This article is about the race course fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! For Rainbow Road as a whole and other versions of the track, seeRainbow Road.

Rainbow Road
Information
Appears in	Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003)
Cup(s)	Special Cup
Music sample Shinobu Nagata
Course map
Staff ghost(s) DD EAD[1] 3:16.476

Rainbow Road is the closing track ofMario Kart: Double Dash!!, serving as the fourth and last course of theSpecial Cup and the sixteenth and last course of theAll Cup Tour. Its staff ghost isMario andPeach in theRed Fire, the only one in the game that does not use default teams.

This is the second Rainbow Road to includeDash Panels, the first being theMario Kart: Super Circuitrendition, and the first to feature rails in only certain parts of the course. It features a helix and a large pipe that launches drivers to the highest point of the track after reaching the very bottom (a possible precursor to theLaunch Star featured in later Rainbow Roads). It also contains giant rainbow floating sculptures of items, and rains stars that racers can pick up. In non-splitscreen modes, a large glowing city can be seen below the course. This city resemblesMushroom City, according to the design of some of the buildings. When playing in splitscreen, however, the city is absent and the course is left floating in deep space. Although there are no visible clouds in the sky, their reflections can be seen on the track surface.

The music for this course is available inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as an alternative music theme for theMario Circuit stage. The final part of the music is an arrangement of part of theRainbow Road theme fromMario Kart 64.

Course layout

Mario and Peach starting a Time Trial

The track begins just before a ramp with aDash Panel on it, which sends the player flying into a somewhat straight, downhill section of a track. This part of the track tends to be very bumpy and causes Shells and Eggs to bounce around, which hinders their homing skills. After a slight curve to the right and a straight road, there is a sharp pair of switchbacks, which is followed by another Dash Panel that sends the player flying. The ramp actually leads to a road lower than the previous, both with lengthy Dash Panels on a straight road that leads the player into a helix with multiple Dash Panels on it.

The helix spirals upwards to the left. Dash Panels andItem Boxes are present in this helix. The Dash Panels can help the player speed up, or help the player plummet to their doom untilLakitu saves them. Past the long helix is a bumpy road that is initially straight, but soon begins curving. Shooting stars hit here and becomeStars for the player to pick up. Past the wavy road is a curve to the left and a pipe. Any item thrown in the pipe gets destroyed, and players are invincible when blasted up the pipe.

At the end of the pipe, the player falls down and hits another large Dash Panel, sending the player into a long road, also with a lot of smaller Dash Panels that can help or hinder the player. Stars can also spawn here. After this straight road is a ramp with more Dash Panels on it, and it leads the player to a downwards helix. The downwards helix is sharper and shorter than the previous one, and it leads the player to the finish line again, which starts the cycle again.

The official website claims that Rainbow Road is the longest course in the game; this is false, asWario Colosseum is longer. However, Rainbow Road is a 3-lap track, so it does take longer to finish than Wario Colosseum, which is a 2-lap track.

When playing in split-screen mode, the city and the item sculptures are removed.

Profiles

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

• North American website bio: "The longest, and most treacherous, course in Mario Kart, Rainbow Road is a wild ride unlike any other. Its hypnotic curves and stomach-turning drops are enough to shake even the steadiest racers."

Gallery

• 

  The course logo

• 

  The course icon

• 

  One of the first sharp U-turns

• 

  A straight pathway

• 

  A circular road with dash panels

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  A swirly path, with a tunnel coming up

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  The wind tunnel

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  The long circular turn, leading to the finish line

Naming

Internal names

Names in other languages

Notes

The out-of-bounds Heart decoration

• This is the first Rainbow Road to have a "glistening" sound effect when a racer is drifting or making a sharp turn. This has become a common feature in Rainbow Roads of subsequent games, including in retro courses.
• This course,Bowser's Castle,Wario Colosseum, andMushroom City are the only fourMario Kart: Double Dash! race courses that have yet to return in futureMario Kart games asclassic courses.
• Outside of the skybox, aHeart item model with unfinished textures can be seen.^[2]

References

• Cosmic areas
• Sky areas
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!! race courses

• Articles with unsourced foreign names