Ninja Warrior vs. Unbeatable Banzuke

[JohnBM01]

Two shows I've gotten to watch a lot of lately are Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuke on G4 TV. Both are intense shows of acumen and athletic ability. Leave it to those daring Japanese daredevils (as well as some non-Japanese trying their luck including an American underground constructor) to take on these daring challenges. Essentially, these events consist of a variety of intense physical stunts that test your overall ability. The ability to leap into the air, have great arm strength, impressive balance, and undying determination are keys to victory in these two shows. If you've seen one or both of these shows, feel free to come into this thread and chat about which is better.

I've seen more Ninja Warrior than Unbeatable Banzuke. If I had to choose which one as in if I were physically fit, Ninja Warrior seems easier than Unbeatable Banzuke. Some of the challenges in Unbeatable Banzuke are absolutely unreal. The ones in Unbeatable Banzuke kind of test concentration as well as balance. Ninja Warrior's challenges mostly consist of daring leaps, balance, speed, and determination. Again, I've mostly seen Ninja Warrior. Both shows are vastly challenging.

If you've seen both shows on G4, which do you like better?

 

[Kent]

G4 was removed from my cable setup about a year ago but I loved Ninja Warrior before I lost it. Mokoto Nagano (the fisherman) is amazing. 👍
I don't know unbeatable Banzuke but I imagine it has got to be amazing to be mentioned with Ninja Warrior (aka Sasuke).

Since I don't know Unbeatable Banzuke I can't comment on it. However, I will say this... The cliff hanger in the third stage was always an impressive feat of strength in the hands as well as the upper body.

 

[McLaren]

Ninja Warrior, def. I'm already growing tired of seeing people compete on ridiculous events. Wow, they're hopping on the back tire of a bike. Look, that one is doing it, too. It gets old.

Ninja Warrior, though, just grabs my attention more, esp. since they're all facing different scenarios that really require endurance and strength.

 

[kjb]

Ninja Warrior. I love the announcer he makes things interesting.

 

[JohnBM01]

Reality TV doesn't begin to cut it. The challenges are both intense as well as fun. I sometimes find the Japanese to do stuff like this better than Americans. Ninja Warrior is fun as well as a true testament to being absolutely fit. There are dozens of cliffhanger moments where you just imagine "is he/she going to make it?" Stage 3 is the one with no time limit that is just absolutely intense. I remember watching last week of a guy who had a shoulder injury and damn near cleared Stage 3... only to lose his footing and fall into the water after the second Sliding Pipe. It's just great this show isn't mixed up with trashy rock music, Hollywood-style drama, scripted, that sort of thing. I may just check out the Ninja Warrior "Ninjathon" on Sunday as well as those newer episodes of "Ninja Warrior."

"Unbeatable Banzuke" is more like tests of physical ability as well as mental acumen. It's a greater accomplishment (to me) to clear stages on a treacherous metal-filled obstacle course than to try some of the outrageous challenges in "Unbeatable Banzuke." I guess that's why "Ninja Warrior" is being much more hailed than "Unbeatable Banzuke." That's not, however, to say that Banzuke is a bad show.

Care to carry on?

 

[JohnBM01]

Here's a small note... what we know as Ninja Warrior is called "Sasuke" in Japan (same thing for what I know). I've been seeing a few more "Unbeatable Banzuke" episodes. Here are things I've noted from both shows:

Ninja Warrior (or Sasuke)
* competition for men and women (few women even get halfway through most Ninja Warrior/Sasuke events; a "Kunoichi" event is an all-female Ninja Warrior/Sasuke
* mostly allowing those 18 and older
* truly fit people advance and succeed
* greatly punishing to the body
* requires physical accumen to succeed in addition to being nimble and agile


Unbeatable Banzuke
* competition for men and women
* usually allows anyone of almost any age
* those who are skillful win
* can be punishing to the mind
* requires extreme talent (and maybe some luck) to succeed



Ninja Warrior seems to be more exciting to me since it's physical competition and has some exciting moments. Unbeatable Banzuke mostly tests skills. So you know how to ride a bicycle? Try taking on eight or nine stunts prepared by the Unbeatable Banzuke crew. Ninja Warrior is more interesting to me, but I actually like both shows. A cool thing about Ninja Warrior is that you not only get to see many people of many types, but you even see plenty of interesting and kooky characters. I can't help but laugh at how Superman can't clear Stage 1 . There are some very cute girls (Japan has no shortage of cute girls, trust me!), but not many get very far. Just seeing some of the Ninja Warrior competitors go at it is really amazing. What's much more amazing is how dedicated some of the truly fit are- they practice at areas resembling obstacles of Ninja Warrior. If that's not enough, some even MAKE their own replicas of Ninja Warrior obstacles. The devotion is absolutely real to want to win this competition. There's even a "muscle gym" in Japan with obstacles resembling the ones on Ninja Warrior.

This is now just a stage-by-stage chat on Ninja Warrior. Stage 1 is really an "entrance exam" to if you can withstand the rigors of Ninja Warrior. What I've found best about this is just the amount of talent and "never-dull-moments" there are. (Agreeing with an earlier post) The announcer does a great job keeping things interesting with light humor and the crazy and eccentric Japanese commentary. I've seen the Rolling Log, Log Grip, Jump Hang, and Warped Wall shatter the dreams of many hopefuls. I usually don't see why some people don't go back to the top of the platform to get a better runnning start at the Warped Wall. I like to call the Warped Wall as a "Sonic the Hedgehog" stunt because you need to have good acceleration to get good speed. Then, you need a good jump to go over the wall. Stage 1 is always fun to watch since you get to see some good performances, even if the best ones don't make it very far. Stage 2 has always been about intensity and agility. Everything from propping your body to lifting and climbing gives you a great workout. Some competitors take a lot of time applying that non-stick stuff to their feet and hands. The Spider Walk has always been exciting for me to watch. Stage 3 is an untimed-event... and probably for good reason. You need to concentrate your energy while also having great body strength. Mostly upper-body strength is tested here. The mood is just silent and dramatic. All you can really hear from the competitors is mostly groaning or any metal sounds. The real heartbreak moments for me are the Cliff Hanger and especially the Pipe Slider. I just can't help but root on whomever is taking on these stunts. On top of this, you fall further in Stage 3 than you do in the first two if you screw up. I've seen dreams get crushed on the Pipe Slider when upper body strength gives way to lower body strength... and not manazing to swing great enough to reach the finish platform. Finally, the Final Stage is an accomplishment just to get there. You have 30 seconds to get from the ground to the top of that metal tower. That wall shifts outward after 15 seconds. I remember watching one episode of Ninja Warrior when rain was falling one night as the crews tried to reach the top. It was even more heroic just to watch the competitors try to scale the tower in the rain.

I wonder how effective using those ninja shoes are since I see some competitors wear those. It's not only in Ninja Warrior, but on some competitors in Unbeatable Banzuke as well. Ever notice those sometimes? Anyone else care to comment?

 

[JohnBM01]

Did you see Ninja Warrior this past week and Unbeatable Banzuke yesterday? Makoto Nagano pretty much crushed the Final Stage to become the second-ever Ninja Warrior. And just yesterday, I saw "Daruma 7" finally solved. And when the person did it, someone else solved Daruma 7 before.

I even seen a lady finally win Kunoichi ("Women of Ninja Warrior" to us) when an acrobat (forgot her name) won the women's tournament. If we're trying to bring guys over to beat Ninja Warrior, maybe we need more ladies here in the States to take on Kunoichi/"Women of Ninja Warrior"...

 

[Loon]

Did you see Ninja Warrior this past week and Unbeatable Banzuke yesterday? Makoto Nagano pretty much crushed the Final Stage to become the second-ever Ninja Warrior. And just yesterday, I saw "Daruma 7" finally solved. And when the person did it, someone else solved Daruma 7 before.

I even seen a lady finally win Kunoichi ("Women of Ninja Warrior" to us) when an acrobat (forgot her name) won the women's tournament. If we're trying to bring guys over to beat Ninja Warrior, maybe we need more ladies here in the States to take on Kunoichi/"Women of Ninja Warrior"...

That was an old episode of NW. They just celebrated their 20th anniversary awhile ago, and on that show it had been a few years since Nagano's victory. I saw that women's episode, she had really blonde shoulder length hair, with uber white skin. Yeah, that episode was pretty good.

 

[JohnBM01]

I know they were old, but I don't think I've seen it. I knew Nagano became a Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) champ in the 17th Tournament because I looked it up on Wikipedia. The episodes circulating nowadays are of the 19th Tournament. Man, that thing is BRUTAL! There was one Sasuke Tournament in which about 16 people advanced to Stage 2. Only a chosen few can clear Stage One now.

Over the tournaments, I've kind of imagined what it would be like if there were a Ninja Warrior console game (I know there's a game with G4). Think about if you could build your own stages. For example:

STAGE 1:
Sextuple Step - Rolling Log - Balance Bridge - Jump Hang - Prism Tilt - Warped Wall - Rope Climb

And imagine creating your own characters. Anyone from a rugby footballer to a mild-mannered businesswoman to take on Ninja Warrior. Maybe even imagine having time trials against (endorsement would be required) actual Ninja Warrior contestants (beating the "Octopus Man" by 50 seconds doesn't really count). Imagine taking on people like Kazuhito Akiyama, Makoto Nagano, Katsumi Yamada, Shunsuke Nagasaki, Shingo Yamamoto, Jordan Jovtchev (just to offer diversity), and others. A console game would also mean the ability for online-sponsored tournaments as well as playing tournament stages created by others. Maybe I should post this in the Gaming in General forums. See what kind of a kick I'd get if I released a thread on this...

I heard there were competitions for children as well as the elderly in the Sasuke family. I know I once seen a Kunoichi (Women of Ninja Warrior) tournament in which a boyish-looking softball girl at the age of 13 advanced to Stage 2.



I read that "Unbeatable Banzuke" was cancelled in 2002 according to Wikipedia. "...a performer had an accident in the middle of recording, and as a safety measure, broadcast was paused (in reality, cancelled) in May 2002." (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinniku_Banzuke ). Some of the wipeouts were pretty funny. Maybe the worst (funniest) case was one a boy who did Bamboo Derby. When the boy traversed the Tires, the boy simply got owned going off of his stilts. He was alright, but it was pretty damn funny!



I'm usually reluctant to see these re-runs hit the airwaves, especially Ninja Warrior/Sasuke.

 

[V1P3R]

I've tried to watch both of these and they are definitely skill based. I'm always wowwed at how much they are able to accomplish on both shows. With that said they are both disappointing because I'm looking for something more like Wipeout where I can point and laugh hard.

 

[Loon]

@V1P3R

I think there is a Ninja Warrior game, for like Super Nintendo. I think they showed a clip of it on G4 once. But a new game would be hard to make, mainly because how do you make it hard like the real thing.

I think the youngest to ever compete was a 13 year old boy, he's some kind of juggler. He didn't make it his first try. He came back when he was 16 I think, and made it to stage 2.

 

[JohnBM01]

G4's showing off Sasuke 2. I didn't see Sasuke 1, so get a chance to see one of the earliest Sasuke challenges. Keep in mind that this series was started in 1997. So this is either 1997 or 1998. Only Sasuke 1 was the only Sasuke to take place indoors. This is the first outdoor tournament.

 

[JohnBM01]

"Ninja Warrior" and "Sasuke" will be interchangable in this post.

I think I've now caught up with a lot of the past Ninja Warrior episodes. I think it was Sasuke 4 in which I saw my first-ever Ninja Warrior episode. Been hooked ever since. I'd rather watch this than the upcoming "Hurl!" and stuff like that. I still watch "Unbeatable Banzuke" when I get a chance as well.

I'm really curious as to what Americans will take on Ninja Warrior after Lee M. from Michigan Wolverine country (Ann Arbor, MI) went all the way to the Third Stage. Ever since Sasuke modified that Cliff Hanger obstacle to be sloped, it's made the Third Stage exponentially tougher. Almost as if the crew makes events as hard as possible so that no one can even get a grip (no pun intended) on becoming the next Ninja Warrior. In Sasuke 19, Makoto Nagano (reigning Ninja Warrior at the time) was disqualified for grasping on to the ledge heading into the third portion of the Cliff Hanger. I Don't see how ANYONE is supposed to clear the Third Stage with the Cliff Hanger the way it is. Someone will have to have a good grip and wiry arms.

 

[JohnBM01]

Ayako Miyake is the lady that's won the Kunoichi (Ninja Warrior exclusively for women) tournament. In fact, she won Kunoichi 4 and Kunoichi 5 in succession. Ayako-san is more like the K. Akiyama of the women's tournament. I'm currently watching Kunoichi 6 on this week of E3 coverage.

Also, this is the first Kunoichi in which one stage is a time trial. Only the top six times in Stage 2 advance to Stage 3. I'd never imagine this coming true for Ninja Warrior/Sasuke for any stage.