Interest

Yuri!!! on Ice's JJ Flashback Responds to South Park's Reference

Yuri!!! on Ice premiered its final episode on Wednesday, and fans already noticed an apparent hidden homage to South Park. In a flashback, a young version of the Canadian skater Jean-Jacques "JJ" Leroy appears to wear a winter outfit inspired by the character Eric Cartman's signature look. Young JJ wears a blue and yellow hat, yellow gloves, red coat, and brown pants that are very similar to Cartman's. Twitter user @ksoyaji_ posted an image of JJ's outfit:

The American adult animated series included a reference to Yuri!!! on Ice earlier this month when the character Ike Broflovski Googled the show. The episode also referenced Naruto and Crunchyroll, and the streaming service Tweeted a video about it:

South Park has a long history of referencing Japanese culture and anime. If Yuri!!! on Ice's final teaser message "See You NEXT LEVEL" is hinting at a sequel, the anime may have more chances to return the favor in the future.