Final draft: Stages, challenges, eliminations, and rankings explored 

On August 12, 2025, Japan’s first physical survival series, Final Draft, was released on Netflix. In the show, 25 former athletes battled through intense stages for a 30 million yen prize.

It then culminated in a final showdown between the strongest contenders. Here's a breakdown of every stage, challenge, elimination, and everything across the contest.

---

Final Draft's stage 1: The Yellow Stage (Endurance)

Challenge: Snow-Covered Mountain Climb

Competitors were tested on stamina as they climbed to an altitude of 1,500 meters.

• Winner: Atsushi Arai
• Eliminated: Yujo Kitagata (Former Professional Baseball Player)

---

Final Draft's stage 2: The Pink Stage (Perseverance)

Challenge: Sit-up Marathon

Athletes had to perform sit-ups to failure while secured under bars on an inclined slide. The four with the lowest counts were eliminated.

• Winner: Yuya Shozui
• Eliminated:
• Yu Kato (Former Women’s Baseball Player)
• Yosuke Kashiwagi (Former Japan National Soccer Team)
• Sari Baba (Former Tennis Pro)
• Goson Sakai (Former Soccer Player)

---

Final Draft's stage 3: The Blue Stage (Judgement)

Challenge: Monkey Bars

Each competitor picked four athletes to form a group of five, only to discover that teams would compete against each other.

Winners:

• Yoshio Itoi
• Kenta Tsukamoto
• Ryudai Onikura
• Naoto Hayasaka
• Hozumi Hasegawa
• Takashi Kurihara
• Koji Tokuda
• Katsuma Yonemura
• Ryosuke Miyaguni
• Masato
• Masayuki Shimokawa
• Atsushi Arai
• Kazuhiro Goya
• Yuya Shozui

Eliminated:

• Akira Kaji
• Kaho Mita
• Yoshito Okubo
• Tomoe Tamura
• Eri Tosaka
• Slowest time: Kouzi

---

Team captains (Based on highest speed in Monkey Bars challenge):

Yuya Shozui’s team:

• Atsushi Arai
• Kazuhiro Goya
• Koji Tokuda
• Ryosuke Miyaguni
• Masayuki Shimokawa

Katsuma Yonemura’s team:

• Yoshio Itoi
• Takashi Kurihara
• Kenta Tsukamoto
• Ryudai Onikura
• Hozumi Hasegawa

Eliminated after team face-off:

• Masato (Former Street Workout Athlete)
• Naoto Hayasaka (Former member of the Japan National Gymnastics Team)

---

Final Draft's stage 4: The Orange Stage (Unity)

Challenge: Sandbag Tower Climb

Teams had to stack 45-pound sandbags into towers and climb them to reach the highest platform.

Winners:

• Katsuma Yonemura
• Yoshio Itoi
• Takashi Kurihara
• Kenta Tsukamoto
• Ryudai Onikura
• Hozumi Hasegawa

Eliminated (Yuya’s Team):

• Yuya Shozui
• Atsushi Arai (Former Water Polo Player)
• Kazuhiro Goya (Former member of the Japan National Rugby Sevens Teams)
• Koji Tokuda (Former American Football Player)
• Ryosuke Miyaguni (Former Professional Baseball Player)
• Masayuki Shimokawa (Former Member of the Japan National Kabaddi Team)

Voluntary Exit: Kenta Tsukamoto walked away with 3 million yen during an early-exit offer round.

---

Final Draft's stage 5: The Gray Stage (Redemption)

Challenge: Tug of War (Redemption Rope)

The eliminated members of Yuya Shozui’s team battled among themselves for a chance at redemption.

Winner: Yuya Shozui

Final Eliminated from Redemption:

• Atsushi Arai
• Kazuhiro Goya
• Koji Tokuda
• Ryosuke Miyaguni
• Masayuki Shimokawa

---

Final Draft's stage 6: The Purple Stage (The ability to push through)

Challenges: Touch Boxing and Chase Tag (against two mystery fighters)

Finalists Chosen:

• Hozumi Hasegawa
• Yuya Shozui

Eliminated:

• Katsuma Yonemura (Former Judo Athlete)
• Yoshio Itoi
• Takashi Kurihara (Former Member of the Japan National American Football Team)
• Ryudai Onikura (Former Amateur Boxer)

Bonus Redemption Challenge: Megaball Sumo: In this, eliminated contestants competed one last time in a unique sumo-style challenge using a giant ball.

Winner: Yoshio Itoi (Re-enters as a finalist)

---

Last Stage of Final Draft: The Red Stage (Strength and Spirit)

Yoshio Itoi won the show (Image via X/@NetflixJP)

Challenge: The Final Crawl

Athletes had to crawl using both hands and feet across a floor with scattered holds. The first to hit the goal button earned a point. Once a point was scored, the goal was moved one meter further for that player. The first to score two points would win.

Finalists:

• Hozumi Hasegawa
• Yuya Shozui
• Yoshio Itoi

Champion:

Former professional baseball player Yoshio Itoi won Final Draft and secured the 30 million yen prize.

Final Eliminated:

• Hozumi Hasegawa (Former Boxing World Champion)
• Yuya Shozui (Former Baseball Phenom)

---

All 8 episodes of the Japanese survival show are available to stream on Netflix!