Front view of Dragon Glider
The Dragon Glider (ドラゴングライダー) is an obstacle introduced in SASUKE 35's First Stage, replacing the Double Pendulum. It also indirectly removed the Tarzan Rope and Lumberjack Climb due to space constraints and the length of this obstacle. Initially placed as the fifth obstacle, it was moved as the sixth obstacle in SASUKE 41 due to the introduction of the Twin Dia.
Competitors must jump from a trampoline and grab a bar which will slide down on a wavy rail track. At the end of the first track, competitors must jump over a large gap and grab onto a second bar that slides down another wavy track, and finally land on the landing platform on the other side. Competitors are allowed to derail the bar, but doing so makes the obstacle harder.
The Dragon Glider has exactly the same function as the Double Dipper, which was firstly used as the third obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 9 in Stage One. However, unlike the Double Dipper, the Dragon Glider has a trampoline at the starting platform, requiring competitors to jump from the trampoline and reach the first bar. In addition, the distance between the first and second wavy tracks is closer than the original counterpart, with the tracks slightly differ in design and size.
The obstacle contributed many failures in its debut, as it eliminated more than half of the competitors who attempted it, taking sixty competitors to complete the obstacle, even more than the Jumping Spider in SASUKE 18. Notably, most of the competitors failed to reach the first bar from the trampoline, with Kyan Yutaka officially dubbed as being the "first human" to touch the bar. It continued to be brutal in subsequent tournaments, taking out many competitors.
So far, some top competitors have failed this obstacle, which were Matsuda Daisuke (thrice), Kanno Hitoshi (four times), Takeda Toshihiro (twice), Takahashi Kenji, Tsukada Ryoichi (thrice), Nagasaki Shunsuke (thrice), Yamamoto Shingo (twice), Darvish Kenji (twice), Yamada Katsumi, Nagano Makoto, Akiyama Kazuhiko, Oshima Ayano (twice), Kawaguchi Tomohiro, and Suzuki Yusuke.
Comparison between Dragon Glider (Morimoto Yusuke's run, SASUKE 35, above) and Double Dipper (American Ninja Warrior 9, below)
KUNOICHI Appearance[]
The Dragon Glider appears as the fifth obstacle during the RED Stage (First Stage) in KUNOICHI 2018, replacing the Double Pendulum. However, the obstacle features just one track instead of two (similar to the Big Dipper, which is the original incarnation of the Dragon Glider and Double Dipper).
Similar to its appearance in SASUKE 35, the obstacle was proven to be brutal, as the competitors who failed on this obstacle either failed to reach the bar from the trampoline or lost their grip at the end of the track.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
SASUKE[]
| SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 11 | 39 | 28.20% |
| 36 | 20 | 44 | 45.45% |
| 37 | 19 | 34 | 55.88% |
| 38 | 19 | 50 | 38% |
| 39 | 22 | 45 | 48.89% |
| 40 | 29 | 49 | 59.18% |
| 41 | 22 | 34 | 64.70% |
| Total | 142 | 295 | 48.13% |
- Notes: In a special trailer before SASUKE 38 and during the broadcast, the failure rate was said to be (from SASUKE 35 to SASUKE 37) 66 failures out of 115 attempts, vice versa, 49 clears with a clear percentage of 42.60%. It was unknown how competitors did in each specific tournament.
KUNOICHI[]
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 14 | 27 | 51.85% |
| Total | 14 | 27 | 51.85% |
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