12 Reasons to Watch, Re-Watch, and Love Yuri on Ice

From Yuri on Ice episode 5. Image via Funimation.

2. Victor Nikiforov

Here’s what we find out about Viktor Nikiforov in the first episode. First, he’s the reigning god of figure skating, with lots of gold medals to his name. Second, he’s getting old. And third, he’s more than willing to pack up his life (including his dog) to go coach Yuri Katsuki after seeing the younger skater replicate one of his programs.

(Victor’s dog is very important to him. Yes, it’s adorable. The dog he’s holding in the above still is a tissue box cover that looks like his dog.)

As a main character, his arc revolves mostly around trying to decide if he wants to go back to skating and also trying to flirt with Yuri as much as possible, because if the fact that he straight-up moves from Russia to Japan on what seems like a spur-of-the-moment decision doesn’t explain it enough, the fact that he also ends up standing up naked in an onsen to inform Yuri that he’ll coach him probably confirms that flirting will be happening.

That happens in the first episode, too. No, Yuri doesn’t know that this is happening until he stumbles out to the bath.

At the same time, though, he has to adjust to working with someone who isn’t exactly like him, and that includes trying to work with Yuri’s mental health. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, he inspires Yuri to new heights — and Yuri ends up inspiring him, too.