Tatsu is a steel flying roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard at the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park located in Valencia, California, United States. Announced on November 17, 2005, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 13, 2006 as the park's seventeenth roller coaster. Tatsu reaches a height of 170ft and speeds up to. The ride's name means Flying Beast in Japanese. The roller coaster is also the world's tallest and fastest flying coaster; is the only flying roller coaster to feature a zero-gravity roll; and has the world's highest pretzel loop. It was the world's longest flying coaster until The Flying Dinosaur surpassed it.In the roller coaster's opening year, it was named the 40th best roller coaster in the world in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards; in Mitch Hawker's Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll, the roller coaster placed at 34th position.HistoryRumors of a new roller coaster being built at Six Flags Magic Mountain first emerged in the summer of 2004. Land clearing began in mid-2005 around the Samurai Summit area of the park with track for the new roller coaster soon later beginning arriving from Ohio. Construction permits filed by Six Flags Magic Mountain and a trademark for the name Tatsu (filed on August 23, 2005) were later found by the public. Tatsu was officially announced to the public on November 17, 2005. Both Revolution and Roaring Rapids were temporarily closed in order for the roller coaster to be built. After construction and testing was complete, Tatsu opened to the public on May 13, 2006.
