Would damageless/pacifist categories be interesting or is the game too "easy" to warrant its own categories?

There's a couple damage boosts you'd need to change in the strats. Same thing for pacifist.

I might try anyway for fun Cheers

Unfortunately, I don't see damageless/pacifist adding to much value (making it substantially different) or challenge into the speedrun as in some other games. As for pacifist, it would barerly mean not killing few enemies, which are in Zone G, H or J, which is not even harder and barerly slower too in the end. Same with damageless, which would be just resigning from few damage boosts not making it any more difficult just few seconds slower.

There is damageless run. Show your "few second slower" version if you think that.