The Tsunkatse impressario called Penk likes to think that he provides his fighters with everything they require (except freedom), including food, shelter and an area in which to exercise and train, but the fact remains that Tsunkatse competitors are nothing more than captive slaves used by Penk to make huge profits both for himself and for the Norcadian government which derives a large part of its revenue from Tsunkatse. It is not known if Tsunkatse was devised like this at the outset or developed from a previous form, but Tsunkatse in its current form has existed for over 19 years, this being the length of time that the Hirogen hunter encountered by Seven of Nine and Tuvok in 2376 has been in captivity.

For the sport's promoters and their audience, the image of the sport is important, and the costumes supplied to the fighters are designed to be both practical and aesthetically pleasing for the audience, an audience that is in excess of 3 billion spread throughout the sector which includes the Norcadian star system. Tsunkatse is an extremely aggressive full-contact combat sport that is carried out in a confined arena which includes a lightly padded main floor surrounded by outwardly angled padded walls into which are built colourful illuminated panels. The large lights shine green, blue, yellow or red depending on the type of bout: Green Match, Blue Match, Yellow Match or the fight to the death which is the Red Match. The costumes worn by the contestants are designed to prevent superficial damage from contact with the floor or mesh grilles built into the side walls yet still allow the widest range of movement during fighting. The costumes are minimalist in their design, and are tailored to the body shape of the individual wearing them. One basic design is suited to all the humanoid fighters. The material used in the manufacture of the combatants' costumes is synthetic, flexible and durable, capable of minimising abrasions to the areas it covers, but offering no real protection to impact blows from an opponent. No shin pads or elbow pads are worn, nor any head-guard, gum-shield, or groin protector, as is usual or even obligatory in certain 21st century full-contact combat sports. The costumes worn in the arena are the only articles of clothing a Tsunkatse competitor is provided with, and they allow them to train in exactly the same outfit that they will wear during an actual bout.

All costumes consist of the same basic elements, namely a fitted, single piece coverall, with arms either exposed or covered, that has a fastening system running down the spine, and lightweight but strong boots fitted tightly over the ankles of the trousers, which have pain transmission units, or polaron disruptors, built into them through colored glowing panels built into the sole. Two additional pieces of clothing are worn during an actual fight, namely pain transmission gloves protecting some of the hand, and a bandolier into which are built the front and back target discs or sensors that can immobilise or even kill the wearer if they are struck correctly by their opponent's hands or feet. It is assumed that in addition a fighter is debilitated by cumulative blows. The object of the sport is for a fighter to hit his opponent's sensors while protecting their own, resulting in a sport of agility, strategy, stamina and strength. There seems to be no points system (as with certain 21st century combat sports) in that a fighter does not accumulate points for successfully striking an opponent's sensor, and their only "reward" is that a successful strike will contribute to defeating the opponent by inflicting pain via the pain transmission unit within the sensor.

Although Penk has captured a variety of lifeforms, but there is a lack of variety in the colour of the garments issued to them, with only two differing types worn by both male and female competitors. One garment coloor is a metallic grey-green that has a two-tone sheen across its smooth leather-like surface, while the other colour is a darker grey that is issued more commonly. All suits, regardless of their variation, feature thick double stitched seams around the outer edges to maximise the strength of the fabric during training and combat, with the suit worn by both Seven and the Hirogen incorporating a horizontal seam across the middle back of the costume where the upper and lower sections have been joined together.

The Hirogen's suit is unusual in that it covers all his scaly body except for the head, hands and feet [possibly for production reasons e.g. to minimise make-up], while the suit worn by Seven of Nine has no protection over the arms up to the shoulders, and features a halter-neck support for the chest [possible to show off Jeri Ryan's superb physique]. The Hirogen's suit has an extra piece of material fitting fairly closely around the neck, whereas other competitors have this area more exposed for greater flexibility of movement. In some cases, such as Penk's reigning Tsunkatse champion, a Pendari, [played by The Rock], the upper part of the costume is dispensed with completely, with only the contact point bandolier worn over his torso [no doubt to show off his superb physique too]. It is obvious from the successes of the Hirogen competitor, Seven of Nine, and the Pendari champion that the costumes themselves are not a factor in victory or defeat, but down to their skills and level of aggression.

The fingerless gloves worn by the competitors during a fight serve three purposes.

1. The gloves help to protect the hand, though not much as they do not fully cover the hand.
2. The gloves denote the level of contest, specifically the type of bout which is taking place as a coloured glowing pad is built into the upper band protecting the knuckles and top of the hand. The colour denotes the type of match to be fought e.g. blue for a Blue Match or red for the death-duel Red Matches.
3. On contact with the two target discs set into the competition bandolier, a polaron discharge is triggered into the body of the opponent with the severity of the charge ranging from a painful shock to a fatal release. One of the skills required of a Tsunkatse fighter is maneuvering around an opponent to directly hit the small circular discs. While the rest of the body is a fair target for hands and feet, the killer blows are usually transmitted through the gloves to these target areas.

The bandoliers are worn over the upper torso, and are manufactured from the same fabric as the full combatant costumes. They consist of three thick bands stitched together: one piece runs around the chest and is held in place by two straps which run over the shoulders and cross at the back for extra stability where the reflective circular target disc on the rear of the bandolier is positioned. The front disc is positioned high in the centre of the chest, thus making it far easier to defend during a confrontation.