Not wholly unexpected, but still a bit sad. I kinda thought he would retire after he failed to regain his Ozeki rank, but he battled on. Then I thought he might retire when he got demoted to Juryo, but he battled on. Seeing him struggle in Juryo was a bit disheartening to watch. When I came back to watching Sumo, he was already an Ozeki along with Baruto, Harumafuji, Kotooshu and then Kisenosato. This definitely feels like an end to a certain era. I'll always remember his bumpety-bump Sumo and wish him the best!