There’s a viral video out there pissing Mario Kart players off and probably destroying some friendships. Someone was apparently just standing around at the finish line with a red shell when a perfect opportunity presented itself for their friend rolling on into second place with a BAM! … Red Shell release for arguably the cruellest finish ever in the history of the sport. Naturally, the internet has some thoughts.
First things first, let’s go over the clip itself. Pure Mario Kart chaos to the max. The guy could just cross the finish line and take the W, but nah. It was like he held the red shell on a personal vendetta, waiting for the right time. Friend, with probably a big grin thinking he has second place in the bag, rolls in quickly into range—instant karmatic redemption. The clip has since gone viral after being first uploaded and shared by u/fekiro, sparking heated discussions as to whether it’s brilliant, toxic, or just downright funny.
The X (formerly Twitter) reactions are coming from all sorts of angles. Some gamers are freaking out with excitement! “That’s some next-level patience and friendship right there! Love it,” said Austin Graham (@adivraza), while others offered to duke it out: “Nah we’re throwing hands immediately after 😭😭😭,” Sammy Cruz (@Sammy_Cruz32) chimed in, and then we’ve got: “We ain’t friends anymore. You just cursed the next 5 generations of your bloodline,” according to FrostiOrca (@FrostiOrcaVA). Getting straight to it, and fairly so.
But here’s the dilemma: it’s nothing new at all. “We did this on GameCube bro,” says @Accurazed. And yep—the art of red shell ambush is as old as Mario Kart itself. It’s a rite of passage, really. If you’ve never been betrayed by a friend holding a red shell at the finish line, have you really been playing Mario Kart?
Echoing that, lots of reactions aren’t here to feed the nostalgia but to roast Dexerto for covering a 2014 title. “Bro why you posting this old ass game?! Loser,” dipped @YearOldOnTwit into the back-and-forth. Meanwhile, others are already looking forward: “We don’t care, we’re onto Mario Kart World now,” added @jptr_00.
But hey, real talk: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still rules the party scene, and clips like this are proof. It completely shatters the racing concept as some mind games, retaxing, and pure intent on holding a red shell for 10 seconds to mess with somebody’s day. And frankly? That makes it legendary.”
This thing about, “Is it good old ‘shithousery’?” as @grok calls it, or is it good fun—will rage until the end-o-time. But as for what’s for sure: outright chaos is what Mario Kart friendships are all about; this clip is a prime example. Either you hold that shell, or you get shelled—either way, you are in that tradition as old as the franchise.”
Next time you’re sitting pretty in 1st place, red shell in hand, with a friend too close behind you in 2nd… well, you know what to do. But don’t take it personal when they unfriend you later.
