Concepts for the Next Mario Kart - Part 2: Characters

Welcome to part two of the Concepts for Mario Kart series. Here, I'll talk about characters that should return and some ideas I have for new characters. I might update this blog in the future.

Okay, I need to clarify something before I start listing characters: I don't like non-Mario characters in Mario Kart except for Miis. So that is why I'm going to not list any characters from other franchises on here. They don't belong in Mario Kart, in my opinion.

All of these characters have been in all Mario Kart games since Mario Kart 64. They'll all return!

All these characters are fan-favorites and should return as well.

Bowser Jr. should be a lightweight character, like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Despite what other people think of them, I like the addition of baby characters. They could add Baby Pauline next, for all we know...

These fan-favorite characters didn't make it into the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe roster (before the Booster Course Pass). So for these characters, I'll go into more detail.

Although I'm not the biggest fan of Birdo, I thought it was weird for them not to include her in Mario Kart 8. Actually, I like to believe that she didn't appear on the roster because they mentioned her on Sunshine Airport's intercom.

Diddy Kong should be a lightweight character, like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Also, with Miis, I'm also okay with more "Donkey Kong-related" characters because they are still technically Mario characters and fit in better than characters from other franchises.

Whatever happened to Petey Piranha? Maybe his head is too big, but come on. Unfortunately, he's also the only character in this section that hasn't appeared in Mario Kart Tour. So could we please have him as a playable character in the next Mario Kart?

Although Funky Kong is mainly a fan-favorite because people pair him with a particular vehicle, I still like him. The fact that the servers crashed when both he and Dixie Kong got added to Mario Kart Tour shows you how popular he is.

I don't understand why some people aren't too fond of the Koopalings in Mario Kart. I would like to see them return!

Now, let's move on to three characters that people may disagree with. I'll explain why I picked these characters.

Wiggler is a unique character that I want to see return. He's an out-there character that I did not expect, he has four arms (even though the artwork I used shows him having two arms), and he turns red and gets angry temporarily when an item hits him. I honestly cannot see why people don't like this character.

I know people point out that Lakitu starts the race and stuff, but Lakitu is a species, and there can be multiple, so I don't find it weird.

Also, I was initially going to put Honey Queen here, but while she is a character that I didn't expect, like Wiggler, she's an obscure and very minor character, and therefore I feel like she doesn't belong.

These characters haven't appeared in a Mario Kart game until Mario Kart Tour. Since many people haven't played Mario Kart Tour, these characters might feel new to them.

I don't consider Peachette and Captain Toad as clone characters.

And the last returning character goes to the Miis! Even though I'm worried they'll ditch Miis soon because of Nintendo Switch Sports... Also, Mii costumes should return and there should also be an option to take the helmet off, at least for the default racing suit. Some trick animations would probably look weird with the helmet off, like the Chain Chomp one for example. Alright, let's get into the new characters now!

Well... actually, let's talk about clone characters. In a blog I made in 2019, I said that clone characters like Cat Peach should be placed in a sub-menu like Yoshi and Shy Guy. As I said, Peachette and Captain Toad aren't clone characters to me, but if they are clones to you, I can see why. So, what clone characters should they add to the next Mario Kart game? Well, I'm not going to go into too much detail about my ideas, like I'm not going to list EVERY clone character idea I have. Still, some ideas I have are different colors for characters (example: Blue Toad or Pink Yoshi) and power-up versions for characters (example: Fire Rosalina or Penguin Toadette). So, again, these characters should all be put in a sub-menu. They could also put Hammer Bro, Boomerang Bro, Ice Bro, and Fire Bro in the same sub-menu. Also, they could record different voice lines, give the characters different stats, give the characters new trick animations, etc. Now, we can get to my ideas for new characters!

For the first character, we have Luma! A Luma as a playable character would be awesome. He's already a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces. So, for you guys that are sad that Rosalina doesn't have a Luma with her in Mario Kart 7 and 8, let's hope that we can play as the cute little star creature in the next Mario Kart!

Boom Boom is a pretty obvious choice, and I'm surprised he hasn't been in a Mario Kart game. I'd like to see him in Mario Kart, even if it's Mario Kart Tour. Seeing that he has appeared in a couple of spin-offs, I don't see how he wouldn't work in Mario Kart.

I want Pom Pom for the same reasons as Boom Boom. If she can be a playable character in Super Mario Party, she can be a playable character in Mario Kart. By the way, Super Mario Party has the weirdest character roster, at least for the Mario Party series.

Since Spikes have been playable in Mario Party 10 and Mario Tennis Aces, I'd like to see him as a playable character in Mario Kart. I feel like he's an enemy that many people don't know about, and he's honestly starting to become one of my favorite Mario enemies.

While I sadly don't believe that Nintendo will do this, I want Blooper to be a character instead of an item. Reason? I don't like Blooper as an item. However, he, as a playable character, would be great.

Here are all the characters that I listed in this blog. 52 characters in total!

We'll be talking about items in the next part.