Fugu Max vs Fugu Ultra v2
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
Fugu Max (Sakana AI) and Fugu Ultra v2 (Sakana AI), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
| Fugu Max | Fugu Ultra v2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Sakana AI | Sakana AI |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥357.4 | ¥893.5 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥1,072.2 | ¥5,361 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥894 | ¥3,574 |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Release date | 9/11/2026 | 9/11/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, file | text, image, file |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | Unranked | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | Unranked | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Fugu Max: ¥1,072.2 per 1M output tokens, 80% less than Fugu Ultra v2.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Fugu Max
The word **“strawberry”** has **3** letters **“r”**.
Step by step:
1. Write the word: **s t r a w b e r r y**
2. Check each letter:
- s — no
- t — no
- **r** — yes, 1st
- a — no
- w — no
- b — no
- e — no
- **r** — yes, 2nd
- **r** — yes, 3rd
- y — no
So, the total number of **‘r’s** in **“strawberry”** is **3**.
3.7s261 output tokens
Fugu Ultra v2
**Answer: 3**
**Step-by-step reasoning:**
1. **Write out the word letter by letter**, assigning each a position:
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | no |
| 2 | t | no |
| 3 | **r** | ✅ yes |
| 4 | a | no |
| 5 | w | no |
| 6 | b | no |
| 7 | e | no |
| 8 | **r** | ✅ yes |
| 9 | **r** | ✅ yes |
| 10 | y | no |
2. **Tally the matches:** positions 3, 8, and 9 are 'r'.
3. **Sanity check by chunks:** "straw" contains one 'r' (str**a**w → the r in "str"), and "berry" contains two 'r's (be**rr**y). 1 + 2 = 3.
4. **Verify length:** the letters counted total 10, which matches the length of "strawberry" — so no letter was skipped or double-counted.
**Conclusion:** There a…
10.2s435 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Fugu Max
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so `users.map(...)` throws:
```js
function UserList({ users }) {
// if `users` is not passed, this is undefined
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
Common causes:
1. Parent renders `<UserList />` without the `users` prop.
2. State is initialized as `undefined`:
```js
const [users, setUsers] = useState();
```
3. Async data hasn’t loaded yet, but the component already renders.
4. The API returned something unexpected, e.g. `undefined`, an object, or an error response.
## Fixes
### 1. Default the prop to an empty array
```jsx
function UserList({ use…
10.6s1293 output tokens
Fugu Ultra v2
## What the error means
`TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` means that when `UserList` rendered, `users` was `undefined`, and JavaScript can't read the `.map` property off `undefined`.
The important detail: **the bug isn't really in `UserList`** — that's just where it surfaces. Destructuring `function UserList({ users })` does *not* throw when the prop is missing; it silently gives you `undefined`. The crash is deferred to the first property access, which is `.map` on line 12.
So the real question is: why is `props.users` not an array?
## Why `users` is undefined
**1. Async data hasn't arrived yet — by far the most common cause.**
```jsx
const [users, setUs…
70.8s5286 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Fugu Max
Here’s a review with concrete improvements.
## Main issues
1. **Bare `except:`**
- Catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and programming errors.
- Catch `requests.RequestException` instead, plus `ValueError` for JSON parsing if needed.
2. **Retries everything, including non-retryable errors**
- A `404` or `401` will be retried even though retrying will not help.
- Retry only transient failures: network errors, `429`, and `5xx`.
3. **Fixed 2-second sleep**
- No exponential backoff. Repeated retries can hammer the server.
- Use exponential backoff, optionally with jitter.
4. **Silent failure**
- Returning `[]` after all retries makes it hard…
24.7s3795 output tokens
Fugu Ultra v2
# Final Code Review: `get_data`
The function is compact and its intent is clear, but as written it will **fail silently in production**. Two defects dominate everything else:
1. The bare `except:` swallows every error — including `KeyboardInterrupt` and genuine logic bugs.
2. A total failure and a legitimately empty dataset both return `[]`, so callers cannot tell "the service is down" from "there are no active records."
Together these mean an outage looks exactly like a successful empty response. Everything else below is meaningful improvement; those two are the difference between code that fails loudly and code that fails invisibly.
---
## 1. Correctness and error handling
### 1.1 `e…
281.1s23317 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Fugu Max or Fugu Ultra v2?
- Per 1M output tokens, Fugu Max is ¥1,072.2 and Fugu Ultra v2 is ¥5,361 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Fugu Max is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Fugu Max and Fugu Ultra v2 compare?
- Fugu Max takes 1,000,000 tokens; Fugu Ultra v2 takes 1,000,000.
- Can I use Fugu Max and Fugu Ultra v2 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "fugu-max" or "fugu-ultra-v2" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Fugu Max and Fugu Ultra v2 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.