The Super Mario series is known for its numerous spinoffs and subseries. The series’ take on other genres, such as the sports games, Mario Party, and especially Mario Kart, are especially known for providing players with an opportunity to play as characters that would otherwise never have such a role. Characters like Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Wario are the most notable examples, with the latter two becoming permanent additions to the main Mario crew from the Nintendo 64 era. There are also characters that would have otherwise remained in a few games, such as Daisy, Birdo, and Rosalina, characters created for the spinoffs, like Toadette and Waluigi, as well as miscellaneous enemies and one-timers that are frequently represented in the spinoffs.

With Mario Kart 9 being rumored to be in development, it is easy to think of the possible roster of a hypothetical new Mario Kart. Although Mario Kart 8 had a generally strong roster due to bringing Waluigi back and turning the Koopalings into playable characters for the first time but was also criticized for its focus on alternate forms of characters at the expense of older, more unique characters. It took a few years for Nintendo to include Bowser Jr., Dry Bones, Dry Bowser, and King Boo into the game with the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. However, characters like Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, and Tanooki Peach were present in the Wii U version. If Mario Kart 9 were to actually happen, it would have to stand out with its roster.

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Rejected Veterans

mario kart tour diddy kong on train

There are some characters whose spot in a Mario Kart game is almost guaranteed. The eight characters from Mario Kart 64, and this point, Daisy, Rosalina, and Koopa Troopa have permanent spots in the roster too. In a way, Mario Kart 8 shattered some expectations regarding the roster. The game brought back characters that skipped Mario Kart 7, like Toadette, Waluigi, and Baby Mario, but for the most part, neglected characters that fans expect to appear. Some of them have become staples of Mario spinoffs with a playable ensemble cast. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe brought back four characters that were in Mario Kart Wii but not Mario Kart 7 and the original Mario Kart 8, but that was not enough to balance out the abundance of babies, metal forms, power up costumes, and characters from other Nintendo series. If Mario Kart 9 wants to have the strongest roster the series has ever seen, it needs to dedicate itself to bringing back characters that were in older games that fans miss.

Diddy Kong and Birdo should be priorities. Despite being completely different, the two characters have similar histories, being introduced in games that were semi-related to Mario at best before being fully integrated into the franchise through the sports games in the early 2000s. As far as Mario Kart goes, they have only been in Double Dash and Wii despite being spinoff regulars, especially Diddy Kong. A Mario Kart game without these characters feels off.

There are one-time characters in the series that have a case for being brought back. Paratroopa and Petey Piranha from Double Dash, Funky Kong from Wii, and Wiggler from 7, are the aforementioned characters. Paratroopa and Petey Piranha were frequently playable during the GameCube and Wii eras, with Petey being playable in every Mario sports game on those consoles aside from Super Mario Strikers and Mario Sports Mix. Additionally, he recently made a playable comeback in Mario Tennis Aces. Funky Kong is a fan favorite in his home series and Mario Kart Wii and was one of the more unique additions. Wiggler has the occasional playable appearance in sports games and most recently made his Mario Golf debut with Super Rush.

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Potential newcomers

mario kart tour hammer bro and boomerang bro

Despite being the biggest Mario spinoff and selling better than the platformers, Mario Kart has yet to fully take advantage of the Mario universe’s potential with its rosters in a way that some sports games have. Mario Kart Tour is experimental in a way due to its character roster. Despite the countless variations that could just be alternate costumes, the game is also the technical Mario Kart debut of several characters. Hammer Bro, who has been present in sports games and Mario Party, is playable alongside the other Hammer Bro variations. Due to being a unique and infamous enemy, a Hammer Bro in a future Mario Kart 9 seems like a plausible newcomer. There is also Dixie Kong, who made her Mario debut in Superstar Baseball, which would make for a welcoming addition.

The two most likely newcomers would be Kamek and Pauline. Kamek has been appearing more often in recent Mario spinoffs, including making his Mario Tennis and Golf debuts, and was originally supposed to be in Mario Kart 64 before being replaced with Donkey Kong. Pauline was officially reintroduced with Super Mario Odyssey and is going through a phase like Rosalina did over a decade ago. She is becoming a series mainstay and appearing in sports games. Due to how bigger her role is, her inclusion in Mario Kart 9 feels inevitable.

Whether Mario Kart 9 is actually in development or not remains to be seen, but an easy way for the hypothetical game to outdo its predecessors would be to improve the roster. These characters are perfect contenders due to their history with the Mario franchise and specifically its spinoffs. To some fans that might felt disappointed with some of Mario Kart 8’s decisions, such a turnaround could salvage the weird emphasis on character variations

Mario Kart 9 is rumored to be in development.

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