Studio MAPPA’s beloved original anime, Yuri!!! on Ice keeps growing in popularity, even almost 10 years after its premiere. It was the breakthrough anime of the studio, pushing it to a global audience and helping it gain a strong foothold in the industry. The anime ended its first season with a hint at its return, but didn’t confirm a prequel film until 2020. Fans waited another four years for the prequel film to share new information, but instead, they received news of its cancellation. Despite the massive outrage, MAPPA stood firm on its decision and didn’t give any hope for the anime’s return in the future. Regardless of the studio’s disappointing and controversial decision, the anime is still one of the most beloved sports series of all time.
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The anime is commemorating its 10th anniversary this year, and fans were treated to a gorgeous new visual by character designer Tadashi Hiramatsu. Along with the visual and an exhibition announcement, the anime will also release a special limited-edition Blu-ray & DVD box set created specially for the anime’s anniversary. The Blu-ray will be available for sale on December 23rd, 2026, exactly 10 years since the anime reached its conclusion. Unfortunately, the special new release is limited to fans in Japan as it has yet to be confirmed for an international release. It will include the entire anime along with the soundtrack, and most likely, some added bonuses will be announced at a later date.
2026 Sparked Another Hope For The Anime’s Return
Despite the anime’s cancellation, it has a wide global fanbase that’s often active on social media. Fans are often joking or discussing the series’ potential return, often leading to widespread rumors about the anime’s return. Shortly before the anime’s 10th anniversary announcement, fans noticed that the account unpinned the cancellation announcement. While the post itself was never deleted, all these changes still became a topic of discussion, igniting hopes for the anime’s return once again.
Additionally, the official X handle of the anime was verified on May 22nd, which again caught the public eye. However, the most exciting part was Dean Fujioka performing the fan-favorite opening theme, History Maker during the Crunchyroll Anime Awards this year. This again brought the series to the center of the limelight. Despite the unfortunate cancellation, the series has remained prevalent over the years and will continue to do so.
Yuri!! on Ice’s Story Will Forever Remain Incomplete
Unfortunately, despite the huge global fanbase, MAPPA has no plans to ever work on the anime again. To make it worse, Yuri!!! on Ice is an original story, which means fans don’t even have an option to switch to a manga or novel to know what happens next. While the first season reached a satisfying conclusion, there was still a lot of room for the story to expand, especially if a prequel centering around Victor was released.
Victor’s journey from a prodigy to becoming a five-time gold medalist at the age of 27 wasn’t fully explored within the limited episodes since the majority of the story focused on Yuri’s growth. Victor won the hearts of millions of people all over the world and reached heights rarely achieved by figure skaters. Since the series didn’t manage to explore such a nuanced character as it should have, MAPPA initially planned for a prequel focusing just on him. Unfortunately, after the anime’s cancellation, his story will forever remain untold.
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