Let’s be honest here. When was the last time you knew about an anime character from Thailand? Since Japan permitted easier tourist visas for Thai in 2015, tourism from that country has increased considerably. These days, Japan wants to be viewed as a global place.

It makes sense to create characters from more varied nationalities, especially from less known Asian countries. So, we have to give thanks to the creators for thinking about adding Phichit Chulanont to the cast! Besides that, his distinctive and beautiful skin color makes him stand out among the Yuri!!! on Ice crew. Phichit also has jet, black hair with bangs, but he combs it back when he has a performance. And let’s not start on his shiny, dark, grey eyes...

We could notice three types of music choices among the skaters in Yuri!!! on Ice. The first one was classical music (like Yurio), the second one was modern music (like Emil), and the third one was representative music from their country. Phichit’s songs belong to the third category. They mirror the real ice skating world, where music from famous movies or videogames are used for the performances.

So yes, in the case of Phichit Chulanont, his music is from two fictitious musicals called The King and the Skater, and The King and the Skater II. They are inspired in the musical and movie The King and I, which in turn is based on a novel called Anna and the King of Siam (which is Thailand, of course). Anyway, just by hearing the songs, we know there is a deep Thai spirit in them! The lyrics are uplifting and happy. Phichit’s costumes are so distinctively Thai, that the first one reminds us of the royal family traditional outfits as well. And well, the smiling guy’s performance has all the energy and originality in the world. Phichit Chulanont truly enjoys being in the ice!

Phichit met Yuri at the Detroit skating club, where they trained under Celestino Cialdini’s supervision. Being the strict coach he is, Cialdini would only accept people with potential, right? Besides that, Phichit and Yuri are both Asians in a Western country. So, with that background in common, they had a solid base to build a friendship that didn’t break when they went back home.

These two guys are so cute together! While Yuri is shy but kind and soft hearted, Phichit Chulanont is the super smiley, friendly guy. Yuri has confessed that the only person he considered a friend among his competitors was Phichit Chulanont. Thus, we have some scenes where we see them sharing their thoughts and dreams. We all need someone to trust when we are far away from home, don’t you think the same?

And how about when Yuri gave a ring to Viktor? They get together with Phichit Chulanont and other skaters at a restaurant after that. It is the Thai guy who first spots the rings and gladly congratulates the couple, exclaiming they got married. Although the mistake was comical, the happiness with which he accepted their relationship is something the LGBTQ community would love to see more often both in anime and in real life. Phichit Chulanont truly is an example of how to be a supportive friend.

Talking about dreams, friendly guys have a curious tendency. Some of their deepest desires remain unknown even to their inner circle of friends. That does not have anything to do with trust, it is simply something that evolves and eventually ends up coming out. In the case of Phichit, we find out during his last performance that there is something he has not told Yuri. The truth is that he wants to create an ice show in Thailand.

What is interesting and funny about his dream is how he pictures all of the skaters he knows as part of the show. In real life there are some rivalries and cold friendships going on, but Phichit views everyone in the same warm perspective. Also, because he likes hamsters, Phichit imagines the skaters wearing hamster hats. Now, that is a show we would totally attend to!

Finally, there is an important uplifting quality in Phichit Chulanont. His enthusiasm for skating and his generally positive view of life help him to have an enormous confidence in himself. That makes Phichit an interesting contrasting character if we compare him with Yuri, right? While he is always worried about his performance, Phichit calmly observes the performances of others and calculates what he can do to earn more points. Yes, he does not focus on the person and much less on their personality, like Yurio does, for example. Phichit Chulanont focuses on how to be better himself.

Then, once Phichit Chulanont is in the ice rink, he has a mindset of someone who has nothing to lose. Because his age is not so old but also because there are not Thai ice legends before him, Phichit let’s himself go. He does not have to defend anything, or even surpass any record of his own. What matters to Phichit Chulanont is making his country shine. Therefore, whether he wins or loses is not that important.