Yoshi (universe)

The Yoshi universe refers to the ' series collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from the sub-franchise of the ' series that deals with main sub-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 symbol consists of a spotted Yoshi Egg rather than the iconic image of a Super Mushroom held by other Mario characters.

Franquise description
By 1990, Nintendo had established a hugely successful Mario video game franchise in a trio of NES platforming titles named , featuring Mario as a main character. Nintendo released the SNES in 1991, and Shigeru Miyamoto developed the platformer  as a launch title. Graphics designer Shigefumi Hino, who would later direct , created the dinosauric character Yoshi and had him and the rest of his multi-colored 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 ', which introduced characters like Baby Mario and enemies like Raphael Raven, and the further sequel ' for Nintendo 64 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 ', ', ', and '. A sequel to Yoshi's Island called  was released for the DS in 2006, with more playable characters and the same art design. After that, the Yoshi series remained dormant for eight years until the release of  for the 3DS, which is also a sequel to Yoshi's Island and its story picks right immediately after the end of the first game. , the first Yoshi game developed for a Nintendo home console in eighteen years, would come to the Wii U in 2015. It takes place in a world where everything is completely made of yarn and other knitting materials. A follow-up to this game, , released for the Switch in 2019, this time with a hand-crafted art style.

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 Flash 2
After being left out from Super Smash Flash, the Yoshi universe is presented in Super Smash Flash 2 only about as big as most of the other franchises represented in the game, with one character and three stages 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".


 * : 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 co-star 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. All colored species of Yoshi have the ability to swallow up enemies with their stretchable 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 fighter; however, it is one of two fighters not to have a third jump in its B-Up move, which is considered a major disadvantage. Yoshi's Final Smash is Super Dragon. Yoshi grows wings, which allow him to fly around the stage and shoot fireballs.

Stages
As of now, three stages appear in the game, two based on the stages in the original  games and one being custom-made.


 * Yoshi's Island: An original looking stage, with a big fortune of wheel-like in the center of the stage, the stage hovers in front of the actual island. Some Goonies fly by, and can be used as platforms as they fly around.


 * Yoshi's Island (64): From Super Smash Bros., a very colorful stage that looks like a pop-out children book. It has the Super Happy Tree in background behind the platforms and clouds that can also be used as platforms but fade away if stood for too long.


 * Yoshi's Story: From Super Smash Bros. Melee, a somewhat simplistic stage based on Yoshi's Story, featuring Propeller Shy Guys carrying food flying through the stage and Pak E. Derm being in the background. There is a cloud in the bottom who travels on a rail and it will take anybody who stands on it, before it hides on the sides of the stage, to come out on the opposite side.

Media with elements appearing in the Super Smash Flash series
The following list consists of media from the Yoshi universe that appears in Super Smash Flash 2.


 * The Yoshi Cookie, which originates as the main item of this game, appears as a Food item in SSF2.


 * Yoshi's midair jump in SSF2 originates as his Flutter Jump ability in this game.
 * Egg Lay, Egg Toss, and Yoshi Bomb, Yoshi's neutral special move, side special move, and down special move in SSF2, respectively, originate as abilities he performs in this game.
 * Yoshi's fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth costumes in SSF2 are based on Pink Yoshi, Light Blue Yoshi, Purple Yoshi, and Brown Yoshi, respectively, who debuted in this game.
 * Goonies, which appear in the background of Yoshi's Island (64) in SSF2, originate as enemies in this game.
 * The stage Yoshi's Island in SSF2 is based on the aesthetic and overworld levels in this game, featuring the titular island in the background and a large rotating wheel platform.
 * Yoshi's character-specific Break the Targets stage in SSF2 draws from the same source.
 * Athletic Course, a ragtime-inspired remix of the athletic theme from this game, plays as Yoshi's Island's main music track in SSF2.
 * Lakitu Plains, a jazzy remix of the overworld theme from this game, plays as Yoshi's Island's alternate music track in SSF2.
 * Donut Lifts, an upbeat remix of the athletic theme from this game, plays as Yoshi's Story's main music track in SSF2.


 * Yoshi's tenth and eleventh costumes in SSF2 are based on Black Yoshi and White Yoshi, respectively, who debuted in this game.
 * The stage Yoshi's Island (64) in SSF2 originates from the aesthetic and Super Happy Tree in this game and features disappearing cloud platforms as hazards.
 * The stage Yoshi's Story in SSF2 is based on the aesthetic and Page 1 levels of this game and features a Rail Lift platform and Propeller Shy Guys carrying Food as hazards, along with Pak E. Derm in the background.
 * Yoshi's Island 64, a cheery remix of the title theme from this game, plays as Yoshi's Island (64)'s main music track in SSF2.
 * Yoshi's Story, a funky remix of the main theme and a portion of the title theme from this game, plays as Yoshi's Story's alternate music track in SSF2.
 * The victory theme of Yoshi in SSF2 is a remix combining a sped-up cover of the title theme and the flourish that plays when Yoshi completes a level in this game.


 * Shy but Deadly, an upbeat remix of the theme that plays on Shy but Deadly in this game, plays as Yoshi's Island (64)'s alternate music track in SSF2.