Georgi Popovich

Name: Georgi Popovich

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Nationality: Russian

Profession: Competitive figure skater

Height: 178 cm

Birthday: December 26

Blood Type: Unknown

Coach: Yakov Feltsman

Rinkmates: Victor Nikiforov, Yuuri Plisetsky, Mila Babicheva

Voice Actor (Japanese): Wataru Hatano

Voice Actor (English): David Trosko

Georgi is portrayed as well-mannered, well-bred, and very serious about both training and artistic expression.

Among Yakov Feltsman’s students—many of whom run off to Japan or cause trouble—he is known as the only one who reliably follows instructions.

He has a strong belief in his own artistic sense and prides himself on reading the inner emotions of other skaters, especially when it comes to love.

Because of this, he often watches programs as if he can see straight into a performer’s romantic life and emotional struggles.

In Russia, Georgi spent most of his career hidden in the shadow of the superstar Victor Nikiforov.

When Victor retires from competition to coach Yuuri Katsuki, Georgi finally gets the chance to step into the spotlight and stake out his own identity.

Emotionally, he is intense to the point of being overwhelming.

He channels his personal heartbreak into his skating so completely that his performances can become almost unsettling for those watching.

At the time of the series, Georgi has just been dumped by his girlfriend, an ice dancer named Anya.

Devastated, he turns the entire season into a “Heartbreak” theme, choosing programs that let him vent his feelings dramatically on the ice.

During the China Cup, Georgi performs a short program in which he plays the evil fairy Carabosse from Sleeping Beauty.

Yuuri Plisetsky, watching from the stands, comments that Georgi’s emotional immersion is “abnormally” deep, and Mila Babicheva is visibly unnerved and pulled back by how intense he becomes.

Despite the extreme drama, his short program at the China Cup earns him second place.

However, after the free skate he drops to an overall fourth place, missing the podium.

At the French Grand Prix, Georgi skates strongly enough to place third overall.

Even so, his results across the Grand Prix series are not enough to qualify him for the Grand Prix Final, and he fails to advance.

Later, he is seen seemingly moving on from his breakup, awkwardly but earnestly trying to approach another woman.

This shows that, while he dives deeply into heartbreak, he is also capable of picking himself up and searching for new love.

Georgi’s skating is defined by heavy emotional projection and theatrical storytelling.

He uses his programs as a direct outlet for his private feelings, especially romantic pain and obsession.

He is able to convert personal experience into on-ice drama, pushing himself to express raw emotion in every movement.

Because he does not hold back, his performances can be powerful but also uncomfortably intense, blurring the line between acting and emotional breakdown.

His “Heartbreak” season is the clearest example of this approach.

Rather than subtle symbolism, he chooses exaggerated facial expressions, sharp gestures, and dark, dramatic music to convey the idea of a man consumed by rejection.

Short Program

Theme: Heartbreak / Vengeful love

Music: From *Sleeping Beauty*, centered on the character of Carabosse (the evil fairy).

Georgi plays the role of Carabosse, embodying malice, jealousy, and a curse born from rejection.

His portrayal is so committed that fellow skaters describe his immersion as abnormal.

The program leaves a strong impression, ranking him second in the short program at the China Cup.

Free Skate

Theme: Continuation of Heartbreak narrative

Music: “A Tales of Sleeping Prince”

The free program extends the dark fairytale world introduced in the short program, exploring twisted love and emotional devastation.

While artistically bold, the emotional overload may contribute to inconsistency in his overall performance.

In the China Cup, this leads to him dropping to fourth place after the free skate.

Georgi Popovich is voiced by Wataru Hatano in the anime Yuri on Ice.

Under the name “YURI!!! on ICE feat. w.hatano,” Hatano also performs the series ending theme song “You Only Live Once.”

Hatano has described Georgi as someone who converts private, real-life emotions into performance, especially on the ice.

He noted that Georgi can release everything inside him during a program, so as a voice actor he could perform without restraint and push the character’s feelings to the limit.

Hatano has also joked that while the short program is dramatic, by the time Georgi reaches the free skate the performance is “nothing but creepy.”

This matches how the anime itself presents Georgi’s programs: impressively sincere, but so intense that they cross into dark comedy.

The name Georgi comes from the ancient Greek name “Georgios,” meaning “farmer.”

It is associated with Saint George, famously known as a dragon-slaying saint in Christian tradition.

In Slavic languages, Georgi is a common male given name derived from that same root.

The name Yuri (as in Yuuri Plisetsky) is a related form that evolved from Georgi/Georgios.

Within the context of Yuri on Ice, this link emphasizes subtle name connections among Russian characters.

It adds a layer of linguistic and cultural depth to the cast, tying Georgi and Yuuri together through their shared name origin.