GANGNEUNG, South Korea — At a figure-skating competition in Moscow last October, Yuzuru Hanyu was told that he resembled to some a heroic character, delicate but fierce, from the Japanese tradition of anime.

He did not see himself that way, the slender, long-legged Hanyu said in an interview, his hair flopping over one eyebrow. But with a smile, he added, “I like to win with some drama.”

He could have had no idea how much drama lay ahead.

Less than three weeks later, Hanyu sustained ligament damage to his right ankle while rehearsing a difficult four-revolution jump. Nearly four months elapsed before he could compete again, here at the Winter Olympics, but he showed little erosion of skill or victorious determination from the layoff.