50 free Speed Racer trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Elvis's pompadour, James Bond's gadget car and a white racer with a big red M: Tatsuo Yoshida mixed them into Mach GoGoGo in 1966, and the dubbed Speed Racer defined anime for American kids for the next 25 years. These 50 questions cover the manga and the 1967 Tatsunoko anime, Gō Mifune and the Toshiro Mifune homage, Trans-Lux and Peter Fernandez's one-man dub, the Mach 5 and its seven steering-wheel buttons, Trixie's helicopter, Spritle and Chim-Chim, Pops the ex-wrestler, Racer X and the number 9 Shooting Star, Snake Oiler and the Car Acrobatic Team, the Mammoth Car built of stolen gold, the GRX and the V-gas, the 1993 reboot, Speed Racer X, The Next Generation, and the Wachowskis' 2008 film with Emile Hirsch and Christina Ricci. Every answer is cited to a page we checked and each explanation adds one more detail. Play it solo or print it for a retro cartoon quiz.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is Speed Racer's original Japanese title?
Mach GoGoGo
The anime aired on Fuji Television from April 1967 to March 1968.
Q 02Who wrote and illustrated the original manga?
Tatsuo Yoshida
It was serialised in Shueisha's Shōnen Book magazine in 1966.
Q 03Which studio produced the 1967 anime?
Tatsunoko Production
Tatsunoko regained all rights to the franchise in 2013 after a lawsuit with Speed Racer Enterprises.
Q 04Which two hit films gave the manga's creator the idea for the character?
Viva Las Vegas and Goldfinger
He combined Elvis's race-car image, neckerchief and pompadour, with Bond's gadget-filled Aston Martin.
Q 05What is the hero's name in the original Japanese version?
Gō Mifune
It honours film star Toshiro Mifune; Gō is also a homophone for the number 5 on his car.
Q 06How many episodes of the original anime were produced?
52
A 1997 remake ran for 34 episodes, 13 of which were later adapted in English.
Q 07Which syndicator acquired the English-language rights and premiered Speed Racer in 1967?
Trans-Lux
Speed Racer Enterprises later removed all references to Trans-Lux and recreated the logo in the 1990s.
Q 08Who wrote, directed and voiced much of the English dub, including Speed and Racer X?
Peter Fernandez
He also rearranged the theme's melody and wrote its English lyrics.
Q 09What is the name of Speed's girlfriend?
Trixie
Her Japanese name, Michi Shimura, honours actor Takashi Shimura, a frequent Mifune co-star.
Q 10What is the name of Speed's little brother?
Spritle
The US dub's producer said the name came from his being an energetic "sprite".
Q 11What kind of animal is Chim-Chim?
A chimpanzee
He and Speed's little brother wear identical jumpsuits and striped hats and can usually be bribed with candy.
Q 12What weapon do Speed's kid brother and his pet often use against threats?
A slingshot
Their mischief usually ends up steering Speed away from danger.
Q 13What was Pops Racer's career before building race cars?
Pro wrestler
He quit a corporate car maker to found Mifune Motors, renamed Racer Motors in America.
What is Racer X's real first name?
Q 21Who designed the Mach Five?
Mitsuki Nakamura
He was the studio's art director on the 1967 series.
Q 22What letter is embroidered on Speed's blue shirt?
G
It stands for his Japanese first name, Gō; his girlfriend's blouse carries an M for Michi.
Q 23Which vehicle does Speed's girlfriend often pilot during races to spot for him?
A helicopter
In the manga her father is president of Shimura Aviation, which explains why she has one.
Q 24What is the mechanic Sparky's full name in the 2008 film and The Next Generation?
Rex
He is Speed's older brother, who ran away after wrecking one of Pops's cars.
Q 15What number does Racer X's car, the Shooting Star, carry?
9
Later comics explain he was the ninth student of Prince Kabala, hence the number.
Q 16What colour is the Shooting Star?
Yellow with a black bumper
Its engine is in the back, and it is often shown as more agile than the Mach 5.
Q 17How many years before the series did Speed's older brother leave home after a crash?
Six
He had been leading with less than a lap to go when he lost control.
Q 18What does the large red M on the Mach 5's hood stand for?
Mifune Motors
North American viewers assumed it meant Mach 5, and Latin American viewers Meteoro.
Q 19How does Speed deploy the Mach 5's gadgets?
Buttons A to G on the wheel
The letter designations are exclusive to the anime and the 2008 film, not the manga.
Q 20How many special functions does the Mach Five have?
Seven
Each has its own control on the steering-wheel hub.
Wilson Sparkolemew
In the anime and manga he is only ever called Sparky, or Sabu in Japanese.
Q 25How many racers make up the Car Acrobatic Team?
16
Their cars are numbered 11 to 26 and sprout wings to jump gaps and gorges.
Q 26Who leads the Car Acrobatic Team, driving the number 11 car?
Captain Terror
He has a skull-like face, a feather on his helmet and a Z on his uniform.
Q 27Which hotheaded anime-only rival drives the number 12 car?
Snake Oiler
In the 2008 film he leads his own team, Hydra-Cell, in a snakeskin suit.
Q 28What was the Mammoth Car built almost entirely from?
Stolen gold bars
Its builder entered it in the No Limit World Race to smuggle the gold out of the country.
Q 29Who built the Mammoth Car?
Cruncher Block
It screeches like Godzilla and is over 200 yards long.
Q 30What is the Mammoth Car's total horsepower with all its wheel engines?
30,000
The main engine has 7,500 hp and each wheel adds 1,500, for a top speed of 500 mph.