As Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to stay relevant in 2022 and 2023 thanks to its 8-part Booster Course Pass, players have begun to reassess which characters are the most ideal for the newly added tracks. Divided into Light (Small), Middleweight (Medium), and Heavyweight (Large) sizes that come with their own driving attributes, the biggest and heaviest drivers tend to reach the fastest speeds but suffer in the handling and acceleration department.
According to Nintendo Life, the class of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe heavyweight drivers consists of 12 characters, all of which boast clear and quantifiable stats that include speed, weight, acceleration, handling, traction, and mini-turbo.
Morton Koopa Jr.
With a weight of 4.5, Morton Koopa Jr. is the heaviest character in MK 8 Deluxe. While that also means Morton boasts the highest base speed rating that the game offers (4.75), he lacks several other key driving stats to make him a top contender. For instance, Morton has the lowest handling stats (2.5) and the slowest Mini-Turbo speed (2.75) of the entire weight class.
Due to Morton's underwhelming acceleration (3.0) and traction stats (3.0), his total statistical driving score equals 20.5, the lowest overall for a large heavyweight character.
Bowser
Sharing the exact same stat line and total score of 20.5 as Morton, Bowser also boasts a top base speed score of 4.75. Many enjoy using Bowser because of his hulking frame, which is very hard to out-muscle and knock off track.
When going downhill, Bowser is an absolute beast on the track. But when tasked with twisty turns, the lack of handling could cause trouble. However, thanks to the return of Bowser's trusty Koopa Clown Kart in MK8, which boasts a stellar +.075 vehicle ranking, Bowser slightly bests Morton.
Roy Koopa
Making his first Mario Kart appearance, Roy Koopa is a serviceable heavyweight that boasts a total statistical driving score of 20.75. With a weight of 4.0, Roy's best racing attribute is his speed (4.5) but gains a distinct advantage over Bowser and Morton with his handling, acceleration, and mini-turbo scores.
Roy has always had a reputation as being the brawler of the Kooplalings, and in MK8 he surely demonstrates a fighting spirit as he stunts and maneuvers his way to the head of the pack. Alas, the fact he doesn't have a customized Kart tends to take him down a peg.
Waluigi
Easily one the most popular and oft-used characters, Waluigi has the rare quality of being one of the largest (tallest) yet lightest heavyweights in MK8. His wiry frame makes him extremely flexible on the racetrack, and thanks to his unlockable kart The Duke, he has an added advantage over his rivals.
Boasting the same total stats as Roy and Kong, including 3.25 acceleration, and equal handling, acceleration, and mini-turbo scores (3.0), Waluigi also has the home-field advantage of hosting the Waluigi's Pinball course in the second Booster Course Pass.
Donkey Kong
An iconic staple since MK64, Donkey Kong is one of the most popular characters to play with in MK8 Deluxe. The super-heavyweight has an awesome speed score (4.5) and excellent drifting skills, but the drag of his weight (4.0) is quite noticeable, especially when driving uphill.
While Kong shares the same overall driving record as Roy and Waluigi (20.75), he gains a distinct advantage by way of his signature bike, The Varmint (with Waddle Wings and Monster Tires), which holds the highest kart rating in the game (+1.0).
Dry Bowser
Dry Bowser is a skeletal version of Bowser added as part of the Animal Crossing DLC in MK8 Deluxe. Sharing a weight class (4.25) with Wario, Dry Bowser holds the same overall driving score (20.75) as Kong, Waluigi, and Roy with a few distinct differences. First, Dry Bowser can reach a slightly faster top speed (4.75), which is paramount for winning races.
Second, while Dry Bowser has slightly lower handling and mini-turbo stats (2.75 apiece), he makes up for it with a better traction/grip score (3.25), giving him an advantage on whatever road surfaces he's challenged with, especially his host course, Dry Bone Dunes, one of the hardest tracks in the Mario Kart 8.
Wario
While it's a toss-up between Dry Bowser and Wario, as two heavyweights who share the same collective driving stats, the latter has a slight advantage by hosting both the fan-favorite Mount Wario and Wario Stadium.
While both Wario and Dry Bowser share the same 20.75 scores as Kong, Roy, and Waluigi, Wario has gained a notorious rep for performing dirty tricks, cutting corners, and bending the rules to do whatever is necessary to win races. When tuned with the Sport Bike, Slick Tires, and Parafoil Glider, Wario is one of the fastest drivers to use during MK8 time trials.
King Boo
Believe it or not, King Boo belongs to the second-best class of heavyweights in MK8 thanks to a supremely balanced driving stat line. With a total score of 21.25, what Boo may lack in top speed (4.0), he more than atones for with superior stats across the board. For a floating ghost with no legs that somehow weighs 3.75, Boo surprisingly has no real weaknesses on a racetrack.
To reach maximum performance, Boo is best kitted with the Standard Bike (+.075), which is ideal for tracks with sharp, unbounded corners like Mario Kart's infamous Rainbow Road and newly added Dragon Driftway.
Link
The Legend of Zelda's iconic Link is a DLC character in MK8 Deluxe who belongs to the same heavyweight class as King Boo and Rosalina. Along with a base speed of 4.0, the formidable 21.25 driving score also includes balanced acceleration and handling scores (3.25 each), which allows him to catch up and keep pace with the fastest burners in the game.
While Link may lack top ground speed, his 4.25 water speed, and 4.5 airspeed give him an advantage on the best MK8 underwater tracks like Dolphin Shoals, Cheep Cheep Beach, as well as Cloudtop Cruise, and Sky Garden.
Rosalina
Marking the first female character to be included in the heavyweight class in MK history, Rosalina is just as tall as Waluigi and even nimbler on the racecourse. Along with Link and Boo, Rosalina boasts balanced driving attributes, but her huge frame gives her an advantage because she can easily ramrod rivals and sustain contact with others without compromising her performance.
With awesome antigravity speed (3.75) and handling (3.25), the only real weakness Rosalina has is her water handling (2.75), which ranks as her only sub-3.0 rating across a dozen or so categories.
Pink Gold Peach
Along with Metal Mario, Pink Gold Peach holds the best overall racing stats in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for any large heavyweight. A reskin of Princess Peach made over with solid gold to give her immovable weight (4.5), Pink Gold Peach boasts a whopping 21.5 total racing score thanks to having few performative weaknesses.
While many dislike Pink Gold Peach and think she's nothing more than a wasteful clone, there's no denying the quantifiable racing traits she possesses. With a ground speed of 4.25, equal handling, acceleration, and traction (3.25), and 3.0 mini-turbo rank, it's hard to contend with Pinko Gold Peach when she's running in top form.
Metal Mario
For large heavyweight characters in MK8, those comprised of heavy metal give the characters a distinct advantage. Cue Metal Mario, the reskinned version of the game's iconic protagonist who, along with Pink Gold Peach, boasts the best collective racing score the game has to offer. Between the home-field advantage of hosting Mario Stadium/Mario Circuit and a host of signature karts at his disposal, Metal Mario is tough to beat. Gold Mario, which can be unlocked by completing all Grand Prix cups in 1st place on 200cc, is impossible to beat.
While there are faster heavyweight drivers than Metal Mario in MK8, speed isn't the only factor when considering the best overall racers. To compete at the highest levels on every kind of course, not to mention the antigravity sections, it's the well-rounded heavyweight characters like Metal Mario that have few weaknesses that succeed the most often in MK 8.