He defeated Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai in this battle, which was one of the few that Sakai lost where seafood was the main ingredient. He is also known for his short temper onscreen and his playfulness toward the camera as shown during his battle with Iron Chef Sakai during their "Lotus Root Battle." One notable moment was when one of the judges, French actress Julie Dreyfus, refused to eat the dish prepared by him because it contained whale meat. Ral Grad  The series ran in "Weekly Shōnen Jump" magazine from December 2006 to July 2007. The 29 chapters have been collected into four "tankōbon" volumes, which were published by Shueisha from April to November 2007. Viz Media released an English-language translation in North America under the title "Ral Grad" beginning in February 2008. In a world where demonic creatures named shadows enter our realm through their very namesakes, little is safe. However, when a young boy by the name of Ral becomes friends with the shadow inside him, he may be the last hope in saving the world. Ral lives on the island of Sphaein, in the kingdom of . There he has been enlisted to protect the kingdom from evil shadows that wish to destroy it. With the aid of his shadow, a large blue dragon named Grad, and his teacher, Mio, Ral can take on any challenger. A shadow is a demon like creature born in the world of darkness. They have no dimensions and no form. The Humans believe them to be evil beings God sent away into the darkness. Eventually these shadows came into the human world, the world of light. They enter through the shadows of creatures and take shape. A shadow cannot take a form in complete darkness. They need a light source to cast shadows. They can gain extra abilities by eating other creatures or by first entering the creature's shadow and then eat them from within. There are three forms that shadows can take in the world of light. A shadow can return to the world of darkness when Noir is revived unless they are in the Second form or Third form in which they cannot return to the world of darkness. "Ral Ω Grad" is written by Tsuneo Takano and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The series ran in Shueisha's "Weekly Shōnen Jump" magazine from the 1st 2007 issue, published on December 4, 2006 to 32nd issue on July 9, 2007. Shueisha compiled the 29 individual chapters into four "tankōbon" volumes, which were published from April 4 to November 2, 2007.