Twilight of Legends (Major Sasuke spoilers!)

I had long looked forward to seeing the 22nd Sasuke competition broadcast on G4TV, and the day finally came today. Sasuke is a Japanese contest called Ninja Warrior in America, in which "one hundred determined athletes have accepted the challenge to become ... Ninja Warrior!" It's an obstacle course that tests the body and the spirit, a true measure of skill and willpower.

As the show progressed, my eagerness changed slowly to disappointment, and then to despair. One by one, my heroes all failed on the first stage, and relative nobodies advanced to the second stage... and then on to the third, and one actually made it to the fourth stage.

My giddiness mounted as an introductory program introduced a new G4 Ninja Challenge winner, David Campbell, a likeable bald guy with a very photogenic way of channeling mystical energies. Then the show announced, to my thrill, that freerunner and promising Ninja Warrior Levi Meeuwenburg would be returning; not only that, he made a one-week tour of Japan before the contest, visiting contest favorites Yamamoto Shingo, Takeda Toshihiro, and the legendary Nagano Makoto. Each of them were glad to welcome him and give him tips, but they were also all humble and encouraging rather than proud. We got to see Takeda's fire station, Yamamoto's gas station, and Nagano's fishing boat as they chatted with Levi and encouraged him. I think it's the humility and team spirit that I welcome so much about the Ninja Warrior All Stars: they all genuinely want everyone to succeed in the challenge. As Levi himself said, to him it's not a contest, it's a team sport.

They also brought back Luci something, who competed in the last Sasuke as well, but, frankly, I don't know why. It's good to have a girl, but she couldn't even compete the mini-Sasuke challenge G4 built in America. If she couldn't beat the practice run, what chance did she have in the real thing?

When the tournament itself started, I was giddy. Then, things started to happen. In a pair of bad signs, Yamamoto Shingo, who competed in every single Sasuke challenge, rising from gas jockey to the manager of three local gas stations in the eleven years of Sasuke, fell when he stumbled unexpectedly dismounted from the mat following the Halfpipe Attack. Then, the heroic Akiyama Kazuhiko, who completed the Fourth Sasuke (one of two men to have completed the challenge), slipped while attempting to climb up the side of the Halfpipe Attack and slid off. Akiyama, a former crab fisherman, was once a top competitor, but a degenerative disease has left him nearly blind. Still, he made it farther than most.

One of the men I was most looking forward to seeing was Yamada Katsumi. A former favorite to win it all, his wife and family left him for his all-out dedication to the contest, which also cost him his job. I used to think he could make it, too, but for years, he has failed to even get past the first stage. This time around, he fell from the Jumping Spider. If there is one person who I wish would make it all the way, I'd choose Yamada, because he's such a tragic figure, a real life Ahab.

Returning American decathlete Paul Terek also failed the Slider Jump, who was the first American to do exceptionally well in Sasuke, having gone to the third stage a few years ago (he's apparently also big in Japan, having won several other athletic game shows). I'm thrilled he tried again, though, and I hope he keeps going.

Then, disaster was compounded by further disaster. Several other favorites fell out with barely a mention. Then, Levi Meeuwenberg himself failed a new obstacle, the Slider Jump. Although five competitors had made it through, they were all relative unknowns, particularly two who were fresh from the Sasuke trials in Japan.

It was time to change pace. It was time for a dragon to spread his wings. It was time for hardened, smiling, tanned fisherman Nagano Makoto. Like a wise sensei, his positive attitude and wisdom, his encouragement and acceptance of all, are inspirational. And he started well, powering through the early parts of the course with no problem.

A calamity shook the heavens and the earth. All sound ceased, and a dragon fell flaming to the ground in an inferno of scorched hopes. Nagano failed to dismount the Slider Jump and splashed into the muddy water below. The great legend himself was humbled, stunned at his own failure. Every one of my favorites was out. I was heartbroken. I lost my composure, yelling, "No!" in disbelief. I wasn't being dramatic; I was genuinely moved.

The rest of the show was fascinating, but for reasons other than what I had hoped. Five newcomers entered the second stage, and, amazingly, four passed. Of the four, one made it through the grueling third stage, beating even Nagano's performance in the previous tournament. Then, he came within seconds of total victory. It seemed for the first thirty seconds of his climb like the humble shoe salesman who failed to qualify for the last two Sasukes would do it, but then he ran out of strength. Although I was hoping he would do it because that's what Nagano would have wanted, I am ashamed to say I'm glad he didn't make it. It shouldn't be so easy.

The show asked an interesting question: does this Sasuke mark the end of the All Star era? We've watched Yamada, Yamamoto, Takeda, Akiyama, and Nagano compete since almost the first. No tournament seems complete without Yamamoto's gas station cap, Takeda's orange fireman trousers, or Nagano's frosted hair and affable smile. But it's been ten years since the tournament started, and it might just be time for the new generation to take over.

Then again, the 19th competition was also a total wash for our favorites, with two no-names slipping through the first stage to wipe out early in the second. In the 21st tournament, Takeda and Nagano put in a fantastic performance, getting the two best results.

Will our heroes learn from their mistakes and come back stronger for one last hurrah? Will the All Stars who haven't succeeded yet have a chance to taste the sweet cup of success that has eluded them for so long? Will Nagano add a second victory to his dragon's hoard? Or, like all things, has the time of these legends ended, and is it time for a new group to rise to glory? I can't imagine now that anyone could take the place of the All Stars in my heart, even if they do take their place on top of the final climb to immortality on Mount Midoriyama. The All Stars are too loveable, too diverse, each with their own legendary stories behind them.

But one day, perhaps a new dragon will take flight.

((PS: It's sad to say, but I was almost as moved by this event as I was by the funeral of a dear friend that I went to over the weekend. There's something epic in Sasuke that I can't explain even in a blog of this length.))