Yoshi: Difference between revisions

|image=[[File:MN Father Day Coupon Printable Yoshi Artwork.png|200px]]<br>Artwork of Yoshi for ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]''

|latest_appearance=''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' (2023)

|latest_portrayal=[[Kazumi Totaka]] ([[List of games by date#1997|1997]]–2022)

[[Shigeru Miyamoto]] has stated in interviews that he wanted Mario to ride a horse after the completion of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''<ref name=SMW2017>[https://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2017/October/Nintendo-Classic-Mini-SNES-developer-interview-Volume-5-Super-Mario-World-and-Super-Mario-World-2-Yoshi-s-Island-1290850.html Nintendo Classic Mini: SNES developer interview – Volume 5: Super Mario World and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island].</ref> However, technical limitations on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] kept this from being possible, but with the development of the Super Famicom, an animal partner for Mario could be added. The character of Yoshi was specifically created by [[Shigefumi Hino]], a graphics designer, with the help of [[Takashi Tezuka]].<ref name=SMW2017/> According to [[Yoichi Kotabe]], Yoshi's name (alternately romanized as "Yossy")<ref name=Localization>Mandelin, Heidi (March 6, 2018). [https://legendsoflocalization.com/yossy-image-gallery/ 24 Times “Yoshi” Was Called “Yossy”]. ''Legends of Localization''. Retrieved December 28, 2021.</ref> is a {{wp|portmanteau}} of female [[List of Super Mario World staff#Special Thanks to: / Special Thanks to|staff member]] Mie Yoshimura's nickname and "{{wp|Loch Ness Monster|Nessie}}."<ref name=GAME>[https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/742615.html The Creator of the Famicom and the Designer of Super Mario are here!]. GAME Watch. Retrieved June 5, 2022.</ref> His name is the same as the Japanese interjection 良し (''yoshi''), meaning "good!", "okay!", or "all right!"

Yoshi, like all other Yoshis, is a dinosaur-like character with a large round nose, a row of orange spines along his head, orange shoes, and a saddle-shaped shell on his back, which is used by [[Mario]] and company when being ridden on. Yoshi's initial design is more dinosaur-like, with a narrower, longer, more hunched appearance and shorter arms.<ref>[https://pressthebuttons.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83452033569e201b8d0b43e85970c Official Yoshi artwork and profile from the 1993 Nintendo character Guide.] ''Press The Buttons''. Retrieved October 14,2015.</ref> He is also noticeably taller than Mario.<ref>[https://pressthebuttons.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83452033569e201b8d0b43f5b970c 1993 Nintendo Character Guide Comparison Chart.] ''Press The Buttons''. Retrieved October 14, 2015.</ref> Beginning with ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' and later ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'', however, Yoshi's build has been adjusted to be more anthropomorphic, with an upright posture, longer arms, a bigger head, and a stouter build, although he is still taller than Mario (comparable to Luigi's height). This newer depiction has slowly replaced the older depiction, although by ''[[Mario Party 4]]'', the older depiction is generally replaced. Notably, Yoshi's initial design is used in the [[Paper Mario (series)|''Paper Mario'' series]], with the design used in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' following the original design more strictly, while ''[[Paper Mario: Color Splash]]'' uses a redesign that matches more with his current design. In recent times, dating at least back to the [[Mario Hanafuda]] cards, an alternate modern design of Yoshi was introduced. It features more defined nostrils, eyelids clearly distinct from the brows, a smaller white region on the cheeks, crest spikes pointing downwards and being nearer to each other, and a bigger protrusion behind the eyes. Most of these features stem from the original Yoshi design. Said alternate design so far has not been adapted into a 3D model; as a result, the artwork used in most games uses the standard modern design, with the main exceptions so far being ''[[Mario Party: Star Rush]]'', ''[[Super Mario Maker 2]]'', and the launch artwork of ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' (that then uses the standard modern design in its badges and icons).

Yoshi is known for having a long red tongue, often used for picking up objects or swallowing them, although it is capable of assisting acrobatic maneuvers, such as its interaction with [[Flower (grapple)|flower]]s in ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]''. Yoshi can also use this tongue as a physical weapon, shown in ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]'' and as a custom move in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' / ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U|Wii U]]''. Even though he is usually shown without visible teeth aside from his hurt sprite from ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'', in his older design he actually has both a set of upper teeth and lower teeth as shown in ''Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 2: Mario's Sports Day'',<ref>{{media link|SMSQPB2 Three-legged Race.png|A three legged race in ''Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 2: Mario's Sports Day''}}, both the upper and lower teeth of Yoshi can be seen.</ref> and ''Super Mario Chie Asobi Ehon ④ Larry No Itazura'' (''Super Mario Wisdom Games Picture Book ④ Larry's Mischief''),<ref>{{media link|SMWGPB4 Back.png|Part of the activity on the back of ''Super Mario Chie Asobi Ehon ④ Larry No Itazura'' (''Super Mario Wisdom Games Picture Book ④ Larry's Mischief'')}}.</ref> with ''[[Yoshi's Island DS]]'' showing that his new design still has a full set of teeth.<ref>{{media link|Yoshi fluttering YIDS artwork.jpg|Yoshi performing a Flutter Jump with Baby Mario on his back in ''Yoshi's Island DS''}}, a full set of teeth can be observed.</ref>

Yoshi is always seen wearing his orange shoes, although in ''Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 5: Mario's Amusement Park'' (「スーパーマリオおはなしクイズえほん 5 マリオの ゆうえんち」), a book published by Shogakukan and written in collaboration with Nintendo,<ref>{{media link|SMSQPB5 Back.png|Back of ''Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 5: Mario's Amusement Park''}}.</ref> it was revealed that he has green feet with three toes and a single white pad on each of them. The orange shade in this shoe has varied across appearances, from brownish to reddish. Some games call these shoes "boots" such as the [[equipment]] Yoshi can wear in ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'' / ''Wii U''. These shoes protect Yoshi from obstacles normally harmful to Mario, such as [[Muncher]]s and [[Spike Trap|spikes]] (although in ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' and its successors, spikes can defeat Yoshi in one hit), so Yoshi can allow Mario to safely cross them. Additionally, Yoshi, when stomping on enemies, typically defeats them in one hit with a special sound effect, similar to Mario's [[Spin Jump]].

Prior to the SNES version of ''[[Yoshi's Cookie]]'' and later ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'', with the last game to use it being ''[[Mario Party 3]]'', Yoshi's "speech" was a sound effect consisting of two pitch-bent orchestra hits.<ref>Plastiware (December 5, 2019). [https://youtu.be/uU9o9O6nYgU The Yoshi sound is pitch-bent orchestra hits.] ''YouTube''. Retrieved December 10, 2019.</ref> Although it has been largely retired to some extent for Yoshi's current appearances, it does appear to a certain extent in ''[[Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3]]'' when Yoshi retrieves Baby Mario, and out-of-series in ''Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'' as well as ''Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D''. Yoshi's speech capabilities are rather limited since his most common phrase is his name (sometimes adding exclamations or tones of surprise to make his speech sound different depending on his emotions). Yoshi's voice actor, Kazumi Totaka, also provides him with various grunts and yells, though almost none of them are actual words. The only known instances that Yoshi was shown to speak in the ''Super Mario'' games are ''Super Mario World'' (when Mario is introduced to him, and to a lesser extent, the message box at his house), ''Super Mario Galaxy 2'' (when he is freed from his egg, and to a lesser extent, the sign at his house), ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'' (which also has him acting as the translator of various Yoshis), the initial release of ''Super Mario 64'' (where he gives Mario a message congratulating him on 120 Stars), and ''Tetris Attack'' (where he provides tutorials and tips for the player and has more lines than any other character in the game). However, all of these were given in text. In ''Yoshi's Story'', Yoshi still says his name, but like the rest of his species, he also uses nonsensical words such as "Ho hup" and "Blum," which have no true discernible meaning. However, Yoshi is capable of saying exclamations such as "Yeah!", "Oh, yeah!", and "Woo-hoo!" as well as "No!!!" in various ''Super Mario'' spinoffs, though this trait is somewhat rare. Yoshi is known to be capable of saying the word "Smash!" as heard in ''[[Mario Power Tennis]]''. In [[DIC Entertainment]]'s [[Super Mario World (television series)|''Super Mario World'' television series]], Yoshi can speak intelligibly, with his exclamations completely ignored. Yoshi exhibits the ability to speak intelligibly in ''[[Super Mario-kun]]'', where he is depicted as a more childish character; as a result, he is easily excitable and yells on a frequent basis. In stark contrast, Yoshi cannot speak fully in ''[[Nintendo Power]]''{{'}}s ''Super Mario'' comic series (most notably ''[[Super Mario Adventures]]''), where he reverts to solely saying his own name. However, [[Friendly Floyd]] has a translation book of the Yoshi language, so it is (somewhat) possible to understand what Yoshi is saying. Yoshi also speaks intelligibly in the ''[[Club Nintendo (magazine)|Club Nintendo]]'' comics. In a commercial for ''[[Yoshi (game)|Yoshi]]'', Yoshi speaks in "meeps," similar to {{wp|Beaker (Muppet)|Beaker}} from ''{{wp|The Muppet Show}}''.<ref>Japancommercials4U2 (January 18, 2009). [https://youtu.be/0OcDziYU6gc Yoshi USA Commercial]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved August 30, 2019.</ref>

In the West, Yoshi is known to be a ''dinosaur'' since his introduction in ''[[Super Mario World]]''.<ref>On page 2 of the [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAAAE.pdf  American instruction booklet of ''Super Mario World''], Yoshi is stated to be a ''young dinosaur''.</ref> Likely due to dinosaurs being known in Japan as ''scary dragons'' (「恐竜」), in the original Japanese manual of said game, he was introduced as a ''dragon'' (「ドラゴン」),<ref>On page 3 of the [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/ja/pdf/CLV-P-VAAAJ.pdf Japanese instruction booklet of ''Super Mario World''], Yoshi was introduced as a 「ドラゴン」, which means ''dragon''.</ref> and in the game, Yoshi himself signed his message in [[Yoshi's House]] referring to him as ''Super Dragon Yoshi'' (「スーパードラゴン ヨッシー」).<ref>しゅーや (March 31, 2016). [https://youtu.be/4cuMj0aNg78?t=73 【実況】隅々まで遊べ！スーパーマリオワールドをツッコミ実況part1]. ''YouTube''. Retrieved November 21, 2017.</ref> He was as well explicitly referred to as a ''dinosaur'' in the ''Nintendo Official Guidebook'' of ''Super Mario World''.<ref>On {{media link|SMB4 NOG page 16.png|page 16 of the ''Nintendo Official Guidebook'' of ''Super Mario World''}} Yoshi is stated to be a 「{{hover|大食漢|たいしょくかん}}恐竜」, which means a ''glutton dinosaur''.</ref> Yoshi being a dragon was reconfirmed as well in ''[[Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2]]''<ref>As can be seen in the story of the game on page 9 of the [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/data/software/manual/manual_PAUJ_00.pdf Japanese instruction booklet of ''Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2''], as well as on {{media link|SMA2 NOG page 14.png|page 14 of the ''Nintendo Official Guidebook'' of ''Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2''}}, where [[Yoshi]]'s bio refer to him as a 「ドラゴン」, a dragon.</ref> and ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', since in the mission [[Peewee Piranha's Speed Run]] of [[Sky Station Galaxy]], on the sign that Yoshi has put up, Yoshi states that he is a ''space dragon'' (「スペースドラゴン」). Nonetheless, in his commentary on the ''[[Super Mario History 1985-2010#Super Mario History Booklet|Super Mario History Booklet]]'', released in 2010, [[Takashi Tezuka]] stated that "Yoshi was originally supposed to be a type of [[Koopa (species)|Koopa]]."<ref>In the {{media link|SMHAmerican SMW and SMAS.jpg|section of the ''Super Mario History Booklet'' dedicated to ''Super Mario World''}} [[Takashi Tezuka]] states that ''''Yoshi was originally supposed to be a type of Koopa. That saddle you see on his back was actually is shell.''</ref> Him possibly being a turtle rather than a dinosaur was then suggested in his official bio of the Kids section of Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s site, published in 2016,<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/kids/character/yoshi/index.html Yoshi's bio in the ''Kids'' section of Nintendo Co., Ltd.'s site] states 「{{hover|背中|せなか}}にコウラがあるけど、カメなのか、{{hover|恐竜|きょうりゅう}}なのか、{{hover|実|じつ}}はわかっていないんだって。」, which translates to ''Even though there's a shell on his back, we actually don't know whether Yoshi's a dinosaur or a turtle!''</ref> with Tezuka eventually confirming in a 2017 interview about ''Super Mario World'' and reconfirming in a 2019 interview about ''[[Yoshi's Crafted World]]'' that Yoshi is indeed a turtle.<ref name=SMW2017/><ref>Brian (April 27, 2019). [https://nintendoeverything.com/yoshis-crafted-world-devs-on-the-art-style-kindergarten-inspiration-flip-side-gimmick-more/ Yoshi’s Crafted World devs on the art style, kindergarten inspiration, flip side gimmick, more]. ''Nintendo Everything''. Retrieved May 2, 2019.</ref>

Yoshi is one of Mario's closest friends, with their relationship stretching back to Mario's birth, when Yoshi helped reunite the newborn Baby Mario with his kidnapped brother, Baby Luigi. Mario, as an adult, has returned the favor in ''Yoshi's New Island'' by handing Yoshi powerful items if Yoshi is struggling in levels. Later, Mario helps free Yoshi's homeland from Bowser in ''Super Mario World''. Mario and Yoshi share loyalty to one another, with Yoshi often aiding Mario on his journeys by acting as his steed. This relationship is more pronounced in ''Super Mario-kun''. While Mario and Yoshi are great friends, Yoshi often makes mistakes, much to Mario's annoyance, such as in volume 1 where Yoshi eats a map, so the two frequently bicker. Despite this, when Yoshi is in danger, even when he is manipulated, Mario risks himself to save Yoshi, shown in volume 23. ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' takes Yoshi's relationship to a more negative level, since he and [[Link]] aggressively attack Mario and [[Pit (character)|Pit]] for defeating "Zelda" (who was a false clone trying to turn the former duo into trophies). Similarly, when Yoshi and Link defeat False Peach, Mario misinterprets them as defeating the real [[Princess Peach|Peach]], so he decides to fight the duo, with Pit following suit. However, Yoshi and Mario realize the error in their ways and team up to fight [[Tabuu]] and the Subspace Army. Yoshi and Luigi are also good friends and allies, although their chemistry in the ''Super Mario'' baseball games is neutral. In the ''Super Mario World'' TV show, Luigi is the one who finds Yoshi, and the dinosaur initially believes him to be his "mama," with Luigi even continuing to act as a parental figure of sorts, and Luigi is known to tell him bedtime stories. This aspect of their relationship is unique to the TV show, however. Other characters Yoshi is friends with include Princess Peach and Toad, and he is also on good terms with Donkey Kong more often than not.

Yoshi and Birdo are partnered up in various spinoff and sports games, and it has been implied that they are romantically involved. They are seen nuzzling each other on the title screen of ''Mario Tennis'', and on the official Japanese site for ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' the description for Catherine states that she "appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend, but is actually his boyfriend!?" (「ヨッシーの彼女に見えて実は彼氏!?」)<ref name="MKDDBP>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/gm4j/02.html MARIO KART - Double Dash!! - マリオカート　ダブルダッシュ！！] "ヨッシーの彼女に見えて実は彼氏!?"</ref>

In the video games, Yoshi has been voiced by [[Kazumi Totaka]] from ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'' (who also composed the musical score for the game) to ''[[Mario Strikers: Battle League]]''.

==Game appearances==

!width=20%|System

|''[[Super Mario Bros. (pinball)]]''||1992||Arcade

|''[[Game & Watch Gallery 2]]''||1997||Game Boy

|''[[Mario no Photopi]]''||1998||[[Nintendo 64]]

|''[[Mario Party]]''||1998||[[Nintendo 64]]

|''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''||1999||[[Nintendo 64]]

|''[[Super Mario Bros. Deluxe]]''||1999||[[Game Boy Color]]

|''[[Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)|Mario Golf]]''||1999||[[Nintendo 64]]

|''[[Game & Watch Gallery 3]]''||1999||[[Game Boy Color]]

|''[[Mario Party 2]]''||1999||[[Nintendo 64]]

|''[[Minecraft]]'' (Bedrock version)||2018||Nintendo Switch

{{NIWA|SmashWiki=Yoshi}}

[[Category:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]