Medalist

Tsukasa Akeuraji always dreamed of becoming a competitive solo figure skater, but starting too late in life meant his ambitions never got off the ground. Now barely scraping by, he takes on an assistant coach job, resigned to a future far from the one he once imagined.

Before his first day, Tsukasa meets Inori Yuitsuka, a shy fifth grader sneaking into the rink to practice. Captivated by figure skating, but held back by her mother's overprotectiveness and her own self-doubt, Inori has never been encouraged to pursue her passion until she encounters Tsukasa. Beneath her personality lies great potential, waiting to be unlocked with the right guidance.

Moved by Inori's determination to change and reminded of his own struggles, Tsukasa offers to coach and help her chase the dream she has been too afraid to voice. While the road ahead is long and filled with unfamiliar challenges and rival skaters, Inori dedicates herself to the art and strives to one day reach the Olympics and become a medalist.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yuitsuka, Inori Main

Haruse, Natsumi Japanese

Akeuraji, Tsukasa Main

Ootsuka, Takeo Japanese

Kamisaki, Hikaru Supporting

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Sonidori, Riou Supporting

Koichi, Makoto Japanese

Yodaka, Jun Supporting

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Miketa, Ryouka Supporting

Kino, Hina Japanese

Sonidori, Shinichirou Supporting

Ban, Taito Japanese

Kago, You Supporting

Inoue, Honoka Japanese

Takamine, Hitomi Supporting

Katou, Emiri Japanese

Sekoma, Mamoru Supporting

Muraji, Manabu Japanese

Yamashita, Shinpei Producer

Sawada, Airi Producer

Yamato, Masae Producer

Kanbe, Kouki Producer

Reviews

Apr 22, 2025

portia77

Recommended

Medalist's MAL rating is a well-earned 8.3/10. I gave it a 9 mostly because it surpassed my expectations and ended with a strong finish. It's a great show with a lot of heart. I'd encourage you not to listen to a review from someone who couldn't be bothered to watch more than three episodes... 🙄 It definitely IS about skating, though you don't get to see Inori compete in the first few episodes (a ridiculous and meaningless benchmark for judging an anime, if you ask me).

Medalist does a great job of representing girlhood and female friendship in Inori and her peers. She's endearing and ... loveable, alongside her charming and endlessly upbeat coach, Tsukasa. I would probably pick YoI's ice skating animation style over this, but the CGI didn't really bother me. I appreciated it for what it was. Medalist isn't likely to make the top ten anime for many people, but it's a great watch! Can't wait for season two.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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May 4, 2025

Hail_Lelouch

Mixed Feelings

Most underrated anime of 2025 currently, Medalist is a sports drama that centers around Inori who wishes to make it big in Figure skating. While the characters and the animation is good, the story felt a rushing piece. There were no hard lessons learned for the protagonist with no losses and the sudden time skip after Episode 9 felt a bit off.

As a fan of sports anime, I gave Medalist a try. While there were some emotional elements that made me rooted for the character, but the side characters weren't given enough spotlight in terms of backstory and story progression.
Unlike many anime, Medalist portrays ... a world without true antagonists; instead it is populated by earnest, hardworking characters who embody humanity's better nature. Medalist is a decent show and while it’s far away from the genuinely best sports anime, it might become strong as the story progresses more.

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Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Apr 14, 2025

LevixAckerman

Not Recommended

Preliminary (6/13 eps)

Somehow, when I watch Medalist, I often compare it to Yuri on Ice, and maybe that's not the best idea. The story revolves around our protagonist, Inori Yuitsuka, who wants to start figure skating because, according to her, she doesn't excel at anything else. By chance, she encounters Tsukasa Akeuraji, a former professional skater. His dream of winning a medal was never fulfilled, so now he wants to achieve it through Inori.

It's a nice premise, but it just feels way too forced. The protagonist comes off like a robot who can only identify with figure skating. The other skaters are all still kids, constantly rivaling ... each other and wishing the worst for one another. The characters and their actions also didn’t convince me. Medalist feels like a checklist being ticked off. Maybe comparing it to Yuri on Ice was simply unfair, since that still remains the best figure skating anime.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend it!

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Medalist Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Mar 29	82 replies	by luvhounds »» May 10, 2:30 PM
	Poll: Medalist Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 25	94 replies	by luvhounds »» May 9, 1:24 PM
	Underrated ranpoisthecutest - Jan 24	40 replies	by Mackyreels »» May 3, 3:02 PM
	Poll: dub or sub? OrcMeiser - Apr 8	13 replies	by Mackyreels »» May 3, 8:09 AM
	Poll: Medalist Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Mar 22	45 replies	by davidyodo24 »» May 3, 4:06 AM