Joie

Overview

Image Gallery

Joie
Kanji	ジョア
Rōmaji	Joa
Aliases	Joie Joa Dark Chef
Characteristics
Race	Human
Gender	Male
Status
Occupations	Head of NEO King Jidar's Personal Chef
Affiliations	NEO Darnil Kahn
Debut
Manga	Episode 96
Anime	Gourmet 171
Portrayal
Japanese	Nanba Keiichi

Origin

Not much is known about Joie's origin, but he won the first Cooking Festival 200 years ago and was the first Chef in history to earn the title "Super Cook". It was later uncovered that he used various methods in which to cheat his way to victory and the title was quickly revoked and given to the runner up "Gourmet National Treasure" Setsuno. As a result of his cheating, he was also banished from ever entering into the Cooking Festival again.

Creation

Joie was created by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro as a major antagonist in the Toriko series. His first appearance is during episode 96 entitled, A Taste That's Out of This World! Eating the Meteor Garlic!. And manga Volume 19, Chapter 171, Conqueror of the Age.

In the Crunchyroll version of the anime, the character's name is changed to Joie.

Character Evolution

Appearance

Joie is a relatively tall man with a thin physique. At the start of the series, and persisting up until current events, he wore a large full body blue purple and yellow outfit which covered up every part of his body bar his eyes. His outfit is reminiscent to that of a court jester, with the baubles on his Chefs hat and his outfits bright colours.

After the events of the Meteor Garlic Arc, he was forced into hiding and adopted a new outfit that he used to cover himself in and avoid revealing his identity. His outfit at this point was simply a large black cloak covering the entirety of his body and still leaving his face shrouded. Under the cloak he wore a dress that came out like an umbrella over his knees, with long boots and gloves to compliment it.

His true appearance is only discovered when Jirou destroys the cloak itself and his appearance is revealed to be near identical to that of the "Chef Goddess" Froese. His face however has a few differences to that of Froese's appearance, the first notable is that his face appears to have cracks or cuts running along the entire length of the face, and he also has slitted irises instead of a normal iris and to add to his unique look he has small balls attached to the ends of his hair.

Major Story Arcs

Century Soup Arc

During his trip to Ice Hell in order to try and acquire the Century Soup, Colonel Mokkoi contacted Joie after learning that the Century Soup was stolen and that none was left. His reason for contacting him was for information on which ingredients he should now seek out to replace the loss of the Century Soup.

Meteor Garlic Arc

After the events at the Gourmet Casino, in which Toriko and his friends including the Gourmet Yakuza's Boss Match and the Gourmet Casinos owner Livebearer, cooked and ate the Meteor Garlic, Coco inquired as to the location or possible information leading to the location of the drink on "Gourmet God" Acacia's Full Course Menu, ATOM.

Livebearer informed him that he may know someone who might know information regarding it and that it's the same person who can also completely detoxify a Poison Potato, the "Dark Chef" Joie, who is currently the personal chef to the King of the Jidar Kingdom, Darnil Kahn. His current whereabouts are in the Palace of the Jidar Kingdom not too far from the Gourmet Casino, and so they set out there to meet him.

Joie is then seen talking with Darnil about the fact that Livebearer has divulged information about them to Toriko and his friends. They both agree that this is no longer a problem as he is no longer useful to the Kingdom anymore, Joie also notes that their plan is in the final stages and that they know the location of the Secret Notebook left behind by Acacia thanks to their vast and extensive network of information, which they both noted to be even greater than the IGO's or the Gourmet Corps.

He also goes on to inform Darnil about a meeting between the IGO and the Gourmet Corps that occurred recently, but refused to get into specifics with him as he stated that Toriko and his friends would soon be arriving to ask him questions and that both he and Darnil should abandon the palace and the kingdom before they arrive.

Four Beast Arc

Not long after the Four Beast was defeated by the Four Heavenly Kings, Teppei is seen tracking Joie, and when Joie discovered his presence he complimented him on his ability to track. Teppei suspected that Joie was the mastermind behind the Four Beasts attack on the Human World and began to question him as to the reason behind it, Joie however simply warned him to not go prying into things he shouldn't, else he will kill him right on the spot.

Not long after Joie's encounter with Teppei, he is seen drinking wine and eating out of a fruit bowl that contained the severed head and hand of Teppei. It's unknown how this event occurred as Teppei woke up suddenly as if it was all just a dream being healed by fellow Saiseiya Pukin. After waking he recalls the events of his encounter with Joie to Pukin, and he simply states that as he began to fight him, he got the sudden sensation that he was on a Cooking Board ready to be "Cooked".

Joie is later seen venturing into the Gourmet Pyramid looking to retrieve the Ancient Cookbook that Komatsu took from the pedestal when he Toriko and Zebra entered there in search of the Mellow Cola. When Joie discovered it was no longer there he is startled and sets off in search of the culprit.

Cooking Festival Arc

During the battle between the Gourmet Corps and the IGO and Chefs at the Cooking Festival, the mysterious organisation NEO begins to surface and during their secret meeting while the battle outside is taking place, Joie's name is mentioned by Mahmai Moi, stating that he just got word from him and that he would be arriving there at the Cooking Festival soon.

Setsuno, during her encounter with Kuriboh, Zaus and Kaisaoru, recalled the events of the very first Cooking Festival and states that despite history saying there were only 5 cooking champions, the "Dark Chef" Joie was actually the one of the winners too, in fact he was the winner of the very first Cooking Festival, but due to his underhanded tactics he was eternally banned from the festival. Setsuno notes that the scar Cooking King Zaus has was likely given to him by Joie, saying that he let his guard down. Zaus however corrects her saying he never once let his guard down.

As things start to wrap up at the Festival, Joie finally arrives on the back of a Tokage with Teppei by his side and he says that this is to be his first Cooking Festival in 200 years. He also notes that there are quite a few "Tastes" left in the Festival but states that the "Flavour" of those tastes are not quite right, he rhetorically asks Teppei what he thinks saying that he already changed his "Taste".

When Joie and Teppei make it to the ground they are confronted by Zebra who attacks them immediately, only to have his attack neutralized by Teppei and then become encased in a growing tree. Joie tells him that Teppei is no longer the man he knew when he changed his "Taste". After Zebra is taken care of, 2 of the Gourmet Corps Nitro attack Joie, he notes that its likely because they sensed he was a dangerous foe as he drew his cooking knife and used his skill "Taste Change" to alter their allegiance to NEO and himself.

Setsuno is shaken at the sight of the Kitchen Knife Joie drew and demands he show his true identity, noting that the Knife he now holds called "Cinderella" belonged to "Chef Goddess" Froese. However Joie simply affirms that that's the reason the knife belongs to him and nobody else, as he draws the blade against Setsuno herself and fires off his 10 Million Slice Fillet. Setsuo attempts to block it but instead decides to deflect it away into the stadium and beyond, which has destructive consequences as the attack cuts through the stadium and the sea with ease. Joie is impressed by the fact she was able to stop the attack from hitting her saying that he thought only Acacia's Three Disciples were able to stop the attack. At that point Setsuno's skin produces numerous cuts saying that she did not completely block the attack.

Setsuno questions him as to his business here, and he tells her he is currently looking for one of the Chefs present at the Festival. Setsuno mocks him saying that his attack likely killed the person in question, but he tells her that he is not currently inside the stadium so he is still alive as he draws his knife again, impales it into the ground and uses his dark technique "Freshness Up Revitalizing Cut" to resurrect and further increase the power of the Nitro Zebra recently killed. He commands them to devour Setsuno and the rest of the chefs with her, but before they could, Jirou arrives in time to kill one of them and save her.

Joie is largely impressed by the arrival of Jirou, noting that he did not just kill the Nitro but he also knocked it to stop any further movement it may have even without its head. He goes on to recount Jirous history as one of the Three Disciples of Acacia, and that even Acacia himself feared how powerful Jirou could become so he took steps to slow the progression and give him a chance to lose his brutal nature. Jirou is impressive by his extensive knowledge and persists to ask him who he is, but Joie simply asks him if he would like to fight one of the members of NEO instead. Jirou seemingly annoyed by this uses one of his most fearsome abilities "Grand Knocking" to, in Joie's words, nearly stop the rotation of the planet and apply knocking to every person and beast on the planet. It also brought the side effect of multiple natural disasters.

While Joie makes note of his power, Jirou strikes him and destroys his hood finally revealing his appearance as that of "Chef Goddess" Froese. Everyone is shocked by this sudden revelation but Joie simply smiles and jumps into the air to take care of the impending tidal wave caused by Grand Knocking. As Joie was in the air he shredded his black cloak with "Instant Shredding" and then proceeded to use two skills that were previously exclusive to Froese, God Cooking and Sky Cut, the latter of which completely obliterated the oncoming tidal wave. Setsuno and Jirou, curious to affirm their suspicions about Joie, decide to test his strength and utilize a combination attack of Setsuno's "Cook Road" and Jirou's "Rising Wolf Guinness Punch", Joie however casually destroys their attempt with his "Satan Mince" while showing his change in appearance due to the activation of his Gourmet Cells.

Jirou and Setsuno both note that this Joie must have eaten Acacia's Full Course Menu to have Gourmet Cells so highly evolved, but Setsuno also notes that his appearance in that form is vastly different from Froese which makes them both question who this person really is, At that moment however Starjun appeared on the back of a Braga Dragon carrying Komatsu with him, to the shock of Setsuno. Joie seeing his arrival and noticing Komatsu was with him grins and asks him calmly to hand Komatsu over, which Starjun bluntly denies and starts to unleash his true power. Joie is impressed by his Gourmet Cells and the power they bring with them and at this moment Starjun challenges him to do battle, but Joie notes that with the current set up and the world’s strongest surrounding him he is at quite a disadvantage, but it’s at this moment he hears Midoras voice and realises that his battle with Ichiryuu is over and that it was time to conclude his business here before the worst happens. Joie then sends his Tokage to retrieve the rest of NEO from inside the stadium.

Joie is later seen inside the NEO Headquarters discussing his plans with the rest of NEO. Joejoe tells them that the vehicle is almost ready for their journey to the "Final Land" and that the only thing left to acquire is the legendary Ingredient GOD. Uumen notes that the only thing they need to do now is patiently wait until the Solar Eclipse and the resurgence of the legendary ingredient GOD to finalize their preparations for the journey to the "Final Land". Joie remarks that they should celebrate this and orders all the members of NEO to move out.

Powers and Abilities

Overview

Joie is a chef of great skill, so much so that he could perhaps be one of the most skilled and most powerful people in the world. A testament to his skill is that during the first Cooking Festival he managed to earn first place ahead of the equally legendary and famous Gourmet National Treasure Setsuno, he was however found out to have been cheating so it’s unknown if he is actually as skilled as her on fair ground. Nevertheless even Setsuno holds him in very high regard, noting that the scar the Zaus has was likely given to him by Joie and she states that he must have let his guard down against him, but Zaus told her that he never lost focus for even a second. He was shown to easily dispatch Teppei, a man whose power is likened to that of the Four Heavenly Kings themselves, to the point where his intimidation alone made him feel like he was about to be cooked by Joie. His arrival at the cooking festival was felt by everyone in the vicinity and even caused two powerful Nitro to go berserk in an attempt to kill him. NEO felt confident enough in his skill and power that if he arrived at the cooking festival they would have enough power to oppose everyone present with minimal risk to themselves.

When he started to attack Setsuno, she could barely hold out against his powerful 10 Million Slice Fillet, which cut through numerous areas of the Cooking Festival Stadium and the ocean surrounding it. She noted that even she was incapable of completely blocking its effects as the attack caused numerous small wounds to appear all over her body.

He also seems to be highly skilled in "Dark Arts" being capable of changing the "Taste" of different people in order to make them emotionless allies to further his goals, or even go as far as to revive dead beasts and boost their power to level greater than when they were alive, like he did to two Nitro that were killed in the conflict at the Cooking Festival.

His true strength was only shown when he removed his cloak and during his brief clash with Setsuno and Jirou. He was capable of utilizing skills known only to the Chef Goddess Froese such as her unique God Cooking and the immensely powerful cutting ability "Sky Cut" which was capable of completely obliterating a tidal wave of great size caused as a side effect of Jirous Grand Knocking. When Setsuno and Jirou attempted to attack him with their combination attack, he activated his Gourmet Cells which gave him an incredible boost in strength and power to the point where he could completely negate their attack with one of his own much to their surprise given the fact that Jirou is considered one of the three strongest people in the world and is also one of the Disciples of Acacia.

When activating his Gourmet Cells however, he takes on the appearance of a strange demon, leading Jirou and Setsuno to believe that Joie has actually tasted the "Gourmet God" Acacias Full Course Menu, which grants the diner complete mastery over their Gourmet Cells.

His intelligence network seems to be vast and fruitful, given he knew about the meeting of the IGO president Ichiryuu and the Gourmet Corps Boss Midora, despite the meeting being secret, and was aware that Toriko's group was venturing out to meet with him long before they even started out towards the palace, he was even able to leave Jidar long before they arrived at the palace.

Equipment

Cinderella

Cinderella - Joie's Kitchen Knife which previously belonged to Froese, a woman regarded as the greatest chef in the world. How he acquired it is unknown but he cryptically states that it’s because it belonged to Froese that it's now in his possession. His skill with the knife however is exceptional, capable of using a multitude of powerful attacks and cuts including his special and unique abilities like his "Freshness UP Revitalizing Cut" and "Taste Change". It's power is increased further when he uses it in conjunction with his own Gourmet Cells.

Skills

In conjunction with his vast natural power, he also has some unique powers that he is able to utilize in combat.

Tasting Scope	Tasting Scope - A special type of vision similar to heat vision in which Joie is able to see and measure the "flavour and "savouriness" of people in the general area. This allows him to also measure the strength of each individual person too so he can pick his fights. He said that the flavour the opponent gives off is determined by thoughts and their savouriness is based on their life energy.
Taste Change	Taste Change - Used in conjunction with his Kitchen Knife Cinderella, he cuts into the opponent with his blade and in so doing he is able to manipulate their "flavour" and thoughts in order to turn them into his minions are change their allegiance. He was able to do this to very powerful Nitro beasts and was also able to change the "flavour" of the powerful Saiseiya Teppei. When the technique if finished the cut made appears aged and not fresh, making it a very inconspicuous attack. It’s also unknown as to how its effects are activated as Teppei was seemingly fine after being cut with it only to later succumb to its effects. The attack itself causes an immense level of damage to ones Gourmet Cells, and the only way to remove the effect is to cause even greater damage to the Gourmet Cells, this however often proves to be fatal.
God Cooking	God Cooking - A skill once known to the Chef Goddess Froese, which allowed her to use her cooking skills and powers to their fullest potential regardless of the current condition of her body. Joie is able to utilize it in conjunction with his own skills in order to increase their power and effectiveness.
10 Million Slice Fillet	10 Million Slice Fillet - A powerful cutting attack that Joie uses in conjunction with his knife Cinderella. He cuts through the air in rapid fashion and fires millions of small cuts in a beam like shape towards his opponent. He used this against the Gourmet National Treasure Setsuno which, when she deflected it, was split into hundreds of pieces and each was capable of cleaving through the Cooking Festival Stadium and straight through the ocean with great force. Setsuno noted however that even she was unable to completely block the attacks effects as she received numerous small wounds in her attempt. Joie stated that the attack should have been strong enough that only one of Acacias Three Disciples should have been capable of blocking it.
Freshness UP Revitalizing Cut	Freshness UP Revitalizing Cut - A "Dark Arts" skill in which Joie plunges his knife Cinderella into the ground and releases a shockwave which not only heals specific targets of his choosing in the general area, but also increases their power to levels greater than they were at before they fell. It also seemingly applies a similar effect to that of "Taste Change" to the revitalized targets, causing them to become Joie's minions for the duration of the ability. He used this to revive two Nitro in order to attack and kill Setsuno.
Sky Cut	Sky Cut - A legendary cutting skill which Joie uses in conjunction with his kitchen knife Cinderella. He used it to casually obliterate a giant Tsunami caused as a side effect of Jirous Grand Knocking. He was somehow able to slice the tsunami apart with such force that it appeared to simply vanish to the onlookers. He used this skill after activating his "God Cooking" ability.
Instant Shredding	Instant Shredding - Joie quickly shreds his cloak with such speed and force that people on the calibre of Jirou and Setsuno are shocked by the speed it occurred. He is also able to use that moment of surprise to make a movement of his own to gain the upper hand. When he used it during the Cooking Festival he jumped high into the sky in order to start utilizing his "God Cooking" and "Sky Cut" to effectively take out the incoming Tsunami.
Satan Mince	Satan Mince - A powerful skill Joie used after he activated his Gourmet Cells. It allowed him to completely tear through Jirous powerful Guinness Punch without any harm befalling him. When he activated his Gourmet Cells to use this ability his appearance changes drastically, taking on the visible appearance of a demon.
Gourmet Cells	Gourmet Cells - Not much is known about the extent of Joie's Gourmet Cells, but if Setsuno and Jirou are correct. Joie has some of the most advanced and powerful Gourmet Cells in the world currently.