Takeshi's Castle

is a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1990 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS). It features the Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi) as a count who owns a castle and sets up difficult physical challenges for players (or a volunteer army) to get to him. The show became a cult television hit around the world. It was highly influential on global popular culture, inspiring a genre of game shows involving physical challenges and painful entertainment, as well as other media. A special live "revival" was broadcast on 2 April 2005, for TBS's 50th anniversary celebrations.

Original ''Takeshi's Castle''

The original show involved between 86 and 142 contestants whom General Tani ( Hayato Tani) "forced" into a series of physical challenges, in some ways similar to those in ''It's a Knockout'' eliminating many of the contestants. Each episode ended with a "Cart Battle" in which the remaining contestants faced off against Count Takeshi (Kitano) and his henchmen. In early episodes, the contestants would storm the castle set itself in a short-range water gun assault. Later episodes introduced carts with paper rings, and eventually lasers and light-sensitive targets. If the contestant's gun penetrated the paper ring or hit the sensor on Takeshi's cart, against such weapons as a large water gun and a laser-armed plane, Takeshi's cart was deactivated, the castle was "taken" and the game won. During the water-gun version, if Takeshi was defeated, all surviving players split the prize between them. During the laser-gun version, the player who stopped Takeshi won 1 million yen (which, at the time, was roughly equivalent to US$8,000 or £5,000 sterling). In 2004 a website called Takeshi Mania published an injury list. The publisher admitted that he had fabricated the list in an effort to "make a little fun". In truth, there were few to no major injuries reported on the show.

The series featured extensive landscaping of a fixed campus at TBS-owned Midoriyama (Green Mountain) Studios that included large man-made lakes and extensive permanent obstacles in Yokohama, Kanagawa. The final regular episode aired on 14 April 1989, followed by 4 one-off specials up until 19 October 1990. A special revival took place just outside the TBS Building for the network's Spring All-Star Thanksgiving Festival on 2 April 2005, and featured Lake of the Dragon God and Gibraltar Straight.

Challenges

A wide range of challenges were used throughout the history of ''Takeshi's Castle'', some occurring only once or twice, or others in virtually every show, depending upon their popularity and ease of preparation. Many challenges involve falling into water or mud on failure. Here is a list of challenges:

*Barrier of the Border - A tall two-faced soaped slope that contestants had to climb. In order to help them, several ropes to attached at the top, and grabbing one of them would almost guarantee success. Once a contestant has made it over the wall, they have to slide down the other side and into a small trench of water.
*Wall to Freedom Becomes Far - Ten gates with eight doors each are facing the contestants. One-two doors of which are made of paper, the rest are either blocked by wooden plates or consist of paper but have a net behind. Once the contestants have made it through the tenth wall, they have to sift through a large vat of flour in order to find a colored tennis ball, which will signify victory.
*You Can't Continue on an Empty Stomach - Several buns encased in plastic bags are hanging from a rope. In order to succeed, contestants have to grab onto a bun with their mouth, whilst their arms are affixed to their sides by either an inflatable rubber ring or a large potato sack.
*Boundary Roulette - First, contestants must choose a disk with different indication, ranging from numbers from 0 to 36, "Black", "Red", "Odd" or "Even", before they have to sit down on the corresponding spot on the roulette table. Then, a giant roulette wheel is spun, and the outcome of the spin determines which contestants will be eliminated.
*First Fortress - Contestants must climb an extremely narrow and steep staircase holding water pistols, all the while making sure that the paper ring attached to their helmets doesn't get destroyed or soaked by the Takeshi Gundan who also have water pistols and targets of their own.
*Devil's Domain - There is a maze composed of either four-sided or six-sided rooms laid out in a 4x3 rectangle (5x4 when playing with three guards). The aim is to navigate the maze while avoiding the guards and reach the goal. Some doors lead to a pool of water that contestants can fall in which also constitutes a loss.
*Dragon God's Pond - In this game, contestant have to cross a lake via twenty-five (give or take) stones, some of which are affixed to the lakes floor by only a chain, which sink when stepped on. In early versions, A variation of Wall to Freedom is on the other side of the lake. Contestants must choose one of four doors, two of which are made of paper, two of which are solid. Breaking through a paper door results in win.
*Heaven and Hell - Contestants have to grab a rope, and swing across a muddy pit with the goal of landing on a platform. A later version renamed New Heaven and Hell required contestants to get some momentum by running down a pathway then swing in a semi-circle, hoping to land on a platform.
*Beach Boys and Gals - Contestants have to ride a surfboard then traverse several obstacles: Originally, contestants had to jump over several styrofoam obstacles (designed to look like axolotl) and duck under other obstacles (designed to look like a shark's mouth. Later scrapped and brought back as Spinning Beach Boys and Gals, this version was played several feet over water, with the surfboard attached to a rotating arm. The goal was to stay on the surfboard and reach the finish platform (made to look like a tropical island).
*Sumo Pon - Five sumo wrestlers are shown. Then, contestants have to draw a ball from a box, and the ball's color determines which wrestler they will be up against. They then have to defeat their opponent in a Sumo Wrestling Match in order to win.
*It's an Earthquake Grandpa! - Wearing grey wigs and clothing traditionally worn by Japanese Elders, contestants have to kneel onto a pile of foam blocks and keep their positions while the chamber they're in simulates a small earthquake.
*Runaway Train of Death - Contestants sit on a mat and are pushed down a sloped track into the water. Their aim is to jump onto a lillypad at the sides: a large wobbly one on the left and a smaller but more stable one on the right.
*Thud Calligraphy - First, contestants must fire a crossbow onto a small wheel, determining what Japanese character they need to draw. Then, they must grab an oversized brush and have 30 seconds to draw the character on the designated area of a wet slope.
*Adventure Zone - Contestants have to overcome an obstacle course akin to a video game, all the while a robot atop the background structure moves along. Reaching the end of the course ends in a win unless the aforementioned robot has reached the finish first. Should this happen, the contestant is then disqualified and usually thrown into water by a guard.
*The Longest Yard - Contestants must carry a football across the playing field while defenders wearing large foam football player costumes try to prevent them from doing so. Getting pinned on the ground by the defenders means a loss.
*Mr. Daruma is Falling Down - Based on a well known Japanese children game and while wearing oversized daruma costumes, contestants must climb up a hill. Atop the hill is a guard, facing away from the contestants, chanting "だるまさんがころんだ” (Daruma-san has fallen down). After he's finished he turns around. If he sees anyone moving, they are disqualified. If they fall down the hill, they are also disqualified. Making it to the top of the hill signifies victory.
*Flat Chest - Wearing a white bodysuit with velcro on the front, contestants must swing themselves over a lake then stick onto a Velcro wall in front of them.
*Roller Game - Contestants must cross a large pond by running over seven rolling pins placed at uneven heights. These pins can rotate on an axis making it difficult for contestants to keep them stationary.
*You Can't Save the Ball - First, contestants must knock a ball into a giant pachinko machine, then grab a bowl, run down a staircase then wait on a narrow ledge for the ball to come down so that they can jump in a pit of mud to catch it in their bowl.
*Study the Cards Game - Wearing oversized hand costumes, five contestants compete against five of Takeshi's Gundan. As the start of each round, Michiru Jo will recite a mathematical problem or a question with a numerical answer, and once he is done doing so, contestants must find the correct answer then fall onto it.
*You Too are Masaru Uno-Kid - Wearing oversized baseball player costumes, contestants must catch a baseball that either Pop or Corn bats in the air. This game is played multiple times with the same group.
*Aquatic Volleyball - Taking place on a mat floating on water, contestants must play a game of volleyball and score three points first. There are three possible opponents: Takeshi's guards, a female volleyball team or women in swimwear.
*Straight of Gibraltar - Taking place on an unstable and wobbly bridge, contestants must first catch and hold onto a golden ball shot to them by General Tani then make their way across the bridge, all the while Takeshi's Gundan fire cannonballs at them.
*Gah! I Don't Know! - Contestants sit on a circular disc on a rolling track. They are pushed down and shown several signs forming a mathematical problem. Once at the end of the track, they need to solve and say the result of the problem out loud. Answering incorrectly or failing to give an answer will make the end of the track collapse, causing the contestant to fall into a tub of flour, or in later versions, mud.
*Star Bowling - Contestants must pick one of 10 playing cards (numbered one through ten). This determines their position. Contestants are then placed into oversized bowling pin costumes with their ankles taped together. A large foam Bowling Ball is then rolled at them. If a contestant remains standing, they win. If they fall over, they lose.
*Pulling Hell - Contestants choose one of five colored ropes, the ends of which are obstructed by a large wall. Contestants then engage in a tug of war game with whomever or whatever is holding the opposite side of the rope they chose.
*Ball Run - Contestants must climb up a stepp slope, all the while Takeshi's guards roll down differently sized boulders at them. They can use several gaps in the walls to avoid them, but once they used a gap, it closes.
*Stab and Be Stabbed - In a challenge modeled after the popular children's game Pop Up Pirate, contestants sit on a giant barrel, then must choose one of six slots, with Michiru Jo sliding a sword inside. Choosing one of the two trapped slots will cause the barrel's top to tip over, which in turn makes the contestant slide down a slope into a pond. The goal is to pick 3 slots correctly (4 in its first every playing)
*Ladder Lottery of Difficult Times - Contestants must choose one of five doors, then follow the path until they come across a junction, akin to a ladder lottery. Once they reach the end of the path, they need to climb up a set of stairs and slide down the slide. If they've chosen the correct slide, they will slide into safety. An incorrect slide will drop them in the mud.
*Combinations of Love - Playes in pairs, contestants must choose a parity. Then, wearing oversized dice costumes, they are rolled down a slope one at a time, and the sum of the two dice rolls must correspond to the parity the couple chose at the beginning.
*You Jumped, Congratulations! - Contestants start on a high up platform and need to pole vault over a pond in order to land onto a small platform.
*Dash Over the Mud, Youth - Simulating a baseball game, the pitcher throws a ball that the batter purposefully misses. Once the catcher caught the ball, contestants must run from first to the second base and traverse a large strand of mud before being tagged out.
*Rush Out, Youth! - Contestants wait behind saloon doors in front of a pit of mud. On the General's whistle, Michiru Jo will shoot a soccer ball in the air, and the contestants need to traverse the mud pit to catch the ball.
*Man Eating Holes - The penultimate challenge for most of the series run. The contestants must jump into one of five large holes in the ground. Two of which are being guarded by either Makoto Dainenji or Katsuo Tokashiki and the last three leading to Takeshi's castle. Usually, Dainenji and Tokashiki are dressed in costumes and perform a skit prior to the game's start.

Music

''Takeshi's Castle'' challenges used a wide variety of well-known songs from movies, television shows, video games, anime, and other sources.

Characters

*Count "Beat" Takeshi (ビートたけし; Kitano, born 18 January 1947) — The lord of his castle and eventual target of the competition. He also made commentary on the contestants.
*Takeshi Doll — During a prolonged period when Takeshi was forbidden to appear on television (his punishment for an act of violence against reporters and photogs from a scandal magazine), one of the Emerald Guards filled in by wearing his robe and a giant papier-mâché Takeshi head, similar to ones worn by sports team mascots.
* Saburo Ishikura (石倉三郎, born 16 December 1946) — First advisor of the Takeshi's castle. Discussed the competition with Takeshi and provided comedy skits as well.
* Sonomanma Higashi (real name Hideo Higashikokubaru, born 16 September 1957) — Originally leader of the Emerald Guards. He replaced Ishikura as the advisor of the Takeshi's castle in the middle of the series run.
*Takeshi's Gundan (Defense Troops) (たけし軍団) — The Count's guards who wore white or green, seen in "Final Showdown" and other challenges, and are more popularly known as "The Emerald Guards". When Higashi became Takeshi's new advisor, Omori Utaemon took over as the leader. Other members included Matsuo Bannai, Tsumami Edamame, Yurei Yanagi, Rakkyo Ide, Great Gidayu, Dankan, Third Nagasima, "Rusher" Itamae, Taka Gadarukanaru, Hakase Suidobashi, Sintaru Mizushima and "Loyal" Tadajij Kikuchi. Rakkyo Ide was the bald guy in the "Monsters Special" who wore a shark outfit and suffered some serious bleeding when he fell in during ''Skipping Stones''. These troops were also usually seen in the background behind Takeshi and his advisor during the show.
*General Tani ( Hayato Tani) (谷隼人, born 9 September 1946) — Known in the UK and Indian version as General Lee. Led the contestants through the challenges set by Count Takeshi. His real-life wife, Kikko Matsuoka (born 11 February 1947), appeared in an episode resulting in a comedic conflict between the couple.
*Tani's Assistant – On international specials (involving non-Japanese players), General Tani was assisted by a so-far-unnamed lady who served as his translator. Chuck Wilson also acted as his assistant in two international specials.
*Junji Inagawa (also known as Jyunji Inagawa) (稲川淳二, born 9 September 1946), Akira Sakamoto (born 31 July 1949) and Shingo Yanagisawa (柳沢慎吾, born 6 March 1962) — Three of the Battlefield Reporters, however there were many more. They usually wore safari outfits.
*Kibaji Tankobo (丹古母鬼馬二, born 4 January 1950) and Shozo "Strong" Kobayashi (ストロング金剛, 25 December 1940 — 31 December 2021) — Two physically imposing guards most famous for featuring in the Honeycomb Maze challenge. Kibaji usually wore a long red wig, while Strong was bald, and they painted their faces to further intimidate contestants. In addition to frightening and chasing the contestants in the Honeycomb Maze, Tankobo and Kobayashi also smeared black, sticky paint all over the contestants that they caught in the maze. Tankobo and Kobayashi were considered to be two of the finest henchmen Takeshi had.
* Brad Lesley, aka "Animal" (亜仁丸レスリー, 11 September 1958 – 27 April 2013) — American baseball player. His main job was to humiliate and frighten the contestants in any possible way, usually dressed as a samurai complete with a sword. Animal has also been seen in a green sumo suit, spider costume, Fred Flintstone–style outfit, a baseball uniform and a Las Vegas–era Elvis Presley jumpsuit costume.
* Michiru Jo (城みちる, born 18 November 1957) — One of the few guards to have been involved from the very first episode and be involved until the show finished, he normally wore a distinctive pink outfit. Jo was a Japanese pop singer in the 1970s.
*Yoroi/Ritter Chuu — He was a sixteen-foot tall samurai who tried to keep players from reaching the goals in several games. Known in the UK as the Boxing Monster because of the size of his hands.
*Makoto Dainenji (大念寺誠) and Katsuo Tokashiki (渡嘉敷勝男, born 27 July 1960) — Makoto, a karate master, and Katsuo, a boxing champion in Japan, were the ''Final Fall'' guards, usually wearing outrageous costumes. Katsuo also served as the referee in the ''Sumo Rings'' game.
*Masanori Okada (岡田正典, born 19 October 1953) — Usually seen in the game "Slip Way", he would jump out of the water to push the contestants into the drink if they failed to reach the target. Okada has also played in the ''Honeycomb Maze'' and other games as well. Also known as the "Sea Goblin" in Japan and was a boxer in the 1970s.
* Umanosuke Ueda, (上田馬之助, 20 June 1940 – 21 December 2011) — This aggressive guard, a former wrestler in real life, has appeared in ''Honeycomb Maze'', ''Square Maze'', ''Sumo Rings'', ''Grid Iron'' and ''Bridge Ball''.
*Youshichi Shimada (島田洋七, born 10 February 1950) — A guard that was usually seen in the games ''Blueberry Hill'' in overalls akin to those worn by Dennis the Menace, and in ''Wipe Out'' dressed up as a female Native American nicknamed "Pocahontas" who would push contestants into the water if they missed the surfboard.
*Shoji Kinoshita and Shoichi Kinoshita — Better known as "Popcorn" (ポップコーン, born 1 January 1959), these well-known identical twin actors in Japan were commonly seen wearing rainbow ponchos and bowler hats. They have also worn baseball uniforms and other humorous costumes, appearing in the game ''Rice Bowl Down Hill'' where they would try and put the contestants off by singing a very annoying chant, 'unda unda unda' as well as ''Bridge Ball'' and other games. Due to their attire, they were also known as the Rainbow Warriors.
*Shinoburyo (忍竜) — Sumo wrestler in Japan who appeared in the game ''Sumo Rings'' during the series. Known as Porker in the UK edition.
*Large Fuji (born 26 August 1958 – 14 October 2012) — Replaced Shinoburyo in the later episodes as the purple sumo fighter in ''Sumo Rings''.
*Konishiki Doll — Only seen in ''Sumo Rings'' and on an odd occasion of ''Tug of War''. The Konishiki Doll was one of the Defence Troops dressed in a large costume which is meant to resemble Konishiki Yasokichi, one of the largest sumo wrestlers to ever live. Known as "Spud" in the British version.
*Noboru "Shin" Suganuma (すがぬま伸, born 5 July 1952) — Loyal member of Takeshi's Gundan, who wore red and who was a pathetic sumo wrestler in ''Sumo Rings''.
* Ritsuko Nakayama (中山 律子, born 12 October 1942) — Also known as Refreshing Ritsuko-Ritsuko, she is a professional bowler in Japan who has appeared in the ''Star Bowling'' game.
*Yutaka Enatsu — A real-life Japanese baseball player, he made a guest appearance as the pie thrower in ''Die or Pie'' in a single episode.
*"Ordinary" Oki Bondo (大木凡人, born 1 July 1949) — The emcee of the karaoke bar in the ''Karaoke'' game.
*Koji Sekiyama (関山耕司 born 22 May 1929) — Karaoke bar owner who decided whether contestants singing was good enough to progress through to the next round. Later replaced by Nobuo Yana.
* Nobuo Yana (born 13 August 1935) — Replaced Koji Sekiyama as the karaoke bar owner later in the series and decided whether a contestant had sung well enough to progress through to the next round.
*Takayuki Yokomizo (born 2 August 1963) — Bouncer in the karaoke bar who violently withdrew contestants from the building if Sekiyama (later Yana) decided that their singing wasn't good enough.
*Geisha Girls or Bunny Girls — Led by Miyuki Ono, they helped contestants in several games and also helped Takeshi and his advisor in comedy skits. Other known girls included Harumi Tomikawa, Mika, Mina Morishima, Sawada, and Mitsumi Yokota. Sometimes, when Junji and Shingo were off the show for other commitments, one of them served in the Battlefield Reporter's role.
*Shizuo Miyauchi (宮内鎮雄, born 24 January 1945) — Commentator for the original series in Japan. Retired from ''TBS'' in 2005 after working as a commentator for several decades.
*Ultraman – Has appeared in the show on many occasions, among other occasions the first was to help the kids through a number of the challenges in the "Kids Only" special, the second was as a replacement for General Tani (For Unknown Reasons). The third occasion was in the monster's special, along with other members of the "Ultra Brothers". (Due to a licensing dispute, "The Monster Special" episode of MXC was heavily edited upon its release on DVD, with all Ultraman characters removed.)

Character counterparts

International versions

Arab countries

In Arab countries the show was called ''Al Hisn'' ( ar, الحصن, , The Fort). It originally aired in the mid to late 1980s where it became a cult hit. The show was syndicated to multiple TV stations across different countries, which was a common practice at the time for localized foreign programs. Various public stations may re-run the show on non-specific occasions. Other than the voice-over commentary and the opening/closing themes, the episodes were largely retained as originally aired in Japan. The commentary was provided by Lebanese television personality Riad Sharara (), then later by Jamal Rayyan (), who is currently a well-known news broadcaster in Al Jazeera's Arabic TV news channel. The Arabic version was produced and distributed by Amman-based company Middle East Art Production and Distribution ().

In 2017 the Saudi Arabian Sports Authority Signed a contract with TBS To build a Saudi-inspired Takeshi's castle in Riyadh, the first episode of which aired on 25 September 2019 on MBC 1.

Australia

An edit of the show was produced by The Comedy Channel, it had hosts in the local studio and was redubbed. This has since been cancelled and/or finished. The show was hosted by two housemates from series two of Australian ''Big Brother'' Shannon Cleary and Nathan Morris. It also featured a crossdressing Geisha girl named Beryl. Some episodes featured a special guest third host, including Greg Fleet. Highlights appeared in Australia on the television program ''World's Weirdest TV''. The American version ''MXC'' currently airs on Fox8 (an Australian cable network). The Australian writer and critic Clive James, called ''Olimpíadas do Faustão'' (Portuguese for "Faustão's Olympics"), as an insert in Fausto Silva's Sunday-afternoon variety show ''Domingão do Faustão''. In 1994, rival SBT copied that version, and a legal action by Globo and SBT stopped the broadcasting. On 1 June 2008, SBT Keshi remake reappeared on TV, now licensed, remaking Faustão's known games (as Bridge Ball and The Run Way), not-seen in Globo games (as Skittles and Ride the Wave), and original games (cross a balance beam after spin, or cross a small bridge using a crank-kart). The games are a segment named "Gincana" in the ''Programa Silvio Santos''.

Czech Republic

It was shown by the name ''Takešiho hrad'' (Czech), with comedic voice-over by two Czech comedians. The commentary was mostly fictional. The show was popular among young viewers. The Czech TV channel also broadcast the show to Slovak Republic where it gained some popularity as well. In 2011 was ''Takešiho hrad'' broadcast on channel Prima Cool with a new single-voice commentary.

Denmark

The Danish TV station TV 2 Zulu bought the rights to air the Challenge version in Denmark, thus making the Danish broadcast identical to that in Britain.

Finland

On 7 January 2008, the television channel Jim started airing the UK version of the program. The comments are subtitled in Finnish. The show is titled ''Hullut japanilaiset'' ''(The crazy Japanese)''

France

A shortened version given a comedic voiceover by comedians Vincent Desagnat and Benjamin Morgaine has been shown on the W9 TV channel since October 2006, in a program called ''Menu W9'' (which also presented a shortened version of '' Sushi TV'' on its first season, now replaced by '' Sasuke''). It has been also broadcast on the channel M6 which shown 2 episodes per day at 6.50 p.m from Tuesday to Friday. The voices were those of the late sport presenter Thierry Roland and Moon Dailly.

Germany

A dubbed version of the show aired on DSF in 1999. This version was released on a DVD box set with 12 selected episodes. Two more volumes were planned but were presumably canceled. A German dubbed version of the 2002 UK edit airs from 3 July 2007, on RTL II. There also exists an adaptation called '' Entern oder Kentern'' (engl.: Board or Capsize) with almost the same games but pirates as antagonists and celebrities as Team Captains. This version was aired on RTL in summer 2007. Shorter versions of episodes with comical commentary air on Comedy Central.

Greece

A version aired from 2005 to 2009 on Skai TV by the name '' Το κάστρο του Τακέσι'' (Takeshi's Castle). It has been dubbed by Kostas Papageorgiou and Akindynos Gkikas.

India

A shortened version of the show is aired on the Pogo TV channel from 1 March 2005 with Hindi dubbing by Javed Jaffrey. The show was also experimentally voiced by Indian comedians Raju Srivastav, Sunil Pal, Navin Prabhakar and Ahsaan Qureshi for a short duration.

Indonesia

The original Japanese show was being re-broadcast (with Indonesian dubs) on TPI channel from 2002 to 2006 and GTV in 2013 and 2014. In 2017, MNCTV

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