Dr. Mario (SSB4)

Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearance	in Melee
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Doctor Finale

Dr. Mario (Dr. マリオ, Dr. Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was officially confirmed on October 9th, 2014 alongside Dark Pit in a post-release announcement. Dr. Mario is also the first of three Super Smash Bros. Melee characters that were cut from Super Smash Bros. Brawl to return for Super Smash Bros. 4 alongside Mewtwo and Roy, as well as being the only one among them to be accessible without DLC.

While Mario continues to use his updated moveset from Brawl, Dr. Mario retains his moveset from Melee, albeit with the inclusion of a Final Smash called Doctor Finale, which is almost identical to Mario's Mario Finale but instead uses enormous Megavitamins rather than streams of fire and deals more damage.

He is once again voiced by Charles Martinet, albeit via Mario's voice clips from Brawl, which are essentially the same in this installment with Dr. Mario being less vocal than his normal counterpart.

How To Unlock

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Play 60 VS Matches.
• Clear Classic Mode as Mario on difficulty 4.0 or higher.

Dr. Mario must then be defeated on Mushroomy Kingdom.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• Play 50 VS Matches.
• Clear Master Orders on Hard difficulty.

Dr. Mario must then be defeated on Delfino Plaza.

Attributes

Dr. Mario is of average weight and somewhat small stature just like his normal counterpart. However, while sharing animations and overall design, he functions a bit differently due to his difference in speed and power and now fights like a stronger yet slower version of Mario like he was originally intended to be in Melee.

Dr. Mario is more efficient at KOing in comparison to Mario, as he has higher base knockback on all his smash attacks, his back air, and his Super Jump Punch. He is also very capable at punishing with his effective grab game. However, his forward smash is also harder to land unlike Mario's, as its sweetspot is closer to his hurtbox by being located on his palm. Dr. Mario's combo game is very different than Mario's, being harder overall to score fewer attacks without correct reads. Although as he has a higher output in damage overall, the increased knockback of his tilt attacks can noticeably hinder his ability to chain hits together in quick succession, especially against lightweight characters such as Jigglypuff. This is further compounded by his slow movement speed, which typically prevents him from immediate follow-ups. Despite Dr. Mario's combo game being sub-par, his down tilt is a viable combo starter against middleweights and especially heavyweights. It can chain into either his jab combo, Super Jump Punch, Dr. Tornado, his up smash, or his up tilt; the latter of which in particular can be performed successfully at least twice before being finished reliably with his up smash or down smash. It should be noted that due to the aforementioned knockback of his tilt attacks, down tilt-initiated combos are only viable against middleweights at low percentages and should be used wisely against them, although they can be used somewhat more freely against heavyweights.

Dr. Mario's most noticeable differences are seen in his specials. Megavitamins are once again his neutral special, and although they now deal less damage than before, they are still stronger than Mario's Fireball and have less damage falloff over distance traveled. However, the angle between the two attacks are more clear cut with Megavitamins traveling further in the air though at a slower speed. Super Sheet has also returned and is able to cover more vertical distance than Mario's Cape, but at the cost of its potential as a recovery move, as it no longer stalls him in midair like it did in Melee. As a result, Dr. Tornado is now used as part of his recovery, since it grants Dr. Mario a little extra recovery distance when used properly. Super Jump Punch has been changed as well, as it now acts more like Luigi's from the original Super Smash Bros., with high power at the base and a sourspot throughout the rest of its duration. With custom moves on, a few of Dr. Mario's faults get addressed. Fast Capsule improves his already decent projectile game due to its spammability, Breezy Sheet provides him more safety when fighting near the edge, and both Super Jump and Soaring Tornado considerably improve his sub-par recovery game. Soaring Tornado also has the benefit of making Dr. Mario an incredible edge-guarder due to both its consistent pushback effect and how soon its hitbox can KO, even from the center of the stage.

Dr. Mario's more glaring faults include his slow speed for a character of his size and power, his sub-par range, and (when not taking Soaring Tornado and Super Jump into account) a sub-par recovery game despite being given the ability to wall jump and Dr. Tornado enabling him to recover a slight amount of distance. These faults can ultimately hinder his potential to a degree, resulting in Dr. Mario having to utilize a much more patient playstyle in comparison to his normal counterpart. As a result, Dr. Mario's essential tactics to succeed include remaining on stage more often than not, wisely using his down tilt-initiated combo options against any non-lightweight characters, and capitalizing on predictions by punishing an opponent's openings with his smash attacks and effective grab game.

Changes from Melee

Dr. Mario was significantly nerfed from Melee to SSB4. Dr. Mario's changes gear towards making him a slower yet stronger Mario, much like he was intended to be in Melee. However, this resulted in noticeable nerfs to his speed and mobility, decreasing his ability to approach the opponent, despite his Megavitamins still being decent projectiles. Thus, Dr. Mario's neutral game is now weaker than it was in Melee. While some of his moves have been buffed, many others were nerfed; for example, his forward aerial and forward smash now require sweetspots for strong hits, and his Megavitamins have decreased damage output. The changes in physics and hitstun from Melee have also removed many of Dr. Mario's setups into those potential sweetspots, making his punish game much weaker as well. Furthermore, Dr. Tornado was also nerfed in height when used in mid-air and Super Sheet no longer stalls him in the air at all, limiting him to using his new wall jump for recovery mixups, and making him very easy to edgeguard.

However, Dr. Mario has been slightly buffed in other regards; namely, some of his moves have more range, and his grab is noticeably better than it was in Melee. Nonetheless, due to the prevalence of his nerfs, Dr. Mario has very poor tournament results with few dedicated mains, most of which play him as a secondary character. Dr. Mario has been gradually receiving buffs since 1.0.4, mostly to his damage output and knockback, although most do not address his core problems.

Aesthetics

• Dr. Mario's design has been updated to include the red tie he has had since Dr. Mario 64, while still retaining his black pants from Melee. However, his pants are now rolled up, revealing their lighter insides. His hair is a lighter shade of brown, and his head mirror's band is now black. Additionally, his stethoscope is now black instead of blue, as it was in Melee.
• Megavitamins are much more brightly colored and appear to be shorter, but more rounded. They also lack the see-through half in the 3DS version.
• Dr. Mario now backflips three times as opposed to once when he jumps.
• Dr. Mario has now a on-screen appearance.
• He has a different walking animation, just like Mario in Brawl.
• Dr. Mario has a new idle pose, where he pounds his fist into his open palm.

Attributes

• Dr. Mario's character model is slightly smaller than it was in Melee.
• Dr. Mario's falling speed and gravity are lower compared to Melee (1.7 → 1.5 and 0.095 → 0.08715 respectively), due to the physics change in SSB4.
• Dr. Mario is slightly lighter than he was in Melee, with his weight being changed from 100 to 98 to match Mario's in SSB4. This slightly lowers his survivability, but makes him slightly less vulnerable to combos.
• Dr. Mario jumps slightly higher.
• He has decreased walking (1.1 → 0.9) and dashing speed (1.5 → 1.3), making Dr. Mario much slower and having a far below average movement speed on ground.
• The loss of wavedashing has hindered Dr. Mario's approach and mobility options.
• Air speed is slightly higher (0.9 → 0.943), though it is still drastically slower in comparison to Mario's highly increased air speed.
• He can now wall jump, aiding his recovery.
• Like Mario, Dr. Mario's traction has been significantly decreased (0.6 → 0.45), making it harder for him to punish out of shield.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack, up tilt, and down tilt deal less damage.
• Neutral attack has a consecutive jab and is overall faster.
• Forward tilt is faster.
• Up tilt no longer sends the opponent forward if the opponent is hit in front of Dr. Mario. Instead, the move sends the opponent up no matter where it hits, whereas in Melee, the move had different trajectories depending on where it hit the opponent. This reduces its versatility in exchange for allowing greater combo potential.
• Down tilt is faster, making it much more safe at close range for spacing. It can no longer send the opponent behind Dr. Mario, but instead pops them into the air, making it a better combo starter.
• Forward smash has slightly more range and does more damage, especially if tilted upwards or downwards.
• Forward smash has slightly less knockback (30 base/97 growth → 25/96), slightly more start up, and ending lag. It also now has a sourspot located in Dr. Mario's hand.
• While his up smash no longer spikes as of update 1.0.6, it now has more horizontal knockback, allowing for easier side KOs in addition to sending opponents over Dr. Mario.
• Up smash deals more damage.
• Both hits of down smash deal much less damage (18/15% → 11/13%).
• Down smash has less base knockback (50 → 30) but much more knockback growth (75 → 100) which makes it stronger at KOing percents.
• Down smash sweet and sourspots are reversed with the front hit being weaker and the back hit being stronger.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, up, and down aerials deal less damage (10/14%, 11%, 18% → 5/8%, 7%, and 10% respectively.)
• Forward aerial now necessitates landing a sweetspot to be strong at all. Its sourspots and sweetspots do less damage (17/16% → 16/11/10%) and knockback (50 base/100 growth (sweetspot) and 40/100 (sourspot) → 30/102 (sweetspot) and 20/95 (sourspot)).
• Back aerial deals 5% more damage and much more knockback (43 base/65 growth → 10 base/95 growth), allowing it to function as a KO move.
• Back aerial no longer semi-spikes (angle was changed to 361 degrees), reducing its edgeguarding potential. It also has a late hitbox that deals less damage.
• Dr. Mario uses Mario's back aerial animation from Brawl instead of using the back aerial animation from Melee.
• Up aerial deals more base knockback (0 base/100 growth → 9 base/100 growth).
• Up air angle was changed to 45 degrees instead of 55.
• Down aerial has stronger knockback. It is also much harder to DI out of the attack.

Throws/other attacks

• Dr. Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two, has a higher grab range, and his throws have less ending lag.
• Back throw has much less knockback compared to Melee (80 base/72 growth → 70 base/60 growth) much like Mario's back throw in Brawl, though it still is one of the strongest throws in the game.
• Dr. Mario can no longer chain grab with down and up throws.

Special moves

• Megavitamins deals less damage (8% → 4-6% damage) based on distance.
• Megavitamins are now slightly larger and have longer range.
• Megavitamins are no longer absorbable.
• Dr. Mario's Super Sheet does not stall him while he is in midair, while it previously did in Melee on the first use, greatly hindering his recovery. It also deals less damage.
• Super Jump Punch now consists of one strong hit that can KO reliably before 150% from neutral and around 100% at the edge. It is now a viable option for combo ending and tech-chasing, much akin to Dolphin Slash.
• Super Jump Punch cannot be cancelled like its Melee counterpart, and has significantly increased landing lag. While Mario's Super Jump Punch had an increase in vertical distance, Dr. Mario's version of the move has the same vertical distance in Melee, meaning his Super Jump Punch covers less distance overall.
• The Super Jump Punch when sweetspotted, can be moved the opposite direction, potentially having the ability to hit multiple opponents with a single sweetspot. This can also be used to avoid a possible punish after landing the hit.
• Dr. Tornado has a faster start up and a slightly longer duration. The move itself is also harder to escape from, while having increased KO potential, reliably KOing at 100% offstage.
• Dr. Tornado has less ending lag, allowing for a double jump sooner for recovery.
• Dr. Tornado deals less damage and does not travel as high when rising, due to the lengthier animation.
• Dr. Mario now has a Final Smash, Doctor Finale, which is a higher damaging clone of Mario Finale but uses two massive Megavitamins instead of fire.

Differences from Mario

Aesthetics

• Dr. Mario's victory poses, idle poses, on-screen appearance, and taunts are different.
• Dr. Mario's idle stance is similar to Mario's, but noticeably slower.
• Dr. Mario is less vocal than Mario.

Attributes

• Dr. Mario is stronger overall compared to Mario, as he has higher damage percentages on moves such as his up tilt, up smash, back aerial, up aerial, forward tilt and all of his throws.
• Dr. Mario's horizontal movement speeds are 18% slower than Mario's.
• Dr. Mario does not jump as high as Mario, negatively affecting his overall recovery.
• Dr. Mario's short hop is lower, making it easier for him to perform short hopped aerials.
• Dr. Mario can not perform as many aerials in a short hop.
• Dr. Mario does not crouch as low as Mario.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack combo deals more damage and knockback than Mario's. It also slightly launches the opponent with set knockback for the first two hits, making it easier to jab cancel with than Mario's jab.
• Neutral attack is slower and has slightly more ending lag, and cannot jab lock.
• Dash attack sends opponents completely vertically instead of obliquely, increasing his combo ability.
• Forward smash is more powerful, dealing 5% more damage uncharged and 7% more damage when fully charged.
• Forward smash has less range.
• The sweetspot of Dr. Mario's forward smash is at his arm, where Mario's sweetspots on the flame effect, which means that the sweetspot attack has to be at closer range.
• Forward smash is an electric attack rather than a flame attack.
• Dr. Mario's up smash launches opponents at a more horizontal angle compared to Mario's.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial (sex kick) does more damage and knockback the longer it sticks out compared to Mario's, which functions oppositely.
• Forward aerial does not meteor smash, while instead dealing more damage and launching the opponent at an oblique angle when sweetspotted.
• Dr. Mario's down aerial is a drill kick while Mario's down aerial has been Mario Tornado since Brawl. As a result, Dr. Mario's down aerial sends the opponent at a different angle compared to Mario's.
• Down aerial does slightly more damage than Mario Tornado.
• Down aerial deals much less knockback and has slower startup than Mario Tornado.

Grabs and throws

• Up, back, and forward throws do 1% more damage.
• Down throw has more base knockback, giving Dr. Mario different followups compared to Mario. At higher percents, Dr. Mario's down throw has less horizontal knockback growth compared to Mario's allowing for easier aerial followups.

Special moves

• Dr. Mario's Megavitamins are now classified as physical projectiles rather than energy projectiles like Mario's Fireballs are, which means that Megavitamins are no longer absorbable.
• Megavitamin bounces twice while Fireball bounces three times.
• Dr. Mario's Super Sheet does more damage and has more vertical range than Mario's Cape.
• Super Sheet does not stall him in the air like Mario's Cape does and has less horizontal range.
• Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch has only two hitboxes, and does more damage at the start of the attack, just like Luigi's. It deals more damage than Mario's and has more knockback, making it an a effective KO move.
• Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch has less vertical distance than Mario's.
• Super Jump Punch does not make a coin sound when used on an opponent.
• Dr. Mario has Dr. Tornado as his down special rather than F.L.U.D.D..
• Dr. Mario's Doctor Finale deals more damage than Mario's Mario Finale.

Other

• Dr. Mario uses Ties as defensive Equipment rather than Overalls.

Moveset

For unknown reasons, instead of Dr. Mario having notably different damage values as compared to Mario, all the damage values of his moveset are multiplied by 1.12. (source) This does not apply to items or reflected attacks.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.8%	Dr. Mario jabs twice and then finishes with a forward kick. The first two jabs have set knockback which lightly pop the opponent into the air, allowing for Dr. Mario to potentially perform jab cancel followups such as a grab. Startup of 3 frames.
			1.68%
			4.48%
Forward tilt			7.84%	Dr. Mario performs a quick spinning kick. Sends opponent at a Sakurai angle, but this is only apparent at higher percents. Low KO potential, but can be used to space opponents and serve as a defensive move. Startup of 5 frames.
Up tilt			7.056%	Dr. Mario performs a spinning uppercut. Does more damage than Mario's, allowing for more hitstun for up tilt juggles. Gains KO potential around 160%. Startup of 5 frames.
Down tilt			5.6% (foot), 7.84% (body)	Dr. Mario performs a legsweep, popping the opponent into the air. Relatively fast as it starts up in 5 frames and can be used to for a variety of followups at low to middle percents, such as his jab combo, up tilt, up smash, down smash, or Super Jump Punch. Lightweight characters can avoid these followups fairly easily, however.
Dash attack			8.96% (clean), 6.72% (late)	Dr. Mario slides forward and kicks with both feet. Sends opponent at a purely vertical angle and has a fair amount of endlag.
Forward smash	↗		19.992% (arm), 16.464% (hand)	Dr. Mario thrusts his arm forward and produces a small blast of electricity. It has longer range than in Melee, but now has a sweetspot at Dr. Mario's arm with the sourspot being the electricity. Gains KO potential from the center of the stage at 85-90%, but can KO quite early at around 65% near the edge.
	→		19.04% (arm), 15.68% (hand)
	↘		19.6112% (arm), 16.1504% (hand)
Up smash			15.68%	Performs an upward headbutt, sending opponents horizontally towards him as of the 1.0.6 update. Dr. Mario's head has intangibility frames. Because it can potentially send the opponent over Dr. Mario, it can be used to attack an opponent with their back towards Dr. Mario.
Down smash			11.2% (hit 1), 13.44% (hit 2)	Performs a breakdancing legsweep. While the damage is rather low for a down smash, it gains rather high KO potential around 100% near the edge in addition to sending the opponent at a somewhat horizontal angle. Regardless, down smash is relatively fast at 5 frames allowing it to be used as a quick punish.
Neutral aerial			5.6% (clean), 8.96% (late)	Does a sex kick, which increases in power the longer it's held out. The early attack frames allow it to be used to start combos, while the late attack frames can be used as an edgeguard option.
Forward aerial			11.2% (early), 16.8% (clean), 10.08% (late)	Winds up and punches forwards. It knocks the opponent away at an upwards angle, instead of having a meteor smash effect like Mario's, making it useful even when onstage. The sweetspot is when Dr. Mario's fist is in front of him. A slow but viable KOing option that can KO at 80% near the edge and as low as 60% offstage.
Back aerial			13.44% (clean), 7.84% (late)	Dr. Mario performs a dropkick. Can KO near the edge at 100% and above if clean. Very fast startup and endlag with high knockback, it can be used for edgeguarding or a reverse aerial rush.
Up aerial			7.84%	Dr. Mario performs a bicycle kick. Sends the opponent up at an oblique angle and is decent for juggling opponents at low percents.
Down aerial			1.904% (loop hits), 3.36% (last hit), 2.24% (landing)	Dr. Mario performs a corkscrewing kick that hits the opponent multiple times. It has a sweetspot at his feet, which is difficult to land.
Grab			—
Pummel			3.64%	Headbutts the opponent. A slow pummel.
Forward throw			8.96%	Dr. Mario spins his opponent around once and tosses the opponent forward. At certain percents it can be followed with a dash attack or an aerial attack. Can be useful for forcing opponents offstage, or reading their action after the throw.
Back throw			12.32% (throw), 8.96% (collateral)	A powerful throw that has Dr. Mario spinning the opponent several times while damaging bystanders and throwing the opponent in the opposite direction grabbed. While it has lost some of the knockback it had in Melee, it still is a very strong throw. Has KO potential near the edge around 140%.
Up throw			7.84%	Dr. Mario throws his opponent high into the air with both hands. Decent against fast fallers for aerial followups.
Down throw			5.6%	Dr. Mario slams his opponent into the ground. Pops the opponent much higher than Mario's down throw and mostly retains the same amount of knockback due to its low growth, allowing for aerial followups more easily.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7.84%	Gets up, then kicks behind him and then in front of him.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7.84%	Gets up, then punches behind him and then in front of him.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5.6%	Kicks behind him and then in front of him while getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			7.84%	Does a somersault and then kicks upwards from a laying down position.
Neutral special	Default	Megavitamins	5.6% (early), 4.48% (late)	Dr. Mario fires a weak bouncing capsule from his hand, similar to Mario's fireballs. They have a unique bouncing arc that allows it to cover different angles.
	Custom 1	Fast Capsule	3.36% (early), 2.576% (mid), 1.68% (late)	Dr. Mario quickly fires a weaker capsule ahead that doesn't bounce on the ground, similar to Falco's Blaster. Lower damage and hitstun compared to Megavitamins, but can be easily spammed and the projectile moves faster.
	Custom 2	Mega Capsule	1.68% per hit	A slow but large Megavitamin is launched from Dr. Mario's hand. It will damage any opponent it hits in its predetermined path until it vanishes, because unlike the other two variants it does not disappear upon impact. It has slow startup and ending lag.
Side special	Default	Super Sheet	7.84%	Dr. Mario swings a defensive sheet that reflects projectiles and reverses enemies. It has a taller hitbox than Mario's, but covers less horizontal distance. Unlike in Melee, the Super Sheet no longer moves Dr. Mario up for recovery and thus no longer stalls his momentum in midair.
	Custom 1	Shocking Sheet	12.544%	An offensive variant of the sheet that discharges electricity. Instead of reflecting projectiles, it will destroy them. Has more endlag than Super Sheet.
	Custom 2	Breezy Sheet	5.6%	Dr. Mario shoots a small gust of wind from his sheet, pushing his opponent back in addition to turning them around. The sheet deals slightly less damage, while also having more endlag.
Up special	Default	Super Jump Punch	13.44% (clean), 6.72% (late)	Dr. Mario performs a strong rising punch. It travels less distance than Mario's and only hits once, but can be sweetspotted for extra damage, like Luigi's. Has KO potential starting at above near 140% on middleweight characters and at around 100% near the edge.
	Custom 1	Super Jump	0%	A recovery giving more distance than the standard Super Jump Punch, at the cost of not having a hitbox.
	Custom 2	Ol' One-Two	8.96% (hit 1), 14.56% (hit 2)	A much stronger punch that causes explosive fire damage, at the cost of recovery distance. This uppercut hits twice, at the start and at its apex.
Down special	Default	Dr. Tornado	1.344% (loop hits), 3.36% (last hit)	Performs a multi-hit spinning attack. It also traps the opponent, hitting them constantly, before knocking them back. Dr. Mario can move around on the ground while spinning, and can hover in the air by repeatedly pressing the B button while using it. While the move has a startup of 10 frames and has some considerable endlag, the attack has quite some range that allows it to beat out attacks. Gains KO potential at around 130% near the edge. Because of its high knockback growth on the last hit, it can be used to edgeguard efficiently.
	Custom 1	Soaring Tornado	0% (loop hits), 6.72% (last hit)	A rapidly spinning move that launches Dr. Mario into the air. It has much greater vertical mobility, at the cost of horizontal movement. The hitboxes are replaced with a wind hitbox except for the last hit, which has much more knockback than the regular Dr. Tornado. Incredible edgeguarding tool that can KO at 30% if near the edge, and around 85% at the center of the stage.
	Custom 2	Clothesline Tornado	8.96% (loop hits), 8.96% (last hit)	A slower tornado that deals higher knockback, at the cost of having less vertical and horizontal mobility.
Final Smash		Doctor Finale	3.36% (bigger pill), 2.24% (smaller pill)	Dr. Mario shoots two massive Megavitamins, which move forward and spiral outwards, creating exploding capsule effects as they travel across the stage. Similar to the Mario Finale, with giant Megavitamins replacing the streaming flames.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Grinds his shoe on the ground.
• Side taunt: Dr. Mario pulls out a randomly colored Megavitamin, rolls it down his arm, uses his shoulder to toss it into the air, then catches it. This taunt returns from Melee.
• Down taunt: Pounds his shoulder with his fist.

Idle Poses

• Sways his head from right to left.
• Punches his left hand into his open palm.

On-Screen Appearance

A large stack of capsules appear on stage. Another capsule then lands on the top, causing a chain reaction which wipes away the entire stack, revealing Dr. Mario from behind them.

Victory Fanfare

A flourished remix directly from Brawl based on the sound clip that would play when Mario reaches the end of a level in Super Mario Bros. It is shared with Mario, Luigi, and Peach.

Victory Poses

• Dr.MarioPose1WiiU.png
• Dr.MarioPose2WiiU.png
• Dr.MarioPose3WiiU.png

• Throws out two randomly colored pills, dust off his gloves and then pulls out two more randomly colored pills.
• Holds out his stethoscope and points it straight, to his left, and straight again.
• Rubs his chin, appearing to be thinking about something, then faces the camera while continuing to rub his chin. This replaces his old "Here We Go" victory animation from Melee.

In Competitive Play

Official Custom Moveset Project

Character	Custom sets available
Dr. Mario	2312	2332	2212	2232	2211
	1311	1332	1212	1211	2322

Trophies

Dr. Mario

In the 1990 puzzle game Dr. Mario, Mario threw on a white coat and decided to take a shot at that whole "medicine" thing. In this game, he's a balanced fighter who can throw Megavitamin capsules and nimbly deflect blows with his Super Sheet. He's not quite as quick as normal Mario, but his attacks deal a bit more damage.

In Dr. Mario, released in Europe in 1991, Mario threw on a white coat and decided to have a bash at the whole medicine thing. In this game, he's an all-rounder who can throw Megavitamin capsules and nimbly deflect blows with his Super Sheet. He's not quite as quick as normal Mario, but his attacks deal a bit more damage.

: Dr. Mario 10/1990

: Dr. Mario Online Rx 05/2008

Dr. Mario (Alt.)

Mario and Dr. Mario are only slightly different. Basically, Dr. Mario is stronger, but his MD slows his speed and lowers his jump. He also has a move Mario doesn't: Dr. Tornado, a down special that can trap opponents before launching them. You can move left and right while doing it and press the button repeatedly to rise into the air.

Mario and Dr. Mario are only slightly different. Basically, Dr. Mario is stronger, but his heavy coat affects his speed and jumping. He also has a move Mario doesn't: Dr. Tornado, a down special that can trap opponents before launching them. You can move left and right while doing it and press the button repeatedly to rise into the air.

: Dr. Mario 10/1990

: Dr. Mario Online Rx 05/2008

Doctor Finale

In Dr. Mario's Final Smash, he spreads his arms wide and then lets loose a pair of giant vitamin capsules that spiral through the air, taking out any pesky "viruses" in their path. The wide range makes it tough for foes to avoid, and opponents they strike will take multiple hits, possibly even being pushed right off the screen!

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  Classic (3DS)

• DrMarioAllStarTrophy3DS.png

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

• 

  Alt. (Wii U)

• 

  Doctor Finale

In Event Matches

Solo Events

• All-Star Battle: Secret: Dr. Mario is one of the fighters fought in this event.
• Doctor Schmoctor Dr. Mario appears as Wario's opponent and Wario is constantly taking damage due to a Lip's Stick flower on his head.

Co-op Events

• Viral Visitors Player 1 controls Dr. Mario and Player 2 controls Peach, and they must defeat 4 "unmasked Meta Knight" Kirby alternatives within the time limit.
• The Ultimate Battle Dr. Mario is one of the opponents in the event.

Update history

1.0.4

• Forward aerial knockback (early/late): 85 → 95.
• Forward aerial knockback (clean): 95 → 102.
• Down aerial loop damage increased: 1.568% → 1.904%.
• Down aerial's landing lag has been decreased.
• Down aerial can only hit the target 5 times instead of 7.

1.0.6

• Forward aerial (clean) damage: 15.68% → 16.8%
• Angle of up smash is more horizontal.

1.1.0

• Up smash's knockback growth increased (108 → 117).
• Up smash's duration increased 4 → 5 frames.
• Up smash's duration now matches with how Dr. Mario's head swings.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Dr. Mario's amiibo

• 

  In Fighting Stance

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  Fighting Charizard

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  Fighting Mega Man

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  Using his Super Jump Punch on Bowser.

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  With King Dedede, Kirby and Wii Fit Trainer

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  Attacking Fox.

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  Taunting with Little Mac and Captain Falcon

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  Using his Final Smash.

• SSB4 - Dr. Mario Screen-9.jpg

  His On-screen appearance.

• SSB4 - Dr. Mario Screen-10.jpg

  Using Megavitamins on two Kirbys (a nod to the viruses).

Trivia

• Dr. Mario appears to have his shirt and tie done up on the artwork, but in gameplay, his collar is open and tie is loose.
• Dr. Mario was originally planned to be an alternate costume of Mario, but was spun off into being a separate character late in development, as it was felt that reducing him to a model swap would be insensitive to players who enjoyed his moveset in Melee.
• While Dr. Mario's fighting stance is merely a slowed down version of Mario's, it will function at the same speed as his when he is holding onto a tiny item like a Capsule or a Beetle. This also happens with Roy under the same circumstance in comparison to Marth's stance.
• Dr. Mario is the only character to have skipped an installment of the Super Smash Bros. series to later return as an unlockable character. The other such characters all made their returns to the series as downloadable content.
  • He is also the only returning character that debuted in Melee to lack a reveal trailer.
  • Additionally, out of the returning characters that debuted in Melee, Dr. Mario's official artwork pose does not resemble his one from Melee, while Mewtwo's and Roy's do.
  • He is also the only returning Melee veteran to have two blast line voice clips, as Mewtwo and Roy only have one, though this is because he shares voice clips with Mario.
• Dr. Mario is the only one of the three clone characters to not share their counterpart's idle animations.
  • He's also the only one of the three clones not to be located in the 2007-2013 section of All-Star Mode.
• Dr. Mario is the only Mario character to lack a meteor smash.