Yoshi

"I know! We should team up! Come on! Hop on my back!"

- Yoshi

Yoshi (sometimes specified as Green Yoshi) is one of the heroes of the Mushroom World and an ally of Mario and Luigi. He is a member of the Yoshi species and has aided his brethren in saving their homeland on multiple occasions. Yoshi has also saved other kingdoms from the villain Bowser as well. In his youth, Yoshi managed to rescue and protect Baby Mario and Baby Luigi from the wrath of Kamek and the Koopa Troop. According to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Yoshi is the only one of his species who can speak the language of the other characters. However, in later games, he doesn't speak the language (as shown in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers). This is contradicted once again, in Super Mario Galaxy 2, when Yoshi speaks in perfect English. Yoshi made his very first appearance, game-wise, in the Super Mario World level, Yoshi's Island 2. The roles he plays in the series vary from game to game.

Creation and Development
Yoshi did not appear until Super Mario World, which was released in 1990. However, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated in interviews that he wanted Mario to ride an animal companion after the completion of Super Mario Bros. Apparently, technical restrictions on the NES kept Mario from being able to ride an animal. Of course, with the development of the advanced Super Famicom in 1990, Yoshi could finally be brought to life. The character of Yoshi was specifically created by Shigefumi Hino, a graphics designer. Yoshi likely originated from another Nintendo character, Tamagon. Tamagon was the star of the game Devil World, a game released in Japan for the Famicom in 1984 and later in Europe for the NES. Like Yoshi, Tamagon was a green lizard that hatched from an egg and could eat enemies with his large mouth. Interestingly, Tamagon makes exactly the same noise when he hatches as Yoshi does in Super Mario World. Additionally, in the Super Mario World article in the History of Mario booklet from the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition game for Wii, game designer Takashi Tezuka said that Yoshi was originally going to be a type of Koopa, and the saddle on his back was supposed to be his shell.

Yoshi's appearance has changed dramatically throughout his video game history. In Super Mario World, Yoshi's first appearance, the green dinosaur was very much created in the image of an actual dinosaur. Yoshi had a long neck, small arms that appeared orange on his sprite (but not in the game's art), and a long back. A second design change was used in Yoshi's Cookie, Super Mario All-Stars, and in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. In those games, Yoshi was made shorter and stouter. Additionally, much longer human-like arms, complete with large hands to manipulate objects, replaced his short, tyrannosaurus-like arms. This design change was developed even more in Yoshi's Story. Instead of being hunched over, Yoshi stood up straight and swung his arms as he walked, much like a human. This design also gave him apparent fingers instead of paw-like hands. This design has stuck ever since.

Super Mario World
"Hooray! Thank you so much for rescuing me. My name is Yoshi. When I went to rescue my friends, Bowser trapped me in that egg."

- Yoshi

During Super Mario World, when Bowser launches an assault against Dinosaur Land, Yoshis appear in four colors, Yoshi (who is green), Red Yoshi, Blue Yoshi, and Yellow Yoshi. To eliminate the threat of the Yoshis, Bowser magically encases the green dinosaur's friends in Yoshi Eggs. These eggs were then given to Bowser's own children, the Koopalings, to be watched over. When Yoshi sets off to rescue them, he is also trapped in an egg, which is hidden in a block in a field on Yoshi's Island.

Coincidentally, the now-grown up Mario Bros., along with Princess Peach, had been vacationing in Dinosaur Land when King Koopa's attack occurs. As Mario and Luigi take a nap on the beach, Bowser's forces kidnap the princess on behalf of their master. The two plumbers search for Peach for hours, eventually stumbling across Yoshi's egg and freeing their old friend. Once released, Yoshi tells the Mario Bros. of Dinosaur Land's plight. Together, all three agree to rescue the other imprisoned Yoshis and save Princess Toadstool from the forces of Bowser.

Yoshi proves to be an invaluable ally during this adventure, acting as a quick and powerful form of transportation for the Mario Bros. The green dinosaur can use his long tongue to eat almost any type of enemy, including foes Mario and Luigi could not defeat on their own. If an enemy hits Yoshi, he runs away, leaving Mario or Luigi behind. However, the plumbers can simply jump back on their friend's saddle to calm the dinosaur down and continue the adventure. Unfortunately, Yoshi is unable to enter Ghost Houses (except the Sunken Ghost Ship), Fortresses, the castles of the Koopalings, and, ultimately, the castle of King Bowser. In these locations, the Mario Bros. have to go in alone, but Yoshi patiently waits outside for the brothers to return. When riding Yoshi, there are added drums to the music.

Ultimately, the Mario Bros. manage to defeat the Koopalings and Bowser, thus rescuing the seven Yoshi Eggs and Princess Toadstool. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi return to Yoshi's House to celebrate their victory over the Koopa Troop. During the celebrations that follow, the seven liberated Yoshi eggs hatch into Baby Yoshis, and peace is restored to Dinosaur Land.

Super Mario 64
In Super Mario 64, Yoshi plays a very minor role. If Mario manages to acquire all 120 Power Stars, a cannon near the castle will become accessible, which Mario can use to shoot himself to the roof of Princess Peach's Castle. There, Mario finds Yoshi who congratulates the player for completing the game in a message from the developers of the game and rewards Mario with one hundred one extra lives (if the player counts life number zero) and an improved Triple Jump. After that, Yoshi is seen jumping off of the castle roof and is not seen again for the rest of the game.

Interestingly, Yoshi will start his speech with an error, as he says, "Mario!!! It that really you???", when it should have been, "Mario!!! Is that really you???" This error was fixed for the Virtual Console remake.

Super Mario Sunshine
Yoshi plays a major role in Super Mario Sunshine as transportation for Mario as well as the key to several Shine Sprites, since they are native to Isle Delfino. Yoshi normally appears in three different colors depending on what he eats: orange, pink, and purple. To get Yoshi, Mario must first find a Yoshi Egg and give it the specific fruit it wants. Then Yoshi will hatch and Mario can ride him. Yoshi is also given the ability to spit different colored juice (the "Juice" ability replaces the function of F.L.U.D.D.) that affect enemies in different ways, also depending on what color he is. The orange juice can turn enemies into an orange hovering block that would disappear after a short amount of time. The purple and pink juices make a similar block of the corresponding color but move vertically or horizontally depending on the color. He can destroy the orange oozy liquid, called "Forcefield", which the F.L.U.D.D. cannot do. Yoshi cannot swim, thus when the player jumps into deep water, Yoshi will disintegrate and disappear, but he will be back in the same egg where the player found him; note also that Yoshi doesn't disappear in shallow water where his feet can touch the floor.

Super Mario 64 DS
Yoshi is the main protagonist in Super Mario 64 DS. During this adventure, Princess Peach decides to invite Mario, Luigi and even Wario to her castle. Coincidentally, Yoshi is sleeping on the roof of the castle when the trio of heroes arrive (which is a reference to the original Super Mario 64).

Unfortunately, Bowser arrives at the castle before Mario, Luigi, and Wario. The Koopa King and his forces steal the castle's Power Stars and use them to turn the denizens of the worlds accessed via the paintings in Peach's Castle into monsters, in an effort to capture the castle. With the Power Stars under his control, Bowser captures not only Peach and Toad, but Mario, Luigi, and Wario as well. As such, it is up to Yoshi to free his imprisoned allies and rescue the Princess from Bowser's clutches.

In fact, while Mario himself is required to open Star Doors and, ultimately, face the final confrontation with Bowser, rescuing Luigi and Wario was optional, as Yoshi can discover magical caps that will allow him to temporarily assume the form and abilities of the other three characters. He can also eat enemies and toss eggs to help him in his quest. Ultimately, with Mario's help (and with or without that of Luigi and Wario), Yoshi manages to help defeat Bowser and reclaim the castle's Power Stars. With stability returned to the castle, Peach rewards the four heroes by baking them all a cake.

New Super Mario Bros.
Even though Yoshi does not appear in New Super Mario Bros., he appears in some of the minigames, along with Red Yoshi, Blue Yoshi and Yellow Yoshi in the multiplayer games.

Super Mario Galaxy
Yoshi himself does not appear in Super Mario Galaxy; however, there are three notable Yoshi references:
 * When starting a file, the player is given the choice of what character head they want to resemble the "planet" that is their save file, and one of the heads is Yoshi's.
 * In the Good Egg Galaxy, there is a planet that resembles a Yoshi Egg.
 * A wooden planet that is carved into the shape of Yoshi's head appears in the Space Junk Galaxy. The mission in which Mario retrieves the Power Star on this planet is even titled "Yoshi's Unexpected Appearance". Unlike its inspiration, this planet shoots steam from its nostrils.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Although he never appears in New Super Mario Bros., Yoshi is in the game's follow-up, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. He is now shown to live in the main Mushroom Kingdom. Yoshi only appears in World 1-3, World 2-5, World 3-2, World 4-5, World 6-4, and World 7-6, making him quite rare. Yoshi makes the same sounds as he does in Super Mario World. Yellow, Light Blue, and Pink Yoshis also appear.

When one player rides a Yoshi, Yoshi drums are added to the music. Yoshi can flutter jump, such as in previous titles, and has his usual tongue ability. He can easily eat a normal enemy such as a Goomba or Piranha Plant. If Yoshi eats a shelled enemy, he can't swallow it, and must spit it out eventually instead. If Yoshi jumps on a Koopa Troopa, the Koopa won't retreat into its shell, but instead will be instantly defeated. Yoshi can also jump on certain enemies that players can't normally jump on, such as Piranha Plants and Spinies, though it won't affect the enemies in any way. In this game, eating a Venus Fire Trap, allows Yoshi to spit out a fireball. He can also do the same by eating a fireball (from a Venus Fire Trap or the player), and he can swallow and spit out an ice ball thrown by an Ice Bro. or the player, and hammers thrown by a Hammer Bro.. If Yoshi is struck by an enemy without swallowing or jumping on it, he will drop the player and run about until the player regains control of him. If not stopped, Yoshi may run off of a cliff or sink in quicksand.

Berries can be found in the levels that Yoshi appears in, and if Yoshi eats five berries, he will lay an egg that holds an item. This happens also if Yoshi eats a Pokey while it is covered in leaves. At the end of a level, past the flagpole, when Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, and/or Blue Toad will continue on to the next level while Yoshi just waves goodbye.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Yoshi appears as one of the leading roles in the game, Super Mario Galaxy 2 where he assists Mario and Luigi on a quest to save the universe from being ruled by Bowser and to retrieve the Power Stars.

After finding out that Bowser has stolen all the Power Stars, Yoshi decides to go and look for most of them himself. As he explores the universe, he ends up in a galaxy known as Yoshi Star Galaxy. He then gets lost and starts running around in circles in his confusion. Meanwhile, Bowser has noticed that Yoshi is attempting to retrieve the Power Stars, as he fears that if Mario was to meet up with Yoshi, the pair could form a dangerous alliance. Bowser then orders a Magikoopa to go and get rid of Yoshi so he can focus on building his new evil empire in the center of the universe.

Later on in the game, Mario arrives in Yoshi Star Galaxy and after some exploration, finds a little Luma, who informs Mario on what has happened to Yoshi. The Luma tells that a Magikoopa appeared out of nowhere, trapped Yoshi inside an egg and encased it in a magical forcefield. Mario, shocked by this bad news, sets out to free his friend from his dilemma. Mario easily defeats the Magikoopa, negating its forcefield and allowing him to crack open Yoshi's egg. Yoshi thanks Mario for saving him and offers his assistance to help Mario throughout the rest of his quest. From there on, Yoshi is playable on Starship Mario, and occasionally teams up with Mario (and Luigi) to get back the Power Stars and save the universe. Yoshi can talk properly in this game too, since a dialogue box appears above him when he is first encountered in Yoshi Star Galaxy.

Yoshi can eat various fruit in order to change his color and gain power-ups like in Super Mario Sunshine. These abilities include the red Dash Yoshi, who can run at high speeds over water and up walls when he eats a Dash Pepper; the light blue Blimp Yoshi, who inflates like a balloon and floats towards virtually unreachable areas when a Blimp Fruit is ingested; and the yellow Bulb Yoshi, who can illuminate hidden objects by eating a Bulb Berry. Drums play when Mario is on Yoshi, as in Super Mario World.

Yoshi has the ability to perform Flutter Jumps, but he cannot do triple jumps. Additionally, he is faster than both Mario and Luigi. He can eat objects when players target them with the Wii Remote and press the button, replacing the player's ability to shoot Star Bits. If players want to stop riding Yoshi, they must hold down and press. Yoshi can swim in this game, but he cannot dive, and unlike in earlier games, Yoshi cannot do Ground Pounds, since the command to do so is instead used as part of the command to make Mario jump off.

Also, like in the past games, if Mario takes damage while on Yoshi, Yoshi runs off (however the second player can use the Co-Star Luma to prevent him from doing so). If he is not mounted for a while, Yoshi retreats into his egg in the nest where he was initially encountered in the area. Electrical attacks (such as Giga Lakitu's Thunder attack, a Fizzlit's electrical pool, Megahammer's shock waves, etc.), electric barriers, lava or certain fire attacks also send Yoshi back to his egg.

As in Super Mario Galaxy, the player has the option to choose Yoshi as one of the planets that represents their save file.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Yoshi will appear in New Super Mario Bros. U as a ridable character once again. He will be able to Flutter Jump. Baby Yoshis also return (in magenta, blue & yellow colors) and will have different abilities.

Super Mario World television series
Yoshi is a regular character in the Super Mario World animated series produced by DiC Entertainment. In the cartoon, Yoshi is depicted as being very young and childish. As such, he is afraid of many things, including ghosts and even water. Regardless, Yoshi regularly teams up with Mario and Luigi to help save Princess Toadstool from the clutches of King Koopa, using his long tongue to get the heroes out of many sticky situations. Yoshi appears having a large appetite, which has the tendency to get him into trouble, such as in "Born to Ride" when he eats all the pipes that Mario and Luigi had laid out to build a sink system; they proceed to yell at him for destroying their hard work. He refers to himself in a combination of Elmer Fudd-ese and third-person, saying things like "Yoshi scared", or "Yoshi think Luigi mama!", or "This Yoshi's barbecue mammoth wib!". Yoshi appears in the following episodes:
 * Fire Sale: At the start, Yoshi is stopped from eating the Dome City's barbeque. Yoshi and friends try to save Mama Fire Plant from Kootie Pie Koopa and he ends up saving the plant and melting Kootie Pie Koopa's Ice Palace. This episode also shows that Yoshi has a fear of water.
 * The Wheel Thing: Yoshi helps Mario and Luigi defeat Kooky and Bowser's Mega Mechanasaur.
 * Send in the Clown: Yoshi and friends go to Bowser's circus only to be trapped in a cage. In the end Mario, ends up saving them and they perform there own circus with Yoshi as the clown.
 * Ghosts 'R' Us: Yoshi and friends venture in to the enchanted forest only to find a Koopa wizard named Wizardheimer. The wizard captures and locks away everybody but Yoshi, who escapes. Soon after Yoshi ventures in to the wizard's house and saves all his friends.
 * The Night Before Cave Christmas: Yoshi and friends make presents for all the cave people to celebrate Cave Christmas (which happens to be in August) only for Bowser to steal the presents. Yoshi and Mario then go and take back all the presents Bowser stole and then give them to the cave people.
 * King Scoopa Koopa: Yoshi and friends find a new fast food shop run by Bowser and Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi chow down on burgers until they become fat. Unfortunately, Yoshi and Luigi become Chickadactyls along with the rest of the cave people. In the end, Mario saves every one by destroying the shop.
 * Born to Ride: Yoshi joins a biker gang called the DinoRiders who secretly try to hand Mario and Luigi over to King Koopa. Yoshi soon finds out and saves the Mario Bros.
 * Party Line: Yoshi helps clean up the vines scattered across the town by eating them.
 * Gopher Bash: Yoshi, Luigi, and Mario chase after Cheatsy Koopa for the stolen crops and end up saving them only to be eaten by Yoshi himself.
 * Rock TV: Yoshi helps save Mario and Luigi from being pummeled in wrestling and eats all of Koopa's Rock TVs, including the giant one.
 * The Yoshi Shuffle: Yoshi and Mario try to save Luigi, who has been turned into a Yoshi egg by playing a game of football with Bully Koopa. In the end, Yoshi and Mario win and turn Luigi back into his normal self.
 * A Little Learning: Yoshi helps Oogtar the Cave-boy grow a "eggabega" but Hip and Hop plant a Piranha Plant instead. When the Piranha Plant starts to wreck the school, Yoshi eats it.
 * Mama Luigi: Yoshi is being tucked into bed by Luigi, who proceeds to tell him the story of how he met Yoshi. At the end, Yoshi falls asleep.

Super Mario Adventures
Yoshi appeared in Nintendo Power's Super Mario Adventures comics. According to this version of the Mario series, Yoshi was the Chairman of the Dinosaur Chamber of Commerce, and as such, was one of the official leaders of Yoshi's Village. In these comics, Yoshi joined Mario and Luigi in their search for Bowser, as the King of the Koopas had captured several Yoshis from the village.

A Wiggler attacks Mario and Luigi until Yoshi eats it. Then, later, Yoshi eats a blue Koopa Paratroopa, and sprouts wings. The Marios ride him. Yoshi flies to the pipe that supposedly leads back to the Mushroom Kingdom, but it was fake, so Mario asks Yoshi where to go instead, causing him to spit out the shell, and Yoshi sputters down to the ground. The Bros. spot a Ghost House. Luigi enters, and Mario attempts to follow atop Yoshi, but the low entrance knocks him off and the dinosaur gets locked out. When they get to Wendy's castle, Bowser is in a wedding with Princess Toadstool. Kamek hypnotizes Toadstool into loving Bowser and Yoshi's friends into being slaves. Yoshi and Luigi find some Yoshi Eggs and start freeing the Yoshis, who stampede on Kamek, breaking his wand and setting Toadstool free. Bowser hides in the wedding cake, but at Mario's command, the Yoshis start eating the cake. Bowser rushes to the top, but the cake crumbles. Afterwords, the Bros. tease Bowser about his defeat, and in the end, the narrator tells the reader that the Yoshis were freed, and the Bros. and Toadstool went home to have some rest.

Yoshi's Cookie
In Yoshi's Cookie, Yoshi appears as a character in V.S. mode. Yoshi has to make horizontal and vertical rows of the same kind of cookie to proceed to the next level. In the Nintendo Puzzle Collection version, there is now story mode in game, where Mario and Yoshi are making cookies but get exhausted from the many cookie deliveries. Mario and Yoshi then go to sleep. Unfortunately, Bowser steals all the cookies while they are asleep. Mario and Yoshi, soon after waking up, found out that Bowser stole their cookies. They then set out to find Bowser and reclaim their cookies. In Japan, National Human Electronics released a version of the game called Yoshi no Cookie: Kuruppon Oven de Cookie to promote their Kuruppon oven.

Yoshi's Safari
During the events of Yoshi's Safari, Bowser conquers a nation called Jewelry Land, kidnapping its rulers, King Fret and Prince Pine, and stealing the twelve magical jewels that gave the kingdom both its name and stability, causing it to break into two distinct realms: the Dark Realm and the Light Realm.

Princess Peach was an old friend of Jewellery Land's Prince Pine, and when she hears of his kingdom's plight, she immediately sends for Mario and Yoshi to set things right. To aid the two, Peach gives Mario a new weapon, the energy gun known as the Super Scope. With this new weapon in hand, Mario and Yoshi entered a Warp Pipe, sending them to Jewellery Land.

During their adventures in Jewelery Land, Mario rides on Yoshi's saddle armed with the Super Scope. As Yoshi navigated the terrain of Jewellery Land, it was Mario's responsibility to shoot down any enemies in Yoshi's way and defeat Bowser, the Koopalings and the other minions in possession of the gems, many of whom were equipped with giant robots. If Mario accidentally shoots Yoshi in the back of the head, it injures the green dinosaur. In the end, Bowser and his troops leave Jewelry land, and the liberated Prince Pine uses the twelve gems recovered by Mario and Yoshi to reunite the two realms of Jewelry Land. After receiving much thanks from Prince Pine and King Fret, Yoshi and Mario return home to Princess Peach.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
One morning, during the events of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the Magikoopa sorcerer Kamek foresaw that two newborn brothers would bring ruin to the Koopas and attempted to capture them as the Stork carried them to their mother and father in the Mushroom Kingdom. While Kamek snagged Baby Luigi, his twin brother, Baby Mario, fell unnoticed to Yoshi's Island. Fortunately, Yoshi was happening to be taking a walk through the forest that day, and Baby Mario landed on his saddle unscathed, along with a map leading to Bowser's Castle, where Kamek had taken Baby Luigi.

Yoshi decides to take Baby Mario back to his clan, causing panic among the normally stress-free dinosaurs. As the Yoshis argue about what to do with the infant, Baby Mario points to the horizon. Eventually, Yoshi recognizes that Baby Mario could detect where Baby Luigi was, as their brotherly bond was so strong, even at such a young age. Yoshi decides that his clan should rescue Baby Mario's brother and help both of them find their parents, and the other Yoshis agree. Taking the initiative, Yoshi proposes that they use a relay system between eight Yoshis to transport Baby Mario: each Yoshi travels some distance, then hands Baby Mario to the next dinosaur. taking the lead, Yoshi sets out in the direction Baby Mario was pointing, helping him through the preliminary level and then through World 1-1. Unfortunately, Kamek's forces had invaded the island and were searching for Baby Mario, complicating the Yoshis' task. To battle the enemies, Yoshi uses his amazing egg-making abilities to transform enemies and other objects into Yoshi Eggs, which he then throws at enemies. The green dinosaur also uses a variety of Morph Bubbles to transform himself into various vehicles to aid in his quest. With these abilities, Yoshi manages to help Baby Mario through the dangers of the first level of each of the six worlds, as well as through all the secret worlds discovered along the way, and eventually, Yoshi himself braves the final leg of the journey: Bowser's Castle. Yoshi battles through powerful enemies and traps within the Koopa fortress, and even dodges a series of magical attacks by the sorcerer Kamek himself. He eventually reaches Baby Bowser's bedroom in his search for Baby Luigi, and after being attacked by the young Koopa, handily defeats him. Kamek then uses his magic to transform Baby Bowser into a gigantic, hulking monstrosity that destroys the castle before being defeated by Yoshi, through the use of giant eggs.

Ultimately, in the rubble of the castle, Yoshi discovered Baby Luigi and the Stork originally charged with delivering the babies. After untying the Stork, Yoshi says his goodbyes to the babies and allows the bird to continue on his journey and Baby Mario and Baby Luigi arrive home, safe and sound.

Tetris Attack
In Tetris Attack, Yoshi must break a spell put on his friends by Kamek. First, he has to defeat his friends themselves in head-to-head battles, by constantly lining up three or more matching panels either horizontally or vertically in head-to-head. Yoshi's allies consist of several creatures from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island including a Baby Yoshi, a Lakitu, a Shy Guy, a Bumpty (SNES version only), Poochy, a Flutter (named Flying Wiggler in this game), a Gargantua Blargg, a Lunge Fish, Raphael the Raven, and Prince Froggy. After he breaks the spell, he must face many bosses, including Naval Piranha, Hookbill the Koopa, Kamek, and finally Bowser.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
During the events of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (also known as Yoshi's Universal Gravitation), Bowser and his forces attack Yoshi's Island, causing chaos and disorder. In a twist of fate, a spirit named Hongo encases the entire island in a storybook to contain Bowser and his armies (similar to Baby Bowser's own actions in the earlier game, Yoshi's Story). Fortunately, Yoshi manages to convince the powerful spirit to restore Yoshi's Island if the green dinosaur could personally trap Bowser, for if there was no threat posed by Bowser, there would be no need to keep the island isolated. As such, Yoshi sets off through the chapters of the storybook version on Yoshi's Island.

During this adventure, Yoshi acquires a unique and powerful ability: not only could Yoshi use his long tongue to defeat enemies, the green dinosaur could also manipulate gravity. As Yoshi changes the force of gravity, he could cause enemies to fall backwards or even transform walls into hills. This unique ability helped Yoshi complete the various daunting stages before him.

However, Yoshi could not merely walk through a course to complete it. Each course was controlled by a different spirit, and each demanded that the green dinosaur fulfill a specific task before he or she would allow Yoshi to move to next level. These tasks included destroying a certain number of enemies or acquiring a certain number of coins. Ultimately, after satisfying the task of every spirit, Yoshi confronts and defeats King Bowser, and Hongo restores Yoshi's Island to its natural state.

Balloon Trip
Balloon Trip was a Tech Demo for the Nintendo DS shown in 2004. While it was never released as a full game, it evolved into Yoshi Touch & Go. While the stork was carrying Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their parents, Kamek zipped by and stole Baby Luigi and knocked Baby Mario out into the sky. While Baby Mario descended he found three balloons and slowly started to float down to the mushroom world. While floating he avoided enemies and eventually landed on Yoshi's back.

Yoshi Touch & Go
Yoshi makes his first appearance on the Nintendo DS in Yoshi Touch & Go. In the start of each mode, players will have to safely help Baby Mario glide down to the forest. They will use clouds with the stylus to block enemies or move him over to safety and/or coins, or make circles around spike-less enemies to make a coin bubble, and adds coins to Baby Mario. If hit three times, the player is done. The more coins the player collects, the different color Yoshi Baby Mario will travel with when he lands.

In the second part, as Yoshi, players can shoot eggs if they have any. The amount of eggs a Yoshi carries varies with the color of Yoshi. For example, Green Yoshi has up to 20 eggs, while Brown Yoshi has up to 40 eggs. Players can also eat spike-less enemies which will give them coins. If players run out or low on eggs, then they must eat fruit to gain more eggs. When they collect 100 coins, an Invincible Star will appear, and when Yoshi and Baby Mario touch it, Baby Mario will turn into Super Baby Mario, with Yoshi in a giant egg. Now invincible, players will be able to run very fast, shoot many eggs, and even destroy enemies in one touch. After a few seconds, this will end and the player will return back to normal.

If players get hit by an enemy or its attack, the game ends. In most modes, players race to get the most coins, time, or to save Baby Luigi from the Toadies. In marathon, players race to see how far they can go. After every 1000 yards, players will change different color Yoshis. If Baby Mario is defeated, the player will start all over. If the player loses a life as Yoshi, they can choose to start over or start at the beginning of Baby Mario and Yoshi's partnership.

Yoshi's Island DS
In Yoshi's Island DS, Kamek and Bowser travel back in time to try and capture the fabled Star Children, who had special energy in their bodies that, once in his possession, would allow Bowser to take over the world. Not knowing the identity of the Star Children, Kamek and Bowser simply set out to steal all the children of the Mushroom Kingdom, only to have their quarry escape their grasps one way or another and join Yoshi in a quest to free the other children.

The Stork saw the Toadies carrying the babies away, and he managed to crash into some of them, freeing Baby Mario and Baby Peach. Baby Donkey Kong's escape was not specifically mentioned, but he eventually fell from the sky and helped Yoshi. Baby Wario caused the Toadies to forcibly abandon him when he had an outrageous tantrum. Baby Bowser got into an argument with his future self, to the point where Bowser finally threw him out of the castle to Yoshi's feet. Baby Luigi does not escape the castle, but he does evade detection throughout the game.

Upon reaching Bowser's Castle, Baby Bowser found no reason to further accompany Yoshi, so he immediately abandoned the group. Yoshi refused to continue without him, however, and so Baby Bowser began battling him. Yoshi quickly took the tyrannical toddler out, only for an enraged Bowser to emerge and engage in battle with Yoshi right after the young Bowser's defeat. After Yoshi manages to defeat the future Bowser, Kamek finally cuts in and enlarges Bowser to an enormous size. Four Yoshis team up to defeat the gigantic carnation of Bowser, after which Kamek, and the Toadies quickly flee from the destroyed castle. The Yoshis rescue Baby Luigi and the other kidnapped children.

However, between Babies Mario, Luigi, Peach, Wario, Bowser and Donkey Kong, only six of the seven Star Children were accounted for. During the credits, a new baby green Yoshi is shown to hatch, and he is shown to be the final Star Child. It is implied that this Yoshi is the Mario series Yoshi. But, because it is thought that the Green Yoshi in this game is also thought to be a younger version of the Yoshi, the Baby Yoshi may have been born before Yoshi's Island DS, and the birth was not shown until the game's ending.

N-Gang
Yoshi made several appearances in the German comic N-Gang:


 * Freeze Frame: After Diddy takes B through worm hole, they find a freezing Yoshi on a snowy landscape. After Yoshi is heated, He, Diddy, and B find Bomberman and Kirby frozen in ice blocks. Yoshi then thaws them by using his fire breath to melt the ice. Then they find that King K. Rool is behind this and go to his castle. After defeating King K. Rool they celebrate with many other Nintendo characters.
 * N-Gang vs. Nintendo: Yoshi appears here as a player on the Nintendo team at a soccer camp the N-gang went to. Yoshi and his team later faced off against the N-gang in a soccer game.
 * Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht: Here Yoshi appears trying to stop Gruntilda along with Toni, B, Gecko, VIP, and Banjo. At the end of the comic Yoshi lays an egg for Banjo and he throws it at Gruntilda, defeating her.
 * Die Ostereier-Situation: In this comic, Yoshi is projected from a video game and into the real world by VIP. Since it is Easter, Yoshi helps out Big B by laying Yoshi eggs which B. needed for his class.

Club Nintendo
In the German Club Nintendo comics, Yoshi appeared in quite a few comics, some of which involved him in a starring role. He also appeared in the special issues Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Die Nacht der leuchtenden Yoshis!, and Das Lied der Yoshi's! (along with various other Yoshis). The Yoshi's Story story arc was compiled in comic book form in Yoshi's Story Comic.


 * Ostern im Schwammerlland and Super Mario: Die unheimliche Begegnung der Yoshi-Art: Yoshi's first meeting with Mario is depicted in these two comics. Where Mario and friends were out picnicking one Easter morning when they saw the Easter bunny. They tried to catch it but to no prevail although it did drop a large green spotted egg which happened to be a Yoshi egg. The egg eventually hatched into Yoshi, who started searching for his mommy. The first person he saw was Mario, so he proceeded to shout "Mommy!". The surprised and scared Mario ran from Yoshi but the dinosaur followed. After a long time of chasing, Mario and Yoshi decided to be friends.
 * Super Mario: Im Rausch der Geschwindigkeit: Mario abets Yoshi to go faster than 80-dinosaur power, a fictional speed limit. As a result, Luigi, who works as a police officer in this story, demands a 60 Coins fine from them.
 * Super Mario: Die Bescherung: Yoshi is seen going to Mario's Christmas party and ends up meeting a man that seems to be Santa Claus.
 * Super Mario: Coole Klänge: Yoshi briefly appears as Mario's horse while the plumber is trying western style music.
 * Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland: Yoshi is ridden by Mario to a client's house but is left outside. Later, a different Yoshi accompanies Mario, Toad, and Kirby on their quest to find the Crab wizard because he wants darker skin; he ends up becoming a black Yoshi.
 * Super Mario: Erholung? Nein, danke!: Yoshi and friends go on a vacation to an island called Koopabiza where they take the airline KoopAir. Unfortunately, the airplane they ride in is in very bad shape a is piloted by a blind clerk who also operated the booking office. After the flight, they find themselves checked into a bad hotel in horrible condition. After a while, Yoshi suggests they go swimming but they find no body of water large enough to go swimming in. At night, they are awoken from their sleep only to find that the hotel disco is making the noise, which is so loud it eventually ruptures the floor beneath them and they fall directly on to the disco. Because of all, this they hurry off the island and go home.
 * Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit: Yoshi appears in part 1 as a taxi from the stone age, who offers his services to Mario but is declined. He also appears in Mario's house in part 4 wearing sunglasses and a red jacket, relaxing on a stool.
 * Warios Weihnachtsmärchen: Yoshi appears at the end of the comic having a Christmas party with Mario and friends.
 * Mario in Mariozilla: Yoshi accidentally eats a shrunken Mario and Kamek. Dr. Light then plans to make Yoshi lay an egg, but after hearing this Yoshi runs away, only to lay an egg two hours later with the pair inside.
 * Blast Corps in Yoshis Knallkekse: Yoshi drives a truck full of Yoshi cookies until Kamek curses them and then the truck drives off on its own without Yoshi. Yoshi then calls the Blast Corps and Netty from the Blast Corps arrives. Yoshi and Netty then continue to chase the truck until it is stopped by Blast Corps robots.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: In this special comic, Yoshi starts out with a falling Baby Mario and a map landing on his back. After rescuing Baby Mario, Yoshi is then chased by toadies who are after Baby Mario. During this time, Yoshi goes through a tutorial of the game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island with a Hint Block for a guide.

Mario is Missing!
During the events of Mario is Missing!, Yoshi accompanied the Mario Bros. to Antarctica to stop Bowser from melting Antarctica and flooding Earth. After Mario gets captured, Luigi decides to stop Bowser himself. Using the Globulator, Luigi can determine where he is. After doing this, Luigi can summon Yoshi for a ride. Here, Yoshi's abilities proved once again to be of great use, as the exit pipe is occupied by a large Pokey that only Yoshi can defeat. With Yoshi's help, Luigi rescues Mario and defeats Bowser.

Mario's Time Machine
Yoshi is captured by Bowser in the NES version of Mario's Time Machine when he tries to help Mario stop the Koopas from stealing artifacts from Earth's history. After returning the artifacts by himself, Mario has to defeat Bowser to get the key and free Yoshi from his cage in the Koopa's castle.

Mario Kart series
Yoshi appears as a playable character in every game in the Mario Kart series. As such, he made his first appearance in Super Mario Kart. Yoshi typically is a lightweight driver (with the exception of Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Wii), meaning he has high acceleration, but low top speed. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Yoshi was partners with Birdo, and his special item was the Yoshi Egg. While the relationship between Birdo and Yoshi was merely implied in English versions, the Japanese website of Mario Kart: Double Dash confirms it. On Birdo's profile, it says "Appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend... or is that boyfriend?!"

In Mario Kart Wii, Yoshi was a medium-sized racer, and featured a fairly good off-road bonus. He also had a small weight and drift boost.

Yoshi later returns in Mario Kart 7 as a light racer.

Mario Tennis series
Yoshi is typically an agile sports player, allowing him to make quick manoeuvres (this was especially prevalent in the Mario Tennis competitions). Yoshi appeared in the game Mario's Tennis as well as its successor Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64). In Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64), Yoshi appeared as a speed character and had three different courses: the Baby Mario and Yoshi Court which has the fastest ball speed but a Weak bounce, the Birdo and Yoshi Court which has a slow ball speed with a strong bounce, and the Yoshi Court which has a fast ball speed with a strong bounce.

In Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color), Yoshi was unlockable through a transfer pack with the N64 version. Yoshi also has a mini-game called Yoshi Fruit Factory. In Mario Power Tennis Yoshi's skill type was speedy, his Offensive power shot was Rainbow Flutter, and his Defensive power shot was Rolling Egg Return. Yoshi's Mario Power Tennis trophy animation begins with him entering the stage, where Luigi is about to present him his trophy. He then begins to feel hungry and his stomach growls. Mistaking the trophy for a pineapple, he leashes out with his tongue to eat the trophy, accidentally swallowing Luigi in the process. Yoshi can then be seen wondering about Luigi's sudden disappearance.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Yoshi was one of the many heroes who took on Cranky Kong's video game hero challenge in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. He placed second with 29 coins. If Diddy Kong gathered more DK Coins than Yoshi, the young monkey would steal second place from the dinosaur, moving Yoshi down to third. However in the GBA remake Yoshi placed third with 39 coins, and if the young duo get more than 39 coins they move up to third and push Yoshi out of the rankings.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Yoshi would meet up with Mario again during events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In this adventure, Yoshi has traveled to Yo'ster Isle, a Yoshi-populated island that can be accessed from the mainland via the Pipe Vault, to participate in the various races held there. This racing competition was known as the Mushroom Derby. Unfortunately, the last winner of the Mushroom Derby was an arrogant Yoshi named Boshi. After winning the race, Boshi declared himself the boss of Yo'ster Isle. He suspended the races, allowing only one-on-one races between himself and a lesser competitor (and only when Yoshi Cookies were on the line). No one was able to beat Boshi, until Mario showed up to lend a hand.

Upon the plumber's arrival, Yoshi and Mario team up once again, this time to defeat Boshi and end his reign over the small isle. The plan calls for Yoshi (with Mario riding on his saddle) to challenge Boshi to a race and beat him, thus usurping his authority as boss of Yo'ster Isle. To do this, the green dinosaur asks a friend of his to loan him a few Yoshi Cookies (one of Boshi's weaknesses). As such, Yoshi put his cookies on the line, and challenges the arrogant Yoshi champion to a race.

To win the competition, Yoshi had to race to the beat of the Mushroom Derby's music. As such, the player had to alternate between pressing the A and B buttons in sync with the music's tempo. If the player alternates too fast, Yoshi would stop moving. While the tempo of the derby music could stop or even change, the player had to press the A and B buttons to the original beat. Mario could also help in the race by tossing Yoshi a Yoshi Cookie to give the dinosaur a boost of speed.

After a difficult and grueling race, Mario and Yoshi cross the finish line before Boshi. With Boshi defeated, the Yoshis declare Yoshi their new boss, but Yoshi declines the offer, instead suggesting that the races should be owned by everyone. No one was to have control over the races; everyone who wanted to participate could. The green dinosaur even manages to reform the former champion Boshi, convincing the blue Yoshi that an egalitarian approach to racing was superior to a totalitarian one.

As thanks for the plumber's help, Yoshi gives Mario a few Yoshi Cookies. Whenever Mario needs aid in battle, he could use one of these cookies to summon Yoshi to the battlefield. Yoshi would then attempt to eat an enemy and convert it into an item for Mario to use. If Yoshi failed, he would give the plumber a Yoshi Candy, an item that can heal a whopping one hundred HP.

Mario could also return to the island later in his adventure to catch up with his old friend. During these visits, Mario watches and even participated in subsequent Mushroom Derbies. The plumber could either jump back on Yoshi's saddle (and aid the green dinosaur with Yoshi Cookies) or simply encourage Yoshi from the sidelines as the Mushroom Derby championed raced on his own.

Yoshi is depicted in this game as bilingual, for he is able to both speak the Yoshi language and Mario's language. During the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Yoshi acted as Mario's interpreter as the Yoshis on Yo'ster Isle only spoke the Yoshi language.

Mario Party series
Yoshi has appeared playable in every single Mario Party that was released. In Mario Party, he had his own board called Yoshi's Tropical Island. In Mario Party 2 and 3, Yoshi's favorite item was a warp block. If Yoshi was set on as a computer, he would be more than likely to buy a warp block over any other item. Also in Mario Party 3, Yoshi's star stamp was Kindness and his partner was Boo. In Mario Party 4, Yoshi's favorite thing was the Warp Space, which does something similar to the Warp Block. In Mario Party 5, Yoshi was partners with Toad. Yoshi didn't have a default partner in Mario Party 6, but instead he was partners with Birdo In Mario Party 7 and 8. Yoshi's Special Orb in Mario Party 7 was the Egg Orb. Yoshi is featured in Mario Party 9. His constellation is the "Hero's Best Buddy".

Super Smash Bros. series

 * Main articles: SmashWiki:Yoshi (SSB), SmashWiki:Yoshi (SSBM), SmashWiki:Yoshi (SSBB)

Yoshi is a playable character in all three Super Smash Bros. games. Yoshi is a heavy fighter with strong smash attacks and amazing jumping ability. Unlike other fighters, Yoshi's shield is not an energy bubble but a green-spotted Yoshi Egg. Although Yoshi lacks a true special jump in the first two games in the series, he makes up for this handicap with an extremely long flutter jump. This pays off for his very short triple jump. This second jump can help Yoshi reach platforms that would take some fighters three jumps to reach. When using the flutter jump, Yoshi can also resist being knocked away. Unfortunately, Yoshi's extended grab attack (which is not too different from his Egg Lay move) cannot grab onto edges (unlike Link's Hookshot technique). Most of Yoshi's Special Moves revolve around various uses of Yoshi Eggs.

Yoshi has six different recolors in all the Super Smash Bros. titles, but only four of them were playable in Super Smash Bros.. Beginning with Super Smash Bros. Melee, all 6 of Yoshi's recolors were playable. The colors include green, red, blue, yellow, pink, and light blue.

Although Yoshi is part of the Mario series as a whole, his emblem is a Yoshi Egg, which represents the Yoshi series.

Yoshi maintains his cartoonish voice in the Super Smash Bros. series, unlike Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Bowser, who were given more realistic animal voices.

Solid Snake Codec Conversation

 * Snake: Otacon! What's this lizard thing?
 * Otacon: That's a Yoshi. It's a dinosaur from Yoshi's Island. Watch out for its long, chameleon-like tongue. If it gets you, you'll be swallowed whole.
 * Snake: It lays eggs and throws them, right? ...Then it must be female.
 * Otacon: ...Actually, it's a "he." At least, that's what it says.
 * Snake: It talks!?
 * Otacon: Yes! It talks! Well, kind of...
 * Snake: Now you've got me curious. ...How about I capture one so we can see what they taste like?
 * Otacon: Uhh, Snake...

The Subspace Emissary
Yoshi is first seen sleeping on a tree stump in a forest. Link walks by him, without seeing him. Soon, the Halberd attacks the peaceful area, deploying Primids against Link and Yoshi. Yoshi wakes up and walks up to Link, and the two advance through the forest together. After making it through the dangers of the wood, they watch from a cliff as the Halberd flues way, high in the sky, but continue their pursuit of it, undaunted.

If Peach is rescued from Petey Piranha: After reaching a grassland, Link and Yoshi see False Peach about to shoot a Dark Cannon at Mario and Pit, but before she could Link cuts the cannon in half and start to fight. After they win, Mario stops to see Yoshi and Link standing over a dissolving trophy. Mario gets mad at Link, thinking that he is a member of the Subspace and that he defeated Peach. He runs to Link and Yoshi very fast and tries to hit Link. Mario and Pit then attack Link and Yoshi.

If Zelda is rescued from Petey Piranha: Link stops to see Mario and Pit standing over a dissolving trophy of False Zelda. Link gets mad at Mario, thinking that he is a member of the Subspace and that he defeated Zelda. He quickly runs towards Mario and tries to hit him. Yoshi then joins Link in fighting Mario and Pit.

Soon, after the battle, the four understand each other and the four become a team. They see King Dedede, who had taken Luigi, Ness, and the other princess. He attempts to take Mario and Pit/Link and Yoshi as well, until Kirby comes and rescues them. Either Link or Pit blows out the engine of the Cargo depending on which fake princess was initially fought (if Peach, it is Pit; if Zelda, it is Link). Along with Kirby, they follow Dedede to his castle, only to find that Bowser had taken the princess and got away.

Eventually, they reach a desert where the Ancient Minister is carrying a Subspace Bomb. Pit fires an arrow at the Ancient Minister, trying to stop him from placing the bomb. However, the Ancient Minister places the bomb and his R.O.B.s install it. Although Mario and Pit try to stop them, the bomb is about to blow up. Ancient Minister leaves the area and the bomb explodes. Mario hops on Yoshi, while everyone else hops on Kirby's Warp Star and they all leave the area before the explosion of the Subspace Bomb reaches them.

After a battle at the Canyon, Yoshi and his teammates meet up with the other heroes and enter Subspace, only to have Tabuu turn everyone into trophies. Yoshi was rescued by Kirby, who had been revived by one of Dedede's badges that he had eaten. Everyone, including Yoshi, then joins forces and eventually defeat Tabuu.

Egg Lay
Egg Lay is a move that Yoshi is able to perform in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros Brawl. The player has to simply press the B Button to activate the move. Yoshi will go on to stick his tongue forward, and will eat anyone he hits. He will then lay an egg containing the player he just ate, causing him to become immobile. Yoshi can then proceed to attack the trapped player, while he can't retaliate. The player will hatch out of the egg eventually. It can also be used to run away from the opponent, in order to regroup.

This is also the way Yoshi does his grab attempts. However, instead of swallowing the opponent, he'll spit them out.

The attack is based on Yoshi's ability in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where he is able to eat an enemy and turn it into an egg.

Egg Roll
Egg Roll was a move used by Yoshi in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Yoshi used it when the player pressed Side+B. The move allowed Yoshi to roll around the stage in an egg and is able to turn around while in this form. When rolling, Yoshi could knock into players, causing damage. It is very similar to Jigglypuff's Rollout move. However, Egg Roll has better control. Despite this, Yoshi can still roll off the edge easily, if he's not careful. The attack is a very good run away move, and is also good at attacking multiple enemies at once. If he end this move in the air, Yoshi will enter helpless state. Holding down B during the move will increase the power, but makes it harder to control. It was actually the first time Yoshi could roll in an egg, and was carried on into later games, like Mario Power Tennis. However, it is similar to Yoshi's Story, when Yoshi obtains a Turbo Tulip, which is likely the first time.

Egg Throw
Egg Throw is also an attack that Yoshi can perform in the Super Smash Bros. Series. It is done by Pressing B and tilting the Control Stick up. Once done, Yoshi will proceed to hold the egg, aim it, and throw it, just like in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. However, In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Yoshi cannot aim it as well as he did in Yoshi's Island. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he has a much wider range of fire. Also, in the Smash Bros. Series, unlike the Yoshi's Island series, the eggs will form an arc and starting falling, rather than keep on going in a constant direction. The distance of the egg can be influenced by tilting the Control Stick in a direction after initiating the attack, along with how long the player holds the special attack button. He cannot jump high, which is its disadvantage.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl (but not Super Smash Bros. or Super Smash Bros. Melee), Egg Throw somewhat acts as Yoshi's third jump, because he rises a little as he does the move.

Yoshi Bomb
Yoshi Bomb (originally known as Ground Pound) is a move that Yoshi can use in all three Super Smash Bros. games. It is done by pressing down on the Control Stick, then pressing the B Button. Although, basically a Ground Pound, once Yoshi lands, two stars appear at his side, hurting anyone who hopes to attack him while he's getting up. The attack is best used while Flutter Jumping over an opponent, to land a powerful hit. The attack can be easy to dodge, however, and can leave Yoshi open for a long-distance attack. A new feature has been added to this move in Brawl. When used on the ground, Yoshi hits anyone who is right in front of him upon leaping in the air, stunning them, allowing Yoshi to get an easier hit with the actual attack. A similar attack is the Bowser Bomb. Like the Bowser Bomb, this will always result in an SD if used off the edge as this attack is a stall-then-fall.

Super Dragon


Super Dragon is Yoshi's Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The move reflects Yoshi's sporadic, yet powerful fighting skills on the battlefield and greatly improves his ability to recover from a fall. Rather than a single, powerful attack, Super Dragon temporarily transforms Yoshi into Winged Yoshi and gives him the ability to breathe fire. However, Yoshi must first break open a Smash Ball in order to charge himself up for the attack. Once this happens, Yoshi can activate the attack at any time. He can even save himself from an otherwise deadly fall.

While the attack has not specifically appeared in any other game, by eating Red or Blue Koopa Shells in Super Mario World, Yoshi could breathe fire or fly respectively. However, only one of these moves could be used at a time. By using a Rainbow Shell, he could become Super Dragon, but he hasn't much aerial mobility like when he uses his Final Smash, and could only breathe out one set of three Fireballs, causing the transformation to end. However, in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Yoshi could spew multiple short streams of fire after eating a Super Red Watermelon. This ability is closer to that seen in the Super Dragon ability as well as the origin.

Yoshi can shoot fireballs if the player presses the standard attack button; however, he will also spew a stream of fire if the player doesn't press any buttons for about three seconds. Both attacks do heavy damage. Yoshi will also cause damage if he simply makes contact with an opponent.

Yoshi is named "Super Dragon Yoshi", due to text from Super Mario World.

Oddly enough, Yoshi's Final Smash trophy has him without a saddle.

Mario Golf series
In Mario Golf, Yoshi had a straight golf shot that achieved average heights. In Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, Yoshi's Drive was 230 yards and his shot was straight, and was also the only male character with a straight shot while the rest of the golfers with straight shots were females, and all the other males had either fade or draw shots. Yoshi also appears in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Golf: Advance Tour.

Mario Baseball series
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Yoshi could not only run at high speeds but could also use his long tongue to field baseballs. While he does have some power, Yoshi is a Speed captain, his item is a Yoshi Egg, his special ball is Egg Ball, and his home field is Yoshi Park. In Mario Super Sluggers, Yoshi's home field is once again Yoshi Park and its minigame is Piranha Panic. On the map Yoshi can use Manholes and Ground Pound the ground by trees to make characters come out.

In both games, Yoshi has around average fielding skills, very good running skills, and fairly weak pitching skills. However, in Mario Super Sluggers, his batting skills are weaker than in Mario Superstar Baseball.

Mario Strikers series
Yoshi appeared as a balanced and courageous captain in Super Mario Strikers, and again in the sequel, Mario Strikers Charged. In Super Mario Strikers, Yoshi's Team number is 8, his captain type is balanced, and his Super Strike is Foot of Fury.

In Mario Strikers Charged, his Team number is once again eight, his captain type is balanced, his Mega Strike is Winged Yoshi, his super ability is Egg Roll, and his theme is Energetic Broadway.

His clothing in the first game is a blue and orange jersey complete with blue and orange cleats with a Y on it. His second soccer outfit is a green and blue armored jersey with his team logo on it with green and white cleats.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Yoshi appeared as an all-around player. His special move is the Flutter Dunk, which can be used after the player taps a letter 'M' on the Nintendo DS. Alternate colours of himself can be unlocked.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, a strange pink and green egg mysteriously appears on the island. This egg was much larger than any Yoshi egg, and soon the mysterious object becomes a tourist destination. Unfortunately, the strange egg eventually hatches into a gigantic Yoshi-like monster known as Yoob, which had been sent by the extraterrestrial invaders known as the Shroobs to eat any Yoshi it could find and cause havoc on the island. Inside the hulking monster was a Yoob-making factory - Yoshis that were eaten would be transported to this factory then encased in pink and green eggs. Eventually, these eggs would transform the peaceful Yoshis into monstrous Yoobs, who would hatch and cause even more destruction.

Fortunately, Yoshi, apparently the same Green Yoshi that saved Baby Mario, organizes his fellow Yoshis and helps them escape the wrath of Yoob. While in hiding, Yoshi encounters some old friends, for Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, along with their time-traveling adult counterparts, had returned to Yoshi's Island to help eliminate the Shroob threat. Unfortunately, this reunion is cut short when Yoob discovers the secret hideout. The Yoshis attempted to flee, but Yoob swallows them, one by one. Yoshi attemps to battle Yoob by himself, but the monster simply grabs him with its long tongue.

Yoshi ends up in Yoob's Belly, the location of the factory which makes Yoob eggs. Knowing he has to find a way out, he looks around and discovers a Chomp Rock sitting in the monster's stomach. Yoshi concludes that if he could push the massive rock through Yoob's intestines, he could widen the internal organs and thus allow the captured Yoshis to escape. Unfortunately, Yoshi was not strong enough to push the Chomp Rock by himself. Fortunately, the four Mario Bros. of past and present arrive to lend a hand. The brothers rescue the other Yoshis that were either imprisoned in eggs or were being tortured by RC Shroobers, and with their combined power, the Yoshis managed to force the Chomp Rock through Yoob's intestines, opening the way to the exit. Yoshi leads his fellow Yoshis through the dark intestines, rescuing a few more imprisoned Yoshis along the way. Eventually, after the four Mario brothers defeated the guardian of the factory, Sunnycide, Yoshi and his companions exit through Yoob's digestive tract and return to Yoshi's Island. With the factory ruined and the Yoshis freed, Yoob deactivates and Yoshi's Island is safe once more.

Mario & Sonic series
Yoshi appears as a speed character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. He later appeared in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, classified as a speed character as well. His swim style is the Doggy Paddle and for his special move in Dream Fencing, he attacks the other player with his tongue which can result in knocking them off the stage. He return again in Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games.

Mario Sports Mix
In the Wii game Mario Sports Mix, Yoshi is an all-rounder. He featured average power, above average speed, and below average technique. Additionally, he has three alternate colors that can be picked upon unlocking; pink, light blue, and yellow.

Fortune Street
Yoshi appears as a playable character in the Wii game, Fortune Street.

The Legend of Zelda series
Yoshi seems to be very popular in the far away land of Hyrule. A Yoshi Doll could be found in Mabe Village on Koholint Island during the events of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Additionally, a portrait of Yoshi could be found hanging on a wall in Hyrule Castle (and could be seen from the castle's courtyard) during the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Metal Gear series
In the game, a figurine of Yoshi can be spotted on Otacon's desk in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Shooting it causes a sound clip of Yoshi saying "Yoshi!" to play.

Yoshi makes a cameo appearance towards the end of the E3 2011 trailer for the 3DS version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The trailer shows Naked Snake scanning the jungle with his binoculars and is shown becoming surprised when he sees Yoshi in the distance. It was later revealed that all the Kerotans in the game had been replaced with Yoshi dolls. If one is to find and shoot all the Yoshis, they will be rewarded with the "Yoshi" rank at the end. An optional radio call with Para-Medic about Yoshis can be heard as well.

Nintendo Monopoly
Yoshi appeared in Nintendo Monopoly, along with a large cast of Mario characters. Here, he took the role of Illinois Avenue, and cost $240.

The Simpsons Game
In the Natural History Museum, the area with the dinosaurs in has a Yoshi skeleton. Pushing a switch makes its long tongue come out.

Physical Description and Traits
Yoshi, like all other Yoshis, has a large nose, a row of red spines along his head, a saddle on his back, which is used by Mario and company when being ridden on. However, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games later states that it is in fact a shell. He also has a long sticky tongue, often used for swallowing things. The green dinosaur typically wears orange shoes in recent games, but he originally wore brown shoes and also red shoes in a few appearances. Although Yoshi normally has lime green skin, he has been known to change his colour. For example, in Super Mario World, Yoshi could become blue in colour after collecting a pair of Yoshi's Wings (he would stay green in the GBA remake). In fact, Yoshi would become a literal Blue Yoshi, providing Yoshi with the same strengths and weaknesses as a Blue Yoshi. Yoshi would not return to his original color unless he ran off and became re-encased in a Yoshi Egg.

Powers and Abilities
Like other Yoshi's, Yoshi has a long, sticky tongue that he uses to eat almost anything, even things much larger than himself. Yoshi can transform the enemies and other objects he eats into eggs, which he can then use as projectile weapons. The green dinosaur has pinpoint accuracy, allowing him to conserve his egg supply during heated battles. During the events of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS, Yoshi could keep up to six eggs at a time or up to four Huffin' Puffins which would return to him as if they were boomerangs, and thus renewable.

Interestingly, Yoshi can also transform things that he eats into other objects. For example, in Super Mario World, after Yoshi ate an enemy, one Coin would be added to Mario's coin total. The green dinosaur could also transform berries into eggs. However, instead of using them as projectiles, these eggs would break apart and reveal items, including Super Mushrooms and strange, smiling clouds that would drop coins. In Super Mario RPG, Yoshi could eat enemies to produce eggs that would break apart to reveal a variety of helpful (and often rare) items. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Yoshi can eat enemies to produce Star Bits.

Despite his egg-laying abilities, Yoshi is considered male in most regions. However, Shigeru Miyamoto has gone on record and stated he is not sure if Yoshi is male or female. It could be that Yoshi has no official gender assigned to it, as the original Japanese does not use gender pronouns.

Yoshi has a hard time swallowing Koopa shells. In fact, in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the green dinosaur simply had to spit out the Koopa shell before he could eat another enemy. In Super Mario World, Yoshi could eventually swallow a Koopa shell, but could also use them to boost his own abilities. While Yoshi could only spit out a green shell, the green dinosaur would instead shoot three large fireballs after ingesting a red shell. A yellow shell would allow Yoshi to create sand clouds whenever he jumped and hit the ground, destroying nearby enemies. A blue shell provided one of the two ways to turn Yoshi into his Winged Yoshi form, allowing him to fly for a limited amount of time. However, if a shell were left in Yoshi's mouth for too long, he would inevitably swallow the shell and as such lose any abilities he may have possessed.

Yoshi is very proficient with Jump and Ground Pound, abilities, rivaling the capabilities of world-renown jumper Mario. However, in Super Mario World, Yoshi's jump attacks were much more powerful than Mario's normal jump attacks. Yoshi could destroy most enemies in one hit (i.e. a Koopa would be completely destroyed, not sent flying out of its shell). As such, Yoshi's jump had the same power as Mario's special Spin Jump technique. The green dinosaur is also a master of the Flutter Jump technique, allowing him to jump with incredible horizontal distance.

Yoshi is a speed character in several sports games, such as the Mario Tennis series, which shows that he is a fast runner. However, he isn't particularly fast in every game, such as Super Mario 64 DS where his speed is the same as Mario's (according to the instruction booklet).

Alternate Forms
Throughout his adventures, Yoshi has acquired a variety of alternate forms to help him combat the forces of evil. Most of these transformations are a result of special Morph Bubbles that could transform Yoshi into a helpful vehicle. Several cancelled alternate forms have been found in the coding of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Their purpose is unknown, but one can assume the plane has a similar function to the helicopter.


 * Super Mario World
 * Winged Yoshi
 * Super Mario 64 DS
 * Mega Yoshi
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Yoshi Helicopter
 * Yoshi Mole Tank
 * Yoshi Submarine
 * Yoshi Car
 * Yoshi Train
 * Yoshi Plane (cancelled)
 * Yoshi Tree (cancelled)
 * Yoshi Mushroom (cancelled)
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2
 * Dash Yoshi
 * Bulb Yoshi
 * Blimp Yoshi

Personality
Yoshi has a very similar personality to Mario. Yoshi is a friendly individual who always lends a helping hand to those in need. He could be considered a hero and has helped his friends, defeated the evil King Bowser Koopa, and saved his island more than once. Once Yoshi takes on a task, he does not give up until he completes it. Yoshi never backs down at defending his homeland and friends. He is also very courageous, allowing the green dinosaur to stand and fight enemies much larger than himself, including Yoob, an enlarged Bowser, Nep-Enuts, Tap-Tap the Golden, and the gigantic Baby Bowser. As a result of this courage, Yoshi often takes on a leadership position to the Yoshi clan, although Yoshi has no official political status (unlike the Village Leader from Lavalava Island). In fact, when Yoshi was offered a leadership position during the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the humble dinosaur declined the position. Like Mario, Yoshi has a large appetite. While Yoshi mostly eats fruits (mainly melons), he will eat almost anything including enemies (except peppers and certain inedible enemies).

Mario
Yoshi is one of Mario's closest friends. The dinosaur has been one of Mario's allies ever since the events of Super Mario World. Their connections have been explored further in Yoshi's Island, where Yoshi has saved him and his brother's life when they were young. In return, when he grows up, Mario destroys the egg that Bowser trapped him in. Yoshi has always looked up to Mario like a hero and a close friend ever since he met him, and Mario looks up to Yoshi in the same manner. Yoshi occasionally joins Mario on his adventures, serving as his loyal steed who carries him across certain obstacles that Mario himself would not be able to get pass. He will always give Mario a ride no matter what. Throughout the years, Mario has gained a strong trust over Yoshi because of Yoshi's loyal and friendly personality. Yoshi is also the second character in which Mario trusts to help him complete several of his quests, with the first character being Luigi. Due to all these events, Mario and Yoshi have become solid best friends.

Luigi
According to the Super Mario World TV Show's episode, Mama Luigi: Luigi found Yoshi, whom hatched from an egg, while still just a Baby Yoshi, and at first, Yoshi thought that Luigi was his "mama". And it seems possible that Yoshi still views Luigi as a parental figure, due to the fact that Luigi brings Yoshi to bed, and Yoshi asked him to tell a bedtime story. However, the show is non-canon, and the actual age of Yoshi compared to Luigi is unclear.

In-game, Yoshi and Luigi seem to be as close friends with each other as they are with Mario, teaming up on many occasions, as Luigi is usually playable in his appearances. Oddly, however, their chemistry in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers is neutral.

Birdo


Yoshi and Birdo are often partners in many of the spin-off games, especially in the sports games. In Mario Party 7, Yoshi and Birdo appear to be partners. In Mario Party 8, they also reappear as partners in this game. They were seen nuzzling each other on the title screen of Mario Tennis. Of course, their relationship has been quite unclear. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! the two are partners and share a similar Special Item. On the official Japanese site for Mario Kart: Double Dash!! the description for Catherine states "Catherine appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend... or does that mean boyfriend!?" (「ヨッシーの彼女に見えて実は彼氏!?」)

Toad
Yoshi and Toad have been seen to have positive interactions with each other, earning the name Good Buddies in Mario Party 8. The game Mario Sports Mix has official artwork of the two playing ice hockey together. In Super Mario 64 DS, Yoshi is one out of two characters Toad can completely trust with collecting Power Stars (the other being Mario). It can be assumed since Yoshi is a friend of the Mario brothers, Yoshi is also a friend of Toad.

Bowser
While Bowser has antagonized Mario many, many times, Bowser has been an enemy to the Yoshis since he was an infant, evidenced in Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story. But, in games like Yoshi's Island DS, Yoshi befriended Baby Bowser for half a world, but the young Koopa turned traitorous in the end. Ever since their past dealings, Bowser and Yoshi have never seemed to be very fond of each other, even so, as Yoshi is one of the three heroes that Bowser coldly hates (the other two being Mario and Luigi).

Kamek
Kamek has been the antagonist on most Yoshi games. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Kamek tried to stop Yoshi and his clan from saving the baby Mario Bros. and has been antagonizing them ever since. In Mario Super Sluggers, Yoshi has a bad chemistry with Kamek's species, Magikoopas.

Wario
In Super Mario 64 DS, Wario and Yoshi have to team up along with Mario and Luigi to save the princess. Wario and Yoshi seem to have some sort of rivalry, seeing how Yoshi's challenge in Mario Strikers Charged is against Wario.

Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong and Yoshi seem to have a bit of a friendship. In Mario Superstar Baseball, Donkey Kong is very thrilled that the two would be teammates after defeating Yoshi and having him join his team. Also, in Mario Power Tennis, the two get teamed up in the intro cutscene.

Mario Tennis

 * Type: Speed
 * Instruction Booklet Bio: Not only is he fast, but he's pretty accurate, too.
 * Official Guide Bio: Yoshi has been Mario's friend since they were both knee high to a grasshopper. Since Mario's childhood, Yoshi has been willing to lend his strong back and egg-laying abilities whenever Mario needed help. Now Yoshi is trying his hand at tennis, using his superior speed and lightning reflexes to bring the coveted Star Cup home to Yoshi Island.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

 * Partner: Birdo
 * Personal Kart: Turbo Yoshi
 * Special Item: Yoshi Egg
 * Bio: "Taking a break from carrying Mario, Yoshi's ready to burn up the courses."
 * Bio 2: "You can't help but laugh when you see Yoshi. But when he bowls you over with his giant egg, he'll be the one laughing at you."

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

 * Speed: ****
 * Weight: **
 * Bio: Yoshi is a bit heavier than Toad and Peach, but slightly slower as well. If you're willing to sacrifice a little speed for increased stability, give the dino a go.

Mario Kart DS

 * Bio: "While Yoshi is usually ridden by Mario, this time he's ready to race. Yoshi's traction is excellent."
 * Karts:
 * Standard
 * Cucumber
 * Egg 1

Mario Kart Wii

 * Size: Medium
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Weight: +3
 * Drift: +3
 * Off-Road: +5
 * Bio: '' "Yoshi's excellent traction makes drifting a dream. Mini-Turbo your way to victory when you test his skills on a dirt bike!"

Mario Kart 7

 * Class: Light
 * Stat Boosts
 * Speed: 3.25
 * Acceleration: 3.5
 * Weight: 2.75
 * Handling: 3
 * Off-Road: 3.75
 * Site Bios:
 * Flag of USA.png "Want to go from zero to speedy as fast as possible? Get behind the wheel with Yoshi. Speed and acceleration are his specialties."
 * Flag of Europe.png "Yoshi boasts great acceleration at the expense of top speed, and excels at getting back up to speed following a crash."
 * Prima Official Game Guide Bio:
 * Like Peach, Yoshi favors acceleration over top speed. He's slightly bigger than a true lightweight, but not by much!

Mario Power Tennis
Bio: ''Yoshi's not only fast, he's steady. He rarely makes mistakes and looks to outlast his opponents''.
 * Type: Speed
 * Offensive: Rainbow Flutter
 * Defensive: Rolling Egg Return

Super Mario Strikers

 * Jersey Number: 8

Mario Strikers Charged

 * Type: Balanced
 * Super Ability: Egg Roll!
 * Deke: Normal

Stats

 * Movement: 6
 * Shooting: 6
 * Passing: 6
 * Defence: 6

Yoshi's special moves are Egg Throwing and Flutter Jump.

Mario Party 7

 * Partner: Birdo
 * Special Orb: Egg Orb

Mario Party 8

 * Partner: Birdo
 * Website Bio: Yoshi's big tongue has a bigger appetite for all the candy on the boards.
 * Team Names:
 * Mario: Fan Favorites
 * Luigi: Green Machine
 * Peach: Kind Hearts
 * Wario: Poached Eggs
 * Daisy: Tomboy Trouble
 * Waluigi: Scrambled Eggs
 * Toad: Good Buddies
 * Boo: Hovering Friends
 * Toadette: Flutter Friends
 * Birdo: Egg Explosion
 * Dry Bones: Sky Bones
 * Blooper: Double Dippers
 * Hammer Bro: Hungry Hammers

Mario Party DS
Team Names
 * Mario: Old Buddies
 * Luigi: Green Machines
 * Peach: Sweetie Pies
 * Daisy: Cutie Pies
 * Wario: Unlikely Pals
 * Waluigi: Purple Dinos
 * Toad: Star Supporters
 * Bio: He's lean, he's green, and he's a party machine - he's Yoshi!

Mario Party 9

 * Partner: Birdo
 * Bio: Best known for helping others to reach their goals, Yoshi joins the line-up of party participants with a fighting chance of winning all by himself this time!

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

 * Baller Name: Piranha Playa Hater
 * Type: All-Around
 * Special Shot: Flutter Dunk
 * Letter to Tap: M

Mario Superstar Baseball

 * Team Captain: Yes
 * Teams: Yoshi Eggs, Yoshi Speed Stars, Yoshi Islanders, and Yoshi Flutters.
 * Player Type: Speed
 * Star Swing: Egg Ball
 * Star Pitch: Egg Ball
 * Special Skill: Clamber, Tongue Catch

Bad Chemistry

 * Magikoopa
 * Bowser

Stats

 * Batting: 5
 * Pitching: 4
 * Fielding: 6
 * Running: 9

Bio
"A denizen of Yoshi's Island. Mario's dependable buddy always helps him out of jams. Yoshi's use their tongues to eat anything and everything. It is said that Yoshi's can turn anything they swallow into eggs. On the diamond Yoshi's fast legs and accurate tongue make him a great fielder."

Online Collectible Card Bio
''While not the strongest pitcher, Yoshi's Egg Swing and Tongue Catch help round him out as a team captain. And it may sound strange, but he plays best when surrounded by a lineup of babies.''

Bio
"Yoshi is a green dinosaur with a big nose and sticky tongue. He's got serious wheels, and his awesome Speed will keep him near the front of the pack in all the racing events, while his quick reflexes will make him a strong table tennis competitor."

Bio
"Yoshi is Mario's friend living on Yoshi Island and usually accompanies Mario and Luigi on their Adventures. Yoshi will put forward great effort in the Olympic Winter Games with his Flutter Jump Ability on the Wii and DS and his Thrash Dash Ability on the DS."

Bio
"Yoshi is Mario's friend living on Yoshi's Island and sometimes accompanies Mario and Luigi on their adventures. Yoshi will put forward great effort in the London 2012 Olympic Games with his new abilities."

Super Smash Bros. Profile

 * Instruction Booklet Bio: "Yoshi is the cute dinosaur that lives on a tropical island. You'd be surprised what he can do with a simple egg."
 * Game Bio: 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 attacks. Yoshi's come in a rainbow of colours and are said to have a high IQ from a very early age.

Instruction Booklet
"A dinosaur that boasts surprising jumping prowess."

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Trophies
* Note: This is incorrect. Yoshi's debut was in Super Mario World.

Fortune Street

 * Bio: Mario's trusty adventuring partner. His long tongue is perfect for slurping up fruit and giving his foes a good licking.

Mario Tennis Open

 * Type: Speed
 * Bio: Yoshi's strength is of course his speed. Even when his opponent hits a well-placed shot, Yoshi can usually hurry over and make the return.
 * Bio 2: Yoshi has some of the fastest feet on court! Go, Yoshi, go!

Portrayals
Yoshi was voiced by Andrew Sabiston in the Super Mario World cartoons (interestingly, Sabiston would later provide the voice of Diddy Kong in the Donkey Kong Country cartoon series).

In the video games, Yoshi has been voiced by Kazumi Totaka since Yoshi's Story (who also composed the musical score to the game).

Quotes

 * "Mario!!! It that really you???" - Super Mario 64
 * "I know! We should team up! Come on! Hop on my back!" - Super Mario Galaxy 2
 * "Hooray! Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Yoshi. On my way to rescue my friends, Bowser trapped me in that egg." - Super Mario World
 * "Tell how Luigi find Yoshi, and Yoshi rescue Princess." - Super Mario World TV Show - Mama Luigi

Trivia

 * Yoshi's kart's horn in Mario Kart DS sounds very similar to the sound heard when mounting on Yoshi in certain Mario games.
 * In the Sky Station Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, if the player selects the "Peewee Piranha's Speed Run" mission, and reads the sign that Yoshi has put up, Yoshi will state that he is a "space dragon".
 * In Super Mario Sunshine, Yoshi could perform Triple Jumps, Spin Jumps, and Ground Pounds, but not Side Somersaults. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, this is somewhat reversed, as Yoshi can perform Side Somersaults, but not Triple Jumps, Spin Jumps, or Ground Pounds. Another fact is that Yoshi could not swim in Super Mario Sunshine but somewhat could in Super Mario Galaxy 2
 * In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the undersides of Yoshi's arms in-game are white, while in the cutscenes, are green. They are also green in all of the other games.
 * In Super Mario Sunshine, when Mario jumps off Yoshi, F.L.U.D.D. will automatically have a full tank of water and be equipped with the Hover Nozzle, regardless of the conditions before Mario got on.