Yoshi (SSB4)

Yoshi in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Yoshi
Other playable appearances	in SSB in Melee in Brawl in Ultimate
Availability	Starter
Final Smash	Super Dragon
Tier	D (34)

“	Yoshi Rolls into Battle!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Yoshi (ヨッシー, Yoshi) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. His return to the series was announced during a Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8th, 2014, making him the last of the "perfect-attendance crew" to be announced. He was also among the first wave of amiibo figures. Kazumi Totaka reprises his role as Yoshi's voice actor, albeit via recycled voice clips.

Yoshi is currently ranked 34th out of 55 on the tier list, placing him in the D tier. This is a moderate improvement from his placement in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where he was ranked 27th out of 38. As in previous installments, Yoshi boasts excellent aerial mobility: he has the fastest air speed in the game by default, while his double jump is the second highest in the game and grants him nearly 70 frames of armor. Yoshi's grounded mobility has also been improved, as his already fast dashing speed is now considerably faster.

Another of Yoshi's strengths is the utility of his moveset: neutral attack and up tilt are very useful combo starters, down tilt can be used for tech-chasing, neutral aerial is very useful for approaching and edge-guarding, Egg Lay is a command grab, Egg Roll can force approaches or escape from pressure, Egg Throw is a projectile that has recovery and mindgame potential, and Yoshi Bomb is strong enough to KO outright and heavily pressure shields. Yoshi's shield is also fairly useful, as it is completely immune to shield stabbing and, for the first time since Super Smash Bros., enables him to jump out of it.

However, Yoshi has noticeable flaws. His grab game is still infamously poor: all of his grabs are among the slowest in the game, while his throws have almost nonexistent utility. Yoshi's defensive presence on the ground is also surprisingly lacking for a few reasons. His rolls and sidestep are among the unsafest, and he has the dubious distinction of being the only character who is unable to shield platform drop. By extension, Yoshi's shield is the smallest among the cast, while his very low traction significantly hinders his out of shield options.

Yoshi's KO potential is also problematic for a heavyweight: although his smash attacks, up aerial, and grounded Yoshi Bomb are powerful, each of them are burdened with very short durations and punishable amounts of ending lag. Lastly, Yoshi has a very short vertical recovery outside of his double jump, as his primary recovery move, Egg Throw, grants minimal vertical distance and deteriorates when used consecutively without landing on the ground.

Overall, Yoshi's strengths outweigh his weaknesses, yet his tier placement is heavily debatable. Despite being initially perceived as an impressively well-rounded character, and having achieved instances of tournament success even at the national level, Yoshi's placement has dropped throughout SSB4's lifespan. This is largely because of his results waning in lieu of his metagame stagnating. When coupled with many characters that were previously considered inferior to him (such as Mewtwo, Marth, and Mega Man) having attained vastly greater viability thanks to more consistent success and/or expanded metagames, Yoshi's current ranking is viewed by some players, such as ZeRo, as too high.

Attributes

Yoshi is a heavyweight that noticeably deviates from his weight class' archetype. This is most obvious with his air speed, which is the fastest in the game by default, though it is surpassed under certain conditions (Giga Mac, Wario-Man, the lightest possible Mii Brawler, and a fully Limit Charged Cloud). By extension, Yoshi has the second highest double jump in the game (surpassed only by Mewtwo's), which also grants him 68 frames of armor that can withstand a maximum of 120 units of knockback. Yoshi's other attributes also deviate from that of a typical heavyweight, albeit not to the degree as his air speed and double jump. He has slightly above-average walking speed, above-average dashing speed and air acceleration, below-average gravity, among the slowest falling and fast falling speeds, and the fourth lowest traction. Lastly, Yoshi is capable of crawling. Overall, these attributes collectively grant him excellent aerial mobility and great grounded mobility, yet do not render him frail or susceptible to juggling.

Yoshi's greatest strength is the utility of his moveset. His neutral and tilt attacks are all very fast, leaving him exposed only very briefly. They additionally launch opponents either vertically or horizontally, which makes them reliable as set-ups for combos or edge-guarding. Yoshi's dash attack has high base knockback and long range, which allows for easy cross-ups and make it useful for punishing rolls or techs. His smash attacks possess decent power, with his forward smash being the strongest among them. However, each of Yoshi's smashes also have certain perks. Forward and clean up smash grant intangibility to his head and legs, respectively, whereas down smash is a semi-spike like his down tilt.

Yoshi's air game is also versatile and synchronizes very well with his attributes. Due to it hitting on frame 3, neutral aerial is the second fastest of its kind; when coupled with its sex kick properties, it is useful for edge-guarding, stopping approaches and breaking out of combos or juggles. Forward aerial can either meteor smash or powerfully launch opponents diagonally, and is capable of auto-canceling with a short hop. Up aerial is one of Yoshi's most viable KOing options: due to it hitting on frame 5 and possessing a respectable damage output, very high knockback growth and disjointed hitbox, it can quickly and reliably KO any opponent of any weight while near the upper blast line. Back aerial is excellent at edge-guarding, as its first two hits launch opponents at the auto-link angle, whereas its third hit has extremely high knockback growth. Lastly, Yoshi's renowned down aerial hits repeatedly and is the most damaging aerial in the game. By extension, it can strongly pressure shields to the point of potentially breaking one if it is auto-canceled with a jump and followed by Yoshi Bomb.

The respectable utility of Yoshi's moveset also extends to his special moves. Egg Lay is a command grab that immobilizes opponents and thus allows for free hits. If opponents do not break out of the Yoshi Egg while near the edge, they also face the risk of being unable to recover. Egg Roll functions similarly to Spin Dash, as it can be used to approach or retreat quickly. Egg Throw is a projectile that can be used to stop approaches, allow Yoshi to close in on the opponent and, when continuously B-reversed in the air, keep the opponent guessing as to where he is going to go next. Although it is not a traditional recovery move, it nevertheless grants minimal vertical recovery upon its first use in midair. Lastly, Yoshi Bomb is useful for pressuring shields thanks to it dealing considerable shield damage, while its grounded version's respectable damage output and deceptively low start-up lag make it one of Yoshi's most viable KOing options.

However, Yoshi has noticeable weaknesses, with his main one being his vertical recovery. Although his attributes allow for long horizontal recovery, Egg Throw grants only minimal vertical distance. By extension, Yoshi is overly reliant on his double jump for recovery, and will be unable to reuse it if he is hit out of it. As such, Yoshi is heavily susceptible to meteor smashes and footstool jumps, as a single opening he makes off-stage could potentially prove fatal.

Another very glaring weakness is his grab game, which is widely considered to be among the worst in the game. Yoshi's pummel is the only positive trait of his grab game, thanks to its quick speed, average damage output, and its release being a useful set-up into his neutral attack. Outside of this, his grabs' good ranges are offset by their very punishable amounts of start-up and ending lag. Yoshi's forward and back throws are his fastest and most damaging throws, but their average damage outputs, below average base knockback and low knockback growth make them unreliable for scoring KOs or starting combos. His up and down throws are also unable to KO reliably and, despite having low damage outputs, lack combo potential because of their slow speeds. Yoshi's ability to escape pressure is also limited, as his rolls and sidestep are short-distanced, among the slowest in the game, and have some of the lowest amounts of intangibility frames. By extension, his shield is the smallest in the game, and he is the only character who is unable to perform shield platform dropping.

Lastly, Yoshi's KO potential is problematic for a heavyweight. Although his smash attacks, up aerial and grounded Yoshi Bomb are his most reliable KOing options thanks to their respectable power, they are burdened with very short durations and punishable amounts of ending lag. However, forward smash, down smash and Yoshi Bomb also suffer from other particular flaws. Forward smash has noticeable start-up lag, down smash's back hit is more effective for KOing than its front hit, and Yoshi Bomb's short range makes it best suited from out of shield. While Yoshi's neutral, forward and back aerials also possess KO potential, their very low base knockback makes them best suited for doing so while near the left or right blast line.

Yoshi gains noticeable benefits from his custom moves. Lick is effectively his best custom move: it is a semi-spike that is powerful enough to KO reliably, yet can also provide function as a horizontal recovery option, thanks to it slightly boosting Yoshi forward. Egg Launch deals more damage and launches opponents away, which can be used as a potent way minimize their chances of recovering. Heavy Egg Roll is slower, but deals much more damage and has armor throughout its duration. Conversely, Light Egg Roll has more power and moves higher and faster, but ends after its bounce. High Jump covers noticeably more distance, but in turn removes Yoshi's only projectile. Star Bomb has less power, but its stars are larger and more damaging. Conversely, Crushing Bomb is strong enough to easily KO opponents of any weight, yet is punishable because of its much slower speed and lack of stars.

Overall, Yoshi is effectively a heavyweight version of the all-rounder archetype, thanks to his lack of glaring issues against the majority of the cast. Due to his strengths and low learning curve, Yoshi has managed to achieve respectable placings at all levels of play, thanks to the likes of Raptor, Sky, Papa Wall, Poltergust, Kamikaze, Seth, Snoop, and Ron. However, Yoshi's easily exploitable weaknesses have nevertheless resulted in his representation remaining below average in competitive play.

Changes from Brawl

Yoshi has been buffed significantly in the transition from Brawl to SSB4. Many of his attacks have more speed and utility, which improve his combo game and grant him new KO set-ups. For the first time since SSB, Yoshi can jump out of shield, which removes his main weakness in Brawl. However, the removal of chain grabbing significantly nerfed his damage racking ability and his already poor grab game. Many of his attacks also deal less damage, while most of his aerials have higher landing lag. Overall, Yoshi's buffs largely outweigh his nerfs, and have resulted in him being noticeably better than in Brawl.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in SSB4, Yoshi has a sleeker design, and his overall color scheme is significantly more vibrant. Unlike in previous installments, he now stands upright. Altogether, these changes make Yoshi appear virtually identical to his appearance as of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
• Yoshi has received two new alternate costumes. The first is Purple Yoshi, and the second is Black Yoshi.
• Yoshi now faces the foreground at a slight angle, instead of directly forward.
• Yoshi is slightly more expressive. His irises now shrink during the end of his pivot grab and when he is hit, launched, or prone/supine.
• Yoshi's boots and double jump's sound clips are lower pitched. He also vocalizes less frequently while double jumping.
• Yoshi Eggs now match Yoshi's selected color scheme. This also applies to Kirby's copied Egg Lay.

Attributes

• Yoshi's upright posture adjusts his hurtbox, resulting in its shape being less awkward. However, he will revert to his posture and idle poses from Brawl while holding a small item.
• Yoshi's upright posture has translated into his moveset, be it through a tweaked animation or a completely new move.
• Yoshi is lighter (107 → 104). This makes him less susceptible to combos, but hinders his endurance.
• Yoshi dashes faster (1.68 → 1.86).
• Yoshi's air speed is slower (1.316 → 1.28), although it is still the fastest in the game by default.
• Shield drop has decreased ending lag (frame 17 → 7), now matching the rest of the cast's. Yoshi is also able to jump out of shield for the first time since SSB. These changes significantly improve its defensive potential.
• Yoshi can no longer shield platform drop, slightly hindering his out of shield game.
• Double jump now functions like a jump, instead of having a scripted upward movement pattern. This means it can now be affected by special gravity conditions.
• Dragonic Reverse has been removed, hindering Yoshi's advanced technical options.

Ground attacks

• Yoshi has a new neutral attack, a front kick followed by a roundhouse kick. Compared to the previous neutral attack, its second hit deals 2% less damage (6% → 4%) and has different knockback (25 (base)/100 (growth) → 56/70). This makes it capable of combos at low to medium percentages, but less effective for spacing.
• Neutral attack's first hit has has more base knockback (8 → 30) compared to the previous neutral attack's first hit, making it significantly more effective for combos.
• Neutral attack's first hit has a shorter duration (frames 3-5 → 3-4) compared to the previous neutral attack's first hit.
• Upward angled and non-angled forward tilt deal less damage (10% (upward)/9% (non-angled) → 8%/7%). Forward tilt also has increased ending lag (frame 30 → 39), significantly hindering its combo potential.
• Forward tilt has decreased start-up lag (frame 6 → 5).
• Up tilt deals less damage (11% (tail)/10% (tip) → 7%), although its knockback growth was compensated (40 → 45). It also has a longer duration (frames 7-11 → 8-15). Altogether, these changes improve its combo potential at low to medium percentages.
• Up tilt has increased start-up lag (frame 7 → 8).
• Down tilt deals less damage (10% (base/mid)/5% (tip) → 5% (base)/4.5% (mid)/4% (tip)). This grants it tech-chasing potential, but hinders its spacing potential.
• Yoshi has a new dash attack, a side kick. Compared to the previous dash attack, its late hit deals 1% less damage (7% → 6%), it has a shorter duration (frames 10-13 (clean)/frames 14-23 (late) → 10-12/13-20), and more ending lag (42 frames → 50).
• Dash attack has different knockback (15 (base)/100 (growth) → 90/52) and a different angle (361° → 65°) compared to the previous dash attack. This makes it more effective for spacing and capable of cross-ups, but less effective at edge-guarding.
• Dash attack has more range compared to the previous dash attack.
• Forward smash deals less damage (16% (head/neck/body) → 15.5% (head)/14% (body)/13% (head's tip)), hindering its KO potential.
• Forward smash has slightly larger hitboxes. Its head hitboxes have also been re-positioned to cover Yoshi's entire head, instead of only most of it.
• Yoshi has a new up smash, a bicycle kick. Compared to the previous up smash, it deals less damage (16% (head/neck) → 14% (clean)/12% (late)), making it less effective for KOing. It also has significantly less range behind Yoshi, and less intangibility frames (frames 11-16 → 11-13).
• Up smash has more knockback (23 (base)/83 (growth) → 37/95), slightly more vertical range, and less ending lag (frame 50 → 47) compared to the previous up smash. Altogether, these traits make it slightly more effective as an anti-air attack.
• Down smash deals less damage (14% (front tail/body)/13% (back tail/body) → 12% (front/back tail)/10% (front/back body)). However, its clean hit's knockback was compensated (30 (base)/53 (growth) → 40/73 (front)/40/81 (back)).

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial deals less damage (12% (clean)/9% (mid)/6% (late) → 10%/7%/5%), although its base knockback was compensated (15 (clean)/0 (mid/late) → 40/30). This improves its combo potential, but hinders its edge-guarding potential.
• Neutral, forward, and back aerials have increased landing lag (9 frames → 11 (neutral), 16 frames → 17 (forward), 9 frames → 19 (back)).
• Forward and up aerials deal less damage (16% (head)/15% (nose) → 15%/14% (forward), 13% → 12% (up)), hindering their KO potentials.
• Forward aerial has slightly larger hitboxes, decreased start-up lag (frame 19 → 16), and a longer duration (frames 19-21 → 16-20).
• The removal of meteor canceling significantly improves sweetspotted forward aerial's reliability.
• Due to consisting of three hits instead of four, back aerial deals 4% less damage (14% → 10%). However, its last hit's knockback was compensated (20 (base)/100 (growth) → 30/184).
• Back aerial's first and second hits' angles have been altered (60° (grounded/aerial opponents) → 361° (grounded opponents)/366° (aerial opponents)). This makes them connect together better with its last hit, but hinders their ability to link into other moves.
• Back aerial's last hit's angle has been altered (361° → 54°).
• Back aerial's SDI multiplier has decreased (1× → 0.5×). When coupled with the weakening of SDI, this makes it significantly more difficult to escape from.
• Down aerial deals less damage (3%/2% (hits 1-7)/2%/1% (hits 8-14) → 3%/2% (hits 1-6)/2.2%/1.5% (hits 7-13)/1% (hit 14)), although its last hit's knockback was compensated (5 (base)/100 (growth) → 60/200 (down)).
• Down aerial's last hit's hitbox is larger, improving its reliability against grounded opponents.
• Due to its angle being altered (270°/260°/280° → 80°/40°), down aerial's last hit is no longer a meteor smash, significantly hindering its edge-guarding potential.
• Down aerial's animation is significantly faster. When coupled with the weakening of SDI, the 19% damage increase to shields, and the increase to shieldstun, this makes it significantly more difficult to escape from, and significantly improves its shield pressuring potential.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have received disjointed grabboxes on the tip of Yoshi's tongue.
• Grab has decreased start-up (frame 17 → 14) and ending lag (frame 63 → 56).
• Dash and pivot grabs have increased ending lag (frame 63 → 68 (dash), frame 36 → 65 (pivot)).
• The removal of chain grabbing removes forward throw's damage racking potential.
• Fixed a glitch where opponents could escape from the tip of Yoshi's tongue during his grab and before they enter his mouth, resulting in a game crash.
• Front and back floor attacks deal 1% more damage (6% → 7%).

Special moves

• Egg Lay has increased start-up lag (frame 17 → 21) and a shorter duration (frames 17-22 → 21-24).
• Egg Roll's fastest hit deals 3% less damage (12% → 9%). Egg Roll also has a slightly smaller hitbox.
• Egg Roll no longer renders Yoshi helpless, improving its safety. Yoshi can also jump while using it, improving its approach potential.
• Egg Throw's explosion deals 3% less damage (8% → 5%), although its knockback was compensated (40 (base)/40 (growth) → 60/50). This grants it combo potential, but hinders its spacing potential.
• Egg Throw's Yoshi Egg travels slightly faster, granting it approach potential. Yoshi also retains his horizontal momentum while using it, improving its horizontal recovery potential.
• Egg Throw covers less distance and can no longer be edge-canceled, hindering its vertical recovery potential.
• Egg Throw's visual effects have changed. A Yoshi Egg now emits a rainbow-colored trail during its flight trajectory.
• Grounded Yoshi Bomb has increased knockback growth (70 → 72). Aerial Yoshi Bomb also has more knockback (55 (base)/70 (growth) → 70/68), restoring its KO potential.
• The 19% damage increase to shields and the increase to shieldstun significantly improve Yoshi Bomb's shield pressuring potential.
• Yoshi no longer vocalizes when using Yoshi Bomb.
• Super Dragon deals 5% less damage on contact (8% → 3%) and its Fire Breath no longer deals consistent damage (6% → 6% (near)/4% (mid)/3% (far)), hindering its damage racking potential. It also has a shorter duration.
• Super Dragon's Fireball no longer deals consistent damage (17% → 18% (near)/14% (mid)/12% (far)).
• Super Dragon's Fireball can now pierce multiple opponents.

Update history

Unlike the majority of the cast, Yoshi's most notable changes from game updates have been fixes to glitches associated with him. Although game updates also granted him buffs and nerfs, the majority of them did so ambivalently. Update 1.0.4 granted Yoshi partial intangibility in certain situations, yet increased the lag of his dash attack, down aerial and Egg Lay. Updates 1.0.6 and 1.1.0 followed similar formats, as they each granted a single buff and a single nerf to his forward smash and back aerial, respectively.

The changes to shield mechanics brought about by updates 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 also indirectly buffed and nerfed Yoshi: they enable his down aerial and Yoshi Bomb to wear down shields much better than before, yet hinder his out of shield options because of his very low traction. Lastly, update 1.1.4 shortened the duration of his invincibility he receives after tripping or during any trip follow-ups aside from his floor attack.

1.0.4

• Yoshi gained 5 frames of partial intangibility in certain situations.
• Dash attack's ending lag increased.
• Down aerial's landing lag increased: 24 → 28 frames.
• Egg Lay's start-up lag increased: frame 17 → 21.
• Using Yoshi Bomb on downward slopes no longer makes Yoshi slide on them.
• Fixed a glitch that allowed Yoshi to perform a much higher High Jump immediately after using Yoshi Bomb.
• Fixed a glitch that allowed Yoshi to teleport back to an edge after using his up special.
• Fixed a glitch that allowed Yoshi to make characters grow to gigantic sizes in Multi-Man Mode after repeatedly using Egg Lay.

1.0.6

• Upward angled forward tilt's start-up lag decreased: frame 6 → 5. This matches its other angles' start-up lag.
• Part of forward smash has been made irreversible.
• Forward smash's body hitbox's size decreased: 3.1u → 2.9u.
• Edge attack's ending lag decreased.

1.1.0

• Back aerial's first two hits' angles altered: 365° (grounded/aerial opponents) → 361° (grounded opponents)/366° (aerial opponents) and its SDI multiplier decreased: 1× → 0.5×. These changes make its hits connect together better.
• Back aerial stops auto-canceling earlier: frame 11 → 6.
• Fixed a glitch that allowed Yoshi to grab an edge as long as he used Yoshi Bomb while being very close to it and the control stick/circle pad was tilted upward or toward the stage.

1.1.1

• Edge attack deals more shield damage: 0 → 1.
• High Jump's ending lag decreased.

1.1.4

• Trip invincibility and all trip followups except floor attack have one less frame of invincibility.

Moveset

• Yoshi can crawl.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			3%	A front kick followed by a roundhouse kick. Its first hit can be jab canceled reliably into his tilt attacks, down smash, and Yoshi Bomb at low percentages, and into his forward and up smashes at low to high percentages, the latter of which KO reliably. Conversely, its second hit can act as a set-up into a dash attack or a dash grab at low percentages.
			4%
Forward tilt	↗		8%	Spins around to swing his tail. Due to it hitting on frame 5, it has the lowest amount of start-up out of Yoshi's tilt attacks, which makes it useful via pivoting. It can also be angled, and deals slightly more damage when angled upward or downward. The base of Yoshi's tail launches opponents vertically, whereas the tip launches them diagonally. However, it has very short range and the highest amount of ending lag out of his tilts, which make it virtually unusable for set-ups.
	→		7%
	↘		8%
Up tilt			7%	Crouches and flicks his tail upward. A good combo starter, it can combo into itself and up smash from 0% to low percentages, and a neutral aerial and up aerial at low to medium percentages.
Down tilt			5% (base), 4.5% (mid), 4% (tip)	Lays in a prone position and spins around to swing his tail forward, similarly to Pikachu's down tilt. It is a semi-spike and has the lowest amount of ending lag out of his tilts, which make it useful for tech-chasing. It can also interrupt an opponent's attempt at grabbing an edge. However, it is Yoshi's least damaging tilt attack.
Dash attack			9% (clean), 6% (late)	A side kick. Its long range and duration allow for easy cross-ups, and make it capable of punishing rolls or techs. However, its 37 frames of ending lag make it punishable if it is not spaced properly.
Forward smash			13% (head's tip), 15.5% (head), 14% (body)	Rears back his head and then performs a headbutt. It has a sweetspot on Yoshi's head that is strong enough to KO middleweights at 94%/85% (3DS/Wii U) while near the edge of Final Destination. Although its other hitboxes deal slightly less damage, they are still strong enough to KO reliably: its head's tip hitbox KOs middleweights at 116%/105% (3DS/Wii U), whereas its body hitbox KOs them at 107%/97% (3DS/Wii U). It can also be angled and renders his head intangible. Despite being a headbutt, it also has a hitbox around Yoshi's body. However, its 38 frames of ending lag make it punishable, and its hitboxes only last for 1 frame.
Up smash			14% (clean), 12% (late)	A bicycle kick, similar to Fox's up smash. Its clean hitbox renders Yoshi's legs intangible and is strong enough to KO middleweights at 120%/112% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination. Although its late hitbox deals slightly less damage, it is still strong enough to KO middleweights at 127%/119% (3DS/Wii U). Despite its appearance, it can hit opponents behind Yoshi, such as immediately after using Egg Lay at low percentages. However, its 30 frames of ending lag make it punishable, and its late hitbox lacks intangibility.
Down smash			12% (tail), 10% (body)	Quickly swings his tail forward at a low angle, and then backward at a low angle. It hits on frame 7, which is fast for a smash attack. In addition to being useful for punishing rolls, it is a semi-spike like his down tilt. Its back hit has higher knockback growth than its front hit, but it is overall Yoshi's weakest smash attack. While near the edge of Final Destination, its tail hitbox's front hit KOs middleweights at 150%/135% (3DS/Wii U). In comparison, its tail hitbox's back hit KOs them at 132%/119% (3DS/Wii U).
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7% (mid), 5% (late)	A flying kick. It is a sex kick and hits on frame 3, which is the lowest amount of start-up lag out of Yoshi's aerials. It also has high knockback growth and the lowest amount of landing lag out of Yoshi's aerials. Altogether, these traits make it very useful from out of shield and for approaching, edge-guarding, or breaking out of combos and juggles. While near the left/right blast line of Final Destination, its clean hitbox KOs middleweights at 118%/104% (3DS/Wii U).
Forward aerial			15% (head), 14% (nose)	Rears back his head and then performs a downward headbutt. Its nose hitbox deals impressive damage and has a sweetspot that is a meteor smash. However, its head hitbox also deals impressive damage and has high knockback growth, which enable it to KO middleweights at 108%/97% (3DS/Wii U) while near the left/right blast zones of Final Destination. It is also capable of auto-canceling with a short hop, which allows it to function either as an approach option, or as a way to hinder approaches. Due to it hitting on frame 16, however, it is tied with down aerial for the highest amount of start-up lag out of Yoshi's aerials.
Back aerial			2.5% (hits 1-2), 5% (hit 3)	Rapidly flicks his tail up and down repeatedly. Its first two hits launch at the auto-link angle, which can enable it to drag opponents down to the stage for a set-up. In comparison, its third hit has extremely high knockback growth, which makes useful for edge-guarding. While near the left/right blast line of Final Destination, its last hit KOs middleweights at 104%/100% (3DS/Wii U). However, it has the second highest amount of landing lag out of Yoshi's aerials.
Up aerial			12%	Somersaults to flick his tail upward. Due to it hitting on frame 5 and having a respectable damage output, very high knockback growth, and a disjointed hitbox, it is one of Yoshi's most useful moves. It can combo into itself or juggle at low to medium percentages, and KOs middleweights at 112%/98% (3DS/Wii U) while near the upper blast line of Final Destination.
Down aerial			3% (center hits 1-6), 2% (side hits 1-6), 2.2% (center hits 7-13), 1.5% (side hits 7-13), 1% (hit 14), 1% (landing)	A Flutter Jump-style series of kicks. Its multiple hits make it very useful for damage racking and pressuring shields, whereas its last hit has deceptive horizontal range. It is Yoshi's most damaging aerial and, by extension, the most damaging aerial in the game. Due to it hitting on frame 16, however, it is tied with forward aerial for the highest amount of start-up lag out Yoshi's aerials. It also has the highest amount of ending and landing lag out of his aerials, which make it punishable if used unwisely.
Grab			—	Uses his tongue to grab an opponent and pull them into his mouth. Despite its appearance, Yoshi's tongue is not a tether. Instead, its range and lag are between those of tether grabs and normal grabs. As a result, Yoshi's grabs have fairly long ranges, but punishable amounts of start-up and ending lag.
Pummel			2%	Chews the opponent. A fairly fast pummel.
Forward throw			7%	Spits the opponent forward. It has very minimal combo potential, as its only follow-ups are forward aerial or Egg Throw when throwing the opponent off-stage. However, both of these are largely situational.
Back throw			7%	Spits the opponent backward. It has no utility outside of dealing damage.
Up throw			5%	Spits the opponent upward. Like back throw, it has no utility outside of dealing damage.
Down throw			4%	Spits the opponent onto the ground. Although it has very high base knockback and very low knockback growth like R.O.B.'s down throw, it has extremely minimal combo potential in comparison because of its very slow speed. Its only follow-up is up aerial, although it requires a proper read.
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			7%	Swings his tail inward while climbing up.
Neutral special	Default	Egg Lay	7%	Swallows the opponent and encases them in a Yoshi Egg. While trapped, the opponent receives less damage and can they use button mashing in order to break free, but they are completely immobile and vulnerable to Yoshi's attacks while trapped. They also stay trapped longer the more damaged they are.
	Custom 1	Lick	10%	Pokes the opponent with his tongue. Deals more damage and, unlike Egg Lay or Egg Launch, it has high knockback growth and is a semi-spike. Altogether, these traits make it a viable KOing option, as it KOs middleweights at 126% while near the edge of Final Destination in the 3DS version. It also slightly boosts Yoshi forward, similarly to Jumping Inhale. This quirk allows it to function as a punishment option when spaced properly, and even as a horizontal recovery option. It is comparable to how Egg Lay functioned in The Subspace Emissary.
	Custom 2	Egg Launch	10%	Deals more damage, has slightly less start-up and the Yoshi Egg laid is fired away from Yoshi, which makes it capable of spacing. However, the Yoshi Egg is much easier to break out of.
Side special	Default	Egg Roll	4%+speed	Encases himself inside a Yoshi Egg in order to roll around. Yoshi can barrel through opponents, which deals a maximum of 9% with sufficient momentum, or quickly retreat. Unlike in previous installments, it no longer renders Yoshi helpless and allows him to jump while rolling, the latter of which grants it mindgame potential.
	Custom 1	Heavy Egg Roll	4%+speed	The roll is significantly stronger, to the point that it deals a maximum of 15% in one roll with sufficient momentum. It also grants armor, but is significantly slower.
	Custom 2	Light Egg Roll	4%+speed	The roll is considerably stronger and faster, to the point that it deals a maximum of 11% with sufficient momentum. It also makes Yoshi perform a short hop upon being used, similarly to Spin Dash, which grants it recovery potential so long as Yoshi performs it on the stage or a platform. However, only one roll can be performed, and it travels a set distance.
Up special	Default	Egg Throw	1% (contact), 5% (explosion)	Throws a Yoshi Egg on a controllable, parabolic arc. When used in midair, it grants Yoshi a small vertical boost, which loses effectiveness with each consecutive use until he touches the ground. A very versatile projectile, it can be used for pressuring, edge-guarding, approaching, hindering approaches, and performing mindgames.
	Custom 1	High Jump	—	Grants a considerably higher vertical boost, but Yoshi does not throw a Yoshi Egg.
	Custom 2	Timed Egg Throw	9%	The Yoshi Egg is larger and its explosion deals more damage. However, it travels harmlessly through opponents instead of exploding on contact. It also has slightly more start-up, while the aerial version grants a shorter vertical boost.
Down special	Default	Yoshi Bomb	4% (hop), 15% (grounded Ground Pound), 12% (aerial Ground Pound), 4% (stars)	A Ground Pound that produces damaging stars in front and behind himself when he lands. It boasts impressive power and has very minimal start-up lag, which allow it to function as a viable surprise KOing option, especially from out of shield. The grounded version's Ground Pound KOs middleweights at 119%/113% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination. Both versions also deal bonus amounts of shield damage, with the grounded version being capable of almost breaking a full shield when each of its hitboxes connect. However, the aerial version's slightly lower damage output and knockback growth result in it being less effective at KOing in comparison. The aerial version KOs middleweights at 156%/145% (3DS/Wii U) from anywhere on Final Destination.
	Custom 1	Star Bomb	3% (hop), 4% (Ground Pound), 8%/6%/4% (stars)	The Ground Pound produces much larger stars that deal more damage. However, the Ground Pound itself deals much less damage and has much lower knockback, to the point that it has virtually no KO potential.
	Custom 2	Crushing Bomb	5% (hop), 18% (Ground Pound)	The Ground Pound deals more damage and has much higher knockback, to the point that even its aerial version KOs reliably. The grounded version's Ground Pound KOs middleweights at 78% from anywhere on Final Destination in the 3DS version. In comparison, the aerial version KOs them at 90% from anywhere on Final Destination in the 3DS version. However, it has significantly more start-up and ending lag, and produces no stars.
Final Smash		Super Dragon	3% (idle/ram), 18% (near Fireball), 14% (mid Fireball), 12% (far Fireball), 6% (near Fire Breath), 4% (mid Fire Breath), 3% (far Fire Breath)	Grows a pair of angelic wings that allow him to freely fly around. While transformed, Yoshi can fire large Fireballs from his mouth when the attack or special attack buttons are pressed. The Fireballs deal respectable damage and have high knockback; the most damaging Fireball is strong enough to KO middleweights at 99% while near the edge of Final Destination in the 3DS version. Conversely, not pressing any buttons will result in him briefly exhaling a continuous stream of flames. Yoshi can also make use of his flight and invincibility to ram into opponents, although it is significantly weaker than his Fireball and Fire Breath.

On-screen appearance

• Bursts out of a Yoshi Egg and strikes a pose.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Dances around in a circle and then says "Yoshi!" upon finishing.
• Side taunt: Chases his tail, then briefly pauses to stare at it.
• Down taunt: Looks towards the screen, then jumps excitedly up and down while flailing his arms and saying "Yoshi! Yoshi!"

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Performs a short dance.
• Looks around.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Yo-shi!	Yo-shi! *claps 3 times*
Pitch	Group chant	Female

Victory poses

A flourished remix of Yoshi's Story, the title screen theme of the game of the same name.

• Angrily performs two alternating punches, then turns his back to the screen while looking to the right.
• Looks up at the sky with his hands together, spins once, and then strikes the V sign.
• Punches the air, then strikes a pose with his arms outstretched. It appears very similar to his "character chosen" animation in SSB.

In competitive play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Yoshi	3111	2111	1311	1211	3211
	3311	2211	2311	2113	3112

Notable players

Active

•  DIO - Placed 9th at Hyper Sumabato, 7th at Sumabato 13, and 5th at Sumabato 14.
•  Dr. Robotnik - Placed 5th at North West Regionals, the Opening Major DEC 2014, 33rd at Don't Park on the Grass, 1st in over 2 dozen region events Eastern Washington, alternating 1st-5th on region PR since 2014 Eastern Washington.
•  Firefly - Placed 5th at PAX Prime 2015, 1st at a few local tournaments in doubles play, 9th at Northwest Majors VIII, and 25th at Don't Park on the Grass. Ranked 12th on the British Columbia Power Rankings.
•  JFK - Placed 25th at Low Tier City 4 and 49th at GameTyrant Expo 2017. Formerly ranked 3rd on the Colorado Power Rankings.
•  Kamikaze - The best Yoshi player in Georgia. Placed 33rd at Super Smash Con 2016, UGC Smash Open, and MomoCon 2017, and 1st at a few local tournaments in doubles play. Formerly ranked 12th on the Georgia Power Rankings. He has wins over Hyper Kirby and ItsSonic.
•  Nikes - Placed 17th at Battle Arena Melbourne 7, 3rd at Southern Cross Championship 2K15, 9th at Battle Arena Melbourne 8, and 25th at SXC 2K16. Ranked 4th on the South Australia Power Rankings.
•  Poltergust - Placed 13th at Paragon Orlando 2015, 17th at CEO 2015, 49th at Paragon Los Angeles 2015, 13th at Smash the Record 2015, and 33rd at Frame Perfect Series 2. Ranked 10th on the Central Florida Power Rankings. He has a win over Earth.
•  Raptor - Placed 9th at Super Smash Con 2015, 49th at GENESIS 3, 7th at GUMS 6, 17th at Pound 2016, 13th at Apex 2016, 5th at Glitch 2, and has achieved several top 10 placings at KTAR tournaments. Formerly ranked 9th on the New York City Power Rankings.
•  Ron - Placed 2nd at Sumabato 12, 3rd at Hirosuma: Revolution, 2nd at Sumabato 17, and 1st at Sumabato 18. He has wins over Shuton and HIKARU.
•  Seth - Placed 9th at Midwest Mayhem 3, 5, 7, and 8. Ranked 4th on the Chicago Power Rankings and 16th on the Midwest Power Rankings.
•  Snoop - Placed 17th at 2GGT: FOW Saga, 25th at 2GGT: KTAR Saga, 49th at GENESIS 4, 65th at 2GGC: Civil War, and 49th at EVO 2018. Ranked 3rd on the Las Vegas Power Rankings.
•  Squerk - Placed 17th at Glitch 3, 65th at Super Smash Con 2016, and 65th at CEO Dreamland. Ranked 3rd on the South Virginia Power Rankings and 16th on the MD/VA Power Rankings. He has wins over WaDi, Mister Eric, and Remzi.
•  Suarez - Placed 33rd at Overclocked II, 17th at KTAR XVI, and 13th at Collision XV. Has wins over players such as Frozen, John Numbers and DarkBlues. Formerly ranked 5th on the New York Power Rankings.
•  Xeon - Placed 1st at First Attack 2016 in singles and doubles play, 1st at the majority of Puerto Rican tournaments in doubles play, and 17th at CEO 2016 in doubles play. Ranked 2nd on the Puerto Rico Power Rankings.

Inactive

•  Havilar - One of the best Yoshi players in the world prior to his semi-retirement. Placed 49th at GENESIS 3, 9th at TGC 6, 13th at 2GGT: Mexico Saga, 49th at EVO 2016, and 49th at EVO 2017. Ranked 6th on the Texas Power Rankings.
•  Sky - Placed 49th at Final Battle, Apex 2015, and EVO 2015. He has housed several top players during major SoCal tournaments.

Tier placement and history

Yoshi's perception has been positive since SSB4's release, as players pointed out how his buffs restored his status as a viable choice in competitive play. Despite this, his tournament representation and results have not been high as other characters, with very sparse results from professionals, such as Papa Wall placing 13th at 2GGT: Mexico Saga. As a result, Yoshi was ranked 15th on the first tier list, which resulted in him becoming the second highest ranking mid-tier character after Captain Falcon.

Although Yoshi has achieved more tournament success since then, his continually sparse results negatively affected his tier status in subsequent tier lists. He would be ranked 23rd on the second tier list, but because of tier restructuring and Captain Falcon being reassessed as a high-tier character, Yoshi serendipitously became the highest ranking mid-tier character.

By the time of the third tier list, Yoshi was ranked 29th, which was largely owed to the debut of both Cloud and Bayonetta, both of whom are widely agreed upon as being his most challenging matchups. In addition to resulting in Yoshi losing his status as the highest ranking mid-tier character, this tier drop was tied with Kirby and Pit's for the second largest between the second and third tier lists. As of the fourth and current tier list, Yoshi is ranked 34th, with this tier drop owing to both his results and metagame stagnating.

Trophies

Yoshi

As dependable a partner as one could hope for, Yoshi often aids Mario in his adventures. Yoshi can swallow just about anything and make an egg of it instantly. He's got some serious airborne power, making launching opponents skyward and then following up with more attacks a wise choice.

They say man's best friends is a dog, but Mario's may well be Yoshi. He lives on Yoshi's Island, and can swallow up just about anything, then lay it as an egg. In this game, jumping is his forte - he can leap really high, then quickly land again, making chasing after launched opponents and getting in sneaky follow-up strikes easy.

: Super Mario World (08/1991)

: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (10/1995)

Yoshi (Alt.)

Yoshi's up special move Egg Throw is a projectile attack that travels farther the longer the button is held. Yoshi will also rise a bit if this move is used in midair. The side special Egg Roll turns Yoshi into a rolling, damaging egg. Yoshi won't roll off an edge if no directions are pressed.

When you use the Egg Throw up special, how far Yoshi throws the egg depends on how long you hold the button. In mid-air, the move also makes him rise a bit. Egg Roll, a side special, sends him rolling inside an egg. If you don't control him while he's rolling, he'll stop just before he rolls off the edge of a platform.

: Super Mario World (08/1991)

: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (10/1995)

Super Dragon

Wings sprout from Yoshi's back and he transforms into a super-cool dragon! While transformed, Yoshi is invincible and will constantly breathe fire. He can also ram into foes and shoot fireballs at them. The fireballs are great for launching foes and most powerful when used at close range.

A pair of wings appear on Yoshi's back, turning him into an angelic dragon. While the Final Smash is active, he can fly freely through the air, and is invincible to boot. He constantly breathes fire, can ram into opponents, and can also shoot fireballs that deal a lot of damage and have great launching power, especially at close range.

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Red Colored Alt. (3DS)

• 

  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Yellow Colored Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Super Dragon

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Regulars: Yoshi is one of the opponents fought in this event. All of the opponents are the eight starter characters of the "perfect-attendance crew" from Super Smash Bros.
• King of the Yoshis: Yoshi must defeat seven other Yoshis.

Co-op Events

• Food Fight: Kirby and King Dedede must defeat Yoshi, Wario, and Pac-Man.
• Robots vs. Dragons: R.O.B. and Mega Man must defeat a giant Yoshi, a giant Charizard, and Ridley in a Stamina Battle.
• Scheming Sorcerer: Yoshi and Toon Link must defeat a male and a female Robin, followed by a metal male Robin and a giant metal female Robin.
• The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Yoshi's splash art.

• 

  Yoshi's amiibo.

• 

  Taunting alongside Kirby, Pikachu, and Villager.

• 

  Using his forward tilt against Zelda's Phantom Slash.

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  Using Egg Throw on a Smash Ball.

• 

  Using Egg Lay alongside Mega Man and Little Mac.

• 

  One of Yoshi's idle poses.

• 

  Using Yoshi Bomb alongside Bowser's Bowser Bomb and Toon Link's down aerial.

• 

  Using Egg Lay while behind Olimar.

• 

  Using his down taunt alongside Kirby.

• 

  Getting hit by Diddy Kong's Banana Peel.

• 

  Alongside Luma.

• 

  Jumping away from a shark alongside Pikachu and Diddy Kong.

• 

  Yoshi on the cover of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Trivia

• Yoshi is the only member of "The Original 8" to not be revealed at E3 2013, and the last one to be revealed in general.
  • He, Ness, and Jigglypuff are also the only members of the "perfect-attendance crew" to be absent from non-DLC posters containing newcomers. In Yoshi's case, the only poster he appears on is Bayonetta's.
• Yoshi is the only non-DLC veteran that is not an alternate form or part of a set to have splash art and an introduction tagline accompany his reveal.
• SSB4 is the first installment in which Yoshi receives new alternate costumes under normal circumstances.
• Yoshi, Jigglypuff, and Captain Falcon are the only characters to use voice clips from every installment of Super Smash Bros.
  • Incidentally, Yoshi Bomb's voice clip is still available in Sound Test, even though Yoshi no longer vocalizes upon using Yoshi Bomb.
• Yoshi is the only veteran who can no longer be rendered helpless upon using any of his special moves.
• Although Yoshi's back aerial now consists of three hits instead of four, the sound effect of the removed fourth hit can still be heard if one listens closely. This is much more noticeable in Training Mode's 1/4× speed setting.
• Yoshi's punching victory pose is likely a humorous reference to one of Akuma's victory poses or his Raging Demon (瞬獄殺, Blinking Prison Killer), which concludes with an identical pose. This is even referenced in Ryu's All-Star Mode congratulations screen in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.