Completion



"If I had been playing, I'd have found everything! I'm sure there must be some bonus rooms you haven't found!"

- Cranky Kong

Many video games, including those in the extended Mario franchise, feature incentives to replay the game beyond "just" reaching the end of the main storyline. These may be through optional objectives, hidden collectables, ranking systems and the like.

Many of these games may indicate the player's completion percentage, usually on the save file selection screen. This page details how full completion is achieved in Mario games that feature it and what changes take place when it is achieved.

Completion in other games
Some games may feature side quest and objectives even if they do not track or acknowledge the player's completion total. For example, a player might consider Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to only be fully complete if they fill in the entire Cookbook, complete every Trouble Center sidequest, find all the Star Pieces, etc. For the purpose of organization, this page details only games which explicitly track or acknowledge the player's total completion.

Mario Bros.
For the ports of Mario Bros. in each of the Super Mario Advance installments and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, up to five stars show up next to the Mario Bros. logo based on how many points have been accrued in the game. One star appears for each 150,000 points earned, with five stars at 750,000 points being the maximum.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, reaching the end of World 8 without using Warp Zones to skip ahead allows the player to continue to World 9, and upon completing World 9 the player returns to World 9-1 in an endless loop until losing one life, revealing an ending unique from that of a warp-assisted completion in World 8.

Each time the game is completed, a star appears on the title screen. Once eight stars are acquired, holding the A button begins a new game starting in World A, allowing for progress to Worlds B, C, and D, at the end of which lies yet another ending.

In the Super Mario All-Stars version, the eight-completions requirement is absent, and World A always follows World 8 or 9 depending on whether Warp Zones were used. Neither World 9 nor Worlds A, B, C and D are accessible in the Super Mario Bros. Deluxe version. In the Famicom Mini port for the Game Boy Advance, the original requirements for World A remain, but the B button must be held rather than the A button.

Super Mario Bros. 2
In the Super Mario Advance version, a green Yoshi egg appears on the title screen after completing the Super Mario Bros. 2 portion of the game. Collecting all forty eggs throughout the game's twenty levels will replace the Yoshi egg with a grown green Yoshi. If all 100 Ace Coins are also collected, the Yoshi/Yoshi egg on the title screen will turn red, and the title screen's sky will become sunset-themed.

Also exclusive to the Super Mario Advance version, small Mario head icons will appear on save files, one for each 2,000,000 points accrued on the file, with five heads (after 10,000,000 points) being the maximum.

Super Mario Bros. 3
The Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 version tracks how many stages one has cleared on each save file; clearing all 90 will add stars to the current world number on the file select screen, and allow players to revisit stages, Toad Houses, Enemy Courses, and Spade Panels at their leisure.

It also has point stars fulfilling the same role as the Mario heads in Super Mario Advance. One star appears over the Super Mario Bros. 3 logo for every 1,000,000 points accrued, with five stars (after 5,000,000 points) being the maximum.

Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, 100% completion requires finding all 96 of the game's exits. On the original SNES version, doing this puts a star before the completion counter on the file selection screen in the American version and earlier European versions, or turns the number blue in later European versions. In its Game Boy Advance port, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, doing this will trigger Fall, which changes the map color scheme and the sprite of most enemies (Bullet Bills become Pidgit Bills, etc.); in the original version, these changes took place after completing the Special Zone.

The Game Boy Advance port includes point stars, one next to the Super Mario World logo on the game selection screen for every 1,000,000 points earned, with five stars after 5,000,000 points being the maximum.

Other exits include the Giant Gate past the secret Keyhole in Donut Plains 2, the second Giant Gate in Chocolate Island 2, and the paths accessed using Yoshi's Wings in Cheese Bridge Area, Valley of Bowser 2 and Way Cool (making up a total of 101 exits), although these exits are treated as regular exits and therefore are not required in addition for 100% completion.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, similar to Super Mario World, the number of stages the player has cleared is displayed over their file. The game is completed by finding and beating all 31 stages (this excludes Wario's castle, as the game does not save after defeating Wario).

Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS
100% completion is achieved by collecting all of the game's 120 Power Stars (150 in Super Mario 64 DS).

After collecting every star, the following changes take place:


 * The Penguin in Big Penguin Race becomes bigger and has different dialogue.
 * Bowser's dialogue in Bowser in the Sky changes from "Nooo! It can’t be! You’ve really beaten me, Mario?!! I gave those troops power, but now it’s fading away! Arrgghh! I can see peace returning to the world! I can’t stand it! Hmmm… It’s not over yet… C’mon troops! Let’s watch the ending together! Bwa ha ha!" to "Nooooo! You've really beaten me this time, Mario! I can't stand losing to you! My troops… worthless! They've turned over all the Power Stars! What?! There are 120 [150 in Super Mario 64 DS] in all??? Amazing! There were some in the castle that I missed??!! Now I see peace returning to the world… Ooo! I really hate that! I can't watch—I'm outta here! Just you wait until next time. Until then, keep that Control Stick [Touch Screen in Super Mario 64 DS] smokin'! Bwaa ha ha!"
 * The grate for the cannon outside of Peach's Castle is taken out, allowing Mario to use it. In the original Super Mario 64, this allows Mario to reach the roof of the castle and meet Yoshi, who will give the player 100 extra lives and an improved Triple Jump. Due to the changes made in Super Mario 64 DS, this does not occur; the player will instead find one of Luigi's minigame Rabbits on the roof, three 1-Up Mushrooms, and a ? Block containing a Power Flower (or a Feather in Mario's case).

Super Mario Sunshine
100% completion in Super Mario Sunshine is achieved by collecting all of the game's 120 Shine Sprites. Collecting them all will replace the after-credit picture of Il Piantissimo finding the Magic Paintbrush to a group photo of the game's friendly characters with the caption "Have a relaxing vacation!" and adds a red sun icon to the player's save file. The Delfino Plaza area also becomes progressively brighter as the player collects Shine Sprites.

New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. has up to 3 stars show up next to the player's save file by completing hidden objectives. They are the following:


 * Beating
 * Spending all 240 Star Coins.
 * Finding all alternate and secret exits.

Acquiring the secret exit star unlocks unlimited access to all Toad Houses, except for the ones blocked by Star Coin Signs, but removing them will give them the treatment.

Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, collecting the game's 120 Power Stars and beating the final Bowser battle a second time will unlock the "Super Luigi Galaxy" mode, in which players play through the game again as Luigi. Collecting all 120 stars in this mode unlocks the Grand Finale Galaxy in both modes, in which the player can obtain one final Power Star for each respective mode and send a commemorative message and photo to the Wii Message Board.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has a similar stars system to its predecessor, although the number next to the save file now goes up to 5. The requirements for them are as follow:


 * Beating.
 * Finding all Star Coins in the regular worlds.
 * Finding all Star Coins in World 9.
 * Finding all regular exits.
 * Finding all alternate and secret exits.

Fulfilling all of these requirements and earning the stars also gives the player unlimited access to every Toad House in the game. If the player triggers the appearance of a Super Guide Block by dying eight times in a level since last it was completed, the stars will not sparkle, even if the player did not make use of the Super Guide effect.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
In Super Mario Galaxy 2, collecting the game's regular 120 Power Stars and beating the final Bowser battle a second time will unlock the Green Star comet and a silver crown icon on the save file. Collecting all 120 Green Stars will, in turn, unlock both the Grandmaster Galaxy and a golden crown save file icon. Collecting both stars from this galaxy will unlock a bejewelled platinum crown save file icon and a "master of galaxies" rank descriptor, as well as send a commemorative message and photo to the Wii Message Board. If the player has collected 9999 Coins in the coin collection in Starship Mario, the Luigi Ghosts will be added in all levels.

Super Mario 3D Land
Similar to the New Super Mario Bros. games, Super Mario 3D Land gives the player up to five stars on their save file for completing various objectives. These are:


 * Beating the game (clearing 2).
 * Clearing every level in each of the first eight worlds.
 * Collecting every Star Medal in every stage (with the exception of Mystery Boxes).
 * Obtaining a gold flag (landing on the top of the Goal Pole) for every stage, and clearing all levels with both Mario and Luigi.
 * Clearing every Special World stage, then clear 2 a second time.

In addition to this, the stars on the player's file will sparkle as long as they have not triggered the appearance of an Assist Block by dying five times in any normal world stage.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
New Super Mario Bros. 2 features the save file stars seen in the previous New Super Mario Bros. games to indicate completion. The player earns them by:


 * Beating
 * Collecting every Star Coin in Worlds 1-6, including World Mushroom and World Flower
 * Collecting every Moon Coin in World Star.
 * Open every Star Coin Sign.
 * Earning 1,110 extra lives.

Fulfilling all of these requirements and earning the stars also gives the player unlimited access to every Toad House in the game. The stars will also sparkle so long as the player does not finish the level after obtaining an Invincibility Leaf from an Assist Block.

Being themed around coins, New Super Mario Bros. 2 also features a coin counter that tracks the total number of coins players have collected across all three save files and in Coin Rush on their copy of the game. The title screen will also reflect the total by displaying piles of coins that grow increasingly larger as the player collects more, and the game will display a message whenever the player reaches a milestone. When the player collects 1,000,000 coins, the title screen changes to a golden color and a gold statue of Mario appears on the title screen. When the player collects 9,999,999 coins (the highest the counter goes), the statue is replaced with one of Raccoon Mario.

New Super Mario Bros. U
New Super Mario Bros. U once again features the ability to earn five stars on a save file for fulfilling various conditions. Unlike in the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, the game will display a message whenever the player fulfills one of these conditions, which are:


 * Beat the game (clearing The Final Battle).
 * Clear every level through Peach's Castle.
 * Collect every Star Coin in every stage through Peach's Castle.
 * Unlock Follow That Shell! in Superstar Road.
 * Collect every Star Coin in Superstar Road, find every exit in the game, and catch Nabbit all seven times.

Fulfilling all of these requirements and earning the stars also gives the player unlimited access to every Toad House in the game. Similar to New Super Mario Bros. 2, the stars on the player's file will sparkle so long as they never use the Super Guide, although in this case they are permitted to trigger the Super Guide Block's appearance. Additionally, having a life count of 99 will cause the number to appear gold on the file select screen.

The game's expansion, New Super Luigi U, uses the same conditions to earn stars on one's save file.

Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario 3D World gives the player stars on their profile to indicate completion like in Super Mario 3D Land, and uses similar criteria for them to be unlocked. In order to complete the game and earn five stars on their profile, the player must:


 * Beat the game (Clearing The Great Tower of Bowser Land).
 * Collect every Green Star in every stage (with the exception of the World Crown stages).
 * Collect every Stamp in every stage (with the exception of the World Crown stages).
 * Obtain a gold flag (reaching the top of the Goal Pole) on every stage (with the exception of the World Crown stages).
 * Clear every stage with all five characters.

Similar to New Super Mario Bros. 2, the stars on the player's file will sparkle if the player clears every stage without using the Invincibility Leaf (there is no penalty for having the Assist Block appear, only for collecting the leaf), and if the player uses one in a level, then they can regain the sparkling stars by clearing that stage without using it.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island features a scoring system that gives the player a total score out of 100 at the end of each level based on how many collectibles (Red Coins, Smiley Flowers, and Stars) they have obtained in the stage. By obtaining a perfect 100 score for every stage in a world, the player unlocks a more difficult Extra level, and by completing that stage with a perfect score a star is added to the title screen. Earning all six stars unlocks a nighttime variation of the normal title screen.

In Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, while the criteria for completion has not been changed, six Secret stages have been added to the game, accessible after defeating Baby Bowser. Gaining 1,000 points in all six worlds (i.e. a perfect 100 score in all sixty stages) will add a number to the file screen that corresponds to how many lives it took to achieve a perfect file. A perfect score is "No. 1", meaning that it took only one Yoshi to achieve this.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (known as Yoshi's Universal Gravitation in Europe, Australia, and Japan), may be fully completed by unlocking all of the "Bonus Game" beads on the game's main menu. Each bead may be unlocked by fulfilling the following conditions:


 * Defeating Bowser in the main storyline will unlock Shuffle Mode.
 * Completing the Eggling Book will unlock the Yoshi's Big Jump, Yoshi's Pirate Battle and Yoshi's Time Attack Bonus Games.
 * Collecting all Gold Medals in the main storyline will unlock a more challenging version of Shuffle Mode, called Shuffle Mode EX.

Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country's max completion percentage is 101%. The completion percentage can be seen next to the save in the select game menu. Completing levels and defeating bosses is the main way to increase the percentage. Finding Bonus Areas also increases the percentage. Finding all the bonus areas in a level causes an exclamation mark ("!") to appear next to the level's name on the world map. Donkey Kong Country differs from its two sequels in that it is only necessary to find each bonus area to gain the completion percentage; it is not necessary to win the bonus room.

Obtaining 101% completion changes Cranky Kong's ending line from "If I had been playing, I'd have found everything! I'm sure there must be some bonus rooms you haven't found!" to "What a player you are, Donkey my lad! You've beaten the Kremlings, and found absolutely everything! You're nearly as good as I used to be!"

The Game Boy Advance version also requires the scrapbook to be filled and all K-O-N-G Letters in every level to be collected to gain 101%. The GBA-exclusive "Hero Mode" is identical to the SNES version's completion requirements, requiring only bonus level completion and room finding.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest counter goes up to 102%. Full completion is achieved by collecting all Kremkoins and DK Coins in the game. Unlike the first Donkey Kong Country, successfully completing a bonus area is necessary to collect the Kremcoin and have it count toward the completion percentage. Collecting all Kremcoins allows the players to access the levels in the Lost World: completing them all will unlock a second battle against Kaptain K. Rool and the game's true ending.

Collecting the DK Coins changes Cranky's dialogue in the Cranky's Video Game Heroes portion of the ending, changing between each increment of 19 DK coins. If the player collects them all, Cranky says "I'm not afraid to admit it, Diddy m'boy. Even I'm wrong occasionally. You're as big of an hero as they come. You must take after me and Donkey. Well done! Like the first Donkey Kong Country, a ! will appear next to the level's name when all Bonus Areas have been completed, and a DK Coin icon will appear next to the level's name when it is found. Using the cheat in Pirate Panic to collect all 75 Kremkoins at once will not count toward the completion percentage.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
103% completion in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is achieved by collecting all Bonus Coins, all DK Coins and all Banana Birds. Unlike Donkey Kong Country 2, finding all DK Coins is also necessary to be able to view the game's true ending, because collecting all DK Coins unlocks the Gyrocopter, which is necessary to find the last few Banana Bird Caves.

Donkey Kong Country 3 also features 105% completion if the player enters the TUFST code (TUFFER in the GBA version). Completing the game in this manner will give the player a trophy of Cranky Kong wearing a black belt Karateka outfit and the rank "Immortal Monkey!". Beating the game with the HARDR code (HARDER in the GBA version) enabled will give the player 104% completion.

Donkey Kong 64
Obtaining 101% completion in Donkey Kong 64 is achieved by collecting all 3500 Bananas, all Golden Bananas, all Battle Crowns and photographing all of the Banana Fairies. Doing this unlocks an humorous alternate ending showing the Kongs swimming away with K. Lumsy followed by Cranky Kong doing "auditions" of the game's cast for an untitled "dolphin" production. Due to the meter for them lacking a denominator and the fact that they are spent, Banana Coins are not required.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
In Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the game is completed by earning all four crests in each of the kingdoms in the game. Once all 72 crests have been obtained, the message "COMPLETE" will be displayed next to the total crest counter, and the menu music permanently changes to a more triumphant version of the standard theme.

In New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, completion is attained by collecting all three crests, and therefore earning a crown, in all of the game's kingdoms. In this version of the game, collecting all of the crests not only changes the menu music but also gives Donkey Kong a crown while replaying stages.

Donkey Kong Country Returns / 3D and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
In order to achieve 100% completion in either of these games, the player needs to clear all levels on normal mode and collect all K-O-N-G Letters in the process. The completion tracker can go even further up to 200% if all of the levels are completed again on Mirror Mode in Donkey Kong Country Returns or Hard Mode in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, this time without having to collect the K-O-N-G Letters.

Beating any level on Time Attack mode does not contribute to completion and is therefore entirely optional. Also optional is to collect the K-O-N-G Letters again on Mirror or Hard Mode, even though the game acknowledges it with a blue-colored star signifier for every level where this is done.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
In the closing sequence of Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, how the Genie grants Wario's wish for a castle is dependent on the total number of coins collected throughout the game. The perfect ending requires Wario to clear all 40 courses (which involves finding the alternate course exits). All 15 treasures must be collected, and Wario's coin total must amount to the maximum of 99,999. If these requirements are fulfilled, the Genie will create a small planet in outerspace, with Wario's face on it. After the credits finish, the words "PERFECT GAME!" will appear under the planet.

Additionally, a maximum of 39 cleared courses may be displayed by the pipe on the file select screen (as the game doesn't save after completing the 40th course Syrup Castle). The number 39 on the pipe will flash, and the shadow on the pipe will appear to move.

Virtual Boy Wario Land
In Virtual Boy Wario Land, the game's "hard" mode may be unlocked by beating the regular mode after finding all ten treasures. In "hard" mode, two fairies replace the usual bat on the file select screen, the game's levels contain more spike obstacles, and the appearance of the treasures change. Additionally, the Demon Head possesses an extra attack, which involves dropping spiked boulders onto Wario. After the credits upon completing "hard" mode, a message will appear as follows: "YOU ARE A MASTER GAMER! YOU ROCK!!"

As with many other installments of the Wario Land series, the game's ending depends on whether the player has fulfilled certain conditions. The "perfect ending" involves Wario flying home from the Awazon river basin on a flying carpet, with a bag of coins and a woman dressed like a. This ending may be seen after completing either mode with all ten treasures, and a completion time of less than 90 minutes.

Wario Land II
100% completion in Wario Land II is achieved by collecting all 50 treasures, completing the Picture Panel and viewing all of the game's 5 endings. Achieving this unlocks the minigame Flagman D-D and the bonus level Steal the Syrup's treasure!!.

Wario Land 4
On an individual game file, Wario Land 4 may be fully completed by collecting all sixteen CDs, and gaining more than 10,000 points in all of the game's eighteen levels, which will display a gold crown upon selecting a level. This will permanently unlock the Karaoke track in the game's soundroom (it may also be temporarily unlocked, by highlighting "Exit" and pressing, , , and  together). The appearance of Princess Shokora also depends on how many Treasure Chests remain after defeating the Golden Diva. All twelve Treasure Chests must be collected by Wario, in order for Princess Shokora's true form to be seen in the closing sequence.

Completing the game's "Normal" mode will unlock an alternate file select background, showing gold-colored bricks instead of the purple blocks with Wario's face. Completing the game's "Hard" mode will allow the player to choose a new "S-Hard" mode when beginning a new save file. During the closing sequence of S-Hard mode, Wario will drive a hovercar (rather than his Wario Car and a truck in "Normal" and "Hard" modes respectively). The game's final flashback sequence will also be displayed in the sky after the credits have finished in S-Hard mode, showing Wario in a city background with two attractive girls by his side.

WarioWare: Twisted!
Unlocking all microgames and completing them in the Spindex will give the player a congratulatory message and unlock the WarioWare: Twisted! souvenir.

WarioWare: Touched!
Getting a Gold Crown (which involves reaching the target score of every microgame in a character's microgame album) for every characters will unlock the Whistle a Tune souvenir. A rose icon appears next to the "Toy Room 1" and "Toy Room 2" headers when all Souvenirs are unlocked.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves
A congratulatory message will appear on the town's bulletin board when the player unlocks all microgames. Another message signed by Mona will be posted if the player unlocks all poses.

Mario Kart 64
Earning a gold trophy in all 150cc cups Mario Kart 64 unlocks an alternate title screen depicting Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, and Donkey Kong in what appears to be Choco Mountain or Kalimari Desert during a sunset.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
When players earn gold trophies for all normal cups in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, the players earn a sunset-themed title screen. When players earn a triple star rank for all normal cups, the players then earn a night-themed title screen.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
When players earn Gold trophies for all cups in all race classes in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, they unlock a second title screen. It also unlocks a secondary ending photo if players beat Special Cup in 150cc/Mirror Mode or All-Cup Tour.

Mario Kart DS
Completing all cups with a gold trophy in Mario Kart DS unlocks an alternate title screen. It also unlocks a different credits sequence that features the player's playable character and the cast of racers that raced with the player, as well as having an alternate ending photo featuring all playable characters.

Mario Kart Wii
If players complete every cup with a gold trophy in Mario Kart Wii, it unlocks several new alternate title screens featuring Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and two Mario ones. It also unlocks a new ending photo featuring all playable characters.

Mario Kart 8
In Mario Kart 8, earning gold in all non-DLC cups gives out alternate character screens for single player and multiplayer modes. It also unlocks an alternate credits roll.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
In the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, full completion is achieved by earning the highest goal score in every level. In games that feature save files (which include the original game up to Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem), completed save files are signified with a marker such as the word "CLEAR" or a gold star.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
Level B-24, the final level of the game, requires earning a gold trophy in all previous 87 levels in order to unlock it. Upon completing this level with a gold trophy as well, the player receives a congratulatory message on a window showing all Mini toys dancing.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Beyond the main storyline, the player may choose to fulfill the achievements to unroll each of the eight Super Flags where the Sticker Fest was held, in Decalburg. The different achievements are: Each completed Super Flag will be carried by a Toad at the ending of the game's credits parade.
 * Heartthrob: Find all HP-Up Hearts.
 * Honorary Curator: Collect every Sticker type in the world (completing the Sticker Museum).
 * Covert Doorman: Make all secret doors appear.
 * Comet Repairman: Collect all comet pieces.
 * Super Shopper: Spend 10,000 coins.
 * Speed Star: Get a Perfect Bonus in 500 battles.
 * Mr. Excellent: Perform 1,000 Excellent attacks.
 * Spin Doctor: Hit the Battle Spin jackpot 50 times.

Additionally, finding all five locations of Luigi will allow him to lead the parade in the credits, replacing the Green Toad.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
In addition to the main storyline, the player may choose to fulfill six special achievements in order to unroll the six Super Flags in Port Prisma. These achievements are:


 * Excellence Embodied: Perform 200 Excellent attacks.
 * Sizzlin' Scissors: Perform all cutouts
 * Gold Bug: Collect 10,000 coins
 * Card Champion: Buy 200 cards from the Port Prisma card shop
 * Honorary Paint Can: Repaint all colorless spots
 * The One and Roshambonly: Beat all eight Roshambo Temples.

By doing this, the flags will be displayed in the credits parade, and a short extra scene will play with Huey after the credits finish.

Finding all locations of Luigi will make him appear driving his kart in the credits parade, in place of a Toad with a banner showing the number of locations found.

There are also two banners that can be unrolled in the pirate ship in Violet Passage, which require the player to get the maximum amount of coins and points in the pirate ship mini games, respectively.

Mario Sports Mix
When players beat the Hard tournament of a sport, the color of the corresponding sport equipment on the main menu becomes gold. If players then beat Behemoth King in Sports Mix mode, the main menu's background becomes red colored.