The main character of the hit anime series"Yuri on Ice," Yuri Katsuki, is based on a real-life Japanese figure skater named Tatsuki Machida. But there are others who are saying that another Japanese figure skater named Yuzuru Hanyu is the inspiration for the character.
According to a post by figure skater fan Ioana in Tumblr last October 2016, Yuri's resemblance to Hanyu is evident on their appearance and on how they both worship a Russian superstar figure skater. Yuri idolizes Viktor Nikiforov, while Hanyu worships Viktor's real-life version, Evgeni Plushenko.
She said that their similarities stop there, as Yuri's career path follows closely Machida's career. She said that Machida finished last in Grand Prix Final at the age of 23 and also failed at the Nationals.
Aside from their career path, the two's skating styles also have some similarities, according to Toshi Nakamura of Anime New Network. Machida trained under Philip Mills, a current figure skater choreographer, and former ballet dancer. Similarly, Yuri also trained ballet as a child and even went to his teacher in episode three to help incorporate ballet movements to his performance.
Nakamura adds that like Machida, Yuri was approached by Viktor after seeing his skating performance on a YouTube video. Machida was approached by Swiss figure skater Stephane Lambiel to serve as his choreographer after being moved by his performance.
"Looking at Tatsuki's skating was like falling in love," Lambiel said in an interview. "He has something special."
As for the creator of "Yuri on Ice" Mitsurou Kubo, Nakamura said she was a fan of Machida, as evident from her tweet, which translates to "Tatsuki, I love you!!" You can also check out Yuri's possible real-life hometown in Japan to get to know the character more. Take a look at Machida's performance on Carnaval on Ice 2016 at the video below.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
