Tokyo International News Agency

The TBS network variety show The Real No. 1 Chosen by Experts: Professional Ranking (airing Mondays at 10:00 PM) has announced a special two-week feature on the popular sports entertainment program SASUKE (known internationally as Ninja Warrior ). The first installment of the special will air on Monday, August 10, starting at 10:00 PM JST. Titled "SASUKE Professionals' Choice: The Most Tear-Jerking SASUKE Scenes Ranking," this special project features votes cast by insiders and experts closely involved with the show, including past competitors, art directors, and technical staff. The showcase comes to fruition after approximately six months of meticulous preparation. Following the announcement, the official SASUKE account on X (formerly Twitter) rallied fans to hype up the upcoming broadcast. Regular contestants such as Masashi Hioki and Tomohiro Kawaguchi also expressed their excitement on social media. Hioki noted, "I got to cast my votes as well," while Kaw...

The newly introduced, formidable obstacle, "Swing Edge," in TBS's ongoing 'SASUKE2025' has thoroughly baffled contestants and become a major talking point on social media. Particularly drawing attention is the unexpected elimination of "Monster Banker" Ryosuke Miyaoka, a finalist from the previous tournament, at the "Swing Edge." This shocking outcome prompted an astonished reaction from the official account, exclaiming, "Cyborg Miyaoka, what happened?!", leaving many fans bewildered. Analysis suggests a focus on "how a single acrylic sheet impacts a player's psychology." Currently, many Japanese competitors are struggling with this section, leading to lamentations like, "Are there no Japanese clearers yet?" The underlying reason for this difficulty is attributed to minor modifications, notably the addition of an acrylic panel placed at the start, described as "too devilish," further increasing the ob...