Editing Rainbow Road

{{about|race courses from the [[Mario Kart (series)|''Mario Kart'' series]]|similar-looking race courses from ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart Arcade GP 2]]''|[[Rainbow Coaster]] and [[Rainbow Downhill]]|the course from ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Super Mario 64 DS]]''|[[Rainbow Ride]]|the stage in [[Super Smash Bros. Melee]], [[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]], and [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate|Ultimate]]|[[Rainbow Cruise]]}}
[[File:MK8-Course-RainbowRoad.png|thumb|330px|[[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 8)|Rainbow Road]] in its appearance in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'']]

'''Rainbow Road''' is the final course of the [[Special Cup]] featured in all ''[[Mario Kart (series)|Mario Kart]]'' games and serves as the ultimate course in terms of difficulty in each game in which it appears. As their names suggest, these courses are made of rainbow-colored glass or metallic surfaces that are either one color or change their color as racers drive on them, depending on the game they appear in. Most of these tracks are transparent throughout the ''Mario Kart'' series. They typically appear floating in deep space or the Earth's atmosphere, although [[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)|the one]] in ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' and the remade {{classic-link|N64|Rainbow Road}} and {{classic-link|SNES|Rainbow Road}} in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' hang suspended in a starry night sky above a landscape. Most appearances of this course contain few or no railings, putting racers at risk of falling into space, and each Rainbow Road also contains its unique hazards. Due to these obstacles, Rainbow Road is among the most difficult courses in each ''Mario Kart'' game. Starting in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', some of the Rainbow Road courses have sections of the race track that are not rainbow-colored. Rainbow Road is also usually a long course when compared to other courses. Rainbow Road has also made some appearances in other games outside of the ''Mario Kart'' series, as well as in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]''.

==History==
===''Mario Kart'' series===
Rainbow Road has appeared as multiple incarnations throughout the ''Mario Kart'' series:
<gallery widths=200px>
SMK Rainbow Road Lower-Screen Map.png|'''[[SNES Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Super Mario Kart]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 7]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' ([[The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8|DLC Pack 1]])<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' 
Rainbow Road MK64.png|'''[[N64 Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart 64]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''
MKSC Rainbow Road Starting Line.png|'''[[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]''
Rainbow Road GCN.jpg|'''[[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]''
MKDS Rainbow Road Intro.png|'''[[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart DS)|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart DS]]''
MKW Rainbow Road Overview.png|'''[[Wii Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart Wii]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' (''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]'', Wave 6)
RainbowroadMK7.png|'''[[3DS Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart 7]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' (''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]'', Wave 3)
MK8-Course-RainbowRoad-overview.jpg|'''[[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 8)|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8]]''<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''
MKT RMX Rainbow Road 1 Scene.jpg|'''[[RMX Rainbow Road 1]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
MKLHC Rainbow Road Course Icon.png|'''[[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit)|Rainbow Road]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit]]''
MKT RMX Rainbow Road 2 Scene.jpg|'''[[RMX Rainbow Road 2]]'''<br>''[[Mario Kart Tour]]''
</gallery>

===''Mario Hoops 3-on-3''===
[[File:MHrainbowship.jpg|thumb|200px|Towers floating over the clouds, where the Rainbow Road takes place, depicted in ''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]''.]]
{{main|Rainbow Road (Dribble Race course)}}
Rainbow Road is the unlockable third dribble race from the "challenges" section in the basketball game ''[[Mario Hoops 3-on-3]]''. However, this Rainbow Road floats above the clouds and around a clock tower, and not much of the course is fully seen when playing.

===''Super Mario Galaxy 2''===
[[File:SMG2 Rolling Coaster Starting Path.png|thumb|left|170px|Rainbow Road in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''.]]
In ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', Rainbow Road appears in both missions of the [[Rolling Coaster Galaxy]], but it is very different than in its previous appearances. While it does retain its appearance, it is curved and appears to be made up of rainbow tiles instead of the colors simply being contiguous, much like the Rainbow Road from ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'' in which the track was also made up of rainbow tiles. Instead of just the Rainbow itself, it also has several platforms shaped both like mushrooms and squares with different colors. Despite taking place in space, this Rainbow Road features a cloudy sky as a background. Along the way, Mario or [[Luigi]] must avoid several obstacles like towers and [[Bob-omb]]s. Also, the two brothers can earn two [[Power Star]]s for finishing the course, one for the normal mission, and another for collecting 100 of the 110 [[Purple Coin]]s. The music played when riding on Rainbow Road is a remix of the music played on the [[The Princess's Secret Slide]] in ''[[Super Mario 64]]''.
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===''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS''===
{{main|Rainbow Road (stage)}}
[[File:SSB3DS Rainbow Road.jpg|thumb|left|The Rainbow Road stage, from ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS''.]]
Rainbow Road appears as a stage for ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'', taking the appearance of its ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'' incarnation. Like [[Port Town Aero Dive]] from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'', it is a cruise-type stage where players fight on a platform that flies around the course, which also occasionally lands on the course itself. While on the ground, [[Shy Guy]]s can drive by and damage any fighters in its way, like in the [[Figure-8 Circuit (stage)|Mario Circuit]] stage from the previous game.

A Rainbow Road (with the racers driving karts from ''Mario Kart 8'') also appears in [[Rosalina]]'s announcement trailer, where Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Donkey Kong are all racing each other only to be suddenly interrupted by [[Kirby]] on his [[Warp Star]], followed by Rosalina and a [[Luma]]. This Rainbow Road does not appear in-game, though, but it takes a slight resemblance to the [[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart DS)|DS rendition]].
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===''Paper Mario: Color Splash''===
[[File:PMCS Rainbow Road.png|thumb|Rainbow Road as it appears in ''Paper Mario: Color Splash''.]]
Rainbow Road appears in ''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]'', leading directly to [[Black Bowser's Castle]]. The road is formed after all six [[Big Paint Star]]s are retrieved. [[Luigi]] drives [[Mario]] and [[Huey]] over to Black Bowser's Castle via his [[kart]] as the road is too slippery to walk on. Eventually, all but Huey (who elects to stay behind to ensure the black paint does not seep into the ocean when Black Bowser's Castle falls down) escape the castle and return to the road. While comforting Mario about Huey's decision, Luigi indicates that he knows Huey will probably be back as promised as the former has "fallen off Rainbow Road more times than [he] can count."
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===''The Super Mario Bros. Movie''===
[[File:TSMBM Rainbow Road.png|thumb|Rainbow Road in ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'']]
Rainbow Road<ref>[https://youtu.be/4yyzqebLLd4 The Super Mario Bros. Movie | Everything Number One ]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved May 5, 2023.</ref> appears as a location in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'', leading towards [[Bowser's Castle]]. After [[Mario]], [[Princess Peach]] and [[Toad]] convince [[Cranky Kong]] to recruit the [[Great Kong Army]] for a raid on [[Bowser]] and his [[Koopa Troop|army]], the heroes speed off a ramp on [[kart]]s in the [[Jungle Kingdom]] that lands them on Rainbow Road. The [[Koopa General]] warns Bowser of the impeding planned raid, prompting Bowser to order an ambush on the heroes. [[Koopa]]s on karts ambush the heroes on their drive down Rainbow Road, prompting an immense battle between the two forces. The Kongs are captured by the Koopas, while the Koopa General becomes a [[Spiny Shell (blue)|Blue Shell]] and strikes [[Donkey Kong]] and Mario causing an explosion that sends them spiraling down into the ocean below them. Meanwhile, Peach and Toad manage to escape the attack and retreat to the [[Mushroom Kingdom]].

As a reference to the games, there is a scene where Mario hops from one segment of the road to another directly below, a possible reference to the famous ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' [[List of Mario Kart 64 glitches#Skip Most of Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road shortcut]]. Additionally, when the characters jump off a large ramp and land on the road, a rendition of the music for [[SNES Rainbow Road|Rainbow Road]] from ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'' briefly plays. 
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==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=レインボーロード
|JapR=Reinbō Rōdo
|JapM=Rainbow Road
|ChiT=彩虹之路
|ChiTR=Cǎihóng zhī Lù
|ChiTM=Rainbow Road
|ChiS=彩虹之路<br>''Cǎihóng zhī Lù''<br>彩虹桥 <small>(prior to ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'')</small><br>''Cǎihóng Qiáo''
|ChiSM=Rainbow Road<br><br>Rainbow Bridge
|Dut=Regenboogbaan
|DutM=Rainbow Track
|FreA=Route arc-en-ciel<br>Route Arc-en-ciel <small>(''Mario Kart Wii'')</small>
|FreAM=Rainbow Road
|FreE=Route Arc-en-ciel
|FreEM=Rainbow Road
|Ger=Regenbogen-Boulevard
|GerM=Rainbow Boulevard
|Ita=Pista Arcobaleno<br>Via Arcobaleno <small>(''Super Mario Galaxy 2'')</small>
|ItaM=Rainbow Track<br>Rainbow Road
|Kor=무지개 로드
|KorR=Mujigae Rodeu
|KorM=Rainbow Road
|PorA=Avenida Arco-íris
|PorAM=Rainbow Avenue
|PorE=Estrada Arco-Íris
|PorEM=Rainbow Road
|Rus=Трасса Радуга
|RusR=Trassa Raduga
|RusM=Rainbow Track
|Spa=Senda Arco Iris
|SpaM=Rainbow Path
}}

==Trivia==
*Starting with ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'', the surface on each Rainbow Road (including the retro ones in ''Mario Kart 7'', ''Mario Kart 8'', ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', and ''Mario Kart Tour'') creates a unique metallic sound when racers [[drift]], [[Hop (move)|hop]], or perform a sharp turn on them.
*''[[fzerowiki:F-Zero GX|F-Zero GX]]'' also has a track similar to Rainbow Road called [[fzerowiki:Phantom Road|Phantom Road]], that does not take place in a starry night sky or the deep space like most Rainbow Roads, but rather in a psychedelic cybernetic void. In addition, the track has only one color that constantly shifts through the color spectrum as opposed to having the traditional rainbow-looking appearance. Earlier builds of the track that remain in ''[[fzerowiki:F-Zero AX|F-Zero AX]]'' retain the Rainbow Road moniker, most likely as a nod to [[fzerowiki:F-Zero X|its predecessor]].
[[it:Pista Arcobaleno]]
[[de:Regenbogen-Boulevard]]
*So far, ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' are the only Mario Kart game to not have Rainbow Road as a finale track. 

==References==
<references />

{{TSMBM}}
[[Category:Cosmic areas]]
[[Category:Sky areas]]
[[Category:Race courses]]
[[Category:The Super Mario Bros. Movie locations]]