Special Cup

File:Special Cup Logo - Mario Kart 8.png

The Special Cup logo in Mario Kart 8

The Special Cup is the final cup of each game in the Mario Kart series (it is the last of the Nitro Cups in all Mario Kart games since Mario Kart DS, this is because there are Retro Cups after the Nitro Cups so therefore the Lightning Cup is the last of the Retro Cups). In Super Mario Kart, the player may unlock it by winning all three cups in 100cc (though it will be unavailable for the 50cc class); in Mario Kart: Super Circuit it is available by winning the four previous cups, each by class; in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, it appears after the player finished first in the Star Cup in 100cc; from Mario Kart DS onwards, it is unlocked once the player claims a gold trophy in the Star Cup. Special Cup consists of long, difficult courses. It normally has a Bowser's Castle course in all games except the first two games and always ends with Rainbow Road. Bowser's Castle is the penultimate course before Rainbow Road. The emblem of the Special Cup is currently a crown (seen to the right), although in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart Super Circuit it is represented by the letter "S", the initial of "special." In Super Mario Kart it is a combination of the three emblems used for the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup.

List of Courses

Game	Course 1	Course 2	Course 3	Course 4	Course 5
Super Mario Kart	File:SNES Donut Plains 3.png Donut Plains 3	File:SNES Koopa Beach 2.png Koopa Beach 2	File:SNES Ghost Valley 3.png Ghost Valley 3	File:SNES Vanilla Lake 2.png Vanilla Lake 2	File:SNES Rainbow Road.png Rainbow Road
Mario Kart 64	File:DK'sJungleParkway.png D.K.'s Jungle Parkway	File:YoshiValley.png Yoshi Valley	File:BansheeBoardwalk.png Banshee Boardwalk	File:RainbowRoadMK64.png Rainbow Road	N/A
Mario Kart: Super Circuit	File:LakesidePark.png Lakeside Park	File:BrokenPier.png Broken Pier	File:BowsersCastle4.png Bowser Castle 4	File:RainbowRoad.png Rainbow Road	N/A
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	Wario Colosseum	Dino Dino Jungle	Bowser's Castle	Rainbow Road	N/A
Mario Kart DS	File:Estadiowario.PNG Wario Stadium	File:Peach GardensDS.PNG Peach Gardens	File:Castillo Bowser.PNG Bowser Castle	File:Rainbow RoadDS.PNG Rainbow Road	N/A
Mario Kart Wii	File:Dry Dry Ruins.PNG Dry Dry Ruins	File:Moonviewhighway4.PNG Moonview Highway	Bowser's Castle	File:RainbowRoadwiiview.png Rainbow Road	N/A
Mario Kart 7	DK Jungle	Rosalina's Ice World	Bowser's Castle	Rainbow Road	N/A
Mario Kart 8	File:MK8 Cloudtop Cruise.png Cloudtop Cruise	File:Bone-Dry Dunes course.png Bone-Dry Dunes	File:MK8 Bowser'sCastle.png Bowser's Castle	File:MK8 RainbowRoad.png Rainbow Road	N/A

Mario Tennis Open

Mario winning the Champions Cup.

The Special Cup reappears in Mario Tennis Open. In this game it is called the Champions Cup. It is the last cup in World Open tournament series. Players can unlock this cup when they clear the Banana Cup. When players clear this cup, their character earns a star rank, which boosts their stats and grants them access to the Star Open tournament series. The court played here is the grass, clay and hard courts in Mario Stadium.

Gallery

• MK64 SpecialCup.jpg

  Mario Kart 64

• MKDDSpecialCup.png

  Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

• SpecialcupDS.PNG

  Mario Kart DS

• Special Cup.png

  Special Cup sprite from Mario Kart Wii

• SpecialCupWii.PNG

  Mario Kart Wii

• SpecialcupMK7.png

  Mario Kart 7

• SpecialCup MK8.jpg

  Mario Kart 8

Trivia

• Mario Kart 64 is the only 3D Mario Kart that Bowser's Castle is not the 3rd track in the Special Cup.
• Mario Kart 64 is the only game in the series that does not require the player to unlock the Special Cup in order for it to be playable.
• In the Chinese version of Mario Kart 64, the Special Cup is called the "iQue Cup", named after of the home console iQue Player, which is not available outside China.
• The Special Cup is the only cup that doesn't use an item usable in the Mario Kart series as its emblem. Previously, the Leaf Cup and Flower Cup used emblems that were not Mario Kart items until Mario Kart 7 was released.
• In Mario Kart 8, the Special Cup is the only cup with no underwater sections.