Yuzuru Hanyu may have departed the competitive figure skating arena after winning every major accolade in a glittering career, but the 27-year-old supernova has promised no let-up in his pursuit of perfection.

Keen to avoid the word “retire,” Hanyu announced Tuesday at a packed news conference that he had decided to no longer compete, with the two-time Olympic and world champion saying he was now looking forward to a new beginning.

“I don’t like the word ‘retire.’ For me this is not an ending, but a beginning,” Hanyu said. “I’m not the slightest bit sad. I want to create opportunities and ways for people to see me skate, not just on the competitive stage.

“I hope my fans will continue to have high expectations of me. I’m not sitting here now saying ‘thank you very much (for everything).’ This is not retirement or anything of the sort.”

Hanyu’s declaration of intent to keep pushing the envelope in exhibitions comes as no surprise, given the worldwide acclaim he achieved despite a career ravaged by injuries.

The Sendai native famously skated on at the Cup of China in 2014 — and won the silver medal — after a scary collision with China’s Yan Han during the warmup for the free skate. The accident left Hanyu needing stitches in his jaw and staples to close wounds in his head.

The odds were stacked against Hanyu again during his attempt to defend his Olympic title at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.

Hanyu faced a race against the clock after suffering ligament damage to his right ankle just three months before the start of the Winter Games.

Hanyu, in the words of Brian Orser, his coach at the time, sweated “blood and tears” to be ready for Pyeongchang, and he triumphed to become the first male skater in 66 years to defend his title.

“Skating and myself are one and the same thing,” Hanyu said. “I have come this far because I have kept pushing myself to achieve higher levels in terms of (skating) difficulty.

“Every time you break through a wall, there is another one standing there,” he once said. “But it’s human nature to keep wanting to overcome them. It is human desire, I think.”

Hanyu, winner of four straight Grand Prix Finals from 2013 and a six-time national champion, withdrew from March’s world championships after failing to recover from an ankle sprain he suffered during the Beijing Games, where he finished fourth.

Hanyu narrowly missed becoming the first athlete to land a quad axel in competition during his free skate, failing on his attempt to land the 4½-rotation jump.

The attempt, however, was still recognized by judges as the closest to a success in competition.

“I want to keep going for it,” Hanyu said. “I’d absolutely love to nail the quad axel and share it with everyone.”

Hanyu has drawn fans from both the sporting and pop cultural worlds, but he seemed a little bemused when asked his thoughts on his crossover appeal at Tuesday’s news conference.

“I’m not an entertainer or pop idol or any of those things,” he said.

“As an athlete I’d like to keep aspiring to have people think what we do is cool and show people their hopes and dreams.”