Japanese Game Shows: The Weirdest Ones You Have to See to Believe

Game shows have been a part of television almost since the beginning. While many Americans are familiar with classics like Family Feud, The Price Is Right, and Let’s Make a Deal, we’re going to focus on a different, more extreme type of show. These aren’t the simple quiz or challenge shows you might expect. Instead, contestants often have to endure painful, embarrassing, or even torturous situations to win. While American reality TV can be exploitative, Japanese game shows have become internationally known for being particularly strange and over-the-top.

As a fan of Japanese game shows, I’ve noticed something interesting. A lot of what we call “shows” are actually just individual segments within a larger variety program. It’s common for each part of the show to be a completely different game, so some entries you see aren’t full series, just one-time specials! These games are wild – they can be baffling, heartbreaking, or absolutely hilarious…often all at the same time!

‘Takeshi’s Castle’

Prime Video

Takeshi’s Castle is a classic Japanese game show, often credited with first bringing the genre to international audiences. It’s similar to Wipeout, but even more over-the-top! The show stars Takeshi Kitano – a well-known film director – as a Count whose castle contestants try to conquer. Players face incredibly difficult and wacky challenges, usually ending with them falling into mud or water.

While originally known as Takeshi’s Castle, many American viewers remember the show as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge or MXC. The American version was primarily a comedy, featuring funny voiceovers added to the original Japanese footage. Compared to some other Japanese game shows, Takeshi’s Castle was relatively lighthearted, yet it became hugely popular. The show was briefly revived in 2023 with a single, wild season on Prime Video.

‘Human Tetris’ aka ‘Brain Wall’

You’ve probably seen a game like this before – it was the basis for the TV show Hole in the Wall. Called Human Tetris (also known as Brain Wall), the game is straightforward: quickly change your body shape to fit through holes in a moving wall. As the game goes on, the challenges get harder, with more complex shapes and team-based levels.

While the original ‘Human Tetris’ was a bit wild, the American version toned things down to be more suitable for families, focusing on safety and keeping the contestants from looking too competitive. The show still stands out as a uniquely strange moment in game show history, though – everything was turned up a notch, from how fast the blocks fell to how complicated the shapes were, and even the consequences of losing!

‘No Smoking Game’

NTV

A lot of the wild Japanese game show clips you see online actually come from one show, called Gaki no Tsukai, which has been on TV since 1989. It’s famous for games where the contestants can’t talk, like ‘Batsu Games’ and ‘Silent Library,’ where they have to avoid laughing even when faced with jokes or punishments. But one of the most over-the-top segments was the ‘No Smoking Game’.

The game show would ask people who smoked a lot to stop, which was difficult enough on its own. But to make it even harder, they’d put cigarettes right in front of the contestants, have others smoke nearby, or try to make them feel stressed and increase their cravings. It was a really uncomfortable situation to watch, as you could clearly see the smoker getting more and more anxious and nervous.

‘Candy Or Not Candy’

Recently, a social media trend took off where ordinary objects – like shoes, plants, or even human hands – are cut open to reveal they’re actually elaborate cakes. This idea isn’t entirely new; a similar concept appeared years ago on a Japanese game show. Though the show’s original name is hard to find in English, it’s often referred to as “Candy or Not Candy.”

The challenge is straightforward: contestants bite into different objects. Sometimes they get lucky and it’s chocolate, but other times they’re biting into everyday items like shoes, doorknobs, or picture frames. The surprising part is that they have to bite into these things hoping they might be chocolate. This concept is even stranger than the popular “is it cake?” trend.

‘Run for the Money’

Netflix

Remember the game tag? “Run for the Money” is similar, but much bigger. One hundred players are set loose in a large area and earn money for every minute they avoid being caught. Like many Japanese game shows, it features well-known personalities – comedians, social media stars, and others – all filmed with cameras as they try to outrun a team of masked chasers.

While many Japanese game shows are known for being strange, what makes this one so fun is how it takes a familiar childhood game and goes all-out with it. The show also throws in some unexpected turns – you’ll see more masked hunters appearing from every direction, and contestants might even be tempted to betray each other for a reward. As a Netflix original, it’s a great choice for viewers looking for something accessible instead of a more niche title.

‘Soapy Stairs’

It’s a strange but common source of humor to watch someone stumble and fall. From old-time vaudeville shows to today’s online fail videos, people have always found falls funny. That’s likely why the game Soapy Stairs became popular. The concept is straightforward: climb a set of stairs and reach the top. However, the stairs are covered in a slippery substance, making it incredibly difficult to stay on your feet.

Whenever a player falls, a funny cartoon sound effect plays to lighten the mood, even though falling down the stairs must be painful. While the contestants wear a lot of padding and seem to be having fun, a slip and fall still has to sting. Even though the course isn’t very long, things could get competitive quickly, and one player might accidentally eliminate everyone else with a stumble near the finish.

‘Be Cute or Get Pie’

Let’s be real, nobody wakes up looking and feeling amazing! It usually takes a while to get going. But this game show, Be Cute or Get Pie, is brutal – it forces the women competing to be instantly adorable the second they wake up, or they get a pie in the face! The setup is simple: the contestants are literally sleeping on the ground, and one by one, they’re woken up. When it’s their turn, they have to wake up looking as cute as possible. If the judges don’t think they’re cute enough, well… pie time!

Let’s be real, no one wakes up looking perfect. And these women aren’t woken up gently – they’re usually startled awake. Critics of this show argue it sends a harmful message to young girls, implying they need to constantly strive to meet unrealistic beauty standards. This show is just one of many Japanese game shows that portray women negatively, but at least the contestants remain clothed, which is a small positive.

‘The Bum Game’

This show is incredibly strange. The premise involves a male contestant identifying his girlfriend from a line of women… by their exposed bottoms. The women stand behind a screen and present their rear ends through holes, for both the contestant and the audience to view.

The show involves a man choosing between contestants in a deeply uncomfortable way. He’s allowed to physically assess them, even to the point of touching and kissing, which clearly makes everyone involved uneasy and is widely considered distasteful. It pushes the boundaries of what’s acceptable on television, especially by Western standards, and ranks among the most shocking reality shows. Even if it were staged, it would be difficult to watch, but the fact that it’s genuine makes it even more disturbing.

‘Tore!’

This Japanese game show is generally pretty lighthearted. Players answer questions similar to those on Family Feud while also completing physical challenges – things like climbing increasingly difficult walls. However, the show is best known for one particularly memorable challenge. Contestants are given a topic and must quickly list as many related items as they can, all while being wrapped in bandages like mummies.

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If contestants run out of time, they’re completely sealed inside a tomb-like structure, which can be very distressing for people who are claustrophobic. The contestants themselves are visibly frightened. To make things worse, the players are often made fun of during the challenge. One example is when a man with thinning hair was asked to name seven words containing the kanji for ‘thin.’ While the show is popular, many viewers find this particular segment difficult to watch.

‘Susunu! Denpa Shonen’

Nihon TV

Susunu! Denpa Shonen is a reality show known for its incredibly harsh challenges, designed purely to entertain viewers. One particularly notorious segment focused on a comedian hopeful named Nasubi. He was isolated in an apartment, cut off from all outside contact, and initially provided with nothing – not even food or clothing. Nasubi cleverly used magazines to enter contests and win essential supplies like food, water, and clothes. After almost a year of this, he finally won enough to earn his freedom, but was then unexpectedly forced to continue the competition in a new location.

Nasubi believed he was participating in a TV show where his experiences would be edited and broadcast later. However, his struggles were actually being live-streamed across the country. Millions watched as he deteriorated mentally while isolated in an apartment, even starting to talk to his stuffed animals. The show, Susunu! Denpa Shonen, was infamous for subjecting contestants to extreme and unusual challenges just for appearing on a game show. Due to the show’s cruelty, the Japanese government forced its cancellation, and it remains a notorious example of exploitative television.

Japan is famous for its incredibly strange and fun game shows and segments within variety shows. We’re curious: what’s your favorite unusual Japanese game show or segment?

2026-02-16 02:51