Ten Years of Yaoi Anime Yuri on Ice!!!
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the yaoi anime, Yuri on Ice!!!, a queer show about figure-skating that took the world by storm. If you were even vaguely familiar with the world of anime back in 2016, it would have been impossible not to have heard about Yuri on Ice!!!, and how incredible it was.
But, to celebrate its tenth year, we decided to take another look at it to see if it has held up, or if there are any pernicious or dated aspects to the show that escaped our memory. Grab your skates, and let’s get on the ice!
Yuri on Ice!!! Characters
Yuri on Ice!!! largely centers around three characters in the figure skating world (and one fun thing about watching this anime is that, as with 10 舞蹈, chances are you’ll learn about a relatively niche sport) and their relationships with one another, both romantically and professionally.
The series begins when, fresh off his latest humiliating failure, he considers retiring while on a trip to his hometown, and when practicing a routine by figure skating world champion Victor Nikiforov accidentally becomes a viral sensation (much to his chagrin as an introvert). As a result, however, Victor shows up to Yuri’s family inn one day and (naked and in the bath) announces that he is quitting skating to become Yuri’s coach. And so their story around the world together as coach and protege begins.
Here are our three who stand atop the podium:
Yuri Katsuki
The protagonist of the story, and narrator for every episode but one. Yuri K, as he is often known, is 23 years old, which is very young in the general population, but kind of “middle-aged” for a figure skater — especially one who has never won a major tournament.
As such, he falls into a depression (not helped by his friends back home, noting repeatedly how much weight he has put on) and thinks about changing career. It is only the appearance of Victor, Yuri K’s idol since he was a child, showing up and starting to whip him into shape, that sets him on the path from notable but uninspiring skater to potential world champion. The whole time, Yuri K becomes closer to the heartthrob skater.
Victor Nikiforov
A five-time World Championship winner, Russian native Victor is 27 years old, which is close to retirement age for figure skaters. He is very confident, outgoing, popular, and creative… though he’s recently been in a creative slump thanks to a lack of inspiration. It is Yuri K’s viral video that reignites his passion, and fuels his desire to mold the dedicated but less gifted Yuri K into a world champion.
His training methods and general interactions match his vivacious personality: he is very kind and thoughtful when training Yuri K (though he isn’t afraid to get mean about Yuri K’s slip-ups after competitions).
Throughout, he is the driving force of the burgeoning relationship between the two, as we’ll explore more below. But first, we need to check in with…
Yuri Plisetsky
Another skater from Russia, the incredibly talented 15-year-old has won two Junior World Championships, and enjoys a terrific reputation both on the rink and outside — though his reputation is that of the “Russian punk,” as he is pretty aggressive when he doesn’t get what he wants (though he does have a softer side). He is sometimes called Yuri P, but in the anime he is nicknamed “Yurio,” a name he dislikes but which catches on among his fans.
So what didn’t he get in this series? Before Victor left for Japan, he had promised he’d create a routine for Yurio as a reward for a recent victory… but the forgetful Victor went to become Yuri K’s coach without doing so. Yurio follows him to Japan and challenges Yuri K to a contest, with the bet that if he wins, Victor will return to Russia with him, rather than with the less talented, less deserving Yuri K. After he loses… he doesn’t take it very well.
LGBTQ+ Themes
So is a growing romance the only queer aspect of the show? Well, I don’t think so. Let’s explore.
Victor’s and Yuri’s Relationship
This is the obvious one: Victor is utterly unabashed by touching or holding Yuri K, smiling and looking deeply into his eyes — and intuiting quickly that Yuri K has never been in love. This is actually what prompts Victor to give Yuri K the theme of “Eros,” or sexual love, as his theme for the contest with Yurio. It goes against the shy and retiring Yuri K’s type, but also forces him to think about sexuality. These approaches leave Yuri K flustered, and yet over time he becomes more and more reliant on and devoted to Victor.
Beyond this, though there are the obvious things. After Yuri K’s first major win, Victor jumps on the rink and kisses him — or, at least, he appears to. One controversy that hit Yuri on Ice!!! at the time was that the smooch is obscured by Victor’s arm. This means there is a degree of doubt, but you’d have to be a huge skeptic to say that they didn’t kiss (especially due to the other characters’ reactions).
Then, on a trip to Russia for a tournament, Yuri K buys Victor and himself a matching pair of rings for Victor’s birthday, prompting Victor to happily announce to their friends that they are engaged.
Yurio’s jealousy
This is more speculative, but while Yurio is often irritable and angry, he seems to carry a particular torch for Yuri K, after Victor first abandons Yurio for him, and then he loses the contest — and so Victor. He is determined to impress Victor, and seems genuinely angry that he is “wasting time” on Yuri K. These emotions could, conceivably, BW thought of as romantic (though of course Victor would have no interest in a child). He does show one moment of tenderness and recognition though, when he confronts Victor about these issues in Moscow, but looking over at Yuri K in the distance, gently muses that he is reminded of Japan.
Gender Expression
This is another smaller point, but it is mentioned that years ago, Victor had longer hair, and would dress in costumes and arrange routines that blurred the lines between genders. Additionally, when Yuri K is struggling to express his feelings of sexual love, he takes ballet lessons from his sister to find a more feminine form of expressing, telling her that he didn’t want to be the pursuing hero; rather, he could express Eros through being the seductive woman.
Does It Hold Up?
Reactions at the time
As mentioned, Yuri on Ice!!! was hugely popular. During a period when there were fewer yaoi anime available, especially in the mainstream, the sensitivity, strong characters, and spotlight on the dynamics between them being carried out through a niche sport were all highly praised.
My Thoughts Today
This section will be short and sweet, but: yes, Yuri on Ice!!! is still an absolute banger. I couldn’t find anything problematic (unusual for an anime a decade old), and even beyond the excellent queer storytelling, its wide international supporting cast of non-stereotypical characters and their varied personalities means every tournament is a joy to watch as we find out more about them. And, as mentioned, you will come to believe that you are an expert on figure skating by the end.
Uncertain Future
Sadly, it seems there will be no resolution for Victor and Yuri K: a planned movie, Ice Adolescence, was announced in 2017. It was theorized to be a prequel, and a trailer and other media were released about it in 2018, with a planned 2020 release. but (allegedly) due to creative differences, the film was continually delayed until, in 2024, it was cancelled entirely.
Still, even without any ongoing sequel, prequel, or spin-off (salchow-off?), it is definitely worth your time to watch Yuri on Ice!!!
