Six Flags Magic Mountain · Samurai Summit
Tatsu
The flying coaster that launches off the summit of the mountain — you ride face-down over the whole Santa Clarita valley before the pretzel loop folds the sky in half.
Ride facts
- Type
- Roller coaster
- Height
- 54in (137cm)
- Intensity
- Intense
- Motion sickness
- Moderate motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
- Inversions
- Yes
Last verified July 2026
What it is
Tatsu is a B&M flying coaster and the best thing on the mountain by most enthusiasts' reckoning. The station sits at the top of Samurai Summit, and after the lift the trains rotate to prone and the terrain falls away — the layout drops off the hillside, threads under a bridge and around the summit rides, using the mountain's own elevation as part of the ride.
Its signature is the 124-foot pretzel loop, the largest on a flying coaster when it opened: you crest a rise lying flat, the track folds you over backwards, and you pull through the loop lying on your back looking straight up at what you just fell out of. It is the single most forceful moment at this park.
Tatsu carries a 54-inch minimum, which makes it the summit's big-kid ride. Its queue is the park's most popular after X2, which is the entire case for rope-dropping it.
What riding it is actually like
Boarding is standard seats, and then the floor drops and the seats rotate you forward to face the ground before the train even leaves the station. The lift hill gives you the valley in prone position — genuinely beautiful, and the calmest thirty seconds of the ride.
The drop off the summit is terrain-hugging: the track follows the hillside down, banking around the trees at speed. Then the pretzel loop — the fold-over moment every rider remembers — and a zero-g roll and inline twists on the way back toward the station.
It ends too fast for a ride this good, which is the strongest argument for re-riding. The second lap is better than the first because you know where to look: the valley on the lift, the ground rush after the loop.
Is Tatsu scary?
Flying coasters provoke a fear of falling more than a fear of loops: the pretzel loop flips you onto your back and pulls you through the world's largest loop of its type, and the restraint is a full harness you hang in. The fear is front-loaded — the flight sections are calm enough to enjoy the view.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
Transfer into a prone-position flying seat with overhead harness. Loading takes longer than standard coasters because of the rotation from boarding to flight position.
Tips that actually help
- Rope-drop it — this is the park's best ride and the queue proves it by 10:00.
- Look ahead, not down, through the flight sections; the track-line perspective is the whole point of flying coasters.
- The restraint clamps your calves and shoulders — glasses wearers should use a strap.
- Ride before Ninja if you are doing the summit loop, not after; Tatsu's line only grows while you queue for its neighbor.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- Rope drop, full stop. Second-best is the last hour of operation.
- Typical wait
- 60–90 minutes midday in season; 10–20 at rope drop on weekdays.
- line-skip passes
- Covered by a line-skip pass
Tatsu: common questions
Is Tatsu better than X2?
For most riders, yes — Tatsu is intense without being disorienting, and the terrain flight is unique. X2 is the more extreme experience; Tatsu is the better ride. Enthusiasts argue this constantly and both sides are well represented.
What is the height requirement for Tatsu?
54 inches, the standard minimum for the park's biggest B&M coasters. There is no 48-inch tier on this one.
Does the pretzel loop make people sick?
It is the highest-force moment at the park, and motion-sensitive riders do struggle with it. The flight sections before and after are gentle by comparison. If you are prone to motion sickness, ride it before lunch, not after.