Every six months or so, the G4 Network serves up an evening of programming worth watching. Last weekend, G4 devoted a Saturday evening to the biannual showing of Ninja Warrior. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s OK. Most people outside of Japan aren’t.
Despite its relative obscurity, Ninja Warrior is the predecessor and superior of ABC’s hit Wipeout. Ninja Warrior, known as Sasuke in Japan, debuted in 1997. America didn’t get her first taste of the competition until 2005 when G4, a cable network known primarily for pushing the bounds of good taste, brought the program to the New World.
Imagine Wipeout with serious athletes and without the silly gimmicks and tacky innuendo-laden commentary. Ninja Warrior separates itself from the pack of physical competitions in both level of difficulty and results. In 25 biannual contests since 1997, only 3 men have conquered the course to achieve total victory. More often than not, no one will even survive to face the fourth and final stage of the course.
While the show is framed with English narration between competitors, the in-contest announcer from the Japanese airing is retained for the show with English subtitles. Part of the fun of watching Ninja Warrior is the spirited, emotional commentary from the announcer. You can feel the despair when one of the favorites, known as the All Stars, falls into the muddy waters beneath the course. You can’t help but rejoice when the announcer’s voice rises in exaltation upon seeing a competitor overcome the obstacles to finish a level.
As time went on and the show gained a cult following, several Americans have entered the competition. Free runners, stunt men, and Olympic athletes have crossed the Pacific for a shot at conquering the famous course. So far, all have failed. In fact, it is that high failure rate that makes Ninja Warrior so compelling. Unlike most competitions which have a winner every week, Ninja Warrior offers no guarantee that anyone will overcome the obstacles.
After a shoe salesman from Tokyo became the third-ever victor last year, the organizers redesigned the third stage making it virtually impossible for anyone to pass it this time around. As disappointing as it was that no one could conquer it this year, it will be all the more rewarding when a contestant does overcome it next time… or the next.
