Aside from Super Smash Bros, the Mario Kart franchise is one of Nintendo’s biggest all-star titles, featuring characters from throughout the Mario universe. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe even features characters and courses from The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon. However, there’s still a huge portion of the Mario roster that hasn’t gotten a chance to race yet.

The Mario series has plenty of characters to choose from for a game like this, especially if one includes spin-off titles. Some of these characters even appear as playable in the mobile game Mario Kart Tour. Hopefully, some of them are bound to hit the streets in a mainline Mario Kart title in the future.

10 Captain Toad

Technically, Toad already appears as a playable character in most Mario Kart titles. However, Captain Toad is his own character, making his first appearance in Super Mario Galaxy. Captain Toad later got his own spin-off with Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker for Wii U, based on his solo levels from Super Mario 3D World.

However, Captain Toad has some competition when it comes to appearing in a Mario Kart title, as popular Mario character Toadsworth has also not appeared in a mainline game yet. However, given Captain Toad’s greater attention from Nintendo in recent years, it makes the most sense for him to appear in a future kart-racer.

9 Kamek

Kamek is probably one of the most surprising characters to have never appeared in a Mario Kart mainline title. The Magikoopa first appeared in Yoshi’s Island for the SNES and has been an antagonist of the Yoshi series ever since. Kamek was also meant to appear in Mario Kart 64 but was replaced with Donkey Kong before release.

Given Kamek’s plentiful appearances in Mario spin-off titles like Mario Party and Paper Mario, it’s only a matter of time before this minion of Bowser joins his fellow Mario characters in a race. For now, he’s relegated to cameo appearances and a bike called the Magikruiser in Mario Kart Wii.

8 Nabbit

Nabbit is certainly one of the most unique Mario characters introduced in recent years. First appearing in New Super Mario Bros U, Nabbit is a thief who steals items and power-ups from Mario and his allies. Given that his main function in the Mario games is to be chased, it makes sense that he would eventually appear in a Mario Kart title.

Furthermore, Nabbit has made several playable appearances in the franchise already. In the New Super Mario Bros U follow-up New Super Luigi U, Nabbit replaces Mario as a playable character. Nabbit has also made appearances in spin-off games such as Mario Golf: World Tour, Super Smash Bros for Wii U, and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.

7 Plessie

When Super Mario 3D World was released for Wii U, Mario fans almost immediately fell in love with Plessie. This cheery, adorable dinosaur appears in certain water and underground levels to assist Mario and his friends. For stretches of these levels, Mario rides on Plessie’s back, dodging enemies and jumping through hoops.

Given Plessie’s popularity among Mario fans, it stands to reason that the Yoshi-like plesiosaur would make a perfect addition to the Mario Kart franchise. The only issue is that, from Plessie’s appearance in Super Mario 3D World, it seems like the creature would have a difficult time fitting in one of the cramped race karts.

6 Professor E. Gadd

Luigi’s Mansion was once a standalone game for GameCube before Nintendo continued the series on the 3DS and Nintendo Switch. The game was also responsible for introducing players to Professor E. Gadd, an elderly scientist who helps Luigi catch ghosts. Since then, E. Gadd has appeared throughout many Mario series spin-offs.

E. Gadd almost had his chance to shine as a playable character in Mario Kart DS, before being scrapped and replaced with Dry Bones. Nintendo finally including this character in a mainline Mario Kart game would bring some much-needed representation for the Luigi’s Mansion series. However, there’s also another option…

5 Luigi’s Mansion Ghosts

The Mario series has seen its fair share of ghost enemies. Even the Mario Kart franchise has been haunted before, as King Boo appears as a playable character in several of the series titles. However, the Ghosts from the Luigi’s Mansion series are distinct enough in design and personality to warrant their own inclusion in a future title.

There have been many ghost designs throughout the Luigi’s Mansion series, but the most iconic version is probably the designs from the original title. These gold, purple, and blue ghosts are notable for their big yellow eyes and Slimer-like mouths. However, Luigi’s Mansion fans would love to see Polterpup make a kart-racing appearance.

4 Pauline

Pauline pre-dated Princess Peach as the Mario franchise’s leading lady. Initially appearing as the damsel-in-distress in the arcade classic Donkey Kong, she went mostly unused outside the Mario vs Donkey Kong series. However, she made a grand re-entrance in Super Mario Odyssey as the classy mayor of New Donk City.

Since then, Pauline has seen much more attention from Nintendo in spin-offs like Mario Tennis Aces and Mario Golf: Super Rush. She even appears as an unlockable character in Mario Kart Tour for mobile devices. Whenever Nintendo decides to make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s follow-up, Pauline is a must-have.

3 Mona

Aside from the inclusion of Wario himself, the WarioWare franchise has gone mostly unrepresented in the Mario Kart series. Fortunately, the series has a new installment with WarioWare: Get It Together. This new title is the perfect reminder to fans that the WarioWare franchise is full of colorful characters awaiting future appearances.

While there are many potential characters to choose from, the obvious pick would have to be Mona. Mona made her first appearance in the original WarioWare game and has been seen sporting many jobs since, from playing in a rock band to cheerleading to delivering pizzas. She could even ride on her iconic scooter!

2 Ashley

Ashley is another iconic character who currently only appears in the WarioWare series. With her devilish sidekick Red, this young witch gets herself into trouble by crafting spells and potions all by herself. Like Kamek, the broomstick-riding sorceress would make a great addition to a potential Mario Kart roster.

Fortunately, Ashley has enough popularity among Nintendo fans to incite hype over her inclusion in a Mario Kart game. She appears as an Assist Trophy in the Super Smash Bros series as well, making her recognizable to even casual fans. Also, her inclusion would be a great reason to get her theme song in the Mario Kart soundtrack.

1 Geno

For many years, Geno has been one of the most-wanted characters in the Super Smash Bros series. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been as lucky as other fan-favorites like Ridley or Banjo-Kazooie. However, his status as a Mario spin-off character means he could be eligible to participate in a kart race in the near future.

Getting to play as Geno in a future Mario Kart game may satisfy the Super Mario RPG fans who have been disappointed by the all-star fighter. His inclusion would not only be a great tribute to a forgotten game in the Mario canon but also a huge fan service to get people excited about the next installment in the kart racing franchise.