User:HairMetalLives/SASUKE 26 Predictions

Pre-Game Analysis
Okay. I did this for SASUKE 23 and was pleased with my predictions; SASUKE is rather difficult to predict. I meant to do this for the last couple of tournaments, but I was too busy (or something). In any case, since SASUKE 26 has been confirmed (and I have no job), I'm going to try my hand at prognosticating what will take place.

My hope is that I hit one on the nose. Like I said it's very hard to tell exactly what will happen in something like SASUKE. I hope I'm close 75% of the time.

The numbers I've assigned aren't really arbitrary, but I don't expect those to be dead on. I'm also aware that the American Ninja competitors have to win their way back, so one or two people on the list may not even compete.

Post-Game Analysis
That was the most bizarre SASUKE competitions I can remember. This rivaled SASUKE16 as the weirdest looking Stage One ever. The results were completely off-the-wall and there was zero continuity with running the competitors in order. Did G4's editor sneak into the editing room or something? It was a little hard to follow. All that said, however, this was one of the most enjoyable SASUKE shows, In my opinion.

Prediction wise, I did very well, I think. I was way off on how many new Stage One obstacles there were, but I managed to hit the bullseye twice. (The Trio of Epic Fail going out on the first obstacle doesn't count; that's too easy) I'm going to go celebrate.

General Predictions

 * Between 14 and 17 First Stage Clears (10 clears)
 * Between 5 and 10 Second Stage Clears (6 clears)
 * Zero Third Stage Clears (0 clears)
 * One new First Stage obstacle (4 new obstacles, 2 obstacles returning from retirement)
 * One new Second Stage obstacle (0 new obstacles)
 * No new Third Stage obstacle (1 new obstacle)
 * Yamada Katsumi will cry (That's a given)

Aoki Yasuo
No offense intended, but he's easy to peg.

Harashima Masami
A little ambitious here, I guess. On the other hand, the next guy...

Kuramochi Minoru
This guy kicks ass! He made it to the third obstacle. And failing that Giant Snail isn't anything to be ashamed of. It looks really hard!

David Campbell
Talk about learning from your experiences! His slow pace his last time around cost him a trip to the Second Stage. He took that and really barreled through the first two stages at a clip I didn't know he had in him. Good for him.

Iketani Naoki
Pegged it! When I made this prediction, I didn't even know if he was going to be there. At 37 years old, his window of opportunity may be closing, but he still has a few good competitions left in him if the show continues.

Iketani Yukio
Thank Christ.

Levi Meeuwenberg
Even though I'm not exactly this guy's biggest fan, I still don't like to see someone being forced to abdicate because of an injury, especially since SASUKE tournaments are so sporadic. He'll be back and he'll be back with a vengeance -- mark my words.

Yamada Katsumi
Is it possible that I gave SASUKE's Bret Favre too much credit? He failed two obstacles earlier than I though he would. Go away, already.

Satō Jun
He was all cut and did not complete Stage One.

Brian Orosco
America's Mr. Consistency did not make it past where he previously failed for the first time in five competitions. However, he was only one obstacle away. A personal favorite of mine, I'm glad to see someone single-handedly try to bring back the mustache, a lost art, in my opinion. He now looks as if he could play shortstop for the 1974 Oakland Athletics. Here's another one: He looks like if Carney Lansford stole Rollie Fingers' mustache. Or how about if the Super Mario Brothers were Norwegian? None of this is meant to be insulting, by the way. More men need mustaches; that's what's wrong with the world. Keep rockin' the 'stache, Mr. Orosco!

Takeda Toshihiro
A scheduling conflict kept our favorite firefighter from competing this time, ending his 21 competition run.

Satō Hiromichi
SASUKE's necessary evil fortunately didn't stick around very long.

Kanno Hitoshi
There was no Circle Slider this time, which I think is a shame; I really like that obstacle. The new Yamada only made it to the third obstacle, though.

Yamamoto Shingo
The Cal Ripken Jr. of SASUKE kept his longevity streak alive here, but went out on a tough new obstacle. My brother remarked that his hat looked loose; it's always a good sign when his hat falls off (in case you've been encased in cement and didn't know that), so I was certain that it would fall off when he was on the Giant Snail and I said, "His hat's gonna fall off... now! His hat's gonna fall off... now! His hat's gonna fall off... now! He's not gonna finish this... ...stage."

Takahashi Kenji
Good grief that damn Snail was brutal! It took out quite a few top flight competitors.

Okuyama Yoshiyuki
SASUKE's proper elder statesman continues to defy his age by making progress on the "Bitch-Na" Cliffhanger. No Floating Boards this time; is it just me, or does Cycling Road look easier?

Hashimoto Kōji
If Tako-Tencho getting to the Giant Snail did prove that anything can happen on SASUKE, this certainly does. This rising star went out in the Second Stage's Metal Spin, admittedly, a very tough obstacle. If it wasn't deadly, they wouldn't have kept it around this long. It can retire anyone.

Li En Zhi
Li again made it the farthest out of anyone, failing a little more than halfway through the "Bitch-Na" Cliffhanger. More progress was made on that obstacle that I anticipated. I never cease to be amazed by the happenings on this show, which is one reason I love it.

Nagano Makoto
He may be starting to fade. On the other hand, I'll refer to something I said on this very page before the competition aired:

"'Every time I think he's running out of juice, he blows me away. I predict Unstable Bridge fail, but I won't be upset (or surprised) if he again does the seemingly impossible.'"

This cat never ceases to amaze me. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he again blows the field away next time.

Urushihara Yūji
After he fell off the Jumping Spider but landed in fair territory, I knew he was in trouble. Too much time had been chewed up for a recovery, especially since I knew he's had major trouble with the Half-Pipe Attack in the past. When he had to return to the half-pipe after failing the landing the first time, I knew he was done because he would have to rush. And rush he did, right off of the landing platform.