The return of Super Mario RPG reintroduces some of the most imaginative characters of the franchise to a new audience. Alongside wooden warrior Geno and puffy prince Mallow is Boshi, a Yoshi that bravely disregards the design trends of its species by walking barefoot and sporting shades.
It’s interesting that Mario fans think that Yoshi not wearing shoes is weird considering he’s an animal, but it makes more sense when you look into the character’s design. In an interview with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Yoshi’s concept artist Takashi Tezuka about Super Mario World, it was revealed that Yoshi was conceptualized around the idea of Mario riding a horse.
There hasn’t been an official statement from Nintendo about Yoshi’s shoes related to horses, and less canonical credibility is given when Tezuka talks about the dinosaur and turtle-like features seen in the final design. Tezuka stated that the hump on Yoshi’s back is not a saddle but a shell as they are a “member of the turtle family”.
Yoshi’s shoes could stem from their personality. The original sketch for Yoshi was created by Shigefumi Hino, but Tezuka was brought on board to increase their cuteness. It’s also important to note that Super Mario World also gave Koopas a redesign, giving them legs and shoes for the first time in the franchise.
Boshi has more of a controlling, punk-esque personality that fits his character design. In Super Mario RPG, Boshi self-appoints himself as leader of the Yoshis after winning the Mushroom Derby. In the Switch remake, Boshi has shaded sunglasses, a spiked collar, ankle braces, and claws on their feet. This slightly differs from Boshi’s original outfit, which featured toeless socks.
Yoshi has always worn shoes within the games, but this isn’t the only time that the dinosaur has been seen without their boots. The 1991 Super Mario World TV series also features barefoot baby Yoshi in the episode Mama Luigi. And a Super Mario World activity book from 1998 showing the iconic green Yoshi in a predicament where an enemy has stolen one of their shoes. Both of these examples have different, less threatening feet designs and are likely non-canon.
There are plenty of fans with very specific interests that have conceived their own Yoshi feet designs if you’re curious enough to look.
