Super Mario Bros. Speedrunners Just Missed Perfection by 0.1 Seconds
Speedrunners are, without a doubt, on a whole different level compared to regular runners. While traditional running might just come down to better training or performance-enhancing substances, speedrunning is a whole different beast that requires a unique blend of skill, dexterity, and deep game knowledge—often with little to no substances involved, maybe just a bit of weed. Recently, a former world record holder for Super Mario Bros., Kosmic, highlighted that speedrunners are now just 0.1 seconds shy of achieving a flawless run.
A fresh face has emerged in the speedrunning community: LeKukie, who set a new world record for Super Mario Bros. on June 2, clocking in at 4:54:365. This impressive time is 15 tenths of a second faster than the previous record set in August 2025, and it’s a mere 100 milliseconds from the theoretical perfect run.
LeKukie’s journey to this record is quite remarkable. He started playing in 2019 but faced challenges due to financial constraints, initially using a PS2 with a laggy emulated version of the game. By 2022, he acquired an NES and quickly set a world record in Lost Levels, only to lose it when it was discovered that his Brazilian NES had a unique component that caused it to run slightly slower. However, the speedrunning community recognized his incredible talent and rallied to provide him with an official NES and capture equipment, allowing him to pursue legitimate records.
His first achievement was tying the world record for Super Mario Bros., but then he hit another snag. Six months later, his NES controllers were worn out, and with others closing in on the record, it seemed like a setback. Fortunately, by late 2025, he had new controllers, and things began to turn around. In May, he executed a perfect run up to 8-4, only to fall into lava. Just days later, he achieved the current world record, marking a historic moment by completing 8-4 flawlessly without missing a single frame, and cutting half a second off his personal best. This was a monumental achievement, and as Kosmic noted, it raised the possibility that a truly perfect run—one that includes flawless execution across all levels—might be within reach.
The level of skill displayed by these players is astonishing. They maneuver Mario with such precision that it often involves changing direction multiple times within a single frame. The community had experimented with keyboards to achieve this level of control, but recent advancements in controller techniques have seen a resurgence in that direction, largely thanks to LeKukie’s innovative grip, unique flicking methods, and what can only be described as wizardry.
LeKukie’s record left just six frames of potential improvement on 8-4 after a perfect run of the rest of the game. Since then, the focus has shifted to perfecting 8-4, with numerous players achieving this independently from the rest of the game. LeKukie has even completed a run from 4-2 to 8-4 without missing a single frame. This leads Kosmic to believe that a perfect run, once thought to be unattainable, could be just days away.
