Kaiō won his first top division tournament championship in May 2000 from the komusubi rank, defeating yokozuna Takanohana and three ōzeki and losing just one bout to Akebono.
After his eleventh runner-up performance in November 2004 Kaiō seldom contended for the championship or even produced a score in double figures, leading some commentators to suggest his retirement was overdue [REF].