Heartwarming / Yuri!!! on Ice

"When I open up, he meets me where I am."

Just as the Ship Tease increases with each episode, so does the anime's emotional impact.

Moment Subpages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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Anime

General

• Yuri's relationship with Victor's dog Makkachin, especially knowing that Yuri's dog Vicchan died before the series starts. Makkachin warms up to Yuri instantly, and goes for the cuddles at any opportunity. Yuri returns the favor by telling Victor to go back to Japan when Makkachin gets sick.
• Yuri's Character Development from someone who doesn't like physical contact to a Cuddle Bug, thanks to Victor's influence. He mentions that he's scared of his mother hugging him, and he starts out resisting Victor's advances out of embarrassment. Then in Episode 9 he starts hugging people when Victor is absent, and becomes more willing to open up to people.
• While Yuri is the main reason why Victor decided to take a break from his career, another reason is because he wants to spend more time with Makkachin, since said poodle is quite old and probably doesn't have much time left. Keep in mind that Makkachin is around 15 years old already, and yet it doesn't look like that — which speaks for just how much Victor is taking good care of him. It helps that for almost his whole life, he seemed to only have Makkachin as his companion.
• Whenever Minako is there to watch Yuri skate live, she almost always sheds Tears of Joy afterwards. It's always heartwarming to know how proud she is of Yuri, especially since she's the one who encouraged him to become a figure skater in the first place.
• Hell, even the theme song, "History Maker," oozes confidence, joy, and passion for the art. It's hard not to grin every time you hear it.
  Don't stop us now, the moment of truth.
  We were born to make history.
  We'll make it happen, we'll turn it around.
  Yes, we were born to make history!

Episode 1

• Hisashi Morooka seems to be speaking out of genuine concern for Yuri rather than conducting an interview in his official capacity as a news reporter.
• Yuri's reunion with his family and friends back in his hometown. He expects them to be disappointed and upset with him, but they're just happy to see him again, and they don't care about his slip-ups during the skating season. It's especially heartwarming in Takeshi's case; he's first introduced through a flashback as a bully who teased Yuri when they were kids, but in the present day he tells Yuri that he and his family will always have Yuri's back.
• In hindsight, the entire "Stay Close to Me" program is this. Victor choosing to dance to a song about two male lovers for his free program may only seem like a coincidence at first, but it's actually Foreshadowing for his eventually-romantic relationship with Yuri.
• The day Victor arrives at his house, Yuri is about to shovel snow, but then sees Victor's poodle — who immediately pounces on him and affectionately licks his face. This becomes an even more precious scene to watch when you remember that Yuri lost his dog a year ago.
• The dub has its fair share of detractors, but it also has some really warm moments. Yuri's voice as he delivers the final line in this episode, where he repeats that Victor has "not once, over the years, ever ceased to surprise" him, has real affection in it, as if he's fondly reminiscing over Victor's arrival in his life.

Episode 2

• While it's not uncommon between a pet and their owner, the fact that Victor and Makkachin would always sleep together is undeniably adorable.
• Even though the guy has been nothing but a jerk to him since day one, Yuri doesn't throw Yurio out from his house when Yurio aggressively insists that he's staying over.

Episode 3

• When Victor gives Yuri a lecture about how he tends to choke up during his performances, he points out that despite that, he's more than skilled enough to win. Victor — who's seen as the ace of figure skating — acknowledges Yuri's capabilities and sees that he can do way better than Yuri himself claims he can.
• After struggling for a while, Yurio finally finds his inspiration to portray the emotion of agape: his love for his grandfather.
• In contrary to what you would normally expect from him, Yurio actually accepts Yuri's request and teaches him how to land the quadruple Salchow.
• Throughout the episode, Yurio develops an Intergenerational Friendship with Yuko. Yuko helps him train for the Hot Springs On Ice event, gives him encouragement and wishes him luck before the event starts, and is the only one to go after him and show concern for him when he decides to leave Hasetsu after Yuri has skated, knowing that Yuri is already the winner.

Episode 4

• The simple fact that Makkachin likes Yuri enough to sleep with him on the same bed, just like with Victor.
• After striking up an Intergenerational Friendship with Yurio in the previous episode, it's shown that Yuko is still keeping in touch with him when she sends him a text, and she also sends him a photo◊ of the two of them with the triplets.
• The entire scene where Yuri and Victor have a heartfelt conversation at the ocean. Of particular note is when Victor assures Yuri that he's not weak at all, and no one thinks that he is.

Episode 5

• No matter how little Yuri thinks of himself, his home country still sees him as their idol, and all the skaters highly look up to him. They don't even seem to care that he bombed his performance during the Nationals in the previous season.
• Minami is a walking Moe. A young skater who looks up to Yuri, he's a cheerful Keet with energy to spare and a unique skating style, and holds Yuri in the highest regard even though he defeated him in the previous Nationals. As Yuri noted, it's impossible to look away from him.
• Yuri shouting "Good luck!" to Minami before the latter's free program. Minami then blushes and squeals with joy.
• The speech Yuri makes about why his theme for the current skating season is "love".

Episode 6

• One can't help but gush when Victor squishes Makkachin's face and hugs his dog goodbye before he and Yuri leave for Beijing.
• The genuine pride Victor has for Yuri as his coach. After Yuri gives a perfect performance in his short program, Victor is practically whooping with joy, and claps enthusiastically when Yuri's scores are announced before giving him a big hug.
• Victor gushing over Yuri in the "preview for next week" bit, while Yuri tries to shush him:
  Victor: My Yuri is in first going into the free skate!
  Yuri: Victooooor!
  Victor: His short program was flawless and mmph—
  Yuri: That's enough!

Episode 7

• The flashback to Victor and Christophe's first meeting is pretty cute. Christophe is obviously geeking out, and Victor is friendly and upbeat as ever.
• Even though Victor has absolutely no idea how to lift Yuri's spirits, he still does all he can think of to help Yuri, even though he unintentionally goes too far in the end. When he realizes what he's done, he immediately apologizes, although Yuri doesn't let him get away with it easily and chews him out on his actions. Even then, he's not angry; only confused and remorseful.
• Victor assuring Yuri that he has no intentions to quit being his coach is this in light of the events of Episode 12, as he was sincere and even more than sincere. In fact, Victor doesn't have any plans to leave Yuri at all.
• The reason why Yuri's suffering from another bout of anxiety: he fears that if he messes up his free program, his screw-ups would reflect on Victor and consequently ruin his reputation.
• Yuri's "I know" after Victor clarifies he's not going to leave. Despite his anxiety, Yuri knows Victor's not like that — it doesn't make the fear go away (it's irrational by definition, after all) but he knows enough about Victor to know rationally he's not that kind of person.
• After lashing out at Victor when the latter accidentally hurts his feelings, Yuri shows Victor that he doesn't hold it against him by poking and patting his head.
• The last six minutes of the episode. Just watch; you'll see what we mean. For starters, there's The Big Damn Kiss.
• Speaking of The Big Damn Kiss, a lovely little freeze-frame bonus occurs during the Reaction Shots: the only person without a shocked, open-mouth expression is Yuri's mother Hiroko. She's just smiling.
• No matter what you say about the English dub, there's one thing you can't argue: they actually improve a few lines. After they kiss, Victor expresses in both languages that kissing Yuri was the only thing he could think of to surprise Yuri more than Yuri surprised him. In the Japanese dub, Yuri softly asks if he's serious with a smile. In the English dub, Yuri replies with "Well, it worked."

Episode 8

• Yurio's mood softening significantly when he's around his grandfather; when he sees him, he immediately runs to him and hugs him with a big smile and an overjoyed tone— a far cry from Yurio's temperamental and unpleasant demeanor.
• Victor and Yuri see Yurio for the first time since the "Hot Springs On Ice" competition, and discover that he's refined his short program and "discovered his "true agape". Instead of being anxious or competitive over Yurio's improvement, as is the convention with sports anime rivals, they're both thrilled. When Yurio's up next after Yuri's performance, the two of them yell encouragement from the kiss-and-cry, much to Yurio's chagrin. More than one fan has compared them to embarrassingly supportive parents.
  • It's easy to miss, but when they bid Yurio good luck, they did so in the other's language (Yuri with Russian and Victor with Japanese). The English dub even keeps this bit.
• The last scene shows how much Victor and Yuri selflessly care for each other, especially now that they're in a relationship. When Yuri is informed by his sister Mari that Makkachin is currently hospitalized, he doesn't even hesitate for a second to tell Victor about it and urges him to return to Japan. While Victor understands and wants to go back, he's torn since he doesn't want to leave Yuri alone, as his presence is Yuri's greatest drive to deliver a stellar performance. Yuri knows this as well, but he doesn't care, prioritizing Victor's well-being over his own.

Episode 9

• Even though he's not happy with Victor deciding to "play coach", Yakov still accepts Victor's request to take his place as Yuri's coach for a day. In fact, after Yuri's free skate, he reprimands him for "failing to take full advantage of the program [Victor] made for [him]", as Yuri flubbed a few jumps due to his emotional instability at the time. If he even bothered to give Yuri a lecture, it means he realized why Victor wanted to coach him and now supports Victor's decision, and this was already hinted at beforehand when Yakov smiles during the second half of Yuri's program.
  • From the corrections made in the Blu-ray version, Yakov also looks concerned — and almost frightened — when Yuri makes a few slip-ups in his performance. You could see that even though he was unhappy with Victor suddenly abandoning his career to coach Yuri, he never held it against the latter, given worried he is about Yuri despite having no obligation to feel as such.
• Lilia, despite being an extremely Stern Teacher, sheds a few tears when Yurio gives an impressive performance in the free program.
• Sara being the only skater to support Yuri since the beginning of the Rostelecom Cup. She personally compliments him after his short program, and then congratulates him for making it to the Grand Prix Finals.
• Yurio cheering Yuri on during his free skate, although he's not heard since J.J. interrupted him. He could've just been glad that he's faring better than Yuri and will score higher this time around, as well as the fact that Yuri might lose his chance to compete at the Grand Prix Finals. However, he gives him his support instead, showing despite the many times he acted mean towards him, he does respect Yuri. He even looks worried when he sees that Yuri isn't doing so well.
• While the scene where Yuri goes on and hugs everyone is mainly hilarious, it can be also touching if taken in the context that while Yuri feels empty without Victor around for his free program, along with him placing only fourth due to a shaky performance, he still hugs his competitors to express his good wishes.
• After the Rostelecom Cup, both Yuris share a civil moment where Yurio tells Yuri he could have performed better than how he did during the free skate, before giving him pirozhkis filled with pork cutlets and rice.
• After we're left wondering what could happen to Makkachin, it's revealed during the last minutes of the episode that he's alive and well]].
  • Also, Makkachin is the first to see Yuri at the airport. It's his bark that first get Yuri's attention and he seems genuinely happy to see Yuri.
• Victor and Yuri's reunion at the airport. If you think nothing could be more emotionally touching than their first kiss in Episode 7, then you're sorely mistaken.
  • The scene lasts for only a minute, yet it shows how far they have come from how they used to be in the first few episodes. Before, their top priority was to win the Grand Prix Finals. While it's still a priority, it's now only second to something else: to be together no matter what, skating or no skating.
  • Just... the way they act in the entire scene. They look so utterly vulnerable yet completely in love, with their breaths hitching every now and then when they exchange some of the most touching lines in the series yet.
    Yuri: Please take care of me until I retire.
    Victor: [takes Yuri's left hand and kisses it] That almost sounds like a marriage proposal. I wish you would never retire.

Episode 10

• Victor and Christophe's friendship, considering how completely comfortable they are with each other. It helps that they've been competing together for ten years, with Victor stating that he can't imagine a skating season without Christophe. Christophe even looks glad for Victor when it's revealed that he and Yuri are engaged.
• The framed picture◊ of Yurio awkwardly smiling while surrounded by Victor, Yuri, Minako, and the Katsuki family is rather sweet, given that he must have liked them enough to agree to them taking a photo with him.
• Given that Vicchan already passed away, Phichit using a picture of him as Yuri's caller ID is a sweet gesture.
• Victor referring to Yuri as a "jet-lagged sleeping beauty", since it shows how much he adores Yuri. You can even hear his voice grow more affectionate as he says those words.
• In Victor's narration for the episode, he states that he's been lacking "life and love" for about twenty years, due to being so focused on his skating career. Later, he says that thanks to Yuri's "life and love", a whole new world has opened up to him. It's touching to know that after finally getting some insight into Victor's thoughts, Yuri is definitely important to him.
• Blink-and-You-Miss-It, but while Victor gives a description about Yurio, the episode flashes to an image of Yurio happily eating pirozhkis (which he made himself) with Yakov and Lilia.
• When J.J's girlfriend insults Yurio's fangirls, the young man comes to their defense. This is an especially sweet Pet the Dog moment given that he earlier told them to leave him alone.
• Yurio and Otabek surprisingly getting along. They even shake hands to commemorate their friendship, and the next time we see them, they're smiling while having a conversation.
  • Add to this the fact that, even though Yurio doesn't remember him, Otabek never forgot Yurio in all the five years they spent apart.
• Victor talking about how Yuri's eyes sparkle when he's searching for something is incredibly sweet, when you realize how much Yuri must mean to Victor for him to notice such a detail.
• Yuri and Victor exchanging what are essentially engagement rings in front of a church, with a beautiful choral arrangement of "The Rocking Carol" being sung in the background. Victor even confirms they're engaged, adding that they'll get married once Yuri gets the gold medal.
• Phichit's overjoyed reaction to the news that Yuri and Victor got engaged, though he assumes that they're already married, followed by him announcing to the rest of the restaurant that "My good friend got married!". When you also take into account that Phichit, according to Victor, is probably the closest friend Yuri has among the other skaters, it's all the more heartwarming.
• It's easy to miss, but you can see that Georgi is out on a date with a blonde girl. It's very nice to see him moving on from Anya and getting back out there again.
• The ending shows pictures of an intoxicated Yuri enjoying himself at the banquet. While mostly hilarious, it's still nice to see a wallflower like Yuri having fun, especially since he wasn't having the best day.
• Besides Yuri and Victor's engagement, the after-credits scene involves one giant plot twist that makes everything that had happened from the previous nine episodes Heartwarming in Hindsight. As it turns out, Victor already had feelings for Yuri long before Yuri grew to have feelings for Victor, and everything he did, he did for Yuri.
  • Keep in mind that after the banquet, Victor didn't see Yuri again for a few months. It may not seem that long, but it would be long enough for one to easily pass off such an incident as a fling or a rare moment of fun and forget about it over time. But it's clear that what happened at the banquet meant a whole lot more to Victor, considering that he's more than willing to quit his career and leave his home to uphold the drunken request of a man he barely even knew. Yuri made that much of an impact on his life.
  • The shot of Victor's pupils dilating accompanied by his soft gasp. This is a man in love.

Episode 11

• They might not be that close to Yuri, but Emil, Michele and Sara are seen supporting him during his short program. Emil, being the Nice Guy that he is, cheers the loudest while Sara and Michele are hung-up on the matching rings Yuri and Victor are sporting.
• Victor is so engrossed in Yuri's performance that when Yuri does a quadruple flip on the ice, Victor does it right along with him on the sidelines.
• Even though Yuri doesn't perform perfectly in his short program, Victor doesn't scold him and isn't disappointed in the slightest, only thinking that he's learning new things from Yuri, and even wonders what he should give Yuri in return. It's all the more meaningful after he expressed that his skating career became a burden that weighed on him more and more due to constantly having to impress the public.
• While Yurio performs his "On Love: Agape" program, he imagines about understanding agape through his encounters with other people: his grandfather, Yuri, Victor, Yuko, and Otabek. There are also the people that helped him reach his current level, such as Yakov, Lilia, and Mila.
• Yuri and Phichit's friendship is really sweet. In a flashback, we see that Phichit's dream is to skate to his favorite song from his favorite movie and for Yuri to be there too; and now, he gets to do both, leading to him shedding Tears of Joy after his performance. Even though Yuri was upset at the time due to his own short program, he still praises Phichit, thinking that he was "a perfect entertainer until the end".
• Despite being horribly insensitive to Yuri here, Yurio has another Pet the Dog moment: he bids Otabek good luck during the latter's short program, and even smiles while watching his performance.
• When J.J. becomes overwhelmed by pressure, which leads to a sub-par performance in his short program, the entire audience notices. But he picks himself back up, determined to make it through to the end, and his fans continue to cheer him on with tears in their eyes while singing along to his theme song, to which he shows his appreciation for. J.J. may be a huge narcissist, but he genuinely loves his home country and his fans, and his love is reciprocated in full.
  • What's better is that after the results are announced, with him ranking dead last, he knows that he's defeated even before the free program. Normally, you would expect him to be booed, but then his girlfriend chants his name, and everyone else follows, showing that they still love him, victorious or not. While clearly saddened about his loss, he responds with his Catchphrase and his trademark pose, smiling through it all even if it pains him.
• Despite how soul-crushing the episode is, it's not hard to adore the sight of Minami and the Nishigori triplets sleeping with Makkachin (who also serves as their pillow) when the short program is over.

Episode 12

• The scene where Victor cries and snaps at Yuri is hard to watch, but the fact that he's mad about Yuri's assumption that he'll resume his skating career even after Yuri retires is exceedingly touching. After all, if you think about it, returning to the sport has no meaning for him if he doesn't have Yuri beside him, and it goes to show just how much Yuri had changed his life on and off the ice.
• J.J.'s parents declaring that they'll greet their son with a smile regardless of what score he gets. Like any other good parent, even though they have high hopes for their son, they immediately give him the love and support he needs when he's feeling low, and welcome him with kindness, pride, and understanding whether he's at his best or at his worst. Now that's parenting done right!
• During his free program, Phichit monologues about how he dreams to have an ice show in Thailand to show his countrymen how fun skating is, with all his friends (sans J.J. and Yurio) joining in. It's all colorful and adorable... Phichit is truly an angel.
• "I'm Yuri Katsuki. I'm a dime-a-dozen Japanese figure skater. I'm 24."
• The entirety of Yuri's free program is this, as well as a Moment of Awesome. Of special note is when he finally lands the quadruple flip, which sends Victor to tears. Heck, almost everyone is in tears by the end.
  • Victor's face at the end of Yuri's program. He looks completely and utterly besotted as Yuri extends his hand towards him, his own hand resting on his chest as he chokes up with emotion. And of course, the ever-present engagement ring flashes just to remind us of their bond.
• While we have already seen a similar situation between them in Episode 8, this episode shows once again just how selflessly Yuri and Victor value the other's happiness over their own. Yuri intending to break off their professional partnership is sad to watch, yet he only does this because even though he wants Victor by his side, he thought it would make Victor happier. Needless to say, Victor is actually saddened by his decision, but eventually agrees to resume his career, only because he thought that it's what Yuri wants and that it's what would make Yuri happy.
• It's small but Victor and Yuri cheering for Christophe during his free program — which starts off at a bad note when he fails to nail his quadruple Salchow and only manages a single — is rather heartwarming, especially when Christophe notices them doing it and looked genuinely surprised and maybe touched by it.
• While Yurio skates his free program, it's revealed from his thoughts that he doesn't look down on Yuri but actually looks up to him, and wants to give him motivation to stay for another season by beating him — and this is after hearing from Victor that Yuri intends to retire after winning the Grand Prix Finals. Basically, he dedicated his free program and his victory to Yuri, which is essentially agape in its purest form.
• During Yurio's flashback to watching Yuri's performance in the previous Grand Prix Finals, he notes how Yuri misses his jumps and yet perform splendid step sequences, and there's no condescension or mockery in his voice when he says this. He watched Yuri screw up big time, yet he only thought about how he wanted to see him skate at his best. Even back then, he already saw that Yuri possessed great skill and immense potential to do even better. Just like how Episode 10 affected our overall view on Victor and Yuri's relationship, this episode did the same thing to Yuri and Yurio's relationship.
• After winning the silver medal in the Grand Prix Finals, Yuri declares to Victor that he'll win the gold medal next time; and he does so with determination and joy, not with self-deprecation and sorrow. Despite what many had feared, Yuri's journey isn't over yet, and this time, he'll have Victor by his side — not just as a coach, but also as a fellow competitor.
• Victor and Yuri pair-skating to the duet version of "Stay Close to Me". We may not have gotten a wedding scene, but we do get this, which is undeniably the most intimate moment we see between them. More than the kiss, the reunion at the airport, or even the engagement, this scene is the ultimate Heartwarming Moment.
• The final scene, which is one of the best case of Book Ends: in the second episode, we see Victor crossing a bridge as he leaves for Japan. But here, we see Yuri running on the same bridge, but is heading the opposite direction — to where Victor and Yurio are.
  • It also doubles as a Genius Bonus and Shown Their Work, because this bridge (Tuchkov bridge between the Vasilievsky island and Petrogradskaya side) has a kind of the cult status in the Russian skating community, being flanked on the Petrogradskaya side by the famous Petrovsky stadium to the left, and by the Yubileiny Ice Palace to the right — which actually serves as a model to the Yurio and Victor's home rink.

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