Wikipedia

Kasso (TV series)

Kasso (stylised KASSO (Japanese: 滑走, Hepburn: kassō; lit. 'skating')) is a skateboarding gameshow television series originating from Japan. The series was created by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS), a network known for large-format obstacle course series such as Takeshi's Castle, Ninja Warrior, and Unbeatable Banzuke. Billed as the "Ninja Warrior of Skateboarding", Kasso has competitors attempt a series of obstacle courses with the goal of surviving through them all to win the title of Total Victory (完全制覇, kanzen seiha).

Kasso
GenreSports entertainment
Obstacle course
Created byShimon Iwazawa
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producerHayata Satake
ProducerYohei Yasunaga
Running time60 minutes (KASSO 1-3)
240 minutes (KASSO 4)
Original release
NetworkTokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) (KASSO 1-3)
Red Bull TV (KASSO 4)
ReleaseMarch 18, 2024 (2024-03-18) –
present
Related
Kinniku Banzuke

The concept for Kasso originated on the TBS series Unbeatable Banzuke, with a one-stage skateboarding obstacle course in the 1990s. In the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, skateboarding debuted as a new discipline, with Japan setting a commanding lead with 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal. Following this, skateboarding saw a large uptick in popularity in Japan. In the leadup to the 2024 Summer Olympics, TBS sought to capitalize on this success and commissioned a new series based on skateboarding.[1]

The debut tournament of Kasso premiered in Mar 2024 as a late-night pilot series. Following low viewership and the unexpected payout of five ¥1,000,000 (US$9,112) grand prizes, the staff apologized for the balance and reception of the program. The day after the broadcast, the Kasso team uploaded a 13-minute highlight reel to YouTube, which became an unexpected viral success, reaching several million views.[2] TBS decided to capitalize on this and announced that Kasso's second season would get a subtitled livestream in English and a heavy social media presence. It debuted to huge success, with many social media clips surpassing 10 million views.

Since this point in time, TBS has launched KASSO events in the United States and China, with the Japanese team travelling abroad to ensure consistent quality. TBS has indicated talks to expand to several other regions. In TBS's 2025 Investor Meeting, they announced intent to host a Kasso World Cup event in the future once more regions have established shows.[3]

Rules

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Basic rules

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In each stage, competitors are tasked with completing a designated obstacle course. The initial rounds do not require competitors to clear, opting to instead eliminate the competitors with the lowest performance. The final rounds are survival-based, where competitors must completely clear the course to advance.

Competitors are allowed to kick off at any time and can use their hands to maintain balance. Falling into water is always an elimination; however, whether or not falling off your board is a fail depends on the stage. Stages that are races or are timed typically do allow competitors to fall off their board, as the time it takes to recover is still a hindrance. In all stages, the competitor must have their board to hit the buzzer and complete the stage.

Competitors are given an open practice period where they may attempt all of the stages prior to recording; however, during the official tournament, the number of attempts on each course is limited to only 1 unless otherwise noted. In Kasso 4, competitors were given two attempts at Rail Coaster to counteract the historically low scores on this event. Additionally, competitors were given a second attempt at Million Jump LB at the request of the audience following weak overall results.

Format

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Each tournament consists of four to five stages broken into two phases: The Elimination Phase, where between 1 and 4 competitors with the worst overall performance are eliminated from the competition, and the Survival Phase, where failing the course will result in the end of your run. Of these stages, there are five categories of stages that appear in a fixed order:

Downhill Stage

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Each season begins with a downhill stage. This stage is a time trial through a downhill course with some basic jumps, ollies, and ramps and can typically be completed in around 1 minute, with the slowest competitors being eliminated.

Rail Stage

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The second stage of the series is based upon rail grinding and balance. Progress is measured by the percentage of each competitor that made it through the course, with the weakest results dropping out. The first version, Uzushio, featured a spiral with narrowing width and sharper turns until it became a rail. The following Rail Coaster versions featured a straight rail with drops, humps, seesaws, and slight curves.

Balance Stage

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It has appeared as the 3rd stage in approximately half of the tournaments. These stages feature harshly angled courses, measured by the percentage completion. These stages often feature no flat surfaces and difficult drops requiring high momentum and balance to complete. The first version, Origami, features a large origami shape with all angled platforms. The second version, Grasshopper, featured 7 curved lilypads, all placed angled with large drops.

Course Stage

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Appeared as the penultimate stage in Kasso seasons 1-3. Competitors must complete a timed obstacle course that includes half-pipes, humps, grinds, and gap jumps within a specified time limit. In the first two seasons, the time limit was a strict 31 seconds. In Kasso III, the course's time limit was increased to 63 seconds with four optional hidden buzzers that award two additional seconds. To accommodate the increased time limit, the course was made significantly more difficult.

Final Stage

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The last stage. A mad dash to the end! This course features a rail and a sliding gate and typically takes around 10 seconds to complete. Rather than a typical time limit, this course's final gate is constantly moving, increasing the difficulty over time.

Course Overview by Season

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Source:[4]

Elimination Round Survival Round
# Downhill Stage Rail Stage Balance Stage Course Stage Final Stage
1 Midoriyama Downhill Uzushio — Tokyo Upside Down Million Gate
2 Midoriyama Downhill SE Rail Coaster Origami Tokyo Upside Down SE Million Jump
3 Rail Coaster GM — Da Park
4 Long Beach Downhill Rail Coaster Big Boy Foy Grasshopper — Million Jump LB

Series Overview

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KASSO

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KASSO Episodes
# Episode Title Location # of Contestants Original Release Date
1A[5] KASSO I Yokohama, Japan 9 March 18, 2024
1B 9 March 25, 2024
2 KASSO II 15 October 7 & 14, 2024
3 KASSO III Yokohama, Japan 14 March 13 & 16, 2025
4 KASSO Fest: Skate and Sound Long Beach, United States 30 March 22, 2026[6]

KASSO Gaiden

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Gaiden, the Japanese word for "side story," are smaller, 1-stage trial events. While compilation videos have been released, these events have not received an official broadcast.

KASSO Gaiden Events[7]
# Episode Title Location # of Contestants Filming Date
GD1[8] KASSO GD San Francisco, United States February 15, 2025
GD2[9] KASSO GD IECP Ikebukuro, Japan 12 March 26, 2025
GD3[10] KASSO GD: Aranya Aranya, China October 6, 2025

Skateboarder

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The predecessor to Kasso, made by the same network, Skateboarder, featured a single, untimed course stage featuring 9 obstacles. Unlike Kasso, competitors were not allowed to come to a complete stop unless stalling and may not put their foot down or kick off at any time.

Skateboarder Seasons
# Episode Title Location # of Contestants Original Release Date
S1 Skateboarder Yokohama, Japan 32 1997
S2 Skateboarder II 32 1999

Mini KASSO

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A special side season where competitors complete a small course, where points are awarded for each successful obstacle clear as well as for tricks

Mini Kasso Seasons
# Episode Title Location # of Contestants Original Release Date
M1 Skateboarder Japan 6 July 19 to August 3, 2024

Other Media

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A mobile Endless runner game called "KASSO Gaiden: Escape from the Skaterverse" was released for iOS and Android in February 26th, 2026[11]

Season Summaries

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 ✔  Stage completed
 ✘  Stage failed
 ➤  Stage failed, but made it far enough, fast enough to advance to the next Stage
 ⏲  Stage cleared, but competitor was eliminated due to having a slow time
 ⓘ  Withdrew from the competition due to injury or last-minute scheduling conflict

KASSO 1 - Group A

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Competitor Elimination Phase Survival Phase
Country Name Midoriyama Downhill Uzushio Tokyo Upside-Down Million Gate
JPN Hayate Kamimura check 0:58.33 check check check
JPN Kuta Inukawa check 1:00.96 ☒ 85% — —
JPN Mana Sasaki check 1:01.86 92% check ☒
JPN PENPEN 1:02.84 — — —
JPN Rinku Konishi check 0:58.30 check check check
JPN Ryo Sagawa check 1:06.65 93% check ☒
JPN Shogo Tanaka ☒ — — —
JPN Taiyo Shibasaki check 1:02.02 95% ☒ —
JPN Yuto Sugawara check 1:01.66 85% ☒ —
Total Attempts 9 7 6 4

KASSO 1 - Group B

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Competitor Elimination Phase Survival Phase
Country Name Midoriyama Downhill Uzushio Tokyo Upside-Down Million Gate
JPN Aiki Arakaki check 1:07.52 check check check
JPN Ayaru Matsuki check 1:07.83 73% ☒ —
JPN Daisuke Nakamura check 1:08.16 ☒ 70% — —
JPN Kento Urano check 1:02.09 81% check ☒
JPN Ren Suematsu check 0:58.67 99% check check
JPN Sora Negishi check 1:03.31 95% check ☒
JPN Takuya Ishizuka 1:09.25 — — —
JPN Wakyo Sakamoto check 1:07.73 94% check check
JPN Yuta Ishizuka 1:10.19 — — —
Total Attempts 9 7 6 5

KASSO 2

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Competitor Elimination Phase Survival Phase
Country Name Midoriyama Downhill SE Rail Coaster Origami Tokyo Upside-Down SE Million Jump
JPN Aoi Ishimaru 0:57.31 — — — —
JPN Ayahiro Uratsuka 0:59.56 — — — —
JPN Hayate Kamimura check 0:56.41 31% 89% check ☒
USA Leo Romero check 0:54.75 16% 71% ☒ —
LAT Madars Aspe check 0:48.81 12% 68% ☒ —
JPN Mana Sasaki check 0:52.03 24% 73% check ☒
JPN Ren Suematsu check 0:49.95 72% 72% ☒ —
JPN Rinku Konishi check 0:50.06 16% 70% ☒ —
JPN Ryo Motohashi check 0:50.93 27% 92% ☒ —
JPN Shogo Tanaka check 0:53.44 9% ☒ 67% — —
JPN Sora Negishi check 0:55.64 15% 70% ☒ —
USA Wes Kramer check 0:54.75 20% 67% ☒ —
JPN Yurin Fujii check 0:55.65 ☒ 8% — — —
JPN Yuno Takahashi check 0:50.14 10% 68% ☒ —
JPN Yuro Nagahara check 0:55.11 Nota bene Withdrew — — —
Total Attempts 15 12 11 10 2

KASSO 3

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Competitor Elimination Phase Survival Phase
Country Name Midoriyama Downhill SE Rail Coaster GM Da Park Million Jump
JPN Aimu Yamazuki check 0:55.13 14% ☒ —
CAN Cordano Russell check 0:48.76 15% ☒ —
USA Greyson Fletcher check 0:48.22 16% ☒ —
JPN Hayate Kamimura check 0:55.82 20% ☒ —
JPN Issei Sakurai check 0:51.05 28% ☒ —
USA Jamie Foy check 0:48.10 14% ☒ —
USA Jiro Platt check 0:50.35 21% check check
USA Mason Silva check 0:50.31 16% check ☒
JPN Mei Sugawara 1:00.45 — — —
JPN Ren Suematsu check 0:49.96 22% ☒ —
JPN Rinku Konishi check 0:54.42 28% ☒ —
USA Roman Hager check 0:50.37 19% ☒ —
JPN Ryo Motohashi check 0:52.34 20% ☒ —
JPN Yuno Takahashi check 0:50.67 ☒ 11% — —
Total Attempts 14 13 11 2

KASSO 4

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Groups A and B competed separately for the elimination phase and then completed the survival phase together. Downhill results with no time indicate the time is not known as it was not included in the broadcast.

Competitor Elimination Phase Survival Phase
Country Name Group Midoriyama Downhill LB Rail Coaster BBF Grasshopper Million Jump
Attempt 1 Attempt 2
USA Aaron Homoki A 0:49.74 — — — —
JPN Ayahiro Uratsuka A 0:50.80 — — — —
USA Braden Hoban A check 37% ☒ 4 — —
USA CJ Collins B check 0:40.36 ☒ 14% — — —
CAN Cordano Russell B check 0:37.90 27% ☒ 3 — —
USA Dashawn Jordan A check 29% 6 ☒ ☒
USA David Loy A check 22% 6 ☒ ☒
USA Dominick Walker B 0:45.66 — — — —
USA Gavin Bottger B check 0:37.09 49% check ☒ ☒
UK Georgia Martin B check 0:44.06 ☒ 12% — — —
USA Greyson Fletcher B 0:45.59 — — — —
JPN Hayate Kamimura B check 0:37.99 33% check ☒ ☒
USA Jamie Foy A check 48% 7 ☒ ☒
USA Jiro Platt B check 0:37.94 37% check ☒ check
USA Julian Lewis B check 0:39.26 21% ☒ 2 — —
JPN Kento Urano B check 0:36.83 41% ☒ 3 — —
NOR Kevin Baekkel B check 0:35.89 39% ☒ 2 — —
USA Kyle Walker A check >37% ☒ 4 — —
USA Leo Romero B check 0:38.66 46% ☒ 2 — —
USA Olan Prenatt A Nota bene Withdrew — — — —
BRA Pedro Delfino B check 0:38.26 21% ☒ 2 — —
USA Poe Pinson B check 0:43.64 22% ☒ 3 — —
USA Raphae Ueda A check 44% ☒ 4 — —
JPN Ren Suematsu B check 0:42.73 19% ☒ 7 — —
JPN Sora Negishi A check ☒ 18% — — —
USA Taylor Kirby A check 23% ☒ 1 — —
USA Tom Schaar A check >18% ☒ — —
USA Torey Pudwill A check 21% ☒ 1 — —
JPN Yurin Fujii A check ☒ 16% — — —
JPN Yuro Nagahara A check 21% ☒ 4 — —
Total Attempts 29 25 21 6 6

List of Winners

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KASSO

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Main Season Winners
# Season Country Competitor Prize
1 1 JPN Rinku Konishi ¥1,000,000
2 JPN Hayate Kamimura
3 JPN Wakyo Sakamoto
4 JPN Ren Suematsu
5 JPN Aiki Arakaki
6 3 USA Jiro Platt
7 4 $10,000 USD

KASSO Gaiden

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The list of known winners of Kasso Gaiden. It is known that there were at least 4 additional clears in Kasso Gaiden 1; however, their identity is currently not known.

Gaiden Winners
Season Country Competitor Prize
GD1 USA Louie Lopez —
USA Dashawn Jordan —
USA MacGregor Munson —
GD2 —
GD3 JPN Sora Negishi ¥50,000 RMB

Skeboarder

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Skeboarder Winners
Season Country Competitor Prize
S1 JPN Kentaro Tanaka ¥3,000,000
S2 CAN Moses Itkonen ¥3,000,000

Mini KASSO

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Mini KASSO Winners
Season Country Competitor Notes
M1 JPN Kaede Terauchi Won with a top score of 1,100 points for clear all obstacles and landing a BS Flip

List of Course Records

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Below are a list of the best

Event Version Season Best Result Clear Time

(seconds)

 Result By
Downhill Midoriyama Downhill 1 Clear 58.30 Rinku Konishi
Midoriyama Downhill SE 2 Clear 48.81 Madars Aspe
3 48.10 Jamie Foy
Long Beach Downhill 4 Clear
Rail Uzushio 1 Clear N/A Rinku Konishi, Hayate Kamimura, Aiki Arakaki
Rail Coaster 2 72% N/A Ren Suematsu
Gaiden IECP GD2 Clear
Rail Coaster GM 3 28% N/A Issei Sakurai
Rail Coaster Big Boy Foy 4 49% N/A Gavin Bottger
Balance Origami 2 92% N/A Ryo Motohashi
Grasshopper 4 Clear 17.11 seconds Gavin Bottger
Course Tokyo Upside Down 1 Clear 27.07 seconds Hayate Kamimura
Tokyo Upside Down SE 2 Clear 28.57 seconds Hayate Kamimura
Gaiden San Francisco GD1 Clear 18.75 seconds Louie Lopez
Da Park 3 Clear 9.00 seconds Jiro Platt
Million Million Gate 1 Clear N/A Hayate Kamimura, Rinku Konishi, Wakyo Sakamoto, Ren Suematsu, Aiki Arakaki
Million Jump 2-3 Clear N/A Jiro Platt
Gaiden Aranya GD3 Clear N/A Sora Negishi
Million Jump LB 4 Clear N/A Jiro Platt

List of Kasso Competitors

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Below is an alphabetical list of every competitor who has appeared on a main season of KASSO, as well as officially confirmed competitors from the Kasso Gaiden tournaments.

Competitor Main Seasons Gaiden Mini
Country Name # 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1
USA Aaron Homoki 1 check
JPN Aiki Arakaki 1 check
JPN Aimu Yamazuki 1 check
USA Antonio Durao 1 check
JPN Aoi Ishimaru 1 check
JPN Ayahiro Uratsuka 2 check check
JPN Ayaru Matsuki 1 check
CHN Boss Xie 1 check
USA Braden Hoban 1 check
USA CJ Collins 1 check
CAN Cordano Russell 2 check check
JPN Daiki Ikeda 1 check
JPN Daisuke Ikeda 1 check
JPN Daisuke Nakamura 1 check
USA Dashawn Jordan 3 check check check
USA David Loy 1 check
USA Dominick Walker 1 check
USA Eric Koston 1 check
USA Gavin Bottger 1 check
UK Georgia Martin 1 check
JPN Ginwoo Onodera 1 check
USA Grant Taylor 1 check
USA Greyson Fletcher 2 check check
JPN Hayate Kamimura 4 check check check check
JPN Hiroyuki Matsuo 1 check
DEN Hugo Boserup 1 check
JPN Issei Sakurai 1 check
USA Jamie Foy 2 check check
CHN Jayden Zhang 1 check
USA Jiro Platt 2 check check
USA Julian Lewis 1 check
JPN Junnosuke Yonesaka 1 check
JPN Kaede Terauchi 2 check check
JPN Kai Kishi 1 check
JPN Kento Urano 2 check check
NOR Kevin Baekkel 1 check
JPN Keyaki Ike 2 check check
JPN Kuta Inukawa 1 check
USA Kyle Walker 1 check
USA Leo Romero 2 check check
USA Louie Lopez 2 check check
USA MacGregor Munson 1 check
LAT Madars Aspe 1 check
JPN Mana Sasaki 2 check check
USA Mason Silva 1 check
JPN Mei Sugawara 1 check
JPN Miyuu Ito 1 check
USA Olan Prenatt 1 check
BRA Pedro Delfino 1 check
JPN PENPEN 1 check
USA Poe Pinson 1 check
JPN Raimu Sasaki 1 check
USA Raphae Ueda 1 check
JPN Ren Suematsu 4 check check check check
JPN Riku Ando 1 check
JPN Rinku Konishi 3 check check check
USA Roman Hager 1 check
JPN Ryo Motohashi 4 check check check check
JPN Ryo Sagawa 1 check
JPN Ryo Sejiri 1 check
JPN Shimon Iwazawa 2 check check
JPN Shogo Tanaka 2 check check
JPN Sora Negishi 4 check check check check
JPN Sora Shirai 1 check
JPN Taiyo Shibasaki 2 check check
JPN Takuya Ishizuka 1 check
USA Taylor Kirby 1 check
JPN Tokiya Imamura 1 check
USA Tom Schaar 1 check
USA Torey Pudwill 1 check
JPN Tsubasa Takahagi 1 check
JPN Urano Kento 1
JPN Wakyo Sakamoto 1 check
USA Wes Kramer 1 check
JPN Yurin Fujii 4 check check check check
JPN Yuno Takahashi 2 check check
JPN Yuro Nagahara 3 check check check
JPN Yushiaki 1 check
JPN Yuta Ishizuka 1 check
JPN Yuto Sugawara 1 check
Total known competitors 18 15 14 30 10+ 12 14 6

See also

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References

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Notes

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Citations

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  1. ↑ "Behind the scenes of Kasso – An interview with Shimon Iwazawa". BUBBLE Skateboardmagazine. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  2. ↑ "KASSO". YouTube. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  3. ↑ "Integrated Report｜TBS HOLDINGS". TBS HOLDINGS. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  4. ↑ "ABOUT". KASSO. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  5. ↑ Despite being the same tournament on the same course, KASSO I was filmed and released as two entirely separate half tournaments
  6. ↑ The 1st group filmed the first three stages on March 21st, 2026. This group was only shown in short highlight reels during the broadcast of Day 2. The Finalists of the 1st group appeared alongside those in the 2nd Group at the end of the broadcast.
  7. ↑ "EVENTS". KASSO. 2026-03-21. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  8. ↑ MDAskater (2025-02-22). 世界のプロが集結！KASSOをサンフランシスコで開催しました！. Retrieved 2026-03-26 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  10. ↑ KASSO (2025-11-10). KASSO GD in CHINA 🇨🇳Catch the highlights from the event 🎥🛹🔥. Retrieved 2026-03-26 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "世界中で大注目の『KASSO』がついにゲーム化!「KASSO GAIDEN: Escape from the Skaterverse」本日iOS/Android向けに配信開始!｜TBSテレビ". TBS Topics (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-03-25.
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