Meaningless weird tournament yet still fun

When Yokozuna Onosato and Ozeki Aonishiki both announced their withdrawals days before the basho started, it immediately felt like luck had finally smiled on Yokozuna Hoshoryu. His two biggest rivals were gone, seemingly leaving him with a clear path to his third career yusho and first as a yokozuna. But then Day 1 happened, Hoshoryu went down to Takayasu and did not get back up. Hours later we learned that now Hoshoryu was out for the tournament too and from then the ball just kept rolling. Komosubi Takayasu. Ozeki Kotozakura. Maegashira ranked wrestlers Asanoyama and Asakoryu. All dropping out due to injuries throughout the tournament. And with each withdrawal the tournament started to feel more and more meaningless. But yet through it all it was never not fun. The championship chase between Kirishima and Wakatakakage was apparent from early on, and established a through line all the way to day 15. We watched in anticipation to see if Waka could catch up to the Ozeki or if Kirishima was just too good for the remaining members of the banzuke. We also had the potential for a crazy playoffs with 7 men staying in yusho contention until the final day. We had the incredibly fun runs of fan favorites in Ura and Tobizaru who both shocked fans by far surpassing pre-basho expectations with both remaining contenders for the yusho until the dying days. While the top dogs were out there was still a lot of fun and chaos to be had. And as time passes all the history books will say is that Wakatakakage won the 2026 May basho. But the people who watched it live will remember how weird, chaotic, fun, but ultimately pretty meaningless it all was. 

Wakatakakage firmly establishes himself in the tier below the big guns alongside Kirishima

Wakatakage was eventually able to catch up to Kirishima thanks to a little help from Hakunofuji on Day 14, a playoff commenced and Wakatakakage walked away with the emperors cup, his second. Ever since his promotion to the top division Wakatakakage has been a guy whose skills and eye test paint him as an ozeki level rikishi, most fans would say that he’s one of the most talented members of the banzuke. But the results just haven’t always been there. A 2023 injury sent him from Sekiwake all the way back down to Makushita where he had to claw himself back up. Even this past year his results haven’t been mind blowing. 2 double digit tournaments, 2 make koshis, a 9-6 and an 8-6-1. Not exactly the results of an Ozeki level competitor. But we’ve all seen what he can do when he turns it on. He can beat anyone, as seen in his gold star win against Yokozuna Onosato in March (though Onosato hasn’t been himself since he injured his shoulder in November). With this win here I firmly believe that Wakatakage has established himself in that second tier of rikishi alongside Kirishima. Not quite on the yokozuna level, but still one of the toughest outs and strongest skilled rikishi on the banzuke. Barring injury an Ozeki run looks very possible if not probable for the now two time yusho winner, Wakatakakage.

Even at his best Kirishima just isn’t at the tippy top level

Kirishima, meanwhile, once again showed both how great he can be and why he still falls just short of that true elite level. After Hoshoryu withdrew, it immediately felt like the tournament was his to lose, and for most of the basho he wrestled like it. Even with occasional slip-ups and a frightening fall directly onto his forehead, he always felt one step ahead of the field. But the Day 14 loss to Hakunofuji cracked that aura just enough, and by the time the playoff arrived, Wakatakakage looked like the sharper man. While he did his job on day 15 erasing Ura with ease in the days final bout, his playoff performance left a lot to be desired. While this loss isn’t as devastating as the one to Terunofuji, and I do think he’ll bounce back better here than he did then, I think it still firmly establishes him as a second tier kind of guy. A good to great ozeki that just wasn’t at the level of a yokozuna. Because even at his best there just seems to be that last little bit that he can’t seem to unlock. When the bright lights come on, he shrinks just enough to tell us that he is not that guy. 

7 men on the banzuke now have 2 or more yusho

This is a point I’ve been harping on about for nearly 18 months ever since Hoshoryu was rushidly and in my opinion undeservedly promoted to yokozuna. While that January yusho win in the 3 way playoff was impressive, I’ve always thought they should’ve waited one more tournament to promote him. But with Terunofuji retiring the JSA felt like they needed to promote someone fast and Hoshoryu was as good a choice as any. Unfortunately since then his results haven’t exactly backed up that promotion. Tournament in and out giving away kinboshi, losing to rikishi that should not be touching him. While he has has 4 runner ups in the year and a half since promotion, including 2 playoff losses, he still is yet to earn that important yokozuna yusho. Meanwhile, rival Onosato followed his Ozeki promotion with back-to-back yusho and immediately justified his own rise to Yokozuna doing what Hoshoryu has yet to do and winning a yusho as a yokozuna. Aonishiki also stormed through the division and won consecutive championships himself. And now, after Wakatakakage’s victory here, seven active rikishi have at least two career yusho: Onosato, Hoshoryu, Kirishima, Aonishiki, Wakatakakage, Tamawashi, and Mitakeumi. For a Yokozuna, that’s not exactly the company to be blending into. And quite frankly we should be holding him to a much higher standard. Am I being too harsh? Maybe, but Yokozuna is meant to be the pinnacle of this great sport. Yet Hoshoryu’s trophy cabinet and resume looks like that of a pretty good pzeki instead of a yokozuna.  Hoshoryu is still only 27 and absolutely has time to change the narrative, but at some point the results need to match the rank. 

Kotozakura has got to go

Since the beginning of 2025 there hasn’t been a bigger disappointment in sumo than Kotozakura. He ended 2024 on top of the world, winning his first yusho with a dominant 14-1 run that culminated in a Day 15 victory over fellow Ozeki Hoshoryu. That win put him in prime position for a potential yokozuna promotion if he could follow it up with a strong January basho. Instead, he completely collapsed. A disastrous 5-10 record ended those yokozuna hopes immediately, while the very man he had beaten a month earlier, Hoshoryu, went on to win the January tournament and earn promotion to yokozuna after a playoff victory on Day 15. You would think watching his biggest rival receive the white rope might have lit a fire under him. Instead, Kotozakura drifted. He followed that January disaster with three straight 8-7 tournaments. Technically enough to maintain his Ozeki rank, but nowhere near the standard expected from someone at that level. Since winning the yusho, his combined record sits at 66-64-4. A below .500 stretch over a year and a half from an Ozeki is rough no matter how you frame it. And yet, throughout all of it, he always managed to do just enough to survive. But, this basho finally felt like the breaking point. Kotozakura stumbled to a 3-9 record before withdrawing and forfeiting his final three matches. Now he’s kadoban, meaning another losing tournament in July will cost him his Ozeki rank entirely. Honestly, to anyone actually watching, Kotozakura hasn’t really looked like an Ozeki for the better part of nine tournaments now. The title next to his name has felt more ceremonial than earned. More often than not, he’s wrestled closer to a middle maegashira than someone with yokozuna aspirations. But now we could potentially see what has felt inevitable for the past 18 months. A Kotozakura demotion. And maybe that’s the best thing for him. Maybe finally losing the rank lights the fire that never came back after his yusho. Or maybe it gives him the opportunity to step away, heal properly, and reset both physically and mentally. Because right now, the version of Kotozakura we’ve been watching barely resembles the wrestler who looked destined for the sport’s highest rank at the end of 2024.

Yoshinofuji is realizing his potential more and more each tournament

I’ve been a big backer of Yoshinofujis ever since he won back to back juryo yushos early last year. I thought pretty early on that we were watching a future yokozuna. His debut top division tournament backed up those thoughts. An 11-4 record as well as a runner up prize. However since then he’s been unable to reach those heights. 4 straight single digit winning tournaments, as well as a make koshi in March. I started to doubt the rikishi formerly known as Kusano. But baby, I’m all the way back in. An 11-4 basho that included a 9 match win streak, he bounced back incredibly well from his first career make koshi. His first double digit winning basho since July last year and a basho that will earn him a promotion to the san’yaku ranks. This is him starting to live up to his immense potential. Still only 24 the future is very bright for him if he continues to grow.

Wakanosho a good rookie 

We’ve been privileged to see a few super rookies over the last few years. Onosato, and Aonishiki to be specific. I think these wrestlers have given us a false sense of the top division and how hard it is to debut there and look impressive. No one is going to walk away from this basho thinking wow, Wakanosho set the world ablaze. But I’m still walking away impressed. A 9-6 kachi koshi is genuinely impressive for a debuting rikishi, and he had moments of brilliance that have me excited for his future. Is this a future yokozuna? Well odds are no. But I do think he earned the reputation of being a guy to keep an eye on in the coming bashos. He should have a bright future ahead of him and I am excited to watch.

Fujinokawa is top tier entertainment even if he’s not quite ready for the upper ranks

Out of everyone on the banzuke I don’t know if there is someone you need to go out of your way to watch more than Fujinokawa right now. While he didn’t have the best tournament this go around ending at a just okay 7-8, day in and day out he provided so much entertainment. The 21 year old still has a lot of room to grow if he wants to reach the san’yaku ranks, but by god win or lose there is not a better bang for your buck in all of sports than Fujinokawa.

Takerufuji

After finishing 11-4 in juryo this basho Takerufuji will be back in the maegashira ranks next tournament. I have mixed feelings about it. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an utterly fantastic rikishi when healthy, absolutely a san’yaku level wrestler, maybe even higher. But he just isn’t healthy.  Every tournament he continues wrestling through the arm injury feels like another step toward shortening what once looked like a potentially incredible career. Maybe his body was always destined to fall apart. But for a career that started so bright, it has quickly faded and now it’s hard not to watch him now and feel a little sad about what could have been.