Welcome to Way Cool, a character dedication for Boshi. He may be a pretty minor character, but he's still one of my favorites. I hope you'll enjoy visiting the site as much as I enjoyed analyzing every little aspect of this awesome character. After you're done looking around here, visit my webdesign site at AzureLight.net and my fansite collective at Genkigirl.net. You can see my fanart and fanfics at Deviant Art and Fanart Central.
Species - What is a yoshi? What makes the blue yoshis different?
Design - Boshi's unique design and stylish decorations.
Game - Mario RPG, the only game where Boshi appears.
Isle - Boshi's home of Yo'ster Isle and his personal tale.
Rival - The meaning of his name and his role among the yoshis.
Personality - Key elements that define the way Boshi is.
Virtues & Sins - The good and the bad.
Individuality - What makes Boshi different from the other yoshis?
Race - Of cookie bets and speedy runners.
Language - Verbal communication and a wish for the Star Road.
Friends - Racing buddies and acquaintances.
Hybrid - A theory about Boshi's secret heritage.
Monomyth - Boshi as an epic hero.
Traits - What makes an epic hero.
Archetypes - The roles of the epic journey.
Comparisons - Characters similar to Boshi.
Quotes - The words spoken by Boshi.
Reasons - Why I like Boshi.
Gallery - Yo'ster Isle dialogue screen shots.
Cursors - Trade the arrow for a Boshi.
Avatars - Eye candy in 100x100.
Fanart - Pictures I drew.
Pixels - Pictures I pixeled.
Question Boxes - A fun little game you can play.
Site - Linking buttons, links out and credits.
Species
Super Mario World Boshi is a member of the yoshi species. To avoid confusion, when I type yoshi in lowercase I'm referring to the species and Yoshi with a capital letter refers to the famous green yoshi who is Mario's well known ally.
The yoshi species was first introduced in Super Mario World and appeared in green, blue, yellow and red. In later games, such as Yoshi's Island and others, they were seen in a wide variety of colors.
Yoshi's Island Yoshis are dinosaurs, just big enough to ride on. They hatch from eggs and sometimes eating certain types of berries or items can cause them to lay eggs, which hatch into other items.
They have long tongues that they can use to reach far away objects and are known for their big appetites. Though they can eat a variety of things, some of which include items not normally classified as food by most, they especially like fruits, such as watermelons and apples.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars In Mario RPG the various colors of yoshis, green, blue, yellow and pink, don't show any particular differences in terms of abilities. In other games the yoshis of different colors have their own special abilities.
In Super Mario World, the blue yoshis were the flying types. They would grow wings when they had a koopa shell in their mouth. When you got wings from a ? box, the yoshi Mario was riding on would become a blue yoshi. Bits of information were added about the blue yoshis in later games, though they were not as clearly associated with wings as in Super Mario World.
Super Mario World The blue yoshis are said to have a special liking for grapes. Like most other yoshis, they additionally really like melons and cookies. The blue yoshis skin is darker in some games, making them look almost violet. There are light blue yoshis, alternatively known as cyan or azure yoshis, who have similar tastes in food as the blue yoshis.
The spikes on the back of the blue yoshis heads are generally red, with Boshi being the exception as his are orange. Blue yoshis have been shown wearing red and pink boots. Light blue yoshis have been seen with red, yellow and purple boots. They usually have red saddles.
Design
Boshi Eyes: Boshi's eyes are covered by his sunglasses. My theory is that they are the same black color as the eyes of most other yoshis.
Boshi Spikes: Boshi's head spikes are orange, which is not the usual color for yoshis, the most common being red. The top one is also longer. In the official art only that longer spike is seen, though the game sprite shows another shorter one under it.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Saddle: In later games the "saddle" looks like a sort of small shell on the yoshis' backs, something that is part of their physique. Although some games show it to be removable, the koopas' shells are technically part of their anatomy and they are removable.
Boshi In the official art, Boshi is shown with a red saddle that appears to be the same shade as Yoshi's. The saddle of Boshi's game sprite is a slightly darker shade of red. I think the darker red fits him best.
Boshi Claws: Boshi has claws on his feet. Because the other yoshis are constantly shown with boots, it is unknown if all yoshi feet are like this or if it's just Boshi.
Boshi Fangs: At a glance it looks like Boshi has fangs. A closer look at the official art reveals that the apparent fang might be the shadow of one of the spikes on his collar, albeit one that's at a rather odd angle... or is it?
Boshi If we look at the game sprite, that doesn't look like a shadow at all, but an actual fang. Does he have fangs? While he may or may not in the official art, whoever sprited him gave him fangs in the game. So yeah, he does have fangs, planned or not.
Boshi Shoes: With all the running around he does, his feet would hurt if he went barefoot. His shoes leave his toes and claws visible. Whether this is to be comfortable or to enhance his image is up for debate. Given the fact that boots and sneakers are generally more comfortable for running then sandal-like shoes, I think it's just for show.
Boshi Collar: It is a red collar with white spikes. It doesn't look exactly like the accessories Bowser wears, but it is similar in style. This is obviously done for the sake of his image, after all, real tough guys wear spiky accessories.
Boshi Sunglasses: Another well known "cool" accessory. It is the accessory that stands out the most to me. There's just something about dark shades that makes a character instantly cooler. Perhaps it is the added mystery that comes from covering the eyes.
Game
Boshi has so far appeared in only one of the many Mario games: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars or just Mario RPG for short. As the title suggests, it is a role playing game. For those who have experience in this type of genre with games such as Final Fantasy, this particular one will feel very easy.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars There are five playable characters, of which only three can be used at a time. Mario is always a must. The other two spots can be given to Mallow, Geno, Bowser or Peach, who goes by the name Toadstool in this game.
The characters' maximum level is only 30 and they can equip a weapon, armor and an accessory. Though there are plenty of items to keep things interesting, the game doesn't have the massive amount of items and complicated stats of other RPGs. None the less, it has its charms in its fun game play, hints of action RPG elements and humorous scenes.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars This is a great game for those who are playing RPGs for the first time. It was the very first RPG I played as a child and it made me learn and appreciate the genre in a game that wasn't too complex to turn away someone who was inexperienced in RPGs, but detailed enough to provide a fun challenge.
The 3D style graphics are beautiful for its time and even for the present. The music is upbeat and fitting and the character dialogue is well written and amusing. Even if you're not so much into the Mario series or even RPGs in general, you can still get a fun time out of this.
The basic storyline follows Mario and his friends as they try to collect 7 stars to repair the Star Road, the place where wishes are granted. The Star Road is a star shaped world rather than an actual road; it was shattered when a giant sword collided with it. The sword, called Exor, is a sort of portal which leads to the headquarters of the antagonist boss, Smithy. With the Star Road out of commission, the wishes people make to the stars cannot be granted, not to mention that Smithy intends to take over the world.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Exor landed in Bowser's Keep, with the shockwave sending Mario, Bowser and Peach flying through the air and interrupting their usual kidnapped princess antics. With the bridge to the keep destroyed, Mario must find another way in. As he travels, he meets Mallow, a cloud-like boy who embarks on a journey to help Mario and find out more about his origins (he thought he was a tadpole as he had been adopted by a frog). A star spirit called ??!? possesses a Geno doll and joins Mario to pursue his mission of repairing the Star Road.
Mario eventually runs into Bowser, who joins the adventure to recover his castle from Smithy. Peach is also found and taken safely home, but she decides to sneak off and tag along with Mario to do her part in restoring wishes to the world. So where does Boshi come in all of this? He is in Yo'ster Isle, an optional area, racing the other yoshis...
Isle
Yo'ster Isle Boshi is a resident of Yo'ster Isle, a small island south of Rose Town, which is located south-west of the Mushroom Kingdom. Is Yo'ster Isle the Mario RPG incarnation of Yoshi's Island? It is likely, as the Mario world seems to change a little with every new game. It's kind of like how there are so many variations of Hyrule in the Legend of Zelda series, all of them sharing certain common key elements.
None the less, I think that Yoshi's Island and Yo'ster Isle can be seen as two different places if one so chooses to interpret them as such. It is possible for them to coexist, at least in a fan's attempt to meld together the different locations of the Mario worlds into one universe. In that case, Yoshi's Island would be a larger island further away near the dinosaur continents, while Yo'ster Isle would be a considerably smaller island closer to the southern coast of the main Mushroom Kingdom territories.
It is mentioned that Yo'ster Isle is the home of the Mushroom Derby. Though it looks like the races are managed by the tribe of yoshis that live there, rather than the Mushroom Kingdom, it can be concluded that this isle is also Mushroon Kingdom territory. The isle is a vacation spot in Mario RPG, which Raz and Raini, a couple of mushroom newlyweds, visit for their honeymoon. Although it's not really a romantic resort, just a tropical vacation spot. It is a place were people from around the world can go enjoy a sunny calm atmosphere and relax, watching the yoshis run and play.
At an unseen point in time before Mario reaches the area, Boshi became the boss of Yo'ster Isle's yoshi tribe and banned multiple competitor races, instead making all races one on one. It is clear that this is not what the other yoshis want, as they prefer to race together, but Boshi is the fastest, therefore the boss, and what he says goes.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars In order to race, the yoshis must bet cookies, which will be won by the one who comes in first place. When Mario arrives at Yo'ster Isle, Yoshi (as in his green friend and I don't mean Luigi) explains the situation and the player can decide to have Mario help. Yoshi obtains some cookies from a pink yoshi, as Boshi will not race without a bet. With Mario riding on him, Yoshi is finally able to beat Boshi in a one on one race. Didn't you know? Carrying a chubby plumber on your back will make you run faster!
With Yoshi as the victor, the resident yoshis declare him the new boss. Boshi reacts with (understandable) surprise to Yoshi's victory, but he lets it go claiming that he "had his day in the sun." Yoshi says that he just wants to race and that they don't need a boss. He challenges Boshi to race again and they appear to end up in good terms. Thus the yoshi tribe is free to race together without having to answer to a boss.
At the end of the game, there are different scenes with various characters from the game and what they're doing after the adventure. Yo'ster Isle is featured in one of those scenes. Croco is racing against Yoshi, he cheats by distracting Yoshi with a cookie, but despite turning back to eat the cookie, Yoshi wins anyway. After the race, Boshi approaches Croco and the two walk off.
No dialogue occurs on the ending scenes, but it can be inferred that this is just a quick look at the characters in an epilogue and they may be talking among themselves in some of these scenes. Perhaps Boshi is giving Croco some advice or trying to get some cookies?
Rival
Wario The name Boshi most likely comes from combining "boss" with "yoshi." It also sounds similar to "bossy" which he is. In Japanese, Boshi's name is "Washi," a combination of "warui" (bad) and "yoshi." This is similar to Wario and Waluigi's names, further establishing Boshi as Yoshi's rival.
Waluigi Boshi has never been shown interacting with Wario or Waluigi, as neither of them appears in Mario RPG, which is the only game Boshi is in. However, I can picture him getting into some mischief with those two. I don't think he would purposely do anything too harmful, but if given power and cookies, he might get a little carried away.
As for this site's name, I think it fits Boshi's image with his "cool" sunglasses and rocker spiky accessories. "Way Cool" is also the name of one of the stages in Super Mario World, in the Special World. This world can be reached via the Star World and features some of the most challenging stages of the game. The "Way Cool" stage has a ? box with a green yoshi and later there is another ? box with yoshi wings, which can change the green yoshi into a blue one.
Before Yoshi's victory, Boshi had basically taken over the races. While the other yoshis could still use the race track to practice, as evidenced by that pink yoshi that's constantly running around, all bets for "official" races had to be taken to Boshi. In a sense this made him a rival to the whole group.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars The other yoshis acknowledged Boshi's speed, but didn't like his attitude and the way he monopolized the races. It can be concluded that the yoshis had tried to beat Boshi in races before, but were unable to do so until Mario showed up to help. Although it was clear that he was upsetting the other yoshis, Boshi remained firm in his decision about the races, focusing on being able to obtain more cookies and attention by racing one on one.
As you would expect from a "rival," Boshi is there to make things difficult for the protagonist. I'm not referring to Mario, who is the main character of Mario RPG, but to the green Yoshi, who is the most well known of his species. Boshi is not really a "villain," as he is more about cookies and competition rather than holding a real grudge.
Personality
Defensive: Boshi has a rather defensive attitude. This is seen on how he reacts with quotes such as "You lookin' at me?" This is a very "strike first" kind of approach. Before anyone decides to challenge him, he'll challenge them.
Territorial: When Boshi becomes the boss at Yo'ster Isle, he pretty much takes over the races. He's in charge and no one is having an official race without him.
Confident: If you're going to snap at anyone who does as much as look at you, you better have plenty of confidence to back your words. Boshi is clearly confident in his speed and likes to show it off with one on one races.
Greedy: If there are no cookies involved, he won't race. If he sees an advantage, he'll take it. He even advices Yoshi to race someone slow to easily win cookies and stash them away.
Intimidating: Boshi wears shoes that show his claws, a spiky collar, dark sunglasses and has a tough guy attitude. He's fast, but as seen in the subsequent races after the mini game is unlocked, he's not always the fastest of the yoshis. Why were the yoshis unable to beat him before? No evidence of Boshi cheating has been found. Most likely intimidation had something to do with his winning streak. The other yoshis were very surprised when Boshi lost a race, as if they didn't believe it could be done, that lack of morale was possibly what held them back.
Competitive: Although Boshi shows that to him the cookie prize is more important than the race itself, I think he does have a competitive side. He likes to prove that he's the best and prefers the direct competition of a one on one race. He can focus on beating his opponent and his opponent would be focused on beating him.
Laidback: This might seem like a bit of a contradiction given the characteristics discussed above, but I think it fits. Even if Boshi is defensive and snappish, he doesn't hold grudges for long. After Yoshi beats him in a race, he lets it go and is easily convinced to join in the group races. When it is made clear he's not being challenged, he can relax and be a little more casual. This is shown in how he simply comments on the weather if you choose not to challenge him.
Virtues & Sins
The seven holy virtues, the seven deadly sins... Which of them does Boshi have?
Temperance or gluttony? Definitely gluttony! I mean c'mon he's a yoshi and they eat plenty. Plus he does want to get as many cookies as he can and keep them to himself. Although gluttony is most often associated with food, it can also refer to general self control and being mindful of others. It's gluttony all the way for Boshi, since he went against the wishes of the other yoshi who wanted to race together and only thought about what he wanted.
Charity or greed? Greed, obviously. Boshi wanted to keep all the cookies to himself and was willing to upset the other yoshis and take advantage of the slower racers to get them. He doesn't seem like he would share or give away anything either.
Patience or wrath? Wrath, but not long lasting. Boshi doesn't waste time with idle chat before he is defeated in a race. He's only interested in betting cookies and snaps in a challenging way when spoken to. However, he doesn't bother with holding a grudge and even his quick temper subsides when it is made clear he is not being challenged. He's snappish, not wrathful, but not patient either.
Humility or pride? He's confident but not unreasonably so. Boshi is a rather proud character, but he takes defeat in stride and doesn't make a big deal out of it in the end. He is proud of his skill, but if he were truly proud in a completely vain way, he wouldn't have been able to overcome a loss so easily. None the less, he's certainly not humble.
Kindness or envy? Neither. Boshi isn't really kind, he's not even polite, but he's not really envious either. He's a good racer and has a big stash of cookies, so what does he have to be envious about? Envy in a sense projects a lack of confidence and he definitely has confidence.
Diligence or sloth? Finally there's a virtue for Boshi! He's definitely diligent, sometimes in sneaky ways, which isn't really virtuous, but at least we can say he's not lazy.
Chastity or lust? This doesn't really apply in the pervy sense. However, the virtue can also be defined as abstaining from temptation. While he does hoard as many cookies as he can, he doesn't eat them all, making sure to keep a good amount available for bets. None the less, he would probably accept a cookie bribe.
In conclusion, Boshi is not evil, he's just selfish and self-centered.
Individuality
As seen in Yoshi's Island and other games where yoshis make an appearance, the yoshis generally work as a team. Though they come in many colors and in some games this means varying abilities, they appear to be a very united society that doesn't make much of a fuss about showing personal differences. Boshi is the exception to this.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars This cool blue yoshi stands out and he likes it. He wears shoes that show his claws, unlike the usual boots of the yoshis. His spiky collar looks like something Bowser or the Koopalings would wear (never mind that the Koopalings are inexplicably absent from Mario RPG and I don't think Bowser Jr. even existed at the time.) Boshi's sunglasses are definitely "cool" and even the spikes on the back of his head are different from the other yoshis.
In yoshi society, Boshi is a good example of a rare manifestation of obvious individuality. While there have been other yoshis that stand out in their own way, most seem to blend in with each other and can be told apart only because of their different colors. There might be other blue yoshis out there, but Boshi's style is unique.
Did Boshi want fame, or only cookies? I think he was more about the cookies than the fame, but he enjoyed the extra attention that being the boss brought him and liked having the spotlight. He liked being admired and seen as superior.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars His liking for being the center of attention was reflected in that Boshi only raced one on one while he was the boss. It was his time to shine and he could shine brighter with more yoshis standing in the sidelines watching the race rather than joining in and being the only one to claim a victory. There was no second place, only first and last. While second place was not rewarded with cookies, the placement could take away attention from the winner if personal competitions were brought into the group race.
Race
Yoshi's Cookie The yoshis don't bet money in their races, they bet cookies. What makes these cookies different from regular Oreos is anyone's guess. They have been shown in many different shapes, such as hearts, flowers, donuts, checkered squares and yoshi heads. The cookies have been seen in different tonalities of tan and brown and some have colored filling that looks like jelly, most commonly red or green.
Albeit yoshis really like these cookies, they can be eaten by non-yoshi living creatures and have been used as health restoration items in some games. In Mario RPG they can be used to make Yoshi run faster in the racing mini game or to call him in the battle screen. The yoshi cookies were most prominently featured in the different versions and remakes of the puzzle game Yoshi's Cookie.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Boshi became the boss of the other yoshis of Yo'ster Isle thanks to his speed. The other yoshis were surprised when Yoshi managed to beat him in a race, as before that no one had been able to take away his title as boss. After the racing mini game is unlocked, Boshi's speed isn't all that amazing. I've come up with two theories to explain this.
The first theory is that Boshi was sneaky and tricky when it came to racing. Though he didn't openly cheat, he used intimidation to make his opponent think losing was inevitable. He selected his races carefully and raced against someone slower than him as often as possible to win cookies and impress the others.
Taking into consideration that the player makes Yoshi run by alternating the A and B buttons at a rhythm, Boshi's opponents probably got nervous and lost their rhythm because he made them feel uneasy or low in confidence, thus giving him more chances to win.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Perhaps Boshi challenged other yoshis when he knew they were tired and bragged about his victory to lower his opponent's confidence. There are a number of tricks that are not direct cheats which Boshi could have used to his favor.
The other theory concerning Boshi's speed is a far simpler one, yet it is one of the most inexplicable mysteries in RPGs. Boshi was an "enemy," but after he was defeated and made peace with Yoshi, he became an "ally," despite remaining as a non-playable character. Like so many other RPG characters, he suffered a loss of ability when he joined the side of the good guys. It's like those characters that have 2,000 hit points as enemies and 100 as allies (or any similar equivalent.)
The power down also happens to Bowser, who is basically invincible when Mario fights him at the start of the game. He is strong when he joins, but certainly not invincible. He also inexplicably looses the ability to throw spikes from his shell. Magus from Chrono Trigger is another classic example of this situation.
Language
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars In Mario RPG (parenthesis) are used to indicate words spoken by the yoshis. The parenthesis are also used to list possible replies that can be selected by the player. Parenthesis don't specifically mean that the words are being spoken in the yoshi language.
If Mario tries to speak to Boshi or the other yoshis, he'll get different tones of the classic yoshi sound effect. It is stated that Mario cannot understand Yoshi's friends, thus Yoshi serves as a translator. When Yoshi speaks, his words are also in parenthesis and Mario can understand him.
There have been occasions in which Boshi has spoken a few words without the parenthesis. This is most likely an error of the game. In conclusion, the most likely theory is that Boshi only speaks the yoshis' language. However, just as Yoshi is capable of standard speech, Boshi is probably capable of learning it too.
In Star Hill, Mario finds stars that hold wishes. Parenthesis are used around one of those wishes. If wish stars carry the wishes in the voice of the wisher, then Mario wouldn't be able to understand the wish and it would come up as a sound effect. This inconsistency is just a minor technicality. The parenthesis was probably used to further emphasize that the wish was from a yoshi. It can also be explained as wishes coming from "the voice of the heart" (or something cheesy like that), thus anyone can understand them regardless of language.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars The wish from a yoshi is (I wish I could run faster.) Which of the yoshis made this wish is left up to the player's interpretation. My guess is that it's the wish of the pink yoshi that's constantly running on the race tracks or Yoshi's wish. If it is Yoshi's wish, that would explain why Mario can understand it without the need of additional theories. However, there is no confirmation about who made this wish.
Let's theorize that it's Boshi's wish. Yo'ster Isle is an optional area and the wish will remain the same even if Boshi is left undefeated. This wish was made before the start of the game and it fell on Star Hill when the Star Road was broken. It could have been a wish Boshi made before becoming the boss of Yo'ster Isle, as the timing of when this happened is not clearly stated.
It could also be a wish Boshi made while he was already the boss of Yo'ster Isle. If that's the case, then he's not as overconfident as he may appear at first glance, if he realizes that he's not as fast as the other yoshis think and might be worried about losing a race and his title. Though he is still confident in his speed, this shows he was aware of how intimidation and morale played into the races' results.
Friends
Boshi is not shown leaving Yo'ster Isle during the whole Mario RPG game. Here's a list of all the other characters that live in or have visited the island.
Yoshi Yoshi: Boshi's greatest rival. They're not enemies but they're not really friends either. Perhaps their rivalry will evolve into a mutual respect some day, though that day is still kind of far. Yoshi refers to Boshi as a "rascal" due to his actions of forbidding the yoshis from racing together. None the less, he doesn't really rub it in his face when he wins the boss title and abolishes the need for a boss in favor of simply racing. Yoshi's challenge to race Boshi again indicated that their rivalry is still going strong, but it's not a grudge, just a competition.
yoshi yoshi The yoshis of Yo'ster Isle: They don't like Boshi very much, but they do hold him to high standards in terms of his speed. They complain about his choice to only race one on one when he's the boss, but they follow his rules anyway. Albeit they have more uneasiness than real respect towards him. It looks like they're getting along a little better after Boshi lost his boss title.
baby yoshi Baby yoshi: One of the eggs in Yo'ster Isle hatches into a baby yoshi that can be fed cookies. He's a total couch (or nest) potato who eats cookies until he no longer fits in the nest. This chubby baby yoshi is not shown interacting with Boshi in any way. I'm pretty sure he can't run very fast and has no cookies to bet anyway because he eats them all.
Mario Mario: Yoshi needs to translate for Mario to be able to communicate with Boshi. They don't really interact much. Boshi seems to quietly accept Mario as a friend of Yoshi and pays him little mind.
Bowser Peach Geno Mallow Bowser, Peach, Mallow and Geno: Though there is a limit of three party members in the battle screen, they are all traveling with Mario. Sometimes characters appear next to Mario when they have something to comment on the situation. Nothing triggers them to make an appearance in Yo'ster Isle.
Raz Raini Raz and Raini: They are a pair of mushroom people newlyweds who are spending their honeymoon at Yo'ster Isle. They appear at the island later in the game after their wedding at Marrymore. They cannot speak the yoshi language and don't really interact with Boshi at all. It is mentioned that Raz tried to climb on Yoshi's back, but failed to do so.
Croco Croco: At the end of Mario RPG, Croco appears at Yo'ster Isle racing Yoshi. He loses despite trying to cheat and walks off with Boshi after the race. Both Croco and Boshi are cunning characters, though Croco is more openly a criminal, committing various acts of robbery throughout the game, while Boshi just let power go to his head. Croco appears to have somewhat reformed towards the end of the game and even helps Mario's party by selling them items when they reach Bowser's castle, which has been overtaken by Smithy's gang.
I think these two characters could possibly become friends, granted that Croco has left his thieving ways behind enough not to try to steal Boshi's cookies, because I'm sure that would certainly ruin any prospect of a friendship between them. If Croco respects Boshi's cookie stash, they could get along well, causing some mischief now and then and possibly training to become better racers if Croco decides to try racing again.
Friends
Boshi is not shown leaving Yo'ster Isle during the whole Mario RPG game. Here's a list of all the other characters that live in or have visited the island.
Yoshi Yoshi: Boshi's greatest rival. They're not enemies but they're not really friends either. Perhaps their rivalry will evolve into a mutual respect some day, though that day is still kind of far. Yoshi refers to Boshi as a "rascal" due to his actions of forbidding the yoshis from racing together. None the less, he doesn't really rub it in his face when he wins the boss title and abolishes the need for a boss in favor of simply racing. Yoshi's challenge to race Boshi again indicated that their rivalry is still going strong, but it's not a grudge, just a competition.
yoshi yoshi The yoshis of Yo'ster Isle: They don't like Boshi very much, but they do hold him to high standards in terms of his speed. They complain about his choice to only race one on one when he's the boss, but they follow his rules anyway. Albeit they have more uneasiness than real respect towards him. It looks like they're getting along a little better after Boshi lost his boss title.
baby yoshi Baby yoshi: One of the eggs in Yo'ster Isle hatches into a baby yoshi that can be fed cookies. He's a total couch (or nest) potato who eats cookies until he no longer fits in the nest. This chubby baby yoshi is not shown interacting with Boshi in any way. I'm pretty sure he can't run very fast and has no cookies to bet anyway because he eats them all.
Mario Mario: Yoshi needs to translate for Mario to be able to communicate with Boshi. They don't really interact much. Boshi seems to quietly accept Mario as a friend of Yoshi and pays him little mind.
Bowser Peach Geno Mallow Bowser, Peach, Mallow and Geno: Though there is a limit of three party members in the battle screen, they are all traveling with Mario. Sometimes characters appear next to Mario when they have something to comment on the situation. Nothing triggers them to make an appearance in Yo'ster Isle.
Raz Raini Raz and Raini: They are a pair of mushroom people newlyweds who are spending their honeymoon at Yo'ster Isle. They appear at the island later in the game after their wedding at Marrymore. They cannot speak the yoshi language and don't really interact with Boshi at all. It is mentioned that Raz tried to climb on Yoshi's back, but failed to do so.
Croco Croco: At the end of Mario RPG, Croco appears at Yo'ster Isle racing Yoshi. He loses despite trying to cheat and walks off with Boshi after the race. Both Croco and Boshi are cunning characters, though Croco is more openly a criminal, committing various acts of robbery throughout the game, while Boshi just let power go to his head. Croco appears to have somewhat reformed towards the end of the game and even helps Mario's party by selling them items when they reach Bowser's castle, which has been overtaken by Smithy's gang.
I think these two characters could possibly become friends, granted that Croco has left his thieving ways behind enough not to try to steal Boshi's cookies, because I'm sure that would certainly ruin any prospect of a friendship between them. If Croco respects Boshi's cookie stash, they could get along well, causing some mischief now and then and possibly training to become better racers if Croco decides to try racing again.
Hybrid
Boshi's feet have claws very much like those of Croco. The other yoshis are always shown with boots, so it's hard to know if their feet are like that too or if it's just Boshi. Another prominent physical difference is the shape of the orange spikes on the back of his head. The top one is larger than those of the other yoshis. Finally there's the fangs...
Croco looks similar to the yoshis in terms of his body shape, with his head and tail being more like those of a crocodile and he is referred to as a crocodile. Add to all of this the fact that Boshi wears a spiky collar similar to those worn by Bowser and the Koopalings and you got a recipe for wild theories.
Croco Is Croco somehow related to the yoshis? Perhaphs a half crocodile, half yoshi? Given how similar his feet are to Boshi's and the apparent fangs, does that mean that Boshi is related to crocodiles? Does he have a crocodile grandparent, making him 25% crocodile? There's the fact that yoshis lay eggs by themselves, so technically a child only needs one parent, but some games seem to hint that there can be exceptions...
Bowser Using the spiky collar to link Boshi to koopas is a bit more farfetch'd, but speaking of Pokémon, there are stranger pairings out there than a dinosaur and a turtle. Does Boshi have some secret Koopa heritage? Is that the reason for his claws and fangs? Is he Bowser's distant cousin? The world may never know...
Monomyth
Boshi isn't a hero, he's not a protagonist, he's not even a major antagonist. He's just a minor rival character that gets very little screen time. But you know what? Practically every character has their own epic journey if you look closely enough.
I think that some of the elements of the hero's monomyth fit better in a different order, so I used some creative license here and there. If it were Yoshi, it fits in order, but this is Boshi's epic adventure we're focusing on here.
The official order should be:
Departure: Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Supernatural Aid, Crossing the First Threshold, Belly of the Whale.
Initiation: Road of Trials, Meeting with the Goddess, Woman as Temptress, Atonement with the Father, Apotheosis, Ultimate Boon.
Return: Refusal to Return, The Magic Flight, Rescue from Without, Crossing of the Return Threshold, Master of Two Worlds, Freedom to Live.
I think Boshi's most prominent achievement in his personal adventure, his Ultimate Boon, was when he became the boss of Yo'ster Isle. This happened before the atonement which came when he reconciled with the other yoshis later on.
Call to Adventure: Before the time period that we see in the game, Boshi was probably another ordinary yoshi.
Refusal of the Call: He realized that he was pretty good at racing, but wasn't too interested in making a big deal out of it at first.
Supernatural Aid: Okay, so maybe cookies are not supernatural, but they do aid yoshis if Yoshi's speed boost is any indication. Besides, their delicious taste could be metaphorically described by some as "out of this world."
Crossing the First Threshold: Boshi becomes a regular at the races. He further customizes his personal image and establishes his individuality from the other yoshis.
Belly of the Whale: Boshi's tough guy attitude is well cemented into his being. He races quite often and is very good at it.
Road of Trials: Many fast opponents come and go, but Boshi doesn't give up the races.
Meeting with the Goddess: Let's take this metaphorically. After racing so much, Boshi has accumulated quite the stash of cookies.
Woman as Temptress: Again, a metaphor, the temptation are cookies. Spending his time enjoying the cookies and not racing so much is tempting, but by now Boshi has an image to maintain.
Ultimate Boon: Boshi reaches the goal he was pursuing. He becomes the boss of Yo'ster Isle and has a big stash of cookies all to himself. Yet his choice to race only one on one earns the disapproval of the other yoshis.
Apotheosis: For a while, everything is calm for Boshi. The yoshis listen to him, the races become routine and he reaches a period of relative rest.
The Magic Flight: This often refers to when the hero needs to escape after the boon. In this case, Boshi is defending his title as champion against Yoshi in a one on one race.
Refusal to Return: Boshi loses the race against Yoshi and is in disbelief of his loss.
Rescue from Without: Though Boshi is not actually injured, his pride is hurt. Yoshi invites him to race along with everyone and thus rescues Boshi from his disappointment.
Atonement with the Father: I'm interpreting this as atonement with his fellow yoshis. Yoshi abolishes the custom of the fastest yoshi being the boss and Boshi accepts Yoshi's challenge, agreeing to race along with everyone.
Crossing of the Return Threshold: Boshi is no longer the boss of Yo'ster Isle. He must now share the race tracks with three other yoshis at a time instead of racing one on one. It's okay, he's over it and he's ready to race again.
Master of Two Worlds: What was it that Boshi set out to do? To be a great racer and to stand out. Now he's on the right track again, hoarding cookies and racing with everyone. The gap between Boshi the competitive racer and Boshi the cookie greedy bully is reconciled into a more balanced persona.
Freedom to Live: Boshi doesn't have the pressure of being the boss anymore. Though he still keeps his "cool" and "tough" image, he's not quite as snappish as he used to be. Boshi was only interested in winning cookies before, but he seems more willing to make small talk after he reaches the end of his epic journey. Now he's free to race with everyone and truly enjoy it.
Traits
Mysterious birth: Yoshis come from eggs, that's no mystery, but where Boshi's egg came from is. The game doesn't reveal who his parent is, thus we can say that he does have a mysterious birth.
Missing childhood: Boshi's childhood and all details about his past are a mystery. Though one can theorize that he spent at least most of his life in Yo'ster Isle, there is nothing that guarantees that he didn't have a more mysterious past.
Identity in question: He's Boshi, a racing blue yoshi, no one is questioning that in the game. However, if we refer to the hybrid page, we were questioning his identity there. (Or more like his species, but you get the point.)
Betrayal: No one betrayed him as far as we know, yet since his past is missing, there's room for many theories about events that could have happened. Betrayal is still present in his life, with Boshi himself being the "traitor." He took over the race tracks when he became the boss of Yo'ster Isle and thus "betrayed" his "subjects" by not keeping their best interest in mind.
Tragic flaw: This one is pretty easy to see. Boshi was overconfident. Anyone who might have the speed to beat him, probably wouldn't have the guts. The other yoshis were clearly confident about being able to beat him. Yet when Mario came along, Yoshi managed to muster the confidence and determination to win with Mario helping him stay cool and pace himself in the race.
Death at the hands of evil: Boshi doesn't literally die, but you could say that if he had a real competitive spirit in the past, which I think he did, even if it might have been overshadowed by his greed for cookies, that competitive spirit dies because of that greed. If we turn things around taking into consideration that Boshi starts out as an antagonist and make this "death at the hands of good," then it can be interpreted as his defeat in the race with Yoshi.
Resurrection myth: Following the same line of thought as in the above trait, it looks like Boshi recovered his real competitive spirit after Yoshi challenged him to another race together with everyone, following Yoshi's victory.
Special powers: Boshi doesn't display any special powers beyond the abilities of any other yoshi. However, the yoshi species in general isn't too developed in Mario RPG, as they play a minor role. In theory, he might have the same special abilities as the blue yoshis as discussed in the race page.
Archetypes
yoshi Innocents: The yoshis from Yo'ster Isle.
yoshi Family: No direct reference is made, but I guess the yoshis are sort of like one big family, so the Yo'ster Isle yoshis would be Boshi's family.
Wario Sidekick: Croco doesn't seem to be the sidekick type, more like a possible partner in crime for future mischief, but close enough. Boshi is not seen interacting with Wario or Waluigi, though with some cookies as payment, he might end up playing the sidekick for them.
Croco Warrior: An ally of the hero, so if we're taking Boshi as the hero as this is his epic journey, then the warrior would be Croco. If they ever met, another possibility could be Wario.
baby yoshi Fool: The baby yoshi that hatches later in the game if you revisit Yo'ster Isle. He eats cookies until he can no longer fit in the nest and just sits around all day waiting for people to spare him some cookies.
Traitor: Boshi himself plays such a role in relation to his yoshi tribe.
Boshi Rebel: Again this fits Boshi, just look at him with his cool rebellious rocker image. He chose to be different, to rebel against the look alike image of yoshi society and challenge the wishes of the majority to satisfy his own wish to race one on one.
Yoshi Nemesis: This one is easy, Yoshi of course.
Dreamer: Yoshi, who dreams about beating Boshi so that all his friends can race together again.
Mario Sage: Mario, he's not much of a sage to Boshi, or in general, but he kind of plays such a role to Yoshi in this situation. Mario is the one who races on Yoshi and helps him pace himself and keep up a good racing rhythm, which leads him to victory.
Mario and Yoshi Nightmare Creature: In the game as a whole it's Smithy and perhaphs even Exor, but for Boshi, who seems blissfully unaware of the grander problems of the world, it would be Mario or Yoshi. Though Mario isn't one to pick on anyone, he was the one who helped Yoshi win the race against Boshi. As for Yoshi as the nightmare creature, he was the one who beat Boshi. Yoshi represents what concerned Boshi the most, being outrun by another yoshi and losing his title of boss.
Comparisons
In terms of personality, Boshi can be compared to pretty much any stereotypical rival character that allows power to go to his head and plays the bad boy role until the "hero" beats him. After the defeat he makes peace with the hero. He's still too cool to really join the hero's party, although they interact in relatively good terms.
Sonic Sonic: He's blue and has spikes on his head, though I'm pretty sure Sonic's are more needle-like and considerably sharper than Boshi's smooth orange spikes. They both like running, though Sonic is obviously a lot faster.
Snivy Snivy recolor Snivy: The grass type starter pokémon from Unova looks more like Yoshi than Boshi, but just imagine if it were blue.
Cranidos Cranidos: The rock type fossil from Sinnoh has a different head, but a similar body shape to the yoshis.
Bagon Bagon: A dragon type pokémon from Hoenn. The shape of Bagon's body isn't quite as similar to the yoshi species as the others, especially its lack of tail. None the less, it's still possible to see a bit of a similarity.
Boshi isn't the first or last to wear his particular style of sunglasses...
Mushroom Boy Unnamed: This mysterious mushroom boy appears in the same game as Boshi, Mario RPG, hanging around in the Mushroom Kingdom inn, playing with his Gameboy. If spoken to continuously later, he offers to sell Mario his game for 500 coins after he established the high score of 5,000 on it. This unlocks the Beetle Mania mini game, though even after the sale, the mushroom boy remains in his usual corner playing Gameboy.
Super Mario All-Stars: Super Mario Bros. 2 Mouser: First seen in the U.S. in Super Mario Bros. 2 (the Mario version of Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic), this giant roddent has the same kind of shades Boshi does. Because angular dark shades scream bad boy just as loud as the bombs he throws.
Squirtle (Pokemon) Squirtle: Specifically Ash's Squirtle (middle) from the first season of Pokémon wears another pair of identical shades during his time as the leader of the mischievous Squirtle Squad. Don't you know? These types of shades are a symbol of leadership!
Ace (Powerpuff Girls) Ace: This mischief maker from the Powerpuff Girls series is so totally a bad boy (just ask Buttercup). He is also the leader of the Gangreen Gang; so of course, he had to wear the shades of a bad boy gang boss.
Protoman (game art) Protoman: Protoman's role and personality are different in the games and tv series, not to mention there are additional variations between the many games, the cartoon and the anime. He wears a helmet most of the time with the visor being in the same shape as Boshi's shades. Some official art depicts Protoman with the same type of sunglasses when he removes his helmet.
Protoman (cartoon) In the earlier games, Protoman (aka Blues) is sort of a rogue, but he still supports Megaman in his adventure. He doesn't directly tag along with him, but he's there to help, he's an ally. In the cartoon series, Proto plays the part of Mega's main rival. He fights for Dr. Wily's side and causes trouble for Mega, though he occasionally seems to show a bit of a soft spot for his younger brother. None the less, he's very competitive and that keeps his rivalry with Mega going.
Protoman.EXE In later games and anime there's a new version of this character known as Protoman.EXE. He has a similar design to the original Protoman with some elements reminiscent of Zero, who had been previously based on the original Protoman. He keeps the same style of visor in his helmet and a similar personality as his previous incarnations. He's still kind of a loner, competitive, confident and all around cool.
Quotes
These are exact quotes down to the capitals and punctuation. The use of capital letters for "Cookies" is probably to emphasize it as being an item in Mario RPG.
Before winning with no cookies: (What're YOU lookin' at? If you wanna challenge me, you have to bring Cookies!)
This shows that Boshi isn't one for idle chat. If someone shows an interest in interacting with him, he assumes that it is a challenge.
Before winning, with cookies: (SO! You brought the Cookies. All right! Consider yourself lucky today. You've got yourself a race... One-on-one!)
If there are cookies involved, Boshi is interested. Racing isn't just for fun; it's a way to get what he wants.
Before the one on one race vs. Yoshi and Mario: (This is as easy as it gets, man.)
I can't really blame Boshi for thinking this way, given the circumstances. Yoshi had not been able to beat him before and now he rises to the challenge again with a passenger. It is only logical to think that carrying Mario around would make Yoshi run slower.
If Yoshi and Mario lose: (Come back when you're SERIOUS! Now, I think those Cookies there belong to ME!)
This is Boshi's usual show-off attitude.
After winning the one on one race: (Since WHEN have you been able to sprint like that?! Oh... well... I had my day in the sun. Let me give you a tip! Race someone SLOW. That way, you'll be able to stash away the Cookies!)
Boshi's shock is understandable. If Yoshi could run that fast with a passenger, why didn't he win the races before? Boshi admits defeat and lets it go. His greedy side shows in his advice.
After Yoshi decides they don't need a boss and they should all race together: (Hmmm... All right! Just stay outta my way! Oh, here's the Cookie stash for the winner.)
Boshi decides that Yoshi's suggestion may be in his best interest after all and is ready to keep racing.
After winning: You lookin' at me?
There's that tough guy attitude. Although the famous quote is "you talkin' to me?" This is close.
If you challenge Boshi: (The odds on Yoshi are [odds]. What will you do?) (You can choose to let Yoshi race on his own or race him with Mario riding, which allows you to control him.)
After deciding how to race: (So how many Cookies are you gonna wager? You can wager up to 10.)
This is pretty much Boshi's real purpose in the game, to manage the Mushroom Derby racing mini game.
After setting a bet: (Count me in for [bet]! To the starting gate, group!)
Although the yoshis have no official boss anymore, Boshi is still closely involved in leading the tribe since he organizes the races. Now he respects the others' wish to race together and calls them over when there's a race.
If you choose not to challenge Boshi: (Nice weather, eh?)
A classic neutral comment.
Reasons
The first video game I owned as a child, not counting that ancient Pac-man game that my dad had since before I was born, was Super Mario World, which was the first appearance of the yoshis. I liked the yoshis right away and my favorite was the blue one, as it could fly.
As for Mario RPG, it was my first RPG and still among my top favorite video games to this day. It was the game that made me become truly interested in RPGs for reasons other than the fact that the graphics seemed prettier than other genres (albeit this still remains as a prominent reason for me to become curious about a game.)
sapphire Blue is my favorite color... well actually, azure is my favorite, but close enough. One of the most famous blue gems is the sapphire, which is my favorite jewel. Diamonds can also be blue and there are other gems that appear in a variety of shades of blue. Another well known blue stone is the lapis lazuli.
Blue can represent sadness as the saying goes about "feeling blue." It is sometimes associated with water. Although water (if its clean) is transparent, the ocean gives the impression of being blue, thus the association. It can also represent happiness as in clear blue skies, though this shade is closer to the color of the light blue yoshis rather than the blue yoshis. Blue is one of the primary colors, that is, one of the colors that can be combined with other primary colors to make different colors. Its opposite color is orange.
The color blue has various meanings in different cultures, humans sure do love to add significance to everything, don't they? Sometimes there's context to it and sometimes it feels random. I don't have a complex reason for liking blue, it is simply pleasant to my eyes.
The yoshis are among my top favorite creatures of the Mario series. Although the order changes practically every day, I like yoshis, bob-ombs, koopas and magikoopas best. What doesn't change daily is the fact that Ludwig Von Koopa and Boshi are my top favorite Mario characters.
lapis lazuli Given my liking for yoshis and the color blue, what could be better than a blue yoshi? A very cool blue yoshi! In anime and video games I often end up liking the rival characters. They are not really bad, as they are not truly the antagonists of the story, but they're not goody-goodies either. They're not out to save or destroy the world, they have their own goals to pursue.
I see Boshi as representing individuality among the yoshis, which I can relate to as I tend to be a very "minding my own business" individual sort of... individual. Though I'm less snappish than Boshi, I generally keep to myself unless my interest is truly called.
Albeit Boshi wants to look tough, I think his rocker image is adorable. It makes a creature that is already cute even cuter. I like how he doesn't care for blending in and projects his inner self on the outside.