Yep, !sumo@lemmy.world

I think Aonishiki will continue to do well, and hopefully his countryman Shishi finds some more solid footing for himself soon. Also Kusano smashed his way up the ranks so fast they already changed his name to Yoshinofuji. Fujinokawa is looking ok for a newcomer too, just not quite as good.

I hope Hoshoryu can stay healthy for a few basho in a row, as Onosato needs someone to check his power. Having only one ozeki right now doesn't help either.

Takayasu on the other hand I'd guess is pretty much done. He'll still put up some wins for awhile, but I think the playoff back in March was his last shot at a yusho. I remember checking into winners older than 35 and there was only the smallest handful of guys who pulled it off.

Dunno about Kotoeiho but I'm hoping Takerufuji can get his shit together. It'll be disappointing if his historic win last year isn't followed by an exciting career.

It’s actually awesome. It’s pretty pure athleticism, so the sport is there. Every wrestler has their own style and personality, and it even comes through when the match lasts 10 seconds. The ring is made from hardened clay and the hay bales that make up the ring are stuffed with gravel - the risk is real and the consequence of losing is pain. These guys are sometimes 400lbs of muscle (and yeah with a ton of body fat on top of it, weight is momentum and momentum is everything) who train constantly and have honed their skills for almost a lifetime to work up the ranks to even be in Grand Sumo in the first place. These dudes go out there to perform for the gods and they go as hard as they can.

It seems silly because people can’t get past “hue hue naked and fat” and they made a trope out of it but it’s just about everything that makes competition “pure” distilled down into a single sport. It’s hard not to pop off after a good top division match, I’m always yelling at the TV.