Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) is that crack

I'm hooked on the Japanese physical competition show "Sasuke". It is currently shown in the U.S. on the G4 channel and predictably re-titled as "Ninja Warrior".





And at least the subtitles are fairly faithful to the original Japanese commentary unlike the trite and borderline offensive bastardization of "Takeshi's Castle", better known in the U.S. as MXC.

Another fun aspect is to watch all the crazy people who dare to compete. This pool of diverse competitors has included an assortment of Japanese comedians (who have no shot at winning), athletes (kickboxers, martial artists and even olympic champions from around the world), a drag queen and people in the craziest costumes. I usually end up rooting for the ordinary folk, especially the repeat performers who have failed in the past.

The challenges are truly difficult as only 2 competitors have successfully completed all 4 stages. One champion is Makoto Nagano - a commercial fisherman: