When Yuri!!! On Ice came out in 2016, it immediately gave birth to a strong and loyal fandom—spokons generally do, but YOI went above and beyond what’s “normally” expected, picking a visually stunning sport to focus on and, most importantly, really leaning into the queer romance between its protagonists, Yuuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov.
Their relationship grew organically throughout the episodes and still features one of the absolute best plot twists in history that makes you completely rethink all that has happened until that point in terms of how Victor and Yuuri came to know each other and fall in love. The anime actually ended with the two of them living and training together in Saint Petersburg—and while the pair exchanging rings in a snowy Barcelona was never officially called “a marriage,” it might as well be considered one.
While the promised prequel movie Ice: Adolescence—focused on Victor’s early days in figure skating as he rises to become a world-class champion—is still locked away in MAPPA’s dungeons after more than a year has passed since the release of the trailer, the 2022 Winter Olympics brought Yuri!!! On Ice back into the mainstream discourse—with two brand new images depicting Yuuri and Victor at the Games. How could they not, after all, with Yuuri’s real-life inspiration Yuzuru Hanyu taking the ice and finishing in the third position?
Now that the YOI fandom is front and center again, you might want to take this opportunity to catch up on the anime’s 12 episodes if you’ve never had the chance of watching them before. Or it might be time for the umpteenth rewatch, if you’re like me and have never let a day go by without thinking of Victuuri (and Yuri Plisetsky, my beloved) for the past six years. Whatever the case, Yuri!!! On Ice is an award-winning anime (it won in seven different categories at Crunchyroll’s first Anime Awards), and it’s definitely a title you should have in your own personal history as an anime fan.
Where can I watch Yuri!!! on Ice?
Sadly, Yuri!!! On Ice is no longer of Netflix US (it is in other countries, but it was removed from the US catalogue sometime between 2020 and 2021). You can still watch the first and, so far, only season on popular anime streaming services Crunchyroll and VRV. It’s also available for purchase on Apple TV+, Amazon Video, and the Microsoft Store, where you can enjoy the glory of everyone’s free skating programs in HD.
Where to watch: Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video
(featured image: MAPPA)
This article includes affiliate links, which may provide small compensation to The Mary Sue.
