Mario kart 8 Characters: The List
To celebrate the upcoming release of Mario Kart 8, I decided to put together a ‘definitive’ ranking of the Playable Mario kart 8 Characters. This list will consider the significance of a character, their role in the Mario series and above all, my personal preference.
Feel free to disagree, just let me know in the comments which you agree with and which you think I’m completely wrong about!
MII (N/A)
I
’ve left the Mii out of this list, just because they haven’t got a story at all. But obviously, if it was based on my personal Mii, this would shoot right up to Number 1…
THE KOOPALINGS (LARRY, MORTON, WENDY, IGGY, ROY, LEMMY AND LUDWIG) (23)
The first of many new introductio
ns to the series on this list, the Koopalings are technically 7 separate characters, but it felt easier to treat them as one.
Primarily known as Bowser’s henchmen, the Koopalings haven’t really been given much of a starring role themselves at any point, and are more often just fodder for Mario to defeat on his way to Bowser. Until there’s a bit more definition between them, and they start to show a bit more capability, it’s hard to move these from the bottom of the pile!
METAL MARIO (22)
Metal Mario is a strange addition to the Mario franchise, serving most often as a difficult boss or final opponent in Mario sports games or the Super Smash Bros. series.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t really have much of an explanation or reason for being around, so it’s difficult to really root for him.
PINK GOLD PEACH (21)
The ultimate proof that Metal people need love too! Introduced as a spin-off from the Metal Mario character,
Pink Gold Peach gets a better ranking simply for being a new character: that’s always more exciting.
LAKITU (20)
Lakitus are most often relegated to boring jobs like umpire and filming Mario’s adventures, but Mario Kart 7 finally saw a Lakitu get its chance for glory as a playable character. It’s a big step for Lakitu, a character with not much of a role normally, and much less iconic than a lot of the other Mario characters.
Perhaps a few more appearances as playable characters will turn that all around!
BABY LUIGI, MARIO, PEACH, DAISY (16-19)
Because they’re all basically the exact same, I’m going to deal with these babies altogether. They are cute, and I’ll be honest, I spend a good amount of my time on Mario Kart playing as these, but as far as the characters go, they just don’t have one.
In the nicest way, the babies just feel like a way to make up the numbers, even if they’re actually quite talented racers.
TOADETTE (15)
Toadette suffers from a regular curse in the Mario series: she seems to have been introduced just to give a partner to another character, and apart from that, she’s not really contributed much.
But still, every Toad has to have someone to love them.
BABY ROSALINA (14)
Baby Rosalina has a bit more intrigue than the other babies, just because she’s new and probably one of the cutest.
She does fall to the curse of the babies though: they’re really just a bit pointless as characters and genuinely just seem there to make up the numbers!
WALUIGI (13)
A distorted, evil version of Luigi, Waluigi was first introduced in Mario Tennis, and has since been portrayed as the brains to Wario’s brawn.
Despite this, Waluigi has never really had a massive role in any game, except for Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix: not the most serious of Mario games.
DAISY (12)
Essentially Peach Version 2.0, Daisy seems to have been introduced just to give Luigi his own princess to match Mario and Peach.
She’s appeared in a huge number of Mario games since her inception, and has even managed to appear as a regular character in the Super Smash Bros. games, but she’s never really been as interesting as many of the other characters.
She’s always come second to Peach, and has never really had much of a role, which explains why she falls a bit lower down in this list.
WARIO (11)
A bit of an odd-ball character, it’s safe to say Wario is one of the more unusual villains. Designed to be the perfect opposite of Mario, Wario’s name comes from a combination of the Italian plumber’s and the Japanese word for ‘bad’.
Wario has managed to do quite well for himself, achieving his own games such as the WarioWare and Wario Land series, but he’s never really achieved the iconic status of some of Mario’s other enemies.
KOOPA TROOPA (10)
The original source of the iconic Mario shell, the Koopa Troopas originally appeared as Bowser’s henchmen, but since then they’ve enjoyed a more random relationship with Mario, sometimes serving as enemies and sometimes as allies.
Along with the Goombas, the Koopa Troopa are probably the most recognisable and widely-known enemies of Mario, and he’s quickly wormed his way to player character status in quite a few recent titles, including Mario Golf and previous Mario Kart games.
Iconic, quirky and the source of the unforgettable shell, Koopa Troopa deserves the increasing prominence it’s getting!
ROSALINA (9)
One of the newest editions to the Mario family, Rosalina first appeared in Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii in 2007, but she’s quickly become very popular. Since her first appearance she’s appeared in 9 games and was recently selected to make her debut in the Super Smash Bros. series later this year!
Rosalina was one of my most common choices for Mario Kart Wii, where she was a ‘large’ character with huge speed, but poor handling: almost the polar opposite of her new ‘Baby Rosalina’ counterpart!
SHY GUY (8)
Shy Guy is probably one of the cutest and most likeable villains in the Mario games. Having appeared in countless Mario games as a NPC or enemy, fans were thrilled when Shy Guy was originally announced for Mario Kart 7.
Though he’s loveable and one of the iconic Mario characters, he’s just never really had enough story or character about him to really make him take off as some of the other characters have, but he’s been around for years now, and he’s just too cute to insult!
TOAD (7)
For a long time an unsung hero in the Mario games, Toad only recently started to appear as a playable character in video games, having been relegated to NPC, assistance roles in the past.
Perhaps the most likeable and cheerful of Mario characters, it’s hard to hold anything against Toad, and it’s great to see him finally gaining more and more of a role in the series, and a sibling/love interest/best friend (no one really knows) to match!
In Mario Kart, he’s got all-round average stats, making him good for any player type, and his cool Kart designs are always a nice little extra.
PEACH (6)
Along with Mario, Peach is one of the most established Mario characters, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Despite being iconic, Peach just spends most of her time waiting to be saved by Mario. I mean, you’d think she’d have found some defence against Bowser by now. As close to a love interest as possible for such a child-friendly game, Peach and Mario have enjoyed a long-lasting relationship (if that’s what you can call her being repeatedly saved by him), and in Mario Kart they usually boast similar stats.
A firm favourite with many female Mario Kart players, but a little bit too helpless throughout the rest of the Mario series to really establish herself as one of the best characters.
DONKEY KONG (5)
Donkey Kong hovers on the border between ally and enemy of Mario. Originally introduced in the arcade game, Donkey Kong in 1981, he’s been the opponent of Mario at numerous points since then.
Despite his intimidating appearance and tendency to try and kill Mario every now and then, Donkey Kong is actually immensely popular and serves as something of a mascot for Nintendo, though he still lags behind a few of Nintendo’s more iconic characters.
LUIGI (4)
Luigi suffers from a huge case of sidekick syndrome. He’s essentially the exact same as Mario. Heck, he’s even taller. He’s just never quite got the same level of hype and adoration as his red-wearing brother.
Nintendo has recently tried to show Luigi some love with the ‘Year of Luigi’ to celebrate 30 years since Luigi’s first appearance. Luigi’s Mansion 2, Dr. Luigi and New Super Luigi U all tried their best to bring Luigi level with Mario, but I think Luigi’s going to forever just be Mario’s greener brother.
BOWSER (3)
Aside from Mario, Bowser is arguably the most recognisable character from the series (even though I’m sure a lot of people will disagree!) Mario’s eternal nemesis, you can be sure he’s always there with his evil laugh to try and ruin Mario’s life, but despite that, it’s hard not to love him.
One of the heaviest and strongest Mario Kart characters, you’ll feel it if he comes barrelling into you, and once he gets up to top speed there’s not much that can stop him!
Bowser is the perfect example of a cool villain, and even though he’s utterly dastardly, everyone has a little soft-spot in their heart for Bowser.
YOSHI (2)
Who doesn’t love Yoshi? He’s usually a bit of a jack-of-all-trades in Mario Kart, and he’s undoubtedly the cutest thing ever to come from Nintendo. Sure, you can’t understand a word he says, but he’s one of the Mario series longest serving characters and he’s had his own fair share of games dedicated just to him.
The perfect combination of nostalgia, cuteness and driving skill, Yoshi only just misses out on the top spot.
MARIO (1)
Some people will say this is a bit too obvious, but come on, was there ever going to be any other winner?
Give a controller to any new Mario Kart player and you can be almost sure they’ll go straight for Mario.
Not only has he got good all-round stats in the Mario Kart series, but for 23 years Mario has been the eternal nice guy, saving the princess and fighting the forces of evil. Plus, he’s got a cool accent, an awesome moustache that men worldwide are jealous of, and he’s one of the biggest names in all of gaming. He deservedly sits at the top of the Mario Kart 8 rankings.
So there you have it! My ultimate ranking of the Mario Kart 8 Characters. Feel free to let me know in the comments below if you agree/disagree with any of my choices! If you want to read another Mario Kart related article check out 22 Years Of Mario kart Games – The Retrospective
Mario Kart 8 will be released for Wii U on 30th May!
