Raven

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This article is about an enemy which debuted in the Yoshi franchise. For an enemy described as a "raven" in the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Prima Official Game Guide, see Crowber.
Raven
Artwork of a Raven from Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
A Raven in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.
First appearance Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995)
Latest appearance Yoshi's Crafted World (2019)
Subject origin Crow
Variants
Notable members
“Oracle of the Stars...Mario comes to this island.”
Raven, Paper Mario

Ravens[1] are black, flightless birds that have appeared as both allies and enemies of Mario. Although they are called Ravens, they are actually hill mynas, and have little in common with their namesake, aside from their black coloration and "caw" sound. The Ravens of the Super Mario franchise are slow-moving, wingless, and have elliptical orange beaks. Paper Mario is the only game to depict them flying.

History[edit]

Yoshi franchise[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]

Ravens in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
Raven

Ravens first appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its remake, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, in the level Shifting Platforms Ahead. They can be found walking around large floating globes resembling the moon. If they run into Yoshi, they'll knock Baby Mario off his back. Yoshi can defeat Ravens by stomping on their heads, or by throwing an egg at them, but they can't be eaten. The chick variants, however, can be eaten, but Yoshi will swallow them automatically without making an egg.

A large Raven named Raphael the Raven is fought as a boss on the moon over his castle. A small version of this enemy is considered a normal Raven in the Player's Guide.

Yoshi's Story[edit]

Artwork of a Raven from Yoshi's Story
Artwork of a Raven from Yoshi's Story
Sprite of a Raven from Yoshi's Story

Ravens make a return appearance in Yoshi's Story. In the game, they act mostly the same way as they did in their past appearance, making squeaking noises as they walk, but turn around to pursue Yoshi if he is behind one. Here, they are immune to all of Yoshi's attacks, and Yoshi will be hurt if he attempts to jump on one. They appear in the Tall Tower stage, alongside ComBats. Melons are commonly found on the rocks that Ravens occupy.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy[edit]

Official artwork of a Raven atop a Half Pipe from Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Artwork of a Raven atop a ledge in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.

Ravens appear as enemies in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy within the Forbidden Pop-Up Book, which is where the game takes place. They stand about as half as tall as Yoshi, and are always continuously walking. They are not affected by gravity, which is a primary focus of the game. Likewise, they are able to walk along walls and across the ceiling. Sometimes, they move around wall corners, but occasionally will also simply walk back and forth. Yoshi can jump on their head or swallow them to defeat them. If Yoshi bumps into the side of a Raven, he will lose three points from his Health Meter. Ravens are most commonly seen during the Tale of the Spirit of Power and the Tale of the Spirit of Kindness missions.

Yoshi's New Island[edit]

Ravens return as enemies in Yoshi's New Island, only in the level Eggstraordinary Terrain. Overall, they act the same as in their previous appearances in the Yoshi's Island series. However, upon eating a Raven, Yoshi will automatically ingest it and turn it into an egg.

Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]

A Raven in Yoshi's Crafted World
A Raven in Yoshi's Crafted World

Ravens reappear in Yoshi's Crafted World with the exact same behavior as in previous games, where they only appear in Spinwheel Shuffle. Here, their bodies are made from upside-down balloons. One of the many costumes available for Yoshi is a small moon, complete with a Raven on the top. Additionally, five Raven blimps appear as crafts on the flip side of the level. In the level called Ride the Stars, there is a constellation of a Raven seen on the front side. There are also blue-framed Raven picture crafts found in another level called Skulking Around.

Paper Mario[edit]

Raphael the Raven
Ravens with Raphael the Raven.
A Raven

In Paper Mario, a friendly group of five Ravens can be encountered on Lavalava Island. These Ravens (including Raphael the Raven himself) help Mario and his party reach Mt. Lavalava. This games also gives Ravens have their own language (which mostly consists of the word "caw"), although some are bilingual and can speak in human languages. The Ravens in this game also have the ability to fly by flapping their feet.

Individual Tattles[edit]

Goombario can use Tattle on four of the Ravens as one Raven is beyond Mario's reach.

  • "He's a Raven. Ravens are short and chubby. They're pretty fluffy, too. And somewhat cuddly. And soft."
  • "He's a Raven. He looks good in black. Can we take him with us, Mario? He doesn't want to go? What a bummer..."
  • "He's a Raven. Ravens only say "caw" unless they think they have something really important to tell you. They only tell important stuff to people they trust. I wish they'd tell us something."
  • "He's a Raven. Ravens are really cute. I told Kooper that, and he said I had weird taste. What's so weird about that? Aren't they cute, Mario?"

Profiles[edit]

Yoshi's Island series[edit]

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island[edit]

  • Shogakukan guide: 球状の足場にとまって、足場といっしょにグルグル回っている九官鳥。タマゴを当てるか、踏んでけよう。[2] (A hill myna perched on a spherical platform and circling along the platform. You can hit it with an egg or step on it.)
  • Player's Guide: These flightless birds normally live on the little worlds of their own, although a few inhabit Naval Piranha's castle.[1]

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3[edit]

  • Shogakukan guide: 球状の足場に止まり、足場といっしょにグルグル回っている九官鳥。タマゴを当てるか、ふんでしまおう。[3] (A hill myna perched on a spherical platform and circling along the platform. Hit it with an egg or step on it.)

Yoshi's New Island[edit]

  • Shogakukan guide: 大きくなったひなキュー。地続きの地形なら、天井や壁でも歩いて移動する。地面にいるときに踏んで倒そう。倒すと、陳れたアイテムが出現することもある。[4] (A large Raven. If it is on the ground, it will move on foot even on ceilings and walls. When they are on the ground, step on them to defeat them. When you defeat them, items may appear on the ground.)

Yoshi's Story[edit]

  • Shogakukan guide: 何があってもマイペース。星のまわりおただただめぐる。[5] (They go at their own pace no matter what. They simply walk around the stars.)

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy[edit]

  • Shogakukan guide: 黒いボディがトレードマーク。「舌を伸ばして食べる」「ジャンプして踏みつける」「岩などを転がしてつぶす」の、いずれの方法でも倒すことができる。[6] (Its black body is its trademark. It can be defeated by any of the following methods: extending one's tongue and eating it, jumping and stomping on it, or rolling over rocks and other objects to crush it.)

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese キューちゃん[2][3][6][4] / Qちゃん[5][7] (Yoshi's Story)
Kyū-chan
From「九官鳥」(kyūkanchō, common hill myna) and「~ちゃん」(-chan, an honorific for cute animals among other uses). The latter abbreviates「キュー」as the letter "Q", which has the same phonetic pronunciation

Chinese 小Q[8]
Xiǎo Q
Little Q (from the Japanese name)

French Mainate (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island)
Myna
German Abroxas
Masculine form of "Abraxas" (the name of a witch's pet raven in the children's book The Little Witch by Otfried Preußler)
Italian Bombo
Corvo (Yoshi's Crafted World)
Male form of "bomba" (bomb), referring to their black color and round shape
Crow/Raven
Korean 구관돌이
Gugwandol'i
From "구관조" (gugwanjo, common hill myna) and Korean affectionate honorific "~돌이" (-dol'i)

Spanish Raven
Raven

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Miller, Kent, and Terry Munson. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Player's Guide. Page 128.
  2. ^ a b 「スーパーマリオヨッシーアイランド任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Super Mario: Yossy Island Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 8.
  3. ^ a b 「スーパーマリオアドバンス3任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Super Mario Advance 3 Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 15.
  4. ^ a b 「ヨッシー New アイランド 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's New Island Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 19.
  5. ^ a b 「ヨッシーストーリー 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's Story Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 4.
  6. ^ a b 「ヨッシーの万有引力任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi Banyū Inryoku Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 23.
  7. ^ The Tall Tower Japanese name
  8. ^ From iQue's localization of Paper Mario: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av75169038 (62:05)