Sasuke (TV series)

"Ninja Warrior" redirects here. For other uses, see Ninja Warrior (disambiguation).

For other uses of Sasuke, see Sasuke.

Sasuke
Also known as	Ninja Warrior Sasuke Rising Sasuke Ninja Warrior
Japanese	SASUKE(サスケ)
Genre	Sports entertainment Obstacle course
Created by	Masato Inui
Directed by	Ushio Higuchi (1997–2011) Masato Inui (1997–2005, 2012–present)
Voices of	Ichiro Furutachi (1997–2003) Takahiro Tosaki (1997) Keisuke Hatsuta (1998–2008, 2010–14) Wataru Ogasawara (2005–2011, 2019) Fumiyasu Sato (2009–2011, 2018) Tomohiro Ishii (2012–14) Ryusuke Ito (2010, 2015) Shinya Sugiyama (2016–present) Kengo Komada (2004, 2015–18) Shinichiro Azumi (2018–2019) Tomohiro Kiire (2020) Kazato Kumazaki (2020–present) Masatoshi Nanba (2021–present) Koki Ozawa (2024)
Narrated by	Takashi Matsuo (1997) Tsutomu Tareki (1998–2005) Ken Taira (2005) Kiyoshi Kobayashi (2006–2011) Yuya Takagawa (2012–present) Masato Obara (2014) Jun Hattori (2018–present)
Country of origin	Japan
Original language	Japanese
No. of episodes	42 competitions (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Ushio Higuchi
Producers	Yoshiyuki Kogake Makoto Fujii
Production locations	Mt. Midoriyama, Aoba-ku, Yokohama
Running time	120 to 360-minute specials
Production companies	TBS Sports (1997-2003) Dreamax Television (2003-2005) Monster9 (2005–2011) FOLCOM, Dreamax Television (2012–2015) FOLCOM (2016–)
Original release
Network	JNN (TBS)
Release	27 September 1997 (1997-09-27) – present
Related
Kinniku Banzuke Kunoichi Pro Sportsman No.1 Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course

Sasuke (SASUKE(サスケ), pronounced sāske) is a Japanese sports entertainment reality television show, airing since 1997, in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four-stage obstacle course. The show was renamed Sasuke Rising before reverting to the original name and then Sasuke Ninja Warrior.

An edited version, Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries.

Development

Recorded on location at Midoriyama studios in Yokohama, it airs on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) between Japanese television drama seasons. The show's name Sasuke is named after Sarutobi Sasuke, a fictitious ninja character in Japanese traditional storytelling. Each three-hour special (with the exceptions of Sasuke 24 and 36 which lasted 5 1⁄2 hours and 6 hours respectively) covers an entire competition; there are normally 100 participants. There have been 40 specials produced, approximately one new special per year (twice per year before Monster9's bankruptcy, now reduced to once per year since 2012, twice again in 2017 and 2018, then once a year since.). The show is produced by TBS and is one of the spin-offs of 筋肉番付 (Kinniku Banzuke, 'Muscle Ranking'), another sports entertainment competition, which aired on G4 in the United States under the name Unbeatable Banzuke. Until the 10th competition, Sasuke was broadcast as a special part of Muscle Ranking, but it became an independent program when Muscle Ranking was discontinued. The first competition was held indoors, marking the only time Sasuke did not take place outside. Competitions generally start in the daytime and continue until completed regardless of weather or darkness. After Monster9's bankruptcy in November 2011, all rights to the show fell completely into the hands of its broadcaster, Tokyo Broadcasting System. Following their acquisition of all rights to Sasuke, TBS renamed the show Sasuke Rising for the 28th, 29th and 30th editions, but have since reverted to the original name. TBS has renamed the show once again, to Sasuke Ninja Warrior since the 35th edition and changed the show's logo for the 36th edition, with the new logo's year being changed for subsequent editions.

History

1991–1995: Origins and The King of Sports

In 1991, TBS Sports employee Ushio Higuchi began developing ideas for a new sports competition. Having worked up the ladder at TBS enough to produce live sports coverage, Higuchi believed he had the pull to begin creating original series. Following his experiences producing live events such as the 1988 Summer Olympics and 1990 FIFA World Cup, Higuchi had admired seeing athletes perform record setting feats in individual sports, and decided to move forward with creating a sporting discipline that looked at the best all around athlete. His original concept was to create a variant of the multi-disciplinary events such as the Modern pentathlon and Decathlon that would test speed, agility, strength and balance. Higuchi submitted a concept pitch to TBS for a series called "The King of Sports", but TBS denied the proposal stating that Higuchi would need to form agreements with athletics associations to recruit athletes. Higuchi had attempted to reach out to as many local organizations as he could, including the Japanese Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee, however all denied partnership due to the lack of portfolio on Higuchi's part, a perceived risk of injury to athletes, and a lack of benefit for the organizations themselves.

In July 1992, Ushio Higuchi was producing coverage for the 1992 Summer Olympics, in charge of key elements such as camera angles and narration. During this time, he became closely acquainted with legendary sports commentator Ichiro Furutachi. Higuchi discussed his idea with Furutachi, who agreed to collaborate and provide services as lead narrator for "The King of Sports". The coverage of the 1992 Olympics was a resounding success, and so with an increased portfolio and assistance from Furutachi, Higuchi resubmitted his proposal. TBS showed an increased interest in the format, but were still hesitant until athletes could be recruited. TBS suggested using less popular athletes, however Higuchi denied this request stating it would dilute his aspirations for the series.

Throughout 1993, Higuchi worked on recruiting athletes for "The King of Sports", and was able to secure contracts with individual teams, and created a roster of 28 athletes from Baseball, Wrestling, Boxing, Golf and Motorsports - all disciplines with less concern about injury. With the backing of athletes, "The King of Sports" was approved, and debuted on December 29th, 1993 under the new title Pro Sportsman No. 1. The tournament was filmed in leftover venues from the 1964 Summer Olympics and featured a low budget. The initial tournament featured a pentathlon of five skills; Sprinting, Push-ups, Vaulting, Tug of war and Obstacle Racing. The initial obstacle course, titled "Survival Race", featured Hurdles, Balance beam, Climbing and Rope climbing, all to be complete under a time limit.

Reception to the pilot of Sportsman No.1 was mediocre, however TBS made enough revenue and saw the potential in the series. A second tournament was greenlit with a higher budget, to air as a special on New Year's Day 1995. In Japan, New Year's is spent with the family, and TBS felt that a sporting event was a safe and accessible option to capitalize on this market. Pro Sportsman 1995 filmed in a larger venue, with a visual overall, styling everything in Greco-Roman decor to imitate the classical Olympics. New disciplines such as Beach Flags and Sled puling to increase the number of events to seven. In addition, Higuchi secured more revered athletes to appear in special events called "Dream Showdowns", special exhibition events intended to attracted more viewers. This second tournament of Sportsman No.1 was a resounding hit, dominating TV ratings for New Years Day.

With a successful series in his portfolio, Higuchi pitched the subtitle "Clash of Olympians" for the third tournament. To his surprise, the promotional manager for the Japanese Olympic Committee had watched the New Year's Day special of Sportsman No.1 and loved it, and helped Higuchi secure an official partnership. The JOC and Higuchi produced two crossover specials, with the first fast-tracked to air March 1995 episode starring athletes from the Summer Olympics and new disciplines of Sit-ups and Pull-ups. The second collaboration in October 1995 tournament featuring athletes from the Winter Olympics and featured Imaginary chair as a new event.

1995–1997: Concept Revision and Kinniku Banzuke

Through 1995, TBS received a high volume of inquiries from amateur athletes and members of the public expressing interest in competing on future installments of Sportsman No.1. TBS and Higuchi made the decision to keep only professional athletes in Sportsman No.1, and instead they would launch a sister program named Kinniku Banzuke that would allow members of the public to compete via public auditions.

A pilot season of Kinniku Banzuke began airing at 1:15am on July 8, 1995 as a series of eleven 30 minute pilot episodes. TBS believed that it would be an ideal late night program, as it would be a niche program targeting adult men already interesting in athletics. These episodes saw Sit-ups, Push-ups, and Vaulting return from Sportsman. Qualification rounds were toured to Tohoku, Kansai, Okinawa, Hokuriku, Hokkaido and Kyushu, were the top athletes would then be invited to a final competition in Yokohama at the end of the season.

The series became an unprecedented hit, with record high viewership despite the late broadcast time. This was attributed to several factors; family and friends of competitors tuned in to cheer them on, women tuned in due to the Odagiri effect, and large numbers of youth found the show fun and aspired to compete. TBS immediately pivoted their approach and moved the series to a Prime time window on Sundays beginning in October 1995. In addition, they greatly expanded the number of events returning from Sportsman, and created additional competition divisions for women and youth. They also invested in new events, most notably a Backflip racing event named Bakuten that attracted success from professional gymnasts such as Yukio Iketani.

In the spring of 1996, Higuchi decided to branch the series out to include two new categories of events. The first were variations Target practice under different sports disciplines such as Baseball and Soccer, which allowed an influx of professional athletes to compete due to the lowered risk. The second category were skill-based obstacles courses that featured 9 obstacles. Higuchi's initial concept for this was a course inspired by Bakuten that featured athletes navigating different areas such as stairs, Parallel bars and ramps while in a Handstand. Originally developed under the name "Handstand Jungle", the event debuted in May 1996 as "Hand Walk". Hand Walk was extremely popular among, and so Higuchi expanded this obstacle course idea into several other disciplines; Super Rider for Bike trials, Like a Pierrot for Unicycle, Kangaroo for Pogo stick and Bamboo Derby for Stilt walking. As expected, these events were similar popular, and so Higuchi began to expand into original course ideas, such as Sponge Bridge, a precision balance course, and Spider Walk, an event based on the Ninja skill of moving while perched between two walls, as was historically done to move stealthily between two buildings in an alley.

The original courses Higuchi had designed such as Hand Walk were beginning to be defeated after several filming sessions, and so he decided to employ Recursive self-improvement in courses, where events would return with an increasing number in their title, featuring renewed and more difficult obstacles to keep competitors indefinitely returning to events. Due to the continued success of Kinniku Banzuke and increased funding from revenue, TBS requested that Higuchi prepare a special broadcast for March 1997 that would have an extended runtime of several hours and feature bigger special guests and larger events. Higuchi designed a grander sequel to Hand Walk called Hand Walk Tower, which featured three stages of increasing difficulty. Competitors would have to complete each stage in order, and if anyone were to complete them all, they would be awarded the title of Kanzenseiha, or Total Victory. This special was extremely successful, in part do to the outstanding performance of Naoki Akiya, who achieved Total Victory on Hand Walk Tower.

1997: SASUKE

Almost immediately after the broadcast of Hand Walk Tower, Ushio Higuchi approached Masato Inui, who had worked as assistant producer on Hand Walk Tower, to immediately begin production on a new event for broadcast in a second special, to air September 1997. Higuchi's idea was to create a multi-staged course that used the all around athletic skills of competitors similar to Sportsman No.1, while being directly inspired by the different skills performed by ninjas, such as Spider Walk. He gave this idea to Inui to expand and create the course, while also being directed to save cost by reusing elements from previous events wherever possible.

Inui fleshed out plans for a four stage course. The course would run linearly, so that they could be filmed in a way that would mimic popular video games such as Super Mario Bros. in a similar way to TBS's previous event Adventure Zone, which aired as a segment Takeshi's Castle. Stylistically, Inui took inspiration from the film Castle in the Sky, which itself was based on historic events Wales. The 1st Stage would feature urban navigation and balance skills ninjas would need to hop over barrels, climb walls, and run across rooftops, and took stylistic inspiration from running along a castle wall. The 2nd Stage was a speed based on the escape skills a ninja would require to evade capture, such as avoiding enemy weapons, crawling under raised temples, and passing heavy barricades. Thematically, the 2nd Stage was based on industrial factories. The 3rd Stage featured the precision skills a ninja would use, namely running across fenceposts, crossing hanging beams, and crossing bamboo trusses and flag poles. The Final Stage featured a tower climb similar to what a ninja would use to climb into the upper chambers of an enemy palace they are infiltrating.

Due to the cramped spaces sed to film Hand Walk Tower, Inui had originally intended to film this new program on a large scale outdoor course. Unfortunately, due to the short turnaround time on production, the desired location at Midoriyama studios was unavailable, and so they had to rent Tokyo Bay NK Hall instead.

Higuchi suggested the format for the show use an idea he had called "Survival Attack", which was loosely inspired by the format of TBS's previous series Takeshi's Castle. 100 individuals, the equivalent of a military troupe, would try and conqueror the course as soldiers. Attempts are ordered based on their reputation, metaphorically representing military ranks. Highly respected competitors such as Olympians and prestigious celebrities would run later, with women, and commoners running earlier. Unlike Takeshi's Castle, only those who succeeded in each stage would be permitted to advance and attempt the next.

The event debuted under the title "究極のサバイバルアタックSASUKE" (lit. Ultimate Survival Attack SASUKE) on September 27th, 1997 to widespread acclaim.

1998–2002: Serialization

Despite Higuchi and Inui intending SASUKE to be a one time special event, TBS was flooded with thousands calls and letters asking how they can apply for the series. The decision was made to produce a second tournament of SASUKE under a higher budget and air it during the fifth Kinniku Banzuke special in September 1998. SASUKE1998 filmed outdoors at Midoriyama Studios as we originally desired, and featured an entirely new aesthetic on the course. Due to the high number of clears in the first tournament, the time limit on the 1st Stage was dropped, and the 3rd Stage was fully revamped to feature the now iconic final dismount from a bar. Competitors who were successful in the first tournament or became popular due to their charismatic appearance would receive higher numbers. SASUKE1998 received a staggering 20% increase in viewership from the already high number of viewers it already had, leading to TBS approving an ongoing serialization of tournaments airing every Spring and Fall.

Additionally, TBS launched the new series SASUKE Junior ~Kosasuke~ alongside SASUKE1998, which featured 100 children between the ages of 8 and 12 competing on a scaled down course. Unlike SASUKE, the first three stages are completed back-to-back, with the time continuing to run between then. The 3rd Stage was replaced with a precision trapeze swing, and the Final Stage featured a pole climb instead of a rope. SASUKE Junior aired as 6-10 minute segments at the beginning of Kinniku Banzuke episodes, leading each tournament to be broadcast over 5-8 episodes.

The third SASUKE broadcast in Spring 1999 and featured the debut of the iconic Rolling Log, as well as changing the end of the 1st Stage to a shorter rope climb, which would eventually lead to the short climb at the end of the 1st Stage to become a common course element for the series.

Summer 1999 saw the release of Dream Team in Korea, a series that directly plagiarized the contents of Sportsman No.1 and SASUKE produced by Korean Broadcasting System, a network who had previously engaged in a legal dispute with TBS over the plagiarism of Takeshi's Castle. While unofficial, this marked the first time that the series had created any presence outside of Japan.

Fall 1999 had the broadcast of the fourth SASUKE, which debuted the obstacle Cliffhanger, which has since become a staple in all SASUKE and Ninja Warrior series worldwide. This tournament also saw Kazuhiko Akiyama become the first ever person to defeat the entire SASUKE course, and iconic moment in the series history.

In the Spring of 2000, the fifth SASUKE tournament was broadcast. This tournament embraced the recursive improvement idea from Kinniku Banzuke, and featured redesigned stages. the 1st Stage saw the debut of the Warped Wall, possibly the most iconic obstacle in the series history. Additionally, the final stamp was revamped to be taller, and feature a Spider Climb prior to the rope.

In December 2001, Higuchi debuted a new special called "Kunoichi". The concept was generally the same as SASUKE, but with the course rebalanced to the strengths of women, and themed based on the folklore of Kunoichi. Prior to this point, only a single women had ever cleared the 1st Stage on SASUKE, and so the goal was to have women see the same level of success. Despite this, Kunoichi's debt tournament saw only two individuals clear the 1st Stage, only to fail the start of the 2nd Stage. As of 2025, this is still the second worst outcome of any tournament worldwide. Even with poor results, Kunoichi was a rating success, and TBS began producing new tournaments annually.

In September 2001, SASUKE reached all time peak viewership during its eighth season, with 26% of all households in Japan watching. The tournament saw actor and martial artist Kane Kosugi, most known at the time for his work on Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, nearly complete the final stage.

2002–2005: Independence and Restructuring

During a filming session of Kinniku Banzuke in May 2002, a competitor suffered a paralyzing fall on a new strength-based spinoff course called Power Island. Filming was immediately suspended, and an investigation revealed two additional minor injuries. As a result, a formal safety audit was initiated by the Japanese government into potential unacceptable safety risks on the sets of Kinniku Banzuke. The outcome of the investigation indicated that the majority of course events in Kinniku Banzuke would need to be reworked to be compliant with safety regulations. TBS planned to address these concerns and relaunch Kinniku Banzuke under the new title Taiiku World in the future. Since pre-production on the tenth SASUKE tournament was already underway at the time of the accident, the decision was made to launch SASUKE as an independent program in order to maintain the original broadcast window of September 2002. Despite this change, viewership did not decline for SASUKE, and so the decision was made to continue producing SASUKE biannually. Kane Kosugi, who had previously hosted several aftershows and spinoffs of Kinniku Banzuke left the franchise to focus on his acting career, namely in Godzilla: Final Wars, as well as to reduce the amount of training he had to do to switch between.

In July 2003, TBS went through restructuring of its internal studios. The decision was made to no longer have TBS Sports produce SASUKE or Taiiku World, and instead it would be handled by new acquisition Dreamax Teleivision, a studio that had previously only created historical dramas. Due to this, Ushio Higuchi and Masato Inui were all relocated to Dreamax to assist with production. As a result of the lack of live athletics experience among Dreamax, production was halted on Taiiku World and outtakes from past events were used to fill episodes until September, when it would end. Kunoichi was spun off into its own standalone program similar to SASUKE beginning with the third tournament in September 2003. Ichiro Furutachi would leave the production at this time after 11 years working alongside Higuchi, with Jay Kabira and Yuko Mizuno replacing him.

In October 2003, Dreamax launched Golden Muscle, an attempt to reboot Kinniku Banzuke in Furutachi's absence. Its debut season would heavily feature SASUKE content in the form of qualification rounds for SASUKE's 13th season. Golden Muscle would prove to be a failure, due to lower budget, the lack of experience in Dreamax, and struggling to attract the same athletes as past series.

In Summer of 2004, Masato Inui left Dreamax following production disputes and frustrations with the series, forming his own production studio FOLCOM alongside several other producers from Kinniku Banzuke. Production stalls let to SASUKE's 15th tournament being delayed until January 2005. Following this tournament, Ushio Higuchi would too decide to leave Dreamax and begin his own production company, Monster9

Format

Applicants are interviewed or auditioned and trial rounds are held to test their physical ability until the field is narrowed to 100 competitors. Sasuke consists of four stages of increasing difficulty; competitors must complete a stage to advance. Before the 18th tournament, a 1,200-meter run was held in order to determine the competitors' starting positions. Each competition is taped prior to the air date, edited for time, and broadcast as a three-hour show. Exceptions may be made as in Sasuke 24's case should TBS decide the broadcast should go over three hours, but this is a rare exception.

The object is to hit the buzzer at the end of each course before the allotted time expires. If a competitor goes out of bounds, runs out of time or comes into contact with the water in any of the pits below the course, they are disqualified from the competition.

First stage

The First Stage primarily tests one's speed. Typically, 85 to 90 of the 100 original entrants are eliminated in this stage. However, in the 4th competition, a record 37 of the original 100 competitors made it past the First Stage. After each full course completion, the First Stage was thoroughly redesigned to be much more difficult and prevent large numbers of people from moving on.

In the 19th competition, only two competitors cleared the First Stage (neither of the two being Sasuke All-Stars), a record in Sasuke history.

Second stage

Those with enough skill to complete Stage One then take on an even more grueling set of obstacles in Stage Two. 522 competitors have reached the Second Stage as of Sasuke 40. Like Stage One, the obstacles alter throughout the competitions. The obstacles determine the time limit, and it is usually between 50 and 100 seconds.

Unlike the First Stage, which has always required the competitors to hit a buzzer at the end of the course to stop the clock and pass the course, the Second Stage did not have a buzzer at its end until the 8th competition. Before then, the competitors simply walked through an open gate to stop the clock. From the 8th competition onward, the buzzer opens the gate. If the competitor breaks the gate open without hitting the button, they are disqualified. In addition, the course judges can hold the gates closed if a competitor committed a foul earlier in the Second Stage that would result in their disqualification, such as using the Chain Reaction gloves on the Spider Walk as Katsumi Yamada had done in the 12th competition.

On average, 10 to 15 competitors attempt the Second Stage on each competition. A record 37 competitors attempted the Second Stage during the 4th competition. Also during the 4th competition, 11 competitors cleared the Second Stage, a record that stood until Sasuke 40 saw 12 completions. In the 19th competition, neither of the two qualified competitors cleared the circuit (a fall and a timeout on the Salmon Ladder), marking the earliest end of a Sasuke competition.

Third stage

The Third Stage has no time limit. Contestants are allowed approximately thirty seconds of rest between obstacles during which they can apply "sticky spray" to improve their grip. While the first two stages focus on speed and agility, this course almost exclusively tests one's upper body strength and stamina.

Out of 4,000 total competitors and 522 Second Stage competitors, 250 have attempted the Third Stage. The Third Stage is so grueling that, on average, someone passes it only every other competition. Only 28 individuals have ever passed it, and only seven have passed it more than once, namely Akira Omori, Shingo Yamamoto, Makoto Nagano, Yuuji Urushihara, Ryo Matachi, Yusuke Morimoto and Tatsuya Tada. The record for most Third Stage clears in a tournament is five, achieved in the 3rd and 24th tournaments.

Final stage

To date, the Final Stage has known seven forms. Each of these share a single, common goal: reach and hit the button at the top before time expires. If the competitor does not reach the top platform in time, the rope is cut and the competitor falls (they are caught by a safety line). Starting from the 18th competition, the rope is no longer cut (except for Sasuke 27, where the rope was cut for Ryo Matachi). Reaching the top is referred to as kanzenseiha (完全制覇), translated roughly as "complete domination", literally as "complete victory", and rendered on Ninja Warrior as "total victory". The Final Stage's time limit is between 30 and 45 seconds.

Notable competitors

Sasuke All-Stars

The Sasuke All-Stars were a group of six favored competitors, established by the TBS network, originally thought to be the most likely to clear all four stages. Consisting of Shingo Yamamoto, Katsumi Yamada, Kazuhiko Akiyama, Toshihiro Takeda, Makoto Nagano and Bunpei Shiratori, they comprised a large portion of the competitors' success in the first decade of Sasuke. The first two champions, Akiyama and Nagano, are also included, as is the only competitor to compete in every tournament, Yamamoto.

The All-Stars were officially 'retired' in the 28th tournament, but this decision was reversed. Shingo Yamamoto continued to compete in Sasuke 29 and onwards. Takeda retired in Sasuke 38, Shiratori retired in Sasuke 30 but returned in the 42nd tournament, Nagano retired in Sasuke 32, but has since made appearances in the 38th, 40th, 41st and 42nd tournaments. Akiyama retired in Sasuke 28, but returned in the 40th tournament, and Yamada has competed in all tournaments since Sasuke 33.

Sasuke New Stars (Shin Sedai)

The Sasuke New Stars are younger competitors who made a name for themselves during the Shin-Sasuke era. "Shin Sedai" or New Stars became famous since Sasuke 17, after Shunsuke Nagasaki made it to the Final Stage. There was a brief hiatus before the term was re-popularized in Sasuke 22 when Yuuji and Kanno made it to the Third Stage. Membership in the Shin Sedai has been more fluid than the All-Stars, with Shunsuke Nagasaki, Yuuji Urushihara, Hitoshi Kanno, Koji Hashimoto, Jun Sato, Ryo Matachi, Kazuma Asa, Yusuke Morimoto, Tomohiro Kawaguchi, Shinya Kishimoto, Masashi Hioki and Yusuke Suzuki all having been considered members at certain points.

Morimoto Stars (Morimoto Sedai)

The Morimoto Stars is an informal term for the group of competitors who emerged post-Yusuke Morimoto's first kanzenseiha and are now some of the most consistently strong competitors. The members are usually considered to be Yusuke Morimoto, Tatsuya Tada, Keitaro Yamamoto, Jun Sato and Naoyuki Araki.

Celebrities

Celebrity competitors include:

• Kanna Asakura, mixed martial artist (38, 40)
• Miki Ando, figure skater (39-40)
• René Casselly, circus performer and television personality (37, 41)
• Henry Cejudo, MMA Fighter/Olympic athlete (21)
• Koriki Choshu, comedian (15, 18-20, 24)
• Kenji Darvish, air drummer and member of Golden Bomber (28, 30-39, 41)
• Gervasio Deferr, Olympic gymnast (10)
• Tetsurō Degawa, comedian (19, 23-24)
• Yoshikazu Fujita, rugby player (38, 40)
• Kazue Fukiishi, aka Box Lady
• Fuwa-chan, comedian and YouTuber (39-41)
• Jessie Graff, stunt performer (34, 37, 40)
• Morgan Hamm, Olympic gymnast (14-15)
• Paul Hamm, Olympic gymnast (14-16)
• Yoku Hata, comedian ("Guitar Samurai") (18-19)
• Hikakin, YouTuber (39-40)
• Yeo Hong-chul, Olympic gymnast (7-8, 11-12)
• Hori, impressionist (22-24)
• Kota Ibushi, professional wrestler (31-33)
• Yukio Iketani, Olympic gymnast (1, 20, 24-25)
• Hikaru Iwamoto, member of Snow Man (33-41)
• Jordan Jovtchev, Olympic gymnast (8, 12, 14-16, 20, 23)
• Eiko Kano, comedian (23-24, 26)
• Toshiaki Kasuga, comedian (22, 24, 38-40)
• Yoshio Kojima, comedian (22, 24, 26-28)
• Kane Kosugi, actor (1, 4, 6-8, 40, 42)
• Yutaka Kyan, air guitarist and member of Golden Bomber (31-33, 35-36, 39-41)
• Tomohiro Matsunaga, Olympic wrestler (21-22)
• Daisuke Miyazaki, handballer (20-22, 26)
• Wataru Mori, actor (16, 21, 32-37)
• Olivia Munn, actress and television personality (21-22)
• Akiyoshi Nakao, actor (20, 22)
• Kinnikun Nakayama, actor and comedian (8-13, 15, 27-30, 33)
• Daisuke Nakata, Olympic trampolinist (8-13, 16-17, 21)
• Naoto, member of Exile (26)
• Andy Ologun, mixed martial artist (18, 20)
• Bobby Ologun, mixed martial artist (22)
• Kevin Pereira, television personality (21)
• Rinne Sugeta, member of 7 Men Samurai (38-41)
• Tetsuji Sakakibara, actor, singer and member of Yoshimotozaka46 (23-26)
• Dandy Sakano, comedian (24-25)
• Shōei, actor (6-8)
• Hiroshi Tanahashi, professional wrestler (16-17)
• Hikaru Tanaka, Olympic gymnast (2-3)
• Paul Terek, Olympic decathlete (17, 19, 22, 24)
• Ryoichi Tsukada, member of A.B.C-Z (31-41)
• Olivia Vivian, Olympic gymnast (42)
• Ryosuke Yamamoto, actor (30-31)
• Passion Yara, comedian (16, 21)

Results

Main article: List of Sasuke competitions

In its 42 editions, all four stages of the course have been completed a total of only six times, by four different competitors. These were Kazuhiko Akiyama in the 4th competition (1999), Makoto Nagano in the 17th competition (2006), Yuuji Urushihara in the 24th (2010) and 27th (2011) competitions, and Yusuke Morimoto in the 31st (2015) and 38th (2020) competitions.

Sasuke World Cup

Sasuke World Cup (Japanese: SASUKE(サスケ)ワールドカップ) is a special international tournament of Sasuke, based on American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World, which was the special international tournament of American Ninja Warrior. This tournament featured seven teams, including three teams representing Japan and four teams representing four countries that have their local shows based on SASUKE, including Team USA (representing American Ninja Warrior), Team Germany (representing Ninja Warrior Germany), Team France (reprersent Ninja Warrior France) and team Australia (representing Australian Ninja Warrior).

Merchandise

Book

Prior to the 41st tournament of Sasuke, on November 10, 2023, TBS announcement about the very first Sasuke Official Book (SASUKE公式BOOK), a 144-page book which was released on December 14, 2023 worldwide at the price of ¥1650. As an exclusive bonus, trading cards of various prominent Sasuke competitors would also included upon purchasing the book. A promotional video was released on the official YouTube channel a day before the release date.

The book contains exclusive interviews and round table discussions from multiple prominent competitors such as Yamada Katsumi, Morimoto Yūsuke, Nagano Makoto, Yamamoto Shingo, Darvish Kenji, Kane Kosugi, Akiyama Kazuhiko, Urushihara Yuuji, Matachi Ryo, Kawaguchi Tomohiro, and Hioki Masashi. This also includes exclusive interviews from Sasuke Producer Inui Masato and Lead Commentator Sugiyama Shinya. For the first time since its inception, the book would also cover every official result from the past 40 Sasuke tournaments, including results that were initially cut from broadcast.

Manga

On December 26, 2023, TBS announced a new survival manga adaptations based on Sasuke, called Yomigaeri no Sasuke (ヨミガエリのサスケ). This manga will be distributed by Manga Box and was released on August 17, 2024.

Video Games

Early in SASUKE's broadcasts, Konami produced a Java-based SASUKE game for the i-Mode mobile platform in Japan. The courses were updated following each season for at least a decade.

Nine official home video game releases with SASUKE have occurred, typically as a single game mode under the banner of SASUKE's parent show Kinniku Banzuke.

Title	Platform	Developed By	Based on:	Release
筋肉番付GB〜挑戦者はキミだ！〜 Kinniku Banzuke GB ~Chousen Monoha Kimida!~	Game Boy	Konami	SASUKE 3	25 November 1999
筋肉番付〜ROAD TO SASUKE〜 Kinniku Banzuke ~Road to SASUKE~	PlayStation		SASUKE 4	27 April 2000
筋肉番付GB2〜目指せ！マッスルチャンピオン〜 Kinniku Banzuke GB2 ~Mokushi Semassuru Champion~	Game Boy		SASUKE Junior 4	10 August 2000
筋肉番付GB3〜新世紀サバイバル列伝！〜 Kinniku Banzuke GB3 ~Shinseiki Survival Retsuden!~	Game Boy		SASUKE 6	22 February 2001
筋肉番付 マッスルウォーズ21 Kinniku Banzuke: Muscle Wars 21	PlayStation 2		SASUKE 8	9 August 2001
筋肉番付〜決めろ！奇跡の完全制覇〜 Kinniku Banzuke ~Kimero! Kiseki no Kanzen Seiha~	Game Boy Advance		SASUKE 7	6 December 2001
マッスルちゃんぴよん 〜筋肉島の決戦〜 Muscle Champion ~Muscle Island Battle~	GameCube		Various	21 November 2002
SASUKE&筋肉バトルスポーツマンNo.1決定戦 SASUKE & Kinniku Battle Sportman No.1	Plug and Play	Epoch Co.	SASUKE 11	22 July 2006
極！筋肉スタジアム！サスケ完全制覇 Kyoukyoku Kinniku Stadium! SASUKE Kanzenseiha	Plug and Play		SASUKE 19 Kunoichi 7	19 July 2008

International versions

Below is a complete list of the countries with their own international adaptation of Sasuke/Ninja Warrior.

This list includes all officially licensed series, as well as unofficial series. Unofficial series must specifically have a significant and unmistaken overlap in the format and obstacles to be eligible form inclusion, and should have connections SASUKE or Ninja Warrior via direct mentions, footage, succession, competitor overlap or legal dispute. In addition, the broadcasts must have been a made-for-tv series, meaning that broadcasts of public events and league competitions will not be included.

  Currently airing franchise

  Franchise with an upcoming season/version

  Franchise no longer airing

  Status unknown

  Unofficial franchise

Core Installments

	Country/Region	Local title	Seasons (Upcoming)	Channel	Presenter(s) (Seasons)	Premiered
	Arab world	Ninja Warriorبالعربي Ninja Warrior bel-arabi	1	ON E	Ahmed Fahmi Jennifer Aazar	27 March 2017
	Australia	Australian Ninja Warrior	6	Nine Network	Rebecca Maddern (1–5) Ben Fordham (1–5) Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff (1–4) Shane Crawford (4–5) Jim Courier (6) Leila McKinnon (6) Will & Woody (6)	9 July 2017
	Austria	Ninja Warrior Austria	3	Puls 4	Dori Bauer Mario Hochgerner Florian Knöchl	24 October 2017
	Cambodia	Mekong Legend	0 (1)	Hang Meas HDTV		TBA
	China	极限勇士Sasuke: X Warrior Ultimate Warrior	1	Jiangsu TV	Shi Zhenghan Ma Li Su Dong Zhang Chunye	9 June 2015
		全能极限王 Challenge the Limit	1	Zhejiang TV		15 July 2015
		奥运向前冲 Olympic Forward	2	Hunan TV		3 June 2008
	Costa Rica	Force Masters: The Challenge	1	Teletica		19 February 2023
	Denmark	Danmarks Ninja Warrior	1	Kanal 5	Pelle Hvenegaard Christiane Schaumburg-Müller Kian Fonoudi	7 September 2015
	France	Ninja Warrior : Le Parcours des héros	8 (9)	TF1	Denis Brogniart (1–) Christophe Beaugrand (1–) Sandrine Quétier (1–2) Iris Mittenaere (3–8) Anaïs Grangerac (9)	8 July 2016
	Germany	Ninja Warrior Germany	9 (10)	RTL	Laura Wontorra Jan Köppen Frank Buschmann	9 July 2016
	Hungary	Ninja Warrior Hungary	3	TV2	Attila Till (1–) Péter Majoros (1) Vivien Mádai (1) Tibor Kasza (2) Luca Stohl (2) Zoltán Szujó (3–) Ramóna Lékai-Kiss (3–)	16 October 2017
	Indonesia	Sasuke Ninja Warrior Indonesia	2	RCTI	Fadi Iskandar (1–) Pica Priscilla (1) Sere Kalina (2)	20 December 2015
	Iran	قهرمان Ghahreman (Hero)	2	IRIB TV3		23 March 2023
	Israel	נינג'ה ישראל Ninja Israel	5 (6)	Keshet 12	Assi Azar Rotem Sela Niv Raskin Rotem Israel (1–3) Yarden Gerbi (4–) Yuval Shemla (5-)	25 July 2018
	Italy	Ninja Warrior Italia	1	NOVE	Federico Russo Carolina Di Domenico Massimiliano Rosolino Gabriele Corsi	17 October 2016
	Japan	SASUKE Ninja Warrior	42 (43)	TBS		27 September 1997
	Malaysia	Sasuke Malaysia	2	TV9		3 June 2012
	Mongolia	Монгол Нинжа дайчид SASUKE	1	MNB		29 September 2019
	Netherlands	Ninja Warrior NL	1	SBS 6	Kim-Lian Dennis van der Geest Jack van Gelder	9 March 2017
	Poland	Ninja Warrior Polska	10	Polsat	Aleksandra Szwed (1) Karolina Gilon (2–) Łukasz Jurkowski Jerzy Mielewski	3 September 2019
	Romania	Ninja Warrior Romania	1	Pro TV	Raluca Aprodu Costi Mocanu Daniel Niţoiu	9 September 2018
	Russia	Русский ниндзя Ninja Warrior Russian Ninja Warrior	2	Channel One Russia	Yevgeny Savin Timur Solovyov Yulianna Karaulova	26 November 2017
		Русский ниндзя Russian Ninja	1	STS	Vasily Artemyev Morgenstern Ida Galich	22 November 2021
	Russia Central Asia Eastern Europe	Суперниндзя Super Ninja	3 (4)	STS		13 February 2023
	Serbia	Vitezovi iz Blata Knights of Mud	1	RTV Pink		2010
	Singapore	Sasuke Singapore	2	Mediacorp Channel 5	Mike Kasem Hamish Brown Joanne Peh	9 August 2012
	South Korea	출발 드림팀: 복합장애물경기 Dream Team: Complex Obstacle Race	7	KBS 2TV		29 August 1999
	Spain	Ninja Warrior España	2	Antena 3	Arturo Valls (1–) Manolo Lama (1–) Patricia Montero (2–) Pilar Rubio (1)	9 June 2017
	Sweden	Ninja Warrior Sverige	2	Kanal 5	Adam Alsing Mårten Nylén Karin Frick	29 January 2015
	Switzerland	Ninja Warrior Switzerland	2	TV24	Nina Havel Maximilian Baumann	16 October 2018
	Thailand	Ninja Warrior Thailand	0 (1)	Ch7HD		TBA
	Turkey	Ninja Warrior Türkiye	2	TV8	Hanzade Ofluoğlu Jess Molho Hakan Akdoğan Fikret Engin Murat Özari	17 September 2014
	United Kingdom	Ninja Warrior UK: Race for Glory	6	ITV	Ben Shephard Rochelle Humes Chris Kamara	11 April 2015
	United States	American Ninja Warrior	16 (17)	G4 (2009–2013) NBC (2012–present) Esquire Network (2014–2016) USA Network (2017–2018) Telemundo (2020, in Spanish)	Blair Herter (1) Alison Haislip (1–3) Matt Iseman (2–) Jimmy Smith (2–3) Jonny Moseley (4) Angela Sun (4) Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (5–) Jenn Brown (5–6) Kristine Leahy (7–10) Zuri Hall (11–)	12 December 2009
	Vietnam	Không giới hạn – Sasuke Việt Nam	5	VTV3	Thành Trung (1-5) Hoàng Yến Chibi (5) Minh Xù (4) Tuyền Tăng (4) Phạm Anh Khoa (3) Thiều Bảo Trang (3) Nguyên Khang (1-2) Diệp Lâm Anh (1-2) Lại Văn Sâm (1)	18 June 2015

Bahrain had an officially licensed course for an in-person event, but was never recorded, so it was not included above. Licensing discussions have begun for versions in Greece, Mexico and Latin America, however no contact has been signed.

Spin-off Series and Specials

Below is an incomplete list of the spinoffs of Sasuke/Ninja Warrior.

	Country	Local title	Format	Number of Seasons / Series	Channel	Presenter(s)	Premiered
Individual Tournament Formats
	Germany	Ninja Warrior Germany: All Stars	Racing Bracket	2	RTL		4 April 2021
	Japan	KUNOICHI: Women's Sasuke	Women Only	12	TBS		21 December 2001
		KuroOvi	Tournament	1	Family Gekijo
		Panctratium	Strongman	2	TBS		27 April 2004
		Sasuke Senior (Senior Only)	Trial	1			14 June 2003
		バイキング Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course	Tournament (1–3) Racing Bracket (4)	7	FujiTV		22 March 2005
	Indonesia	SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition	International	1	RCTI	Daniel Mananta	25 November 2017
		SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: Misi Operasi Midoriyama	Military Only	2			3 May 2016
		SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: Spesial Polri	Police Only	1			15 October 2017
	United States	American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship	Women Only	4 (5)	NBC		9 May 2021
Kids Tournament Formats
	Germany	Ninja Warrior Germany Kids	Elimination	2	Super RTL		17 July 2020
	Israel	נינג'ה ישראל ילדים Ninja Israel Kids	Tournament	1	Keshet 12		11 November 2019
	Japan	Sasuke Junior	Tournament (1–5) Trial (6)	6	TBS		4 July 1998
		Sasuke Junior CUP	Racing Bracket	1			24 January 2025
	Russia	Суперниндзя. Дети Super Ninja Kids	Bracket	1 (3)	STS		5 May 2024
	Thailand	ภารกิจเด็กแกร่ง Kids Stronger	Tournaments (1) Bracket (2)	2	MCOT HD		15 September 2018
	United States	American Ninja Warrior Junior	Racing Bracket	3	Universal Kids	Matt Iseman Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Laurie Hernandez	13 October 2018
Team Tournament Formats
	Australia	Australian Ninja Warrior: State of Origin	Heat	1 Specials	Nine Network		16 August 2020
	Denmark	Team Ninja Warrior Danmark	Racing Heat	1	Kanal 5		4 September 2016
	Germany	Team Ninja Warrior Germany	Racing Heat	2	RTL		22 April 2018
	Israel	Ninja Israel: All Stars	Racing Heat	2	Keshet 12		22 March 2021
		Ninja Israel: Battle of the Hosts	Racing Heat	1			8 April 2023
	Japan	Super Dog	Dog Trial (1–3) Dog Tournament (4–5)	5	TBS		13 October 2001
		バイキング: プレミアム Viking Premium (Pair Viking)	Pair Tournament	3	FujiTV		3 August 2005
	South Korea	슈퍼바이킹 Super Viking	Pair Tournament	2	SBS		4 November 2006
	United States	American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. Ninja (formerly Team Ninja Warrior)	Racing Heat	3	USA Network	Matt Iseman Akbar Gbaja-Biamila Alex Curry Kacy Catanzaro (College Madness)	19 January 2016
		American Ninja Warrior: Family Championship	Bracket	1	NBC		5 September 2022
		American Ninja Warrior: Couples Championship	Elimination	2			18 September 2023
International Team Tournament Formats
	China	X Warrior: International Competition	Heat	4 Specials	Jiangsu TV		13 October 2015
	France	Ninja Warrior: Le Choc des Nations	Heat	1	TF1		12 July 2024
	Germany	Ninja Warrior Germany: 4 Nationen Special	Heat	3 Specials	RTL		25 November 2018
	Japan	SASUKE World Cup	Heat	1	TBS		21 August 2024
	Singapore	Sasuke Singapore: Face-Off	Heat	1	Mediacorp Channel 5		28 November 2012
	United States	American Ninja Warrior: USA vs the World (formerly USA vs Japan)	Heat	7	NBC		13 January 2014
	Vietnam	Sasuke Vietnam: All Stars	Heat	5	VTV3		10 September 2015
Skills Exhibition Formats
	Australia	Australian Ninja Warrior: Record Breakers	Skills	2 Specials	Nine Network		7 July 2021
	United States	American Ninja Warrior: All Stars	Skills	6	NBC		29 May 2016
Celebrity Charity Formats
	Germany	Ninja Warrior Germany: Promi Special	Elimination	8 (9)	RTL		24 November 2017
		Team Ninja Warrior Germany: Promi Special	Racing Heat	1			27 July 2019
	Switzerland	Ninja Warrior Switzerland: Promi Special	Elimination	3	TV24		4 December 2018
	United States	Celebrity Ninja Warrior: Red Nose Day	Trial	2	NBC		25 May 2017
Other Formats
	Japan	ESCAPE	Hybrid	5	TBS		1 July 2000
		HANZO	Pentathlon	1			24 March 2025

Format Definitions:

Bracket

Individuals or teams compete in a Single-elimination tournament or Double-elimination tournament based around brackets to determine advancement through each stage.

Dogs

A team of one dog and one human compete together, and both must clear the course for a victory. The human may not pick up their dog, but may use their body as a prop such as a bridge or ladder to help the dog along.

Elimination

Individuals or teams are eliminated at the end of round based on their performance. Performance is typically determined by the number of obstacles cleared, and the time taken to clear them.

Heat

Individuals or teams compete in a series of heats, with teams being removed incrementally after a set number of heats is completed, or when a set number of heats has been won.

International

Groups of 4-7 competitors from around the world compete in teams to determine the best country. Typical formats have teams getting eliminated after each stage, based on heats which contain one member of each team.

Military Only / Police Only

A format unique to Indonesia. Competitors are grouped into three teams based on their police or military unit. Competitors complete the course as normal, with a running total of how many clear for each team. Unlike all other formats, competitors must clear both the qualifier and the semifinals to advance to the finals.

Pair

A format where two competitors run the course at the same time in two lanes. Each lane has different obstacles, and in some cases one competitor must complete a task to unblock the other lane.

Pentathlon

A variant of the original format aiming to close the gap between Ninja Warrior, and the obstacle racing debuting in the Modern pentathlon at the 2028 Summer Olympics. Stages include aspects of Fencing and Laser-run not previously seen in any Ninja Warrior series, as well as an increase focus on Swimming (sport), which has only appeared in some adaptations of Ninja Warrior.

Racing

Two competitors race head-to-head over several heats to determine a winner. This format was seen in the semifinals of many international shows, as well as the Ninja Warrior UK season 6, and Ninja Warrior Poland season 10.

Senior-Only

A scaled down version of Sasuke for individuals over the age of 55.

Strongman

This group of shows follows the normal Ninja Warrior format, with obstacles focused on weightlifting skills, similar to Strongman competitions.

Trial

A single stage course.

Women Only

A modified version of Ninja Warrior that features only female competitors. In Japan, the format followed the original format of the show, whereas other countries make it operate more like qualifying rounds with guaranteed advancement to each stage.

Winners around the World

Below is a complete list of competitors to achieve Total Victory. Winners are assumed to be of the nationality of their respective show unless otherwise marked. When a season has multiple winners, order is determined by the order shown during broadcast. All results are taken from their respective television broadcasts. Total Victory is achieved only when a competitor completes all stages of the original tournament format of a Ninja Warrior course. Any series with a guaranteed winner is not considered eligible for this title.

Total Victories During Regular Seasons

#	Name	Series	Season	Date
1	Kazuhiko Akiyama	SASUKE	4	16 October 1999
2	Makoto Nagano		17	11 October 2006
3	Yuuji Urushihara		24	1 January 2010
4			27	3 October 2011
5	Yusuke Morimoto		31	1 July 2015
6	Geoff Britten	American Ninja Warrior	7	14 September 2015
7	Isaac Caldiero
8	David Campbell	Không giới hạn – Sasuke Việt Nam	2	29 September 2016
9	Nguyễn Phước Huynh
10	Lê Văn Thực
11	Tim Champion	Ninja Warrior UK	5	1 June 2019
12	Jean Tezenas	Ninja Warrior: Le Parcours des héros	4	2 August 2019
13	Nicolas Cerquant
14	Drew Drechsel	American Ninja Warrior	11	16 September 2019
15	Zak Stolz	Australian Ninja Warrior	4	10 August 2020
16	Charlie Robbins
17	Ben Polson
18	Yusuke Morimoto	SASUKE	38	29 December 2020
19	Moritz Hans	Ninja Warrior Germany	6	18 December 2021
20	Rene Casselly
21	Iliann Cherif	Ninja Warrior: Le Parcours des héros	6	11 February 2022
22	Clement Gravier
23	Yuval Shemla	ישר אל NINJA	4	5 March 2022
24	Yogev Malka
25	Joel Mattli	Ninja Warrior Austria	3	28 March 2022
26	Shneor Sameach	ישר אל NINJA	5	3 April 2023
27	Yogev Malka
28	Clement Gravier	Ninja Warrior: Le Parcours des héros	8	11 August 2023
29	Matthias Noirel
30	Daniel Gil	American Ninja Warrior	15	11 September 2023
31	Vance Walker
32	Jan Tatarowicz	Ninja Warrior Polska	9	16 April 2024
33	Vance Walker	American Ninja Warrior	16	9 September 2024
34	Caleb Bergstrom

Total Victory During Women's Only Regular Seasons

#	Name	Series	Season	Date
1	Ayako Miyake	Kunoichi	4	25 December 2004
2			5	7 January 2006
3			6	20 September 2006
4	Rie Komiya		8	7 October 2009
5	Satomi Kadoi
6	Ayano Oshima		12	13 January 2025

Total Victory During Kids Regular Seasons

#	Name	Series	Season	Date
1	Kazuki Kudo	Sasuke Junior	5	2 June 2001
2	Naoshi Hasegawa			9 June 2001
3	Geva Levin	נינג'ה ישראל ילדים	1	29 January 2020

See also

• Kinniku Banzuke (known in the United States as Unbeatable Banzuke)
• Kunoichi (women's version of Sasuke)
• Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course
• Sarutobi Sasuke
• Australian Ninja Warrior
• Ninja Warrior Germany
• Ninja Warrior UK
• American Ninja Warrior
• Sasuke Ninja Warrior Indonesia
• Sasuke Vietnam

External links

• Sasuke 2007 (Sasuke 2007 Autumn) – Tokyo Broadcasting System (in Japanese)
• Sasuke 2006秋 (Sasuke 2006 Autumn) – Tokyo Broadcasting System (in Japanese)
• Sasuke 2005・(Sasuke 2005 Winter) – Tokyo Broadcasting System (in Japanese)
• Diagrams of the 11th course with measurements – Tokyo Broadcasting System (in Japanese)
• Ninja Warrior on Challenge
• Sasuke at IMDb