A chef famous for his brand of seaweed, he entered Yakitate!! 9 with the intent of challenging Azuma after seeing him on TV during the Monaco Cup. Despite the techniques Azuma used during the competition, Norihei was able to defeat him, making him the only competitor who has done so. Despite his win, Norihei encouraged Azuma to strive to do better by giving him a recipe book on seaweed.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Kazuma Azuma wants to make bread. Not just any kind of bread, though. He wants to make a bread that represents Japan itself and can stand toe-to-toe with rice as a national food. Thanks to his legendary "Hands of the Sun," unnaturally warm hands that allow dough to ferment faster, Kazuma's bread is like a slice of Heaven. 
 
And when the Pantasia Rookie Competition arrives, everyone will get a taste of his skill! Along with his friend Kawachi (who's only in it for the dough), he’ll go up against koala karate masters, Harvard bread scientists, samurai with rolling-pin swords, and more! Can Kazuma create bread like naan other and bake his way to glory, or should he quit before he's toast? 
 
(Source: Right Stuf)

Takeshi Aono was an actor, voice actor, and narrator from Asahikawa, Hokkaido. He was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. He graduated from Hokkaido Asahikawa Higashi High School.



Azuma Kazuma isn't terribly clever, but he's got a good heart and great skill - at baking. Since childhood, he's been on a quest to create the perfect bread to represent Japan internationally. Now, he seeks to enter the famous bakery Pantasia, in hopes of reaching his goal. But plots abound... 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Miki Norihei