Kinniku Banzuke's KUNOICHI was the very first era of KUNOICHI. It consisted of two tournaments, one in 1999, and another in 2000.
- (The name Strong Mama has no official ties to KUNOICHI, it was the name G4 used for the Kinniku Banzuke event in order to not confuse viewers, and connect it as a sister event to Strong Papa, which would have likely aired on G4 had the cancelation not occurred.)
Origin[]
The Kinniku Banzuke event KUNOICHI consisted of a nine area obstacle course, originally being centered around completing housework type tasks along the way. It was titled "Okan 9".
- The prototype of KUNOICHI originally included areas such as making pies to carry across unstable beams, running up slopes, and putting clothes on a clothesline.
Original image of the KUNOICHI prototype, Okan 9.
Ushio Higuchi left this note and rule explanation describing the original KUNOICHI Okan 9 prototype:
As you can see, this is a mom-only event. Mom's daily work (cleaning, laundry, cooking, shopping, nap, etc.) is divided into 9 areas. If you can clear everything within the time limit, perfect!
Eventually, the prototype steered away from the requirement to be a mother, motherly theming, and spun into KUNOICHI. The first tournament aired on October 30, 1999.
KUNOICHI 1999[]
- See further: KUNOICHI 1999
The first KUNOICHI tournament ever aired October 30, 1999.
This tournament introduced multiple competitors who were to compete in the future, such as Yusa Masami. Results in this competition were very poor, due to the extremely difficult obstacles and overestimated time limit.
Applications for a 2nd tournament were announced at the very end of the tournament.
KUNOICHI 2000[]
- See further: KUNOICHI 2000
This tournament aired April 22, 2000.
Due to the absolute slaughter of competitors in the last tournament, the time limit was increased and the obstacle difficulty was toned down. Despite this, competitors still struggled with the course and no one reached the break zone for a second time.
- Due to the poor results again, this was the last tournament of this era. KUNOICHI would later then be revived in late 2001, where the first reboot would take place.