Yoshi


 * For the universe, see Yoshi (universe). For the game, see Yoshi (game).
 * For the Costa Rican smasher, see Smasher:Valk.

Yoshi (, Yoshi) is a character in the series. Since his debut in  as an ally of Mario and Luigi, Yoshi's popularity has resulted in him starring in his own series, which follows the adventures of Yoshi and/or his eponymous species.

As a member of the "perfect-attendance crew", Yoshi has been featured as a playable character throughout the  series.

Origin
Shigeru Miyamoto considered giving Mario some kind of companion as far back as the planning stages of Super Mario Bros., but the concept was scrapped due to hardware limitations. During the development of , Miyamoto had drawn a picture of Mario riding a horse. Taking note of the picture, Takashi Tezuka came to the conclusion that Miyamoto desired Mario to ride something, and implemented that idea into the development of Super Mario World.

Due to being the setting of Super Mario World, Tezuka had Shigefumi Hino draw artwork for a kind of reptile. According to Hino, he took "horse" as a keyword and designed a large lizard similar to a crocodile in order to better integrate the concept. After reconsidering this design, Hino and Tezuka instead decided to use a rough sketch drawn by Tezuka, which was refined by Hino into what would become Yoshi's finalized design.

Yoshi is the most recurring member of the sapient and friendly reptilian species of the same name. The Yoshi species possesses an amalgamation of reptilian characteristics: the physique of a theropod, a turtle-like shell that functions as a saddle, and a chameleon-like tongue. On a related note, a chameleon's ability to change their skin coloration could be referenced by the variety of color schemes present among the various other Yoshis.

The Yoshi species debuted in , where Mario or Luigi would be able to find s, which would hatch automatically to reveal a fully grown Yoshi. Later in the game, s could also be found. Baby Yoshis can be held, thrown, and matured into fully grown Yoshis. In order to do the latter, a Baby Yoshi must eat five enemies.

Alongside Yoshi himself, three differently colored Yoshis also appear, each of which has a distinct special ability that can be used so long as they have a Koopa Troopa shell in their mouths. Blue Yoshi can fly, Red Yoshi can spit out Fireballs, and Yellow Yoshi can emit a after landing a jump. While Yoshi himself does not have any distinct special abilities, he can use each of the three other Yoshis' abilities by holding a shell of the same color as the respective Yoshi, such as a red shell allowing him to spit out Fireballs. By extension, the other three Yoshis can do the same.

Yoshi has reprised his steed roles in later Mario titles, both in 2D games such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Maker, and in 3D games such as Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Yoshi has, on three occasions, also been playable on his own in Mario platformer titles - in Super Mario 64 DS, where he is the starter character and is tasked with rescuing Mario, in Super Mario Run, where a variety of colors can be unlocked by recruiting Toads in the "Toad Rally" mode, and in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, where he can be used both as a playable character and a steed.

Yoshi has long been a popular staple of the multiplayer Mario spin-off games, where he has typically been a speedy character and is often paired with fellow dinosaur Birdo from the American Super Mario Bros. 2 (implied in certain titles to be his girlfriend). Many games also let players choose from a variety of different Yoshi colors.

In the Yoshi series
After the success of Super Mario World and the positive reception of Yoshi, Nintendo capitalized by releasing several spinoff entries at a rapid pace. These include the puzzle games ' and ', the light gun game  compatible with the Super Scope. Due to Shigeru Miyamoto's dislike of these games, he aimed to make a game starring Yoshi that was authentic to his character. This game would come to be known as , which saw a myriad of differently colored members of the species appear. The Yoshis' ability to eat virtually anything was expanded to include the ability to create Yoshi Eggs capable of being thrown. In addition, Yellow Yoshi's sand cloud-generating jump was modified into a usable by all other Yoshis. Outside of these updated abilities, the Yoshis also gained the ability to and transform into vehicles. Following this, would be reskinned as  for international markets, featuring Yoshi and the many new characters introduced in Yoshi's Island.

In addition to being the first installment of the Yoshi's Island sub-series, Super Mario World 2 is the first installment in the Mario series' in-universe timeline: it details being captured by Kamek and his s while being delivered by a, while a group of Yoshis discover the missing  and work to rejoin him with his twin brother. After being rescued by the Yoshis, the stork resumes its journey to deliver the newly reunited baby Mario Bros. to their parents. This same plotline would be retold in the endless runner game, .

That is followed by the next event in the Yoshi canon, , where upon arriving at its supposed destination, the stork discovers that the family living there were not expecting children. This mishap results in the stork once again being attacked by Kamek and his Toadies, who recapture Baby Luigi while Baby Mario falls to the floating, which is home to another group of Yoshis. Much like their counterparts on Yoshi's Island, this group of Yoshis bands together to reunite the baby Mario Bros. and stop Baby Bowser from turning Egg Island into his own personal resort - with adult Bowser travelling back in time to serve as a secret final boss for players who don't use the Flutter Wings. Should the player beat him, it will also be revealed that adult Mario has travelled back in time under the guise of the helpful Mr. Pipe.

Despite the stork successfully delivering the baby Mario Bros. to their proper parents, Kamek and his Toadies nevertheless kidnap several babies from across the Mushroom Kingdom as part of their search for the seven, thus leading to the events in . Unlike the previous two instances, the stork fights back against Kamek and the Toadies, thus resulting in Baby Mario and being dropped onto Yoshi's Island during the scuffle. Upon reuniting with Baby Mario, the Yoshis decide to save not only Baby Luigi, but also any other babies that were kidnapped. During their journey, they ally with three other star children: Baby Peach, and.

Meanwhile, it is revealed that the adult Bowser traveled back in time once more to extract the star children's stars in order to use their power to rule the universe. By extension, it is also revealed that the Kamek and Toadies that kidnapped the babies were not from the past, but rather came from the present, alongside Bowser. However, a squabble between the Baby and present day Bowsers results in Bowser inadvertently causing his infant self to fall out of his castle, land on a Yoshi's back, and thus create an uneasy alliance between (who is a star child himself) and his longtime foes.

Despite Baby Wario and Baby Bowser leaving the group because of a desire for money and a retrieval by present day Kamek, respectively, the Yoshis nevertheless arrive at Baby Bowser's castle. Upon doing so, they reunite with Baby Wario, who sought Baby Bowser's treasure. Together, the green, pink, yellow and purple Yoshis band together with the remaining four babies to defeat Baby Bowser and then adult Bowser, thus foiling Bowser's plan and saving Baby Luigi and the rest of the kidnapped babies. Although the seventh and final star child is not encountered by the Yoshis, Bowser or Kamek, the ending reveals the final star child to be a newly hatched green, thus strongly implying him to be the very same Yoshi character that the grown up Mario Bros. would go on to rescue and ally with in Super Mario World and subsequent Mario games.

Several other Yoshi platformer games have also been released, seemingly outside of the Yoshi's Island canon, ' tells the story of a group of Yoshi hatchlings who must retrieve the Super Happy Tree that provides their adult counterparts with their undying optimism from Baby Bowser, ', a gyrometer-based game, introduces a set of mostly human-like characters known as the Yoshi Island Spirits, who Yoshi must complete missions from to prove he's worthy of taking on the adult Bowser, ', where a group of Yoshis made of wool must work together to rescue one another after being scattered as bundles of yarn by Kamek and Baby Bowser, and ' where the Yoshis have to recover pieces of the wish-granting Sundream Stone from Baby Bowser and Kamek - These titles all take place in worlds made to appear homemade out of materials such as cardboard and wool. The only baby shown in these particular games is Baby Bowser.

As a playable character
Yoshi makes his first appearance in a fighting game in Super Smash Bros. as a starting playable character. His design is based on his appearance from Super Mario World. In comparison to the rest of the roster, Yoshi is arguably the most unique. His shield is a instead of a standard bubble that shrinks, which makes him immune to shield stabbing.

Another noticeable distinction Yoshi possesses is his lack of a recovery move. Instead, he makes up for this with a long-distanced and generally safe double jump. Although Yoshi's unique traits make him rather difficult for beginners to learn, his very versatile combo options, most notably his double jump canceled aerials, are very useful for combos, pressuring and KOing. Thanks to his strengths, Yoshi is ranked 5th on the current tier list, placing him in the A tier.

Yoshi's in-game description reads:
 * Yoshi
 * Yoshi is the friendly dinosaur of Yoshi's Island. He began as Mario's partner, but has since built his own identity, and now appears in many games. He uses his unique ability to turn whatever he swallows into an egg as his foremost attack. Yoshis come in a rainbow of colors and are said to have a high IQ from a very early age.


 * Works:
 * Super Mario World (SNES)
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
 * Yoshi's Story (N64)

As a playable character
Yoshi returns in Melee as a starting playable character. His design is still based on his appearance from Super Mario World. Yoshi stays relatively unchanged, but is given a few new visual properties, such as a more dinosaur-like posture. He has also received several new and unique techniques, such as edge-canceled eggs.

Although Yoshi can continue to double jump cancel, he was somewhat nerfed; he is now unable to jump out of his shield and continues to lack a vertical recovery, two distinct traits that must be adapted to in order to bypass their drawbacks. However, Yoshi's unique shield physics, powerful attacks and status as an agile heavyweight nonetheless make him a capable character.

While Yoshi was initially regarded poorly, his position in the current metagame has improved significantly thanks to some Yoshi professionals, most notably. As a result, Yoshi is ranked 10th on the current tier list, placing him in the B+ tier.

Trophies
As a playable character, Yoshi has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating the with Yoshi on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively. He is also present in the "Mario & Yoshi" trophy, which can only be acquired in the NTSC and PAL versions via hacking device, whereas it could only be acquired in the Japanese version via a special Japanese events or by using a hacking device.

As a playable character
Yoshi once again returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Unlike in SSB and Melee, he now sports his design since ', ', and . His moves are relatively unchanged from his Melee moveset, except for the fact that Egg Toss can now function as a makeshift third jump when used in mid-air. This is a welcome change for Yoshi, especially since his already fast air speed has become even faster, and the directional air dodge that aided his recovery in Melee has been removed. Yoshi also boasts a much better grab game, thanks to receiving grab release follow-ups.

However, alterations to Yoshi's double jump and aerial Egg Roll's momentum have significantly harmed his recovery, while his new grab release follow-ups do not fully compensate for the loss of his double jump canceled combos. Like other characters, Yoshi has received a Final Smash; in his case, it is Super Dragon. Super Dragon involves him growing angelic wings that allow him to fly and gaining the ability to breathe fire either as a powerful or a stream of flames, while he is rendered invincible throughout its duration.

As a result of the severity of his nerfs, Yoshi is ranked 27th on the current tier list, placing him in the D tier.

As a playable character
Yoshi returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. In addition to a more upright posture, SSB4's aesthetic has resulted in Yoshi's overall color scheme being considerably more vibrant and his design being more cartoony. Altogether, these changes make him appear much more in line with his appearances in the latest Mario and Yoshi games. He also has two new alternate costumes: Purple Yoshi and Black Yoshi.

Yoshi has been buffed in the transition from Brawl to SSB4, with increased speed and utility to his moveset, while his decent dashing speed has become considerably faster. His aforementioned altered posture is also a buff, as it makes his hurtbox's positioning less awkward. Yoshi's KOing options and set-ups were also improved, while he also regained the ability to jump out of shield, something he could not do since SSB. His shield was further buffed by his shield drop becoming much quicker.

However, Yoshi also received nerfs to his overall damage output. His grab game has been also drastically nerfed, as the removal of chain grabbing removed his useful grab release follow-ups. Despite his improved shield, Yoshi's rolls are still slow and short-distanced, limiting his ability to escape from pressure.

Overall, Yoshi's buffs are significant enough to have noticeably improved his viability from Brawl. To reflect this, Yoshi is currently ranked 34th on the tier list, placing him in the D tier. While Yoshi has a minimal presence in competitive play despite his strengths, he has achieved varying degrees of success regardless. This includes winning a few local tournaments in both singles and doubles play, and achieving several top 50 placings (some of which are top 10 placings) at regional and national tournaments.

As a playable character
Yoshi returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He now sports an alternate costume based on his appearance in , which replaces Black Yoshi. In addition, Super Dragon has been replaced by Stampede!, which is based on Yoshi's appearance during the intro of Melee.

As a costume
A Mii Costume based on Yoshi's appearance from  is available for s.

Trivia

 * Although Yoshi is a heavyweight in the Super Smash Bros. series, this is contradictory to his weight classification in the ' series. Yoshi is characterized as being the fastest of the lightweights in ' and ', and has been a middleweight (slightly lighter than Mario and Luigi, and tied with Princess Peach and Princess Daisy) as of ' He shares this quirk with Bowser Jr.
 * Rosalina follows an inversion of this quirk: she is a heavyweight in the Mario Kart series, yet is a lightweight in the Super Smash Bros. series.
 * Yoshi is the only character in the Super Smash Bros. series to use the same set of voice clips since SSB, though this also applies to Jigglypuff in games with the language set to English.
 * This also means he has been using the same voice clips longer than any other character in the Super Smash Bros. series.
 * Unlike Bowser, the characters and Petey Piranha, Yoshi retains his voice actor from the Yoshi and Mario series. He shares this trait with Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, who are all voiced by their respective Mario series actors, and both Banjo and Kazooie, who are voiced by Chris Sutherland.
 * He is also the only playable character in the series to have always used voice clips that are sourced from his own games, instead of clips specifically recorded for a Super Smash Bros. game.
 * Yoshi is the only character to have a unique shield. In his case, it is a instead of a bubble.
 * Prior to SSB4, the color of the used during Egg Roll and Egg Throw would be white with green spots, regardless of Yoshi's selected color scheme.
 * Yoshi and Captain Falcon are the only sole fighters from their respective universes to appear throughout the Super Smash Bros. series.
 * Currently, Yoshi has the most stages of out of all sole series fighters throughout the entire series, with a total of 5.
 * Yoshi is also the only fighter among the single-fighter universes to remain a starter in each game he appears in.
 * Including sub-franchises, Yoshi is the only Mario fighter to not have "Congratulations" written in Mario-themed font in his congratulations screen in SSB4.
 * Prior to Brawl, Yoshi and Jigglypuff were the only characters whose up special moves could not be used for recovery.
 * Both characters notably have the fastest air speeds by default, although Mewtwo and Yoshi are tied for the second fastest air speed in Melee.
 * Yoshi's punching victory pose is likely a humorous reference to one of 's victory poses or his Raging Demon (, Blinking Prison Killer), which concludes with an identical pose. This is even referenced in 's All-Star Mode congratulations screen in, and later again in a challenge board image in Ultimate.
 * Yoshi, Piranha Plant, Inkling, R.O.B., Kirby, the Mii Fighters, and the Pokémon are the only playable characters to share their name with their respective species.
 * Yoshi, Wario, Luigi, Snake, Roy, Corrin, and Joker are the only playable characters to feature material from games scheduled for release after an installment of Super Smash Bros. In Yoshi's case, he has a stage based on various levels from ' in SSB4, and an in Ultimate based on his appearance in '.