Yusa Masami (遊佐 雅美) is a Lifesaver and a three-time World Beach Flags Champion. She has competing eight times on SASUKE and six times on KUNOICHI.
SASUKE Career[]
Yusa first made her debut in SASUKE 6. There, she failed the first obstacle, Maruta Nobori, after she failed to climb the barrels. In SASUKE 7, she cleared her previous nemesis easily. She then impressed many after clearing Rolling Maruta. On Yureru Hashi she tipped it too far to the right and almost failed but landed at the end safely. However, on Jump Hang, she didn't jump far enough and fell into the water. In SASUKE 8, she failed Godantobi when she jumped off course. She didn't participate in the next tournament, but would return in SASUKE 10, hoping to finally clear Jump Hang. She started well but then stumbled on Daasu Bridge, however she recovered. She then met Jump Hang again. After two hesitations, she finally jumped on the trampoline, in which she had good distance but not enough height and fell into the water. In the next tournament she failed Rolling Maruta like Mizuno Yuko and Igano Hibari, then in the next tournament, her run was cut from broadcast, though it is known she failed Rolling Maruta in that tournament.
She will then take part in SASUKE 13 Trials. Her first run ended horribly as she slipped right when she stepped on Godantobi and in the process of falling down, almost get her head banged. It should be noted that the course was poured by rain that week which might had lead to her failure. Ashamed by this result, she trained harder and returned months later for her second attempt. Her wish before the run is to finally beat the trampoline jump, which she did as she became the second woman to ever clear Jump Hang after Igano Hibari, although she eventually timed out there. However, this was enough to place her as the third best of Woman Competitors (top 10 woman competitors get automatic spot), only behind Izumi Mika who manage to clear Soritatsu Kabe right after her run and the competitor mentioned above. During the actual tournament, she was able to grab onto the redesigned Jump Hang, but she tried to jump as quickly as she could to save the time, which ended horribly as she get her face slammed onto the platform before fell into the water.
She however will then got her revenge in SASUKE 14. In a digested performance, she became the first woman to clear Jump Hang, which modified back to its original net version, then becoming the only woman to clear Nejireta Kabe before timing out just as she reached Soritatsu Kabe.
KUNOICHI and Kinniku Banzuke Career[]
Yusa also competing in KUNOICHI, SASUKE's all-female spin-off. She debuted on the original KUNOICHI from Kinniku Banzuke in 1999. However, her run ended short as she was stopped by Cart Catch. She wasn't invited in the following tournament despite her ranked as third best overall in the tournament, likely due to the producers wanted new faces on the show.
When KUNOICHI was rebooted in 2001, she get the invitation to be one of its first 70 competitors. She would be one of only two to clear in First Stage, however in the Second Stage, Daichoyaku stopped her from going further. This result repeated in following tournament, despite being only one of three to clear First Stage in the tournament. Tipped by many to finally clear Daichoyaku in KUNOICHI 2003, she shocked many by failing Buyoishi, the first obstacle in First Stage. She never recover from this shocking defeat as in KUNOICHI 2004 and KUNOICHI 2006 New Year, she failed Fusha Watari on both occasions and she has not completed since.
During the break between the reboot, she become one of the guards in another Kinniku Banzuke event called ESCAPE. She proven to be one of the most feared guards as she rarely lost her Event, eventually only losing twice. One of the competitors to beat her, Iizuka Yōichi, will ended up achieving Kanzenseiha in the Event, which earned him a spot in SASUKE 6.
Away from SASUKE and KUNOICHI[]
As of now, Yusa is still listed as a Lifesaver. According to her website, she started her Lifesaver career since 1992, about 32 years ago. Her house seems to be close to the beach as she would post beach pictures on her Instagram. She would also posted pictures of her iguana regularly, that she named Peanut, which she already possessed since at least 2018.
Trivia[]
- She is the only woman competitor to attempt two versions of Jump Hang.
- At one point, she held the achievement of receiving the highest number given to a woman competitor, wearing #94 in SASUKE 7, beating at the time Tanabe Chie who wear #93 in SASUKE 3. Shimizu Asuka, Izumi Mika, and Jessie Graff will since have higher number than her, with Shimizu wearing #95 in SASUKE 8, then #96 in SASUKE 9, Izumi wearing #96 in SASUKE 13, and Jessie wearing #98 in SASUKE 37.
Results[]
SASUKE[]
SASUKE | # | Result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
6 | 86 | Failed Maruta Nobori (First Stage) | |
7 | 94 | Failed Jump Hang (First Stage) | Highest number given to a woman competitor until Shimizu Asuka in SASUKE 8. |
8 | 82 | Failed Godantobi (First Stage) | Course Out. Lost balance after clearing the obstacle. |
10 | 935 | Failed Jump Hang (First Stage) | |
11 | 84 | Failed Rolling Maruta (First Stage) | |
12 | 20 | Failed Rolling Maruta (First Stage) | All-Cut. External Information. |
13 | 89 | Failed Jump Hang (First Stage) | |
14 | 58 | Failed Soritatsu Kabe (First Stage) | Digest. Time Out. Only woman to clear Nejireta Kabe. |
KUNOICHI[]
KUNOICHI | # | Result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Failed Cart Catch | First to clear Dakitsuki Slider and Futon Beater. | |
2001 | 100 | Failed Daichoyaku (Second Stage) | Last Woman Standing. |
2002 | 96 | Failed Daichoyaku (Second Stage) | |
2003 | 98 | Failed Buyoishi (First Stage) | |
2004 | 71 | Failed Fusha Watari (First Stage) | |
2006 New Year | 49 | Failed Fusha Watari (First Stage) |