10 Best Karts In The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s Rainbow Road Scene, Ranked

The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s Rainbow Road scene shows off some incredible karts, making it worthwhile to rank the top 10 of them from worst to best. The Super Mario Bros. Movie took the world by storm when it released in 2023, ultimately becoming one of the highest grossing movies ever and doing more than enough to get The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 greenlit. Part of the reason the movie has been so successful is its faithfulness to the Super Mario game franchise.

By the end of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, loads of homages are made to the games that inspired it, including the epic Rainbow Road ambush scene. This scene takes one of the most beloved games in the franchise, Mario Kart, and converts it into one of the most riveting moments in the film. Part of the reason this scene is so great is the design of the karts, which makes it useful to look back on the best 10 of them and rank them from worst to best based on design and capabilities.

10
Standard Koopa Kart

Primary item: Bob-ombs

The worst of the karts in The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s Rainbow Road scene is the Standard Koopa Kart. In terms of design, this kart is about as simple as it gets. The Standard Koopa Kart is no more than four wheels, a seat, and a few guard rails above the carriage. It also lacks color, sporting a somber combination of gray and black, making it the most generic kart in the movie. Further, it doesn’t seem to have any special weapons or defensive abilities, forcing the koopas to throw bob-ombs by hand.

9
Kong Banana Canon Kart

Primary item: Banana peels

The Kong Banana Canon Kart is a standard four-wheel kart with a large wooden banana peel canon mounted on top. This kart’s design is a bit more lively than the Standard Koopa Kart because of its wooden paneling and splashes of red and green paint, but its appearance is otherwise unremarkable. The Kong Banana Canon Kart is also better than the Standard Koopa Kart because it has a mounted canon, but its ammunition being banana peels makes it less effective than karts that have better items, such as green shells.

8
Cranky Kong’s Jungle Throne Kart

Primary item: N/A

Cranky Kong’s Jungle Throne Kart may not have a weapons system, which pushes it down in the rankings significantly, but it has one of the best designs in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The seat of the kart is shaped like a wooden throne, crowned with various forms of jungle vegetation. It has three wheels, two in the back and one in the front, and silver handlebars in place of a steering wheel. What’s more, the entire kart is covered in shining gemstones. Unfortunately, this kart has no demonstrable special abilities, so it ranks relatively low.

7
Koopa Canon Kart

Primary item: Green Shells

The Koopa Canon Kart is much larger than the Standard Koopa Kart, sporting a variation of canons depending on the kart. The canons shoot Green Shells, making it one of the more dangerous karts in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Despite its offensive capabilities, this kart appears to be significantly slower than some of the others, and its bleak design is basically just a bigger version of the Standard Koopa Kart. Still, its canons make it more intimidating, making up partially for the lack of color.

6
Kong Canon Kart

Primary item: Green Shells

The Kong Canon Kart is a large four-wheeled cart, mounted with a rapid-fire green shell canon. This kart is one of the most devastating when on the attack because of its rapid-fire canon, which shoots green shells at an incredible clip. It also has two seats, one for a gunner and one for a driver, allowing one character to focus on shooting while the other drives. Its design is nothing incredible, but the clean wooden paneling is complimented nicely by green and red paint, and the mounted turret makes it impressive to look at.

5
Toad’s Monstertruck Kart

Primary item: N/A

Toad’s Monstertruck Kart in The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s Rainbow Road scene is one of the two biggest karts in the film, and though it has no weapons system, its size makes it capable of knocking other karts off the track, so it’s not completely defenseless. It’s also one of the hardest karts to damage because of its massive size. In terms of design, Toad’s kart is covered in a bright coat of blue, accented with yellow on the edges, making it one of the most attractive karts in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

4
Mario’s Classic Red Kart

Primary item: N/A

Mario’s classic red kart appears to be one of the fastest karts in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and its tasteful cherry red coat of paint makes it one of the best looking karts in the film as well. It also has the inverted wheel ability, which lets Mario glide above the track and stay tethered to it even when upside down. This makes it extremely hard to catch Mario, making up somewhat for the kart’s lack of weapons. Still, the lack of a weapons system is too important for this kart to rank any higher.

3
Donkey Kong’s Canon Kart

Primary item: Barrel Rockets

Donkey Kong’s Canon Kart is equipped with the most powerful weapons system in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, sporting twin Barrel Rocket canons above its main carriage. These rockets are the only weapon proven to be effective against the Blue Shell Koopa’s Tank, but they can only be fired once, limiting Donkey Kong to two shots. This kart also has a satisfying design similar to the other Jungle Kingdom karts, helping it achieve such a prestigious ranking.

2
Princess Peach’s Class Pink Bike

Primary item: N/A

In one of Princess Peach’s most heroic moments during The Super Mario Bros. Movie, she shows off her hot pink bike’s value by launching herself off the track, catching Toad, and gliding to safety. Her bike is also shown to be one of the fastest in the movie, seeing as she is the only one to initially outpace Bowser’s minions, even if she is eventually captured anyway. It also has the inverted wheel ability, making it even more versatile. Finally, its classic design is one of the best in the film, solidifying its place in the top two.

1
Blue Shell Koopa’s Tank Kart

Primary item: N/A

Ultimately, the best kart in The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the Blue Shell Koopa’s Tank Kart. This massive kart is even larger than Toad’s, and it’s fast enough to keep up with Mario. Its front bumper also opens up to reveal a collection of wicked metal spikes meant to crush the karts in front of it. It also has a coat of blue paint, making it less bleak than the other koopa karts. Between the creative design, speed, size, and offensive ability, this kart is undoubtedly the most impressive one in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.