Here’s Yuri On Ice’s fun South Park easter egg explained – and how the latter series returned the favor. Yuri On Ice is an anime series that follows a Japanese figure skater named Yuri Katsuki who is mentored by former champion Victor Nikiforov. The latter also mentors a Russian skater who is also called Yuri, with the two competing to prove who is the best. The series debuted in 2016 and won praise for its beautifully executed skating sequences and its depiction of a same-sex romance between Yuri and Victor.
Yuri On Ice received both acclaim and controversy for a kiss between the two characters during one episode, with criticism aimed at the way the shot is partially obscured to make the actual kiss itself ambiguous. The series has a devoted fanbase and Yuri On Ice season 2 is currently in production, though it’s unknown when it will air. There’s also a prequel movie dubbed Ice Adolescence on the way which focuses on Victor’s past adventures.
South Park is the twisted creation of Matt Stone and Trey Parker and details the animated adventures of four boys in the titular Colorado town. The show’s gleefully bad-taste humor and skewering of everything from entertainment to politics have made it an evergreen classic, and its run for 23 seasons and counting. Yuri On Ice fans may have noticed a subtle easter egg nod to South Park during the first season finale, where skater JJ flashes back to his childhood.
JJ is seen in an outfit that looks remarkably similiar to South Park’s Cartman, including the red coat and blue and yellow hat. Yuri On Ice fans like Twitter user like @ksoyaji_were quick to notice this nod, but it appears this was actually in response to the “The End Of Serialization” episode of South Park. This was the season 20 finale episode and one moment features a look at Ike’s internet activity, revealing he watches Naruto on Crunchyroll and Googled Yuri On Ice.
South Park’s creators seem to be big anime fans themselves, with the series having riffed on everything from Pokemon to Akira in the past, while the season 8 episode “Good Times With Weapons” imagines what the boys would look like as anime characters – complete with a parody theme song. It nice to see the creators of South Park and Yuri On Ice are mutual fans of each other, and maybe season 2 of the latter will feature some more easter eggs.