There is no going around it; Mario Kart 8 omits many playable characters from past titles in the series, many of which have become fan favorites and regular to the series. The roster of Mario Kart 8 has been a topic of heated discussion lately, especially after it was confirmed that the final roster consists of the 30 characters we have already seen. So what about the old characters? What have they been up to since their last Mario Kart game?
Birdo
Birdo makes an appearance in Mario Kart 8 in a rather interesting sign. The “Women of Racing Organization” make their representation on Royal Raceway, featuring several different ads throughout the track. The sign features prominent female Mario Kart racers, including Birdo.
Dry Bowser
Bone Dry Dunes is a track featuring a scorching hot desert and plenty of bony enemies. It’s no surprise that a giant statue of Dry Bowser is prominently featured in the track.
Dry Bowser gets another nod in one of the many ads found throughout the game. This one reads “Undead Motors” and features Dry Bowser’s emblem and face right in the middle.
Dry Bones
Sadly, Dry Bones makes perfect sense to include in a track based heavily on bones. Excessively large Dry Bones can be found as track obstacles near the end of Bone Dry Dunes.
Luma
While Luma itself was never a playable character, the little guy was always found hanging around Rosalina in Mario Kart Wii. As it was in Mario Kart 7, this is no longer the case, but Luma has found a new home in running Galaxy Air, one of the many airlines found in Sunshine Airport.
Paratroopa
Multiple Paratroopas of varying colors can be found at the very start of Cloudtop Cruise. The flying Koopa also represents Paratroopa Airlines, one of the recently revealed airlines taking flight in Sunshine Airport.
Wiggler
Wiggler fans rejoice! This classic Mario enemy is not exactly playable, but his presence is felt through the Wiggler kart. Just think of it as Double Dash!!
Funky Kong
This one might be a little bit of a stretch, but one of the trucks in Toad’s Turnpike is dragging a surfboard behind it. There isn’t any definitive indication that this is Funky’s surfboard, but one can always hope. The stickers on the truck read “Cheep Cheep Beach.”
Did you catch any we missed? Do you think any of these point to the possibility of future characters through DLC? Share your thoughts in the comments below!