Data miner Benial discovered traces related to Spiny Shell in the code of Mario Kart World. Its internal name, "Togezo," appears alongside several other characters, suggesting that Spiny Shell may have been planned as a playable driver.
Spiny Shell first appeared in Super Mario Bros. in 1985 as a series enemy with a spiky shell. Due to its unique size and appearance, how its driving animations and vehicle compatibility would be designed has become a point of interest following this discovery.
However, no character models, driving animations, or other assets demonstrating actual gameplay for Spiny Shell have been found so far. The current evidence only confirms the presence of the corresponding name in the code; it does not prove that the character was fully developed, nor does it determine whether it was cut, used solely for testing, or reserved for a future update. Nintendo has not yet commented on this matter.
Since its launch as a day-one title for Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World has received multiple updates, including the addition of a versus mode and team competitions for Parade Mode. This code discovery points to a potentially scrapped character rather than an officially announced roster update.