Dr. Tornado
| Dr. Tornado | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Tornado in Ultimate. | |
| User | Dr. Mario |
| Universe | Mario |
| Article on Super Mario Wiki | Spin Jump |
Dr. Tornado (ドクタートルネード, Dr. Tornado) is Dr. Mario's down special move.
Overview
Dr. Tornado functions as Dr. Mario's equivalent to Mario's Mario Tornado and Luigi's Luigi Cyclone.
Dr. Mario does an out-stretched arm spin and ends it with a stronger hit via an open-body bash. Dr. Mario is able to hover in the air when using this attack by repeatedly tapping the B Button. The move can gather vertical height once between landings if it is used and mashed while ascending (at the start of a double jump, for instance).
Dr. Tornado has the same effect as Mario Tornado, except that it is slightly stronger in terms of damage, has a lighter pull (and thus is able to rack up more hits if spaced properly), covers marginally less recovery distance, and the final attack sends opponents flying horizontally rather than vertically. Additionally, Dr. Mario doesn't yell "Yahoo!" or "Yee-haw!" when performing the attack, unlike Mario. In SSB4 and Ultimate, he will simply make a quiet grunt, akin to Luigi Cyclone from Brawl onward, being identical to the one Mario uses for F.L.U.D.D. In Melee, the move has transcendent priority on all but the last hit.
In Smash 4, Dr. Tornado deals less damage but has more knockback on the last hit, giving it decent KO potential at high percents. It is also harder to break out of and has a much longer duration, while also having more range at startup. It has slightly more startup than before but is noticeably easier to mash, making it easier to use for recovery. It has more horizontal recovery distance but has significantly less vertical distance. It now also has transcendent priority on the last hit, but not on the looping hits.
In Ultimate, Dr. Tornado now hits seven times instead of five, and deals increased damage and knockback, making the move infamous for reliably KOing at significantly earlier percentages off-stage (the move is a kill confirm out of down throw akin to Luigi's variant, though every character that isn't a heavyweight can avoid this with outwards DI and it doesn't work at all on Fox). Additionally, Dr. Mario now gets 10% worth of percentage-based heavy armor from frames 2-10 when initiated on the ground, and the move is marginally better for recovery as it gives him increased vertical distance and has decreased ending lag.
Instructional quotes
 Move List |
 |
Spins rapidly. He can move sideways while spinning and even rise, with repeated button presses! |
Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:
| 1. Dr. Tornado | 2. Soaring Tornado | 3. Clothesline Tornado |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| "Spins repeatedly. You can move sideways while spinning; press the button repeatedly to rise." | "A rapid spin that creates wind and launches foes. Rises high but can't move very far horizontally." | "A spin that launches opponents you collide with. Slow, but has high launching power." |
- Dr. Tornado: Default.
- Soaring Tornado (known as Launching Tornado in the PAL version): A rapidly spinning move that launches Dr. Mario into the air. It has much greater vertical mobility, at the cost of horizontal movement. However, the move's hitboxes, except for the last hit, are replaced with a wind hitbox. Despite this, the last hit of Soaring Tornado deals 2% more than the last hit of Dr. Tornado for 6%, while also having much more KO potential and priority in some cases.
- Clothesline Tornado: The move has less mobility and duration; however, it has significantly greater knockback.
Due to the changes Mario received in Brawl, and Dr. Mario retaining the same moveset from Melee, Dr. Tornado is the only special move of Dr. Mario's where he doesn't share the custom moves with Mario; he instead shares them with Luigi.
Origin
While Dr. Tornado does not have an origin in the Dr. Mario games, it is based off of Mario's Mario Tornado. The Mario Tornado is likely based on the Spin Jump move that originated in Super Mario World. The Spin Jump has lower vertical range than Mario's regular jump but deals more damage (or fully defeats enemies such as Koopa Troopas, who would otherwise be knocked out of their shells which could then be grabbed and thrown, or Galoombas, who would otherwise be knocked over and could be grabbed and thrown), offers protection from landing on many spiked normally-hazardous objects and enemies, and can break Rotating Blocks from above if Mario is not Small.
Since the move's appearances in Smash 64 and Melee, the spin jump has continued to appear in Super Mario games. While its higher damage and block-breaking power are now the job of the Ground Pound move instead, spin jumping tends to cause Mario to fall slower, briefly clear away fog, and bounce higher off enemies.
In Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, Mario has access to a Luma-powered variant of the move, which acts as a one-hit attack, physical projectile reflector, and mid-air double jump/stalling technique.
Kirby using the Doctor ability introduced in Kirby Planet Robobot can use a similar move known as the Bandage Spin which may be based on this move in question.
Gallery
Dr. Tornado in Melee.
Dr. Tornado in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Dr. Tornado in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
Dr. Tornado as shown by the Move List in Ultimate.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese |
ドクタートルネード, Dr. Tornado |
 English |
Dr. Tornado |
 French |
Tornade Dr. Mario |
 German |
Dr. Tornado |
 Spanish |
Dr. Tornado |
 Italian |
Dr. Tornado |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
医生龙卷风 |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
醫生龍捲風 |
 Korean |
닥터 토네이도, Dr. Tornado |
 Dutch |
Dr. Tornado |
 Russian |
Доктор Торнадо |
