Meta Runner

Meta Runner
Company type	Independent production
Industry	Animation, Web series
Founded	July 25, 2019; 7 years ago
Founder	Kevin Lerdwichagul, Luke Lerdwichagul
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Worldwide (YouTube)
Key people	Kevin Lerdwichagul, Luke Lerdwichagul
Products	Animated web series
Parent	Glitch Productions

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Meta Runner, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Meta Runner is an independently produced Australian animated web series developed by Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul and brought to life by Glitch Productions. Its production received financial support from Screen Australia, Crunchyroll, AMD, and Epic Games. The characters originally appeared in the Lerdwichagul brothers' Super Mario parody SMG4, with the show debuting on YouTube on 25 July 2019. The second season premiered on the GLITCH channel on 16 October 2020, followed by the third and concluding season, which launched on 22 July 2022.

The storyline unfolds in a futuristic world where video games and esports dominate society. Elite players enhance their abilities by replacing one arm with a cybernetic prosthetic, earning the designation "Meta Runners." The plot centers on Tari, a girl suffering from amnesia who possesses the rare power to enter video games physically. She collaborates with an undercover faction called MD-5 to uncover the corruption within TAS Corp.

A pilot episode for a related spin-off named Ultra Jump Mania, inspired by a fictional game featured within the series, was released on 4 September 2020; however, it did not progress into a full-fledged series.

Synopsis

Silica City thrives on video games, which serve as both entertainment and professional pursuits such as live streaming and lifestyle careers. Central to this environment are Meta Runners—gamers equipped with cybernetic arms that enhance their gameplay capabilities.

The narrative follows Tari, a Meta Runner formerly involved in Project Blue, an initiative spearheaded by TAS Corp scientist Dr. Sheridan. After awakening in a secure location with no memory, Tari recalls an explosion in a laboratory that reportedly resulted in the deaths of Sheridan and Lucinia Porter, another Meta Runner affiliated with TAS Corp.

Main characters

Celeste Notley-Smith voices Tari, the reserved Meta Runner protagonist who can physically enter video games and utilize Meta Runner vision to devise optimal strategies.
Robyn Barry-Cotter portrays Theo, the determined lead character of Ultra Jump Mania who encounters Tari and is transported into the real world through her abilities.
Hayley Nelson plays Sofia Porter, an optimistic friend of Tari’s who excels at hacking despite not being an active gamer.
Anthony Sardinha takes on dual roles as:
- Lamar Williams, a laid-back otaku possessing a cybernetic arm and close companion of Tari.
- Dr. James Sheridan, once a TAS Corp scientist and the principal antagonist of season three; he developed the Meta Runner Arm and led Project Blue. He is believed missing following a laboratory explosion.
Brendan Barry-Cotter acts as Masa Shimamoto, a serious ex-captain of TAS Corp’s team who was removed after hacking into CEO Derek Lucks’ server.
Jessica Fallico provides the voice for Belle Fontiere, TAS Corp’s premier Meta Runner and Tari's rival who transitions from antagonist to anti-heroine. She was Lucinia’s partner and rebelled after Lucinia’s presumed death.
David J.G. Doyle portrays Derek Lucks, CEO of TAS Corp fixated on replicating Tari’s unique powers to gain competitive superiority. An AI version of him appears in season three.
Elsie Lovelock voices Evelyn Claythorne, an arrogant TAS Corp Meta Runner compelled to team up with Tari despite her resentment toward Tari’s success.
Amber Lee Connors plays Lucinia Porter, former TAS Corp Meta Runner and Project Blue test subject presumed missing after the explosion. She is Sofia Porter’s sister, an A.I. fragment within Tari, and Belle Fontiere’s girlfriend.

Supporting characters

Jason Marnocha portrays Marco, who hosts underground gaming tournaments within Silica City's impoverished districts and collects Meta Runner prosthetic arms used as additional limbs.
Elsie Lovelock voices Bo, the corporate mascot of TAS Corp, prominently displayed on billboards throughout Silica City.
Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul provide voices for the Bot-boys, a group of common robots carrying out various tasks around Silica City; one Bot-boy also appears in the game Ultra Jump Mania.
David J.G. Doyle plays Elder Tomato, a character in Ultra Jump Mania who offers guidance and exposition; he also serves as a recurring figure in the spinoff series.
Amber Lee Connors lends her voice to Satsuki-chan from the dating simulation game Nova Explorers, featured through a crossover in Pocket Gakusei.
Brendan Blaber voices Petey, an NPC tutorial guide character in Skybreakers.

Cameo appearances

Elliott "Muselk" Watkins as Announcer
James Rallison as both Male Civilian and himself
Kathleen Belsten as Female Civilian
Ross O'Donovan as Announcer
Brodey "Bazza Gazza" de Meur and Nathan "Crayator" Clifford as Tempest Contestants
Kizuna AI and Arin Hanson appearing as themselves
Lizzie Freeman as Admin 3

Development and production

In the 2019 video "The Making of Tari," brothers Luke and Kevin Lerdwichagul disclosed that Tari, the central character of Meta Runner, originated from a sketch drawn by their younger sister Tish for their machinima project SMG4. Initially conceptualized as a robot featuring an antenna and a d-pad for an eye, Tari was eventually redesigned into a human cyborg clad in a white vest emblazoned with the Meta Runner logo inspired by a blue jay's wing, complemented by a blue hoodie introduced starting with episode 4.

The first hint of Meta Runner appeared at the conclusion of the SMG4 episode "War of the Fat Italians 2018," followed by additional teasers leading up to the official trailer launch on 5 December 2018.

On 18 March 2019, Meta Runner received part of a $500,000 grant from Unreal Engine. Subsequent financial support was secured from Screen Australia, Epic Games, and AMD in June 2019. Later that year, Glitch Productions collaborated with Crunchyroll to develop the series. On 20 April 2020, Screen Australia confirmed funding for season 2, which aired between 16 October and 18 December 2020.

Season 3 was announced by creator Luke Lerdwichagul prior to the conclusion of season 2 and officially confirmed on 29 November 2021. A teaser released on 6 May 2022 revealed it would serve as the concluding season, premiering on 22 July and wrapping up on 9 September 2022.

After the series ended, Meta Runner has been referenced within the main SMG4 series, including its theme music featured in the SMG4 Movie "Western Spaghetti." Additionally, the SMG4 adaptation of Tari was redesigned to more closely resemble her appearance in Meta Runner.

Comic

Following the finale on 9 September 2022, a comic titled Meta Runner: Source was launched to delve into Lucinia Porter's backstory. This release was promoted through a pre-video announcement for SMG4's "Lawsuit Arc" episode "SMG4: If Mario Was In... Splatoon 3" on 10 September, with an official trailer debuting on 11 September on the GLITCH channel.

Season 1 (2019)

Kevin Lerdwichagul and Jasmine Yang collaborated as writers for every episode, while Luke Lerdwichagul fulfilled the role of creative director.

Season 2 (2020)

Jasmine Yang authored all episodes, with Luke Lerdwichagul serving as the director.

Season 3 (2022)

{{Episode table | background = #FFDBE9 | overall = 5 | season = 5 | title = 20 | director = 20 | directorT = Art direction by | writer = 20 | airdate = 16 | episodes =

External links

Official website