The Flying Bar (フライングバー) was the final obstacle of SASUKE's new Third Stage from SASUKE 25 and 26.
It is a hybrid of the Jumping Bars and Pipe Slider (or referred on American Ninja Warrior as a horizontal version of the Salmon Ladder), where the competitor must negotiate down a track by jumping from one cradle to another while holding onto a pipe.
There are five cradles, with each jump approximately 5 feet from one to the next.
In SASUKE 27, the obstacle was placed second on the stage, while the new Bar Glider takes its previous spot. In addition, the obstacle was shortened from five cradles to three.
This version was not proven to be too difficult, only eliminating 2 out of 10 competitors who attempted it in that tournament (Okuyama Yoshiyuki and Ishikawa Terukazu).
It was removed after Urushihara Yuuji's second Kanzenseiha in SASUKE 27, being replaced by the Iron Paddler, but would eventually return in its SASUKE 27 version in SASUKE 32, replacing its former successor.
Upon its return, the obstacle was proven brutal, eliminating 4 out of the 8 competitors who attempted it, including former finalists Nagasaki Shunsuke and Kawaguchi Tomohiro.
For SASUKE 33, the obstacle directly led into the Sidewinder Kai without any rests, while also having a wire installed to secure the obstacle to an upper track much like the Pipe Slider, so that competitors would not drag the bar down with them if they failed.
While no one failed the transition between obstacles, the obstacle itself eliminated most of the competitors who attempted the Third Stage in that tournament, including SASUKE champion Morimoto Yūsuke (who completed the obstacle during USA vs. The World and USA vs. The World 2). Only Drew Drechsel managed to clear the obstacle.
The difficulty was blamed on the addition of the wire, as it caused the bar to slip off of its cradles before competitors could successfully build up momentum.
Jessie Graff about to attempt the modified Flying Bar which leads directly to Sidewinder Kai, SASUKE 34
As a result, in SASUKE 34, the cradles were increased in size to rectify this, which gave competitors more space for the bar to move while the competitor made the transition from one cradle to another. Also, in the case of bad weather, a long white cloth is placed above every obstacle to prevent happenings such as what happened the previous tournament. This led to no one failing the obstacle in that tournament.
American Ninja Warrior Appearances
American Ninja Warrior 4's Flying Bar in Stage Three
American Ninja Warrior 6's Flying Bar in Stage Three
The Flying Bar appeared as the final obstacle in Stage Three on American Ninja Warrior 4, but it was unattempted. On American Ninja Warrior 5, it was attempted for the first time by Brian Arnold, but wasn't able to complete it. It reappeared on American Ninja Warrior 6, but was unattempted again. On American Ninja Warrior 7, Isaac Caldiero became the first to complete it on regular season, Geoff Britten became the second, while Ian Dory couldn't get past it. On American Ninja Warrior 8, it was unattempted once again, and so on American Ninja Warrior 9.
Despite only two competitors so far completed this obstacle on American Ninja Warrior's regular season, more competitors completed it on American Ninja Warrior's international tournament.
- On USA vs. Japan, three competitors (Matachi Ryo, Brian Arnold, and Paul Kasemir) reached this obstacle. However, all of them failed to complete it.
- On USA vs. The World, five competitors (Morimoto Yusuke, Stefano Ghisolfi, Matachi Ryo, Sean McColl, and Brian Arnold) reached this obstacle, and four of them (except Sean McColl) completed it (with Morimoto Yusuke becoming the first to do it).
- On USA vs. The World 2, five competitors (Ian Dory, Stefano Ghisolfi, Morimoto Yusuke, Sean McColl, and Isaac Caldiero) reached this obstacle, and three of them (except Ian Dory and Stefano Ghisolfi) completed it.
- On USA vs. The World 3, only two competitors (Josh Levin and Drew Drechsel) reached this obstacle, and both of them completed it.
Other Appearances
Australian Ninja Warrior's Flying Bar
On several Ninja Warrior's international format (e.g. Ninja Warrior UK and Australian Ninja Warrior), the Flying Bar appeared as the penultimate obstacle before Mount Midoriyama tower. On Australian Ninja Warrior, competitors needed to climb up a rope. Then, they must swing forward to reach the bar.
SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017's Flying Bar in Final Stage
On SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, the Flying Bar appeared as the sixth and final obstacle during Final Stage, with a similar specification from SASUKE 25-26/American Ninja Warrior version of the Flying Bar, with the addition of wire at the middle of the bar (similar to SASUKE 33 version of the Flying Bar). Only 1 out of 2 competitors who attempted the obstacle, could complete it and advanced to Mount Midoriyama Stage.
However, during SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition, the Flying Bar became much brutal than ever, as it eliminated every competitor who attempted it. Among the 9 competitors who attempted the obstacle (including competitors who completed the Flying Bar in SASUKE and American Ninja Warrior (including American Ninja Warrior's international tournaments), such as Drew Drechsel and Morimoto Yūsuke), none of them could complete this version of the Flying Bar, leaving the Mount Midoriyama Stage untouched.
The Flying Bar also appeared on SASUKE Vietnam 3, as the sixth and final obstacle during Stage Three, with a similar specification from American Ninja Warrior version of Flying Bar (except the number of cradles was reduced from 5 to 4), but it was unattempted.
Competitors' Success Rate
- All results based on the TBS/NBC broadcast and external information found
| SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 26 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 27 | 8 | 10 | 80% |
| 32 | 4 | 8 | 50% |
| 33 | 1 | 5 | 20% |
| 34 | 9 | 9 | 100% |
| Total | 22 | 32 | 68.75% |
American Ninja Warrior
| ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANW4 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| ANW5 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| ANW6 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| ANW7 | 2 | 3 | 66.67% |
| ANW8 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| ANW9 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| USA vs. Japan | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| USA vs. The World | 4 | 5 | 80% |
| USA vs. The World 2 | 3 | 5 | 60% |
| USA vs. The World 3 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| Total | 11 | 18 | 61.11% |