The Mario franchise has gave us some good characters such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Daisy, and Wario. The series has also given us some staple enemies such as Hammer Bros, Pom Pom, Boom Boom, Koopa Troopa and so many more. Shy guys fall into the latter. Since their debut they have been staples in Mario games ever since.

Shy Guys made their debut in Doki Doki Panic a Japanese only Nintendo game. The Mario Bros Lost Levels was going to be the sequel to the first Mario Game. However, Nintendo thought the game's difficulty would be a huge turn off. Thus, Nintendo took Doki Doki Panic and converted it into a Mario Game. The characters where changed to Mario and his friends. The plot was changed. But the enemies carried over. Shy Guys where some of the enemies that carried over.

In Super Mario Bros 2 Shy Guys are members of the dictator Wart's 8 Bite Gang that he used to take over Subcon. They mainly serve as soldiers in this game. However, they appeared in Yoshi's Island. In cannon Yoshi's Island takes place several years before the first Mario game. In Yoshi's Island they work for Baby Bowser and the Koopas

Since Mario Bros 2 Shy Guys have become staples in Mario Games. They mainly serve Bowser and his family. They appear to be soldiers similar to Koopa Troopas.

In Paper Mario it is revealed that Shy Guys serve under General Shy Guy. General Shy Guy is a trusted ally of Bowser. Thus, it is likely that General Guy is over the Shy Guy unit, which is part of Bowser's minions. In Paper Mario it is revealed that Shy Guys can be thieves and they love to play with toys.

In future games they seem to aid Bowser in his schemes. They mainly serve as soldiers which try to slow Mario and his friends down. They are sometimes used as raiding parties along with Snif Its. Snif its are shy guys that have cannons for a mouth and nose and can fire bullets/cannon balls.

Outside of serving Bowser it is shown they also enjoy playing games. They play sports games and are surprisingly athletic having good stats in baseball and tennis.

Appearances- Shy Guys come in different colors red, yellow, green, blue, pink, white, gray, and orange. However, red seems to be the most common. They usually have blue or brown shoes. Their classic trademark is their masks. Shy Guys wear masks to cover their face. In future games it shows they wear belts. It should be noted that their appearance varies with the type. Big Shy Guys are heavy and more round in appearance. Mega Shy Guys are huge shy guys.

Personality- They are believed to wear a mask because they are extremely shy. Several booklets state this to be fact. However, when a Shy Guy lost his mask Mario and his friends ran at the site. The Shy Guy then covered his face. Given how Mario and his friends ran it is hinted that what is under the mask could be disturbing. Some have speculated its a demon like face or nothing but red/yellow eyes.

They are shown to enjoy having fun and playing. In Paper Mario they loved playing with toys. They also seem to enjoy playing games such as Mario Party games, golfing, tennis, and baseball. Moreover, it is also revealed that they love to eat and they like sweets.

Despite their shy nature and loving to have fun they can be very mischief. They are shown to enjoy stealing things. Several times they have been caught stealing candy, mail, toys to take to their toy box, and etc. Sometimes their main target is stealing good and sweets.

In addition, in some games they will taunt the players with items. If the player fails to get the item from them. They will laugh and taunt the player for not getting the item. This goes along with their mischief personality.

Abilities- Shy Guys are shown to be intelligent as they have been seen operating machines, operating spike balls to drop on opponents. They also have the ability to jump and charge directly at their opponents. They can also kick and throw projectiles in battle. They can also move at a decent clip. They can also see well in the dark as they have shoes that and gloves that glow in the dark. As stated above they will sometime hold items the player needs to get from them.

Attacks- Shy Guys have several ways to attack Mario and his friends. In one of their attacks they mainly just try to jump or walk right into Mario and his friends similar to a Koopa Troopa. In this state they can easily be defeated. However, when they are operating their machines they are more dangerous. When they have weapons they are also more dangerous. They will try to hit their opponents with sling shots, guns that fire rocks, and other projectiles. In addition, in battle it is revealed they can kick.

Weaknesses- When they just walk back and forth or jump they can easily be defeated. They can be defeated with fireballs, ice pellets, star power, an egg, and a pow block. When they are on stilts they can be knocked off their stilts. When they are using machines they are tougher. The Shy guys machine's will need to be destroyed before opponents can attack the shy guys. Yoshii has an easier time defeating them as he can eat them and turn them into an egg.

Relationships- These are their allies

Bowser, Bowser Jr, and Koopalings- They are very loyal to Bowser and serve as his minions. They understand their role is to try to slow Mario and his friends down. They recognize that Bowser Jr is the future king. They also serve the Koopalings since they are Bowser's Nice and Nephews.

General Guy- General Guy is one of Bowser's commanders in his army. He is in charge of the Shy Guys. The Shy guys look up to him and want to please the General which will also please Bowser. The general in turn cares about the Shy Guys in his unit.

Other Koopas- They get along well with the other Koopas such as Lakitu, Spines, Spikes, Koopa Troopas, Pom Pom, Boom Boom, and the Hammer Bros. This is because they are all Bowser's minions.

Kamek- Shy Guys have been working for the Koopa family for a very long time. In Yoshi's Island they worked for Kamek. In that game they helped Kamek take care of baby Bowser.

Wart- In Super Mario Bros 2 it states that shy guys serve Wart and are members of his 8 bit gang.

Enemies-

Mario and Luigi- They do not like the brothers as they have foiled Bowser's plans. Plus they have defeated their general. In some games they refuse to sell items to Mario or Luigi implying they are not on good terms.

Yoshi- Shy Guys fear Yoshi because he can eat them, even the larger ones, and turn them into eggs. He can also retrieve items from them with his tongue or throwing an egg at them.

Birdo- Despite being comrades in Bros 2. Birdo became a good character and reformed. She likes Mario and his friends. In one game she defeated shy guys but spitting eggs at them.

Peach- They do not hurt Peach when Bowser captures her. However, sometimes they do guard her. They do not like it when Peach tries to escape.

Daisy- It is shown they can be hostile toward Daisy. Likely because she is Peach's best friend and Luigi's girlfriend.

Overall, Shy Guys have been in Mario games for a long time and have become signature enemies. Different types and sizes of them exists. There are Snifits which fire bullets from their masks. Beezo's which fly at the player with a spear, Big Shy Guys and Mega Shy guys which are very large shy guys. Then you have Bandits which are taller shy guys with a smiling masks on that will steal items.

As stated they mostly work for Bowser. It is speculated that Wart created some of his own for Super Mario Bros 2. Likewise, another theory is that some shy guys are independent or work for Wart. Similar to how a lot of Boos work for Bowser/King Boo, some are independent and some serve Lady Bow. Regardless, they are popular enemies that serve as soldiers.

Shy guys love to eat food and sweets. When they steal stuff food and sweets are their main targets. On the other hand, they will also steal toys. They love playing with their toys. They can also turn the toys into weapons.

In Mario Party games they are playable characters and have the dice blocks that can move 4 spaces. If they are not used as playable character they will sometimes be chose to play for Bowser. If playing for Bowser and they win the player will have to do the board all over again.

In conclusion, as their name implies they are shy. What they hide under the mask is anyone's guess. The way Mario and his friends reacted must mean it is frightful or very disturbing. I must say these are some of my favorite reoccurring enemies in the Mario Franchise. My other favorite is the Hammer Bros. This concludes the Shy Guy biography.