It's been a little over a month since episode 12 of Yuri!!! On Water ice aired and every time I rewatch the whole series, I find new things worth talking about. I know many people in the YOI fandom were upset because they considered that Victor making a comeback to competitive figure skating was confronting the narrative. Nevertheless, I remember the series was heading that way since the very offset. Victor never wanted to retire, and those who retrieve that way completely misunderstood Victor's graphic symbol. I'thou sure this is going to get really long, then I'll put information technology nether the cut.

First of all, I need to get something directly: I don't call back Victor went to Japan to double-decker Yuri considering of the fabulous night they spent together at the feast. Nor do I think that Victor was already in love with Yuri or annihilation like that. Yeah, Victor had fun that dark, Yuri asked him to be his coach, and Victor most definitely blushed, just I remember that two things made Victor decide to leave Russia:

  • Yuri's request and
  • The video in which Yuri skated to "Stammi vicino non te ne andare"

If 1 of those two things hadn't happened, I don't call back Victor would have flown to Japan. He wouldn't have become Yuri's coach just because Yuri asked him to while being heavily intoxicated, and he wouldn't take done information technology either if he had merely seen the video without Yuri making the request months before.

After the Worlds, Victor was asked about his plans for the next season and he said zilch.

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He probably didn't know what to say, but he wasn't exactly planning to retire. Allow's remember that Yurio said in episode 2 that Victor had already been putting together routines for the next season. Victor himself said that he was trying to determine which music arrangement to utilize (Eros or Agape). That doesn't sound like a human who was planning to retire.

The thing is that Victor had totally lost his motivation. As Yurio said in episode 2, Victor'due south priority had always been surprising the audience…

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Can you blame the audience for not beingness surprised, though? Victor had get a fable… who would bet against him? Who won the M Prix Final and the World Title? Victor! And who won both competitions the year before? Victor! And the year before that one? Victor! In fact, he had won both competitions for the last five years (without mentioning Russian Nationals and European Championships). No one was surprised anymore because they already expected Victor to win anyhow. No matter what he did, there wasn't anyone who could come fifty-fifty shut to him. Only wait at the results:

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In the Grand Prix Final, the second identify (Chris) was 34 points below Victor. In the Worlds, Victor skated terminal, which ways his Brusk Plan got the highest score. In the end, he won –to no ane'southward surprise. How could Victor be motivated if no contest was a real challenge for him anymore? As Yurio said, "If you don't have any inspiration left, y'all're as skilful as dead." Where could Victor discover inspiration? Could he detect it in a Japanese skater who couldn't even classify to the 4 Continents or to the Globe Title? No, Victor wasn't about to put his career on concur for someone lacking talent, no affair if that someone was fun and sexy every bit hell. Yuri's request didn't mean much at that betoken.

That'due south why the video was and so important. Victor didn't know Yuri had totally forgotten the banquet. Victor saw Yuri's video every bit a sign that Yuri still wanted Victor to be his coach. But why did Victor immediately decide to wing to Japan? Because Yuri performed a perfect copy of Victor'south own plan. Victor realized that Yuri was worth his time, that Yuri could go the rival that Victor wanted. If Yuri could skate like that without Victor, what would Yuri be capable of doing with Victor as his passenger vehicle? Maybe that'south where he could notice his motivation again. Let's remember that Yakov, the man who's known Victor for a very long time, said that Victor only thought of himself. If we call back that Victor decided to become Yuri's coach for Yuri's sake, nosotros're choosing not to see the bigger picture here.

When Victor arrived in Hasetsu, he told Yuri that he would brand him win the K Prix Final. Fifty-fifty in episode eight, when Victor was asked about his plans, he said he wouldn't comment on them until subsequently the Grand Prix Final.

Have you wondered why in episode 12 Victor was then quick to say that he would fourth dimension his return to the Russian Nationals? That gives him very niggling time to prepare unless… he had already put together routines for his programs while being on his break. I believe he always planned to return for the Russian Nationals. He had already been practicing his new routines earlier the Globe Championships (something we learned thanks to Yurio in episode 2), so it'southward not really besides farfetched to think that while coaching Yuri, Victor was somehow putting together new routines he would use for his comeback.

It's true that Victor was flirting with Yuri as before long as he saw him, but I don't think Victor was in love at that point. Yuri got almost naked and pole danced in front of a bunch of people at the banquet. He danced with Victor and almost dry out humped him. Victor probably idea that Yuri was a Japanese version of Chris (confident and sexually charged), so too getting his motivation dorsum, Victor surely thought he would have a good time with Yuri while being in Japan.

Things didn't go exactly the way Victor planned, though. Yuri wasn't a playboy and was the opposite of a confident and sexually charged man. However, Victor knew that deep downwards, Yuri could be the guy he'd met at the banquet, and then he decided to bring that side out.

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Victor knew Yuri had the skill to win (he said so in episode 3) because he saw information technology in the video that went viral, just he realized that Yuri'southward lack of conviction was getting in the manner. If Victor wanted to turn Yuri into a worthy rival, Victor had to help Yuri feel confident in himself.

Victor took his job as a coach seriously and did his best to bond with Yuri, to gain his trust. The matter is that Victor didn't consider the fact that he could fall in honey with Yuri Katsuki. He was attracted to Yuri since the banquet for sure, but they started to get comfy with each other after episode 4. By the time Yuri had to compete in the Loving cup of China, their human relationship had progressed a lot, only in that location were still some boundaries (they each got a separate hotel room, for instance). Of grade, Yuri surprised Victor like no one had done in a very long time and that caused Victor to kiss Yuri. That kiss was the beginning of something Victor wasn't counting on.

I believe that it wasn't until episode ix (after Victor had to leave Yuri solitary in Russia), when Victor realized that his feelings for Yuri ran a lot deeper than what he had expected. In episode 11, Victor said that he'd e'er idea he could only find forcefulness on his ain. Victor just thought of himself, as Yakov said. Living for life on the ice was the most of import thing for Victor (equally Chris said in episode 7), and then he neglected life and love for 20 years because he didn't want to let people in. Every year was a new beginning for Victor; he would have new music fabricated for his programs to create stories that didn't transmit anything personal. All Victor wanted to do was surprise the audience and that held him back because he wasn't letting himself experience. Everything became monotonous; a new start every season… what new stories could Victor tell? That's why Yakov said that Georgi's program had what Victor's lacked. Georgi skated something that reflected his feelings; his theme was "heartbreak" considering that's what he had recently experienced. He could actually transmit that emotion. What about Victor? He skated programs that weren't born from within him. He came upwards with stories that he had never lived; he skated to feelings he knew about but hadn't felt himself. That's why information technology was and so refreshing for him when he realized Yuri made him feel new emotions.

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The man who only idea near himself had turned into a human being who thought most Yuri first of all. "What should I give Yuri now?" Victor asked himself in episode 11, precisely subsequently the line in the picture to a higher place.

Can you imagine all the programs Victor could choreograph for himself now? All the stories that he could tell? Stories that actually come from his heart, not from his imagination. This time he could skate with existent emotions flowing through him; he wouldn't have to fake them. And that's thank you to Yuri.

The matter is that because of his love for Yuri, something Victor didn't plan in the kickoff place, he basically agreed to allow go of his career in episode nine when Yuri asked him to take care of him until retirement. The stop of his career was even more than eminent after they exchanged rings in Barcelona. That'south why we got this scene in episode ten:

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Yurio said that Victor Nikiforov was dead precisely because everything seemed to indicate that Victor was never coming back to the ice. He'd fallen in love. That wasn't function of the programme he had when he showtime left St. Petersburg. In that scene, Victor was probably torn. He'd never felt more than alive, he'd never felt more than inspired, he'd never felt more motivated to skate. Merely he'd never felt more than in beloved either. He had to choose betwixt Yuri and the ice, and though the reply was obvious, it wasn't an easy one.

His internal monologue is very important for us to sympathize:

"If I'd stayed in Russian federation as a competitor, Yurio wouldn't exist this motivated to fight. And neither would I…"

Victor knew that Yurio felt motivated to do his best on the ice considering of Yuri, but he felt the same manner. He felt motivated to exercise his best on the ice again considering of Yuri. That'due south why it was and so shocking for him when Yuri asked him to make his comeback while saying he would retire.

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In episode 11, Yuri saw something in Victor that he hadn't seen earlier: Victor missed the water ice. That's why Yuri decided to end things and retire so Victor could be a competitive skater again. What he didn't realize was that Victor missed the ice indeed but because he felt motivated over again and that motivation was 100% thanks to Yuri himself. Victor had been skating for a long time without feeling the excitement of doing his best because at that place wasn't a rival who could really have a hazard at beating him. Yuri could exist that rival, only if he retired, Victor was left with nothing once more. What was the point of going back, then?

The fact that Yuri gave him the gamble to go back to the ice was beautiful. If Yuri hadn't ended things and set Victor gratuitous, Victor would have continued to exist Yuri'due south omnibus and fiancé without ever going back to skating. But sooner or later, he would have felt that he sacrificed something important for Yuri and that would have affected their relationship in the long run. The fact that in the cease Victor got the chance to make a comeback while keeping Yuri, the source of his motivation, was the best way to end flavour i.

I don't know how people got the idea that Victor wanted to retire. That was never true and Yuri knew that. Yuri didn't want to retire either, so I'm glad he fabricated the right determination in the cease. Past the way, Victor'due south comeback was foreshadowed in episodes 1 and 8:

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I notice it hard to believe that people didn't see that one coming.

In conclusion, Victor Nikiforov went to Japan to passenger vehicle Yuri and then that Yuri could become the rival that would inspire Victor to practice his best in competitions. However, Victor found so much more than he was looking for cheers to Yuri. He found honey and started to experience different kinds of emotions he'd never felt earlier. Victor was indeed thinking just most himself when he arrived in Hasetsu, but by the end of the season Yuri had become Victor's priority. YOI gave us the all-time season 1 catastrophe for both Victor and Yuri considering they could keep each other every bit well equally the sport that brought them together.

PS: I wrote this meta before reading this commentary translation of volume two. Later on I read information technology, I felt validated in my interpretation.

I'll quote this from that post:

"Kubo also says that in figure skating athletes do not actually fight 1 vs i but it'south more similar anybody is trying to give their best performance. Patently having someone who is very skilled shut to y'all is one of the near motivating things and rivals are also a way to motivate oneself to get ameliorate, to give one's all-time."

This is exactly what Yuri and Yurio did for each other and what Yuri did for Victor besides as Victor had done for Yuri for half his life. I residual my case.