25 Under 25, 2025
Once again, we look at the youngsters who are bubbling under on the sumo rankings.
The Nagoya basho is almost here, and you can still sign up to play on Fantasizr before the live sumo begins.
Welcome to the third “25 Under 25” piece we’ve done. The intention of this exercise is to identify the youngsters who will be making some hay in the top division. I initially developed this as a bit of a complement or even counterpoint to the regular “The Next Yokozuna” series I’ve been doing every January. This will list some excellent youngsters with a chance at the top rank. It will also list a bunch of guys who have been really good, but aren’t overwhelming everyone in the lower levels. The goal is to have a larger perspective of who might be a Makuuchi mainstay over the next 5-10 years.
I did review the two previous versions of this list, from 2022 and 2024, and there were still some crashouts. Looking at younger competitors, most of whom are still a ways from Juryo, means that things still need to go right for a rikishi to make Maegashira. Injuries impact wrestlers at all career levels, plus a theme is that upper Makushita is really, really difficult. Young stars who zoom past the three lowest levels and make strong Makushita debuts sometimes linger on the cusp of sekitori status for a year or more.
The choice of 25 as the age cutoff is two-fold. One, I needed SOME cutoff. Two, 25 is essentially when a rikishi enters his prime. The best of a rikishi’s career should be ahead of them before they turn 25. 27-28 is the peak age for a sumo wrestler, like in most sports. Since it is an individual combat sport, there is more variation in performance. Just expect someone who is in their late twenties to be better overall.
The exact cutoff for this year’s list was that a riikishi needed to have a birthdate AFTER July 2000. This means that plenty of notable names would have qualified for last year’s list but not this one. The sekitori who have turned 25 in the last twelve months are Onosato, Oho, Onokatsu, Hiradoumi, Kotoshoho, Kayo, Tochitaikai, Daiseizan, and Hatsuyama. We have lots of rikishi who are still in their “early prime,” including both of our Yokozuna who were promoted in 2025.
Don’t forget that fact as you read about the rikishi listed below. These are the guys who are coming on strong, but there’s not too many older rikishi hanging around. The youth movement has already begun, and breaking through to the top could be very tough in the next few years. There are still plenty of rikishi who could shoot for a Yokozuna promotion, and there are even more who should challenge for a Sanyaku place or just be consistent Maegashira.
Everyone is listed below in current-rank order. This was a tough decision, because a few people are now well below their career highest rank. That Makushita-Juryo divide really is tough. I wanted to keep it easier to find rikishi on the current Banzuke. That also makes the most interesting prospect listed first.
Maegashira #1 East Aonishiki
Aonishiki Arata | 安青錦 新大
Ajigawa | Ukraine
Birthdate: March 23, 2004
Height: 180 cm | 5' 11"
Weight: 136 kg | 299 lbs
Career High Rank: Maegashira #1
Career Record: 82-20; 1 Jun-Yusho; 2 Fighting Spirit Prizes; 1 Jonidan Yusho; 1 Jonokuchi Yusho
Aonishiki is on the cusp of Sanyaku after a remarkable rise through the lower divisions. The Ukrainian war refugee joined sumo in November 2023, and all he has done is won two lower-level yusho, a Makuuchi Jun-Yusho, and 2 FIghting Spirit Prizes in as many top division basho. He has an 82-20 career record, a 22-8 record in the top division, and has never had a make-koshi basho.
Oh, and he turned 21 in March at the end of his Maegashira debut. The kid is really, really good and should be improving. He is equally balanced between pushing and thrusting, while also having a deep bag of tricks. He has already won with an uchimuso, a susoharai, and kirikaeshi four times. (Thank his stablemaster, the former Aminishiki, who was full of unusual maneuvers himself.) If you wanted to pinpoint a possible weakness, it would be that he is slightly small by the standards of the very best rikishi. Yet he's got counters on top of counters, plus he's still a relative newcomer to sumo.
In the short term, his strength of schedule gets a massive upgrade at Maegashira #1. A winning record does get him into Sanyaku. Even if he finally really struggles, he is already in an advantageous position to get there soon. There's never been a European Yokozuna, and Aonishiki is one of the best candidates in a long time.
Maegashira #4 East Hakuoho
Hakuoho Tetsuya | 伯桜鵬 哲也
Miyagino | Tottori
Birthdate: August 22, 2003
Height: 181 cm | 5' 11"
Weight: 155 kg | 341 lbs
Career High Rank: Maegashira #4
Career Record: 117-58-34; 1 Fighting Spirit Prize and 1 Outstanding Performance Prize
Hakuoho is not yet 22, and he already has two special prizes in his brief career. He has also won two-thirds of his competitive matches, despite entering sumo at Makushita 10 after amateur championships. He was so good when he came to pro sumo that he earned the nickname "Reiwa Monster." This is a young rikishi whose power and skill combine perfectly to overwhelm other sumotori, even if they are also big and skilled. He should be making hay in Makuuchi for years, if he is healthy.
"If he is healthy" is becoming a bigger and bigger worry for Hakuoho. He's been injured an alarming amount, and in different ways, for such a young rikishi. After his astonishing debut in 2023, he needed surgery on his left shoulder. On making his comeback in Juryo in 2024, he suffered a torn right biceps. In May, he was in the yusho race until Day Nine, when a left leg problem began affecting him. He lost his last six matches as he could barely keep his balance.
The Hakuoho of the first week of the Natsu basho is one of the best wrestlers in sumo. He is able to get low and spring quickly off the tachiai, making it nearly impossible for opponents to stop a mawashi grip from Hakuoho or get any leverage on him. He is also young enough to develop new tricks for anyone who does figure him out. The best version of Hakuoho has a Yokozuna ceiling.
It's just a question if we'll ever see the best version of Hakuoho for an extended period of time. On top of the injuries, he's already been through plenty of off-dohyo drama. He moved to Isegahama along with the rest of Miyagino-beya when the Hokuseiho scandal broke. Then MIyagino-oyakata left the Japan Sumo Association in June after he was unable to reopen his own stable, leaving Hakuoho and the rest of his stablemates to permanently remain at Isegahama-beya. Hakuoho has a bright future (if he's healthy), although he's already had an eventful career.
Maegashira #10 East Atamifuji
Atamifuji Sakutaro | 熱海富士 朔太郎
Isegahama | Shizuoka
Birthdate: September 3, 2002
Height: 185 cm | 6' 1"
Weight: 188 kg | 414 lbs
Career High Rank: Maegashira #1
Career Record: 196-149-4; 2 Jun-Yusho, 2 Fighting Spirit Prizes, and 2 Juryo Yusho
In September and November 2023, Atamifuji earned back-to-back 11-4 records that showed he has the ability to hang with the best in the top division. Since then, he's been middling overall, with just brief flashes of strong sumo. He is a big sekitori, so when he can get a grip and a lean on an opponent it's usually match over.
He has been at a disadvantage rather frequently over the last year and change. He is facing the issue a lot of large wrestlers have faced, which is that the physics problem he presents to others is also a problem for himself. He gets going backwards and can't really stop himself. Watching Atamifuji is often frustrating, and he hasn't broken double-digit wins since his sensational close to 2023.
Yet this is still a massive sumotori with an excellent track record overall. And he's still younger than Nagoya Makuuchi debutant Kusano. He doesn't need to do much different to stick around Makuuchi for a good long while. If he can figure out another gear, Atamifuji is able to make it to Sanyaku. He was already on the cusp of it once over a year ago.
Maegashira #14 East Kusano
Kusano Naoya | 草野 直哉
Isegahama | Kumamoto
Birthdate: June 25, 2001
Height: 183 cm | 6' 0""
Weight: 151 kg | 332 lbs
Career High Rank: Maegashira #14
Career Record: 51-14; 2 Juryo Yusho
Kusano spent the last two basho proving he was way too good for Juryo. In his only two Juryo basho, he went a combined 27-3 to earn back-to-back second division championships. Kusano joined professional sumo in May 2024 as a Makushita Tsukedashi after a good University career. He spent a year getting through Makushita, but found himself fighting in the second division.
Kusano is one of those rikishi who prefers a mawashi battle but can handle when a match turns to pushing. He has 17 career yorikiri victories and 11 oshidashi wins. Kusano also has won with a variety of throws in his career. The only real question for what he'll turn into is how much he'll develop. He is already 24 and not particularly huge. Yet he should be good in lower Maegashira now, and he is basically entering his prime.
Maegashira #14 West Fujinokawa
Fujinokawa Seigo | 藤ノ川成剛
Isenoumi | Kyoto
Birthdate: February 22, 2005
Height: 176 cm | 5' 9"
Weight: 117 kg | 257 lbs
Career High Rank: Maegashira #14
Career Record: 85-42-3; Sandanme Yusho
Fujinokawa joins Makuuchi and gets a brand new name for Nagoya. Just 20 years old, he is now the youngest member of the top division and could be for awhile. He is shockingly young, and debuting this young is usually a sign someone is destined to have a solid career at a minimum.
It's fair to wonder how he will do immediately. Not only is he basically a kid fighting against grown men who have been at it awhile, he is on the small end for a Makuuchi wrestler. There is a high likelihood he gets overpowered by quite a few fellow Maegashira. But he did zoom through the lower divisions, including a yusho in Sandanme. He also just won 12 matches in Juryo in May. There's also some intrigue to his sumo. While his most common winning kimarite is oshidashi, he also has a variety of slaps, throws, and trips in his locker.
Maegashira #17 East Kotoeiho
Kotoeiho Taiki | 琴栄峰 太希
Sadogatake | Chiba
Birthdate: July 8, 2003
Height: 184 cm | 6' 0"
Weight: 131 kg | 288 lbs
Career High Rank: Maegashira #17
Career Record: 107-64-1
Kotoeiho joins his brother Kotoshoho in the top division, just after Kotoshoho aged off this list. Kotoeiho (as Kototebakari--but after his brother used the same name because of Sadogatake naming conventions) jumped off the blocks in his pro career. He won his first 15 professional bouts, and he was on the fast track to future stardom.
In Makushita, he began to struggle. This is not unusual, but it definitely took the shine off of his future stardom. There have also been a series of youngsters shooting past him on the Banzuke. His older brother having a very up-and-down Makuuchi career thanks to injuries and inconsistency has colored the perception of Kotoeiho as well.
Take him as he is. He turned 22 just before his debut top-division basho, thanks to an 11-4 record in Juryo in May. Despite being relatively lightweight for a sekitori, his technique and athleticism make him a tough opponent. A slow start with a demotion to Juryo wouldn't be a shock, but this is a likely future Makuuchi mainstay with a chance for Sanyaku. He's proven too good already.
Juryo #3 East Oshoumi
Oshoumi Seiya | 欧勝海 成矢
Naruto | Ishikawa
Birthdate: May 12, 2001
Height: 184 cm | 6' 0"
Weight: 149 kg | 328 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #3
Career Record: 149-91-34; Jonidan Yusho
Oshoumi has taken a long time to make it through the rankings, largely because of injuries. He joined sumo in 2020, won a Jonidan yusho on the way to flying up the lower divisions. Then he withdrew from his second Makushita tournament with an injury. After two 6-1's, he missed more time, getting knocked back to Jonidan. Oshoumi made Juryo in 2024, but has been slowly getting through the second division thanks again to injuries.
There's plenty to like if he's healthy. He wins much more than he loses when he competes, largely favoring a mawashi battle. He's also got good size. He's probably in Makuuchi with a winning record in July, and 9 or 10 probably guarantees it.
Juryo #10 West Nabatame
Nabatame Tetsuya | 生田目 竜也
Nabatame | Tochigi
Birthdate: February 22, 2002
Height: 176 cm | 5' 9"
Weight: 157 kg | 345 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #5
Career Record: 141-106-10
Nabatame is probably no future star. He's squat and square, with no overwhelming athleticism. Additionally, Nabatame has had a pattern of needing time to adjust to a new level. He went straight back to Makushita after his Juryo debut a year ago, for instance. Nabatame is also allergic to a yorikiri bout, having just two of his career 141 wins by the simple force out.
He is also 23, a steady climber, and knows exactly what he should be doing on the dohyo. Don't expect Nabatame to turn into a Sanyaku regular or frequent yusho contender. Just be prepared to see him plugging away in Maegashira for a long while.
Juryo #11 West Mita
Mita Taiki | 三田 大生
Futagoyama | Tochigi
Birthdate: December 13, 2001
Height: 172 cm | 5' 8"
Weight: 125 kg | 275 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #11
Career Record: 30-11-2
Mita made his debut as a Makushita Tsukedashi last September, and is sitting in Juryo after a year in pro sumo. He's not setting the world on fire, just steadily winning against lower-division rikishi. In May, he made his Juryo debut and went 8-5-2. He withdrew from the last two days with a finger injury.
Mita is more in the Nishikifuji/Midorifuji category as an undersized University graduate with a bunch of different kimarite at his disposal. So far, the rikishi he has faced seem to not be too much of a challenge. It will be interesting to see what he can do with guys who are both big and skilled, but that's generally a Makuuchi question anyway.
Juryo #12 West Otsuji
Otsuji Riki | 大辻 理紀
Takadagawa | Hyogo
Birthdate: October 6, 2003
Height: 182 cm | 6' 0"
Weight: 138 kg | 304 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #12
Career Record: 144-101-15; Makushita Yusho
Otsuji has been a slow climber for most of his sumo career. He joined sumo in 2019, then missed his second official tournament and only fought in one bout in his third to avoid dipping back to Maezumo. His trail to Juryo was steady, but filled with lots of 4-3s and no 6-1s or especially 7-0 records. He got to Juryo in March and went 5-10.
Then he went 7-0 for a Makushita yusho in May. He may just be catching up to himself. He won't be 22 until October, which means he's always been slightly younger than his opponents. On this list, he doesn't sound especially young or like a world-beater. Still, he was ahead of the age curve and holding his own. He's also an interesting case on the dohyo. He favors pushing overwhelmingly, but also has hatakikomi as his most frequent losing kimarite. He is moving, at the very least, and now needs to prove his brand of sumo works as a sekitori.
Makushita #2 West Mudoho
Mudoho Kosei | 夢道鵬 幸成
Otake | Tokyo
Birthdate: September 18, 2001
Height: 185 cm | 6' 1""
Weight: 153 kg | 337 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #14
Career Record: 126-101-5; Makushita Yusho
Mudoho is going to be 24 in the September basho, and he is trying to get himself back to Juryo after going 5-10 in May. No one needs to be excited about Mudoho's future, just know he's likely to keep Sekitori status before too long and is probably headed for Makuuchi.
Mudoho is the younger brother of Maegashira Oho, which means he too is the son of a former Sekiwake and a grandson of legendary 1960s Yokozuna Taiho. He looks like someone who grew up in a sumo family, with a preference for pushing but a sense he isn't uncomfortable grappling and willing to use a variety of counters. Oho is a little more dynamic, with more size, but the family resemblance is there. Like many in this area of these rankings, Mudoho is a more likely future Maegashira than Sanyaku threat, but get used to hearing his name.
Makushita #4 East Satorufuji
Satorufuji Teppei | 聖富士 哲平
Isegahama | Shizuoka
Birthdate: May 29, 2004
Height: 178 cm | 5' 10"
Weight: 168 kg | 370 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #1
Career Record: 65-33; Makushita Yusho and Jonidan Yusho
Satorufuji is a 21 year old with two-lower division championships and twice as many wins as losses. He is on the cusp of his Juryo debut with a winning record.
A year ago, all the above was true, except he was 20 and had a better overall winning percentage. Satorufuji spent the past year in upper Makushita, going 23-19. Some of the shine comes off a prospect when this happens, but the outlook for Satorufuji is still very good. He can fight on the belt or in a push-fest, plus he has a few throws in his locker. He raises his level of sumo and he can make Juryo quickly. Quite a few young rikishi blossom in Juryo after finally making the jump to Sekitori status. Satorufuji certainly has the talent to be one of them.
Makushita #6 East Wakanosho
Wakanosho Eido | 若ノ勝 栄道
Tokiwayama | Tochigi
Birthdate: August 22, 2003
Height: 177 cm | 5' 10"
Weight: 139 kg | 306 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #11
Career Record: 90-54-12
Wakanosho is yet another rikishi on this list who made it to Juryo previously, but is now back in Makushita. That is largely because he injured his right instep in May, earning the 12 missed matches in his career record. He had held onto his Sekitori spot after his Juryo debut in March with a 7-8 record. Assuming he's healthy, he should be moving towards Makuuchi soon.
Wakanosho is yet another Saitama Sakae High School graduate, and he is under the tutelage of another Saitama Sakae rikishi in Tokiwayama coach Minatogawa (former Ozeki Takakeisho). Much like Takakeisho, he also prefers pushing to an absurd degree. Of course, if you're going to be a pusher-thruster, there are few better teachers than Takakeisho. Still, variety is usally helpful in a rikishi, and it's worth watching how Wakanosho develops.
Makushita #6 West Kiryuko
Kiryuko Hirokazu | 木竜皇 博一
Tatsunami | Chiba
Birthdate: October 31, 2002
Height: 177 cm | 5' 10"
Weight: 135 kg | 297 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #12
Career Record: 104-73-15; Makushita Yusho
Kiryuko is one more rikishi who fell from Juryo back to Makushita because of an injury. In Kiryuko's case, he suffered an injury to his ACL in March, which was given a three month diagnosis. Often that is sumo-speak for "Well, he's definitely missing the rest of this basho and all of the next one." Watch if he's really back in Nagoya and doing well.
Pre-injury, he was extremely promising. He made short work of the lower-levels, including winning a Makushita yusho in May 2023. He languished at upper Makushita, but got to Juryo this year. He needed a few chances to stick and then got injured. Kiryuko is a second-generation rikishi, with his father being Tokitsuumi. He also fights like it, with good fundamentals.
Makushita #9 East Goshima
Goshima Masaharu | 五島 雅治
Fujishima | Aichi
Birthdate: February 27, 2003
Height: 180 cm | 5' 11"
Weight: 181 kg | 398 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #9
Career Record: 12-2
Goshima is a University man who was a Makushita Tsukedashi in March. All he's done since then is gone 12-2, which has pushed him into upper Makushita and an outside chance at Juryo promotion with another 6-1. That is all easier said than done, but he's clearly very talented.
Goshima is a widebody who has been mostly blasting aside Makushita wrestlers in his short pro career. He is already 22 and does not seem to have the kind of skillset to take on any match he'll be in. He may just have the power and knowledge of who he is to keep handling other rikishi as he climbs the ladder.
Makushita #15 West Fukuzaki
Fukuzaki Maaru | 福崎 真逢輝
Fujishima | Kagoshima
Birthdate: January 9, 2007
Height: 172 cm | 5' 8"
Weight: 143 kg | 315 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #15
Career Record: 11-3
Just like Goshima, Fukuzaki was a Makushita Tsukedashi in March. He has gone 11-3 in his two pro basho, which puts him just behind Goshima. For all intents and purposes, consider the two on the same basic level two tournaments in.
Longer term, what matters is that Fukuzaki is nearly four years younger. That's right, Fukuzaki earned the Tsukedashi status as a teenager. He went to the top 8 of the All Japan amateur championships, which is usually dominated by University competitors and the best corporate wrestlers.He's been beating older and more experienced wrestlers for awhile now. Upper Makushita could be tough (see everyone on this list who stalled out there), but his future is bright and long.
Makushita #17 East Tenshoho
Tenshoho Shingo | 天照鵬 真豪
Isegahama | Mie
Birthdate: September 7, 2002
Height: 180 cm | 5' 11"
Weight: 173 kg | 381 lbs
Career High Rank: Juryo #10
Career Record: 102-83-8
Tenshoho could maybe already be labeled a disappointment. He made it to Juryo in 2023, then fell out and hasn't returned to sekitori status. He's spent over a year bouncing around Makushita with little to write home about. He also is one of the many Miyagino to Isegahama guys, which couldn't have helped matters.
So just remember he is not yet 23, built like a truck, and earned a Juryo promotion already. His future isn't as bright as it was 18 months ago, but if he doesn't make it to Maegashira in his career something has gone terribly wrong.
Makushita #17 West Daikosho
Daikosho Taiyo | 大皇翔 大陽
Oitekaze | Kagawa
Birthdate: February 21, 2002
Height: 189 cm | 6' 2"
Weight: 166 kg | 365 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #17
Career Record: 36-13
Daikosho is one of those University wrestlers who nonetheless started at the bottom of Grand Sumo due to not winning the right tournaments at the right time. He's proven he maybe should have been a Tsukedashi on talent. He's won nearly three-quarters of his bouts and has exactly one losing record.
There's another piece to recommend Daikosho, which is that he has prototypical sumo size. This isn't a guy who learned a bag of tricks in amazumo that can overwhelm the lower levels. He's a powerhouse, and he can fight in a variety of ways. He has 11 career victories by oshidashi and 11 by yorikiri.
Makushita #20 West Kotokenryu
Kotokenryu Takeaki | 琴挙龍 武明
Sadogatake | Mongolia
Birthdate: January 19, 2004
Height: 186 cm | 6' 1"
Weight: 151 kg | 332 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #8
Career Record: 84-48-8
The resident Mongolian at Sadogatake-beya, Kotokenryu is a 21 year old who has won about two-thirds of his competitive matches. He hasn't been a dominant rikishi in the lower levels. He has just steadily been climbing the rankings.
He did have an injury that cost him the whole of the Haru basho this year, but came back in May with a 6-1 after an opening day loss. He also added more throws in May, after being a very straight ahead wrestler. He also gets to train with an Ozeki and multiple other Sekitori every day, which certainly can't hurt.
Makushita #27 West Gyotoku
Gyotoku Kosuke | 行徳 康祐
Tamanoi | Tokyo
Birthdate: October 22, 2002
Height: 178 cm | 5' 10"
Weight: 143 kg | 315 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #27
Career Record: 6-1
Gyotoku joined sumo in May as a Makushita Tsukedashi. He immediately went 6-1, which should put the sumo world on notice.
On the other hand, it's just seven matches. He won three by yorikiri, two by oshidashi, and one by oshitaoshi. Hard to say what kind of wrestler he'll even be in grand sumo. He has just started about as well as he could.
Makushita #55 East Goseizan
Goseizan Minoru | 豪聖山 穣
Takekuma | Mongolia
Birthdate: July 30, 2005
Height: 185 cm | 6' 1"
Weight: 143 kg | 315 lbs
Career High Rank: Makushita #46
Career Record: 26-7-2; Jonokuchi Yusho
Goseizan is the resident Mongolian under former Ozeki Goeido at Takekuma-beya. He has flown through the lower divisions, reaching mid-Makuchita before he turns 20. Typical of Mongolians, he prefers grappling and has used a variety of throws. On top of that, he also has good size. This is the exact profile of someone who could move up fast.
Sandanme #35 East Wakaikazuchi
Wakaikazuchi Shion | 若雷 知恩
Ikazuchi | Oita
Birthdate: February 9, 2007
Height: 184 cm | 6' 0"
Weight: 104 kg | 229 lbs
Career High Rank: Sandanme #35
Career Record: 16-5
Wakaikazuchi is a fun figure among the lowest divisions. His name means, essentially, the "Youngster of Ikazuchi," and he is a member of Ikazuchi-beya. He is also skinny for a rikishi at 104 kg, and he has a weird history already. He has won by a variety of throws in his short-but-successful career. Remarkably, he has only lost by hatakikomi, abisetaoshi, utchari, and yoritaoshi. This guy doesn't seem to have straight ahead matches. He is also very young, not turning 19 until next year.
Sandanme #43 East Gonosho
Gonosho Gota | 豪ノ勝 豪太
Takekuma | Aomori
Birthdate: April 9, 2006
Height: 185 cm | 6' 1"
Weight: 140 kg | 308 lbs
Career High Rank: Sandanme #43
Career Record: 16-5
Gonosho is another member of Takekuma-beya, and further proof the former Goeido really wants to use all the obvious shikona that could start with 豪. In his brief career, he's won 11 of his 16 victories by yorikiri and two by oshidashi. Considering his good size, it suggests a powerful athlete who takes command and trucks opponents. That sounds like he resembles his stablemaster, although it seems rich to compare a 19 year old to a former Ozeki.
Sandanme #48 East Tenrosei
Tenrosei Kenichi | 天狼星 権一
Shikoroyama | Mongolia
Birthdate: September 15, 2006
Height: 186 cm | 6' 1"
Weight: 118 kg | 260 lbs
Career High Rank: Sandanme #48
Career Record: 12-2
Tenrosei joined Shikoroyama in January with some fanfare. He is a cousin of current Yokozuna Hoshoryu, which means he is also a nephew of former Yokozuna Asashoryu. His father was professional wrestler Blue Wolf, who worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is slightly more accustomed to life in Japan and sumo than many Mongolians.
Oh, and he's been pretty good on the dohyo. In two career tournaments, he's gone 5-2 and then 7-0 but lost the Jonidan playoff in May to stablemate Mineibaiya. Being a relative of Asashoryu and Hoshoryu, he has a fun sumo style. In just twelve wins, he has already won by ashitori, okurinage, shitatedashinage, sukuinage, and uwatenage. He's worth following for lots of reasons (and you'll probably hear about him anyway.)
Jonidan #40 West Ikazuchishu
Ikazuchishu Tatsuyuki | 雷修 辰幸
Ikazuchi | Tokyo
Birthdate: July 3, 2008
Height: 173 cm | 5' 8"
Weight: 115 kg | 253 lbs
Career High Rank: Jonidan #40
Career Record: 6-1
Ikazuchishu is the second member of Ikazuchi-beya on this list, and, yes, it does appear Ikazuchi-oyakata is trying to get the stable name into every wrestler's shikona. The biggest recommendation for Ikazuchishu is that he only turned 17 this month. He also was pretty good in his debut basho in May, going 6-1.
Really, Ikazuchishu is all about promise. He may never do much in sumo, but at 17 he could slowly climb the rankings and still be in mid-Makushita before he hits 20. Everyone in this piece is all about the future. Maybe Ikazuchishu will pop or maybe he'll crash out. Anything is possible, which is broadly true of everyone here. That's what makes tracking them worthwhile.