Super Smash Bros. 4

Dr. Mario (SSB4)

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This article is about Dr. Mario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. 4. For the character in other contexts, see Dr. Mario.
Dr. Mario
in Super Smash Bros. 4
Dr. Mario
MarioSymbol.svg
Universe Mario
Other playable appearance in Melee


Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Doctor Finale
Dr. Mario (SSB4)

Dr. Mario (Dr. マリオ, Dr. Mario) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. He was officially confirmed on October 9th, 2014 alongside Dark Pit in a post-release announcement.

While Mario continues to use his updated moveset from Brawl, Dr. Mario retains the old Melee-style moveset with moves such as Dr. Tornado, albeit with a Final Smash now. His Final Smash, Doctor Finale, is similar to Mario's Mario Finale, but instead uses enormous Megavitamins rather than fire. Like Mario, he is once again voiced by Charles Martinet, albeit via Mario's voice clips from Brawl.

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

Dr. Mario must then be defeated on Delfino Plaza.

Changes from Melee

Dr. Mario's buffs and nerfs seem to indicate an increase in the difference between him and Mario. Many of these buffs and nerfs try to make Dr. Mario like he was originally intended to be in Melee: a slower yet stronger Mario. Although Dr. Mario has a few moves and functions that set him apart from being a complete clone of Mario, he is still very similar to him in most aspects. However, the increase in difference between him and Mario sees Dr. Mario ultimately wind up being nerfed overall in comparison to his appearance in Melee due to the very noticeable nerfs to his speed and mobility, but not without a few buffs to several of his moves, namely his Dr. Tornado and Super Jump Punch.

Aesthetics

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

Attributes

  • Buff Dr. Mario's character model is slightly smaller than it was in Melee.
  • Change Dr. Mario is lighter than he was in Melee, with his weight being changed from 100 to 98, the same as Mario's in SSB4.
  • Buff Dr. Mario jumps slightly higher.
  • Nerf He has significantly decreased dashing speed and air speed, making Dr. Mario much slower and less mobile overall.
  • Buff He can now wall jump, aiding his recovery.

Ground attacks

  • Nerf Neutral attack, up tilt, and down tilt deal less damage. Down smash deals much less damage.
  • Buff Neutral attack has a consecutive jab and is overall faster.
  • Buff Forward tilt is faster.
  • Change Up tilt no longer sends the opponent forward if the opponent is hit in front of Dr. Mario. Instead, the move sends the opponent up no matter where it hits, whereas in Melee the move had different trajectories depending on where it hit the opponent.
  • Buff Down tilt is faster.
  • Change Down tilt no longer sends the opponent behind Dr. Mario, but instead launches them into the air.
  • Buff Forward smash has slightly more range and is stronger.
  • Nerf Forward smash has slightly more start up and ending lag.
  • Buff Up smash is stronger and faster.

Aerial attacks

  • Nerf Forward aerial does 2% less damage and now necessitates on landing a sweet spot to retain the power it had in Melee, as the new sourspots deal much less damage and knockback.
  • Buff Back aerial deals more damage and knockback, being able to KO around 140% near the edge.
  • Nerf Back aerial no longer semi-spikes.
  • Change Dr. Mario uses Mario's back aerial animation from Brawl instead of using the back aerial animation from Melee.
  • Buff Up aerial deals more knockback and is faster.
  • Nerf Up aerial does less damage.
  • Buff Down aerial deals 1% more damage and has stronger knockback.

Throws/other attacks

  • Buff Dr. Mario now grabs with one hand as opposed to two, has a higher grab range, and his throws have less ending lag.

Special moves

  • Nerf Megavitamins now only do 4-6% damage instead of 8%, based on distance.
  • Buff Megavitamins are now slightly larger and have longer range.
  • Buff Megavitamins are no longer absorbable.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario's Super Sheet does not stall him while he is in mid-air, while it previously did in Melee on the first use. It also deals less damage.
  • Buff Super Jump Punch now consists of one strong hit that can KO reliably before 150%. It is now a viable option for combo ending and tech chasing, much akin to Dolphin Slash.
  • Nerf Super Jump Punch cannot be cancelled like its Melee counterpart, covers less distance, and has significantly increased landing lag.
  • Buff Dr. Tornado has a faster start up and a slightly longer duration. The move itself is also harder to escape from.
  • Nerf Dr. Tornado deals less damage and does not travel as high when rising.

Differences from Mario

An icon for denoting incomplete things.
  • Buff Dr. Mario is stronger overall compared to Mario, as he has higher damage percentages on moves such as his up tilt, up smash, back aerial, up aerial, forward tilt and all of his throws.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario is slower overall compared to Mario.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario does not jump as high as Mario and has a lower air speed.
  • Buff Up, back, and forward throws do 1% more damage.
  • Buff Dr. Mario's Doctor Finale deals more damage than Mario's Mario Finale.
  • Buff Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch has only two hitboxes, and does more damage at the start of the attack, just like Luigi's.
    • Nerf However, it does not go as high as Mario's.
  • Change His forward smash is an electric attack rather than a flame attack.
    • Nerf However, it has a slightly shorter range.
    • Buff Forward Smash is more powerful, dealing 5% more damage uncharged and 7% more damage when fully charged.
  • Buff Dr. Mario's Jab Combo deals more damage and knockback than Mario's.
    • Nerf However, it is slightly slower and has slightly more ending lag.
  • Buff Dash Attack sends opponents completely vertically instead of obliquely, increasing his combo ability.
  • Change Megavitamin bounces twice while Mario's Fireball bounces three times.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario's Super Sheet does not stall him in the air like Mario's Cape does and has less horizontal range.
    • Buff However, it does do more damage than Mario's Cape and covers a higher vertical range than Mario's Cape.
  • Change Dr. Mario's down throw has more knockback than Mario's, giving Dr. Mario different followups compared to Mario.
  • Nerf The sweetspot of Dr. Mario's forward smash is at his arm, where Mario's sweetspots on the flame effect, which means that the sweetspot attack has to be at closer range.
  • Change Dr. Mario's victory poses, idle poses, on-screen appearance and taunts are different.
  • Change Dr. Mario has Dr. Tornado as his down special rather than F.L.U.D.D..
  • Change Dr. Mario's up smash launches opponents at a more horizontal angle compared to Mario's.
  • Change Dr. Mario's neutral aerial (sex kick) does more damage and knockback the longer it sticks out, compared to Mario's which is the opposite.
  • Change Dr. Mario's forward aerial does not meteor smash, while instead dealing more damage and launching the opponent at an oblique angle when sweetspotted
  • Change Dr. Mario's down aerial is an oblique drill kick, sending the opponent at a different angle compared to Mario's down aerial.
    • Nerf Down aerial deals much less knockback and has slower startup than Mario's down aerial.
  • Change Megavitamins are physical projectiles as opposed to Fireball's energy classification.
  • Change Dr. Mario uses Ties as defensive Equipment rather than overalls.
  • Change Super Jump Punch does not make a coin sound when used on an opponent.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario does not crouch as low as Mario.

Moveset

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

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2.8% Dr. Mario jabs with one fist, his other fist, and then finishes with a forward kick.
1.68%
4.48%
Forward tilt   7.84% Dr. Mario performs a spinning kick.
Up tilt   7.056% Dr. Mario performs a spinning uppercut.
Down tilt   5.6% (foot), 7.84% (body) Dr. Mario sweeps with his leg low to the ground, popping the opponent into the air.
Dash attack   8.96% (clean), 6.72% (late) Dr. Mario slides forward and kicks with both feet.
Forward smash   19.992% (arm), 16.464% (hand) Dr. Mario thrusts his arm forward and produces a small blast of electricity. It has longer range than in Melee, but now has a sweetspot at Dr. Mario's arm with the sourspot being the electricity.
19.04% (arm), 15.68% (hand)
19.6112% (arm), 16.1504% (hand)
Up smash   15.68% Dr. Mario performs a standard headbutt skyward. Dr. Mario's head has intangibility frames.
Down smash   11.2% (hit 1), 13.44% (hit 2) Dr. Mario performs a breakdance sweep.
Neutral aerial   5.6% (clean), 8.96% (late) Does an inverted sex kick, which increases in power the longer it's held out.
Forward aerial   11.2% (early), 16.8% (clean), 10.08% (late) Winds up and punches forwards. It knocks the opponent away at an upwards angle, instead of having a meteor smash effect like Mario's. The sweetspot is when Dr. Mario's fist is in front of him.
Back aerial   13.44% (clean), 7.84% (late) Dr. Mario spins and kicks backwards. Can KO near the edge at 140% and above if clean.
Up aerial   7.84% Dr. Mario performs a somersault and kicks backward. Sends the opponent up at an oblique angle.
Down aerial   1.904% (loop hits), 3.36% (last hit), 2.24% (landing) Dr. Mario spins around in the air repeatedly, hitting the opponent multiple times.
Grab  
Pummel   3.64% Headbutts opponent. Strongest pummel in the game.
Forward throw   8.96% Dr. Mario spins his opponent around once and tosses the opponent forward.
Back throw   12.32% (throw), 8.96% (collateral) A powerful throw that has Dr. Mario spinning the opponent several times while damaging bystanders and throwing the opponent in the opposite direction grabbed.
Up throw   7.84% Dr. Mario throws his opponent high into the air with both hands.
Down throw   5.6% Dr. Mario slams his opponent into the ground. Pops the opponent much higher than Mario's down throw.
Forward roll
Back roll
Spot dodge
Air dodge
Techs
Floor attack (front)
Floor getups (front)
  7.84% Gets up then kicks behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (back)
Floor getups (back)
  7.84% Gets up then punches behind him, then in front of him.
Floor attack (trip)
Floor getups (trip)
  5.6% Kicks behind him, then in front of him while getting up.
Edge attack
Edge getups
  7.84% Does a somersault and then kicks upwards, from a laying down position.
Neutral special Default Megavitamins 5.6% (early), 4.48% (late) Dr. Mario fires a weak, bouncing capsule from his hand as a projectile.
Custom 1 Fast Capsule 3.36% (early), 2.576% (mid), 1.68% (late) Dr. Mario quickly fires a weaker capsule as if a shot from the Ray Gun. It does not bounce on the ground.
Custom 2 Mega Capsule 1.68% per hit A slow but large megavitamin is slowly launched from Dr. Mario's hand. It will damage any opponent it hits in its predetermined path until it vanishes, because unlike the other two variants it does not disappear upon impact.
Side special Default Super Sheet 7.84% Dr. Mario swings a defensive sheet that reflects projectiles and enemies. It has a taller hitbox than Mario's, but covers less horizontal distance. It also cannot be used to recover with.
Custom 1 Shocking Sheet 12.544% An offensive variant of the sheet that shoots electricity. It cannot be used to reflect projectiles.
Custom 2 Breezy Sheet 5.6% Dr. Mario shoots a small gust of wind from his sheet, pushing his opponent back in addition to turning them around. The sheet deals slightly less damage.
Up special Default Super Jump Punch 13.44% (clean), 6.72% (late) Dr. Mario performs a strong rising punch. It travels less distance than Mario's and only hits once, but can be sweetspotted for extra damage, like Luigi's.
Custom 1 Super Jump 0% A recovery giving more distance than the standard Super Jump Punch, at the cost of not having a hitbox.
Custom 2 Ol' One-Two 8.96% (hit 1), 14.56% (hit 2) A much stronger punch that causes explosive fire damage, at the cost of recovery distance. This uppercut hits twice, at the start and at its apex.
Down special Default Dr. Tornado 1.344% (loop hits), 3.36% (last hit) Performs a multi-hit spinning attack. It also traps the opponent, hitting them constantly, before knocking them back. Dr. Mario can move around on the ground while spinning, and can hover in the air by repeatedly pressing the B button while using it.
Custom 1 Soaring Tornado 0% (loop hits), 6.72% (last hit) A rapidly spinning move that launches Dr. Mario into the air. It has much greater vertical mobility, at the cost of horizontal movement.The last hit has much more knockback than the regular Dr. Tornado.
Custom 2 Clothesline Tornado 8.96% (loop hits), 8.96% (last hit) A slower tornado that deals higher knockback, at the cost of having less vertical and horizontal mobility.
Final Smash Doctor Finale 3.36% (bigger pill), 2.24% (smaller pill) Dr. Mario shoots two massive megavitamins, which move forwards and spiral outwards, creating exploding capsule effects as it travels across the stage. Similar to the Mario Finale, with giant pills replacing fireballs.

Taunts

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

On-Screen Appearance

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

Victory Fanfare

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

Trophies

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS trophy descriptions

Dr. Mario's regular trophy can be obtained by completing Classic Mode and his alternative trophy can be obtained by completing All-Star Mode.

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.
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.

Update history

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.4

  • Buff Forward aerial deals slightly more knockback.
  • Nerf Down aerial can only hit the target 5 times instead of 7 times.
  • Buff Down aerial's landing lag has been decreased.

Super Smash Bros. 4 1.0.6

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

Alternate costumes

Dr. Mario Palette (SSB4).png
Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4) Dr. Mario (SSB4)

Gallery

Trivia

  • Dr. Mario appears to have his shirt and tie done up on the artwork, but in gameplay, his collar is open and tie is loose.
  • Dr. Mario was originally planned to be an alternate costume of Mario, but was made separate late in development as it was felt that reducing him to a model swap would be insensitive to players who enjoyed his moveset in Melee. After Lucina, he was the second planned skin to be made into an individual character, with Dark Pit being the final of the three.