Medalist (Manga)

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Medalist (Manga)
Author	Tsurumaikada (つるまいかだ)
Magazine	Monthly Afternoon
Publisher	Kodansha
Volumes	12
Chapters	50
Start Date	May 25, 2020
Related Works
Anime (Adaptation)

Medalist is a manga written and illustrated by Tsurumaikada, serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine. The first chapter was published on May 25, 2020 in issue 5, 2020 of Monthly Afternoon.

Synopsis

Awestruck from the performance of one of the best figure skaters in the world, Tsukasa Akeuraji, aged 14, knew exactly what he wanted to do — pursue figure skating. However, starting late in the sport brought constant discouragement from those around him. Eventually, he was forced to abandon his dream of singles skating and settle for ice dancing. For years, he lived as a shadow of his former ambitions, struggling even to find skating-related work. That is, until a fateful encounter with a certain girl.

Having poor grades and no standout skills, Inori Yuitsuka was always alone and excluded by her peers. She saw figure skating as her only escape, having gained a passion for the sport after seeing her older sister perform, so much so that she practiced in secret at her local rink. But now, at 11 years old, she is quickly approaching the cutoff age for going pro, and her mother, bitter over her eldest daughter's career-ending injury, is firmly against letting her tread the same path.

After witnessing her talent on the ice however, Tsukasa sees a reflection of his former self. His passion rekindled, he takes it upon himself to coach Inori, promising to help fulfill her dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist.

Volumes and Chapters

Volume	ISBN	Release Date
Volume 1	978-4-06-520783-3 (JP) 978-1-63-699098-9 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877185-3 (EN Print)	September 23, 2020 (JP) May 18, 2021 (EN Digital) March 5, 2024 (EN Print)
	1 — Genius on Ice (氷上の天才) 2 — The Preliminary Badge Test (初級バッジテスト) 3 — Taiyaki and Cake (たい焼きとケーキ) SP1 — Inori and the Birds (いのりと小鳥) SP2 — Tsukasa and the Sushi (司とお寿司)
Volume 2	978-4-06-522253-9 (JP) 978-1-63-699157-3 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877195-2 (EN Print)	February 22, 2021 (JP) June 15, 2021 (EN Digital) May 7, 2024 (EN Print)
	4 — Meikoh Cup, Girls' Preliminary (Part 1) (名港杯 初級女子FS編①) 5 — Meikoh Cup, Girls' Preliminary (Part 2) (名港杯 初級女子FS編②) 6 — Meikoh Cup, Girls' Novice B (名港杯 ノービスB女子FS編) SP3 — Night of the First Battle (初戦の夜) 7 — Level 1 Badge Test (1級バッジテスト) SP4 — Beast of the Snowfield (雪原の獣)
Volume 3	978-4-06-523607-9 (JP) 978-1-63-699469-7 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877196-9 (EN Print)	June 23, 2021 (JP) November 16, 2021 (EN Digital) July 2, 2024 (EN Print)
	8 — The Powers of the West (Part 1) (西の強豪 前編) 9 — The Powers of the West (Part 2) (西の強豪 中編) 10 — The Powers of the West (Part 3) (西の強豪 後編) 11 — I Hate the Night (夜が嫌い)
Volume 4	978-4-06-525162-1 (JP) 978-1-68-491132-5 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877197-6 (EN Print)	October 21, 2021 (JP) April 19, 2022 (EN Digital) September 3, 2024 (EN Print)
	12 — Howling at the Night (夜に吠える) 13 — Dance the Night (夜を踊れ) 14 — Morning Comes (朝が来る) 15 — Shirone's Lesson (白猫のレッスン)
Volume 5	978-4-06-525162-1 (JP) 978-1-68-491132-5 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877197-6 (EN Print)	October 21, 2021 (JP) April 19, 2022 (EN Digital) September 3, 2024 (EN Print)
	16 — The Athlete's Pledge (選手宣誓) 17 — The Gamble (ギャンブル) 18 — My Cards (私のカード) 19 — The Queen's Leap (女王のジャンプ) EX1 — The Beast of Fire and Ice (氷焔の獣)
Volume 6	978-4-06-528515-2 (JP) 978-1-68-491710-5 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877199-0 (EN Print)	July 22, 2022 (JP) February 21, 2023 (EN Digital) January 7, 2025 (EN Print)
	20 — Ascendance (下克上) 21 — Kiss and Cry (キスアンドクライ) 22 — Beacon (狼煙) 23 — Intensive Training (強化練習)
Volume 7	978-4-06-529918-0 (JP) 979-8-88-933039-4 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877200-3 (EN Print)	December 22, 2022 (JP) July 18, 2023 (EN Digital) March 4, 2025 (EN Print)
	24 — Typical Jumps (よくある飛躍) 25 — Hot Passion (熱血) 26 — The Frozen Lake (氷の湖) 27 — The Golden Egg (金の卵) 28 — The Vanishing Surface (消える銀盤)
Volume 8	978-4-06-531682-5 (JP) 979-8-88-933148-3 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877201-0 (EN Print)	May 23, 2023 (JP) September 19, 2023 (EN Digital) May 6, 2025 (EN Print)
	29 — Open Practice (公式練習) 30 — Shallow Motives (浅い動機) 31 — The Wizard (魔法使い) 32 — Kamisaki the Wolf (狼)
Volume 9	978-4-06-533261-0 (JP) 979-8-88-933416-3 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877315-4 (EN Print)	October 23, 2023 (JP) March 19, 2024 (EN Digital) July 8, 2025 (EN Print)
	33 — The Ahiru Child (あひるの子) 34 — Quadruple Salchow (4回転サルコウ) 35 — Level 4 (レベル4) 36 — The Next Qualification (目指す資格)
Volume 10	978-4-06-535154-3 (JP) 979-8-88-933695-2 (EN Digital) 979-8-88-877451-9 (EN Print)	March 22, 2024 (JP) August 20, 2024 (EN Digital) September 9, 2025 (EN Print)
	37 — The Junior Grand Prix (ジュニアGP) 38 — The Junior Rules (ジュニアのルール) 39 — Trial and Error (試行錯誤) 40 — The Teacher (恩師) SP5 — Boys' Novice A (ノービスA男子)
Volume 11	978-4-06-536472-7 (JP) 979-8-89-478310-9 (EN Digital)	August 22, 2024 (JP) January 7, 2025 (EN Digital)
	41 — Knight and Judoka (騎士と柔) 42 — Event 1: JGP Bangkok SP (JGP第1戦バンコクSP) 43 — The Girl at the Top (一番上の少女) 44 — Wounds and Fins (傷と鰭) 45 — Virtuous Maneuvering (善意の策動) SP6 — Junior Camp, Side B (ジュニア合宿サイドB)
Medalist Official Fanbook	978-4-06-537857-1 (JP)	January 22, 2025 (JP)
	FBSP1 — Inori's Timetable (いのりの時間割) FBSP2 — Hikaru and the Exhibition (光とエキシビション) FBSP3 — Cat☆Fight (キャット☆ファイト) FBSP4 — Eyelashes and Pigtails (まつ毛とおさげ)
Volume 12	978-4-06-538012-3 (JP)	January 22, 2025 (JP)
	46 — Light and Shadow (光と影) 47 — Creatures of the Night (夜の生き物) EX2 — The Beast of Fire and Ice (氷焔の獣) 48 — The Promised Day (約束の日)

Uncollected Chapters

• UCSP1 — Tsukasa and Senpai (司と先輩)
• 49 — All-Japan Junior Women's SP (全日本ジュニア女子SP)
• 50 — Proof of Earnestness (本気の証明)
• 51 — All-Japan Junior Women's FS (Part 1) (全日本ジュニア女子FS（前編）)
• 52 — All-Japan Junior Women's FS (Part 2) (全日本ジュニア女子FS（後編）)

Trivia

• Tsurumaikada is a long-time fan of 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.
• Two proposed titles for the series were "The Beast of Fire and Ice" (Japanese: 氷焔の獣 Hyouen no Kemono) and "MEDALIST!!", both rejected by Tsurumaikada's editor. "The Beast of Fire and Ice" was later used as the title for the "Exhibition" spin-off chapters.
• In Medalist, there is a rule where an athlete's name must include an animal reference. Athletes who lack an animal reference are ones who are cast away from the fate of skating. For more details, see Animal References in Medalist.