History YMMV / NinjaWarrior

** Omori Akira was one of the most dominant competitors in the early history of the show. In the first three tournaments, he reached the final stage each time and was only thwarted by the formidable rope climb. Not even the introduction of the dreaded [[ForeShadowing rolling log]] in the third competition had been able to stop him from clearing the first stage with ease. Fast forward to the next tournament, and he failed that exact same rolling log. Not only that, but he would never clear the first stage again despite his early success.

** Omori Akira was one of the most dominant competitors in the early history of the show. In the first three tournaments, he reached the final stage each time and was only thwarted by the formidable rope climb. Not even the introduction of the dreaded [[Foreshadowing rolling log]] in the third competition had been able to stop him from clearing the first stage with ease. Fast forward to the next tournament, and he failed that exact same rolling log. Not only that, but he would never clear the first stage again despite his early success.

** The Backstream in Stage 2, [[CreatorsPet which has remained on the course since SASUKE 28]] isn't very popular with competitors or viewers due to it being a swimming obstacle, which is the opposite of the main goal of the course, which is not ''falling into the water''. Heck, it's hated so much, it completely KILLED SASUKE 29's ratings due to controversy regarding the water jets used to make the obstacle harder (the severely reduced time limit from 135 seconds to 90 seconds didn't help either, as it resulted in only 6 out 17 people clearing the obstacle). Subsequent tournaments have not done it any favors, since the {{Nerf}} in SASUKE 30 just made it a glorified way to make the Wall Lift (and after SASUKE 32, the Reverse Conveyor) more difficult... while also resulting in a higher Stage 2 time limit, when the course is supposed to be a speed stage, even taking the Salmon Ladder into account.

** In Sasuke 27, [[spoiler: Li En Zhi]] failing the ''first obstacle'' of the first stage, after having made it past the first stage in the last 6 attempts.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: The Ultimate Cliffhanger, as it proved to be impossible to beat for 2 tournaments, during a time when the ratings were severely decreasing to begin with. To elaborate, the obstacle was twice as long as the previous versions of the Cliffhanger, meaning that it took people a long time to get past it, if their strength didn't run out due to the previous 3 obstacles all being difficult stamina-drainers in their own right. It essentially removed the audience's desire to watch contestants run the course since it was ''extremely'' unlikely that anyone could get past it, making each episode with it a foregone conclusion. It ultimately called for the entire 3rd Stage to be toned down in SASUKE 27 just to make sure people even cleared it, and even then, 5 out of the 8 people who got to the obstacle failed it. This is why the Crazy Cliffhanger was scaled down in length to just 4 ledges (One of which is incredibly small and only used to provide a grip for the transition to the last ledge), due to how the Ultimate Cliffhanger dominated the stage and prevented anyone from moving beyond it.

** Ayako Miake in ''KUNOICHI 7'' on Stage 2, failing the final obstacle, the Swinging Beams. It was the first time she ever failed the course.

* [[AudienceAlienatingPremise Audience Alienating Obstacle]]: The Ultimate Cliffhanger, as it proved to be impossible to beat for 2 tournaments, during a time when the ratings where severely decreasing. To elaborate, the obstacle was twice as long as the previous versions of the Cliffhanger, meaning that it took people a long time to get past it, if their strength didn't run out due to the previous 3 obstacles all being difficult stamina-drainers in their own right. It ultimately called for the entire 3rd Stage to be toned down in SASUKE 27 just to make sure people even cleared it, and even then, 5 out of the 8 people who got to the obstacle failed it. This is why the Crazy Cliffhanger was scaled down in length to just 4 ledges (One of which is incredibly small and only used to provide a grip for the transition to the last ledge), due to how the Ultimate Cliffhanger dominated the stage.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Minoru Kuramochi, a.k.a "Mr. Octopus." He has been ranked at number 4 on G4's craziest contestant poll and the number 4 reason to worship Ninja Warrior.
* HarsherInHindsight: Some people complained that the English announcer Stuart Hall sounded like a pedophile, which was noticeable in the ''Kunoichi'' commentary. In 2013, Hall plead guilty to several charges regarding sexual assaults against minors and more charges are coming his way. As a result, the British version has removed his dub and redubbed it with Jim North's commentary. Doesn't help matters when this conviction reminds the British of the Creator/JimmySavile controversy.

** The Backstream in Stage 2, [[CreatorsPet which has remained on the course since SASUKE 28]] isn't very popular with competitors or viewers due to it being a swimming obstacle, which is the opposite of the main goal of the course, which is not falling into the water. Heck, it's hated so much, it completely KILLED SASUKE 29's ratings due to controversy regarding the water jets used to make the obstacle harder (The severely reduced time limit from 135 seconds to 90 seconds didn't help either, as it resulted in only 6 out 17 people clearing the obstacle). Subsequent tournaments have not done it any favors, since the {{Nerf}} in SASUKE 30 just made it a glorified way to make the Wall Lift (and after SASUKE 32, the Reverse Conveyor) more difficult...while also resulting in a higher Stage 2 time limit, when the course is supposed to be a speed stage, even taking the Salmon Ladder into account.

* ShockingElimination: Arguably every time an "All-Star" (save [[FailureHero Katsumi Yamada]]) fails to make it past Stage 1, though this has become less of a shock as time went on due to both the courses getting harder and the competitors aging.

*** Another Stage 1 example is the classic Warped Wall. It's simply running up a 5.5 meter-high quarter-pipe, but the fact that it's been in the course since SASUKE 5 should give you a hint as to why it's still here (Even with variations like the Great Wall and Double Warped Wall, which didn't last long before reverting to the original version): It tends to be near the end of the stage, and as a result, most competitors get winded by the time they make it here, and while it cannot be failed except by time-outs, each additional attempt you make drains away your allotted time, and has happened to ''many'' competitors over the years.
** Stage 2's was the Spider Walk in early tournaments, due to how long it was versus the short 50-second time limit, but as the Stage evolved into a speed-stage, the time limit itself became the issue. After Nagano's victory however, the Salmon Ladder immediately proved itself as this, where you have to jump a bar onto an ascending set of rungs. It requires great upper body-strength, and is one of the first obstacles to deal with in the course. Even if competitors have figured out the proper technique, it can still take away a good chunk of the time limit and like the Cliffhanger below, tends to receive modifications to make it harder.

** Kazuhiko Akiyama as well. After his victory, his health worsened and his sight started to fade. The announcers always let us know about this fact.
* ValuesDissonance: The male American competitors, at least recently, have bicep muscles on par with Japanese competitors who intentionally exaggerate them. Averted for the female competitors, who have more lithe (but still very muscular) bodies.

* HarsherInHindsight: Some people complained that the English announcer Stuart Hall sounded like a pedophile, which was noticeable in the ''Kunoichi'' commentary. In 2013, Hall plead guilty to several charges regarding sexual assaults against minors and more charges are coming his way. As a result, the British version has removed his dub and redubbed it with Jim North's commentary. Doesn't help matters when this conviction reminds the British of the [[DepravedKidsShowHost Jimmy Savile controversy]].

* ShockingElimination: Arguably every time an "All-Star" (save [[FailureHero Katsumi Yamada]]) fails to make it past Stage 1, though this has become less of a shock as time went on due to both the courses getting harder and the competitors aging. Ayako Miake in ''Kunoichi 7'' on Stage 2.

** Another Stage 1 example is the classic Warped Wall. It's simply running up a 5.5 meter-high quarter-pipe, but the fact that it's been in the course since SASUKE 5 should give you a hint as to why it's still here (Even with variations like the Great Wall and Double Warped Wall, which didn't last long before reverting to the original version): It tends to be near the end of the stage, and as a result, most competitors get winded by the time they make it here, and while it cannot be failed except by time-outs, each additional attempt you make drains away your allotted time, and has happened to ''many'' competitors over the years.

** Another obstacle in Stage 3 is the Pipe Slider: Slide a bar to the end of the track, swing across a gap, and you're past the stage. The problem? It's the ''last'' obstacle, meaning competitors are extremely winded when they attempt it, and the bar tends to slide out of position when making the jump. Its introduction in SASUKE 2 wiped out most of the field, and after SASUKE 5, it became of the few non-Final Stage obstacles to have a ''zero'' percent clear-rate in some tournaments.

* ScrappyMechanic: The Backstream in Stage 2 isn't very popular with competitors or viewers due to it being a swimming obstacle, which is the opposite of the main goal of the course, which is not falling into the water. Heck, it's hated so much, it completely KILLED Sasuke 29's ratings due to controversy regarding the water jets used to make the obstacle harder (The severely reduced time limit from 135 seconds to 90 seconds didn't help either, as it resulted in only 6 out 17 people clearing the obstacle).
** The Swap Salmon Ladder counts as well. Many people consider it to be boring, as it consists of nothing but ledge transitions and is only half of the height of the previous Salmon Ladders. In addition, mechanical problems with the obstacle, namely retracting rungs so people don't try to cheat their way up the obstacle, mean that the bottom two rung sets don't retract, so if one end of the bar lands on them, it's an instant out. This problem became really apparent during SASUKE 30, and it's been confirmed that the Swap Salmon Ladder will be removed come SASUKE 31.

* ThatOneLevel: The Cliffhanger, on stage 3, where you have to move laterally while hanging on to a ledge about one knuckle deep, has ruined the runs of many all-stars, until they started figuring out that you need to swing like a pendulum, and only move your hands when you're at the right peak when your weight is at its lowest.

* ShockingElimination: Arguably every time an "All-Star" (save [[FailureHero Katsumi Yamada]]) fails to make it past Stage 1. Ayako Miake in ''Kunoichi 7'' on Stage 2.

** Kazuhiko Akiyama as well. After his victory, his health worsened and his sight started to fade. The announcers always let us know about this fact.

* [[AudienceAlienatingPremise Audience Alienating Obstacle]]: The Ultimate Cliffhanger, due to the fact that it proved to be impossible to beat for 2 tournaments, during a time when the ratings where severely decreasing. To elaborate, the obstacle was twice as long as the previous versions of the Cliffhanger, meaning that it took people a long time to get past it, if their strength didn't run out due to the previous 3 obstacles all being difficult stamina-drainers in their own right. It ultimately called for the entire 3rd Stage to be toned down in SASUKE 27 just to make sure people even cleared it, and even then, 5 out of the 8 people who got to the obstacle failed it. This is why the Crazy Cliffhanger was scaled down in length to just 4 ledges (One of which is incredibly small and only used to provide a grip for the transition to the last ledge), due to how the Ultimate Cliffhanger dominated the stage.

* [[AudienceAlienatingPremise Audience Alienating Obstacle]]: The Ultimate Cliffhanger, due to the fact that it proved to be impossible to beat for 2 tournaments, during a time when the ratings where severely decreasing. To elaborate, the obstacle was twice as long as the previous versions of the Cliffhanger, meaning that it took people a long time to get past it, if their stamina didn't run out due to the previous 3 obstacles all being difficult stamina-drainers in their own right. It ultimately called for the entire 3rd Stage to be toned down in SASUKE 27 just to make sure people even passed it, and even then, 3 out of the 8 people who got to the obstacle failed it. This is why the Crazy Cliffhanger was scaled down in length to just 4 ledges (One of which is incredibly small and only used to provide a grip for the transition to the last ledge), due to how the Ultimate Cliffhanger dominated the stage.

* ScrappyMechanic: The Backstream in Stage 2 isn't very popular with competitors or viewers due to it being a swimming obstacle, which is the opposite of the main goal of the course, which is not falling into the water. Heck, it's hated so much, it completely KILLED Sasuke 29's ratings due to controversy regarding the water jets used to make the obstacle harder (The severely reduced time limit from 135 seconds to 90 seconds didn't help either).

* ScrappyMechanic: The Backstream in Stage 2 isn't very popular with competitors or viewers due to it being a swimming obstacle, which is the opposite of the main goal of the course, which is not falling into the water. Heck, it's hated so much, it completely KILLED Sasuke 29's ratings.

** Kazuhiko Akiyama as well. After his victory, his health worsened and his sight started to fade. The announcers always let us know about this fact.

* ScrappyMechanic: The Backstream in Stage 2 isn't very popular with competitors or viewers due to it being a swimming obstacle, which is the opposite of the main goal of the course, which is not falling into the water, and though some may have been okay with it in the 28th tournament, it gained a new wave of hate in the next competition, where the jets on the obstacle underwent numerous changes in intensity after various attempts at it, which provoked an enormous backlash among the fans, arguing that competitors who had previously failed it should have had another go due to the numerous intesity changes. The severely reduced time limit didn't help much either (It had been cut from 135 seconds to 90 seconds).

* ScrappyMechanic: The Backstream isn't very popular with competitors or viewers

* TooGoodToLast: If the reports of Ninja Warrior ending in March 2011 are true.

* [[BoringInvincibleHero Boring Invincible Heroine]]: Averted with Ayako Miyake, who has managed to win the Kunoichi competition 3 times consecutively. It helps that the obstacles are replaced with new (and more difficult) ones which makes the odd of winning even lower, let alone doing so twice. Even more so as [[ShockingElimination she was actually eliminated at the third stage in her fourth competition]].

* TooGoodToLast: If the reports of Ninja Warrior ending in March 2011 are true.

* [[BoringInvincibleHero Boring Invincible Heroine]]: Averted with Ayako Miyake, who has managed to win the Kunoichi competition 3 times consecutively. It helps that the obstacles are replaced with new (and more difficult) ones. Even moreso that [[ShockingElimination she actually lost at the third stage in her fourth competition]].

* TooGoodTooLast: If the reports of Ninja Warrior ending in March 2011 are true.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Minoru Kuramochi, a.k.a "Mr. Octopus." He has been ranked at number 4 on G4's craziest contestant poll and the number 4 reason to worship Ninja Warrior.