(W/A) Takashi Hashiguchi

It's full-on pancake combat in the seventh round of the Yakitate!! 25 baking competition!! A master pastry chef with an unpronounceable name threatens to flush Pantasia's chances down the toilet with his fancy European moisture-retaining techniques. Can Team Pantasia pull together to deliver a Ja-pancake worthy of the name? The flatbread battle rages on when it turns out that a pizza cook-off is in the works for the next match—and the competition hails from Italy! England. France. Germany. What common thread binds these three nations together? Answer: each is famous for producing unique, distinctive, delicious bread. But what of the island nation of Japan, home to rice and delicacies of the sea? Is there not a doughy, gastronomic delight they can claim as their own? The answer is no...until now! Kazuma Azuma, a 16-year-old-boy blessed with otherworldly baking powers, has taken it upon himself to create Ja-pan, the national bread of the land of the rising sun!