The 28-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday after setting fire to trash in an area belonging to a go-kart company in Tokyo. The fire then spread to the company's parked go-kart cars.
According to the public service company NHK, the man is said to have told the investigators that he was "exhausted from the engine noise from the go-kart cars". The affected company is reported to have received a threatening letter as early as May.
Go-kart is popular in Super Mario's home country Japan - not least among tourists, who are often seen driving through Tokyo's streets dressed as Super Mario characters.
