The Jump Hang (ジャンプハング) was a first stage obstacle introduced after Akiyama Kazuhiko's kanzenseiha. Competitors had to leap forward off of a trampoline to grasp the underside of a cargo net. After that, they either climbed over it and roll down the cargo net or climbed under it and risk touching the water. This proved to be one of the most difficult obstacles in history as all but one of the SASUKE All-Stars and most top competitors have failed there at least once. In SASUKE 6 alone it took out 51 contestants, including Akiyama in his first tournament back. In SASUKE 15, however, it retired nobody. It was taken out in favor of the Jumping Spider after Nagano Makoto's kanzenseiha. The obstacle returned in SASUKE 25 but, like the Rolling Maruta, it was replaced by a new obstacle - in its case, the Rolling Escargot.

Although the purpose was to grab the net, it was possible to grab the top support of the obstacle. Four competitors did this:Hatakeda Yoshiaki in SASUKE 6, James Okada and Kane Kosugi in SASUKE 7, and Paul Anthony Terek in SASUKE 17.

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 5

Last: SASUKE 25

Total: 13 Competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 5, Akimoto Kōzo

First Clear: SASUKE 5, Akimoto Kōzo

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The Rope Climb (ロープクライム) was the final First Stage obstacle from SASUKE 3 up until Nagano Makoto's kanzenseiha in SASUKE 17. The obstacle is almost exactly what its name implies. A competitor must climb up a rope, aided by a vertical wall to reach the top of a platform, where the finish buzzer is.

From SASUKE 10 to SASUKE 12, the rope rested against the finish tower, and this required the competitor to traverse through the Tarzan Rope to get to this obstacle.

From SASUKE 3 to SASUKE 12, the wall was 5.4 meters high; the height may have increased with the course redesign in SASUKE 13, but that is not known. Starting in SASUKE 13, the wall had bamboo chutes running down the front of it to make it a bit more difficult. By SASUKE 16 the wall was rounded and the bamboo chutes were removed.

G4 Name: Rope Climb

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 3

Last: SASUKE 17

Total: 15 Competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 3, Hasegawa Ken

First Clear: SASUKE 3, Hasegawa Ken

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The Tarzan Jump (ターザンジャンプ) or Tarzan Rope (ターザンロープ) has been the second to last obstacle in SASUKE's First Stage since SASUKE 3, save for three tournaments. The competitor must grab onto a rope and swing to the next obstacle, either the Rope Climb (SASUKE 3-SASUKE 17) or the Rope Ladder (SASUKE 18-present).

From SASUKE 10 to SASUKE 12, a different obstacle called the Tarzan Rope directly preceded the Rope Climb.

The version used in American Ninja Warrior is a direct swing to another platform. Many competitors have swung to the other side only to botch their landing.

G4 Name: Tarzan Rope

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 3

Last: SASUKE 28

Total: 23 Competitions

First Attempt: Kunuki Tarō, SASUKE 3

First Clear: Hasegawa Ken, SASUKE 3

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The Rolling Maruta (ローリング丸太), or the "Rolling Log" on the G4 broadcast, is an obstacle featured in the First Stage, usually as the second obstacle. It was first introduced in SASUKE 3 and instantly became one of the hardest obstacles in the stage, eliminating 41 people that day. In its first tournament, it and the Rope Climb helped decrease the First Stage clears from 34 to 13. The function of the obstacle was that the competitor must straddle and cling to a log 40 centimetres in diameter before kicking the ground to begin its roll down a 15° decline. The competitor would only have two wooden bars to hold on to while the obstacle was spinning which the log was notorious for either halting or coming off the tracks. The original version lasted from SASUKE 3 to SASUKE 12. After Urushihara Yuuji's kanzenseiha, it was brought out of retirement for SASUKE 25, but was replaced by the Hazard Swing in the following tournament. It has eliminated some of the top contenders (Yamamoto Shingo and Nakata Daisuke for example)

Drawing of the Rolling Maruta

G4 Name: Rolling Log

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage First Stage

First: SASUKE 3

Last: SASUKE 25

Total: 11 competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 3, Kunuki Tarō

First Clear: SASUKE 3, Kunuki Tarō

Rolling Maruta SASUKE 25

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The Kabe Nobori was the last First Stage obstacle for the first two SASUKE competitions, directly following Free Climbing. It was simply a wall with rock climbing artifacts on it; Free Climbing's artifacts were on a downward moving conveyor belt. At the top of the Kabe Nobori was the finish buzzer. English broadcasts refer to this and Free Climbing collectively as the Subduction Zone in SASUKE 1 and the Mountain Climb in SASUKE 2.

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Free Climbing was the next-to-last First Stage obstacle for the first two competitions. It was essentially a rock wall, but the wall itself was a conveyor that moved downward and was slightly on an angle. Several competitors took nearly half of their overall first stage time trying to clear this obstacle. It was immediately followed by the Kabe Nobori, which essentially had the same function but was not on a conveyor. English broadcasts refer to both of these obstacles as the Subduction Zone in SASUKE 1 and theMountain Climb in SASUKE 2.

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The Maruta Kudari (丸太下り), called the Rapid Descent on Ninja Warrior, was a First Stage obstacle in the first four SASUKE tournaments. This was the exact oposite of the Maruta Nobori. The obstacle consisted of rotating five logs (or drums in the first competition) arranged like a staircase angled downward at 45°. The competitor must make it from a platform, across a water pit, and to a landing pad. Many competitors took to simply jumping over the obstacle instead of climbing down (which proved to be a bad strategy) and it was retired in favor of the much more difficult Jump Hang following Akiyama Kazuhiko's kanzenseiha in SASUKE 4.

This obstacle was originally called the Taki Kudari (滝下り) in SASUKE 1. Its name was switched with another obstacle's in SASUKE 2.

G4 Name: Rapid Descent

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 1

Last: SASUKE 4

Total: 4 Competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

First Clear: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

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The Yureru Hashi (揺れる橋) was a First Stage obstacle from the first seven SASUKE tournaments. The obstacle was a bridge supported on a horizontal axis. There was a wooden wedge in the middle to prevent competitors from simply running down the center. Its success rate was in the high 90s towards the end of its life and was replaced with the Ōdama in SASUKE 8.

On Ninja Warrior, this obstacle is called the Balance Bridge, which was a similar obstacle from SASUKE 11.

G4 Name: Balance Bridge

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 1

Last: SASUKE 7

Total: 7 Competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

First Clear: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

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The Sosoritatsu Kabe (そそり立つ壁), called the Hill Climb on Ninja Warrior, was a First Stage obstacle of the first fourSASUKE tournaments. It was a hill on a 60° incline, 4.05 meters long. The competitor had to simply reach the top. The only known person to fail the obstacle was Murakawa Masanon in SASUKE 3. After Akiyama Kazuhiko's kanzenseiha in SASUKE 4, this obstacle was replaced with the much more familiar Soritatsu Kabe.

SASUKE Competitions

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 1

Last: SASUKE 4

Total: 4 competition

First Attempt: Tanaka Tomokazu, (SASUKE 1)

First Clear: Tanaka Tomokazu, (SASUKE 1)

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The Taki Kudari (滝下り) was a First Stage obstacle in the first two SASUKE tournaments. Placed right before Free Climbing, it was a vertical log that the competitor slid down onto a mat. Some contestants bypassed it all together and just jumped from the platform above. It was removed in favor of the Tarzan Jump/Rope Climb combination in SASUKE 3.

This obstacle was originally called the Maruta Kudari (丸太下り) in SASUKE 1. Its name was switched with another obstacle's in SASUKE 2.

This was not considered an official obstacle by TBS or G4, but rather part of the path to Free Climbing. G4 did not even give it a name, choosing to lump it in with Free Climbing (or the Mountain Climb, as they called it).

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The Burasagari Maruta (ぶら下がり丸太) was a First Stage obstacle in the first two SASUKE tournaments. It was a log, 30 cm in diameter and 3.6 meters long, that a competitor must cross like a balance beam. The log spun on an axis. It was retired in favor of the Rolling Maruta, which remained in the First Stage until Nagano Makoto's kanzenseiha in SASUKE 17.

It was also in KUNOICHI for tournaments 3 through 7 except it was not on a high platform. A similar obstacle was the second obstacle of the finals of the SASUKE 17 Trials, known there as the Ipponbashi.

G4 Name: Spinning Log

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 1

Last: SASUKE 2

Total: 2 Competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

First Clear: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

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The Maruta Nobori (丸太登り), referred to as the Barrel Climbon English broadcasts, was the first obstacle of the first sevenSASUKE tournaments. In the first competition, it was called the Taki Nobori (滝登り), which English broadcasts called theCataract Climb.

The obstacle consisted of rotating five logs (or drums in the first competition) angled upwards at 45° like a staircase. The competitor must make it from the starting line across a small pit to the logs and climb to a platform.

G4 Name: Barrel Climb

SASUKE Competitions:

Stage: First Stage

First: SASUKE 1

Last: SASUKE 7

Total: 7 Competitions

First Attempt: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

First Clear: SASUKE 1, Tanaka Tomokazu

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Record	Holder	Criteria
Kanzenseiha	Akiyama Kazuhiko (SASUKE 4), Nagano Makoto (SASUKE 17) and Urushihara Yuuji (SASUKE 24 & SASUKE 27)	4 times
Most competitions competed in	Yamamoto Shingo	28 times (every competition)
Most first stage clears	Takeda Toshihiro	16 times
Most second stage clears	Takeda Toshihiro	13 times
Most third stage clears	Nagano Makoto	5 times
Most consecutive first stage clears	Nagano Makoto and Takeda Toshihiro (SASUKE 11 to SASUKE 18)	8 times
Most consecutive second stage clear	Takeda Toshihiro (SASUKE 11 to SASUKE 17)	7 times
Most consecutive third stage clear	Omori Akira (SASUKE 1 to SASUKE 3) and Nagano Makoto (SASUKE 11 to SASUKE 13)	3 times
Youngest stage one clear	Suzuka Ryugo (SASUKE 4) and Honma Kota (SASUKE 17)	Age 16
Oldest stage one clear	Inoue Kiyomi (SASUKE 1)	Age 44
Youngest stage two clear	Kawashima Takayuki (SASUKE 1)	Age 18
Oldest stage two clear	Okuyama Yoshiyuki (SASUKE 27)	Age 41
Youngest finalist	Kawashima Takayuki (SASUKE 1)	Age 18
Oldest finalist	Okuyama Yoshiyuki (SASUKE 24)	Age 39
Youngest last man standing	Levi Meeuwenberg (SASUKE 20)	Age 21
Oldest last man standing	Okuyama Yoshiyuki (SASUKE 26)	Age 40

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SASUKE RISING (or SASUKE 28) was the first SASUKE tournament in over a year due to Monster9's bankruptcy and the first since Urushihara Yuuji's second kanzenseiha. It taped in October 2012 and aired on December 27, 2012.

Inui Masato returned as director for his first tournament since SASUKE 14. From Inui's tenure, the black mats from SASUKE 13 to 17 were used and many old obstacles, such as the Godantobi, returned. However, many new obstacles also premièred, most notably the Backstream, SASUKE's first swimming obstacle.

SASUKE RISING was notable as the final competition for the SASUKE All-Stars. Five of the six All-Stars (excluding Shiratori Bunpei who was injured) competed for the final time, but all five failed the First Stage. In their place, a new group, Shin Sedai, was formed with Urushihara Yuuji, Matachi Ryo, Kanno Hitoshi, and Asa Kazuma. The four New Stars were the last four men standing in this tournament.

Auditions were held in Osaka and Tokyo in September for this tournament. The auditions consisted of a 30 second presentation and a 100 push up contest. While potential competitors were required to attend these auditions, their results were not binding to their invitations, as many veterans of SASUKE returned regardless of their performance.

The First Stage was heavily modified from SASUKE 27 and several classic obstacles were modified. The Godantobi returned for its first tournament since SASUKE 11. The Spin Bridge was moved to the third obstacle and the Jump Hang and Soritatsu Kabe were brought back in modified versions as the Jump Hang Kai and the Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe, resulting in a much shorter and quicker First Stage. In fact, the First Stage had the shortest time limit since SASUKE 17. Results were much worse than in SASUKE 27 as only five people cleared with the Rolling Escargot and Spin Bridge doing most of the damage. It look 37 competitors until someone cleared the Spin Bridge and only one person out of the first 50 competitors, Someya Koki, cleared the Jump Hang Kai. Someya went on to clear the First Stage along with the 4 Shin Sedai members listed above.

The Second Stage was also heavily modified as every obstacle was either new or in a modified form from a previous competition. The new Swap Salmon Ladder eliminated Someya while Matachi Ryo timed out on the new Passing Wall.

The Third Stage saw a mixture of new and old obstacle return after a long hiatus. The Rumbling Dice, Curtain Cling, and Pipe Slider returned while new obstacles included the Iron Paddler, Vertical Limit, and the newest version of the Cliffhanger, the Crazy Cliffhanger. Similar to SASUKE 18, the three competitors to make it to Stage 3 all failed the Crazy Cliffhanger.

TBS Date: December 27, 2012

TBS Ratings: 9.3%

SASUKE Announcers:

1st Chair Hatsuta Keisuke (Stage 1 (#81-100), Stage 2, Stage 3, Final Stage)

2nd Chair Ishii Tomohiro (Stage 1 (#1-80))

SASUKE Results

Best:Urushihara Yuuji and Kanno Hitoshi, Third Stage, Crazy Cliffhanger

Stage 1: 5 Clears

Stage 2: 3 Clears

Stage 3: 0 Clears

Final Stage: Not Attempted

First Stage

Obstacles

① Godantobi 五段跳び

② Rolling Escargot ローリングエスカルゴ

③ Spin Bridge スピンブリッジ

④ ^Jump Hang Kai ジャンプハング改

⑤ *Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe 2連そり立つ壁

⑥ Tarzan Rope ターザンロープ

⑦ Rope Ladder ロープラダー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Time Limit: 105 seconds

Second Stage

Obstacles

① ^Cross Slider クロススライダー

② *Swap Salmon Ladder スワップサーモンラダー

③ *Unstable Bridge アンステーブルブリッジ

④ *Spider Walk スパイダーウォーク

⑤ ^Backstream バックストリーム

⑥ ^Passing Wall パッシングウォール

Time Limit: 135 seconds

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Third Stage

Obstacles

① Rumbling Dice ランブリングダイス

② ^Iron Paddler アイアンパドラー

③ ^Crazy Cliffhanger クレイジークリフハンガー

④ Curtain Cling カーテンクリング

⑤ ^Vertical Limit バーティカルリミット

⑥ Pipe Slider パイプスライダー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

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SASUKE 27, official name: SASUKE2011秋 (literally SASUKE 2011 Fall), is the third tournament after Urushihara Yuuji defeated the course. Early rumors after SASUKE 26 stated that SASUKE 27 would be held in March 2011 and would be the final SASUKE tournament as a casualty of TBS' cutbacks. However, TBS denied the rumor and eventually released a statement inviting participants to a trial tournament in June, with the competition being taped in July.

Three trials were held before the proposed taping. Monster9 announced a trial for June, but an exact date has not been confirmed. American Ninja Warrior returned for its third season, which once again culminated in fifteen people invited to a week long boot camp to compete for ten spots in SASUKE. For the first time, Malaysia held a trial similar to ANW. There were two stages - a First Stage replica and a Final Stage replica based on the second era version. Five people cleared the First Stage, and the person who climbed the fourteen meter Final Stage in the fastest time was invited to SASUKE.

The results this tournament were vastly better, however several familiar faces were eliminated in Stage 1. Interesting defeats occured such asYamada Katsumi failing the Soritatsu Kabe, marking the 13th straight defeat for Yamada in a row; Li En Zhi unexpectedly failing the Step Slider when he grasped the rope too low and his feet hit the water; Yamamoto Shingo failing the Spin Bridge after slipping on the last boulder and flipping backwards into the water; and Drew Drechsel tearing his ACL on the landing of the Half-Pipe Attack. However, 27 people cleared Stage 1, the most since SASUKE 4 and the third most clears of all-time. The time limit of the First Stage was also arguably quite lenient, with 18 of the 27 competitors finishing with over 10 seconds left. 9 Americans cleared the First Stage, which was also a record. David Campbell set the new First Stage Time record with 44.32 seconds, and Nagano Makoto finished the First Stage for the first time since SASUKE 23.

No changes were made to the Second Stage from the previous tournament. Kanno Hitoshi withdrew after a shoulder injury on the Slider Drop, while several people failed the Double Salmon Ladder and Metal Spin. Ishikawa Terukazu finished the stage with a mere 00.06 seconds, beating both Hasegawa Ken's and James Okada's records of 00.1 seconds in SASUKE 1 and SASUKE 7, respectively. The field thinned from 27 to 10.

The Third Stage was heavily tweaked. The Ultimate Cliffhanger was moved to the third obstacle, and the Flying Bar was moved to the second obstacle. The Arm Bike and a tweaked version of the Pipe Slider named the Bar Glider returned. New obstacles such as the Chain See-Saw and Swing Circle appeared. Ishikawa and Okuyama failed the Flying Bar, Campbell, Kasemir, Nagano, Stratis, and McGrath failed the Ultimate Cliffhanger and Hashimoto failed the Chain See-Saw. Unlimited Cliffer's Urushihara and Matachi passed Stage 3, Urushihara for the third time in three appearances and Matachi on his first try.

In the Final Stage Matachi Ryo failed several feet away from the top, but Urushihara Yuuji achieved a second Kanzenseiha with 6.7 seconds, the fastest Kanzenseiha time.

TBS Date: October 3, 2011

TBS Ratings: 12.6%

G4 Date ANW: August 22, 2011 (NBC), Others: March 4, 2012

SASUKE Announcers:

1st Chair Hatsuta Keisuke (Stage 1 (#81-100), Final Stage)

2nd Chair Ogasawara Wataru (Stage 1(#21-60), Stage 3)

3rd Chair Sato Fumiyasu (Stage 1 (#1-20, 61-80), Stage 2)

SASUKE Results

Best: Urushihara Yuuji, Kanzenseiha

Stage 1: 27 Clears

Stage 2: 10 Clears

Stage 3: 2 Clears

Final Stage: 1 Clear

First Stage

Obstacles

① Step Slider ステップスライダー

② *Rolling Escargot ローリングエスカルゴ

③ *Giant Swing ジャイアントスイング

④ *Jumping Spider ジャンピングスパイダー

⑤ *Half-Pipe Attack ハーフパイプアタック

⑥ Soritatsu Kabe そり立つ壁

⑦ ^Spin Bridge スピンブリッジ

⑧ Tarzan Rope ターザンロープ

⑨ Rope Ladder ロープラダー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Time Limit: 125 seconds

Length: 130 m

Second Stage

Obstacles

① Slider Drop スライダードロップ

② *Double Salmon Ladder ダブルサーモンラダー

③ Unstable Bridge アンステーブルブリッジ

④ Balance Tank バランスタンク

⑤ Metal Spin メタルスピン

⑥ Wall Lifting ウォールリフティング

Time Limit: 90 seconds

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Third Stage

Obstacles

① Arm Bike アームバイク

② *Flying Bar フライングバー

③ Ultimate Cliffhanger アルティメットクリフハンガー

④ ^Jumping Ring ジャンピングリング

⑤ ^Chain See-Saw チェーンシーソー

⑥ Rope Climb ロープクライム

⑦ ^Bar Glider バーグライダー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Final stage

Obstacles

① Tsuna Nobori 綱登り (20m)

Time Limit: 40 seconds

Length: 20 m

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The 26th competition, official name: SASUKE2011謹賀新年 (literally: SASUKE 2011 Happy New Year) is the second tournament after Urushihara Yuuji's kanzenseiha in SASUKE 24. The tournament was recorded on October 19, 2010 and aired on January 2, 2011 as part of TBS' New Years Specials. Due to sharing a time slot with another show, the broadcast of the tournament was much shorter than previous tournaments, resulting in many competitor's runs getting either cut or digested.

For the second time in three tournaments, no domestic trials competition ever materialized. East of the Pacific, however, a second American Ninja Warrior competition was held (concluding the previous August), the first American trials since SASUKE 23, and similar to the first American Ninja Warrior, ten competitors were sent. For the first time ever, footage of a SASUKE competition hit the airwaves before the TBS broadcast; the ten Americans that qualified through the American trials had their runs shown in North America on December 23, 2010. A Taiwanese trials competition was also planned, but was subsequently canceled. Despite this, the venerable Li En Zhi was invited by TBS to compete.

Only three SASUKE All-Stars were able to attend this competition; Akiyama Kazuhiko, Shiratori Bunpei and Takeda Toshihiro all had prior engagements. Also notably absent was Levi Meeuwenberg, who qualified for the tournament but subsequently broke his wrist and had to be replaced.

Stage One was heavily modified from SASUKE 25. With the removal of the Rolling Maruta and Log Grip , this was the first ever competition not to feature a log obstacle. Only three obstacles -- the Soritatsu Kabe, Tarzan Rope and Rope Ladder -- returned from the previous tournament; the Jumping Spider and Half-Pipe Attack returned after a one-competition hiatus. Four brand new obstacles made their debuts. The Step Slider, Hazard Swing and Rolling Escargot began the stage and the Giant Swing added before the Tarzan Rope. The new obstacles did their damage; the Rolling Escargot eliminated at least 19 contestants, including top flight competitors such as Takahashi Kenji, Kanno Hitoshi, Miyazaki Daisuke and Yamamoto Shingo. Yamada Katsumi's return engagement did not go as he hoped as he failed the Jumping Spider in a remarkably similar fashion as SASUKE 22. Nagano Makoto also failed the Jumping Spider, meaning that no All-Star made it halfway through Stage One. The Giant Swing however, only eliminated one competitor. Shin Sedai's Sato Jun and Tajima Naoya were cut completely (although it is known Tajima failed the Jumping Spider) and Urushihara failed the Half Pipe Attack, meaning no former champion beat Stage One.

Ten people cleared Stage One. For the first time ever, more foreign competitors made it to Stage Two than domestic, giving the rest of the competition a decidedly international flavor and sparking some national pride from the Japanese competitors that remained. A record six foreigners passed Stage One, beating the old record of four which was set in SASUKE 23. Among the six were five Americans, which also beat the previous record of three, also set in SASUKE 23. American rookies Paul Kasemir and Brent Steffensen joined sophomores Travis Furlanic and David Campbell as first-time Stage Two competitors, along with SASUKE veterans Brian Orosco and Taiwan's Li En Zhi. Domestically, Ishikawa Terukazu, Iketani Naoki, Okuyama Yoshiyuki and Hashimoto Koji cleared.

Stage Two remained unmodified from the last competition. Iketani, who has competed sporadically over the last few years, hadn't cleared Stage One since SASUKE 16. He was erased by the Double Salmon Ladder, as was Ishikawa. The Balance Tank claimed Furlanic while another old favorite, the Metal Spin, eliminated Hashimoto. Paul Kasemir, Brent Steffenson,and David Campbell all cleared Stage Two, doing so in their first attempts. Brian Orosco and Li En Zhi also cleared. Okuyama Yoshiyuki was the only Japanese competitor to pass this stage, doing so with a mere three tenths of a second remaining.

The Third Stage introduced one new obstacle, Cycling Road, replacing the Floating Boards. The Roulette Cylinder was modified to include two drops into the track, much like when the Rolling Maruta morphed into the Sandan Rolling Maruta. While rookie Kasemir failed the Doorknob Grasper, Orosco failed the Roulette Cylinder, marking the first time he did not make it past his previous failure point. Campbell, Steffenson, Li and Okuyama all made it to the feared Ultimate Cliffhanger. While progress was made, little more than half the obstacle was cleared with Li making it the farthest and the tournament ended here.

TBS Date: January 2, 2011

TBS Ratings: 9.0%

G4 Date: May 1, 2011

SASUKE Announcers:

1st Chair Ogasawara Wataru (First Stage (#21-40, 71-100); Third Stage)

2nd Chair Satō Fumiyasu (First Stage (#1-20, 41-70); Second Stage)

SASUKE Results

Best: Li En Zhi, Ultimate Cliffhanger, Third Stage

Stage 1: 10 Clears

Stage 2: 6 Clears

Stage 3: 0 Clears

First stage

Obstacles

① ^Step Slider ステップスライダー

② ^Hazard Swing ハザードスイング

③ ^Rolling Escargot ローリングエスカルゴ

④ *Jumping Spider ジャンピングスパイダー

⑤ Half-Pipe Attack ハーフパイプアタック

⑥ Soritatsu Kabe そり立つ壁

⑦ ^Giant Swing ジャイアントスイング

⑧ Tarzan Rope ターザンロープ

⑨ Rope Ladder ロープラダー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Time Limit: 130 seconds

Second stage

Obstacles

① Slider Drop スライダードロップ

② Double Salmon Ladder ダブルサーモンラダー

③ Unstable Bridge アンステーブルブリッジ

④ Balance Tank バランスタンク

⑤ Metal Spin メタルスピン

⑥ Wall Lifting ウォールリフティング

Time Limit: 95 seconds

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Third stage

Obstacles

① *Roulette Cylinder ルーレットシリンダー

② *Doorknob Grasper ドアノブグラスパー

③ ^Cycling Road サイクリングロード

④ *Ultimate Cliffhanger アルティメットクリフハンガー

⑤ Swing Circle スイングサークル

⑥ Rope Climb ロープクライム

⑦ Flying Bar フライングバー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

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The 25th competition, official name: SASUKE2010春 (literally SASUKE2010 Spring) is the first tournament after Urushihara Yuuji's kanzenseiha. Like the other two competitions following a Final Stage completion (SASUKE 5 and SASUKE 18), the course was altered to increase the difficulty significantly.

SASUKE 25 was recorded February 20, 2010 and aired March 28, 2010 on TBS; the running time was 4 hours. People from every prefecture in Japan and most major world geographic regions were represented in this tournament.

Start Positions #1-#97 were drawn at random using a lottery, resulting in veterans Takeda Toshihiro, Levi Meeuwenberg and Satō Jun receiving their lowest start positions ever. The final three start positions were reserved for the three former champions; Akiyama Kazuhiko was given #98, Nagano Makoto wore #99, and reigning champion Urushihara Yuuji was granted the coveted #100.

Stage One was peppered with obstacles coming out of retirement and brand new ones. The time limit was decreased by five seconds from the previous competition and the red carpets from the Shin-SASUKE era were removed in favor of the old green color of the early days. With the removal of the Jumping Spider, this marked the first competition in which a spider walking obstacle was absent. Of the new obstacles, the Dome Steps took out competitors at a similar rate as its predecessors, but very few had problems with the Bridge Jump. The three returning obstacles -- the Rolling Maruta, Jump Hang and Circle Slider -- had similar success rates to their first go around on the SASUKE course. A total of eleven people cleared: SASUKE All-Stars Takeda Toshihiro and Yamamoto Shingo, former SASUKE Trials qualifiers Satō Jun, Hashimoto Kōji, Kanno Hitoshi and Urushihara Yuuji, international competitors Li En Zhi, Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco, and SASUKE veterans Takahashi Kenji and Okuyama Yoshiyuki. All eleven had cleared Stage One in prior tournaments.

Stage Two, although remaining largely unmodified, began with two new obstacles -- the Slider Drop and a Salmon Ladder variant, the Double Salmon Ladder, In the second half of the stage, the ending rope of the Balance Tank was severely shortened and the track was slightly longer than the SASUKE 24 version. Together, these new obstacles eliminated Urushihara, Takeda, Meeuwenberg, Kanno, and Yamamoto, all of whom had reached Stage Three multiple times in the past. Ultimately, five men cleared the stage, including Orosco, who did so with a mere 1.4 seconds left on the clock. Orosco had never cleared the Second Stage before while the other four reached the Final Stage in the previous tournament.

The biggest renovation came in Stage Three, with all seven obstacles making their respective SASUKE debuts. Large curtains covered the obstacles until the Third Stage was to commence. Orosco failed the second obstacle, the Doorknob Grasper, while everyone else failed the new Ultimate Cliffhanger, the fourth obstacle, leaving the final three virgin territory. Since no one attempted them, the names of the three remaining obstacles aren't known.

TBS Date: March 28, 2010

TBS Ratings: 7.5%

G4 Date: August 14, 2010

SASUKE Announcers:

1st Chair Ogasawara Wataru (First Stage (1-15, 36-50, 81-100); Third Stage)

2nd Chair Sato Fumiyasu (First Stage (16-35, 51-80);Second Stage)

SASUKE Results

Best: Li En Zhi, Third Stage, Ultimate Cliffhanger

Stage 1: 11 Clears

Stage 2: 5 Clears

Stage 3: 0 Clears

Final Stage :No Attempts

First Stage

Obstacles

① ^Dome Steps ドームステップス

② Rolling Maruta ローリング丸太

③ Jump Hang ジャンプハング

④ ^Bridge Jump ブリッジジャンプ

⑤ Log Grip ロッググリップ

⑥ Soritatsu Kabe そり立つ壁

⑦ *Circle Slider サークルスライダー

⑧ Tarzan Rope ターザンロープ

⑨ Rope Ladder ロープラダー

^ Denotes New Obstacle

* Denotes Modified Obstacle

Time Limit: 115 seconds

Length: 130 m

Second Stage

Obstacles

① ^Slider Drop スライダードロップ

② ^Double Salmon Ladder ダブルサーモンラダー

③ Unstable Bridge アンステーブルブリッジ

④ *Balance Tank バランスタンク

⑤ Metal Spin メタルスピン

⑥ Wall Lifting ウォールリフティング

Time Limit: 95 seconds

Third Stage

Obstacles

① ^Roulette Cylinder ルーレットシリンダー

② ^Doorknob Grasper ドアノブグラスパー

③ ^Floating Boards フローティングボード

④ ^Ultimate Cliffhanger アルティメットクリフハンガー

⑤ ^Swing Circle スイングサークル

⑥ ^Bungee Rope Climb バンジーロープ クライム

⑦ ^Flying Bar フライングバー

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Tags: List of Sasuke Tournaments