Yuri has blonde chin-length hair that covers the right side of his face and blue-green eyes. He is shorter than average for his age and has a thin frame; because of his appearance, he is nicknamed the Russian Fairy.

Yuri is very ambitious and is determined to become the best of the best in figure skating. Contrary to his beauty and grace on the ice, once Yuri steps out of the rink he becomes foul-mouthed, rude, and dismissive of othersーearning him his second nickname, the Russian Punk. To ensure he gets what he wants, Yuri is not above threatening or intimidating his competition. He is short-tempered and very accustomed to yelling.