Victor’s Remarkable Evolution

Victor’s Remarkable Evolution

I was watching (okay okay rewatching for the billionth time) Yuri on Ice, and something struck me. Specifically something about Victor. Namely, the slow and soft march of Victor’s evolution in the series, from the self-absorbed icon to a vulnerable and loving partner and coach.

At a press conference, when asked about whether Victor went off to become Yuuri’s coach, Yakov shouts: That man only thinks of himself!

And honestly? I agree. I think that the show’s creators wanted us to view Victor through that lens. He was bored. He was stagnant. He decided he wanted to try out coaching because that sounded kinda fun and cool. Yuuri Katsuki idolized him, and skated his routine beautifully. Victor could combine seducing the gorgeous Japanese skater who idolized him with taking the mental break from skating he needed to return refreshed.

Image quote: So, a magic spell to change the little piggy into a prince…

This… is not the attitude of someone who is taking the coaching seriously. He presumes he can waltz into Japan, take this cute little Japanese skater under his wing and transform him into… a prince, all the while getting laid.

It’s why Victor squealed at the challenge that Yuri Plisetsky put forward: choreograph both programs and watch two skaters battle over… him. He got to choreograph the two skaters: one who represented his youth and one who represented his lust. 

Victor wanted to watch Yuuri seduce him on the ice (in one of his old costumes), and decided the way to score more points was to put all jumps in the second half. Even Nishigori called that choice spartan.

Yuuri suspected, talked to Minako about it, and decided even if this was some sort of Victor vacation, he was going to take full advantage, and Victor is lucky that Yuuri was the type who devoted everything to this experiment, to Victor as his coach, even knowing that Victor’s heart was maybe not entirely in it.

Indeed, throughout the beginning, Victor was enjoying playing coach without really being one. He teased Yuuri enough that Yuuri started to avoid him. Finally, Victor actually made an effort to connect. And… Yuuri let him in.

This is also one of the first times in the animation that Victor’s face is that soft. He’s having a real moment, not a manufactured one here. Talking to Yuuri does that for him, and for the first time, alone and out of the spotlight, you have to wonder if that felt kinda good. It makes it pretty clear that Victor was entirely serious about being Yuuri’s boyfriend, though that moment was probably also to put Yuuri off kilter, because that’s what Yuuri had done to Victor.

Unfortunately, by the regional qualifier, Victor is a little back to some of his bullshit, picking a flashy suit to advertise his debut as a coach. He made that moment about himself, not about Yuuri. Yes, thankfully he had moments where he actually gave good advice (that Yuuri needed to… pay attention to his fans), but mostly it was still Victor thinking mostly about Victor.

That though… started to change. When Yuuri did his free skate, he openly rebelled. He changed triples into quads without asking, and… Victor found himself watching Yuuri with interest. He started to see Yuuri, noting that he skated in time with the music, and that there was something about his impatience on the ice that meant Victor couldn’t look away. He even internalized that Yuuri’s rebellion to his instructions was a whole lot like him. This was the moment that Victor finally started to take coaching seriously.

He stopped thinking of it as a performance, and starting thinking about himself and Yuuri as a team. He’d wear suits (he’s Victor Nikiforov after all), but it was no longer only the Victor show in his head.

Then Yuuri declared his love for Victor on a televised event. Victor’s facial expression says it all.

Yeah, he heard it. Ugly tie and all. Victor succeeded in scoring the adorable Japanese skater. Thankfully though, he’s in a much different headspace now than he was when he showed up naked in the onsen.

It does mean that the next time we see Victor, he is much more affectionate. On the way to Beijing, Victor is draped over Yuuri on the plane. He’s holding him while they watch the other skaters or run to hold each other at the kiss & cry.

China is also where Victor’s biggest breakthrough happens. Yes! He finally takes being a coach seriously. Yes! He roots for his pupil to win and believes in him. Yes! He tries to do his best for Yuuri, forcing him to nap (with snuggles of course, Victor’s self-control only goes so far…) before his free skate.

Then… Yuuri being on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Victor… doesn’t know what to do. He gets Yuuri away from other skaters to warm up, he forbids him from doing jumps in warmups (Yuuri rebels). And then…

Boy screws up big time. Trying to shatter Yuuri’s heart to motivate him. Victor admits he has no idea what to do when someone is crying in front of him, asks if Yuuri wants him to kiss him. (Um, no Victor. Not right now). Yuuri tells him what he needs.

It was probably one of the first times in Victor’s life that he really messed up, and really hurt someone he cared about. He feels stupid for not asking Yakov what to do, and looks pretty broken when they return for Yuuri’s free skate.

Luckily… Yuuri seems to be driven extra hard by Victor screwing up, deciding he’s going to add a quad flip to the end of his program. Something not even Victor has done. And well, we all know what happened next.

Before this moment, we see a lot of “fake Victor.” Even around Yuuri, he threw on that fake charm. But, after Beijing? Around Yuuri, the mask came off.

Victor and Yuuri were a team. Victor was Yuuri’s coach, and he loved it. And the change in the animation is stark. The fake looks were only when Victor was forced to mug for media. When he was looking at Yuuri? His face was as soft as when he said “you’re not weak.”

JJ Leroy ignores Yuuri and walks straight up to Victor? We see open hostility. Yuuri skates another wonderful one? Victor gets down to kiss his skate. Yurio shows off true agape? He’s genuinely excited.

And then Yuuri sends him back to Japan to be with Maccachin (who got into the buns.) Victor doesn’t even hesitate to run up to Yakov and ask him to coach. No ego, nothing. (I don’t think we need to ask why Yakov said yes. Because he recognized Victor as a coach now too… and Yuuri deserved it.) Just… doing the best he could to make sure Yuuri got through his free skate.

Yuuri did. And… this was their reunion.

You cannot tell me that the Victor we met at the very beginning would have done this. This is a Victor who lives for someone other than himself, who has found someone he loves more than skating. The person who opened him up and accepts him as he is… and runs just as fast and just as desperately to get back to him too.

Yuuri is the reason Victor changed, evolved, grew better. Yuuri is why Victor took coaching seriously enough to fall in love with it. Yuuri is the person Victor is entirely himself with.

It means we get to see his soft side. We get to see what a man on top of the world is like when he falls uncontrollably in love. Who’s opened his heart enough that it might break.

Yeahhh Yuuri is an idiot… (I wrote about that already), but if Victor were not this Victor, open and vulnerable, Yuuri would not have skated the program he was capable of (rising to the occasion and scoring higher than Victor’s WR), and would not have committed to staying in skating.

Victor is not going to give up coaching. He loves it, just like he loves Yuuri. He is less afraid of trying to climb to the top again, not when he’s found things that make him truly happy.

Victor changed, evolved, and in the process, he found the happiness and meaning he was always seeking. And in the process of that journey, he found a husband and his next calling.

I actually don’t think Victor ever wins gold again. But I also don’t think he cares. Yuuri getting a gold medal would mean more to him than 10 more for himself. It’s that sort of growth that makes this series so beloved. Because the growth was organic and natural, even as it was extremely profound.