Who Are the Speed Kings: Fastest Characters in Mario Kart 8 & 7?
Overview of Speed in Mario Kart 8 & 7
All 30 playable characters fall into different weight classes, each featuring different stats. Lower weight classes offer better Acceleration, Handling, and Traction, while heavy tiers boast higher Speed and Weight. Speed refers to your overall top speed, which can be boosted by collecting Coins.
Fastest Characters in Mario Kart 8
- Characters with the highest speed include:
- Bowser and Morton – Speed: 4.75
- Wario and Dry Bowser – Speed: 4.75
- Donkey Kong, Roy, Waluigi, Wiggler – Speed: 4.5
- Link, King Boo, Rosalina – Speed: 4.25
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, five new characters were introduced: King Boo (Heavy), Dry Bones (Very Heavy), Bowser Jr. (Light), Inkling Boy, and Inkling Girl (Medium). The secret Gold Mario Skin replaces Metal Mario (Heavy) when unlocked.
Fastest Characters in Mario Kart 7
The fastest characters typically include Bowser and Wario, maintaining the trend that heavy characters generally offer higher speed stats. The stats specific to Mario Kart characters range from speed to acceleration and handling, with speed being crucial for winning races.
Character Weight and Speed
Speed is influenced by character weight; heavier characters like Bowser and Wario tend to excel in speed. For example, Metal/Gold Mario has notable advantages in weight and speed, making him a strong choice despite lower grip and handling. Wario is noted for having the highest possible character speed in the game, making him ideal for speed-focused kart configurations. Adding the Circuit Special Kart and Metal tires can enhance speed by an extra 1.0 but at the cost of acceleration, handling, and traction.
Morton, Bowser, Heavy Mii, Wario, and Dry Bowser share the same speed stats. However, Wario and Dry Bowser have +0.25 in all 4 handling stats, as well as traction, compared to the others, with just -0.25 in weight. So, Wario and Dry Bowser stand out as excellent top-speed choices.
Top Speed Combination
The fastest combo is Dry Bowser with the Circuit Special, Cyber Slick tires, and the Wario Wing. This combination maximizes speed, invincibility, and weight but is low in handling…
Many players frequently opt for Metal Mario paired with the B-Dasher, Red Monster, and Flower Glider in online play due to it being the most versatile and quick kart combination in Mario Kart 7.
Breakdown of Fastest Kart Combinations for Competitive Play
To find the absolute best in each category for the fastest kart build in Mario Kart 8, players should consider the following:
- Best Characters: Cat Peach, Villager (Female), Inkling Girl, or Diddy Kong.
- Optimal Kart: Teddy Buggy, known for its handling and speed.
- Best Tires: Roller Tires, recognized for their performance.
This combination produces the best setup in the game. Additionally, the best kart as of Version 3.0 includes:
- Kart: Teddy Buggy
- Wheels: Roller
- Glider: Cloud Glider
The Teddy Buggy stands out due to its superb speed and mini-turbo stats, making it an agile and competitive choice when paired with one of the best characters. Alongside the Cat Cruiser, it also offers a perfect balance of acceleration and mini-turbo, which are vital for the best MK8 karts.
Some more of the best karts and combinations in Mario Kart 8 include:
- Performance: Balanced
- Drivers: Mario, Luigi, Ludwig, Iggy, Kamek
- Bodies: Pipe Frame, Varmint, City Tripper
- Tires: Roller, Azure Roller
- Gliders: Cloud, Flower, Parachute, Paper
For speed and turbo, consider the following:
- Drivers: Yoshi, Peach, Daisy, Birdo, Tanooki Mario, Villager (Boy), Inkling (Boy)
- Bodies: Teddy Buggy, Cat Cruiser
- Tires: Roller, Azure Roller
- Gliders: Cloud, Flower, Parachute, Paper
If you’re dedicated to crafting the best MK8 kart, lightweight characters such as Baby Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, or Dry Bones are highly recommended. Medium-weight characters, like Peach, Daisy, Birdo, Yoshi, and Peachette, also make excellent alternatives.
Ultimately, the biggest decision will involve selecting your racer and kart body. For the absolute mathematically best setup, choose either Cat Peach, Villager (Female), Inkling Girl, or Diddy Kong as a character, paired with the Teddy Buggy kart and roller tires.
Moreover, playing as Wario in the Mercedes GLA is one of the fastest setups in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Wario ranks in the second-highest weight class, making this build ideal for seasoned players aiming to maximize speed without excessive weight.
Lastly, options such as Rosalina’s Teddy Buggy, Luigi’s Inkstriker, and Wario’s Circuit Special provide a balanced mix of speed, acceleration, and handling. With hundreds of possible kart combinations, players might find it challenging to discover the fastest setups, but these represent the very best.
Speed vs. Acceleration: Best Setup for Winning Races in Mario Kart 8
The best all-around Mario Kart 8 setup is:
- Waluigi
- Wild Wiggler
- Roller
- Any Glider
While different combinations of characters, karts, and wheels can net varying results – better speed, acceleration, handling – there is one combo that is hailed as the current meta in Mario Kart 8. In fact, this combo has been talked about so much in online forums that even discussing it was banned from the Mario Kart Reddit. The Waluigi Wiggler combo dominates Mario Kart 8 due to its speed off drifts, quicker acceleration from a dead stop, and higher top speed.
In this case, ‘speed’ refers to the top speed your racer and kart can attain. This favors heavier drivers, who take longer to reach top speeds but can go faster than others once they get there. Here are the best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe setups for speed:
- Bowser + Circuit Special + Slick + Super Glider
- Dry Bowser + Badwagon + Metal + Waddle Wing
- Morton + Standard ATV Kart + Cyber Slick + Plane Glider
- Wario + GLA + Gold Tires + Wario Wing
On the other hand, where heavy characters are best for top speeds, light characters excel at acceleration. They can’t go as fast when fully revved, but they can reach their top speed more quickly, which means better recovery after being bashed by an item. Here are the best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe setups for acceleration:
- Toadette + Mr. Scooty + Roller + Cloud Glider
- Baby Mario + Biddybuggy + Azure Roller + Peach Parasol
- Baby Luigi + Varmint + Button + Parachute
- Baby Rosalina + Streetle + Leaf Tires + Parafoil
In Mario Kart 8, players need to choose the right character, kart body, wheels, and glider to ensure maximum speed. Drifting is essential for achieving top speed; various character and kart combinations, such as Rosalina’s Teddy Buggy, Luigi’s Inkstriker, and Wario’s Circuit Special, can create fast setups. The fastest setups in Mario Kart 8 include:
- Funky Kong’s Funky ATV
- Link’s Hyrule Horsepower
- Yoshi’s Sports Bike
- Toadette’s Buggybud
- Shy Guy’s Mach 8
- Inkling Boy’s Circuit Special
- Wario’s Badwagon
- Rosalina’s Teddy Buggy
- Luigi’s Inkstriker
- Bowser’s Badwagon
- Waluigi Wiggler
Factors such as weight and stats affect how the vehicle responds, with different setups offering a balance of speed, acceleration, and handling. When looking at the best character to choose from on the Mario Kart 8 roster, there are two statistics to keep in mind: speed and acceleration. Picking a fast character that does not accelerate well will leave a player trailing behind when hit by items or getting going from the starting line. If you’re looking to maximize your speed, heavy characters paired with speed-boosting karts are the way to go. A popular setup involves using Bowser with the Blue Falcon kart and Cyber Slick tires.
