Samurai Summit
Tatsu roller coaster, Superman The Escape, and Ninja coaster!
In the pictures of Samurai Summit above in the slide show, you're viewing the fun attractions you may enjoy in this themed area of Magic Mountain.
Tatsu Roller Coaster pictures: In the slide show (and on this page,) you'll see many pictures of Tatsu, the newest roller coaster at 6 Flags Magic Mountain! In the closeup photos of Tatsu, be sure to notice the position of the riders. As they leave the Tatsu roller coaster station, they're actually hanging face down!
Superman the Escape pictures: The slide show has 2 pictures of Superman The Escape. This popular tower ride shoots you to the heights...then sends you flying back down in a scary freefall! You'll also see pictures of the Ninja roller coaster, a family-friendly thrill ride which is suitable for most school-age children.!
Finding Samurai Summit
Samurai Summit is up a hill at Magic Mountain: They don't call this themed area "Samurai SUMMIT" for nothing! You won't reach this section of the park without a CLIMB! An alternative to trudging up one of the gasp-inducing slopes to Samurai Summit would be to take the Orient Express funicular tram...which leaves from the Six Flags Plaza section of 6 Flags (near the Grand Carousel.)
On this page, you can see photos of the attractions in the Asian-themed Samurai Summit area, and learn specific details about the rides (such as minimum height requirements.) Maybe you'll soon be placing some of these attractions on your "must see" list for your next Magic Mountain theme park visit.
Samurai Summit: Tatsu, Magic Mountain's unique roller coaster!
There has never been, nor there ever will be, another roller coaster exactly like Tatsu. That's because the Tatsu thrill coaster was designed specifically for Magic Mountains hills and curves...designed to blend with the terrain and swoop in and out of spaces between other rides in the park.
Secondly, despite Tatsu's slogan ("Fly at the speed of fear"), it remains an enjoyable roller coaster for families. That's because Tatsu is neither one of the steepest nor one of the fastest coasters at the park.
Tatsu minimum height requirement: Because the minimum height required for Tatsu riders is 54" tall, this eliminates younger children from riding. Nevertheless, the Tatsu roller coaster is a good choice for families with tweens.
Tatsu is thrilling without featuring terrifying heights nor vomit-inducing plunges. Tatsu's speed is 62 MPH...which is fast enough to be heart-pounding, but far from the fastest coaster on the planet...or even in the Magic Mountain theme park. (For example, Tatsu's neighbor, "Superman, the Escape" reaches a speed of 100 MPH!)
Prepare to dangle! Other than the loops, twists and turns of the ride track itself, the "latest thing" that Tatsu offers you is a roller coaster experience in which your body will travel in new and unusual positions.
As you can see in the photo of Tatsu to your right, riders are literally dangling with their faces and tummies to the ground as they swoop along. At other times, the riders are lying on their backs...as when they soar atop a high loop (passing Magic Mountain's famous Sky Tower), for example.
And in this picture of Tatsu to your left, you can see how the Tatsu riders dangle tummy-side down from the roller coaster's cars as they leave the station!
In the image of the Tatsu roller coaster to your right, you can see Tatsu make its very first hill-climb after leaving the boarding station.
Though Tatsu is still new (it just opened in May, 2006) and its lines are long, your wait in line will have a pleasant ending. Once you make it onto the roller coaster, the Tatsu ride lasts a satisfying 3 1/2 minutes long.
Not the steepest nor the fastest...but very fun: Although some "extreme" thrill-seekers have been disappointed by Tatsu, nearly everyone else seems to enjoy this fun addition to Six Flags Magic Mountain. This maniacal monster twists its way down a long track through 4 different themed areas of Magic Mountain park---for a ride you won't soon forget!
Superman, The Escape!
Superman, the Escape is a free-fall "tower" ride that can scare the pants off of grown men with hairy chests.
The paradox here is that kids only need to be 48" tall to ride Superman...which is 6 inches shorter than the still-thrilling, but less terrifying, Tatsu roller coaster.
Superman the Escape's ride action is simple: you go up to the top of a tower, and then you come back down again. Just because it's simple, doesn't mean the ride doesn't pack a punch!
Once you're secured into the ride car, you'll be launched out of the station at break-neck speed, reaching 100 MPH in merely 7 seconds. And that's the TAME part of this ride!
The absolute fright you'll feel as you free-fall backwards from the top of the 415 foot tall tower (that's 41 stories!) is the "worst" part of Superman the Escape...and also the part of the ride that keeps thrill-seekers coming back time and time again!
Only you can decide if the Superman attraction at Magic Mountain is "right" for your family. Before you make a final decision, I'll caution you that you'll ALSO need to take this ride's "waiting time" into consideration before planning your day.
Superman the Escape is a slow-loading ride. If you tour nearby parts of the park before attempting Superman, you'll surely notice that ride cars don't ascend the tower very often. (Superman's ride tower is clearly visible from nearby themed areas at Magic Mountain.) Even though the ride tower has 2 tracks, both of them aren't always running.
I overheard one guest leaving the Superman ride who exclaimed, "I can't believe I just waited over an hour for a 1 minute ride!" Surely, he isn't the only guest to feel this way. It's fun...but there's a long wait involved.
Therefore, if you're interested in experiencing Superman the Escape, make this adventure a priority. Arrive ahead of the crowds!
Ninja roller coaster!
Ninja is a good choice for families with younger kids who are starting to call Bugs Bunny Land the "baby rides." The minimum height requirement for the Ninja roller coaster is only 42" tall, which means that by the time your kids reach elementary school, they'll be able to board the Ninja. (My granddaughter, Natali, is always out to prove how brave she is. She rode Ninja for the first time at age 6, just after finishing 1st grade...and absolutely adored it. Myself, I would have been more timid as a child, and would have wanted to wait until I was a bit older.)
Riding the Ninja roller coaster also gives you a good return on your time-investment. This 55 MPH suspended coaster is simply too slow to attract real thrill seekers. (It doesn't even seem like it's going as fast as its advertised 55 MPH speed.) Therefore, you won't find the wait to ride Ninja to be as long as the lines for "scarier" roller coasters.
The Ninja roller coaster loads efficiently, with one train of cars loading as another makes its way around the track.
You'll ride 2-abreast on the Ninja. Harnesses pull down to cover your shoulders, as you can see in the photo to your left.
Though you'll be very securely fastened inside your ride car, you will NOT be turning completely upside-down during the course of the Ninja ride.
The Ninja's 2,700 foot-long ride course will take you whisking through some beautiful scenery. You'll ride through tree-enshrouded areas of Six Flags Magic Mountain, and get a glimpse of several other rides along the way.
When your Ninja ride is over, you may feel a bit jerked-around, but certainly not dizzy...which means you'll be ready to enjoy Samurai Summit's Superman shop.
Samurai Summit's Superman Store: At the Superman store, you'll find all sorts of items that will interest the DC Comics fans in your group. Superman merchandise here includes clothing, mugs, magnets, etc...all emblazoned with your favorite superhero!
Laughing Dragon Pizza: Or, you may wish to enjoy lunch or dinner. Samurai Summit offers you its version of Asian cuisine...at the Laughing Dragon Pizzeria. (Just kidding, of course...only a theme park would try to make pizza seem like an Asian meal!)
Despite being out-of-theme, this restaurant serves a good pizza at "typical" theme park prices. Its out-of-the-way location can sometimes mean less of a waiting time for your food than at the theme park's restaurants which lie more "along the beaten path."
MORE MAGIC MOUNTAIN PICTURES! --->
Use the button above to find photos and info about still MORE Six Flags rides, attractions and fun!
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