I think it's supposed to be his species name. Yoshisaurus munchakoopas, rather than an actual name. Its because yoshis are natural predators of koopas. Though a better species epithet would be koopaphagus
Whatcha mean didn’t stick? I just don’t say my full name I go off my nick 😂 Yoshi 🤣 that’s it. This comment is before I watch the video: “I believe he’s both a Dino and Dragon it’s like to say in their world it’s the final evolution like humans to super human ❤
There's a creature in Chinese mythology called a dragon-turtle (or longgui). So in terms of whether Yoshi is a dragon or a turtle... both, I guess? This might also apply to Bowser.
Lóngguī are from Chinese mythology, and in Chinese mythology they're supposed to be good, just like lóng (Chinese dragons). Dragons in Western mythology however, unlike in Chinese mythology, are known for breathing fire, terrorizing people, and overall bad behavior. The medieval Western legends of the life of St. George include a story about him slaying a dragon to save a princess. Nintendo took from both Chinese and Western mythology to create Bowser. With the yoshis introduced in Super Mario World, however, Nintendo described them using the word "ドラゴン", which is just the English word "dragon" written in katakana; they don't describe them as a "ryū", the Japanese word for dragon referring to the Chinese type. Yoshis in SMW can sprout wings and fly and breathe fire, but only under special circumstances.
@@TheMentok Great, another Yoshi video, and people are still thinking "Mama Luigi" is more important than the fact that there were two designs within the SMW Cartoon; one that's "in-house" by DiC, and another more based on the official design by Nintendo.
@@robbiewalker2831 I've never seen that show. Are the two designs meant to represent different Yoshis, or does the same Yoshi just switch designs at random due to some miscommunication or something behind the scenes?
I never thought of Yoshi as having a specific individual Yoshi, just random members of the species instead from game to game, but the idea of having one main Yoshi like you mentioned actually does make sense, similar to how there are several main character Pikachu to represent all Pikachus. (I think of the Smash Bros 64 Pikachu as being the Pikachu from Yellow and Stadium but I never put much thought into it.) As for my favorite version of Yoshi, I think Yoshi's Island will always be my definitive Yoshi. I still remember buying that game on the very first day at Target with a new controller and playing it almost nonstop for the following week. Getting 100 on every level and discovering the secret code as a kid was such a rewarding experience, as well as learning how to time the roulette to quickly max out my lives. The world and art style just seemed so much better than any other Yoshi game, but that's my taste anyways.
It was actually pretty difficult to track down evidence of multiple green Yoshis but definitely something I always wondered. Probably something Nintendo didn't figure was too important in the grand scheme of things though. Yoshi's Island is still my favorite in the series and its just so easy to hop back into all these years later.
Yoshi's Island is my favorite Yoshi game, also. By far. I didn't play it until I was an adult, but it's a really beautiful game. You got 100 on EVERY level?!?!?! That's freaking incredible! You are a super player! I tried to work on getting all 100's but I'm struggling like crazy. Haven't even gotten all 100's in a single world yet...that's really impressive!
Honestly, the fact that Yoshi comes from Yoshi's Island (or Yo'ster Island) just implies that they're just an indigenous race of lizard-like creatures. maybe as an analogous comparison to Koopas. while Bowser did invade Dinosaur Island, there was already indiginous species of familiar enemies like Galoombas that are just regionally-similar to Goombas. though Goombas (and other species) appeared in Yoshi's Island which could just make them more biologically related; maybe clans of enemy types left with Bowser and wound up in the Mushroom Kingdom later on? Also the Yoshi that assists baby Mario in Island might have been implied to be the Yoshi Elder in Paper Mario, if only because it was mentioned that he met Raphael the Raven in the past (world 5-8. despite being made gigantic and into *a constellation*) however you fought him as Purple Yoshi. either that or possibly the Yoshi you bump into in Mario RPG (though more likely the one from World) since he seemed to recognize mario immediately (but mentions nothing of World). interesting note, Viridi mentions Megasmilax during Pirana Plant's palutena dialogue in Smash Ultimate despite RPG being non-canon. (to the extent that Geno was replaced in the Superstar Saga remake).
The dialogue from Viridi, Palutena, Snake and Otacon is always so interesting and well thought out. Also, I thought about discussing the Yoshi Elder from Paper Mario as well because I always kinda assumed he was the original one from Yoshi's Island
I like to think the Yoshi's are prehistoric Proto-Koopas who survived an extinction event on Dinosaur island. Evolution continued and Koopas became their own branch and thrived, which is why there's so many Koopa variations but only one Yoshi type. It would explain why both Koopas and Yoshi's have turtle-dragon traits.
Incorrect. There are specific Yoshis, just like Toads. The 2 most well known ones are the Yoshi we see in most modern games and spinoffs who first appeared in Super Mario World and is one of the 7 Star children. The 2nd Yoshi is the Yoshi in all the Yoshi Island games and potentially the old yoshi in Paper Mario.
I actually played Yoshi in the RUclips web series Stupid Mario Brothers. He was my favorite from my childhood so it seemed rather fitting. When Richie (the web show's creator) approached me to play the role, I said yes, but I insisted that Yoshi doesn't talk, but to use the sound effects from the games instead, taking a page from Chewbacca, because, at the time, I honestly couldn't think of a voice that worked and I definitely didn't want him to sound like how he did in the DIC animated show. Richie thankfully agreed and obliged. It was a good costume, but damn was it near impossible to see with the head on and remember my marks in filming and hear "cut" from a large distance. Anyway, as a fan of the character I really liked your video. Thanks.
I never thought of THE Yoshi being one of the star kids, and that’s the Yoshi that’s been with Mario, Luigi & Everyone Else. But i really like the idea, so i’m making it my headcanon.
20:30 holy crap i thought the yoshi was CGI when i watched that movie as a kid. i was little so i didn't know what kind of CGI was realistic at the time, but i never imagined this was an animatronic. that's gotta be one of the best animatronics i've ever seen.
I had to give them props for it. I didn’t mention this in the video but the Jurassic Park team apparently even gave the animatronic praise when they saw it
Please don’t forget to cover Toad as well. He’s one of my favorite Mario characters and he is one of the main characters so he deserves more attention honestly.
THANK YOU for covering who's the main green Yoshi! It's been bugging me so much that Nintendo hasn't specificied that the one from Yoshi's Island isn't the exact same one from SMW onward, and I put down those exact details together 1 to 1 just like you have! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's thought about this and talked about it before!
Oh wow, thank you for this! Glad you've been enjoying them. I've been listening to your remixes for years. It's a little surreal to see some of the creators I've been watching end up in my comment section.
to be fair, koopa troopas can LOSE their shells, which for a real turtle would be like taking off their entire ribcage like a sweater, so real turtle logic doesn't quite apply in the mario universe
Usually I watch deep dives on Mario characters like this already knowing pretty much everything about the character's history, just watching to appreciate the well articulated and researched video. But I legitimately learned a few new things from this! Like the Yoshi species being a unisex, asexually reproducing species. In real life, a species like that would be considered all "female", but Nintendo being Nintendo wants to be able to justify having Yoshi be a "male" but still lay eggs, so they decided "oh, they technically don't have a gender" to be as simplistic as possible. Nintendo just unintentionally turned Yoshi into a non-binary icon! I love it! lol
By far the most unusual incarnation of Yoshi is their inclusion in Super Mario Sunshine. They hatch from eggs after being fed a specific fruit like always, but don’t come in green unless if they are close to death, they can spew a strange juice like substance that can turn enemies into platforms, and dissolve when in water. It’s implied that these yoshies are not real yoshies, but rather paint creatures created by the magic paintbrush Bowser Jr stole, like with the enemies you face.
The Japanese word for dinosaur is 恐竜 (kyouryuu, literally "scary dragon") so calling him a dragon is just an extension of that. Lots of Japanese media will liken dinosaurs to dragons because of this. I guess a relevant example is Tyrunt and Tyrantrum being half dragon type in Pokemon.
Yoshi is a Pokémon think about it. The Yoshi species is only capable of saying their name like most Pokémon and only a select few can actually speak plus Yoshi eggs look like Pokémon eggs the evidence stacks up perfectly. Case closed, mystery solved next question.
He'd be a Dragon/Flying for sure if that was the case. He does rock the durability and capacity for punishment that a dragon would have, and has shown time and time again to be very proficient in the air, plus his many ways of gaining wings, whether naturally or by power-up.
I’d like to believe that Yoshi taxonomy goes Dinosaur-dragon-koopa-yoshi. Yoshies are just a form of koopas which are just a form of dragons which are just a form of dinosaurs.
I love yoshi so much he’s absolutely adorable 🥰 yoshi and Mario will always be my favorite video game characters of all time 😊❤️ Luigi is a close second
Oh my gosh, I never thought of it before, but in Super Mario World, Yoshi can 1: sprout wings and fly, and 2: breathe fire. Yoshi was a dragon from the beginning!
I read somewhere that (the main) Yoshi's full name was Yoshisaur T. Muchikoopa, implying that the Yoshi species itself was either meant to be called Yoshisaurs, if they were truly meant to be Yoshis, or Muchikoopas, if they were meant to be a branch of the koopas.
I'm super late, but I wanted to mention the super mario world manga, where I believe at the end of it, yoshi is basically adopted as the third mario brother, and speaking personally, he fits that role like a glove to me.
My favourite Yoshi game is Yoshi's Island, I like the fact that you can do everything you want (Throwing eggs, eating enemies...) and the graphics look very very cool
When the Jurassic Park scientists first spliced ancient dino DNA with frog DNA to resurrect dinosaurs, it took them a bunch of tries to get it right. Yoshi was among the early failures.
"A turtle with Dragon-like features"?.. You talking about Bowser, my man? I'd like to think he's a Dino-Dragon (Hybrid), where he's mostly a dinosaur that can transform into a Super Dragon, as shown in Smash.
The "dragon" terminology actually made it into the English translation of SMW, not in the message at Yoshi's house, but instead in the name of the coins donning Yoshi's visage: the so-called "Dragon Coins".
I don't know if its confirmed or not, someone can fact check this...I was always under the impression that the Green Yoshi from Yoshi's Island series ended up as the Village leader in Paper Mario?
I think they claimed that in Super Mario Bros. Z, a fan cartoon. As someone who hadn't played PM, I definitely mistook my childhood memory of this as an actual fact I heard
@@lrgogo1517 It's funny I went to the Mario wiki to try and fact check myself but couldnt find any info on village leader being yoshi's island green. That's why I asked for a fact checker. You're exactly right I watched an episode of Super Mario Bros Z years and years ago and the village leader being Yoshi's island green kinda just made its way into my head canon, and then I forgot where I heard it until your comment right now lol
@@lrgogo1517 I almost included him for this reason as well and stopped short because I read up on the elder and didn't find much evidence to support the idea. This comment made me realize that Super Mario Bros Z also had me under the impression a direct reference was made somewhere xD
My interpretation was that Yoshi is the name of the species, considering that's several different "yoshis" on *Yoshi* Island. But in the end of the day, it's better to not think about it too much. Yoshi is just Yoshi 😛
What's up with 90s video games and their main characters just trying to take a vacation? Mario, Sonic, Spyro, I'm pretty sure Crash did at one point...
Great work man! Honestly I think Yoshi being referred to either a dragon or a Dinosaur is fine since they are pretty much the same thing. Those animatronic effects they had for him in the live action film were so good shame the film wasn't though. Same with Godzilla 1998 since the same special effects team worked on that film too. Keep up the great work
@4:46 Yosh also means "hedgehog" in Russian. When Robotnik pets a Chao in Sonic Adventure 2, he says, "yosh." More than likely, it's to mean "it's okay," but I always thought it was just an easter egg bc Sonic is a hedgehog.
You know, I always wondered if the yoshi in Mario Sunshine were like a subspecies of of them since they were weak to water and had the ability to spit juice. I mean it could just as easily had been a curse bowser put them under but i don't think its ever explained. Delfno yoshi seem like different yoshi.
apparently the yoshis are from Bowser Jr’s paintbrush thas why most the enemies look different bc bowser jr drew them and is why they are weak to water
@@jalen2funny After all these years it finally makes sense. I don't know how I never put it together! Why enemies like Petey Piranha turn into goop and dissolving when defeated, how he can somehow come back after literally melting in front of Mario, how enemies (like the Pokeys) will create a goopy "splat" when launched into the wall, why Yoshi dissolves in water and spits goop. Like I knew Jr. was able to create things with the brush, and assumed Mecha Bowser and his other big mechanical things were created from the brush, so I really don't know why I didn't realize all that. Weird that Jr. would create Yoshis that help Mario, but I don't see any other explanation making sense as to why the Piantas would be so surprised by Yoshis "returning to the island" and them dissolving in water.
@@jalen2funny It could also just be by what they ate. In SMW, Yoshi's get different power ups, depending on what kind of shell they eat. Multiple other instances in other games include similar scenarios. That would be an amazing theory, and detail though!
I really liked "Yoshi's Cookies". I had that on the Game Boy when I was a kid, and much like Tetris, it was great for long car trips. It was a total cash-grab by Nintendo by putting Yoshi into a puzzle game where he really didn't do anything...but I didn't care, it was a fun game.
@TheMentok: Yoshi official Nintendo debut was in Mario is missing for the NES, I do not know if yoshi was in Mario time machine for the NES since I did not go far enough into the game, the reason why people forgot about this was because they are both educational game, and it may not be considered cannon even though officially made by nintendo.
I'm surprised you didn't mention it, but one of the message blocks in Super Mario World says "these big coins are called Dragon Coins". Always been confused why the original game calls them Dragon Coins, when Yoshi really doesn't look like a Dragon to me. And in fact, the SMW romhacking community simply refers to them as "Yoshi Coins", instead, just as I'm sure plenty of regular players do as well.
@@Go_go_gadget call me crazy, but I don't see how a fantastic creature without biological sense can compare with an actual species. So, same way I see Toads as Toads and not some fungus, I see Yoshis as just Yoshis. Not dragons, dinosaurs, salamanders, unicorns or frogs. Which is perfectly OK since they don't exist, whatever you think is fine and nothing of this actually matters at all
I remember when I was young playing Mario party 2 I used to think yoshi was a frog to spite to look on his face but my older brother corrected me saying that yoshi is a dinosaur!
If we're talking Yoshi headcanons, growing up I used to think the elder Yoshi seen in Paper Mario's Yoshi's Island was the original Yoshi who rescued him as a baby. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thought that- it certainly doesn't help that popular fanimation Super Mario Bros. Z also used that in its lore.
Yoshi being a mix between a dragon and dino makes sense if you look at the Kanji. I'm no professional but I did read that the word for dinosaur in Japanese contains the characters for dragon
I don't see why he can't be all three, or at least a dragon from the time of the dinosaurs but closely related to what would become koopa/tortoises. Also, even if he is sexless he could still have a romantic interest in Birdo, despite the fact both can reproduce asexually.
11:56 funny you mentioned mortal kombat because in the 2020 gigaleak yoshi safiri had blood in it elary state of developing. Yoshi would have a nosebleed if he got hit
I'm willing to bet they removed it when Mortal Kombat was getting all the heat 😂 I remember having to do everything in my power to play that game in secret as a kid
Birdo is like Yoshi when it comes to eggs. For one, Birdo is trans (biologically male but identifies as female), yet lays eggs like Yoshi. This has been confirmed in recent years outside 2 as well. In sports titles Birdo is often referred to as both he and she. And in Mario Golf World Tour, Birdo can't access woman's locker as it's for woman only, implying her sex is male. But several games establish that Birdos sex is male, while gender is female. So egg laying doesn't seem dependent on sex in Mario
I find it kinda funny how they didn't like the idea of making Yoshi look like a realistic reptillian for it not fitting the Mario universe, just for them to have realistic humans, dinosaurs, and other animals in Super Mario Odyssey.
My guess: Yoshi is a dinosaur, since a lot of dinosaurs in Japanese media (anime, manga, tokusatsu movies and TV shows, and video games) have dragon-like features (e.g. breathing fire, think Godzilla, Agumon from Digimon, the T-rex from Dinosaur King, or T-Rex from Fossil Fighters). After all, the Japanese word for “dinosaur” (kyōryū) can also be translated as “terrible dragon”, and dinosaur and prehistoric animal fossils were once mistaken as dragon bones in the past (especially in ancient China, Japan, and Korea).
Additionally, Yoshi’s Classic Mode route in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is called Jurassic Journey (Jurassic Island in Japanese). And Gomboss (the giant Goomba boss) in Super Mario 64 DS called him a “prehistoric wimp”.
In a 1993 character guide from Nintendo, they mention his full name is: T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas. I’m not surprised that didn’t stick
*Munchakoopas*
*Yep*
I think it's supposed to be his species name. Yoshisaurus munchakoopas, rather than an actual name. Its because yoshis are natural predators of koopas.
Though a better species epithet would be koopaphagus
Whatcha mean didn’t stick? I just don’t say my full name I go off my nick 😂 Yoshi 🤣 that’s it. This comment is before I watch the video: “I believe he’s both a Dino and Dragon it’s like to say in their world it’s the final evolution like humans to super human ❤
It's kind of funny in hindsight that they gave him feathered wings since we now know that theropods had plumage.
Miles "Tails" Prower lookinass
There's a creature in Chinese mythology called a dragon-turtle (or longgui). So in terms of whether Yoshi is a dragon or a turtle... both, I guess? This might also apply to Bowser.
I feel like Bowser is more fitting for this, as his shell is more prominent and he can spit fire, a thing that typically only dragons can do
Lóngguī are from Chinese mythology, and in Chinese mythology they're supposed to be good, just like lóng (Chinese dragons). Dragons in Western mythology however, unlike in Chinese mythology, are known for breathing fire, terrorizing people, and overall bad behavior. The medieval Western legends of the life of St. George include a story about him slaying a dragon to save a princess. Nintendo took from both Chinese and Western mythology to create Bowser. With the yoshis introduced in Super Mario World, however, Nintendo described them using the word "ドラゴン", which is just the English word "dragon" written in katakana; they don't describe them as a "ryū", the Japanese word for dragon referring to the Chinese type. Yoshis in SMW can sprout wings and fly and breathe fire, but only under special circumstances.
@@MisterJang0 You're right, longgui are Chinese. Apologies for my mistake. I've edited my original comment.
I'm almost certain this can apply for Bowser. But I don't think Yoshi fits.
@@geschnitztekiste4111 ain't bowser a kappa tho
I love how you’re honoring your promise to always say Super Mario Bros. in the most correct way.
I wonder when this joke will get old
@@TheMentok Great, another Yoshi video, and people are still thinking "Mama Luigi" is more important than the fact that there were two designs within the SMW Cartoon; one that's "in-house" by DiC, and another more based on the official design by Nintendo.
@@robbiewalker2831 I've never seen that show. Are the two designs meant to represent different Yoshis, or does the same Yoshi just switch designs at random due to some miscommunication or something behind the scenes?
@@KasumiKenshirou just watch the show, you can watch it free on multiple platforms including youtube
@@TheMentok It shall never get old
I never thought of Yoshi as having a specific individual Yoshi, just random members of the species instead from game to game, but the idea of having one main Yoshi like you mentioned actually does make sense, similar to how there are several main character Pikachu to represent all Pikachus. (I think of the Smash Bros 64 Pikachu as being the Pikachu from Yellow and Stadium but I never put much thought into it.)
As for my favorite version of Yoshi, I think Yoshi's Island will always be my definitive Yoshi. I still remember buying that game on the very first day at Target with a new controller and playing it almost nonstop for the following week. Getting 100 on every level and discovering the secret code as a kid was such a rewarding experience, as well as learning how to time the roulette to quickly max out my lives. The world and art style just seemed so much better than any other Yoshi game, but that's my taste anyways.
Yoshi always made me want to sling eggs out of my tendrils
The music was amazing! Sadly the sequels had very lackluster music!
It was actually pretty difficult to track down evidence of multiple green Yoshis but definitely something I always wondered. Probably something Nintendo didn't figure was too important in the grand scheme of things though. Yoshi's Island is still my favorite in the series and its just so easy to hop back into all these years later.
Yoshi's Island is my favorite Yoshi game, also. By far. I didn't play it until I was an adult, but it's a really beautiful game. You got 100 on EVERY level?!?!?! That's freaking incredible! You are a super player! I tried to work on getting all 100's but I'm struggling like crazy. Haven't even gotten all 100's in a single world yet...that's really impressive!
Honestly, the fact that Yoshi comes from Yoshi's Island (or Yo'ster Island) just implies that they're just an indigenous race of lizard-like creatures. maybe as an analogous comparison to Koopas. while Bowser did invade Dinosaur Island, there was already indiginous species of familiar enemies like Galoombas that are just regionally-similar to Goombas. though Goombas (and other species) appeared in Yoshi's Island which could just make them more biologically related; maybe clans of enemy types left with Bowser and wound up in the Mushroom Kingdom later on?
Also the Yoshi that assists baby Mario in Island might have been implied to be the Yoshi Elder in Paper Mario, if only because it was mentioned that he met Raphael the Raven in the past (world 5-8. despite being made gigantic and into *a constellation*) however you fought him as Purple Yoshi. either that or possibly the Yoshi you bump into in Mario RPG (though more likely the one from World) since he seemed to recognize mario immediately (but mentions nothing of World). interesting note, Viridi mentions Megasmilax during Pirana Plant's palutena dialogue in Smash Ultimate despite RPG being non-canon. (to the extent that Geno was replaced in the Superstar Saga remake).
The dialogue from Viridi, Palutena, Snake and Otacon is always so interesting and well thought out. Also, I thought about discussing the Yoshi Elder from Paper Mario as well because I always kinda assumed he was the original one from Yoshi's Island
RPG is 100% canon. The only non canon Mario games are things like Mario Hotel.
I like to think the Yoshi's are prehistoric Proto-Koopas who survived an extinction event on Dinosaur island. Evolution continued and Koopas became their own branch and thrived, which is why there's so many Koopa variations but only one Yoshi type. It would explain why both Koopas and Yoshi's have turtle-dragon traits.
Just the fact that Yoshi isn't just a character, little buddy is a concept.
Incorrect. There are specific Yoshis, just like Toads.
The 2 most well known ones are the Yoshi we see in most modern games and spinoffs who first appeared in Super Mario World and is one of the 7 Star children.
The 2nd Yoshi is the Yoshi in all the Yoshi Island games and potentially the old yoshi in Paper Mario.
I actually played Yoshi in the RUclips web series Stupid Mario Brothers. He was my favorite from my childhood so it seemed rather fitting. When Richie (the web show's creator) approached me to play the role, I said yes, but I insisted that Yoshi doesn't talk, but to use the sound effects from the games instead, taking a page from Chewbacca, because, at the time, I honestly couldn't think of a voice that worked and I definitely didn't want him to sound like how he did in the DIC animated show. Richie thankfully agreed and obliged. It was a good costume, but damn was it near impossible to see with the head on and remember my marks in filming and hear "cut" from a large distance. Anyway, as a fan of the character I really liked your video. Thanks.
I never thought of THE Yoshi being one of the star kids, and that’s the Yoshi that’s been with Mario, Luigi & Everyone Else. But i really like the idea, so i’m making it my headcanon.
20:30 holy crap i thought the yoshi was CGI when i watched that movie as a kid. i was little so i didn't know what kind of CGI was realistic at the time, but i never imagined this was an animatronic. that's gotta be one of the best animatronics i've ever seen.
I had to give them props for it. I didn’t mention this in the video but the Jurassic Park team apparently even gave the animatronic praise when they saw it
Please don’t forget to cover Toad as well. He’s one of my favorite Mario characters and he is one of the main characters so he deserves more attention honestly.
I haven't ruled Toad out just yet. :)
@@TheMentok thank goodness. I do love how Nintendo is finally giving him more focus as even even gonna be a main character in the move.
@@TheMentok How about Rosalina?
THANK YOU for covering who's the main green Yoshi! It's been bugging me so much that Nintendo hasn't specificied that the one from Yoshi's Island isn't the exact same one from SMW onward, and I put down those exact details together 1 to 1 just like you have! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's thought about this and talked about it before!
Didn't they reveal that in the ending of Yoshi's Island DS?
Yes, yes they did. That very reveal is why this detail is important.
Been binge watching your videos lately absolutely blown away by how much research you put into these! Such a treat to watch:)
Oh wow, thank you for this! Glad you've been enjoying them. I've been listening to your remixes for years. It's a little surreal to see some of the creators I've been watching end up in my comment section.
The fact that you keep doing the Japanese pronunciation is one of the best things ever. Gets me every time.
My main reason on why Yoshi can't be a turtle is that turtles are born with shells and Yoshi isn't. It's just something they gain after eating alot
to be fair, koopa troopas can LOSE their shells, which for a real turtle would be like taking off their entire ribcage like a sweater, so real turtle logic doesn't quite apply in the mario universe
Usually I watch deep dives on Mario characters like this already knowing pretty much everything about the character's history, just watching to appreciate the well articulated and researched video.
But I legitimately learned a few new things from this! Like the Yoshi species being a unisex, asexually reproducing species. In real life, a species like that would be considered all "female", but Nintendo being Nintendo wants to be able to justify having Yoshi be a "male" but still lay eggs, so they decided "oh, they technically don't have a gender" to be as simplistic as possible. Nintendo just unintentionally turned Yoshi into a non-binary icon! I love it! lol
I’m trying to include ONE fact that everyone doesn’t know. It’s hard but I’m definitely putting in the work. Thanks for watching
The Mario "canon" "lore" is so vague and chaotic I love it
8:15 Birdo and Yoshi as enby ace partners? New head-canon unlocked.
I love teaming-up these gender-norm expectation breakers so much.
By far the most unusual incarnation of Yoshi is their inclusion in Super Mario Sunshine. They hatch from eggs after being fed a specific fruit like always, but don’t come in green unless if they are close to death, they can spew a strange juice like substance that can turn enemies into platforms, and dissolve when in water. It’s implied that these yoshies are not real yoshies, but rather paint creatures created by the magic paintbrush Bowser Jr stole, like with the enemies you face.
The Japanese word for dinosaur is 恐竜 (kyouryuu, literally "scary dragon") so calling him a dragon is just an extension of that. Lots of Japanese media will liken dinosaurs to dragons because of this. I guess a relevant example is Tyrunt and Tyrantrum being half dragon type in Pokemon.
The same also applies to Agumon in Digimon. And Godzilla himself also has dragon-like characteristics.
Yoshi is a Pokémon think about it. The Yoshi species is only capable of saying their name like most Pokémon and only a select few can actually speak plus Yoshi eggs look like Pokémon eggs the evidence stacks up perfectly. Case closed, mystery solved next question.
He'd be a Dragon/Flying for sure if that was the case. He does rock the durability and capacity for punishment that a dragon would have, and has shown time and time again to be very proficient in the air, plus his many ways of gaining wings, whether naturally or by power-up.
You must be kidding since SMW existed years before Pokémon.
He's a variety of Koopa according to the creator's lore
Your commitment to the pronunciation of Super Mario Brothers is commendable. 😆 Love it.
I’d like to believe that Yoshi taxonomy goes Dinosaur-dragon-koopa-yoshi. Yoshies are just a form of koopas which are just a form of dragons which are just a form of dinosaurs.
I love yoshi so much he’s absolutely adorable 🥰 yoshi and Mario will always be my favorite video game characters of all time 😊❤️ Luigi is a close second
Yoshi has a shell on his back? I always thought it was just some kind of weird saddle thing.
Oh come on, he's clearly a namekian
Damiano dei maneski
"Are you a Namekian?"
"Yes Mario I'm a Green fucking alien slug person"
Quack!
NOW PLANT YOUR FEET
GRIT YOUR TEETH
AND *EAT THAT HORSE*
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Enjoying your work man.
Glad to see one of us producing some of the best work in this genre.
Keep it up man.
Oh my gosh, I never thought of it before, but in Super Mario World, Yoshi can 1: sprout wings and fly, and 2: breathe fire. Yoshi was a dragon from the beginning!
I read somewhere that (the main) Yoshi's full name was Yoshisaur T. Muchikoopa, implying that the Yoshi species itself was either meant to be called Yoshisaurs, if they were truly meant to be Yoshis, or Muchikoopas, if they were meant to be a branch of the koopas.
I really wish we'd get a yoshi raising game. Something like monster rancher or the chao garden.
I named my TTYD yoshi Burai after the Japanese version of mighty morphin green, DragonRanger.
Loved that little guy
So without Yoshi there wouldn’t be Pokémon?
Neat.
I'm super late, but I wanted to mention the super mario world manga, where I believe at the end of it, yoshi is basically adopted as the third mario brother, and speaking personally, he fits that role like a glove to me.
My favourite Yoshi game is Yoshi's Island, I like the fact that you can do everything you want (Throwing eggs, eating enemies...) and the graphics look very very cool
Now I wonder if Birdo is a dragon or dinosaur too...
Yoshi will always be my fave nintendo characters
Dude your videos are amazing. Not sure what else to say
Another amazing Mario universe video. Great content as always mentok
When the Jurassic Park scientists first spliced ancient dino DNA with frog DNA to resurrect dinosaurs, it took them a bunch of tries to get it right. Yoshi was among the early failures.
So cool. My aunt and uncle had one of those super scopes for snes. I never knew what it was for though!
8:58 Was not expecting a Super Mario Compact Disco reference 😂
"A turtle with Dragon-like features"?.. You talking about Bowser, my man? I'd like to think he's a Dino-Dragon (Hybrid), where he's mostly a dinosaur that can transform into a Super Dragon, as shown in Smash.
The "dragon" terminology actually made it into the English translation of SMW, not in the message at Yoshi's house, but instead in the name of the coins donning Yoshi's visage: the so-called "Dragon Coins".
Technically he is both because dinosaurs are considered dragons in Japan
I don't know if its confirmed or not, someone can fact check this...I was always under the impression that the Green Yoshi from Yoshi's Island series ended up as the Village leader in Paper Mario?
I think they claimed that in Super Mario Bros. Z, a fan cartoon. As someone who hadn't played PM, I definitely mistook my childhood memory of this as an actual fact I heard
@@lrgogo1517 It's funny I went to the Mario wiki to try and fact check myself but couldnt find any info on village leader being yoshi's island green. That's why I asked for a fact checker. You're exactly right I watched an episode of Super Mario Bros Z years and years ago and the village leader being Yoshi's island green kinda just made its way into my head canon, and then I forgot where I heard it until your comment right now lol
@@lrgogo1517 I almost included him for this reason as well and stopped short because I read up on the elder and didn't find much evidence to support the idea. This comment made me realize that Super Mario Bros Z also had me under the impression a direct reference was made somewhere xD
Agggghhhh the music is so crisp by far my all time favourite Mario game has to be super Mario world
The day we’ve all been waiting for has come boys!
I too am happy about the come boys
Love the Ambassador of Funk in the editing😂😂isn’t that album such a hidden gem?!
I laughed at "You can sacrifice Yoshi for the greater good" "What was that last one" LoL 😆
I always preferred the Yoshis from Super Mario Sunshine and their ability to change color depending on whichever fruit you decide to feed them
My interpretation was that Yoshi is the name of the species, considering that's several different "yoshis" on *Yoshi* Island. But in the end of the day, it's better to not think about it too much. Yoshi is just Yoshi 😛
Before watching this I just want to tell you that your use of the clip of guy looking confused and going "WHAT?" pops in my head all the time
I like how you added last of us when comparing team size. Relatable and relevant. Such a tasteful detail in my opinion. Great video
Yoshi actually looked pretty dope in the SMB movie.
What's up with 90s video games and their main characters just trying to take a vacation? Mario, Sonic, Spyro, I'm pretty sure Crash did at one point...
Great work man! Honestly I think Yoshi being referred to either a dragon or a Dinosaur is fine since they are pretty much the same thing. Those animatronic effects they had for him in the live action film were so good shame the film wasn't though. Same with Godzilla 1998 since the same special effects team worked on that film too. Keep up the great work
It always comes back to Godzilla :)
The questioning of Yoshi having Birdo as a boyfriend or girlfriend is actually more of a reference to Birdo's gender, not Yoshi's.
Maybe Yoshi is a long lost son of Bowser since they're both dinosaur-turtle-dragons
Ooo that's a pretty good theory
But Bowser have Bowser Jr so that mean Yoshi is older brother of Bowser jr
@4:46 Yosh also means "hedgehog" in Russian. When Robotnik pets a Chao in Sonic Adventure 2, he says, "yosh." More than likely, it's to mean "it's okay," but I always thought it was just an easter egg bc Sonic is a hedgehog.
@TheMentok: "Oh, and does this sound familiar?"
RUclips: *plays an ad.*
Yoshi is the best Mario character and might be the best Nintendo or video game character in general besides Kirby and Pac-Man
Love your videos! Your Fresh Prince reference was Gold ❤ 👍🏾
You know, I always wondered if the yoshi in Mario Sunshine were like a subspecies of of them since they were weak to water and had the ability to spit juice. I mean it could just as easily had been a curse bowser put them under but i don't think its ever explained. Delfno yoshi seem like different yoshi.
apparently the yoshis are from Bowser Jr’s paintbrush thas why most the enemies look different bc bowser jr drew them and is why they are weak to water
@@jalen2funny After all these years it finally makes sense. I don't know how I never put it together! Why enemies like Petey Piranha turn into goop and dissolving when defeated, how he can somehow come back after literally melting in front of Mario, how enemies (like the Pokeys) will create a goopy "splat" when launched into the wall, why Yoshi dissolves in water and spits goop.
Like I knew Jr. was able to create things with the brush, and assumed Mecha Bowser and his other big mechanical things were created from the brush, so I really don't know why I didn't realize all that. Weird that Jr. would create Yoshis that help Mario, but I don't see any other explanation making sense as to why the Piantas would be so surprised by Yoshis "returning to the island" and them dissolving in water.
@@LordLemmysLabs yu welcome a subscribe will suffice🤣🤣🤣
@@jalen2funny It could also just be by what they ate. In SMW, Yoshi's get different power ups, depending on what kind of shell they eat. Multiple other instances in other games include similar scenarios. That would be an amazing theory, and detail though!
@@Irreve-rsible yes i totally agree
I always thought that Yoshi wasn't neither dinosaur or dragon. But, a reptile with wings.
I really liked "Yoshi's Cookies". I had that on the Game Boy when I was a kid, and much like Tetris, it was great for long car trips. It was a total cash-grab by Nintendo by putting Yoshi into a puzzle game where he really didn't do anything...but I didn't care, it was a fun game.
@TheMentok: Yoshi official Nintendo debut was in Mario is missing for the NES, I do not know if yoshi was in Mario time machine for the NES since I did not go far enough into the game, the reason why people forgot about this was because they are both educational game, and it may not be considered cannon even though officially made by nintendo.
The NES version of Mario is Missing wasn't released until 1993.
The “MAMA!? MAMA LUIGI” will forever stay in my mind.
I always thought that Yoshi was, you know… a yoshi
17:43 I would love for Nintendo to do a remake of Yoshi's Island but actually use colored pencil style 2D hand-drawn animation for the sprites.
My favorite Yoshi appearance? DBZ.
4:43 lmao i was not expecting a clip from pootie tang
You’re the first person to acknowledge this and I appreciate you for it 😂
@@TheMentok how could I not acknowledge a clip from the best movie of all time????
19:09 "mistakes yoshi for his mother" lol mama? Mama Luigi??
I'm surprised you didn't mention it, but one of the message blocks in Super Mario World says "these big coins are called Dragon Coins". Always been confused why the original game calls them Dragon Coins, when Yoshi really doesn't look like a Dragon to me.
And in fact, the SMW romhacking community simply refers to them as "Yoshi Coins", instead, just as I'm sure plenty of regular players do as well.
Isn't a Yoshi just a Yoshi? Neither a dragon or a dinosaur but its own thing.
That’s like asking is a t rex just a t rex or a dinosaur
@@Go_go_gadget call me crazy, but I don't see how a fantastic creature without biological sense can compare with an actual species. So, same way I see Toads as Toads and not some fungus, I see Yoshis as just Yoshis. Not dragons, dinosaurs, salamanders, unicorns or frogs.
Which is perfectly OK since they don't exist, whatever you think is fine and nothing of this actually matters at all
@@danixove2358 I’m saying yoshi is a type of Dinosaur
I always thought Yoshi was a different person (err…Yoshi) every game. Never thought he could possibly be the same one from Island/World.
Somehow, Birdo having a "Catherine" above him feels like a shitpost and I laughed a lot
*Her.
@@20000dino he and yoshi have no gender, piss off
I remember when I was young playing Mario party 2 I used to think yoshi was a frog to spite to look on his face but my older brother corrected me saying that yoshi is a dinosaur!
Just what I needed before my sleep
*A deep thought if Yoshi is a dino or dragon*
Well looks like I will have to watch the whole vid ;)
Favorite game with Yoshi was probably Super Mario World 2, but the most interesting game with Yoshi is SMRPG, because we got BOSHI!
Up until now I thought Boshi was a fanmade character lol.
If we're talking Yoshi headcanons, growing up I used to think the elder Yoshi seen in Paper Mario's Yoshi's Island was the original Yoshi who rescued him as a baby.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thought that- it certainly doesn't help that popular fanimation Super Mario Bros. Z also used that in its lore.
Yoshi in paper Mario was always the best
Yoshi is a Yoshi from my understanding, it's the name of his race as well as his name.
I think some of your facts are off, they planned on using an early version of yoshi in super Mario brothers 3 for the NES
What the, I just saw a Game Theory video about the same subject from about 8 months ago yesterday. Also they suggested Yoshi was a Koopa.
He's a yoshi and he's perfect just the way he is.
Yoshi being a mix between a dragon and dino makes sense if you look at the Kanji. I'm no professional but I did read that the word for dinosaur in Japanese contains the characters for dragon
Hey, this was uploaded on my birthday.
Love your videos I can’t believe I haven’t seen any.
Everytime he say Mario Bros he trying to hard 😂 lol too funny
I don't see why he can't be all three, or at least a dragon from the time of the dinosaurs but closely related to what would become koopa/tortoises.
Also, even if he is sexless he could still have a romantic interest in Birdo, despite the fact both can reproduce asexually.
11:56 funny you mentioned mortal kombat because in the 2020 gigaleak yoshi safiri had blood in it elary state of developing. Yoshi would have a nosebleed if he got hit
I'm willing to bet they removed it when Mortal Kombat was getting all the heat 😂 I remember having to do everything in my power to play that game in secret as a kid
I never knew the red thing on Yoshi’s back was a shell. I always assumed it was a saddle.
Every time he says Super Mario Bros., he sounds like a stereotyped german physicist!😂❤
Maybe the Yoshi he rescued and protected Mario might be Yoshi's great-great-great-granddad.
Birdo is like Yoshi when it comes to eggs. For one, Birdo is trans (biologically male but identifies as female), yet lays eggs like Yoshi. This has been confirmed in recent years outside 2 as well. In sports titles Birdo is often referred to as both he and she. And in Mario Golf World Tour, Birdo can't access woman's locker as it's for woman only, implying her sex is male. But several games establish that Birdos sex is male, while gender is female.
So egg laying doesn't seem dependent on sex in Mario
in conclusion yoshi and birdo/birdetta t4t. how beautiful
My Favorites Mario Characters and I feel like a Child again
I find it kinda funny how they didn't like the idea of making Yoshi look like a realistic reptillian for it not fitting the Mario universe, just for them to have realistic humans, dinosaurs, and other animals in Super Mario Odyssey.
9:33 fucking lmao
HERE COMES YOSHI
Yoshi: eh.
My guess: Yoshi is a dinosaur, since a lot of dinosaurs in Japanese media (anime, manga, tokusatsu movies and TV shows, and video games) have dragon-like features (e.g. breathing fire, think Godzilla, Agumon from Digimon, the T-rex from Dinosaur King, or T-Rex from Fossil Fighters). After all, the Japanese word for “dinosaur” (kyōryū) can also be translated as “terrible dragon”, and dinosaur and prehistoric animal fossils were once mistaken as dragon bones in the past (especially in ancient China, Japan, and Korea).
Additionally, Yoshi’s Classic Mode route in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is called Jurassic Journey (Jurassic Island in Japanese). And Gomboss (the giant Goomba boss) in Super Mario 64 DS called him a “prehistoric wimp”.