Flying Bar

Flying Bar (フライングバー) is the final obstacle of SASUKE's new Third Stage in SASUKE 25 and SASUKE 26.

It is a hybrid of Jumping Bars and Pipe Slider, called a horizontal version of Salmon Ladder in American Ninja Warrior, where competitors must negotiate down a track by jumping from one cradle to another, while holding onto a pipe.

There were five cradles, with each jump approximately 1.5 meters (5 feet) from one cradle to the next cradle.

In SASUKE 27, the obstacle was placed as the second obstacle in the Third Stage, while the new Bar Glider took its previous spot. In addition, the obstacle was shortened from five cradles to three.

This version was not too difficult, only eliminating two out of ten competitors who attempted it in that tournament, Okuyama Yoshiyuki and Ishikawa Terukazu.

It was removed after Urushihara Yuuji's second kanzenseiha in SASUKE 27, being replaced by Iron Paddler, but would eventually return in its SASUKE 27 version in SASUKE 32, replacing its former successor.

Upon its return, the obstacle was brutal, eliminating four out of eight competitors who attempted it, including former finalists Nagasaki Shunsuke and Kawaguchi Tomohiro.

For SASUKE 33, the obstacle directly led into Sidewinder Kai without any rest, while also having a wire installed to secure the obstacle to an upper track, much like Pipe Slider, so that competitors would not drag the bar down with them if they failed.

While no one failed the transition between obstacles, the obstacle itself eliminated most of the competitors who attempted the Third Stage in that tournament, including SASUKE champion Morimoto Yūsuke, who completed the obstacle during USA vs. The World and USA vs. The World 2. Only Drew Drechsel managed to clear the obstacle.

The difficulty was blamed on the addition of the wire, as it caused the bar to slip off of its cradles before competitors could successfully build up momentum.

As a result, in SASUKE 34, the cradles were increased in size to rectify this, which gave competitors more space for the bar to move while the competitor made the transition from one cradle to another. This led to no one failing the obstacle in that tournament.

In SASUKE 35, Drum Hopper Kai was removed, due to the introduction of Planet Bridge, which in turn moved Flying Bar and Sidewinder to the first and second obstacles respectively. This made Flying Bar the first obstacle in SASUKE history to be placed as the first and final obstacles in a stage for different tournaments.

In SASUKE 36, Flying Bar eliminated no one except for Ben Toyer, possibly due to inexperience.

It also eliminated Isa Yoshinori in SASUKE 38 when he transitioned poorly onto the last cradle and ultimately slipped off the cradle and fell.

In SASUKE 39, the Sidewinder would be modified in which the first and third poles would rotate. This makes the transition from the bar to the first pole harder as it forces competitors to time their landing and possibly grab the holds on the poles whilst it rotates.

American Ninja Warrior Appearances
Flying Bar was the final obstacle in Stage Three from American Ninja Warrior 4 until now, which was the same as the one used in SASUKE 25 and SASUKE 26.

So far, during its overall appearances on American Ninja Warrior's regular season, only eight competitors had ever attempted this obstacle:
 * Brian Arnold in American Ninja Warrior 5,
 * Ian Dory, Isaac Caldiero, and Geoff Britten in American Ninja Warrior 7,
 * Drew Drechsel, Adam Rayl and Daniel Gil in American Ninja Warrior 11, and
 * Kaden Lebsack in American Ninja Warrior 13

Five of those competitors had completed it: Isaac Caldiero and Geoff Britten in American Ninja Warrior 7, Drew Drechsel and Daniel Gil in American Ninja Warrior 11, and Kaden Lebsack in American Ninja Warrior 13. With the exception of Gil and Lebsack, every competitor who completed Flying Bar in American Ninja Warrior later achieved total victory in his respective American Ninja Warrior season.

Although only four competitors so far completed this obstacle in American Ninja Warrior's regular season, more competitors completed it in American Ninja Warrior's international tournament.
 * During USA vs. Japan, three competitors reached this obstacle, Paul Kasemir, Brian Arnold, and Matachi Ryo. However, all of them failed to complete it.
 * During USA vs. The World, five competitors reached this obstacle, Morimoto Yusuke, Stefano Ghisolfi, Matachi Ryo, Sean McColl, and Brian Arnold; each competitor, with the exception Sean McColl, completed it, with Morimoto Yusuke becoming the first to complete it in any American Ninja Warrior competition).
 * During USA vs. The World 2, five competitors reached this obstacle, Ian Dory, Stefano Ghisolfi, Morimoto Yusuke, Sean McColl, and Isaac Caldiero); all except Ian Dory and Stefano Ghisolfi completed it.
 * During USA vs. The World 3, only two competitors, Josh Levin and Drew Drechsel, reached this obstacle, and both of them completed it.
 * During USA vs. The World 4, the obstacle was unattempted.
 * During USA vs. The World 5, the obstacle was again unattempted.
 * During USA vs. The World 6, only Drew Drechsel was able to complete the obstacle.

Other Appearances
In most of the SASUKE/Ninja Warrior's international formats, Flying Bar appeared as the final obstacle before the Final Stage/Mount Midoriyama tower.

Ninja Warrior UK
Flying Bars appeared during the finals:
 * as the eighth and final obstacle in Stage 2 in Ninja Warrior UK, and
 * as the third and final obstacle in Stage 3 from Ninja Warrior UK 2 onwards.

Since the obstacle was not preceded by any obstacle with no rest, there was a rope at the start, as a medium to reach the bar.

During the first three Ninja Warrior UK seasons, the obstacle was unattempted. In Ninja Warrior UK 4, the obstacle was attempted for the first time by Deren Perez and Tim Shieff. However, none of them could complete it.

In Ninja Warrior UK 5, the obstacle was finally completed for the first time by Tim Champion, making him also the first competitor to attempt Stage 4, Mount Midoriyama. He would later become the first competitor in Ninja Warrior UK history to achieve total victory and earn the title of the first "Ninja Warrior UK".

Australian Ninja Warrior
Flying Bar appeared: In the first two seasons, this obstacle was similar to Ninja Warrior UK version, with a rope at the start as a medium to reach the bar, since the obstacle was not preceded by any obstacle with no rest
 * as the eighth and final obstacle in Stage Two in Australian Ninja Warrior,
 * as the sixth and final obstacle in Stage Three in Australian Ninja Warrior 2, and
 * as the fifth and final obstacle in Stage Three in Australian Ninja Warrior 3 to Australian Ninja Warrior 5.

In Australian Ninja Warrior 3, there was a pole at the start instead of the rope.

In Australian Ninja Warrior 4, the rope returned at the start, and the arrangement of the cradles was changed: the second and the third cradles, each one was placed higher than the previous one; while the first, the fourth and the fifth was kept the same.

No one attempted the obstacle until Australian Ninja Warrior 4, when four competitors, Matthew Bowles, Ben Polson, Zak Stolz and Charlie Robbins, were able to reach the obstacle. Only Matthew Bowles failed, the others were able to complete the obstacle and advance to Stage Four, Mt. Midoriyama.

The obstacle returned once again in Australian Ninja Warrior 5, but now featured only four cradles, with the second and the fourth cradle raised, very similar to the version used in Ninja Warrior Germany 5. Due to Zak Stolz, the Last Man Standing, failing Doorknob Drop, no one attempted the obstacle in this competition.

Ninja Warrior Poland
In Ninja Warrior Poland, the Flying Bar appeared:


 * as the eighth and final obstacle in Stage Two in Ninja Warrior Poland
 * as the ninth and final obstacle in Stage Two in Ninja Warrior Poland 2, Ninja Warrior Poland 3, Ninja Warrior Poland 4 and Ninja Warrior Poland 5.

In the first season, this obstacle was similar to Ninja Warrior UK version, with a rope at the start, but the obstacle was preceded by the Ultimate Cliffhanger obstacle, after which there was an opportunity to rest. In the next two seasons, the obstacle was preceded by Hang Climbing, followed by two poles, from which participants had to move to the obstacle stick. In the fourth season, it was preceded by the Pole Grasper and in fifth season, it was preceded by the Floating Boards Nobody managed to get to this obstacle until the third season, because Jakub Zawistowski, the Last Man Standing from the first season, was eliminated on the seventh obstacle, Last Man Standing of the second season, Robert Bandosz was eliminated on the eighth obstacle and Sebastian Kasprzyk in the third edition was also eliminated on the eighth obstacle. It was only in the fourth season that Igor Fojcik attempted this obstacle for the first time and completed it being the first to complete all stages before the Mount Midoriyama Stage in Ninja Warrior Poland. In the fifth season, Igor Fojcik managed to reach the obstacle again, but this time he failed to jump to the fourth cradle and fell into the water for the first time. He won the Last Man Standing title again.

Ninja Warrior France
In Ninja Warrior France, the Flying Bar, called L'Ultime Envol, appeared:


 * as the eight and final obstacle in Stage 2 in Ninja Warrior France 1
 * as the ninth and final obstacle in Stage 2 in Ninja Warrior France 2 and Ninja Warrior France 3
 * as the eight and final obstacle in Stage 2 in Ninja Warrior France 6

In the first two seasons, it was a standalone obstacle, with a laché bar as a medium to reach the first bar, and wire was installed to the bar.

In the third season, the laché bar was used to rest after Hang Climb, and no wire was installed at all.

Before being replaced by The Wedge in Ninja Warrior France 4, five competitors attempted this obstacle, with attempts throughout the season it appeared. However, Thomas Ballet was the only one who completed this obstacle, when he cleared it in Ninja Warrior France 2.

When it returned back in Ninja Warrior France 6, the cradles were arranged in a downward pattern, and the number of cradles were reduced to 4. This time, five competitors attempted this version, but only one competitor failed.

Ninja Warrior Germany
Starting from Ninja Warrior Germany 3, a new version of Flying Bar was used. In there, the second and the fourth cradle was raised, making an up-down-up-down pattern. It required competitors to have more momentum to transfer up and firm their grip when transfer down. Also, wire was installed to the bar similar to SASUKE 33 onwards version. A rope was placed at the start, as a medium to reach the bar.

For the first time, Flying Bar was attempted by three competitors: Moritz Hans, Kim Marschner and Alexander Wurm got to this obstacle, but only Alexander Wurm could complete and clear the Third Stage.

In Ninja Warrior Germany 4, there were only four cradles; the last one had been removed. The pattern has been reversed to down-up-down. The wire installed to the bar had been removed. This obstacle was also connected to the previous obstacle, Peg Cloud, without any resting point. Moritz Hans and Alexander Wurm was the only two to attempt this version, but both of them failed, with with Alexander Wurm going further, failing the transition to the third cradle.

In Ninja Warrior Germany 5, the pattern was once again reversed to up-down-up, and now there was a laché bar to rest from the previous obstacle, Time Bomb. Kim Marschner and Alexander Wurm were the only two to attempt this version, but both of them failed, with Alexander Wurm once again going further, failing the transition to the final cradle.

Due to the difficulties of those previous setup, the Flying Bar in Ninja Warrior Germany 6 was made to be easier by arranging the cradles in a straight line. This time, Moritz Hans finally completed this obstacle and advanced to Final Stage, along with Rene Kaselowsky

SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia
In SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, Flying Bar appeared as the sixth and final obstacle during Final Stage, with a similar specification from SASUKE 25-26/American Ninja Warrior's version of Flying Bar, with the addition of an installed wire to secure the bar onto an upper track, similar to SASUKE 33 version. Among the two competitors who attempted the obstacle, Yosua Laskaman Zalukhu and Angga Cahya, Yosua Laskaman Zalukhu was the only competitor who could complete it and advance to Mount Midoriyama Stage.

However, during SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition, Flying Bar was more brutal than ever, as the obstacle eliminated every competitor who attempted it. Among the nine competitors who attempted the obstacle, including some of the competitors who completed Flying Bar in either SASUKE or American Ninja Warrior, including American Ninja Warrior's international tournament, such as Drew Drechsel and Morimoto Yūsuke, none of them could complete this version, leaving the Mount Midoriyama Stage untouched. Similar to what happened in SASUKE 33, the brutality of Flying Bar during this tournament was likely due to the addition of the wire, as most of the competitors failed while making the transition to either the second or third cradles. Also, Sergio Verdasco became the first competitor to fail the final jump to the landing platform, when he gassed out of stamina and lost his grip while swinging from the final cradle.

SASUKE Vietnam
Flying Bar, called locally Xà Bay, appeared as the final obstacle in Stage 3 from SASUKE Vietnam 3 to SASUKE Vietnam 5, with a similar specification from SASUKE's version from SASUKE 33 onwards, the addition of an installed wire to secure the bar onto an middle upper track, except the number of cradles was increased from three to four.

So far, in all its appearances, due to the difficulties of previous obstacles, Hang Climbing, Crazy Cliffhanger, and then Pipe Slider in SASUKE Vietnam 5), the obstacle was unattempted. However, more competitors attempted it in SASUKE Vietnam's international competition like SASUKE Vietnam: International Competition 2018 or SASUKE Vietnam: All-Stars Competition 2019, and in opposite with SASUKE, no one failed to complete it.

Ninja Warrior Switzerland
Stage Three of Ninja Warrior Switzerland 2 introduced a special transition between the second and the third cradle. The third cradle was placed very near and below the second cradle. Competitors had to hop the bar down in a similar fashion to Stair Hopper, however just a bit too much momentum can cause the bar to overshot the cradle. Only one competitor attempted this version, and he failed at exactly that transition.

Competitors' Success Rate

 * All results based on the TBS/NBC broadcast and external information found.

Ninja Warrior Germany
フライングバー 鋼管飛移