Finish Lines[citation needed] are checkered lines with signs overhead that appear at least once in every race course in the Mario Kart series. Racers begin on a Starting Grid[citation needed] behind one. Crossing one afterward marks the beginning of another lap or section, or the end of the race.
Starting Grids position racers in a grid, with each column of racers placed further back than the last. The frontmost column is always on the outside of the first turn, which is the same side Lakitu shows up on after crossing the line. The size of the grid varies depending on the game.
| Game | Racers | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Kart | 8 | 2×4 |
| Mario Kart 64 | 8 | 2×4 |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | 8 | 2×4 |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | 8 | 4×2 |
| Mario Kart DS | 8 | 4×2 |
| Mario Kart Wii | 12 | 3×4 |
| Mario Kart 7 | 8 | 4×2 |
| Mario Kart 8 (Deluxe) | 12 | 6×2 |
| Mario Kart Tour | 8 | 4×2 |
| Mario Kart Arcade GP series | 6 | 2×3 |
History
Super Mario Kart
Finish lines first appear in Super Mario Kart. Unlike in future titles, they have no overhead structure. All finish lines in this game have white and black checkers. Since Mario Kart Wii, courses from this game have had gates added to their finish lines.
Mario Kart 64
In Mario Kart 64, finish lines are always checkered black and yellow. For the first time, they have overhead banners. In this game, they have a consistent design with a black background, checkered border, and the classic Mario Kart logo in a green-to-orange gradient.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Finish lines return to their Super Mario Kart design in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, being black and white and lacking any overhead banner. Similarly to that game, they have had gates added to them in Mario Kart Wii and following games.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! marks the first appearance of unique gate designs, logos, logo colors, and checkerboard colors. While many still use the classic Mario Kart logo, others have a simpler logo made from the same font as the game's course logos, Sherbet Land and Mushroom City share a unique font, and Rainbow Road has a unique holographic logo being emitted from one pipe into another.
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS retains unique gate designs. Its nitro tracks use either the classic logo (despite the change to the logo of the game itself), a scoreboard-like gate topped with "MarioKart" styled like the Nintendo logo, repeating alternately in white on black and red on white, or (exclusive to Waluigi Pinball) a neon sign with a unique font.
Its retro tracks retain the courses' original gate designs, including the lack of them in SNES and GBA courses.
Peach Gardens does not have its gate above its finish line, as instead its gate is near the edge of the lake. It is the only track in the series with this property, as this is not even true of its reappearances in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart Tour, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart Wii
Mario Kart Wii uses the classic logo (again, despite the changes to the logo of the game itself) for every track's finish line, though there is additional text alongside it on Toad's Factory ("MUSHROOM CUP FINAL ROUND") and Mario Circuit ("MARIO KART GRAND PRIX").
It is the first game in the series to change the gates of its retro tracks from their original appearance. SNES and GBA tracks receive Mario Kart 64's banner design, while Mario Kart DS's scoreboard gate (present on DS Yoshi Falls and DS Desert Hills) has been altered to include the classic logo as a center panel instead of the pattern at the top. Additionally, DS Peach Gardens has had its gate relocated on top of its finish line.
Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart 7 begins using the modern logo on new tracks.
Mario Kart 7 is the first game to introduce section-based tracks with multiple finish lines.
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Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 uses the modern logo for GCN Yoshi Circuit, GBA Cheese Land, and GBA Ribbon Road.
Animal Crossing, Hyrule Circuit, Mute City, and Big Blue have the logos of the series on which they're based instead of the Mario Kart logo.
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Mario Kart Tour
Mario Kart Tour uses the modern logo for GCN DK Mountain.
New York Minute 4 is the first course in the series to have a unique starting grid size, 2×4, due to its finish line being divided in two.
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