# Medalist (manga)

Medalist (Japanese: メダリスト, Hepburn: Medarisuto) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsurumaikada. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon since May 2020, with its chapters collected in twelve tankōbon volumes as of January 2025. In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Kodansha USA. An anime television series adaptation produced by ENGI premiered in January 2025.
Medalist won the Next Manga Award in the print category in 2022, the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2023, and the 48th Kodansha Manga Award in the same category in 2024.

## Plot

Inori Yuitsuka, an 11-year-old girl in the fifth grade, dreams of becoming a world-class figure skater. While she practices in secret at her local ice rink, competitors her age are considered "too old" to begin seriously training; in addition, as her older sister's skating career ended in failure, her mother is resistant toward putting her through the same experience. A fateful meeting one day introduces her to Tsukasa Akeuraji, a former ice dancer on the edge of giving up competitive skating himself, and he agrees to become her coach and help her realize her dreams. Those around Inori soon learn she has immense natural talent for the sport and, together, the two strive toward Inori's ultimate goal of winning an Olympic gold medal.

## Characters
### Inori Yuitsuka (結束 いのり, Yuitsuka Inori)

    Voiced by: Natsumi Haruse (Japanese); Madeline Dorroh (English)

### Tsukasa Akeuraji (明浦路 司, Akeuraji Tsukasa)

    Voiced by: Takeo Ōtsuka (Japanese); Jonathon Ha (English)

### Hitomi Takamine (高峰瞳, Takamine Hitomi)

    Voiced by: Emiri Katō (Japanese); Alejandra Reynoso (English)

### Nozomi Yuitsuka (結束のぞみ, Yuitsuka Nozomi)

    Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Erica Schroeder (English)

### Mamoru Sekoma (瀬古間衛, Sekoma Mamoru)

    Voiced by: Manabu Muraji [ja] (Japanese); Steve Kramer (English)

### Hikaru Kamisaki (狼嵜 光, Kamisaki Hikaru)

    Voiced by: Kana Ichinose (Japanese); Grace Lu (English)

### Jun Yodaka (夜鷹 純, Yodaka Jun)

    Voiced by: Yuma Uchida (Japanese); Mark Whitten (English)

### Rioh Sonidori (鴗鳥 理凰, Sonidori Riō)

    Voiced by: Makoto Koichi (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English)

### Ryoka Miketa (三毛田 涼佳, Miketa Ryōka)

    Voiced by: Hina Kino (Japanese); Kitana Turnbull (English)

### Mario Nachi (那智 鞠緒, Nachi Mario)

    Voiced by: Megumi Toda (Japanese); Felecia Angelle (English)

### Yudai Jakuzure (蛇崩 遊大, Jakuzure Yūdai)

    Voiced by: Takahiro Miyake [ja] (Japanese); Kylen Deporter (English)

### Suzu Kamoto (鹿本すず, Kamoto Suzu)

    Voiced by: Ayasa Itō (Japanese); Audrey Hsieh (English)

### Ema Yamato (大和 絵馬, Yamato Ema)

    Voiced by: Kotori Koiwai (Japanese); Cassandra Lee Morris (English)

### Shinichiro Sonidori (鴗鳥慎一郎, Sonidori Shinichirō)

    Voiced by: Taito Ban (Japanese); Kaiji Tang (English)

## Production

The story takes place in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. Its author, Tsurumaikada, is also from Aichi. While the manga is about figure skating, Tsurumaikada lacked experience and knowledge of the sport, and enrolled in a month-long figure skating class held in Nagoya Sports Center [ja] in Ōsu before beginning to illustrate the manga. Medalist is Tsurumaikada's first commercial work.
As a self-professed fan of Natsumi Haruse, a voice actress known for her role as Kaoru Ryūzaki in The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149, Tsurumaikada tweeted in 2018: "I would also like to draw a figure skating manga that would someday be made into an anime, and have Natsumi Haruse play the main role!" Haruse narrated the commercial for the release of the first volume of the manga series in 2020.

## Media
### Manga

Written and illustrated by Tsurumaikada, Medalist started in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Monthly Afternoon on May 25, 2020. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on September 23, 2020. As of January 22, 2025, twelve volumes have been released.
In March 2021, Kodansha USA announced the digital English release of the manga in North America, starting on May 18, 2021. At Anime Expo 2023, Kodansha USA announced that the series would be published in print. The first volume was released on March 5, 2024.

#### Volumes

| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
| 1 | September 23, 2020 | 978-4-06-520783-3 | May 18, 2021 (digital) March 5, 2024 (print) | 978-1-63-699098-9 (digital) 979-8-88-877185-3 (print) |
| 1. "Genius on Ice" (氷上の天才, Hyōjō no Tensai) 2. "The Preliminary Badge Test" (初級バッジテスト, Shokyū Bajji Tesuto) 3. "Taiyaki and Cake" (たい焼きとケーキ, Taiyaki to Kēki) Short Program 1: "Inori and the Birds" (いのりと小鳥, Inori to Kotori) Short Program 2: "Tsukasa and the Sushi" (司とお寿司, Tsukasa to o Sushi) |||||
| 2 | February 22, 2021 | 978-4-06-522253-9 | June 15, 2021 (digital) May 7, 2024 (print) | 978-1-63-699157-3 (digital) 979-8-88-877195-2 (print) |
| 4. "Meikoh Cup, Girls' Preliminary (Part 1)" (名港杯 初級女子FS編①, Meikō-hai Shokyū Joshi FS-hen 1) 5. "Meikoh Cup, Girls' Preliminary (Part 2)" (名港杯 初級女子FS編②, Meikō-hai Shokyū Joshi FS-hen 2) 6. "Meikoh Cup, Girls' Novice B" (名港杯 ノービスB女子FS編, Meikō-hai Nōbisu Bī Joshi FS-hen) Short Program 3: "Night of the First Battle" (初戦の夜, Shosen no Yoru) 7. "Level 1 Badge Test" (1級バッジテスト, Ikkyū Bajji Tesuto) Short Program 4: "Beast of the Snowfield" (雪原の獣, Setsugen no Kemono) |||||
| 3 | June 23, 2021 | 978-4-06-523607-9 | November 16, 2021 (digital) July 2, 2024 (print) | 978-1-63-699469-7 (digital) 979-8-88-877196-9 (print) |
| 8. "The Powers of the West (Part 1)" (西の強豪 前編, Nishi no Kyōgō Zenpen) 9. "The Powers of the West (Part 2)" (西の強豪 中編, Nishi no Kyōgō Chūhen) 10. "The Powers of the West (Part 3)" (西の強豪 後編, Nishi no Kyōgō Kōhen) 11. "I Hate the Night" (夜が嫌い, Yoru ga Kirai) |||||
| 4 | October 21, 2021 | 978-4-06-525162-1 | April 19, 2022 (digital) September 3, 2024 (print) | 978-1-68-491132-5 (digital) 979-8-88-877197-6 (print) |
| 12. "Howling at the Night" (夜に吠える, Yoru ni Hoeru) 13. "Dance the Night" (夜を踊れ, Yoru o Odore) 14. "Morning Comes" (朝が来る, Asa ga Kuru) 15. "Shirone's Lesson" (白猫のレッスン, Shironeko no Ressun) |||||
| 5 | March 23, 2022 | 978-4-06-527132-2 | October 18, 2022 (digital) November 5, 2024 (print) | 978-1-68-491491-3 (digital) 979-8-88-877198-3 (print) |
| 16. "The Athlete's Pledge" (選手宣誓, Senshu Sensei) 17. "The Gamble" (ギャンブル, Gyanburu) 18. "My Cards" (私のカード, Watashi no Kādo) 19. "The Queen's Leap" (女王のジャンプ, Joō no Janpu) Exhibition: "The Beast of Fire and Ice" (氷焔の獣, Hyōen no Kemono) |||||
| 6 | July 22, 2022 | 978-4-06-528515-2 | February 21, 2023 (digital) January 7, 2025 (print) | 978-1-68-491710-5 (digital) 979-8-88-877199-0 (print) |
| 20. "Ascendance" (下克上, Gekokujō) 21. "Kiss and Cry" (キスアンドクライ, Kisu Ando Kurai) 22. "Beacon" (狼煙, Noroshi) 23. "Intensive Training" (強化練習, Kyōka Renshū) |||||
| 7 | December 22, 2022 | 978-4-06-529918-0 | July 18, 2023 (digital) March 4, 2025 (print) | 979-8-88-933039-4 (digital) 979-8-88-877200-3 (print) |
| 24. "Typical Jumps" (よくある飛躍, Yoku Aru Hiyaku) 25. "Hot Passion" (熱血, Nekketsu) 26. "The Frozen Lake" (氷の湖, Kōri no Mizūmi) 27. "The Golden Egg" (金の卵, Kin no Tamago) 28. "The Vanishing Surface" (消える銀盤, Kieru Ginban) |||||
| 8 | May 23, 2023 | 978-4-06-531682-5 | September 19, 2023 (digital) May 6, 2025 (print) | 979-8-88-933148-3 (digital) 979-8-88-877201-0 (print) |
| 29. "Open Practice" (公式練習, Kōshiki Renshū) 30. "Shallow Motives" (浅い動機, Asai Dōki) 31. "The Wizard" (魔法使い, Mahōtsukai) 32. "Kamisaki the Wolf" (狼, Ōkami) |||||
| 9 | October 23, 2023 | 978-4-06-533261-0 | March 19, 2024 (digital) July 8, 2025 (print) | 979-8-88-933416-3 (digital) 979-8-88-877315-4 (print) |
| 33. "The Ahiru Child" (あひるの子, Ahiru no Ko) 34. "Quadruple Salchow" (4回転サルコウ, Yonkaiten Sarukou) 35. "Level 4" (レベル4, Reberu Fō) 36. "The Next Qualification" (目指す資格, Mezasu Shikaku) |||||
| 10 | March 22, 2024 | 978-4-06-535154-3 | August 20, 2024 (digital) September 9, 2025 (print) | 979-8-88-933695-2 (digital) 979-8-88-877451-9 (print) |
| 37. "The Junior Grand Prix" (ジュニアGP, Junia GP) 38. "The Junior Rules" (ジュニアのルール, Junia no Rūru) 39. "Trial and Error" (試行錯誤, Shikōsakugo) 40. "The Teacher" (恩師, Onshi) Short Program 5: "Boys' Novice A" (ノービスA男子, Nōbisu Ei Danshi) |||||
| 11 | August 22, 2024 | 978-4-06-536472-7 | January 7, 2025 (digital) | 979-8-89-478310-9 (digital) |
| 41. "Knight and Judoka" (騎士と柔, Kishi to Yawara) 42. "JPG Bangkok SP" (JGP第1戦バンコクSP, JGP Dai Issen Bankoku SP) 43. "The Girl at the Top" (一番上の少女, Ichiban-jō no Shōjo) 44. "Wounds and Fins" (傷と鰭, Kizu to Hire) 45. "Virtuous Maneuvering" (善意の策動, Zen'i no Sakudō) Short Program 6: "Junior Camp, Side B" (ジュニア合宿サイドB, Junia Gasshuku Saido Bī) |||||
| 12 | January 22, 2025 | 978-4-06-538012-3 | — | — |
| 46. Hikari to Kage (光と影) 47. Yoru no Ikimono (夜の生き物) 48. Yakusoku no hi (約束の日) |||||

### Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on May 18, 2023. It is produced by ENGI and directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto, with the script written by Jukki Hanada, character design by Chinatsu Kameyama, music composed by Yuki Hayashi, and the skating routines choreographed by figure skaters of retirees Akiko Suzuki and Yuhana Yokoi, alongside active figure skater Hinano Isobe [ja]. The series premiered on January 5, 2025, on the NUMAnimation [ja] programming block on all ANN affiliates, including TV Asahi. The opening theme song is "Bow and Arrow", performed by Kenshi Yonezu, while the ending song is "Atashi no Dress" (アタシのドレス, "My Dress"), performed by Neguse [ja].
The series streams on Disney+ worldwide and Hulu in the United States. The English dub also premiered on Hulu in January 2025.

#### Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Storyboarded by | Original release date |
| 1 | "A Genius on the Ice" Transliteration: "Hyōjō no Tensai" (Japanese: 氷上の天才) | Yasutaka Yamamoto | Yasutaka Yamamoto | January 5, 2025 (2025-1-5) |
| Tsukasa Akeuraji is a former ice dancer who is now employed at a local ice rink for figure skating run by his former ice dance partner Hitomi Takemine. One day, Tsukasa catches an 11-year-old girl named Inori Yuitsuka attempting to skate at the rink without paying the entrance fee. At a nearby park, Inori explains that she wants to figure skate but her mother has forbidden it. Tsukasa tries to motivate Inori by giving her the contact information of local figure skating coaches. The next day, Tsukasa is surprised to see Inori with her mother, Nozomi, consulting with Hitomi. Nozomi reveals that due to both Inori's age and what previously happened to her older sister, she plans to make Inori quit the sport via the coaches' advice. However, Tsukasa proposes to let him watch Inori first before making his decision, after which everyone discovers that Inori already knows the fundamentals, much to Tsukasa's delight. Seeing Inori's determination, and reminded how he was once in a similar situation, Tsukasa convinces Nozomi to allow him to be Inori's coach. |||||
| 2 | "Prelim Badge Test" Transliteration: "Shokyū Bajji Tesuto" (Japanese: 初級バッジテスト) | Takahiro Hirata | Toshihiko Masuda | January 12, 2025 (2025-1-12) |
| After a few days training under Tsukasa, Inori shows significant improvement. Tsukasa then informs Inori that a Badge Test will take place soon, which is a series of tests to determine a skater's skill level. Inori insists on taking it right away. On the day of the test, Inori encounters two other skaters, a girl and boy. While the girl is friendly, the boy, Rioh, is rude towards Inori. The experience leaves Inori nervous about taking the test, but Tsukasa successfully calms her down and she is able to pass the preliminary level test. While Nozomi is happy, she reminds Inori that she is only willing to allow her to skate until middle school. Back at the rink, Inori meets the girl she befriended, and realizes that she is Hikaru Kamisaki, an award winning novice skater. Upon hearing some parents criticizing Inori, Hikaru takes Inori to the ice and they skate together. Hikaru tells Inori that she dreams of going to the Olympics, and advises Inori that she should be more open about her desires. When Tsukasa arrives, Inori tells him her dream of being an Olympic gold medalist, which Tsukasa promises to help fulfill. |||||
| 3 | "Taiyaki and Cake" Transliteration: "Taiyaki to Kēki" (Japanese: たい焼きとケーキ) | Shinichi Fukumoto | Shinichi Watanabe | January 19, 2025 (2025-1-19) |
| Tsukasa decides that the best way to convince Nozomi that Inori is committed to skating is to win a competition, so he enrolls Inori in the Meikoh Cup. During practice, however, Inori struggles due to her stage fright. Tsukasa tries to help by showing her how he skates, which greatly impresses her and motivates her to improve. As they practice, they also meet coach Mario Nachi and her student Ryoka Miketa. Despite Ryoka's abrasive attitude, she and Inori end up befriending each other, but Ryoka has a falling out when Inori insists on practicing with Tsukasa. Seeing Ryoka's skill, Tsukasa advises Inori that she has to make a choice: either focus all the time they have left on mastering jumps, or focus on mastering the basics of dancing first. Inori ultimately decides to focus on the latter. As the competition nears, Inori has most of her program mastered except for the double Salchow jump. After seeing a dog chase its tail, Tsukasa has the idea of having Inori perform a flying sit spin instead. Inori manages to perform the flying sit spin flawlessly, which is encouraging since it is considered to be the more advanced move. |||||
| 4 | "Meikoh Cup, Junior Women's Prelim Free Skating (Part One)" Transliteration: "Meikō-hai Shokyū Joshi FS (Mae)" (Japanese: 名港杯 初級女子FS（前）) | Manabu Kurihara | Shinichi Watanabe | January 26, 2025 (2025-1-26) |
| Inori's older sister Mika returns home from Canada to visit as well as to see Inori skate at the Meikoh Cup, and Mika assures Inori that despite her appearance of disinterest, Nozomi is actually very enthusiastic about Inori skating. However, during the warmup session, Inori performs very poorly. Seeing this, Nozomi wants Tsukasa to lower the difficulty of her program. Overhearing this, Inori begins to lose self-confidence until she has the epiphany that she is already much different than she was before. She confronts Nozomi and insists that her program not change. When the competition starts, Inori initially falls but quickly recovers and performs the rest of her program flawlessly, ending with the flying sit spin. However, she shocks everybody, including Tsukasa, by following up with a broken leg sit spin, a move that she had only been able to perform once. Witnessing Inori's determination, Nozomi is finally convinced Inori can be a professional skater and decides to throw her full support behind her. Meanwhile, the judges award Inori with a score of 12.64, putting her in first place. |||||
| 5 | "Meikoh Cup, Junior Women's Prelim Free Skating (Part Two)" Transliteration: "Meikō-hai Shokyū Joshi FS (Ato)" (Japanese: 名港杯 初級女子FS（後）) | Shinichi Fukumoto | Hideaki Uehara | February 2, 2025 (2025-2-2) |
| Ryoka begins her program for the competition, and while she has a strong start, she accidentally misses a combo, which causes her to panic and forget to perform her planned recovery move. Despite landing her double Salchow jump perfectly, Ryoka only scores an 11.17, putting her in third place. Distressed at losing first place, Ryoka apologizes to Mario for her aggressive behavior, only for Mario to chastise her, pointing out that said aggressiveness is what makes her stand out from the other skaters and drives her to be better. Inori then approaches Ryoka in an attempt to rekindle their friendship, which Ryoka accepts, having a newfound respect for her. As the Novice level competition begins, Rioh arrives with his father, Olympic silver medalist skater Shinichiro Sonidori. Hikaru then performs her program, captivating the crowd and earning a near perfect 97.23 score. After the competition, Inori tries to meet Hikaru, but runs into her coach, gold medalist skater Jun Yodaka. Jun is skeptical that Tsukasa will be able to train Inori to a level where she can beat Hikaru, but Tsukasa swears to him that he will. |||||
| 6 | "The Night of the First Competition" Transliteration: "Shosen no Yoru" (Japanese: 初戦の夜) | Hideaki Ōba | Toshihiko Masuda | February 9, 2025 (2025-2-9) |
| Following the Meikoh Cup, Inori tells Tsukasa that she wants to take the level one Badge Test. Once Tsukasa agrees to arrange it, he tells Inori about his past. In a flashback, he was inspired to skate after he watched one of Jun's performances. Due to his age, however, no skating club would take him. In high school, he helped a woman named Meiko Kago and managed to get a part-time job at her husband's company as well as being treated as a member of her family. With his paycheck, he started training with Hitomi. They eventually were able to go to the All-Japan competition, but ended up in fourth place. Tsukasa then cut ties with the Kago family after Meiko died of an illness. Back in the present, Tsukasa unexpectedly runs into Koichi and Yo, Meiko's husband and daughter, once Inori leaves. Koichi soon reassures Tsukasa after the latter explains why he left. Realizing his mistake, Tsukasa decides to reconnect with Koichi and Yo. The next day at the rink, Inori tells Tsukasa how she is inspired by his life story, and they both decide to properly celebrate her winning the Meikoh Cup. |||||
| 7 | "Level One Badge Test" Transliteration: "Ikkyū Bajji Tesuto" (Japanese: 1級バッジテスト) | Motohiro Abe | Motohiro Abe | February 16, 2025 (2025-2-16) |
| Tsukasa starts preparations for Inori to take the level one Badge Test as well as compete in the West Japan Championship. In order to do so, he plans to add double jumps to her program. However, despite Inori insisting she was able to complete one on her own, she is unable to repeat it during practice. Tsukasa assure Inori that she does not need to rush. On the day of the test, Tsukasa and Inori encounter skaters Suzu Kamoto and Ema Yamato, along with their coach Yudai Jakuzure. Both Inori and Ema are able to pass the level one test while Suzu passes level seven. Tsukasa is impressed with Ema's skating and asks Yudai for coaching tip, which he agrees to. Working together, Yudai observes that only thing that Tsukasa really needs to resolve is his self-confidence issues as a coach. Over the next month, Inori is able to master the double loop jump thanks to Tsukasa's coaching. At the West Japan Championship, Inori encounters several other girls competing, including Suzu and Ema. However, during the warm up session, a distraught Inori realizes that she has misplaced her skates. |||||
| 8 | "Western Powerhouses (Part One)" Transliteration: "Nishi no Kyōgō (Mae)" (Japanese: 西の強豪（前）) | Takahiro Hirata | Takahiro Hirata | February 23, 2025 (2025-2-23) |
| Inori realizes that she left her skates on the train, so Tsukasa heads out to the train station to retrieve them. Trusting that Tsukasa will come back in time, Inori focuses on practicing her program. Meanwhile, skater Seira Shishido sets the bar for the competition by scoring a 23.37. Tsukasa is narrowly able to return in time for Inori to be present for the start of her group's programs. Kanna Kitora has a strong start with a 23.03, but leaves holes in the ice due to her strong toe jumps. Ritsuki Koguma goes next, but she misses a combo after tripping on one of the holes Kanna made. She manages to improvise a new combo and scores a 23.28. Miihi Kurosawa, a friend and rival of Seira, relies on her performance rather than stunts for her program, scoring a 23.34. Concerned, Inori asks Tsukasa whether she should improvise and add a double jump in her program to compete with the other skaters, but Tsukasa insists that if she can perfectly execute her program as is, she will be able to win first place. Inori then prepares to perform her program as everybody watches. |||||
| 9 | "Western Powerhouses (Part Two)" Transliteration: "Nishi no Kyōgō (Ato)" (Japanese: 西の強豪（後）) | Yūki Kanazawa | Shigehisa Īda | March 2, 2025 (2025-3-2) |
| Inori performs her program, and despite suffering from muscle fatigue, she emulates Tsukasa's moves and is able to complete it flawlessly and scores a 24.32, putting her in first place. However, she suffers a sprained ankle. Despite her injury, Inori insists on staying long enough to watch Ema's performance. When Ema's program starts, she recalls how she struggled in training due to her growth spurts prior to Yudai becoming her coach. She pulls off an array of highly complex moves and scores a 25.57. Ema and Seira take first and third place, respectively, with Seira and Miihi joining Ritsuki's club. On the train ride home, Tsukasa warns Inori that she will need to take a break due to her likely having shin splints, which could lead to a stress fracture. Inori reflects on the competition and promises that despite the gap in experience between herself and her rivals, she will not give up on her dream. Five days later, Tsukasa promises Yudai that he and Inori will impress him at next year's All-Japan competition. Elsewhere, Hikaru wins the West Japan Novice B competition while Rioh angrily curses at his father as he congratulates Hikaru. |||||
| 10 | "Howling at Night" Transliteration: "Yoru ni Hoeru" (Japanese: 夜に吠える) | Hideaki Ōba | Shinichi Watanabe | March 9, 2025 (2025-3-9) |
| One year later, Inori takes first place in the level five division at her second Meikoh Cup, having made significant improvement. All she needs to do is pass the level six Badge Test in order to qualify for the All-Japans Novice A division so she can compete against Hikaru. However, Tsukasa notes that level six is the most difficult level to pass, requiring mastery of the double Axel jump. During practice, Tsukasa is called away to meet Rioh and his father, Shinichiro. Shinichiro explains that Rioh's progress has stagnated, so he wants him to temporarily be placed under Tsukasa's tutelage. Rioh, however, proves difficult to get along with. Inori eventually loses her temper and challenges Rioh, stating that she will reach level six before him and defeat Hikaru. After practice, Tsukasa has a private meeting with Inori where the latter reveals that she can already perform a double Axel jump on land, but cannot perform it on ice yet. Realizing Inori is already physically capable of performing the move, Tsukasa decides to accelerate her training. |||||
| 11 | "Dance the Night" Transliteration: "Yoru o Odore" (Japanese: 夜を踊れ) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Motohiro Abe | March 16, 2025 (2025-3-16) |
| Inori participates in a special training camp along with the rest of her club, with Mario attending as a guest coach. Mario takes note of Tsukasa's enthusiasm, but Hitomi warns her that his greatest weakness is his lack of self-confidence. After the first day of training, Tsukasa encounters Rioh in the bathhouse. When asked about his training goals, Rioh claims that he has hit a wall and is skeptical of Tsukasa's qualification to be a coach since he only passed the Prelim level Badge Test. Initially discouraged by Rioh's pessimism, Tsukasa fires himself up by swearing to teach Rioh how to master a triple-double combo. Meanwhile, Inori confides with Ryoka that she hopes she can pass the level six Badge Test to prove Tsukasa is a worthy coach. The next day, Inori finally manages to land both her first double Axel jump and triple Salchow jump, while Rioh continues to struggle. Witnessing Inori's success, Rioh is reminded of how quicky Hikaru surpassed him. Tsukasa privately meets Rioh again and deduces that Rioh's pessimism comes from him being unable to match Jun's skill. Now knowing the problem, Tsukasa prepares a new training routine for Rioh. |||||
| 12 | "Shirone's Lesson" Transliteration: "Shironeko no Ressun" (Japanese: 白猫のレッスン) | Takahiro Hirata | Hiroyuki Oshima | March 23, 2025 (2025-3-23) |

## Reception

The series ranked fifteenth on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" by the Honya Club website, and ranked twelfth on the 2022 edition. The series ranked sixteenth out of 50 nominees in the 2021 Next Manga Awards in the print category; it won the award in 2022. The series placed ninth in the 2021 Tsutaya Comic Award, and placed third in the 2022 edition. The series ranked 30th on the 2021 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine; it ranked 23rd on the 2022 list; 27th on the 2023 list; and 16th on the 2024 list.
The series won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2023. It was nominated for the 47th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category in 2023; it won in the same category for the 48th edition in 2024.