Jumping Spider (ジャンピングスパイダー) is one of the most challenging and notable obstacles in Shin-SASUKE. It was introduced as part of the course's renewal in SASUKE 18's First Stage after Nagano Makoto's Kanzenseiha in the previous tournament. It was a hybrid of Jump Hang and Spider Walk. Competitors were given a long runway to gain speed so as to jump straight up to the walls from a mini trampoline. Once they prop themselves between the walls of Spider Walk's portion, they must travel forward until they reach the halfway point, where they need to climb an ascending portion, then travel horizontally again to reach the end of the obstacle and drop down onto a landing platform. The space between the walls was 1.2 metres (3.94 feet), wide enough for the competitors' hands and feet to fit.
Most of the top competitors failed here at least once, including every member of SASUKE All-Stars except Akiyama Kazuhiko. During its lifespans, the obstacle had five different versions, with Yamada Katsumi and Nagano Makoto being the only two competitors to attempt all versions.
First Version[]
This was by far the easiest version of Jumping Spider. The walls were put at the closest distance and at lowest height, with the length of the run-up was made the longest compared to other versions. Coincidentally, this tournament's version of Flying Chute was also considered the easiest version of that obstacle.
To clear this, competitors just need to have a good jump from the trampoline, which is very easy due to the long run-up mentioned. Most of this version's failures happen when the competitors either mis-step the trampoline or they don't stick long enough inside the walls, although it was possible for the competitors to fail it due to slipping while traversing the walls, as happened to Shiratori Bunpei.
Despite being dubbed as the easiest version, it is still deadly, eliminating almost half of the competitors who attempted this version, which took 45 competitors to complete probably due to the unfamiliarity to the obstacle. It was modified in the following tournament.
Second Version[]
This was by far the hardest version of Jumping Spider. The walls were put further than the original version and at much higher height, with the length of the run-up was made the shortest compared to other versions. Coincidentally, this tournament's version of Flying Chute was also considered the hardest version of Flying Chute.
To clear this, competitors need great agility and had to hit the trampoline perfectly in order to gain enough distance and height to reach the walls. Because of the extreme difficulty, it was a challenge just trying to reach the walls, let alone sticking to them. This version was deadly for many competitors, as it took nine competitors failing before Iwata Kazuma finally able to be the first one to clear it.
With SASUKE 19 having only two First Stage clears, the worst tournament result, the producers decided to modify Jumping Spider again for the following tournament.
Third Version[]
Due to the bad result in SASUKE 19, the producers toned down Jumping Spider in order to make the obstacle a little easier for the competitors. To do this, they moved the walls vertically down, so they were at the same height as in the original version, but also the same distance away from the trampoline as in the previous version. Also, the run-up was made a bit longer to help competitors gain enough speed. These modifications make Jumping Spider become one of the many obstacles in SASUKE's history to be modified in three consecutive tournaments.
While more competitors were able to clear, this version is still as dangerous as the previous version. Now, success came more if the competitor could stay on the walls. But, few more competitors failed on this version courtesy of slipping while traversing the walls, which happened to Iketani Naoki in SASUKE 20, Satō Hiromichi in SASUKE 23, and Nagano Makoto in SASUKE 24.
Woman competitors had few successes in this version. Luci Romberg, Shimada Hiroyo, Arimatsu Tomomi, Yamada Sachiyo (All Cut), and Komiya Rie, all were able to clear this version, before their runs were ended by the next obstacle, Half-Pipe Attack.
Despite deadly, due to Urushihara Yuuji's Kanzenseiha in SASUKE 24, this obstacle was replaced indirectly by the returning Jump Hang in SASUKE 25, only for it to return in SASUKE 26.
Fourth Version[]
When Jumping Spider returned in SASUKE 26, it was once again modified from the previous version. The distance to the walls and the height were brought back similar to the second version, with the run-up's length similar to the third version.
The surprise return of Jumping Spider with the aforementioned modifications caught many competitors off-guard, resulting in many failures for top competitors who cleared previous versions, including Tajima Naoya, Yamada Katsumi, Satō Hiromichi, and Nagano Makoto. It even almost eliminated Urushihara Yuuji, but he threw enough momentum to make himself land on the trampoline, which is legal. This prompted another modification to Jumping Spider in the following tournament.
Fifth Version[]
Due to unexpected failures on Jumping Spider in SASUKE 26, the producers decide to tone down Jumping Spider once more in SASUKE 27 by lowering the height of the walls close to the original version and extending the run-up length close to the original version.
These modifications proved effective, as more competitors cleared. Kadoi Satomi followed the footsteps of four women competitors in Shin-SASUKE to clear the obstacle, albeit like all of them, her run ended instantly at the next obstacle, Half-Pipe Attack, while another female competitor Kurita Kaori successfully cleared it. However, when Urushihara Yuuji achieved his second Kanzenseiha later in the tournament, this obstacle, after four years, got replaced by Jump Hang Kai in SASUKE 28.
Other Appearances[]
American Ninja Warrior[]
Jumping Spider appeared as the fourth obstacle during qualifying and semifinal in American Ninja Warrior 1, called Spider Wall, and in American Ninja Warrior 2, called Spider Jump, with the distance between the trampoline and the walls smaller, and the wall arranged in a straight line (24-feet long in ANW2), which made it similar to KUNOICHI 9 and KUNOICHI 10's Spider Walk.
A modified version of this obstacle named Bouncing Spider would later appear as the third obstacle in American Ninja Warrior 9 in Denver, in American Ninja Warrior 10 in Dallas, and in American Ninja Warrior 11 in Atlanta.
Las Vegas National Finals[]
Later, Jumping Spider appeared as the fourth obstacle in Stage One from American Ninja Warrior 4 till today (excluding American Ninja Warrior 12) but the distance between the trampoline and the walls has increased to 4 feet (increased to 10-ft in ANW7), with the gap between the walls narrowing from 6 feet (1.83 meters) upon entrance to 4 feet (1.22 meters) within, and 20-feet in length. However, the mini trampoline and the run-up differed between seasons:
- American Ninja Warrior 4 and 5 had the mat of the trampoline placed level with the runway, as well as a step-down that indicates where the run-up starts, similar to SASUKE.
- Starting with American Ninja Warrior 6, the base of the trampoline rested on the runway itself, making for an easier launch. Also, the runway continues directly from the previous obstacle, giving competitors more space to gain speed. The distance from the trampoline to the opening is now at 8-feet (2.40m)
- American Ninja Warrior 7 changed the trampoline type and limited the run-up by making competitors step down on it.
- Starting with American Ninja Warrior 9, competitors can optionally use the speed that they get from the previous obstacle (Double Dipper or Giant Rollercoaster) to make the jump into the walls, as the run-up continues from the landing platform without a significant turn in direction.
Overall, most of the sport's notable and lesser notable competitors have had their seasons ended by this obstacle at least once. These include: Lance Pekus (twice), Flip Rodriguez, Meagan Martin, Chris DiGangi, Jesse Labreck, Joyce Shahboz, Eric Middleton, Cam Baumgartner, Isabella Wakeham, John Uga, Abel Gonzalez, Dave Cavanagh(Twice), Taylor Johnson, Karsten Williams, Kacy Catanzaro, Dan Yager, Nate Hansen, Julius Ferguson, Isaiah Thomas, Elet Hall, Katie Bone, Drew Nester, Devan Alexander, Ava Colasanti, Philip Scott, Mike Silenzi, Ryan Stratis, Jamie Rahn, Owen Dyer, Mady Howard, James McGrath (thrice), Ian Dory, Dan Champagne, Sean Bryan (who dislocated his shoulder), Karson Voiles, Barry Boyd, Anthony DeFranco, Jessie Graff, Nicholas Coolridge, Vance Walker, Kai Beckstrand, and many more.
The obstacle has even managed to eliminate Geoff Britten, Isaac Caldiero, and Vance Walker at least once, with Caldiero being eliminated by it on American Ninja Warrior 5 & USA vs. The World 2, Britten being eliminated by it on American Ninja Warrior 6, both during their first seasons competing, and Walker being eliminated on American Ninja Warrior 14.
In American Ninja Warrior 6, Meagan Martin became the first female competitor to complete the obstacle, followed by Jessie Graff in the next season. Unlike the four mentioned Japanese female competitors above, Meagan Martin could complete the Half Pipe Attack, before timing out on the Warped Wall. In later seasons, the following women also completed it:
- Barclay Stockett, Jesse Labreck, and Allyssa Beird (who later cleared Stage One) in American Ninja Warrior 9
- Tiana Webberley in American Ninja Warrior 11
- Zhanique Lovett & Isabella Wakeham in American Ninja Warrior 13
- Abby Clark & Addy Herman in American Ninja Warrior 14
- Casey Rothschild, Katie Bone, & Megan Rowe in American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship 3
- Emily Gardiner, Rachel Degutz, Jaleesa Himka, & Taylor Greene in American Ninja Warrior 15
In American Ninja Warrior 14, an interesting event happened during Bob Reese's run, where he frontflipped to the Jumping Spider, and landed the dismount, but fell. After everyone had their Stage One runs, Bob was allowed a rerun for fun, and this time successfully frontflipped to the Jumping Spider. He would eventually successfully frontflip into the Jumping Spider in his official attempt of Stage One in American Ninja Warrior 15.
Ninja Warrior UK[]
During the first two seasons of Ninja Warrior UK, Jumping Spider appeared as the fifth obstacle during:
- the finals' Stage 1 in Ninja Warrior UK,
- the semi-finals in Ninja Warrior UK 2.
Similar to its appearance in American Ninja Warrior 2, the obstacle was called Spider Jump, and the walls were arranged in straight line, similar to Spider Wall/Spider Jump in American Ninja Warrior 1 and American Ninja Warrior 2, except that there was a curved portion similar to SASUKE version. In season one, four competitors failed the obstacle. In season two, no one failed in this obstacle.
According to Chris Kamara, the jump from the trampoline to the wall is 3m, the walls are 6m in length.
SASUKE Vietnam[]
Jumping Spider, locally called Tường Nhện Nhảy (literally Jumping Spider Wall), Tường Nhện (literally Spider Wall) in SASUKE Vietnam 3 or Người Nhện Nhảy (literally Jumping Spider-Man) in SASUKE Vietnam 4 and SASUKE Vietnam 5, appeared as the fourth obstacle in Stage 1A from SASUKE Vietnam 1 to SASUKE Vietnam 5, which was very similar to the Jumping Spider in SASUKE.
Similar to the original version from SASUKE, competitors were allowed to return to the starting platform if they failed to generate enough momentum to reach the wall.
Just like SASUKE and American Ninja Warrior, the mini trampoline and the run-up differed between seasons:
- In the first two seasons, the producers used a circular mini trampoline in order to make the jump to the walls easier for Vietnamese competitors. But the obstacle was still deadly, eliminated most competitors due to the unfamiliarity to the obstacle.
- After Lê Văn Thực's total victory in SASUKE Vietnam 2, they replaced it with a square gymnastics trampoline from SASUKE starting from SASUKE Vietnam 3, making the obstacle harder.
- Due to several competitors failing the Jumping Spider because of tripping on the yellow rim of the mini trampoline, on SASUKE Vietnam 5, the yellow rim was removed.
Competitors would be disqualified if any part of them touched the top part of the wall in the Spider Walk portion, which was outlined with a red sticker from SASUKE Vietnam 2 onwards. So far, four competitors were disqualified by this rule:
- Lê Quốc Đạt in SASUKE Vietnam 1
- Nguyễn Minh Tuấn in SASUKE Vietnam 2
- Cao Xuân Cương in SASUKE Vietnam 3, and
- Josh O'Sullivan in SASUKE Vietnam 5.
Ninja Warrior Sweden[]
On Ninja Warrior Sweden 2, the Jumping Spider appeared as the fifth obstacle in the Finals' Stage One, which was very similar to the Spider Jump in Ninja Warrior UK.
Ninja Warrior France[]
On Ninja Warrior France, the Jumping Spider, locally called L'Homme-Araignée (literally Spider-Man) appeared as the eighth obstacle in Finals' Stage One, which was very similar to the Spider Jump in Ninja Warrior UK. The obstacle was very brutal, as seven out of nine competitors failed on it.
Then, on Ninja Warrior France 2, the Jumping Spider moved as the sixth obstacle in Finals' Stage One since this stage reduced the number of obstacles from nine in the previous season to seven. This making the obstacle less brutal, as only three out of sixteen competitors failed on it.
Later, on Ninja Warrior France 3, the Jumping Spider returned as the sixth obstacle in Finals' Stage One. This time, the obstacle was modified, in which the second half of the wall was higher than the first half, making the obstacle look like a smaller version of the Jumping Spider in SASUKE. Despite that, the obstacle still less brutal, as only Clément Dumais failed on it.
Due to lower knock-out rate, the obstacle was replaced by the Wave Runner in the next season.
Ninja Warrior Germany[]
In Ninja Warrior Germany 1, the Jumping Spider, locally called Tunnelsprung (literally Tunnel Jump) appeared as the eighth and penultimate obstacle of the First Stage in the Finals of that season, which was very similar to the Spider Jump in Ninja Warrior UK.
And although the obstacle only eliminated two (including Alexander Wurm) out of the 11 competitors who attempted it, it still proved to be quite tricky for many different competitors, with most of them having had trouble to stick between the curved walls portion of the obstacle.
In Ninja Warrior Germany 2, the Jumping Spider appeared once again and served as the eighth and penultimate obstacle of the First Stage in the Finals of the season.
This time, the obstacle proved to be the Ninja-Killer of that First Stage, with 7 out of the 12 competitors who attempted the obstacle failing it, also including some of the best competitors of Ninja Warrior Germany 1 (such as Daniel Gerber, Herwig Natmessnig and even the Last Man Standing of Ninja Warrior Germany 1, Oliver Edelmann).
In Ninja Warrior Germany 3, the Jumping Spider re-appeared once again, and this time it got moved back and served as the eighth and penultimate obstacle of the Semi-finals in the Finals of the season after being replaced by the I-Beam Gap in Stage One. This time however, the trampoline type of the obstacle was changed (similar to the Jumping Spider used in American Ninja Warrior 7). In that season, the obstacle proved to be easier, compared to its two previous appearances, with three out of the 24 competitors who attempted the obstacle failing it.
One of those failures included a quite unique failure, namely the one of Christian Harmat. After Harmat had already cleared the preceding obstacle, the Spin Bridge, and then subsequently had already qualified for the Finals of the season, he tried to jump into the obstacle via performing a frontflip directly after jumping off the trampoline and then sticking the landing between the two curved walls after he did the specific jump (similar to Bob Reese in American Ninja Warrior 14 & 15). As many fellow competitors watched in excitement, Harmat did the frontflip successfully, but failed to stick the landing between the walls properly and failed.
The Jumping Spider returned as the fourth obstacle in Stage One on Ninja Warrior Germany 6, this time connected to the Wave Runner, with the walls split into three small parts without a curved entrance.
Ninja Warrior Austria[]
Spider Jump was the seventh obstacle of Stage 1 in Ninja Warrior Austria 1. It was identical to the Ninja Warrior France 2 version.
Ninja Warrior Denmark[]
Spider Jump was the fifth obstacle of the semifinals and Stage 1 in Ninja Warrior Denmark. It was identical to the Ninja Warrior UK 1 version.
Ninja Warrior Arabia[]
In Ninja Warrior Arabia, the Jumping Spider (called Spider Jump like American Ninja Warrior 2) appeared the fifth obstacle in the Stage One, which was very similar to the Spider Jump in Ninja Warrior UK, except there was a rope placed before the curved walls at the start to make the obstacle easier for Arab League competitors.
SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia[]
In SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, Jumping Spider appeared as the second obstacle during Semifinal Stage 2, which was similar to the one used in SASUKE, except that the curved portion much smaller just like the Jumping Spider in most international SASUKE/Ninja Warrior formats. Among the 27 competitors who attempted it, 10 of them failed to complete it, including SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia finalist, Putra Waluya.
During SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition, the obstacle was modified with some parts of the walls being covered with red sticker, and the competitors were not allowed to touch them, similar to the rule used in SASUKE Vietnam. If they did so, they would be disqualified. As the result, it eliminated David Campbell from Team USA, who was the only competitor to fail at this obstacle.
Australian Ninja Warrior[]
Jumping Spider, also called the Spider Jump, appeared:
- as the fifth obstacle in Stage One in Australian Ninja Warrior,
- as the third obstacle in Stage Two in Australian Ninja Warrior 2,
- as the eighth obstacle in Stage One in Australian Ninja Warrior 3, the length of the obstacle was revealed to be nearly 8m.
- as the eighth obstacle during the semifinals and in Stage One in Australian Ninja Warrior 4,
- as the eighth obstacle during the semifinals in Australian Ninja Warrior 5. The jump to the curved walls was revealed to be 2.7m, the length of the plexiglass wall was reduced to 7.6m
There were minor changes to this obstacle through its lifespan:
- In Australian Ninja Warrior, the second half of the wall was higher a bit than the first half.
- In Australian Ninja Warrior 2, the entire wall inside was placed evenly, but was raised higher than the curved portion.
- From Australian Ninja Warrior 3, the entire wall inside was at the same level with the curved portion, but now it was split into two sections with a gap between.
Unlike on many other SASUKE/Ninja Warrior formats, competitors would be disqualified if they returned to the starting platform after failing to generate enough momentum to reach the wall. In the sixth season, out of 19 competitors who reached this obstacle, only Damian Jastrzębski failed it.
Ninja Israel[]
On Ninja Warrior Israel, the Jumping Spider, locally called קפיצת העכביש (Spider Jump) appeared as the fourth obstacle of the Semifinals. The first half of the wall raised higher than the curved portion, and the second half of the wall was higher a bit than the first half. Competitors would be disqualified if they returned to the starting platform after failing to generate enough momentum to reach the wall. Also, unlike SASUKE, the trampoline was placed right up against the curved portion in order to make the jump to the walls easier for Israeli competitors. Despite that, the obstacle was still very brutal, eliminating most competitors due to the unfamiliarity to the obstacle.
Interestingly, on the same season, the Spider Walk (which appeared as the first obstacle in the Finals' Stage Two) used the same wall as Jumping Spider did in the Semifinals, except that the trampoline was removed. This signified the rarity that Ninja Israel has both Jumping Spider and Spider Walk in the same season.
On Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Jumping Spider (along with Spider Walk in Stage Two) was replaced by Bouncing Spider in both Semifinals and Stage Two.
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
The Jumping Spider, locally called Skok Pająka (literally Spider Jump) appeared:
- in the first season of Ninja Warrior Poland as the eighth obstacle in Stage One. The distance between the walls this season was 130 cm.
- in Ninja Warrior Poland 6, again as the eight obstacle in Stage One. This time, the beginning did not include an curved portion and the first three sets of walls were facing up, while the last two were facing down. There was a gap between the final two sets of walls, similar to the one used in Bouncing Spider.
- in Ninja Warrior Poland 7, as the eighth obstacle in Stage One again. This time it was modified so that the number of sets of walls was reduced to four, and there was a gap between the first and second and third and fourth sets of walls, similar to the one used in Bouncing Spider.
- in Ninja Warrior Poland 8, bringing back the season six version, with more walls.
Seven competitors managed to reach this obstacle in the first season, while Sebastian Kasprzyk and Marcin Kołoszuk failed the jump from the trampoline, and Jakub Sielczak-Rum ran out of time after completing this obstacle (he had 3 seconds left). In the sixth season, out of 19 competitors who reached this obstacle, only Damian Jastrzębski failed it. In the seventh season, all 10 competitors who attempted this obstacle completed it. In the eighth season, out of 14 competitors who reached this obstacle, only Kacper Gazurek failed.
Trivia[]
- The obstacle may have been named after the taxonomical family of spiders known as Salticidae, more commonly known as jumping spiders, recognized for jumping and pouncing as a means of hunting prey.
- In serveral international SASUKE/Ninja Warrior shows such as Ninja Warrior France and SASUKE Vietnam, the current local name of Jumping Spider (L'Homme-Araignée in French and Người Nhện Nhảy in Vietnamese) may have been named after the Marvel character Spider-Man, although this obstacle was not to promote a Spider-Man film.
- In Ninja Warrior UK (season 3 and 4) and Ninja Warrior Israel, the Spider Walk was locally called as Spider Jump.
- In Ninja Warrior Israel 2, the Bouncing Spider was locally called as Jumping Spider.
- In all five seasons of SASUKE Vietnam and Ninja Warrior Poland 2, the Spider Flip was also locally called as Spider Jump.
Competitors' Success Rate[]
- All results based on the TBS/NBC/Polsat broadcast and external information found.
SASUKE[]
SASUKE | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
18 | 17 | 38 | 44.74% |
19 | 25 | 62 | 39.68% |
20 | 36 | 57 | 63.16% |
21 | 35 | 54 | 64.82% |
22 | 29 | 50 | 58% |
23 | 44 | 75 | 58.67% |
24 | 20 | 34 | 58.82% |
26 | 20 | 27 | 74.07% |
27 | 43 | 47 | 91.49% |
Total | 269 | 444 | 60.59%) |
American Ninja Warrior[]
ANW | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
ANW4 | 62 | 85 | 72.94% |
ANW5 | 33 | 71 | 46.48% |
ANW6 | 36 | 64 | 56.25% |
ANW7 | 57 | 78 | 73.08% |
ANW8 | 34 | 49 | 69.39% |
ANW9 | 53 | 64 | 82.53% |
ANW10 | 43 | 55 | 78.18% |
ANW11 | 56 | 62 | 90.32% |
ANW13 | 45 | 55 | 81.82% |
ANW14 | 44 | 58 | 75.86% |
ANW15 | 52 | 65 | 80% |
USA vs. Japan | 5 | 5 | 100% |
USA vs. The World | 6 | 8 | 75% |
USA vs. The World 2 | 3 | 8 | 37.5% |
USA vs. The World 3 | 4 | 6 | 66.67% |
USA vs. The World 4 | 6 | 7 | 85.71% |
USA vs. The World 5 | 5 | 5 | 100% |
USA vs. The World 6 | 5 | 6 | 83.33% |
Women's Championship 3 | 9 | 12 | 75% |
Total | 556 | 763 | 72.87% |
Ninja Warrior Poland[]
NWP | Clears | Attempts | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|
NWP1 | 4 | 7 | 57.14% |
NWP6 | 18 | 19 | 94.74% |
NWP7 | 10 | 10 | 100% |
NWP8 | 13 | 14 | 92.86% |
Total | 35 | 40 | 87.5% |
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