Shy Guy

Shy Guys (ヘイホー) are fictional species present in the Mario series of video games. They are also the most common enemies found in the Yoshi series.

History
The Shy Guy was created as an enemy for the Japanese game Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was transformed into Super Mario Bros. 2 for an American release. Most enemies, including Bob-ombs, Snifits, and Shy Guys, were unchanged from the original Japanese version, and are now instantly recognizable as Mario's enemies, despite having been created for a game completely unrelated to Mario. While Super Mario Bros. 2 took place in the dreamworld, Subcon, Shy Guys appeared in the real world starting from Yoshi's Island, which chronologically predates all the other Mario games. Since appearing in Yoshi's Island, they have become even more part of the Yoshi series than with the Mario series. There are many different types of Shy Guys amongst the various Mario related games.

Characteristics
Shy Guys, as the name suggests, are very shy. They always have masks covering their faces; the only parts not covered are the eyes and mouth, which simply appear as black holes. Some people would suggest that Shy Guys have no actual face, just a blank surface behind the mask. Shy Guys can wear different colors, such as red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, pink, and purple. They seem to be an organization of mercenaries called the 8 Bits. Though they are bipedal, the earlier graphics of their first appearances made Shy Guys appear to be on all fours and oddly enough, look like steam train engines.

In Luigi's Mansion, Luigi could suck the mask off the Shy Guy ghosts, revealing no face, just a shadow with two glowing, yellow eyes. (Note, however, that these things are not officially stated to be Shy Guys; in official material, they are called "masked ghosts".)

If the player wins any of the three cups in Mario Power Tennis with the Shy Guy character its mask will fall off, although it can't be seen by players, Luigi appears to be scared by its appearance.

In Mario Strikers Charged if the player has a Shy Guy in his team and it scores he will sometimes trip while doing his victory dance. This results in the mask popping off, but the Shy Guy is turned away from camera and crouches face down to retrieve the mask

Their attacks usually consist of simply running into the player, although some use slingshots or spears. Some varieties, like Snifits and Snufits spit projectiles similarly to the Octorok, while others may catch fire, such as Pyro Guy. They have also come up with some very peculiar inventions over the years, such as walking on stilts, attacking with toy tanks, bouncing on pogo-sticks, and piloting submarines. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Shy Guys (among other enemies) could be eaten and turned into eggs by Yoshi, and it was common for Shy Guys to pop out of pipes until Yoshi couldn't make any more eggs.

Although Shy Guys almost never speak, they occasionally make a meowing sound in some of the recent games. Furthermore, in Yoshi's Story, the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Tennis, and the Game Boy Advance conversion of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, they can be heard saying their Japanese name ("Hei! Ho!" which sounds like "Hee! Ha!") as they jump out of pipes.

Other Shy Guys
These are other kinds of Shy Guys that appear in the Mario games.

Anti Guy
A black (or very dark gray) Shy Guy, first appeared in Yoshi's Story where he would cause damage to Yoshi if eaten (hence the name; Black Yoshi and White Yoshi were not affected). He also appeared in Paper Mario, as an extremely powerful optional enemy which guarded a rare badge. but if given a Lemon Candy, (a food made by Tayce T., the cook in Toad Town) he will leave and the player would not have to fight him to get the badge. Later, in Bowser's Castle, if a player were to lose at the quiz, they would be forced to fight three of them together.

Bandit
A Bandit is not really a Shy Guy, but they do wear a mask and robes like them. Bandits are enemies that first appeared in Yoshi's Island as tricky pests that tried to steal Baby Mario. They also appeared in Paper Mario as they would steal up to two coins on the first turn and then flee the next. More types of bandits appeared in the sequel The Thousand Year Door. Blue bandits were allies but they still had a bad reputation. Green ones stole items as well as coins and had slightly higher HP than regular bandits. Purple ones stole only badges, and unless they were caught after stealing the player's badge, the player would no longer have that badge anymore. In Yoshi's Island, red bandits were much rarer and carried red coins. A Bandit appeared in Mario Party 7, where the player has to take the star he stole from the Sphinx. There is also a Bandit orb on the Windmillville board. Bandit appears again in Mario Party 8 wandering the various train cars on the "Shy Guy's Perplex Express" board as well as on the "Koopa's Tycoon Town" board where he will emerge from behind a wall and greet a player before stealing some coins that an opponent of said player has invested into a hotel and giving them to the player. Bandits also appeared in Mario and Luigi: Dream Team.

Beezo
Beezos are Shy Guys with insect-like wings and different masks that first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2, where his attacking actions depend on what color of garbs he is wearing. Beezo later appeared in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars as enemies in Bean Valley named Shy Away, except Shy Aways hold watering cans instead of spears. A Shy Away (who had no more proper name than "Shy Away") also appeared as a major character in Super Mario RPG; this Shy Away worked for Valentina and attempted to keep Mario away from Nimbus Land by continually powering up the Piranha Plant boss Mega Smilax. The individual Shy Away was obsessed with his hobby of gardening.

Boo Guy
A ghost version of a Shy Guy. Appears in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and later in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. In Partners in Time, there was also a stronger version called a Ghoul Guy.

Boom Guy
A red Shy Guy with a Bill Blaster on its head, appearing in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. When a Boom Guy is attacked, the head-mounted Bill Blaster would fall off, then they would reach up, and either nothing would happen, or two Fly Guys would give the Boom Guy a new Bill Blaster. There are also Elite Boom Guys, a more powerful version of the Boom Guy, and who wear blue robes.

Chuck Guy
A dark blue version of a Shy Guy with a spear that appears in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. They are found in Chucklehuck Woods, and a much faster, light blue version is found in Guffawha Ruins. The Chuck Guy approaches the character it is going to attack, and spins its spear around. Then, it either charges, spear lowered, or it rushes your character and tries to trip him. These are very similar to Spear Guys.

Fat Guy
Found only in Yoshi's Island, Yoshi Topsy Turvy, and Yoshi's Island DS, in level 2-7. This gargantuan Shy Guy is, surprisingly, edible, and gives Yoshi eggs about five times bigger than normal eggs and cause earthquakes, which turn all on-screen enemies into Stars. Once the player gets three fat eggs, however, the Fat Guys disappear; however, there are strategies to getting a higher number of them (up to six). It is not possible to carry these eggs into other levels, but the player does get rewarded with coins for each egg at the goal (4 coins per egg). Because they are fat and wear red cloth and a black belt, the Fat Guy resembles Santa Claus.

Fly Guy
Along with Shy Guys, Fly Guys are also common enemies in the Yoshi series of games. They appear as Shy Guys with propellers on their head. Special ones called "Mecha Fly Guys" also have wind-up gears on their backs which allow them to fly. They also appear in many Mario spin-offs, and are even playable characters in Mario Power Tennis and Mario Hoops 3-on-3. In Yoshi's Island DS, certain Fly Guys hover in the sky carrying coins or 1-ups at their feet. Hitting them with an egg collects the item, but if the player waits too long the Fly Guy may fly off screen.

Game Guy
A Shy Guy specifically from Mario Party 3, he runs a gambling booth with various games to bet coins on when the player lands on his space. When the player lands on his space he will take all of that player's coins and a Game Guy minigame will be played. If the player wins, he will double that player's coins. A few minigames allow the opportunity to increase coins taken by 32, and one even offers a jackpot of 1000 coins.

Coincidentally, the name Game Guy was used in an episode of Dave the Barbarian as a parody of the Game Boy, but bearing the Sega Dreamcast logo.

General Guy
The fourth boss of Paper Mario, and leader of the Shy Guys. He attacks Mario with his army in this order: Shy Squad, Stilt Guys, Shy Stacks, and finally, himself. He doesn't attack physically, but instead uses the light bulb's electric shocks, and throws bombs. After he is defeated, he flees with the other Shy Guys.

Ghost Guy
A ghost of a Shy Guy found in Luigi's Mansion. Like living Shy Guys, they come in a variety of colors. To be able to vacuum them, the player must first vacuum their mask, and then stun them. They wield spears. Unlike normal Shy Guys, their masks are normally half white, half red. When the player first enters the Ball Room (Area 2), if left to themselves, they will dance to the music by pretending to slice each others' heads off with their spears. If the player attacks one and successfully sucks it in, the other one will become "angry" and attack. When their masks are removed, only a pair of glowing yellow eyes are visible in place of a face. Ghost Guys seem to be similar to Boo Guys.

Ghoul Guy
A Boo Guy which could increase the power, defense, and speed of another enemy if not destroyed. They appeared in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time

Glide Guy
A Shy Guy with an umbrella protruding out of its head in Yoshi's Island DS. Using the umbrella, they have the ability to float on air currents, similar to Baby Peach's ability. They come in the same 4 colors of ordinary Shy Guys in the game.

Good Guy
A white Shy Guy that can be found in Yoshi's Story if the player has one or more missing Yoshis. If he is in the player's possession when a level is complete, he will appear on the character select menu, then he can be selected to go to Baby Bowser's castle and rescue one missing Yoshi at random. While a white Shy Guy is following Yoshi, the number of eggs he can bring with him is reduced by one.

Gourmet Guy
In Shy Guy's Toy Box, an extremely obese Shy Guy blocks the path to the lever that fixes the train tracks. He is named for his extreme love of food, but he doesn't know this. When given cake, he becomes extremely happy and flies all over the place. He is willing to help anyone if they give him cake, even though he "officially" works for Bowser.

Greaper
Appeared in Super Mario RPG. A Shy Guy equivalent of the Grim Reaper. They reside at Jonathan Jones' Ship. One is a member of the Three Musty Fears. The other two are Dry Bones and Big Boo. They want to play find the flag. Greaper's is behind the welcome sign in Rose Town. There is also a more powerful version of Greaper called Glum Reaper, that is located in Smithy's Factory.

Groove Guy
A Shy Guy that is only found in Paper Mario. They wear red and purple outfits with wingtip shoes, a big blue and yellow collar and a pompom on the end of their hood. They can make Mario dizzy with their dance moves.

Lanturn Ghost
Lanturn ghosts are types of shy guys that wear ghost sheets instead of masks. They often wear gray sheets, but they are seen with blue and red herring cloaks on. They jump out of pipes like shy guys do, except for the fact that they make a different sound. They first appeared in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's island. A large one, called the "Big lantern ghost", appeared in Paper Mario as a miniboss in Shy Guy's Toybox. He has Watt in his lantern and you can't attack him in the dark.

Limbo Guy
A type of shy guy that only appears in Yoshi's Story. Unlike other enemies it is off of the path way and can not be attacked (though they can still be forced to change color). They are also incapable of attacking the Yoshis directly. They always work in pairs and hold a Limbo stick across the path way, forcing the Yoshis to jump over it, else if the Yoshi hits the Limbo Stick, it will take damage. They also wear grass skirts.

Medi Guy
A Shy Guy riding in a floating device similar to the Koopa Clown Car, with a heart on it. Their only appearance was in Paper Mario. They don't usually attack but instead heal other enemies.

Mufti Guy
Shy Guys wearing flower petals on their heads, Mufti Guys appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS. A love-struck Mufti Guy named Petal Guy appears in Mario Party Advance as a character the player can aid in exchange for a Gaddget. It also takes 2 times to make it disappear if Yoshi jumps on it.

Phantom Guy
A Shy Guy that looks similar to Boo Guys that appear in Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. Like Shy Guys, they can wear many different color robes. If the player hits a colored switch that matches the color of a Phantom Guy in the level, it will turn into a block. The ones used by Donkey Kong in Mario vs. Donkey Kong are more powerful versions that are on fire, and that chase Mario. The ones in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis are mechanical.

Pirate Guy
A Shy Guy that is found in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It is seen on Shy Guy Beach sailing a boat in the background and also appears in Yoshi's Island DS and in Mario Party. It also appears in the background in Yoshi's Story

Propeller Guy
A shy guy similar to the Fly Guy but only appears in Yoshi's Story. They look like regular Shy Guys but have a large mechanical pack with a propeller attached allowing them to fly. They usually fly from side to side and carry items. They can be defeated by eggs, eating them, or jumping on them. They are the second most common enemy of Yoshi's Story other than regular Shy Guys.

Pyro Guy
A Shy Guy that's on fire. They appeared in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Paper Mario. In both games they cannot be jumped on so Yoshi must eat them (which allows him to breathe fire) or Mario must hammer them to defeat them. In Paper Mario, Mario could also get the Ice Power badge which will increase the damage Mario can do to fire enemies like Pyro Guy while also allowing him to jump on Pyro Guy.

Rocket Guy
A Shy Guy riding a rocket ship in Yoshi's Island DS. Unlike other enemies in the game, these Shy Guys only appear in the 2 rocket ship segments (in World 5-4 and World 5-8), and also appear during the boss fight against Moltz the Very Goonie at the end of World 5-4.

Shyster
These are Shy Guys on pogo sticks. They first appeared in Super Mario RPG, where they have sword-tipped pogo sticks and additionally they have the Drain attack. In the first battle with Smithy, he can make gray versions of Shyster. Instead of Drain they use the more powerful Sword Rain. The Shysters returned in Yoshi's Story, but used regular pogo sticks.

Sky Guy
A Shy Guy held up by 3 balloons wielding a slingshot. Their only appearance was in Paper Mario. A player can target the balloons to pop them; this will do no damage to the Sky Guy but will change it to a normal Shy Guy instead, making it vulnerable to ground-based attacks like hammers.

Spear Guy
Shy Guys with spears. Their first appearance was in Super Mario World 2. They reappeared in Paper Mario on Lavalava Island. One attacks Kolarado. They make an appearance in Mario Party 1, attacking the players' river raft during a minigame. They also appear in Mario Party 7 as an orb that is thrown. If a player lands on this space, the player must roll the die to see how many coins will be taken from them and given to the orb thrower, similar to the Goomba orb in Mario Party 6.Spear Guys also appear on world 5 in Yoshi's Island Ds and the 'King of River' gameplay mode in Mario Party 7. One more appearance by the Spear Guy is in Mario Power Tennis, the Shy Guys's special turns him into one.

Spy Guy
A Shy Guy dressed in camouflage, with plants on its head. Its major appearance was in Paper Mario and it had a seemingly useless role in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In Paper Mario, they have multiple weapons that include slingshot and hammer. They will switch items when hit, the sling shot has no added effects other than different timings to the hammer which can remove one of Mario's abilities such as hammer, jump or items. In Super Mario RPG, they simply have camouflage clothing. They only appear in battle between two piranha plants but they immediately evacuate the battle, which makes fighting them an impossibility.

Stilt Guy
These are Shy Guys on stilts. They first appeared in Yoshi's Island. Yoshi could not eat them or damage them with eggs, but could still hit them. By hitting them once from above, they would become normal Shy Guys that could be eaten or they would fall down a bit from their stilts. They returned in Yoshi's Story. They reappeared again in Paper Mario as General Guy's second wave. This is the only time they are actually referred to as Stilt Guys.

Zeus Guy
This Shy Guy is dressed up as a karate fighter and is seen firing out energy balls along with kicking and punching. Seen only in Yoshi's Island, these guys can't be destroyed by eating, jumping, egging, or ground pounding. They are almost invincible, hence the name Zeus. They are known to be weak against melons.

As enemies

 * Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic: Common enemies (Snifits also appear).
 * Super Mario 64: Only Fly Guys (flying Shy Guys) appear and their primary attack is diving towards Mario, though they can also spit fire. If Mario jumps on them, he can hover by spinning his arms like a helicopter. In Super Mario 64 DS they reprise this role.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: They are common enemies, and come in many different varieties throughout the game. The Bandits also appear, and in the secret vs. mode, the second player assumes the role of a Bandit.
 * Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3: Same as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
 * Yoshi's Story: They are very common enemies and come in an array of colors, but few variations. There was also a white Shy Guy who, if present at the end of a level, essentially gives the player a 1-up.
 * Yoshi Touch & Go: Appear as Shy Guys and Fly Guys frequently throughout the game.
 * Yoshi Topsy-Turvy: Appear as red, yellow and green. Some variant forms are also present here, including Fly Guys, Shy Guys swinging medieval flails, and Fly Guys carrying coins.
 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: Several varieties, attacks with a slingshot. There was also a flying Shy Guy named "Shy Away" who, instead of fighting, watered Piranha Plants to do battle for him. Later Shy Away is the key to getting Mario's best possible weapon in the game.
 * Paper Mario: Many variations can be seen throughout the game, especially in Chapter 4, "Shy Guy's Toy Box", where they are led by 'General Guy'.
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: Bandits appear in various areas to steal coins or items (including Badges) from Mario. Normal Shy Guys also appear in the audience during battles, but serve no real purpose except for occasionally running onstage to cause minor trouble to either Mario or his enemies.
 * Luigi's Mansion: Ghosts that resemble Shy Guys. They cannot be captured until Luigi removes their mask first. Their face are shown with two glowing eyes and a shy mouth.
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga: Though there are no basic Shy Guys, several variant forms (like the Spear Guys) appeared.
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time: Again features no basic Shy Guys, but does include a variation called a "Boom Guy" (and the more advanced "Elite Boom Guy"). Its weapon of choice is a cannon.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Appear as skating obstructions (therefore earning them the nickname Skate Guys) in Sherbet Land Grand Prix level. They are mobile obstacles to the karts, sometimes pushing them into the lake.
 * Yoshi's Island DS: Many varieties of Shy Guy appear as common enemies.
 * The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: While known in-game as 'Mask-Mimics', their likeness to Shy Guys is too close to be accidental. They appear in Bottle Grotto and Face Shrine and receive protection from frontal and side blows due to their masks. To make fighting them tougher, they mirror the movements Link makes. A hit from behind via a Whirling Blade Technique is the easiest way to fell them, though more powerful weapons can kill or stun them as well.
 * Mario Kart DS: When Link Playing with another player who does not own Mario Kart DS, they must be a Shy Guy of random color.

As playable characters

 * Mario Tennis: Technique player
 * Mario Power Tennis: Technique player. Also, Fly Guy is a playable character.
 * Mario Superstar Baseball: Balanced player for Yoshi's team (Voiced by Pat Fraley)
 * Mario Kart DS: Only available when racing with DS Download Play. Players without the game card will be given Shy Guy instead of choosing a racer themselves.
 * Mario Party 4: Bonus Character in Beach Volley Folley.
 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Unlockable Character ONLY as a Fly Guy.
 * Mario Strikers Charged: Shy Guys are set to be playable teammates in the game.

Other

 * Mario Party: Makes an appearance as a Mecha Fly Guy, which must be wound up by rotating the control stick.
 * Mario Party 2: Appears in the mini-games Mecha-Marathon and Shy Guy Says.
 * Mario Party 3: Appears as a character called Game Guy, complete with bow tie. He would host all-or-nothing chance games that the player would partake in.
 * Mario Party 4: Also appears as a host for one of the game boards. Here he wears a hat and a jacket like Indiana Jones because of the jungle theme of his board.
 * Shy Guys also appeared on the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! for DiC Entertainment as minions of King Koopa. They were played by Jeannie Elias who gave them a voice like Carl Foutley from As Told by Ginger.
 * In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a Shy Guy is a news reporter in the opening cutscene.
 * Mario Party 7: Appears as shopkeeper at some Orb Stores. Also appears as Spear Guy for certain Orb events and the Minigame Cruise "King of the River".
 * Mario Party 8, a Shy Guy runs most candy shops, and one also appears as the conductor of a train on the "Shy Guy's Perplex Express" board.
 * While not referred to by name, the Super Mario Bros. Movie featured Shy Guys, after a fashion. As with much of the characters in the movie (such as Goombas being portrayed as large, reptilian creatures), the Shy Guys became larger, darker versions of themselves. When the Mario Bros. are originally captured, they are put through a sterilization process largely performed by men in full-body jumpsuits with masks reminiscent of Shy Guys. Later in the movie, Snifits appear (and are referred to by name) as garbage men; their bullet shooting mask protrusions being replaced with simple air filters. Unlike the Shy Guys from earlier in the movie, they exclusively wear black, tighter-fitting clothing.
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee: A minor enemy in the Yoshi's Story stage. Some of them carry food, which is dropped when they are killed.
 * Shy Guys also appear in the Mario Circuit stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They also appear on the Yoshi's Island stage where they appear as Fly Guy.
 * The Japanese name for Bob-omb, Bomhei, implies a direct connection to Shy Guys.
 * In Super Paper Mario, one of the gate keepers in world 6-1 is named "Unshy guy", a reference to the Shy Guy species.