With Mario Kart Tour’s release, GamingonPhone will cover each aspect of the game over the coming week, starting today, with Mario Kart Tour Characters.
Mario Kart Tour, on release, has 20 Unlockable Characters. They are distributed between three unlockable rarities, similar to weight classes in other Mario Kart titles, being Normal, Super, and High-end.
Let’s start with Normal, these characters are the easiest to unlock, with an appearance rate of 5% from the Pipe.
Baby Mario
Special Item: Boomerang
Baby Mario made his debut to the Mario Kart Series in Double Dash. He has since made an appearance in most main series Kart games since then. His special item is the Boomerang, which circles your kart and strikes nearby players.
Baby Peach
Special Item: Bubble
Baby Peach was first playable in Mario Kart Wii, as a lightweight character. Her special item is the Bubble, which allows your character to float above the ground, avoiding items and ground-based features like boost panels.
Baby Daisy
Special Item: Bubble
Baby Daisy’s first appearance in any Mario Series game was in Mario Kart Wii, being a lightweight character alongside the other babies. Her special item is the Bubble, which allows your character to float above the ground, avoiding items and ground-based features like boost panels.
Baby Rosalina
Special Item: Bubble
Baby Rosalina’s debut was in Mario Kart 8, similar to the other baby princess’ first appearances in Wii. Her special item is the Bubble, which allows your character to float above the ground, avoiding items and ground-based features like boost panels.
Baby Luigi
Special Item: Boomerang
Like Baby Mario, Baby Luigi’s introduction to the kart series started in Mario Kart Wii. His special item is the Boomerang, which circles your kart and strikes nearby players.
Read – Mario Kart Tour Items: The complete guide
Shy Guy
Special Item: Double Bob-ombs
Shy Guy has been a staple character across many Mario games, and made his appearance in the GBA Mario Kart: Super Circuit. As a playable character, however, he first showed up on the track in Mario Kart DS. His special item is the Double Bob-ombs, which allows him to hurl two bob-ombs at once, covering the track in front of him.
Koopa Troopa
Special Item: Triple Green Shells
Mario Kart Wii introduced Koopa Troopa as a playable character with its immense character roster. His special item is the Triple Green Shells, which fires all three at the same time.
Dry Bones
Special Item: Triple Green Shells
Dry Bones made his debut in Mario Kart DS, as solidified his position as an iconic character in the series. His special item is the Triple Green Shells, which fires all three at the same time.
Iggy Koopa
Special Item: Triple Green Shells
Of the 7 Koopalings, Iggy is classed as the ‘childish, mechanical genius’. He first made an appearance in the Mario franchise in Super Mario Bros. 3. His special Item is the Triple Green Shells, which fires all three at the same time.
Larry Koopa
Special Item: Boomerang
Of the 7 Koopalings, Larry is the youngest of the group – but not the weakest! His special item is the Boomerang, which circles your kart and strikes nearby players.
Lemmy Koopa
Special Item: Bubble
Of the 7 Koopalings, Lemmy is the smallest in size, also making his first appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3. His special item is the Bubble, which allows your character to float above the ground, avoiding items and ground-based features like boost panels.
Ludwig Koopa
Special Item: Dash Ring
Of the 7 Koopalings, Ludwig is the self-acclaimed leader of the group. His special item is the Dash Ring, which shoots out rings in front of you, rewarding a small boost when passed through.
Morton Koopa
Special Item: Giant Banana
Of the 7 Koopalings, Morton strongly resembles a darker toned Bowser. His special item is the giant banana, which takes up over double the size of a regular banana, causing drivers to spin out upon impact.
Roy Koopa
Special Item: Double Bob-ombs
Of the 7 Koopalings, Roy focuses on brawn over brain, and prides himself as the toughest of the group. His special item is the Double Bob-ombs, which allows him to hurl two bob-ombs at once, covering the track in front of him.
Wendy Koopa
Special Item: Heart
Of the 7 Koopalings, Wendy is the only female character present. Her special item is the Heart, which protects her from other driver’s items.
Super characters are the next rarity up from Normal, and introduce higher starting points, higher top speeds, and improved special items. They have an appearance rate of around 1% from the pipe.
Mario
Special Item: Fire Flower
It came to nobody’s surprise that Mario made it into Mario Kart Tour. He is one of the icons among the Mario Kart Tour characters. His special item, the Fire Flower, allows him to throw fireballs at other racers, causing them to burn out.
Yoshi
Yoshi
Special Item: Yoshi’s Egg
Everyone’s favourite green dinosaur: Yoshi, made his appearance in Tour as a super character. He, alongside Mario, has been a staple character in the series since Mario Kart on the N64. His special item is Yoshi’s Egg, which surrounds Yoshi and fires at other players. It explodes on impact and an item pops out.
Princess Peach
Special Item: Heart
Princess Peach is no stranger to the Mario Kart series, and appears alongside her Baby version in Tour. Her special item is the Heart, which protects her from other driver’s items.
Daisy
Special Item: Heart
Daisy made her first appearance in the Mario Kart series games in Double Dash as a middleweight character. Her, alongside Peach, share the same special item: The Heart, which protects her from other driver’s items.
Toad
Special Item: Triple Mushrooms
Mario Kart’s loveable mushroom-headed character is also playable in Tour. His special item is Triple Mushrooms, which gives him a long-lasting boost and allows him to overtake the other racers.
Toadette
Special Item: Triple Mushrooms
Toadette has been around since the days of Double Dash, and has been a familiar face in Kart series games since. Her special item is Triple Mushrooms, which gives her a long-lasting boost and allows her to overtake the other racers.
Rosalina
Special Item: Dash Ring
Rosalina first made an appearance in the iconic Mario Galaxy games, and joined the roster in most Mario Kart games since. Her special item is the Dash Ring, which shoots out rings in front of you, rewarding a small boost when passed through.
Luigi
Special Item: Fire Flower
At long last, Luigi’s delayed release to Mario Kart Tour came as a big relief to many fans. A staple character since the beginning of both the Kart series and the Mario franchise as a whole. His special item, the Fire Flower, allows him to throw fireballs at other racers, causing them to burn out.
Toad (Pit Crew)
Special Item: Boomerang
The first of its kind, Pit Crew Toad is a species of toad dressed in a racing get-up. Unlike the normal toad, his special item is the Boomerang, which circles your kart and strikes nearby players.
Bowser
Special Item: Bowser’s Shell
The usual heavyweight classic: Bowser also makes an appearance. His special item is exceptionally powerful, launching a big shell that rips through the course, hitting other racers.
Donkey Kong
Special Item: Giant Banana
Since the SNES days, Donkey Kong wouldn’t miss a single Kart Title, being playable in almost every single one. His memorable special item was first seen in Double Dash, and now we get a chance to see it again. The giant banana takes up over double the size of a regular banana, causing drivers to spin out upon impact.
Diddy Kong
Special Item: Banana Barrels
Diddy Kong is also no stranger to Mario Kart, being featured since the Double Dash days as a middleweight character. His special item is incredibly unique, causing him to fire plentiful amounts of bananas onto the course, swamping it entirely.
Lakitu
Special Item: Triple Green Shells
Lakitu, usually not a race-able character, joined the roster in Mario Kart 7. His special Item is the Triple Green Shells, which fires all three at the same time.
Bowser Jr.
Special Item: Bowser’s Shell
Bowser’s younger counterpart: Bowser Jr. joined Mario Kart Wii’s huge character roster back in 2008, and has been often present since. His special item is exceptionally powerful, launching a big shell that rips through the course, hitting other racers.
Wario
Special Item: Double Bob-ombs
Wario wouldn’t miss a Mario Kart title, finally reaching our games in season 2. His special item is the Double Bob-ombs, which allows him to hurl two bob-ombs at once, covering the track in front of him.
Waluigi
Special Item: Double Bob-ombs
Also making a slightly later release, Waluigi came in during season 3, alongside iconic Mario Kart DS track: Waluigi Pinball. His special item is the Double Bob-ombs, which allows him to hurl two bob-ombs at once, covering the track in front of him.
King Boo
Special Item: Lucky Seven
King Boo was first playable in Mario Kart: Double Dash, and quickly made himself a fan favorite. He then appeared in each main series Mario Kart game since. His special item is the Lucky Seven, first seen in Mario Kart 7. It sends 7 different items in rotation around him, giving him the ability to throw/use them at will.
Lastly, we have the High-end rarity, made up of the most original and unique special items in the game. They also have the highest starting points of any character in the game, useful for progression through the season pass.
Metal Mario
Special Item: Fire Flower
Metal Mario had a comeback, 10 years in the making, to Mario Kart 7 and became a regular feature in all the main series games since. He became a favourite character to many in the heavyweight division. His special item, the Fire Flower, allows him to throw fireballs at other racers, causing them to burn out.
Peachette
Special Item: Mushroom Cannon
Peachette is a unique form of Toadette, making a debut to the Kart series in Mario Kart Tour. She first appeared in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Her special item is the Mushroom Cannon, which continuously shoots out mushrooms onto the track, usable by any racer.
Pauline
Special Item: Lucky Seven
Pauline usually features in the Donkey Kong series games, but recently made a bigger appearance in Mario Odyssey. This year, she is making a big splash on the racetrack in Mario Kart Tour. Her special item is the Lucky Seven, first seen in Mario Kart 7. It sends 7 different items in rotation around her, giving her the ability to throw/use them at will.
Read – Mario Kart Tour: Courses guide to master the tracks
Mario (Musician)
Special Item: Double Bob-ombs
Mario Kart Tour introduced a new character to both the Kart series and the Mario franchise as a whole. His special item is the Double Bob-ombs, which allows him to hurl two bob-ombs at once, covering the track in front of him.
Peach (Kimono)
Special Item: Mushroom Cannon
For the Japanese Tour in season 2, Peach (Kimono) joined as one of the season-specific Mario Kart tour characters. Her special item is the Mushroom Cannon, which continuously shoots out mushrooms onto the track, usable by any racer.
Mario (Hakama)
Special Item: Coin Box
Mario (Hakama) is the other season-specific character for season 2. His special item, the coin box, is a powerful tool for extending combos. It spits coins out onto the track, usable by any racer.
Rosalina (Halloween)
Special Item: Dash Ring
Rosalina’s halloween costume for 2019. She becomes a high-end character, whilst keeping the same special item. It remains the Dash Ring, which shoots out rings in front of you, rewarding a small boost when passed through.
Peach (Vacation)
Special Item: Coin Box
Peach’s seasonal skin for season 4 is the vacation model. Her special item changes to the ever-popular coin box. It is a powerful tool for extending combos. It spits coins out onto the track, usable by any racer.
King Boo (Luigi’s Mansion)
Special Item: Bob-omb Cannon
King Boo (Luigi’s Mansion) is the terrifying King Boo counterpart from the Luigi’s Mansion series. His special item is the Bob-omb cannon, which shoots out three Bob-ombs in front of him on the track.
Shy Guy (Pastry Chef)
Special Item: Mushroom Cannon
Shy Guy (Pastry Chef) is the other seasonal skin for season 4. Shy guy’s chef counterpart has the Mushroom Cannon item, which continuously shoots out mushrooms onto the track, usable by any racer.
Dry Bowser
Special Item: Bowser’s Shell
Dry Bowser made his overall debut in New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, and his Kart debut in Mario Kart Wii, back in 2008. He has proved to be a loved character and has reappeared multiple times since. His special item is exceptionally powerful, launching a big shell that rips through the course, hitting other racers.
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