New obstacle. The Final Stage in season 3 was retooled to use the same tower as the Final Stage in Sasuke (men's Ninja Warrior). Although the basic structure is the same, there are a few major differences:
First, where Sasuke has the Spider Climb, the Kunoichi version begins with a 32 foot Ladder Climb: competitors use two metal ladders to climb the first part of the tower. As with the Spider Climb, after 20 seconds the two ladders begin to separate, making it impossible to continue if the competitor does not reach the second part in time. In the second part where Sasuke has the Rope Climb, Kunoichi competitors have the 16 foot Pole Climb. Another difference is that when Sasuke competitors time out, the rope is released, dropping the competitor to hang in the air ignominiously. Since Kunoichi competitors are climbing a pole, obviously they can't be dropped when the time runs out.
3 women reached the Final Stage this season, and all were very close to the finish. Yuko Mizuno even had her hand on the buzzer when she timed out.
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