Characters
Drivers
There are 30 playable characters confirmed for Mario Kart 8, consisting of 16 default characters and 14 unlockable characters.[1] There are 9 characters that make their first appearance as playable characters in the series, including the Koopalings (indicated by an * in the gallery), and 2 more making their overall debut in the Mario franchise; Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach (indicated by an **). There are 3 weight classes dependent on the size of the kart the characters ride on (with the exception of Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach): light, medium, and heavy, though a group of certain drivers in a class have differing stats to another group.[2]
Starting Drivers
Mario
Medium
Luigi
Medium
Peach
Light
Daisy
Light
Yoshi
Light
Toad
Super Light
Koopa Troopa
Super Light
Shy Guy
Super Light
Baby Mario
Feather
Baby Luigi
Feather
Baby Peach
Feather
Baby Daisy
Feather
Bowser
Super Heavy
Donkey Kong
Cruiser
Wario
Super Heavy
Waluigi
Cruiser
Unlockable drivers
Rosalina
Cruiser
Metal Mario
Heavy
Lakitu
Super Light
Toadette
Super Light
Baby Rosalina**
Feather
Pink Gold Peach**
Heavy
Iggy*
Medium
Roy*
Cruiser
Lemmy*
Feather
Larry*
Super Light
Wendy*
Super Light
Ludwig*
Medium
Morton*
Super Heavy
Mii
Any
- Mii's weight is determined by the height and weight of the Mii.
Unlocking Criteria
Characters are unlocked at random by completing cups, unlike previous Mario Kart games.[3]
Driver Base Stats
Just like in Mario Kart 7, characters in a specific group have their own stats. The units are out of 6, displaying the different stats.
| Character Stats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Speed | Acceleration | Weight | Handling | Traction |
Feather     
|
2.25 | 3.25 | 2.25 | 4.75 | 4.5 |
Super Light      
|
2.75 | 3 | 2.75 | 4.25 | 4.25 |
Light  
|
3.25 | 2.75 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 4 |
Medium   
|
3.75 | 2.5 | 3.75 | 3.25 | 3.75 |
Cruiser   
|
4.25 | 2.25 | 4.25 | 2.75 | 3.5 |
Heavy 
|
4.25 | 2 | 4.75 | 2.75 | 3.25 |
Super Heavy  
|
4.75 | 2 | 4.75 | 2.25 | 3.25 |