Rainbow Road (Mario Kart Wii theme)
| "Rainbow Road" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| "Rainbow Road" in Mario Kart Wii | |||
| Composed by: Asuka Ohta[1] | |||
| Key | D major, D-flat major | ||
| First appearance | Mario Kart Wii (2008) | ||
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart World (2025) | ||
| |||
"Rainbow Road"[2] is a musical theme composed by Asuka Ohta for Mario Kart Wii, where it plays in the race course of the same name. This theme quotes "Egg Planet" from Super Mario Galaxy and "Battle Mode" from Super Mario Kart approximately 23 and 44 seconds in respectively.
History[edit]
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
Mario Kart Wii marks the first appearance of "Rainbow Road". It is also included in the official Mario Kart Wii Platinum Soundtrack album.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, the original version of "Rainbow Road" plays in Wii Rainbow Road, which was first added in the 2023 Space Tour.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as part of Wave 6 of the Booster Course Pass, an arrangement of "Rainbow Road" plays in Wii Rainbow Road. It is likewise titled "Wii Rainbow Road" in the Nintendo Music app. A looping drum set beat is added to the instrumentation whenever the player is driving at top speed while in first place.
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Mario Kart World[edit]
In Mario Kart World, an arrangement of "Rainbow Road" can play on any VS Race route during nighttime.
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Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[edit]
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, an arrangement of "Rainbow Road" can be chosen as the background music for events. It is titled "Rainbow Road: Mario Kart Wii (Remix)" in the game's sound test.
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Other appearances[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live[edit]
The "Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live" concert series featured a live big band jazz medley arrangement of "Mario Circuit" from Super Mario Kart, "Waluigi Pinball" from Mario Kart DS, "Mario Kart 7 Title Screen" from Mario Kart 7, "Luigi Raceway" and "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 64, "Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart Wii, and "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen" from Mario Kart 8.
Gallery[edit]
Image for "Wii Rainbow Road" from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Music
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart Wii | Wii | 2008 | Original | 「レインボーロード」 (Reinbō Rōdo)[3] | Asuka Ohta |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | Wii U | 2013 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road: Mario Kart Wii (Remix)"[4] | |
| Mario Kart Tour | iOS, Android | 2023[a] | Original | Asuka Ohta | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | 2023[b] | Arrangement | "Wii Rainbow Road"[5] | |
| Remix | |||||
| Mario Kart World | Nintendo Switch 2 | 2025 | Arrangement | "Rainbow Road"[2] |
- ^ Added in the 2023 Space Tour on January 10, 2023
- ^ Added in Wave 6 of the Booster Course Pass on November 9, 2023
Albums[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart Wii Platinum Soundtrack | 2011 | Original | 「レインボーロード」 (Reinbō Rōdo) | Asuka Ohta |
Live performances[edit]
| Event | Year | Location | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Live | 2015 | Osaka International Convention Center, Osaka, Japan and Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan | Arrangement | Super Mario Special Band |
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Music | 2024 | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) | "Wii Rainbow Road" |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | レインボーロード Reinbō Rōdo |
Rainbow Road | [3] | |
| Spanish | Senda Arco Iris | Rainbow Trail | [2] |