It’s a great time to be aMario Kartfan. DespiteMario Kart 8initially releasing for the Wii U in 2014, Nintendo has kept the game alive all the way into their latest console generation. Recently,Mario Kart 8 Deluxehas received DLC expansions adding in new courses for players to race on, as well asnew playable characterslike Birdo.
Related:Mario Kart: Mario Characters Who Should Debut In The Next Game
Although there are many to choose from in theMariouniverse,Mario Kart 8 Deluxehas already established racers from other Nintendo franchises. Link, Villager, Isabelle, Inkling Boy, and Inkling Girl have already been included in the title from launch. IfNintendo plans to add any other non-Mariocharacters to the racing game, these would be the best options.
10Diddy Kong
Diddy Kong is a frequent character in theMariospin-off world, having previously been a racer inMario Kart: Double DashandMario Kart Wii. However, it’s been quite a while since Diddy Kong has made an appearance in the franchise. Nevertheless,the character has had a long history with racingthanks to theDonkey Kongfranchise’s own racing titles.
After all this time, it does seem quite surprising that such an iconic character like Diddy Kong has yet to be added toMario Kart 8 Deluxe. He would make a great addition to the roster alongside Donkey Kong, with both of them representing one of Nintendo’s most iconicMariospin-off franchises:Donkey Kong Country.
9Zelda
Link and Mario have joined forces many times thanks to theSuper Smash Bros.franchise, butMario Kart 8was the first time the character appeared in the racing series. The character has two costumes: one fromSkyward Swordand one fromBreath of the Wild. However, it’d be nice to get another iconicThe Legend of Zeldacharacter in theMario Kartseries.
Related:The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Easter Eggs Fans Spotted In The Recent Trailer
Zelda makes for the perfect option, especially given the upcoming release ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Peach makes a great argument for how a princess could be found racing, but the character’s appearances inBreath of the Wildhighlight what an adventurer Zelda really is, which would make her primed for a racing competition.
8Kirby
Kirby is one of the few Nintendo characters who’s no stranger to racing. The sport has appeared numerous times throughout the franchise, such as theKirby Super Starminigame Gourmet Race, or the GameCube spin-off titleKirby Air Ride. Suffice it to say, but being added toMario Kart 8 Deluxewouldbe a natural progression for Kirby.
The addition of Kirby intoMario Kartwould also make a great excuse to add karts based on the franchise’s rides, such as the Warp Star or the Dragoon. A stage based on theKirbyfranchise, like Gourmet Race, would also make for a great course to be added via DLC, albeit it may draw comparisons to levels like Sweet Sweet Canyon.
7Pikachu
Pokemonis one of Nintendo’s most iconic franchises, although The Pokemon Company is pretty particular aboutwhere its characters show up outside mainline games and spin-offs. With that in mind, an iconic Pokemon like Pikachu being added toMario Kartwould make Nintendo history, as well as satisfy many longtime fans of the franchise.
Some fans may be put-off by the idea of Pikachu driving, but it’d make about as much sense as a Koopa or King Boo racing. Plus, Pikachu being an Electric-type Pokemon may make the perfect excuse for the character to race at lightning speeds. Perhaps the DLC could also include aPokemon-themed course like Saffron City, or Paldea fromScarlet & Violet.
6Fox McCloud
Fox has been a mainstay of theSuper Smash Bros.series since its very first entry, just like Mario and his friends. The character can often be found occupying his iconic Arwing, although other games in the series find the character racing in a giant tank known as the Landmaster. Perhaps Fox and the Landmaster would be great additions toMario Kart.
Related:Nintendo Games That Defined Genres
Star Foxis an often underrated Nintendo franchise nowadays, with its most recent entryStar Fox Zerofor Wii U being critically panned. Get to play as Fox, with maybe Falco or Wolf as alternate skins, in aMario Kartgame would be much needed redemption forStar Foxfans. Albeit, the Landmaster may not make for an incredibly fast kart.
5Captain Falcon
Captain Falcon is one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters, and it’s all thanks toSuper Smash Bros.The character’s origin series,F-Zero, hasn’t even had a new title since the early 2000s. However, the series is nonetheless represented inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, with the Blue Falcon available as a kart and twoF-Zerostages: Mute City and Big Blue.
At this point, it seems almost insulting thatF-Zerohas representation inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, but not Captain Falcon himself. The character is more than worthy of a spot, especially since Nintendo seems to have no plans to revive his racing series thanks to the success ofMario Kartas the company’s signature racing franchise.
4Pit
TheKid Icarusfranchise was far from Nintendo’s most popular untilSakurai’s 3DS titleKid Icarus: Uprising. Along with breathing new life into the series,Kid Icarus: Uprisingcontains many ideas for potentialKid Icarus-inspired karts, should the series protagonist Pit ever be added to theMario Kartfranchise as a playable racer.
In the 3DS game alone, there are vehicles like the Exotank, Cherubot, and Aether Ring that are used repeatedly throughout the game. There’s also the Lightning Chariot, which even appears inSuper Smash Bros Ultimateas Pit’s Final Smash. Given that Pit is incapable of flying without Palutena’s help, racing against Mario and his friends seems like a natural fit.
3Samus
In theMetroidseries, Samus Aran rides one of the most iconic vehicles in Nintendo’s history: the Gunship. The Gunship would make an obvious choice for a potential kart inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, with Samus being a natural fit as its signature rider. The character could even have costume changes with her Power Suit and Zero Suit as different options.
Related:Metroid: Samus Aran’s Biggest Mistakes & Failures Ever
Metroidfans would certainly appreciate the attention, given the increasing delays ofMetroid Prime 4, which was first confirmed all the way back in 2017. The series has seen recent releases, such as the recently-releasedMetroid Dreadon the Switch. It would also be great to add more female characters to the series, with Samus being one of Nintendo’s best.
2Mona
Although Wario appears inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, there isn’t any representation of theWarioWareseries in the series. The microgame-basedMariospin-off features many original characters who would make greatMario Kartracers. Some of them include 9-Volt, Ashley, Orbulon, and Dr. Crygor, but one stands out above the rest.
Mona has been one of the longest-running characters in the franchise,wearing many hats throughout theWarioWaregamesas a pizza delivery girl, bassist, and cheerleader. Often, the character is seen riding her iconic scooter recklessly, which makes her a perfect fit for theMario Kartfranchise, which is already filled with lots of reckless driving.
1Excitebiker
Excitebikeis an NES classic, originally released in 1984 for the Famicom before it was ported to the west a year later. As one of Nintendo’s most recognizable games, it has a surprising lack of inclusion inSuper Smash Bros.aside from an Assist Trophy inSuper Smash Bros Brawl. However, the franchise has been more welcomed byMario Kart.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxeincludes a course based onExcitebike, but the lack of a playable character from the series has been noticed by fans. Perhaps, adding the Excitebiker toMario Kartas a DLC character would be a much-deserved tribute to one of Nintendo’s most iconic retro games,which was developed based on Mario’s running fromSuper Mario Bros.
More:Mario Kart 8: Every Playable Character Who’s Not Actually From A Mario Game
