Yoshi (Smash Bros.)

"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 Bros. Ultimate Official Site Yoshi is the dinosaur companion of Mario and has been a mainstay in the Smash Bros. Series ever since the first instalment on the N64. Yoshi is one of the most unusual characters on the roster for a number of reasons. Classed as a heavyweight he shares their penchant for absorbing damage his own damage output is relatively low. He's also considerably faster and more agile that other heavyweights which puts him in the unusual situation of being difficult to K.O but struggling to K.O other characters himself.

His recovery is also different to nearly every other fighter in that his recovery move actually doesn't do that much in the way of recovery which he makes up for this with a much larger second jump. Overall Yoshi is a unconventional fighter and a difficult character for beginners to use and judging by his tournament record even experts can't find much mileage out of him.

Battle vs Kirby (Smash Bros.) (by Wassboss)
Kirby is wandering through a dry and arid landscape, with nothing but sand dunes and rocks as far as he can see. His stomach grumbles, longing for a meal but its cries for nutrients go unanswered. Kirby hasn’t eaten for almost 24 hours on account of eating all the food available to him, his enormous appetite partially to blame for the barren wasteland he finds himself in. He is starting to feel weak but he trudges on, his mind on other things, thinking of all the food he could be eating. Suddenly he sees a glint of green in the distance and he squints his eyes trying to get a better look. As he nears the green glint he realises that he is looking at a small patch of green land about 100 foot wide but he barely even notices this as his attention is drawn to other things. Apples and Plums hang from the branches of the trees, the branches straining under the weight of so much food. Strawberry bushes litter the ground and his attentive eyes can also see the tops of carrots protruding from the undergrowth. His strength suddenly returns to him and he dashes over to the patch, his mouth watering and he dives into a strawberry bush, cramming as much as he can into his mouth before leaping out of the other side. His eyes scan the area the amount of food almost overwhelming.

Apples, Plums, Carrots, Strawberries, Cherries, Bananas, Potatoes and many, many more delicious foods a scattered all around him and he can’t decide what to eat first. He reaches for a banana plant when he hears something rustling behind him and the air shifts behind him. Kirby cartwheels backwards just in time to avoid a projectile which shatters on the ground where he stood only moments before. He turns around and scans the area but sees no sign of an assailant. He walks back over to the spot and picks up a piece of the shattered object. He inspects it carefully.

“An Egg” he thinks to himself and just as the thought enters his brain he feels a heavy blow from behind and is flung forward, bouncing off a tree and falling flat on his face. He gets to his feet and it he looks up at his attacker, a green dinosaur. Kirby tilts his head in confusion, he’s sure that he’s seen this creature before but he can’t quite put his finger on where. His thinking is interrupted however as the creature steps towards him, the menace clear in his eyes. Kirby puts his hands out in front of him in a calming gesture and the creature stops, eyeing the pink blob who dares to enter its territory. Kirby continues to gesture and it is clear that he is trying to suggest a compromise, half of the land each. The Dinosaur looks upwards, pondering the suggestion before his head drops and his eyes narrow.

“YOSHI”

“That’s who it is, Yoshi” Kirby thinks and is about the say something when Yoshi launches himself forward and his head connects strongly, sending Kirby staggering back. Yoshi then leaps into the air and turns his back on Kirby, swatting his tail out behind him. Kirby manages to block the attack and props himself onto his hands, spinning his legs rapidly and knocking Yoshi out of the air. He then draws his hammer and swings it at the green dinosaur but he dodges out of the way, pulling an egg out and launching it at Kirby. He sidesteps the projectile and launches himself forward, grabbing Yoshi and throwing him into a nearby tree. Yoshi stands and prepares to attack but Kirby doesn't give him time to recover and lunges forward, his leg outstretched, knocking him back into the tree. He then begins a flurry of jabs which keep Yoshi pinned in place, unable to fight back. Kirby then follows this up with a powerful uppercut kick which lifts his opponent into the air and drops him down with a thud onto the ground.

Yoshi picks himself up and turns quickly, just in time to see Kirby draw a sword and leap into the air. He takes a step back to avoid the initial blow, sidesteps the aftershock and then takes a step forward, swinging his tail around and catching Kirby on the side of the head, stunning him. He then attempts a follow up smash but his powerful head butt is blocked by Kirby who grabs hold of the bumps on the back of his head and swings him around, tossing him into the air and leaping up to meet him. He then delivers a series of jabs and kicks to his airborne opponent but before he can deliver a finishing blow he is meteor smashed by a powerful blow and slams painfully into the ground. Yoshi descends kicking his legs underneath himself in a paddling motion, aiming for his Kirby. When he connects he is surprised to feel a hard resistance and looks down to see that Kirby has transformed into a large pink stone. He changes tact and lands right next to Kirby, his tongue hanging out in anticipation. As the saviour of dream land exits his mineral form, Yoshi pulls him in with his tongue and swallows him whole.

Kirby feels a sticky sensation, almost like somebody has wrapped a wet rope around his midsection. He is tugged back suddenly and finds himself in pitch black darkness, unable to move his arms or legs. As he ponders this strange new development he feels himself begin to move downwards and his immobility is tightened, almost as if he is being wrapped in something. The darkness is replaced with a blurred light and Kirby finds himself back in the forest but he is encased in something. He rocks back and forth and after a few seconds manages to free his left arm which he uses as leeway to break his way out of the strange containment. As his head breaks the surface he inhales deeply and looking down, finds himself sitting in the shell of an egg. Before he can contemplate the disturbing nature of where he had just been his eyes are drawn upwards as Yoshi slams down bottom first, squashing Kirby into the earth and making him bounce up into the air. Kirby flips in mid-air and as his feet touch the ground the area is bathed in a multicoloured glow.

Kirby scans the area and spots the smash ball weaving in and out of the trees. He runs after it and hears the sound of footsteps behind him as Yoshi also darts after the smash ball. Kirby runs as fast as he can but he’s no match for Yoshi, who quickly draws level with him. He pulls out an egg and smashes it right into Kirby’s face; knocking him off balance and leaving him sprawled in the dust behind him. Yoshi races onto the smash ball and shoots out a powerful kick, smacking the smash ball and sending it careening off of a nearby tree, doing further damage. Kirby picks himself up and dusts himself down, looking around to see that the smash ball is several feet away with Yoshi advancing. Thinking quickly he begins the suck the air in with his mouth, dragging loose hanging fruit, leafs and most importantly the smash ball towards him. Yoshi’s headbutt cracks off the ground where the smash ball was just hovering and he turns quickly, enclosing himself in an egg and rolling rapidly towards the smash ball. Kirby closes his eyes in anticipation but before the smash ball can enter his mouth Yoshi slams into it and it shatters, turning Yoshi a flaming rainbow colour.

He wastes no time activating his final smash and he sprouts wings and rises into the air, ready to wreak havoc. Kirby barely has time to compose himself before the first fireballs come raining down and he is forced to dodge around, only just being able to dodge some of the attacks. Yoshi sprays the surrounding area with fire, occasionally stopping to send out a powerful fireball. The final smash deactivates after a while and he is turned back to normal, touching down in a charred circle, all the vegetation in the nearby vicinity being burnt away in the flames. He looks around for his opponent but he cannot see him anywhere. Satisfied that the threat has been dealt with he makes his way over to a banana tree which has survived the blast, cramming the sweet fruit in two or three at a time. He is so preoccupied with his gorging that he doesn't hear the quiet footsteps coming up behind him and he doesn’t even have time to look up as a hammer slams into the back of his head with great force, knocking him unconscious. Kirby lowers his hammer and makes his way over to the remaining vegetation, hoping to finally satisfy his hunger.

1 hour later

Yoshi awakes to find himself lying face down on a patch of grass, his head sore. He pushes himself onto his knees and rubs the back of his head, looking around to see that the immediate area is completely arid and barren. He stands up suddenly, scanning the area, finding it hard to believe that all the food is gone. He stands motionless for a while before shaking his head and walking off further into the wasteland, hoping to find another source of food.

Winner: Kirby

Expert's Opinion
The voters decided that while his final smash and standard attacks were not as powerful as Yoshi's, he more than makes up for this with the his more damaging special moves. Kirby was also more agile than his heavier opponent and this allowed him to weave in and around Yoshi and his aerial dominance meant that he could juggle Yoshi easily and do enough damage for him to finish Yoshi off with one of his powerful special moves when he landed.

To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here.