Yoshi is one of the heroes of the series, an ally of Mario and Luigi as well as the protagonist of his own series. He is a member of the Yoshi species and has aided his brethren in saving their homeland on multiple occasions. In the Mario series, he is a major character and often acts as a steed for Mario, but after his own series rose to prominence, he is mostly just a playable character in the sports and party games, occasionally reappearing in the main series.