Final Stage
Intro[]
To date, the Final Stage (stylized FINAL STAGE, later FINALステージ) has eight officially recognized versions. Except the first version, each of these shares a single, common goal: to scale the tower and reach the button at the top before the time expires.
Unlike its counterpart show SASUKE if a competitor does not reach the top in time, they are not dropped down suddenly but are still harnessed for safety reasons. The mechanism was adopted to SASUKE from SASUKE 18 to SASUKE 24, then from SASUKE 28 onwards.
Reaching the top or other side is referred to as Kanzenseiha (完全制覇) translated roughly as "Complete Domination" and rendered on Woman of Ninja Warrior as "Total Victory". Of all the women to attempt the course, only nine have been admitted to the Final Stage with only four (Mizuno Yūko in KUNOICHI 2 & 3, Miyake Ayako in the KUNOICHI 4, 5 and 6, Komiya Rie in KUNOICHI 5 and 8 and Oshima Ayano in KUNOICHI 12 and 13) being admitted more than once. As of KUNOICHI 12, four people: Miyake, Komiya, Kadoi, and Oshima have achieved Kanzenseiha, with Miyake doing so in three successive tournaments, Komiya and Kadoi both done it in KUNOICHI 8 and Oshima in KUNOICHI 12.
From KUNOICHI 9 to KUNOICHI 12, the height of the tower most likely has to stay at a maximum allowable height of 15 meters due to the height of the convention hall being held from indoors. Traditional SASUKE obstacles like the Tsuna Nobori and Spider Climb were introduced in KUNOICHI 9 and KUNOICHI 10 respectively. This is the only stage that is not affected based on the colour-based stage names while the First, Second and Third were renamed to Red, Blue and Black respectively.
Final Stage Obstacles[]
| Comp # | Final Stage Obstacles | Total Height | Time Limit | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Tenkudou (10 meters) | 10m / 33ft | Unlimited | ||
| 3-4 | Hashigo Heki (10 meters) | Tenkubou (5 meters) | 15m / 49ft | 35.0 | |
| 5 | Hashigo Tobi (10 meters) | Tenkubou (5 meters) | 15m / 49ft | 35.0 | |
| 6 | Dai Zeppeki (10 meters) | Tenkubou (5 meters) | 15m / 49ft | 30.0 | |
| 7 | Tenkuami (12.5 meters) | Tenkunawa (5 meters) | 17.5m / 57ft | N/A | |
| 8 | Tetsu Bashi (8 meters) | Climb Board (7 meters) | 15m / 49ft | 60.0 | |
| 9 | Sayu Hashigo (8 meters) | Tsuna Nobori (7 meters) | 15m / 49ft | 35.0 | |
| 10 | Spider Climb (8 meters) | Tsuna Nobori (7 meters) | 15m / 49ft | N/A | |
| 11 | Spider Climb (10 meters) | Tsuna Nobori (5 meters) | 15m / 49ft | 35.0 | |
| 12 | Spider Climb (10 meters) | Tsuna Nobori (5.2 meters) | 15.2m / 50ft | 35.0 | |
| 13 | Spider Climb (10 meters) | Salmon Ladder (2.5 meters) | Tsuna Nobori (4.5 meters) | 17m / 56ft | 45.0 |
Version 1 (KUNOICHI 1-2)[]
KUNOICHI 1-2's Final Stage
A description of the Final Stage in KUNOICHI 2.
The first official version of the Final Stage consisted of a long, thin, and somewhat unstable balance beam. The beam was 10 meters long, 5 meters tall, maximum 6cm wide, with a small, cylindrical bump, 5cm in diameter and 1 meter long, in the middle and a triangular bump, 2m long roughly 2/3 of the way across called Tenkudou (天空道).
Mizuno Yuko and Watanabe Kazue were able to reach the Final Stage during this tournament. Watanabe fell very early on Tenkudou, while Mizuno was able to traverse roughly half of the obstacle, failing to transit on the cylindrical bump. This may be due to a snowfall during the taping that made the beam very slick.
Since no one achieved Kanzenseiha at the time, the producers completely changed the course in the third tournament due to the previous course's extreme difficulty and as a result the Final Stage was completely changed. This version of the Final Stage was untimed, the only Final Stage in either KUNOICHI or SASUKE to do so. Also, it is the only Final Stage not to be in a tower form and the first Final Stage in either show not to have been completed before being changed.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found.
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Total | 0 | 2 | 0% |
Version 2 (KUNOICHI 3-4)[]
A description of the Final Stage in KUNOICHI 3.
After KUNOICHI 2, the entire course was revamped, adding a new Third Stage and adopting the giant tower from SASUKE as the Final Stage. The tower consists of a 10 meter (33ft) Hashigo Heki (梯子壁) two sides of even ladder rungs one must climb up, somewhat similar to the Spider Climb used on SASUKE's Final Stage at the time, it was followed by a 5 meter (16ft) Tenkubou (天空棒) to the top of the tower. The time limit was 35 seconds. In addition, the Hashigo Heki will auto retract once competitors transfer successfully to the Tenkubou mostly due to the safety reason.
A total of three women - Izumi Mika, Hanzawa Tomomi and Mizuno Yuko have all attempted the Final Stage, and all came very close to Kanzenseiha. The closest of the three was Mizuno Yuko who came 0.2 seconds away from Kanzenseiha. However, in the fourth competition, Miyake Ayako debut for the first time and amazingly completed the Final Stage with four seconds to spare.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 1 | 4 | 25% |
Version 3 (KUNOICHI 5)[]
KUNOICHI 5's Final Stage
A description of the Final Stage in KUNOICHI 5.
In the fifth competition, a new Final Stage was created. The new Final Stage consisted of a 10 meter Hashigo Tobi (梯子跳び) but consisted of six individual ladders alternating left and right that the competitors must switch between while climbing up the tower. The second obstacle remains the same with the 5 meters Tenkubou (天空棒) and the time limit was still 35 seconds. Similar to the Hashigo Heki, the Hashigo Tobi will auto retract once competitors transfer successfully to the Tenkubou.
Amazingly, Miyake Ayako was able to achieve Kanzenseiha for a second time, therefore this version of the Final Stage only lasted one tournament.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 2 | 50% |
| Total | 1 | 2 | 50% |
Version 4 (KUNOICHI 6)[]
KUNOICHI 6's Final Stage
The revamped Final Stage replaced Hashigo Tobi with the new 10 meter Dai Zeppeki (大絶壁), quite similar to SASUKE's Brick Climb that competitors have to climb up a pattern of starlight bricks to reach the 5 meter Tenkubou (天空棒). The time limit was reduced to 30 seconds.
Somehow, Miyake Ayako was able to achieve Kanzenseiha for an unprecedented third time, although this time she had a mere 0.66 seconds left on the clock. Similar to the previous version, this version only lasted for one tournament.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 50% |
| Total | 1 | 2 | 50% |
Version 5 (KUNOICHI 7)[]
The fifth version of the Final Stage consisted of a 12.5 meter Tenkuami (天空網), which consists of a metal bar grid similar to the sixth version of the Final Viking. Following by another 5 meter Tenkunawa (天空縄), which is a rope instead of a pole, it is the tallest Final Stage tower ever built in KUNOICHI to date. However, this version was never attempted and only appeared during KUNOICHI 7. Thus, this is the first Final Stage tower in KUNOICHI to introduce a rope climbing obstacle.
Since no one made to the Final Stage in that tournament, the time limit in this version is considered unknown, but in some other sources, including external information of Monster9 said that the time limit remained at 30 seconds.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| Total | 0 | 0 | N/A |
Version 6 (KUNOICHI 8)[]
The new version of the Final Stage appeared in KUNOICHI 8 with its official title being "Survival Climb". This started with 8-meter Tetsu Bashigo (鉄梯子), which is a metal ladder competitors have to climb up. Followed by 7 meters Climb Board (クライムボード), which consisted of a series of inclined bricks. The time limit was raised to 60 seconds.
This proved to be relatively easily as all three competitors physically reached the end of the stage, but Arimatsu Tomomi grabbed the side of the second Climb Board, resulting in disqualification. Komiya Rie and Satomi Kadoi both earned kanzenseiha, with Kadoi beating the stage with 21 seconds to spare. Due to the course reboot and resulting by multiple Kanzenseiha, it was only used once.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 3 | 66.67% |
| Total | 2 | 3 | 66.67% |
Version 7 (KUNOICHI 9)[]
Due to the height of the convention hall, KUNOICHI 9's Final Stage was only 15 meters high like in the previous tournaments. It consists of two obstacles, 8 meter Sayu Hashigo (左右はしご) which was renamed from Hashigo Heki and 7 meter Tsuna Nobori (綱登り) renamed from Tenkunawa to the SASUKE name. The time limit was reduced to 35 seconds in similarly to KUNOICHI 3-5 Final Stage time limit.
Izumi Hikari was the first competitor ever to attempt it, but timed out while attempting Tsuna Nobori, when she got rather close to the end. Due to this close miss, this version was only used once and would be modified for the next competition, signifying that this is the second version in KUNOICHI history not to have been completed before being changed.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 0% |
Version 8 (KUNOICHI 10-12)[]
KUNOICHI 10-12 Final Stage
A description of the Final Stage specifications in KUNOICHI 11.
To make the Final Stage even more difficult following Izumi Hikari's near-miss. KUNOICHI 10's Final Stage introduced the 8 meter Spider Climb (スパイダークライム) which functions exactly like its SASUKE counterpart and still followed by the 7 meter Tsuna Nobori (綱登り).
In its debut tournament, the Final Stage went unattempted due to the implementation of the BLACK Stage. For unknown reasons, in the following tournament, the height of both obstacles was changed, albeit with the total height of the stage remaining the same. The Spider Climb had its height increased to 10 meters, thus becoming 2 meters taller from the last tournament, and while it was still followed by the Tsuna Nobori, that obstacle's height was reduced to 5 meters, 2 meters shorter from the last tournament. Throughout the changes however, the time limit is still the same, remaining at 35 seconds.
Okabe Sakiko was the first competitor to attempt this version of the Final Stage; she was quick on the Spider Climb but struggled against the tide on the Tsuna Nobori with unexpected situations being the rope was stuck on her harness, hindering the progress. As a result, despite the struggles, she timed out by just 13 meters up, ending the tournament.
After the show was rebooted for the second time, KUNOICHI 12 saw the Final Stage remaining identical to the previous tournament, except the Tsuna Nobori was increased to 5.2 meters, the first and only Final Stage version in KUNOICHI's history to be modified in three consecutive tournaments. This time, Oshima Ayano was the sole competitor in the tournament to attempt it. She had a good and improving pace throughout Spider Climb and a very fast one at the Tsuna Nobori, thus completing the stage with 8.97 seconds left and becoming the fourth competitor in KUNOICHI to achieve Kanzenseiha.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Total | 1 | 2 | 50% |
Version 9 (KUNOICHI 13~)[]
KUNOICHI 13~ Final Stage
Due to Oshima Ayano's kanzenseiha, the Final Stage was modified once again in KUNOICHI 13. The Spider Climb remained at the same height at 10 meters, a new obstacle was introduced with the 2.5-meter Salmon Ladder (サーモンラダー), and the Tsuna Nobori was decreased to a height of 4.5 meters, becoming the first obstacle in KUNOICHI's history to be modified in four consecutive tournaments, with a time limit of 45 seconds. It is considered to be a smaller version of the Final Stage that appeared in SASUKE 32 until SASUKE 38.
During KUNOICHI 13, two competitors attempted it (Watanabe Mai and Oshima Ayano). However, due to inexperience on the Salmon Ladder, they both failed the obstacle, with Oshima Ayano becoming the Last Woman Standing.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 0 | 2 | 0% |
| Total | 0 | 2 | 0% |
Unused Versions[]
Similar to SASUKE, KUNOICHI has utilized several prototype versions of the Final Stage, which have been seen on set, with varying levels of clarity and confirmation. These versions of the Final Stage have ultimately been unattempted, usually due to the difficulties of previous stages or obstacles. However, these prototypes are not considered to be official by TBS, nor were ever acknowledged by Monster9 while that studio still operated. The following information comes from behind-the-scenes information and may involve more speculative information due to the current lack of concrete details.
Pre-Version 1 (KUNOICHI 1)[]
Prior to the version of the Final Stage that was attempted in KUNOICHI 2, there is evidence to suggest that, much as how the pre-SASUKE 22 Final Stage had gone through several revisions, that a different version was used prior to the implementation of the Tenkudou.
All relevant information, such as the name, the obstacle and the time limit of the Final Stage in KUNOICHI 1 are unknown, due to the fact that the only two First Stage finishers (Yamada Miho and Yusa Masami) got eliminated on the first obstacle of the Second Stage. What is known is that this initial version of the Final Stage utilized a single balance-based obstacle that was similar in purpose to Tenkudou, and from what little can be seen, this obstacle of the Final Stage appeared to be either a tightrope or a slackline to walk across, effectively acting as a balance-esque counterpart of the Tsuna Nobori.
Pre-Version 6 (KUNOICHI 8)[]
The original setup of KUNOICHI 8's Final Stage.
Originally, KUNOICHI 8's Final Stage was supposed to consist of a single obstacle, namely the Climb Board. This version of the obstacle was much higher than the one used for the actual Final Stage attempted during the broadcast, featuring five boards that were placed left-right alternatively, with the first two having horizontal bricks akin to the Dai Zeppeki, the next two having diagonal bricks, and the final board having rock-climbing artifacts. However, at some point after the First Stage had finished, the first 3 boards were removed and replaced by a separate obstacle, called Tetsu Bashigo.
Gallery[]
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