The Dakitsuki Slider (だきつきスライダー) was the first obstacle featured in the original single-stage Kinniku Banzuke version of KUNOICHI.
The obstacle's concept revolved around competitors having to grab onto a large orange sandbag and slide down a long track, before letting go at just the right time to land on a circular platform situated in a pool of water, before the obstacle slammed into a set of padding at the end of the track. Competitors would then jump off the platform to get the next pathway, which also crossed with the ending pad, forcing them to get around the sandbag as well before reaching the next obstacle.
Despite only lasting for two tournaments, the obstacle went through two versions in both of them.
First Version[]
The initial version of the obstacle acted much like the later Hishouchu, competitors would have to wait at the starting platform while the sandbag was released from earlier in the track, forcing them to precisely time their grabbing onto the sandbag before letting go onto the platform, not unlike the later Rope Glider or Silk Slider from SASUKE.
This obstacle proved incredibly difficult; the size of the sandbag, which was at least twice the diameter of Hishouchu, and its tendency to swing around once grabbed onto made it difficult for competitors to get their bearings. Not only that, but the speed from the obstacle's descent made it very difficult to time one's release from the sandbag. These factors resulted in almost every competitor who attempted Dakitsuki Slider to fail. In fact, only the last three competitors were able to clear the obstacle, and the difficulty was even noted in the G4 airing despite cutting half of the course attempts, which had, in fact, been failures on the Dakitsuki Slider.
Because of this extreme difficulty, the obstacle would be modified in the following tournament.
Second Version[]
Ozawa Misato attempting the Dakitsuki Slider, KUNOICHI 2000.
The Dakitsuki Slider was greatly changed in the KUNOICHI 2000 tournament to be easier. The starting platform was moved to the end of the track, eliminating the automatic release function, and the bag itself would be made thinner, akin to Hishouchu. The speed of the sandbag was drastically reduced, making it easier for competitors to take control of the slide, and the landing platform was raised slightly above the water pit to make the drop much less severe.
This version of the obstacle proved significantly easier and doable, only two competitors out of the documented seven failed. However, the remainder of the course still proved too difficult to clear, as no-one reached the Break Zone for a second time in a row.
Due to the resulting format change in the 2001 competition to be more akin to SASUKE proper, the Dakitsuki Slider was retired and effectively replaced by the more iconic Buyoishi. However, the concept of Dakitsuki Slider would be revisited later in the KUNOICHI 2006 Summer tournament with the Hishouchu, which likewise utilized a sandbag, albeit this one being yellow and longer, and requiring the use of a buzzer to start the obstacle's movement before timing one's jump onto the sandbag, which would be assisted via a springboard.
Competitor's Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found.
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3 | 10 | 30% |
| 2000 | 5 | 7 | 71.43% |
| Total | 8 | 17 | 47.06% |