Grand Sumo’s latest tournament, the 2025 Summer Tournament, starts this weekend. Before each tournament, the Japan Sumo Association releases a banzuke (rankings document) that ranks every wrestler within the Grand Sumo system. These rankings, which determine what divisions wrestlers compete in, are determined based on a wrestler’s past ranking and their performance at the most recent tournament.
We covered those official rankings here:
These power rankings do not follow the same rules and formulas that govern the official banzuke. These rankings, instead, list the sport’s top twenty wrestlers right now. In my rankings I consider just one criteria; who is most likely to win the next tournament?
Check them out!
1. Onosato
Onosato won the last tournament, in March, to claim his third top division championship. He is ranked as an ozeki (one below yokozuna). If he wins the May tournament he will become the sport’s 75th yokozuna.
Given his dominance since bursting onto the senior sumo scene in 2024, it’s hard to bet against Onosato winning a yusho (championship) in any tournament he enters. In his eight top division tournaments to date he’s won three titles, finished runner-up twice and scooped eight special prizes. The 24 year-old is on track to achieve one of the gaudiest records (and trophy cabinets) in sumo history.
Onosato is massive and extremely strong. He’s also very fast for his size. This athleticism has made him a nightmare for his peers to deal with (along with his maturing technical abilities). He also seems to posses nerves of steel and has, so far, seemed unflappable during high stress moments in the ring.
With history calling his name, Onosato is the biggest threat to win this tournament. And it will take a Herculean effort to stop him.
2. Hoshoryu
Hoshoryu was promoted to become the 74th yokozuna before the previous tournament. Unfortunately, his maiden yokozuna tournament was one to forget. The Mongolian went 5-5-5 after pulling out due to injury on day ten. He cited an elbow injury, which he suffered in a match with Atamifuji in the January tournament. However, it is common for yokozuna to pull out of tournaments if they think there’s a chance they might bank a losing record.
Only Hoshoryu knows if his poor performance in March was due to a bum elbow or the yokozuna jitters. Now he’s gotten that tournament over with, the pressure is on him to show that he’s worthy of his esteemed rank.
Despite that 5-5-5 record Hoshoryu remains as the most dynamic and fun to watch rikishi on the scene. He possess high powered judo that is capable of dumping any opponent on their head (including Onosato). Hoshoryu will be desperate to prove he deserves to be yokozuna at this tournament and he might be extra motivated by the idea of blocking Onosato and keeping himself as the only yokozuna on the banzuke for a little while longer.
Hoshoryu has also looked great during recent open practises, taking plenty of wins over Onosato.
3. Kotozakura
Kotozakura ended 2024 with his first championship and more top division wins than anyone else. However, since then he’s been allegedly forced to fight through injury (by his father/stablemaster). At the last tournament he risked losing his ozeki ranking. However, he was able to dig in and secure a winning record to make sure that didn’t happen.
During the March tournament he showed flashes of his usual brilliance. Kotozakura is the thinking fan’s favourite wrestler, known for his excellent game-planning and nuanced grappling technique. When he’s healthy he’s a terrible match-up for Onosato and Hoshoryu (due to how big and immovable he can be). Because of that he’ll always be a threat to win a title (when healthy).
4. Kirishima
Kirishima was the best rikishi competing in 2023, taking advantage of Terunofuji and Takakeisho’s absences to win two titles and earn a promotion to ozeki (and a name change from Kiribayama to Kirishima).
2024 was an annus horibilis for Kirishima. He was plagued by a neck injury and some off the ring issues (his long time stablemaster retired and closed the stable). A string of poor performances resulted in him being demoted first from ozeki and then all the way down to maegashira 1 for this year’s January tournament.
In January he showed much needed signs of life, going 11-4 and getting within a sniff of the championship. In March he scraped by with an 8-7 record and has thus been promoted back to sekiwake (one below ozeki).
When Kirishima is healthy and focused, he can beat anyone (except Terunofuji, but he’s retired now). Kirishima is the only wrestler whose judo rivals Hoshoryu’s (they trained at the same club back in Mongolia). Kirishima beats Hoshoryu in the creativity department, though. Kirishima is excellent at devising plans on the fly and executing throws, trips or straight up push/force outs out of nowhere. When he gets on a roll he can be unstoppable.
5. Wakatakakage
Wakatakakage would have been an ozeki by now if he had not suffered a catastrophic knee injury back in 2023 (while throwing Kotozakura). That injury forced him to sit out for three tournaments. That resulted in him being demoted all the way to the third division. It took him the best part of a year to claw himself back to the top division.
He’s been steady in the top division since then and managed to climb back to the komusubi rank (one below his best ever sekiwake rank). Wakatakakage is undersized, but makes up for that with speed and tenacity. He’s also very gifted technically. He turned 30 last year and is now on a bit of a time crunch if he wants to realize his ultimate goal of becoming a yokozuna.
Full rankings
- Onosato
- Hoshoryu
- Kotozakura
- Kirishima
- Wakatakakage
- Daieisho
- Takerufuji
- Wakamotoharu
- Takayasu
- Abi
- Hakuoho
- Tamawashi
- Oho
- Midorifuji
- Churanoumi
- Hiradoumi
- Ichiyamamoto
- Takanosho
- Onokatsu
- Atamifuji
Just missed the cut: Aonishiki, Tobizaru, Ura, Gonoyama.
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