Unbeatable Banzuke

, known internationally as ''Unbeatable Banzuke,'' is a Japanese television program, that aired weekly as the premier sports entertainment variety show of TBS. Originally a spinoff of '' Pro Sportsman No.1,'' it evolved into its own series which has continued to see spinoffs and installments for more than three decades. Several seasonal specials were also made, such as '' Sasuke'', which would become a worldwide franchise in its own right.

Through various games based on varying disciplines of sports, professional players and general participants challenged the limits of physical strength and technique, winning prizes if all challenges were successfully destroyed. The popularity of the displays of amazing physical strength and technique by professional players and luck of general participants drove TV Asahi to move its anime time slot up one hour and caused the cancellation of on Fuji TV.

The use of the program's mascot, , originally only featured during the broadcast, expanded in 1996 into the program's opening sequence and every game's introduction. Later on, he appeared in a wide variety of merchandise including Anime, Manga, Video games, Action figures, Trading cards and Board games.

History

1993–1995: ''origins and Sportsman No.1, and the early years of Kinniku Banzuke''

Through the 1980s, TBS dominated the television scene for competition series with Takeshi's Castle, which ended in 1990 related to fallout from the Japanese asset price bubble. Through the early 1990s, sports broadcasting director Ushio Higuchi began planning a new original sports competition for TBS, which launched as a Television special on December 29, 1993 with the help of prolific sports commentator Ichiro Furutachi. The series, ''Sportsman No.1'', featured athletes attempting a custom Heptathlon-style tournament where competitors from several different sporting disciplines competed against each other to determine who was the true ''King of Sports''. Events covered a wide variety of general athletics including Sprinting, Push-ups, Vaulting, Tug of war, Beach Flags, Rope climbing and Obstacle Racing, with scores based on performance. The best overall competitor would be declared the winner.

While the initial broadcast received mediocre viewership, a second tournament featuring a fully refreshed Greco-Roman theming was broadcast on January 1, 1995 to critical acclaim. A third tournament was immediately fast-tracked, receiving an official sponsorship from the Japanese Olympic Committee, and once again was a hit broadcast.

TBS began to receive a wave of wannabe athletes contacting their phone lines asking, if they could be considered for upcoming ''Sportsman No.1'' tournaments. The idea was initially rejected, as Higuchi wanted to maintain a certain level of athletic prestige to be a requirement to compete on ''Sportsman No.1'', however the decision was eventually made to create a spinoff series that would allow the general public to compete. Due to the scope of inquires, production decided that rather than hosting a central tournament like ''Sportsman No.1'', they would host preliminary qualification rounds all throughout Japan, with the best of each region advancing to a final round filmed at Midoriyama Studios in Yokohama.

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 interested in athletics. These episodes saw Sit-ups, Push-ups, and Vaulting return from Sportsman, with tryouts in Tohoku, Kansai, Okinawa, Hokuriku, Hokkaido and Kyushu.

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 Saturday at 19:00 JST beginning in October 1995.

Following the move to primetime, ''Kinniku Banzuke'' continued to broadcast an expanded number of events returning from Sportsman such as Beach Flags, 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. During this first season, the fourth episode reached an unprecedented 31.9% viewership rating during Belarussian Olympic gymnast Vitaly Scherbo's attempt at Bakuten.

1996–1999: main format and the "9" Systems

In the Spring of 1996, as a response to decreasing ratings, as well as competing series like ''Ucchan Nanchan no Honô no Challenger,'' Higuchi decided to branch the series out to include two new categories of events.

The first were variations of 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. This category had initially been conceived during the development of ''Sportsman No. 1'' but had been scrapped, with the idea was based on warm-up exercises that Higuchi had witness Pitcher's perform before professional baseball games. The debut events were ''Struck Out'' and ''Kick Target'', representing Baseball and Soccer. These events used a format called the ''9 Panel'' or ''Struck Out'' system. In this system, competitors would get 12 attempts to hit 9 target panels from a specified distance. While it is possible to knock out multiple targets in one throw, a competitor is immediately eliminated if their number of remaining attempts drops below the number of target remaining.

The second category were skill-based obstacles courses that featured 9 obstacles, called the ''9 Area'' system. 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''. Competitors must navigate an entire course without ever breaking out of their handstand, with the sole exception being during the designated break zone halfway through the course, where they may rest for 30 seconds.

All of these events were critical successes, and Higuchi immediately expanded the roster of events. For courses, 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. For panel events, Higuchi introduced ''Punch Out'' for Bowling, ''Service Ace'' for Tennis, ''9Hoops'' for Basketball, among others. 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. This expansion culminated in the creation of ''Sasuke'', which would become a global phenomenon under the name ''Ninja Warrior.''

The original courses Higuchi had designed such as ''Hand Walk'' were beginning to be defeated after several filming sessions. Each film session contained 32 attempts, and after filming the staff would assess next steps. If undefeated, they would begin to plan adjustments if the course is too hard. If beaten, they 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. ''Hand Walk'' returned as ''Hand Walk II'' later in 1996 setting the trend for returning events, which would go on to be a staple of the series' appeal.

Over the course of ''Kinniku Banzuke'' and its parent series ''Sportsman No.1,'' had a number of breakout competitors who featured recurring strong performances emerged, including Kane Kosugi, Katsumi Yamada and Akira Omori. The series began incorporating behind-the-scenes documentary segments showing their personal lives, how they trained, and their celebrity pursuits. These segments would continue to drive the series success forward by established a De facto recurring cast for a show that otherwise featured new competitors each week. This would be pushed further with ''Quick Muscle'' champion Kazuhiko Akiyama becoming the first competitor to win ''Sasuke''.

1999–2002: renewed success and expansion

Entering the new millennium, ''Kinniku Banzuke'' began increasing its budget and lineup. Events such as ''Hand Walk IV'', ''Super Rider V'', ''A Craftsman'', ''Super Helico II'' and ''Like a Pierrot Ghost'' sported a significant visual upgrade into themed courses. New large-scale events are created to expand the core lineup, including ''Escape, Kunoichi'' and ''Super Dog''. On top of this, TBS began to broaden the franchise with a lineup of multimedia projects, such as an ongoing video game series produced by Konami.

On the air, TBS launched its first ever spinoff of ''Kinniku Banzuke'', under the title ''Kinniku Seiei: Muscle Elite,'' which featured a return of the ''Sportsman'' themed public trials seen in the first year of ''Kinniku Banzuke,'' aired weekly after midnight. The series was hosted by Kane Kosugi and featured additional behind the scenes content for the series. This was followed up with ''Kinniku Angya'' in 2001, which had Kane Kosugi touring Japan to visit professional athletes for Ad hoc challenges. During ''Kinniku Angya'', celebrity Shoei introduced a new segment known as Muscle Musical, where a troupe of celebrities format an acrobatic troupe for stage shows. Muscle Musical would prove wildly successful, and would move its segments over to the main ''Kinniku Banzuke'' broadcasts. A third spinoff series, ''Kane the Muscle'', would continue the focus on Kane Kosugi, featuring dedicate episodes on his life and training. Behind the scenes, Ushio Higuchi decided to produce an original feature-length film starring Kane Kosugi, and featuring references and ideas taken from ''Kinniku Banzuke''. The film would have behind the scenes looks during broadcasts, and released worldwide in 2002 as Muscle Heat. A fourth spinoff, ''Tōkon Kinniku: MUSCLE-ISM'' debuted in April 2002, focusing on martial arts competitors.

2002: ''Chikarajima'' and hiatus

On May 5, 2002, two show participants injured their cervical vertebrae during the filming of an episode entitled "Chikarajima" ("Power Island"), an obstacle course with a temple-like setting stationed outside. The accidents occurred during the "Rock Attack" and "Rock Valley" obstacle portions, both of which involve a giant ball weighing approximately 30 kilograms and having a diameter of 1.8 meters.

In Rock Attack, the contestant must catch the ball as it rolls down a 15-degree slope, then push it back up and onto a platform at the top. For Rock Valley, the contestant must climb onto the ball and walk it across a waterway 2.5 meters wide and 1.4 meters deep. Wei Tao, a 19-year-old Chinese freshman at Kyoto University, fell into the waterway; Takunori Isa, a 20-year-old junior at Tokai University, was knocked down and rolled over by the ball while trying to catch it. It was later revealed that at least two other contestants suffered spinal injuries while participating on the show as well. College student Takahiro Saito, 19, was hospitalized after falling more than six feet into a four-foot-deep water-filled moat, while another contestant was hospitalized after trying to catch a 100-pound plastic ball, nearly six feet in diameter. While most injuries were minor, Isa's injury proved to be a Paralyzing break, however he used the incident as a positive motivating factor, starting a company that produced workout equipment for individuals with Paraplegia and other physical disabilities.

The May 5, 2002 episode would prove to be the final episode of ''Kinniku Banzuke''. Show production was officially put on hiatus, and the show was effectively cancelled. The dormant space was filled with a special edition of ''Count Down TV'', ''CDTV Gold'', entitled . On May 24, 2002, it was announced that an audit conducted by the Japan Industrial Safety & Health Association revealed that many of the show's events would need to be cancelled or modified for the show to continue safely. TBS responded saying that they would relaunch the show in the future, complying with their assessments.

Despite the main series suspension, ''Tōkon Kinniku'' continued to air weekly without pause, incorporating Muscle Musical segments in as well. Due to the uncertainty with ''Kinniku Banzuke'', TBS made the decision to split ''Sasuke'' off and debut it as its own show in September 2002, with promotional content airing during episodes of ''Tōkon Kinniku.''

2002–2003: Relaunch as ''Taiiku World and Dreamax takeover''

In October 2002, after five months off-air, ''Kinniku Banzuke'' relaunched under the title ''Taiiku World''. The decision to rebrand was made to try and continue to have viewers return, while creating separation from the bad press surrounding ''Kinniku Banzuke'''s end. Lead host Ichiro Furutachi reprised his role as lead host, supported by new assistants RIKACO, Toshiki Kashu, Aya Hirayama, Gori, Hiroki Kawada and Masaru Nagai. Taiiku World's first season launched with a mix of new and returning events. Panel events such as ''Struck Out, Kick Target, Spray Hitter, Balloon Shooter'' and ''Hustler'' returned more or less untouched, only with minor changes to their frames and layouts. The lineup was supplemented by new panel events in the form of ''Million Catch, Striker King,'' and ''Super Freekick,'' and new course events ''Monkey Bars'' and ''Dizzy Bridge''. In addition, two brand new formats were introduced. ''Brutal Labo'' saw competitors take on several individual ''Sportsman'' style challenges for place on an overall leaderboard. ''Artistic Performer'' featured a talent competition, with prizes based on the number of judges who vote for them. ''Kunoichi'' would once again return as an event within ''Taiiku World''. In the end, this season saw comparable ratings to ''Kinniku Banzuke'' prior to cancellation, and so it was renewed with additional funding. It's second and third seasons saw the return of ''Super Dog, Super Rider, Neko de Drive, Punch Out, Hand Walk,'' and ''Sasuke Junior,'' with series high budgets and production values.

Alongside ''Taiiku World'', two additional series were produced. ''Cyborg Damashī'' saw idol Yuko Mizuno training for MMA under the guidance of Hitoshi Matsumoto, while ''Yoru no Taiiku'' saw Yuko Mizuno and Bob Sapp continue the martial arts trends of ''Tōkon Kinniku'' and ''Cyborg Damashī'' with a martial arts docuseries.

In July 2003, TBS performed corporate restructuring and decided that Ushio Higuchi and the TBS Sports team would be relocated to newly acquired subsidiary Dreamax TV. Production of ''Taiiku World'' was immediately suspended, with the fourth season consisting almost entirely of outtakes, reruns, behind the scenes content and promotion of other series. It was decided that ''Kunoichi'' would follow ''Sasuke'''s lead and be spun off into an independent series in September 2003.

2003–2005: ''Golden Muscle'' and ''Dream Games''

Following the dissolution of ''Taiiku World'', series lead Ichiro Furutachi would leave TBS to focus on other projects. It would be announced that a new project, ''Ougon Kinniku'' (lit. Golden Muscle), would begin airing in October 2003 and would continue ''Yoru no Taiiku,'' once again starring Yuko Mizuno, alongside Hideaki Takizawa and Jay Kabira, with regular appearances by Bob Sapp. Despite the entire first season having been filmed, at some point prior to broadcast, it was decided to shift the series to continue ''Kinniku Banzuke'', shelving the initial footage and fast-tracking new segments featuring ''Sasuke'', ''Hand Walk, Struck Out, Kick Target, Balloon Shooter, Daruma and Spray Hitter'' for its debut season. This new season launched under the title ''Golden Muscle'' in English, but retained similar branding, logos, staff and website from the initial concept.

Following series low ratings, ''Golden Muscle'''s second season broadcast with a noticeably reduced budget, with ''Punch Out, Super Rider, 9Hoops, Service Ace'' and ''Attack'' airing alongside a single new event, ''Quickdraw.'' This season had slightly increased ratings, but not enough to save the series. This iteration of ''Golden Muscle'' was cancelled, being replaced with the original ''Ougon Kinniku'' footage intermixed with new commentary. This footage was aired late on Wednesday evenings over Spring 2004, showing off martial arts footage, Muscle Musical, and a new ''Sasuke'' spinoff specifically for Sumo competitors. After one season, the second iteration of ''Golden Muscle'' concluded.

In February 2005, Higuchi and TBS launched ''Kinniku Ōkoku: Dream Games No.1'' as the first in a series of specials. Due to low ratings, only one episode was ever produced, and shortly after filming, Ushio Higuchi would leave Dreamax to form his own studio, Monster9.

2005–2011: Monster9 era

Spring 2005 would see the launch of Monster9's first three new Banzuke projects.

''BODY'' was a spinoff docuseries focusing on the competitors of ''Sportsman No.1, Sasuke'' and ''Kunoichi'', including both behind-the-scenes content, alongside new competitors and qualification rounds for each series. The series was renewed as ''Sasuke Maniac'' in 2006 broadcasting for a combined 14 seasons. During this time period, Ushio Higuchi opened a series of Banzuke theme parks called Muscle Park, which he promoted through a new series called ''Muscle Channel'', which featured celebrities competing in classic Banzuke events at Muscle Park.

''Viking'' was a variant of ''Sasuke'' featuring a mix of the classic format, while incorporating other ''Kinniku Banzuke'' events such as ''Ottoto 9, Amazing Road, Bamboo Derby, Body Clock'' and ''Brain Panic''. ''Umi Kinniku-Oh'' focused on Muscle Musical, while also containing qualification rounds for ''Viking,'' and the return of ''Hand Walk, Quick Muscle, Struck Out'', and ''Kick Target.'' Both series caused a stir after being broadcast on TBS' main broadcasting competitor, FujiTV. A 3rd FujiTV project, ''Family Muscle'', aired as two specials in 2006. All 3 series would end following a falling out and subsequent legal case between Monster9 and FujiTV, who claimed mismanagement and under-delivery.

Following his firing from FujiTV, Higuchi would launch a more traditional reboot of ''Kinniku Banzuke'' as a pilot series during TV Asahi's experimental programming block Super Quiz, under the title ''Spo★Kaji'' (Sports ⨉ Casino). After 7 episodes, it was announced that the series would receive a full ongoing serialization under the title ''Taiiku no Jikan'' (Taiiku Time), which broadcast for two seasons. During the same time, Higuchi was negotiating contracts with a fourth network, Tokyo MX. Monster9 would launch the series Muscle World on Tokyo MX in Spring 2008, featuring Muscle Musical as the leads, as they take on several classic Banzuke challenges. During the course of the TV Asahi and Tokyo MX series, Higuchi would encounter legal disputes over unfair work habits from Muscle Musical members, which he would ultimate lose. This controversy would lead to significant financial losses and production difficulties, which contributed to the series at both network ending.

In March 2009, Higuchi would once again return to TBS, producing the series ''3Minutes'' as a relaunch of ''Kinniku Banzuke'', featuring a series of challenges with a 3-minute time limit. The premiere episode debuted against Quiz! Hexagon II, leading to extremely poor ratings. This, combined with extremely cheap production values, lack of returning content and unpopular debut events lead to the series being cancelled immediately, despite having many episodes already filmed.

A greatest hits compilation of the best moments through all previous installments of Banzuke broadcast in 2010 as part of the series finale of ''Sportsman No.1.''

Ongoing financial difficulties paired with controversy, lack on new programs and ongoing legal disputes for workplace conditions would eventually lead to Monster9 declaring bankruptcy in 2011. The assets and IP would be sold and dispersed, with many going back to TBS. ''Kinniku Banzuke'' and ''Sportsman No.1'' would retain under Higuchi's ownership, forcing TBS to rebrand their content, and leading to over a decade of ongoing legal dispute between Higuchi and TBS.

2011–2023: ''Taiiku Kai, Kyokugen and reboots''

During ''Kinniku Banzuke'''s original run a series of three crossover specials between ''Kinniku Banzuke'' and Johnny & Associates called ''Taiiku Kai'', featuring popular male celebrities taking on the events of ''Sportsman No.1'' and ''Kinniku Banzuke''. A fourth special aired in 2005, focusing on the achievements of women in the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2011, a fifth special was produced combining the concepts of the previous installments: male celebrities would duel female professional athletes in the field of expertise such as Golf, Keirin, Swimming and Martial arts. It additionally featured a new variant of ''Attack'', where a team of celebrities must hit targets in Volleyball, with a team of professional female volleyball players on defense.

Following Monster9's bankruptcy, TBS immediately began looking into continuations of its series with ''Sportsman No.1'' was rebooted as Sports Danshi Grand Prix and ''Sasuke'' rebooted as ''Sasuke Rising''. TBS would merge the contents of the ''Kinniku Banzuke'' series into ''Taiiku Kai'' in order to bring it closer to its roots. ''Taiiku Kai'' would almost entirely focus on the panel events, with only debut course ''Million Spoon'' appearing for courses. With each consecutive year, increased focus on Banzuke panels events occurred. In addition to these events, ''Taiiku Kai'' would often feature tournaments where a professional athlete or team would take on a series of unique, custom challenges (usually called ''Topping Challenges'') for a chance to win luxury food, donations for charity or simply for fun.

From 2012 until 2017, a six-hour special was broadcast on New Year's Eve under the title ''Kyokugen'', featuring special variants of ''Taiiku Kai'' events. ''Kyokugen'' events were recorded year round as side events during filming sessions of ''Taiiku Kai'', with footage being used interchangeably on occasion. During 2014, a series of specials under the title ''Bunka-kei'' were broadcasting, keeping ''Taiiku Kai's'' format, but focusing on intellectual challenges. In 2015, a pilot episode for a course-centric reboot of Banzuke was broadcast featured ''Neko de Drive'', ''Born Connection'' and ''Seesaw 60'', however it was not picked up and ended after a single episode.

In 2017, ''Taiiku Kai'' performed a series wide revision to the panel events for the first time in over twenty years. Rather than the normal format of having 12 attempts to hit 9 panels, competitors would have unlimited attempts under a 100-second time limit to hit between 15 and 31 targets (depending on sport). These 100 second challenges would appear in nearly episode from 2017 until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with variations for fourteen different sports. They would once again remix the format in 2020 by debuting the moving target format, where competitors had unlimited attempts and no time limit, however 20 targets would move on a conveyor belt and would be inaccessible once gone.

Due to a decline in ratings, Fuwa-chan's controversy and subsequent hiatus, and the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal, ''Taiiku Kai'' ended its ongoing serialization in March 2023. Since that time, four addition specials have aired.

2024–present: ''Kasso'' and global expansion

For the first time in 13 years, no ongoing Banzuke series was broadcasting. In March 2024, a revival of the ''Kinniku Banzuke'' event ''Skeboarder'' broadcast under the title ''Kasso''. It debuted to low viewership in Japan, and pressure from production following a record setting five winners in its first filming session - an all-time series record. While the series was initially put on hold, a compilation was posted on YouTube with English subtitles which garnered viral international attention, netting more than 10 million views. The series was immediately greenlit to return.

On New Year's Eve 2024, a crossover special entitled ''All Star Taiikusai'' aired, containing events from ''Kinniku Banzuke'', ''Sports Danshi Grand Prix, Sasuke, All-Star Thanksgiving, and Tokyo Friend Park 2. 9Hoops II'' and ''Quick Muscle'' returned from ''Kinniku Banzuke.'' In March 2025, a new series titled ''Hundred Samurai'' co-produced by SpringHill Company debuted, the first internationally co-produced episode, making a tournament out of three Basketball events returning from ''Taiiku Kai.'' Both ''Hundred Samurai'' and ''Kasso'' are currently in talks for international adaptations.

Series overview

Broadcasts are split into four eras:

* The Classic Era ran from the series inception in 1993 until the formation of Monster9 in February 2005
* The Monster9 Era ran from its content launch in March 2005 until its collapse over 2009 thru 2011.
* The Reboot Era covers TBS series produced alongside ''Taiiku Kai'' between January 2011 and March 2023, primarily including series reboots such as ''Taiiku Kai, Sasuke, Kunoichi,'' and ''Sports Danshi Grand Prix''
* The Modern Era covers all specials created after ''Taiiku Kai'''s end of weekly serialization in March 2023.

Below are a list of all of the core, main series installments in the ''Kinniku Banzuke'' series. This list only includes series that received an ongoing serialization on network television.

Regular seasons

Specials

Below is a list of special broadcasts. These specials featured release independently from any of the above ongoing series.

Spinoffs

Below are a list of spinoff in the ''Kinniku Banzuke'' series. The majority focus on content other than athletics challenges such as documentary content.

Pseudo-canon series

These series are series created by the original staff of ''Kinniku Banzuke'' and feature direct crossover in events, however they were produced as side projects outside of the main series and are as a result not considered canon, despite the similarity and often confusing fans.

List of events

Obstacle Course Events

These events featured obstacle courses, typically based on Ushio Higuchi's ''9 Area System''. Each event was themed to a specific sporting discipline, and typically had 9, or in some cases 18, obstacles to defeat. In many global regions including on G4 in North American, these were the main events broadcast and are the most known and most popular.

Sporting-based events

Panel events

Events based around carnival style target practice. Typically a target will have 9 targets and competitors will have 12 attempts to hit them. Later versions introduced bigger boards, and lower prizes achieved for getting bingos on the board. These events were never broadcast outside of Asia.

100-second challenges

The first major revision to panel events, in these versions competitors must but between 12 and 31 targets. In this version, they have unlimited attempts, but a strict 100 second time limit is in place. These events were only broadcast within Japan.-

Moving Target Events

The 2nd major revision to panel events. In these versions, competitors attempt courses that are limited by the stage itself moving away, or that are split into stage. These versions have not aired outside Japan.

Other Sports Events

Events based on common sports that are not target events.

General Athletics Events

Events based on the traditional athletics disciplines of track and field and gymnastics. Many of these overlap with ''Sportsman No.1'' . These events occasionally aired outside of Asia.

Other non-athletic events

Any event that does not fall under the other categories. In most cases, these are events of intellect.

Courses

Courses that are defeated are then recreated in an attempt to be made more difficult and thus "unbeatable". This is why there are different versions (I, II, III, IV, V) next to some names. Sometimes an obstacle is changed between attempts to conquer this game, so there are letters (A, B) next to the versions. This is most likely done because of the injuries caused by this obstacle. Some of these events have "break zones", where any competitor who reaches that point is allowed to take a 30-second break before they must continue on with the course.
* Amazing Road – Competitors must cross a 15-metre-long suspended beam while avoiding six turnstiles fitted with padded bars that can knock them off. This was the Final new event that aired in the US version.
* Athletic Love – Two people of a couple stand at either end of a bridge-like construct. They have 60 seconds to reach the center without falling off or using their hands. This challenge has had three victories. The third victory aired only in Japan.
* Bamboo Derby (On Ultimate Banzuke renamed: "Walking Tall") I, IIA, IIB, III – Obstacle course where competitors walk on stilts. Between IIA and IIB, Snow Mountain was the first mountain obstacle but due to its punishing difficulty, it was replaced by the easier Green Mountain. This challenge has had 2 victories. In the first Bamboo derby, a competitor cleared the event, but due to him skipping a stepping stone, he was disqualified.
* Banzai 90 – A six-person team has 90 seconds to launch one of their own onto each of four padded logs hanging several feet above the floor. When all four logs are taken, they must hold their position for 10 more seconds. The logs are of varying heights: Red – 11 ft 4 in, yellow – 10 ft 7 in, green – 10 ft 1 in, and blue – 9 ft 1 in. This challenge had 4 victories.
* Daruma 7 – A 'daruma' sits atop a stack of 7 blocks. Competitors use a sledgehammer to knock out each block from the bottom up without letting the 'daruma' (or any other section) fall off. This challenge has had 4 victories, 2 in a modified version below. One of these victories was Yakult Swallows superstar catcher Atsuya Furuta.
** Super Daruma – Modified version of Daruma 7 which has 9 blocks to knock out instead of 7.
** Daruma 7 Ace – Modified version of Daruma 7 which the blocks start out small and get larger. This version of the challenge has 2 victories. The 2nd victory was only aired in Japan.
* Extra Kendama – Competitors play with a life-size kendama. They have 60 seconds to swing the ball onto the large cup, then onto the small cup, and finally onto the central spike without dropping the kendama.
* Giant Ball – Obstacle course where competitors stay atop a 5-foot-wide ball without ever falling off or even straying from the course. If a 5-foot-wide ball gets stuck in pothole, contestants will need to escape within the 10-second limit.
* Hand Walk I, IIa, IIb, IIIA, IIIB, IV – Obstacle course where competitors walk on their hands. This course has a break zone. Between IIIA and IIIB, the Conveyor Belt was changed to Bamboo Bridge. As for IIa and IIb, the Rolling Hills were changed to the Hills and Stairs. This challenge has had 4 victories. The competitor that defeated Hand Walk III was aired only in Japan, but it remains unknown. The fourth version only aired in Japan (But shown only Introduction clip in US version). and Special version is "Hand Walk Building" is held in TBS building and "Hand Walk Tower" aired only Japan too.
* Kangaroo – Obstacle course where competitors use a pogo stick. This course has a break zone.
* Like a Pierrot I, II, III, IV, V, Ghost – Obstacle course where competitors ride a unicycle. This event has had 8 victories, the most of any challenge.
* Muscle Gym – Two competitors have to do as many sit-ups, back extensions, and push-ups as they can in 3 minutes. This challenge was played four times; by design, there was a victory each time it was played.
* Nakama – Two people run through an obstacle course while tethered together. They have 70 seconds to reach the end.
* Neko de Drive I, II, III – Obstacle course involving a man transporting a woman on a wheelbarrow that looks like a cat (a "neko (cat) cart"). The contestants have 60 seconds to complete the first four obstacles and reach the break zone. After that, the time is unlimited. This is the second course to undergo a numerical upgrade change without a victor. The second and third version only aired in Japan. In a Dog version course event call "Super Dog" have 3 version and aired only Japan, The competitors use an own dog as companion with reaching obstacles, Unlike Cat version that use a Neko Cart with duo competitors.
* Ottoto 9 – Obstacle course where competitors balance a metal pole on two fingers (hands in US Version). This obstacle is similar to ''Steady Voyage'' in Viking, The Ultimate Obstacle Course. Letting your pole fall or touch any metal obstacle results in failure. This course has a break zone. This challenge has had 1 victory. The event course have Second version and Change named called "A Craftsman", This version has only one competition, but aired only Japan. This course event is similar to from other Japanese Gameshow aired on TV Asahi (1995-2000), but that gameshow not use two finger, use hand holding and shorter metal stick than long metal pole.
* Quick Muscle – (On Ultimate Banzuke renamed: "Push Up Showdown") Two competitors have to do as many push-ups as they can in 3 minutes. The one who does more at the end of 3 minutes is declared the champion. Any time a competitor uses improper form, the penalty light goes on, deactivating that competitor's counter for 10 seconds. By design, there is a victory each time the challenge is played; all five wins were achieved by the same competitor. In one of them, a contender bit his lips hard enough to bleed, marking the first time to show blood in that show.
* Seesaw 60 – Two people stand atop a giant seesaw. They have 60 seconds to move a 10 kg barrel from one side to the other without letting either end of the seesaw touch the floor. A third person gets to call out advice to the other two people. This challenge has had 1 victory.
* Skateboarder I, II, – Obstacle course where competitors ride a skateboard. This course has a break zone, where competitors only have to take a short break. This challenge has had 1 victory. Second version was only aired in Japan.
* Spider Walk – Competitors must climb through a 79-meter-long set of parallel walls, using their arms and legs to move forward without touching the ground. This course would later become the inspiration for the "Spider Walk" and "Jumping Spider" obstacles in Sasuke. This challenge has had 2 victories.
* Sponge Bridge I, II, III – Competitors have to walk atop three rows of giant foam blocks, each harder than the last. This was based on the Takeshi's Castle game 'Dominoes', and has also been used as 'Domino Hill' in stage 3 or Same the event courses name for later competitions of ''KUNOICHI''. This course is the first to be updated to a new edition and advance numerically without being defeated first. This challenge has had 2 victories. Sponge Bridge III was the final event ever aired in the US Version.
* Super Helico I, II, – Obstacle course involving a radio-controlled helicopter. This course has a break zone to allow the copter's batteries to be replaced. Although the US showed 1 victory, there were multiple victories only aired in Japan. The second version was only aired in Japan.
* Super Rider I, II, III, IV, V – Obstacle course where competitors ride a bicycle (mountain bike trials). This challenge has had 6 victories. Two more courses were made and filmed, but never aired except in Japan (there are clips from the competition in the international versions). Keigo Arizono's Super Rider III victory was the final victory aired in the US Version.
* Strong Mama – also known as original name "Kunoichi" aired in Japan, before held in Mt. Midoriyama First competition as Same original name or ''Women of Ninja Warrior''. A course designed specifically for women. They have 60 seconds to clear the first five obstacles. After that, time is unlimited. The event course have 2 version between 1999 and 2000 version. in Man competitor version call "Strong Papa" but aired only Japan.
* Trampoline – Competitors must bounce off of trampolines onto stacks of foam blocks. This competition has three stages, and all competitors who complete the first stage are held until all competitors attempt the stage. Afterwards, all successful competitors attempt the second stage in the same manner.
* Untouchable – Four contestants face off, two at a time, 1-on-1 in a caged wrestling competition, with 3 batons each strapped to their bodies, on their back and each leg. The competitors must remove 2 out of 3 batons off of the other to win a match. After a baton is removed, competition ceases temporarily as the baton is placed in a box. The first person to win 2 matches is placed on the Banzuke. This challenge has had 1 victory.

"Struck Out", "Kick Target", etc. – These event course held Outside studio or Sport stadium and aired only Japan. The contest for the 2 million yen prize consisted of many games that formed the "2 Million Yen Dream Plan".

The Banzuke (The List of Champions) (Grouped by Course)

*Athletic Love — Atsushi & Michiko Hirata - 11.45s left, Naomi & Tatsuya Gunzi - 00.64s left.
*Bamboo Derby I — Hiroshi Kobayashi - 1:11
*Bamboo Derby II — Hiroshi Takahashi - 1:01
*Banzai 90 — Acrobatics Team - 45.79s left, Arm Wrestling Team - 36.53s left, Break Monkeys and Cheerleaders - 20.66s left, Nippon Sports Science University - 11.59s left
*Daruma 7 — Atsuya Furuta, Yoichi Fukaya, Yoshimitsu Nishiumi
*Daruma 7 Ace — Kazunori Harayama
*Hand Walk I — Aizu Nie - 2:11, Yukio Iketani - 54s
*Hand Walk II — Yuki Takahashi - 1:15,
*Like a Pierrot I — Fuyuki Tsuchiya - 1:45, Yuichi Ono - 1:18
*Like a Pierrot II — Natsuki Hata - 50s, Daiki Izumida - 47s, Yuichiro Kato - 30s
*Like a Pierrot III — Yuichiro Kato - 3:03
*Like a Pierrot IV — Yoshiaki Handa - 2:41
*Like a Pierrot V — Yoshiaki Handa - 2:21
*Muscle Gym — Jaguar Yokota - 126, Jimon Terakado - 159, Yasuei Yakushiji - 141, Shigeyuki Nakamura - 124
*Ottoto 9 — Tomoteru Fukuda - 4:52
*Quick Muscle — Kohei Asano (5 times)
*Seesaw 60 — Hiroyasu Matsukawa, Mitsuyoshi Tanaka, & Yuji Iwana (Boxing team) - 11.92s left
*Skeboarder — Kentaro Tanaka - 2:02
*Spider Walk — Shinobu Sekiya - 1:06, Kiyohara Yagi - 1:00
*Sponge Bridge — Makoto Tsuji - 31s, Shuichi Shirotori - 19s
*Super Helico — Yuji Kamiya - 4:31
*Super Rider I — Isamu Hasenaka - 1:30
*Super Rider II — Jaromír Spěšný - 4:18
*Super Rider III — Keigo Arizono - 4:06
*Untouchable — Yasutoshi Kujirai

Unbeatable Banzuke

In 2007, G4 began airing subtitled version of ''Kinniku Banzuke'' under the title ''Unbeatable Banzuke.'' These edits would focus heavily on the course events, and would be the foundation for global rebroadcasts worldwide. The show was hosted by Rome Kanda from ''I Survived a Japanese Game Show'' (aka Kei Kato) as the host. It airs in half-hour episodes, two or three games per episode, in its original Japanese language and partial original broadcast also with English subtitles. The player profiles, rules, and replays, however, are narrated by voice actor Dave Wittenberg, who also narrates ''Ninja Warrior''. Upon the network's relaunch, the preview segment before the opening sequence has been removed.

* If the letters are gold, that means the challenge was defeated.

Note: In G4 version, at Introduction start, Hand walk IV and Super Rider IV-V was put only Introduction but never air in US version after aired last episode.

International adaptations

In the UK, Channel 5 made their own version of this show called Under Pressure. It featured many similar events, namely Hand Walk, Super Rider, Neko de Drive and Sponge Bridge.
Games like Kick Target were separate segments normally attempted by athletes at various training facilities.
For pictures of this version, check
UKgameshows

In Germany, Sat.1 made their own version of the show called Champions Day. It was similar in style to Under Pressure and again featured many similar events. It lasted four episodes.
For pictures of this version, check


In China, a spinoff of ''Taiiku Kai'' titled ''Beat the Champions'' began airing in 2016.

In Thailand, an adaptation based on G4's ''Unbeatable Banzuke'' called ''Unbeatable Banzuke Thailand'' was released, using the same graphics and visual style, with newly filmed segments of ''Quick Muscle, Bamboo Derby, Banzai 90, Ottoto 9, Neko de Drive, Seesaw 60'' and ''Daruma 7.''

Other Media

An anime was produced by Bandai Visual titled ''Kinniku Banzuke: Kongou-kun no Daibouken!'' The anime was loosely based on the show, and featured a group of children invited to an island to fight to the death. It lasted three episodes.

See also

*'' Kunoichi (Women's version of Sasuke)''
*'' Sasuke (Known in America as Ninja Warrior)''
*'' Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course''

Notes

{{Reflist

External links

SASUKE
- Unbeatable Banzuke Fansite with challenge info, episode guide and videos

1990s Japanese television series
2000s Japanese television series
1995 Japanese television series debuts
2002 Japanese television series endings
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
G4 (American TV network) original programming
Japanese game shows
Obstacle racing television game shows