Yoshi (species)

This article is about the species. For the major character, see Yoshi. For other uses, see Yoshi (disambiguation).

"Yoshis" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Yoshi's.

"Purple Yoshi" redirects here. For the urban legend about a Game Boy Advance tech demo starring this Yoshi, see List of rumors and urban legends § Purple Yoshi Game Boy Advance tech demo.

Yoshi
Artwork of the ten main Yoshi colors from Yoshi's Island DS
First appearance	Super Mario Kodansha manga ("Yoshi's Island - Donut Plains") / Super Mario-kun ("Save Princess Peach!! The Start of a New Adventure!!") (1990)
Latest appearance	Tetris 99 (54th Maximus Cup, cameo) (2026)
Latest portrayal	Kazumi Totaka (1997–present)
Variants Baby Yoshi Debeso Wonder Wool Yosshīzaurusu
Relatives Bahamutt Dorrie Koopa Plessie Rex
Comparable Birdo Fake Yoshi
Notable members Baby Fat Boshi Fearsome 5 "It" Mother Yoshi Ura Yoshi Village Leader Yoob Yoshi Yoshi Kid Yosshīdamusu

“Wow! Yoshi faces... Everywhere! ♪ ”

—Blue Yoshi, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Yoshis (referred to as Yoshisaurs in the Super Mario World cartoon, and formerly pluralized as "Yoshies" in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) are a sapient species of omnivorous dinosaur-like creatures that first appeared in Super Mario World. They later starred in their own series of games. The most well-known Yoshi is green and simply named Yoshi. He is an ally of Mario, often aiding him or being a protagonist in his own adventures.

Yoshis are known for their long tongues, which they use to grab and eat fruits or enemies. They can lay eggs on their own, sometimes as a result of swallowing an enemy or eating enough food, and they can throw said eggs as an attack. Other eggs hatch into items, and some eggs hatch into Baby Yoshis. In some games, such as the Super Smash Bros. series, Yoshis can hide in eggs for defense (instead of using shields as with most fighters) and roll into eggs for an attack. Yoshis come in a variety of colors, such as red, blue, yellow, etc., although green is the most common color. Yoshis also mostly live on Yoshi's Island; however, they are a widespread species and can live on a number of other islands, such as Lavalava Island and Isle Delfino, as well as the continental Mushroom Kingdom and the neighboring Beanbean Kingdom.

General information

Physical description

A Green Yoshi in Super Mario World

Yoshis are bipedal non-avian dinosaur-like creatures that come in many different colors, with green being the most common. They have large, round snouts with big eyes protruding out of the very tops of their heads, their faces resembling those of Koopa Troopas. Orange, stegosaurus-like spines run down their backsides, and they have white underbellies. They are almost always seen wearing large, brightly-colored shoes, which are usually orange or red. They were initially portrayed with somewhat more realistic, therapod dinosaur-like features, such as a hunched-over, birdlike stance, a longer neck, and small hands with three digits. Hands with four digits appear first in the Super Mario World television series from DIC, then in the Japanese commercial of Mario Paint, and in artwork of Super Mario Kart; this has become a common design choice by the end of the 1990s. The design of Yoshis has since changed to make them more anthropomorphic, with upright postures, shorter necks and human-like four digit hands. They usually retain their hunched stance in games where other characters ride them, however. Even though Yoshis are typically portrayed as having no visible teeth and swallowing their enemies whole without chewing them, they have been shown to have a full set of upper and lower teeth since the Super Mario Picture Books published by Shogakukan and written in collaboration with Nintendo, in particular: Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 2: Mario's Sports Day, and Super Mario Chie Asobi Ehon ④ Larry No Itazura (Super Mario Wisdom Games Picture Book ④ Larry's Mischief), with the new design retaining them as seen in artwork for Yoshi's Story. The teeth are commonly shown in-game in sprite-based Yoshi platformers while one is flutter jumping. Yoshis were originally conceived of as a type of Koopa, with the saddles on their backs being their shells. Even in the bio of Yoshi on Nintendo's Japanese site, the saddle is considered to be a shell. Although most Yoshis have never been seen without their shoes, the appearance of Boshi in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars confirms that Yoshis have three toes on each foot, and also have white pads on the bottom of their feet, as shown 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」). Early Yoshi sprites for Super Mario World showed babies that were blob-like in shape and adults with mouths resembling those of the current Baby Yoshis.

A Yoshi's physical appearance changes depending how old they are. For example, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Yoshi Kid appears much smaller compared to adult Yoshis. He also has hair, while most other Yoshis do not, though this is most likely to differentiate the character as playable. Newly-hatched little Yoshis featured in Super Mario World (among other games) are both smaller and also proportioned differently than the adults, with short, stubby bodies lacking in saddles, almost no neck, and a slightly down-curved snout. After eating enough enemies, food or power-ups, these little Yoshis will undergo a rapid growth spurt and turn into adults from that point onward.

Color variations

Yoshis come in a variety of colors; this has been a trademark characteristic of the fictional species since its beginning. In Super Mario Sunshine, they can change skin color by eating different fruit, while their colors are determined by hatching time in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, Yoshis come in many themed designs and patterns as opposed to being one color, including designs based on enemies, Nintendo consoles and even other Nintendo characters. Shoe color changes along with skin color: a Green Yoshi has orange shoes, a Red Yoshi has blue shoes, a Yellow Yoshi has green shoes, etc. This shoe color denomination was not standardized until Yoshi's Story.

In Super Mario World, Yoshis have different abilities depending on their color and the Koopa Shell they hold in their mouth. If a Blue Yoshi holds a Koopa Shell of any color, it can temporarily grow wings until it is swallowed or spat out. If a Red Yoshi holds a shell of any color, it can spit it back out as a trio of fireballs. If a Yellow Yoshi holds a shell of any color, it can create sand clouds when landing on the ground until it is swallowed or spat out. Shells of corresponding color can also grant these abilities for a Yoshi of any color. In the SNES version, all Yoshi sprites, excluding the overworld map sprites, have orange arms. This was changed for the GBA port to having the arms match the rest of the body.

The following is a list of Yoshi colors and their first appearances:

Image	Color	Primary shoe color	First appearance
	Green	Orange Red (Yoshi's Story, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)	Super Mario World
	Red	Blue Orange (Super Mario World) Turquoise (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) Purple (Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee)	Super Mario World
	Blue	Magenta Orange (Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U (Bubble Baby Yoshi))	Super Mario World
	Yellow	Green Orange (Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U (Glowing Baby Yoshi))	Super Mario World
	Pink	Golden yellow Light blue (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) Orange (Super Mario Sunshine)	Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
	Light-blue	Violet Yellow (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Paper Mario)	Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
	Purple	Brown Orange (Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Teal (Yoshi's Story) Pink (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Paper Mario) Red (Yoshi's New Island)	Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
	Brown	Red-brown (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) Plum (Paper Mario)	Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
	Black	White	Yoshi's Story (as a Baby Yoshi)
	White	Light-blue	Yoshi's Story (as a Baby Yoshi)
	Orange	Blue Green (Yoshi's Story) Orange (Super Mario Sunshine)	Game & Watch Gallery 2 (Game Boy Color)
	Magenta	Orange	New Super Mario Bros. U

Speech

A translation of the Yoshi language, as seen in the Super Mario Adventures comic.

Yoshis are capable of speaking intelligibly, as demonstrated by Yoshi in Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Tetris Attack, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, as well as other Yoshis in games like Yoshi's Story, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and others. However, other games present Yoshis' speech in parentheses, such as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (in which Yoshi must translate the speech of other Yoshis for Mario) and the Mario & Luigi series. Others have Yoshis only say the word "Yoshi" followed by a translation of what they are saying in parentheses, such as the Mario Baseball^[Japanese] series, Fortune Street, Super Mario Party, and others. The Super Mario Adventures comic jokes that Yoshis only say the word "Yoshi" to communicate. Their language has been referred to as simply "Yoshi".

In some games, particularly older ones, Yoshis produce a sound of two pitch-bended orchestra hits (in Super Mario World, only Yoshi speaks with a text bubble, though this was changed in the Super Mario Advance 2 version). In Yoshi's Story and many later games, the Yoshis are voiced by Nintendo musician Kazumi Totaka, who mutters the word "Yoshi" and other unintelligible sounds, such as "blum" and "ho hup". His voice is sped up to create the baby-like, high-pitched voices of the Yoshis.

Although Baby Yoshis retain their squeaky voices in New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, their speech bubbles once again consist of the word "Yoshi" followed by a translation.

Powers and abilities

Yoshis are known for their long, chameleon-like tongues that allow them to swallow whatever they eat and turn it into an egg. Most commonly, they eat fruit. The eggs can then be thrown at obstacles, enemies, and bosses, while other eggs hatch into items like 1-Up Mushrooms. Yoshis usually swallow items and enemies very quickly, although in Super Mario World, Yoshis takes a while before swallowing Koopa Shells.

Since Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshis have become known for their ability to execute a Flutter Jump, a move in which they rapidly move their legs to gain extra height and air time. Yoshis are also one of the first characters shown performing proper Ground Pounds—a move in which the performer jumps into the air, flips, and then slams into the ground. Yoshis first performed the move in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Yoshi's Yoshi Bomb in the Super Smash Bros. series has him ground pound as his down special move.

Sometimes, when eating an object such as a special fruit or a Koopa Shell, Yoshis can gain unique abilities. Red, blue and yellow shells in Super Mario World allow Yoshis to breath fireballs, fly or shake the ground, respectively. The Dash Pepper, Blimp Fruit and the Bulb Berry from Super Mario Galaxy 2 cause Yoshis to run rapidly, inflate and float, and glow in the dark, respectively. Eating a Bean Fruit from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga causes them to lay a Neon Egg.

Most games show that Yoshis can swim, although how well they swim varies. In Super Mario World, they can swim and dive, although in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS, they cannot dive without their submarine form. Yoshi also cannot dive in Super Mario Galaxy 2, although he can swim. In Super Mario Sunshine, Yoshis that live on or around Isle Delfino turn green and disappear if they touch water.

Gender and reproduction

The in-game Japanese text of Yoshi's trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee states that Yoshis are neither male nor female. In the Chef minigame in Game & Watch Gallery 2 and Game & Watch Gallery 4, a Yoshi is shown to hatch other Yoshis without a mate; after being fed long enough, the Yoshi produces an egg that eventually hatches into another Yoshi. The baby then takes its parent's place and proceeds to eat enough food to turn into an adult, eventually producing an egg of its own, which then continues the cycle.

Other sources have shown Yoshis appearing to have a gender. At least one of the Yoshis in Paper Mario refers to his "son," and in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Yoshi who sometimes appears on board the Excess Express expresses his hatred of business trips due to them keeping him away from his "lovely wife". The original Mario Party also features a pair of Yoshis which appear to be one male and one female, although the exact nature of their relationship is not known. Additionally, while Yoshi is rarely referred to with gender-specific pronouns in Japanese, he is consistently referred to with masculine pronouns in translation, with laying eggs being one of his trademarks. This confusion is addressed in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where Solid Snake assumes that Yoshi is a female because of his egg-laying abilities, only to be corrected by Otacon (both of whom use "it" rather than "he" or "she" while they are talking about Yoshi). It is addressed again in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where Viridi remarks that there is nothing natural about a male who lays eggs while Palutena asserts that all living beings have both male and female elements.

History

Main article: History of the Yoshi species

The Yoshi species has an extensive history since their debut in Super Mario World.

Appearances by color

Yoshi appear in 10 officially defined colors, with the specific colors that appear varying by game. This table lists every game that features at least two different colors of Yoshi, and what colors they are.

Key
	Playable character	Rideable mount	Non-playable character

Game	Green	Red	Blue	Yellow	Pink	Light-blue	Purple	Orange	Black	White	Notes
Super Mario World
Mario & Wario
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island											One of the playable Yoshis is colored brown; several pieces of artwork depict it as orange.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Tetris Attack
Game & Watch Gallery 2
Yoshi's Story
Mario Party
Super Smash Bros.											Blue and Pink Yoshis appear as opponents in the 1P game but are not playable colors.
Game & Watch Gallery 3
Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)
Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)
Paper Mario											A brown Yoshi appears as an NPC.
Super Mario Advance
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Mario Sunshine
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door											Separately from the playable Yoshi Kid, a standard Green Yoshi appears as an NPC.
Mario Power Tennis
Super Mario 64 DS