Mario Kart World has the wildest character roster we've ever seen

It has been a long week. Personally, living on the West coast of the U.S., I was awake at 5:30am to start reporting on the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on Wednesday. From there, the excitement has stayed consistent, but in the last few days it’s met by equally powerful apprehension about the state of the world. Mario Kart World is $80, and people are sharing their opinions on that. Thanks to the U.S.’s new tariffs, Nintendo has delayed Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. and could easily raise the price of the new console. So, I thought, heading into the weekend, why not have some fun? So, here’s a story about the new ridiculous characters you can play in Mario Kart World that we know about, so far.

Mario Kart World’s character roster is full of unexpected characters

For the last decade, Mario Kart 8, or the Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, has been the premiere Mario Kart experience. That game launched with all the usual Super Mario characters but added some new inclusions like all eight Koopa Kids, the character that saves you when you fall off, and for some reason, Metal Mario’s counterpart Pink Gold Peach. This version also included crossover characters like the Inklings from Splatoon, Villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing, and Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. DLC also added a few more handfuls of characters, eventually creating a total of 48 characters, with 8 of those as DLC.

Mario Kart World, just from the trailers, looks like it will beat that. This makes sense, given the game’s broader scope and larger number of racers. An optional mode in Mario Kart World is Roam Mode, this is where the player can drive freely to explore racetracks or take off into the wider world. Rather than the standard twelve racers per race, Mario Kart World will feature double that, twenty-four racers in each race. It makes sense that they would need to pad the roster to make sure things remain fresh. We have come a long way from Mario Kart 64, which only featured eight playable characters.

Nearly every character from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been spotted in trailers for Mario Kart World so far. The only exclusions are most of the DLC cast, the crossover characters, and the lesser-known Koopa Kids. But they have been replaced with some additions that have the internet in a frenzy.

Notice Pianta, a character from Super Mario Sunshine on the right.Mario Kart World, Developer: Nintendo

First, the Cow from the classic Mario Kart track Moo Moo Meadows, has been upgraded to playable character. A few other animal characters also appear to be part of the roster now, including a Penguin and Dolphin. The Penguin may be from Sherbet Land, and the Dolphin may be from Dolphin Shoals, though it will probably be best to wait for more information before anything is confirmed.

Goomba finally gets behind the wheel.Mario Kart World, Developer: Nintendo

A few other Super Mario enemies seem to have made the cut this time, including Hammer Bro, who is seen using a new hammer item during a race. Goomba finally gets behind the wheel, as does the Coin Coffer, Monty Mole, Chargin’ Chuck, Piranha Plant, Wiggler, Fish Bone, Cheep Cheep, Spike, Snowman, Sidestepper, Pianta, Para-Biddybud, and Nabbit. Yes, I promise I’m not making any of those up. This is already looking like the strangest, most wild Mario Kart roster we’ve ever seen.

Apparently this is Para-Biddybud.Mario Kart World, Developer: Nintendo

The level of deep cuts that have been spotted in various trailers does make me wonder. Are characters like Fish Bone and Cheep Cheep really going to be playable characters? Or is Mario Kart World going to feature some “enemies” as racers just to populate the vast world? At this point, we can’t be completely sure. But I personally think it would be brilliant to include all these random characters. The internet is already loving it, as we can see with Cow fan art spreading like wildfire.

Mario Kart World

June 5, 2025

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