When Takamisakari called it a day back in 2013, this paper carried a headline declaring that the "clown prince of sumo" had retired, while Kyodo News opened with a line that called the former komusubi's pre-bout rituals "goofball antics."
Those were somewhat harsh assessments, as Takamisakari was never really playing a role or hamming it up for the crowd with his face slaps and foot stomps. Those sometimes off-kilter comments and that Robocop routine were just the Aomori Prefecture native being himself.
Not that Takamisakari didn't take advantage of the public's reaction to what he was doing in the ring and its accompanying fame.