Viktor Nikiforov has been one of the world’s top skaters since he was 16 and for over a decade he dominated the competitive stage. He was the king of the figure skating world. Let’s just list a few of his feats. He’s won five consecutive World Championships, five straight Grand Prix Finals, and numerous European championships. He set the world record for both the short program and for the free skate. In terms of artistry and difficulty, he pushed each and every one of his performances to the peak of perfection, setting precedence for what type of program must be coordinated for victory. It was also such performances that enchanted several of the younger skaters that we see in the series. His influence in fact is made clear on the three people who reach the podium by the end of the show.

Admittedly, he seems to be a bit of a problem child when it comes to being coached. Quite often we see Viktor and Yakov, his Russian coach, knock heads, and each time it comes off as if Viktor is just too spontaneous or lazy. However, it is clear that he practices nonstop and that when it comes to being on the ice he does what he must. This can be seen easily enough in just how physically toned the man is. His body has reached the status of a Greek god, with basically perfect musculature. There’s also the fact that his old coach does agree to sub in as Yuuri’s coach. This is an act that suggests extremely deep respect, which was probably obtained through rigorous training sessions.

Yes, Viktor is quite the flirt. Throughout the show it is made quite clear that Viktor likes having all eyes on him. This ego of his lends itself to basically every aspect of his life, both on and off the ice. He knows he’s a stud and isn’t afraid of making things risqué. He knows how to spark admiration from just about everyone and essentially has already earned the admiration of everyone who’s come into contact with him. We see this part of his personality on a non-stop basis. We see it when he interacts with Yuuri. We see it when he interacts with Chris. We see it whenever he’s near a body of water. We also see it when he’s interacting with any type of reporter.

Though we only get to see it in a very small time frame, Viktor does have the competitive bug in him. This is something that’s obvious when you consider all the feats he accomplished prior to the beginning of the series. However, for most of the series we merely witness a person who is unsure of what their position in the figure skating world should become. How much of this came about because of how easily he dominated the scene is not really answered. We just know that the passion had left and the passion had been reignited when seeing Yuuri’s copy-cat performance in motion.

At the end, however, it becomes clear that he needs the ice and that he needs to continuously hone the qualities between ice, dance, and music. His desire for growth is shown most heavily when watching both Yuuri Katsuki and Yuri Plisetksy break his world records. In this moment, we see the sparkle in his eye, his absolute love for the ice, and the need to be its ultimate conqueror. Admittedly, this moment seems to be a little problematic. Viktor wants to be on the ice and Yuri agrees that he should be back on the ice, but Viktor is still Yuuri’s coach so…If a second season is made things will get heated in multiple ways.

As the top skater in the world, Viktor has been an inspiration in some form or another to every single person who touches the ice. The show is rather explicit about the effect he has had on Yuuri Katsuki, Yuri Plisetsky, and Chris Giacometti. Viktor’s natural talent and dominance on the ice inspired each of these skaters to go after the gold. It’s also an aspect that’s on full display each episode as Viktor navigates being a coach for the rather emotionally fragile Yuuri Katsuki. Viktor consistently is trying to figure out the best ways to improve Yuuri’s confidence and does so in quite notable ways. One of these is by pushing Yuuri to choose his own music One of the most memorable is greeting Yuuri with a kiss after a rather incredible performance.

Admittedly, Viktor isn’t the best coach out there. He is a highly skilled skater and is very analytic. This leads to him knowing the best ways to challenge skaters, which generally involves forcing them to expand their horizons. Still, as Yakov points out, the fact that he needs to be comforted by his student shows that he has a long way to go. Oh, it’s also pretty clear that he’s affected such skaters as J.J., who finds Viktor’s absence as the perfect chance to set up his rule.

Okay, so this is probably the most controversial aspect about Viktor. Some people probably would have been much happier to see Victor as a cat person. The creators thought differently and a huge part of the population is perfectly content with this decision. Being a dog person matches well with his happy, go lucky nature that makes him so appealing to everyone. It’s the reason why he is so much more sociable when compared the young Russian fairy, Yuri Plisetsky. He also loves attention and knows how to put on the puppy dog eyes in order to get what he wants.

What makes this aspect of Viktor’s personality so amazing is that it represents a sense of normalcy in his life. It shows that there is a natural, or other side, to him that exists outside of the spotlight. Some people are obviously thinking “well, duh, he obviously has a life that exists off the ice” but just like in real life it’s extremely important to have some visual cue to this aspect. How often do we idealize the life of movie stars and drink in their persona without thinking about what they do at 2:30 am when they can’t sleep. Makkachin is the cue that reminds us just how human Viktor is. He tells us that Viktor can get lonely, otherwise Viktor wouldn’t need such a companion. He confirms that Viktor can love something fully and truly without any pretense. More important that any of the things stated above is that his dog is also adorable. Makkachin is just the cutest lump of fur out there.