Remake of iconic Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle is coming: Here are 6 memorable scenes from the 1980s

After over three decades since it ended, Takeshi's Castle is back with a reboot which will be showing in Singapore soon.

The iconic Japanese game show hosted by comedian Takeshi Kitano began in 1986 and took the world by storm, airing in over 150 different countries and inspiring multiple local versions of the show.

In the original series, contestants joined actor Hayato Tani's "volunteer army" and participated in a variety of physically demanding games under his command.

Their mission? To compete against "castle lord" Takeshi and his army for the prize of one million yen (S$9,500).

Takeshi and Hayato have returned in the 2023 reboot, which also features new cast members such as Subaru Kimura, Yuki Himura, Naomi Watanabe, Osamu Shitara, and more.

On the new version of the series, Takeshi said: "Takeshi's Castle is filled with the fundamentals of variety shows. The way people boldly try something nearly impossible and end up failing is one of the most fun things to watch."

Takeshi added that he hopes viewers will enjoy the remake without "thinking too much".

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While the modern take of this beloved adventure-variety series will be revamped with more contestants and a "powered-up" version of Takeshi's castle, classic games from the original will be brought back.

For nostalgia, here are six iconic obstacles and scenes of the show from the 1980s.

The Great Wall

@jmsbrown_ before #squidgame ♬ original sound - wawecris

Fittingly the starting game of the show, contestants had to climb The Great Wall to make it to the castle grounds before the whistle blew.

One father took a paid vacation day off his job as a bus driver to join in on the fun.

When asked what his daughter said to him before he came as a contestant, the man gave an answer that left viewers laughing: "She told me to get an autograph from Takeshi."

Honeycomb Maze

@greatbritishmemes Takeshi’s castle was so good growing up 😂 #britishmemes #ukmemes #greatbritishmemes #comedy #JDPassItOn #takeshiscastle ♬ original sound - greatbritishmemes

If you're familiar with Takeshi's castle, you would probably remember the legendary maze that saw unlucky contestants getting thrown into the water when unsuccessful with their attempts at escaping.

In this game, the maze was made of hexagonal-shaped rooms that looked the same, with doors that opened both ways. Players were tasked to find the exit while avoiding two guards.

The obstacle was not for the weak, seeing as how this one player hung on to the wobbly doors for dear life and scrambled to the roof.

Avalanche

@tv.gadget #takeshiscastle #best #moment ♬ suono originale - TVGadget.

Boulders tumbled down, and so did the poor contestants in this hilarious uphill battle.

To win and get to the next game, players had to fight their way to the fortress at the top of the hill while gigantic balls rolled down like snowballs in an avalanche.

While there were gaps at the side to hide at, guards waited there to push the players back into the path.

The commentator called it "ritual humiliation", and perhaps he was not entirely wrong.

Bridge Ball

@erkannsgood #foryou #takeshiscastle #fail #hitintheface ♬ Originalton - Erkannsgood

A living nightmare for those with a fear of heights, Bridge Ball was a game where contestants crossed a thin wobbly suspended bridge as they tried to catch a golden ball and hold onto it till the end.

Of course, like every other game, there were guards to prevent them from winning. Balls were fired at the contestants as they struggled their way across the bridge.

This player had the unfortunate experience of not only getting hit by balls, but landing smack on his face too.

Dragon God's Pond

@christianpulisicwheely #fyp #takeshiscastle #funny #meme #pourtoi ♬ original sound - Burgert

Dragon God's Pond was one of the most popular games in the show, but also saw the most epic fails and wins of all time.

It may look like a simple game of crossing a lake using stepping stones, but avid fans would know that not all of the stones were solid and well-supported.

Throughout the show, many have failed, some falling face first into the water.

This man however, ran through the obstacle in mere seconds.

A rare win

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Winning one game was hard enough, but getting through all of them and then winning the final battle against Takeshi and his army seemed like an impossible feat for participants and viewers alike.

When a contestant won on one episode, commentator Craig Charles exclaimed: "We have got a winner on Takeshi's Castle! Hold the front page, hold my calls, I can't talk to anybody."

One netizen living in Japan commented that every time someone won, it caused a "media frenzy" and would be on the "front-page news for a week".

Another commented: "I thought I was gonna die without witnessing a winner."

The new season of Takeshi's Castle will debut on July 25, exclusively on Prime Video.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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