[3][4] The series has been largely dormant since the release of F-Zero Climax in 2004 in Japan, although elements have been represented in other Nintendo video games, most notably the Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart franchises.

Each of the games in F-Zero series requires the player to beat opponents to the finish line while avoiding obstacles such as land mines and slip zones.

An anti-gravity unit, known as the "G-Diffuser System" (first used by the Star Fox franchise's Arwing),[9] allows an F-Zero machine to drive at high speeds while retaining a hold of the track, located from a few inches to a foot below it.

[10] Weight affects a vehicle's acceleration, grip, cornering ability, maximum speed, and the amount of damage it sustains in a collision.

They thought that a fast and violent race would be an effective way to get people to gamble, so the ex-merchants established the F-Zero Execution Project.

[11] The F-Zero Grand Prix dates to the 26th century, and is still sponsored by the wealthy elite who originally organized the Execution Project for those events.

[11] F-Zero begins in the year 2560 where the human race's countless encounters with alien life forms throughout the universe greatly expanded Earth's social framework resulting in trade, technology transfer, and cultural interchange are carried out on an interplanetary basis.

An association of wealthy space merchants created the "F-Zero Grand Prix", in an attempt to add some excitement to their opulent lifestyles.

[13] The game explains the "Horrific Grand Finale" was a violent and fiery accident that burnt fourteen drivers to death, including Sterling LaVaughn during the old days of F-Zero.

[14] The crash ushered in the establishment of the "F-Zero Racing Academy", after a speech, by Super Arrow to the Federation Congress, which helped to lift the ban.

The result was developer Nintendo EAD creating a game that IGN reviewer Craig Harris called the fastest and smoothest pseudo-3D console racer of its time.

"[22] Artist Takaya Imamura stated that the racers in F-Zero was an afterthought, and that "... Captain Falcon was originally the mascot character for Super NES."

When development of F-ZERO was almost complete, I was doing a bunch of illustrations and someone expressed a desire to make a mascot character for Super NES, with a name like Captain Something.

In the death race, the player's objective is to annihilate the twenty-nine other racers as speedily as possible, while the X Cup generates a different set of tracks each time played.

[28] The hardware limitations of the N64 resulted in the game running at 60 frames per second with thirty machines on screen at the same time, but with little processor power left for graphical detail and music.

[30] F-Zero: Maximum Velocity is the series' fourth released installment, but the first incarnation of the franchise for Nintendo's Game Boy handheld.

Miyamoto stated: "I think at the time [F-Zero] was a really big surprise, a new thing, a product that made sense and the Wii and DS lacks to create a similar impact".

[40] In July 2023, former Nintendo artist Takaya Imamura cited the massive popularity of Mario Kart as a key factor to why there hasn't been any new developments with the F-Zero series.

The game is a battle royale remake of the original F-Zero taking inspiration from Tetris 99 and Pac-Man 99 having 99 racers on the track at once.

IGN's Lucas Thomas called the design and style of Mach Rider as an influence to the F-Zero series noting its sense of speed where players have "only a split second to react before you crash into a rock or enemy road warrior".

[53] In 2008, an editor from Pro-G stated F-Zero GX "still ranks as one of the best high-speed racers ever made, but the series has been lying dormant for years".

[54] The Tampa Tribune's review of GP Legend mentioned that "it feels a little strange to see what was an esoteric-but-outstanding racing franchise attempt to go mass-market".

[57] Shigeru Miyamoto commented in 2007 that past F-Zero and Star Fox collaborations with outside development houses turned out to be a disappointment for Nintendo.

[58] F-Zero: GP Legend[b] is a 51 episode animated adaptation of the video game series produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu and Ashi Productions and directed by Ami Tomobuki, with Akiyoshi Sakai handling series composition, Toyoo Ashida designing the characters and Takayuki Negishi composing the music.

Ryu nearly dies and is put in cryogenic suspension until he is revived in the year 2201 by Mobile Task Force members Jody Summer and Dr. Stewart.

The Task Force tries to keep prize money out of the hands of unsavory people like the Dark Million Organization run by Black Shadow and Deathborn.

Later it is revealed that he is Andy Summer, Jody's brother, who supposedly died in the accident that revolved around Zoda (unbeknownst to the rest of the Mobile Task Force for the majority of the series).

According to the legend, Captain Falcon and Black Shadow are incarnations of light and dark, and in the manner of Yin and Yang, they cannot defeat each other on their own.

[64] The Super Smash Bros. franchise also features a few stages directly derived from the games, such as Mute City or Big Blue, and includes many other F-Zero characters as virtual trophies, stickers, and spirits.

[66] A minigame based on the F-Zero series, Captain Falcon's Twister Race, is part of the Wii U ensemble game Nintendo Land.