In his early top division career, Wakanosato was considered a promising candidate for "ōzeki". From January 2002 until January 2005 he spent 19 consecutive tournaments ranked at either "komusubi" or "sekiwake", an all-time record. However, he was never able to break through the "great barrier" (the literal meaning of "ōzeki"), just failing to attain the necessary 33 wins over three tournaments. He was runner-up in the January 2003 tournament, and again in September 2003, where his 11–4 score was probably his best chance to make "ōzeki". However, he could only manage seven wins in the following tournament. He was never able to consistently beat the top ranked wrestlers, being unable to beat Takanohana in nine attempts and winning only five times out of 32 meetings against "ōzeki" Chiyotaikai. He initially had an excellent head-to-head record against Hakuhō, defeating him the first six times they met. However, the last of these victories came in 2005 and he subsequently lost eleven in a row against him. He was awarded ten "sanshō" or special prizes for good performances in tournaments during his career.