American Ninja Warrior Junior is an American sports competition series that premiered on Universal Kids in 2018. It is a spin-off of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior — itself inspired by the Japanese obstacle course competition series Sasuke. The show, created specifically for young fans of the franchise, ran for three seasons before concluding in 2021.
The series features children aged 9 to 14 competing on scaled-down, age-appropriate versions of the obstacle courses found in the adult series. Contestants are divided into three age groups: 9–10, 11–12, and 13–14. Each episode features 12 competitors across the three age groups, with four children per group facing off in a series of seeding races and elimination rounds. The junior version uses a head-to-head format rather than the individual time-trial format used in the main show.
The competitor who advances furthest and fastest in each age group is crowned that episode’s winner, with champions from across the season advancing toward the overall title of American Ninja Warrior Junior champion in each age group. A distinctive feature of the series was the involvement of veteran competitors from the adult American Ninja Warrior as mentors, guiding and coaching the young athletes throughout the competition. Among the mentors featured across the seasons were Drew Drechsel, Meagan Martin, Najee Richardson, Barclay Stockett, Kevin Bull, and Natalie Duran.
The show produced several standout young athletes, including Vance Walker, who won the 13–14 age group in both Season 1 and Season 2, becoming the first back-to-back champion in the show’s history. Walker went on to compete in the adult American Ninja Warrior and became the show’s Last Ninja Standing in Season 13. Season 3 also made history when Bella Palmer became the first girl ever to win a championship in American Ninja Warrior Junior, claiming the 11–12 age group title. The success of the junior format also influenced the adult series, which lowered its minimum competitor age from 19 to 15 beginning with Season 13 in 2021.
Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila — the lead commentators of the adult American Ninja Warrior — reprised their roles as play-by-play and colour commentators respectively across all three seasons. Olympic gold medal gymnast Laurie Hernandez served as on-course reporter in Season 1, before being replaced by 2012 Paralympic gold and silver medalist Victoria Arlen for Seasons 2 and 3.
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