The Finish Line or Checkered Line is a feature in the Mario Kart (series) that signifies the start of the race, the next lap, or the end of the race. Depending on the course and the game, the details of the line can change. However, the basic design remains the same throughout all the courses: a checkered pattern.
Finish Lines had no gate in their debut appearance in Super Mario Kart, but were given one in Mario Kart 64. Mario Kart: Super Circuit returned to having no start/finish gate. This gate made a return in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. In Mario Kart DS, the nitro courses and the Mario Kart 64 & Double Dash!! courses received goal gates, but the Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit courses did not. Starting from Mario Kart Wii, all courses have Finish Lines that have gates, including the retro courses from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
Racers stay behind the line at all times before the race starts. The race begins once the light on the Start Signal turns green and they can cross the line to start the race.
Most tracks have three laps. In this format, when players cross the same line again after the first lap, then they will start the next one. When it is crossed twice (not counting when they start), then the final lap will begin. Crossed thrice (again, not counting at the start), the race will come to an end. Some tracks violate this rule. The tracks from Super Mario Kart had laps in that game. The two violators of the three-lap rule from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! are Baby Park (which has five laps in Mario Kart DS and seven laps in the other two games that featured it) and Wario Colosseum (which has two laps). Wuhu Island Loop, the Maka Wuhu track, and 3DS Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 7 have only a single lap divided by Section Gates. Mario Kart 8 (both original and Switch version) has Mount Wario and the returning Mario Kart 64 course N64 Rainbow Road, which also have a single lap, though the latter followed the three-lap rule rather than violating it.
The line appears on every course and comes in many colors. Lakitu will wave the checkered flag when players cross the line which signals the end of the race. Near all the time, the line also functions as a starting line. However, since the release of Mario Kart 7, there are some courses in which the two lines are separate from each other.
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