Tajima Naoya (田島 直弥) is a transportation worker who would compete on SASUKE five times with varying success, most notably coming just short of the Final Stage in SASUKE 24.
Tajima qualified for SASUKE 23 via the SASUKE Trials. He was one of four SASUKE Trials qualifiers to clear the First Stage that day, clearing with over 11 seconds left on the clock. However, all of them would end up going out on the Salmon Ladder. For Tajima, he looked strong on the Salmon Ladder moving up the first few rungs without trouble. When he tried to reach the seventh and final level, he failed to get both sides of the bar up. First the right side and then the left side missed. Finally, he moved back down to the sixth level but didn't get enough height on one final swing and his grip gave way.
Because of his performance, Tajima and most of the other Trials qualifiers who cleared the First Stage were invited back for SASUKE 24 by TBS. Here, he proved his full potential by clearing the First Stage again, this time with over 20 seconds left on the clock. He then beat the Salmon Ladder and became the first person to clear the Second Stage. He easily made it to the end of the Third Stage, climbing the Spider Flip's first wall without using his legs. He then reached the Gliding Ring, where he suddenly slipped off of the obstacle before taking the ring off of its stopper.
Tajima returned in SASUKE 25 and received #49 in the lottery. On the new obstacles, he performed sloppily. On the Rolling Maruta, he did not set his feet properly and just was able to hold on by his hands. On the Jump Hang, he barely hit the trampoline with enough force and almost missed the net completely. He caught it low and barely got to safety without touching the water. On the Soritatsu Kabe, he slipped and it took him two tries to scale it. He managed to make it all the way to the Circle Slider but did not get enough height on the jump and could only reach the ring with one hand.
Tajima never regained his success from Shin-SASUKE. In SASUKE 26, he failed the Jumping Spider and was cut from broadcast entirely. In SASUKE 27, he cleared the First Stage, but failed the Slider Drop. He would then attempt to compete in SASUKE 29 through the Trials but wasn't selected. He has not competed since SASUKE 27.
Trivia[]
- He has the current best result for #29.
- Tajima's clear in SASUKE 27, would be the first time a competitor with the number #29 has cleared.
Results[]
| SASUKE | # | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 45 | Failed Salmon Ladder (Second Stage) | |
| 24 | 73 | Failed Gliding Ring (Third Stage) | |
| 25 | 49 | Failed Circle Slider (First Stage) | |
| 26 | 86 | Failed Jumping Spider (First Stage) | All Cut. External Information. |
| 27 | 29 | Failed Slider Drop (Second Stage) |
External Links[]
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