out of curiosity, how many items(tanks) do you have to pick up at minimum? I was trying to do my own low percent game, but I screwed up a bit and ended up with 2 energy tanks, 2 missle tanks, and 1 super tank.
Morph Ball Missile Tank Morph Ball Bombs Varia Suit (optional but full suit gives it to you) Unknown Item 1 (Space Jump) Unknown Item 2 (Plasma Beam) Power Grip (anti-SB stuff) Ice Beam Unknown Item 3 (Gravity Suit)
On hard, there's a segment that prevents you from traversing without at least 3 Missiles or the Screw Attack. So it's 10% on hard with an extra Missile Tank, Super Missile Tank, or Screw Attack.
If it makes you feel better, I'm definitely not speaking from experience. I Zero Mission pretty well, but the 9% run is beyond my wildest dreams. (You ever have those dreams about the Artifact of Wild?)