User:Rockhopperharr/Sasuke

Sasuke All-Stars
The Sasuke All-Stars are a group of favored competitors who in many people's eyes possess the greatest opportunities to clear all four stages. This group of five was supposedly established by the TBS network.

Kazuhiko Akiyama -- a 36-year-old massage therapist and former crab diver from Tokoro, Hokkaidō. He is the first competitor to have completed Sasuke, doing so on his third try in the 4th Competition. He has had varying levels of success since, primarily due to failing eyesight. Before becoming a crab fisherman, he was in the Japan Self-Defense Forces where he took up Greco-Roman wrestling. In 2008, his height and weight was recorded at 5 feet, 3 inches and 123 pounds. He made his debut in the 2nd competition where he wore #100 because he holds the Quick Muscle record with 307 push-ups, and between then and the 17th competition, he only missed the 5th. Akiyama announced a retirement from Sasuke after the 17th competition to focus on his fatherhood and work, but returned for Sasuke 20, ultimately failing on the First Stage's Halfpipe Attack. As of 2009, Akiyama has completed the First Stage 6 times, the Second Stage 3 times, the Third Stage and the full course once.

Akiyama's results:

Makoto Nagano -- a 37-year-old fisherman living near Kagoshima and the second man to ever complete the course. He spends 300 days a year at sea captaining his ship, the 28th Konpira Maru, where he works as a commercial fisherman as well as trains for the competition. Clips of him training are shown frequently during the broadcast and include him doing sit-ups off the side of the boat, handstands on the top mast, and hanging off a bridge crossing it like the Cliff Hanger obstacle. In 2008, his height and weight were recorded as 5 feet, 3 inches and 136 pounds. He debuted in the 7th competition, where he failed to scale the Warped Wall. After failing to scale the Warped Wall again in the 8th Competition, Nagano made it to the Third Stage's Pipe Slider in the 9th. He failed the Jump Hang in the 10th competition and since then has reached the Third Stage in every competition except the 15th in which he failed the Metal Spin (Second Stage), the 19th where he failed the Flying Chute (First Stage), the 20th where he failed the Downhill Jump (Second Stage). He has reached the Final Stage four times (in the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 17th Competitions), more than any other competitor. His three consecutive Final Stage appearances are a record shared with Akira Omori, who did so in the first three competitions. As of 2009, Nagano has completed the First Stage 11 times, the Second Stage 9 times, the Third Stage 4 times, and the full course once. Nagano made his first US appearance at the Chibi-Pa Festival in September 2008. In 21st competition, G4 also called Nagano a "Ninja Warrior Legend."

Nagano's results: ^Nagano grabbed the ledge of the third gap instead of the bar; instead of continuing, he admitted his mistake and was disqualified.

Toshihiro Takeda -- a 34-year-old fire rescue worker from Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture. He has reached a level of fame both in Sasuke and in his career that he became the poster boy for Japan's firefighting recruitment drive for 2006. Takeda always competes in his orange firefighter trousers and a black, blue, or white fire rescue t-shirt. Since his debut in the 5th competition, Takeda has passed the First Stage in all except the 7th Competition where he timed out on the Rope Climb, the 10th Competition where he fell on the Jump Hang, the 19th Competition where he timed out after the Warped Wall, the 20th Competition where he timed out on the Rope Ladder, and the 22nd Competition where he failed the Jumping Spider. Despite being the person with the most Third Stage attempts, he is the only All-Star not to reach the final stage. He had considered retirement after the 17th competition, but his son convinced him not to. As of 2009, Takeda has completed the First Stage 13 times and the Second Stage 11 times.

Takeda's results:

Shingo Yamamoto -- a 35-year-old gas station manager from Tokyo, he is the only person to have competed in every Sasuke competition, and the only person to have attempted the first and second version of the Final Stage. During his first attempt in the 3rd Competition he was only about 3 meters short, but his second appearance in the 7th Competition ended almost immediately when he dislocated his shoulder just seconds after beginning the Spider Climb. He usually competes in his gas station uniform shirt and cap (always with Esso/Mobil branding); he has only competed without it twice (1st and 4th competitions). Much note is made of his career and personal successes, including his promotions at the Hasegawa service station, where he started as a gas jockey in the 1st Competition, manager at the 6th, and was announced as a district manager at the 17th; his marriage after the 5th; and the building of his home in Tokyo, complete with a Sasuke training course. Of the 22 tournaments he has entered, he has passed the First Stage 12 times, the Second Stage 10 times, and the Third Stage twice. He is only one of three competitors who have reached the Final Stage more than once.

Yamamoto's results:

Bunpei Shiratori -- a 42-year-old health-services government employee from Inba Village, Chiba Prefecture. He is a track and field athlete specializing in the triple jump; he even competes in his track uniform. He debuted in the 9th competition (failing the First Stage's Warped Wall), but was not selected to compete in the 10th. In 2008, his height and weight were recorded as 5 feet, 9 inches and 143 pounds. He reached the Final Stage in the 12th competition, his only time doing so, and timed out on the Rope Climb. In the 14th Competition, he was officially named All-Star, however he shocked many when he failed the Balance Tank in the Second Stage. During the 15th Competition, he overcame heat exhaustion to complete the First Stage and advance to the Climbing Bars in the Third Stage; temperatures that day were reportedly at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He is best known for having built a full-sized self-replica model of the course in his backyard known as the Shiratori Shrine, where he trains. He often invites the other Sasuke All-Stars to train there, and even invited the first G4 American Ninja Challenge finalists, Colin Bell and Brett Sims, to his course in 2007. Unfortunately, due to a back injury, Shiratori was unable to compete in Sasuke 20, but did return in Sasuke 21, where he ended up failing the Downhill Jump in the Second Stage. As of 2009, Shiratori completed the First Stage 8 times, the Second Stage 5 times, and the Third Stage once.

Shiratori's results:

Katsumi Yamada -- 43 years old from Harima, Hyōgo Prefecture, he is known as "Mr. Sasuke" and "Mr. Ninja Warrior" in the US. Due to Yamada's success in the earlier competitions, he was once thought to be the most likely to complete the entire course. Yamada, who used to work as a propane tank delivery driver, debuted in the 1st competition and failed the Hammer Dodge in the 2nd Stage. The only time he reached the Final Stage was in the 3rd Competition, when he timed out just a few inches from the buzzer. In the 6th and 10th Competitions Yamada reached the end of the Pipe Slider only to fail the jump to the final mat. He is particularly notable for his unusual devotion to the Sasuke competition; many times he has sworn to retire from the competition only to resurface again, at one point alienating his family in the process. Despite his frequent claims that he will never compete again, Yamada has only missed the 13th Competition. After failing on the Pipe Slider in the 10th Competition, he never returned to the Third Stage. Since being disqualified in the 12th competition on the Second Stage (see below), he has never completed the First Stage. Since the factory where he once worked has closed down, he never acquired another full-time job, and spends the rest of his time training. There is a rumor[citation needed] that Yamada is training his son to compete in upcoming tournaments. He was training Takuya Miyagi for the Sasuke 21 trials where he placed first in the trials. Unfortunately in the 21st competition, Yamada was unable to complete the first stage due to injury; he made it to the Warped Wall before eventually timing out. As of 2009, Yamada has completed the First Stage 10 times, the Second Stage 4 times, and the Third Stage once.

Yamada's results: ^Yamada was disqualified for failing to remove his gloves prior to Spider Walk, despite completing all obstacles within the time limit.