Post by yusukeisthegoat227 on Aug 5, 2020 22:42:06 GMT -5
I'm going to talk about some runs that didn't end in total victory, but to me are very impressive nonetheless.
Yamamoto Shingo in Sasuke 5: The course was brutally re-designed to feature the jump hang and warped wall in the First Stage. As a result, Shingo was one of only 3 people to clear this, and he cleared in the fastest time (3 seconds left). He was also the only one to clear the second stage, a stage with a very strict time limit (50 seconds). He was the only to beat the re-designed Spider Walk. He managed to go all the way to the pipe slider before ultimately failing it, but not before beating a re-designed cliffhanger. For beating so many brutal new obstacles in their first appearance, this to me stands out as arguably Shingo's finest hour.
Jordan Jovctchev in Sasuke 8: Making the final stage in your very first appearance? Not a bad achievement I'd say! Jovcthcev faced many brutal obstacles for the first time... and beat them. It's a shame he had to deal with the rain in the final stage. There's a good chance he wouldn't have beaten it anyway, but it clearly effected him as he couldn't get past the spider climb before it broke apart.
Nagano Makoto in Sasuke 13: While Nagano's ultimate moment of glory came in tournament 17, he was arguably more in his prime here. He demolished the first stage, clearing it with 29.03 seconds left. That's over 15 seconds faster than the second best time! He also cleared the second stage with the fastest time, and cleared the third stage for the third time in a row. I'm not sure if three straight final stage attempts is something we'll ever see again. I know Nagano got closer in Sasuke 12, but the fact that he got back for a third straight tournament? That's what's really impressive.
Honma Kota in Sasuke 17: He cleared the First Stage as a 16-year old, the only other 16-year old to clear the first stage happened in Sasuke 4. Obviously the course in tournament 17 was a lot harder, and I think his performance is quite admirable. Especially considering he came close in previous tournaments, and could've cleared at an even younger age. Personally, I'm 18, and there's no way I could clear that first stage! Probably just the sextuple steps. But from young age, we go to...
Okuyama Yoshiyuki from Sasuke 22-26: This is a man that proved to the All Stars that age can't be used as an excuse! He was between 38 and 41 years old when he made the third stage in five consecutive tournaments, on top of making it to the final stage in Sasuke 24. He was the oldest ever to do so at age 39. His consistency in his late 30s/early 40s is truly something to marvel at, considering most of the All Stars were done by then. Nagano had one good run at age 39, Bunpei was good into his late 30s, but that's about it. Okuyama sets the standard for consistency at an older age.
And lastly, let's get some recency bias in here and talk about three impressive runs from the most recent tournament, Sasuke 37. Much like Okuyama, Urushiara Yuuji has turned back the clock and gone all the way to the pipe slider as a 41-year old. It looks like he might still have one more run at a kanzen left in him! If that happens, he has a pretty good case for being greatest Sasuke competitor ever (if he doesn't already). Rene Kaselowsky managed to make it to the final stage in his very first run, which was similar to the feat Jovctchev achieved (but the course is only harder now). And Jessie Graff continues to be by far the best female competitor in Sasuke history.
So what are your thoughts? Let me know, as I'm sure there's some I'm missing...
Yamamoto Shingo in Sasuke 5: The course was brutally re-designed to feature the jump hang and warped wall in the First Stage. As a result, Shingo was one of only 3 people to clear this, and he cleared in the fastest time (3 seconds left). He was also the only one to clear the second stage, a stage with a very strict time limit (50 seconds). He was the only to beat the re-designed Spider Walk. He managed to go all the way to the pipe slider before ultimately failing it, but not before beating a re-designed cliffhanger. For beating so many brutal new obstacles in their first appearance, this to me stands out as arguably Shingo's finest hour.
Jordan Jovctchev in Sasuke 8: Making the final stage in your very first appearance? Not a bad achievement I'd say! Jovcthcev faced many brutal obstacles for the first time... and beat them. It's a shame he had to deal with the rain in the final stage. There's a good chance he wouldn't have beaten it anyway, but it clearly effected him as he couldn't get past the spider climb before it broke apart.
Nagano Makoto in Sasuke 13: While Nagano's ultimate moment of glory came in tournament 17, he was arguably more in his prime here. He demolished the first stage, clearing it with 29.03 seconds left. That's over 15 seconds faster than the second best time! He also cleared the second stage with the fastest time, and cleared the third stage for the third time in a row. I'm not sure if three straight final stage attempts is something we'll ever see again. I know Nagano got closer in Sasuke 12, but the fact that he got back for a third straight tournament? That's what's really impressive.
Honma Kota in Sasuke 17: He cleared the First Stage as a 16-year old, the only other 16-year old to clear the first stage happened in Sasuke 4. Obviously the course in tournament 17 was a lot harder, and I think his performance is quite admirable. Especially considering he came close in previous tournaments, and could've cleared at an even younger age. Personally, I'm 18, and there's no way I could clear that first stage! Probably just the sextuple steps. But from young age, we go to...
Okuyama Yoshiyuki from Sasuke 22-26: This is a man that proved to the All Stars that age can't be used as an excuse! He was between 38 and 41 years old when he made the third stage in five consecutive tournaments, on top of making it to the final stage in Sasuke 24. He was the oldest ever to do so at age 39. His consistency in his late 30s/early 40s is truly something to marvel at, considering most of the All Stars were done by then. Nagano had one good run at age 39, Bunpei was good into his late 30s, but that's about it. Okuyama sets the standard for consistency at an older age.
And lastly, let's get some recency bias in here and talk about three impressive runs from the most recent tournament, Sasuke 37. Much like Okuyama, Urushiara Yuuji has turned back the clock and gone all the way to the pipe slider as a 41-year old. It looks like he might still have one more run at a kanzen left in him! If that happens, he has a pretty good case for being greatest Sasuke competitor ever (if he doesn't already). Rene Kaselowsky managed to make it to the final stage in his very first run, which was similar to the feat Jovctchev achieved (but the course is only harder now). And Jessie Graff continues to be by far the best female competitor in Sasuke history.
So what are your thoughts? Let me know, as I'm sure there's some I'm missing...
