Daily Debate: Should Zelda Characters Appear in the New Mario Kart?
Posted on March 18 2025 by Jared Eubanks
The Legend of Zelda raced into the original version of Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U on November 13th, 2014 as part of the game’s first DLC pack. The DLC included Link (in his traditional green tunic) as a racer, the Master Cycle as a kart, the Triforce Tire as a customizable wheel, the Hylian Kite as a glider attachment, the Triforce Cup as four-race set, and Hyrule Circuit as a course. While zooming around Hyrule Circuit, racers were treated to a new rendition of Zelda‘s main theme along with nods to series staples, such as green rupees and Deku Baba instead of golden coins and Piranha Plants, respectively, from the Super Mario Bros. series.
With the commercial success of Breath of the Wild, Nintendo released a free DLC update to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch on July 20th, 2018. It featured an alternate version of Link in his blue Champion’s Tunic, the Master Cycle Zero as a kart, the Ancient Tire as a wheel, and the Paraglider as an attachment. Since then, assets from Zelda have not made any more appearances in Mario Kart DLC or Booster Pack updates.
In the recent Switch 2 trailer, a new Mario Kart game, presumably to be titled Mario Kart 9, appeared to be on display though never openly acknowledged. Nintendo Life has compiled a list of the confirmed racers based on the trailer; however, notably absent is our beloved hero Link. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe saw the inclusion of other Nintendo characters outside of the Super Mario Bros. series, such as characters from the Animal Crossing and Splatoon series, and they are absent from the trailer as well. It is unknown whether or not the roster will extend well beyond those shown in the trailer, if additional racers may come in future DLC packs, or if they will simply be left out of this iteration of the racing classic.
Some fans of the series have called for Nintendo to continue broadening the roster of Mario Kart games similar to how the fighting game Super Smash Bros. is a celebration of not just Nintendo franchises, but of gaming itself with characters from Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter, and many more. Perhaps some of the Zelda characters who have made their way into Super Smash Bros. will find their way into Mario Kart, such as Young Link, Toon Link, Princess Zelda, Sheik, and Ganondorf.
How do you feel about the upcoming Mario Kart game for Switch 2, particularly with respect to the inclusion of racers, karts, courses, customizations, etc. from Zelda? Do you hope to see Link make a return? If so, which version of Link should be included? Should other core characters like Princess Zelda or Ganondorf be added to the roster as well? Will character versions from Tears of the Kingdom or Echoes of Wisdom come as alternates? What new courses or karts would you hope to see? Let us know in the comments below.
Jared Eubanks is a staff writer at Zelda Dungeon, and he is also a husband, father, and engineer. He is originally from the Atlanta, GA area and still lives there. He graduated from Georgia Tech and is a proud Yellow Jacket. He loves to play boardgames, build Lego, and read books with his family. He’s been gaming since childhood with the original NES and GameBoy, and he enjoys retro gaming, collecting, and modding consoles and handhelds. His favorite Zelda game is Breath of the Wild but is also fond of the older classic titles.
