The Most Bonkers Game Shows In Japanese History

American audiences have been enjoying the athletic competition show "American Ninja Warrior" for years now, but some may not know that the series is based on a popular Japanese series "Sasuke," which was edited and presented as "Ninja Warrior" in the U.S. before the American competition was established. In Japan, "Sasuke" had a predecessor,

American audiences have been enjoying the athletic competition show "American Ninja Warrior" for years now, but some may not know that the series is based on a popular Japanese series — "Sasuke," which was edited and presented as "Ninja Warrior" in the U.S. before the American competition was established. In Japan, "Sasuke" had a predecessor, a sister series that was more like a raging bully of a big brother: "Kinniku Banzuke," also known as "Unbeatable Banzuke" (and also known as "Muscle Ranking"), which similarly tested the strength, agility, and endurance of its competitors, only in much more hardcore fashion. Sure, "Ninja Warrior" and its U.S. counterpart are certainly strenuous tests of competitors' mettle, but to really excel at some of the events of "Banzuke," it would really help for one to be, say, Spider-Man.

Take, for example, the challenge known as "Hand Walk" (seen above) in which contestants must navigate platforms, parallel bars, and stairs while walking (you guessed it) on their hands. Another event, titled "Power Island," saw contestants trying to field a 100-pound plastic ball as it careened down a slope; they then had to push it to the top and balance on top of it while negotiating a set path. Unsurprisingly, this event led to the end of the series; in 2002, two contestants sustained serious injuries to their spinal cords while partaking in this challenge. The incident caused the network to suspend the show while its safety policies were reviewed — a review that apparently didn't go well, for the series was canceled that year.

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