Being strong against one rikishi can mislead

Conclusion

From Natsu 2003 onward, only 46.7% of all-division bouts involved opponents who had met before; 53.3% were first meetings. A handful of bouts rarely separates a durable matchup effect from chance, so head-to-head history needs to be read alongside sample size and current strength.

Methodology

Period

2003 Natsu Basho〜2026 Natsu Basho

Sample

Bouts of all classes are always determined based on the match history before the first match.

Sample size

336,981 bouts

Calculation

The number of bouts in the past where the same combination was 1 or more was 157,330 bouts, 46.7%

rest

First meeting: 179,651 bouts, 53.3%

How to read this

If you have played against someone even once, you have experience. The percentage of matches with enough matches to discuss compatibility is even smaller.