Mario Kart Characters Tier List: Every Racer Ranked
Mario Kart's roster has grown from a tight eight racers into a sprawling cast of Koopas, Kongs and guest stars from entirely different franchises. Some characters are beloved mainstays, others feel like padding to fill out a character select screen.
We ranked all 24 of these drivers based on how fans and critics actually talk about them: personality, staying power, how long they took to show up, and yes, a little bit of petty favoritism toward the weird ones. Disagree with where we put Waluigi? Good. That's the point. Make your own list and argue with ours in the comments.
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SS Tier: The icons you pick without thinking
Mario
He's the default pick for a reason. Balanced stats, the face on the box art, the guy who's been doing this since the original Super Mario Kart on SNES. You can't rank him anywhere else.
About Mario
The mascot of Nintendo and the default racer in every Mario Kart game. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, he's been the face of the franchise since the original arcade Donkey Kong.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
- Stat class
- All-rounder/Medium
Luigi
The Luigi Death Stare turned him from 'Mario's brother' into his own meme empire. He's also just a genuinely great middleweight pick in most of the games.
About Luigi
Mario's taller, greener brother, known in Mario Kart circles for the deadpan 'Luigi Death Stare' meme from Mario Kart 8.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
Yoshi
Colorful, cheerful, and somehow been in every single Mario Kart since the first one. The egg-hatching animations alone have kept him a fan favorite for decades.
About Yoshi
Mario's dinosaur companion and one of the few characters to appear in every Mario Kart title.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
Bowser
The heavyweight king. Bowser feels like he was built for this game: huge hitbox, huge presence, and that unmistakable villain-makes-good energy every time he's grinning on a motorbike.
About Bowser
The Koopa King and recurring main villain of the Mario series, a top-tier heavyweight pick in kart racing.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
AA Tier: Fan favorites with real staying power
Princess Peach
The go-to lightweight for a generation of players. She's been a mainstay since day one on the roster and never feels like an afterthought the way some royal legacy characters do.
About Princess Peach
Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and a lightweight racer who's appeared in every entry in the series.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
Donkey Kong
A heavyweight with real charisma, not just a reskin of Bowser. DK's been around since the SNES days and his roar on a hairpin turn never gets old.
About Donkey Kong
The barrel-throwing gorilla from his own long-running series, now a reliable heavyweight on the kart roster.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
Toad
Small, fast, and weirdly beloved for a guy whose whole personality is 'mushroom person.' Fans like him specifically because he isn't a main-series heavyweight, he's just a good kart racer.
About Toad
A small, speedy member of the Mushroom Kingdom's Toad species, a mainstay lightweight racer.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
Waluigi
Never been in a mainline Mario platformer, yet he's one of the most requested characters in Smash Bros and a legit fan favorite here. People love him purely for the vibes: lanky, petty, always scheming.
About Waluigi
Wario's lanky, scheming partner, created specifically for Mario Kart's doubles format and never featured in a mainline platformer.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Rosalina
Became an instant favorite the moment she joined the roster in Mario Kart Wii. There's something funny about a cosmic deity who babysits Lumas also doing donuts on Rainbow Road.
About Rosalina
A cosmic guardian from Super Mario Galaxy who watches over the Lumas, added to the kart roster in the Wii era.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart Wii (2008)
BB Tier: Solid, reliable, no complaints
Wario
A solid heavyweight with his own identity (greed, garlic, general chaos), even if he sometimes gets overshadowed by the bigger names at the top of the roster.
About Wario
Mario's greedy, garlic-loving rival, a heavyweight racer known for his gruff personality.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart 64 (1996)
Princess Daisy
Daisy has a loyal fanbase that will fight you over her placement, and honestly she deserves it. Energetic, distinct from Peach, and a staple since Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
About Princess Daisy
Ruler of Sarasaland, introduced to the kart series as Peach's energetic counterpart.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Diddy Kong
A fun lightweight who's been in the series since Double Dash. He doesn't get the attention DK does, but nobody actively dislikes him either.
About Diddy Kong
Donkey Kong's nephew and sidekick, a lightweight racer who joined in the GameCube era.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Bowser Jr.
The little troublemaker has carved out his own lane separate from his dad. Fans generally like him more than they expected to when he first showed up.
About Bowser Jr.
Bowser's son and the self-proclaimed heir to the Koopa throne, a lightweight racer with his own quirky identity.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Link
The Zelda crossover that actually worked. Riding the Master Cycle through Rainbow Road feels like it shouldn't make sense, but it's one of the better guest additions the series has made.
About Link
The hero of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, added as a guest racer bringing Zelda-themed karts and tracks.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Toadette
Started as a background character and grew into a legit roster regular, especially once she got her own power-up transformation moment in later games.
About Toadette
Toad's counterpart, who became a more prominent roster regular in later entries and even headlined a power-up transformation.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
CC Tier: Fine, but kind of there
Koopa Troopa
A classic lightweight who's basically been here forever, but he's never had a standout moment the way Toad or Yoshi has. Reliable, unremarkable.
About Koopa Troopa
A basic turtle enemy from the Mario platformers turned long-running lightweight kart racer.
- First Kart appearance
- Super Mario Kart (1992)
Shy Guy
Shows up in a dozen colors and nobody minds, because Shy Guy's whole charm is being an anonymous mask in a crowd. Fine pick, forgettable personality.
About Shy Guy
A masked enemy character from Super Mario Bros. 2, now a recurring lightweight racer that appears in multiple colors.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Isabelle
The Animal Crossing crossover that's cute but doesn't bring much racing personality with it. Fans like her fine, they just don't get excited about her the way they do Link.
About Isabelle
A secretary dog character from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, added to Mario Kart as a crossover guest.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Birdo
A long-time series regular with a dedicated niche fanbase, but she's spent years being treated as a secondary character rather than someone the games build around.
About Birdo
A long-time Mario series character dating back to Super Mario Bros. 2, with a smaller but dedicated kart racing fanbase.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Villager
Another Animal Crossing import that's pleasant enough but mostly just exists so there's a second Animal Crossing racer on the grid.
About Villager
The customizable player character from Animal Crossing, added to Mario Kart as a crossover guest racer.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart 8 (2014)
DD Tier: Reskins and filler
Goomba
The most basic enemy in the Mario universe, now driving a kart. There's a novelty to it for about five minutes, then he's just another slot on the roster.
About Goomba
The most basic enemy in the Mario series, a mushroom-shaped foe that's been stomped in platformers since 1985.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Pauline
About Pauline
The character Mario originally rescued in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, later reimagined as the mayor of New Donk City.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Nabbit
A purple rabbit-thief who feels like he wandered in from a New Super Mario Bros. game and never left. Inoffensive, but nobody's excited to unlock him.
About Nabbit
A purple, rabbit-eared thief character introduced in the New Super Mario Bros. series.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart Tour (2019)
FF Tier: Why is this still a slot
Piranha Plant
A plant in a pipe, driving a kart, biting the air. It's a fun gag for a trailer, but as an actual character to main for dozens of races it wears thin fast.
About Piranha Plant
A carnivorous plant enemy that pops out of pipes throughout the Mario series, included as a novelty racer.
- First Kart appearance
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
How we ranked them
We looked at how these characters are discussed across Mario Kart forums, reviews and fan rankings over the years: who gets cheered when they're unlocked, who gets memed, who feels like a reskin of someone else. We weighed personality and history in the series against sheer function as a roster filler. Where the fanbase is genuinely split (looking at you, Waluigi truthers and Baby Kong haters), we picked a side and said so.
Think we got it wrong?
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
Who is the best Mario Kart character to pick?
Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Bowser are the most consistently well-rounded and well-liked picks across the series, which is why they land in our S tier.
Why is Waluigi ranked so high if he's never been in a mainline platformer?
Fans love him for his personality and meme status more than his game history. In Mario Kart specifically, he's been a fixture since Double Dash and has a genuinely devoted fanbase.
Is Baby Mario or Baby Peach on this list?
No, this list covers 24 specific racers and doesn't include every baby or Metal/Gold variant that's appeared across the series.
Why is Piranha Plant ranked last?
It's a fun novelty pick but lacks the personality and history that even lower-tier characters like Goomba or Nabbit have built up over the years.
Is Link only in some Mario Kart games?
Link appeared as a guest racer starting with Mario Kart 8, bringing Zelda-themed karts and tracks like Hyrule Circuit with him.
More rankings
Image credits
- MarioCover: Wikipedia · Source
- LuigiCover: Wikipedia · Source
- YoshiCover: Wikipedia · Source
- BowserCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Princess PeachCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Donkey KongCover: Wikipedia · Source
- ToadCover: Wikipedia · Source
- WaluigiCover: Wikipedia · Source
- RosalinaCover: Wikipedia · Source
- WarioCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Princess DaisyCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Diddy KongCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Bowser Jr.Cover: Wikipedia · Source
- LinkCover: Wikipedia · Source
- ToadetteCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Koopa TroopaCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Shy GuyImage: Mario Kart Racing Wiki (Fandom), © its owner · Source
- IsabelleCover: Wikipedia · Source
- BirdoCover: Wikipedia · Source
- VillagerImage: Mario Kart Racing Wiki (Fandom), © its owner · Source
- GoombaCover: Wikipedia · Source
- PaulineCover: Wikipedia · Source
- NabbitCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Piranha PlantCover: Wikipedia · Source