SASUKE 1

Intro
The 1st tournament, (officially,「究極のサバイバルアタックSASUKE」) (Kyuukyoku no Sabaibaruatakku SASUKE; literally Ultimate Survival Attack SASUKE), was the first ever SASUKE tournament, held in 1997, and aired as a special on Kinniku Banzuke. It was the only indoor tournament in SASUKE history, held at Tokyo Bay NK Hall.

Several recurring competitors made their first appearance here, including two future SASUKE All-Stars: Yamamoto Shingo and Yamada Katsumi. Other strong competitors emerged, such as Ōmori Akira, Hasegawa Ken, Miura Eiichi and Kane Kosugi. Not all, however, would stick around SASUKE all that long despite their seemingly high skill level.

Results-wise, 23 competitors cleared the First Stage, which was the sixth most clears in the First Stage, with SASUKE 34 (24 clears), SASUKE 27 (27 clears), SASUKE 30 (27 clears), SASUKE 2 (34 clears), and SASUKE 4 (37 clears) being the tournaments with higher clears in the First Stage than SASUKE 1. At 44 years old, Inoue Kiyomi became the oldest competitor to clear the First Stage. His record still stands today.

Six competitors cleared the Second Stage, while four cleared the Third Stage, including Kawashima Takayuki, who is the youngest ever to do so at 18 years old. However, no one was close to achieving kanzenseiha.

Obstacles
① Taki Nobori 滝登り

② Burasagari Maruta ぶら下がり丸太

③ Taki Kudari 滝下り

④ Sosoritatsu Kabe そそり立つ壁

⑤ Yureru Hashi 揺れる橋

⑥ Maruta Kudari 丸太下り

⑦ Free Climbing フリークライミング

⑧ Kabe Nobori 壁登り

Time Limit: 70 seconds

Length: 74.8 m

Obstacles
① Spider Walk スパイダーウォーク

② Ugokukabe 動く壁

③ Spider Climb スパイダークライム

④ Goren Hammer 5連ハンマー

⑤ Gyakusō Conveyor 逆走コンベアー

⑥ Wall Lifting WALL LIFTING

Time Limit: 50 seconds

Length: 65.5 m

Obstacles
① Pole Bridge ポールブリッジ

② Propeller Untei プロペラ雲梯

③ Hariyama 針山

Obstacles
① Tsuna Nobori 綱登り (15m)

Time Limit: 30 seconds