Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario  is the persona Mario takes in the Dr. Mario series of games. Under this character, Mario dons a lab coat, a head mirror and a stethoscope around the neck. He first appeared in Dr. Mario, and the Dr. Mario series has expanded to new consoles and handhelds by Nintendo. Dr. Mario has additionally appeared as an unlockable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

Princess Peach functions as Dr. Mario's assistant nurse, also known as Nurse Toadstool in localizations of the original game manual. She also appears (or is at least mentioned) in versions of the game. As mentioned in the original game manual, Dr. Mario and Nurse Toadstool work at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital. Dr. Luigi also appears in his own game, as a spin-off to Dr. Mario.

Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario marked his first appearance in a game with the same name, Dr. Mario. It was released in 1990 on the NES. The game set a basis to future Dr. Mario games, where the player controls Megavitamins to land on Viruses. By stacking three or more halves of Megavitamins on a virus of the same color, the Virus would disappear. As such, yellow Viruses were eliminated with yellow Megavitamins, red Viruses were eliminated with red Megavitamins, and blue Viruses were eliminated with blue Megavitamins. The objective was to remove all viruses on the screen, and when that was completed, the player could advance to the next level.

Vs. Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario Vs. was a game that was made for Vs. matches of Dr. Mario, released for the Nintendo Vs. System. Dr. Mario's role in the game remained the same, as the game had little difference from its predecessor.

Dr. Mario 64
Dr. Mario 64 was the third installment of the Dr. Mario series, released on the Nintendo 64. It was the first game of the series to include a storyline. In the plot, Mad Scienstein robs Dr. Mario of his Megavitamins and brings them to his master, Rudy the Clown. Dr. Mario, as well as Wario, who wants to sell the Megavitamins for money, set off to defeat the two. In the end, it is revealed that Rudy was actually sick and Scienstein was ordered to retrieve the magical healing pills from Dr. Mario.

Story Mode of Dr. Mario 64 would pit Dr. Mario or Wario against various villains in Vs. matches of Virus busting. It also featured the original game, known as Classic Mode.

Dr. Mario has received subtle aesthetic changes, including a tie, and his proportions have been changed to be less stubby overall, reflecting on Mario's changes himself.

Dr. Mario Online Rx
Dr. Mario Online Rx is a WiiWare game that is made available for download on the Wii Shop Channel. Players can control not only Dr. Mario but Miis as well – players can choose to play as any Mii from their Mii Channel stored in their Wii. The game featured Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing vs. matches to take place around the world.

Dr. Mario Express
Dr. Mario Express, known as A Little Bit of... Dr. Mario in PAL regions was released on DSiWare for the Nintendo DSi for 500 DSi points. This game has the same design as Dr. Mario Online Rx, but unlike the Wii version, it does not offer a multiplayer mode or feature the "Virus Buster" mini-game. 3-D objects are cel-shaded in this game.

Nintendo Comics System
Dr. Mario appears in Nintendo Comics System's adaptation of Dr. Mario, which was entitled "The Doctor Is In... Over His Head". Mario and Princess Peach, 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 Peach then suggests 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, 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 stomachache during 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 here, when Yoshi falls from the Sky, Mario transforms into Dr. Mario and stuffs a giant Megavitamin in his mouth. Dr. Mario also appears in volume 8 after attacked by a Tweeter, Mario transforms into Dr. Mario. He then reveals a shell underneath a rock and then 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. series


Dr. Mario is an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is unlocked by beating Classic or Adventure mode with Mario without losing any lives, and then beating Dr. Mario. Most of his attacks and moves are nearly identical to his standard self, Mario. However, instead of fireballs, Dr. Mario shoots Megavitamins at his opponents, his smash attack uses electricity instead of fire, and his regular yellow cape is replaced by his doctor's cloak. Dr. Mario is slower in ground than his red counterpart is, but faster in the air, and more powerful than he is. This more than makes up for his lack of good running and jumping skills.

Dr. Mario is absent in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but via hacking, data for Dr. Mario can be found in Brawl, confirming that he was supposed to have another role in the game. Dr. Mario's Super Smash Bros. Melee theme can be one of the songs that play in the PictoChat and custom stages, however. He also has a Sticker after him.

Dr. Mario returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as an unlockable playable fighter, making him the only cut character from Super Smash Bros. Melee to return. To unlock him, players must either complete Classic Mode with Mario on 4.0 intensity or play 60 matches. His design has been updated to include the shirt and tie from Dr. Mario 64. Reflecting the change, Dr. Mario can wear tie-related equipment to boost his defense stat generally, instead of the usual overalls for his counterpart.

Dr. appears relatively unchanged; he retains his original down special move, the Dr. Tornado. He also shares his hidden special moves with Mario, barring the Dr. Tornado. His Final Smash is a variation of Mario's Mario Finale: the flames are replaced with giant pills. Dr. Mario has also gained two new taunts: with up taunt, he rubs the ground with his feet, and with down taunt, he pats his back. One of his victory animations from Melee, which is the one that shares the animation with Mario, has been replaced with a new one, which is him pondering.

Megavitamins
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Dr. Mario's neutral B attack makes him shoot Megavitamins. They act the same as Mario's Fireball move, except that the Megavitamins are more powerful (they do 8% instead of 5%). In fact, they are one of the strongest fast-moving projectile in the game. They also bounce in a different path, and make the Dr. Mario sound effects when they bounce (colour line cleared) and hit (virus defeated). There's also a trophy of Dr. Mario shooting Megavitamins and one of the vitamins themselves. Kirby is also able to use the Megavitamins if he copies Dr. Mario's powers.

In addition, in ''Super Smash Bris. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U'', Dr. Mario can alternately use the Fast Capsule or the Mega Capsule. The Fast Capsule fires weak, quick, horizontal-moving pills. The Mega Capsule is a slow, large, short ranged pill that can pass through opponents.

Super Sheet
Super Sheet is a move used by Dr. Mario in the game Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is executed by pressing Side + B. The attack is almost the same as Mario's Cape attack, except that Super Sheet is longer, but narrower, and does more damage. It is actually one of Dr. Mario's doctor cloaks. Like the Cape, it can change the directions of projectile-based attacks, and can also change the position the foe is facing. The Super Sheet will usually do around 10% of damage. The attack can also be used to shift the direction of a player who is trying to get back on the field. In this case, they will be turned around, and will instead jump back on air, rather than jump on the field.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Dr. Mario's Super Sheet can be changed to either Shocking Sheet or Breezy Sheet. Shocking Sheet makes the attack have electric effects at the cost of reflecting projectiles. Breezy Sheet creates a gust that can push opponents.

Super Jump Punch
The Super Jump Punch is a jumping move Mario, Luigi, and Dr. Mario can perform in the Super Smash Bros. series. It is executed by pressing + Up. When Dr. Mario performs the attack, coins fly out of the enemy, and the foe receives about 10% damage. Dr. Mario's version of the attack is exactly the same as Mario's, but it's more powerful. Also, the sound effect is different than the usual sound made when Mario grabs a coin. Dr. Mario will be put into a helpless state after the move ends.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Dr. Mario can additionally use Super Jump and Ol' One-Two. Super Jump enables Dr. Mario to gain additional distance, although the attack does no damage. Ol' One-Two gives a fire effect while decreasing the height gained.

Dr. Tornado
Dr. Tornado is Dr. Mario's down special attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The attack is executed by pressing Down + B. Dr. Tornado has the same effect as the Mario Tornado, except that it is a little stronger. The special attack traps the victim into a tornado, punches them constantly, and then smashes them up into the air when the move is done. The attack can also very lightly pull someone near into the Tornado. Unlike Mario Tornado, Dr. Tornado throws them in a random direction, rather than straight up. Dr. Mario is able to hover in the air when using this attack, by tapping rapidly the B Button while using it.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Dr. Tornado can be changed into Soaring Tornado and Clothesline Tornado. Soaring Tornado creates wind that pushes foes. Dr. Mario can gain more vertical distance, but there is limited horizontal movement. Clothesline Tornado has high launching power, but limited movement.

Other appearances
In the Nintendo Monopoly, Dr. Mario is seen in one of the ? Block Cards, "Receive for medical services $25". 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.

Additionally, one part of the Super Mario Adventures comic has Mario dressing up as a doctor, although he was not "Dr. Mario" specifically and was acting as a psychiatrist rather than a medical doctor.

Before even the first Dr. Mario game was released, Mario and Luigi referred to each other as "Dr. Mario" and "Dr. Luigi" at one point on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, during the live-action segment "Defective Gadgetry". Later, in the animated Super Mario World TV show episode "King Scoopa Koopa", Mario finishes off his healthy-eating request to a group of cavepeople 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.

Remakes & Compilations
As Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario, the original Dr. Mario was one of many NES games that were remade for the Classic NES Series on the Game Boy Advance. The game had exactly the same gameplay as the original Dr. Mario, meaning that, of course, Dr. Mario himself appeared.

Also for the Game Boy Advance, Dr. Mario & Puzzle League featured Dr. Mario alongside an unrelated game, Puzzle League.

Featured on the Nintendo GameCube and only released in Japan, Nintendo Puzzle Collection featured many different past Nintendo puzzle games (such as Tetris and Yoshi's Cookie), and Dr. Mario 64 was only one of them.

Name in other languages
Dr. Mario (Charakter) Dr. Mario (personaggio)