Lakitu (referee)

Lakitu is the friendly referee who appears in every Mario Kart game since the first installment, Super Mario Kart. Despite his name, Lakitu is specifically a Fishin' Lakitu, a variant of the Lakitu species.
Lakitu performs various helpful duties throughout the races; most importantly, he will alert the racers when to start driving by using his Start Signal, which he usually carries on the hook of his fishing rod. If the player is driving in the wrong direction, he will appear holding a u‐turn or reverse sign until he or she turns around. After crossing the finish line, he will appear to indicate the current lap or wave checkered flags after the final lap.
If a racer drives out of bounds or falls off the track, such as into a body of water (though only in Mario Kart games prior to the underwater driving mechanic introduced in Mario Kart 7), Lakitu arrives to use his fishing pole to secure the racer's vehicle and put it back on the track. In Super Mario Kart, Lakitu takes two coins after doing so. Lakitu similarly does this in other installments featuring coins, including Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Kart 7, and Mario Kart 8.
If the player taps the A button just as they hits the ground after Lakitu drops them onto the track, they will performs a Recovery Boost.
==Trivia==
*According to the manual to Super Mario Kart, Lakitu states that he runs the tracks. This quote has led to theories that Lakitu actually owns every track in Super Mario Kart.
==Gallery==
==References==
==Navigation==
Category:Lakitus
Category:Referees
Category:Characters in Super Mario Kart
Category:Characters in Mario Kart 64
Category:Characters in Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Category:Characters in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Category:Characters in Mario Kart DS
Category:Characters in Mario Kart Wii
Category:Characters in Mario Kart 7
Category:Characters in Mario Kart 8
Category:Characters in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Category:Characters in Mario Kart Tour