Yoshi (SSBU)

Yoshi in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Universe	Yoshi
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in SSB4
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Stampede!

“	Yoshi is all about egg-related moves, like throwing eggs, swallowing opponents and turning them into eggs, or turning into an egg and charging toward an opponent. With a high jump, recovery is a piece of cake for Yoshi! And for his Final Smash, a Yoshi army stampedes through the stage.	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Yoshi (ヨッシー, Yoshi) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was revealed for the game along with the rest of the veterans on June 12th, 2018; he was the last veteran to be confirmed along with Luigi, appearing at the very end of the trailer. Yoshi is classified as fighter #05.

As in all previous Smash Bros. games, Kazumi Totaka's portrayal of Yoshi from Yoshi's Story was repurposed for Ultimate.

Attributes

Yoshi is a heavyweight fighter with above-average mobility, good frame data, and decent KO potential. He sports a unique shield in the form of a Yoshi Egg, which generally lasts longer than most shields and is larger in size; thus, it does a good job at protecting Yoshi from powerful attacks.

As said before, Yoshi sports excellent mobility: he has the 26th fastest walking speed, the 17th fastest dashing speed (with an above-average initial dash to boot), the single fastest air speed in the game, and the 14th highest air acceleration. Additionally, Yoshi sports the 17th highest jumping prowess in the game; this can be owed to his especially high double jump. However, his traction and gravity are only the 60th and 63rd highest in the game; further compounding this, his falling and fast-falling speeds are among the bottom 10 in the game. Thus, Yoshi is a very speedy, yet floaty character.

Complementing his high mobility, Yoshi's moveset possesses very good utility. Both hits of neutral attack can connect into each other for a jab lock; forward tilt serves as a reliable combo starter at low-mid percents, due to its moderate base knockback and vertical launch angle; up tilt is an effective combo starter with low knockback growth, and leads to KO confirms at higher percents; and down tilt is his fastest tilt, sporting good range and serving as a reliable tech chasing option. Lastly, dash attack has a high reach and duration; this, combined with its decent knockback, makes it good for KOing opponents at later percents and punishing rolls or techs. Yoshi's smash attacks are also useful in their own right: forward smash has a powerful sweetspot that outprioritizes its slightly weaker sourspot - allowing it to KO at reasonable percents - and has decent start-up, can be angled, and grants Yoshi intangibility for its duration; up smash has good horizontal and vertical range, reasonable start-up, and a powerful sweetspot, allowing it to KO at percents as low as 120% provided the sweetspot hits; lastly, down smash is extremely quick in both start-up and ending lag which, coupled with its good range, makes it an adept option for punishing rolling opponents.

Although his grounded moveset comes with potent attacks, it is Yoshi's aerial attacks that possess high usefulness and make up his fantastic air game. Neutral aerial has very low all-around lag, good range, and good power, allowing it to either KO at surprisingly early percents or serve as an effective combo breaker and tech-chase set-up. Forward aerial also possesses high range and reasonable all-around lag, and comes with impressive damage; its tipper hitbox meteor smashes opponents, allowing for offstage KOs to occur as early as 20%. Back aerial boasts high speed and high power, with its first two hits being effective combo starters and its final hit KOing below 130%. Up aerial possesses high vertical range which, in tandem with its impressive damage output and low all-around lag, makes it an effective juggling option. Lastly, down aerial serves as the most damaging aerial in the game; its hits can easily link into each other, with its final hit being able to KO at reasonable percentages.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Likely as a result from his mid-tier placement in Smash 4, Yoshi was significantly buffed in the transition to Ultimate.

One of the biggest buffs was to his previously poor KO power for a heavyweight. His KO power has been noticeably improved, as has his ability to rack up damage at lower percents thanks to changes to moves like back air and forward tilt. All of his aerials have reduced landing lag, and the universal nerfs to air dodging make his edgeguarding with both aerials and Egg Throw much more potent. His already excellent mobility was increased even more, as his walk and run speed are now faster, while Yoshi still has the fastest air speed in the game.

However, Yoshi has received some minor nerfs. One nerf was to his up tilt, which has less range, no longer hitting opponents from up close. Another slight nerf is that while his dash attack got buffed overall, it is more punishable since it can't cross up shields. Lastly, Yoshi retains some significant flaws from Smash 4, particularly his very underwhelming grab game and lack of effective recovery options other than his double jump, despite the buffs to Egg Throw.

Overall, Yoshi's buffs heavily outweigh his nerfs, resulting in a more menacing competitive presence and lower learning curve. As such, Yoshi's buffs have resulted in such a positive perception among the community. Most professionals except for ZeRo have acknowledge the viability of Yoshi and consider him as a high-tier character. As a result, Yoshi players such as Suarez, Meme, Ron, and Danbi all have amassed incredible results with Yoshi, with some arguing that this version is better than his Smash 64 iteration.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from Smash 4, Yoshi's model features a more subdued color scheme. His irises now appear larger while his shoes now feature simple detailing.
• Yoshi has a new alternate costume based on his appearance in Yoshi's Crafted World. It replaces his Black Yoshi costume from Smash 4.
• Yoshi always faces the screen regardless of the direction he turns. Because of this, both his stance and moveset are mirrored.
• Idle pose, dashing, falling, and double jump's animations have been updated to further match Yoshi's upright posture.
  • Yoshi no longer reverts to his posture and idle poses from Brawl while holding a small item.
• Two of Yoshi's victory poses were slightly altered.
  • The victory animation where Yoshi spins around and strikes a V sign now has him performing a Flutter Jump before spinning around once and striking a V sign.
  • The victory animation where Yoshi punches the air once and striking a pose now has him punching the air twice and strikes a pose with his right leg farther back.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Yoshi's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 6).
• Yoshi runs faster (1.86 → 2.046).
  • Yoshi's initial dash is significantly faster (1.33 → 1.98).
• Yoshi walks slightly faster (1.15 → 1.208).
• Yoshi's air speed has been increased, now being almost as high as Jigglypuff's in Melee (1.28 → 1.344).
• Yoshi has significantly higher traction (0.0426 → 0.095), allowing him to punish out of shield much more easily.
• Yoshi's jump height has been slightly reduced.
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 36 → 31).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-21 → 4-15).
• Back roll has more startup and grants less intangibility (frames 4-21 → 5-16).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 27).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 59).
• The reintroduction of directional air dodges benefits Yoshi, as due to Egg Throw not causing helplessness, he can get additional distance with a directional air dodge after using it.
• The removal of shield platform dropping benefits Yoshi, as he was the only character unable to perform the technique in Smash 4. When combined with his unique shield rendering him immune to shield stabbing, this effectively gives him the best shield in the game.
• Yoshi's double jump armor has been altered. The armor duration is significantly shorter, but like in Smash 64 and Melee, knockback taken is reduced if the armor is broken by an attack with sufficiently high knockback.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first hit transitions into the second hit faster (frame 9 → 6).
  • Both hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.5× (hit 1), 2× (hit 2)), giving opponents more time to SDI the first hit and DI the second hit.
  • The first hit has altered angles (60°/90°/50° → 361°/180°) and knockback (30 base/50 scaling → 40/35/10 base/30/28/20 scaling) to keep opponents close to Yoshi, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows it to connect better into the second hit and jab lock, but removes some of its guaranteed jab cancel setups.
    • Due to this change, and the second hit using the Sakurai angle, grounded opponents hit by the move are launched at a lower angle. This allows it to get them offstage more effectively, but makes followups harder.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has drastically less ending lag (FAF 39 → 30).
  • It launches opponents at higher angles (80°/65°/50° → 88°/85°), and has more base knockback (50 → 60), but less knockback scaling (80 → 75). Combined with the previous change, this turns it into a reliable combo starter, while also improving its KO ability.
  • It deals more damage when not angled (7% → 8%).
  • The outermost hitbox is slightly larger (2.8u → 3u).
  • Its animation has been altered, with Yoshi no longer performing a full spin when swinging his tail.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt's hitboxes start from a higher position, making them unable to hit short characters in front of Yoshi.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has slightly more base knockback (65 → 67).
  • Down tilt's animation is reversed, with Yoshi spinning towards the screen rather than away from it.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has less ending lag (FAF 50 → 41).
  • It deals more damage (9% → 11% (clean), 6% → 8% (late)), with knockback scaling compensated (52 → 45 (clean), 44 (late)).
  • It no longer crosses up shields consistently, making it easier to punish.
  • The late hit has smaller hitboxes (5u/3.5u → 4u/2.5u).
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has two different hitboxes instead of three, with the sweetspot taking priority over the sourspot and being located closer to Yoshi. This effectively removes its weaker sourspot (that dealt 13%) and makes the sweetspot easier to land.
  • It has a longer hitbox duration (frame 14 → 14-16) and grants more intangibility on Yoshi's head (frames 12-14 → 12-16).
  • The sweetspot has more knockback scaling (98 → 102).
• Up smash:
  • Up smash deals more knockback (37 base/95 scaling → 38/99).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash launches at a lower angle (30° → 26°) and deals more knockback (hit 1:40/42 base/73/57 scaling → 51/46/75/63, hit 2: 40/42 base/81/75 scaling → 51/44/83/75), allowing it to KO around 150% with the first and 130% with the second hit from center stage.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (11 frames → 7 (neutral), 17 → 12 (forward), 19 → 11 (back), 14 → 8 (up), 24 → 17 (down)).
• Forward aerial:
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes improves forward aerial's combo potential onstage, compounded further by its reduced landing lag.
  • The sourspot has been removed, with the sweetspot and meteor hitboxes being made bigger to compensate (2.4u (sweetspot)/3.5u (meteor) → 4.2u/4u).
  • Despite the auto-cancel window remaining unchanged, it no longer autocancels in a short hop due to Yoshi's lower short hop duration.
  • It has a different animation, with Yoshi no longer flipping after the headbutt.
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial deals more damage (2.5% → 3.5% (hits 1-2), 5% → 5.5% (hit 3), total: 10% → 12.5%) with knockback not compensated on the third hit, increasing its KO potential.
  • It has much lower hitlag multipliers (2× → 0.5× (hits 1-2), 1.5× (hit 3)), allowing it to execute faster and making the first two hits harder to SDI.
  • The second and third hits have less startup lag (frame 17/25 → 14/18), causing them to connect more reliably.
    • However, the move's total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • The move's first two hits deal much less knockback (30/50 base/200/150 scaling → 20 base/100 scaling), and use the autolink angle against grounded opponents as well (361° → 367°) instead of only aerial ones. This allows them to connect more reliably, and combined with the move's lower landing lag, start combos at a wide range of percentages.
  • All hitboxes have been moved upwards (Y offset: 2u-4u → 3u-5u (hit 1 and 2), 3u → 5u (hit 3)), increasing the move's range above Yoshi, but reducing it below him.
  • Back aerial has a slightly altered animation, with Yoshi striking a new pose at the end of the move.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 39 → 37).
  • It auto-cancels earlier (frame 33 → 31).
  • It has a new animation where Yoshi raises his tail up from behind without flipping.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's looping hits have a lower hitlag multiplier (1.1× → 0.6×), use the autolink angle (270°/260°/280° → 367°), and have consistent knockback scaling (100/80 → 100), allowing them to connect more reliably and making them harder to SDI, despite their higher SDI multiplier (1.5× → 1.8×).
  • The landing hit deals more knockback that is no longer set (40 set/100 scaling → 65 base/100 scaling), causing opponents to tumble even at 0%. This allows it to set up edgeguards more effectively, and grants it followups at low percents if the opponent fails to tech.
  • The move's initial auto-cancel window has been removed.
  • It has smaller hitboxes (6u/4.5u → 5u/3.5u (looping hits), 7u/5u → 6.5u/4.5u (last hit)).
  • The looping hits deal less damage (3%/2% → 2.3%/1.8% (hits 1-6), 2.2%/1.5% → 1.9%/1.4% (hits 7-12)), reducing the move's maximum damage output (32.2% → 28%) despite the last hit dealing more damage (1% → 2.8%).
    • The last hit's knockback has not been fully compensated for its higher damage output (60 base/200 scaling → 55/179), improving its KO potential.
  • The last hit has a higher hitlag multiplier (1.1× → 1.5×).

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • All grabs have noticeably less ending lag (FAF 56 → 49 (standing), 68 → 57 (dash), 65 → 52 (pivot)), especially compared to the rest of the cast, as all non-extended grabs have conversely had their ending lag increased.
  • Dash and pivot grab have more startup lag (frame 10 → 16 (dash), 10 → 17 (pivot)), no longer being faster than his standing grab. His pivot grab in particular has gone from among the fastest to one of the slowest.
  • Yoshi's pivot grab animation has been altered; Yoshi pauses for a bit before turning around on one foot.
  • Yoshi's grab animation has changed. After grabbing an opponent and holding them in his mouth, his cheeks become swollen and jiggle, as if the fighter inside is trying to break out. He also holds his mouth closed with his hands, and no longer crouches down to the ground.
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals less damage (2% → 1.3%).
  • It deals more hitlag (4 frames → 14), but has much less startup (frame 4 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 16 → 7).
  • It uses a unique, cartoony chomping sound effect, rather than a standard "kick" sound effect.
• The speed of Yoshi's throws is no longer weight-dependent.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw deals more damage (7% → 9%) with no compensation on knockback.
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals more damage (7% → 9%) with no compensation on knockback.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw has significantly more knockback scaling (43 → 90), allowing it to KO at around 230%, compared to being unable to KO under 500% without rage.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw releases the opponent later (frame 15 → 25), making it easier to DI.
    • However, its ending lag has been reduced relative to its release frame (FAF 44 → 51). Combined with Yoshi's faster jumpsquat and jump speed, this improves its combo potential, possessing followups even up to high percents.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Egg Lay:
  • Egg Lay has less startup lag (frame 20 → 18) with identical ending lag, shortening its duration (FAF 44 → 42).
  • It has a slightly altered animation, inflating Yoshi's cheeks more as he swallows opponents, similar to his grab.
• Egg Roll:
  • Egg Roll deals drastically more damage (4%-≈9% → 10%-≈13.8%).
  • Its base knockback and knockback scaling have been reversed (50/70 → 70/50), making it safer on hit at low percents, while still improving its KO potential due to its higher damage output.
  • Yoshi always bounces once when using Egg Roll on the ground. This makes the move's execution slower and more predictable.
  • Changing direction takes longer.
  • Yoshi strikes a new pose before using Egg Roll.
• Egg Throw:
  • Yoshi gains slightly more vertical distance on the first Egg Throw, particularly after a jump.
  • Eggs have a higher hitlag multiplier (0.3× → 0.6×), giving Yoshi more time to follow up.
  • Eggs can bounce on the ground and retain their horizontal momentum before they break, giving Yoshi a new option to stop approaches.
  • Eggs deal a single hit to opponents instead of two, with the same total damage (1% (hit 1), 5% (hit 2) → 6%) and no compensation on knockback.
  • Egg Throw has more startup (frame 15 → 16) and ending lag (FAF 54 → 56).
  • Eggs have received negative shield damage (0 → -3), effectively dealing half their usual damage to shields.
  • Yoshi can use either his right arm or left arm to throw eggs, due to his mirrored stance.
• Yoshi Bomb:
  • Yoshi Bomb can sweetspot a ledge even if Yoshi is facing away from it.
  • Both the grounded and aerial versions allow Yoshi to go through soft platforms if he is high enough above them and the control stick is held down.
    • If too close to them, he will always go through.
  • Yoshi vocalizes when using the grounded version, like in previous games.
• Final Smash:
  • Yoshi has a new Final Smash called Stampede!. He headbutts in front of him and an army of multicolored Yoshis stampede over the trapped players, similar to his part of the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening.

Update History

Yoshi has not received many direct changes in updates, with the only major change being him getting invincibility during his throws and grab release.

2.0.0

• Shortened the amount of time the player is unable to grab a ledge after using forward air (71 frames → 68).
• Yoshi is granted grab invincibility during his grab release and throw animations.

3.0.0

• Egg Throw has received negative shield damage (0 → -3), effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.

3.1.0

• Fixed a glitch where Egg Lay would cause trapped opponents to fast fall while caught during hitstun.

4.0.0

• Yoshi pushes opponents less far while charging forward smash, no longer causing certain characters' grabs to be unable to reach him from the front.

5.0.0

• Yoshi can now grab enemies after dodging using input buffering, making it identical to other fighters.

Moveset

• Yoshi can crawl.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	A front kick followed by a roundhouse kick. The two hits transition relatively fast and can connect into a jab lock.
			4%
Forward tilt	↗		8%	Swings his tail in a forward direction. Due to the vertical launch angle, moderate base knockback, and drastically reduced end lag, it can reliably start combos at low to mid percents.
	→		8%
	↘		8%
Up tilt			7%	Brings his tail upwards, going from front to back. The front hitbox is now placed higher off the ground, making it unreliable in hitting grounded opponents. However, the back hit still hits close to the ground. A very effective combo starter with low knockback growth, can lead to KO confirms at higher percents.
Down tilt			5% (base, 4.5% (mid), 4% (tip)	Lays on all fours and spins his body around to attack with his tail. The attack deals the least amount of damage out of all his tilts, but has the lowest ending lag out of all of Yoshi’s tilts. It can be useful for tech chasing and stage control.
Dash attack			11% (early), 9% (late)	A far reaching side kick. Its long range and duration can create cross-ups, and is capable of punishing rolls or techs. However, its high amount of ending lag can make it very punishable.
Forward smash			15.5% (sweetspot), 14% (sourspot)	Rears his head back to perform a headbutt. The sweetspot takes priority over the sourspot and can be made into a fast KO option. It can also be angled and his head is intangible during the attack. It has a high amount of ending lag, however, and makes it punishable because of it. Yoshi's head becomes intangible, starting from frame 12. It comes out on frame 14.
Up smash			14% (clean), 12% (late)	Performs a bicycle kick. The attack has a clean hitbox and can be a potential KO option. It can hit opponents who are behind Yoshi and has very punishable ending lag.
Down smash			10% (tip), 12% (close)	Crouches and swings his tail forward, and then backwards.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7% (mid), 5% (late)	A flying sex kick ith very low startup. Good power and one of Yoshi's most versatile moves. Its low landing lag allows it to lead reliably into follow ups at low to mid percents, depending on which hitbox connects. Its frame 3 startup makes it a potent out-of-shield option, as well as a combo breaker. Effective at setting up tech chases.
Forward aerial		Noggin Dunk	15% (close), 14% (tip)	Rears his head back and then performs a downward headbutt. Both hitboxes deal an impressive amount of damage and the tip is a meteor smash. It can no longer autocancel in a short hop.
Back aerial			3.5% (hits 1-2), 5.5% (hit 3)	Hits three times with his tail. A fast aerial that has effective damage output and knockback. Grounded opponents receive low vertical knockback from the first two hits, making them effective at starting combos. Autocancels in a full hop.
Up aerial			12%	Flicks his tail upwards. Due to being a very effective juggling option, it’s one of Yoshi’s most useful moves.
Down aerial		Flutter Kick	2.3% (hits 1-6), 1.9% (hits 7-12), 2.8% (last hit)	Yoshi performs a series of downwards kicks that closely resembles his Flutter Jump. Notorious for being the most damaging aerial move in every iteration of the game, it deals 28% base damage if all the hits connect. Hits link reliably into each other and the final hit has high base knockback, making the move a powerful vertical KO option when near the top blast zone.
Grab			—	Opens his mouth and lets out his tongue to pull the opponent into his mouth. Compared to other fighters, Yoshi’s grabs have a lot more range, but an considerable amount of startup and ending lag.
Pummel			1.3%	Chews the opponent. A relatively fast pummel that doesn’t deal too much damage.
Forward throw			9%	Spits the opponent forward. It has slight KO potential near edges and is mainly used for stage control.
Back throw			9%	Turns around and spits out the opponent. Otherwise, extremely similar to forward throw.
Up throw			5%	Spits the opponent upwards. The throw has significantly increased knockback, allowing it to KO at around 230% compared to 500% in previous games. Otherwise, it has limited utility outside of tech chase setups on high platforms.
Down throw			4%	Spits the opponent down to the ground. Its combo potential is improved due to its lower ending lag and Yoshi’s increased jump speed.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Spins around and swings his tail around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Headbutts behind himself and then in front of himself before getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Spins around and swings his tail around himself before getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			9%	Swings his tail inward while climbing up.
Neutral special		Egg Lay	7%	Yoshi swallows the opponent and traps them in a Yoshi Egg. When the opponent is trapped, they can escape by button mashing. They stay trapped longer the more damage they have. Upon escaping, opponents gain brief intangibility.
Side special		Egg Roll	10%-13.8%	Yoshi will encase himself in a large Yoshi Egg after a small hop then roll around the stage. Damage dealt is proportional to momentum. Can jump once during the move. The attack has limited usage due to its predictable movement, slow startup and end lag, and lack of armor or disjoints. Does not deal damage until it first touches the ground. Can stall at the ledge if the control stick is not held towards it, but does no damage when stationary. Can be cancelled earlier by hitting the special button. Can move through shields.
Up special		Egg Throw	6%	Throws a Yoshi Egg that travels on a controllable, parabolic arc. When used in midair, the first three throws grant Yoshi significant vertical distance based on his current vertical momentum, with the largest possible jump being nearly as high as his double jump. After three uses in midair, it no longer grants upward momentum, and Yoshi must land to recover this. A very effective projectile that can now bounce upon hitting the ground, which makes it a more versatile option.
Down special		Yoshi Bomb	4% (hop), 15% (grounded Ground Pound), 12% (aerial Ground Pound), 4% (stars)	A Ground Pound that produces damaging stars upon landing. The attack deals a good amount of damage and has very little startup lag. It can now sweetspot ledges, giving the attack more safety. Also can go through soft platforms if the player holds down or is close to the platform on startup. Has increased shield damage; the grounded version can break a full shield if it is not stale and all hits connect on shield.
Final Smash		Stampede!	6% (hit one), 46% (hits from other Yoshis)	Yoshi rushes forward and attacks the opponent with a upwards headbutt. If the attack hits, it cuts to a cinematic cutscene that takes place in a rocky gorge. Suddenly, an stampede of multicolored Yoshis are seen rushing down the gorge, and they attack by trampling the opponent. It has a striking resemblance to the Super Smash Bros. Melee opening movie, where it has a similar stampede as well as the similar rocky environment.

On-screen appearance

Bursts out of a Yoshi Egg and strikes a pose.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Dances around in a circle, chanting "Yoshi!" as he finishes.
• Side taunt: Chases his tail in circles, then lifts up an arm as he finishes.
• Down taunt: Yoshi faces the screen and jumps up and down whilst chanting.

• 

  Yoshi's up taunt.

• 

  Yoshi's side taunt.

• 

  Yoshi's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Performs a short dance.
• Looks around.

• 

  Yoshi's first idle pose

• 

  Yoshi's second idle pose

Victory poses

• Left: Does a flutter jump, spins once, and gives the V sign. Based on an animation from "Yoshi's Story" when a stage is completed.
• Up: Punches the air twice, spins, and poses while standing on one foot. (Based on his "character chosen" animation from Smash 64 but has been drastically altered.)
• Right: Angrily, he punches a few times, and then turns his back on the screen facing right. A reference to Akuma's pose after a successful use of the Shun Goku Satsu.

A flourished, orchestrated remix of the title music of Yoshi's Story, significantly sped up.

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In competitive play

Notable players

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Spring 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from February 1st, 2019 to July 7th, 2019.

•  Aiba - Placed 17th at Umebura Japan Major 2019.
•  Burntsocks - Placed 25th at Pound 2019, and 33rd at Glitch 6. Ranked 12th on the MD/VA Ultimate Rankings.
•  Danbi - Placed 4th at Super Bit Wars 7, 9th at DreamHack Dallas 2019, and 25th at Pound 2019.
•  DIO - Placed 17th at Sumabato SP and 25th at Sumabato SP 4 with both Yoshi and Snake.
•  ESAM (#16) - Uses Yoshi as a secondary. Placed 1st at Battle of BC 3 and 2nd at Don't Park on the Grass 2018 using Yoshi as one of his characters.
•  Key - Placed 17th at Low Tier City 7 and 49th at MomoCon 2019.
•  Meme - The best Yoshi player in Mexico. Placed 1st at BIT MASTER MTY 2nd STRIKE, 9th at Low Tier City 7, and 25th at Frostbite 2019 while defeating Light, Stroder, Lima, and CaptainZack.
•  Raptor - Placed 9th at both Collision 2019 and Smash at The Paramount, and 33rd at Let's Make Moves.
•  Ron - Co-mains Yoshi along with Mario and is one of the best Yoshi players in Japan. Placed 3rd at both Sumabato SP 3 and Sumabato SP 6.
•  Rotsuku - One of the best Yoshi players in Japan. Placed 17th at Umebura Japan Major 2019 and 25th at EVO 2019.
•  Seth - Placed 7th at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate and Full Bloom 5 and 17th at Smash 'N' Splash 5.
•  Squerk - The best Yoshi player in MD/VA region. Placed 13th at Just Roll With It! 11, 17th at Glitch 6, and 49th at Pound 2019. Has wins over ESAM, Dark Wizzy, and Mekos. Ranked 6th on the MD/VA Ultimate Rankings.
•  Suarez (#49) - The best Yoshi player in the world. Placed 4th at Smash at The Paramount, 9th at Collision 2019, 17th at both Let's Make Moves and MomoCon 2019, and 25th at both Frostbite 2019 and Pound 2019. Has wins over Cosmos, Light, HIKARU, and tamim.
•  Yoshidora - The best Yoshi player in Japan. Placed 5th at Sumabato SP 3, 9th at Sumabato SP, and 17th at Sumabato SP 4.

Classic Mode: Jurassic Journey

Yoshi's congratulations screen.

Yoshi's adversaries consist of playable reptiles, some of which resemble dinosaurs. His boss, Rathalos, also fits with the theme due to it being a classical draconic wyvern.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Ivysaur	Distant Planet	World Map - Pikmin 2	Ivysaur's Pokémon Trainer is absent.
2	Giant Ridley	Great Bay	Yoshi's Tale
3	King K. Rool	Jungle Japes	Wildlands
4	Koopalings	Yoshi's Island	Flower Field	The Koopalings are fought in the order Mario faces them in Super Mario World.
5	Charizard	Garden of Hope	Bandit Valley	Charizard's Pokémon Trainer is absent.
6	Giant Bowser	Mushroom Kingdom U	Melty Monster
Bonus Stage
Final	Rathalos	Forest Hill	Roar/Rathalos

Note: With the exceptions of Rounds 1 and 6, a song from the Yoshi universe is played regardless of the stage.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Yoshi has Yoshi's Tale accompany the credits.

Character unlock tree

Yoshi's Classic Mode character unlock tree includes the following characters in order:

1. Lucario
2. Marth
3. Ryu
4. Ganondorf
5. Lucina
6. Ridley
7. Chrom
8. Ken

Each character can be unlocked by clearing Yoshi's Classic Mode, or the Classic Mode of any preceding character, if all preceding characters have been unlocked. Once all the above characters are unlocked, clearing Classic Mode with any of them will default to Mario's character unlock tree, starting with Sonic.

Role in World of Light

Finding Yoshi in World of Light

Although Yoshi does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

He can be found in a ribbon pathway to be awakened, which can be accessed in short time after taking Sheik's route.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
05		Yoshi	Grab	3,600	Super Happy Tree (Ω form)	Obstacle Course - Yoshi's Island

Spirits

Yoshi's Fighter Spirits can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. They are also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Yoshi in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As Fighter Spirits, they cannot be used in Spirit Battles and are purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Additionally, Yoshi makes an appearance in various Primary and Support Spirits.

• 

  297. Yoshi

• 

  298. Yoshi (Yoshi's Crafted World)

• 

  75. Starship Mario

• 

  319. Mega Eggdozer

• 

  321. Yarn Yoshi

• 

  1,301. River Survival

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
38	File:Hammer Bro Spirit.png	Hammer Bro	Super Mario series	•Yoshi		3,400	Golden Plains (Battlefield form)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Hammer Bro)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear when the enemy's at high damage •The enemy favors up specials	Ground Theme - New Super Mario Bros. U
60		Wiggler	Super Mario series	•Yoshi		1,600	Yoshi's Island (Melee)	•Attack Power ↑ •Item: Lip's Stick	•The enemy becomes powerful when badly damaged	Ground Theme - Super Mario World
77		Plessie	Super Mario series	•Giant Yoshi		2,100	Great Bay	N/A	•The enemy is giant	Slide
156		Rattly	Donkey Kong series	•Yoshi		3,400	Kongo Jungle	N/A	•The enemy loves to jump •The enemy has increased jump power	Snakey Chantey
167		Kip	Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast	•Tiny Yoshi Team (x4)		1,800	Yoshi's Story	N/A	•The enemy starts the battle with a Rocket Belt	Boss 2 - DK: Jungle Climber
182		Like Like	The Legend of Zelda series	•Yoshi		4,000	Great Bay (Battlefield form)	•Sudden Damage •Item: Food •Hazard: Sticky Floor	•The floor is sticky •You'll occasionally take sudden damage after a little while •The enemy favors grabs and throws	Overworld & Underworld - The Legend of Zelda (for 3DS / Wii U)
218	File:Dimitri Spirit.png	Dimitri	The Legend of Zelda series	•Yoshi •Young Link		1,700	Great Bay	N/A	•The enemy favors neutral specials	Tal Tal Heights
318		Spirit Who Loves Surprises	Yoshi series	•Yoshi Team (×4)		2,000	Super Happy Tree	•Hazard: Screen Flip	•The screen will suddenly flip after a little while	Yoshi's Story (64)
321		Yarn Yoshi	Yoshi series	•Yoshi Team (×4)		9,200	Super Happy Tree	•Easy to Launch	•All fighters are easy to launch	Main Theme - Yoshi's Woolly World (Remix)
395		Leon Powalski	Star Fox series	•Yoshi •Wolf •Ally: Falco		3,700	Venom (Ω form)	N/A	•You lose if your CPU ally is KO'd	Star Wolf (Brawl)
405		Tricky	Star Fox series	•Yoshi		1,600	Garden of Hope (Battlefield form)	•Earthquake	•Periodic earthquakes will shake the stage	Break: Through the Ice
424		Metapod	Pokémon series	•Yoshi		2,500	Garden of Hope (Ω form)	•Defense ↑ •Hazard: Sticky Floor	•The floor is sticky •Timed battle •The enemy has increased defense after a little while	Road to Viridian City - Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue
459	File:Eevee.png	Eevee	Pokémon series	•Yoshi (×3) ()		1,400	Yoshi's Island	N/A	•Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Eevee) •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue (Melee)	Vaporeon (Blue Yoshi), Jolteon (Yellow Yoshi), Flareon (Red Yoshi)
514	File:CresseliaSpirit.png	Cresselia	Pokémon series	•Yoshi		9,200	Spear Pillar	•Defense ↑	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while	Battle! (Dialga/Palkia) / Spear Pillar
544		Zygarde (50% Forme)	Pokémon series	•Giant Yoshi Team •Tiny Yoshi (×7)		2,100	Frigate Orpheon	N/A	•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •The enemy is giant •Defeat an army of fighters	Battle! (Team Flare)
743		Pyoro	WarioWare series	•Yoshi		3,700	Balloon Fight (Battlefield form)	•Item: Deku Nut	•The enemy is easily distracted by items	WarioWare, Inc.
810		Bulborb	Pikmin series	•Giant Yoshi		4,400	Distant Planet	•Attack Power ↑	•Timed Stamina battle •The enemy has increased attack power •The enemy favors neutral specials	Main Theme - Pikmin (Original)
837	File:Gracie Spirit.png	Gracie	Animal Crossing series	•Yoshi		4,100	Smashville (Battlefield form)	•Item: Transforming Types •Hazard: Slumber Floor	•The floor is sleep-inducing	Plaza / Title Theme - Animal Crossing: City Folk / Animal Crossing: Wild World
1,201		Pig	Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest	•Yoshi (×6)		2,000	Duck Hunt	•Item Tidal Wave	•The enemy becomes more powerful after eating •Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Gourmet Race (Brawl)
1,231		T-Rex	Fossil Fighters series	•Giant Yoshi		4,400	Coliseum (Battlefield form)	•Hazard: Lava Floor	•The floor is lava •The enemy is giant	Battle Start - Fossil Fighters: Frontier
1,232	File:Fossilhunters.png	Nibbles	Fossil Fighters series	•Yoshi •Charizard •Ridley •Bowser		1,800	Arena Ferox	•Item: Pitfall	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear during the battle	Battle Start - Fossil Fighters: Frontier

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
118		Wanda	Super Mario series	•Tiny Palutena •Yoshi •Peach •Mario		1,500	Green Greens (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Mario Paint Medley	Yoshi
128		MC Ballyhoo & Big Top	Mario Party series	•Mario •Yoshi •Peach •Luigi		1,600	Mario Circuit	•Item Tidal Wave	•Certain items will appear in large numbers after a little while	Pandemonium	Yoshi
299	File:Babymario.png	Baby Mario	Yoshi series	•Tiny Mario •Yoshi (×8) ()		8,800	Yoshi's Island	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy shields often	Yoshi's Island (Brawl)	Yoshis
525	File:Cobalion Spirit.png	Cobalion, Terrakion, & Virizion	Pokémon series	•Lucario •Duck Hunt •Yoshi		9,000	Kalos Pokémon League	N/A	•The enemy's melee weapons have increased power •The enemy can unleash powerful critical hits at random •The enemy starts the battle with a Beam Sword	N's Castle	Cobalion
1,301		River Survival	Super Mario series	•Bowser •Kirby •Yoshi •Rosalina & Luma		5,500	Kongo Falls (Ω form)	•Bob-omb Festival •Item Tidal Wave •Item: Food	•Survive until the timer runs out •Bob-ombs will rain from the sky after a little while	Slide	Yoshi

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Yoshi's fighter card.

• 

  Yoshi about to use his forward aerial attack on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Air dodging a shot from Zelda's Super Scope on Mario Galaxy.

• 

  Launching his tongue at a shrunken Kirby on Gaur Plain.

• 

  Chasing his tail on Coliseum.

• 

  Idling with Mr. Game & Watch in Skyloft.

• 

  Green and Yellow Yoshis in Skyworld.

• 

  Green, Yellow, Blue and Red Yoshis on Green Greens.

• 

  Getting hit by Pac-Man's down smash on Big Blue.

• 

  Stuck in a Black Hole with Pit on Big Blue.

Trivia

• Yoshi is the only "Original 8" member:
  • Who is currently a sole fighter of their series.
  • That was not playable in the E3 demo, and by extension, did not have his Final Smash revealed at E3.
  • That did not appear before Ultimate's title was revealed.
  • To not be seen in King K. Rool's trailer and to an extension Banjo & Kazooie's trailer.
  • To not appear in the World of Light trailer, or any CGI trailer in general.
    • However Yoshi was seen during in-game footages revealing newcomers.
  • To face a boss from a third-party franchise in his Classic Mode route.
• Due to the aforementioned traits, Yoshi has the lowest representation of any “Original 8” universes.
  • He was also the last "Original 8" fighter to receive an entry on Ultimate's Super Smash Blog.
• Yoshi has the most stages out of all playable sole representatives in a single game.
• Yoshi is among the few voiced fighters in Ultimate whose voice clips are sourced from their own games rather than specifically recorded for a Smash game. He shares this trait with Daisy, Rosalina & Luma, Inkling, Sonic, Banjo & Kazooie, Young Link and Toon Link.
• Yoshi is the only character who doesn't have humans for opponents in Classic Mode, as Pokemon Trainer is absent from the background of Ivysaur & Charizard's rounds with Yoshi each.
• Given that Giant Bowser is his penultimate opponent before Rathalos, Yoshi is one of two characters who fights a minor boss from Melee's Adventure Mode. The other is Joker who faces a Giant Kirby in Round 2 of his Classic Mode route with Mr. Game & Watch as an ally.
  • Giant Bowser as an opponent for Yoshi is likely a reference to the Yoshi's Island sequels when Kamek transforms Bowser into a giant upon the latter's defeat.
  • The order Bowser's Koopalings are fought in Yoshi's Classic Mode route is a reference to his debut game Super Mario World, with Bowser Jr. being the sole exception given that he wasn't introduced until Super Mario Sunshine 12 years later.
• King K. Rool is Yoshi's only default opponent for Classic Mode, since Ivysaur & Charizard appear without Pokemon Trainer, while Bowser & Ridley are giants, and all of Bowser Jr.'s default costumes are fought in one round.
• Along with Duck Hunt, whose opponents are all animals, Yoshi is also the only other character to travel to Garden of Hope in Classic Mode.
  • Both characters fight Rathalos as the boss of their route.
• As well as Wolf, Yoshi is the only other character to travel to Great Bay in Classic Mode.
• Although Yoshi's Classic Mode contains reptiles, Squirtle and Bowser Jr. do not appear as his opponents, despite Ivysaur & Charizard being fought individually, and the Koopalings acting as all of Bowser Jr.'s alternate costumes as a team in Round 4.
• Yoshi's stock icon in Ultimate bears a strong resemblance to his stock icon from Super Smash Bros. 4.
• Yoshi is the only character to have an alternate costume based on a game after Ultimate was released.
  • As a result, this is the second time the Yoshi universe has had, in some way, representation from an upcoming game; Woolly World appeared as a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U before Yoshi's Woolly World released.
• Due to the presence of the Baby Mario Spirit, Yoshi is one of few characters to use the default costume in a Spirit Battle, the others being Mr. Game & Watch, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser Jr., R.O.B., Inkling, Joker, and Robin.
  • Alongside Mr. Game & Watch and Bowser Jr., Yoshi is one of three characters with a Spirit battle where all of his alternate costumes appear in a single Spirit fight.
• Prior to 4.0.0, when Yoshi charged his forward smash, he pushed opponents so far it actually caused some moves to miss him entirely. [1]
• Yoshi's Crafted costume is the only one that does not appear during his Final Smash.