00:00Welcome to Japan's legendary Temple of Champions, where athletes gather to face the most difficult
00:14challenges ever conceived.
00:18Testing balance, endurance, and sheer strength, competitors have one goal, beat the course.
00:27Victory is elusive, and the only constant is the bitter taste of defeat.
00:34This is the ultimate competition of man versus obstacle.
00:38Who will top the unbeatable Banzuke?
00:46Welcome, Muscle Banzuke.
00:48This is the Temple of Champions, and I am your host, Kato Kei.
00:53With many events in store, the spirit of competition is in the air.
00:58If the men and women are successful, they will remain in the Banzuke forever.
01:03That is the list of champions.
01:06Once again, we have prepared three surprising challenges for you.
01:11The first event is...
01:16Hand Walk!
01:18The Temple has been configured with an obstacle course that demands perfect balance and total
01:22concentration.
01:24Competitors must cross eight levels of increasing difficulty.
01:27They start on a level platform and proceed to the parallel bars.
01:32Next they face the Stairway to Heaven, followed by the Bottomless Ravine.
01:36Then they'll cross the Devil's Double Bridge to reach the Break Zone.
01:39They only have 30 seconds to rest before taking on the Craggy Mountain, and then the Stairway
01:45to Hell.
01:46Then comes Heartbreak Hill, and finally, the Single Bridge to Victory.
01:51Time is a factor, so competitors will need to move quickly.
01:54Can any competitor walk the walk without using their feet?
02:17He's starting carefully.
02:18He's using a trampoline as an acrobatic performer.
02:23Katsuhiko Kuroki is using various acrobatic jumps to spread his performance.
02:29He's passed the obstacle course.
02:31Now it's time for the stairs.
02:35How will he do on the stairs?
02:3736-year-old Kuroki has fallen!
02:39Huh?
02:40Kuroki has fallen to the ground.
02:42Huh?
02:44Next to the mat is a 19-year-old student from the Nippon College of Phys Ed.
02:49Will he be able to school this course?
03:14It's hard to keep the balance here!
03:16Hang in there!
03:20He's struggling a lot.
03:22The Stairway to Hell is pretty tough, but he's cleared it.
03:3022 degrees to the left.
03:32He's cleared it, too.
03:34Anyway, he's made it to the Break Zone.
03:37He's pretty tired.
03:44Go, go, go!
03:46He's cleared it!
03:48He's made it to the Break Zone!
03:50That was close!
03:55The Stairway to Hell is a tough one.
03:57He's going for it!
04:00His face is twitching.
04:03Hang in there!
04:05He's made it!
04:09He didn't give up!
04:12The student drained his strength in the early obstacles,
04:15so he had no chance on the second half of the course.
04:20Next up is Aizu Nai, age 28.
04:23Born in China, Aizu Nai has been training in gymnastics since the age of 3.
04:28Can this acrobat defeat the course?
04:32He's calm so far.
04:41He's started quietly.
04:48Look at this.
04:50He's got a unique standing position.
04:52He's got a good balance of his legs.
04:55Aizu Nie, a gymnastic instructor.
04:59He's cleared the course with ease.
05:07It's possible to climb the stairs with one hand.
05:10This is a slow climb.
05:15He's cleared it with ease!
05:21He's got good speed.
05:29Slowly.
05:31He's got a good balance of his legs.
05:34He's got a good balance.
05:36Aizu Nie.
05:38He's been doing this for 25 years.
05:41He's been doing this for 25 years.
05:51There's a slight gap.
05:53He's got a good balance of his legs.
05:56He's got a good balance of his legs.
06:03He's going to the stairs.
06:06There's a 1.2m gap.
06:09He's cleared it with ease.
06:12Is he going to break his heart?
06:15He's got a slight gap.
06:18He's got a good balance of his legs.
06:21He's got a good balance of his legs.
06:25Aizu Nie.
06:26Is he going to break his heart?
06:29He's careful but it's very difficult.
06:32He's a big gymnast from China.
06:35He's a big gymnast from China.
06:40The Great Wall of China is 15cm wide.
06:45His form is beautiful as if he's watching art.
06:48Aizu Nie is careful.
06:51Incredible, Aizu Nae came dangerously close to touching down, but using her legs as a
07:19counterbalance, she became the first competitor to complete the entire course.
07:24Her name will be the first added to the banzuke, the list of champions.
07:38The final competitor is Manoru Watanabe.
07:41This 24-year-old placed 6th in the All Japan National Competition.
07:45But 6th place won't be enough here.
07:48Will he have the strength and speed to place his name next to Aizu Nae's on the banzuke?
08:18We now salute the first champion of this event.
08:41Acrobat Aizu Nae had a near flawless run.
08:43She was almost undone by Heartbreak Hill, but was able to regain her balance.
08:48Finally, the hand walk course has a true champion.
09:08Coming up, you think balancing on a gigantic seesaw is hard?
09:12Wait until someone hands you a 22-pound barrel.
09:37In this event, teams have only 60 seconds to transfer a heavy barrel from one side of
09:41a large seesaw to the other.
09:44One teammate coaches from a distance to help guide the players.
09:47Then they must both return to the center before time runs out.
09:51If either side of the seesaw touches down, the team is eliminated.
09:56It might look simple, but this massive seesaw is no playground.
11:12a team of researchers from a pharmaceutical company.
11:42Next on deck is a team of boxers.
12:06Matsukawa is a featherweight, Tanaka is a lightweight, and junior lightweight Iwana
12:11will be coaching.
12:12And they put this challenge away in one round.
13:12The seesaw tipped off one team after another, but one stellar group of boxers earned a KO.
13:27These three men transferred the barrel with style and earned their spot on the list of champions.
13:50When unbeatable Banzuke returns, it's Banzuke's block party.
13:55Who wants to take a swing?
14:18The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
14:23Competitors must swing a hammer to knock each block free from the bottom up.
14:27Each challenger has a partner to give them strategy and advice.
14:31But they'll need to plan carefully.
14:33If the Daruma topples, then the game is over.
14:57The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
15:24The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
15:52The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
16:21The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
16:31Next up are a couple of ladies men.
16:33Will the good looks and charm they show off at the club help them here in the temple of champions?
16:51Coming up,
17:18it might look like Jenga on steroids, but Daruma 7 is much more than a game.
17:23Can anyone master this puzzle and add their name to the list of champions?
17:48Next up are a pair of gardeners.
18:03Takashi Uyama and Hironori Kabayashi are used to working with tools,
18:07but the Daruma is unlike anything they've cut down before.
18:18The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
18:28The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
18:33The Daruma is balanced precariously atop a stack of identical blocks.
19:03Takashi Uyama looked assured as he swung to tie the top ranking,
19:26but victory simply wasn't in the cards.
19:33In Daruma 7, no one was able to achieve victory and remove all of the blocks.
19:52Volleyball player Shuzo Nomitsu fared the best, but even he could only knock out a total of three.
19:59In Seesaw 60, the boxers were the only team to succeed,
20:03and they did so with 11 seconds still on the clock.
20:06They kept the seesaw steady long enough to join the elite athletes honored on the banzuke.
20:14In Hand Walk, a new champion was made.
20:16Standing alone, and perhaps on her hands, is acrobat Aizu Nai.
20:21She did what no man has done, completing the entire course in 2 minutes 11 seconds.
20:27Her name becomes the first added to the list of champions.
20:57you
