Who do you think could’ve been an All-Star?

[tns8597]

Who do you think could’ve been an All-Star but wasn’t due to various reasons such as lack of luck or competing at the wrong time?

[ChiBiJKT48]

1. Kobayashi Masaaki. My favourite non-SASUKE All-Stars to date. It is a shame he compete in horrible situation in SASUKE 15, otherwise he could had 100% First Stage Clears Record under his belt. Case: Wrong Timing.

2. Yamada Koji. Have big potential, but sometimes choke himself. Case: Inconsistency.

3. Kobayashi Shinji. Shame as Yamada Koji, but far worse. Case: Poor Results.

4. Asaoka Hiroyuki. Quite shaky in his performances, especially during Jump Hang failures times, but also give us memorable performance in SASUKE 12. Case: Inconsistency.

5. Iketani Naoki. Same as Asaoka Hiroyuki. It is also quite funny that both made it to Third Stage in SASUKE 4, suffered a series of setbacks in First Stage, returned to Third Stage in SASUKE 10. Case: Inconsistency.

6. Nagasaki Shunsuke. Come to the show very very late, when the All-Stars were already complete. And he can't even be remembered as Shin-Sedai because of Olympics 2008, which, if I'm not mistaken, he didn't even take part in it. Case: Wrong Timing.

7. Takahashi Kenji. Took a pretty long hiatus that damage his chance of entering this group. Case: Wrong Timing.

8. Kane Kosugi. Yes, I know few will say All-Stars won't exist if Kane didn't depart from the show. But, honestly, if he didn't depart, All-Stars will still exist *the term already spoken since SASUKE 6 when Kane is STILL active competitor* and he will definitely be part of it. Case: Horrible Management.

Honourable Mention: Nakata Daisuke. He, on my view, actually treated as SASUKE All-Stars during SASUKE 11 and 12 *he got the highest number for non-SASUKE All-Stars that was not foreigner*, but that failure on SASUKE 12 close his chance to be considered one. And not to mention that he had accident after SASUKE 13.

[PizzaKing57]

I definitely believe that Kongu should have become an All-Star in place of Bunpei, as he firstly competed in 5 which was also the same tournament of Takeda's rookie appearance, whereas Bunpei joined very late in 9 and also managed to advance almost instantaneously to the 3rd Stage on his third appearance, until he took that five-break which lasted until 16. I do not consider Kongu to be part of the Shin-Sedai as he has competed since 2000 and wasn't one of the new generation of challengers at that time of the group conceiving.

Had he not been absent from 8-15, he may very well have become an All-Star as he is usually known for his amazing and fast speed, clearing the stages with the record time. An example of this was proven in 7 and 24, where he cleared with over 17 and 32 seconds left respectfully and could've even achieved Kanzen if he had competed between 8-15, as he is regarded one of SASUKE's most powerful challengers ever. I'm surprised that you ranked Kongu in 7th place as he had competed much longer than the others whom you put ahead of him, where they had stopped competing a while after the Shin-SASUKE era began.

And if Kongu did become an All-Star, he would have been the youngest member as he is 44, with Takeda who is the youngest being 45. He would have also possibly been my 3rd favourite All-Star even more than Takeda, for usually setting an excellent pace and also managing to reach the Final Stage at least once, which is something that Takeda has never once heartbreakingly done before. Kongu also managed to reach the 3rd Stage after the Rising era began, which is something that none of the All-Stars did although Nagano and Takeda could've made it if it wasn't for that f**king rule on the Swap Salmon Ladder and Shingo may have also made it if he didn't choke on the Backstream.

Bunpei shouldn't have really become an All-Star because he was the last member to firstly compete on SASUKE and even though he performed well in 12-17, he was in his mid-thirties and was the first All-Star that got forced to stop competing, due to the terrible back injuries that haunted him for years until his last comeback in 30, which was just disappointing as 27 people cleared the 1st Stage with him being the only person in the 90s to fail there, whereas Kongu competed in all but one tournament from 18-35 usually performing well and still managing to reach the 3rd Stage, until his disappointing retirement from a bar derailment.

And lastly All-Star or not All-Star, Kongu was usually disrespected by TBS as his 1st Stage runs in some tournaments like 26-31 were not shown in full on the broadcast, even when he still cleared with over ten seconds left. In fact 31 was the most disrespectful as he was surprisingly amongst one of the three people whose 1st Stage clear was entirely cut from the broadcast. Luckily G4 / Challenge came to the rescue and showed some of his digested runs in full and when I watched 31 on my television for the first time, I was beyond shocked when I saw that Kongu's whole run was shown, but was overall glad that it happened as it was very stupid to cut him out entirely, due to him being a promising and well-known challenger.

[tns8597]

Interesting choices. For me, to be considered an All-Star I think realistically the competitor would've had to have made the Final Stage (Takeda didn't but he did make the 3rd Stage more than anyone else so) as beating the 3rd stage truly cements them as the elite of the elite. I also heard that they didn't want any celebrities or professional athletes to be included as All-Stars were supposed to be famous for their contribution to Sasuke alone, not for other reasons. I sort of agree with that because the main appeal of the All-Stars were that they were just normal people with mainly blue-collar jobs, who just happened to be extremely athletic and devote themselves to Sasuke. I feel like including celebrities (e.g. Iketani) in the list would've diluted the authenticity of the term. Also, without the two reasons I mentioned above, then hypothetically anyone who reached Stage 3 during that time could've been considered one; having 15-20 All-Stars would sort of ruin the name imo. So mine are:

1. Kongu: Arguably could've made the Final Stage in SASUKE 7 if he had hung on to the Cliffhanger for like 2-3 more seconds. Coming back from his hiatus he made the Third Stage again despite not practicing for Sasuke for 4-5 years. This says to me that had he kept at Sasuke during this time he could've easily surpassed Shingo and Takeda's performances, and even made the Final Stage once or twice before SASUKE 24. The fact that he consistently made the Third Stage throughout 3-4 different eras spanning 15 years, something which the All-Stars never really managed to do, cements him as one of the strongest competitors we've ever seen on the show, so I defo think he deserves the Number 1 spot here. It was just a case of 'right competitor, wrong time'.

2. Hiroyuki Asaoka: He did end up becoming quite consistent but he was going through his Jump Hang blockade when they decided on the whole All-Star thing which was just super unlucky imo. He's personally my Number 2 on this list because he made the Final Stage, then the Third Stage in his next attempt, a pattern which landed Shiratori the title of All-Star, yet Asaoka never got the credit he deserved. Also, having a teacher/sensei as a member of the group would've been really cool.

3. Shinji Kobayashi: I think if Kobayashi had made the Final Stage (which he could've easily done twice in 11 and 14 if it wasn't for mental errors both times), then he would've definitely become an All-Star as he was often seen on the sidelines with them. He would've also resultantly got a lot more screen time and not get cut in most of his runs, had he just made that Pipe Slider jump in 11. He's only Number 3 on this list because he fundamentally didn't make the Final and he did have issues with Stage 1.

4. Yoshiyuki Okuyama: Probably equally/almost as strong and consistent a competitor as Kongu was, and made the Final Stage; he was also in the same age bracket as the All-Stars were, and had he been one, he would've carried their name for them as the rest of them declined during Shin-Sasuke. The only reason he's lower on this list is purely that he competed at the completely wrong time. Though I do always wonder how strong he would've been if he'd competed in the earlier tournaments, where the course was much easier, he was much younger, and especially with the consistency that he managed to show despite being in his late 30s.

Also I sort of agree with NinjaWarriorFan here. Bunpei always struck me as the odd one out as he became an All-Star based on only two admittedly very strong performances, especially given that Asaoka was completely ignored despite also making the Final in the same tournament. Imagine if he'd got the title then suddenly started failing the First Stage. He also competed in by far the fewest tournaments and retired way too early.

[BigT]

To be honest, there is not that much choice apart from the names already mentioned. So I thought of some other competitors who I believe had potential that was unfilled:

Kuboki Hironori - he is the University student who used Mathematics to his advantage in order to beat Warped Wall. He was the the first to attempt and beat a redesigned stage 2 and eventually made it all the way to cliffhanger in Sasuke 7 (third best result after Shingo/Kongu). Unfortunately he failed Godantobi like many people in Sasuke 8 and hasn't competed since. I have to admit he impressed me a lot when he beat body prop that had caused so much trouble to Kosugi brothers and Takeda. He was very young (around the same age as Urushihara), so he could've competed for a long time. I wonder how he would've done.

This is more of a speculation but:

Hasegawa Ken - a finalist in Sasuke 1 and then failed pipe slider two times in a row, has not competed since. Undoubtedly the early course was easy but still it is an impressive record. Would've liked to see more of him.

Kawashima Takayuki - strong performances in Sasuke 1 (first to ever clear stage 3!) and 4. He did return for a while in Shin-Sasuke. His results were not impressive but better than, say, Akira Omori or in some cases Iketani. As he is a gymnast and member of muscle musical, I think he could've had success similar to Iketani or Kobayashi Masaaki in 5-17.

[tns8597]

Kuboki was definitely the dark horse of that tournament. He looked so unintimidating yet went further than anyone bar Kong or Shingo. I don’t blame him for not wanting to return after failing the Godantobi as it would’ve been quite embarrassing but nonetheless I think he could’ve done quite well if he’d stayed on.

Ken Hasegawa I definitely think had potential. One reason I didn’t consider him (apart from just forgetting) was that we saw a lot of competitors do well from Sasuke 1-4, but just drop off and fail Stage 1 consistently after the renewal as it was a huge step up in difficulty (think Eiichi Miura, Omori, Akiyama even). I feel like Hasegawa could’ve fallen into that category, but if not then he definitely could’ve been one especially if he’d continued his track record

[Ninja Relaxer]

Iketani, Nakata, and Shunsuke were all great competitors, but I think the producers purposely excluded them and other professional athletes from the All Stars because they were going for an everyman vibe. The All Stars are all blue-collar workers with common and relatable jobs: Firefighter, fisherman, gas station attendant, civil servant, etc.

That's one of the things that makes the show so compelling: the biggest stars are "ordinary" people, not professional athletes.

To answer the question, though... I think Shinji Kobayashi is the most likely candidate. During his prime, he was young, he was getting great results, and he had a humble and relatable occupation (garbage man). I'm kind of surprised he _wasn't_ made an All Star.

[ChiBiJKT48]

Takahashi is actually never stop practicing for SASUKE entirely. During his hiatus, he become the Obstacle Tester, although no footage/picture to prove it.

[tns8597]

Kobayashi I think would’ve been made an All-Star if he’d made the Final Stage, especially in his first attempt which he would’ve done if he didn’t hesitate on the last jump.

It’s strange how effectively making one jump would’ve possibly transformed his career and meant that he wouldn’t consistently get cut whenever he fails the First Stage.

That said, another thing stopping him was inconsistency. Bunpei was only made an All-Star after he proved in 13 that his Final attempt was no fluke. So I’m sceptical as to whether Shinji making the Final in 11 then failing Stage 1 for the next two tournaments would’ve cemented him as an All-Star. Sure, Akiyama was also inconsistent, but he deserved his status by proxy as he won the whole thing.

[GlobalNinjaFan]

Personally, I always felt that Daisuke Nakata, Naoki Iketani, Shunsuke Nagasaki and Kenji Takahashi came the closest to "feeling" like All-Stars, and never really fit in with the New-Stars.

[tns8597]

Shunsuke I defo think in recent years has become an odd one out, which is why I don’t think he’s that invested in Sasuke anymore.

[Kane-Not-Kosugi]

I agree with what was said earlier- competitors like Shunsuke and Iketani were left out to go for an "everyday man" vibe, tho they would be great picks. I would put Kane Kosugi in this category as well.

My 3 picks would be Kobayashi, Nakata, and without a doubt Kongu.

[tns8597]

I think going for the ‘everyday man’ competitor is way more exciting, because they look way more humble and less athletic so when they do well it’s far more surprising and thus is likely to rake in more popularity from the average viewer.

Iketani making the Third Stage 6 times isn’t surprising given his competitive gymnastics background, though he sucked in most of his attempts. Everyone could see from a mile away that he’d do quite well.