The Butterfly Wall (バタフライウォール) was a first stage obstacle introduced in SASUKE 14 and SASUKE 15 as the second obstacle. In order to advance, competitors had to jump and grab onto a padded wall that spun around a central vertical axis to reach the platform on the other side. Only six competitors failed in its two tournament span, and it was removed after SASUKE 15.
American Ninja Warrior Appearances
The Butterfly Wall on American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. The World
On American Ninja Warrior 6, the Butterfly Wall appeared, replacing the Balance Tank as the fourth obstacle in Stage Two. However, there are several differences between this obstacle and the one that is used in SASUKE:
- The rotating wall was shaped more like butterfly wings with rounded corners and inclined ledges.
- The wall was situated much higher up in relation to the starting platform, requiring a more accelerated and higher jump.
- Competitors must time their release from the wall to grab a rope, then climbed it up (in a similar fashion with the Rope Climb), and finally dropped down to the landing platform.
It took out any competitor who was shorter than average, or had a bad run up. In its first season debut, only two competitors failed on this obstacle. However, during USA vs. The World, Morimoto Yūsuke failed on this obstacle, due to his shorter height, as he could not reach the top of the wall. On American Ninja Warrior 7, no competitor failed on this obstacle.
On American Ninja Warrior 8, the distance between the starting platform and the wall was greater than on American Ninja Warrior 6 and 7. So, there was a trampoline added to the starting platform. Despite that change, no competitor failed on this obstacle once again.
Because of its high success rate, this obstacle was replaced by the Swing Surfer on the next season.
Competitor's Success Rate
- All results based on the TBS/NBC broadcast and external information found
| SASUKE/ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 43 | 46 | 93.47% |
| 15 | 27 | 30 | 90% |
| ANW6 | 7 | 9 | 77.78% |
| ANW7 | 20 | 20 | 100% |
| ANW8 | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| Total | 103 | 111 | 92.79% |