Mario Kart DS Characters: All 13 Racers & Unlocks

Eight racers are open from the start, four more unlock through the Grand Prix, and Shy Guy appears only in Download Play. Every racer has a signature kart, a standard kart and a third kart to unlock.

Starters: 8
Unlockable: 4
Download Play: Shy Guy
Weight classes: Light · Medium · Heavy

Light racers

Peach Light

A light racer built for drifting: her Royale has one of the best drift ratings in the game.

Karts: Royale · Standard PC · Light Tripper
Borrowed karts (150cc): 4-Wheel Cradle · Wildlife · Power Flower · Dry Bomber
Weight: 23
How to get: Available from the start.

Yoshi Light

Light and nimble. His Egg 1 pairs very quick acceleration with sharp handling.

Karts: Egg 1 · Standard YS · Cucumber
Borrowed karts (150cc): Mushmellow · Banisher · Poltergust 4000 · Royale
Weight: 20
How to get: Available from the start.

Toad Light

The lightest of the starting eight, with quick-accelerating karts; he is easy to bump around.

Karts: Mushmellow · Standard TD · 4-Wheel Cradle
Borrowed karts (150cc): Dry Bomber · Zipper · Shooting Star · Royale
Weight: 17
How to get: Available from the start.

Dry Bones Light Mario Kart debut

The lightest racer in the game. His Dry Bomber has the best acceleration and handling there is.

Karts: Banisher · Standard DB · Dry Bomber
Borrowed karts (150cc): Streamliner · Light Tripper · Cucumber · Mushmellow
Weight: 14
How to get: Win gold trophies in all four 50cc Nitro cups

Shy Guy Light First playable

Only playable in DS Download Play, where guests without a game card all race as Shy Guy.

Kart: Standard SG (same stats as Yoshi’s)
Weight: 20
How to get: Join a DS Download Play game without a game card

Medium racers

Mario Medium

The all-rounder. His karts sit in the middle of every stat, which makes him a safe first pick.

Karts: B Dasher · Standard MR · Shooting Star
Borrowed karts (150cc): 4-Wheel Cradle · Light Dancer · Banisher · Gold Mantis
Weight: 32
How to get: Available from the start.

Luigi Medium

A medium racer whose Poltergust 4000 pairs high speed with strong handling.

Karts: Poltergust 4000 · Standard LG · Streamliner
Borrowed karts (150cc): Cucumber · Wildlife · Dragonfly · ROB-BLS
Weight: 32
How to get: Available from the start.

Daisy Medium

A medium racer unlocked through the 50cc Retro cups, with the flower-themed Power Flower.

Karts: Power Flower · Standard DS · Light Dancer
Borrowed karts (150cc): B Dasher · Light Tripper · Egg 1 · Rambi Rider
Weight: 26
How to get: Win gold trophies in all four 50cc Retro cups

Waluigi Medium

A medium racer unlocked through the 100cc Retro cups; his Gold Mantis is built on an excavator.

Karts: Gold Mantis · Standard WL · Zipper
Borrowed karts (150cc): B Dasher · Poltergust 4000 · Brute · Tyrant
Weight: 35
How to get: Win gold trophies in all four 100cc Retro cups

Heavy racers

Donkey Kong Heavy

A heavy hitter whose Rambi Rider and Wildlife trade some acceleration for top speed.

Karts: Rambi Rider · Standard DK · Wildlife
Borrowed karts (150cc): Hurricane · Power Flower · Gold Mantis · ROB-LGS
Weight: 41
How to get: Available from the start.

Wario Heavy

Heavy and tough to knock aside; his karts favour top speed over acceleration.

Karts: Brute · Standard WR · Dragonfly
Borrowed karts (150cc): Tyrant · Zipper · ROB-BLS · Shooting Star
Weight: 44
How to get: Available from the start.

Bowser Heavy

The heaviest of the starting cast, with the fast Hurricane once you unlock it.

Karts: Tyrant · Standard BW · Hurricane
Borrowed karts (150cc): Light Dancer · ROB-LGS · Rambi Rider · Brute
Weight: 50
How to get: Available from the start.

R.O.B. Heavy Mario Kart debut

The robot from the NES era, tied with Bowser as the heaviest driver. His ROB-BLS has the top speed rating.

Karts: ROB-BLS · Standard RB · ROB-LGS
Borrowed karts (150cc): Streamliner · Egg 1 · Dragonfly · Hurricane
Weight: 50
How to get: Win gold trophies in all four Mirror Nitro cups or all four Mirror Retro cups

How to unlock every racer

Racer	Class	Weight	How to get
Mario	Medium	32	Available from the start.
Luigi	Medium	32	Available from the start.
Peach	Light	23	Available from the start.
Yoshi	Light	20	Available from the start.
Toad	Light	17	Available from the start.
Donkey Kong	Heavy	41	Available from the start.
Wario	Heavy	44	Available from the start.
Bowser	Heavy	50	Available from the start.
Daisy	Medium	26	Win gold trophies in all four 50cc Retro cups
Dry Bones	Light	14	Win gold trophies in all four 50cc Nitro cups
Waluigi	Medium	35	Win gold trophies in all four 100cc Retro cups
R.O.B.	Heavy	50	Win gold trophies in all four Mirror Nitro cups or all four Mirror Retro cups
Shy Guy	Light	20	Join a DS Download Play game without a game card

Weight is the in-game value out of 50 that sets how hard you bump other karts.

FAQ

How many characters are in Mario Kart DS?

12 selectable racers (8 from the start and 4 to unlock) plus Shy Guy, who can only be used in DS Download Play.

How do you unlock R.O.B.?

Win gold trophies in all four Mirror Nitro cups or all four Mirror Retro cups.

How do you unlock Dry Bones, Daisy and Waluigi?

Dry Bones: Win gold trophies in all four 50cc Nitro cups. Daisy: Win gold trophies in all four 50cc Retro cups. Waluigi: Win gold trophies in all four 100cc Retro cups.

Who is the heaviest character?

Bowser and R.O.B. are tied as the heaviest. Dry Bones is the lightest.

Sources & picture credits

Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against the Super Mario Wiki and the Mario Kart Racing Wiki. Kart statistics, staff ghost times and item odds are the values from the game data as transcribed by the Super Mario Wiki. Screenshots, renders and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Super Mario Wiki file pages (listed on the image gallery).