The title above is really asking: Do you support or are against the necessity of Blue Shells?

 A Blue Shell is a item that could be very advantageous (if close to 1st) or the opposite (if 1st) and could even ruin your status with your friends. But, should blue shells even exist? To me, yes, because they balance the game AND unbalance the game (I'll explain that later.) You see, if a player is very skilled compared to the other racers, for example 1st place is 10 seconds ahead of everyone else, the blue shell can balance so everyone else can catch up, but that can create a problem. In the case that 1st and 2nd are very close, the blue shell may give 2nd place a leading stretch due to him/her being close to 1st (that is, if he/she in 2nd is not in the radius of the blue shell). So it has advantages and disadvantages. 

Now, what is YOUR opinion?

LOL... I absolutely love how you call it the 'friendship breaking' item. XD

I definitely think it should exist.  I wouldn't remove any items from the game.    Besides that, I bet almost every person's view would change based on the situation.

While in 1st place:  No! They suck! Why should they be in the game!  They're sooo unfair!
While in another place: Yes!  Yes!  I got him!  I'm going to be in first!  I can feel it!  These are the best item ever!

See what I mean?  

Besides that, it's always nice to add risk and thrill to a game.  Even if it's frustrating to be knocked out of first, it's kind of nice to have one more thing gripping you to your seat (worry over the blue shell), or one more thing to feel wonderful about not being hit with (after a win).  It certainly sweetens a win.

They're just asking for a Nerf, although Mario Kart's never been much a tier worthy game, so Nintendo will likely keep them over powered, and that just plain sucks.

The game breaking item AND friendship breaking device. I love to hate this item with a burning passion. There is an impossible way to avoid this, my friend says, and I never get it. It frustrates me beyond my own mind.

Whether anyone likes it or not, the blue shell is supposed to help maintain balance during the race. The point of Mario Kart is to have skill and good luck. Sadly, I think that the blue shell somewhat lost its powerful ability now in the newer games since you have the horn item that reflects item attacks and the mushroom technique to time in order to avoid the blue shell hitting you. I think that destroys the purpose of the "invincible" blue shell.

They are a must to Mario Kart, they help take out the lead (very helpful when s/he is very far ahead) and keep it more neck to neck, also can cause some epic final moments right before the finish line. Every item has its place in Mario Kart (at least the older ones, 1-4th installment at least, 5-6th should be fine but I haven't played much of them, and 7+ they just mess up on a lot of things).

While the blue shell is very annoying, I think it is an important part of the game and that it should stay. If you wanted a serious and normal racing game, try Need for Speed. Mario Kart is supposed to be wacky, and the whole point of the items is to help mix things up. By your logic, all items should be removed from the games because they give the better players an unfair advantage.

The blue shell is kind of ridiculous. It is a good way to destroy all of the good players' chances of winning. Usually when someone gets hit with one, they are then hit with a barrage of shells immediately afterwards and end up losing. I really can't stand the blue shell, and I feel like it's the only thing that should be removed from the game. It takes zero skill to use, and it causes good players the win. Utilize other weaponry and actually drive well to take out your opponents, not something that guarantees them a loss. It's callous. 

I think its basically a pointer to how the person in first place is so far away and then you get to blast them, but the made the shell less invincible in 8 since the super horn can destroy it which seems a little too unfair since there were only 2 ways to avoid getting blasted, a mushroom or drift boost well timed or you drop out first and let someone else get burned.  I hated that in 7 since once someone gets it, the others in the top soon get scared and then there are those players that just keep the blue shell in stock as a threat to just squirm their way to first with no way to counter.

I love the blue shell. I think it makes things so interesting. 

I hate to say it, but the Uno Wild Draw 4 ruins more friendships than the blue shell does, just because of how rare the blue turtle shell is. 

The blue shell doesn't seem to rare when I'm about to cross the finish line >.<

Na though, as much as I hate that shell, it should defiantly stay. Speaks to the unpredictable nature of this game.

Your question is simple, so my answer will be as well: I support the Blue Shell's existence in Mario Kart. It seems rare enough, to me anyway.

sop281 : If you're a good player, being hit with the odd blue shell shouldn't matter much; you should still be able to win. It only stops you for a few seconds, after all.

A good tactic to use is when you're in 1st place and you notice someone fire off a blue shell, slow down and get close to the 2nd place racer so you both get wiped out by it.

I've never had a problem with the blue shell. It doesn't set you back all that far, and it's ultimately not that different from any of the other weapons.

Also, I like that it's a "friendship breaking weapon". It sorts out true friends from friends that only associate with you because you're easy to beat in Mario Kart.

Chewedmint : I'm usually pretty good at the game, but when playing online, there are people that can be of greater, equal, or slightly lesser skill who would probably end up relatively close to me, and pass me up near the finish. It would not matter if I ended up even taking out the second person, as the third person is usually rather close behind, anyway, and would pass me up. A few seconds counts for a lot if you're playing against other good players. 

Let's just say there's a reason why the Super Horn exists.

I don't really mind it. Then again, I don't play competitively.

If one player is always dominating, the game can get boring. This helps non-competitive play stay interesting and can make any win challenging. Nintendo is appealing to wider audience, and doesn't want new players discouraged.

But I completely understand how frustrating they can be in competitive racing. At that level, one blue shell is enough for the loss. It's an element of luck that unbalances the game.

It's good for sales but not for the addicted player.

Awful item. Ruins winning streaks, friendships, days, lives. It is a purely negative item, and likewise the most infamous of the franchise. One minute, you're on top of the mushroom kingdom, about to finish Luigi's circuit after being neck and neck with Donkey-Kong for the whole race. Then you hear the warning beep and see a blue shell in your rear view mirror. You're blown sky high as you see every racer pass you by. Donkey-Kong wins and you are left dead last. This is what creates super villains. Stop Blue Shells and Speak Up.

Well there is no doubt I've had ups and downs with these blue shells!

But my opinion is this, Blue shells are only good if you are struggling to make the Top 4.
It's a Bad thing if you are in 1st place and someone else is using it to get in the top spot.
To me, it can be an advantage to some, and a disadvantage to many. It will always be a 
Dubious little item no matter if you are the victim or the person throwing the shell.

   As annoying as it is to get Spiny Shell'ed when in first, I still think it's a good item, especially now with the Super Horn balancing it out a bit more. In the Double Dash and DS days, they came way too much, and took you out of the action for too long, but both 7 and 8 fix it a bit more, and also help the person sending it more, since it will also hit other players. But the best thing 7 and 8 did was remove the ridiculous amount of time you spend in the air after getting hit by one, making it much less irritating to get hit by. Personally, I like how it is now, although the less often it shows up, especially towards the end, the better. Nothing's worse than getting hit within 4 seconds of the finish.