SASUKE is a sports variety special spun off from Kinniku Banzuke; it was part of Kinniku Banzuke until its cancellation in 2002. SASUKE airs between Japanese television drama seasons, approximately two competitions per year. Edited versions of SASUKE air around the world in countries such as Taiwan, United States (where it is titled Ninja Warrior), Great Britain (also titled Ninja Warrior), France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Finland New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Serbia.
Shot on location at Midoriyama studio in Yokohama, it airs on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) between Japanese Television Drama seasons. Each 3-hour special covers an entire competition. There are normally 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage Obstacle Course. There have been 28 specials, approximately one new special per season (twice per year). There have been several programs related to Sasuke. Kunoichi, perhaps the most well-known spin off, is a version of Sasuke restricted to female competitors only. There have also been competitions held for children and the elderly.
HISTORY
SASUKE was at first an event in Kinniku Banzuke, a show that had previously required a specific skill in their obstacle courses (for instance, the ability to ride a unicycle). The first SASUKE was held in September of 1997. The next year, SASUKE became an independent program but was still considered a sub-program to Kinniku Banzuke. Despite Kinniku Banzuke's cancellation in 2002, SASUKE continued its semi annual airings.
Shortly after SASUKE 26 aired with SASUKE's second lowest ratings ever (beaten only by the previous tournament), widespread internet rumors claimed that SASUKE would be one of many cancellations and would air its final tournament in March 2011. This date passed without official word on neither SASUKE 27 nor SASUKE's ultimate cancellation. After several more months, SASUKE 27 was indeed aired with an improvement on the ratings, but ultimately, Monster 9, the company that made SASUKE, went bankrupt, with Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) earning the rights to SASUKE and SASUKE 28 aired in December of 2012 under the title of SASUKE RISING.
The format has remained the same since its inception, but with each 'Kanzenseiha' (completion of the entire course also known as 'Total Victory'), the course is drastically changed, and as a result fewer people pass each stage.
FORMAT
Each competition pits 100 competitors against a four-stage obstacle course. Each stage increases in difficulty and a competitor must complete a stage to advance. Competitions begin in the morning and are usually finished well past sunset. Due to time constraints, only about half of the first stage attempts are generally aired, more or less depending on the number of people that advance.
FIRST STAGE
The 1st Stage is designed to test a competitor's overall athletic ability. It has grown and added more obstacles than the other stages over the years. Between 7 to 12 people usually advance. SASUKE 4 featured the most clears of any First Stage, with 37 advancing, and SASUKE 19 had the fewest clears, with only two advancing. Before SASUKE 4, over twenty competitors had cleared three out of the four times, but following the addition of obstacles such as the 'Jump Hang Kai' (Jump Hang) and 'Soritatsu Kabe' (warped wall), the most that have cleared is sixteen on two occasions.
SECOND STAGE
The 2nd Stage was used to primarily test a competitor's speed, but upper body strength became crucial when the 'Salmon Ladder' was added in SASUKE 18. One third to one half of participants generally advance, although rare occasions (such as in SASUKE 6, SASUKE 12, and SASUKE 15) have seen all or nearly all competitors advance. A tournament has only once ended in the Second Stage - SASUKE 19, where only two competitors advanced.
THIRD STAGE
The 3rd Stage is meant to test upper body strength and all current obstacles involve the competitor hanging from their arms from some apparatus. This is the only untimed stage. As years have gone by, it has been increasingly harder to defeat the Third Stage. In the first three competitions, the stage was cleared 11 times; it took another fourteen competitions to have the next 11 clears. The Third Stage has gone three consecutive tournaments undefeated on two separate occasions. The Third Stage has been defeated thirty times, with five defeats in both SASUKE 3 and SASUKE 24.
FINAL STAGE
The 4th Stage also known as Final Stage -- has always had the same goal, make it to the top of a tower within the specified time. Every time there is a victory, the tower increases in height. The time limit and method of scaling the tower is unknown until someone reaches the stage. Only three men have completed the Final Stage, Akiyama Kazuhiko (SASUKE 4), Nagano Makoto (SASUKE 17), and Urushihara Yuuji (SASUKE 24 and SASUKE 27).
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