Kunoichi (TV series)

"KUNOICHI" redirects here. For ninjutsu and ninpo practitioners, see kunoichi. For other uses, see Kunoichi (disambiguation).

"Women of Ninja Warrior" redirects here. For female ninja, see Kunoichi.

2001 Japanese TV series or program

Kunoichi

女: KUNOICHI(クノイチ)
Kunoichi

Also known as| Women of Ninja Warrior
Kunoichi - Women's Sasuke
Genre| Sports entertainment,
obstacle course
Created by| Ushio Higuchi
Based on| Sasuke by Ushio Higuchi
Voices of| Keisuke Hatsuta (2001–2006, 2009)
Hayato Arima (2003)
Wataru Ogasawara (2004-2007, 2025)
Jun Umeda (2007)
Fumiyasu Sato (2009)
Kengo Komada (2006, 2017–2018)
Shinya Sugiyama (2017–2018, 2025)
Ryusuke Ito (2018)
Narrated by| Tsutomu Tareki [ja] (2001-2004, 2017-2018)
Ken Taira [ja] (2006)
Kiyoshi Kobayashi (2006–2007)
Yoshikazu Hirano [ja] (2009)
Jun Hattori [ja] (2025)
Country of origin| Japan
Original language| Japanese
No. of seasons| 12
No. of episodes| 12
Production
Executive producer| Inui Masato
Producers| Kogake Yoshiyuki
Makoto Fujii
Production locations| Makuhari Messe, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Japan
Running time| 30 minutes (US)
20 minutes (UK)
Original release
Network| TBS
Release| December 22, 2001 (2001-12-22) –
present
Related
Sasuke

Kunoichi (KUNOICHI(クノイチ); stylized as 女 KUNOICHI(クノイチ) in Japan) is a women's obstacle course competition held in Japan and broadcast on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It is a spin-off of Sasuke, another obstacle course series. Kunoichi is different from Sasuke in that the competitors are exclusively female. The show is re-broadcast as Women of Ninja Warrior on the American G4 channel. It originally ran for 8 tournaments between 2001 and 2009 with the first tournament held as Kinniku Banzuke special. In 2017, after an 8-year hiatus, it was renewed for a 9th tournament which aired on February 12, 2017. After another 7-year hiatus, it was renewed once again under new name Kunoichi - Women's Sasuke for a 12th tournament which aired on January 13, 2025.[1] Since the 9th tournament, the show took place on an indoor course at the Makuhari Messe Convention Hall, unlike past tournaments taking place at Mt. Midoriyama Studio City.

## Participants

[edit]

Participants compete for a prize of 2 million yen ($25,497 U.S. dollars).[citation needed]

Each competition starts with 100 competitors from a range of backgrounds such as actors, comedians, housewives, and athletes, amateur and Olympians alike. The competitors are mainly Japanese, but many international competitors have participated.[citation needed] Since the 9th tournament, only 50 competitors participate instead likely due to insufficient amount of applicants.

### Kunoichi All-Stars

[edit]

Ayako Miyake (三宅 綾子, Miyake Ayako) \- This three-time consecutive Kunoichi champion has earned her the nickname "Queen of Kunoichi". Weighing only 90 pounds (41 kg), Ayako is also an acrobatic dancer, who used to work for Muscle Musical. She achieved total victory in the 4th, 5th, and 6th competitions. In the 7th Competition however, she fell on the last obstacle of the Second Stage, the last part of the Swinging Beams, which was a metal beam without a rope support like the last two. Her failure left the other competitors in visible shock because, in the words of the narrator "She was the competitor everyone was counting on!" As of 2008, she has cleared the first stage four times in a row and the second, third and final stages three times in a row. Recently Ayako and a few other Muscle Musical members including the creator and Sayaka Asami broke away and created their own group, so it is now rumored that she will no longer compete. (This seems to be confirmed as she did not compete in Kunoichi 8.)

Rie Komiya (小宮理英, Komiya Rie) \- This is one of the top competitors on Kunoichi and is notable for advancing all the way to the Third Stage in her first tournament, and failing Domino Hill(4th Competition). In the 5th Competition, she looked better than Miss Perfect herself, however by the time she reached the Skyway Pole in the final stage she looked defeated and her time ran out. She is a Japanese newscaster and went into modeling after her appearance on Kunoichi, before joining the Muscle Musical by the time of the 7th competition. Her run in the 6th competition was cut from the broadcast, but it is known that she failed stage 1. She was one of only four competitors who defeated the First Stage in the 7th competition, but she failed on the Monkey Bars in the Second Stage. As of 2008 she has cleared the first stage three times, the second stage twice, and the third stage once. Rie Komiya also competed in SASUKE 22, SASUKE 23, SASUKE 24 and SASUKE 26, being disqualified on the Jumping Spider and then failing the Half-pipe Attack, the Log Grip and the Rolling Escargot respectively. In Kunoichi 8 she became the second woman ever to beat the Final Stage.[citation needed]

Yuko Mizuno (水野 裕子, Mizuno Yuko) \- After almost completing the Final Stage in the 2nd and 3rd Competitions, she was thought to be the most likely competitor to complete the Final Stage, and was once thought to be the "Queen of Kunoichi". In the 3rd Competition, Yuko missed the button by 0.2 seconds. That was later similar to Makoto Nagano in Sasuke 12 (he reached the top of Final Stage's tower and missed the red button by 0.11 seconds). Since then, she has only made it to the Third Stage once (in the 5th competition), and hasn't passed the First Stage in the 4th, 6th and 7th competition. Besides being a Kunoichi competitor, she is also a celebrity athlete, and a regular Sasuke competitor. Fans also call her Ms. Kunoichi, for her similar status to Mr. Sasuke, Katsumi Yamada. As of 2008 she has cleared the first stage three times, the second stage three times and the third stage twice. She is also known as the Katsumi Yamada of Kunoichi.[citation needed] In 2024, She was return to competed in Sasuke world cup 2024 as Team Japan Legend. In Kunoichi 12th competition, She was cleared first and second stage again, but failed Sidewinder in Third Stage.

Maho Tanaka (田中真帆, Tanaka Maho) \- She is a professional snowboarder/wakeboarder. Maho was considered an All-Star of Kunoichi by the second time she has competed. She is known for her impressive speed nearly matching Ayako Miyake's records. Also she made it to the Final Stage during her second appearance, in the 6th tournament, where she completed the Third Stage most difficult obstacle, Domino Hill, at a very quick pace, that exceed any competitors' time who attempted or completed that obstacle (including Ayako Miyake). As she made it past the first three stages, it seems that she wasn't nervous about any obstacles standing in her way, but by the time she reached the Final Stage, she was unsure about her footing, constantly looking down, and began to lose speed on the Brick Climb, which by the time she completed time was already up. In the 7th tournament, she was the only competitor to reach the Third Stage, however she was defeated by the obstacle that she had defeated in the previous tournament, Domino Hill. In Kunoichi 8 she was eliminated when she wasn't one of the top two in her group to finish the first stage. As of 2010 she has cleared the first stage twice, the second stage twice and the third stage once.[citation needed]

### Regulars

[edit]

Kunoichi has several competitors who competing on a regular basis. Some of these include:

Yuko and Rena Higashi (東裕子・玲奈, Higashi Yuko/Rena) \- A mother-daughter team. Though the mother, Yuko, has yet to complete the First Stage, Rena is the second 13-year-old to complete the First Stage (the first was Saki Suzuki in the 3rd competition), but she is the youngest to complete the Second Stage. Rena has also competed in the juniors division of Sasuke where she ran out of time just a few inches from the buzzer of the Final Stage. Yuko is a housewife, and her daughter is a tomboy and an athletic student, who joined the track and field team in order to train for Kunoichi. Rena also competed in Kunoichi 8, but she failed 1st Stage's Swinging Jump.

Sayaka Asami (浅見清香, Asami Sayaka) \- Was the women's group leader in the related series, Muscle Musical. Before the Muscle Musical, she was part of the dance team DIG. Recently she broke away from Muscle Musical and formed her own group with Ayako Miyake. She competed from Kunoichi 3-5 and made it to the Third Stage all 3 times, but unfortunately failed Domino Hill all three times in exactly the same spot, in the same way. Asami's performances have earned herself a spot as one of the best competitors to date, but she will probably never compete again.[citation needed]

Mika Izumi (泉美香, Izumi Mika) \- is a Jazz Dance Instructor hailing from Tokyo. She first appeared in the 3rd competition and wowed everyone by making it all the way to the Final Stage. Izumi managed a great run but ran out of time just a few feet short of the buzzer. In the following tournament, Izumi was the only finalist from the previous tournament to clear Stage 1, however in Stage 2 she failed the Triple Hurdle (a common casualty in Kunoichi 1 and 2). Since competing in Kunoichi, Izumi has married and her married name is Mika Watanabe. She also participated in SASUKE 12 and SASUKE 13, failing Stage 1's Jump Hang and Prism Tilt respectively. She returned after SASUKE was renamed SASUKE RISING. In SASUKE 28, she failed the Rolling Escargot. In SASUKE 29, like SASUKE 12, the redesigned Jump Hang (Jump Hang Kai) was her downfall.

Hiromi Satake (佐竹ひろみ, Satake Hiromi) \- A professional sumo wrestler who, due to her large and overweight body, fails on the first obstacle in the First Stage every time. Since the start of Kunoichi, she has participated in all but the 5th Competition.[citation needed]

### International participants

[edit]

Kunoichi has a more diverse competition than Sasuke; in the 6th competition, over 20 different nations were represented.[citation needed]

A few foreign competitors include:

Kyra Gracie \- A member of the Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu Family. She competed in the 6th Competition, but failed the First Stage's Balance Bridge.

Catalina Ponor \- A Romanian Olympic gold medal gymnast, she competed in the 6th competition, where she failed the "Flying Pillar" in the First Stage.

Mirabella Akhunu \- A Ukrainian gymnast who competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics. She made it to the Second Stage in the 5th competition, but failed on the Spinning Log.

Oana Ban \- Romanian gymnastic gold medalist in the team competition at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She made it to the Second Stage in the 4th Competition, but failed on the Floating Bridge.

Tasha Schwikert \- American gymnast, 2000 Olympian, Finished one second after her time ran out in the Second Stage of the 3rd Competition.

Diana Pickler \- this American heptahlete from Washington State University competed in the 7th competition, but failed on the First Stage's Log Jam.

Sara Jean Underwood \- the American model, 'Playboy Playmate of the Year 2007' and host of Attack of the Show competed in the 8th competition and made it to the Second Stage but she failed the Dancing Stones.

### Other notable participants

[edit]

At least four Sasuke all-stars - Shingo Yamamoto, Toshihiro Takeda, Katsumi Yamada, and Makoto Nagano \- are known to be training Kunoichi competitors. Each of them competed in the 7th competition, with their mentors (except for Yamamoto) present.

* Yamamoto's trainee, Sayaka Okamoto who is an employee at his service station, advanced to the Second Stage of the 6th Competition (where Yamamoto was present) at just 16 years of age. However, her run is ended on the Second Stage, as she falling on the new Swinging Beams. In the 7th Competition, Okamoto failed on the First Stage's Log Jam. In the 8th Competition, she clear the First Stage yet again, but failed the Second Stage's Swinging Beams again. Like Yamamoto, Okamoto competed in her maroon Mobil 1 uniform shirt.
* Takeda's trainee, firefighter Keiko Oshima, who fights fires alongside Takeda, failed the newly redesigned Hop Rocket in the 7th Competition's First Stage. Oshima would be invited back in the 8th Competition, but failed to catch up the flag with Natsumi Hayashi and Ayako Kawahara (the latter being a member of Muscle Musical), by resulting she was eliminated.
* Nagano's trainee, fitness instructor Kaori Anraku, failed the Flying Pillar in the 7th Competition's First Stage.
* Yamada's trainee, walking instructor Nobuko Onoda, also went out on the newly redesigned Hop Rocket in the 7th Competition. It was said that they met through Onoda's father, who is a medical expert that Yamada once consulted about a shoulder injury.
* Nagano's wife, Asami Nagano competed in the 8th competition and actually timed out on the Net-Wall Climb but she won the Turntable-Balance Beam Challenge. In Stage 2, she failed the Barrel Roll.

Nagano has also trained his older sister, Taeko Uchida, who has yet to complete the First Stage.

Notable other competitors include:

* Asami Abe, J-Pop Singer (7)
* Fumie Nakajima, Member of the 'Shape UP Girls' fitness group (5, 7)
* Ikue Teshigawara, Short-Track speed skater from the Olympics (6, 8)
* Makoto Ogawa, Former member of Morning Musume (8)
* Saki Akai, professional wrestler and model (9)
* Sora Aoi, Actress (6-7)
* Kayo Haga, Former Tokyo Disneyland dancer and member of Muscle Musical (3-7)
* Airi Yoshihama, Former member of G-Rockets (2-3)
* Nao Oikawa, Actress (5)
* Narumi Kitagawa, Surfer (5-8)
* Masami Yusa, Beach Flags champion and lifesaver (1-5)
* Mikie Hara, Actress (8)
* Saori Yoshida, Freestyle Wrestling from the Olympics (4)
* Kana Watanabe, Judoka (9-10)
* Chie Nishimura, Stunt performer and homemaker (3-8)
* Ayaka Sakai, Samurai Rock Orchestra member and performer (9-11)
* Ayako Inada, Rhythmic Gymnastics from the Olympics and member of Muscle Musical (5-6, 8)
* Momoe Nakanishi, Professional Wrestler (3)
* Nao Watanabe, Lacrosse Player (3)
* Tomomi Hanzawa, Member of G-Rockets (3-4)
* Nami Ichinohe, Actress and member of Muscle Musical (3-4, 7)
* Reika Saiki, Professional Wrestler (9-11)
* Miho Yamada, Rhythmic Gymnastics from the Olympics (1-2, 4)
* Kazue Watanabe, Former track and field star (2-4)
* Hitomi Sakai, Idoling!!! member and TV personality (8)
* Tomomi Arimatsu, Member of Muscle Musical (8)
* Yoko Mori, Former member of C.C. Girls (1-3, 6-7)
* Sachiyo Yamada, Lacrosse Player (8)
* Yuka Kato, SONY Bravia Ladies Field Hockey (8)
* Aya Asahina, Actress (9-11)
* Erika Yazawa, Idoling!!! member and TV personality (8)
* Haruka Nakagawa, AKB48 and pre-JKT48 member (7)
* Sayaka Akimoto, AKB48 member (7)
* Haruka Futawara, SKE48 Member (9)
* Nana Suzuki, Talento (12)
* HARUKA, CYBERJAPAN Dancers (12)
* Miyu Matsuo, Nogizaka46 (12)

Youngest competitors include:

* Saki Suzuki, male student (sometimes called "she/her" in the G4 version), cleared the 1st stage but failed in Spinning log 2nd stage in the 3th competition. He competed again in the 4th competition but he failed on Hop Rocket in 1st Stage. This competitor was the first male or young boy that competed in Kunoichi, but he never competed in Sasuke like some female Kunoichi competitors did. (3-4)
* Hioki Miyuna, Junior High School Student, Hioki Masashi's Daughter. (12)

## Stages

[edit]

Kunoichi is composed of four stages, with the exception of the 1st, 2nd and 9th Competitions which consisted of only three stages each. Competitors must complete a stage in order to continue to the next stage. In the 9th competition, the First and Second Stage were renamed to the RED and BLUE Stage respectively. Then, in the 10th competition, the new Third Stage was renamed the BLACK Stage thus returned to a 4-stage format. In the 12th competition, the 3 stages returned to former names 1st Stage, 2nd Stage and 3rd Stage instead of RED, BLUE and BLACK Stage but still only used course theme.

### First stage

[edit]

Comp #  | First Stage Obstacles  | Time Limit

|
|

1  | Dancing Stones  | Windmill Cross  | Barrel Roll  | Tornado Run  | Triple Jump  | Escape Ladder  | 80.0
2  | Dancing Stones  | Windmill Cross  | Barrel Roll  | Gateway Bridge  | Triple Jump  | Escape Pole  | 90.0
3  | Dancing Stones  | Windmill Cross  | Double Hurdle  | Barrel Roll  | Balance Bridge  | Hop Rocket  | Angle Run  | Escape Ladder  | 85.0
4  | Dancing Stones  | Windmill Cross  | Balance Bridge  | Barrel Roll  | Angle Run  | Hop Rocket  | Vertical Limit  | Slippery Slide  | Escape Ladder  | 105.0
5  | Dancing Stones  | Windmill Cross  | Balance Bridge  | Barrel Roll  | Double Angle Run  | Hop Rocket  | Conviction Hill  | Slippery Slide  | Escape Ladder  | 100.0
6  | Float Run  | Prism Tilt  | Flying Pillar  | Balance Bridge  | Barrel Roll  | Double Angle Run  | Falling Pole  | Escape Ladder  | 95.0
7  | Stepping Stones  | Log Jam  | Flying Pillar  | Balance Bridge  | Barrel Roll  | Hop Rocket  | Double Angle Run  | Escape Ladder  | 90.0
8  | Floating Hurdle  | Log Bridge  | Hanging Logs  | Iron Prison  | Swing Jump  | Raft Pull  | Exhausting Wall  | 120.0
9  | Rolling Hill  | Pipe Hold  | Fish Bone  | X Bridge  | Jump Hang  | Steep Wall  | Cannonball  | 140.0
10  | Rolling Hill  | Pipe Hold  | Shaking Bridge  | Fish Bone  | Double Pendulum  | Steep Wall  | Cannonball  | 110.0
11  | Rolling Hill  | Pipe Hold  | Shaking Bridge  | Fish Bone  | Dragon Glider  | Steep Wall  | Cannonball  | 110.0
12  | Rolling Hill  | Screwdriver  | Fish Bone  | Dragon Glider  | Double Steep Wall  | 100.0

### Second chance round

[edit]

Comp # | Second Chance Round Obstacles | Time Limit

|
|

8 | Dizzy Dummy + Suspended Bridge (Turntable Bridge) | Untimed

### Second stage

[edit]

Comp #  | Second Stage Obstacles  | Time Limit

|
|

1  | Super Jump  | Spinning Slopes  | Pendulum Bridge  | Floating Bridge  | 50.0
2  | Super Jump  | Ledge Walk  | Pendulum Bridge  | Floating Bridge  | 45.0
3  | Super Jump  | Hill Climb  | Spinning Log  | Floating Bridge  | 40.0
4  | Super Jump  | Triple Jump  | Spinning Log  | Floating Bridge  | 35.0
5  | Super Jump  | Hill Climb  | Spinning Log  | Swinging Hammers  | Floating Bridge  | 50.0
6  | Super Jump  | Triple Hurdle  | Two Pole Bridge  | Net Cross  | Swinging Beams  | 70.0
7  | Super Jump  | Dancing Stones  | Spinning Log  | Monkey Bars  | Swinging Beams  | 65.0
8  | Super Jump  | Triple Hurdle  | Dancing Stones  | Domino Hill  | Barrel Roll  | Swinging Beams  | 210.0
9  | Slide Walk  | Spider Walk  | Reverse Conveyor  | Slant Edge  | Sponge Bridge  | Cliffhanger  | Waver Bridge  | Unlimited
10  | Slide Walk  | Spider Walk  | Hammer Dodge  | Reverse Conveyor  | Wall Lifting  | 75.0
11  | Slide Walk  | Spider Walk  | Hammer Dodge  | Reverse Conveyor  | Wall Lifting  | 80.0
12  | Rolling Log  | Spider Run  | Reverse Conveyor  | Wall Lifting  | 80.0

### Third stage

[edit]

(There was no 3rd stage in Kunoichi 1, 2 and 9)

Comp #  | Third Stage Obstacles  | Time Limit

|
|

3  | Double Super Vault  | Domino Hill  | Pendulum Bridge  | 90.0
4  | Double Super Vault  | Domino Hill  | Pendulum Bridge  | 90.0
5  | Unforgiving Wall  | Domino Hill  | Dreamer's Road  | 15.0 (For Final Obstacle)
6  | Peg Jump  | Domino Hill  | Pendulum Bridge  | Unlimited
7  | Peg Jump  | Domino Hill  | Magic Wall  | Unlimited
8  | Flying Roll  | Unlimited
10  | Propeller Bars  | Arm Bike  | Sponge Bridge  | Cliffhanger  | Pipe Slider  | Unlimited
11  | Propeller Bars  | Arm Bike  | Sponge Bridge  | Planet Bridge  | Pipe Slider  | Unlimited
12  | Propeller Bars  | Sidewinder  | Sponge Bridge  | Flying Bar  | Unlimited

### Final stage

[edit]

Comp #  | Final Stage Obstacles  | Time Limit

|
|

1-2  | Balance Walk  | Unlimited
3-4  | Ladder Climb  | Pole Climb  | 35.0
5  | Double Ladder Climb  | Pole Climb  | 35.0
6  | Brick Climb  | Pole Climb  | 30.0
7  | Net Climb  | Rope Climb  | Unknown
8  | Steel Ladder  | Climbing Boards  | 60.0
9  | Ladder Climb  | Rope Climb  | 35.0
10-12  | Spider Climb  | Rope Climb  | 35.0

(No one made it to the Final Stage in 7, so the Time Limit is unknown).

## Obstacles

[edit]

### First stage

[edit]

Participants are given 80 to 105 seconds to complete First Stage.

In the 1st Competition, the First Stage proved to be a difficult course, as only two people were able to move on to the next stage. This caused a major change in the First Stage, making it less difficult than in the 1st Competition.

Dancing Stones
9 vertical poles, each topped with a rounded pad, are arranged in an offset pattern. The competitor must step from pole to pole, balancing on the rounded mound, to cross the obstacle. From the 4th Competition onward, the mound on a central pole near the beginning of the obstacle is on a spring, making it somewhat more unstable than the others. Along with the "Hop Rocket", the "Dancing Stones" are responsible for most contestant eliminations. In the 7th and 8th Competitions, the "Dancing Stones" are a Second Stage obstacle.

Stepping Stones
A set of five small floating pads in a pool of water that alternate sides. The contestant must hop across these five bullet-shaped pads to the other side. This has a similarity to Sasuke's "Sextuple Step".

Windmill Cross
A sloped carousel spins slowly. Three narrow fins radiate from the center, providing a narrow place to safely walk. The contestant must walk across a fin to reach the center of the carousel, and across another fin to reach the opposite side before jumping to safety. Contestants who fall off the fin onto the carousel rarely can avoid sliding down the sloped sides and into the water below. In the 1st Competition, the obstacle was composed of three small windmills rather than the one big windmill used in later competitions.

Log Jam
Two stationery round "logs" are placed above a pool of water. The logs are separated forcing the contestant to maintain balance while walking across the logs, but also while jumping to the second log. The second log is about three quarters the size of the first, and is also placed lower and to the right. In the 7th competition, the buzzer that starts the "Flying Pillar" was placed at the start of the Log Jam. The buzzer, when hit, sounded a horn and started the "Flying Pillar"'s downward journey, forcing contestants to move quickly while maintaining balance.

Balance Bridge
A long, flat plank stretches between two risers. The plank can rotate along its long axis. In the 3rd Competition, a fin-like protrusion running along part of the long axis was in center of the Balance Bridge making it similar to the version in Sasuke in the first 7 competitions. In the 4th Competition and onward, 3 large rectangular holes are cut along the long axis. Each of these served to make running straight down the middle difficult. This obstacle was also on Sasuke for eight competitions (1st-7th and 11th). in the 10th-11th competitions, The obstacle was renamed to "Shaking Bridge" and similar to Kunoichi 3rd Competition and Sasuke 1st-7th, 11th Competitions.

Cylinder Walk / Barrel Roll
Contestants must balance on the side of a steel barrel as it rolls down a slow incline, similar to the "Balance Tank" on Sasuke.

Tornado Run
Contestants must cross a set of three balance beams, each only 7 inches wide, while a wind machine blows at 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) against them in an attempt to throw them off balance. The first beam is positioned directly against the wind machine, thus creating a headwind; the second beam is at a 45-degree angle against the fan, and the third beam runs alongside the wind machine, resulting in a crosswind.

Gateway Bridge
Contestants must use balance to tiptoe their away along a bridge, about 5cm wide and 60cm long, and then turn 90 degrees and tiptoe along a second bridge.

Angle Run
The contestant runs along a riser tilted at a 45-degree angle. At the end of the obstacle, the contestant must jump across the water to a small cushion to continue the course. Starting in the 5th Competition, the contestant would run across one angled riser, then jump to and run across a second angled riser facing the other direction before reaching the end of the obstacle.

Hop Rocket
Assisted by the bounce from a mini-trampoline, contestants try to jump across a large gap and land on a padded riser on the opposite side. In the 3rd competition, it had a small yellow post located in between the trampoline and the other side. Then in the 7th competition, there was a large yellow post in the center of the water that the competitor had to jump onto before pulling herself up and jumping to the floating pad on the other side.

Vertical Limit/Conviction Hill
The Vertical Limit is a combination between the "Hill Climb" and the "Warped Wall" where the contestants must climb a hill with two ropes available. In the 5th competition, it was remade into the Conviction Hill where the contestants ran up two ramps decreasing in height, that is similar to the "Crooked Wall" on Sasuke.

Slippery Slide
Contestants ride a zip-line over a pit of water. Before reaching the end, the contestant must let go of the zip-line and drop to a small cushioned island in the water below. The contestant then crosses a series of narrow balance beams to reach the "Escape Ladder".

Escape Ladder
The contestant climbs a rope ladder (or a metal ladder, as used in the 1st competition) to reach the upper platform and hit the buzzer to complete the stage.

Escape Pole
The contestant most climb up a pole to reach to upper platform and hit the buzzer to complete the stage. Very similar to the "Skyway Pole".

Float Run
The contestant must run across five foam floats, two large squares and three narrower rectangles.

Prism Tilt
The contestant must run across a prism-shaped object that is on an axle. Used for only one time on Sasuke.

Flying Pillar
The contestant must hit a buzzer to start a soft yellow pillar's downward journey, then use a springboard to catch and hang from the pillar, then hold her feet up avoiding a pool of water to land on a floating platform.

In the seventh tournament, the buzzer that started the Flying Pillar's movement was placed before the preceding obstacle, the "Log Jam", forcing the contestant to get across the "Log Jam" quickly enough to be able to catch the pillar.

Double Hurdle
Used only once, this obstacle consists of a pair of hurdles, the second of which is about double the size of the first.

Falling Pole
The contestant must slide down an inclined pole over the water to a floating platform, then follow a balance beam to the "Escape Ladder".

Floating Hurdle
The contestants must leap a hurdle that is attached to a floating raft positioned in the water. There are two hurdles, that are positioned side by side.

Log Bridge
The contestants must cross a stationary round log. There are three logs positioned side by side; so the last of the four contestants to reach the obstacle must wait for the other competitors to finish it.

Swinging/Hanging Logs
The contestants must cross a series of three swinging logs that are suspended in the air on chains.

Spider Cage/Iron Prison
The contestants must cross a pool of water on an obstacle similar to Sasuke's Spider Walk, but the frame is made of metal wires instead of glass panels. There are four columns, one for each contender.

Swing Jump
The contestants must use a playground-style swing to reach a raft that is positioned in the water below. There are four swings and rafts; one for each contender.

Raft Transfer/Raft Pull
The contestants must use a rope to propel themselves (and their raft) to the next obstacle.

Net-Wall Climb
The contestants must climb a large net, identical to the final obstacle on the current Sasuke course.

### Second stage

[edit]

In the first five competitions, a competitor only had from 30 to 50 seconds to complete the entire course.

In the 6th Competition, it was turned into a time trial, with only the six fastest competitors (assuming more than six complete the course successfully) advancing to the Third Stage. In addition, the 6th Competition's Second Stage carried a 70-second time limit. By the 7th Competition, the course used the original rules, which the competitors must complete the Stage under a certain time limit. The 8th Competition permitted a maximum of 12 competitors to advance (basing it on fastest time if more than 12 completed the course), and there was a time limit of 210 seconds to complete the course.

Super Jump
Contestants stand on a mattress-like platform that slides down a slope that ends in a ramp. Before the platform hits the end of the ramp, the contestants must jump off it in order to land on the small cushion. For the 8th competition, wheels have been added to the underside of the platform.

Spinning Slopes
There are two sloped round platforms that rotate. The contestants have to jump from one to another to get to the next obstacle.

Spinning Log
The contestant must cross a spinning log in order to reach the other side. Also used on Sasuke for the first two competitions, before returning in the 17th competition as the Log Slope.

Ledge Walk
The competitor must cross two sections of ledge at the bottom of a wall, with water below. The second section has two short strips sticking out of the wall at about knee height to increase the difficulty. This obstacle once was on Sasuke. In the 9th competition, The obstacle was upgrade and changed name to "Slant Edge".

Floating Bridge
The competitor must cross several floating logs that gradually sink when stepped on.

Triple Hurdle
The competitor must clear three hurdles of varying height. In the 4th Competition, the hurdles are positioned over water, with trampolines between them to reach the next hurdle.

Swinging Hammers
The competitors must cross a bridge while avoiding four swinging hammers. This obstacle is similar to Sasuke's "Hammer Dodge". In the 10th-11th Competitions, The Obstacle was return to used and Changed name to "Hammer Dodge" or "Go-ren Hammer" like Sasuke version.

Two-Pole Bridge
The contestant must balance a foot on each of two parallel metal poles and traverse them to the next obstacle.

Net Climb
The contestant must climb a cargo net. The netting design is similar to SASUKE's "Jump Hang", The function is similar to SASUKE's "Net Bridge". This was one of the two final stage obstacles in the 7th competition, but was much larger.

Swinging Beams
The contestant must cross two beams that are suspended by rope, with ropes hanging above the middle of each beam to assist in crossing. The first beam is made of a wood. The second beam is made of bamboo. The contestant must then cross a third beam made of metal that is supported by metal poles and lacks the middle assist rope.

Hill Climb
The competitors must scamper up a 60°, 16 feet (4.9 m) hill. Also used on Sasuke in the first four competitions.

Climbing Bars/Monkey Bars
A set of monkey bars must be crossed by the competitors. The monkey bars are set on a pivoting mount on the scaffolding above. This is later used on Sasuke as the "Swing Ladder".

The 8th Competition Obstacles
In the 8th competition, the course involves several obstacles from other stages: the Dancing Stones and Cylinder Walk from Stage 1, and a section of Domino Hill from Stage 3.

### Third stage

[edit]

A third stage was placed before the Final Stage beginning in the 3rd Competition. Like the previous stages, the Third Stage is composed of balance-based obstacles. In the 3rd-4th Competition, each competitor was given 90 seconds to complete the course. For the 5th Competition, the time limit to complete the first two obstacles was eliminated. The contestant starts the timer during the final obstacle. This timer was removed in the 6th Competition to make it similar to the men's third stage.

Super Vault
The competitor pole vaults over two bodies of water. The second landing area has an upward incline, making it harder for competitors to land on it without falling into the water behind them. Removed in 5th Competition. This obstacle was also on Sasuke except that there was only 1 platform instead of 2.

Domino Hill
The competitor balances and walks across 40 upright, foam dominoes. If a competitor loses her balance and touches a domino with her hand, she is disqualified. In the 7th tournament, it appears that the red zone of dominoes has been changed to something that looks like the "Dancing Stones". In the 8th tournament, a shortened version of Domino Hill was used in Stage 2. Based on both Kinniku Banzuke's "Sponge Bridge" event (although there is no blue zone), and the Takeshi's Castle game 'Dominoes'. in the 9th competition, The obstacle has changed name to "Sponge Bridge" like Kinniku Banzuke's event version.

Pendulum Bridge
The competitor walks across a 4 inches (10 cm) wide, plank-like bridge that moves back and forth, like a pendulum, when walked on. It was removed in the 5th Competition, but reinstated in the following one. This was in the 1st and 2nd Competitions in the Second Stage as the "Swinging Beam". in the 9th competition, The obstacle was move in 2nd Stage or BLUE Stage again and changed name to "Waver Bridge".

Unforgiving Wall
It is a combination of the Cliff Hanger and Ledge Walk. The women are given a footholes in addition to 4 handholes. The wall is tilted backward about 10 degrees every gap, meaning the women must cross it leaning backward. There are four sections, with the second and third each rising 1 foot (0.30 m), and the fourth going down 1 foot (0.30 m). Replaces the "Super Vault" in the 5th Competition.

Dreamers Road
"Dreamers Road" is a long balance beam over a chasm of water. Before the competitor begins crossing, she must hit a button to begin the 15-second timer. To complete the stage, she must cross the balance beam and hit the final buzzer at the end before the 15-second timer runs out. Replaces the "Pendulum Bridge" in the 5th Competition. It is similar to the original Final Stage, the "Balance Walk", but smaller, and no cylindrical bumps.

Peg Jump
Added for the 6th Competition and replacing the "Unforgiving Wall", the competitor must jump across to five small platforms of differing heights. Similar to Sasuke's Pillar Path but is spread apart.

Magic Wall
A wall that must be scaled using rock-climbing equipment. To increase the difficulty the second third is leaning backward. Replaces the "Pendulum Bridge" in the 6th Competition.

High Jump
Contestants attempt a classic athletics High Jump, with the three contestants achieving the highest heights advancing to the final stage.

### Final stage

[edit]

In the first two competitions, there were only three stages. The Final Stage became the fourth stage beginning with the 3rd Competition.

Nobody made the Final Stage in the 1st Competition. The Final Stage in the 2nd Competition involved a long balance beam with cylindrical bumps, over a pool of water. The competitor was supported by a harness. There was no time limit.

The Final Stage was revamped for the 3rd Competition, making it similar to the Final Stage of Sasuke. The competitor has 30, 35, 40 or 60 seconds to complete two obstacles. In the 3rd and 4th Competitions, it was to climb up a 10 metres (33 ft) tower using ladder rungs attached to the sides of the walls, then climb a 5 metres (16 ft) pole to a landing and the finishing button. In the 5th Competition, the ladder rungs alternated, making it more difficult for the competitor to reach the end, since they would have to climb the opposite wall every few steps. For the 6th Competition, the tower was replaced by a 10 metres (33 ft) Climbing Wall.In the 7th Competition, the wall tower was replaced with a 12.5 metres (41 ft) Net Climb and a 5 metres (16 ft) Rope Climb.In the 8th Competition competitors must complete 10 metres (33 ft)Survival Climb (consisting of a series of metal bars), before climbing two vertically aligned (and opposite) Climbing Walls (3m+3m) to reach the goal. Unlike Sasuke, Kunoichi's Final Stage competitors are not dropped into a free fall if they fail to finish before time runs out. However, they are still supported by a safety line. The ladders and net slide out of the way when the competitor transitions to the "Pole Climb", but are not timed like Sasuke's "Spider Climb". To date; only 12 competitors have ever attempted the final stage and only Ayako Miyake, Yuko Mizuno and Rie Komiya have attempted the final stage more than once.

Competition  | Obstacle  | Time Limit

|
|

1-2  | Balance Walk (10m)  | Unlimited
3-4  | Ladder climb (10m) > Skyway Pole (5m)  | 35 seconds
5  | Double Ladder climb (10m) > Skyway Pole (5m)  | 35 seconds
6  | Wall Climb (10m) > Skyway Pole (5m)  | 30 seconds
7  | Net Climb (12.5m) > Skyway Rope (5m)  | N/A
8  | Survival Climb (8m) > Climbing Board (7m)  | 60 seconds
9  | Ladder climb (8m) > Rope Climb (7m)  | 35 seconds
10  | Spider climb (8m) > Rope Climb (7m)  | N/A
11  | Spider climb (10m) > Rope Climb (5m)  | 35 seconds
12  | Spider climb (10m) > Rope Climb (5.2m)  | 35 seconds

## United States and United Kingdom broadcasts

[edit]

The program can be seen in the United States as Women of Ninja Warrior on G4 and Esquire Network. Just like in the regular version, the play-by-play commentary and interviews with participants are subtitled in English while the introduction, player profiles, and replays have been dubbed by voice actor Dave Wittenberg. Each episode is a 30-minute portion of the Japanese broadcast. To date, the first eight competitions have aired in America. As with its sister program, Ninja Warrior, in G4's relaunch, the first seven episodes are edited with the opening sequence slightly edited with a widescreen version from the eighth episode then cuts to the show's logo, as transitions are replaced with a simple transition featuring the show's logo.

It is also broadcast in the UK on the channel Challenge. The first seven competitions were dubbed by Stuart Hall, while Kunoichi 8 was dubbed by Jim North. Kunoichi has now removed Hall's commentary and re-dubbed the first seven competitions with new commentary by Jim North.

Episodes also feature segments such as "Ninja Killer" (an obstacle from a stage that took out the most contestants), and "Warrior Wipeout" (the best wipeout from a Women of Ninja Warrior contestant). As of 2019, the first 8 competitions have been aired in the USA and UK.

## Results

[edit]

The following is a list of people who advanced the farthest and reached at least the third stage in each competition. Under each competition, the results are listed in order of who went the farthest first.

### 1st Competition

[edit]

Aired: December 22, 2001

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 83 Miho Yamada  | Second  | Failed Super Jump
No. 100 Masami Yusa  | Second  | Failed Super Jump

NOTE: Nobody cleared the second stage in this competition, After this competition, in Sasuke 19th Competition only 2 Competitors Cleared first Stage and Failed 2nd stage like this first Kunoichi Competition.

### 2nd Competition

[edit]

Aired: December 21, 2002

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 81 Yuko Mizuno  | Final  | Failed Dreamer's Road
No. 89 Kazue Watanabe  | Final  | Failed Dreamer's Road
No. 96 Masami Yusa  | Second  | Failed Super Jump

### 3rd Competition

[edit]

Aired: September 24, 2003

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 100 Yuko Mizuno  | Final  | Failed Pole Climb (by 0.2 seconds)
No. 95 Tomomi Hanzawa  | Final  | Failed Pole Climb
No. 92 Mika Izumi  | Final  | Failed Pole Climb
No. 97 Nao Watanabe  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 85 Kazue Watanabe  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 81 Yoko Mori  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 78 Sayaka Asami  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 70 Airi Yoshihama  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 5 Momoe Nakanishi | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 84 Ruo  | Third  | Failed Double Super Vault
No. 71 Chie Nishimura  | Third  | Failed Double Super Vault

NOTE: In Stage 1 Kazue Watanabe went after Nao Watanabe, indicating she was the 97th competitor to go.

### 4th Competition

[edit]

Aired: December 25, 2004

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 58 Ayako Miyake  | Final  | Completed Final Stage (4.1 seconds to spare)
No. 50 Kazue Watanabe  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 70 Rie Komiya  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 81 Saori Yoshida  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 90 Miho Yamada  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 95 Sayaka Asami  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill

### 5th Competition

[edit]

Aired: January 7, 2006

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 100 Ayako Miyake  | Final  | Completed Final Stage (7.72 seconds to spare)
No. 72 Rie Komiya  | Final  | Failed Pole Climb
No. 91 Yuko Mizuno  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 95 Sayaka Asami  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 83 Yuriko Imamura  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill

### 6th Competition

[edit]

Aired: September 20, 2006

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 100 Ayako Miyake  | Final  | Completed Final Stage (0.66 seconds to spare)
No. 83 Maho Tanaka  | Final  | Failed Brick Climb*
No. 75 Mizuho Maeda  | Third  | Failed Pendulum Bridge
No. 88 Tomoka Iwai  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill
No. 96 Erin Jessica Dolty  | Third  | Failed Peg Jump
No. 51 Rena Higashi  | Third  | Failed Peg Jump

* Tanaka completed the wall climb but her time ran out as she began the skyway pole.

NOTE: Numbers were not given out in this tournament but the producers had the order in which the competitors went. Only Miyake's and Tanaka's numbers were revealed because they made it to the Final Stage.

### 7th Competition

[edit]

Aired: September 5, 2007

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 91 Maho Tanaka  | Third  | Failed Domino Hill

### 8th Competition

[edit]

Aired: October 7, 2009

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 52 Satomi Kadoi  | Final  | Completed Final Stage (21.4 seconds to spare)
No. 38 Rie Komiya  | Final  | Completed Final Stage (3.7 seconds to spare)
No. 46 Tomomi Arimatsu  | Final  | Disqualified on Climb Boards^
No. 1 Sachiyo Yamada  | Third  | Failed Flying Roll
No. 97 Yuka Kato  | Third  | Failed Flying Roll

^Arimatsu cleared the final stage with 5.9 seconds on the clock but she grabbed the edge of the 2nd wall on the Climbing Board

### 9th Competition

[edit]

Aired: February 12, 2017

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 42 Hikari Izumi  | Final  | Failed Rope Climb
No. 44 Zhuyin Chen  | BLUE  | Failed Sponge Bridge
No. 45 Ayano Oshima  | BLUE  | Failed Sponge Bridge
No. 43 Kana Watanabe  | BLUE  | Failed Sponge Bridge
No. 48 Yuki Kawabata  | BLUE  | Failed Sponge Bridge

### 10th Competition

[edit]

Aired: July 2, 2017

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 50 Hikari Izumi  | BLACK  | Failed Pipe Slider
No. 49 Kana Watanabe  | BLACK  | Failed Pipe Slider
No. 40 Aya  | BLACK  | Failed Cliffhanger
No. 36 Sakiko Okabe  | BLUE  | Failed Wall Lifting
No. 32 Mika Watanabe  | BLUE  | Failed Reverse Conveyor
No. 7 Reika Saiki  | BLUE  | Failed Slide Walk

### 11st Competition

[edit]

Aired: July 1, 2018

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 32 Sakiko Okabe  | Final  | Failed Rope Climb
No. 47 Ayano Oshima  | BLACK  | Failed Pipe Slider
No. 42 Karu Yamamoto  | BLACK  | Failed Pipe Slider
No. 33 Airi Tsubuki  | BLACK  | Failed Sponge Bridge
No. 30 Ayaka Sakai  | BLUE  | Failed Wall Lifting
No. 40 Mio Sudo  | BLUE  | Failed Wall Lifting
No. 49 Mika Watanabe  | BLUE  | Failed Wall Lifting
No. 25 Kanon Miyahara | BLUE  | Failed Hammer Dodge
No. 48 Reika Saiki  | BLUE  | Failed Spider Walk
No. 43 Aya Asahina  | BLUE  | Failed Spider Walk

### 12th Competition

[edit]

Aired: January 13, 2025

Competitor  | Stage  | Obstacle

|
|

No. 49 Ayano Oshima  | Final  | Completed Final Stage (8.97 seconds to spare)
No. 47 Hikaru Mori  | Third  | Failed Flying Bar
No. 42 Mai Watanabe  | Third  | Failed Sponge Bridge
No. 39 Tamaki Sakai  | Third  | Failed Sponge Bridge
No. 50 Yuko Mizuno  | Third  | Failed Sidewinder
No. 43 Honami Tsuboi  | Third  | Failed Sidewinder

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "女性版「SASUKE」乃木坂46松尾美佑、えびちゅう風見和香、ukka結城りな、僕青・岩本理瑚ら出演". Natalie (in Japanese). December 3, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* TBS Kunoichi 2007 Page Archived 2015-11-06 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
* TBS Kunoichi Main Page (in Japanese)
* TBS Kunoichi 2006 Page (in Japanese)
* Kunoichi at IMDb

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Ninja Warrior

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