The original show involved between 100 and 142 contestants whom General Lee (Hayato Tani) "forced" into a series of silly physical challenges, eliminating many of the contestants. Each show finished with a "Final Showdown" in which Count Takeshi (Kitano) was faced by the remaining contestants. If the contestants hit the paper ring on Takeshi's cart with their water guns and penetrated it (in later episodes replaced with lasers and a light-sensitive target), Takeshi's cart was deactivated, the castle was "taken" and the game "won". The player who stopped Takeshi won one million yen (which, at the time, was roughly equivalent to $8,000 US or £5,000 sterling).

Takeshi originally wanted the show to be a 'live-action Super Mario game'. Early in the series the games and production values were low budget, but later series featured extensive landscaping of a fixed campus at TBS-owned Midoriyama (Green Mountain) Studios that included large man-made lakes and extensive permanent obstacles in Yokohama, Japan. Takeshi decided the show should end while still at the height of popularity, which in Japanese television is common. October 18, 1990 was the Final Episode of Takeshi's Castle.

Each episode was filmed over the entire length of the day, with some challenges going well into the night. (less info)