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Post by zoran on Jul 24, 2024 15:51:07 GMT -5
These guys were the Godfathers of ANW and had a significant impact on Sasuke in terms of results. I would have loved if they remained semi regulars on Sasuke, I think it's clear they prefer Sasuke's style over ANW. Do you think there is any chance they could return in the future? Afaik Levi is a farmer now and isn't really interested in parkour and ninja athletics anymore, that said if he were to have a mid life crisis of sorts, perhaps there could be a chance? He may even compete if he's gets an invitation for nostalgia reasons. Brian is still involved in athletics and I think he could return if he got an invite. David is still competing in ANW and would be more than happy to accept an invite?
Would Inui have any incentive to invite them back?
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azn
Komiya Rie
Say His Name and He Appears *clap* *clap*
Posts: 537
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Post by azn on Jul 24, 2024 19:31:46 GMT -5
When it comes to inviting them for competition, Probably not for David, and a definite no for Levi and Brian.
That said, perhaps he could interview them and post a video featuring them for the SASUKE channel?
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Post by dakohosu on Jul 25, 2024 5:59:24 GMT -5
Levi: no, he's retired from Ninja/athletics for over a decade, is now a farmer, and has hence probably lost a lot of his athletic prowess, especially as he's like 38 now. If he wanted to return to Sasuke, he would've been more involved in ANW than he is currently as it's logistically easier for him, and he isn't at all.
Brian: no, he's now a full on CrossFit coach and hasn't competed in any Ninja Warrior event for almost 10 years, and hasn't done any parkour for 5. He's also now a dedicated family man so Ninja/Sasuke no longer fits into his goals or schedule.
David: this one is more likely, but for the sake of Sasuke ratings probably not. They picked the people they did for Team USA due to their relevance in today's ANW with their recent track records, David hasn't done particularly well in years and while he's considered the "Godfather", there are still fundamentally more relevant and hence impactful competitors to invite to compete, like Daniel Gil, Jessie Graff, and so forth. Besides, Inui is clearly hell bent on attracting newer fans to the show with the celebrity presence, so many won't remember David from his career in 26-27.
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Post by zoran on Jul 25, 2024 6:33:00 GMT -5
Levi: no, he's retired from Ninja/athletics for over a decade, is now a farmer, and has hence probably lost a lot of his athletic prowess, especially as he's like 38 now. If he wanted to return to Sasuke, he would've been more involved in ANW than he is currently as it's logistically easier for him, and he isn't at all. Brian: no, he's now a full on CrossFit coach and hasn't competed in any Ninja Warrior event for almost 10 years, and hasn't done any parkour for 5. He's also now a dedicated family man so Ninja/Sasuke no longer fits into his goals or schedule. David: this one is more likely, but for the sake of Sasuke ratings probably not. They picked the people they did for Team USA due to their relevance in today's ANW with their recent track records, David hasn't done particularly well in years and while he's considered the "Godfather", there are still fundamentally more relevant and hence impactful competitors to invite to compete, like Daniel Gil, Jessie Graff, and so forth. Besides, Inui is clearly hell bent on attracting newer fans to the show with the celebrity presence, so many won't remember David from his career in 26-27. I wish Levi and Brian were able to compete in 27 (as well as Levi not injuring himself prior to 26) as that being the last G4 tournament was the last real significant exposure westerners had to Sasuke before it was semi cancelled. I know Brian competed in ANW3 but failed at the final rope climb in bootcamp but if I was one of Sasuke's producers/directors at the time, I would have overwritten that and gave him a slot anyway (like 25) due to his legacy on Sasuke and the bridge he and Levi built for Ninja in the US. Also would have given Levi a slot (if whatever movie stunt he was doing at the time wrapped up). |
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Post by dakohosu on Jul 25, 2024 12:09:28 GMT -5
I wish Levi and Brian were able to compete in 27 (as well as Levi not injuring himself prior to 26) as that being the last G4 tournament was the last real significant exposure westerners had to Sasuke before it was semi cancelled. I know Brian competed in ANW3 but failed at the final rope climb in bootcamp but if I was one of Sasuke's producers/directors at the time, I would have overwritten that and gave him a slot anyway (like 25) due to his legacy on Sasuke and the bridge he and Levi built for Ninja in the US. Also would have given Levi a slot (if whatever movie stunt he was doing at the time wrapped up). With Brian I think they realised after his regression in 26/him coming in 4th place out of the Americans, and especially with him not qualifying for 27, that there were better competitors to award the slot to. Imo he never had the impact that Levi did with his Last Man Standing debut run and frequent fastest times, and I actually think it was a bit laughable that they dubbed him the American Urushihara or Nagano after his one Stage 3 run where he did the worst out of anyone who ran. I felt like they only did this because Levi couldn't compete and hence he was the ONLY one with notable prior experience running in 26, but still. If anyone should've got an automatic bid for 27, it'd be David Campbell because he did the best out of all the Americans in 26, and he was given #98 indicating that even the producers knew he was a force to be reckoned with. Orosco failed the first obstacle of Stage 3 in 26, and failed boot camp in large due to his poor upper body strength. At that point it would've been obvious that he had no shot at making it deep into Stage 3. If they were planning on inviting him, which I don't think they were as they got a firm 10 slots for the Americans, his performance in boot camp probably would've had a good sway in making sure that didn't happen. There's more of a case for Levi because of his greater impact, the fact he did at least manage to get a bit deeper into Stage 3 than Brian, and the fact that he was also meant to compete in 26 but had to drop out due to injury, rather than simply not qualifying, so inviting him back for 27 to make up for that would've been more justified, though he still wouldn't have competed due to scheduling conflicts. They were invited for 25 because there was no ANW/ANC trial around that time and they wanted foreigners, so they invited all of the Americans who'd competed recently and cleared. Basically Rich King, Orosco, and Levi. |
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Post by subtleagent on Jul 26, 2024 10:45:06 GMT -5
I wouldn't be surprised if Boot Camp in ANW 3 was trying to target Brian specifically. Even with a nerfed Stage 3 in 27 the UCH would be his absolute max. Same with Levi as even David couldn't do it and had better upper body strength. IIRC though Boot Camp actually hurt him due to the long gaps where the contestants didn't get to train so I think had he been able to get adequate training before 27 and not whenever the cameras were on he could've very well made the Final. And I think it was mentioned the vertical grip was his preference so Chain See-Saw likely wouldn't pose a problem.
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