title: American entry into World War I

text: The readiness and capability of the U.S. Navy was a matter of controversy. The press at the time reported that the only thing the military was ready for was an enemy fleet attempting to seize New York harbor—at a time when the German battle fleet was penned up by the Royal Navy. The Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels was a journalist with pacifist leanings. He had built up the educational resources of the Navy and made its Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island an essential experience for would-be admirals. However, he alienated the officer corps with his moralistic reforms, including no wine in the officers' mess, no hazing at the Naval Academy, and more chaplains and YMCAs.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Daniels, as a newspaperman, knew the value of publicity. In 1915 he set up the Naval Consulting Board headed by Thomas Edison to obtain the advice and expertise of leading scientists, engineers, and industrialists. It popularized technology, naval expansion, and military preparedness, and was well covered in the media. But according to Coletta he ignored the nation's strategic needs, and disdaining the advice of its experts, Daniels suspended meetings of the Joint Army and Navy Board for two years because it was giving unwelcome advice, chopped in half the General Board's recommendations for new ships, reduced the authority of officers in the Navy yards where ships were built and repaired, and ignored the administrative chaos in his department. Bradley Fiske, one of the most innovative admirals in American naval history, in 1914 was Daniels' top aide; he recommended a reorganization that would prepare for war, but Daniels refused. Instead he replaced Fiske in 1915 and brought in for the new post of Chief of Naval Operations an unknown captain, William Benson. Chosen for his compliance, Benson proved to be a wily bureaucrat who was more interested in preparing the U.S. Navy for the possibility of an eventual showdown with Britain than an immediate one with Germany. Benson told Sims he "would as soon fight the British as the Germans". Proposals to send observers to Europe were blocked, leaving the Navy in the dark about the success of the German submarine campaign. Admiral William Sims charged after the war that in April 1917, only ten percent of the Navy's warships were fully manned; the rest lacked 43% of their seamen. Light antisubmarine ships were few in number, as if Daniels had been unaware of the German submarine menace that had been the focus of foreign policy for two years. The Navy's only warfighting plan, the "Black Plan" assumed the Royal Navy did not exist and that German battleships were moving freely about the Atlantic and the Caribbean and threatening the Panama Canal. Daniels' tenure would have been even less successful save for the energetic efforts of Assistant Secretary Franklin D. Roosevelt, who effectively ran the Department. His most recent biographer concludes that, "it is true that Daniels had not prepared the navy for the war it would have to fight."


title: American entry into World War I

text: By 1916 a new factor was emerging—a sense of national self-interest and American nationalism. The unbelievable casualty figures in Europe were sobering—two vast battles caused over one million casualties each. Clearly this war would be a decisive episode in the history of the world. Every effort to find a peaceful solution was frustrated.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Kendrick Clements claims bureaucratic decision-making was one of the main sources pushing the United States to declaring war on Germany and aligning itself with the Allies. He cites the State Department's demand that Germany's submarines obey outdated 18th century sailing laws as one of the first missteps by the United States bureaucracy regarding the war. By doing so, the United States had essentially given Germany the choice of whether or not the U.S. would enter the war. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan spent most of the fall of 1914 out of contact with the State Department, leaving the more conservative Robert Lansing with the ability to shape American foreign policy at the time. One of these decisions was made in response to British protests that the Germans were using U.S. radio towers to send messages to their warships. Immediately prior to the war starting in 1914, Britain had cut all cable communications leading out of Germany, including the trans-Atlantic cable. The US Government permitted German embassies to use the US cable lines for "proper" diplomatic business. Germany argued that usage of the towers was necessary to allow efficient contact between the U.S. and Germany. Lansing responded by requiring both sides to give the U.S. Navy copies of the messages they sent over the towers. The French and British were still able to use the cables, ensuring that Germany would be the only belligerent required to provide the U.S. with their messages. This and other seemingly small decisions made by Lansing during this time would eventually stack up, shifting American support towards the Allies.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Once Germany had decided on unrestricted submarine warfare in January 1917 it tried to line up new allies, especially Mexico. Arthur Zimmermann, the German foreign minister, sent the Zimmermann Telegram to Mexico on January 16, 1917. Zimmermann invited Mexico (knowing their resentment towards America since the 1848 Mexican Cession) to join in a war against the United States if the United States declared war on Germany. Germany promised to pay for Mexico's costs and to help it recover the territory forcibly annexed by the United States in 1848. These territories included the present day states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, about half of New Mexico and a quarter of Colorado. British intelligence intercepted and decoded the telegram and passed it to the Wilson administration. The White House would release it to the press on March 1. Anger grew further as the Germans began sinking American ships, even as isolationists in the Senate launched a filibuster to block legislation for arming American merchant ships to defend themselves.


title: American entry into World War I

text: In early 1917, Kaiser Wilhelm II forced the issue. His declared decision on January 31, 1917, to target neutral shipping in a designated war-zone


title: American entry into World War I

text: The Germans sunk ten American merchant ships from February 3, 1917, through April 4, 1917, though news about the schooner "Marguerite" didn't arrive until after Wilson signed the declaration of war.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Outraged public opinion now overwhelmingly supported Wilson when he asked Congress for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917.


title: American entry into World War I

text: It was voted approved by a Joint Session (not merely the Senate) on April 6, 1917, and Wilson signed it the following afternoon.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Historians such as Ernest R. May have approached the process of American entry into the war as a study in how public opinion changed radically in three years' time. In 1914 most Americans called for neutrality, seeing the war as a dreadful mistake and were determined to stay out. By 1917 the same public felt just as strongly that going to war was both necessary and wise. Military leaders had little to say during this debate, and military considerations were seldom raised. The decisive questions dealt with morality and visions of the future. The prevailing attitude was that America possessed a superior moral position as the only great nation devoted to the principles of freedom and democracy. By staying aloof from the squabbles of reactionary empires, it could preserve those ideals—sooner or later the rest of the world would come to appreciate and adopt them. In 1917 this very long-run program faced the severe danger that in the short run powerful forces adverse to democracy and freedom would triumph. Strong support for moralism came from religious leaders, women (led by Jane Addams), and from public figures like long-time Democratic leader William Jennings Bryan, the Secretary of State from 1913 to 1916. The most important moralist of all was President Woodrow Wilson—the man who dominated decision making so totally that the war has been labeled, from an American perspective, "Wilson's War".


title: American entry into World War I

text: In 1917 Wilson won the support of most of the moralists by proclaiming "a war to make the world safe for democracy." If they truly believed in their ideals, he explained, now was the time to fight. The question then became whether Americans would fight for what they deeply believed in, and the answer turned out to be a resounding "Yes". Some of this attitude was mobilised by the Spirit of 1917, which evoked the Spirit of '76.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Antiwar activists at the time and in the 1930s, alleged that beneath the veneer of moralism and idealism there must have been ulterior motives. Some suggested a conspiracy on the part of New York City bankers holding $3 billion of war loans to the Allies, or steel and chemical firms selling munitions to the Allies. The interpretation was popular among left-wing Progressives (led by Senator Robert La Follette of Wisconsin) and among the "agrarian" wing of the Democratic party—including the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee of the House. He strenuously opposed war, and when it came he rewrote the tax laws to make sure the rich paid the most. (In the 1930s neutrality laws were passed to prevent financial entanglements from dragging the nation into a war.) In 1915, Bryan thought that Wilson's pro-British sentiments had unduly influenced his policies, so he became the first Secretary of State ever to resign in protest.


title: American entry into World War I

text: However, historian Harold C. Syrett demonstrated that business in general supported neutrality. Other historians state that the pro-war element was animated not by profit but by disgust with what Germany actually did, especially in Belgium, and the threat it represented to American ideals. Belgium kept the public's sympathy as the Germans executed civilians, and English nurse Edith Cavell. American engineer Herbert Hoover led a private relief effort that won wide support. Compounding the Belgium atrocities were new weapons that Americans found repugnant, like poison gas and the aerial bombardment of innocent civilians as Zeppelins dropped bombs on London. Even anti-war spokesmen did not claim that Germany was innocent, and pro-German scripts were poorly received.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Randolph Bourne criticized the moralist philosophy claiming it was a justification by American intellectual and power elites, like President Wilson, for going to war unnecessarily. He argues that the push for war started with the Preparedness movement, fueled by big business. While big business would not push much further than Preparedness, benefitting the most from neutrality, the movement would eventually evolve into a war-cry, led by war-hawk intellectuals under the guise of moralism. Bourne believes elites knew full well what going to war would entail and the price in American lives it would cost. If American elites could portray the United States' role in the war as noble, they could convince the generally isolationist American public war would be acceptable.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Above all, American attitudes towards Germany focused on the U-boats (submarines), which sank the "Lusitania" in 1915 and other passenger ships "without warning". That appeared to Americans as an unacceptable challenge to America's rights as a neutral country, and as an unforgivable affront to humanity. After repeated diplomatic protests, Germany agreed to stop. But in 1917 the Germany military leadership decided that "military necessity" dictated the unrestricted use of their submarines. The Kaiser's advisors felt America was enormously powerful economically but too weak militarily to make a difference.


title: American entry into World War I

text: Twenty years after World War I ended, 70% of Americans polled believed that American participation in the war had been a mistake.


title: American entry into World War I

text: On April 2, 1917, Wilson asked a special joint session of Congress to declare war on the German Empire, stating, "We have no selfish ends to serve". To make the conflict seem like a better idea, he painted the conflict idealistically, stating that the war would "make the world safe for democracy" and later that it would be a "war to end war". The United States had a moral responsibility to enter the war, Wilson proclaimed. The future of the world was being determined on the battlefield, and American national interest demanded a voice. Wilson's definition of the situation won wide acclaim, and, indeed, has shaped America's role in world and military affairs ever since. Wilson believed that if the Central Powers won, the consequences would be bad for the United States. Germany would have dominated the continent and perhaps would gain control of the seas as well. Latin America could well have fallen under Berlin's control. The dream of spreading democracy, liberalism, and independence would have been shattered. On the other hand, if the Allies had won without help, there was a danger they would carve up the world without regard to American commercial interests. They were already planning to use government subsidies, tariff walls, and controlled markets to counter the competition posed by American businessmen. The solution was a third route, a "peace without victory", according to Wilson.


title: American entry into World War I

text: On April 6, 1917, Congress declared war. In the Senate, the resolution passed 82 to 6, with Senators Harry Lane, William J. Stone, James Vardaman, Asle Gronna, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and George W. Norris voting against it. In the House, the declaration passed 373 to 50, with Claude Kitchin, a senior Democrat, notably opposing it. Another opponent was Jeannette Rankin, the first woman in Congress. Nearly all of the opposition came from the West and the Midwest.


title: American entry into World War I

text: The United States Senate, in a 74 to 0 vote, declared war on Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917, citing Austria-Hungary's severing of diplomatic relations with the United States, its use of unrestricted submarine warfare and its alliance with Germany. The declaration passed in the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 365 to 1.


title: American entry into World War I

text: President Wilson also came under pressure from Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and from former President Theodore Roosevelt, who demanded a declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria, as Germany's allies. President Wilson drafted a statement to Congress in December 1917 which said "I... recommend that Congress immediately declare the United States in a state of war with Austria-Hungary, with Turkey and with Bulgaria". However, after further consultations, the decision to go to war against Germany's other allies was postponed.


title: Joanna Page

text: Joanna Louise Page (born 23 March 1977) is a Welsh actress and presenter. She appeared as Stacey Shipman in the BAFTA-winning television series "Gavin & Stacey". She played Dora Spenlow in the 1999 adaptation of "David Copperfield", and featured as Just Judy in the 2003 romantic comedy "Love Actually". She currently co-presents (with Melanie Sykes) the BBC One consumer series "Shop Well for Less.


title: Joanna Page

text: Page was born in Treboeth, Swansea, Wales. She attended Mynyddbach Comprehensive School, where she was head girl. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1998.


title: Joanna Page

text: On graduation from RADA, Page spent ten years in stage-based roles, mainly costume dramas for the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. This led to appearances in film productions, including "From Hell", "Mine All Mine", "Love Actually" and "Miss Julie".


title: Joanna Page

text: Page came to wider public attention after taking a leading role in the BBC comedy "Gavin & Stacey", playing the main part of Stacey Shipman. On 23 November 2007, she turned on the Christmas lights in Barry Island, the town where "Gavin & Stacey" is partly set and filmed.


title: Joanna Page

text: Page had a leading role in the 2001 BBC drama production "The Cazalets", about a disparate, well-to-do English family during the Second World War. In 2009, Page provided the voice-overs for a series of Kingsmill bread TV and radio advertisements and the Christmas TV advertising campaign for the Carphone Warehouse. In December 2009, she was the cover star of "FHM". During Christmas 2009, Page played the role of Cinderella in pantomime in Woking, a role she played a year earlier in Wimbledon. The following year, she played the role of Alice Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington at the Milton Keynes Theatre.


title: Joanna Page

text: In 2010, she hosted Sky 1 show "My Pet Shame". In October of the same year, she became the new face of Superdrug.


title: Joanna Page

text: From May 2011, Page provided the voice of the lead character in the first season of Nick Jr. UK's pre-school animation "Poppy Cat", later replaced by Jessica Ransom from BBC's "Doc Martin". In 2012, Page played Leanne Powell in the BBC One drama series "The Syndicate", Helen Pearson in the Sky Living comedy "Gates", and Mrs Peterson in "". In November 2013, Page starred as Queen Elizabeth I in "The Day of the Doctor", the 50th Anniversary episode of "Doctor Who".


title: Joanna Page

text: In 2021, Page began presenting BBC One's consumer series "Shop Well for Less". At the end of 2021 she began co-hosting the show "The Pet Show" on ITV with Dermot O'Leary. In 2022, she appeared on the second series of The Masked Dancer as Pig.


title: Joanna Page

text: Page is married to English actor James Thornton. They both appeared in the 1999 TV serial "David Copperfield" (Page as Dora Spenlow and Thornton as Ham Peggotty). They were introduced a year later by Page's friend Maxine Peake, who was appearing alongside Thornton in the Royal National Theatre's stage adaptation of "The Cherry Orchard".


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race is an American reality competition series that premiered April 24, 2020 on VH1. A spin-off of "RuPaul's Drag Race", the series features celebrities competing for charity, mentored by alumni of the "Drag Race" franchise.


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: The first season consisted of self-contained episodes based on the format of the main series, with three celebrity contestants competing in popular challenges from past seasons of "Drag Race". For its second season, the format was changed to a season-length competition focused on lip sync performances, with a field of celebrities concealed via drag personas.


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: Both seasons of the series have featured celebrity contestants competing for charity, becoming drag performers mentored by alumni from previous seasons of "RuPaul's Drag Race" (billed as "Queen Supremes").


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: In its first season, each episode was a self-contained competition between three contestants, who competed in "fan favorite" "Drag Race" challenges. Similarly to the main series, each episode featured mini and maxi challenges, followed by a final lip sync round to determine the winner.


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: The second season switched to a season-length competition focusing exclusively on lip sync performances. The season began with a cast of nine contestants, identified only by drag personas. In each episode, the contestants give a solo lip sync performance for the judges and a studio audience. The bottom two contestants compete in a "Lip Sync for Your Life" round to determine who advances to the next episode, and who is eliminated and must reveal their true identity. The last remaining celebrity at the end of the season would win $100,000 for their chosen charity. The new format was described as having similarities to "The Masked Singer".


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: The series maintains the same judging panel as the main series, consisting of RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Mathews.


title: RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race

text: The series was initially announced in October 2019 under the working title "RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race", with the title changed prior to launch. The first season premiered on April 24, 2020 on VH1, as a four-part miniseries. In August 2021, VH1 renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on August 12, 2022.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil from 15 to 30 June 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships appeared in the tournament, along with hosts Brazil and UEFA Euro 2012 runners-up Italy, who qualified because the Euro 2012 winners, Spain, had also won the most recent FIFA World Cup in 2010 thus securing a spot in the tournament.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: Host nation, Brazil successfully defended their title with a 3–0 win over Spain in the final. It was their fourth Confederations Cup title and third in a row, after previous wins in 1997, 2005 and 2009.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: According to then FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the best version of the tournament ever played. The competition was the first national team tournament to employ goal-line technology, which was also used at the 2014 World Cup.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The draw for the competition was held at the Palácio das Convenções in the Anhembi Convention Center in São Paulo, Brazil on 1 December 2012.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: Teams from the same confederation were not drawn into the same group, therefore, one team each from UEFA and from CONMEBOL was drawn in each group. Brazil and Spain had automatically been assigned as A1 and B1 respectively, therefore, Italy and Uruguay were assigned respectively to Group A and Group B.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: Teams had to name a 23-man squad (three of whom must be goalkeepers) by the FIFA deadline of 3 June 2013. The squads were announced by FIFA on 7 June 2013.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The competition's dates were confirmed by FIFA on 27 July 2011 in the build-up to the draw for the 2014 World Cup's preliminary qualification rounds. As the competition partially overlapped with the fourth round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification in Asian zone, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) asked FIFA to consider a change of date. However, the AFC decided that the match day would only be adjusted for the AFC representative at the Confederations Cup, Japan. The official final schedule was presented in Rio de Janeiro on 30 May 2012.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: All eight teams entered the group stage. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the semi-finals, while the bottom two teams in each group were eliminated from the tournament. The ranking of the teams in each group was determined as follows:


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: If two or more teams were equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings were determined as follows:


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: In the knockout stage, if a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time would be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: Fernando Torres was awarded the Golden Boot award on tie-breakers. Both he and Fred scored five goals and made one assist, but Torres was given the award due to having played fewer minutes over the tournament. In total, 68 goals were scored by 38 different players, with three of them credited as own goals.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The official match ball for the Cup was produced by Adidas, a development of the Adidas Tango 12. It was unveiled during the draw for the competition. The ball is named "Cafusa" () – a syllabic abbreviation of the words "" ("Carnival"), "" ("football") and "samba", aside of being homophonous with "", the Portuguese name for a zamba i.e. a woman of mixed Amerindian and black African descent. Former Brazil captain Cafu was invited to officially unveil the ball.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The competing national football associations received prize money from FIFA based on their representative team's final finishing position.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the first international tournament for national teams to use goal-line technology. The IFAB officially approved the use of goal-line technology in July 2012, and it was first used in a FIFA competition for the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in December 2012. Having trialled systems from both Hawk-Eye and GoalRef during the Club World Cup, FIFA announced on 2 April 2013 that the German technology GoalControl had been chosen as the official goal-line technology for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Its system, GoalControl-4D, uses 14 high-speed cameras located around the pitch and directed at both goals. It was used in the match for third place between Uruguay and Italy to determine the scorer of Italy's first goal.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: Prior to the opening ceremony at the Brasilia National Stadium on 15 June, demonstrations took place outside the stadium, organised by people unhappy with the amount of public money spent to enable the hosting of the FIFA World Cup. Police used tear gas and pepper spray to quell the protests.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: The demonstrations were part of wider unrest and rioting in Brazilian cities initially sparked by increased ticket prices on public transport, but growing to express deeper public disenchantment with the financial management of the country by its government, specially due to the high inflation. The Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff as well as FIFA president Sepp Blatter were heavily booed as they were announced to conduct their speeches at the tournament's opening. Further protests took place the following day prior to the game between Mexico and Italy in Rio de Janeiro. Blatter said that the protesters "should not use football to make their demands heard", and that the public expenditure on staging the tournaments was on "items that are for the future, not just for the World Cup".


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: As the protests continued to intensify during the week, with a reported participation of over a million people taking to the streets in a hundred different towns and cities, reports in the Brazilian media suggested that FIFA was having to negotiate with the teams to keep them in Brazil and that the tournament could be abandoned. However, a FIFA statement on 21 June insisted that "to date, neither FIFA nor the local organising committee have ever discussed any such possibility of cancelling the FIFA Confederations Cup".


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke subsequently admitted that FIFA had held a "crisis meeting" involving the Brazilian government regarding the completion of the tournament, but sought to distance FIFA from the wider social unrest, stating that "the most important thing for us is to detach the World Cup or the Confederations Cup from these problems. We are not the answer to all problems and we are definitely not the reason for such a crisis. We are just part of what Brazil is doing for the next 20 years...the light FIFA is being shown in here, is the wrong one". He also reaffirmed that the protests had not caused FIFA to consider moving the 2014 World Cup away from Brazil.


title: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

text: Just before the final in Rio de Janeiro, a large crowd marched towards the stadium both in support of the team and in continuation over the original protests. Though largely peaceful, there were some disturbances.


title: 1990 FIFA World Cup squads

text: This article lists the national football squads for the 1990 FIFA World Cup final tournament held in Italy, between 8 June and 8 July 1990. Each country's final squad consisted of 22 players and had to be confirmed by 29 May.


title: 1990 FIFA World Cup squads

text: Replacement of injured players was permitted during the tournament at the discretion of FIFA. Two goalkeepers (for Argentina and England) were allowed to replace their injured counterparts under this ruling. Players marked (c) were named as captain for their national squad. Number of caps counts until the start of the World Cup, including all pre-tournament friendlies. A player's age is also at the start of the tournament.


title: 1990 FIFA World Cup squads

text: The Scotland squad was numbered according to the number of caps that each player had won at the time.


title: 1990 FIFA World Cup squads

text: Each national team had to submit a squad of 22 players. All the teams included 3 goalkeepers, except Colombia and Republic of Ireland who only called two.


title: False dilemma

text: A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false premise. This premise has the form of a disjunctive claim: it asserts that one among a number of alternatives must be true. This disjunction is problematic because it oversimplifies the choice by excluding viable alternatives, presenting the viewer with only two absolute choices when in fact, there could be many.


title: False dilemma

text: For example, a false dilemma is committed when it is claimed that "Stacey spoke out against capitalism; therefore, she must be a communist". One of the options excluded is that Stacey may be neither communist nor capitalist.


title: False dilemma

text: False dilemmas often have the form of treating two contraries, which may both be false, as contradictories, of which one is necessarily true. Various inferential schemes are associated with false dilemmas, for example, the constructive dilemma, the destructive dilemma or the disjunctive syllogism. False dilemmas are usually discussed in terms of deductive arguments, but they can also occur as defeasible arguments.


title: False dilemma

text: Our liability to commit false dilemmas may be due to the tendency to simplify reality by ordering it through either-or-statements, which is to some extent already built into our language. This may also be connected to the tendency to insist on clear distinction while denying the vagueness of many common expressions.


title: False dilemma

text: A "false dilemma" is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. In its most simple form, called the "fallacy of bifurcation", all but two alternatives are excluded. A fallacy is an argument, i.e. a series of premises together with a conclusion, that is unsound, i.e. not both valid and true. Fallacies are usually divided into "formal" and "informal" fallacies. Formal fallacies are unsound because of their structure, while informal fallacies are unsound because of their content. The problematic content in the case of the "false dilemma" has the form of a disjunctive claim: it asserts that one among a number of alternatives must be true. This disjunction is problematic because it oversimplifies the choice by excluding viable alternatives. Sometimes a distinction is made between a "false dilemma" and a "false dichotomy". On this view, the term "false dichotomy" refers to the false disjunctive claim while the term "false dilemma" refers not just to this claim but to the argument based on this claim.


title: False dilemma

text: In its most common form, a "false dilemma" presents the alternatives as contradictories, while in truth they are merely contraries. Two propositions are contradictories if it has to be the case that one is true and the other is false. Two propositions are contraries if at most one of them can be true. But this leaves open the option that both of them might be false, which is not possible in the case of contradictories. Contradictories follow the law of the excluded middle but contraries do not. For example, the sentence "the exact number of marbles in the urn is either 10 or not 10" presents two contradictory alternatives. The sentence "the exact number of marbles in the urn is either 10 or 11" presents two contrary alternatives: the urn could also contain 2 marbles or 17 marbles or... A common form of using contraries in "false dilemmas" is to force a choice between extremes on the agent: someone is either good or bad, rich or poor, normal or abnormal. Such cases ignore that there is a continuous spectrum between the extremes that is excluded from the choice. While "false dilemmas" involving contraries, i.e. exclusive options, are a very common form, this is just a special case: there are also arguments with non-exclusive disjunctions that are false dilemmas. For example, a choice between security and freedom does not involve contraries since these two terms are compatible with each other.


title: False dilemma

text: In logic, there are two main types of inferences known as dilemmas: the constructive dilemma and the destructive dilemma. In their most simple form, they can be expressed in the following way:


title: False dilemma

text: The source of the fallacy is found in the disjunctive claim in the third premise, i.e. formula_3 and formula_4 respectively. The following is an example of a "false dilemma" with the "simple constructive form": (1) "If you tell the truth, you force your friend into a social tragedy; and therefore, are an immoral person". (2) "If you lie, you are an immoral person (since it is immoral to lie)". (3) "Either you tell the truth, or you lie". Therefore "[y]ou are an immoral person (whatever choice you make in the given situation)". This example constitutes a false dilemma because there are other choices besides telling the truth and lying, like keeping silent.


title: False dilemma

text: In this form, the first premise (formula_6) is responsible for the fallacious inference. Lewis's trilemma is a famous example of this type of argument involving three disjuncts: "Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord". By denying that Jesus was a liar or a lunatic, one is forced to draw the conclusion that he was God. But this leaves out various other alternatives, for example, that Jesus was a prophet, as claimed by the Muslims.


title: False dilemma

text: False dilemmas are usually discussed in terms of deductive arguments. But they can also occur as defeasible arguments. A valid argument is deductive if the truth of its premises ensures the truth of its conclusion. For a valid defeasible argument, on the other hand, it is possible for all its premises to be true and the conclusion to be false. The premises merely offer a certain degree of support for the conclusion but do not ensure it. In the case of a defeasible false dilemma, the support provided for the conclusion is overestimated since various alternatives are not considered in the disjunctive premise.


title: False dilemma

text: Part of understanding "fallacies" involves going beyond logic to empirical psychology in order to "explain" why there is a tendency to commit or fall for the fallacy in question. In the case of the "false dilemma", the tendency to simplify reality by ordering it through either-or-statements may play an important role. This tendency is to some extent built into our language, which is full of pairs of opposites. This type of simplification is sometimes necessary to make decisions when there is not enough time to get a more detailed perspective.


title: False dilemma

text: In order to "avoid" false dilemmas, the agent should become aware of additional options besides the prearranged alternatives. Critical thinking and creativity may be necessary to see through the "false dichotomy" and to discover new alternatives.


title: False dilemma

text: Some philosophers and scholars believe that "unless a distinction can be made rigorous and precise it isn't really a distinction". An exception is analytic philosopher John Searle, who called it an incorrect assumption that produces false dichotomies. Searle insists that "it is a condition of the adequacy of a precise theory of an indeterminate phenomenon that it should precisely characterize that phenomenon as indeterminate; and a distinction is no less a distinction for allowing for a family of related, marginal, diverging cases." Similarly, when two options are presented, they often are, although not always, two extreme points on some spectrum of possibilities; this may lend credence to the larger argument by giving the impression that the options are mutually exclusive, even though they need not be. Furthermore, the options in false dichotomies typically are presented as being collectively exhaustive, in which case the fallacy may be overcome, or at least weakened, by considering other possibilities, or perhaps by considering a whole spectrum of possibilities, as in fuzzy logic.


title: False dilemma

text: This issue arises from real dichotomies in nature, the most prevalent example is the occurrence of an event. It either happened or it did not happen. This ontology sets a logical construct that cannot be reasonably applied to epistemology.


title: False dilemma

text: The presentation of a false choice often reflects a deliberate attempt to eliminate several options that may occupy the middle ground on an issue. A common argument against noise pollution laws involves a false choice. It might be argued that in New York City noise should not be regulated, because if it were, a number of businesses would be required to close. This argument assumes that, for example, a bar must be shut down to prevent disturbing levels of noise emanating from it after midnight. This ignores the fact that law could require the bar to lower its noise levels, or install soundproofing structural elements to keep the noise from excessively transmitting onto others' properties.


title: False dilemma

text: In psychology, a phenomenon related to the false dilemma is "black-and-white thinking" or "thinking in black and white". There are people who routinely engage in black-and-white thinking, an example of which is someone who categorizes other people as all good or all bad.


title: False dilemma

text: Various different terms are used to refer to "false dilemmas". Some of the following terms are equivalent to the term "false dilemma", some refer to special forms of false dilemmas and others refer to closely related concepts.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Sasuke (サスケ; stylized in Japan as SASUKE, also known as Shin-Sasuke (stylized as 新SASUKE from Seasons 18 to 21, Sasuke Rising from Seasons 28 to 30 and Sasuke Ninja Warrior since Season 35) is a Japanese sports entertainment reality show television series, airing since 1997, in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four-stage obstacle course. An edited version, named Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Recorded on location at a Mt. Midoriyama studio in Yokohama, it airs on Tokyo Broadcasting System between Japanese television drama seasons. The show's name "Sasuke" is named after Sarutobi Sasuke, a fictitious character in Japanese storytelling. Each three-hour special (with the exceptions of "Sasuke" 24 and 36 which lasted 5 hours and 6 hours respectively) covers an entire competition; there are normally 100 participants. There have been 39 specials produced, approximately one new special per year (twice per year before Monster9's bankruptcy, now reduced to once per year since 2012, twice again in 2017 and 2018, then once a year since.). The show is produced by TBS and is one of the spin-offs of , another sports entertainment competition, which aired on G4 under the name "Unbeatable Banzuke". Until the 10th competition, "Sasuke" was broadcast as a special part of "Muscle Ranking", but it became an independent program when "Muscle Ranking" was discontinued. The first competition was held indoors, marking the only time "Sasuke" did not take place outside. Competitions generally start in the daytime and continue until completed regardless of weather or darkness. After Monster9's bankruptcy in November 2011, all rights to the show fell completely into the hands of its broadcaster, Tokyo Broadcasting System. Following their acquisition of all rights to "Sasuke", TBS renamed the show Sasuke Rising for the 28th, 29th and 30th editions, but have since reverted to the original name. TBS has renamed the show once again, to Sasuke Ninja Warrior since the 35th edition and changed the show's logo for the 36th edition, with the new logo's year being changed for subsequent editions.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Applicants are interviewed or auditioned and trial rounds are held to test their physical ability until the field is narrowed to 100 competitors. "Sasuke" consists of four stages of increasing difficulty; competitors must complete a stage to advance. Before the 18th tournament, a 1,200-meter run was held in order to determine the competitors' starting positions. Each competition is taped prior to the air date, edited for time, and broadcast as a three-hour show. Exceptions may be made as in "Sasuke" 24's case should TBS decide the broadcast should go over three hours, but this is a rare exception.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: In its 39 seasons, all four stages of the course were only completed a total of six times, by four different competitors. These were in the 4th competition (1999), Makoto Nagano in the 17th competition (2006), Yuuji Urushihara in the 24th (2010) and 27th (2011) competitions, and Yusuke Morimoto in the 31st (2015) and 38th (2020) competitions.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The popularity of "Sasuke" has led to the creation of a number of spin-off shows and international versions of the show. "Kunoichi", perhaps the most well-known spin-off, is a version of "Sasuke" restricted to female competitors with an emphasis on speed, balance, and stability.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: "American Ninja Warrior" is the United States version of the show. Originally integrated with "Sasuke" (with American finalists participating on the "Sasuke" course in Japan), it was at one point the G4 network's highest rated show. As of season 4, "American Ninja Warrior"'s popularity has allowed it to move to the NBC network and expand as a stand-alone spin-off with a full replica course in Las Vegas, although Americans have continued to enter "Sasuke" even after the inception of "ANW".


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Other international versions of the format have aired in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Russia and Vietnam, with versions also launching in France (TF1), Germany (RTL), Italy (NOVE of Discovery Networks) in 2016, and Israel (Keshet Media Group) in 2018. An Australian version launched on Nine Network in July 2017. Netflix also started airing "Ultimate Beastmaster", broadcast in six different languages in 2017, a "Sasuke" inspired show.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The show hosts a broad spectrum of participants. While most are from Japan, national television personalities and Olympians from other countries, including the US, Bulgaria, China and Korea, have taken part in the competition. Some of the more enthusiastic competitors dress up in costumes, bring props to the starting stage, or show off some of their talents.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The Sasuke All-Stars were a group of six favored competitors, established by the TBS network, originally thought to be the most likely to clear all four stages. It included two of the men to complete the "Sasuke" course, Kazuhiko Akiyama (1999, 4th tournament) and Makoto Nagano (2006, 17th tournament). The membership of the All-Stars has remained unchanged despite other successful competitors in later tournaments, notably, Yuuji Urushihara who completed the course in the 24th and 27th tournaments. The All-Stars were officially 'retired' in the 28th tournament. Two of them continue to compete independently, and are now referred to as 'former All-Stars'.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † – Nagano touched the top of the Shin-Cliffhanger after swinging from the second to the third ledge. He disqualified himself, admitting his error and bowing out after he reached the next platform.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: <nowiki>*</nowiki> – Nagano was allowed a second attempt at the First Stage due to a malfunction of the Slider Jump.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † – Takeda had no number in the 18th tournament. He was around the 86th person to run the course. Takeda injured his shoulder when running the Wing Slider in 36th tournament.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † – Yamamoto was hurt in the 7th competition when he dislocated his shoulder and in the 23rd he re-injured his shoulder.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † – In the 12th competition, Yamada was disqualified on the Spider Walk for failing to remove his gloves used on the Chain Reaction obstacle.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The Sasuke New Stars (in contrast to the All Stars) are new younger competitors who have made a name for themselves on mostly the Shin-Sasuke editions of the course. "Shin Sedai" or New Stars became famous since "Sasuke" 17, after Shunsuke Nagasaki made it to the Final Stage. There was a brief hiatus before the term was re-popularized in "Sasuke" 22 when Yuuji and Kanno made it to the Third Stage. Membership in the New Stars has included the following:


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † – Kanno touched part of the frame with his foot and climbed along the side of the platform, thereby going off the course.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: †† – Kanno dislocated his shoulder immediately after clearing the Warped Wall, and timed out on top of the wall.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The Sasuke New Stars (in contrast to the All stars) are new younger competitors who have made a name for themselves on the recent editions of the course. "Morimoto Sedai" or Morimoto Generations became famous after "Sasuke" 31, since Morimoto made his victory, there are many competitors who has been the same age as Morimoto and train with him. Morimoto Generations has been introduced in "Sasuke" 36 when Tada and Araki finally made it to the Third Stage. Membership in the Morimoto Generations has included the following:


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Several Japanese athletes have competed in "Sasuke" over the years, including professional team handball player Daisuke Miyazaki, who was featured in the 20th, 21st, 22nd and 26th competitions. In his debut, the 20th competition, he failed on the Halfpipe Attack. His best performance was in "Sasuke" 21, where he made it all the way to the Third Stage Devil Steps. In "Sasuke" 22, he timed out on the Net Climb in Stage 1, and in "Sasuke" 26, he failed the First Stage's Rolling Escargot.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Sprinter Hisatsugu Suzuki, who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, appeared in the 13th competition where he fell in Stage 1 on the Cross Bridge.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Another competitor from the 1992 Olympics, gymnast Yoshiaki Hatakeda, competed in the 6th tournament, making it all the way to Stage 3 before falling on the Cliff Hanger.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: After the 27th competition, three Japanese Olympians competed: Tomoko Hagiwara, Koki Sakamoto, and Daisuke Nakano. Hagiwara competed in the 28th competition, but she failed the Quintuple Step. She also competed in the 29th competition, but she failed the Hedgehog. Sakamoto competed in the 28th competition, wearing #95 (the highest number for non all-stars that tournament), but he timed out on the second Warped Wall. Nakano competed in the 29th competition, but he failed the Jump Hang Kai, while trying to grab both nets.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Pole Vaulter Seito Yamamoto, who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2016 Summer Olympics, and also 2018 Asian Games, appeared in the 35th and 36th competition where he fell in Stage 1 on the Dragon Glider twice.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Various American athletes, including Olympians and athletes who are regular "American Ninja Warrior" competitors, also compete in "Sasuke".


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Olympic gymnasts (and twin brothers) Paul and Morgan Hamm have competed together. Paul made it to the Second Stage in the 14th and 16th competitions but failed to make it further – in the 14th, he cleared Wall Lifting but forgot to hit the button at the end before time ran out, and in the 16th, he was eliminated by the Metal Spin. He competed in the 15th competition as well, but he failed to make it past the First Stage's Warped Wall. Morgan timed out in the First Stage before he could attempt the Rope Climb in the 14th competition, but he made it to the Third Stage in the 15th, failing on the Curtain Cling. In the 16th competition, he failed the First Stage's Warped Wall.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † - Paul Hamm cleared the Second Stage with 0.1 seconds left, but walked through the gates without hitting the buzzer. As a result, he was disqualified.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Decathlete Terek competed four times in total. He first appeared in the 17th competition, making it to the Third Stage before failing the Cliffhanger. The announcer pointed to his immense size (6 foot 3 and 215 pounds) as a barrier to his advancement. After earning the title of "Pro Sportsman No. 1" in 2007, Terek appeared in the 19th competition but failed the First Stage's Jumping Spider. He helped G4 oversee the 2nd "American Ninja Challenge" competition in early 2008, but he did not compete in "Sasuke" 20th competition due to his training for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (though he eventually had to drop out of the running for the Olympics after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee). He made his return to "Sasuke" in the 22nd competition but failed on a new obstacle in the First Stage, the Slider Jump. He failed the same obstacle in "Sasuke" 24. In 2010, Paul Terek announced his retirement from international competition, so it is likely he will never compete again.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Cejudo, a gold medal-winning wrestler at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, competed in the 21st competition, but failed the First Stage's Halfpipe Attack.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Meeuwenberg, a free runner from G4's "American Ninja Challenge 2", first competed in "Sasuke" 20, where he was one of only three people to clear the First Stage and the only person to clear the Second Stage. He cleared Stage 2 with a record time of 38.5 seconds left. He failed the Third Stage's Shin-Cliffhanger. In the 21st competition, he failed the Salmon Ladder in the Second Stage; in the 22nd, he failed the new Slider Jump; in the 23rd, he made it back to the Third Stage but failed the Shin-Cliffhanger again. He missed the 24th competition but returned for the 25th, where he failed the first obstacle of the Second Stage, the Slider Drop. However, he couldn't compete in the 26th competition after breaking his wrist while participating in "", a televised professional parkour tournament.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Levi did not compete in "American Ninja Warrior" 3 to try to earn a spot for "Sasuke" 27 because of a big movie scene that came up for him during the time of the tryouts.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Levi however did compete "American Ninja Warrior" 4, however he failed the Quad Steps (Godantobi in Japanese), the very first obstacle. It was clear he was very tired as he had flown in from the Philippines hours beforehand and tried to rush.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: He has not competed in "American Ninja Warrior" ever since. It is known that he stopped free running altogether, and became a farmer instead.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: In the four times he completed the First Stage, he had the fastest time out of everyone who finished Stage 1.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: † - Levi was supposed to compete in the 26th tournament, having earned a spot in the "American Ninja Warrior" preliminaries, but was ultimately unable to do so after breaking his wrist on "", which occurred prior to the 26th tournament. His spot in the tournament went to ANW alternate, Adam LaPlante (who failed on the Halfpipe Attack in Stage 1).


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Bulgarian gymnast and six-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) Yordan Yovchev (spelled on G4 as Jordan Jovtchev) first competed in the 8th competition. During that competition he reached the Final Stage but became the first competitor to suffer a 15-second timeout on the initial Spider Climb portion, falling when it spread apart. Rain and a two-second late start also hurt his performance. He made it to the Third Stage three more times in competitions 12, 14, and 16, failing the Cliffhanger each time. He competed in the 15th competition but failed the Warped Wall in the First Stage. He later came back to compete in "Sasuke" 20, where he failed the Warped Wall again. He also competed in "Sasuke" 23, where he managed to pass all of the other obstacles but sadly timed out on the final rope ladder.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: South Korean gymnast Yeo Hong-chul, silver medalist in the men's vault at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He competed four times but has never gotten past the First Stage. In the 7th competition, he was unable to beat the Rolling Log; In the 8th, he failed the Quintuple Step; In the 11th, he timed out on the Warped Wall. And in the 12th, he timed out on the Rope Climb.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Polish gymnast Leszek Blanik, bronze medalist in the men's vault at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and gold medalist in men's vault at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, competed in the 23rd tournament but failed on the Curtain Slider in the First Stage.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Spanish gymnast Gervasio Deferr, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Champion in the vault and 2008 silver medalist in the floor exercise, competed in the 10th competition but timed out a few feet from the buzzer on the First Stage's Rope Climb.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: K-1 mixed martial artist Genki Sudo has competed in five tournaments, failing at the Jump Hang (6th, 12th), the Rolling Log (13th), Duodectuple Step (23rd), and the Log Grip (24th). Another mixed martial artist, Sanae Kikuta competed in the 8th and 10th tournaments, where he fell off of the Rolling Log in the First Stage; in the 12th tournament, he fell on the Plank Bridge in the First Stage. Other K-1 fighters who have competed include Tatsuji (19th competition, failed the Jumping Spider), Yudai (20th competition, failed the Rokudantobi), Andy Ologun (18th competition, failed the Rope Glider; 20th competition, failed the Log Grip), Bobby Ologun (22nd competition, failed the Log Grip), Bernard Ackah (19th competition, failed the Jumping Spider), and Takeru Segawa has competed in four tournaments, failing the Hedgehog (30th), Warped Wall (31st), Tarzan Rope (32nd) when his foot touched the water, cleared the First Stage (33rd) but failed the Salmon Ladder Nobori, and Backstream (34th). He had a surprising fail on the modified Fish Bone (35th). Hirotaka Urabe has competed twice, failing the Rolling Hill (34th), Wing Slider (36th).


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Former Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler Ikuhisa Minowa, competing in DREAM known as "Minowaman", was featured in the 26th competition wearing red wrestling tights, pads, and boots. He failed the second obstacle, "Hazard Swing" after jumping from the swing, and missing the rope on the platform, falling into the water below. He also competed in the 29th competition, but failed the first obstacle, the "Long Jump", where he landed feet first onto the sandbox and jumped backwards into the water. Japanese featherweight mixed martial artist from DREAM Hideo Tokoro (announced as a "freelance fighter") was featured right after Minowaman in the 26th competition where he failed to grab the rope to swing himself to the other side in the first obstacle "Step Slider".


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Several professional wrestlers have also competed, including Tiger Mask, The Great Sasuke (referred to as "Great Ninja Warrior" in the US and UK versions), Minoru Suzuki, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi and Naohiro Hoshikawa. Suzuki and Tanahashi were the Triple Crown Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight Champion, respectively, during their runs in the course.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Several Japanese or Japan-based entertainers have taken part in "Sasuke", including action movie star Kane Kosugi and his brother Shane. Kane made the Third Stage in the 1st, 4th and 6th competitions, failing on the Pole Bridge, Cliffhanger and Body Prop, respectively. In the 7th competition, he made the Second Stage but failed the Spider Walk, his earliest exit from a competition. He reached the Final Stage in the 8th competition, becoming, alongside Yordan Yovchev, the first foreigner to make it that far. Competing in heavy rain, Kane timed out on the Rope Climb; he has not competed since. Shane timed out on the Second Stage's Wall Lift in the 2nd competition, then failed the First Stage's Rolling Log in the 3rd competition. In the 4th, he came close to completing the First Stage but timed out on the Rope Climb. In the 6th and 7th competitions, he made it to the Third Stage, failing both times on the Body Prop. In the 8th competition, he failed to get past the First Stage's Warped Wall. Unlike his brother, Shane competed in the 9th competition, where he failed the Big Boulder in the First Stage.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Other entertainers who have competed include , host of several NHK children's programs; Shigeyuki Nakamura, a champion of the Muscle Gym event in "Kinniku Banzuke"; actor-singer Kazumi Morohoshi, a former member of the band Hikaru Genji who is now a solo artist; actor/announcer Kenjirō Ishimaru; and actors Masaki Nomura and Shōei. Sato debuted in the 18th tournament and failed the First Stage's Flying Chute. In the 19th tournament, he failed the Log Grip. In the 20th competition, he timed out before he attempted the Tarzan Rope. In the 21st competition, he timed out on the Warped Wall. In the 22nd, Sato finally cleared the First Stage but failed the Metal Spin in the Second. In "Sasuke" 23, he failed the Jumping Spider. In "Sasuke" 24, he failed the Metal Spin again. He missed "Sasuke" 25, but failed the Jumping Spider again in "Sasuke" 26. He missed "Sasuke" 27 and 28 but competed in 29, where he shocked the crowd by unexpectedly going out on the first obstacle, the Long Jump. Nakamura made it to the Third Stage in the 2nd competition, failing there on the Pipe Slider, but in the 6th competition he was eliminated by the First Stage's Jump Hang. Morohoshi debuted in the 20th tournament but failed the Log Grip in the First Stage. Ishimaru has never made it past the First Stage; his two closest attempts, in the 16th and 17th competitions, timed out on the Rope Climb. Shōei competed three times. He competed in "Sasuke" 6, and failed the Jump Hang when he tried to go under using only his arms. He timed out on the Rope Climb in Stage 1 in "Sasuke" 7. He finally made it past the First Stage and Second Stage in "Sasuke" 8. He struggled in Stage 3 on the Propeller Bars, and failed the Body Prop.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Actor James Okada, a graduate from a martial arts academy, competed in the 6th and 7th competitions. In his first attempt, he failed the Jump Hang in the First Stage, but in the next tournament, he made it all the way to the Third, where he was defeated by the first obstacle, the Propeller Bars.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Actor and singer Tetsuji Sakakibara competed four times (23rd–26th tournaments) but never cleared the First Stage, failing on the Jumping Spider in the 23rd and 24th tournaments, the Jump Hang in the 25th tournament, and the Half-Pipe Attack in the 26th tournament.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Actor Ryosuke Yamamoto competed in "Sasuke" 30 and "Sasuke" 31. He never completed the First Stage, failing in Jump Hang Kai in "Sasuke" 30. In "Sasuke" 31 he did slightly worse by failing the Orugōru (also known as the Music Box) before he could reach the Jump Hang Kai again.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Voice actress Tomoko Kaneda competed in "Sasuke" 31. She failed the Rolling Hill on the First Stage. Her husband, Wataru Mori, an actor, also competed in several competitions. Mori has competed since "Sasuke" 16; he failed Rolling Log. Then he competed again in "Sasuke" 21 and failed Jumping Spider. After an eight-year hiatus, he competed again in "Sasuke" 32; he timed out on the Lumberjack Climb. He competed again in "Sasuke" 33, where he completed the First Stage, and timed out at the Reverse Conveyor. In "Sasuke" 34, he surprisingly failed the last steps on the Quad Steps, his foot slipping to the left. He eventually timed out on the Warped Wall in "Sasuke" 35. In "Sasuke" 36, when he reach the Reverse Conveyor, he used his legs to support himself on the sides of the Conveyor. This is something which is against the rules and thus he was disqualified.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Golden Bomber members and also competed in "Sasuke" 31. Kyan failed the Rolling Hill on the First Stage. Darvish had previously competed in "Sasuke" 28 and 30 and failed the First Stage. In "Sasuke" 31, he finally completed the First Stage and failed the Cross Slider in the Second Stage. In "Sasuke" 32, Kyan did better on the Rolling Hill, but he lost his balance on the new obstacle Tie Fighter. Darvish failed at the Tie Fighter when he lost his balance. In "Sasuke" 33, Darvish almost cleared the First Stage but shockingly failed the Lumberjack Climb with only several centimeters to finish the obstacle. Kyan failed Quad Steps. In "Sasuke" 34, Darvish made it to the 2nd Stage, but he struggled in the Reverse Conveyor. He made it to the Second Stage, he professed slightly further, timing out after lifting the first wall of the Wall Lifting, while Kyan failed the Dragon Glider in "Sasuke" 35. Darvish finally made to the Third Stage, he failed the transition to the Sidewinder Kai while Kyan failed the Dragon Glider in "Sasuke" 36.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Model Shimon Okura competed in "Sasuke" 30. He failed on the Log Grip on the First Stage. He came again to "Sasuke" 31, doing better on the Log Grip, but he missed the nets on the Jump Hang Kai. Then he joined "Sasuke" 32. He fell on the new obstacle Double Pendulum when he tried to get to the red sandbag.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: A.B.C-Z member competed in "Sasuke" 31; he timed out at the Lumberjack Climb. Then, he competed again on "Sasuke" 32. He completed the new obstacle Tie Fighter and Double Pendulum, but he failed to reach the top of the Warped Wall. In "Sasuke" 33, he cleared the First Stage for the first time. He failed Salmon Ladder Up. In "Sasuke"34, he cleared the First Stage once again and this time failed Salmon Ladder Down. He failed on the TIE Fighter in "Sasuke" 35. He failed the Dragon Glider in "Sasuke" 36. Johnny's Jr., SnowMan member He failed the transition from Quad Steps to the Rolling Hill in "Sasuke" 33. He failed the Fishbone in "Sasuke" 34. He failed the Dragon Glider in "Sasuke" 35. He timed out on the top of the Warped Wall in "Sasuke" 36.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Several Japanese comedians have taken part in "Sasuke", including ("The Monkey"), Koriki Choshu ("the most famous gut in Japan" and 2nd on G4's Craziest Contestants Poll), Passion Yara ("screaming wacko" and 5th on G4s craziest contestants poll), Masaki Sumitani ("Razor Ramon H.G." or "Hard Gay"), Yoku Hata ("Guitar Samurai"), Tetsurō Degawa, and . Most of these compete for entertainment value and do not represent serious challenges – for example, Choshu's only accomplishment was being the first person to clear the Rope Glider in the 18th competition. However, some have seen success. Omori made it to the Final Stage three times in a row (1st–3rd competitions), a record that is shared with "Sasuke" all-star Makoto Nagano, but since then he has not been able to clear the First Stage. Nakayama made it to the Second Stage in the 9th and 11th competitions; in the 9th, Nakayama failed the Spider Walk, and in the 11th, he missed hitting the Second Stage's final button by a split-second. He competed in "Sasuke" 27. He had footage showing himself training for the new course. He wore #30, and despite his training, he failed the Rolling Escargot when he could not get enough momentum to get the structure spinning, and fell into the water when trying to restart the obstacle. He got revenge on it in the 28th tournament, but timed out on the second Warped Wall. In the 29th tournament, he almost cleared the First Stage for the first time in 10 years, but ultimately, timed out at the top of the Rope Ladder. Recent comedians include Yoshio Kojima, who competed in five competitions (22, 24, 26–28), where he failed at the Log Grip twice, Hazard Swing, Step Slider, and Rolling Escargot respectively. Funnyman Masumi Yagi was featured in the 26th competition but failed on the Step Slider. Cocky comedian Eiko Kano (aka "Mr. Narcissus") was featured in the 25th competition and failed at the Dome Steps, but got past the first obstacle in the 26th competition and failed at the Rolling Escargot.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Penalty comedian competed nine times in "Sasuke". He debuted in "Sasuke" 20 and failed the Halfpipe Attack. In "Sasuke" 21 and 22, he failed the Jumping Spider. In "Sasuke" 23, he got revenge on both the Jumping Spider and the Halfpipe Attack, only to fail the Slider Jump. In "Sasuke" 24, he failed the Halfpipe Attack again. He returned for "Sasuke" 27 and cleared the First Stage for the first time. In the Second Stage, he failed the Double Salmon Ladder. In "Sasuke" 28, he timed out on the Rope Ladder. He advanced to the Second Stage in "Sasuke" 29 and 30, but failed the Swap Salmon Ladder.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: 65-year-old Minoru Kuramochi, known as "the Octopus" because he usually brings an octopus with him, is the owner of the Edokko Izakaya octopus bar in Tokyo and is one of the oldest competitors. He has competed several times, never making it very far into the First Stage. Despite this, he seems to be a fan favorite. In the 20th competition's preview special, he welcomed the G4 American Ninja Challengers to his bar, served them his special octopus meal, and showed off his physical skills to them. He is No. 4 on G4's Craziest Contestant poll. His best performance was in "Sasuke" 26, where he managed to make it to the Rolling Escargot. He got further than in "Sasuke" 19, when he timed out on the Pole Maze.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Toyohisa Ijima, a martial arts dance instructor and former member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, competed in the first several tournaments. He is known as the "Japanese Bruce Lee" because of his resemblance to the late action star, which extends to dressing and acting like him. He has only made it past the First Stage in the 1st tournament; in the 11th tournament, he missed hitting the final button on the Rope Climb by a split second because he had wasted time posing for the crowd after completing each obstacle. He is No. 3 on G4's Craziest Contestant poll.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: 46-year-old Katsuhide Torisawa is a former weightlifter who has competed in every single Shin-"Sasuke" tournament (except "Sasuke" 22), starting with "Sasuke" 18. He always displays his strength before his run; he has brought a barbell and lifted it over his head multiple times, ripped off his shirt, and crushed an apple and full cans of beer with one hand, and also snapped a baseball bat in half. He has never cleared the First Stage.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The first woman to have completed the First Stage is former "Super Sentai" stuntwoman Chie Nishimura, who did so in the 2nd tournament. She attempted the Second Stage's Spider Walk in a non-optimal fashion, because her legs were too short to reach across the obstacle the proper way, and failed. She also competed in "Sasuke" 3 but failed the Rolling Log. She hasn't competed in "Sasuke" since.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: All three women who achieved "kanzenseiha" on "Kunoichi" "(Women of Ninja Warrior)", the female equivalent of "Sasuke", have also competed in "Sasuke" itself, though none have cleared Stage 1. All are also acrobats who worked with Muscle Musical.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Nearly all of former Kunoichi finalists also completed in Sasuke. notably Yuko Mizuno failed at the Jump Hang in "Sasuke" 14, Maho Tanaka failed at the Log Grip in "Sasuke" 21, and Tomomi Arimatsu failed at the Half-Pipe Attack in "Sasuke" 23.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: American gymnast Kacy Catanzaro, who famously became the first woman in the world to clear both the Warped Wall and the Salmon Ladder during "American Ninja Warrior" qualifiers in Dallas in 2014, traveled to the original Mt. Midoriyama for "Sasuke" 32 and cleared the Warped Wall at the second attempt before narrowly timing out.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Another American woman and "American Ninja Warrior" standout, stuntwoman Jessie Graff – the first woman to complete Stage 2 in Las Vegas ("ANW All-Stars") – was one of the two invited US entrants including Drew Drechsel in "Sasuke" 34 the next year. She became only the second woman in "Sasuke" history after Nishimura to complete the First Stage, doing so with 4.5 seconds left on the standard clock (the female competitors were given an extra 10 seconds, meaning her official time was 14.5 seconds remaining.) She then surprised everyone once again when she managed to complete Stage 2 with 4.4 seconds left on the clock, becoming the very first woman to ever clear the Second Stage in "Sasuke". In Stage 3, Graff started strongly, completing the first three obstacles in good form. However, despite her determination, she failed the Ultra Crazy Cliffhanger when she attempted the first jump from the first to the second ledge and was unable to hold on. However, having impressed the onlookers, she was invited back for the following tournament. She did not return until Sasuke 37, however, but she went on to clear stage 1 and 2 again, becoming the only woman to reach stage 3 twice. She failed the first flip of the Cliffhanger Dimension, in the same place as Sasuke 34. (insert list of runs here)


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: A Shinkin Bank employee who has been competed on "Kunoichi", , She first completed in "Sasuke" 31. Her run was digested, but it was shown that she had timed out as she was getting up the Warped Wall. Ayano once again returned for "Sasuke" 36. She was the first Japanese woman to ever clear the Dragon Glider. Although, she became to tired after finishing the tackle, and timed out at the Warped Wall. This feat would be repeated in the 39th competition, clearing the Dragon Glider before timing out at the second wall of the Double Warped Wall.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: In fall 2007, the G4 network held a contest called the "American Ninja Challenge", whose grand prize was a trip to Japan to compete in "Sasuke" 19th competition. Ten semifinalist videos were selected on August 3 via internet poll to determine three finalists who would appear on G4's "Attack of the Show!" on August 28–30 to demonstrate their "Ninja Warrior" skills. On August 31, Michigan State University Economics student Colin Bell and the runner-up, Greenville, South Carolina native Brett Sims, were both selected, and they became the subjects of an hour-long G4 special on November 14 during G4's "Ninjafest". Ultimately, both Colin and Brett qualified for the course thanks to their impressive physical abilities, but they both failed the Jumping Spider.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The second contest by G4 wrapped up in March 2008 and aired as part of G4's "Ninjafest 2" on May 18, 2008. Levi Meeuwenberg of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Brian Orosco of San Francisco, California were both chosen to compete in "Sasuke" 20th tournament; both are free runners. They competed alongside surprise guest Brett Sims, who was given the opportunity to return by G4. Sims failed the First Stage's Warped Wall, while Orosco failed the Flying Chute. Meeuwenberg, however, made it to the Third Stage before he ultimately failed the Shin-Cliffhanger. In that tournament, he was the last man standing (as he was the only competitor in the entire tournament to make it to the Third Stage).


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The third contest by G4 wrapped up in August 2008 and aired as part of G4's "Ninjafest 3" on November 12, 2008. Viewers voted for their favorite competitors, the top three of whom would be flown to Japan to compete in "Sasuke" 21st tournament. The winners were Brian Orosco (who qualified with a different video), gymnast Mark Witmer of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and free runner/stuntwoman Luci Romberg – the first woman to qualify – of Valley Village, California. They joined "American Ninja Challenge" 2 winner Levi Meeuwenberg and both hosts from "Attack of the Show!", Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira, to compete in "Sasuke" 21. In that tournament, Munn failed the Sextuple Step, while Pereira's run ended after his feet hit the water on the Log Grip; on the TBS broadcast, Munn's run was shown only in part while Pereira's run was cut completely. Romberg failed the Halfpipe Attack, while Witmer failed the Log Grip due to a severe ulnar nerve injury that he suffered while warming up. Orosco completed the First Stage with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock but failed the Second Stage's Salmon Ladder. Meeuwenberg cleared Stage 1 with the fastest time, with 21.5 seconds remaining, but similarly failed the Salmon Ladder.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The fourth contest by G4 wrapped up in March 2009 and aired on June 21, 2009 on G4 as part of "Ninjafest 4". The competitors' videos were judged by "Attack of the Show" Olivia Munn. The winner, David Campbell, was joined by Munn and previous competitors Levi Meeuwenberg and Luci Romberg. Munn failed the new Circle Hammer in the First Stage; Romberg failed the First Stage's Jumping Spider; Campbell timed out on the final First Stage obstacle, the Rope Ladder, and later told the sideline reporter that he "underestimated the cardio" involved in the course. Meeuwenberg failed a new First Stage obstacle, the Slider Jump.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: After this, the "American Ninja Challenge" was discontinued and replaced by "American Ninja Warrior".


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The following is a list of available information of people who achieved the best results in each competition and also the number of competitors who failed in the lower stages. Under each competition, the results are listed in order of best performance. Their names are listed along with their number (1–100) from the competition, and the stage/obstacle they failed to complete (or Total Victory). In the 10th competition the number system ran from 901 to 1000 to indicate that 1000 competitors had attempted the First Stage, and then ran from 1901 to 2000 in the 20th competition to indicate that 2000 competitors had attempted the First Stage, and from 2901 to 3000 during the 30th competition to indicate roughly 3000 attempts on "Sasuke". All air dates are of the Japanese broadcast on TBS.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Note: This is the first tournament where nobody cleared the Second Stage, marking the earliest end of a tournament.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: 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 or she is disqualified from the competition.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: 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, 24th, 27th, and 31st 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.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: 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.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: + — This obstacle is an immediate successor to the previous obstacle, without any way to recuperate between them.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Those with enough skill to complete Stage One then take on an even more grueling set of obstacles in Stage Two. 283 competitors have reached the Second Stage. Like Stage One, the obstacles alter throughout the competitions, but all hold to the same principle: if the competitor makes a single mistake they fall into the water below. The obstacles determine the time limit, and it is usually between 50 and 100 seconds.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Unlike the First Stage, which has always required the competitors to hit a buzzer at the end of the course to stop the clock and pass the course, the Second Stage did not have a buzzer at its end until the 8th competition. Before then, the competitors simply walked through an open gate to stop the clock. From the 8th competition onward, the buzzer opens the gate. If the competitor breaks the gate open without hitting the button, they are disqualified. In addition, the course judges can hold the gates closed if a competitor committed a foul earlier in the Second Stage that would result in their disqualification, such as using the Chain Reaction gloves on the Spider Walk as "Mr. "Sasuke"" Katsumi Yamada had done in the 12th competition.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: On average, 10 to 15 competitors attempt the Second Stage on each competition. A record 37 competitors attempted the Second Stage during the 4th competition. Also during the 4th competition, a record 11 competitors cleared the Second Stage. During the 5th competition, however, only three men made it to the Second Stage due to new, tougher obstacles in the First Stage. In the 19th competition, neither of the two qualified competitors cleared the circuit (a fall and a timeout on the Salmon Ladder), marking the earliest end of a "Sasuke" competition.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The Third Stage has no time limit, allowing contestants to go at their own pace. Contestants are allowed a few seconds of rest between obstacles during which they can apply "sticky spray" to improve their grip. While the first two stages focus on speed and agility, this course almost exclusively tests one's upper body strength and stamina.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Out of 3,000 total competitors and 283 Second Stage competitors, 139 have attempted the Third Stage. The Third Stage is so grueling that, on average, someone passes it only every other competition. Only 22 individuals have ever passed it, and only six have passed it more than once, namely Akira Omori, Shingo Yamamoto, Makoto Nagano, Yuuji Urushihara, Ryo Matachi, and Yusuke Morimoto.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: To date, the Final Stage has known six forms. Each of these share a single, common goal: reach and hit the button at the top before time expires. If the competitor does not reach the top platform in time, the rope is cut and the competitor falls (they are caught by a safety line). Starting from the 18th competition, the rope is no longer cut. Reaching the top is referred to as "kanzenseiha" (), translated roughly as "complete domination", and rendered on "Ninja Warrior" as "total victory". The Final Stage's time limit is between 30 and 45 seconds.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Of all the competitors to attempt to claim victory, only 27 have been admitted to the Final Stage, and only six of them have gotten there more than once (Akira Omori in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd competitions, Shingo Yamamoto in the 3rd and 7th, Makoto Nagano in the 11th, 12th, 13th, his victory in the 17th competition and in the 23rd competition, Yuuji Urushihara in the 22nd and his victories in the 24th competition and 27th, Ryo Matachi in the 27th competition and 30th, Yusuke Morimoto's victory in the 31st competition, 35th, 36th, and his second total victory in the 38th competition.). Currently there are only four victors: Kazuhiko Akiyama defeated "Sasuke" in the 4th competition, Makoto Nagano in the 17th, Yuuji Urushihara in the 24th and in the 27th, and Yusuke Morimoto in the 31st and 38th.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The original Final Stage consisted of climbing a 15-meter (49 ft) rope. The contestant must start climbing from a seated position.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The second version of the Final Stage was unveiled in the 7th competition, when Shingo Yamamoto became the first to attempt it. The height of the tower was increased to . It consists of a Spider Climb followed by a Rope Climb. After 15 seconds, the walls of the Spider Climb spread apart. This ensnared Yordan Yovtchev during the 8th competition, when he failed to complete the Spider Climb before it began spreading, and fell off the tower.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The third version of the Final Stage was revealed in the 22nd competition, when Yuuji Urushihara was the first to try it. The height of the tower remained mostly the same as the second version of the Final Stage, but two new obstacles were used: a "Heavenly Ladder" and a "G Rope." The time limit was increased to 45 seconds, then reduced to 40 seconds in the 23rd competition. Competitors are not dropped due to the Heavenly Ladder being in the way.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The fourth version of the Final Stage was revealed in the 27th competition, when Ryo Matachi was the first to attempt it. The height of the tower was reduced to 20 meters and consisted of a 20-meter (66 ft) Rope Climb similar to the first version of the Final Stage, but with a 5-meter height difference. The time limit stayed at 40 seconds. Unlike the first version of the Final Stage, competitors started at a standing position instead of a seated position.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The fifth version of the Final Stage was briefly seen in Stage 3 and in a trailer of "Sasuke Rising". Its design was similar to that of the fourth version of the Final Stage consisting of a Rope Climb. Unlike its predecessor, this version is 4 m taller, and the competitors would have likely climbed up the rope in a seated position. The time limit would have likely been 35 seconds, as Urushihara may have cleared this particular version with one second left. It was used for only one tournament.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: For the sixth version, with the removal of the previous version of the Final Stage, it was not unusual to see a change similar to that of the 18–24 version from the Metal Ladder to the Heavenly Ladder. The previous Final Stage consisting of a Rope Climb was thrown out all together and the return of the 7–17 Final Stage took its place. The Spider Walls seem to take up less space this time, and the Rope Climb appears to take up more. Nevertheless, the height of the tower has once again increased, this time to 24 m. The Spider Climb () appears to be the same as its predecessor, at 12.5 m, while the Rope Climb () was slightly modified in length at 11.5 m from that of its original predecessor, at 10 m. The time limit is likely to stay the same at 30 seconds, though a 35-second Final Stage is not out of the question.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The prize for completing the Final Stage was ¥2,000,000 (about US$). In the 24th tournament a Nissan Fuga was also a prize if anyone could complete the Final Stage.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Typically, only one or two people make it to the Final Stage, if any make it at all. However, both the 3rd and 24th competitions saw a record five competitors attempt the Final Stage. After the 4th competition, though, the Final Stage was only achieved on average every other tournament.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Below is an incomplete list of the international versions with their own "Sasuke"/"Ninja Warrior" courses, excluding the original Japanese version and its rebroadcast in other countries.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: These winners do not include the "kanzenseiha" (Total Victory) winners from the original Japanese version, or under any other varied rules (including "Team Ninja Warrior" in Denmark and the United States).


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The program previously aired on G4 in the United States under the name Ninja Warrior. Each episode now lasts thirty minutes and it also includes some minor changes in the on-screen graphics. Throughout the episode, there are the "Ninja Killer" (for the obstacle that took out the most competitors) and "Warrior Wipeout" (honors the best wipeout) segments. The Japanese play-by-play commentary and interviews with the competitors have English subtitles, while the competitor profiles, replays, and introductions were dubbed by voice actor Dave Wittenberg.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The show became the highest rated program on the network since its debut. Aside from a few sporadic occurrences, reruns of "Ninja Warrior" stopped airing regularly sometime in December 2012 in wake of G4 slated to be rebranded as the Esquire Network on September 23, 2013. The last four episodes to air on G4 appeared as a two-hour block on April 10, 2013. It is unknown if "Ninja Warrior" would return to the network's schedule or if some other channel would acquire the series. Commercials on G4 show "American Ninja Warrior" to air on G4 in July, marking it the last program being advertised on the network as a G4 program, and not an Esquire channel presentation.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: As of August 3, 2016, an article released by "USA Today" says that "Esquire has obtained rights to 27 Ninja Warrior tournaments...along with all eight Kunoichi spinoff contests that feature only women contestants." and that they "...will return as a 63 hour Labor Day weekend marathon (Sept. 3, 7 a.m. ET/PT) in Japanese, with English subtitles." Whether this is referring to the original broadcasts or the G4 broadcasts is unknown right now due to little notice, but it seems to lean toward the G4 broadcasts. They also stated that "Additional newer tournaments of the series, never seen in the U.S., will debut next year." After the 27th tournament (which was first aired in America in 2012), no further tournaments premiered on G4 until over 10 years later, when the 28th tournament finally aired on September 27, 2022 at 9:55PM ET. Newer graphics and transitions were introduced as well as a different announcer, and each episode had only one commercial break.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Upon G4's relaunch, the earlier episodes were edited, using the widescreen version of the show's opening sequence from the later episodes, while some of the transitions have been replaced with a simple transition, showing only the show's logo.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The popularity of the "American Ninja Challenge" has led G4 to produce a version of the series featuring American contestants called "American Ninja Warrior", which is produced by Pilgrim Films and Television, Inc and is currently hosted by Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and Matt Iseman. Auditions on G4's website ended on August 18, 2009. Open tryouts were held in Los Angeles on August 29 and 30, 2009, and were taped for the show, with ten finalists competing on the 23rd tournament of the original Ninja Warrior course in Japan in September 2009. The eight-episode series began airing on December 12, 2009.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The qualifying round consists of over 300 competitors, running an obstacle course strongly influenced by "Sasuke" First Stage. The course consists of the Quintuple Step, a Rope Swing, the Jumping Spider, a modified version of the Pipe Slider, and a much smaller Warped Wall. The preliminaries used a leader board, and the 30 fastest times moved on to the semi-finals, which included the preliminary course plus three obstacles, the Tarzan Jump, the Jumping Bars, and a Net Climb.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: "American Ninja Warrior" aired only the American finalists during the "Sasuke" obstacle course. The Japanese competitors were later aired on April 10, 2010.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: A second season was cast on G4's website as of April 10, 2010 and aired in hour long specials starting December 8, 2010. The top 10 contestants would participate in "Sasuke" 26. Three episodes were run for the first two weeks. The first three episodes covered the opening round of the competition; the fourth covered the semifinals. This was followed by four days of a "boot camp" where the fifteen winners of the semifinals were divided into three five-man teams and put through several different Pressure Challenges, with the losing team having to complete a punishment while the other two teams got extra training time on models of some of the "Sasuke" obstacles (The Warped Wall, Double Salmon Ladder, Balance Tank, and Circle Slider). The teams would then run through a grouping of the obstacles with some sort of hindrance (usually carrying something heavy between obstacles). The teams with the worst time would be forced to send two members to an elimination challenge, with the losing person forced to leave.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: After boot camp, the ten final winners traveled to the "Sasuke" course to compete. Once again, only the American competitors were aired during the special, with the rest of the "Sasuke" competition to air later. The most successful of the American competitors in the past, Levi Meeuwenberg, withdrew from the competition due to a fractured wrist, giving his spot to Adam LaPlante. Five members failed in the First Stage: Patrick Cusic and former "American Gladiators" champion and gladiator Evan "Rocket" Dollard both fell from the new Rolling Escargot obstacle, LaPlante fell on the Halfpipe Attack and Adam Truesdell fell from the Giant Swing, a new variation of the Jump Hang, the only one out of all 100 competitors to do so in the whole tournament. In addition, veteran Shane Daniels once again timed out on the Cargo Net. In the Second Stage, four of the remaining five cleared, while Travis Furlanic fell on the Balance Tank, an obstacle he struggled on during boot camp. In the Third Stage, Paul Kasemir failed the Doorknob Grasper. Brent Steffensen made it to the Ultimate Cliffhanger before falling into the water. David Campbell, despite having the fastest times of all the competitors to compete (finishing the Second Stage with over 24 seconds left) failed at the Ultimate Cliffhanger as well. Brian Orosco fell at the very first obstacle, the Roulette Cylinder, which he had passed easily in the previous competition. While the $250,000 prize went unclaimed, "Sasuke" 26 was the start of a successful showing by a collection of American competitors.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The third season of "American Ninja Warrior" debuted on July 31 on G4, again with 300 competitors at the tryouts in Venice Beach. While many top competitors were absent including Levi Meeuwenberg, Rich King and Luci Romberg, a talented crop of new competitors took their place including Denver Broncos wide receiver Matt Willis, who finished the course but did not qualify for boot camp. Other notable competitors who failed to advance to boot camp included two-time "Sasuke" veteran Shane Daniels, season two veterans Evan "Rocket" Dollard, Adam Truesdell, Adam LaPlante and Patrick Cusic, top first round qualifiers from the previous season Trevor Vaughn and David Money, and former world freerunning champion Tim Shieff. In addition, professional freerunner and "" competitor Michael "Frosti" Zernow ranked in the top fifteen and was invited to boot camp, but injured himself and was replaced with fellow "Jump City: Seattle" competitor Jake Smith. Other competitors from "Jump City" who advanced to boot camp also included Brian Orasco, Drew Dreschel and David "Young Flip" Rodriguez. The level of competition in boot camp was noticeably higher in the third season, as competitors were only given one attempt at each obstacle in challenges, leading to a large increase in time penalties. Promising competitors Dustin Rocho, Brandon Douglass, Alan , second-seeded qualifier Chris Wilczewski and five-time "Sasuke" veteran Brian Orosco all saw their "Sasuke" dreams come to an end at boot camp.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: Of the ten who advanced to "Sasuke", nine easily cleared the First Stage. The only exception was Dreschel, who injured his knee landing on the Halfpipe Attack, and despite a valiant attempt at the Warped Wall, was unable to put any weight on his leg and stated on his Facebook that he will not be available for "Sasuke" 28. The high hopes of the remaining nine took a major hit in the Second Stage, as five more were eliminated including Rodriguez on the Slider Drop, Smith on the Double Salmon Ladder, and newcomer Travis Rosen and veterans Travis Furlanic and Brent Steffensen on the Metal Spin. The remaining four competitors made it to the Third Stage only to be outdone by the Ultimate Cliffhanger. Ryan Stratis failed to make the fourth ledge while James McGrath and fan favorite Paul Kasemir failed the transition to the fifth ledge. The last competitor, David Campbell almost made it through the entire obstacle but on the final ledge his grip gave out. Even though no one earned a $500,000 K-Swiss Endorsement Deal, the competitors at "Sasuke" 27 were by far the strongest group of Americans to date. The final episode of the third season aired on NBC on August 29, 2011 as a two-hour special in prime-time.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: A fourth season of the program began airing on May 20, 2012 and the show aired on both G4 and NBC for the Regionals and the Championship with the grand prize of $500,000 and the coveted "American Ninja Warrior" title. The entire format was changed as well – regional qualifiers in different parts of the country were aired and the Mt. Midoriyama course was recreated just off the Las Vegas Strip for the national finals. The regional qualifiers would narrow its selections down to 30 contestants who finished its qualifying course in the fastest time as well as the contestants who finished the furthest the fastest. Qualifying obstacles would include common Stage 1 obstacles such as the Quintuple Steps and the Warped Wall, but its contents would change from city to city. The 30 contestants were then cut in half in the regional finals where the course would extend to include common Stage 2 and Stage 3 obstacles such as the Salmon Ladder, Cliffhanger and Body Prop. The 90 contestants who qualified (including wild cards) earned tickets to Las Vegas to challenge Mt. Midoriyama.


title: Sasuke (TV series)

text: The show returned for its fifth season on July 1, 2013 in the same format. This season, if a contestant were to finish the course, that player would be guaranteed a spot in the next round. The show returned once again for its sixth season on May 25, 2014 on both NBC and Esquire Network with the same rules as in previous seasons. NBC has renewed the show for its seventh season in 2015 with the grand prize now doubled to $1,000,000. So far, it has produced, among other things, the endorsement of Makoto Nagano, the first American to complete the Ultimate Cliffhanger (Brent Steffensen in 2012), the first woman to complete the Salmon Ladder (Kacy Catanzaro in 2014), the first woman to complete the Jumping Spider (Meagan Martin, also in 2014), the first two Americans to achieve Total Victory (Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten on the same night in 2015) and the first female to complete Stage 1 of Mt. Midoriyama in Las Vegas (Jessie Graff in 2016, who also became the first female to complete Stage 2 of the original Mt. Midoriyama in 2017 during "Sasuke" 34.) The network has renewed the show once again for its eighth season in 2016 with new qualifying cities including Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. The network has renewed the show for its ninth season in 2017 with three new cities: San Antonio, Daytona Beach, and Cleveland. The tenth season of the show began airing on May 30, 2018 with returning cities and a $10,000 bonus for finishing the Mega Warped Wall. The eleventh season began airing on May 29, 2019 with two new cities (Tacoma and Cincinnati), a chance to go directly to Las Vegas with the Speed Pass in the Power Tower duel between the two fastest players, and a new co-host, Zuri Hall. Although Drew Drechsel became the third person to achieve Total Victory at the end of the season, NBCUniversal removed the references as a result of his inductment on child pornography charges a year later.