One of Mario's iconic abilities was actually just a glitch in the NES original, but Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto decided "it's fun" so "leave it as is"

Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that one of the most integral parts of Mario's kit in the series' 2D games started out as an accident. As much as Sonic is marketed as the fastest thing alive, and everyone's go-to when you think of speed in 2D platformers, it's easy to forget that the chubby Italian-American plumber from Brooklyn is weirdly fast too. And not just in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games artwork – where Nintendo reportedly "demanded" Mario was a step in front of the blue blur – but he's able to speed through levels and even run over small gaps that are roughly the same size as him with no issue. Turns out, his airwalking abilities weren't a part of the plan, as speaking to Casa Brutus magazine (via NintendoEverything), Miyamoto explains, "You know Mario’s B-Dash, right?