Cart Battle
Played: 123 times ¦ First appeared: Ep 5 ¦ Last appeared: Ep 130

The contestants that have chosen a safe hole in 'Final Fall' follow the underground tunnel and come out the pipe in front of the castle. They then go and board a motorised cart each (or, if there are a lot of contestants through, some must share a cart). Each cart has a paper ring on the front, and every contestant is armed with water pistol.

On the opposite side of the "car park" to the contestants are the guards. They share five carts of their own, which also have a ring on the front. There are usually two or three guards in one cart, and every guard has a water pistol.

There is one other cart on the guards' side – Takeshi's cart. Takeshi's cart is much bigger than everyone else's, but also has a ring on the front. The water pistol in this cart is also much bigger and much more powerful than the others.

On Tani's command the game begins, and the contestants and guards drive into battle. The contestants' aim is to break the ring on the front of Takeshi's cart with their water pistols, but they need to avoid having their ring broken in the process.

The guards try to stop the contestants succeeding by aiming at their rings. If a contestant's ring is broken they are out of the game, and have to stop.

The contestants can fight back though. If they break a ring on guards' cart, that cart has to stop.

If a contestant manages to break the ring on the front of Takeshi's cart, the contestant, and Tani, wins the game. But if all the contestants have their rings broken it's the end of the game, and Tani and his army have lost.

In the later episodes, the water pistols and rings are replaced with laser guns and sensors. Instead of having a bigger gun, Takeshi's cart now has two regular laser guns. Exactly the same rules as before apply. If a sensor on the front of a cart gets hit, the cart goes up in smoke, and they're out of the game.

Again, the contestants have to aim for the sensor on the front of Takeshi's cart. If they manage to hit it the contestant, and Tani, wins the game. But if the guards hit all the contestant's sensors first, Tani and his army have lost.

In the laser version, Tani also takes part in his own special cart. If he manages to hit Takeshi's sensor, without having his own sensor hit first, the game is won.

In family and couples' specials, both contestants in a pair ride in the same cart. One of them drives, while the other shoots.

Takeshi sometimes tries out different tactics. For example, only sending in one cart at a time, sending out a guard dressed as a cart (complete with sensor and laser gun) to run around shooting, and even sitting in an aeroplane high in the air. When Takeshi is in his plane, he can shoot the contestants' sensors down on the ground with his laser gun, but he doesn't have a sensor himself so cannot be stopped. As always, the contestants have to aim for the sensor on his usual big cart, which is still being driven around below, to win.

Water Pistol Vehicles
Theme Episodes Styles
Computer
Bug		 5 - 9
Contestants: Yellow Bug
        Guards: Pink Bug
       Takeshi: Big Pink Bug
Sea 10, 12 & 14
Contestants: Whale
        Guards: Shark
       Takeshi: Ship
Insect 11 & 13
Contestants: Bee
        Guards: Ant
       Takeshi: Beatle
Futuristic 15 - 87
Contestants: Red & White
        Guards: Blue, Yellow & White
       Takeshi: White & Orange Tank
"   " 21 - 87
Contestants: "   "
        Guards: "   "
       Takeshi: Gold Tank
Multi-coloured
Futuristic		 75 - 87
Contestants: Multi-Coloured
        Guards: "   "
       Takeshi: "   "
Laser Vehicles
Theme  Episodes  Styles
Multi-coloured
Futuristic		 88 - 130
Contestants: Multi-Coloured
        Guards: Blue, Yellow & White
       Takeshi: Gold Tank
              Tani: Red & Gold
  93 - 97
       Takeshi: Yellow Plane
  98 - 109
       Takeshi: Red Plane
  121 - 127
         Itamae: Human Cart