Super Mario Bros Speedrunners Are 0.1 Seconds From Perfection

Speedrunners, when measured by sheer precision, outshine conventional athletes in a remarkable way. While a typical race demands raw speed, the world of speedrunning requires a sophisticated blend of dexterity, deep game knowledge, and almost no reliance on performance enhancers—perhaps only a touch of casual weed. These unsung champions are now a breath away from achieving the elusive perfect run of Super Mario Bros., as highlighted in a new video from former world record holder Kosmic.

On June 2, 2024, Brazilian speedrunner LeKukie shattered the existing record for Super Mario Bros., completing the classic in an astonishing 4:54.365. This time eclipses the previous best set in August 2025 by 0.15 seconds and sits a mere 0.10 seconds shy of the theoretical perfect run.

LeKukie’s journey began in 2019, when poverty confined him to a PS2 running an emulated version of the Nintendo classic via a laggy controller. By 2022, he acquired an NES and quickly set a world record in Lost Levels. However, the record was rescinded when it was discovered that his Brazilian NES had a unique component alteration that slowed gameplay. Recognizing his extraordinary skill, the speedrunning community rallied to provide him with an official NES and the necessary capture equipment.

After initially matching the world record on Super Mario Bros., LeKukie faced setbacks as his NES controllers wore out and competitors tightened the time. By the end of 2025, he resolved the controller issue, and in May he executed a flawless run to level 8‑4 before succumbing to lava. Just days later, he set the current world record, becoming the first to complete a perfect 8‑4 without missing a single frame and shaving half a second from his own personal best. Kosmic notes that this milestone opens the door to the possibility of a truly perfect run—one that delivers impeccable execution on every preceding level.

The precision demanded in today’s speedruns is almost unimaginable. Competitors perform choreography‑like maneuvers, shifting Mario’s direction frame by frame, often within a single split‑second, to achieve flawless runs.

Initially, many runners adopted keyboards to meet these exacting standards, but recent breakthroughs in controller techniques—thanks largely to LeKukie’s unconventional grip angles, inventive flicks, and seemingly magical timing—have pulled the community back to handheld devices.

LeKukie’s latest record left a mere six frames of improvement on level 8‑4, following a flawless run of the remainder of the game. Since then, the community has honed 8‑4 to perfection, executing it hundreds of times independently of the rest of the map. Remarkably, LeKukie also completed a run from 4‑2 to 8‑4 without a single missed frame, prompting Kosmic to suggest that a once‑thought‑impossible perfect run could be achieved in just a few days.