Yokozuna Terunofuji in 2025 (really? He's still going on?)

[Jejima 1,406]

Terunofuji was made an Ozeki back in 2015. He lost his rank through injury in 2017, and then descended all the way down to Jonidan in 2019. 2021 saw the culmination of an amazing comeback, when he won four yushos, and was promoted to Yokozuna. 2022 was not so good for him, with just one yusho, and pulling out of two bashos, and skipping one basho entirely. In 2023, he only turned up for two bashos, winning the yusho 14-1 in one, and then withdrawing on the fourth day in the other. In 2024, he won two yushos (January and July), pulled out of two bashos after shonichi (March and May), and did not compete at all in two bashos (September and November).

But he is still on the banzuke for 2025!

Please expand on your votes in the comments below - this will be used in the case of tie-breakers required at the end of the year to decide the yusho.

Previous polls:
2024
2023
2022
2021

Edited November 11, 2024 by Jejima

[Gurowake 4,092]

He doesn't participate in a single bout.  He's waiting for Onosato to be promoted before retiring.

[Yarimotsu 588]

@Jejima you can only select one option for Q3.

[Jejima 1,406]

5 hours ago, Yarimotsu said:

@Jejima you can only select one option for Q3.

Fixed. Thank you. 

[OyakataShinjuku 10]

I see him retiring in 2025. I think he will sit out in January for injury, the YDC will begin issuing warnings, and come the March or May basho he retires. 

[OyakataShinjuku 10]

18 hours ago, Gurowake said:

He doesn't participate in a single bout.  He's waiting for Onosato to be promoted before retiring.

I agree!

[Shatsume 118]

One final yusho. Something seven syllables. Intai in autumn. 

[just_some_guy 281]

Participates in January, Jun-yusho there.

Kinboshi to Daieisho and Takanosho. Does not return thereafter.

[Ryoshishokunin 310]

Enters january.  Pulls out, retires.

(Second guess is does well, retires anyway.)

[Jakusotsu 6,017]

9 minutes ago, Ryoshishokunin said:

Enters january.  Pulls out, retires.

(Second guess is does well, retires anyway.)

Retires only if another gets the rope.

[Kintamayama 45,441]

Out after March. No more yushos.

[Wakawakawaka 157]

Competes in 2 basho. One JY, pulls out of another. Retires when a 2nd Yokozuka arises. Kinboshi to Abi, Takanosho, Tobizaru.

[Morty 1,498]

He can't possibly make it to 2026 (prove me wrong big guy!). I don't think he yushos at all, I think he participates in a  couple of tournaments all up, doesn't finish either, then intai. I feel like he's waiting for the next Yokozuna, so if that happens quickly (say Kotozakura wins in January) then he'll go pretty quickly. If it happens later in the year then he'll hang around, but he won't compete much, and if no-one gets the rope he'll be forced out by poor performance by the end of the year

Edited December 27, 2024 by Morty

[Athenayama 1,065]

Intai in 2025. 2 appereances where he goes kyujo in the first days. Kinboshi for Takanosho and Atamifuji.

[Jejima 1,406]

He won't go intai in 2025. He will start on shonichi for three bashos. He will win one yusho out-right. He will win one jun-yusho after losing a yusho play-off (to Onosato). He will go kyujo on around day 5 of the third, being having a 1-3 record at the time. 

[Benihana 1,929]

He will not participate in any basho and go intai after the Y-promotion(s) following Hatsu 25.

[Pitinosato 120]

I expect him to retire in 2025

Without having fought one complete Basho.

1 or at most 2 tries, who end up going kyujo after a few days

Kinboshi: Atamifuji + Oho

Pitinosato

[Jejima 1,406]

Bump - last chance to vote!

[Jejima 1,406]

Right, let's do the official wrap-up of this poll (which is feeling rather moot....)

Top pick for most number of Yorikis by Terunofuji was a tie between 'Never!' and 6. The vast majority of us went for fewer than the 14 that he managed in 2024.

The number one prediction for kinboshis given away was 2, with special mention to 'zero' and '3', which were one prediction fewer.

 

As to the statements in 'question 3', the only one that received a majority number of votes, was for Terunofuji going intai at some stage during 2025. About a third of us thought that he would go kyujo in at least two bashos.

Okay, let's see how we all did....  shortly! (Stay tuned.)

 

[Jejima 1,406]

Terunofuji won only twice in 2025 - both times by Yorikiri. Only Ryoshishokunin got this correct. Athenayama came next closest (with 3), and I suppose Fashiriteta (4) ties for third with Gurowake, OyakataShinjuku (welcome to the polls!), Katsunorifuji and Benihana (all with zero), although I feel that the 'four' is slightly better than the zero....

Terunofuji gave up one kinboshi in 2025 to M2E Tobizaru. (His loss to M3E Gonoyama does not count, as that was a 'fusensho' loss.) Sumo Spiffy was the only player to get this spot on. I am a going to say that the two kinboshi predictions by Fashiriteta, just_some_guy, TheGunbaiHolder, killjoy, Athenayama and Jejima is marginally better than the zero prediction from Gurowake, OyakataShinjuku, rokudenashi, Katsunorifuji and Benihana.

Okay, for Question 3 statements....

Terunofuji competed on just one shonichi.
He won zero yushos and jun-yushos.
The lowest opponent that he faced was either M3E Gonoyama or M2E Tobizaru, depending on how one reads the statement. - But both are ranked higher than M11, so same result. (Note to self - need to make this statement less ambiguous. It should be 'scheduled to face' - so that the fusensho loss to M3E would be the lowest ranked match-up.)
He only lost to three different opponents (Wakatakakage, Tobizaru and Gonoyama) - and only once to each.
He either went kyujo in one or zero bashos, depending on how one 'reads' the intai announcement. But certainly less than two bashos. (Note to self - need to make this statement less ambiguous. Should be 'go kyujo (including any intai announcement) in the middle of at least two bashos.' - so that the number under consideration to this statement would be 'once'.)
He did go intai in 2025 (After Day 4 in January.)
Just one of the statements applied.

Okay, let's work out who got the most correct..... 

The following got ALL of the statements correct....Fashiriteta, Gurowake, OyakataShinjuku, Shatsume, Ryoshishokunin, Kintamayama, Wakawakawaka, Sumo Spiffy, killjoy, Morty and Benihana.

Very difficult to award the yusho for this one. I think it is between Ryoshishokunin and Sumo Spiffy for getting two questions spot on. Let's see how each did in the question that they respectively got wrong...

Sumo Spiffy was four off for question 1, and Ryoshishokunin was two off for question 3.

So, the first polls yusho of 2025 goes to @Ryoshishokunin , with the jun-yusho going to @Sumo Spiffy .

I'm also going to award an 'Outstanding Performance' special prize to @Fashiritētā for doing well in all three questions.