Yoshi (universe)

The Yoshi universe refers to the sub-franchise of video games and properties from Nintendo's expansive and hugely successful Mario series that deals with Mario series character Yoshi. It is generally agreed on that Yoshi and related items count as Mario properties, but Yoshi has appeared in enough of his own games alongside enough original characters and properties that many consider him as holding sway over a "sub-universe" of Mario. Yoshi is also considered part of his own universe because his smasher's insignia consists of a spotted Yoshi Egg rather than the iconic image of a Super Mushroom held by other Mario characters.

Franchise description
By 1990, Nintendo had established a hugely successful Mario video game franchise in a trio of NES platforming titles named Super Mario Bros., featuring Mario as a main character. Nintendo released the SNES in 1991, and Shigeru Miyamoto developed the platformer Super Mario World as a launch title. Graphics designer Shigefumi Hino, who would later direct Pikmin, created the dinosauric character Yoshi and had him and the rest of his multicolored species introduced into the Mario universe through Super Mario World because Nintendo's design staff expressed a desire to see Mario ride a dinosaur. Yoshi was instantly popular with players and soon afterwards became the protagonist of his own series of platform and puzzle games for various consoles, as well as appearing frequently in many Mario games as a co-character.

Yoshi was made the main character of his own sub-universe with the release of the 1995 SNES sequel Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which introduced characters like Baby Mario and enemies like Raphael Raven, and the further sequel Yoshi's Story for N64 introduced a more saccharine atmosphere to the sub-universe along with more original characters like Pak E. Derm. Other games in which Yoshi has had a starring role include the puzzle games Yoshi's Egg, Yoshi, and Tetris Attack, the role-playing Super Mario RPG (as one playable party member in Mario's crew), Yoshi's Touch & Go! for the DS, and as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee.

The Yoshi sub-franchise is essentially the division of the main Mario franchise that focuses on being especially bright and cheery, and in various cases Yoshi-centric games are oriented more towards young gamers than the general Mario games. Yoshi itself is a frequently recurring character in many of the Mario games, however, and is practically a staple character in games where many Mario characters are available for selection, such as all of the Mario Kart series, the Mario Sports series such as Golf and Tennis, and the Mario Party series. For his repeated involvement in this multitude of Mario titles, Yoshi has become a major character in the Mario universe.

In Super Smash Bros
If treated separately from the Mario universe, the Yoshi universe is only about as big as most of the other franchises represented in SSB, with one character and one stage represented, and there is no item that can be considered Yoshi-centric.

Character
The following character is considered both part of his own universe and part of the "Marioverse."


 * Yoshi: A multicolored species of bright, optimistic asexual dinosaur first seen as a mount for Mario in Super Mario World, one particular green Yoshi, who the name Yoshi is often used to refer to, is often a costar in many Mario games, and it has also been made as the star of many of its own games, often platformers and puzzle games. Yoshi are used as a mode of transportation by Mario at times, and in other cases Yoshi take it upon themselves to transport baby versions of Mario characters in games like Yoshi's Island DS. All colored species of Yoshi have the ability to swallow up enemies with their strechable tongues and eject them as Yoshi eggs, which the Yoshi can find various uses for such as throwing the eggs as projectiles. Yoshi are also able to hover in air momentarily. These abilities are directly reflected in Yoshi's appearance as a Smash Bros. fighter; however, it is the only fighter not to have a third jump in its B-Up move, which is considered a major disadvantage.

Stage
If the Yoshi universe is counted as separate from the rest of the Mario universe, Super Smash Bros. features one Yoshi-themed stage:
 * Yoshi's Island: This stage is designed to resemble Yoshi's Story (not '"Yoshi's Island" from the SNES platformer titles) for the N64 thematically, with the main stage itself consisting of a giant storybook with several clouds appearing and disappearing at the sides of the stage.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee
While Melee is much bigger than Smash, none of the game's items are based on Yoshi, however, and Yoshi is still the only character from the Yoshi universe that is actually featured as a playable character, reprising his role as a fighter with a high double jump but no third jump. He is able to turn himself into an egg and bowl through opponents on the ground as his new B-Forward Move.

Stages
Super Smash Bros. Melee features three Yoshi-themed stages, however, compared to the two-at-most stages for many other franchises (Mario, Donkey Kong, and Kirby being the only exceptions):


 * Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island: This stage is a general depiction of Super Mario World's tileset, with blocks that swivel when they are attacked and characters can fall through them while swiveling.
 * Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Story: A somewhat simplistic stage based on Yoshi's Story, featuring Shy Guys carrying Food flying through the stage and Pak E. Derm in the background.
 * Past Stages: Yoshi's Island: The original Yoshi's Island stage returns in Melee totally unaltered.

Full Trophy List

 * Yoshi's three game trophies
 * Baby Mario
 * Shy Guys
 * Pak E. Derm
 * Raphael Raven

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
No Yoshi-centric content has been revealed by trailers for Super Smash Bros. Brawl thus far, but most fans assume that it is a guarantee that Yoshi will return as a fighter, based on his playable appearances in the previous two games.