Fly Guy

"Hello! I'm Fly Guy. What do you want me to do?"

- Fly Guy

Fly Guys, also just known as Shy Guys, are a variant of Shy Guy that have propellers on their heads. Fly Guys have been used for various jobs, most commonly to carry items, sometimes harmful things such as bombs, or something to benefit the player, such as coins. The color of Fly Guy's propeller was originally yellow, but have also been white and are blue in recent appearances.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Fly Guys make their debut in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. In the game, they carry items including red coins, extra lives, coins, Winged Clouds, or even bombs. Most, also known as Patrolling Fly Guys, slowly fly through the level. In some levels, they more actively swoop down carrying a Winged Cloud or a red coin. If that item is not obtained in time, the Fly Guy flies back up and makes a laughing noise indicating that it is gone. A variant known as Whirly Fly Guy also appears. Fly Guys can also disguise themselves as exploding balloons called Mock Ups.

Yoshi's Island DS
Fly Guys behave similarly in Yoshi's Island DS as they did in the original game, except they do not carry bombs and the noise they make is much higher-pitched. Five of them, one carrying a red coin, two with 1-ups, and two with Coins, appeared in the Island Museum. They are found in the Shy Guy exhibit.

Yoshi's New Island
Fly Guys return as enemies in Yoshi's New Island, behaving as they did in previous games in the series. The yellow and green variants have the same modern appearance as the Yellow and Green Shy Guys once again, while a pink variant is introduced. These colored variants act the same as a regular Fly Guy, however.

Tetris Attack
In Tetris Attack, a Fly Guy appears in Lakitu's stage on the top right at the top of the high-score in the large box.

Yoshi's Story
In Yoshi's Story, Fly Guys are called Flying Shy Guys and come in two varieties.

The more common ones fly via a helicopter-like pack that they carry on their back consisting of a two-blade propeller (on top of the pack), which spins on a horizontal axis, and an eight-blade propeller (at the back of the pack), which spins on a vertical axis. Functionally, they are similar to the Fly Guys of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. They fly above Baby Yoshi carrying fruit. They will continue to fly back and forth across the area where they appear in, but will immediately fly off-screen if Yoshi eats the fruit they are carrying. Like normal Shy Guys, they change color when a Baby Yoshi performs a Ground Pound near one. They can be defeated by Baby Yoshi like any other Shy Guy (with the exception of the black Shy Guy, which has its own characteristics). Tiny red ones appear in massive swarms in Cloud Cruising and Lots O'Jelly Fish, going in and out of the background with only some carrying fruit.

Flying Shy Guys with a more typical design appear in groups of four. They fly in a diagonal formation in from the side of the screen, stopping in front of Yoshi. If all four are defeated with one egg, Yoshi is awarded a melon. They appear in Stage 3-3: Poochy & Nippy, Stage 3-4: Frustration, and Stage 5-3: Shy Guy Limbo.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Fly Guys reappear in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy. They attack Yoshi by flying right at him, sometimes taking advantage of the Game Boy Advance's gyro controls, should the player become reckless. Despite red-robed Fly Guys aiding Bowser in attacking Yoshi's Island in the intro, only the green-robed ones are seen.

Yoshi Touch & Go
Fly Guys reappear in Yoshi Touch & Go. They attack Yoshi by flying near him and dropping bombs. They also hold coins, similar to the Yoshi's Island games. The player can defeat them by throwing an egg, circling the stylus around them, or eating them. In addition to their usual red robes, yellow and green ones reappear, while blue-robed Fly Guys make their debut.

Yoshi's Woolly World / Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
Fly Guys reappear in Yoshi's Woolly World and the game's port. They reprise their original role as enemies, being first found in Burt the Bashful's Castle. Their bodies are colored differently from each other and appear to be made of wool strings, in step with the handcrafted aesthetic of the game. Once Yoshi sticks his tongue onto one, he unweaves and contains the Fly Guy into his mouth, turning it into a yarn ball, which he can then either directly spit out to attack, or eat. Some Fly Guys have propellers on their back rather than their head. When listening to music in the Scrapbook Theater, Fly Guys as musical notes fly to the left across the screen.

Yoshi's Crafted World
Fly Guys reappear in Yoshi's Crafted World. They tend to be stationary or patrol small areas, and are often used as stepping targets. As with other Shy Guys, they wear pilot attire in Altitude Adjustment, circus attire in Hoop-Jump Hop, and space attire in Outer Orbit.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS, Fly Guys appear in Shifting Sand Land; in Snowman's Land; on Tall, Tall Mountain; on Tiny-Huge Island; and in Rainbow Ride. In the former, their propellers have three wings instead of two. They cannot carry items, but they have the ability to spit fireballs at Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, or Wario (being the only game where Fly Guys produce fire), as well as dive at him to attack him. They drop two coins when defeated. If the player character stomps a Fly Guy, he spin-jumps high into the air, which allows him to reach high places. The Fly Guys share this effect with the Spindrifts. When swallowed by Yoshi, they provide him with a burst of fire to spit. This is the only incidence where a variant of Shy Guy appears in a main series Super Mario game after Super Mario Bros. 2.

In Super Mario 64 DS, Fly Guys also appear in the minigames Bounce and Pounce and Bounce and Trounce, both of which are Mario's minigames.

New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., they are only found in the minigame Balloon Racing. Four colors of Fly Guys appear as obstacles. If Yoshi collides with one, he loses a balloon. The Fly Guys from Bounce and Trounce also make a return.

Mario Party series
Fly Guys have been noted for some important roles in the Mario Party series.

Mario Party
In Mario Party, Fly Guy makes an appearance on the board Wario's Battle Canyon. When a player passes by, it asks the player if they want it to take them to Bowser, bring another player to the space before him or do nothing. Both choices cost 10 coins. Also, a Fly Guy appears briefly in Knock Block Tower where he grabs the chest and flees if the player doesn't get it in time. In the Mini-Game House, there is a Mecha Fly Guy that is sold in the Mushroom Shop for 100 coins.

Mario Party 2
Fly Guys make brief appearances in the opening of Mario Party 2, where they are seen carrying in the signs for "Mario Land" and "Wario Land". In the ice course for Bumper Balls, a Fly Guy is frozen in the ice.

Mario Party 4
In Mario Party 4, Fly Guys appear as obstacles in the minigame Paratrooper Plunge.

Mario Party 6
A secret technique with the mic causes Fly Guys to fly across the menu screen in Mario Party 6.

Mario Party Advance
"...Oh, yeah. The UFO... Sure, sure."

- Fly Guy

In Mario Party Advance, a Fly Guy appears in Shroom City, living on the roof of the Mushroom Condo. According to his description, he's a recluse and not much is known about him. When approached, Mr. E shows up, wanting to question Fly Guy about whether or not a UFO can be seen from the rooftop. Fly Guy responds that he can summon it right now, using a pair of colored paddles. He then offers the player to help with calling the UFO, asking them to simply follow his lead. Once the signaling is done properly, the UFO flies in and hovers right above their heads, causing Mr. E to panic. As a reward for helping him out, Fly Guy gives the player the Morse Maker Gaddget. According to the ending, Fly Guy has packed his bags and is waiting for the UFO to take him away.

Mario Party 7
In Mario Party 7, Fly Guys appear in The Final Countdown where they carry the players who lost the minigame back to the main platform during the ending sequence and Tile and Error where they carry players who fell off the edge.

Mario Party 8
In Mario Party 8, Fly Guys appear in the minigames King of the Thrill, where they carry the losing team as seen in the background. Additionally, in the same minigame, if two characters fall off at the same time during a fight, a Fly Guy carries the character who falls off just after the other falls off up to the top platform for the next part of the fight (or for the victory if the character falls off during the last part of the minigame). In another minigame, Mosh-Pit Playroom, they carry the basket of balls for the characters to pop, as well as the basket of confetti to rain down onto the champion of the minigame. Two Fly Guys are also seen holding the 8000 points sign in Test for the Best. A Fly Guy can be found in the minigame Specter Inspector, usually hiding in one of the paintings.

Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, Fly Guys appear on the Shy Guy's Shuffle City board. If one of the players lands on an Event Space and causes somebody to move a certain amount of spaces, a Fly Guy appears and moves that character.

Super Mario Party
In Super Mario Party, blue Fly Guys are seen when the player uses the Fly Guy Ticket; then, they steal an item from a rival.

Mario Party Superstars
Fly Guys reappear once again in Mario Party Superstars in The Final Countdown from Mario Party 7, and have the same role as before. They are one of the collectible encyclopedia pages, although the encyclopedia incorrectly states that they are absent from Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 7.

Super Smash Bros.
In Super Smash Bros., Flying Shy Guys appear rarely in the background of Yoshi's Island stage, where one sometimes flies across the screen, going either fast or slow. Occasionally, a slow one will be struggling to carry a melon.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Flying Shy Guys appear as a stage element on the Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Story stage as enemies carrying food. When attacked softly, or if an object is thrown at them, the Flying Shy Guy drops his food and flies off the screen; if they are knocked out with an attack, they drop the food they are carrying and spin downwards off the screen. Defeating them also causes the player to earn the "Shy Guy KO" bonus. If food is disabled in the item switch, they do not bring food. They also sometimes appear in the background of the Yoshi's Island stage from Super Smash Bros., renamed Past Stages: Yoshi's Island. Additionally, images of them are used on the "Shy Guys" trophy.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Fly Guys are featured in the Yoshi's Island stage. They are usually holding some kind of food, similar to in Super Smash Bros. Melee. If they are attacked, they drop the food they are holding and fly away. Fly Guys also appear on two stickers, with one showing the appearance of its larger version in Yoshi's Story (labeled Propeller Shy Guy) and the other depicting its artwork from Mario Power Tennis.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Fly Guys appear as enemies in Smash Run in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Unlike most other enemies, they do not damage the player. Instead, they fly around, carrying an item that randomly changes every few seconds (gold, custom part, food, etc.), similar to their role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Once attacked, they drop the item.

Fly Guys also once again appear on the stage Yoshi's Island, which returns from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Fly Guys reappear in the returning stages Yoshi's Story from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Yoshi's Island from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)
In Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, sometimes a Fly Guy flies across the screen when the player begins their stroke if there is a high wind on that hole.

Mario Golf: World Tour
In Mario Golf: World Tour, their name can appear on the tournament scoreboard, and when there are strong winds on the hole, a notification appears that depicts some Fly Guys getting blown away by a Fwoosh.

Mario Golf: Super Rush
A Fly Guy appears as part of Shy Guy's Special Dash, Fly Guy Dash, carrying the Shy Guy across long distances. Unlike Shy Guy, the Fly Guy will always be red regardless of what color Shy Guy the player uses.

Mario Tennis
In the Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, the playable Shy Guy metamorphoses into a Fly Guy in his Tournament win animation.

Mario Power Tennis / New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis
Fly Guy reappears in the Mario Tennis series with Mario Power Tennis, where he is an unlockable Tricky type playable character separate to the regular Shy Guy. This is Fly Guy's first playable appearance. He can be unlocked by winning the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, and Star Cup in singles. His Offensive Power Shot is the Tornado Twist, which envelopes the returning player in a whirlwind while messing up controls, and his Defensive Power Shot is the Tornado Return, which he uses a whirlwind to return the ball from anywhere. Fly Guy's trophy animation begins with him beginning to receive his trophy from Wario and Waluigi, while Peach watches, unaware of their new prank. Then Waluigi surprises him by holding up a pair of pliers and trapping them with it. But Fly Guy shakes them off by spinning and knocking over Wario and Waluigi. He then catches his trophy as Peach cheers.

Mario Tennis Aces
In Mario Tennis Aces, a trio of Fly Guys appear when Birdo uses her Special Shot, lifting and throwing her into the air.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Fly Guys appear as enemies in Star Hill in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. They carry time bombs with a number from 0 to 3. One attack involves a Fly Guy flying upwards and dropping the bomb on its target. Halfway in the top screen means Luigi, all the way top means Mario. It can be countered with the hammer. Every counter or hit makes the bomb lose one number. If it hits zero, it explodes. If the Fly Guy survives, it gets a new bomb. The other attack is rocking back and forth to throw it. The number of times it rocks depends on who gets hit. If it rocks twice or six times, it rolls towards Luigi, and if it rocks four or eight times, it rolls towards Mario. This can be dodged by jumping.

They also appear if the player causes a Boom Guy to lose its launcher. A pair of red Fly Guys drop a new one on its head. The same event applies for Elite Boom Guys except the Fly Guys are blue. Fly Guys also appear when a Handfake uses a Bowser cut-out attack, where it carries a flame cut-out and flies towards Luigi to attempt to damage him (Boo is used to attack Mario).

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Fly Guys reappear as enemies in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. In the field, Fly Guys roam at a high altitude, but dive down at Mario and Luigi upon sight, and chase them relentlessly for a short period of time. In battle, Fly Guys' attacks revolve around using Goombas, and due to this, they spawn Goombas during battle. Fly Guys cease to spawn Goombas after four have been spawned, even if there aren't any more Goombas on the field. Fly Guys also do not spawn any more Goombas if there are three already in battle.

If no Goombas are present on the battlefield during its turn, the Fly Guy flies high into the sky to reappear flying back into the battlefield from the background, now air-lifting a Goomba in its grip; the Fly Guy then drops it in line with Mario and Luigi (from Mario's left) for them both to charge one after another at Mario and Luigi. Dodging the Goomba requires Mario and Luigi to jump before it hits them. Dodging the Fly Guy requires Mario and Luigi to not jump into it while trying to dodge the Goomba, and to just idle as it goes by. Either the Fly Guy or Goomba may charge ahead first with no discernable pattern as to which one it will be.

If there is a Goomba present, the Fly Guy may pick it up, fly above Mario or Luigi, and drop the Goomba on them. This must be countered by hammering the Goomba into the sand before it lands on the targeted bro which may cause the dizzy status if it lands. After that, the Goomba then runs at the targeted bro again if it survived; if the Fly Guy spiraled flying on the way up with the Goomba and the Goomba is not knocked out, it will appear dizzy with stars flying around its head before it charges into the bro who wasn't targeted. This attack only takes up the Fly Guy's turn.

A stronger variation of Fly Guy called Fly Guy R appears later on in the game. The Piranha Plants found in Dreamy Driftwood Shore may spit out Fly Guys as part of their attack.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Fly Guys appear as enemies in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. They only appear in specific missions, such as in Doop Doop Dunes's twenty minute quest, the Toadette rescue mission where one holds her captive under orders from Kamek in Bowser's Castle, and a couple of other required quests. If two or more Fly Guys appear in a battle, one will be holding a bomb, and defeating it causes the bomb to drop and damage other enemies. While Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario choose a Command Block, the Fly Guys may pass the bomb between each other.

Fly Guys also appear during the final battle against Shiny RoboBowser, showing up in two of his attacks. If he chases the trio to the left, Fly Guys may appear along the path, damaging the Bros. if they jump into them. They also appear during the Airplane Guard chase attack, where Paper Mario in his plane form must evade the incoming Fly Guys.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Fly Guys appear in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, where they are enemies and recruitable allies found in Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser. They are flying troopers, and attack by ramming enemies from the air. Fly Guys are strong against Ice Bros.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Fly Guys appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode as allies and enemies. They return as flying troopers and retain their strength against Ice Bros. and are now strong against all four color variants of Para-Biddybuds. Two of them are accompanied by two Bob-ombs to stop Bowser Jr. and Kamek from reasoning with Larry Koopa and Lemmy Koopa.

Mario Pinball Land
Fly Guys (referred to as Flying Shy Guys) reappear in Mario Pinball Land, where they are seen only in Bowser's Castle. Only the green-robed ones appear in this game, as the usual red-robed ones are absent.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Fly Guy appears in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 as an unlockable character. He is unlocked if the player gets at least a bronze trophy in the Star Tourney on hard difficulty. Fly Guy is also classified as a tricky character, the others being Boo, Paratroopa, Black Mage, and Moogle. His special shot is the Thunder Shot, which can be used if the player taps an "S" shape on the touch screen. In addition, Yellow and Green Fly Guys are also playable, with their designs now matching the modern designs of Green and Yellow Shy Guys, while Cyan Fly Guys make their debut.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Fly Guys appear in Dream Long Jump. If player is hit by one, they are deflected. Fly Guys can be defeated when jumped on.

Mario Kart series
Fly Guys appear as spectators in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX on the Aerial Road course.

Fly Guys do not physically appear in Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but two of them can be seen on the Mario-themed airplane in Sunshine Airport.

Dr. Mario World
Fly Guys appear in Dr. Mario World as assistants. In stage mode, their effect is to increase the obtained score for each red virus eliminated, where the base score increase is greater at higher levels. In versus mode, their effect is to instead increase the speed of the attack meter for both the user and their opponent, where the amount of points required to fill the attack meter is reduced by the percentage listed, rounded down to the nearest round number. The attack meters are reduced further when other assistants with the same effect are present, such as with Mechakoopa or another Fly Guy.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
Fly Guys make their Paper Mario series debut in Paper Mario: The Origami King. They, like many of the Koopa Troop, are transformed into Folded Soldiers by King Olly. Their design in the series now matches their appearance in various modern Mario games, while their propeller is white like in their earlier appearances. They surround the Sea Tower, and can be defeated without going into battle by ramming into them with the boat after it gets an engine upgrade, although defeating them this way will not register them for the Musée Champignon gallery.

Mario Strikers: Battle League
A Fly Guy appears in version 1.1.0 of Mario Strikers: Battle League, as part of Shy Guy's Hyper Strike, Propeller Dive. The Fly Guy will pick up Shy Guy, twirl around, and throw him at the ball. Like in Mario Golf: Super Rush, the Fly Guy will always be red regardless of what color team Shy Guy is on, though the soccer uniform it wears will match the team's color.

Other appearances
Fly Guys have unused graphics in Super Paper Mario. They had propellers on their backs, instead of their heads, which along with their pose causes them to resemble the ones from Yoshi's Story. Additionally, similar enemies called Sky Guys appear in Paper Mario.

Coloration
Much like Shy Guys, Fly Guys come in many different colors. The following is a list of all known Fly Guys and the first appearance of said Fly Guy.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

 * Shogakukan guide: 赤コインや１up、ハテナ雲などをぶら下げて飛んでくる. すぐに逃げてしまうやつもいるが、じっとしてるやつも、逃げとしまうやつもいる. (They fly by with red coins, 1UPs, Winged Clouds, etc. hanging from them. Some of them get away immediately, some stay put, some fly away.)
 * Player's Guide: If you get him to drop his red coin, you have only a few seconds to retrieve the coin before it vanishes.

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

 * Shogakukan guide: 赤コインや１UP、ハテナ雲などをぶら下げて飛んでくる. すぐに逃げてしまうやつもいるが、攻撃を当てれば持っている物を落とす. (They fly by with red coins, 1UPs, Winged Clouds, etc. hanging from them. Some of them get away immediately, but if you attack them, they will drop what they are holding.)

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

 * Shogakukan guide: 頭にプロペラがついたへイホーで、空を飛んでくる. ジャンプして踏みつければ、倒すことができる. コインをぶら下げながら飛んでくることちある. (It is a Shy Guy with a propeller on its head and flies through the air. You can defeat it by jumping and stomping on it. Sometimes it flies with a coin hanging from its body.)

Yoshi Touch & Go

 * Shogakukan guide
 * Fly Guy (Blue): 上空をふわふわ飛んでいて、ヨッシーめがけて急降下してくる. 上空にいるうちにタマゴで倒すか、下降してきたところを囲もう. 大勢いるときは、降りてくる前に雲の天井を作ってしまえば安全. (They are flying above you and descend rapidly toward Yoshi. You can defeat them with eggs while they are above you, or surround them as they descend. If there are many of them, it is safe to create a cloud ceiling before they descend.)
 * Fly Guy (Red): コインやフルーツの周囲を、円を描くように飛んでいることが多い. スピードが速いときは、雲で行く手をさえぎり、動きを止めてから囲むといい. (They often fly in a circle around coins and fruit. If they are fast, block their path with a cloud to stop them from moving and then surround them.)
 * Fly Guy (Yellow): コインやフルーツをぶら下げていて、タマゴやシャボンを当てるとアイテムを落とす. 小さな円を描いて飛ぶタイプは、2回転してからしばらく待機すると飛び去ってしまう. 早めに倒そう. (Coins and fruits are dangling from them, and if you hit an egg or a bubble, it will drop an item. The type that flies in a small circle will fly away after waiting for a while after two rotations. Try to defeat them as soon as possible.)
 * Fly Guy (Green): 上下や左右に往復したり、ゆらゆら蛇行しながら進んだり、ヨッシーの後方から現れたりと、動きのパターンはさまざま. スピードは遅いので、落ち簷いてねらえば問題ない. (The movement patterns are varied, such as up and down, left and right, back and forth, meandering, or appearing from behind Yoshi. The speed is slow, so there is no problem if you aim for a falling target.)

Yoshi's New Island

 * Shogakukan guide: プロペラで空を飛び回る. 中には、アイテムを持っているものもいるので、見つけたら急いで倒そう. 赤いもののほか、緑・黄色・ピンクなどの色違いもいる. (They fly around in the sky with propellers. Some of them have items, so hurry to defeat them when you find them. In addition to red ones, there are also green, yellow, pink, and other different colors.)

Mario Power Tennis / New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis

 * Skill Type: Tricky
 * Offensive Power Shot: Tornado Twist
 * Defensive Power Shot: Tornado Return

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

 * Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser profile: ''Shy Guys who fly through the sky. No lie! Some say they know the weakness of the Ice Bros ...

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

 * Bowser Jr.'s Journey profile: ''Shy Guys who fly gracefully through the sky. Some say they've learned the weakness of Parabiddybuds.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

 * Type: Tricky
 * Special Shot: Thunder Shot
 * Letter to Tap: S

Dr. Mario World

 * Stage mode: "Increases base score by 50/70/100/150/200 points for every red virus eliminated."
 * Versus mode: "Increases speed both your and your opponent's attack meters fill by 10%/20%/30%/40%/50%."

Mario Party Superstars

 * Encyclopedia bio: "Can float thanks to the propellers attached to their heads."