I want to have something that I'm really into, too... Something that I don't have to be ashamed of!
Inori Yuitsuka (Japanese: 結束 いのり Yuitsuka Inori) is a figure skating athlete and the protagonist of Medalist. Having gained a profound passion for figure skating after watching her older sister's performance, she practiced in secret at her local rink, until a fateful encounter with her future coach, Tsukasa Akeuraji.
Appearance[]
Inori has short, brown hair, styled with a horizontal braid above her forehead, accompanied by a distinct shrimp tail-shaped tuft of hair to the right of the braid. Her figure skating outfit is a primarily white dress adorned with gold accents.
Personality[]
Prior to meeting Coach Tsukasa, Inori was shy and lacked confidence in herself, often excluded by her peers due to a lack of standout skills. However, after embarking on her figure skating journey, she displays remarkable determination, resilience, and hyperfixation. Despite starting at a later age than other children, Inori dreams big and works hard, aspiring to become the best in the world.
Inori is a big fan of earthworms, finding them cute and effective for relieving stress. Prior to important events, she often seeks comfort by holding Coach Tsukasa's hoodie strings, which resemble worms and provide the same soothing effect.
Media Appearances[]
Anime[]
Manga[]
| Volume 1 | |
|---|---|
| Volume 2 | |
| Volume 3 | |
| Volume 4 | |
| Volume 5 | |
| Volume 6 | 22Mentioned |
| Volume 7 | |
| Volume 8 | |
| Volume 9 | |
| Volume 10 | |
| Volume 11 | |
| Volume 12 | |
| Fanbook | |
| Uncollected |
Trivia[]
- The author of Medalist, Tsurumaikada, is a long-time fan of Inori's voice actress, Natsumi Haruse, initially known for her role as Kaoru Ryuzaki from THE iDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS. Tsurumaikada envisioned Natsumi Haruse in the main role while creating the Medalist series, and also hired her to narrate a special commercial for the release of Volume 1 of the manga.
- Inori's grades at school are very poor. She is particularly bad at math, not even having a firm grasp of the multiplication table. However, when it comes to calculating figure skating scores, she can easily do multiplication with decimals.[2]
- Inori's elementary school teacher is named Mr. Harada. He is deeply concerned for Inori and stays after school on unpaid overtime to tutor her. Thanks to this, Inori manages to maintain a minimum level of academic ability and self-esteem. Mr. Harada is happy to see Inori gaining confidence and becoming more energetic after she started skating, and would burst into tears at her graduation ceremony.[2]
- The penguin character that Inori often wears on her chest is called "Penkuma." It is the mascot of a morning anime in the Medalist universe. Inori doesn't watch the anime much, but is a big fan of Penkuma.[2]
- She does her own hair braiding and wears leggings so that her skates don't chafe her ankles.[3]
- Her Jackson skates were purchases at the Nagoya Sports Center's rinkside shop for 28,000 Yen (approx. $267)[3]
- Thanks to playing dangerous games with Mika as a child, such as falling off a tree and letting Mika catch her, Inori has lost her fear of speed and height.[4]
- Inori had a habit of eating her hair as a baby, which is the reason why Nozomi started cutting her hair short.[5]
Etymology[]
- The given name "Inori" means "prayer," and the surname "Yuitsuka" means "to bind." The full name was chosen with the meaning of "to bind prayers."[2]
References[]
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