Leengard

Property of Heavenly King Lee

This article, Leengard, is the sole property of Leengard Ustan and cannot be used or edited without his permission unless otherwise stated. Those who fail to obtain permission to use this page shall be locked away in one of the Three Great Gourmet Prisons.


Leengard
Kanji	リンガード
Rōmaji	Ringādo
Alias	Lee Mix Master
Characteristics
Race	Human
Gender	Male
Age	21
Height	5'11"
Hair Color	Brown
Eye Color	Hazel
Unusual Features	Highly Unprofessional Look Several Scars
Professional Status
Affiliation	Rotary Kitchen
Previous Affiliation	Hobble Restaurant Jidar Kingdom
Occupation	Head Chef
Previous Occupation	Prep Cook
Previous Partner	Hisako Umigame (Deceased)
Base of Operations	Rotary Kitchen
Personal Status
Status	Alive
Marital Status	Single
Abilities
Powers	Voice of The Ingredients Food Luck
Signature Skill	Last Minute Fix
Weapons	Mallet and Butcher Knife
Image Gallery

"Routine? That's a terrible thing. Being routine means being predictable. Being predictable means you've become boring. If I'm going to be anything, I'll be... "Predictably Unpredictable." Yeah... I know that's one hell of an oxymoron if I've ever heard one, but if I'm going to be known for something, I'd rather it be that you don't know what I'll do next."
— Leengard when asked why he doesn't stick to a routine

Leengard (リンガード, Ringādo) is the Head Chef of the Rotary Kitchen, who doesn't have any particular style or specialty. He has, however, become known as "Mix Master Lee" (原盤を混在·リー, Genban o Konzai·Rī, lit The Mix Master Lee), which may have come about due to his ability to hear the Voice of the Ingredients. At one point he had been a part of a Combo, though that came to an end under less than positive conditions. He one the few to pass the Trial of Pilgrimage and then never enter the Gourmet World.

Appearance[]

A relatively tall man, Leengard has brown eyes and messy brown hair that he keeps out of his face with a white headband with two black clips. He wears a white button up shirt, though it's hardly ever fully buttoned, or even properly buttoned. He also wears a black tie that is never tied, a black jacket, black slacks, a white belt and tends to not have shoes or socks. When he does wear shoes, they're solid black dress shoes, which are surprisingly durable. Leengard's overall appearance is messy and untidy which makes it hard for others to believe that he's a Chef, in any professional sense. His expression is almost always a contently lazy smirk. Hidden under his clothes are well defined muscles and numerous scars, which Leengard has said are "not as old as you might think."

Personality[]

A sarcastic guy who never seems to take most situations very seriously, many have found him an easy guy to get along with. He has stated on numerous occasions that he finds routine boring, which is why he gladly works at Rotary Kitchen with their ever changing menu. Depending on who is asked, there are some who claim to have known of a time when Leengard had a far shorter fuse and lost his temper regularly. More recently, Leengard seems to be very easily amused by others as he'll laugh at just about anything. With his easy-going approach to most things, no one believes that he is even capable of getting angry and most have never even seen him show so much as annoyance. However, once a year his now usual sarcasm and humor seem to disappear and he takes a few days off of work. No one at Rotary Kitchen, the staff nor the customers, really seem to know why he does this as whenever he's asked about it, the story changes. There are some, outside of the Rotary Kitchen, that certainly know the true reason behind this, but they keep it to themselves.

History[]

Leengard originally hails from the slums of Jidar Kingdom, having only survived thanks to the charity of the Gourmet Yakuza. Having grown up in the slums, Leengard used to have a much more explosive temper than he exhibits today, which got him into a lot of trouble. This was especially true when he managed to anger a member of the Underground Cooking World, who captured him and was transporting Leengard to the Gourmet Casino in order to use him as a test subject of the various Illegal Ingredients. However, after arriving at the Gourmet Casino, a certain someone had created a ruckus that distracted Leengard's captor long enough for him to escape. Seeing no other options, Leengard managed to stowaway with the one who had caused the commotion, and ended up following them all the way to the Hobble Restaurant.

Leengard Hobble — Leengard while working at Hobble Restaurant

Upon being discovered, Leengard managed to beg his way into a job at the restaurant, though only as a bus-boy. He eventually managed, through hard work and unknowingly hearing the Voice of the Ingredients, to convince the Owner to teach him how to properly cook. Leengard proved himself to be a quick study, rapidly picking up the basics, though his tendency to begin improvising the dishes had him a constant odds with Michelle, also in-training at the time, who insisted that they follow the recipes. After a while, Michelle became the Sous Chef and Leengard left to become the Head Chef of the Rotary Kitchen.

Early in his career as a Chef, Leengard formed a Combo with a Bishokuya named Hisako Umigame. They worked together for 3 years before Hisako decided they should take on the Trial of Pilgrimage. During the first labor, Leengard was caught off guard and was attacked by the Beast and wound up with three deep scars on his torso. In the second trial he was bitten on both arms and legs, leaving permanent teeth marks. He was gored in the left bicep in the tunnels of the Boring Boar. Through each of the trials, Leengard picked up new scars and new Ingredients, even becoming one of the few people to legally prepare the fruit of the Box Cactus during the ninth labor. Unfortunately, Hisako died after the Final Trial and never got a chance to try the dish that Leengard had prepared of the Final Ingredient. Since then, he has refused to prepare any of the Ingredients from the Trial of Pilgrimage and his Full Course Menu, even going so far as creating a second Full Course Menu as a decoy to hide his true Menu.

Synopsis[]

Equipment[]

Mallet and Butcher Knife:

Leengard's preferred utensils to bring with him when he was hunting as part of a Combo. They consist of a giant axe and hammer, linked end-to-end by a flat thin leather-like rope. The length of the leather rope allows the mallet and the knife to be used separately, but they can also be used together to help deal with Ingredients that are tough to open. He does this by first striking with the knife, before slamming the mallet downwards onto its blunt backside, thus using the blade like a wedge to drive straight through the tough obstacle and into the desired Ingredient located inside. However, he had a tendency to use the utensils similarly to a Kusarigama. Since the death of Hisako, Leengard hasn't used these utensils and has had them mounted on the wall in Rotary Kitchen's entrance.

Abilities[]

Cooking[]

Expert Chef: In spite of his highly unprofessional appearance, Leengard is actually a very skilled Chef. The proof of this is that he is the Head Chef of the restaurant called Rotary Kitchen where the menu changes almost daily. Because of the ever changing menu, this has forced him to be completely flexible with his cooking as the kitchen almost never has the same ingredients from day to day. Since the menu always changes he's developed a highly improvisational cooking style.

Voice of The Ingredients: Leengard is capable of hearing the Voices of Ingredients which makes it possible for him to prepare Ingredients easily, even if he's never worked with that Ingredient before. Because he can hear the Voices, this has also led to the formation of his improvisational cooking style as he changes the recipe as the Ingredients suggest. He has said that the Voice of the Ingredients has gotten louder and clearer to him since the Trial of Pilgrimage.
Food Luck: is the belief of the fortune one can have with ingredients and their daily lives, such as the chances of finding rare ingredients, surviving against nature, or the luck one can have succeeding at a food related event. Leengard's Food Luck showed itself during his run of the Trial of Pilgrimage, having survived numerous injuries from powerful Beasts.

"First you bring up being routine, now this perfection nonsense? Perfection sucks. It means that a Dish has come to an end. There's nothing left for it, it begins to stagnate. Once you 'perfect' something, why would you try to do anything different? Imperfection means there's room to improve. With room to improve comes new possibilities. Perfection means a dead end for that Dish... I don't know about you, but I can't think of anything more depressing."
— Leengard on why his Cooking Style is Improvisational

Improvisational Cooking Style: Leengard never seems to make a dish the same way twice, always adding something new or different whenever he cooks. Because he is always changing up the way he makes a Dish he tends to mix different styles and/or spices into a dish which has helped lead to his moniker of "Mix Master." When asked why he never makes a dish the same way twice, his usual reply is that he has yet to perfect a dish and that once he feels he's perfected a dish, he has stated that it wouldn't be worth making again because "perfection means a dead end for that Dish.

Last Minute Fix (直前の修正, Chokuzen no Shūsei, lit Modify the Previous): this is the name of something that Leengard does quite often where, just before he serves a customer a dish, he'll add something to it either just before he hands the plate off or, sometimes, just before the customer takes a bite after receiving their order. While this usually shocks those who've never experienced his cooking before, no one has had any complaints after they've tasted the dish.

Hunting[]

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Leengard has proven capable of handling himself in a fight, though only when fighting people. He seems to use a style similar to Muay Thai, relying mostly on kicks, but claims to have no real knowledge of Muay Thai. Instead he relies on his knowledge of anatomy gained through his years of cooking. Most have called his fighting style Tender Foot referring to the kicking techniques he uses most often.

Tender Foot (柔らかいの足, Yawarakai no ashi, lit Soft Feet): despite the name, there is nothing tender about this move. Leengard quickly and repeatedly strikes his opponent with his foot/feet causing aggravated damage to the target. Typically, the kicks are directed at the torso, at or below the ribcage. Leengard has commented that, if he could use this attack on a Beast, it would very likely tenderize the attacked section, hence the name.
- Tender Foot: Kneecap (柔らかいの足:膝頭, Yawarakai no ashi: Hizagashira, lit Soft Feet: Kneecap): Leengard drives his heel into his opponent in their kneecap. Typically he does this to their grounded leg. With all of the target's weight on that leg, the knee almost always breaks.
  - Tender Foot: Sweep (柔らかいの足:掃く, Yawarakai no ashi: Haku, lit Soft Feet: Sweep): Rather than kick his opponent's kneecap, Leengard performs a sweeping kick aimed more at the ankles to knock the opponent's legs out from under them. However, he can also kick his opponent in the back of their knees to cause a similar effect.
- Tender Foot: Bell Ringer (柔らかいの足:鐘を鳴らす, Yawarakai no ashi: Kane o narasu, lit Soft Feet: Ring the Bell): Leengard kicks his opponent in their head. This usually knocks out the target. Sometimes he will jump, in order to reach his target. However, he is typically capable of kicking well above his own head, so he doesn't have to jump very often.
T-Bone (Tボーン, T bōn): Leengard delivers a straight armed punch to the opponent's sternum. He tends to rotate his torso to increase the momentum of the punch and to put more of his weight behind the strike.
- Wishbone (叉骨, Sakotsu): Leengard performs a two-fisted punch aimed at the opponent's sternum. To add more weight to the hit, he will step forward as he throws the punch. Alternately, he'll plant one foot back in order to be more stable if he delivers this attack to an oncoming target.
Meat Hook (肉用フック, Niku-yō fukku): Leengard delivers a hook to his opponent, typically as a body strike, aiming more towards the liver. However, he will, on rare occasions, deliver the hook to the opponent's head.

Kusarigamajutsu Practitioner: Through his use of his Mallet and Butcher Knife, Leengard has shown skill in the art of Kusarigamajutsu, though he's never had any formal training, which is obvious to anyone who actually knows how to fight with a kusarigama. However, regardless of his skill level, the method gives him a significant increase in range compared to others.

Flailing Mallet (暴れるマレット, Abareru maretto, lit Violet mallet): Leengard, rather simply, uses the Mallet portion of his weapon like a Flail. By swinging it around by the leather strap, he is able to gain significant momentum in the large bludgeoning tool to be able to deal enough force to break bones.
Flying Butcher (飛行肉屋, Hikō nikuya): Much like Flailing Mallet, Leengard swings the Butcher Knife portion of his weapon around by the leather strap. This increases the effective range of his blade for cutting, though he has stated that the cuts are far less precise than if he was just holding the blade in his hand.

Leengard Intimidate — Leengard's Intimidate

Intimidation (威嚇, Ikaku): a unique ability beings have that allows them to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents, resulting in either fleeing or being scared unconscious. In spite of the fact that Leengard has never shown any signs of having Gourmet Cells, has been known to be able use Intimidation, most likely due to growing up in Jidar, though it is also likely that he learned it through observing the Beasts he hunted and from seeing others, like Bishokuya, using the technique as well. However, his Intimidation is really nothing more than Leengard getting angry, the aura he gives off is enough to easily frighten normal people and Beasts with low Capture Levels. Since the death of Hisako, Leengard has not used Intimidation or even noticeably gotten angry.

Physical[]

Enhanced Durability: Leengard's durability was proven numerous times over during his run of the Trial of Pilgrimage, having been injured by and surviving the majority of the Beasts that make up the Trials. This includes surviving being slashed by a Mors Catamount, being bitten by a Hydra Blossom, and being gored by a Boring Boar; even after receiving these injuries, Leengard continued to help with the Capture of the Ingredients and Cooking them as well before receiving more than basic field first-aide treatment.

Enhanced Strength: Through training, Leengard has managed to increase his physical strength to the point that he is able to deal with most Humans, as well as being able to carry around his Mallet and Butcher Knife with no issue, a weapon with considerable weight, having been said to weigh as much as a person. At one point his strength was on par with Michelle's but, he has admitted, that she has since left him in the dust after forming a Combo with Deker of the Five Gourmet Overlords. However, his strength is not wholly lacking, as he will personally remove disruptive customers from the Rotary Kitchen.

Full Course Menu[]

Leengard's Full Course Menu
Course	Ingredient	Capture Level	Status
Hors d'Oeuvre	Basashi	79	Decided
Soup	Boring Boar Stew	83	Decided
Fish Dish	Orthrus Shark Fillets	70	Decided
Meat Dish	Holy Hound Bulgogi with a Hydra Blossom petal wrap	88 (Average)	Decided
Main Course	Beef Three Ways Cretan Bull Steak Medallions with a Golden Yamatapple Glaze Augean Riblets Deep Sea Cow Steak Tartare with Steel Wing Egg		Decided
Salad	Grilled Mors Catamount in Hydra Blossom Petals	88 (Average)	Decided
Dessert	Hippolycotton Ice Cream with Box Cactus Fruit Syrup	76 (Average)	Decided
Drink	Drifter's Tea	88	Decided

Hors d'Oeuvre: Picked after completing the eighth trial of the Trial of Pilgrimage. Basashi is served raw and sliced thin, like sashimi, with ginger and onions and soy sauce for dipping.
Soup: Picked after completing the Trial of Pilgrimage's fourth trial. Leengard's preferred version of the stew takes about a week to prepare, due to his favored method of tenderizing the meat.
Fish Dish: Chosen while trying to complete the tenth trail. These vicious sharks "guard" the Deep Sea Cows. The fillets, the only edible part, are marinated in the fish's venom, which is used as the only seasoning for the dish.
Meat Dish: Picked from the final trial of the Pilgrimage. The edible meats are cut thin, marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, green onions, garlic, sesame oil, ginger and pepper. After marinating for a week, the meat it grilled and served with Hydra Blossom petals, which are wrapped around the meat.
Main Course: Picked from the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Tenth Trials (1) Cretan Bull tenderloins, cut into rounds, are sauteed to Diner's preference and glazed with a Golden Yamatapple glaze. (2) ... (3) Deep Sea Cow sirloin finely minced with onion, capers and seasoned with fresh ground pepper. Served with the raw yolk of a Steel Wing egg.
Salad: Decided after completing the first and second trails. The base of the salad is made of the petals of the Hydra Blossom, harvested during the peak season, but at various extra blooms for more of a mixed salad flavor. The meat is carefully grilled after being properly tenderized and mixed into the petals. Dressing is usually up to the consumer, though a vinaigrette is usually recommended.
Dessert: After completing the ninth trial is when this was picked. The Hippolycotton is turned into a sweet and creamy ice cream. The ice cream is then topped with a syrup made from the fruit of a Box Cactus.
Drink: The third trial of the Trial of Pilgrimage is where this drink comes from. The tea is very rich in nutrients and served in a leaf, it is warm and herbal when first drunk but takes on a cool and minty flavor upon being swallowed.

Leengard's Full Course Menu
Course	Ingredient	Capture Level	Status
Hors d'Oeuvre	Regalion	92	Decided
Soup	Ramen with Arckuma Sirloin with Iusta Seasoning	96 (Average)	Decided
Fish Dish	Armada King Legs cooked with Geminorum Pollux	82.5 (Average)	Decided
Meat Dish	Possessortaur Steaks	98	Decided
Main Course	Splitting Fish Three Ways Splitting Fish Fillet Splitting Fish Steak Splitting Fish "on a nail"	81 (Average)	Decided
Salad	Grilled Keeper of Paradise on a bed of Ridge Goat Leaves with an Aqua Berry Vinaigrette	76 (Average)	Decided
Dessert	Venomorpio Parfait	85	Decided
Drink	Virgin Drink	95	Decided

Hors d'Oeuvre:
Soup: Ramen is cooked in a stock made of Arckuma Wyvern spikes, topped with Arckuma Sirloin, green onion, bean sprouts, nori and a dash of soy sauce. The dish is also seasoned with Iusta powder kneaded into the noodles and mixed into the broth.
Fish: Armada King Legs are cut from the main body and then added to Geminorum Pollux water to boil. Served with clarified butter for dipping.
Meat Dish: Possessortaur served as steaks. Cut is left up to the Diner.
Main Course: Splitting Fish served as a fillet, a steak and "on a nail". "On a nail" means that the Splitting Fish was butterflied, nailed to a board and grilled with reflected heat from a fire. The meat then derives flavor from the wood-smoke as well as the blistering, blackening board onto which it’s nailed.
Salad: Keeper of Paradise is grilled, served over a bed of Ridge Goat leaves and dressed with a vinaigrette made from the juice of Aqua Berries.
Dessert: Venomorpio Jelly is made into a jello-like substance and served with whipped cream.
Drink: Served Simply

Relationships[]

Relationships

Allies

Michelle

Main article: Michelle

Having trained together as Chefs at the Hobble Restaurant, Leengard and Michelle, at first had a friendly relationship, especially since they both started out young. However, as their training progressed and the two started to develop their individual styles, they began to butt heads. This became especially true in regards to Leengard's propensity to improvise rather than following the recipes, and his habit of making suggestions to Michelle on how to prepare dishes. While Leengard intended these to just be simple suggestions that Michelle could follow or ignore as she wanted, she perceived them more as Leengard second guessing who dishes, which quickly got on her nerves. This led to the two of them arguing being a common occurrence in the kitchen. They relationship has improved and they're back on friendlier terms now that they no longer work together.

Gourmet Yakuza Because he grew up in the Jidar Kingdom, Leengard's survival was thanks to the members of the Gourmet Yakuza. In fact, Leengard was friends with several kids who grew up to join the Yakuza and, because of these two reasons, he has always been welcoming to the Gourmet Yakuza when they come into the Rotary Kitchen. While he's friendly and welcoming towards members of the group, he will remove them from the restaurant if they become disruptive like any other customer.

Trivia[]

His Favorite Flavors, according to him, are Sour and Spicy
His Favorite drink seems to be the juice made from Flower Dragon scales
He seems to spend a lot of time eating mints

Behind the Scenes[]

The image depicting his scars is of Morito Hayama from the manga Gun x Clover
The image of Leengard's time at the Hobble Restaurant is of Shouichi Kazama from Majikoi – Oh! Samurai Girls
Leengard's Mallet and Butcher Knife is based off of Kabutowari, one of the weapons of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist wielded by Jinin Akebino from Naruto
His views on perfection are similar to those of Mayuri Kurotsuchi from Bleach