Butterfly Wall (バタフライウォール) was a First Stage obstacle, firstly introduced as the second obstacle in SASUKE 14.
Competitors had to jump to a padded wall, wait for it to spin around a central vertical axis, and step off to the landing platform on the other side.
It was a fairly easy obstacle, as only ten competitors failed on this obstacle during its appearances in SASUKE 14 and SASUKE 15, taking out five competitors in each season. Most likely for this reason, the Butterfly Wall was indirectly replaced by the Sandan Rolling Maruta in SASUKE 16.
Other Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior[]
The Butterfly Wall appeared as the fourth obstacle in Stage Two from American Ninja Warrior 6 to American Ninja Warrior 8, replacing the Balance Tank from the past two season appearances. However, there were several major differences between the Butterfly Wall used on American Ninja Warrior, compared to the one used in SASUKE:
- The wall was shaped more like a pair butterfly wings, featuring rounded corners and inclined ledges.
- The wall was situated much higher up in relation to the starting platform, requiring a faster and higher jump. It was placed 8 feet (2.44 meters) higher the starting platform in this appearance.
- The wall was purely supported from above, meaning that it would shake once competitors mounted it.
- Competitors must time their release from the spinning wall to grab a rope, which they must use to climb up a wall (similar to the Rope Climb). After climbing to the top, they must drop down to a landing platform.
It took out any competitor who was shorter than average or had a bad run-up. On American Ninja Warrior 6, only two competitors failed on this obstacle: Yen Chen and Josh Cook. During USA vs. The World, Morimoto Yūsuke failed on this obstacle due to his shorter height, as he could not reach the top of the wall.
On American Ninja Warrior 7, the wall was placed lower compared to the previous season, from 8 feet to 6 feet (1.83 meters). As a result, no competitor failed on this obstacle.
On American Ninja Warrior 8, the distance between the starting platform and the wall was increased, and a mini trampoline was added to the starting platform to compensate for that change. Despite those modifications, no competitor failed on this obstacle again.
Because of its high success rate, this obstacle was replaced by the Swing Surfer on the next season.
SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia[]
On SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, the Butterfly Wall appeared as the fourth and final obstacle during Warrior Stage, which was very similar to the obstacle used on American Ninja Warrior 6.
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
On Australian Ninja Warrior 3, the Butterfly Wall appeared as the second obstacle in Heats 2, 4, and 5, which was very similar to the obstacle used on American Ninja Warrior 8. Contestants would make a 2m (6.56ft) jump to the wall.
However, the obstacle became significantly more brutal than the one used in SASUKE and American Ninja Warrior, as most of the competitors who failed on it either failed to grab the wall after bouncing from the trampoline or failed to grab the rope. In Heat 2, only 16 competitors could complete the obstacle. With the top 18 competitors from each heat advancing to the semifinals, the Butterfly Wall became the cut-off for the competitors in Heat 2 to advance to the semifinals.
On Australian Ninja Warrior 4, the Butterfly Wall appeared as the second obstacle in Heats 3 and 4. This time, a mini-tramp was added at the start and the rope was attached to a zip-line. Accordingly, the obstacle was called the Butterfly Wall to Zipline. Competitors must make a 3.25m (10.66ft) leap to the wall, after it has rotated at least 90 degrees counterclockwise, they must then make a 2m jump to the zipline rope and slide to safety.
Ninja Warrior France[]
On Ninja Warrior France 2, Butterfly Wall (Le Papillon, literally The Butterfly) appeared as the second obstacle of Qualification 2, which was very similar to the obstacle used on American Ninja Warrior 8, except with the rope missing. Competitors must now dismount directly to the landing platform, just like in SASUKE.
Butterfly Wall then reappeared on Ninja Warrior France 4 as the third obstacle of Qualification 1 and 4. It was paired with Rolling Steel as part of Route B of the Crossroads. This time, a rope was added after the wall.
It later returned the third obstacle of Qualification 3 of Ninja Warrior France 6. It was paired with the Falling Shelves as part of Route A of the Crossroads. After completing the jump from the mini trampoline to the wall, competitors must jump to a rope that is attached to a zipline, which they must ride to the landing platform.
It again returned in Ninja Warrior France 8 as the third obstacle of Crossroads Path A of Qualification 3. It had the same configuration as the previous season it appeared on.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
The Butterfly Wall appeared as the second obstacle of Semifinals 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of Ninja Warrior Germany 2.
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
Motyl i Lina (literally Butterfly and Rope), Ninja Warrior Poland's official name for the Butterfly Wall appeared as the second obstacle in the Semi-finals of Ninja Warrior Poland 2. It had a similar appearance to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 8.
Ninja Warrior Austria[]
On Ninja Warrior Austria 2, Butterfly Wall appeared as the second obstacle of the semifinals, which was very similar to the obstacle used on American Ninja Warrior 8.
Ninja Israel[]
In Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Butterfly Wall, locally called ציר הפרפר (literally The Butterfly Axis), appeared as the second obstacle in Heat 13 and Against the Route Heat, and was very similar to the Butterfly Wall used on American Ninja Warrior 8 (since a trampoline was added to the starting platform). However, unlike in American Ninja Warrior, the gap between the rope and the wall was wider, and the wall was much smaller due to space constraints, so competitors must swing to the rope to the top of the wall directly (in a similar fashion to the Wall Drop). The obstacle was not very difficult, as only three competitors failed it.
Then, in Ninja Warrior Israel 4, the Butterfly Wall appeared as the second obstacle in Semifinals 1, 4, 5, and in the Repechage Semifinal. This time, the Rope Climb wall was removed, so competitors must swing to the landing platform directly. Also, the wall would rotate slower than the one used in Ninja Warrior Israel 2 and other versions, resulting in competitors showing signs of struggle when they tried to rotate the wall to reach the rope. This made the obstacle significantly more difficult than the one used in SASUKE and American Ninja Warrior, as eleven competitors failed it, mostly due to failing the jump to the wall.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS/NBC/Polsat/Keshet 12 broadcast and external information found.
SASUKE[]
SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
14 | 86 | 91 | 94.51% |
15 | 65 | 70 | 92.86% |
Total | 151 | 161 | 93.79% |
American Ninja Warrior[]
ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
ANW6 | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
ANW7 | 20 | 20 | 100% |
ANW8 | 6 | 6 | 100% |
USA vs. The World | 5 | 6 | 83.33% |
USA vs. The World 2 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
USA vs. The World 3 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
Total | 48 | 51 | 94.12% |
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
NWP | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWP2 (Semi-final 1) | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
NWP2 (Semi-final 2) | 9 | 10 | 90% |
NWP2 (Semi-final 3) | 6 | 10 | 60% |
NWP2 (Semi-final 4) | 7 | 10 | 70% |
NWP2 (Semi-final 5) | 7 | 7 | 100% |
NWP2 (Semi-final 6) | 7 | 8 | 87.5% |
Total | 43 | 54 | 79.63% |
Ninja Israel[]
NWI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWI2 (Heat 13) | 13 | 16 | 81.25% |
NWI2 (Against the Route Heat) | 1 | 1 | 100% |
NWI4 (Semifinal 1) | 4 | 10 | 40% |
NWI4 (Semifinal 4) | 18 | 20 | 90% |
NWI4 (Semifinal 5) | 6 | 7 | 85.71% |
NWI4 (Repechage Semifinal) | 4 | 6 | 66.67% |
Total | 46 | 60 | 76.67% |
|