Dr. Mario (SSBU)

Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Mario
Other playable appearances	in Melee in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Doctor Finale

“	He has more attack and launch power than Mario, but his jump and recovery is not as good. Pro tip: You can repeatedly press the B button when using his down special, Dr. Tornado, to float a bit!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Dr. Mario (ドクターマリオ, Doctor Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was revealed for the game along with the rest of the veterans on June 12th, 2018. Dr. Mario is classified as fighter #18.

As in SSB4, Charles Martinet's portrayal of Mario from Brawl was repurposed for Dr. Mario in Ultimate.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Dr. Mario being the 62nd character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Mario or any character in his unlock tree, being the seventh character in his unlock tree after Roy.
• Have Dr. Mario join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Dr. Mario must then be defeated on New Donk City Hall.

Differences from Mario

Despite not being an Echo Fighter of Mario, Dr. Mario is still very much a full clone of Mario. Both characters are middleweights with the ability to wall jump. However, compared to Mario, Dr. Mario sports subpar mobility, with the 16th-slowest walking speed, 7th-slowest dashing speed, 8th-slowest air speed, poor air acceleration, 29th-slowest falling speed, 31st-slowest fast falling speed, average gravity and traction, and below-average jump force. As a result of these traits, Dr. Mario's approach and recovery are greatly inferior to Mario's, giving him sluggish movement in addition to negatively impacting both his neutral game and his edgeguarding skills. However, Dr. Mario compensates for his slower mobility with more damaging attacks in comparison, as all of his attacks deal noticably more damage without any compensation on knockback, which enables him to KO more easily as a result.

Like Mario, Dr. Mario has excellent frame data, with most of his standard attacks having low startup and ending lag (excluding forward smash, forward aerial, down aerial and special moves). As a result, Dr. Mario is effective at punishing his opponents, while he himself is difficult to punish. Like Mario, Dr. Mario has excellent combo starters in his up tilt and down tilt, since both attacks come out rather quickly, and deal low knockback to the opponent. All of Dr. Mario's aerials have decreased landing lag compared to his previous appearance in SSB4 (but still higher than Mario's), contributing to his combo game, and making setups easier to create.

However, much like Mario, Dr. Mario's range is fairly short, forcing him to fight close to his opponents and limiting his ability to fight opponents with long or disjointed range. Due to Dr. Mario's slower mobility, this is considerably riskier for him.

Aesthetics

• Dr. Mario is slightly less vocal than Mario. Some of his attacks also emit different sound effects.
• Dr. Mario's on-screen appearance, taunts, idle poses, and victory poses are different from Mario's.
• Dr. Mario's defeated/No Contest animation is different from Mario's. He also looks in front of him with a neutral expression, whereas Mario looks slightly to the left with a smiling expression.

Attributes

• Dr. Mario's idle animation is much less exaggerated than Mario's. This gives him a consistently lower stance as a result.
• The damage outputs of most of Dr. Mario's attacks (with the exception of his get-up attacks) use a 1.175x multiplier. As a result, he is significantly stronger than Mario. However, this multiplier does not apply to items.
  • However, this limits his combo game.
• Dr. Mario's walking speed, dashing speed, initial dash speed, air speed and air acceleration use a negative multiplier. As a result, Dr. Mario is significantly less mobile than Mario.
• Dr. Mario jumps lower.
  • Dr. Mario's wall jump covers less height, hindering his recovery.
• Dr. Mario's traction is slightly higher than Mario's (0.102 → 0.106), making it slightly easier for him to punish out of shield.

Ground attacks

• Dr. Mario's dash attack launches the opponent vertically, whereas Mario's launches them diagonally. These differences make it effective for combos at low percentages, but less useful for edgeguarding.
• Dr. Mario's forward smash's sweetspot and sourspot are on his arm and electricity respectively, whereas Mario's are on the flame and his arm respectively.
• Dr. Mario's forward smash has slightly less range.
• Dr. Mario's forward smash has an electric effect, whereas Mario's has a flame effect. This makes it capable of hurting Olimar's Red Pikmin and makes it safer on shield, but makes it incapable of hurting Yellow Pikmin or instantly detonating explosives, and makes it easier to DI.
• Dr. Mario's up smash (known as "Ear, Nose, and Throat" in the tips) launches the opponent diagonally behind him (or in front of him if he is facing away from them), whereas Mario's launches them vertically. This makes it significantly more effective for combos and KOing while near the edge, but makes it significantly less effective as an anti-air and KOing away from the edge.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, back and up aerials have more landing lag.
• Dr. Mario's neutral aerial (known as "Dr. Kick" in the tips) deals more damage and has higher knockback the longer it is active, whereas Mario's functions oppositely. This makes the move capable of instantly starting combos and makes it more effective at punishing, but removes its KO confirm into down smash and makes it less useful as an instant combo finisher.
• Dr. Mario's forward aerial (known as "Dr. Punch" in the tips) launches the opponent diagonally, whereas Mario's meteor smashes them. This makes it very effective at KOing on-stage, but much worse at edgeguarding and renders it incapable of starting combos.
• Up aerial launches the opponent horizontally, whereas Mario's launches them vertically. These differences make it capable of edgeguarding and pseudo-walls of pain. However, they also make it less effective for juggling and SHFF'd combos.
• Dr. Mario's down aerial (known as "CLEAR!" in the tips) is a powerful stomp kick, whereas Mario's has been Mario Tornado since Brawl. Unlike Mario's, it consists of one strong hitbox instead of six weaker hitboxes.
• Down aerial can meteor smash and send opponents horizontally instead of vertically. This makes it very good at edgeguarding and tech-chasing, but less effective at KOing and combos.
• Down aerial has reduced landing lag.
• Down aerial has significantly increased startup lag.
• Down aerial lacks a landing hit.
• Down aerial has significantly smaller hitboxes.

Grabs and throws

• Back throw has Dr. Mario heave the opponent behind him, as opposed to swinging them around multiple times like Mario.
  • Back throw has reduced startup lag.
  • Back throw lacks a collateral hitbox.
• Dr. Mario's down throw (known as "Hospital Bed" in the tips) has altered knockback, and launches the opponent directly upward, whereas Mario's launches them diagonally. This improves its combo potential into aerials at lower percents, and also makes its combos less susceptible to directional influence. However, this also makes it less useful for comboing into grounded moves such as down tilt.

Special moves

• Unlike Fireball, Megavitamins cannot be absorbed.
• Megavitamins have increased knockback and a higher launch angle, allowing them to potentially serve as combo starters at higher percents but making them incapable of locking opponents.
• Megavitamins do not have a flame effect unlike Fireball. This makes them capable of hurting Olimar's Red Pikmin, but renders them incapable of instantly detonating explosives.
• Megavitamins bounce twice and at a higher angle, whereas Fireball bounces three times and at a lower angle.
• Compared to Cape, Super Sheet's hitbox is positioned slightly upward. This results in it having slightly more vertical range, but slightly less horizontal range.
• Super Sheet has a different animation where Dr. Mario swings the sheet upward, highlighting its increased vertical reach.
• Unlike aerial Cape, aerial Super Sheet does not stall Dr. Mario. This makes it more effective at B-reversing, but unusable for recovery.
• The projectiles reflected by Super Sheet do more damage, due to the multipliers applied to Dr. Mario.
• Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch consists of a clean hitbox and a late hitbox, whereas Mario's consists of seven hitboxes.
• Due to its higher damage output, Dr. Mario's clean Super Jump Punch is significantly more effective for KOing.
• Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch travels a much shorter distance, making it less effective for recovery.
• Unlike Mario's Super Jump Punch, Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch lacks intangibility on start-up.
• Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch does not produce Coins upon contact, whereas Mario's does.
• Dr. Mario retains Dr. Tornado as his down special, whereas Mario's has been F.L.U.D.D. since Brawl.
• Unlike F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado deals damage, making it a very viable KO move at mid percents.
• Compared to F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado is significantly more effective for recovery.
• Compared to F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado has significantly less range and is less important to his neutral game as a result.
• Due to dealing damage, Dr. Tornado is less effective at gimping.
• Doctor Finale produces 2D and 3D Megavitamin-based effects and emits Megavitamins' contact sound effect, whereas Mario Finale produces 3D fiery effects and emits a burning sound effect.
  • Doctor Finale does not have a flame effect as a result.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Dr. Mario has been significantly buffed in the transition from SSB4 to Ultimate. One of his biggest buffs were to his already above-average damage output; all of his moves deal much more damage (excluding his pummel and get-up attacks), which further supplements his damage-racking game and previously-inconsistent KO ability. His recovery, while still being rather lackluster, has nevertheless improved slightly; his Dr. Tornado has less ending lag and increased distance, and the re-addition of directional air dodges gives him another option to possibly extend his recovery. His Megavitamins and Dr. Tornado have also been given notable improvements; the Megavitamins now deal enough damage and knockback to launch enemies slightly into the air, which potentially makes it a viable combo starter and even gives it the ability to set up KOs. Dr. Tornado, outside of its improved recovery potential, has been significantly buffed; it is now notorious for being able to KO offstage effectively at very low percentages, and when combined with its increased distance, make it a deadly edgeguarding option. It also has gained heavy armor on startup, which further improves its safety and viability. Additionally, Dr. Mario has a new down aerial which can meteor smash opponents much like Mario's forward aerial, which when combined with the changes to Dr. Tornado give him an improved edgeguarding game, although still inferior to Mario's overall.

However, Dr. Mario has received a few nerfs. Like with Mario, Dr. Mario's up tilt has had its hitbox placement adjusted, giving it inferior range in front of and underneath him. Additionally, his grabs, like Mario's, have increased ending lag, impacting his grab game to an extent. Furthermore, his already sub-par mobility is slower, especially in comparison to the rest of the cast, given the nerfs to his air speed and jump height. His overall mobility remains largely unaltered from his previous appearance, resulting in him now being much slower relative to the roster (as well as Mario himself), considering as most other fighters have received buffs to their mobility, Mario included.

Compared to Mario, Dr. Mario is still a slower and stronger clone of him. However, he is not classified as an Echo Fighter. There is currently no confirmed reason for this oddity, though it is likely due to Dr. Mario debuting in Melee rather than SSB4 or Ultimate as with the other Echo Fighters. Aside from having an updated idle animation, slightly higher traction compared to Mario, an altered animation for his side special, as well as receiving a new back throw and down aerial, he has not been further decloned. He has also received many of the same changes as Mario.

Compared to his appearance in SSB4, his damage-racking potential has increased substantially and his recovery, while still fairly lackluster, is safer and better overall. Because of these changes, he is better in Ultimate, and is arguably considered a viable choice in tournaments again like he was in Melee, achieving some representation from players like Locus and Lui$. However, Dr. Mario's overall tournament representation has been fairly limited.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Dr. Mario's model features a more subdued color scheme. Like Mario, his hair and clothing now feature simple detailing, with his head mirror's headband in his default costume reverting back to a cordovan brown from his design in Super Smash Bros. Melee, instead of a dark taupe gray.
• The inside of Dr. Mario's pants are now slate grey instead of white.
• Dr. Mario, like many other characters, has been made more expressive, with many of the same expressions also used by Mario himself. Like with Mario, Dr. Mario will also make much angrier expressions than before, particularly when he is preparing to throw someone or when grabbing onto a ledge.
• Dr. Mario has a new idle animation with less exaggerated bouncing and his head turned more toward the screen, similar to the one he had in Melee. It no longer reverts to Mario's idle when holding an item.
• Like with Mario, many of Dr. Mario's animations have been slightly altered. His walking, helpless, skidding, and ledge-hanging animations are just a few examples.
• Dr. Mario's sleeping animation is mirrored. He now faces the screen instead of away.
• Dr. Mario has a slightly different pose during his air dodge, and has an angry expression on his face.
• Dr. Mario's mustache now moves during certain animations.
• All of Dr. Mario's victory poses have been slightly altered.
  • The victory animation where Dr. Mario rubs his chin now has him tap the toe of his shoe on the ground before contemplatively rubbing his chin.
  • The victory animation where Dr. Mario throws Megavitamins now has him looking towards the camera with a happy expression when holding the Megavitamins in his hands.
  • The victory animation where Dr. Mario poses with his stethoscope is now more exaggerated.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Dr. Mario's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 5).
• Dr. Mario's damage modifier has been increased from 1.15x to 1.175x, meaning that all of his attacks have increased damage output and slightly higher KO power as a result. His speed modifier still remains mostly the same, however.
  • Dr. Mario's damage modifier now applies to his entire moveset, with the exception of his get-up attacks.
  • Due to Dr. Mario's speed being relatively unchanged from his previous appearance, he hardly benefits from the universal mobility buffs, and is now much slower relative to the roster as a result of most other characters receiving such buffs, in a manner similar to Ryu and the Mii Gunner.
  • The increased damage somewhat limits Dr. Mario's combo potential.
• Dr. Mario dashes slightly faster (1.3312 → 1.397792).
  • Dr. Mario's initial dash is also faster (1.3312 → 1.5375712), although it is now one of the slowest initial dashes in the game.
• Dr. Mario walks slightly faster (0.9152 → 0.917301).
• Dr. Mario's traction is much higher (0.045 → 0.106), allowing him to punish out of shield more easily. It is now slightly higher than Mario's.
• Dr. Mario's air speed is slower (0.9292 → 0.9238784).
• Dr. Mario's first jump also covers less distance, no longer being on par with Mario's (36.331814 → 30.8805).
• Dr. Mario's gravity is slightly lower (0.08715 → 0.087).
• Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 4-15).
• Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 30 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 27 → 26).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-27 → 3-29).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 33 → 53).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • Consecutive uses of the first hit of neutral attack are faster (? → 6 frames).
  • The first two hits transition into the subsequent hits faster (hit 1: frame ? → 5, hit 2: frame ? → 6).
  • Neutral attack deals more damage (2.87/1.68/4.48% → 2.93/1.76/4.7%) with the 3rd hit having increased base knockback (45 → 60).
  • Neutral attack was reverted to match Mario's in terms of frame data, knockback and launch angles, meaning that it can now jab lock.
  • The third hit comes out faster (frame 7 → 3) and goes higher, allowing it to connect better from the first two hits.
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 26). Combined with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks, this makes it much safer on shield.
  • It deals more damage (7.84 → 8.225%) with more base knockback (8 → 55) and compensation on its knockback scaling (100 → 70). This makes it safer on hit.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt deals more damage (7.056 → 7.4%).
  • Up tilt has an altered animation with the spinning uppercut starting from a higher and closer position. The hitbox attached to his hand was not adjusted at all, meaning that the move's horizontal and grounded range has been reduced.
  • Up tilt's animation has been reversed, with Dr. Mario spinning towards the screen rather than away from it.
• Down tilt:
  • It has increased damage (8.05/5.75 → 8.225/5.875%), though this somewhat limits its combo ability at higher percents.
  • Down tilt's animation has been reversed, with Dr. Mario spinning towards the screen rather than away from it.
  • The sweetspot now takes priority over the sourspot.
  • The sweetspot is slightly smaller (3.5u → 3.2u).
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack has a shieldstun multiplier of 1.875, giving it significantly more shieldstun.
  • Dash attack deals more damage (8.96%/6.72% → 11.5%/7%) with its knockback growth compensated (42 → 38).
  • Dash attack covers a longer distance and has a better hitbox placement (4.4u → 5.4u displacement), giving it more range.
  • It has an altered animation that lowers Dr. Mario's hurtbox less, which prevents him from sliding under certain attacks.
• Forward smash:
  • The electricity produced from Dr. Mario's forward smash is now magenta/lavender instead of light blue. That electricity also stems out from the player being hit with his forward smash.
  • Forward smash's sweetspot deals consistent and increased damage across all angles (19.55/20.13/20.52 → 20.91%) with its knockback not fully compensated, giving it greater KO power.
  • Forward smash's sourspot deals more damage (16.1 → 17.27%), giving it greater KO power.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's animation has been reversed, with Dr. Mario facing toward the screen rather than away from it. This reduces its range in front of Dr. Mario, but improves its range behind him.
  • The angle is now more vertical (130 → 120), which allows it to KO more reliably on-stage, but makes it easier to DI.
• Down smash:
  • Down smash's animation has been altered, resembling both the Sweep Kick move from Super Mario 64, and the breakdance Mario performs on the cover of Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (12 frames → 7 (neutral), 28 frames → 17 (forward), 16 frames → 10 (back), 14 frames → 8 (up), 21 frames → 13 (down)).
• All aerials deal more damage (5.6%/8.96 → 5.8%/9.4% (neutral aerial (clean/late)), 11.2/16.8/10.08% → 11.7%/17.6%/10.5 (forward aerial (early/clean/late)), 13.44/7.84 → 14.1/8.2 (back aerial (clean/late)), 7.84% → 10.2% (up aerial), 10.976% → 14.1% (down aerial)) without compensation on knockback, making them all KO earlier.
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial auto-cancels later (frame 34 → 39).
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has a different animation, with Dr. Mario now punching downward with his opposite hand and twisting around afterwards instead of flipping.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 32 → 31).
  • In addition to its increased damage, up aerial has more knockback growth (100 → 114), now giving Dr. Mario another KOing option at the cost of losing one of his most consistent combo tools.
  • Up aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 18 → 17).
• Down aerial:
  • Dr. Mario has a new down aerial, a downward stomp similar to that of Captain Falcon, as opposed to a drill kick. Compared to the old down aerial, it deals more damage, has reduced ending lag, auto-cancels earlier (frame 45 → 35) and can meteor smash.
    • However, the new down aerial has slower start-up (frame 11 → 16), fewer active hitboxes, and lacks a landing hit.

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 29 → 35 (standing), 36 → 43 (dash), 34 → 37 (pivot)).
• Dash and pivot grab have slightly more startup lag (frame 8 → 9 (dash), 9 → 10 (pivot)).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 16 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 24 → 7), shortening its duration. However, it deals less damage.
  • Pummel has a slightly different animation: Dr. Mario now uses one hand during his pummel instead of both of his hands like in previous installments, to maintain consistency with his grab animation.
• All throws deal more damage (8.96% → 9.4% (forward), 12.32% → 12.9% (back), 7.84% → 8.2% (up), 5.6% → 5.8% (down)).
• All of Dr. Mario's throws have been altered with more exaggerated animations.
• Dr. Mario's throws are no longer weight-dependent. This improves their combo potential on heavyweights, but reduces it on lightweights.
• Forward throw:
  • Due to its increased damage, forward throw KOs earlier.
• Back throw:
  • Dr. Mario has a new back throw where he heaves the opponent overhead behind him.
  • The new back throw is slightly faster.
  • The new back throw has increased knockback growth (60 → 68). When combined with its increased damage, this now makes it one of the strongest back throws in the game.
  • The new back throw does not have a collateral hit.
• Up throw:
  • Dr. Mario now faces horizontally rather than facing the screen.
  • Up throw has gained slight combo ability due to Dr. Mario's faster jumpsquat.
• Down throw:
  • Dr. Mario no longer spins after throwing the opponent.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (?% → 10%).

Special moves

• Megavitamin:
  • Megavitamin has less ending lag (FAF 53 → 50), improving its safety.
  • Dr. Mario no longer opens his mouth when using Megavitamin on the ground.
  • Megavitamins deal more damage (5.6%/4.48% (clean/late) → 5.8%/4.7%) and now deal diagonal knockback that can give additional follow-ups.
    • Because of this higher knockback, it can no longer jab reset.
  • Megavitamins have received negative shield damage, effectively dealing half their usual damage to shields.
  • Megavitamins are slightly larger, and have been given an extended hitbox to match their size.
• Super Sheet:
  • Super Sheet has an updated animation to differentiate it from Cape. The sheet now starts flat on the floor, with Dr. Mario lifting it up above his head. This now better indicates the move's increased vertical reach compared to Mario's Cape.
  • Like Mario's Cape, Super Sheet now forces opponents to show their backside while they are using their moves, regardless of whether their stance is mirrored or not.
  • Super Sheet deals slightly more damage (7.84% → 8.2%).
  • Due to Dr. Mario's attack multiplier now applying to his entire moveset (excluding get-up attacks), projectiles reflected by Super Sheet deal slightly more damage but retain the same multiplier (1.5×).
  • Super Sheet covers a larger hitbox to reflect projectiles, improving its vertical and horizontal range.
  • It no longer puts opponents into hitstun during ledge return vulnerability, increasing his combo ability.
  • It no longer gives the opponent super armor on hit.
• Super Jump Punch:
  • Super Jump Punch deals slightly more damage (13.44%/6.72% (clean/late) → 14.1%/7%), and thus KOs slightly earlier.
  • Super Jump Punch can no longer be reversed on hit. This makes it easier to angle vertically, but harder to recover with when facing away from the stage, and also hinders its ability to edgeguard.
• Dr. Tornado:
  • Dr. Tornado now hits seven times instead of five, and deals much more damage (8.736% → 14.816%).
  • Dr. Tornado now has percent-based heavy armor during its startup with a threshold of 10%.
  • Dr. Tornado has increased knockback growth (130 → 154), causing it to KO far earlier at the side of the stage when combined with its increased damage.
  • Dr. Tornado has less ending lag. This improves its safety and makes it better as a recovery option offstage.
  • Dr. Tornado travels further vertically when button mashed, improving Dr. Mario's recovery.
  • Dr. Tornado has a larger hitbox (size 3.5u/4.2u/6u → 4.0u/4.5u/6.5u) with greater hitbox placement.
  • Dr. Mario now opens his hands when using the move, and he rises slightly upwards on the ground.
  • Dr. Tornado has a vortex form around Dr. Mario when used.
  • Dr. Tornado has a slightly altered animation in the air.
• Doctor Finale:
  • Dr. Mario sports an angrier expression than in the previous game when unleashing Doctor Finale.
  • At the start of Doctor Finale, nearby opponents will be slowed down more, and for longer.
  • Damage from each hit is dealt solely based on how long the attack has been out, with the Megavitamins becoming more powerful as the attack continues. This makes the front Megavitamin worse early during the Final Smash, but the back Megavitamin stronger later during it.

Update history

Dr. Mario received a mix of buffs and nerfs during updates but he was buffed overall. Though nerfed from Smash 4, his already decent combo ability has slightly improved thanks to Super Sheet no longer putting enemies into hitstun in ledge return vulnerability. Being considered as one of the worst final smashes in the game, Doctor Finale has seen some buffs as well. The universal nerf to projectiles doesn’t affect Dr. Mario, as Megavitamin was already lackluster on shield.

1.1.0

• {{buff|[[Super Sheet has a higher reflect multiplier. (1.5x->1.6x)}}

3.0.0

• Megavitamin deals less shield damage.
• Super Sheet no longer puts opponents into hitstun during ledge return vulnerability, increasing his combo potential.
• At the start of Doctor Finale, nearby opponents will be slowed more, and for longer.

Moveset

• Dr. Mario can wall jump.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.9%	Two punches, followed up by a kick. Useful for spacing and comes out quickly. The first hit can jab lock.
			1.7%
			4.7%
Forward tilt			8.2%	A wheel kick. Like neutral attack, it is useful for spacing. Can be angled.
Up tilt			7.4%	A spinning uppercut. Can combo into itself at low percentages, and into aerials at higher percentages. At high percentages (around 140-150%), it can serve as a KO option, although it fails to hit most short opponents.
Down tilt			5.8% (foot), 8.2% (body)	A legsweep. A decent combo starter, although unsafe on hit at low percents, and typically only combos into up airs or Super Jump Punch if done correctly.
Dash attack			11.5% (clean), 7% (late)	A baseball slide. Launches opponents vertically unlike Mario's version, which can potentially make it a combo starter.
Forward smash			17.2% (electricity), 20.9% (arm)	Steps back, then does a palm thrust that produces electricity. Deals immense damage and knockback, giving it great KO potential. Its sweetspot is located on Dr. Mario's arm. One of the stronger forward smashes in the game, and one of Dr. Mario's most viable KOing options.
Up smash		Ear, Nose, and Throat	16.4%	An upward arcing headbutt. Unlike most up smashes, this one launches opponents horizontally in the opposite direction he is facing. Renders Dr. Mario's head intangible for a short time.
Down smash			11.7% (front), 14.1% (back)	A 360º breakdance sweep kick. Dr. Mario's fastest smash attack, making it a rather useful defensive option. Its back hit is stronger, and can hit the ledge hangs of a lot of the cast.
Neutral aerial		Dr. Kick	5.8% (clean), 9.4% (late)	A sex kick that has the rare property of having its late hit being stronger than its clean hit. Its clean hit can jab lock and start combos, and its late hit has good edgeguarding potential.
Forward aerial		Dr. Punch	11.7% (early), 17.6% (clean), 10.5% (late)	Throws an overhand punch. Unlike Mario's version, it does not have a meteor smash hitbox. It has slow startup (the slowest of his other aerials), but is extremely powerful at its sweetspot, making one of the strongest forward aerials in the game. Can KO middleweights as low as 70% near the edge.
Back aerial			14.1% (clean), 8.2% (late)	A dropkick. Comes out quickly and has above-average knockback, which makes it a viable edgeguarding and KO move and a reverse aerial rush option. Can also chain into itself at specific low percents, or set up tech chase situations.
Up aerial			10.2%	A bicycle kick. The move oddly launches diagonally unlike most up aerials, which can be ideal for edgeguarding mixups. However, this renders it unusable for juggling and lengthy combos. It can be used twice in a single short hop, or the second up air can be replaced with a neutral air instead.
Down aerial		CLEAR!	14.1%	Performs a double foot stomp similar to those of Captain Falcon and Ganondorf. While it has noticeable startup, it can powerfully meteor smash opponents when hitting with the sweetspot in the legs. It has a sourspot on his hips, which launches away instead. On grounded opponents, the meteor hitbox can open up many KO confirms, notably with forward aerial and back aerial, however it can be difficult to hit as it only has 1 active frame.
Grab			—	Reaches out. Has average range and above average speed.
Pummel			1.5%	Headbutts the opponent. Moderately fast.
Forward throw			9.4%	Spins and throws the opponent away. Can be used to set up an edgeguard, or combo into dash attack against certain characters at 0%. Decently quick.
Back throw			12.9%	Dr. Mario heaves the opponent over him and then throws them diagonally. Combined with its high damage and knockback, it is one of the strongest back throws in the game, having potential to even surpass Ness's back throw by a small margin when at the ledge. Can KO middleweights at around 90% near the edge.
Up throw			8.2%	Heaves the opponent upward, much like Mario's. Can put the opponent into a juggling situation. Can combo into up aerial and Dr. Tornado at low percentages.
Down throw		Hospital Bed	5.8%	Throws the opponent down to the ground. As it launches opponents directly upward unlike Mario's version, it is one of Dr. Mario's best combo starters, being useful for setting up aerial combos and can even has KO setups into forward aerial and Super Jump Punch, although both require a read. It can KO at percentages as low as 60% if followed up with Dr. Tornado at the sides of the stage, though this is also reliant on reads. It has true setups into up air or back air, both of which can kill at the ledge due to the low knockback growth of down throw.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Sweepkicks, then gets up. Identical to Mario's.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Punches on both sides, then gets up. Identical to Mario's.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Sweepkicks, then gets up. Identical to Mario's.
Edge attack Edge getups			10%	Performs a dropkick while climbing up. Identical to Mario's.
Neutral special		Megavitamins	5.8% (early), 4.7% (late)	Throws a Megavitamin. Useful approach and pressure option. Unlike Fireball, it cannot be absorbed, bounces on a different trajectory, and does not have a flame effect. At higher percentages, it launches opponents slightly upward, which potentially can make it a combo starter, and even opens up into KO setups, such as into Super Jump Punch.
Side special		Super Sheet	8.2%, 1.5x times the reflected projectile	Flips his white sheet upward. Can turn opponents around (which also reverses their controls and aerial momentum) and can function as a reflector which deals more damage than Mario's variant due to Dr. Mario's attack multipliers. However, it does not stall Dr. Mario's descent in midair, making it useless for recovery unlike Cape.
Up special		Super Jump Punch	14.1% (clean), 7% (late)	A jumping uppercut. It functions better as an attack than a recovery option, as it has great KO potential and fast startup, which can make it a deadly out of shield option. However, it travels a short distance compared to Mario's version.
Down special		Dr. Tornado	1.8% (hits 1-6), 3.5% (final hit)	A series of clothesline spins. Can hit up to seven times, with the final hit sending opponents diagonally. This move can be used to aid in recovery, as mashing the B button will make Dr. Mario rise up. The maximum height that can be gained from this move is greater than that of Super Jump Punch, although this requires extremely fast button mashing. It gains good vertical and horizontal distance if mashed fast enough, and when combining this along with its last hit's very high knockback and heavy armor on startup, makes it a viable edgeguarding and KO option, and a good, safe recovery option.
Final Smash		Doctor Finale	3.1% (front Megavitamin), 2.3% (back Megavitamin)	Similar to Mario Finale, but the fireballs are replaced with huge Megavitamins with their respective sounds, and their trails consist of red, yellow, and blue pixelated streaks and circles. Slightly stronger than Mario Finale.

On-screen appearance

• Starts behind a wall of Megavitamins, which then start to disappear starting from the top to reveal him. Has his eyes closed until all of the Megavitamins are gone, in which he opens them and assumes fighting stance.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Looks to the ground and rubs the sole of one of his shoes to the floor.
• Side taunt: Pulls out a randomly-colored Megavitamin, tosses it up in the air with his shoulder, and then catches it and swipes it away.
• Down taunt: Balls one of his fists and lightly pounds his shoulder.

Idle poses

• Pounds his fist into his palm.
• Rolls his neck as if stretching it.

Victory poses

• Throws two randomly-colored Megavitamins in different directions, dusts his gloves, and pulls out two more Megavitamins of the same color.
• Waves his stethoscope in front of him, off to his side, then to the other, and then back in front of him.
• Taps his shoe on the ground, puts his right hand on his chin in a thinking manner, and then glares at the screen while rubbing his chin.

A flourished remix of the Course Clear Fanfare used in Super Mario Bros.

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In competitive play

Notable players

•  Fons - One of the best Dr. Mario players in the United States. Placed 17th at Combo Breaker 2019 and 25th at Midwest Mayhem Ultimate while also having wins over Raito and big_mak.
•  Locus - Co-mains Dr. Mario with Ridley, and is considered the best Dr. Mario player in Canada. Placed 9th at Battle of BC 3.
•  Lui$ - Considered the best Dr. Mario player in the world. Placed 9th at Super Splat Bros, 5th at Esports Arena Smash Ultimate Tournament - Oakland, 33rd at both GENESIS 6 and Frostbite 2019. Ranked 2nd on the NorCal Ultimate Power Rankings.

Classic Mode: Colorful Treatment Plan

Dr. Mario's opponents are all trios of the same character in red, blue, and yellow costumes, referencing the three viruses: Fever, Chill, and Weird.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Mr. Game & Watch Team	Flat Zone X	Chill (for 3DS / Wii U)
2	Kirby Team	Green Greens	Fever
3	Yoshi Team	Yoshi's Island	Chill (Brawl)
4	Wii Fit Trainer Team	Wii Fit Studio	Fever
5	R.O.B. Team	Battlefield	Chill (for 3DS / Wii U)
6	Wario Team	Luigi's Mansion	Tetris: Type A
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Dr. Mario has Fever accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Dr. Mario in World of Light

Although Dr. Mario does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light. Dr. Mario has his own awakening battle separate from that of Mario, who appears in the opening cutscene.

Dr. Mario can be awakened in a cloud that is found on a pathway connected by a ribbon that also leads to a city-like area.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
18		Dr. Mario	Shield	3,400	Mario Bros. (Ω form)	Fever

Spirits

Dr. Mario's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Dr. Mario in World of Light allows the player to preview the spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces it with the fighter's artwork in Ultimate.

• Dr. Mario Fighter Spirit.png

  8. Dr. Mario

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
592	File:Dr. Stewart Spirit.png	Dr. Stewart	F-Zero series	•Dr. Mario		9,500	Mute City SNES (Battlefield form)	•Item: Food	•Timed battle •The enemy heals over time •Items will be pulled toward the enemy	Mute City (Original)
736	File:Dr Crygor.png	Dr. Crygor	WarioWare series	•Dr. Mario •R.O.B. •Wario		3,400	WarioWare, Inc.	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	Mike's Song
752	File:Halemmerich.png	Hal Emmerich	Metal Gear Solid series	•Dr. Mario •Giant Metal R.O.B.		4,500	Prism Tower	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy tends to avoid conflict •The enemy is metal	Yell "Dead Cell"
867	File:Dr light.png	Dr. Light	Mega Man series	•Dr. Mario •Mega Man		10,000	Wily Castle (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win •Stamina battle •The enemy tends to avoid conflict	Mega Man 2 Medley
873	File:Drwily.png	Dr. Wily	Mega Man series	•Dr. Mario •Metal Mega Man (×8)		12,600	Wily Castle (hazards off)	N/A	•Stamina battle •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd •The enemy is metal	Mega Man 2 Medley
1,132	File:Hockey Players Spirit.png	Hockey Players	Ice Hockey	•Dr. Mario •Donkey Kong •Luigi		1,500	Pokémon Stadium (Ω form)	•Slippery Stage	•The stage's platforms are very slippery	Core Luge
1,135	File:AndySpirit.PNG	Andy	Advance Wars series	•Dr. Mario •Snake (×8)		3,400	Halberd (Ship deck)	•Health Recovery •Item: Exploding Types	•The enemy is healed when the enemy's at high damage •Defeat an army of fighters	Filled with Hope
1,195		Sick Beats Doctor	Rhythm Heaven series	•Dr. Mario		2,200	Wrecking Crew	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Ghosts) •Hazard: Poison Cloud	•The stage is covered in a poisonous cloud •Hostile assist trophies will appear	Chill (Brawl)
1,214	File:Dr Kawashima Spirit.png	Dr. Kawashima	Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! series	•Dr. Mario		3,800	PictoChat 2 (hazards off)	•Assist Trophy Enemies (Dr. Kawashima)	•Hostile assist trophies will appear	Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
1,216	File:Drlube.png	Dr. Lobe	Big Brain Academy Series	•Dr. Mario •Kirby (×2) ()		3,400	PictoChat 2	•Hazard: Low Gravity •Hazard: High Gravity	•All fighters have reduced jump ability •Gravity is reduced after a little while	Title Theme - Big Brain Academy
1,266		Plague Knight	Shovel Knight series	•Dr. Mario		1,900	Unova Pokémon League	•Item: Bob-omb	•The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power •Items will be pulled toward the enemy •The enemy is easily distracted by items	Flash In The Dark (Dr. Wily Stage 1)
1,319		Professor Riggs & Plaise & Lerna	Nintendo Labo series	•Dr. Mario •Bayonetta •Tiny Young Link		2,500	Paper Mario	•Attack Power ↑ •Defense ↑	•The enemy has increased defense after a little while •The enemy has increased attack power after a little while	Title Theme - Super Mario Maker

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Dr. Mario's fighter card.

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  Dr. Mario idling on Wuhu Island.

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  Taunting on Mario Galaxy.

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  Attacking Link with his forward smash on New Pork City.

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  Jumping in Mushroomy Kingdom.

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  Tossing a Megavitamin on Moray Towers.

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  Holding a Fairy Bottle while running towards Link on Great Bay.

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  Taunting next to Little Mac on Tomodachi Life.

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  Snared by Mimikyu on Pictochat 2.

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  Using his down aerial on Wario on Skyworld.

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  Performing Doctor Finale on Wii Fit Studio.

Trivia

• Dr. Mario is the only character with custom equipment incorporated into his attributes.
• With Link and Young Link now representing different incarnations of Link, Zelda and Sheik now representing different incarnations of Princess Zelda, and Zero Suit Samus now briefly transforming into her Varia Suited form for her Final Smash, Dr. Mario is the only playable character to represent an alternate identity for another character with no gameplay connection between the two.
• During Luigi's character showcase trailer, Dr. Mario's Super Sheet uses Mario's Cape animation, rather than the new animation specific to Dr. Mario. Additionally, the sheet is unanimated, and is attached to Dr. Mario's left arm.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first Smash Bros. game where Dr. Mario is not holding his Megavitamins in his official art.
• Dr. Mario's official art resembles one of his victory poses.
• One of the images on the Smash Bros. website shows Dr. Mario and Link, with the former holding a Fairy Bottle and the latter laying face-down. This is a reference to the fact that Fairies are a healing item in the The Legend of Zelda series, alluding to Dr. Mario's status as a doctor.
  • This is further joked with in Dr. Mario's highlight video, in which he fights King Dedede on top of Onett's Drugstore.
    • Once again, this is referenced once more in Ultimate's Opening Movie, in which he throws a Fairy Bottle at Little Mac to heal him.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the first Smash game to feature Dr. Mario and have his inclusion be planned from the start.
• Like Melee, Dr. Mario can be unlocked by playing Classic Mode as Mario (though Dr. Mario is one of the last characters in his unlock column).
• Dr. Mario is the only character who travels to Yoshi's Island in Classic Mode.
• When looking under Dr. Mario's coat, there appears to be a gap around his waist area.
• When KOed by reaching 0 HP in Stamina Mode, Dr. Mario uses his heavy knockback scream rather than the standard KO scream. This trait is shared with Mario.
• Dr. Mario, Olimar, Ivysaur, Greninja, Little Mac, Ryu, Cloud, Dark Samus, and Ken are the only characters to never appear as minions in any Spirit battles.