With its rise from the ashes storyline, it’s no surprise that Yuri!!! On Ice is filled to the brim with inspirational words of wisdom for the viewer. For an anime that is only twelve episodes long, this show has an abundance of quotes that strike inspiration directly into viewers in hopes of motivating fans for their real-world issues.
These words of wisdom not only amplify the quality of the show but the characters who say them as well. The characters have an endless supply of wise words that are deemed quotable but some stand above them all.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
10 “I Know I Won’t Be Here, But I’ll Be With You In Spirit.”
When Victor gets word about his precious Makkachin getting a steamed bun stuck in his throat back in Japan, Yuri is adamant about him going back to Japan to be with his beloved dog. Knowing the pain of losing a pet when away, Yuri doesn’t want Victor to go through that same grief. Although it would mean Victor would miss Yuri’s free skate program at the Rostelecom Cup, he agrees and decides to leave immediately. By saying that he will be with Yuri in spirit, Victor challenges Yuri to keep his trust in his coach. It’s a tender yet important stepping stone in Yuri’s journey.
9 “I Don’t Really Have A Name For That Emotion. But I Have Decided To Call It Love. It’s Changed Me. I’m Stronger Now.”
When Yuri is announcing his theme for the Grand Prix, he goes on to explain that he chose “love” due to the amount of support he received during his skating career.
While he had a hard time accepting that support before, he had finally started to accept it and realize that he’s surrounded by love every day and that love has changed him to make him stronger. It really signifies the start of Yuri’s journey, when he starts to accept love in all forms.
8 “Dance With Beauty. Most People Don’t Realize Beauty Is A Force Of Righteousness. Without Beauty, Strength Means Nothing.”
As Yurio is skating his free skate at the Rostelecom Cup, Lilia is commenting on the beauty that Yurio shows in his intense routine. He’s pushing himself, something he most likely learned from his time training with Lilia. She is unwavering in her ideals that in order to have true strength one must have a sense of beauty, which is something that Yurio is clearly exhibiting if the approval in Lilia’s tone says anything. These words of wisdom can be decoded as not relying just on strength but having a certain grace about your actions.
7 “…Without Inspiration, You’re As Good As Dead.”
When Yurio came to Yu-Topia in Hasetsu, he and Yuri watch Victor skate what the younger skater notes as a program Victor was working on before becoming Yuri’s coach. Yurio explains that while Victor has always had his audience captivated by what he came up with, he essentially hit a brick wall because he couldn’t surprise fans anymore and without that inspiration, he had hit a plateau in his career. The viewer can even see this “inspiration death” and its effects on Victor in the first episode at the Grand Prix Finals press conference which could be why he jumped up and flew to Japan after Yuri inspired him with his video.
6 “Just Have More Faith That I’m Going To Win Than I Do! You Don’t Have To Say Anything. Just Stay Close To Me!”
While waiting for Yuri’s turn in the Cup of China, Victor takes the anxious skater to the parking garage to try and calm his nerves before his oncoming turn. This is the first hurdle as a coach for Victor as he is unsure what his next steps would be to prepare Yuri for his turn. Unfortunately, he chooses to say that if Yuri doesn’t do well then he’ll take responsibility and resign as his coach which upsets Yuri further. The distraught and tearful skater tells Victor that he doesn’t need anything other than support from his idol-turned coach.
5 “You Are The Femme Fatale Of The Pork Cutlet Bowl.”
In order to truly embody Eros, Yuri thinks of the pork cutlet bowl which is one of his favorite dishes. While skating in the championship in Episode five, Yuri is thinking of the lackluster reaction to his Eros routine and compares it to the competition between him and Yurio where the audience was more enthralled.
He reminds himself of who he’s skating for and how he is the femme fatale in the story of his program. It’s a seemingly silly quote at first glance but it ties into why he skates his free short program the way he does and his previously stated love for the dish.
4 “Yuri’s Life And Love Have Opened Up A Brand New World For Me, One I Never Knew Existed.”
As Victor reflects on the past eight months spent being Yuri’s coach, he realizes how much has changed. Not only does he mention that he hasn’t spent as much time with Makkachin as he did before coming to Hasetsu, but he also dwells on how his relationship with Yuri has changed himself. He didn’t focus on his life or love before, and with this change he’s able to reflect how being with Yuri has altered how he sees the world and himself.
3 “If You Don’t Have The Strength To Motivate Someone Who Looks Up To You, How Can You Find The Strength To Motivate Yourself?”
Victor asks Yuri this question in disappointment after his warm-up at the Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu Regional Championship. The skater had brushed off Minami’s fanboy-like idolization of Yuri before warming up, which resulted in the younger skater being completely crushed. Yuri turns it around, though, and wishes Minami good luck by yelling at him before his program started due to seeing the young boy nervous. It’s possible that Yuri saw himself in Minami with the way he screamed his support to the skater, noting that motivating others comes first.
2 “People Shine Brightest When They Seek To Recognize And Understand What Kind Of Love Sustains Them.”
During the Grand Prix Final, the reasoning behind Lilia’s choice of Yurio’s theme for his short program is explained. Lilia said that due to the connections that Yurio made in recent months and how those relationships helped refined his concepts of love.
As his short program is Agape, the viewers have seen the skater truly take in that love and applied it to the short program as well as his life. This thought process for Yurio even helped him surpass Victor’s world record, something that left him jumping for joy.
1 “Win Or Lose, We Call Everything On The Ice Love.”
At the end of the show, fans see Yuri running along a bridge in St. Petersburg towards Victor and Yurio as he reflects on his journey with simple words. He is merely reminding himself that even though he came in second place in the Grand Prix Finals, he still won in his heart because he gained love. Not just his romantic love for Victor, but platonic love for his new friends and possibly more importantly, his love for himself. Perhaps that is the best type of love there is.
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