Ninja started in Japan in 1997 as a TV game show called Sasuke. Competitors went through different stages of ever-increasing difficult obstacles. The last stage was a giant tower that was called Mount Midoriyama. It was an instant success and continues on Japanese TV today, 22 seasons later.
In late 2006, the American cable channel G4 began airing broadcasts (subtitled in English or dubbed with English commentary and re-titled Ninja Warrior) of the Japanese sports entertainment television special Sasuke Coinciding with this, the channel held the first American Ninja Challenge, in which Americans gained the opportunity to be sent to compete on Sasuke. Over time, the semi-annual Sasuke broadcasts on G4 gained a cult following in the United States and eventually became some of the channel's most-watched broadcasts. This led to the creation of the American adaptation of the show, American Ninja Warrior, in 2009 American Ninja Warrior followed American Ninja Challenge as the qualifying route for Americans to enter Sasuke. Since the fourth season, American finalists compete on a nearly-identical finals course on the Las Vegas Strip instead of traveling to Japan to compete on Sasuke NBC began broadcasting the city finals and national finals episodes in the fourth season.
Over the last five years, the sport has progressed from being a reality-tv show to a sport with numerous leagues and competitions worldwide in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.