A tester on the Rolling Hill, SASUKE 31
The Rolling Hill (ローリングヒル) is a new obstacle that was first introduced in SASUKE 31. Being the new obstacle of the First Stage, it is the replacement of the Long Jump, which was only used for two tournaments.
The obstacle is a fusion of the Maruta Nobori (which was used in the first seven SASUKE tournaments until it was replaced by the Godantobi) and the Maruta Kudari (which was used in the first four SASUKE tournaments until it was replaced by the Jump Hang).
The obstacle has three parts:
- The first part consists of five rotating logs (as the original Maruta Nobori), angled upward at 45°, making it extremely slippery to traverse.
- The second part are stationary logs arranged in a straight line.
- The third part consists of five rotating logs as the opposite of the first (as the original Maruta Kudari), angled downward at 45°.
At the end of this obstacle, competitors must make it from a platform, across a water pit, and to a landing pad.
Notes: The angle of the incline and decline are assumption. Its actual angle may varied due to not being mention during SASUKE 31.
Even though the obstacle is a fusion of the Maruta Nobori and Maruta Kudari, there are differences between the Rolling Hill and the Maruta Nobori and Maruta Kudari, as the logs on Rolling Hill are placed higher than the Maruta Nobori and Maruta Kudari (with the bottom logs on each respective obstacles are leveled to the water).
The Rolling Hill returned in SASUKE 32 and was connected with the Quad Steps, thus becoming the second obstacle. A safety mat was placed between the Quad Steps and Rolling Hill to catch the competitors that roll down the hill. However, it is off limits to touch when transitioning between the two obstacles, though immediate disqualification will not occurred if being stepped.
A rule was implemented in its debut that competitors were not allowed to jump from the top of the obstacle to the landing pad (as opposed to the original Maruta Kudari, where competitors could jump from the top of the obstacle). However in Ragivaru Anastase's case, he jumped from the top of the obstacle, but due to miscommunication, this was ignored and he cleared the First stage that tournament.
In SASUKE 31 and SASUKE 32, the rotating logs and the top logs were colored white and brown respectively. In SASUKE 33, the color of the logs changed. For the rotating logs, it became a mixture of red and black, while in the top logs became red. In SASUKE 34, the top log on the downward portion of the obstacle was painted yellow and black in order to indicate where the competitors would have to jump to complete the obstacle.
This obstacle took out 2 SASUKE All-Stars (Yamamoto Shingo and Takeda Toshihiro) in SASUKE 31, and 2 Shin Sedai members (Urushihara Yuuji and Kanno Hitoshi), along with Anastase Ragivaru in SASUKE 33.
KUNOICHI Appearances
Rolling Hill, KUNOICHI 9
The Rolling Hill appeared as the first obstacle in RED Stage (First Stage) on KUNOICHI 9 and KUNOICHI 10, where there are no logs atop the obstacle.
Competitors' Success Rate
- All results based on the TBS broadcast and external information found
| SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 49 | 100 | 49% |
| 32 | 37 | 47 | 78.72% |
| 33 | 49 | 61 | 80.32% |
| 34 | 47 | 52 | 90.38% |
| Total | 182 | 260 | 70% |
KUNOICHI
| KUNOICHI | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 37 | 50 | 74% |
| 10 | 45 | 50 | 90% |
| Total | 82 | 100 | 82% |