Shy Guy
- This article is about the recurring enemies in the Super Mario franchise. For other uses, see Shy Guy (disambiguation).
- "Red Shy Guy" redirects here. For the specific character in Paper Mario: Color Splash, see Red Shy Guy (Paper Mario: Color Splash character).
- “I ain't scared... I'm terrified!”
- —Shy Guy, Paper Mario: Color Splash
Shy Guys, alternatively formatted as Shyguys,[1] Shy-Guys,[2] or ShyGuys,[3] are recurring enemies that are recognizable by their masks, which they wear due to their shyness.[4][1] Shy Guys first appear in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, later released outside of Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2.
General information[edit]
Allegiance[edit]
Shy Guys first appeared as members of the 8 bits, led by Wart, in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2. Starting with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Shy Guys have become associated with Bowser in the wider franchise, going on to appear as a part of Bowser's Minions in multiple other spinoff series such as Yoshi, Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi. In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Shy Guys and many of its variants appear as part of the Smithy Gang, working under Smithy. Friendly Shy Guys typically also appear in spinoff media, like the Mario Party series, or notably the White Shy Guys in Yoshi's Story.
Physical description[edit]
Shy Guys are short creatures that wear masks with three holes, each intended to represent eyes and a mouth, as well as robes. Shy Guys are normally red, but they also exist in other colors. Shy Guy masks are largely expressionless, with very few instances depicting them mimicking facial expressions: The Shy Guys of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars have spinning eye holes while confused, and are able to blush, they have closed eye holes while asleep in Yoshi's Island DS, and Mario Strikers Charged also has Shy Guys that emote through their masks. Early episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! depict Shy Guys with only two holes, representing their eyes, and with a scowling look. Later episodes add a third hole in Shy Guys' masks, representing their mouth.
Shy Guys have never been depicted without their masks. In the rare instances where one falls, characters are shown to be alarmed when witnessing what is behind the mask, like Luigi in Mario Power Tennis, as well as a Goomba and Koopa Troopa in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Shy Guys are suggested to be faceless in Paper Mario: Color Splash, as one in the Golden Coliseum says that Mario would make a terrible Shy Guy for having one.
Some early Super Mario Bros. 2 artwork as well as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! depicted Shy Guys as wearing mask-like badges depicting an angry face, similar to that of Phanto. Another Shy Guy-related element seen only in Super Mario Bros. 2 and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! are also notable for using game artwork of the earliest forms of Shy Guys, making them tall, stout, and human-like; however, the appearance of Shy Guys was later redesigned to their in-game sprite appearance in Super Mario Bros. 2.
Shy Guys are shown to have stick-like legs under their robes in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker,[5] and their legs are also shown when winning first place in Mario Kart 8 or during certain tricks. A scene from the rave in The Super Mario Bros. Movie shows a Shy Guy (or a Snifit) attempting to catch a running Buzzy Beetle by diving into it, flashing briefly a pink skin leg (or legware) under the robe. In Paper Mario: The Origami King, a Shy Guy in Spring of Jungle Mist implies that Shy Guys have very short necks that make it difficult to look up.
Shy Guys frequently wear other clothes and equipment on top of their masks and robes, with those usually identifying them as separate variants, such as Spear Guys, Groove Guys and Petal Guys. There are also a few instances where regular Shy Guys have worn other objects, such as the Shy Guy host in Mario Party 4, or the Pastry Chef, Ninja and Explorer alternate outfits in Mario Kart Tour. Shy Guys were initially planned to wear soccer jersey and shorts on top of their robes in Mario Strikers Charged, but the final game has them wearing just a jersey under their chest armor. Mario Strikers: Battle League later gave them shorts along with options to equip him with head, arm, body, and leg gear pieces.
Color variations[edit]
Much like Koopa Troopas, Yoshis, and Birdos, Shy Guys come in many different colors. The following is a list of Shy Guys colors and the first appearance of each one.
| Image | Color | Shoe color | First appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Red | Blue White (Doki Doki Panic) |
Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic |
|
Pink | Purple White (Doki Doki Panic) |
Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic |
|
Gray | White Red-brown (Yoshi's Woolly World) |
Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic |
|
Blue | Magenta White (Super Mario All-Stars) Gray (Yoshi's Story) |
Super Mario All-Stars |
|
Yellow | Green Blue (Yoshi's Story) |
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island |
|
Green | Brown Red (Yoshi's Story) Yellow (Yoshi's Woolly World) |
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[6] |
|
Black | White | Yoshi's Story (as black Flying Shy Guys) Mario Superstar Baseball (as normal Shy Guys) |
|
White | Black Cyan (Yoshi's Story) |
Yoshi's Story (as White Shy Guys) |
|
Light-blue | Red-brown | Mario Kart DS |
|
Orange | Blue | Mario Strikers Charged |
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|
White with green spots | Orange | Yoshi's New Island |
|
Purple | Orange | Yoshi's Woolly World (as Woozy Guys) Yoshi's Crafted World (as normal Shy Guys) |
|
Brown | Dark green | Yoshi's Woolly World |
|
Dark green | Brown | Yoshi's Woolly World |
|
Silver | Black | Yoshi's Crafted World |
History[edit]
Super Mario series[edit]
Super Mario Bros. 2 / Super Mario Advance[edit]
Shyguys are the most common enemies in Super Mario Bros. 2. They debut alongside Snifits and Beezos. Shyguys damage the player character on contact. Shyguys can be defeated either from throwing an object at them or by picking them up and throwing them at another enemy.[7] Red Shyguys walk off of ledges, unlike the pink type, and are also found riding Autobombs and Ostros, as well as appearing from jars. Pink Shyguys are recolored blue in the remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2. The remakes also recolor the shoes of Red Shyguys to purple, as well as the blue Shyguys' shoes to orange (besides artwork depicting it white). The heavier Big Shy Guys were also added in the remake Super Mario Advance.
Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
Although normal Shy Guys do not appear in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS, two variants, Fly Guys and Snifits (the latter resembling Boo Guys in the remake), appear.
Super Mario Maker[edit]
A Shy Guy with its Super Mario Bros. 2 design is an unlockable costume in Super Mario Maker, and is unlocked by clearing 100 Mario Challenge on any difficulty. The Shy Guy costume reuses some of the sound effects from Super Mario Bros. 2.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show![edit]
- “Your Malignant Meanness! I have terrible news! The Princess and the Mario Brothers have escaped!”
- —Shyguy, "Brooklyn Bound"
Shyguys are antagonists working for King Koopa in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, and their outfits correspond to the theme of an episode, like some of Bowser's other troops.
Super Mario Bros. (Valiant Comics)[edit]
Shyguys commonly appear as disgruntled soldiers of King Koopa in several comics of the Super Mario Bros. series of comics, like Koopa Troopas.
Nintendo Adventure Books[edit]
Double Trouble features Shyguys and their GLOM-created sand clones, but Mario never fights Shyguys.
Shyguys are among the crowd members at the International Mushroom Games in Leaping Lizards.
Luigi mentions that he is "shivering like a Shy Guy" in a cave area in Koopa Capers.
One is encountered by Mario and Luigi at the Koopahari Desert in Pipe Down!. Shy Guys can also appear with Tweeters and Cheep Cheeps if Mario and Luigi, activate a lever in the Mushroom Palace.
Mario and Yoshi jump over Shy Guys to dodge them in Dinosaur Dilemma.
Shy Guys are among the enemies in Unjust Desserts that are sent after Mario as he goes into Yoshi's body to save Luigi.
Shy Guys attack Luigi if he chooses to follow Princess Toadstool in Brain Drain. They also hold up the line at Iggy Koopa's lair from mumbling and also appear at the WMUSH radio station later on.
Super Mario Kodansha manga[edit]
In the Super Mario Kodansha manga, Shy Guys are minions that work for Wart. In the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island adaptation, they also work for Baby Bowser, but following their unjust fate of being swallowed by Froggy in Super Mario: Yoshi Island 2, Shy Guys appear to have left Bowser's army. Their masks are mostly stationary, but there are rare times in which they are able to change the upper half of the eye holes to show off their anger or saddness.
They first appear in Super Mario USA as common enemies. In chapter 2, Shyguys and Beezos are revealed to be Subcon fairies forced to wear a cursed mask to make them fight for Wart, while maintaining their consciousness (after being caught, one of them even tries to help the heroes by pointing where to proceed). Following Wart's defeat, the Subcons are freed from their masks. Depsite this change in their origin story, Shy Guys continue to appear in some other stories, like in the Super Mario USA afterstory, in which they still work for Wart.
They then appear in Super Mario: Yoshi Island 1, where two Shy Guys act as the main spies for Kamek, often changing their form and shapes to quickly move around or attack Baby Mario and his Yoshi companion.
In chapter 1, these two Shy Guys were once part of a group of five, the first enemy group encountered by Green Yoshi and Baby Mario. After Yoshi Flutter Jumps over them, they put on stilts to block his jump, but Yoshi eats the stilts and then throws eggs to three of them, forcing the last remaining two Shy Guys to flee by attaching propellers on their head. When Yoshi chases them in helicopter form, the two Shy Guys release some Fuzzies that send him crashing into the nearby castle.
In chapter 2, they successfully kill Red Yoshi with the help of a Little Mouser: by stealing one of his egg to play baseball with it, Red Yoshi chases them, but he trips and falls into a bed of spikes. Then the Shy Guys show off to Baby Mario that they can change into more forms (Spear Guys, Petal Guys, Stretches, and Fat Guys), but Mario then grabs a Star, becoming Powerful Mario and reviving Red Yoshi. The Shy Guys run away and await them inside the next castle, where they try to spook them by disguising themselves as Boo Guys, but to no effect. Then they help Potted Ghost by holding his vase, getting then pushed off a ledge with him.
In the last chapter of Super Mario: Yoshi Island 2, due to a misunderstanding, after Froggy devours Green Yoshi and Baby Mario, Baby Bowser, annoyed by the Spear Guys' chantings, orders Froggy to them too. Upset by this "betrayal", the Spear Guys help Baby Mario and Yoshi defeat Froggy and, from then on, Shy Guys and their variants (with the exception of the Snufits), are depicted as neutral parties.
Super Mario-kun[edit]
Shy Guys are semi-common enemies in the Super Mario-kun manga. Their masks, while often fixed in their neutral expressions, are able to change to better express their emotions. Like in their first artworks, in early stories they also have their pin.
Shy Guys first appearance in the manga is in chapter 5 of the sixth volume. Together with Birdo, they are accidentally sent to Bowser's Castle instead of Wart's, so Bowser makes good use of them against Mario. In this chapter, Birdo sics her Shyguys platoon against the heroes, but they are scared off and defeated by Bowser's vegetable garden.
In the following chapter, Mouser comes to bring the Shyguys and Birdo back to Subcon, ensuing a fight after his collegue declares she wants to stay after falling for Yoshi. During the fight, Mario is aided by a helpful Shyguy who is later revealed to be Princess Peach in disguise, but Bowser's Minions catches her and brings her back into her chambers.
After witnessing what the heroes are capable of, in volume 8, Wart brings Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Birdo to Subcon to test them. During their adventure in Subcon, two group of Shyguys appear: the first one shoves the heroes inside Tryclyde's boss area by disguising as stationary blocks, while the second one assists Clawgrip in battle, but are defeated when the crab accidentally squashes them with his boulders.
In volumes 14 and volumes 15, Shy Guys are Kamek's main assistants in the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island arc, some of them are even sent inside Froggy's stomach to help him defeat the protagonists.
In volume 26, after ending up in Super Mario Advance, Mario, Goombario, and Kooper torments a group of Shy Guys, so they call their big brother for help.
In volume 58, some Shy Guys help the Yoshis in some chapters of the Yoshi's Crafted World arc.
In volume 60, a Shy Guy becomes the co-protagonist of the Mario Strikers: Battle League story arc.
In Super Mario-kun Gekijō - Yoshi New Island, Shy Guys are once again Kamek and Baby Bowser's assistants. In one chapter, a Shy Guy and a imitator Shy Guy work together to snatch Baby Mario, but ultimately fail.
Yoshi franchise[edit]
Yoshi series[edit]
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]
Shy-Guys in red, yellow, green, and magenta varieties are common enemies in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its remake. Their mask straps are colored, and dark levels show their shoes glowing. They either walk or hop in a direction, as well as sometimes look left or right. Certain Pipes spawn Shy-Guys endlessly if Yoshi does not have six eggs. Either a stomp or being swallowed by a Yoshi defeats a Shy-Guy, but only the latter stops them from respawning if Yoshi continues forward and returns.[citation needed] The game introduces a variety of Shy Guy variants, such as Bandits and Shy Guys on Stilts.
In the Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 Player's Guide's Enemy Encyclopedia section, Shy Guys are listed under the "Edibilis Boringus" subheader.[8]
Yoshi's Story[edit]
Shy Guys retain their role of being common enemies in Yoshi's Story. They have voice clips, such as saying their unlocalized name, "Heihō." Shy Guys either carry fruit or hide in trees, though Yoshi can ground-pound to have Shy Guys fall out of the latter. A ground-pound near a Shy Guy also changes its color,[9] and a Shy Guy can become a Lucky Fruit if Yoshi ground-pounds near it while under the effects of a Heart Fruit. Eating a Shy Guy of the same color restore three petals of that Yoshi's Smile Meter instead of one, and the resulting Yoshi Egg also matches the Shy Guy color. The game adds the allies White Shy Guys and the enemies Black Shy Guys. The level Shy Guy's Ship includes Shy Guys launching Bob-ombs at the player character from a pirate ship in the background.
Yoshi's Island DS[edit]
Shy Guys are enemies in Yoshi's Island DS, appearing in red, yellow, green, and blue varieties. Their mechanics are the same as in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, though the game adds some varieties such as Toober Guys. Shy Guys are featured in their own section of the Island Museum.
Yoshi's New Island[edit]
Shy Guys are enemies in Yoshi's New Island, retaining their usual mechanics. Besides the returning Mega Guys, the game adds more varieties, such as Door Guy[derived], Tree Guy[derived], and Fake Yoshi, which is actually a green-spotted white Shy Guy.
Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World[edit]
Shy Guys appear in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World. If they are eaten, their masks are removed as the Shy Guys become unraveled into yarn balls. The game adds three varieties: Bomb Guys, Hook Guys, and Pharaoh Guys, as well as brown- and dark green-colored Shy Guys. There is one Shy Guy sitting peacefully in the foreground of the inside of Miss Cluck the Insincere's Castle in front of the entrance Yoshi enters. In Lair of the Smooch Spiders, Shy Guys can be found tied to webs; Yoshi can use his tongue to untie and release them. In King Bowser's Castle, Yoshi must obtain yarn balls from Shy Guys of four different colors and use each to wrap one of the four statues at a large entrance to open it. However, only a few of the necessary Shy Guys appear among a multitude of black ones. When the player picks a music track to play in the Scrapbook Theater, Shy Guys drift from right to left in the form of musical notes. Shy Guys also appear in course previews on the world map, such as for Bounceabout Woods, where a red one is seen bouncing on a Spring Tree.
Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]
Shy Guys reappear in Yoshi's Crafted World, serving the same purpose as in previous Yoshi games. They can be seen doing various activities such as flying a kite, hiding behind cardboard cutouts, etc. They act and appear as they did in previous games, but in Dino Desert, they can wear a dinosaur skull. When this happens, they proceed to chase after Yoshi, destroying any stone block in front of them, and cannot be defeated. Besides Yoshi, Shy Guys can also be defeated by bigger enemies. Yoshi's Crafted World brings many more new types of Shy Guy including: Armour Heyho, Attack Ghosts, Bazooka Heyho, Donguri Heyho, Fly Heyho, Juggling Heyho, Ninja Guys, Rush Heyho, Skall Heyho, Unicycle Heyho, Vampire Heyho, Zombie Guys, and Zombie Debuho. Additionally, several variants wear pilot-themed orange clothing in Altitude Adjustment, pirate-themed clothing in Pirate Pier and Bombs Away on Pirate Island, space-themed silver clothing in Outer Orbit as well as The Great King Bowser, and circus-themed red and black clothing in Hoop-Jump Hop.
Shy Guys also appear as crafts, which include four Sneaky Shy Guys, black Shy Guy wearing hats and made from cut cardboard found on the flip side of Hoop-Jump Hop; five Shy Guy Acorns, acorns with a Shy Guy face painted on each found in Weighing Acorns; four Shy Guy Kites, blue Shy Guys made from cut and folded cardboard with black headbands on their foreheads found on the flip side of Behind the Shoji; and five Shy Guy Cruisers, red Shy Guys made from cut paper piloting rockets found in Space-Hub Hubbub. The Beach Umbrella craft depicts a red Shy Guy sitting under a beach umbrella next to a picnic basket on a blanket and is found on the flip side of Dino Smash. Three red Shy Guys riding in a roller coaster also appear as a craft in Spinwheel Shuffle.
There are also crafts of Shy Guys in levels that are not part of the craft list. In Spring Sprung Trail, a drawing of a red Shy Guy watering a plant is seen near one of the pink flower platforms. In Poochy's Sweet Run, there are cardboard cutouts of Shy Guys with square and rectangular eyes, mouths, and shoes as if they are frosted gingerbread cookies. Inside the vertical walls of the Haunted Maker Mansion, there are framed Shy Guy painting crafts above the doors. In Ninjarama, there are some paintings of Shy Guys riding on and getting chased by tigers pictured on the doors as well as drawings of Shy Guys drawn on white paper by calligraphy brush. There are also cardboard cutout groups of red Shy Guys appearing as spectator crafts coming in