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00:00Welcome to Japan's legendary Temple of Champions, where athletes gather to face the most difficult
00:14challenges ever conceived.
00:17Testing balance, endurance, and sheer strength, competitors have one goal, beat the course.
00:26Victory is elusive, and the only constant is the bitter taste of defeat.
00:33This is the ultimate competition of man versus obstacle.
00:38Who will top the unbeatable Banzuke?
00:56The
01:21temple has been configured with an obstacle course that demands perfect balance and total
01:25concentration.
01:27Competitors must cross 8 levels of increasing difficulty.
01:30They start on a level platform and proceed to the parallel bars.
01:34Next they face the stairway to heaven, followed by the bottomless ravine.
01:38Then they'll cross the devil's double bridge to reach the break zone.
01:42They only have 30 seconds to rest before taking on the craggy mountain, and then the stairway
01:47to hell.
01:49Then comes heartbreak hill, and finally, the single bridge to victory.
01:53Time is a factor, so competitors will need to move quickly.
02:53The next challenger is Yukio Iketani.
03:07This Olympic medalist has studied the hand walk course.
03:10In the past, he has climbed the 280 steps of Tokyo Tower on his hands, and has also
03:15crossed a flexible suspension bridge.
03:18Will all of his previous experience help him become the first competitor to clear the entire
03:23course?
04:23The
04:46Olympian made it halfway up heartbreak hill, but in the end, Iketani, like all the others,
04:51was humbled by the course.
04:55Next is Masanori Kojima.
04:57He has an impressive gymnastics resume, but he must overcome several nagging injuries
05:02to win today.
05:46Next up is Hayato Osoigawa.
06:15He's one of the most well-liked competitors, but will the course smile on him?
06:41The hand walk course has yet to be conquered.
06:54Not even Olympic medalist Yukio Iketani had the strength to overcome all eight obstacles.
07:00Heartbreak hill requires a combination of strength, balance, and unbelievable endurance.
07:05Today, no one had it.
07:29When unbeatable Banzuke returns, grab a good luck charm and a sledgehammer.
07:35Are you feeling lucky?
07:59A large Daruma is balanced precariously atop nine cylindrical blocks.
08:04Challengers must swing a hammer to knock each block free from the bottom up.
08:08Each challenger has a partner to give them strategy and advice, but they'll need to plan
08:13carefully.
08:14If the Daruma topples, then the game is over.
08:18The Daruma 7 challenge was a difficult puzzle, but Yuichi Fukaya found the perfect combination
08:23of strategy and execution.
08:26He stands alone on the list of Daruma champions, but now the tower has been made taller.
08:32A deceptively simple two extra blocks has doubled the degree of difficulty.
09:02Next up is Kenji Kameda and Shinya Kasai.
09:30Together these two work as public engineers.
09:32Will their experience swinging a hammer help them construct a victory in Super Daruma?
09:55Next to face the Super Daruma is Tatsuo Yasumitsu and his advisor Kohei Mizuta.
10:00Together, these training instructors have faced many challenges, but are they prepared
10:35The Daruma seemed to cling to the edge, with Yasumitsu's fate hanging in the balance.
10:49Finally though, his hopes came crashing down.
10:54Next up is Tetsuya Okabe, the first Japanese soccer player to receive a medal in the World
10:58Cup.
10:59Super Daruma is a long way from soccer.
11:02Will he manage to score?
11:30Next to take a swing at Super Daruma are lacrosse teammates Kaoru Sasaki and Koichi
11:34Umemura.
11:35Will they net a victory today?
11:46Next up are construction workers Kuninori Tsushima and Masayuki Nakamura.
11:50They are used to building houses, but will they be able to keep this tower standing?
12:14Order up for chefs Naoji Aoki and Yuichiro Hanaki.
12:18Can these two top chefs withstand the heat and cook up a recipe for success?
12:48Next up are construction workers Kuninori Tsushima and Masayuki Nakamura.
12:55They are used to building houses, but will they be able to keep this tower standing?
12:58Next up are construction workers Kuninori Tsushima and Masayuki Nakamura.
12:59They are used to building houses, but will they be able to keep this tower standing?
13:00The newly redesigned Super Daruma proved to be anything but lucky.
13:26Many competitors picked up the sledgehammer and swung for victory.
13:29The best anyone could do was knock out a single block.
13:33It will take a perfect run to conquer this challenge.
13:55When Unbeatable Banzuke returns, strap on your stilts.
13:59Completing the next course is one tall order.
14:25The course is made up of nine obstacles.
14:35First competitors must face the checkerboard, and then cross the stepping stones.
14:41Next they ascend the stairs and traverse the precarious suspension bridge.
14:46Then they descend the narrow steps of the down staircase and enter the Hall of Hammers.
14:53Those that survived this far next face the water trench, and then the log pile.
14:59Finally they must cross the S-curve to reach the finish line.
15:23Next to go is this clown, Terayuki Maezawa.
15:42Will he be a serious threat to win this event?
16:10After losing his balance, the clown stepped off the course and went face down.
16:16Next to go is Seji Takase, a stuntman by trade.
16:20He'll need to avoid a fall if he wants to succeed here.
16:40Takase looks nimble as he began the stepping stones.
16:58But all it took was one wrong step, and he was doing an unexpected stunt.
17:04Two men out, but Bamboo Derby is just getting started.
17:08Remember, the taller you are, the harder you fall.
17:12Next up is action star Shinji Matsumoto.
17:40Will he deliver an all-star performance on the course?
18:10The stepping stones have toppled another challenger.
18:24The final stilt racer is Ryota Nagai.
18:28He claims he can pick up a handkerchief while on stilts.
18:31Will his sure-footed balance take him to the finish line?
19:01The stepping stones have toppled another challenger.
19:11Next to go is Keisha.
19:13He'll need to avoid a fall if he wants to succeed here.
19:15Will he deliver an all-star performance on the course?
19:41Young Ryota Nagai looked wobbly on the suspension bridge,
19:44but it was the narrow steps that sent him flailing.
20:04In the hand walk challenge, every single competitor failed to reach the finish.
20:09Olympic medalist Yukio Iketani muscled his way the farthest,
20:12but even he was no match for this brutal course.
20:16In the Super Daruma, the redesigned tower was too precarious to beat.
20:20Many tried, but no champions rose to the occasion.
20:24In the new Bamboo Derby event,
20:26no one had the skills needed to avoid a painful fall on the course.
20:30The day was full of valiant efforts,
20:33but no new names will be added to the banzuke,
20:36the list of champions.
20:38This time, the unrivaled champion did not appear.
20:42However, do not worry.
20:44The competition has just begun.
20:46There will be even more surprising and difficult challenges.
20:50This has been Kato Kei.
20:53Until next time, the doors to the champion's power are sealed.