‘Iron Chef’ Legend Yukio Hattori Dies After Collapse

Beloved Iron Chef commentator Yukio Hattori has died. The Japanese food critic and television presenter, whose real name was Yukihiko Someya, was pronounced dead at a hospital in Tokyo on Friday, Oct. 4 after collapsing at Hattori Nutrition College, according to The Japan Times. His cause of death is not known at this time, but it is believed he died of “an unspecified illness.” He was 78.

The Tokyo native is best remembered for his time on Iron Chef, the popular cooking competition series that pits chefs against one another in timed cooking battles built around a specific theme ingredient. Hattori served as the commentator on the Japanese iteration of the show (the English-dubbed version was shown on the U.S. Food Network and Australia’s SBS network), which ran from 1993 until 1999 , and returned to provide commentary on the 2012 revival. He was fondly referred to as “Doc” by the show’s announcer, Kenji Fukui, and is remembered for saying, “always a pleasure.”

Years before taking on Iron Chef, Hattori got his start in the food world when he graduated from Rikkyo University and went on to complete a doctoral course for public health at Showa University’s School of Medicine. He became the principal of Hattori Nutrition College in 1977, and served as a member of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry’s dietary education promotion council. For his contributions to the culinary arts, Hattori the Chevalier, an honor of the French government, in 2015 for promoting French cuisine in Japan. Five years later, in 2020, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, in Japan.

Outside of Iron Chef, Hattori also appeared on the TV series TV Champion, according to The Asahi Shimbun. The variety show, produced by TV Tokyo, challenges competitors in an array of tasks in order to crown one “King” of their ability. He also appeared on Senshi no ippin and Mibu. La Luna en un Plato, according to his IMDb profile.

Tributes have poured in for Hattori amid his passing, with many fans fondly remembering him from his time on Iron Chef. On a Reddit thread, one person wrote, “RIP Doc. This show started my love of food. Thanks for all you did,” with somebody else writing, “OG Iron Chef was a huge inspiration for me and definitely played a big part in my decision to pursue becoming a chef, and Dr. Hattori with his commentary and knowledge inspired me to find out everything I could about ingredients, dishes and cooking traditions.”