The New King of Smash: The Story of MKLeo

Leonardo “MkLeo” Lopez Perez’s journey towards Smash stardom began in his hometown of Mexico City. His brother ran locals and his cousins were among Mexico’s top-ranked players, so Leo took to the game earlier than most.
In fact, he was pretty much born to be a Smasher.
From his rivalry with ZeRo to his incredible EVO win, this is the Story of MKLeo.
Written By: Dimitri Pascaluta (@DPascaluta)
Edited By: Matt Massey
Narrated By: Colin McNeil (@McNeilColin)
Footage Courtesy of:
pastebin.com/w2Vi15ZM
Image of MKLeo courtesy of Echo Fox
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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[@goofytuna6077]

did him dirty in the thumbnail

[@DixieSchizo]

Haha tru

[@hyouenzi]

tru tru

[@linuxafrica2584]

First thing i thought smh 😂

[@JavierPwns]

First thing I thought too

[@DexTheMenace]

Honestly that's a crime

[@nerve7090]

"He was pretty much born to be a smasher" Glad the stereotype of gamers being virigins has been disproved.

[@thegamingguy1]

Hes quite the upstanding respectable guy I must say.

[@alebeerzy1890]

The first 3 replies hurt my soul.

[@madmoxxi7397]

The replies genuinely hurt my brain "Smasher" Smashing people Its not hard

[@vegitoblue4601]

@DONT MIND MY PROFILE PIC ! that prfp tho

[@Justicek02nd]

@leo mendoza He has a girlfriend.. highly doubt that

[@yubas8070]

My Favorite MKLeo stats: -Leo has won 8 Smash majors in Ultimat so far, the next best Person, Nairo, has won 2 -Since Momocon in May 2019 MKleos worst Placement at any Tournament was 2nd

[@hamzaalsilwadi6888]

@@maxbentley9162 Online tournaments don't count and will never count. Ultimate Online sucks and is a whole different game.

[@martinpayne8769]

Tobias Zeller thank you lol, people is picking and choosing what to give credit for. What you place is what you place, regardless of lan or over wifi.

[@papidogsucker]

Tobias Zeller nah online tournament results just don’t count at all. the online for smash is literally unacceptable for any fighting game let alone a triple a game.

[@olwill1321]

@@maxbentley9162 ultimate online is dogshit lmao its a different game

[@slowcookerhomeplanet]

@@martinpayne8769 online sucks and isn't being used for any rankings except specific wifi only rankings

[@SkyreeXScalabar]

Can't wait for ZeRo to react to this on his channel Edit: well this aged like milk

[@evankurasu3190]

lol u rite

[@btu1734]

That’s definitely gonna happen. Probably within a week or two a video will be out lol

[@xdrawesome314x4]

I thought zero was the greatest what happend?

[@yutfrul948]

@@xdrawesome314x4 He stopped competing but his videos are entertaining.

[@xdrawesome314x4]

@@yutfrul948 Stop competing? Why?

[@IamNster]

Being Hispanic is the Smash equivalent of Hashirama cells in naruto

[@dsafdgbfadf]

Does that mean he can enter Ese mode???

[@undyingjustice6450]

Hey, Asians got Tekken, Koreans for RTS, North Americans got FPS, Latinos needed to be good at something

[@leonfes]

Mang0 Márquez ZeRo Gonzalo Barrios MK Leo nardo Perez

[@aer2964]

León Felipe Morales Priego don’t forget about Hungrybox

[@randomgamerdude98]

Nairo is Dominican, Maister is Mexican, Light is Puerto Rican, etc. Yeah your absolutely right lmao

[@Abbaschand]

This video is basically a "Samsora getting demolished by MkLeo" compilation.

[@michaeljames6737]

Where it was like two times

[@checknow1235163]

@@michaeljames6737 L

[@rotttttttttttten]

He looked sooo distraught everytime 😭

[@ryanrusch8644]

It was at least four times

[@dodosilent]

The guy is 19 years old, and he’s travelling the world, beating everyone for years now, becoming better and better, speaking a foreign language since he was a kid, and he is humble to top it off. This guy is an inspiration.

[@giossjbgoku7499]

So true

[@trickygriffongaming3473]

They just brush off that set with elegant like it wasn’t one of the most hype matches of all time

[@MicroCheese64]

Mkleo is amazing and I like to root for him, but that was one of the moments, where I wished he lost.

[@narfranarf]

That ending fucked me up bruh Luigi’s forward air sending him the wrong way

[@joevarrick]

@@narfranarf it was a back air

[@yosma6]

Nooo don’t tell me it was the set with Elegant’s bair that didn’t send to the right way 😭😭

[@rhysjones1108]

MD • YOSMA wasn’t it previously in that same unholy set where he also got a back air that would have killed but hit the sour spot

[@juicebox9300]

Leo: I’m gonna pick up joker Everyone: Lmao Joker is trash don’t bother Also everyone: LeO iS cArRiEd By JoKeR 13:52 this is the time stamp for people saying it was a bad idea. Also, I doubt it was just those few people saying it was bad if the makers of this video felt it was necessary to include it

[@boaphil]

Very true lmao

[@AM_CLARKE]

nobody said joker was trash

[@thebuffgo1]

Stephen Clarke it literally shows examples in the video when people did

[@BauchmanFTW]

no one believed Joker was bad he was top tier from the start and that without his Arsene which makes this charactar 100% better in everything, before Joker MKLeo Abused Lucina another top tier character but with her he only was a Looser who didnt Accomplish anything

[@realislit8064]

@@BauchmanFTW lol alot of popular players when reviewing joker just said he's just okay

[@michaelmassari39]

"That Mexican Guy" - Evo Lineup Guy

[@XC11301991]

Hbox - "He is, Mexican"!

[@user-lq4ct6dr5m]

That Leo guy - ZeRo

[@mickeyari2628]

"a champion was once a contender, that simply refused to give up'

[@adrianpadlan7145]

Saw him live at EVO 2019. Nothing but energy in the stadium. Incredible

[@utjason35]

I know right it was crazy

[@draekoalmazan]

"It's Showtime." - (probably) MKLeo and Joker 2019

[@rabihurmiz5306]

where akechi at?

[@hellohello6223]

Still behind those solid walls in Shido's bootleg Titanic

[@judgefish4044]

Never got any of the hate for Leo. I know it was just people salty that he kept winning but how can you not like him. Fun to watch, humble and the vast majority of people don't have a bad word to say about him. We should be grateful Leo is representing the scene.

[@sigurdtheblue]

If nobody has a bad word to say about him, then what are you complaining about???

[@judgefish4044]

@@sigurdtheblue Sorry worded it wrong people do hate on him which appears to be because of him winning a lot.

[@DusKNoiR666]

@@judgefish4044 source? i swear i haven't seen a single negative comment about MKLeo since 2015 i remember people saying that the kid (14yo at the time) was being cocky as fuck because, after dismantling Mr. R and winning Smash Factor 4, he stated on camera that he could and would beat ZeRo the argument was kinda valid because in that time he hadn't gotten out of Mexico yet, but boy did he shut some people's mouths HARD

[@judgefish4044]

@@DusKNoiR666 I don't have any sources and it wasn't a lot of people but during his dominant era some people naturally hated him winning because it happens with almost every dominant champion

[@SpyderBey]

@@judgefish4044 Why do people ask for sources when all they have to do is look at a KZbin comment section 🙄. It's obvious that you're correct btw :)

[@Kinben69]

From the thumbnail I thought he is that guy that does low budget cosplays

[@sisco5153]

😂😂😂😂

[@2001CusinartToaster]

AnimeCenter tell me who does the low budget cosplay

[@Kinben69]

@@2001CusinartToaster Anucha Cha Saengchart

[@henryzhou5414]

@@2001CusinartToaster also CDawgVA, tho idk if his budget counts as "low"

[@joshuarangel9056]

Talking about little z?

[@sp3ctre5ive8]

God I love MkLeo. He is my favorite player. He inspired me to start getting competitive in smash. The Evo Comeback is what one of my most favorite moments in all of esports. And one of the most anime moment s in their entire game

[@eddyzeddy5573]

Dude, that Evo Comeback was sooo hype!

[@hyouenzi]

fellow jokers

[@beesemurger2267]

Leo’s been playing since he was a fetus.

[@N0GG1N]

Is this a Samsora reference?

[@Beanyk]

Baldski

[@bryce.baldevas]

Hey nice profile picture.

[@jadonchan6571]

probably won one when he was one too

[@Cheesesteakfreak]

MKLeo's Metaknight at the end of Sm4sh was...so freaking next level.

[@z-past1454]

JW Money Ay, we got the smash 4 marth complainer. I remember when I beat you. One of my best memories.

[@andreibors7930]

@@z-past1454 You _definitely_ have a lot of friends with that attitude of yours, don't you?

[@z-past1454]

Andrei Bors yep

[@z-past1454]

Jameson Cole He was know for spamming “marth is a mid tier” in every mkleo match. He would also complain about other marths being “bad”

[@bromanr7209]

@@z-past1454 shut up you're just another failed KZbinr.

[@gamma_centauri]

Everyone before Leo’s greatness in Ultimate: “oh man, Joker is TRASH. His combos suck, Arsene is just needlessly broken, and nothing Joker does is good at all.” People after Leo becomes good with Joker: “OH MY GOD! JOKER IS SO BROKEN!!11! IT HAS TO BE THE CHARACTER!1!11!!!” Why can’t people just understand that skill exists? Sure, Arsene is broken, but not everything is due to Arsene.

[@HealthymemesExe]

thats true, but you can't just say its all him. To an extent all players get carried by their character

[@MultiLOL4LIFE]

@@HealthymemesExe yeah leo was super carried by ike until he dropped it and ike hasnt be relevant since

[@wlt3585]

Yeahhh nobody ever said Joker was bad. Like that was never a point actually thought of by the majority of smash. Or even a loud minority. I think Joker is perfectly fine and MKLeo is just flat out amazing,but that argument I dont see working

[@epicmarschmallow5049]

@@wlt3585 It was a very common opinion before Leo won his first major with them

[@sullyschwartz2365]

It’s basically puff except there are actual other joker mains lmao

[@cebolla1449]

21:00 is one of the top 3 reads in smash history

[@LeonXfilm]

so sick

[@fiwip6984]

i just saw a non-commital roll read or am i blind?

[@kristopherstrickland5960]

Fiwip he probably thought Leo was gonna fsmash, or something. Tweek was literally just scared. Also tweek Couldve just upsmashed oos and won or ftilted

[@ChrisPBacon-zf5gm]

Kristopher Strickland correct, and that’s why the moment was so hype. He bet it all on a move that covered a single option knowing it would work

[@ATFSquirrel]

@@kristopherstrickland5960 if you watch the animation, Tweek actually does Ftilt, but should have Up Smashed.

[@XxChrisxXBedofRazors]

ZeRo has fallen. MKLeo, Don't be the next one.

[@sazakrom106]

Hes a really chill guy. Very humble i really cant see him doing something like that.

[@angelomendoza6666]

Mkleo is a family man, surrounded by love, while ZeRo says that he had a dark past so I’m counting on Mkleo to continue being good and honest

[@lolaraven7800]

@@angelomendoza6666 Wbwb

[@robobbyfraire]

I watched most of these featured matches live on stream, so fun to see his rise to prominence.

[@roeyshemesh4380]

I popped of my chair seeing the roll read at EVO grand finals. I watched it probably more than 10 times but I still never expect it. What a legend

[@andyman9716]

MAKE A STORY OF MANG0 ALREADY! we have a story of the 4 other gods, even leffen, but mang0's story of is nowhere to be seen. we need this!

[@cameronstrouth7614]

He's too dangerous man

[@nillabeany]

They haven't made one on PPMD, who is one of those 4 other gods from the era of the 5 gods.

[@Launch1]

ndrw slush already made one like a while ago, maybe that’ll help!

[@AwkwardTurtle311]

ndrw they only like nerds

[@ramblinman6383]

Nah, they wouldn’t even do Mang0 justice. So many people fundamentally misunderstand what makes his story so powerful, and not to throw shade or anything I think TheScore just ain’t up to the task

[@thatsjusthowitgoes]

Zero saga was SUCH a good tournament. I remember seeing that live, don't think I will ever forget how hype that whole tournament was.

[@Budymryo]

Please fire whoever did that thumbnail, if they wanted a joker Leo they could've just pulled the pic where he literally dressed as him and not some cringy Photoshop lmao

[@dashnoop4537]

The leo joker cosplay is so funny to me but the thumbnail, they did him dirty ngl

[@trustdx4360]

Cosplay is still cringey tho 💀

[@Fizz-Q]

@@trustdx4360 no u are cringy

[@MeatYourDEMYRO]

@@trustdx4360 reminds me of the old sonic Movie version

[@Ramsey276one]

Gotta prove how you earned your paycheck... right?

[@SlunkyBoi]

Incredible video, he's a great kid and even as a melee player it's been great watching his whole journey. Very well done research too, something that's pretty tough for esports journalists regarding smash given how complex our scene can get.

[@allikohcysp]

Seeing his incredible come back at Evo was legendary. Was at the edge of my seat and never gave up on thinking he could win.

[@danielip7154]

He is probably my favourite smasher at all time, making comebacks like it was a daily basis. Despite victories after victories, he still remain modest all the same. Now I know, his life is a comeback in its own right.

[@steel5897]

When you're so good any character you pick to play immediately jumps several tiers in the tier lists.

[@HdogFGC]

I watched the stream of EVO Grands live and oh my god the sheer hype through it all, not knowing who to cheer for, and just wanting to jump out of my seat with the hype and just wanting to jump through my computer and be there. It was amazing.

[@bigol7169]

I cried. I’m so proud of him, what a quality human 🖤🖤🖤

[@wjjgtin5074]

Imagine getting clapped by an 8 year old in front of hundreds of people

[@duchi882]

Imagine being born to be a Smasher The man could be the Chad of the Decade

[@robochsin]

Thanks for doing a video for MK Leo! He's a great player

[@madz3531]

You guys make you videos so epic as if they were about ancient legends or Greek gods or something and I LOVE IT

[@saminilsson1407]

Leo must have ptsd from diddy down tilt

[@Wouldbutnaw]

I am a simple joker main I see my boy MkLeo i click

[@augustus8944]

And I'm another simple man, I see Kakyoin and I click like.

[@sp3ctre5ive8]

Kakyoin same here King. I have a playlist of his tourneys feel free to check it out

[@Wouldbutnaw]

Sp3cTre 5iVe well then don’t mind if do

[@gelbert12]

Waited so much for this video to come one day. Liked it a lot! 💪

[@mesza4962]

Chills. This gave me goosebumps watching. Absolutely amazing!

[@thatsjusthowitgoes]

I love seeing a prodigy fulfill the hype. Leo came out of nowhere and just killed it.

[@pedriasr]

Finally an mkleo vid

[@KaleighMacKay]

I like how most professional smash players have such good sports,anship. they shake hands and hug each other after winning. its nice to see. sometimes some of the other professional sports can get really nasty, like hockey.

[@sweatybabypowderhands843]

Video captures the hype and clutch power of Mkleo so well. I wish the thumnail would too.

[@aidanlong6765]

theScore: posts a smash video ZeRo: *its free Content*

[@eyyy2271]

not anymore

[@d0f211]

ZeRo...

[@sharsasuke01]

The Coney Evo hype was godly.

[@JSoul]

I love mkleo, this video is honestly amazing, I was hyped when I got the notification

[@bravaaa]

with Leo being my favorite smash 4 and ultimate player ever i was actually tearing up the whole video he will always be the player I strive to play like he is the greatest of all time

[@randomguy2850]

Just waiting for quarantine to end so leo can get back to dominating the in person tournaments

[@ZSimm2]

Lets not forget the iconic Smash 4 highlight that MkLeo gave us: *E L T E C H D E J E S U S*

[@bowserfire39]

Wow

[@BobbyReborn]

There will never be another player like MkLeo again, He's the most humble yet destroyer of a person

[@SwagMaster824]

I remember watching that Evo finals at my homies pad, I was rooting for Tweek hard that day but what I saw was literally unbelievable. He turned that entire series around with that last stock on game 4 and didn’t let up the entire rest of the match. It was an incredible performance and that Evo win was literally him cementing his greatness in Smash. Amazing player

[@dswizzy7196]

watching this now...with everything thats happening in the smash community. It hurts to see all these faces who disrespected others and the community.

[@suzuya0]

love wifi warriors who try to discredit leo for doing bad on a WIFI tournament where his main is heavily nerfed

[@louiscorona8465]

“Mk leo lost on wifi so he is washed” is such a basic mentality. Joker is one of the most technical top tiers, and MKLeo isn’t even playing as seriously as he does in offline tourneys

[@shinodax7123]

Jim's will be Jim's

[@rayminishi689]

The lamest thing is that projectile characters with cheesy combos come out safer and winning. Which is a no-name Ness is made headlines. Guarantee after this quarantine, those will be the best results, tourney wise.

[@ZetoXiV]

He’s so humble you just gotta respect the guy you know

[@obediahabisua2962]

this dood is a big inspiration for us Mexicans trying to get into the scene. we don't get enough recognition for our love of fighting games. this dood is always fun to watch & always makes you feel good

[@tarukashao5691]

i'm waiting for ZeRo to reacts this

[@finn_6775]

same

[@r0h4n56]

@@finn_6775 he isn’t gonna be reacting to anything any time soon

[@FM-dj4vg]

I still remember when people were saying joker was just a mid tier and every time leo lost with joker in a tournament everyone in the twitch chat would say " just switch to Ike already" lol

[@alexalicious8173]

I'm legit crying right now this story so beautiful

[@oister1658]

Been waiting for this 🔥

[@karlcossaboon7072]

can we take a second to realize how absurd game 4 evo 2019 leo vs tweek was last stock both at kill percent after leo was down 3 stocks to 1 leo slowly walked towards his sheild, technically all tweek had to do was up smash out of sheild but leo had the nerve to think no, your nervous right now, because this is evo, so you are actually going to roll right here and he short hopped backwards and short hop first hit faired... that is a complete career ender

[@iconic-spider3535]

Nice job copying zeros analysis to the Evo 2019 GF set

[@dongledude9448]

AND THEN HE DID IT ALL AGAIN VS SAMSORA AT SMASHCON A WEEK LATER

[@pedlar6839]

YO DID HE JUST WALK UP, SLOWLY

[@Falcolique]

They deleted ZeRo's Documentary, I mean , that's not surprising :p

[@eln0va126]

I love his Mexican spirit of been humble always and the mentality of never giving up and family first. VIVA MEXICO VIVA MKLEO

[@prestonsasaki]

Watching that Evo 2019 Grands set always gives me the chills

[@SoyHugmonster]

*Leo goes to losers bracket* Opponents: Why do I hear boss music?

[@thebreakdown96]

How u gonna imply he woulda took Zero's crown. When Zero defeated him in the Ultimate invitational.

[@ericmoreira670]

I believe ZeRo isn't the #1 Ultimate player only because he retired. If he had kept going and training, the man would still be the best in the world

[@breyonhopkins5690]

@@ericmoreira670 he definitely would be. But some how they underestimate him... imagine having a 56 tournament win streak and still being underrated

[@MrStopthetrolls]

Breyon Hopkins smash 4 is trash lmao

[@raheshramesh413]

Pabz how is that relevant

[@noobfromcanadaland4062]

@@MrStopthetrolls doesn't really mean much he was amazing at bawl and was ranked 34th in melee at a time

[@bendrager5067]

I dont even play or watch smash, but this was super entertaining. Thanks theScore!

[@BlizzYQQ]

Love these!

[@nale5126]

you know what would be a great story? The story of Dafran : From booster to thrower to OWL

[@GummyBeard_]

Lets Go DUDE!!!!!!!!!

[@AdamL2326]

From McDonalds to main stage O.W.L.

[@danaltamirano2546]

From OWL to thrower again.

[@MAlru005]

He left OW though.

[@JustRohanNL]

That is cool and all but did you see how fast Leo reacted to zeros handshake eventho he went for the box himself and still landed the shake as if it was his original plan. 4:47 this man was destined for greatness

[@zachstarattack7320]

I always love the smash bro’s stuff, keep it coming

[@jamesmozden6285]

been waiting for this one

[@wehngo]

13:52 haha that’s me, i love being wrong

[@youtapifi1107]

the actual goat of smash

[@tneon9827]

Thats the Quality content i subscirbed for.

[@schrode4912]

WOW 6 WIN IN A ROW MKLEO IF UR READING THIS... I LOVE WHAT YOU DO AND THIS HAS SHOWN ME MORE THAN I KNEW COULD EXIST IN SMASH. thank you and continue what your doing.

[@isaacborrayo9890]

I'm just happy that my favorite player didn't get accused of anything but still feel bad because i liked zero and the some that did get accused 😞

[@benbach1546]

Imagine respecting ZeRo right now. I still can’t believe he would do something like that.

[@greenamogus]

Zero with one mistake has done more good than you and your family combined

[@ivv4n_21]

I’m kind late but I don’t know much about smash bros what did zero do

[@LeonXfilm]

Great video! Un orgullo para mexico!

[@sebastianibarra8137]

El mejor video de que he visto, un gran ejemplo a seguir te motiva a luchar por lo que sea que quieras c': aunque no sea smash simplemente hermoso

[@robertoquiroz5670]

I've played smash since I'm 8, when I found out that the best player in the world was Mexican I felt so fking proud and every single esport Mexico is never a major region, I hope Leo can continue dominating in smash

[@nelsontabile6985]

Come on, y'all kill it when it comes to KOF.

[@robertoquiroz5670]

@@nelsontabile6985 lol I had no idea hahaha I don't play KOF

[@mr.penguin4614]

should've gotten zero's input! sure he would've had some good things to say ab their rivalry in smash 4

[@lufesan]

Zero will probably make a reaction video to this lol

[@KubPlays]

ive been waiting for this one

[@joshsaville5610]

I really like that a wholesome person like Leo has become the face of smash ultimate. They didn’t talk about it in the video, but Leo’s losers run at Frostbite 2020 was absolutely INSANE. Leo is so much fun to watch and he is absolutely godlike. Can’t wait to see what else he can pull off in the years to come!

[@yoinkster8235]

Mkleo once held reign over the smash ultimate scene but that all changed when the wifi warriors attacked

[@ratchaponariyapongpisal6042]

why did zero get so much hate. The man was a fkin god. He deserves so much more respect.

[@haalamn877]

watching this from 2024 after genisis 10, I feel so nostalgic... I still believe in mkleo, he's my goat

[@mute8375]

Mkleo’s Joker is like no other, and no matter how good Joker is, nobody will ever be able to use him the way Leo does. Even now watching him play I’m just surprised still seeing new things and Leo developing his play style more and more with no means of stoping anytime soon. Just truly incredible!

[@oscar5012]

2 things I would like to say: 1. They forgot to mention that even though Leo was invited to the invitational for ultimate he got second and lost to ZeRo his own personal demon 2. They should definitely do one of these videos for Tweek because he definitely deserves it

[@ragerage2556]

Yeah I was a bit annoyed by that to they said he dominated the invitational but he didn't actually win.

[@oscar5012]

Same tbh, like I get that they wanna hype up Leo but they have to do some more homework and get the facts straight

[@Hyde472]

They also stated that Leo would have taken first in sm4sh as a fact when that can't be done

[@theexaltedlt8222]

@@Hyde472 he was first in the final season

[@theexaltedlt8222]

Because it's an invitational it didn't really count

[@chepemasacuata1]

You could have also mention how kameme beat both ZeRo and Leo at Evo when they were both favorites.

[@lmao2302]

Kameme also has beaten Marss and Tweek sometimes too. He's a bit of a inconsistent godslayer.

[@matz8433]

i was waiting for this

[@cristobalgonzalez324]

Stories likes this, motivates a lot

[@shaqm6872]

Compared to the five gods era the players are more respectable towards each other now

[@teehee1174]

this guy's life story is almost as legendary as the persona 5 story

[@mystik_owl]

Leo IS an anime protagonist

[@mrsavage3664]

I want to get into local smash ultimate but I don’t really understand the game a lot. I play, but wanna see how better players play. These documentaries really help. Thanks.

[@danielmadson2672]

So proud of this man

[@julianagrace7242]

Y’all keep saying “something unthinkable happened” and I keep thinking, “has corona hit the timeline?”

[@gingeral253]

Rip ZeRo’s situation.

[@gingeral253]

UPDATE!!! ZeRo is back to uploading videos!!! Never thought I would see the day.

[@dragoner243]

Great video!!!

[@zlucario6216]

MKLeo is such a cool guy. I hope he'll stay best player foreverrrrrrr