History Series / UnbeatableBanzuke

* RareVehicles: There are courses where competitors have to ride on unicycles, skateboards, a pogo stick and a giant rubber ball.

-->-- '''OpeningNarration''' of ''Unbeatable Banzuke''' (US ver.)

-->-- '''OpeningNarration'''

* CatchPhrase
-->'''Rome Kanda/Kei Kato:''' "Until next time, this is Kato Kei...the doors to the Temple of Champions are ~ sealed."

* {{Engrish}}: In ''Like A Pierrot Ghost'', competitors pick up a phone, which proceeds to play the following soundbyte to them: ''[[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar YOU ARE ARLEADY DEAD]]. * EvilLaugh, DramaticThunder* '' With exactly that enunciation. May be a bit of {{Narm}} for English speaking audiences.

--->'''Creator/DaveWittenberg:''' "She's a school dietician, responsible for student lunches at an elementary school. For some reason, she came to the event dressed as a [[PlayboyBunny waitress]]."

-->'''BRIAN BLESSED:''' ''THREE?!'' THREE NEW CHAMPIONS!? BANZUKE BRIAN HAS NEVER WITNESSED SUCH A CATASTROPHE! THREE! THRICE THE SKILL! THRICE THE SPEED! ''THRICE THE HUMILIATION!''

** AdaptationDistillation: The G4/international version could be considered this. The original show didn't just have events, but also sports related segments like for example comedian Akira Omori's (a three-times finalist on sister show ''Series/Ninja Warrior'') bouts with training Muai-Thai. Knowing what clicked with the viewers, G4 ended up getting the footage for only the various obstacle courses and the oddball events not related to any sport (like for example Extra Kendama, Banzai 90 and the abovementioned Daruma 7), added some post production graphics, a new intro and segments with Rome Kanda as Kei Kato (or the glorious hamminess of Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} as Banzuke Brian if you're a Brit). The result was G4 catching lightning in a bottle again, making a CultClassic of a show.

** AdaptationDistillation: Alternatively the G4/international version could be considered this. The original show didn't just have events, but also sports related segments like for example comedian Akira Omori's (a three-times finalist on sister show Series/Ninja Warrior) bouts with training Muai-Thai. Knowing what clicked with the viewers, G4 ended up getting the footage for only the various obstacle courses and the oddball events not related to any sport (like for example Extra Kendama, Banzai 90 and the abovementioned Daruma 7), added some post production graphics, a new intro and segments with Rome Kanda as Kei Kato (or the glorious hamminess of Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} as Banzuke Brian if you're a Brit). The result was G4 catching lightning in a bottle again, making a CultClassic of a show.

** AdaptationDistillation: Alternatively the G4/international version could be considered this. The original show didn't just have events, but also sports related segments like for example comedian Akira Omori's (a three-times finalist on sister show LiveActionTV/{{Ninja Warrior}}) bouts with training Muai-Thai. Knowing what clicked with the viewers, G4 ended up getting the footage for only the various obstacle courses and the oddball events not related to any sport (like for example Extra Kendama, Banzai 90 and the abovementioned Daruma 7), added some post production graphics, a new intro and segments with Rome Kanda as Kei Kato (or the glorious hamminess of Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} as Banzuke Brian if you're a Brit). The result was G4 catching lightning in the bottle again, making an CultClassic of a show.

Also known by the name ''"Kinniku Banzuke"'', which literally means "Muscle Ranking", ''Unbeatable Banzuke'' is a Japanese athletic GameShow in which competitors are challenged in one of nearly two dozen events, all for the honor of [[BraggingRightsReward adding their name to the list of champions, the titular BANZUKE]]. This show is in a similar vein to ''Series/NinjaWarrior''; [[NoDamageRun failing once]] on any given event means you are out. It was shown in the United States on G4 TV, often hand in hand with ''Ninja Warrior''. In Australia, it premiered on Creator/{{SBS2}} on April 2 2012.

Unfortunately, since it's not on the air anymore, G4 only shows a decent handful of episodes over and over again. Thankfully, they have gotten a fresh batch of episodes in recently, which are going into rotation.

* CareerEndingInjury: The show was cancelled in May 2002 because of two back-to-back accidents in a dangerous new challenge called Power Island. The contestants had to catch a ball weighting 47kg and that had 1.8m of diameter as [[IndyEscape it rolled down a slope]], push it to the top and then balance over it across a path. The first contestant, a Chinese student, fell off it and would be diagnosed with cervical vertebrae injury. Because he didn't look too hurt as he left for medical care the staff just resumed the show. And then the next contestant, a Japanese student, was outright run over by the ball and was paralyzed by the injuries.

* HarderThanHard: The difficult varies at times, but in general, each of the events are fairly difficult, and you have to EARN your victory.

** Taken to (il)logical extremes with the upgrade of the unicycle event "Like A Pierrot". After five course upgrades before it were all beaten, the course was upgraded into "Like A Pierrot Ghost", a track with a definitive horror movie theme. The first competitor was [[BreakTheCutie a second-grade schoolgirl]]. No one was able to get past the next-to-last obstacle before the show's cancelation.

* HarderThanHard: Again, no shortage of that here.

* LevelAte: The first half of ''Neko de Drive'', which has obstacles such as a steep, slick watermelon slice and a narrow circular [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin doughnut]] competitors must do a full rotation on before progressing. The second half of the course is more in line with the IncredibleShrinkingMan.

* TrueCompanions: The word "nakama" is used in a co-op event; i.e., an obstacle course where two people tied together by an elastic rope have to navigate a series of obstacles.

* {{Engrish}}: In ''Like A Pierrot Ghost'', competitors pick up a phone, which proceeds to play the following soundbyte to them: ''[[FistOfTheNorthStar YOU ARE ARLEADY DEAD]]. * EvilLaugh, DramaticThunder* '' With exactly that enunciation. May be a bit of {{Narm}} for English speaking audiences.

%%* TrueArtIsForeign: G4, in localizing the show for American audiences, hired a host who only speaks Japanese and must be subtitled. Presumably this was to play up its status as a foreign game show.

* TrueArtIsForeign: G4, in localizing the show for American audiences, hired a host who only speaks Japanese and must be subtitled. Presumably this was to play up its status as a foreign game show.

** Also, that ludicrous outfit BRIANBLESSED has to wear.

Also known by the name ''"Kinniku Banzuke"'', which literally means "Muscle Ranking", ''Unbeatable Banzuke'' is a Japanese athletic GameShow in which competitors are challenged in one of nearly two dozen events, all for the honor of [[BraggingRightsReward adding their name to the list of champions, the titular BANZUKE]]. This show is in a similar vein to ''Series/NinjaWarrior''; [[NoDamageRun failing once]] on any given event means you are out. It is shown in the United States on G4 TV, often hand in hand with ''Ninja Warrior''. In Australia, it premiered on Creator/{{SBS2}} on April 2 2012.

* IKnowMaddenKombat: Multiple contestants show up in their full uniform from work or sports, regardless that the skill they came dressed for has no direct link to the challenge at hand[[note]]Why anyone would think that an expert surfer might have an edge for a pogo jumping obstacle course is left for the audience to decide[[/note]]. This always leads the commentator to ask "Will their [unrelated skill] help them conquer the course?" The answer is always a resounding ''NO.''

* HumongousMecha / EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: The opening sequence, commercial headers, and occasional ''scene transitions'' on the G4 airing feature a giant samurai-adorned robot. Yes, G4. We get it. Unbeatable Banzuke is Japanese and [[BadAss badass]].

----

* BrianBlessed: The host of the United Kingdom version. The American version just get a straight sub on the G4 TV Network, with Creator/DaveWittenberg doing dubbed commentary.
** It should be pointed out that "host" rather undersells it. Blessed presents the show as "Banzuke Brian", wearing bright red plastic samurai armour slightly too small for him, enters the set every episode doing effects-enhanced spins and jump kicks and generally being as Brian Blessedy as possible. It is glorious.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/UB_-_Title_image.jpg
[[caption-width:215:Close to being ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.]]

* SpinOff: [[NinjaWarrior SASUKE]], which turned into its own phenomenon.