Shy Guy

"Run! Run for it!"

- Shy Guy

Shy Guys (Japanese: ヘイホー, Heihō) are timid troublemakers known for their robes and masks. Their first appearance was in the non-Mario game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. They originally worked for Wart in the dreamworld Subcon, but later joined the general canon as common enemies in the Yoshi series. They are famous for their many subspecies.

''Super Mario Bros. 2
Shy Guys made their first Mario game appearance in Super Mario Bros. 2, although Shy Guy's real first appearance was in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. In this game Shy Guys along with the 8 bits helped Wart conquer the Subcon. They would attack Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad by walking in their general direction. They could be easily disposed by being picked up and thrown against another enemy or into the abyss or having an object thrown at them.

Red Shy Guys would walk off ledges while pink ones don't (similar to the green and red Koopa Troopas, respectively). Red ones are also known to ride Autobombs and Ostros and often appeared out of Vases. Pink ones became blue in the remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2. The Super Mario Advance remake introduced Giant Shy Guys.

''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Shy Guys made irregular appearances as antagonists, working for King Koopa. Like most other minions of King Koopa, Shy Guys would wear costumes to go with the theme of each episode.

''Nintendo Comics System
Shy Guys appeared commonly in issues of Nintendo Comics System, where they were depicted as somewhat disgruntled soldiers of Bowser. Along with Koopa Troopas, they appeared to be the most common minions.

''Super Mario Adventures
In Super Mario Adventures, a Shy Guy, along with a Snifit and Flurry, appeared as an attendee of Bowser's wedding to Princess Toadstool.

Super Mario Bros. film
In the Super Mario Bros. film, a group referred to as the Fungus Unit largely resembled Shy Guys in that they wore long coats and gas masks. Later on, similarly-dressed garbagemen are called Snifits.

''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Shy Guys' first chronological and true Mario appearance was in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where their name was hyphenated. Here they were extremely common and weak enemies, simply walking forward. They would often appear out of Pipes unless Yoshi had a full six eggs. The colors they came in were red, yellow, green, and magenta. Boo Guys, as well as other variants, also first appeared in this game.

''Yoshi's Story
In Yoshi's Story, Shy Guys were once again common enemies, walking forward and backward. Woozy Guys from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island had disappeared, although more varieties rose up. Some Shy Guys carry Fruit or hide in trees. To defeat the Shy Guys that are in trees, Yoshi must Ground Pound near the tree they are hiding in, causing them to fall out. Additionally, if Yoshi Ground Pounds near a Shy Guy, its color will change, although the reason for this change is unknown.

If Yoshis eat a Shy Guy with the same color, they will be awarded with three petals on their Smile Meter instead of one. Additionally, when a Baby Yoshi eats a Shy Guy, the Yoshi Egg that is produced will be the same color as the Shy Guy. This game also introduces the first "good" Shy Guy, the White Shy Guy. Shy Guys have voices in this game and can be distinctly heard saying "Hei-Ho" (their Japanese name) and other sounds.

''Yoshi Touch & Go
Shy Guys reappear in Yoshi Touch & Go. They are vulnerable to all attacks and are worth a Yellow Coin. In this game, like all the other enemies, bumping into a Shy guy causes an instant Game Over. Shy Guy serves the same purpose in this game as in the previous, as working as a common soldier for Baby Bowser. Many varieties of Shy Guy appear on the island.

''Yoshi's Island DS
Shy Guys also appeared in Yoshi's Island DS, once again, as very common and weak enemies. Yoshi could use any tactic to defeat them: jumping, egg-throwing, or swallowing. Shy Guys in this game played virtually the same role as they did in Yoshi's Island. However, there is a boss known as Big Guy the Stilted. It is seemingly a robot built by Shy Guys.

Other than being common enemies, Shy Guys also had their own section in the Island Museum. Yoshi could view the different types of Shy Guys in that section, though Shy Guys that do not wander on land, such as Tube Guys, were only in the marine section.

All of the colors from the original Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, including blue and excepting magenta, appear in this game.

''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Shy Guys under the name Shysters worked for the Smithy Gang. They helped Mack to invade the Mushroom Kingdom and the castle. Different, mechanical versions of these Shy Guys named Shypers and Springers were also found in the alternate dimension of Smithy's Factory.

More traditional Shy Guys also appeared throughout the world of the game, at places such as the Rose Way, where they sat on top of Treasure Boxes, manned Boards, or fought alongside Lakitus that would lower them towards Mario and Mallow with a fishing pole. Sling Shies (stronger versions of Shy Guys) also worked for Valentina in Nimbus Land and the rare Shy Rangers often lurked the undergrounds of Pipe Vault.

''Tetris Attack
Shy Guys appeared to be allies with Raphael the Raven in Tetris Attack. A spell was cast on all of them to work for Bowser. They appeared in the 8th level, and were saved by Yoshi. It is unknown what happened to these brave Shy Guys after the events of the game. It's unknown if these Shy Guys actually serve anyone or are free Shy Guys.

Mario Party series
Shy Guys appear in the Mario Party series (mainly in the mini-games). In this series, Shy Guys are friends of the Mario cast.

In Mario Party 4 a Shy Guy (with Toad, a Boo, a Goomba and a Koopa Troopa) find the mystical Party Cube, with which they can create parties and game boards. In this game Shy Guy wears a fedora, much like Indiana Jones, hosting his own board, Shy Guy's Jungle Jam. He created the board because he wants to go an an adventure, but isn't brave enough to go on his own. whenever he talks, he seems to be nervous and meek. Shy Guy also appears as a playable character in Beach Volley Folley.

A single, friendly, Shy Guy appears as the conductor of Shroom City's Train Station in Mario Party Advance. One of the games quests involves retrieving a ticket from him and delivering it to Goomba (an easy feat, since the Train Station is located only a few spaces away from the Goomba House). In another of the game's quests, the Shy Guy asks the Player to obtain Coal for him, because the train's supply has apparently run out. The Player can find the Coal in the Vending Machines. Once this is done, he will reward the player with the Gaddget, Cake Maker.

Shy Guys also got their own board in Mario Party 8. Titled Shy Guy's Perplex Express, the goal was to get to the front of the train to buy a Star from the Shy Guy conductor for 20 coins.

Shy Guys were featured in many of the minigames in Mario Party DS, such as Fast Food Frenzy, Rotisserie Rampage and Sweet Sleuth.

In the three Mario Party installments, Mario Party 1, Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 8, there are minigames featuring a Shy Guy (different in each game) who would raise a flag and the player had to match it. In Mario Party 8, it was an Extras minigame (called Flagging Rights), though.

Shy Guy will be appearing as a playable character in Mario Party 9.

Mario Tennis series
A Shy Guy was an unlockable character in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. This is the first time a Shy Guy was ever playable. Shy Guy came back for another round in Mario Power Tennis, but this time was available from the start. For its power move, he does a Spear Guy-type dance, gets a spear, and electrifies the ball. When it won a Singles Tournament, a cut-scene would play. During this, it would walk up to to podium with the trophy on while Luigi would be there applauding it. Accidentally, Shy Guy trips over a step on the small staircase and his mask falls off. The screen doesn't show what it looks like without his mask but an astonished Luigi sees it and just stands there with his mouth hanging wide open. Shy Guy quickly puts its mask back on, takes the trophy and walks off of the podium, thus ending the cut-scene. This implies that Shy Guys probably wear masks because they are hiding something very scary or disturbing.

''Paper Mario
Shy Guys, as well as several variations of them, were semi-common enemies in Paper Mario. After Mario returns from Forever Forest, he finds Toad Town overrun by Shy Guys. He can hit the enemies with his Hammer to make them run out of town. Once Mario discovers Shy Guy's Toy Box (the secret hide-out of the Shy Guys) they can be fought as normal enemies. They have two main attacks: They can simply tackle Mario (2 damage), or they can do an acrobatic attack, dealing 3 hitpoints of damage and bowing to an unseen but not unheard crowd. During the ending cinema of the game some Shy Guys can be seen talking with Watt, a baby Li'l Sparky. They can also be found on Lavalava Island when Spear Guys shed their armor.

''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Although Shy Guys were not actual enemies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they did appear in the Audience of most of the battles, and a few statues of Shy Guys also appeared on the Poshley Heights fountain. Occasionally, if part of the audience, Shy Guys will run onto the backstage and cause pieces of the set to fall on Mario or his enemies. This is also used to signal the first occurrence of a stage hazard (like fog, ice, fire, etc.). Shy Guys will give Mario Star Power along with the other audience members when he performs a move correctly. It is interesting to note that the name Heihoo, which is Japanese for "Shy Guy," appears alongside other scrapped enemy names (among which are also Faia Heihoo "Fire Shy Guy", Komando Heihoo "Commando Shy Guy", and Burakku Heihoo "Black Shy Guy") in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door ' s coding, suggesting that Shy Guys were once going to appear as enemies in that game.

The X-Nauts somewhat take a role of Shy Guys, as their commander, Lord Crump, gets inside a machine that slightly resembles General Guy's tank (except with arms and legs). In addition, when the X-Nauts are running away from the Great Tree, one of them falls over, mirroring the straggler Shy Guy in the Shy Squad in the first Paper Mario. Additionally, X-Nauts make formations similar to the Shy Squad and others when attacking Mario during the ship battle between Crump and Cortez, and they are fought before Crump himself is faced.

''Super Paper Mario
Shy Guys appear in the audience of Super Paper Mario when a Stylish Move is performed. Some Shy Guys are also seen holding up Mimi's vase.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, normal Shy Guys do not appear, but there are several species of Shy Guys that do appear such as Boom Guys, Elite Boom Guys, and Fly Guys also appear. When Boom Guys lose their cannons, they seem to resemble Shy Guys themselves.

''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, several Shy Guys can be found in Bowser's Castle, and a new Shy Guy character, Sergeant Guy is introduced. A group of Shy Guys aid Bowser with the Shy Guy Squad, which has the Shy Guys push Bowser into a slingshot and flings him into an enemy. There are also Fawful variations of Shy Guys, called Fawful Guys and Dark Fawful Guys. There are also Leaf Shy Guys when facing Wiggler.

''Super Smash Bros. Melee
Shy Guys also appear in the Yoshi's Story stage of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Although they are actually Fly Guys, they are called Shy Guys. The Fly Guys will fly past the stage. They are unable to damage players, but they carry Food with them, which can be dropped on the ground if they are attacked. If the player KOs a Shy Guy, they receive the bonus "Shy Guy KO". They also have a trophy in their honor.

''Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Shy Guys appear in the Mario Circuit stage, racing in go-karts in the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They are the only racers, and they will appear going across the top or bottom of the stage. If hit, the Shy Guy racers will spin out of control and wipe out, but came back shortly afterwords. It is possible to get rid of every Shy Guy on the track. If this happens no more Shy Guys will appear.

''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Shy Guys appear ice-skating in Sherbet Land, acting as obstacles for the racers. A statue of two Shy Guys can be seen in the background of Baby Park, and they appear in the audience of Waluigi Stadium.

''Mario Kart DS
A Shy Guy was playable in the download play version of Mario Kart DS, with colors such as white, black, green, light blue, dark blue, red, yellow or pink, there were rumors of a rainbow colored Shy Guy, but that was proven to be untrue.

''Mario Kart Wii
In Mario Kart Wii, Shy Guys appear as spectators and stage hazards on various tracks. In the city section of Moonview Highway, the Shy Guy emblem can be seen on the guard rails. Also, cyan/teal Shy Guys appeared on the sidelines, colors that had never been seen before on a basic Shy Guy. Also, Shy Guy appears on DK's Snowboard Cross as a snowboarder and track hazard doing tricks in the half pipe. If a player hits one of them the player will spin out and slow down. The Shy Guy will not stop though.

''Yakuman DS
Shy Guy is an opponent at the puzzle game Yakuman DS at the Ranking Mode. He's not a high-rank player, and is a bit easy to defeat.

Mario Baseball series
Shy Guys of all different colors were playable in Mario Superstar Baseball. They are balanced characters. Ironically, their starting captain is Yoshi, one of their earliest enemies. They appear in Mario Super Sluggers, still on Yoshi's team. In both games they have near average statistics in all four categories, but being slightly better batters and pitchers than they are fielders and runners.

''Mario Strikers Charged Football
Shy Guys appear as sidekicks in Mario Strikers Charged Football. They are balanced players. Their skillshot is the Bullet Bill Blast. When given enough time, a Shy Guy will charge fully before riding a fast bullet bill aimed right at the goalie. When this move is performed, the goalkeeper and all players near him (including the Shy Guy) will be temporarily stunned. Shy Guy is sometimes able to get back up and score before the goalie does, or a teammate may score. Alternatively, an opposing player trailing the bullet bill (who was a safe distance away) will sweep through and pass the ball downfield to one of his teammates. The Bullet Bill Blast has among the lowest success rates of any skillshot in the game, due to the fact that Shy Guy himself is stunned. Scoring with it is sometimes based on pure chance of where the players on the field were when the explosion happened.

When Shy Guy scores, it does its own celebration. It runs but trips and its mask falls similar to the Mario Power Tennis trophy award. While this would seem to confirm that Shy Guys' masks are not their actual faces, but when Shy Guy scores, different facial expressions are shown on the mask.

''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Shy Guy is a referee in the Wii/DS crossover, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Shy Guy is seen in his normal outfit of red robes and randomly hosts events with a cast of other Mario and Sonic Characters.

''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Shy Guy appears in the audience in many events in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. They wear different colored robes this time, instead of their normal red, including tan and light blue. They're also the goalies in ice hockey and fever hockey (DS version only).

''Mario Sports Mix
Shy Guys reappeared in Mario Sports Mix as goalkeepers in a Hockey game. They also appeared in the Western Junction court, where various Shy Guys throw either Banana Peels or Coins. They also appear in the crowd of Wario Factory in multiple colors.

Allegiance
Shy Guys first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2, where they were minions of the tyrannical king Wart. However, their first appearance chronologically was in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where they were members of the Koopa Troop. It can be assumed that the Shy Guys that work for Bowser answer to General Guy.

Since Super Mario Bros. 2, Shy Guys have been seen working for many other villains, including Smithy, Donkey Kong and Kamek. One Shy Guy (the White Shy Guy) is actually an ally of Yoshi. It may be assumed that Shy Guys are jacks-of-all-trades, and can work for whoever they want to or may even be mercenaries. There is a group of Shy Guys, Snifits, and Beezos called the 8 bits.

Physical Appearance
All Shy Guys (with the minor exception of General Guy) wear robes that can be red, pink, blue, yellow, green, black, or white. They are all fairly short and all wear masks, it is unknown what is behind them. In the intro movie of Mario Power Tennis, Luigi sees a Shy Guy without his mask on and is shocked at the sight. In Luigi's Mansion, Luigi can use the Poltergust 3000 to pull the mask off Shy Guy Ghosts. These faces are pure blackness with two glowing yellow eyes. It is unknown whether this is what a Shy Guy's face looks like when it is alive, or if the Shy Guy Ghosts are even actual Shy Guys, as they are not actually ghosts. They, like the game's other generic ghosts, were imitations created by Vincent Van Gore.

It is also possible that the Shy Guys' so-called "masks" are not masks at all, but rather faces. In Yoshi's Island DS, the sleeping Shy Guy's mask eye holes are closed, supporting this fact. Also, the Bandit sub-species of Shy Guy have been shown to have the ability to change the expressions on their masks as if they were their actual faces. The picture shown when Bandit wins in Super Mario World 2 minigames even suggests that he is able to stick out his tongue. Also, Super Mario RPG's Shy Guys' eye holes comically spin when the Shy Guy is confused, much like people's eyes do in cartoon gags; the Shy Guys of Super Mario RPG are also able to blush on their masks. Spear Guys and Dancing Spear Guys are perfectly capable of moving their mouth holes when chanting and singing, as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island shows. Most recently, in Mario Strikers Charged Football, Shy Guys have been shown to yet again to be perfectly able to change the expressions on their masks. However, most information suggests that Shy Guy's mask is indeed a mask, and what he hides behind it is surely something very dark and secret.

Some early Super Mario Bros. 2 artwork of Shy Guys, as well as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, depicted Shy Guys as wearing strange, Chuckola Fruit-like badges depicting an angry face. It is unknown what this badge represents; it is possible that it is some kind of emblem to the 8-bits, another Shy Guy-related element seen only in Super Mario Bros. 2. and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! are also notable for using game artwork of the earliest forms of Shy Guys, making them tall, stout, and humanoid; however, the appearance of Shy Guys was later retconned to their in-game sprite appearance in Super Mario Bros. 2.

In the first few episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Shy Guys were depicted as being similar in appearance to their game counterparts, though with one large exception - their masks possessed only two holes. They only had eye holes perpetually in a scowling position. Later episodes of the show would have Shy Guys resembling their game versions more with three holes in their mask, all of which were perfectly circular.

Quotes

 * "Tee hee hee hee! Welcome to Shy Guy's Shop. Too bad I'm not gonna sell anything to you, Mario!" - ''Paper Mario
 * "Oh no... Poor me..." - ''Paper Mario
 * "Waaah! Help me!" - ''Paper Mario
 * "Yes, sir!!!!!" - ''Paper Mario
 * "Hold still, okay?!" - ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
 * "IT'S HORRIBLE! HIDE THE CHILDREN! LOCK THE DOORS! BOLT THE WINDOWS!" - ''Mario Super Sluggers
 * "HURRY! HURRY! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S GOOD AND PURE, HUUUUUURRY!" - ''Mario Super Sluggers
 * "Shoo-rah!" - ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

''Mario Superstar Baseball
Bio: "A charming, masked soldier. Shy Guys used to serve an evil king named Wart, but they nowadays make a lot of cameo appearances as friendly rivals of Mario. That said, they aren't always good... On the baseball mound, Shy Guys are consistent players with a few weaknesses."
 * Type: Balanced
 * Starting Team Captain: Yoshi
 * Status: Player
 * Stats:
 * Red Shy Guy Stats:
 * Batting: 5/10
 * Pitching: 3/10
 * Fielding: 5/10
 * Running: 4/10
 * Blue Shy Guy Stats:
 * Batting: 4/10
 * Pitching: 3/10
 * Fielding: 5/10
 * Running: 5/10
 * Yellow Shy Guy Stats:
 * Batting: 3/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 5/10
 * Running: 4/10
 * Green Shy Guy Stats:
 * Batting: 4/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 5/10
 * Running: 4/10
 * Black Shy Guy Stats:
 * Batting: 4/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 6/10
 * Running: 4/10
 * Player Profile:
 * Strong Point: Nothing Particular
 * Special Talents: Sliding Catch
 * Trajectory:
 * Field: Center
 * Height: Normal
 * Star Pitch: Slowball
 * Star Swing: Center
 * Default Batting Position: Left
 * Default Throwing Arm: Left
 * Sweet Spot: The Shy Guy mask on the bat
 * Compatible Relationships: Birdo, Monty Mole

''Mario Power Tennis

 * Offensive Power Shot: Lightning Spear
 * Defensive Power Shot: Spear Dance Return
 * Doubles Partner: Boo

Gallery
For this character's gallery, see here.

Trivia

 * During the events in Mario Power Tennis, a Shy Guy will receive its trophy from Luigi. When it climbs the stairs, it accidentally stumbles on the last step and has its mask fall down, revealing its face. Only Luigi saw the Shy Guy's true face and that makes him shocked. The player never sees the actual face, and Shy Guy put its mask back on quickly.
 * In Mario Strikers Charged Football, one of Shy Guy's animations has it tripping and losing its mask. Like with Mario Power Tennis, its true face is not seen by the player.
 * In Paper Mario, it is revealed that Shy Guys have their own language called Shy Guy that only Russ T. can understand.