Nagano Makoto

Nagano Makoto (長野 誠) is a Fisherman and a SASUKE competitor from Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan. He is also the Captain of his boat, the "50th Konpira Maru", is the fifth member of SASUKE All-Stars, and one of only four competitors to have completed the course, doing so in SASUKE 17. He was widely regarded as one of the most likely competitors to repeat this feat. His height and weight are 162 cm and 64 kg respectively.

He holds the record for most Final Stage appearances (five), and has achieved fastest times in the First and Second Stages on numerous occasions. He also is the only competitor who attempted both the second and third versions of the Final Stage.

Nagano is known for his consistency in SASUKE. He, along with Takeda Toshihiro and Morimoto Yūsuke, held the record for the second most consecutive First Stage clears (each eight)- all three are only behind Satō Jun who had 10 consecutive clears. He is also one of two competitors, besides Ōmori Akira, to ever reach the Final Stage three times in a row (the 11th, 12th, and 13th tournaments), but failed each time. Of the three, the closest he came to winning it was in SASUKE 12, missing the button by 0.11 seconds.

In his 27 appearances, he has cleared the First Stage fourteen times, the Second Stage eleven times, the Third Stage five times, and the Final Stage once. He has worn #100 in 15 tournaments and #99 in five tournaments.

As of SASUKE 32, he has technically retired from SASUKE (though he did decide to make a comeback for SASUKE 38 as part of cheering Japan in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic). In SASUKE 33 and 34 as well as KUNOICHI 11, he was even a guest analyst for competitors' runs.

Early Tournaments
Nagano decided to compete in SASUKE after his friend encouraged him to do so when he showed him videos of previous tournaments. Prior to the tournament, Nagano trained relentlessly for three months. He debuted in SASUKE 7 wearing #87 and while his run was all cut, it was later broadcast on a special SASUKE edition of sports documentary show "ZONE". Despite reaching the obstacle quicker than anyone that day, he ran out of time on the Soritatsu Kabe.

He returned in SASUKE 8 wearing #41. The rain plagued the course, but Nagano once again sped easily through the course. Although over 40 seconds remained by the time he reached the Soritatsu Kabe, he was one of many to fail it.

Before SASUKE 9, he had practiced the Body Prop by using two work trucks, and even built a replica of the Soritatsu Kabe at his home to train on. The results showed. He got revenge on the obstacle, scaling the wall on his first attempt and completing the First Stage with 22.85 seconds to spare, the fastest time of the day by more than 12 seconds. On the Second Stage, he struggled like most that day on Spider Walk. Although he lost some time, it wasn't enough to bring him down,- he cleared the stage with the slowest time, with 2.28 seconds remaining. He was the first to attempt the redesigned Third Stage and had virtually no problems with it, clearing the first three obstacles with ease (two of them new). He struggled on the redesigned Cliffhanger Kai due to his short height, but was able to complete it. After doubting which grip to go with on the Pipe Slider, Nagano went with the conventional front grip. With idol Yamada Katsumi looking on, he slid the pipe across the end of the tracks, but fell just short on the dismount. Nagano also expressed in his interview after failing that he was uncertain whether or not he would be able to compete again, and that this tournament could be his last. However, a week later, in another interview for ZONE, he stated that after talking with his wife at the time, he would compete in the next tournament, and possibly stop it there. This impressive run was the one that cemented his place in the SASUKE All-Stars.

As An All-Star
Before SASUKE 10, Nagano had made a Pipe Slider to practice on to avenge last year's heartbreak. He ran as #999 (normally #99), but shocked everyone by failing the Jump Hang. It had caused problems all day, and Nagano was no exception, overshooting his jump on the trampoline and landing head first into the muddy water.

After this, he practiced continuously on a trampoline at a school near his fishing grounds in Kagoshima. In SASUKE 11, this training paid off, as he cleared the Jump Hang and ultimately the First Stage with 13.70 seconds left. He even took his time looking at the buzzer before pressing it. He then cleared the Second Stage with relative ease and with the second fastest time. After watching his friend Yamada go out painfully on Second Stage, Nagano breezed through the first four obstacles on the Third Stage and once again made it to the Pipe Slider. Unlike his previous attempt, he used a switch grip (just like Yamada) on the second track. This turned out to be effective, as he made the final jump look like child's play and became the first person since the stage was renewed to attempt the Final Stage. Before the tournament, he practiced on a 10-metre rope held up by a crane, similar to Yamada Katsumi before SASUKE 4. He looked good on the Spider Climb, but was tripped up on the transfer to Tsuna Nobori as the rope swayed behind him, leaving him only 13 seconds to complete the climb. He simply ran out of time just a few metres short, plummeting to the ground below. After taping had ended, Nagano had once again said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to compete next tournament.

In SASUKE 12, Nagano was given the coveted #100 for the first time in his career. He once again breezed through the course, capturing the fastest time in both First and Second Stages. Controversy arose due to Yamada's painful run and re-runs, and after hearing Yamada during his interview said "Makoto will win it for me", he burst into tears as they had promised each other that they would finally make their dreams of attempting the Third Stage together come true. This made him determined during his Third Stage run, barely smiling as he made it once look easy, taking three swings on the dismount of the Pipe Slider. Nagano wanted to conquer the Final Stage for all the other 99 competitors. He went at a much faster pace than before, but had slipped up halfway up the Spider Climb, leaving him 18 seconds for Tsuna Nobori. He was able to make it to the very top, but the rope swayed back at the very last second, causing him to miss the button. He scrambled for the button and was able to successfully press it... but it wasn't in time. Nagano had missed by the closest of margins: 0.11 seconds. On top of the tower, the staff had asked him if he wanted to look down, but he responded with "No, I won't. When I get here next time."

After this, SASUKE 13 Trials were held as part of his near-miss of Kanzenseiha. Nagano, along with the other All-Stars and various top competitors, competed. Nagano was in great shape to beat the fastest time that was set by Kobayashi Masaaki. Due to the rain that had plagued the course that week, Nagano ultimately shocked everyone by slipping off the Tarzan Rope. This result would have been enough to guarantee him a spot in the actual tournament, as he placed 24th in Top 30, which guaranteed a spot in the tournament. For Nagano, it wasn't good enough. As competitors were allowed multiple attempts on the course, Nagano came back to attempt the course in January, and this time he delivered. Showing almost the same pace as friend and fellow All-Star, Takeda Toshihiro, who had updated the fastest time with his run just prior to his, Nagano cleared the Tarzan Ropeand finished the course just two seconds slower than Takeda.

In SASUKE 13, the First Stage was completely renewed following his near-Kanzenseiha, and yet Nagano cleared with 29.03 seconds remaining, doubling the time of the second- fastest clear. After once again clearing with the fastest time in Second Stage, he was the only person to beat the Third Stage, this time needing only two swings on Pipe Slider's dismount. He once again advanced to the Final Stage, but the rope kept swaying back and forth and he was only able to get one hand on the top before plunging to the bottom. Kanzenseiha was, yet again, just out of reach.

Disappointed with this result, Nagano returned with a vengeance in SASUKE 14. He kept yet another quick pace, but had stopped to collect himself at the Jump Hang, which Yamada had just failed on. Despite this, Nagano cleared it and the rest of the course with ease, finishing with an impressive time of exactly 30 seconds remaining (just short of Takeda's time of 32.44 seconds). He was the tenth and final clear in Second Stage, finishing with 9.9 seconds left, marking four tournaments in a row where Nagano had made it to Third Stage. However, due to Nagano's consistent success, the course had been renewed, adding a new obstacle and modifying the all-familiar Pipe Slider for the first time in five years. When his turn came, everyone before him had failed, and Nagano was the last hope of all 100 ninjas. However, on the Jumping Bars, his hands just overshot the fourth bar, causing him to lose his grip, thwarting his plans of yet another attack on the Final Stage.

In SASUKE 15, Nagano once again cleared the First Stage, with the fastest time. However, in the Second Stage, the course had been renewed in the Chain Reaction and Metal Spin. Of the six who ran before him, who had all cleared, and with Nagano running last, there was a strong possibility of everyone who attempting the stage clearing it. Before his run, he had said that "I'm only scared of the jump (on the Metal Spin), that's it." Nagano was, possibly, on the pace to set a record time, but surprisingly, he became the very first Metal Spin fatality, giving the obstacle a lethal status and his fears ultimately becoming reality. This was his first Second Stage defeat.

When Nagano attempted SASUKE 16, he took a slow but steady pace on the course. He took two attempts on Soritatsu Kabe, but wasn't fazed on any of the new obstacles, finishing with 8.99 seconds left. He then got revenge on the Metal Spin- which took out almost half of those attempting the Second Stage- and finished the stage with just under seven seconds left. Nagano had once again made his way towards the end of Third Stage, defeating the nerfed Jumping Bars. He took his time and rested on the green pipe right before Devil Balanço. Instead of trying to generate momentum by swinging on the obstacle like a trapeze, Nagano instead used Shiratori Bunpei's tactic of grasping the Devil Balanço with one arm, holding onto the green pipe with the other, and swinging back and forth to eliminate most of the effort needed to get to the Pipe Slider. However, the left chain of the trapeze got caught on the green pipe. Nagano eventually freed himself and even got a hold on Pipe Slider with one hand, but he couldn't hold on. When he let go, the orange pipe slid a short ways down the track. Now forced to generate momentum and try to jump for the pipe, Nagano fell short.

Kanzenseiha
In SASUKE 17, Nagano wore #99, before Yamada Katsumi who vowed to retire. Nagano cleared the First Stage effortlessly, pounding his chest atop the Rope Climb and pressing the button with 12.48 seconds left. He proceeded to shout words of encouragement for Yamada (similar to what Yamada did three years earlier in SASUKE 12), who would later run out of time atop the Soritatsu Kabe. Nagano flew through the Second Stage, and got his revenge on Third Stage. He reached the Final Stage for a record fourth time, joining first-time finalist Nagasaki Shunsuke. After Nagasaki timed out, it was Nagano's turn. Determined to redeem himself from the close failures in the 12th and 13th tournaments, Nagano reached the rope with almost 20 seconds on the clock and finished Final Stage with 2.56 seconds left. This earned him the title of Grand Champion, joining fellow All-Star Akiyama Kazuhiko as the only two to do achieve such a victory.

In an interview at the top, Nagano was asked by announcer Hatsuta Keisuke about what was at the top of the tower and what SASUKE meant to him. Nagano answered with this:

"I've been asked this all the time, but in reality... to me, there's really nothing up here. I just like SASUKE and by doing SASUKE, I was able to appear with all of the All-Stars and friends on the stage known as SASUKE.... The best thing is that I enjoy doing it with the All-Stars. I really like doing this. I will do my best."

Shin-SASUKE
His accomplishment paved the way for a new third era of SASUKE and a completely redesigned SASUKE course, which was unveiled at SASUKE 18. Before the tournament, he had stated that the renewal had made him both "worried and excited". Despite a scare on the new first obstacle, Rope Glider, the defending champion was able to navigate the completely rebuilt First Stage with the fastest time. In the Second Stage, with only Takeda as the two remaining All-Stars, he knew that new Salmon Ladder possessed a threat. His instincts were right, as the first three competitors, including Takeda, fell victim to it. As the last All-Star remaining, all eyes were on him. Luckily, he was able to clear it with ease, becoming the first to make it all the way to the new Third Stage, despite yet another close call on the first obstacle, this time being the Downhill Jump. Nagano beat the first three obstacles on the Third Stage with ease, but his run came to an end on the Shin-Cliffhanger. Nagano was the first to attempt this new version and was able to make the jump to the third ledge. Everyone had thought he had successfully cleared it, but he disqualified himself, stepping off the course and refusing to attempt any further obstacles. This brought the run into review. While he did clear the obstacle, his left hand landed on the frame above the thirdledge. This meant that Nagano had gone off the course and was thus disqualified. The producers then asked Nagano if he wanted to attempt the stage again, which he declined, stating that he was disqualified and therefore failed the stage. To prevent situations like this from happening again, metal covers to the tops of the first and third ledges.

SASUKE 19 was the scene of possibly his most shocking defeat to date. Nervous and angered by his friends' previous failures, Nagano was the All-Stars' last hope. He showed impressive speed on the stage until he reached the Flying Chute, which he cleared easily in the 18th tournament. Nagano mis-timed the obstacle and just grazed the rope with his hands, instead of grabbing the rope from under his arms. He lost his grip and fell into the water, shocking the entire audience, announcers, and his fellow All-Stars. It was his first defeat by First Stage in five years, which marked the first time in SASUKE history that not a single All-Star was able to clear First Stage.

Before SASUKE 20, Nagano spent a month in hospital due to a visceral disease. He had also met with the then-Governor of Miyazaki, Higashikokubaru Hideo. Despite his illness, however, he was able to compete and get his revenge on the Flying Chute and the First Stage, becoming the third and final clear. In the Second Stage, however, he had an early exit on Downhill Jump, losing his balance on the surfboard and losing his grip on the rope. Nagano, the last Japanese competitor to run, had been eliminated.

In SASUKE 21, Nagano once again cleared the First Stage with ease, walking to the button at the end. In Second Stage, he got his revenge on the Downhill Jump and cleared the stage with over 23 seconds remaining. On the Third Stage, he got his revenge on the Shin-Cliffhanger, and also cleared the brand-new Hang Climbing and Spider Flip, leaving just the final Gliding Ring between him and another trip to the Final Stage. This is where the troubles begin, however. However, when Nagano attempted it, the ring got stuck and wouldn't glide down, forcing Nagano to try and push the ring down the track, similar to Pipe Slider. While he was able to get the ring into the stopper for the final jump, he gassed moments after. Nagano had fallen just short of the goal.

Nagano once again had pressure in SASUKE 22, as no other All-Star had cleared the First Stage. Everything had gone well until the new Slider Jump, which had caused problems that tournament. He went with a switch grip approach on the bar and came up just short of the net, when the bar got crooked, and he lost all of his momentum and distance needed to grab onto the net.

Controversy
SASUKE 23 is what some believe to be Nagano's last real chance on the course, but also the strangest. He showed great speed in First Stage, albeit with a slight slip up on the Half-Pipe Attack and two attempts on the Soritatsu Kabe, until he met the Slider Jump again. He looked confident and begin his fateful slide. However, seconds later, he fell in the water. Turns out, the wire holding the pipe got caught on the framework of the obstacle and did not allow the pipe to reach the end of the track (see Nagano Makoto's Slider Jump Attempt) as intended. Nagano pointed it out, and the producers later gave him a chance to attempt the First Stage once more. After approximately 43 minutes of repairs and cooling down, Nagano began his second attempt. His run seemed like a carbon copy of the first, making almost the exact same mistakes, until he reached the Slider Jump again. Praying that the obstacle would finally be totally good to go, he began his slide, and without the malfunction, he was able to clear it easily and become the 16th person that day to clear the First Stage. Afterwards, it had been announced that Nagano was given the nickname of Mr. SASUKE. Nagano then went on to clear Second Stage and was got revenge on the Gliding Ring that took him out in SASUKE 21. He reached the Final Stage for the first time since his victory in SASUKE 17. This marked his record fifth Final Stage appearance. However, due to Urushihara Yuuji's close call in the previous tournament', the time limit in the Final Stage was reduced from 45 to 40 seconds. Nagano tried his best to be as fast as he could, but even though cleared Heavenly Ladder with 23 seconds remaining, the reduced time limit played a huge part as he was once again just short of the button as time expired, missing the button by only one second. While collecting himself at the top of the tower, he declared, "Here I am again", not knowing this will be the last time he will ever be on the top of the Final Stage's tower.

Due to his near miss in the previous tournament, many people expected him to clear all four stages in SASUKE 24. He began training for the final Tsuna Nobori, using a crane 10 metres up. He cleared the first three obstacles with ease, but at the end of the Jumping Spider, he slipped into the mud pit below and hit his right arm on the metal framing. It was the earliest he had ever failed. In his post-run interview, he said that he wanted to clear the first half of the stage quickly so he could have a lot of time for the end of the stage which made strong competitors such as Yamamoto Shingo and Kanno Hitoshi time out.

Kanzen Renewal
In SASUKE 25, Nagano was given #99 and was the lone representative of Miyazaki Prefecture. During the tournament, he started shakily. He slipped on the last step on the Dome Steps and barely made it to the landing platform, and later, nearly slipped off the rope on Bridge Jump. Despite these close calls, he seemed to recover and he made it to Circle Slider, but he failed to hit the springboard cleanly and was unable to even touch the ring. This was the first time since becoming an All-Star that he suffered consecutive First Stage defeats.

In SASUKE 26, he was given #99. He had trained before the tournament by using a trampoline and a rope, in hopes to avenge his previous failures. He performed much better than in the previous tournament, clearing Step Slider perfectly, Hazard Swing without the aid of the ending bar, and Rolling Escargot without any trouble. However, he did not jump far enough into the chute of the Jumping Spider and failed there.

He returned in SASUKE 27 and received #100 once again. He made it past First Stage for the first time since SASUKE 23, and became the only All-Star to clear First Stage in that tournament. Despite never attempting several obstacles in Second Stage, beat this stage as well. In Third Stage, he beat the Arm Bike and Flying Bar, but he slipped up on Ultimate Cliffhanger's fifth ledge. This would be the last time that Nagano would make it to Third Stage.

SASUKE RISING and Afterwards
In SASUKE 28, as an All-Stars' retirement special, all five of the competing All-Stars wore the final five numbers; Nagano was given his traditional #100. He was off to a good start until Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe. He cleared the first wall with ease but was unable to scale the second. Eventually, he gave up after the buzzer sounded, throwing his arm pad to the ground. Standing there in defeat, he tried once more to reach the top of the 2nd, but failed. In despair and disbelief, he ran up the wall after resting and cleared it with ease. In his post-run interview, Nagano stated that he did badly and that he would like to compete again.

Following the official retirement of the All-Stars, there was speculation suggesting that the All-Stars would no longer be permitted to compete ever again. This proved to be false as Nagano, Takeda, and Yamamoto were once again invited to compete in SASUKE 29. In addition, the title of All-Star was not retired. This proved to be one of his most emotional tournaments. He overshot the distance of Long Jump and severely injured his hamstring. His balance and speed were affected but he pushed through, clearing Log Grip and Hedgehog with ease. On Jump Hang Kai, he couldn't take the amount of momentum he needed to clear the obstacle and he almost fell when he jumped off the trampoline. He had 40 seconds left when he reached Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe. After clearing the first wall with ease, he paused to rest, but that wasn't enough to pass the second wall. He timed out there in pain.

In SASUKE 30, he wore #2999 (equal to #99). He cleared Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe for the first time and cleared First Stage for the first time since SASUKE 27. He was later disqualified on Swap Salmon Ladder in the Second Stage when he landed the bar slanted. It should, however, be noted that when his bar hit the fourth pair of rungs, the left rung malfunctioned and pushed inward, causing the slant, similar to Takahashi Kenji's Disqualification. In his post-run interview, he said that he wanted to make it at least to Backstream to test how tired he would be. This was Nagano's first Second Stage fail since SASUKE 20.

In SASUKE 31, Nagano watched fellow All-Stars Yamamoto and Takeda fail the Rolling Hill and took his time on the course. In a similar fashion to SASUKE 28, his hopes of clearing the First Stage were taken away by Soritatsu Kabe. During an interview, Nagano then said him competing next tournament would "depend on my condition". After the interview, director Inui Masato and the production staff had a long talk with Nagano to persuade him to compete for one last time. Nagano said he'll think about it and eventually announced he'll be competing for the final time, wearing #100.

In SASUKE 32, Nagano delivered a strong run until he met the Soritatsu Kabe. After clearing it on his second try, Nagano was running low on time. He reached the top of Lumberjack Climb with one second left, but could not reach the button in time allotted, ending his 15 year SASUKE career on a bittersweet note. Had Nagano cleared the First Stage, he would've tied the record for oldest person to have cleared the First Stage at age 44. Post-run ceremonies were held in his honour and he was subsequently thrown into the water, a similar gesture to his Kanzenseiha.

During his retirement, Nagano served as an analyst in SASUKE 33 and 34. He also cheered for his fellow All-Stars Takeda and Yamamoto, with the former also being cheered by fellow competitor Asa Kazuma. Nagano has also trained a protégé, fellow fisherman Takasu Seiki, who has advanced to the Second Stage twice.

In July 2020, Nagano went on a Q&A video on Takeda Toshihiro's YouTube channel, where he answered a question requesting him to return only for SASUKE 40. Nagano said if it was just for one tournament, the percentage would be 99.9%, but if he was asked to do it all the time after that, it would be almost nothing.

However, after a trailer for SASUKE 38 aired and the release of an official competitor line-up was unveiled, Nagano was revealed to come out of his retirement two tournaments earlier then expected. Nagano maked his return to SASUKE, wearing #98. He revealed in a Twitter post that the reason for his return is to lighten up the spirits of the Japanese public after the COVID-19 pandemic. He put up a decent performance on the First Stage, even clearing the Fish Bone, which he had never attempted before. However, his run came to an end when he lost his grip on the first bar of Dragon Glider. Later, after Morimoto Yūsuke's second Kanzenseiha, he and Morimoto would be thrown into the water by his fellow competitors, similar to SASUKE 17 and SASUKE 32.

Nagano did not compete in SASUKE 39, but told a live audience that he wanted to compete with his son, Kaiou, in SASUKE 40.

VIKING
Nagano competed on the second and third VIKING tournaments together with several All-Stars and familiar SASUKE competitors.

In VIKING 2, he impressed many by clearing First Marine Stage the fastest that day. Despite struggling on Parley, he clearing with 25.43 seconds left on the clock. Nagano admitted that his brain wasn't his strong suit, as he was almost knocked out by Brain Panic in Brain Ship Stage, committing two mistakes. Luckily, Yamaguchi Kōsuke commited three mistakes, which eliminated him. Going to the Second Adventure Stage with six straight competitors failing before him, he easily cleared the timed portion of the stage with 16.48 seconds left. He then easily clearing Heartbreaker and advanced to the Third Fantasy Stage. He was given a choice of attempting Steady Voyager or Ultimate Plank, which he chose the former. Clearing it in under two minutes, he was then awarded ¥500.000 and a chance to attempt Bio Clock, but not without a caveat- he carried the risk of lowering his prize to ¥100.000 if he failed, but would increase his prize to ¥1.000.000 and receive an attempt at Final VIKING if he succeeded. Nagano, without hesitation, choose to continue his journey, which proved to be a success, as he cleared Bio Clock with 9.78 seconds on the clock (inside the 0.5 seconds margin of error from 10 seconds allowed), earning him a spot in Final VIKING. Nagano became the only person in the tournament to do so. He had just a 10-metre Vertical Rope left with 50 seconds on the clock, but ran out of energy and could not clear in time, clearly tired and running out of breath.

In VIKING 3, he was considered by many to reach and clear Final VIKING. Given #99, he shocked everyone by failing Parley in First Marine Stage, which was the obstacle that he feared the most. Due to VIKING 4's casting that involved only celebrities, he wasn't invited at there and as such, never able to achieve Kanzenseiha in VIKING.

Sportsman
On January 7, 2010, Nagano made his Sportsman debut by participating in the 2010 Monster Box tournament. He was joined by All-Stars Takeda and Yamamoto. He cleared up to the 14th level of the Monster Box, failing on the 15th level at 2 metres, 26 centimetres.

American Ninja Warrior Appearances
Nagano has made multiple appearances in American Ninja Warrior, though not as a competitor.

In American Ninja Warrior 2, Nagano, Urushihara and Okuyama Yoshiyuki all came to America to sign autographs. Each of them ran the course for fun, with Nagano failing the Jumping Bars, and the other two clearing the course.

In American Ninja Warrior 9, Nagano appeared to watch and give his support for some of the competitors during the taping of Los Angeles qualifiers. In fact, before Brian Kretsch's run, Nagano did a ceremonial backslap to him.

Trivia

 * Nagano is one of only five competitors to progress the furthest of any competitor two tournaments in a row. The others are Morimoto Yūsuke, Drew Drechsel, Lee En-Chih and Yuuji Urushihara.
 * Excluding his Jumping Spider failure in SASUKE 24 and all of his time-outs except his Ni Ren Soritatsu Kabe failure in SASUKE 28, all obstacles Nagano has failed were new or modified in Nagano's first or second try. It should be noted that the Jump Hang was slightly modified for SASUKE 10, and the same went for the Jumping Spider in SASUKE 26.
 * He and Yamada Katsumi are the only All-Stars to never fail the Body Prop.
 * Nagano has trained three people for KUNOICHI, the all-female spinoff of SASUKE.
 * Nagano has the SASUKE record for most times being the Last Man Standing, doing so seven times. He also holds the record for most times wearing #100 at 15 in three streaks of 5, 6, and 3 (SASUKE 12-16, 19-24, 27-29, and 32 respectively)
 * In September 2008, Nagano made his first United States appearance at the Chibi-Pa Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida.
 * On June 3, 2009, Nagano's first child, Nagano Kaiou, was born.
 * Also, on June 16, 2013, Nagano's second child, Nagano Taiou, was born.
 * Nagano was the first to pass the Rumbling Dice, Lamp Grasper, Cliffhanger Kai, Salmon Ladder, Stick Slider, Net Bridge, Shoulder Walk, Curtain Swing, Hang Climbing, and Spider Flip.
 * Despite reaching the Cliffhanger Kai seven times, (SASUKE 9, 11-14, 16, and 17) Nagano has never failed the obstacle.
 * Nagano Makoto, Omori Akira, Yamamoto Shingo, Urushihara Yuuji, Matachi Ryo and Morimoto Yusuke are the only six to reach the Final Stage more than once, with Omori being the only one to attempt just one version. Nagano and Omori also tie the record for most consecutive Final Stage attempts with 3 (SASUKE 1-3 for Omori and ironically enough SASUKE 11-13 for Nagano).
 * He is considered to be the "Best Ninja Warrior Ever" in the United States. He was declared the #1 "Reason to Worship Ninja Warrior" in a G4 special before SASUKE 25.
 * He slipped on the Slider Jump in SASUKE 23, but was able to re-run the course due to a technical glitch which made the bar unable to slide to the end of the track.
 * Nagano released his first music album in 2011.
 * Nagano is the only All-Star to fail the First stage on his first two attempts and the only one to clear the Second Stage on his first attempt. He is also only All-Star to have his first attempt completely cut.
 * Since he is an All-Star, he has usually worn #100 or #99. In SASUKE 11 and SASUKE 18, he wore #96, and in SASUKE 31 and SASUKE 38, he wore #98.
 * He is the only All-Star to attempt the Ultimate Cliffhanger.
 * He is the only All-Star to attempt the Flying Bar.
 * Nagano is the oldest competitor to achieve Kanzenseiha (age 34) in SASUKE 17. This marked his fourth Final Stage appearance. This record would later be broken by Geoff Britten in American Ninja Warrior 7, at age 36.
 * He and Shiratori Bunpei are the only All-Stars to never attempt the Propeller Untei.
 * He is the only All-Star to attempt the Gliding Ring.
 * He and Takeda Toshihiro are the only All-Stars to ever attempt the Spider Flip, the Devil Steps, the Kudari Lamp Grasper and the Shin-Cliffhanger.
 * Nagano cleared the TIE Fighter and Double Pendulum on his first attempt, which snagged many stronger and younger competitors like Asa Kazuma, Takahashi Kenji, Yamamoto Shingo, Hioki Masashi, and Urushihara Yuuji.
 * He held the distinction of being the only competitor to be the first and last to attempt an obstacle, being Lamp Grasper and Cliffhanger Kai​​​​​​.
 * He is the only Grand Champion to not fail the Wall Lifting and Half-Pipe Attack.
 * He is the only All-Star to fail the Jumping Bars and the Lumberjack Climb.
 * He and Takeda Toshihiro are the only All-Stars to never fail the Wall Lifting.
 * He and Shiratori Bunpei are the only competitors to fail the Downhill Jump.
 * He has the most Final Stage attempts to date, with five.
 * He is the only Grand Champion and All-Star to give a prop celebration after completing an obstacle, as in SASUKE 11. There, after completing Cliffhanger Kai, he celebrated by opening his shirt.
 * He had progressed the furthest of any competitor a record eight times (In SASUKE 9, 11-13, 17, 18, 21, and 23).
 * He and Kobayashi Shinji are the only competitors to fail between the Devil Balanço and the Pipe Slider.
 * He is the only Grand Champion to achieve Kanzenseiha after failing the Third Stage in their previous appearance.
 * During his Cliffhanger Kai's attempt in SASUKE 9, the cameraman accidentally knocked out the light that shine the obstacle, marking one of few funny instances the cameraman did something wrong and it was caught on camera.
 * Nagano is one of 7 competitors to share the feat of clearing the first and second stage in the fastest time in that same tournament, for Nagano he did this in SASUKE's 12 & 13. (The other 6 are Yamamoto Shingo, Levi Meeuwenberg, David Campbell, Asa Kazuma, Ragivaru Anastase, and Yamamoto Yoshiyuki) He, along with Shingo and Levi are the only ones of the bunch to have done this twice, with Nagano being the only one to do this in consecutive tournaments.