Raven
- This article is about an enemy which debuted in the Yoshi franchise. For an enemy described as a "raven" in the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Prima Official Game Guide, see Crowber.
| Raven | |||
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 A Raven in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy. | |||
| First appearance | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) | ||
| Latest appearance | Yoshi's Crafted World (2019) | ||
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- “Oracle of the Stars...Mario comes to this island.”
- —Raven, Paper Mario
Ravens[1] are black, flightless birds that have appeared as both allies and enemies of Mario. Although they are called Ravens, they have little in common with the aforementioned birds, aside from their black coloration and "caw" sound. The Ravens of the Mario franchise are slow-moving, wingless, and have elliptical orange beaks. Paper Mario is the only game to depict them flying.
History
Yoshi franchise
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Ravens first appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its remake, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, in the level Shifting Platforms Ahead. They can be found walking around large floating globes resembling the moon. If they run into Yoshi, they'll knock Baby Mario off his back. Yoshi can defeat Ravens by stomping on their heads, or by throwing an egg at them, but they can't be eaten. The chick variants, however, can be eaten, but Yoshi will swallow them automatically without making an egg.
A large Raven named Raphael the Raven is fought as a boss on the moon over his castle. A small version of this enemy is considered a normal Raven in the Player's Guide.
Yoshi's Story
Ravens make a return appearance in Yoshi's Story. In the game, they act the same way as they did in their past appearance, making squeaking noises as they walk, but are immune to all of Yoshi's attacks. They appear in the Tall Tower stage, alongside ComBats. Melons are commonly found on the rocks that Ravens occupy.
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Ravens appear as enemies in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy within the Forbidden Pop-Up Book, which is where the game takes place. They stand about as half as tall as Yoshi, and are always continuously walking. They are not affected by gravity, which is a primary focus of the game. Likewise, they are able to walk along walls and across the ceiling. Sometimes, they move around wall corners, but occasionally will also simply walk back and forth. Yoshi can jump on their head to defeat them. If Yoshi bumps into the side of a Raven, he will lose three points from his Health Meter. Ravens are most commonly seen during the Tale of the Spirit of Power and the Tale of the Spirit of Kindness missions.
Yoshi's New Island
Ravens return as enemies in Yoshi's New Island, only in the level Eggstraordinary Terrain. Overall, they act the same as in their previous appearances in the Yoshi's Island series. However, upon eating a Raven, Yoshi will automatically ingest it and turn it into an egg.
Yoshi's Crafted World
Ravens reappear in Yoshi's Crafted World with the exact same behavior as in previous games, where they only appear in Spinwheel Shuffle. Here, their bodies are made from upside-down balloons. One of the many costumes available for Yoshi is a small moon, complete with a Raven on the top. Additionally, five Raven blimps appear as crafts on the flip side of the level.
Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, a friendly group of five Ravens can be encountered on Lavalava Island. These Ravens (including Raphael the Raven himself) help Mario and his party reach Mt. Lavalava. This games also gives Ravens have their own language (which mostly consists of the word "caw"), although some are bilingual and can speak in human languages. The Ravens in this game also have the ability to fly by flapping their feet.
Individual Tattles
Goombario can use Tattle on four of the Ravens as one Raven is beyond Mario's reach.
- "He's a Raven. Ravens are short and chubby. They're pretty fluffy, too. And somewhat cuddly. And soft."
- "He's a Raven. He looks good in black. Can we take him with us, Mario? He doesn't want to go? What a bummer..."
- "He's a Raven. Ravens only say "caw" unless they think they have something really important to tell you. They only tell important stuff to people they trust. I wish they'd tell us something."
- "He's a Raven. Ravens are really cute. I told Kooper that, and he said I had weird taste. What's so weird about that? Aren't they cute, Mario?"
Profiles and statistics
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
- Official Nintendo Player's Guide: These flightless birds normally live on the little worlds of their own, although a few inhabit Naval Piranha's castle.[1]
Yoshi's Story
- Shogakukan guide: 何があってもマイペース。星のまわりおただただめぐる。
They go at their own pace no matter what. They simply walk around the stars.[2]
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
- Shogakukan guide: 黒いボディがトレードマーク。「舌を伸ばして食べる」「ジャンプして踏みつける」「岩などを転がしてつぶす」の、いずれの方法でも倒すことができる。
Its black body is its trademark. It can be defeated by any of the following methods: extending one's tongue and eating it, jumping and stomping on it, or rolling over rocks and other objects to crush it.[3]
Gallery
Paper Mario
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Raven model from Yoshi's New Island
Raven costume from Yoshi's Crafted World
Raven Blimp craft from Yoshi's Crafted World
Concept art for Yoshi's Crafted World
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キューちゃん[4][5][3][6] / Ｑちゃん[2][7] (Yoshi's Story) Kyūchan |
From「キュウカンチョウ」(kyūkanchō, common hill myna) and「ちゃん」(-chan, an honorific for cute animals among other uses). The latter abbreviates「キュー」as the letter "Q", which has the same phonetic pronunciation | |
| Chinese | 小Q[8] Xiǎo Q |
Little Q (from the Japanese name) | |
| German | Abroxas[?] | Abraxas, the name of a witch's pet raven in the children's book The Little Witch by Otfried Preußler | |
| Italian | Bombo Corvo (Yoshi's Crafted World)[?] |
Common name mostly used for round characters Raven |
|
| Korean | 구관돌이[?] Gugwandol'i |
From "구관조" (gugwanjo, common hill myna) and "-돌이" (-dol'i, diminutive male suffix) | |
| Spanish | Raven[?] | Raven |
References
- ^ a b Miller, Kent, and Terry Munson. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Player's Guide. Page 128.
- ^ a b 「ヨッシーストーリー 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's Story Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 4.
- ^ a b 「ヨッシーの万有引力任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi Banyū Inryoku Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 23.
- ^ 「スーパーマリオヨッシーアイランド任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Super Mario: Yossy Island Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 8.
- ^ 「スーパーマリオアドバンス3任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Super Mario Advance 3 Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 15.
- ^ 「ヨッシー New アイランド 任天堂公式ガイドブック」 (Yoshi's New Island Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook), page 19.
- ^ The Tall Tower Japanese name
- ^ From iQue's localization of Paper Mario: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av75169038 (62:05)
