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 and other games of the Mario series 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 18th 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 a bit floaty character, which is very unusual for his weight.

Complementing his high mobility, Yoshi's moveset possesses very good utility. Both hits of neutral attack can connect into each other, and the first hit can also be used to 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 a very fast sex kick with low all-around lag, decent range, and good power, allowing it to either KO at surprisingly early percents, serve as an effective combo breaker, be a tech-chase set-up, and be his primary out of shield option. 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 and a hitbox that hits behind the opponent 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 high vertical knockback allows it to KO at reasonable percentages near the upper blast zone. His grab is also relatively decent: his grab release and throws grant invincibility during their animations, pummel is fast and deals average damage, forward and back throws are decent KO options by the ledge, up throw has combo potential into his up air at low percents, and down throw has little ending lag making it his most useful combo throw.

Yoshi's special moves are also very effective tools for the character. Egg Lay is a command grab which traps the opponent in a egg for a short amount of time, allowing it to work as a damage racker, and when B-reversed is a effective surprise trapping option. Egg Roll travels decently fast on the ground and deals effective damage when running into an opponent, Yoshi Bomb gives Yoshi an option to escape juggles if the situation allows for it, can go through soft platforms, does high damage in both the ground and air, and the grounded version deals high shield damage. However, his best special move is easily his Egg Throw, his only but incredibly effective projectile. The trajectory of the move can be changed depending on the angle of the joystick, can bounce on the ground, and allow Yoshi to have an option for zoning.

Although Yoshi's strengths allow him to be effective in many instances, he has some noticeable weaknesses. Main problem being that his recovery is very limited: his double jump and air speed make getting back onstage with him more plausible, but his double jump can only be used once and if his opponent has a move that breaks his super armor limit, then he'll be in a very bad situation for getting back onstage. His other recovery options outside of his double jump are very short ranged and punishable, with Egg Throw only giving vertical distance upon its first three usages and directional air dodges having high ending lag.

His approach can also be very punishable as his moves outside of tilts are noticeably slower, with every one of his aerial attacks outside of his neutral and up aerials having below-average speed, and most of his attacks have short range that leaves him vulnerable to getting stuffed out by disjointed hitboxes. His grab is also very punishable when missed despite its invincibility and long range, Egg Lay is very limited and has no usage if the opponent is far away, Egg Roll has very predictable trajectory and is hard for Yoshi to get out of if the attack doesn't work well in his certain situation, and Yoshi Bomb is also predictable if used unsafely and has high ending lag when Yoshi hits the ground.

Overall, Yoshi is still a strong character despite his glaring weaknesses. With his fast speed and reliable attacks, he has the ability to combo, take out stocks, and play an effective neutral game. His tournament results have been very strong because of these attributes, with players such as Suarez, Squerk, Meme, and Raptor showing the potential that he has, and some players even consider him to be better than he was in Smash 64, although the latter is debatable.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Yoshi was greatly 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 (which itself was increased).

Yoshi's recovery received both buffs and nerfs. His increased air speed allows him to better come back to the stage horizontally, while the reintroduction of directional air dodges allows him to mix up his recovery options; Egg Throw, Yoshi's up special, grants more diagonal distance during its first three uses. However, Yoshi's overall jump height - while still impressive - has nevertheless been lowered, hampering his vertical survivability offstage. Further compounding this, air dodges have more ending lag - making them considerably more punishable; thus, players have to cautiously use their air dodges in tandem with Yoshi's double jump and Egg Throw or face a guaranteed self-destruct.

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 was buffed overall, it is more punishable since it can't cross up shields. Lastly, Yoshi retains some significant flaws from SSB4, 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 outweigh his nerfs, granting him a stronger competitive presence and lower learning curve. As such, Yoshi's buffs have resulted in a positive perception among the community. Most professionals consider him to be a high-tier character. As a result, Yoshi players such as Suarez, Meme, Ron, and Danbi have garnered strong results with Yoshi, with some even arguing that he is better than his Smash 64 iteration. In recent times, however, Yoshi’s placements have not been as strong and consistent compared to the early metagame. As such, while improved from SSB4, his viability is debatable.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Mario's model features a more subdued color scheme. His eyes and clothing feature greater detailing; the seams on his overalls are more accentuated, and his buttons have a more polished finish. He also has a slightly darker skin tone. Altogether, these changes make him appear virtually identical to his appearance as of Super Mario Odyssey.
  • Mario's standard cap has been replaced by Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey. Cappy's eyes appear during his side taunt and, on occasion, Super Jump Punch, but he otherwise has no effect on gameplay.
• Mario's Builder outfit from Super Mario Maker and his Wedding tuxedo and top hat from Super Mario Odyssey are present as alternate costumes. They replace his Wario-inspired costume and his Fire Mario costume.
• Mario's idle animation is altered slightly; his head is turned more towards the screen, but he still looks toward his front. This has translated into his moveset, with many of his moves having tweaked animations.
• Mario has become drastically more expressive in this game, to an even greater degree than its predecessor, or the rest of the cast. In particular, he will sometimes smile and appear whimsical or happy in battle or when applauding the winner of a match, in line with his canon depiction, although he still looks serious and with angry brows most of the time. In contrast, Mario will also make much angrier expressions than before, particularly when he is preparing to throw someone or when grabbing onto a ledge.
• Walking, air dodge, shielding, helpless, skidding, and ledge-hanging animations have changed. Additionally, Mario now faces the screen instead of away while sleeping.
• Mario's mustache now moves during certain animations, such as while falling.
• Mario's on-screen appearance emits the Warp Pipe sound effect rather than the jump sound, similar to Smash 64.
• Mario has two new taunts: one where he turns his back to the camera and gives a thumbs-up while smiling, and another where he happily throws Cappy around in a circle. They replace his previous up and side taunts.
  • Mario performs his down taunt much faster.
• Mario's right-inputted victory pose has been slightly altered; he jumps much higher, spins around only once, and has a more joyful expression after landing on the ground.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Mario's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
• Mario walks slightly faster (1.1 → 1.155).
• Mario runs faster (1.6 → 1.76).
  • Mario's initial dash is significantly faster (1.6 → 1.936).
• Mario's air speed is faster (1.15 → 1.208).
• Mario's traction is much higher (0.045 → 0.102), allowing him to punish out of shield more easily.
• Mario's gravity is slightly lower (0.08715 → 0.087).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 4-15).
• Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 5-16) and more ending lag (FAF 30 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 27 → 26).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-27 → 3-29).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 33 → 53).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Consecutive uses of the first hit of neutral attack are faster (9 → 6 frames).
  • The first two hits transition into the subsequent hits faster (frame 8 → 5 (hit 1), frame 7 → 6 (hit 2)).
  • The third hit comes out faster (frame 7 → 3) and goes higher, allowing it to connect better from the first two hits.
    • However, its total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • The third hit has increased base knockback (45 → 60).
  • All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.8× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 2× (hit 3)), giving opponents more time to SDI each hit and DI the last hit.
  • The first two hits have altered damage values (2.5% → 2.2% (hit 1), 1.5% → 1.7% (hit 2)), resulting in the move dealing slightly less damage in total (8% → 7.9%).
  • The first and third hits have smaller hitboxes (3u/1.5u/4u → 1.2u/1.5u/1.8u (hit 1), 5u/2.5u/2.5u → 4.3u/2.5u/2.6u (hit 3)).
  • The first two hits no longer use set knockback (15/10/15 set/100 scaling → 20/15 base/50/33/20 scaling (hit 1), 18/15/25 set/100 scaling → 20/15 base/30/15 scaling (hit 2)) and have altered angles (361°/80° → 361°/180° (hit 1), 361° (hit 2)). This improves its locking ability, and causes it to connect more reliably with the farthest hitboxes, but less reliably with the closest hitboxes at high percents.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has a longer hitbox duration (frames 5-6 → 5-7).
  • It has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 26). Combined with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks, this makes it much safer on shield.
  • It has much more base knockback (8 → 55), but less knockback scaling (100 → 70). This makes it significantly safer on hit at low percents, and grants it slightly improved KO potential near the ledge but removes its ability to lock.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has an altered animation with the spinning uppercut starting from a higher and closer position, noticeably reducing its range in front of Mario, to the point it can no longer hit most characters on the ground unless they are very close.
  • Its animation has been flipped, with Mario spinning towards the screen instead of away from it.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt's sweetspot takes priority over the sourspot.
  • The sweetspot is slightly smaller (3.5u → 3.2u).
  • Its animation has been flipped, with Mario spinning towards the screen instead of away from it.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack's hitboxes are placed farther from Mario (Z offset: 4.4u/4u → 5.4u/4.9u), improving its horizontal range.
  • It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.875×, which combined with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks makes it safer on shield.
  • The clean hit launches at a lower angle (60° → 50°), allowing it to KO more effectively near edges.
  • The late hit has a slightly bigger hitbox (2.6u → 2.7u).
  • It has a different animation where Mario's head is positioned higher, his legs extend farther from him, and he gets up during the ending lag instead of staying sit. This prevents him from sliding under certain attacks, and makes him easier to hit overall.
  • The late hit launches opponents away from Mario rather than towards him (110° → 48°), hindering its combo potential despite its lower knockback scaling (43 → 30), and preventing it from stage spiking opponents below edges.
  • It has a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.25×).
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash deals consistent damage across all angles (14%/17% (forward), 14.7%/17.85% (up), 14.42%/17.51% (down) → 14.7%/17.8% (all)), slightly increasing it overall.
  • The sourspot has increased knockback scaling (103 → 105) across all angles, while the sweetspot does when angled up (99 → 101) and angled down (99 → 100). Combined with the increased damage, this slightly improves its KO potential.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's animation has been flipped, with Mario facing toward the screen rather than away from it.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash's animation has been altered, resembling both the Sweep Kick move from Super Mario 64, and the break dance Mario performs on the cover of Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (10 frames → 6 (neutral), 26 → 17 (forward), 12 → 6 (back, up), 19 → 15 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial auto-cancels later (frame 34 → 39), although it still auto-cancels in a short hop.
  • The late hit has a shorter duration (frames 6-29 → 6-27).
  • The hitbox on the late hit is slightly smaller (3u → 2.8u).
• Forward aerial:
  • The removal of teching for grounded meteor smashes improves forward aerial's combo potential onstage, compounded further by its reduced landing lag.
  • It has a different animation, with Mario punching downward with his opposite hand and twisting around afterwards instead of flipping.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 32 → 31), marginally improving its combo potential.
  • It auto-cancels earlier (frame 18 → 17).
  • It has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 4-8 → 4-7).
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial's last hit comes out faster (frame 25 → 23), allowing it to connect better and preventing opponents from air dodging out of it.
    • However, its total duration remains unchanged, giving it more ending lag.
  • The move deals more damage (1% → 1.4% (hits 1-5), 5% → 5.5% (hit 6); 10% → 12.5% (total)), with knockback not compensated on the last hit, improving its KO potential.
  • The looping hits are weight-independent, and no longer use set knockback, instead having more base knockback with minimal knockback scaling (10 set/100 scaling → 50/25 base/15 scaling). This allows for all hits to connect more reliably, preventing opponents from air dodging the last hit.
  • It can no longer be frame canceled.
  • The looping hits' vertically lowest hitbox is smaller (5u → 4u). The landing hitbox is also very slightly smaller (4.32u → 4.3u).
  • The looping hits' middle hitbox has been removed. However, since it didn't cover any more space than the top and low hitboxes together, this makes no practical difference.
  • The final hit has an altered animation, and the vortex emitted around Mario is larger.

Throws and other attacks

• Grabs:
  • All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 29 → 35 (standing), 36 → 43 (dash), 34 → 37 (pivot)).
  • Dash and pivot grab have slightly more startup (frame 8 → 9 (dash), 9 → 10 (pivot)).
  • Dash grab has slightly less range (Z2 offset: 10.6u → 10.4u).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 16 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 24 → 7), shortening its duration.
  • It deals much less damage (3.25% → 1.3%).
  • It has a slightly different animation: Mario holds the opponent with one hand, instead of both like in previous installments, maintaining consistency with his grab animation.
• All of Mario's throws have been altered with more forceful animations.
• The speed of Mario's throws is no longer weight-dependent. This improves their combo potential on heavyweights, but reduces it on lightweights.
• Forward throw:
  • Forward throw has gained slight combo potential at low percents due to Mario's faster initial dash speed.
• Its animation has been altered, with Mario turning on the opposite direction faster, but the second half of the spin is slower and he tosses the opponent more exaggeratedly.
• Back throw:
  • It has an altered animation before the throw: Mario no longer briefly lets go of the opponent before swinging them. Instead, to make the opponent fall, he lifts them by the feet and positions their legs closer to his chest, and then he swings the oppponent before throwing them away. This altered animation more closely represents a real-life giant swing.
• Up throw:
  • Up throw has increased combo ability due to Mario's faster jumpsquat and jump speed.
  • It has a different animation where Mario faces horizontally rather than towards the screen, and holds the opponent by their chest instead of lifting them on their back before throwing, more closely resembling the Upward Cap Throw from Super Mario Odyssey.
• Down throw:
  • Down throw can no longer combo into up tilt except against certain large or tall characters due to the latter's altered hitbox placements, hindering its damage racking potential at low to mid percents.
  • Mario no longer performs a front flip after throwing the opponent. He also slams the opponent more forcefully and with a single arm instead of two.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (7% → 9%).

Special moves

• Fireball:
  • Fireball has less ending lag (FAF 53 → 50), improving its safety.
  • It has larger hitboxes (2u (early)/1.8u (clean)/1.6u (late) → 2.4u/2.2u/2u), regaining its hitbox sizes from Brawl and with the early hit's hitboxes matching his younger brother's Fireballs.
  • It has an increased hitlag multiplier (0.3× → 0.6×), giving Mario more time to follow up.
  • It has received negative shield damage (0 → -2.5 (clean)/-2 (late)), effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.
  • Mario no longer opens his mouth when using Fireball on the ground.
• Cape:
  • Cape no longer gives the opponent super armor on hit.
  • It now inflicts knockback if it's used while they're grabbing the ledge.
  • The reflective hitbox is smaller (9u → 6.5u), and has been moved forward (Z offset: 2 → 8). As such, it can no longer cover behind Mario, making it less safe to use.
    • Although, it is easier to reflect projectiles that otherwise would have stopped short of Mario.
  • The reflective hitbox has more startup with a shorter duration (frame 6-20 → 9-20), although it has a new function causing it to start two frames earlier (frame 7) if a projectile is very close to Mario at the time. This slightly reduces its safety.
    • In the same circumstances, the entire move loses two frames of startup, allowing the offensive hitbox to come out earlier (on frame 10) and reducing the move's total duration.
  • The move's animation length is much longer (41 frames → 58). In the air, this means Mario's air mobility is restricted for much longer, forcing the player to have to interrupt the move with an aerial or special to regain mobility within a reasonable time frame.
  • It always forces opponents to show their backside while they are using their moves; this even works to characters with mirrored stances, such as another Mario, causing them to turn away from the screen.
  • It has a new animation where Mario wears the Cape around his neck while using it, akin to its appearance in Super Mario World.
• Super Jump Punch:
  • Super Jump Punch's second through fourth hits have two frames in between them as opposed to one, resulting in the move having a slightly longer duration (frame 3/7/8/9/10/12/14 → 3/7/9/11/13/15/17).
  • The looping hits are weight-independent and can no longer be SDIed, allowing them to connect more reliably.
  • It sweetspots edges later (frame 11 → 14).
  • Its trajectory cannot be angled as much (18° → 12°).
  • Due to rage being changed to not affect set knockback, the linking hits can no longer KO off the top blast line as easily, removing Mario's low percent KO setups.
  • The second through sixth hits deal less damage (1% → 0.6%), causing the move to deal less damage overall (13% → 11%).
  • The last hit has slightly less base knockback (52 → 50).
  • It has much smaller hitboxes, especially on the first hit, but has more hitboxes overall (7u/6u → 2.5u/4u (hit 1), 6u/5u → 3u/3.8u (hits 2-4), 5.5u/4.2u → 3u/3.8u (hits 5-6), 10u → 9u (hit 7)). This slightly reduces the move's horizontal range but gives it more vertical range.
  • The window to reverse the move is shorter, no longer being reversible during the first hit. This makes it easier to angle vertically, but harder to recover with when facing away from the stage.
  • Occasionally, the coins produced from Super Jump Punch will appear as regional coins found in the Metro Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey. Cappy's eyes appear when this occurs. These coins also have a different sound originating from Super Mario Odyssey.
  • Super Jump Punch has an altered landing animation where Mario lands on his feet like in Smash 64 and Melee as opposed to his back.
• F.L.U.D.D.:
  • F.L.U.D.D. has increased set knockback (50 → 70), allowing it to push back opponents farther.
  • It can be charge-canceled by jumping or spot dodging.
  • It fires fewer shots (8 → 7), increasing its ending lag.
  • It has an altered charging animation.
• Mario Finale:
  • At the start of Mario Finale, opponents are slowed down more and for longer.
  • Mario Finale has less knockback than it did before, where it used to drag opponents far to the side at low percents or KO opponents at around 30%. Because of this change, it KOs later than before, requiring the opponent to be at 55% or higher.
  • The fireballs have a shorter duration (260 frames → 220) and travel faster, making them more likely to drop opponents, and worse at timing out recovering opponents.
  • Mario sports an angrier expression than in previous games when unleashing the move.
  • Damage from each hit is dealt solely based on how long the attack has been out, with the fireballs becoming more powerful as the attack continues. This makes the front fireball weaker early during the Final Smash, but the back fireball stronger later during it.

Update history

In addition to a single glitch being fixed, Yoshi has received a mix of buffs and nerfs via game updates.

2.0.0

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

3.0.0

• Egg Throw deals less shield damage (0 → -3).

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 away less while charging his forward smash, no longer causing certain characters' grabs to be unable to reach him from the front.

5.0.0

• Yoshi can now buffer a grab after rolling or spotdodging.

7.0.0

• Yoshi's shield hitbox is bigger. Since it is impossible to shield stab Yoshi, this does not improve his shield's safety, instead making it easier to hit from a distance.
• Yoshi's head and legs are briefly intangible after activating his shield.

Moveset

• Yoshi can crawl.

For a gallery of Yoshi's hitboxes, see here.

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 (both hits being frame 3) 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 ending lag, it can reliably start combos. It can follow into up smash, neutral and up aerial 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. Yoshi's most effective combo starter due to low knockback growth and can even reach the low platforms of Battlefield, it leads into devastating combo strings at around low to mid percents and 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 sidekick. 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 but has somewhat punishable ending lag.
Down smash			10% (tip), 12% (close)	Crouches and swings his tail forward, and then backward. Compared to his other smash attacks, it lacks any real versatility outside of reading ledge rolls or instances where forward and up smash are punishable.
Neutral aerial			10% (clean), 7% (mid), 5% (late)	A flying sex kick with very low startup (frame 3). 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. 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. Possibly Yoshi's best edgeguarding tool, with both hitboxes dealing an impressive amount of damage, knockback, and the tip is a meteor smash. But it has decent startup lag (16 frames) and 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. Moderate startup lag, with its first hit coming out at frame 11, but has a solid damage output and good 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. Yoshi's fastest aerial attack, having frame 5 startup. Autocancels in a short hop and has good knockback, making it a reliable KO option. It has a large vertical hitbox where the back can even hit grounded opponents, and 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 a 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 rolls 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. It 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. It can be canceled 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's been given more safety since it can now sweetspot ledges, now allowing it to act as a 2 frame punish option. 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 an upward headbutt. If the attack hits, it cuts to a cinematic cutscene that takes place in a rocky gorge. Suddenly, a 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 successful use of the Shun Goku Satsu.

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

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

Yoshi was, for some reason, the only original eight character to be excluded from the E3 demo build. It was difficult to find a pre-release consensus on Yoshi in Ultimate as those who did play the game early went to other characters first. When Yoshi eventually did release, however, numerous players of all skill levels took interest; on top of his strengths, he was rather easy to play and learn the game with. Also helping his early representation was that he was an overall similar character to his SSB4 iteration, making the transition even easier. At the same time, however, this meant that methods on how to fight Yoshi didn't change either. Thus in the competitive scene, despite having the tournament popularity of a top-tier character, he was generally seen as a mid- to high-tier by most players.

In today's competitive scene, Yoshi remains very popular, mostly because of his ease of use. He has begun to fall off in the current meta as perceived higher tiers like Palutena are further optimized, but given his playstyle, he is one of the most popular characters to use below the top level. Even so, top Yoshis such as Suarez still get results at top levels of play, leading a continued advancement of Yoshi's metagame even as the character's initial hype has begun to cool off.

Notable players

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

Active

•  Aiba - Placed 9th at Kurobra 19, and 17th at both Umebura Japan Major 2019 and EGS Cup 3.
•  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.
•  Key - Placed 17th at Low Tier City 7 and 49th at MomoCon 2019.
•  Meme - The best Yoshi player in Mexico and one of the best in the world. Placed 1st at BIT MASTER MTY 2nd STRIKE, 9th at Low Tier City 7, 17th at {{Trn|Genesis 7}, and 25th at Frostbite 2019 while defeating Light, Stroder, Lui$, Lima, and CaptainZack.
•  Raptor - Placed 9th at both Collision 2019 and Smash at The Paramount, and 33rd at Let's Make Moves.
•  Ron (#50) - The best Yoshi player in Japan and one of the best in the world. Placed 3rd at both Sumabato SP 3 and Sumabato SP 6 and 7th at Umebura SP 6 with wins on T and Shuton.
•  Rotsuku - One of the best Yoshi players in the world. Placed 13th at Umebura SP 5, 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 - Placed 13th at Just Roll With It! 11, 17th at Glitch 6, and 49th at Pound 2019, Super Smash Con 2019 and Shine 2019. Has wins over ESAM, Dark Wizzy, Ryuga, and Mekos. Ranked 6th on the MD/VA Ultimate Rankings.
•  Suarez - The best Yoshi player in the United States and one of the best 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.
•  Yikarur - Placed 4th at Calyptus Cup Begone!, 5th at Calyptus Cup Ultimate and Calyptus Cup Fusion, and 17th at Elysium: Yggdrasil and Smashwick 4. He has wins over players such as Blacktwins13 and S1.
•  Yoshidora - Placed 5th at Sumabato SP 3, 9th at Sumabato SP, and 17th at Sumabato SP 4.

Inactive

•  DIO - Placed 17th at Sumabato SP and 25th at Sumabato SP 4 with both Yoshi and Snake. While he hasn't officially dropped Yoshi, he rarely uses him in bracket and prefers to use Snake in all of his sets.
•  ESAM (#14) - 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. While he hasn't officially dropped Yoshi, he rarely uses him in bracket and prefers to use Pikachu in all of his sets.

Classic Mode: Jurassic Journey

Yoshi's congratulations screen.

Yoshi's adversaries consist of playable dinosaur-like reptiles. 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 second 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.

• 

  75. Starship Mario

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  297. Yoshi

• 

  298. Yoshi (Yoshi's Crafted World)

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  319. Mega Eggdozer

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  321. Yarn Yoshi

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  1301. 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 - Super Mario Bros. 3 (Remix)
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's Theme / Sector Z (for 3DS / Wii U)
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	Distant Planet (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 costume), Jolteon (yellow costume), Flareon (red costume)
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)	Zygarde Cell (Tiny Yoshi)
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.

• YoshiJoinsTheBattleSSBU.jpg

  Yoshi's unlock notice when obtaining him in World of Light.

• 

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

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

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  Launching his tongue at a shrunken Kirby on Gaur Plain.

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  Chasing his tail on Coliseum.

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  Idling with Mr. Game & Watch in Skyloft.

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  Green and Yellow Yoshis in Skyworld.

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

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

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  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, with 4.
• 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.
• 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.
• Yoshi is the only character of the Mario sub-universes not to appear in Donkey Kong's Classic Mode.
• 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.
• Alongside Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B. 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, due to the presence of the Baby Mario spirit.
• 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, although its texture was added to the palette of the Yoshis that appear.[2]