The Fifth Stage

[Ninja Relaxer]

A Fifth Stage.

Yeah, I know. Crazy, right?

But suppose the producers wanted to increase the difficulty of the course without re-designing any of the other stages. What would a Fifth Stage look like, and how hard would it be? 

(Note, a "Fifth Stage" needn't come after the Fourth Stage. It could also be a new stage that comes between Stages 2 and 3 or between Stages 3 and 4, etc.)

[azn]

So basically something like the Heartbreaker in VIKING or Power Tower?

Eh, I mean it could work, but with VIKING it was shown to test both brains and brawn, SASUKE has ran 38 good tournaments with their current format, I don't think they would be capable of changing that, especially given the producer and the budget, but then again they made the Backstream lol

If their was a Special Stage, it would probably be something involving ones brains like the parley in Viking. I feel SASUKE Vietnam would be able to do this, their course setup is so unique that they can certainly add a special stage

[Dazed (Wiin)]

I did hear a while ago Inui did like the idea of an entirely underwater stage 2, so maybe something entirely underwater?

[GlobalNinjaFan]

Morimoto... you've beaten the course.

But now... can you defeat... YOURSELF!?

[Ninja Relaxer]

Jan 27, 2021 13:04:31 GMT -5 Dazed (Wiin) said:

I did hear a while ago Inui did like the idea of an entirely underwater stage 2, so maybe something entirely underwater?

That's be kind of neat, to be honest. I could see other stages being re-designed to have a tighter focus like this, turning Sasuke into a sort of triathlon (without the bicycling though).

If the Backstream became its whole stage, I'd probably put it between Stage 2 and 3. I wouldn't want to put it after Stage 1, because I feel that the Salmon Ladder is the best possible follow-up to Stage 1, separating as it does the wheat from the chaff.

[ChiBiJKT48]

You think this never been thought by producers before? Wrong.

SASUKE 30 almost had the fifth stage if they had 11 or more Clears in Second Stage. The stage is called Stage 2B and only ten people will be allowed to attempted Third Stage based on the results in Stage 2B. But since the Clears number didn't even reach double digits, the stage was unattempted and was scrapped.

[m4tt3r0x]

To elaborate on the above (taken from Sasukepedia):
"Initially, there was supposed to be a separate stage after the Second Stage that involves competitors vying a spot for the top 10 that will move on to the Third Stage, in the case of more than 10 competitors complete the Second Stage. This unknown stage, named as "2nd-B" in various internet discussions, involves the Gallon Throw, a notable event in Sportsman, and a somewhat modified version of the Tackle. But since only 9 competitors completed the Second Stage, this stage was inevitably scrapped and was never used again."

Interesting, I actually didn't know the Tackle was brought back in some capacity prior to 31. I do remember seeing pictures of this stage now that I think about it, but only really saw the Gallon Throw.

Also I never knew Inui said he'd like an underwater stage. I think it'd be neat.

[tns8597]

I think if there were to be 5 stages then the Final Stage should remain the same, with them incorporating an additional stage in between. The reason being that the Final Stage is quite conclusive and representative of the final stand; just a down-to-the-wire climb up Mount Midoriyama.

I think if they removed the Backstream from Stage 2, and kept it as a speed stage, then an underwater stage could definitely work. I'd say move the current Stage 3 to Stage 4, just because it's still by far the most challenging stage so should represent the 'gateway' to the Final, to separate the elite from the simply 'strong', while the new Stage 3 should be either:

- A completely underwater timed stage, where we have obstacles like the Water Walls and some kind of underwater labyrinth (though I'm not sure how hard you can make an underwater stage without making it downright hazardous a la Sasuke 29).

- A balance stage: the reason I say this is because it always intrigued me how the original Stage 3 was a balance stage, and I felt like they never really attempted to develop that before immediately making it almost exclusively upper-body intensive with the addition of the Pipe Slider and Cliffhanger. Balance is definitely an element that's been missing from Sasuke in recent years, and remember that obstacles like the Balance Tank and Pole Bridge took out some serious competitors. I'd make it timed to instigate some suspense and prevent competitors from just going insanely slowly, and have obstacles like a buffed up Pole Bridge, a Balance Tank with a straight track, a Domino Hill, a rope walk, etc. etc. I think it would be really intriguing to see how competitors approach training for the additional skill required to the level that they can complete an entire stage centered around that skill.

[Ninja Relaxer]

Jan 27, 2021 14:43:56 GMT -5 tns8597 said:

- A completely underwater timed stage, where we have obstacles like the Water Walls and some kind of underwater labyrinth (though I'm not sure how hard you can make an underwater stage without making it downright hazardous a la Sasuke 29).

It would probably cost way too much, but if they had the money, they could give the contestants scuba-diving gear (oxygen, at least). That way, the entire stage could take place underwater without risking any drowning. The more I think about this idea, the more I like this idea.

- A balance stage: the reason I say this is because it always intrigued me how the original Stage 3 was a balance stage, and I felt like they never really attempted to develop that before immediately making it almost exclusively upper-body intensive with the addition of the Pipe Slider and Cliffhanger. Balance is definitely an element that's been missing from Sasuke in recent years, and remember that obstacles like the Balance Tank and Pole Bridge took out some serious competitors. I'd make it timed to instigate some suspense and prevent competitors from just going insanely slowly, and have obstacles like a buffed up Pole Bridge, a Balance Tank with a straight track, a Domino Hill, a rope walk, etc. etc. I think it would be really intriguing to see how competitors approach training for the additional skill required to the level that they can complete an entire stage centered around that skill.

I'm not sure why I didn't think of this. It's a great idea. They could definitely borrow a lot of obstacles from Kunoichi, which put a strong emphasis on balance. Heck, they could probably just borrow the the entire Stage 3 from Kunoichi 4-5. Domino Hill was a serious threat to every competitor. Throw in a few of the other obstacles, like you mentioned, and you have a complete stage that's discreet from all the existing ones.

[SasukeBanzukeNo1 (Moon12)]

Jan 27, 2021 14:05:46 GMT -5 ChiBiJKT48 said:

You think this never been thought by producers before? Wrong.

SASUKE 30 almost had the fifth stage if they had 11 or more Clears in Second Stage. The stage is called Stage 2B and only ten people will be allowed to attempted Third Stage based on the results in Stage 2B. But since the Clears number didn't even reach double digits, the stage was unattempted and was scrapped.

Wow, I never knew that. I did, however, know that in SASUKE 29 (the tournament before), that they had an actual time limit in the Third Stage; however, the clock was not going backwards, but forwards (think of it as an ANW city qualifier/final, where there's no time limit but time still mattered in terms of being the fastest to complete it). They even added a buzzer at the end for the competitors to press if they made the final platform from the Pipe Slider.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, the competitors who were running Stage Three were being timed simultaneously, and if two or more people completed the stage (and hit the buzzer), the one with the fastest time would be the only one to attempt the Final stage (not the other finishers). However, not one person was able to beat it (poor Yusuke), and they completely scrapped that rule like it never even happened.  

[tns8597]

That Stage 3 timer was probably one of the most pointless additions. The reason they did that was to make selections for the Sasuke ASEAN Open Cup easier, but it proved to be pointless given that everyone who made Stage 3 that tournament were selected anyway (it was Asa, Kanno, Morimoto, Kongu, and then also Shingo). The fact that they had 5 slots to choose meant that even if we did get 2-3 Stage 3 clears, there would've been literally no point in robbing those who completed it 'slower' of a Final Stage attempt as all of them would've been picked to compete regardless; just seems a bit unnecessarily mean if you ask me. Also, while Morimoto is undoubtedly the strongest competitor we've ever seen, the timer situation serves to prove that his run in 29 was somewhat unwarranted. Not only did he not actually lift the last wall of Stage 2 (which was so obvious but I'm certain they allowed him through because they were genuinely scared of there being no Stage 2 clears), but he also rested 5 minutes before the Crazy Cliffhanger as a function of the timer allowing competitors to rest as long as they wanted; in any other tournament neither move would've been allowed. Not to say he wouldn't have cleared the CCH regardless given that it's Morimoto but he shouldn't have been allowed past Stage 2.

Anyway, back to the Fifth Stage: yeah I think having Stage 1 as is, Stage 2 as is, then Stage 3 being a balance stage (the idea of an underwater stage is awesome but not feasible from a cost point of view and it's a case of the best ideas also likely being the most dangerous ones lol), Stage 4 as the upper-body stage, and Stage 5 being the Final Stage climb up Midoriyama. I can't really see the Fifth Stage coming after the current Final Stage as the final vertical climb works so well as the final and biggest mountain to climb from both a figurative and literal sense, nor should a balance stage come after the upper body stage as the latter is far more grueling and feared so should stay as the gateway to the Final.