Yuri Killian

Yuri Killian is a character from the Kaleido Star anime and is probably considered the main antagonist of the first season. Yuri is one of the best performers at Kaleido Stage and is partnered alongside Layla until Sora arrives on the scene. While he seems calm and suave on the outside, he harbors a secret hatred for his boss Kalos because of something happening in the past. Yuri, strangely enough, is one of the characters without being apart of or having a song sung with his voice actor. Yuri is voiced by Susumu Chibain in the Japanese version and by Illich Guardiola in the English version.

Character Description

 * Age: 18
 * Gender: Male
 * Home: Russia
 * Astrological Sign: Pisces
 * Affiliation: Kaleido Stage (once took over before giving back to Kalos)
 * Family: Arlon Brass (Father, Deceased), Miss Killian (Mother)
 * Friends: Sora Naegino, Layla Hamilton, Anna Heart, Mia Guillem, Rosetta Passel and Kalos Eldos
 * Partner(s): Layla (previously, stage partner), Kalos Eldos (business partner)
 * Rival: Leon (Unknown at this point if their rivalry still exists)
 * Specialty: Trapeze
 * Interesting Fact: Despite being one of the longest running performers at Kaleido Stage, Yuri is not seen on stage as much during the series itself (probably since the show is more focused on Sora than him)

Season One
In Kaleido Star's first season, he first arrives during the Romeo and Juliet performance to assist Sora when she is suddenly casted on stage during a live performance. With his help, Sora is able to make it through the show in one piece. During Sora's time at Kaleido Stage, Yuri is mostly seen as a background character with little effect in the story plot. He is seen a few times when driving Layla around or having a talk with her. When Sora and Layla were casted together for the Arabian Nights performance, it was Yuri's words that convinced Layla to plan the audition and to move into Sora's room when they weren't in sync with each other. All the while, Yuri's true motives were kept secret. Soon after Sora and Layla's partnership proves successful, Yuri creates his own performing company and starts to steal members of Kaleido Stage away. He even once asked Sora to join when he invited her for lunch. But she rejected his offer and with her friends help, they created the Freedom performance following the end of the Arabian Nights.

Not ready to give up, Yuri buys out Kaleido Stage and becomes it's new owner. He then throws Sora and her friends out as well as cancel all future performances of Freedom. Unfortunately, Yuri is driving Kaleido Stage into the ground with the audience members shrinking one show after another. He also keeps an eye on Sora and her friends' progress. He went to Marine Park after seeing Sora performing with Layla as the Masked Star and convinced the owner that Sora lied about the Masked Star being apart of their new comany Freedom Lights. He then tries to invite Layla back to Kaleido Stage by sending her flowers in the mail from him. When Sora and her friends go on to compete in an performance tournament, Yuri is one of the judges and he had hired his own group of performers that stole their performance styles from Marine Park and used them before Sora's group went on. He didn't count on Layla's sudden appearance and her aide in helping Sora. Feeling furious, Yuri goes on during Sora's performance, separates Sora from Layla and rips Layla's mask off telling her not to get in his way. After they leave, he disqualifies Sora's entry under the accusation that Layla was no longer a professional performer. Sometime after, he fires Charlotte and Julie when they are talking about Kaleido Stage's failing success.

He tries to invite Layla back again to Kaleido Stage when they meet together for lunch. However, Layla denies saying that Sora is her partner now and the two are attempting The Legendary Great Maneuver. Yuri quickly calls Layla's decision saying she should do it with him. But Layla says that he is not worthy (he cannot see Fool), which causes Yuri to leave. He announces their performance attempt to the public and lets them have it at Kaleido Stage, without consulting them at all. When Layla proposed a wager to return Kaleido Stage control back to Kalos, he accepts telling them they have a month. When their time is nearly up, they return to see Yuri going slightly insane. During an earlier moment, he tells the investors in Kaleido Stage that when Sora and Layla's show is cancelled, he will announce his attempt at the maneuver with Layla. But they said that since the company is failing, Kaleido Stage will be sold to the highest buyer even if the show goes on or is cancelled. Even after Yuri claims its futile to even perform, he is slapped by Layla saying that they won't stop the show by any means.

The slap proved to put more pain on Layla's shoulder and her friends visit her in the hospital. Yuri turns to Kalos full of rage asking if hurting Layla was all apart of his scheme to get Kaleido Stage back. His past with Kalos is then revealed. Kalos and Yuri's father once worked together on the Legendary Great Maneuver with Kalos helping him. But during performance, he tells Yuri's father that it would be okay to drop out if he felt like he wasn't prepared. This sparked a dark seed in Yuri's father that led to his death. While knowing that Layla was hurt, Kalos said that he wouldn't interfere and leaves the choice to Layla whether to perform or not. When Layla is back up, Yuri sees how determined Sora and Layla are in doing the maneuver and it triggers a memory of his childhood with his father saying the exact thing. He is soon out of their way and invites the investors and Layla's father to their show. After which, the wager is completed and Yuri turns Kaleido Stage ownership back to Kalos.

New Wings
Yuri is absent for most of the first half of the new season. He makes his return when Sora goes to France to seek him out. It was nearly time for the Circus Festival and Sora wanted Yuri to be her partner for the festival since he and Layla won the festival before the series start and were automatically invited to participate (May already had won Layla's Phoenix Ticket to the festival and was partnered with Leon). Even with Yuri telling Sora how dangerous the festival is, he agrees to be Sora's partner and they work on The Angel's Maneuver to battle May and Leon's Demon Spiral. Yuri is much more sincere and kinder than what he was earlier in the series and has made a new life in France with a new hobby of painting. Even with all their training and after Mute and Alice steal their performance, they lose the Circus Festival to May and Leon after Sora drops out in tears. Soon when Sora leaves Kaleido Stage and comes back, Yuri joins her returning to the company as an producer and performer. He meets Leon again (they met before at the festival) and reveals the past behind their rivalry in which he accidentally caused the death of Leon's sister Sophie in a car accident. They duel on Kaleido Stage's trapeze in a sword fight, in which Yuri's constant taunting caused Leon to go slightly insane, but is ended early when Sora bursts onto the stage in tears that the stage should not be this way. He then joins Layla when she challenges Sora for the lead role in Swan Lake but they lose when Layla sees Sora's growth. He is there when Sora and friends perform and the Angel's Maneuver is a success. Later on, he goes to announce Rosetta's partner role with Sora in The Princess Without a Smile, Kaleido Star's first OVA.

Performances Through the Series

 * Romeo and Juliet - Romeo (Lead, partnered with Layla)
 * Cinderella - The Prince (Lead, partnered with Layla)
 * Arabian Nights - Pirate (Supporting)
 * Circus Festival - Partnered with Layla before series start (Won), Partnered with Sora in New Wings (Lost)