Futon Beater (ふとんビーター) was the second obstacle in the original single-stage Kinniku Banzuke version of KUNOICHI. It would only last for one tournament, the very first one in fact, in 1999.
The objective was for competitors to take an actual Japanese futon beater (hence the obstacle's name) and use it to hit ten hidden buttons/sensors that were hidden by three large mattress covers situated below the competitors. They would not be allowed to move on to the next obstacle until all ten sensors were confirmed to be hit. To assist competitors, a map would be provided in front of them to give a general idea of where the sensors were.
Due to the obstacle's function, the only way to fail was to time out and it was specifically designed to be a time waster, made even more difficult by the first part of the course having a strict 60-second time limit.
While all of the competitors who attempted the obstacle managed to defeat it, the time limit drain ultimately proved fatal to their runs, as they would be either low enough on time to either rush through the next few obstacles, or flat out run out of time mere centimeters from the Break Zone.
In an attempt to lessen the extreme difficulty, the Futon Beater would be replaced in the next tournament by a version of the Gyakusō Conveyor, which would utilize paper hurdles and a slightly higher speed compared to the version used on SASUKE.
Competitor's Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found.
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 100% |