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 Smash 4, 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

Although Dr. Mario is not classified as 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 sixty-second fastest walking speed, seventy-first fastest dashing speed, seventieth fastest air speed, poor air acceleration, tying for the forty-ninth through fifty-first fastest falling speed, tying for the forty-seventh through forty-ninth fastest fast falling speed, having 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.

Like Mario, Dr. Mario has excellent frame data, with his entire moveset having low startup lag, excluding specials. As a result, Dr. Mario is effective at punishing his opponents, while he himself is difficult to punish. 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 set-ups easier to create.

Aesthetics

• Dr. Mario's idle animation is much less exaggerated than Mario's. He also has a slightly lower stance as a result.
• Dr. Mario is 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 looks in front of him with a neutral expression, whereas Mario looks slightly to the left with a smiling expression.

Attributes

• Aside from Dr. Mario's up tilt, forward aerial, clean back aerial, down aerial, up special and down special, his other moves' damage outputs use a positive multiplier. As a result, he is significantly stronger than Mario. However, this multiplier does not apply to items or reflected attacks.
• Dr. Mario's walking speed, dashing speed, air speed, air acceleration and jump force use a negative multiplier. As a result, Dr. Mario is significantly less mobile than Mario.
• 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

• Neutral attack has more ending lag.
• Forward tilt has a longer duration.
• Up tilt deals more damage. This makes it significantly more effective for KOing, but less effective for combos.
• Dash attack has different knockback. Dr. Mario's dash attack also launches the opponent vertically, whereas Mario's can launch them diagonally or horizontally. These differences make it more effective for combos at low percentages.
• Forward smash has slightly less range.
• 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 an electric effect, whereas Mario's has a flame effect.
• Dr. Mario's up smash (known as "Ear, Nose, and Throat" in the tips) has different knockback. Dr. Mario's up smash also launches the opponent horizontally, whereas Mario's launches them vertically. These differences make it significantly more effective for combos at low percentages and KOing while near the edge, but make it significantly less effective for KOing and punishing.

Aerial attacks

• Neutral, back, and up aerial 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.
• Dr. Mario's forward aerial (known as "Dr. Punch" in the tips) launches the opponent diagonally, whereas Mario's meteor smashes them.
• Clean and late forward aerials deal more damage.
• Early forward aerial deals slightly less damage.
• Clean forward aerial has less base knockback.
• Clean back aerial deals more damage, making it more effective for KOing in spite of its lower knockback.
• Up aerial has less knockback. Dr. Mario's up aerial also launches the opponent diagonally, whereas Mario's launches them vertically. These differences make its beginning frames capable of edge-guarding, and its ending frames better for aerial combos. However, they also make its beginning frames unusable for KOing, and significantly less effective for juggling and SHFF'd combos.
• Dr. Mario's down aerial (known as "Bone Drill" 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, and can meteor smash.
• Down aerial has reduced landing lag.
• Down aerial has increased startup lag.
• Down aerial lacks a landing hit.

Grabs and throws

• Back throw has Dr. Mario heave the opponent behind him, as opposed to swinging them around like Mario.
  • Back throw has reduced startup.
  • Back throw cannot hit nearby opponents unlike Mario's.
• Dr. Mario's down throw (known as "Hospital Bed" in the tips) has different knockback. It launches the opponent directly upward, whereas Mario's launches them diagonally. This makes its combos less susceptible to directional influence.

Special moves

• Unlike Fireball, Megavitamins cannot be absorbed.
• Megavitamins do not have a flame effect unlike Fireball.
• 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.
• 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 in spite of its lower knockback. Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch also has a longer duration than Mario's.
• 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.
• 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, making it less effective for edge-guarding.
• 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

Possibly owing to his low-tier placement in Smash 4, Dr. Mario has been heavily buffed in 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), 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.

However, Dr. Mario has received a few nerfs. His already sub-par mobility is slower, especially in comparision to the rest of the cast, given the nerfs to his air speed and jump height. Although his initial dash speed is now identical to Mario's, his overall mobility remains largely unaltered, 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 Smash 4, his damage racking potential has increased substantially and his previously sub-par recovery is safer and better overall. Because of these changes, he is much better in Ultimate, and is arguably considered a viable choice in tournaments again like he was in Melee. However, he currently has a small playerbase, so his standing compared to the rest of the cast is yet to be seen.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from Smash 4, 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 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 in this game, but not to the same extent as Mario.
• Dr. Mario has a new idle animation with less exaggerated bouncing, 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 has a slightly different pose during his air dodge, and has an angry expression on his face.
• Dr. Mario's mustache now has physics-based movement.
• 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 attributes have been adjusted relative to Mario's. He now has attributes as if he was Mario with +22 attack and -65 speed equipment (SSB4).
  • This increases Dr. Mario's KO potential and improves his damage-racking abilities.
  • Dr. Mario dashes slightly faster (1.3312 → 1.397792).
  • Dr. Mario's initial dash is much faster (1.3312 → 1.5375712), although it is now the slowest initial dash in the game.
  • Dr. Mario walks slightly faster (0.9152 → 0.917301).
  • Dr. Mario's air speed is slower (0.9292 → 0.9238784).
  • Dr. Mario jumps lower.
  • 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.
• 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 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:
  • Jab deals more damage (2.8% → 2.9% (hit 1), 1.68% → 1.7% (jab 2), 4.48% → 4.7% (hit 3)).
  • Jab was reverted to match Mario's, meaning that it can now jab lock.
  • The last hit of neutral attack comes out faster and goes higher. These changes allow it to connect better from the first two hits.
• All tilt attacks deal more damage (7.84% → 8.2% (forward tilt), 7.056% → 7.4% (up tilt), 5.6%/7.84% → 5.8/8.2% (down tilt), 8.96%/6.72% → 11.5%/7% (dash attack (clean/late))).
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt has more base knockback, decreasing its combo potential but increasing its kill power.
  • Up tilt's animation has been reversed, with Dr. Mario spinning towards the screen rather than away from it.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has more base knockback and a more horizontal launch angle, lowering its combo potential.
  • Down tilt's animation has been reversed, with Dr. Mario spinning towards the screen rather than away from it.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack travels further.
  • Dash attack has an altered animation that no longer lowers Dr. Mario's hurtbox, which prevents him from sliding under certain attacks unlike his previous dash attack.
• All smash attacks deal significantly more damage (19.04%/15.68% → 20.9%/17.2% (forward smash), 15.68% → 16.4% (up smash), 11.2%/13.44 → 11.7%/14.1% (down smash (hit 1/hit 2))).
• 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 deals consistent damage.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash's animation has been reversed, with Dr. Mario facing towards the screen rather than away from it.
• 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)).
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial has a different animation, with Dr. Mario now punching downwards with his opposite hand and twisting around afterwards instead of flipping.
• Down aerial:
  • Dr. Mario has a new down aerial, a downward stomp similar to that of Captain Falcon and Ganondorf, as opposed to a drill kick. Compared to the old down aerial, it deals more damage, has reduced ending lag, has a larger autocancel window 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 comes out much faster (frame 16 → 1) and ends sooner (FAF 23 → 6), but deals significantly 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 keep consistent 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.
• 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 significantly higher knockback, now KOing at around 90% against middleweights near the edge.
  • The new back throw does not have a collateral hit.
• Up throw:
  • Dr. Mario now faces horizontally rather than facing the screen.
• Down throw:
  • Dr. Mario's down throw (known as "Hospital Bed" in the tips) now launches opponents directly upwards.
  • Dr. Mario no longer spins after throwing the opponent.

Special moves

• Megavitamin:
  • 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 knockback.
    • Because of this higher knockback, it can no longer jab reset.
  • Megavitamins are slightly larger.
• 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 indicates the move's better vertical reach.
  • 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%).
• Super Jump Punch:
  • Super Jump Punch deals slightly more damage (13.44%/6.72% (clean/late) → 14.1%/7%).
• 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.
  • Dr. Tornado now deals significantly more knockback, KOing very early at the side of the stage.
  • Dr. Tornado has less ending lag. This improves its safety and makes it better as a recovery option offstage.
  • Dr. Tornado travels significantly further vertically when button mashed, improving Dr. Mario's recovery.
  • 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.
  • 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.

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.
Down tilt			5.8% (foot), 8.2% (body)	A legsweep. Dr. Mario's best combo starter, as it can lead into most of his attacks, notably moves like up tilt, smash attacks, aerials, a grab, and even special attacks.
Dash attack			11.5% (clean), 7% (late)	A baseball slide. Launches opponents vertically, 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.
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. KOs middleweights at around 90% 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.
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.
Down aerial		Bone Drill	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. On grounded opponents, the meteor hitbox can open up many KO confirms, notably with forward aerial and back aerial.
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. Decently quick.
Back throw			12.9% (throw)	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. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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 7 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, 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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• 
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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	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle.

Role 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.

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

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

  Dr. Mario's fighter card.

• 

  Dr. Mario idling on Wuhu Island.

• 

  Taunting on Mario Galaxy.

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  Attacking Link with his forward smash on New Pork City.

• 

  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).
• 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.