Everyone has their favorite Mario Kart character to play as, but is there a character that can give you an advantage over others – to go a bit faster or recover quicker?
Yes, some characters are mathematically better than others. This is true even when you consider the different kart parts – bodies, wheels, and gliders – that you can mix and match to adjust your racer’s stats. So, how do you choose?
A data scientist named Antoine Mayerowitz researched this. He found that there are 703,560 different build options when you consider all the characters and kart pieces. But many of these are very similar, so you can narrow it down to 25,704 unique options.
From there, you need to figure out which ones work best for different styles of play, whether you prefer speed or acceleration. Mayerowitz used a method from Vilfredo Pareto, a clever thinker from the 1800s, to find the best options.
The fastest characters based on speed are Bowser and Wario, but they lack acceleration. The best overall character according to Pareto’s analysis is Cat Peach, although you could also choose Villager (female), Inkling Girl, or Diddy Kong.
There are several good options to choose from. However, some characters, like Koopa Trooper, are usually not the best choice. Using Pareto’s method, Mayerowitz found 585 builds with unique speed and acceleration properties, then narrowed it down to 14 most efficient candidates.
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Reducing the options from 703,560 to 14 is a good start. You can use a tool called X’s 3D to explore these options further. Donkey Kong, Wario, and Peach often stand out with this tool.
The analysis concludes with a popular build used by professional players: Peach, the Teddy Buggy, Roller tires, and the Cloud Glider. This setup optimizes speed, acceleration, and mini turbo boost. However, you might prefer playing as a different character. I like playing as Toad because I prefer smaller, speedier characters.
The research is fascinating, even though the differences in performance are small. It’s worth experimenting with these findings. But will it stop you from playing as Koopa?