Dr. Mario (SSB4)
| Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. 4 | |
|---|---|
 
| |
| Universe | Mario |
| Other playable appearance | in Melee |
| Availability | Unlockable |
| Final Smash | Doctor Finale |
| Tier | G (45) |
Dr. Mario (Dr. マリオ, Dr. Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Alongside Dark Pit, Dr. Mario's return to the series was officially confirmed on October 9th, 2014 in a post-release announcement. Like Dark Pit and Lucina, Dr. Mario was originally planned to be an alternate costume of a certain respective character, but he eventually retained his status as a clone of Mario late in SSB4's development. Dr. Mario is also the first of three Super Smash Bros. Melee characters that were cut from Super Smash Bros. Brawl to return for SSB4, with Mewtwo and Roy also returning to the series, although he is once again an unlockable character while they are downloadable content instead.
Although Mario's moveset has slightly changed since Brawl, Dr. Mario retains his moveset from Melee. However, he now has a Final Smash called Doctor Finale, which is a stronger and aesthetically different version of Mario's Mario Finale. Charles Martinet reprises his role as Dr. Mario's voice actor, albeit via Mario's voice clips from Brawl as well as being less vocal than his normal counterpart.
Dr. Mario is ranked 45th out of 56 on the tier list, placing him at the bottom of G tier and thus making him the lowest ranked low-tier character. This is a vast drop from his 11th out of 26 ranking in Melee, where he was ranked higher than his normal counterpart in that same game. While Dr. Mario overall has more relative power compared to his appearance in Melee, he is noticeably slower and sluggish, traits that were intentionally implemented to differentiate him from Mario. He also sports a weaker recovery and combo game, which has resulted in him suffering from poor representation and below average results.
Despite this, Dr. Mario has gained status as a niche character in competitive play, courtesy of professionals such as 2ManyCooks, Atomsk and Nairo expanding his metagame by showing that he can still be an effective choice in certain match-ups.
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 a clone of Mario: he is of average weight and stature and can wall jump 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. As a result, his mobility is subpar overall, as his jumping force, walking, dashing and air speeds and air acceleration are slower in comparison to Mario, with all of them being 0.82 times his original counterpart's original values, while sharing the same traction, falling speed and gravity with the former. Compared to Mario, however, his entire moveset deals noticeably more damage; except for his forward and back aerials, Dr. Mario's remaining attacks have a 1.12x multiplier, making Dr. Mario's damage output above average compared to Mario's, which is merely average.
Not only does Dr. Mario's moveset possess a higher damage output, but he also possesses increased knockback overall throughout his moveset. This means Dr. Mario is notably more efficient at KOing in comparison to Mario, with all of his smash attacks, his forward and back aerials, and his Super Jump Punch being excellent KO moves. As a result, his punish game is very capable once he finds the proper opening. Other noticeable differences he possesses are seen in his specials: Megavitamins are 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 without landing, and bouncing twice instead of three times. Super Sheet covers more vertical distance than Mario's Cape, but it does not stall him in midair like it did in Melee. Instead, Dr. Tornado is now a more pivotal part of his recovery, since it grants Dr. Mario some good horizontal distance if the button is mashed enough. It is also important to notice unlike Dr. Mario's Tornado, Mario's Tornado plays as his down aerial. Lastly, Super Jump Punch acts more like Luigi's version of the move, with high power at the base and a sourspot throughout the rest of its duration instead of a multiple hitting attack, making it an amazing out of shield option and a good KO move, though unlike Luigi's Super Jump Punch, it is considerably weaker and sends the opponent on a horizontal trajectory in exchange for being less punishable since it has less ending and landing lag.
In terms of playstyle, Dr. Mario's combo game is also very different than Mario's, as it is harder overall to land more attacks without correct reads. While he has a higher overall damage output, Dr. Mario's slower movement speed, increased knockback and his up aerial's different angle can noticeably hinder his ability to chain hits together in quick succession, especially against lightweight characters, which makes Dr. Mario's combo game have poor flexibility. Despite this, his down tilt is his most versatile combo starter, particularly against middleweights, heavyweights and certain fast-fallers. It can chain into either his neutral attack, up smash, forward tilt, up tilt, Super Jump Punch or Dr. Tornado, while his up tilt can also chain into itself as reliably as Mario's, though less times compared to his original counterpart. It should be noted that his down tilt has poor reach overall, which can make down tilt-initiated combos slightly risky.
There are some things Dr. Mario shares with Mario, however. Like his normal counterpart, he boasts an effective grab game, with his forward throw being an excellent move to edgeguard, his back throw KOing at high percentages, his up throw being a viable move to put aerial pressure and his down throw being able to combo into Super Jump Punch if timed correctly, though very rarely due to its high knockback and Dr. Mario's low jumping force. Regardless, it is difficult to punish except at very low percents. His aerial game is also above average: his neutral aerial is a "reverse sex kick", meaning it has lower knockback at the start, but higher knockback throughout the rest of the attack. It also comes out extremely fast, which makes him hard to combo, and it can lead into another move when late due to its low landing lag. His back aerial is also fast and powerful, making it a viable KOing option near the edge, as well as being a viable move for edgeguarding, making it his best aerial. His forward aerial, though slow in execution, is the third strongest of its kind when sweetspotted, and a tremendously powerful punishing option. His up and down aerials, however, are different from Mario's in terms of utility, and in the latter's case, entirely: up aerial launches at a more horizontal angle and has much less knockback, making it his most difficult to chain at low percentages, while down aerial is a drill kick with considerable start-up but higher duration, making it better than Mario's Mario Tornado to avoid getting juggled. His grounded game has also some utility: as stated above, his down tilt can combo into many moves and his up tilt can chain into itself, his neutral attack is among the fastest in the game, and all of his smash attacks have great power.
Dr. Mario's flaws are significantly more noticeable when compared to Mario's. While he boasts excellent KO power, his actual KOing ability is inconsistent as he possesses no guaranteed KO set-ups like Mario. Many characters outperform him in several areas, such as Donkey Kong having more power, Luigi having greater combo versatility, Villager and R.O.B. having strong zoning abilities, Captain Falcon having better mobility and Shulk having greater range. Out of these attributes, his most problematic ones are the latter two: his poor range and mobility. His much slower mobility compared to Mario gives him problems at approaching the opponent to land a move, which is further compounded by the fact he possesses poor range on his attacks, and prevents him from fighting at a safe distance more than Mario.
The problems do not end here, however, as his slow mobility compounds his most glaring weakness: his poor recovery. Dr. Mario's lower jumping force, air speed and air acceleration combined with the lower distance compared to Mario's in Super Jump Punch give him a short, predictable recovery. Unlike Mario, however, he can extend it by making use of Dr. Tornado, which allows him to gain slightly better horizontal distance compared to Mario. However, his recovery gains noticeably less vertical distance compared to the latter, even when he wall jumps, which leaves him vulnerable to most meteor smashes as they may send him low enough to lose a stock. As a result, he is among the characters that suffers the most when trying to get back to the stage, and even though he may not need to use his second jump to recover, any attack strong enough (most notably semi-spikes) may send him too far away to recover back to the stage.
Dr. Mario significantly benefits when custom moves are turned on. Like his normal counterpart, his custom moves define the fundamentals of customization, but in his case, some of them allow him to cover up his most significant flaws more noticeably than that of Mario's. Fast Capsule deals less damage and barely causes flinching, but covers more range at a much faster pace, improving his already decent projectile game. Mega Capsule has less range and is much slower, but deals repeated damage and lingers after being shot, allowing it to shut down many approaches from characters that lack projectiles and can be followed up with his other moves. Breezy Sheet provides him more safety when fighting near the edge at a slight cost of damage, while Shocking Sheet gives him an extra KOing option that has decent speed, though it cannot reflect projectiles. Ol' One-Two gives him an extremely powerful KOing option that can KO at very low percentages at the cost of further hampering Dr. Mario's already poor recovery. 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 edgeguarder due to its consistent windbox effect, how soon its hitbox can KO, even from the center of the stage, and how it is consistently powerful throughout its hitbox duration, unlike most other lingering hitboxes. His only bad custom move seems to be Clothesline Tornado, which hampers his recovery without giving him a better damage racking move and having less utility overall.
Overall, Dr. Mario functions like he was initially intended to in Melee: a slower, yet much stronger version of Mario. These traits make him a bit of a slow, yet fairly powerful glass cannon; he is able to deal considerable damage and launch the opponent far away, but cannot afford to receive much damage in return, resulting in him 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 avoiding edgeguarding if possible and remaining on-stage more often than not, capitalizing on predictions by punishing an opponent's openings with his powerful attacks and effective grab game, and wisely using his few, limited combos to rack up damage. Dr. Mario's faults outweigh his strengths and this is reflected in his tournament representation and results both being poor. However, he does have a few notable players to his credit, such as 2ManyCooks, Atomsk and Nairo.
Changes from Melee
Dr. Mario received some of the most recognizable changes out of any veteran in his transition from Melee to SSB4, with all of his changes gearing him towards what he was intended to be in Melee: a slower, yet much stronger Mario. However, this results in Dr. Mario being considerably nerfed overall in the transition, due to the nerfs to his speed and mobility decreasing his ability to neutral game and approach despite having Megavitamins as a projectile. Many of his moves were also nerfed; notable examples include his forward aerial and forward smash now requiring sweetspots to actually be effective, while his Megavitamins have a decreased damage output. The changes in physics from Melee have also removed many of Dr. Mario's set-ups into those potential sweetspots, making his punish game much less effective as well, despite remaining strong. Furthermore, Dr. Tornado was also nerfed in that its vertical coverage has decreased when used in the air and Super Sheet no longer stalls him in the air at all. As a result, and when combined with his lower jumps, this forces him to using his new wall jump for recovery mix-ups and thus makes him very easy to edgeguard.
However, Dr. Mario has been buffed in other regards; some of his moves have increased range, while the universal change to units of distance benefits his match-ups against characters who countered him in the past such as Marth, though not as much as his normal counterpart. His already high power is also even higher than it was in Melee, due to the strengthening of some of his attacks' sweetspots. These changes, however, do not compensate for the noticeable decreases to his mobility. As a result, he is the only Melee veteran to have been truly nerfed in his transition, as Mewtwo has been significantly buffed via game updates and Roy was buffed initially and then again via game updates.
Aesthetics
Dr. Mario's design has been slightly changed. He retains his black pants from Melee, but they have now been slightly rolled up, revealing their lighter interior. Unlike in Melee, Dr. Mario now wears the red tie he has worn since Dr. Mario 64, while both his head mirror's band and stethoscope are black instead of brown and blue, respectively. Additionally, his hair is very slightly lighter.- Dr. Mario now has an on-screen appearance. He appears from behind a stack of Megavitamins that disintegrates once a final Megavitamin lands on it.
- Dr. Mario now has an up taunt and a down taunt. His up taunt involves him grinding his shoe on the ground, while his down taunt involves him lightly pounding his shoulder with his fist.
- Dr. Mario has a new idle pose. He pounds his fist into his open palm.
- Dr. Mario has a new victory pose, replacing the one he shared with Mario in Melee. He rubs his chin with his hand, as if examining a patient or being contemplative.
- Dr. Mario has the same stance as Mario while holding a light item.
Attributes
While Dr. Mario's overall damage output is higher than Mario's, most of his moves deal slightly less damage due to Mario's overall damage output having been decreased.- Dr. Mario is slightly smaller, which makes his hurtbox slightly smaller, but slightly hinders his range.
- Dr. Mario is lighter (100 → 98), with his weight now being identical to Mario's since Brawl. While this slightly hinders his survivability, it also makes him slightly less susceptible to combos.
- Dr. Mario walks slower (1.1 → 0.902).
- Dr. Mario dashes slower (1.5 → 1.312).
- Dr. Mario's traction is lower (0.6 → 0.45), now being identical to Mario's. This hinders his punish ability, especially when out of shield.
Dr. Mario's air speed is faster (0.9 → 0.943), though it is still significantly slower than Mario's.- Due to the physics change in SSB4, Dr. Mario's falling speed is slower (1.7 → 1.5) and his gravity is lower (0.095 → 0.08715). Compared to the other veterans, Dr. Mario's endurance is still balanced.
- Dr. Mario's jumpsquat is 1 frame slower (4 frames → 5).
- Jump is slightly higher.
- Dr. Mario can now wall jump.
- Walk's animation has changed. It is now is identical to Mario since Brawl.
- Backward jump's animation has changed. Dr. Mario now backflips three times, as opposed to once.
Ground attacks
- Neutral attack is now consecutive like Mario's and its hits transition faster into each other.
- Neutral attack deals less damage (4% (hit 1)/3% (hit 2)/6% (hit 3) → 2.8%/1.68%/4.48%). All hits also have increased ending lag (IASA 16/19/23 → 23/25/36), hindering his jab cancel.
- All tilt attacks deal less damage (9% (angled up)/8% (non-angled)/7% (angled down) → 7.84% (all angles) (forward), 10% (clean)/8% (late) → 7.056% (up), 9% → 7.84% (body)/5.6% (foot) (down)).
- Forward tilt comes out 1 frame slower with a shorter hitbox duration (frames 4-8 → 5-7).
- Up tilt no longer launches the opponent forward if they are hit in front of Dr. Mario. Instead of having different launching trajectories depending on where it hits them, it now always launches opponents upward. This improves its combo potential, but hinders its versatility.
- Up tilt comes out 1 frame slower with a shorter hitbox duration (frames 4-12 → 5-11).
- Down tilt now launches opponents at 80° instead of behind Dr. Mario. This improves its combo potential, but removes its edgeguard set-up potential.
- Down tilt has less ending lag (26 frames → 21), which along with its different angle makes it better for combos.
- Down tilt lasts 1 frame shorter (frames 5-8 → 5-7).
- Dash attack deals less damage (9% (clean)/8% (late) → 8.96%/6.72%).
- Due to the damage multiplier for fully charged smash attacks being increased from Melee to SSB4 (1.3671x → 1.4x), fully charged forward and up smashes deal more damage.
- Forward smash has increased reach. It also deals slightly more damage when not angled (19% → 19.04%) and when angled downward (18% → 19.6112%).
- Upward angled forward smash deals 0.008% less damage (20% → 19.992%).
- Forward smash has decreased knockback (30 (base)/97 (scaling) → 25/96), increased start-up with a shorter duration (frames 12-16 → 15-17) and higher ending lag (IASA 42 → 48). It also received a sourspot located at Dr. Mario's hand that deals less damage (20% (angled up)/19% (non-angled)/18% (angled down) → 16.464%/15.68%/16.1504%).
- Up smash now deals consistent damage (16% (clean)/13% (late) → 15.68%) and both its hitbox and the intangibility on Dr. Mario's head last 2 frames longer (9-11 → 9-13).
- Up smash's clean hit no longer spikes grounded opponents. This improves its KO potential, but hinders its combo potential.
- Down smash deals less damage (18% (sweetspot front)/17% (sourspot front), 15% (sweetspot back)/13% (sourspot back) → 11.2% (front)/13.44% (back)), has increased ending lag (IASA 38 → 44) and the back hit's duration only lasts for 1 frame (14-15 → 14).
- Down smash's knockback has been altered (50 (base)/75 (scaling) → 30/100), which makes it stronger at medium to high percentages, but not enough to compensate at low percentages. Its hits' properties have also been reversed, with the back hit being stronger than the front hit, while both hits have a consistent hitbox throughout rather than a sweetspot and sourspot.
Aerial attacks
- Neutral, forward, up, and down aerials all deal less damage (10% (early)/14% (clean) → 5.6%/8.96% (neutral), 17% (sweetspot)/16% (sourspot) → 11.2% (early)/16.8% (clean)/10.08% (late) (forward), 10% → 7.84% (up), 16.38% → 10.976% (down)).
- Neutral and forward aerial autocancel slightly faster (frame 36 → 34 (neutral), frame 44 → 43 (forward)).
- Neutral aerial has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 3-31 → 3-27).
- Forward aerial comes out 2 frames faster with a longer hitbox duration (frames 18-22 → 16-22).
- Forward aerial has decreased knockback (50/40 (base/sweetspot/sourspot)/100 (scaling) → 30/102). It has also received an early hitbox during its first active frame and a late hitbox during its last 3 frames, which deal less damage (11.2% (early), 10.08% (late)) and knockback (30 (base)/95 (scaling) (early), 20 (base)/95 (scaling) (late)).
- Back aerial deals more damage (8% (clean)/7% (late) → 13.44%/7.84%) and has altered knockback (43 (base)/65 (scaling) → 10/95), improving its KO potential.
- Back aerial's angle has been altered (28° → 361°), removing its semi-spike ability and hindering its edgeguarding potential. It also has a shorter hitbox duration (frames 6-16 → 6-13) and increased ending lag (IASA 29 → 34).
- Back aerial's animation has changed. It is now identical to Mario's back aerial since Brawl.
- Up aerial has increased base knockback (0 → 9), a longer hitbox duration (frames 4-9 → 4-12) and decreased ending lag (IASA 34 → 32).
- Up and down aerials autocancel slower (frame 16 → 18 (up), frame 33 → 45 (down)).
- Up aerial's angle has been altered (55° → 45°).
- Down aerial has received a landing hitbox, which deals 2.24%. It also has increased knockback, which includes its landing hitbox (50 (base)/160 (scaling)), with the latter having more knockback than Mario Tornado's landing hitbox. Its loop hits also launch at auto-link angle, making it much harder to SDI out of.
- Down aerial has increased ending lag (IASA 38 → 52).
- Down aerial now consists of five hits rather than seven due to receiving a single hitbox that re-hits every 4 frames, rather than multiple hitboxes every 3 frames.
Throws/other attacks
- The removal of chain grabbing hinders Dr. Mario's grab game and damage racking potential.
- Grabs' animations have changed. Dr. Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two.
- All grabs have increased range.
- Standing grab and dash grab are faster (frame 7/11 → 6/8) and have less ending lag (IASA 31/41 → 29/36).
- Pummel deals 0.64% more damage (3% → 3.64%).
- All of Dr. Mario's throws have decreased ending lag, with his up and down throws leading better into aerial attacks.
- Forward, up and down throws deal less damage (9% → 8.96% (forward), 8% → 7.84% (up), 6% → 5.6% (down)).
- Back throw deals more damage (12% (throw)/8% (collateral) → 12.32%/8.96%).
- Back throw has decreased knockback (80 (base)/72 (scaling) → 70/60). This hinders its KO potential, although it is still one of the strongest throws in the game.
- Due to the introduction of tripping, Dr. Mario now has a floor attack when he trips.
- Front and back floor attacks deal 1.84% more damage (6% → 7.84%).
- Edge attack now deals consistent damage (8% (legs)/6% (body) → 7.84%).
Special moves
- Megavitamins deal less damage (8% → 5.6% (early)/4.48% (late)) and have a shorter duration (75 frames → 53). The move also has slower startup (frame 12 → 17) with higher ending lag (IASA 44 → 53).
- Megavitamins are slightly larger, cover more range and are no longer absorbable.
- Megavitamins are much brighter and they appear to be smaller, but more rounded.
- Super Sheet deals less damage (10%/12% → 7.84%).
- Aerial Super Sheet no longer stalls Dr. Mario, removing its recovery potential, but giving it approaching potential.
- Super Jump Punch deals 0.44% more damage (13% → 13.44%) and now consists of a clean and a late hitbox, with the clean hitbox being strong enough to KO reliably before 150% from center-stage and around 100% at the edge, improving its KO, combo and tech-chasing potentials. Super Jump Punch can also be moved in the opposite direction landing its clean hitbox, which gives Dr. Mario the ability to possibly hit multiple opponents with the clean hitbox and possibly avoid being punished after landing it, improving its utility.
- Super Jump Punch can no longer be canceled and has increased landing lag. While Mario's Super Jump Punch's vertical distance has increased, Dr. Mario's retains its vertical distance from Melee.
- Dr. Tornado has decreased ending lag (IASA 80 → 75), allowing for a double jump sooner and thus improving its recovery potential. Its duration has slightly increased and it is harder to escape from, while its last hit is stronger, improving its KO potential. Before the last hit, the move now uses a single hitbox that re-hits every 6 frames rather than many hitboxes with short durations, improving its safety.
- Dr. Tornado deals less damage (13% (all ground hits)/14% (all aerial hits) → 8.736% (all hits)) and has slower start-up (frame 8 → 10). Aerial Dr. Tornado's vertical distance has also decreased due to its lengthier animation.
- Dr. Mario now has a Final Smash, Doctor Finale. Aesthetically, it functions exactly the same as Mario's Mario Finale, but uses two massive Megavitamins instead of two massive streams of fire.
Version exclusives
-
Megavitamins lack a translucent half.
Differences from Mario
Aesthetics
- Dr. Mario's on-screen appearance, taunts, idle poses and victory poses are different.
- Dr. Mario's stance is identical to Mario's, albeit slower.
- Dr. Mario is less vocal.
Attributes
- Except for his forward and back aerials, Dr. Mario's other moves use a multiplier of 1.12x on their damage outputs, making him stronger overall.
- Dr. Mario's walking speed, dashing speed, air speed and air acceleration use a multiplier of 0.82x and his jumps are lower, making him significantly less mobile overall.
- Dr. Mario does not crouch as low.
Ground attacks
- Neutral attack's first two hits deal higher knockback, making it easier to jab cancel with.
- Neutral attack has increased ending lag (20 frames → 23 (hit 1), 22 frames → 25 (hit 2), 34 frames → 36 (hit 3)) and cannot jab reset.
- Forward tilt has a longer duration (2 frames → 3).
- Dash attack launches opponents vertically instead of obliquely, making it better for combos at low percentages.
- Forward smash has less range.
- Dr. Mario's forward smash's sweetspot is on his arm, while Mario's is on the flame. This means that Dr. Mario has to be closer to the opponent to land the sweetspot.
- Forward smash is an electric attack rather than a flame attack.
- Up smash has a longer duration (4 frames → 5) and it launches opponents horizontally instead of vertically, making it better for combos into itself at low percentages and when uncharged.
- Up smash has altered knockback (30 (base)/95 (scaling) → 0/117) and a horizontal angle, making it less effective at KOing.
Aerial attacks
- All aerials have increased landing lag (10 frames → 12 (neutral), 26 frames → 28 (forward), 12 frames → 16 (back), 12 frames → 14 (up), 19 frames → 21 (down)).
- Neutral aerial deals more damage and knockback the longer it is active, whereas Mario's functions oppositely.
- Neutral aerial can jab reset until around 40%.
- Neutral aerial has a shorter duration (27 frames → 25).
- Early forward aerial deals 0.8% less damage (12% → 11.2%).
- Clean and late forward aerials deal more damage (14% (clean)/10%(late) → 16.8%/10.08%).
- Clean and late forward aerials have shorter and longer durations, respectively (4 frames (clean)/6 frames (late) → 3/7).
- Sweetspotted forward aerial launches the opponent at a diagonal angle instead of meteor smashing them.
- Back aerial deals more damage (10.5% (clean)/7% (late) → 13.44%/7.84%) and its duration is longer (2 frames (clean)/3 frames (late)/5 frames (overall) → 3/5/8).
- Up aerial has a longer animation. However, this results in the move having a longer duration (5 frames → 9) and less ending lag (24 frames → 20).
- Up aerial launches opponents at a horizontal angle and deals less knockback despite its higher damage output (10 (base)/135 (scaling) → 9/100), making it less suitable for combos and juggling compared to Mario's.
- Dr. Mario retains his drill kick as his down aerial, while Mario's has been Mario Tornado since Brawl. As a result, Dr. Mario's down aerial launches at a different angle compared to Mario's.
- Despite its higher damage output, down aerial's last hit deals 1.64% less damage (5% → 3.36%) and much less knockback compared to Mario Tornado (80 (base)/100 (scaling) → 50/120). It also has more start-up (3 frames → 11), more ending lag (13 frames → 27) and less vertical range.
Grabs and throws
- Back throw is slightly stronger despite its lower knockback scaling (66 → 60), making it slightly better for KOing compared to Mario's.
- Down throw has different knockback (40 (base)/90 (scaling) → 75/45), making it significantly less suitable for follow-ups at low percentages compared to Mario's and does not properly compensate it at high percentages.
Special moves
- Unlike Fireball, Megavitamins cannot be absorbed due to being classified as physical projectiles.
- Megavitamins bounce twice while Fireball bounces three times.
- Super Sheet has less ending lag (16 frames → 14) and its reflection hitbox has a longer duration (15 frames → 17), making it slightly safer compared to Cape.
- Super Sheet has more vertical range but less horizontal range than Cape.
- Unlike aerial Cape, aerial Super Sheet does not stall Dr. Mario. This makes it unsuitable for recovery, but makes it more suitable for approaching.
- Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch deals more knockback than Mario's and it has a longer duration (9 frames → 17).
- Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch only has two hitboxes and deals more damage at the start of the attack, just like Luigi's.
- Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch covers less vertical distance than Mario's.
- Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch has a different sound effect than Mario's when it hits an opponent.
- Dr. Mario retains Dr. Tornado as his down special.
- Dr. Tornado is purely offensive rather, whereas F.L.U.D.D. is purely defensive.
- Doctor Finale deals more damage than Mario Finale.
Other
- Dr. Mario uses Ties as defensive Equipment instead of Overalls.
Update history
Although his core problems have not been addressed, Dr. Mario has received a handful of buffs nonetheless. Updates 1.0.4 and 1.0.6 improved his forward aerial's knockback and damage output, enabling it to score KOs easier and making it more viable either as a short hopped on-stage attack, or as an edge-guarding option. Update 1.1.0 slightly improved his up smash by giving it an extra frame, as well as making it capable of scoring KOs easier near edges due to increasing its knockback. Like Mario, the changes on shieldstun in update 1.1.1 make it slightly harder for him to use his patient playstyle effectively, as the increased shieldstun makes it harder for him to punish out of shield. This change, however, also benefits him due to his overall damage output being higher than Mario's, which makes his most powerful moves much safer on shield when compared to his normal counterpart.
- Forward aerial has increased knockback scaling (85 (early/late)/95 (clean) → 95/102)
- Down aerial's loop hits deal 0.336% more damage (1.568% → 1.904%)
- Down aerial has less landing lag (24 frames → 21).
- Down aerial deals less damage overall due to having two less hits (14.336% → 12.88%).
- Up smash's knockback increased, improving its KO potential.
- Sweetspotted forward aerial deals 1.12% more damage: 15.68% → 16.8%.
- Up smash's knockback scaling increased: 108 → 117, improving its KO potential.
- Up smash's duration increased: 4 frames → 5.
- Clothesline Tornado deals more damage: 8% → 10%/12%.
- Clothesline Tornado's sweetspot's hitbox size increased.
- Sweetspotted Clothesline Tornado's knockback altered: 60 (base)/120 (scaling) → 100/70.
Moveset
- Except for his forward and back aerials, Dr. Mario's attacks deal 1.12x more damage than Mario's attacks.[1] This does not apply to items or reflected attacks.
- Dr. Mario can wall jump.
| Name | Damage | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral attack | 2.8% | Two alternating jabs followed by a front kick. The first two hits have set vertical knockback, allowing Dr. Mario to potentially perform jab canceled follow-ups, such as into a grab. Originates from Super Mario 64. | ||
| 1.68% | ||||
| 4.48% | ||||
| Forward tilt | 7.84% | A reverse roundhouse kick. It has low KO potential, making it best suited for spacing out opponents. | ||
| Up tilt | 7.056% | A spinning uppercut. It can be followed up into itself repeatedly, similarly to Mario's up tilt, or an aerial attack. KOs around 160%. Originates from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. | ||
| Down tilt | 5.6% (foot), 7.84% (body) | A legsweep. Dr. Mario's most reliable combo starter, it can be followed up by any ground attack at low percentages or an aerial and Super Jump Punch until high percentages. | ||
| Dash attack | 8.96% (clean), 6.72% (late) | A baseball slide, a dropkick variation. It launches the opponent at a purely vertical angle, but has a fair amount of ending lag. | ||
| Forward smash | ↗ | 19.992% (arm), 16.464% (hand) | A palm thrust that produces a small blast of electricity. It has longer range than in Melee, but has received a sweetspot at Dr. Mario's arm. Deals outstanding damage and knockback, as it can KO at 92% depending on where it lands. | |
| → | 19.04% (arm), 15.68% (hand) | |||
| ↘ | 19.6112% (arm), 16.1504% (hand) | |||
| Up smash | 15.68% | An upward headbutt. Its purely diagonal knockback makes it great for combos at low percentages, although it is only reliable for KOing while near the edge, whereas Mario's can KO from any part of a stage. Dr. Mario's head is intangible while its hitboxes are active and it possesses more range than Mario's, as it is able to hit opponents behind him. | ||
| Down smash | 11.2% (front), 13.44% (back) | A double legsweep performed from a flare, an acrobatic technique used in breakdancing and gymnastics. It deals the least amount of damage out of Dr. Mario's smash attacks. However, it is a very fast and very powerful semi-spike, which makes it excellent for edgeguarding and KOing, especially when landing its back hit. Originates from Super Mario 64. | ||
| Neutral aerial | 5.6% (clean), 8.96% (late) | A flying kick. Like in Melee, it is a "reverse sex kick", with the late hit dealing more damage and knockback, making it great for edgeguarding. However, its clean hit also has use due to being good for breaking combos. Originates from Super Mario 64. | ||
| Forward aerial | 11.2% (early), 16.8% (clean), 10.08% (late) | Rears his arm back and performs a downward punch. Unlike Mario's, it does not meteor smash, but instead deals incredibly high diagonal knockback if sweetspotted, to the point where it is the third strongest forward aerial in the game. Great for edgeguarding and can sometimes be used immediately after a down throw. KOs at 109% from center-stage. | ||
| Back aerial | 13.44% (clean), 7.84% (late) | A dropkick. Its high speed and high knockback make it effective for edgeguarding as part of a reverse aerial rush. KOs at 124% near the edge if hit clean. | ||
| Up aerial | 7.84% | A backflip kick. Launches the opponent upward at a purely diagonal angle and is decent for juggling opponents at low percentages, but it is not reliable for combos like Mario's is. | ||
| Down aerial | 1.904% (loop hits), 3.36% (last hit), 2.24% (landing) | A diagonal corkscrew dropkick. Hits multiple times, with the last hit dealing diagonal knockback, unlike Mario's Mario Tornado. | ||
| Grab | — | Reaches out. Like Mario's, Dr. Mario's grab range is relatively short. | ||
| Pummel | 3.64% | A headbutt. It is moderately slow, yet is the most damaging "standard" pummel in the game, as only Olimar's and Shulk's pummels deal more damage only if they are using White Pikmin and the Buster Art, respectively. | ||
| Forward throw | 8.96% | Spins the opponent around once and tosses them forward. At certain percentages, it can be followed up with a dash attack or an aerial attack. Can be useful for forcing opponents off-stage. | ||
| Back throw | 12.32% (throw), 8.96% (collateral) | Spins the opponent by their legs three times before throwing them backward. While it has lost some of the knockback it had in Melee, it remains a very strong throw and can KO near the edge around 135%. It also can hit other opponents while spinning, which deals minor damage and knockback. Originates from Super Mario 64. | ||
| Up throw | 7.84% | Heaves the opponent high into the air with both hands. Decent against fast-fallers for aerial follow-ups. | ||
| Down throw | 5.6% | Slams the opponent into the ground. Launches the opponent much higher than Mario's and has low knockback scaling, allowing for easier aerial follow-ups compared to Mario's. | ||
| Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge |
— | — | ||
| Techs | — | — | ||
| Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front) |
7.84% | Gets up then kicks behind himself and then in front of himself. | ||
| Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back) |
7.84% | Gets up then punches behind himself and then in front of himself. | ||
| Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip) |
5.6% | Kicks behind himself, then in front of himself while getting up. | ||
| Edge attack Edge getups |
7.84% | Somersaults and then performs an upward dropkick while climbing up. | ||
| Neutral special | Default | Megavitamins | 5.6% (early), 4.48% (late) | Throws a Megavitamin. Megavitamins follow a bouncing arc, similarly to Mario's Fireball, although their arc is unique and allows them to cover different angles compared to Mario's Fireball. Unlike Mario's Fireball, they cannot be absorbed. |
| Custom 1 | Fast Capsule | 3.36% (early), 2.576% (mid), 1.68% (late) | Quickly throws a weaker Megavitamin that flies straight ahead, similarly to Fox and Falco's Blasters. It deals lower damage and hitstun, but it can be easily spammed due to its faster speed. | |
| Custom 2 | Mega Capsule | 1.68% (per hit) | Throws a slow but large Megavitamin that will damage any opponent it hits in its predetermined path until it vanishes. Unlike the other two variations, it does not disappear upon impact. It has slow start-up and ending lag, but can potentially be followed-up with several other moves. | |
| Side special | Default | Super Sheet | 7.84% | Waves a defensive sheet that reflects projectiles and reverses opponents. It has more vertical range than Mario's, but covers less horizontal distance compared to his. Unlike in Melee, it no longer stalls his momentum in midair, removing its recovery potential. However, this grants it approaching potential. |
| Custom 1 | Shocking Sheet | 12.544% | The sheet discharges electricity, which destroys projectiles instead of reflecting them and launches opponents instead of reversing them. It deals noticeably more damage and knockback, to the point that it can KO at high percentages, but has more ending lag. | |
| Custom 2 | Breezy Sheet | 5.6% | The sheet emits a small gust of wind, pushing opponents backward in addition to turning them around. It deals slightly less damage while also having more ending lag. | |
| Up special | Default | Super Jump Punch | 13.44% (clean), 6.72% (late) | A jumping uppercut. It grants less distance than Mario's and only hits once like Luigi's, but can be sweetspotted for extra damage like Luigi's. Has KO potential starting at 140% on middleweight characters and around 100% near the edge. |
| Custom 1 | Super Jump | — | Grants more distance than the default version, but at the cost of dealing no damage. | |
| Custom 2 | Ol' One-Two | 8.96% (hit 1), 14.56% (hit 2) | Deals more damage overall due to hitting twice and is much stronger knockback, but at the cost of granting noticeably less recovery distance. | |
| Down special | Default | Dr. Tornado | 1.344% (loop hits), 3.36% (last hit) | Rapidly spins around, trapping opponents and damaging them with a series of discus clotheslines and spinning backfists before launching them. Dr. Mario can move around on the ground while spinning, and can hover in the air by repeatedly pressing the special button while using it. While it has 10 frames of start-up lag and has some considerable ending lag, it has quite some range that allows it to beat out attacks. Gains KO potential around 130% near the edge and because of its high knockback scaling, it can be used as a risky but efficient edgeguarding option. Likely based on the Spin Jump that debuted in Super Mario World. |
| Custom 1 | Soaring Tornado | 6.72% | Spins even faster to propel himself into the air. It has much greater vertical mobility, but at the cost of horizontal movement. Instead of having numerous hitboxes, it consists a windbox and a single hitbox, the latter of which deals much more knockback than Dr. Tornado's last hit. When coupled with its considerably better vertical coverage, it is much more efficient at edgeguarding than Dr. Tornado, as it can KO as low as 30% when near the edge and around 85% at center-stage. | |
| Custom 2 | Clothesline Tornado | 8.96% (loop hits), 8.96% (last hit) | A slower variation that deals higher horizontal knockback, but at the cost of granting noticeably less recovery distance. | |
| Final Smash | Doctor Finale | 3.36% (bigger Megavitamin), 2.24% (smaller Megavitamin) | Throws two massive Megavitamins, which move forward and spiral outward, creating exploding capsule effects as they travel across the stage. Aesthetically, it functions identically to Mario Finale, but deals more damage than Mario Finale. | |
On-screen appearance
- A large stack of Megavitamins appear on stage. Another Megavitamin then lands on the top, causing a chain reaction which disintegrates the entire stack, revealing Dr. Mario behind them. Initially, Dr. Mario stands in a thinking pose with his eyes closed, but opens his eyes with a surprised expression once the Megavitamins disappear.
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Taunts
- Up taunt: Grinds his shoe on the ground.
- Side taunt: 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.
| Up taunt | Side taunt | Down taunt |
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Idle poses
- Sways his head from right to left.
- Pounds his left hand into his open palm.
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Crowd cheer
| English | Japanese | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheer | ||
| Description | Go Doc! | Doc-tor! |
| Pitch | Group chant | Group chant |
Victory poses
- Throws out two randomly colored Megavitamins, dusts off his gloves and then pulls out two more Megavitamins that are the same color as the ones he threw.
- Holds out his stethoscope and points it straight, then to his left and then straight again.
- Rubs his chin while appearing to be thinking about something, then faces the screen while continuing to rub his chin. This replaces his "Here we go!" victory animation from Melee.
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In competitive play
Official Custom Moveset Project
| Character | Custom sets available | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dr. Mario |
2312 | 2332 | 2212 | 2232 | 2211 |
| 1311 | 1332 | 1212 | 1211 | 2322 | |
Notable players
Active
Inactive
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!
Classic (3DS)
- DrMarioAllStarTrophy3DS.png
Alt. (3DS)
Classic (Wii U)
Alt. (Wii U)
In Event Matches
Solo Events
- All-Star Battle: Secret: Dr. Mario is one of the opponents fought in this event. All opponents have been unlockable characters in previous Super Smash Bros. games.
- Doctor Schmoctor: As Wario, the player must defeat Dr. Mario while Wario is flowered.
Co-op Events
- Viral Visitors: As Dr. Mario and Peach, two players must defeat four Kirbies.
- The Ultimate Battle: Two players select a character and must defeat the entire roster.
Alternate costumes
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Gallery
Dr. Mario's amiibo.
Dr. Mario in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Attempting to grab Charizard.
Using his forward smash on Mega Man.
Using Super Jump Punch on Bowser.
Alongside King Dedede, Kirby, Wii Fit Trainer and some food.
Using his dash attack on Fox.
Using his side taunt alongside Little Mac and Captain Falcon.
Using Doctor Finale, his Final Smash.
- SSB4 - Dr. Mario Screen-9.jpg
His on-screen appearance.
- SSB4 - Dr. Mario Screen-10.jpg
Using Megavitamins on two Kirbies, as a reference to the viruses from his eponymous game.
Trivia
- Dr. Mario's shirt and tie are done up in his official artwork, but in gameplay, his collar is open and tie is loose.
- Dr. Mario and Lucina are the only characters who are not playable in a solo event unless selected.
- Dr. Mario is the only character to have two challenges exclusive to him in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
- Dr. Mario is one of the five unlockable veterans that do not appear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's opening movie. The other four are Falco, Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B. and Wario.
- Dr. Mario and Lucario are the only characters that lack a meteor smash of any kind.
- Dr. Mario is the only clone to not share the same idle animations as the character he is cloned from.
| Fighters in Super Smash Bros. 4 | |
|---|---|
| Veterans | Bowser · Captain Falcon · Charizard · Diddy Kong · Donkey Kong · Dr. Mario · Falco · Fox · Ganondorf · Ike · Jigglypuff · King Dedede · Kirby · Link · Lucario · Lucas · Luigi · Mario · Marth · Meta Knight · Mewtwo · Mr. Game & Watch · Ness · Olimar · Peach · Pikachu · Pit · R.O.B. · Roy · Samus · Sheik · Sonic · Toon Link · Wario · Yoshi · Zelda · Zero Suit Samus |
| Newcomers | Bayonetta · Bowser Jr. · Cloud · Corrin · Dark Pit · Duck Hunt · Greninja · Little Mac · Lucina · Mega Man · Mii Fighter (Mii Brawler · Mii Gunner · Mii Swordfighter) · Pac-Man · Palutena · Robin · Rosalina & Luma · Ryu · Shulk · Villager · Wii Fit Trainer |
