Tōtsuki Culinary Academy: Allies and Rivals[]
Sōma Yukihira[]
Like all of the first-year students, Kuga looked down upon Sōma during Autumn Leaf Viewing and didn't consider him worth his time to be challenged in a Shokugeki. However, after Sōma stopped his perfect streak at the Moon Banquet Festival, he began to acknowledge Sōma's skills and told Rindō that he believed that the first year chef would continue to get stronger. To that end, Kuga appeared before Sōma during the third round of the Promotion Exams to offer the Chinese RS's help before his rematch against Akira Hayama. Here, he admitted to Berta that Sōma's greatest quality as a chef was his adamant refusal to rest until he finds what he is looking for.
Miyoko Hōjō[]
Kuga holds an interest which is probably romantic for the heiress of the Hōjō family, Miyoko for her Chinese culinary skills and even offered her to join his Chinese Cuisine RS. However, Miyoko has shown to be annoyed by Kuga and declined his offers many times, which he is aware of it. Even though she declined his offer, Kuga tells her that she is welcome any time if she choose to join his Research Society. She did eventually join as their new leader helping continue Terunori Kuga's quest or bridging all Chinese cuisines via Sichuan cuisine.
Eishi Tsukasa[]
Kuga holds a heated, albeit largely one-sided rivalry with Eishi Tsukasa. In his first year, Kuga challenged the members of the Elite Ten to a Shokugeki, to which Eishi accepted. It was at Eishi's hands that Kuga suffered a crushing defeat, which was his first experience with failure. To add insult to injury, Kuga learned soon after that Eishi had almost forgotten about him, shattered his confidence. Since then, Kuga wanted to avenge his loss and make sure Eishi never forgets who he is. Kuga would finally get his rematch against Eishi during the Regimental Shokugeki. Through Kuga lost once again, he felt a little satisfied knowing he was able to surprise Eishi and wear him out.
Chinese Cuisine RS Members[]
Under Kuga's leadership, the Chinese Cuisine RS became predominately focused on Sichuan cuisine. However, the members following Kuga respect his leadership and are more than willing to endure both the training and even manual labor. For his part, Kuga trained his followers relentlessly, drilling into them the precise skills need to perfectly reproduce his signature Mapo Tofu dish.