Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario is the persona Mario takes in the Dr. Mario series. Under this identity, Mario dons a lab coat, a head mirror, and a stethoscope around his neck. He first appears in his titular game, Dr. Mario. Dr. Mario and Nurse Toadstool, his assistant nurse, work at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital, where Dr. Mario eliminates Viruses and other diseases by using Megavitamins, which has been the standard for subsequent games starring him. Dr. Mario also appears as an unlockable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, where he is considered a separate character from Mario.

Dr. Mario
In Dr. Mario, Dr. Mario works in a virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital, alongside Nurse Toadstool. When an experiment goes wrong, the hospital is flooded with tri-color viruses. Armed with Megavitamins - a medicine of his own invention - Dr. Mario sets out to neutralize the outbreak.

In gameplay, Dr. Mario periodically throws Megavitamins into the bottle. Afterwards, the player can move and land them on Viruses, which spawn throughout the bottle. By connecting a line of three or more halves of Megavitamins to a virus of the corresponding color, the Virus disappears. As such, blue Megavitamins eliminate Chill Viruses (blue), red Megavitamins eliminate Fever Viruses (red), and yellow Megavitamins eliminate Weird Viruses (yellow). Removing all viruses on the screen advances the player to the next level.

Dr. Mario 64
In Dr. Mario 64, Mad Scienstein robs Dr. Mario's Megavitamins and sets off to deliver them to his master, Rudy. Dr. Mario, as well as Wario, who wants to sell the Megavitamins for money, follow the two. In order to advance through the story, Dr. Mario must defeat Rudy's minions in Vs. Matches. In the end, it is revealed that Rudy is actually sick and Scienstein was ordered to retrieve the magical healing pills to cure him.

Dr. Mario also received several subtle aesthetic changes, most of them reflecting Mario's changes over time. In particular, he gained a tie, which has since become a staple of his design.

Dr. Mario Online Rx
In the WiiWare game Dr. Mario Online Rx, players can control Dr. Mario or any Mii stored in their Wii. Dr. Mario serves a similar role as his debut game; he takes Megavitamins from his bag and throws them into the bottle, using them to defeat viruses.

Dr. Mario Express
In the DSi game Dr. Mario Express, he plays the same role as he does in Dr. Mario Online Rx, but unlike the Wii version, his model is cel-shaded, giving him a more cartoonish look.

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
Dr. Mario, as well as his brother, Dr. Luigi, appears in the compilation in Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, which includes "Dr. Mario", the standard gameplay where Dr. Mario assists players destroy viruses, as well as two additional modes, "Operation L" from Dr. Luigi, and "Virus Buster". One new clearing method Dr. Mario can use is the Miracle Cure, which is a gauge that, once filled, can be used to destroy all Viruses and Megavitamins of the corresponding color, drop a bomb to remove adjacent Viruses and Megavitamins, or clear an entire column.

Nintendo Comics System
Dr. Mario appears in Nintendo Comics System's adaptation of Dr. Mario, entitled "The Doctor Is In... Over His Head". Mario and Princess Toadstool, expecting a plumbing emergency, enter the Mushroom Kingdom General Hospital, although they find no emergency. Dr. Waldo Bloom insists so and makes Mario his research assistant, calling him Dr. Mario. After touring through the hospital, Dr. Waldo takes them to his laboratory where he shows them the Viruses, and he explains that the Viruses have been multiplying. The original Viruses, inside the jar, soon break free and introduce themselves as Chill, Fever, and Weird. Eventually, after discovering that matching the colors of stacked Megavitamins can destroy Viruses, Mario manages to defeat them.

Princess Toadstool then advises Dr. Bloom play golf and return only he is done with the game, but Mario notes that Dr. Bloom is a bad golfer, which means Dr. Bloom will be off duty for a long time. Princess Peach then suggests Mario to be both a plumber and a doctor, which Mario agrees to do.

Club Nintendo
Dr. Mario also appears in the German Club Nintendo comic "Süße Weihnachten" where he helps Bowser who suffers from a stomachache on Christmas Day. Bowser has Viruses in his stomach, and Dr. Mario advises him to take bitter pills instead of marzipan.

Super Mario-Kun
Dr. Mario makes a brief appearance in volume 1 of Super Mario-Kun, in which Yoshi falls from the Sky and Mario then transforms into Dr. Mario before stuffing a giant Megavitamin in his mouth. Dr. Mario reappears in volume 8, after being attacked by a Tweeter, Mario transforms into Dr. Mario. He then reveals a shell underneath a rock and attaches rocket boosters (which resemble Megavitamins) to it, enabling him, Luigi, and Yoshi to fly on it. This knocks away nearby Snifits.

Super Smash Bros. Melee


Dr. Mario appears as an unlockable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is unlocked by beating Classic or Adventure mode with Mario without losing any lives or by playing 100 Melee matches, and then defeating him in the immediate subsequent match on Princess Peach's Castle. Unlike in his home series, Dr. Mario's design is somewhat modified for his appearance in Melee, with the most noticeable change being a pair of dark gray pants.

According to Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the Super Smash Bros. series, the concept of a slower, yet stronger Mario was originally considered to be used for Wario. Due to time constraints, however, this concept was instead given to Dr. Mario.

The overwhelming majority of Dr. Mario's moveset is nearly identical to his normal self's, although it nevertheless has a few distinct traits. In addition to his aforementioned higher strength, Dr. Mario throws Megavitamins instead of Fireballs; his forward smash uses electricity instead of fire; he uses the white-colored Super Sheet instead of the Cape; and his Super Jump Punch is stronger, but hits a fewer amount of times. Contrary to his trophy's description, Dr. Mario's jump height and running speed are actually the same as Mario's; additionally, his air speed is faster than his regular counterpart's.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Although Dr. Mario is absent from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, data for Dr. Mario can be found, suggesting that he was intended to be in the game in some form. Meanwhile, his Super Smash Bros. Melee theme can be used as one of the songs that plays in the PictoChat and custom stages. He also has a Sticker depicting his artwork from the original Dr. Mario game.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Dr. Mario returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as an unlockable fighter, making him, Mewtwo and Roy the only cut characters from Super Smash Bros. Melee to return. Unlike his fellow Melee veterans, however, he is included within the main games, whereas Mewtwo and Roy are available as DLC fighters. To unlock Dr. Mario in the Nintendo 3DS version, players must either complete Classic Mode with Mario on at least 4.0 intensity, or play 60 Smash matches. Afterward, the player must defeat him on Mushroomy Kingdom. In the Wii U version, players can unlock Dr. Mario by completing a Master Orders ticket with a difficulty level of Hard or higher, or by playing 50 Smash matches. Afterward, the player must defeat him on Delfino Plaza.

Dr. Mario's design is now a composition of his appearance as of Dr. Mario 64 and his dark gray pants from Melee. To reflect this change, Dr. Mario can wear tie equipment to boost his defense stat instead of the overalls equipment his normal self uses. However, he also uses the gloves and shoes equipment for attack and speed like Mario does. Unlike in Melee, Dr. Mario now functions like a stronger, yet slower Mario. Almost the entirety of his moveset deals 1.12× more damage than Mario's; conversely, his base ground mobility is Mario's multiplied by 0.832, and his base air mobility and base jump/double jump heights are Mario's multiplied by 0.808. These multipliers result in Dr. Mario being distinctly affected by passive equipment physics, in which he specifically possesses a +15 Attack value and a -50 Speed value.

Dr. Mario retains his moveset from Melee, while custom versions of his neutral, side, and up special moves are shared with Mario. However, the custom versions of Dr. Tornado are instead shared with Luigi, owing to Mario having F.L.U.D.D. as his down special move since Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Dr. Mario's Final Smash, Doctor Finale, is a variation of Mario's Mario Finale that is stronger and uses giant Megavitamins instead of giant, streaming Fireballs. Dr. Mario has also gained two new taunts, a new entrance animation, and a new victory animation that replaces the victory animation he shared with Mario in Melee.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate


Dr. Mario is also set to return as an unlockable playable character in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He retains many of his moves from the previous installment; however, his down aerial attack has changed from a corkscrew dropkick to a double foot stomp, which is capable of meteor smashing an opponent. Dr. Mario also receives a new back throw, which is an overhead swing. Dr. Mario's forward smash now produces lavender electricity instead of blue. Dr. Mario now jumps slightly higher, while the majority of his moveset receives a slight damage increase; additionally, his grab animation is now one-handed.

Other appearances
Dr. Mario also makes a small appearance as one of the occupations listed in Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up on the "Medical Doctor/Nurse" career page. In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, Dr. Mario appears in a microgame named after him based on the NES version of his game. A spoof of the original Dr. Mario game appears in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! called Dr. Wario, though it has no gameplay differences. Yet another microgame in WarioWare Gold stars Dr. Mario. Dr. Mario in Super Mario Maker is also one of the several characters that compose Costume Mario.

Players can unlock the Dr. Mario costume by using the appropriate amiibo or complete one of the several challenges, which randomly unlocks a costume character. When players use Dr. Mario, sound effects from the NES version of Dr. Mario play, and when is pressed, Dr. Mario takes out a Megavitamin. One of Yoshi's designs in Yoshi's Woolly World is based on Dr. Mario. Players scan a Dr. Mario amiibo to unlock the color scheme.

Later, in the animated Super Mario World TV show episode "King Scoopa Koopa", Mario finishes off his healthy-eating request to a group of cave people with the line "Dr. Mario's orders!". Dr. Mario was given a similar reference in Paper Mario when the thankful Whale told Mario that he should be addressed by the title of "Dr. Mario" after Mario and his partners expelled the Fuzzipede from the Whale's body, thus ending his stomachache.

Dr. Mario also makes a short appearance in one strip of Super Mario 4koma Manga Theater. Here, he receives a patient, which turns out to be a Dry Bones, much to his annoyance.

In Nintendo Monopoly, Dr. Mario is seen on the "Receive for medical services $25" ? Block Card.

In Super Mario Odyssey, Dr. Mario appears as one of Mario's outfits.

Remakes and compilations
Dr. Mario has also appeared in the various remakes and compilations of several games. Dr. Mario Vs. which was made for Vs. matches of Dr. Mario, released for the Nintendo Vs. System. Tetris & Dr. Mario is a remake of the NES game, and, as shown in the title, also includes Tetris. Dr. Mario BS Version is a remake of the original game for the Satellaview that includes the graphics and sound from Tetris & Dr. Mario.

Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario is a direct port of the original Dr. Mario, it was one of the many NES games remade for the Classic NES Series on the Game Boy Advance. Also for the Game Boy Advance, Dr. Mario & Puzzle League featured Dr. Mario alongside an unrelated game, Puzzle League in a similar fashion to Tetris & Dr. Mario. Lastly, Nintendo Puzzle Collection includes Dr. Mario 64 as part of the collection of Nintendo puzzle games.

Palutena's Guidance

 * Pit: I don't think that's a real doctor.
 * Palutena: I wouldn't be so sure. He delivers crushing blows, so he must be very knowledgeable about anatomy.
 * Viridi: He's a quack. I hear he treats viruses by randomly throwing medication at them. Doesn't seem very safe.
 * Pit: I'm so glad Skyworld doesn't have checkups.
 * Palutena: Dr. Mario is slower than the regular Mario, but he's also more powerful. Don't get sent to the emergency room! You don't know what kind of treatment you'll get.

amiibo

 * In the 1990 Dr. Mario game, Mario threw on a white coat and decided to take a shot at that whole "medicine" thing. Dr. Mario destroys killer viruses with his amazing vitamin capsules and spends day and night in his laboratory working on new miracle cures. Somehow he's managed to keep up with all the new viruses that have arisen over the years.