Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario is the persona Mario takes in the Dr. Mario series of games. Under this identity, Mario dons a lab coat, a head mirror, and a stethoscope around his neck. He first appeared 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 has also appeared as an unlockable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

Dr. Mario
Dr. Mario made his first appearance in a puzzle game with the same name, 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
During the events of Dr. Mario 64, Mad Scienstein robs Dr. Mario of his Megavitamins and sets off to deliver 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 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, although he did gain 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 Dr. Mario Express 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.

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 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 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, 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 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. series


Dr. Mario appears as 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 defeating him in the immediate subsequent match. 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 the yellow cape is replaced by the doctor's cloak. Dr. Mario shares the same speed and jump prowess as Mario, despite his trophy description, although these differences exist in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

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, Dr. Mario's 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.

Dr. Mario returns in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as an unlockable fighter, making him and Mewtwo the only cut characters from Super Smash Bros. Melee to return. To unlock him in the 3DS version, players must either complete Classic Mode with Mario on at least 4.0 intensity, or play 60 versus matches and then defeat him in the next immediate match. 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 play 50 versus matches.

Although he retains his dark gray pants from Super Smash Bros. Melee, 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 instead of the usual overalls his counterpart uses.

While his movement speed is much slower than in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Dr. Mario appears relatively unchanged; he retains his original down special move, the Dr. Tornado. He shares his custom 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, a new entrance animation, and one of his victory animations from Super Smash Bros. Melee, the one shared with Mario, has been replaced with a new one, which has him pondering.

Megavitamins
Dr. Mario shoots Megavitamins for his neutral special. They act similar to Mario's Fireball move, except they are more powerful and move slightly differently. In fact, they are one of the strongest uncharged projectiles in the game. They make the Dr. Mario sound effects when they bounce and hit.

Additionally, in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, if the special moves are found, Dr. Mario can use the Fast Capsule or the Mega Capsule. The Fast Capsule fires weak, quick, horizontal-moving pills, while the Mega Capsule is a slow, large, short ranged pill that can pass through opponents.

Super Sheet
Super Sheet is Dr. Mario's Side Special move. The attack is almost the same as Mario's Cape attack, but the Super Sheet is actually one of his Doctor's cloaks; it is also longer, and does more damage. As the Cape, it can reverse the direction of projectile-based attacks and shift the position the foe is facing, both on the ground and mid-air; in the case of the latter, the opponent is turned around and instead jumps 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 once these special moves are found. Shocking Sheet gives the attack high knockback and electric effects at the cost of reflecting projectiles. Breezy Sheet is slightly weaker and creates a small gust that pushes back opponents.

Super Jump Punch
The Super Jump Punch is Dr. Mario's Up Special Move in the Super Smash Bros. series. When Dr. Mario performs the attack, coins fly out of the enemy, and the foe receives damage. Dr. Mario's version of the attack is similar to Mario's, but it is more powerful. Also, the sound effect is different than the usual sound made when Mario grabs a coin. Dr. Mario is put into a helpless state after the move ends. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, however, the move deals one strong blow rather than multiple successive weak hits and coins no longer fly out when it hits.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, additionally, Dr. Mario can replace his Super Jump Punch with Super Jump or Ol' One-Two, once those special moves have been found. Super Jump enables Dr. Mario to gain additional distance, although the attack does no damage. Ol' One-Two gives the move a fire effect, hits twice, and deals more damage, although it has less knockback and decreases the height of the jump.

Dr. Tornado
Dr. Tornado is Dr. Mario's Down Special move, and unlike Mario, he retains this attack in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. Dr. Tornado has the same effect as the Mario Tornado, only it scatters opponents rather than knocking them directly up. The attack also has a very light pull effect, used to draw opponents into the Tornado, additionally Dr. Mario can hover while using this attack by tapping the special button rapidly while using it.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Dr. Tornado can be changed into Soaring Tornado or Clothesline Tornado, if they are unlocked, which function identically to Luigi's custom specials. Soaring Tornado creates a short ranged wind that pushes foes. The move gains more vertical distance than other variations, but there is very limited horizontal movement. Clothesline Tornado does high amounts of damage, but has limited movement and longer lag.

Doctor Finale
To activate his Final Smash, Dr. Mario must first obtain a Smash Ball. Dr. Mario's Final Smash, the Doctor Finale, is a skinned version of Mario's Mario Finale. Dr. Mario shoots two large, slow-moving encircling Megavitamins that move in a horizontal line. If caught, opponents are trapped and pushed in front of the blast, pushing them toward the blast line until they escape or are KO'd.

Other appearances
In Nintendo Monopoly, Dr. Mario is seen on one of the ? Block Cards, "Receive for medical services $25". Dr. Mario also makes a short appearance in one strip of Super Mario 4koma Manga Theater. Here, he receives a patient, which turns out to be a Dry Bones, much to his annoyance. Dr. Mario also makes a small appearance as one of the occupations listed in Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up on the "Medical Doctor/Nurse" career page. In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, 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, it has no gameplay differences.

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.

Remakes & compilations
Dr. Mario, usually in his debut game, 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 pf 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. Finally, 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.