Gold Mario

Gold Mario
Gold Mario doing his cool pose.
Information
First Appearance	Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013)
Latest Appearance	Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Total Appearances	Mario Kart Arcade GP DX Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Mario Kart Tour
Weight Class(es)	Heavy

Gold Mario is the powerful (and valuable) alternate form of the Italian plumber, Mario. He traces his origin to New Super Mario Bros. 2 which portrays him as Mario enhanced by the Gold Flower, which is also first seen in New Super Mario Bros. 2 and enables him to cast gilded fireballs that turn almost any block or enemy into glistening Coins and also explode on impact.

He also appears in the Mario Kart series starting with Mario Kart Arcade GP DX as a downloadable character. He also makes his first appearance in the official Mario Kart series in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as an unlockable racer, but he's just an alternate skin of Metal Mario rather than a separate character. He also appears in Mario Kart Tour in the Coin Rush mode, and was otherwise unplayable until the 2023 Anniversary Tour, now being an obtainable character.

Characteristics

A golden fireball... it somehow works out.

As with past metallic incarnations of Mario Kart racers, Gold Mario shares the same height, clothes, and features of red and blue Mario. His boots, overalls, long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and cap are still present, but now all of them are solid gold, through and through. The characteristics of his form, such as the overalls buttons, "M" emblem on his hat, and moustache can be seen, but they now share the same rich yellow color, reducing their visibility to others.

How to unlock

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

• Download him using a Mario Card (only available in the Japanese version).

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• Win all base-game cups in 200cc.

Mario Kart Tour

• Play Coin Rush (This does not unlock the driver).
• Place high in one of the two Weekly Rankings during the 2023 Anniversary Tour.

Appearances

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX

Shortly after his debut in New Super Mario Bros. 2, Gold Mario makes his Mario Kart debut in this game, despite being part of the unofficial Arcade series. However, he is exclusive to the Japanese version, being one of the downloadable characters in the game.

Statistics

Gold (Au, atomic mass of 107) is an incredibly dense metal, and being completely composed of it will transfer into some serious weight. So, Gold Mario leans toward the speed side, but suffers in the other categories...

Stat Name	Stat Value
Speed	★★★★
Acceleration	★★
Handling	★★

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Gold Mario makes his first appearance in the mainline Mario Kart series starting with this game. He is the only unlockable character in the game (Booster Course Pass racers do not count), but he is a reskin of Metal Mario, and will permanently replace his's icon on the select screen when he is unlocked (Metal Mario is still playable). As he is a reskin of Metal Mario, his karts use said character's color scheme, and that is a heavyweight with his karts and bikes being Medium-sized, and shares his stats with Pink Gold Peach and Petey Piranha.

Mario Kart Tour

Gold Mario also appears in Mario Kart Tour, where he is used in the Coin Rush mode, which requires Coin Rush tickets or Rubies to play. In this mode he gains magnetism, attracting coins towards him as he goes near them.

He is only playable in the Coin Rush mode until the 2023 Anniversary Tour, where this marks his appearance as an obtainable High-End driver. Unlike the other Gold drivers, Gold Mario's Special Skill is the Fire Flower, just like the regular Mario.

Staff Ghost Tracks

• Mario Kart Stadium (Switch 200cc)

Trivia!

• Amazingly, Gold Mario is the first racer to be a palette swap of a palette swap (He is based on Metal Mario, who in turn is based on regular Mario).
• Gold Mario is extremely valuable because gold is a really valuable metal, being $37,323,992 per ton. Mario's weight is unknown but speculated to be around 196lbs, making Gold Mario worth about $3,737,399 in value.
• He is the only unlockable racer in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
• Until the 2023 Anniversary Tour in Mario Kart Tour, he can only be played in Coin Rush mode.
• Gold Mario and the Koopa Clown Mii Racing Suit are the last drivers to be added in Mario Kart Tour.
  • Gold Mario's appearance in Coin Rush does not count.

Gallery

Gold Mario on his golden kart.

Gold Mario leaning on some tires.

Gold Mario's icon.

Gold Mario being selected.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX stats for the highly expensive Gold Mario.

Gold Mario racing on a wooden bridge.