Fresh off a historic double gold at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, Alysa Liu isn’t just basking in the glow of victory—she’s owning her status as the self-proclaimed ‘Anime Queen’ of the ice rinks. In an interview following her victory on February 21, 2026, Alysa Liu skipped over the typical questions regarding the quality of edges and rotation speed in favor of a more fan-centric conversation. Asked which character from a fantasy series would have the most natural ‘ice presence,’ Alysa didn’t hesitate in her response: Maki Zen’in from Jujutsu Kaisen.
Her reasoning? The character’s incredible physical prowess, balance, and focused intensity would make a natural transition to the elite skating rinks. Her deliberate movement. Her explosive power. Her unyielding intensity. “She has that strength to pull off the jumps, but her movement is just so deliberate,” Liu shared. “She’d basically be the GOAT of the short program,” Alysa said in jest—though, considering Alysa herself is a two-time gold medalist, maybe a little bit.
Alysa Liu blends Olympic glory with anime fandom
And that’s just for starters. Liu won the first individual gold for an American woman in 24 years in figure skating, scoring 226.79 in the women’s singles competition, the best of her career so far. Liu’s free skate to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” was an exercise in dramatic flair combined with technical precision, while her short program was an exercise in lightness and precision.
But the thing that’s interesting to note is that Liu seems to have forged her own identity this time around. She took two years off from competition before deciding to return to figure skating on her own terms, including her raccoon-striped hair, frenulum piercing, and alternative style that seemed at odds with the traditional figure skating look.
Her anime watchlist only seems to confirm this newfound identity. In addition to Jujutsu Kaisen, Liu also name-checked Chainsaw Man, Attack on Titan (where Eren Yeager was “justified”), Puella Magi Madoka Magica for its genre twist in the anime genre, and Soul Eater for its kinetic gothic style.
What Milan seems to confirm is that Liu’s second act in figure skating isn’t about conforming to figure skating tradition but about redefining it with her own flair—triple jumps included.
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