When Is Yuri On Ice Season 2 Coming? [2023 Updates]

If we go into the underrated side of things, we come across one series that gets overlooked for its influence on the genre.

That anime is none other than Yuri On Ice. A series that gave new opportunities to anime creators to express their ideas with the hope of success in their minds.

Not to mention, this is the anime that changed the life of Studio MAPPA forever. Plus, the yaoi (male loves male) element was portrayed in an interesting format.

Yuri On Ice is a single-season anime and fans have been craving for the next season to show up ASAP.

But what are the chances of that? When will Yuri On Ice season 2 show up? Is it still in production?

If not, then will it ever come out? All these and many more questions will be answered in this article.

But hey, before we start our discussion about the sequel, let’s get a general understanding of the prequel so we all can be on the same page.

Everything We Know So Far About Yuri On Ice

Yuri On Ice or “Yuri!!! on Ice” is a 12-episode TV anime that aired from 6th October 2016 to 22nd December 2016.

It is an original anime directed and created by Yamamoto Sayo and animated by the renowned Studio MAPPA.

Before the release of Yuri On Ice, she gave her directorial performance in series like Lupin the Third: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna and Michiko to Hatchin.

Along with that, she has been a storyboard artist for many popular shows like Death Note, Ergo Proxy, and High School Of The Dead.

Her performance in Yuri On Ice is widely appreciated by fans all around the world.

As far as Studio MAPPA is concerned, you all would have heard about them for their performance in Attack On Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Kakegurui.

But that’s after the release of Yuri On Ice. Before the airing of Yuri On Ice, MAPPA was known for its fantastic works like Terror In Resonance, Rage Of Bahamut, and Kids On The Slope.

These guys were known for doing what they wanted to do and had an amazing feat in the making of our beloved series.

The studio also seemed to be working on a movie of Yuri On Ice which was supposed to be airing in 2019.

However, a certain disease just so happened to be a hurdle in its production and release.

As of the time I am writing this, Yuri On Ice movie titled “Yuri!!! On Ice The Movie: Ice Adolescence” doesn’t have an official release date.

It is in production but there have been multiple delays due to that certain disease.

But that’s all about Studio, releases, and creators, let’s dive into the synopsis of the series.

I mean, the show ended back in 2016 which feels like forever. So just in case, if you have forgotten a few details about the show, here’s a quick recap.

Yuri On Ice is a story about Yuri Katsuki, an approved Japanese figure skater who was considered the best in his country but not the best in the world.

That title goes to Victor Nikiforov, a Russian figure skater whose excellence in skating is unrealistic.

So much so that every figure skater and skating fan looked up to him with a sparkle in their eyes.

Victor is something else. But coming back to our boy, Katsuki Yuri, he wasn’t able to make such a name for himself.

In the Grand Prix Final, his position was 6th which means that he came dead last in a world-class competition.

Now if you look at it from a general perspective, anyone would break down from this experience.

I mean, coming last after working so hard to reach such a platform is heartbreaking and that’s exactly what happened with Yuri.

He was shattered and couldn’t get himself back up. Even though he always looked up to Victor, he couldn’t help but feel devastated after losing to him.

So Yuri decided to take a grand step and quit figure skating for good. That decision was emotional but happened to have somewhat logical reasoning behind it.

Fast forward a few months later and Yuri is back in his hometown for some hot springs.

During this time, he meets his parents, old teacher, and friends who were a big part of his journey as a figure skater.

During his stay, Yuri also visits the place where he used to figure skate back when he started.

And this is where the story gets interesting. As he sees an Ice skating area back again, he can’t help but wear some of those skates and get back on track.

There he was just casually skating but ended up recreating a performance of the great Victor.

This performance changed his life forever because, after that, Victor Nikiforov himself visited Yuri and decided to be his coach.

This is because Yuri’s video of him replicating Victor’s performance became so viral that the master of figure skating himself had to take a look at him.

Now the entire world is in shock because 5-time world champion Victor is a coach all of a sudden and no one is ready to accept his retirement.

Yuri on the other hand is shocked that the guy he considered his God, has now stepped in to help him.

So Yuri decides to step back into the arena and win gold this time for sure.

With the help of his coach Victor, Yuri is headed on the path to victory.

A victory that would show the entire world the beauty of Yuri On Ice. So that covers all the introduction and stuff.

Now what we should be focusing on is the next season. But before that, here’s a little trivia.

Did you know that real-life skaters were heavily inspired by Yuri On Ice based on its realistic expression of a skater’s life?

Yup, this show influenced real-life people as well. Amazing right? But this is just the beginning of our sequel discussion and now we are stepping into the main course.

Let’s see what Yuri On Ice has in store for us.

Official Announcements And Release Date Of Yuri On Ice Season 2

Now, let’s take a look at some real stuff. Something very crucial and game-changing for anime sequels.

Official Announcements! You see, we can’t say for sure if an anime is confirmed or not until we get an official announcement or a release date for it.

A statement from one of the most crucial people in the making of Yuri On Ice. Yes, you guessed it, I am talking about Sayo Yamamoto, the director and original creator of Yuri On Ice.

She just so happened to leave an interesting statement for us to use our brains on.

And that statement comes from an interview she had with Otaquest. In this interview, our beloved talented director had to answer multiple questions from the folks over at Otaquest.

And while answering one of those questions, she said something like “I truly feel like the story of ‘Yuri!!! on ICE’ was able to be summed up throughout its 12 episodes, but I’d be lying if I said that it was over. [Laughs] … We can’t stop, we won’t stop, we refuse to stop!” That’s right ladies and gentlemen!

The director and creator of the series said herself that the story of Yuri On Ice is not over.

THIS IS HUGE! Mainly because of 2 factors. First is that she is the one who made this show so she has a massive influence on its sequel.

Secondly, this serves as a hint that the next season might be under production because she said “We can’t stop, we won’t stop, we refuse to stop!”.

One important thing to note here is that she hasn’t mentioned that it would be another season.

If we look closely, we can understand that she claimed the story to be able to be summed up in 12 episodes.

But the story isn’t over yet. This could mean that she was hinting that only a handful of content is left in her mind concerning the story.

And this handful of content will be out in the form of a movie. Remember, there’s a movie about Yuri On Ice which is still in production.

A recent update that came in February

The production of “YURI!!! on ICE the movie: ICE ADOLESCENCE”is still ongoing with the aim of further enriching the film. However, we have not yet reached the stage where we can announce the release date.

Our team will continue to work diligently to deliver a film and share our unwavering love and dedication for skating.We deeply apologize to all fans for the circumstance and ask for your generous understanding.

YURI!!! on ICE Production Committee
MAPPA Co., Ltd.

So, season 2 can be expected only after the movie has aired since it will be a logical approach. But there is one more major hint that a lot of people did not notice, which is, that there is a slight teaser in the Blu-ray of the first season, where Russian Yuri can be seen performing a new skating routine and flexing his skating skills.

It is still unclear what that short clip meant. Is it a teaser for the upcoming arc in the next season or the new movie?

Fans have tons of speculations. Let’s take a look at the source material to see if we have enough to create a second season.

More Source Material Information On Yuri On Ice Season 2

Now, this is a segment where I don’t have much to write. This is because there is no source material for Yuri On Ice.

If you are new to the anime medium, let me explain it real quick. Anime is usually adapted from the source material.

Kind of how Harry Potter movies are created with the reference to the books written by J.K. Rowling.

Similarly, anime is created from Manga (Japanese comics), light novels, games, and even other forms of entertainment like novels and folklore.

Japan makes sure that entertainment is performed to its finest. However, there are exceptions to this.

And those exceptions are called “Original Anime” which are anime directly created without reference or source material.

It’s kind of an idea from the brain to the screen. And Yuri On Ice is the same case.

Since it is an original anime, the only source material is the brain of Sayo Yamamoto.

And I am no psychologist to be able to say what she might be thinking about the storyline of Yuri On Ice.

I think psychologists can’t either. So yeah, we can’t have any source material info about Yuri On Ice.

However, what I do have is the “Popularity information” about our beloved series. So let’s have a look at that.

Popularity Information Of Yuri On Ice Season 2

Popularity is one of the most important factors in deciding an anime’s success. So how popular is Yuri On Ice?

Is it popular enough to end up with another season? Let’s find out. (SPOILER ALERT: It is massively popular).

Oh yeah, and the three metrics for our judgment would be Google Trends, Twitter, and Google Searches.

Google Trends

Let’s take a look at Google trends. If you guys don’t know, Google Trends allows us to see the consistency of searches on Google.

If an anime is searched frequently then Google trends would be high which would essentially mean that the series has been frequently popular.

So let’s see how constantly Yuri On Ice is searched on the internet. Well well, that’s interesting.

Google Trends is saying that Yuri On Ice was quite popular during the fall of 2020.

It could be possible due to some news regarding the movie but after that, the search consistency is going down.

This goes to show that the series isn’t a hot topic at the moment but only a single announcement can change this all.

Twitter

Now, this is where it gets interesting. Yuri On Ice has an incredible past regarding Twitter.

This information was made public by Kadokawa Ascii Research Laboratories that Yuri On Ice had over 1,440,596 tweets.

That is insane. Such a massive amount of tweets made it the most tweeted anime of its season.

Not to mention, the second one in its category was Haikyuu which only had around 348,109 tweets.

This goes to show the unreal extent of Yuri On Ice’s popularity on Twitter. No wonder you and I have watched it.

But wait, you can’t overlook the 473K people who follow this series on Twitter. If you guys don’t get a gist, let me tell you, this number is insane.

Popular shows like One Punch Man haven’t even crossed 200K and the ones like Vinland Saga with 43K ended up getting a sequel.

So yeah, you can stay relaxed by knowing that this series is famous. No doubt about that.

Search In US, UK

The final criteria for our judgment are the number of Google searches. Google searches show us the exact amount of people who want a sequel so why not take a closer look at the numbers?

So what do we have here? Well, worldwide Yuri On Ice Season 2 gets searched over 21K times.

The search trend for season 2 is falling each month. People do want a sequel but since the movie is on the way, many wouldn’t bother to search for a new “SEASON”.

They will do so after the movie is released. In the grand scheme of things, this is an alright amount of people searching per month.

And mind you, the hype is at its lowest when these numbers show up. So we can say that many are looking for its sequel.

Across the board, we can say that Yuri On Ice is a pretty well-known series.

Even though the trends and search results aren’t extreme, Twitter madness copes with it.

There are a lot of people looking forward to the sequel and we can be certain of that.

These are results enough to push a new installment. But let’s say that Yuri On Ice season 2 does end up happening, what will be the storyline for it?

Well, let’s have a look.

Expected Plot Of Yuri On Ice Season 2

The next season of this franchise might bring something completely new to the table. Victor may return as a competitor making the relationship between Yuri and him a bit more complicated.

Or we might end up seeing another clash between Yurio and Yuri with the exception that they are both more elite now.

This series runs on character relationships so seeing a new character wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea as well.

If we go from the most potent route then that would be Victor coming back to figure skating while being Yuri’s coach as well since this is what the ending tried to convey.

Not to mention, Yuri is yet to win a championship completely. So there’s a high chance that the sequel would feature something along those lines.

Either way, there are more things to uncover as hinted by Sayo Yamamoto, and whatever happens, will only lead to our enjoyment. That’s for sure.

Online Reactions To Yuri On Ice Season 2

Time to look at what other anime fans have to say about Yuri On Ice season 2.

For these online reactions, we will be taking a look at a few websites. Those are Twitter, Quora, and Reddit.

Twitter

Twitter is where many anime fans come together and hang out so it’s best to discuss some of our weeb and otaku-related stuff.

Plus, there are many anime creators themselves so this platform is worth looking at. Let’s see what we got.

Well, people on Twitter are CRAVING for the sequel of this series. There are memes and discussions regarding this topic and everyone seems to be positive about the idea of a sequel.

As expected from our Twitter homies.

Now let’s take a look at Reddit. This is a place where many anime fans hang out and chat with each other.

You know, typical online stuff. Let’s take a look at what Reddit users have to say about Yuri On Ice season 2.

And just as you would expect, Redditors are going on and on about the possibility of Season 2.

A user claimed that he read an article where the Voice Actors of the series were approached for season 2.

Although he wasn’t able to find proof, another user seemed to be partially agreeing with him.

You can consider that speculation if you want. Overall, Reddit users are doing their discussions and have a positive notion of the series.

Quora

Last but not the least, let’s look at Quora. A place where question-loving weebs show up to solve them or get answers to their own.

Just Quora things, nothing to worry about. What we do need to worry about is their reaction to season 2.

It’s important!!! So let’s see what we have from our boys at Quora. Alright, so fans on Quora are asking two types of questions.

First up is their regular season 2 speculation? But another question that shows up is the question of popularity.

A few users are a bit confused as to why this series is so popular.

As we both know the answer, we would let Quora handle it. But just in case you don’t know why it’s the unconventional approach to the sports medium and character relationships.

So yeah, Quora is doing its job just fine. Across the board, the reactions from all of these platforms are positive.

Twitter, Reddit, and Quora, all three seem to be looking forward to the next season.

Just like us!

Why Do We Want A Second Season So Badly?

Another question that might pop up in a few people’s minds is why do we want season 2?

What’s the need? The story had a somewhat decent conclusion so why bother about it?

And the answer to that is simple. Because there’s more left! The core reason why a Yuri On Ice fan craves season 2 is that the series hasn’t got a finite conclusion yet.

Victor and Yuri still have a lot of character dynamics left. Yuri hasn’t won any championship yet so we can have that.

And there’s so much that could potentially happen in the story. But most importantly, we need to know the end of Yuri and Victor. ‘How will their relationship go’ is the real question.

The excellence of this series stands in its characters. And THAT is why we want the second season of our beloved Yuri On Ice.

Ratings And Reviews Won So Far By Yuri On Ice

Website	Rating
Myanimelist	7.91/10
IMDb	8.3/10
Crunchyroll	4.9/5

Now let’s take a look at the ratings and reviews of Yuri On Ice. A series appreciated by critics and commoners are more inclined to get a sequel than a criticized one.

It’s common sense. So it’s important to include this in our analysis.

IMDb

The first website that can give us an idea about Yuri On Ice’s critical appeal is IMDb.

IMDb is an incredibly popular website so there’s no doubt that this source is a lot more reliable.

So what did Yuri On Ice get on its test? Well, nothing less than a solid 8.3/10.

Which is a great score if you ask me. Not to mention, the reviews are mostly positive with only a few criticisms.

What stands as appreciation is the presentation of the same-gender relationship which seems to be a lot more open-minded than another series.

So yeah we can be chilling about the reviews for Yuri On Ice on IMDb.

It’s as motivating as you would expect.

MyAnimeList

Another website that needs our attention is MyAnimeList. This place stands as the hub for anime fans so it would be great for us to get an idea of what hardcore fans have to say about this show.

So what do we have here? Well, it’s yet another great score just as you would expect.

This time it’s 7.91/10. Now on the surface, this might not seem too good but if you are an anime fan who uses MyAnimeList constantly, you would realize that it’s hard to go past 7.5 on this site.

Therefore, a score of 7.91 is worth talking about. Not to mention, the reviews consist of appreciation like the accurate presentation of ice skating, animation, character dynamics, and soundtrack.

From a sequel standpoint, this is a great score that needs to be taken into consideration.

Overall, we can say that Yuri On Ice is a widely appreciated series. It does have a few criticisms from elitists but hey, nothing is perfect.

With such recognition, getting a sequel shouldn’t be a problem for Yuri On Ice.

Top 5 Best-Rated Episodes

Yuri on Ice is fun to watch as it has the thrilling element of a sport but the intense scenes of a drama anime.

Here, let’s take a look at the top 5 best-rated episodes from the show.

1. China’s On! The Grand Prix Series Opening Event!! The Cup of China Free Skate (Episode 7)

This episode has a rating of 4.8/5 on MyAnimeList. Now that Yuuri has gotten the first position in the short program, Victor tells everyone that Yuuri will be competing in the Rostelecom Cup in Russia.

This totally throws off Yuuri, and he is feeling the pressure now.

2. Yuuri vs. Yuri The Horror!! Rostelecom Cup, Free Skate (Episode 9)

This episode has a rating of 4.8/5 on MyAnimeList. Yuri wants to be Victor’s student forever and tells him to be his coach for the rest of his life.

Yuri is trying his best to free skate so that he can get into the Grand Prix Final.

3. Gotta Supercharge It!! Pre-Grand Prix Final Special! (Episode 10)

This episode has a rating of 4.8/5 on MyAnimeList. The competition will take place in Barcelona, Spain. Victor is totally unaware of what is going on with Yuuri and his determination.

4. I Am Eros, and Eros Is Me?! Face-Off! Hot Springs on Ice (Episode 3)

This episode has a rating of 4.7/5 on MyAnimeList. In this episode, Yuri and Yuuri are battling each other on the ice of the Hot Springs.

Victor tells them that he will do anything demanded by the winner of this competition.

5. Easy as Pirozhki!! The Grand Prix Final of Tears (Episode 1)

This episode has a rating of 4.6/5 on MyAnimeList. Yuuri is unsure of his abilities and doesn’t know what to do with his future in skating.

All this is because he lost terribly at the Grand Prix Finals. But things change for him when five-time world champion Victor is introduced into his life.

Yuri On Ice DVD/Blu-Ray Sales and Merchandise

Now let’s take a look at some money. Almost every time, the success of an anime is finitely defined by the amount of money it makes.

Therefore, taking a look at it is crucial to determine the possibility of a sequel for the series.

So let’s dive deep into this.

Blu-ray/DVD sales

Since Yuri On Ice is an original anime, there are no sales of the source material.

So an important path for earning money for this series would be Blu-ray. So what do the Blu-ray sales have to say about the series?

Well, the numbers are fantastic. The first volume of Blu-ray discs sold over 35,453 copies which is too good.

Usually, anime discs are around 3k to 10k for an average series but such high numbers go to show how successful this anime is.

And did I mention that the total sales were over 50k which made Yuri On Ice rise to the first rank on Oricon sales?

So yeah, the series is without a doubt a financially successful one. As an original anime, this is very impressive.

We can be sure that they have more than enough money to make another part.

Merchandise

If we look at the number, I found around 80 official merch products on dekaianime.

Now on the surface, that’s a low number but if we look at the demography that Yuri On Ice serves, merchandise isn’t something that we would expect from it.

Most audiences of Yuri On Ice are young to old females and even though females do buy figurines or stuff, they are considerably less than what males buy.

Girls do buy other stuff like key chains though. But to be fair, the revenue from Blu-ray would be enough to make a sequel.

They shouldn’t need to rely on merch sales. Overall, thanks to BluRay disc sales, I am confident that the series has enough money to make another season.

This is more true because original anime rarely have such high numbers so this was more than expected.

Outperformance as you can call it.

Movie

Yes yes, I know, the movie isn’t out yet. However, I am still writing this segment because the movie would play a major role in the making of season 2.

Nowadays, movies decide if an old series still has its fanbase ready for a sequel.

In recent times, anime movies are banging all across as mentioned earlier. So if the Yuri On Ice Movie: Ice Adolescence manages to capture its old popularity and sales back, there is an extremely high chance that the next season will happen.

So hope for the best for the movie.

Popular Yuri On Ice Characters

Now let’s take a look at the characters that would end up in the sequel.

You know Yuri On Ice, is known for its amazing characters but right now, the most important ones are going to be mentioned.

Let’s go!

Yuri Katsuki

Yuri, being the protagonist as he is, will be returning in the second season as well.

He is the star that had the best glow-up in the series and his journey was very inspirational.

His relationship with Victor was the driving force for many viewers and it might also serve as the basis for a sequel story.

Victor

Our star, our God, Victor is the one and absolute soul of the show. His presence is not only funny but also captivating.

Just like Yuri, his relationship with him would be detrimental in the upcoming storyline, and even his career choice would be crucial.

He is a magician that everybody looks up to and his absence will take the shine from the series.

Looking forward to seeing him again.

Yuri Plisetsky

The other Yuri of the show captivated the hearts of many other fans. Even though he is not the heart of the show, he contributes significantly to the story.

So much so that he managed to pull the win in Grand Prix which made room for the next season.

He is charming, arrogant, and alluring. A character that can’t be ignored at all. Other characters like JJ, Pichit, Yuko, and Chris also contributed to the story and can make an appearance in the upcoming seasons.

Now before we end our conversation let’s quickly take a look at the final few factors that can decide the making of season 2.

Other Decisive Factors for Yuri On Ice Season 2

This is the segment where we mention a few notable topics in a bit more detail.

These factors could potentially serve as the basis for a sequel and are important to address.

Let’s have a look.

Yuri On Ice Ending Explained

First up, we have the ending. So the last season ended with Yuri Plisetsky winning the Grand Prix with only half a point score more than Yuri Katsuki.

Later on, we get to know that Victor has hinted at his return while being his coach for Yuri.

This would serve the story for the next season and make it worth our while.

What’s important to know is that the series has a great opening for a sequel.

So we can be sure that the ending won’t be a hurdle.

Controversy Around Yuri On Ice

Now the last factor is controversy. If a major controversy revolves around Yuri On Ice, it can be a problem for the next part.

Luckily, Yuri on Ice hasn’t been a part of any major controversy. A few people criticize it for having a boy-on-boy relationship in its narrative but that’s also a plus point for a lot more people.

The way this series promotes this kind of love is fantastic and thus, this series is appreciated by many.

The reason why Sayo Yamamoto came to the spotlight is because of Yuri On Ice and its love presentation.

So overall, there are green flags for Yuri On Ice all across.

Top Similar Anime Like Yuri On Ice

1. Free! (2013-)

This anime has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb and falls under the genres of Animation, Comedy, and Drama. The show has received around 3K votes and features voice actors like Jamie Marchi, Johnny Yong Bosch, Todd Haberkorn, and Greg Ayres.

2. No. 6 (2011-)

This anime has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb and falls under the genres of Animation, Adventure, and Drama. The show has received around 2K votes and features voice actors like YÃ»ki Kaji, Greg Ayres, Yoshimasa Hosoya, and Kalob Martinez.

3. Ouran High School Host Club (2006)

This anime has a rating of 8.2 on IMDb and falls under the genres of Animation, Comedy, and Romance. The show has received around 11K votes and features voice actors like Maaya Sakamoto, Mamoru Miyano, Masaya Matsukaze, and Kenichi Suzumura.

4. Sk8 The Infinity (2021-)

“SK8 the Infinity” is a Japanese anime series that premiered in 2021. The show has a rating of 7.6 on IMDb and is classified as an animation, sport, and drama.

5. Bungo Stray Dogs (2016-)

Bungo Stray Dogs is a Japanese anime series that debuted in 2016 and has a rating of 7.8 on IMDb. The show falls under the genres of action, mystery, and supernatural, and has received over 12K votes.

Conclusion

Well, that’s all that we have for the series. The anime was an absolute success and there is no second thought about it.

The evidence is in the sales and popularity on websites like Twitter. The movie would currently be the decisive element, and if it meets the studios’ expectations, we can be 99% sure that the following season will as well.

Let’s hope for the best because that’s what fans and heroes do. Thanks a lot for reading.

Until next time, Sayonara!