SASUKE (サスケ) Stages

The 1ST Stage is designed to test a competitor's overall athletic ability. Over time repeat competitors condition themselves to pass the stage. Once that happens the Sasuke stage designers will overhaul some of the obstacles to make it more difficult.

One hundred participants are given the opportunity to attempt the First Stage, a course which primarily tests one's speed. The object is to hit the buzzer at the end of the course before the allotted time expires. If a competitor goes out of bounds or comes into contact with the water in any of the pits below the course, he is disqualified.

Typically, 85 to 90 of the 100 original entrants are eliminated in this stage. However, in the 4th competition, a record 37 of the original 100 competitors made it past the first stage. After the 4th, 17th, and 27th competition, the first stage was thoroughly redesigned to be much more difficult and prevent large numbers of people from moving on. In fact, a G4 special inside the making of the 18th Sasuke competition revealed that the redesign of the first stage for the 18th competition was done with the intention of seeing all 100 challengers fail it. This did not happen, however, and that has only spurred the production team on to make this and all stages to follow even harder.

That goal was almost met in the 19th competition, where much to everyone's surprise, only two competitors cleared the first stage (neither of the two being Sasuke All-Stars), a record in Sasuke history. (The only time something similar has happened was in the first Kunoichi, where again, only two competitors cleared the first stage.) Executive producer Ushio Higuchi said in interviews later that even he was surprised at the results, anticipating that around 10 to 12 people would survive in spite of the production team's attempts at making the first stage unbeatable.

Competition	1ST Stage Obstacles											Time Limit
	Quintuple Step	Rolling Escargot		Spinning Bridge	Jump Hang Kai		Double Warped Wall		Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	105
	Step Slider	Rolling Escargot		Giant Swing	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Spinning Bridge	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	125
	Step Slider	Hazard Swing		Rolling Escargot	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Giant Swing	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	130
	Dome Steps	Rolling Log		Jump Hang	Bridge Jump	Log Grip	Warped Wall	Circle Slider	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	115
	Jyunidantobi	Cross Bridge		Log Grip	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Slider Jump	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	120
	Jyunidantobi	Curtain Slider		Log Grip	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Slider Jump	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	120
	Rokudantobi (Sextuple Step)	Circle Hammer		Log Grip	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Slider Jump	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	120
	Rokudantobi (Sextuple Step)	Log Grip		Pole Maze	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Flying Chute	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	120
	Rokudantobi (Sextuple Step)	Log Grip		Pole Maze	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Flying Chute	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	120
	Rokudantobi (Sextuple Step)	Log Grip		Pole Maze	Jumping Spider	Halfpipe Attack	Warped Wall	Flying Chute	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	115
	Rope Glider	Log Grip		Pole Maze	Jumping Spider	Bungee Bridge	Great Wall	Flying Chute	Tarzan Rope	+	Rope Ladder	130
	Rokudantobi (Sextuple Step)	Log Slope	Rolling Log	Cross Bridge	Circle Slider	Jump Hang	Warped Wall		Rope Climb			85
	Rokudantobi (Sextuple Step)	Rolling Log		Cross Bridge	Jump Hang	Rope Reverse	Reverse Fly	Warped Wall	Rope Climb			100
	Hurdle Jump	Butterfly Wall	Rolling Log	Cross Bridge	Jump Hang		Crooked Wall	Warped Wall	Rope Climb			95
	Cone Jump	Butterfly Wall	Rolling Log	Cross Bridge	Jump Hang		Crooked Wall	Warped Wall	Rope Climb			103
	Prism Tilt	Rolling Log		Cross Bridge	Jump Hang		Crooked Wall	Warped Wall	Rope Climb			80
	Hill Climb	Rolling Log		Plank Bridge	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Tarzan Jump		Rope Climb	85
	Godantobi (Quintuple Step)	Rolling Log		Balance Bridge	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Tarzan Jump		Rope Climb	85
	Godantobi (Quintuple Step)	Rolling Log		Dance Bridge	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Tarzan Jump		Rope Climb	80
	Godantobi (Quintuple Step)	Rolling Log		Big Boulder	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Rope Climb			77
	Godantobi (Quintuple Step)	Rolling Log		Big Boulder	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Rope Climb			77
	Log Climb	Rolling Log		Balance Bridge	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Rope Climb			75
	Log Climb	Rolling Log		Balance Bridge	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Rope Climb			75
	Log Climb	Rolling Log		Balance Bridge	Jump Hang		Warped Wall		Rope Climb			75
	Log Climb	Rolling Log		Balance Bridge	Log Descent		Hill Climb		Rope Climb			60
	Log Climb	Rolling Log		Balance Bridge	Log Descent		Hill Climb		Rope Climb			60
	Log Climb	Spinning Log	Log Descent		Hill Climb	Balance Bridge	+	Rapid Descent	Free Climbing	Wall Climb		60
	Waterfall Climb	Spinning Log	Waterfall Descent		Hill Climb	Balance Bridge	Rapid Descent		Free Climbing	Wall Climb		70