Highlights
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will receive its final DLC update in Holiday 2023, including four new characters and eight new courses.
- Some classic Mario Kart characters, like Donkey Kong Jr. and Honey Queen, have not appeared in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet.
- Mario Kart Tour introduced new characters not seen on console, raising the possibility that they may appear in future Mario Kart games.
The current era of Mario Kart is finally coming to an end. Mario Kart Tour will receive its final content update on October 4, and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass will launch its sixth and final wave of DLC sometime in Holiday 2023. Carrying on the solid foundation Mario Kart 8 built on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has proven to be the definitive modern Mario Kart, in no small part due to the enormous amount of post-launch content it's received.
The final wave of 8 Deluxe's DLC will introduce four new characters, as well as the last eight courses. What the courses are will be revealed in the coming months, but fans have noticed something interesting about the newcomers in the meantime. Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Pauline, and Peachette fill more than the two remaining slots on the character selection screen, and there are still plenty of old racers who aren't in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet. There's no guarantee that additional characters are coming, but it's still impressive that Mario Kart still has any content that's not included in MK8DX.
Missing Racers From Older Mario Kart Games
At the moment, there are only four Mario Kart characters who predate MK8 but haven't reappeared in Deluxe.
- Donkey Kong Jr.
- Honey Queen
- Koopa Paratroopa
- ROB
Donkey Kong Jr.'s pixelated self and Mario Kart: Double Dash's Koopa Paratroopa both appeared in Mario Kart Tour, but the Honey Queen and ROB are still locked in their debut titles. The Robotic Operating Buddy was a secret character in Mario Kart DS, and the Honey Queen was likewise in Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS. ROB and the Honey Queen don't have great chances of appearing again, but at least DK Jr. finally got his due as a Super Mario Kart veteran.
Mario Kart Tour Characters That Haven’t Come To Consoles
There are also plenty of characters that debuted in Mario Kart Tour but haven't come to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe yet.
- Captain Toad
- Chargin’ Chuck
- Dixie Kong
- Hammer Bro (Boomerang Bro, Fire Bro, Ice Bro)
- King Bob-omb
- Monty Mole
- Nabbit
- Poochy
While it wasn't to many console Mario Kart fans' tastes, Tour was a great place for introducing new characters and courses to the franchise. Surprises like Chargin' Chuck, King Bob-omb, and Dixie Kong managed to make their way in, and Pauline and Peachette owe their MK8DX appearances to debuting in Mario Kart Tour. Chances are fairly good that racers who missed MK8 could make it into Mario Kart 9 or later entries, so their brief time in Tour's spotlight hasn't gone to waste.
Arcade-Only Mario Kart Characters
In addition to the many Mario Kart titles developed by Nintendo, Bandai Namco handled four Mario Kart Arcade games that featured guest characters from its own franchises.
- Blinky
- Blue Toad
- Don-Chan
- Fire Mario
- Hero Don-Chan
- Ice Luigi
- Mametchi
- Ms. Pac-Man
- Pac-Man
- Strawberry Don-Chan
Although Mario Kart 8 made a name for itself by featuring crossovers with several other Nintendo franchises, the chances of it extending that offer to other companies at this point are low. Still, seeing Pac-Man, Taiko no Tatsujin's living drum Don-Chan, and even Tamagotchi's rabbit-like Mametchi racing alongside Mario characters is a big part of Mario Kart Arcade GP’s appeal. Mario Kart Tour has a Fire Mario costume, but strangely there has been no Ice Luigi or Blue Toad. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets the last laugh there, as Blue Toad and Yellow Toad appear as menu cameos in its online mode. While it’s not a roster slot, it is nice to see some extra characters make their way to Mario Kart 8.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
