These Are the Best Items in Mario Kart

With over three decades of manic racing, fun characters and ruined friendships, the Mario Kart franchise has led the way as some of the best racing games to play. Over the years, a lot has changed, and a lot hasn’t, including items that have been part of the game since 1992’s first Mario Kart game, Super Mario Kart.

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While many items have come, and some have gone, the items below rank among the best in the series for how iconic they are, how fun they are and how happy a player is to see them pop out of an item box.

10

Green Shells

Offensive, Defensive, Koopa-based Pride

Something Mario Kart could not do without is the green shell item. They have always been a part of Mario Kart, giving players an offensive option that doesn’t immediately change a race, but requires skill and experience to use correctly. Veteran players also know to keep the green shell parked behind their karts not only for protection, but also to keep their single item capacity empty for another potentially better item they can pick up.

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The three-shelled version of the power-up gives even more protection, allowing players to spam the fire button three times in quick succession if they’re not confident they can land a shot. The bouncing of green shells all over a racetrack is part of the fun of Mario Kart and so it belongs as the first mention on this list.

9

Feather

A Great New Addition That Lets the Player Fly

Adding items to a well-established racing game is a tricky balancing act. While Mario Kart is not known for being the most competitive game, it requires balancing to not be completely unfair, so the addition of a fun power-up like the feather is awesome to see.

Before its addition, dodging enemy attacks was basically a non-starter. With Mario Kart Worldoffering so many shortcuts and cool paths to discover, finally having a decent jump in a Mario game is really appreciated. It could do with a buff, but for now, it adds nice variety to the Mario Kart franchise.

8

Boo

Steal, Deal, and Peel Away

Going invisible in a game so reliant on seeing your adversaries is awesome. Stealing their coveted item while also gaining speed and invulnerability is just the icing on the ghost cake. Boo is a strong item and adding the infuriating ability to wait to see what item your cousin picks up, then steal it, makes it potentially the strongest item in the game.

There are more items that make Mario Kart the game it is, but Boo belongs in the top ten list of Mario Kart items for sure.

7

Bullet Bill

Auto-Pilot and Auto-Win

Sometimes a player needs to have a breather in the middle of a manic race and Bullet Bill makes this possible. Players who get this great item simply press it and let the game take over, boosting them way ahead of their current place in the race.

While the item was nerfed from its humble beginnings as it is smaller and no longer also blasts other racers away when hitting them, it was a great addition to Mario Kart and fit perfectly for players stuck way behind that needed a little pick-me-up. Savvy players can also hold onto it, get into a higher place in the race, then hit it near the end to ensure an invincible victory.

6

Red Shells

Love Them When Equipped, Hate Them When They’re Chasing You

Aiming green shells can be so tiring, so how about a homing turtle shell that does it instead? Red Shells are an important part of Mario Kart and always have been, as players know well the sound of the red shell homing into their exposed backside. Over the years, strategies have been added to make these homing monsters more avoidable with items to block them, and even have some games where players who know the timing could jump over them or boost out of their way.

Having one of these is good, and having three of them protecting the player until they want to remove three players ahead of their path is truly awesome and a key part of Mario Kart madness.

5

Bananas

Donkey Kong Has Been Here, Obviously

Players who spend a lot of time in first place know well the power and skill needed to wield these slippery skins. They have been another staple item, adding personality to a franchise already full of it, as players get to mock friends who carelessly turned right into the yellow peel they knew they’d eventually hit.

Really great players can even toss them ahead of close opponents to lure them onto or away from certain parts of the course. They’re far from the strongest item in the games, but no Mario Kart game is complete without some banana peels covering the map.

4

Golden Dash Mushroom

Yeah-Yeah-Here We-Here We-Okay!

It’s close between the regular dash ‘shroom or the golden one, but only one of these power-ups has Toad screaming for joy every time the player hits that dash button. This item makes and breaks races, as players, for a short period of time, get as many boosts as they want while blasting past everyone.

The player is still vulnerable to damage, but they can immediately hit the boosts if staggered to continue speeding past everyone. Timed correctly, the player can navigate past harsh terrain and access shortcuts as well, then continue boosting to bring them to a pace no one can reach.

3

Lightning

The Ultimate Revenge

This item exists for all those players in 12th or 24th place who just want to take it out on every other racer. The lightning item has been nerfed since its first inclusion in Super Mario Kart, but still remains a wonderful weapon when players get a hold of it. Slowing all the players on the course, making them drop their items and making them unable to use certain items all at the same time while giving the user time to pick up items and catch up is such a huge game-changer for players lagging behind.

It’s also one of the most coveted items to be stolen with the Boo power-up, as someone can be high in the race, then steal a lightning bolt to further cement their victory. Havoc-creating mayhem for all, packed into one well-designed item

2

Super Star

Bowl Through Everyone and Everything

In Mario games, it’s all about collecting stars, and so it’s fitting that one of the best items of all time in Mario Kart is the famous collectible. Completing the fun of having this item is the iconic tune that plays while using it, humming the tune while the player speeds up, knocks players off the course and bowls through everything as a shining, golden, version of themselves.

This item also gives players enough speed to access shortcuts and cut across slowing terrain, making it useful in every situation. Of all the Mario Kart items, this would be the best of all time if not for how famous the next item is and how much it represents the franchise.

1

The Blue Shell

The Most Mario Kart Item That is and Ever Will Be

Gamers who have never played Mario Kart know what the blue shell is all about. It’s such a specifically Mario Kart experience to be winning the race by a mile before hearing that familiar, unavoidable sound of the blue shell coming to tax your race earnings. It’s not the strongest item ever, but no item is as fun to use and as hated to be the victim of than this blue menace.

Mario Kart is about crazy racing where it’s hard to know who will win, and sometimes that means the developers need to add an item that punishes your veteran friends by making their sweaty strategies weaker.

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