars! anime receives the ending it deserves. Stay tuned!