Medalist

Inori Yuitsuka has been told by every coach she meets that she started figure skating too late. At age eleven, most elite skaters are already landing double jumps, but Inori can barely glide without wobbling. She keeps coming to the rink anyway, practicing alone until the lights go out. That is where Tsukasa Akeuraji finds her, a former competitive skater who washed out after a devastating injury, now drifting through odd jobs. He sees something in her that no one else does: not talent, but an unbreakable stubbornness. He offers to coach her. It is a reckless gamble for both of them.

The manga tracks their partnership through the grueling ranks of Japan's figure skating circuit. Tsurumaikada renders each jump and spin with anatomical precision, the panels often breaking into multiple angles to show the torque in a landing or the split-second shift of a blade. But the real drama happens off the ice. Inori wrestles with panic before competitions, replaying every failure in her head. Tsukasa, meanwhile, has to confront his own past, the injury that ended his career, the bitterness he still carries. Their relationship is never sentimental; it is built on hard drills, cracked ice, and the occasional moment of quiet trust.

Serialization began in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon on May 25, 2020, and the first tankōbon volume hit shelves on September 23, 2020. As of January 2026, there are fourteen volumes in Japan, with an English edition from Kodansha USA. The series swept three major awards: the 2022 Next Manga Award (print category), the 2023 Shogakukan Manga Award (general category), and the 2024 Kodansha Manga Award (general category), a rare triple crown. An anime adaptation by ENGI aired its first season from January to March 2025, and a second season followed in early 2026. A film is scheduled for a 2027 Japanese release. The manga has sold over 2.5 million copies as of early 2025, and its realistic portrayal of the sport has drawn praise from actual skaters and coaches.[edit]