SSBU Icon.png

Dr. Mario (SSBU)

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
This article is about Dr. Mario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For the character in other contexts, see Dr. Mario.
Dr. Mario
in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Dr. Mario SSBU.png
MarioSymbol.svg
Universe Mario
Other playable appearances in Melee
in SSB4

Availability Unlockable
Final Smash Doctor Finale
DrMarioHeadSSBU.png
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 SSB4, 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.

Attributes

As a clone of Mario, Dr. Mario is a middleweight that can wall jump. Like his normal self, Dr. Mario also has excellent frame data: when not counting special moves, the overall start-up lag of his normal moveset is very fast. As a result, Dr. Mario is both difficult to punish and very effective at punishing. Although they share an overwhelming number of identical animations and even the exact same values for certain attributes (falling speed; fast falling speed; traction; and gravity), Dr. Mario nevertheless has a number of traits that differ from his normal self. Like Mario, Dr. Mario's height is below-average; oddly, however, he is marginally shorter in comparison, and does not crouch as low as his normal self.

Dr. Mario functions like a stronger, yet slower Mario, owing to the implementation of multipliers to the majority of his moveset and some of his attributes. Aside from six moves, the remainder of Dr. Mario's moveset deals more damage compared to Mario's moveset. Conversely, his walking and dashing speeds are noticeably slower; his air speed and air acceleration are slower; and his jump and double jump's initial speeds are slower, which is equivalent to their heights being slightly lower. These multipliers result in Dr. Mario being distinctly affected by passive equipment physics, in which he specifically possesses a higher Attack value and a slower Speed value. Although Dr. Mario's lower jump height makes his short hop more effective than Mario's, these modified attributes collectively render his overall mobility as sub-par. Conversely, Dr. Mario's higher overall damage output results in him being noticeably more efficient at KOing in comparison to Mario.

He shares two useful combo starters with Mario. Down tilt is the most effective of the two: although it is short-ranged, it is very reliable at low to high percentages, with useful follow-ups including itself, neutral attack, up tilt, his smash attacks, back aerial, up aerial, and Super Jump Punch. Like Super Jump Punch, forward aerial can function as a KO mix-up at high percentages, but requires a hard read. Up tilt can combo into itself reliably, albeit not as consistently as Mario's version because of its higher damage output. However, its higher damage output makes it better at juggling, and even enables it to function as a situational KOing option at very high percentages.

Outside of these moves, up smash functions similarly to Luigi's version instead of Mario's version: it launches the opponent diagonally instead of vertically, and will launch them in the opposite direction of where Dr. Mario is facing so long as they are in front of him. Compared to Luigi's, however, it launches at a lower angle. As a result, Dr. Mario's version has much greater combo potential when uncharged: it can combo into itself, up tilt and Super Jump Punch at 0%-10%, and into forward and down tilt at 10%-15%. On an unrelated note, its launching angle also makes it much better at edge-guarding or setting up edge-guards compared to Mario and Luigi's versions.

Dr. Mario possesses a decent grab game. His overall grab is range is average, but each of his grabs have minimal start-up and ending lag. Forward throw is useful for initiating edge-guards and can even combo into dash attack at 0%-20%, whereas back throw is one of the strongest back throws in the game.

Up throw is able to initiate aerial pressure, especially on fast-fallers, but is effectively his least useful throw. Lastly, down throw is able to combo into Dr. Tornado at low percentages, and into up aerial at low to medium percentages. It can also combo into up smash; reverse aerial rushed back aerial; down aerial; and even forward aerial and Super Jump Punch as KO mix-ups at high percentages. However, up smash is only effective against the majority of the cast at 0%-10%, whereas the latter four follow-ups require hard reads.

Like his normal self, Dr. Mario's air game is above-average. Neutral aerial is a "reverse sex kick": its clean hitbox deals minimal damage, whereas its late hitbox deals more damage. Thanks to it hitting on frame 3 and having low landing lag, its clean hitbox is ideal for set-ups. Conversely, its late hitbox is decent at edgeguarding, due to its long hitbox duration. Back aerial is also fast; auto-cancels in a short hop; and possesses a powerful clean hitbox, which collectively make it viable for KOing, edge-guarding and approaching. Forward aerial has considerable start-up lag, but its clean hitbox makes it the third strongest aerial of its kind; as such, it is lethal when SHFF'd against unwary opponents that are near the edge. Up aerial's horizontal launching angle grants its beginning and ending frames decent combo potential into Super Jump Punch and back aerial, respectively, at low to medium percentages. Down aerial is a meteor smash that hits on frame 16, making it a good edgeguarding option while also having 27 frames of ending lag and 13 frames of landing lag. However, the hitbox only lasts for 5 frames, and the meteor smash sweetspot is located at Dr. Mario's feet.

In regard to special moves, Megavitamins travel farther in the air without landing compared to Mario's Fireball, and they bounce twice instead of three times. Super Sheet's reflection hitbox has a longer duration compared to Cape's. Due to its hitbox being positioned higher, it also has more vertical range, yet less horizontal range in comparison. Like in SSB4, Super Sheet no longer stalls Dr. Mario in midair like it did in Melee. To alleviate the removal of Super Sheet's recovery potential, Dr. Tornado is now a much more integral part of Dr. Mario's recovery, thanks to it granting him a decent amount of horizontal distance when it is button mashed sufficiently.

Unlike F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado deals damage. When coupled with its very high knockback scaling, auto-link angle and transcendent priority, it is useful for edge-guarding, warding off edge-guarders, and even out-prioritizing attacks. However, Dr. Tornado's much shorter range makes it much riskier to use for edge-guarding compared to F.L.U.D.D. Due to Super Jump Punch consisting of a powerful clean hitbox and a weak late hitbox instead of multiple hitboxes like Mario's, it actually functions like a less polarized version of Luigi's Super Jump Punch. As a result, its clean hitbox makes it a viable KOing option unlike Mario's. Although it can not be canceled, Super Jump Punch can be B-reversed upon landing its clean hitbox like Mario's can upon start-up This makes it useful for edgeguarding, and can enable Dr. Mario to avoid punishment and/or hit an opponent behind himself upon hitting his primary target.

However, Dr. Mario's flaws are significantly more noticeable in comparison to Mario's. Although he boasts excellent KO potential, it is inconsistent. This is most obvious with up smash: its launching angle makes it reliable at KOing only while near the edge, whereas Mario and, to a lesser degree, Luigi's up smashes KO reliably from anywhere on-stage because of their higher launching angles. By extension, he has minimal KO set-ups like Mario. Additionally, Dr. Mario shares Mario's notable weakness of having short range in his attacks, which hinders his ability to approach and fight characters with long or disjointed range like Link. Dr. Mario's sluggish mobility compounds another notable weakness: his recovery. Despite being able to wall jump, the combination of his slow air speed; slow air acceleration; and Super Jump Punch's mediocre travel distance results in his recovery being predictable like Mario's.

Due to his overall recovery granting noticeably less vertical distance compared to Mario's, Dr. Mario is very vulnerable to most meteor smashes. As a result, it is optimal for him to read the opponent when trying to return to the stage, as well as knowing when and how to make use of Dr. Tornado, which has a huge amount of ending lag (33 frames, aerial version) and cannot sweetspot edges. Even though Dr. Mario may not need to use his double jump to recover, any sufficiently strong attacks, particularly semi-spikes, may launch him too far away to recover properly. Lastly, Dr. Mario is an all-rounder like his normal self, and is thus outclassed in certain aspects by other characters: Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon have more power and much better overall mobility; Mario and Luigi have much more versatile combo games; Lucina and Cloud have much more range; and Link and Samus are much better at zoning.

Overall, Dr. Mario's fast frame data enables him to pressure and/or punish the opponent effectively at close range, while his above-average damage output makes him capable of KOing easily. Unlike Mario, however, his slow mobility hinders his neutral game to the point that he is largely reliant on baiting and punishing. By extension, his sub-par recovery makes him a less capable edgeguarder compared to his normal self, and he retains his normal self's lack of range as well.

Differences from Mario

Despite not being 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. Because Dr. Mario uses external modifiers to his stats (rather than directly modifying them), Dr. Mario sports subpar mobility compared to Mario. He has the 16th-slowest walking speed, 7th-slowest dashing speed, 8th-slowest air speed, poor air acceleration, 29th-slowest falling speed, 31st-slowest fast falling speed, 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. However, Dr. Mario compensates for his slower mobility with another external multiplier that increases the damage of his attacks in comparison, as all of his attacks deal noticably more damage without any compensation on knockback, which enables him to KO more easily as a result.

Like Mario, Dr. Mario has excellent frame data, with most of his standard attacks having low startup and ending lag (excluding forward smash, forward aerial, down aerial and special moves). As a result, Dr. Mario is effective at punishing his opponents, while he himself is difficult to punish. Like Mario, 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 setups easier to create.

However, much like Mario, Dr. Mario's range is fairly short, forcing him to fight close to his opponents and limiting his ability to fight opponents with long or disjointed range. Due to Dr. Mario's slower mobility, this is considerably riskier for him.

Aesthetics

  • Change Dr. Mario is slightly less vocal than Mario. Some of his attacks also emit different sound effects.
  • Change Dr. Mario's on-screen appearance, taunts, idle poses, and victory poses are different from Mario's.
  • Change Dr. Mario's defeated/No Contest animation is different from Mario's. He also looks in front of him with a neutral expression, whereas Mario looks slightly to the left with a smiling expression.
  • Change Dr. Mario is less expressive than Mario. He keeps most of the same expressions as him, such as when he grits his teeth in some of his attacks, is angry when he is attacking and appears shocked when hit or grabbed but his expressions are overall more limited, and he only smiles in one of his victory poses. Combined with the different animation and expression on the result screen, this makes him more serious than Mario.

Attributes

  • Buff Dr. Mario's idle animation is much less exaggerated than Mario's. This gives him a consistently lower stance as a result.
  • Buff The damage outputs of Dr. Mario's attacks use a 1.175x multiplier. As a result, he is significantly stronger than Mario. However, this multiplier does not apply to items, and the base damage of his moves can also differ from Mario's.
    • Nerf However, this limits his combo game.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario's walking speed, dashing speed, initial dash speed, air speed and air acceleration use a negative multiplier. As a result, Dr. Mario is significantly less mobile than Mario.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario jumps lower.
    • Nerf Dr. Mario's wall jump covers significantly less height, hindering his recovery.
  • Buff 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:
    • Buff Jab 1 has higher base damage (2.2 → 2.5), further improving its damage output.
    • Buff All of Jab 1's hitboxes are further out (Z offset: 6/8.7/12 → 6.7/9.3/12.5), improving its range.
    • Nerf Jab 2's base damage is slightly lower (1.7 → 1.5).
  • Dash attack:
    • Buff Clean dash attack has higher base damage (8 → 9.8), further improving its damage output. Its hitlag was also compensated (1.25x → 1x).
    • Change Dr. Mario's dash attack launches the opponent vertically, whereas Mario's launches them horizontally. It also deals less knockback (100 (base)/43 (scaling) → 90/38). These differences make it effective for combos at low percentages, but less useful for edgeguarding.
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff Forward tilt has higher base damage (7% → 9%) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (70 → 65). When combined with Dr. Mario's damage multiplier, this gives the move KO potential near the ledge.
  • Up tilt:
    • Buff Up tilt has higher base damage (5.5 → 6.3), further improving its damage racking and KO potential when combined with Dr. Mario's damage multiplier.
      • Nerf However, its combo potential is weaker as a result.
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff Down tilt's sweetspot is larger (3.2u → 3.5u), making it easier to land.
      • Nerf However this makes the sourspot (which is better for comboing) harder to connect with.
    • Buff Down tilt has less knockback scaling (80 → 55), and inflicts 3 additional frames of hitstun. When combined with Dr. Mario's damage multiplier increasing the move's damage output, this makes it a more damaging and effective combo starter that loses its combo potential later, and gives him access to multiple KO confirms.
    • Change Down tilt's foot sweep visual starts earlier and has a different routine, more closely tracking his foot's current position.
  • Forward smash:
    • Change 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. This means Dr. Mario's forward smash does more damage at closer range than it would at farther range.
    • Nerf Dr. Mario's forward smash has lower knockback scaling (105 (sourspot)/99 (sweetspot) → 100/94), partially compensating for the increased damage.
    • Nerf Dr. Mario's forward smash has noticeably less range (outer hitbox size: 5u → 3.7u).
    • Change Dr. Mario's forward smash has an electric effect, whereas Mario's has a flame effect. This makes it capable of hurting Olimar's Red Pikmin and makes it safer on shield, but makes it incapable of hurting Yellow Pikmin or instantly detonating explosives, and makes it easier to DI.
  • Up smash:
    • Change Up smash launches at a lower angle (83 → 120), allowing it to KO opponents horizontally if they DI away, but weakening its vertical KO and anti-air potential.
    • Change Up smash has altered knockback (32 (base)/94 (scaling) → 0/117), making it much more effective for combos at lower damages while still making it stronger at higher damages. However, this also makes it unsafe on hit at low percents.
    • Buff Dr. Mario's up smash lasts one frame longer compared to Mario's (frames 9-12 → 9-13), increasing its range in front of him.
  • Down smash:
    • Change The sweeping visual on down smash is purple and white, rather than yellow, blue and white.

Aerial attacks

  • Neutral aerial:
    • Change 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. This makes the move capable of instantly starting combos and makes it more effective at punishing, but removes its KO confirm into down smash and makes it less useful as an instant combo finisher.
    • Buff Neutral aerial's late hit is larger (2.8u/2.8u → 3.6u/3.6u) and has higher knockback scaling (90 → 102).
    • Buff It autocancels earlier (frame 39 → 34).
    • Nerf It has more landing lag (6 frames → 7 frames).
  • Forward aerial:
    • Change Dr. Mario's forward aerial (known as "Dr. Punch" in the tips) launches the opponent diagonally, whereas Mario's meteor smashes them. This makes it very effective at KOing on-stage, but much worse at edgeguarding and renders it incapable of starting combos on landing.
    • Change The sweeping visual commences one frame earlier, and the last frame of the visual is absent.
  • Back aerial:
    • Buff Back aerial's clean hit has higher base damage (10.5 → 12) with knockback partly compensated (12 (base)/106 (scaling) → 10/95).
    • Buff Back aerial's clean hit and late hit have a longer duration (2 frames (clean) → 3, 3 (late) → 5).
    • Nerf Back aerial's clean hit has smaller hitboxes (4.5u/5.9u → 4.2u/5.4u).
    • Nerf It has more landing lag (6 frames → 10 frames).
  • Up aerial:
    • Change Up aerial launches at a lower angle (75 → 45), severely weakening its combo potential but improving its edgeguarding potential.
    • Buff Up aerial has higher base damage (7 → 8.7) with knockback scaling compensated (135 → 114), further improving its damage output.
    • Nerf It has more landing lag (6 frames → 8 frames).
  • Down aerial:
    • Change Dr. Mario's down aerial (known as "CLEAR!" in the tips) is a powerful downward stomp, whereas Mario's has been Mario Tornado since Brawl. Unlike Mario's, it consists of one strong hitbox instead of six weaker hitboxes.
    • Change Down aerial can meteor smash and send opponents horizontally instead of vertically. This makes it very good at edgeguarding and tech-chasing, but less effective at KOing and combos.
    • Buff Down aerial has reduced landing lag (15 → 13).
    • Nerf Down aerial has significantly increased startup lag (5 → 16).
    • Nerf Down aerial lacks a landing hit.
    • Nerf Down aerial has significantly smaller hitboxes.

Grabs and throws

  • Forward throw:
    • Nerf Forward throw has less knockback scaling (65 → 60), preventing it from reliably KOing away from ledge and making it as strong as Mario's despite the damage multiplier.
  • Back throw:
    • Change Back throw has a different animation: Dr. Mario heaves the opponent off the ground and above his head, then tosses them away behind him, as opposed to swinging them around multiple times.
      • Buff Compared to Mario's back throw, Dr. Mario releases the opponent earlier (frame 44 → 30), making it harder to DI and increasing its consistency.
      • Nerf However, its FAF remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
      • Buff Back throw has higher knockback scaling (66 → 68). Combined with the damage multiplier, this makes it considerably stronger than Mario's.
      • Nerf Back throw lacks a collateral hitbox.
  • Up throw:
    • Nerf Up throw has reduced knockback scaling (72 → 65), making it as strong as Mario's despite the damage multiplier, while possessing inferior combo potential due to Dr. Mario's lower jumps.
  • Down throw:
    • Change Down throw (known as "Hospital Bed" in the tips) launches at a higher angle (68 → 80) and has altered knockback (40 (base)/90 (scaling) → 75/45). While this makes its combo potential into up and back aerials more consistent, it makes other followups like down tilt and neutral attack impossible.

Special moves

  • Neutral special:
    • Buff Unlike Fireball, Megavitamins cannot be absorbed by moves like Ness's PSI Magnet.
    • Change Megavitamins launch at a higher angle (361 → 65), and deals more knockback (base knockback: 35 (clean)/28 (mid)/22 (late) → 60/55/50, knockback scaling: 20 (clean)/15 (mid)/10 (late) → 40/40/40), improving its setup potential but hindering its jab reset and edgeguarding potential.
    • Change Megavitamins' hitbox is longer and thinner (size: 2.4u/2.2u/2u → 1.7/1.7/1.7, Y offset: 0 → -1.7—1.7), better matching the shape of a capsule.
    • Change Megavitamins deal more hitlag (0.6x → 1x) improving their safety but making them easier to DI/SDI.
    • Change Megavitamins do not have a flame effect unlike Fireball. This makes them capable of hurting Olimar's Red Pikmin, but renders them incapable of instantly detonating explosives.
    • Change Megavitamins bounce twice and at a higher angle, whereas Fireball bounces three times and at a lower angle.
  • Side special:
    • Change Compared to Mario's Cape, Super Sheet's hitbox is positioned slightly upward. This results in it having slightly more vertical range, but slightly less horizontal range.
    • Change Super Sheet has a different animation where Dr. Mario swings the sheet upward, highlighting its increased vertical reach.
    • Change Unlike aerial Cape, aerial Super Sheet does not stall Dr. Mario. This makes it more effective at B-reversing, but unusable for recovery.
    • Buff Super Sheet reflects for slightly longer (9-20 → 9-22).
    • Buff Projectiles reflected by Super Sheet do more damage (1.5x → 1.6x), making it as strong as Joker's Makarakarn.
  • Up special:
    • Change Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch consists of a clean hitbox and a late hitbox, whereas Mario's consists of seven hitboxes. However, the angle of the attack remains the same as Mario's on all hitboxes, which makes it launch diagonally upon startup.
      • Nerf Due to this, Dr. Mario's variant is much less safe on hit at lower percents and is not as deadly of a stage spike until higher ones.
    • Buff Due to its higher damage output, Dr. Mario's clean Super Jump Punch is significantly more effective for KOing when not near the upper blast line.
    • Nerf Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch travels a much shorter distance, making it less effective for recovery.
    • Nerf Unlike Mario's Super Jump Punch, Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch lacks intangibility on start-up.
    • Change Dr. Mario's Super Jump Punch does not produce Coins upon contact, whereas Mario's does.
  • Down special:
    • Change Dr. Mario retains Dr. Tornado as his down special, whereas Mario's has been F.L.U.D.D. since Brawl.
    • Buff Unlike F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado deals damage, making it a very viable KO move at mid percents.
    • Buff Compared to F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado is significantly more effective for recovery.
    • Nerf Compared to F.L.U.D.D., Dr. Tornado has significantly less range and is less important to his neutral game as a result.
    • Nerf Due to lacking a powerful windbox that pushes opponents away, Dr. Tornado is less effective at gimping.
  • Final Smash
    • Change 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.
      • Change Doctor Finale does not have a flame effect as a result.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Dr. Mario has been buffed in the transition from SSB4 to 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 and get-up attacks), which further supplements his damage-racking game and previously inconsistent KO ability. His recovery, while still poor, has nevertheless improved slightly; his Dr. Tornado has increased distance, and the readdition of directional air dodges gives him another option to possibly extend and mix up his recovery. His Megavitamins and Dr. Tornado have also been given notable improvements; the Megavitamins deal enough damage and knockback to cause opponents to tumble, and launch at a higher angle, making them viable as a combo starter and even giving them the ability to set up KOs. Dr. Tornado, outside of its improved recovery potential, has been significantly buffed; it has gained notoriety 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 if used on the ground, which further improves its safety and viability. Additionally, Dr. Mario has a new down aerial which can meteor smash opponents much like Mario's forward aerial, which when combined with the changes to Dr. Tornado give him an improved edgeguarding game.

However, Dr. Mario has received a few nerfs. Dr. Mario's up tilt has had its hitbox placement adjusted, giving it inferior range in front of and underneath him. Additionally, his grabs have increased ending lag, hindering their utility and combos. Furthermore, his already sub-par mobility is slower, especially in comparison to the rest of the cast, given the nerfs to his air speed and jump height. His overall mobility remains largely unaltered from his previous appearance, resulting in him now being much slower relative to the roster, considering as most other fighters have received buffs to their mobility.

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 SSB4, his damage-racking potential has increased and his recovery is safer and better overall (though it is still considered among the worst in the game, along with Little Mac and Ganondorf). Because of these changes, he is better in Ultimate, but nowhere as close to his Melee incarnation, where he was a high or mid tier. He has seen results in the competitive scene, achieving some representation from players like Locus and Lui$. However, Dr. Mario's overall tournament representation is poor in spite his buffs, as he is regarded as a mid, low or even bottom-tier character, with most players drawing comparisons to Mario being a much better character, contrasting Dr. Mario’s slow speed, and abysmal recovery. However, patch 7.0.0 awarded Doc with a myriad of buffs to his damage racking and edgeguarding potential, which has caught the eyes of some players, such as Goblin, who notably sees Dr. Mario as a high tier and that he is underrated and slept on. Overall, his buffs may not be as significant as other changes that most characters got. His tier placement is questionable due to the young meta of Ultimate.

Aesthetics

  • Change Dr. Mario's model features a more subdued color scheme. Like Mario, the fabric of his clothes features greater detailing, and his head mirror's headband is cordovan brown instead of a dark taupe gray like in Melee. The inside of his pants is also slate grey instead of white. Additionally, Dr. Mario has a slightly darker skin tone.
  • Change Dr. Mario has a new idle animation with less exaggerated bouncing and his head turned more toward the screen, similar to the one he had in Melee. It no longer reverts to Mario's idle when holding an item.
  • Change Most, if not all, of Mario's aesthetic and animation changes also apply to Dr. Mario:
    • Change Dr. Mario has become drastically more expressive in this game, to an even greater degree than its predecessor, or the rest of the cast. In particular, he will sometimes smile and appear whimsical or happy in battle, in line with his canon depiction, although he still looks serious and with angry brows most of the time. In contrast, Dr. Mario will also make much angrier expressions than before, particularly when he is preparing to throw someone or when grabbing onto a ledge.
    • Change Walking, air dodge, helpless, skidding, and ledge-hanging animations have changed. Additionally, Dr. Mario now faces the screen instead of away while sleeping.
    • Change Dr. Mario's mustache now moves during certain animations, such as while falling.
  • Change The idle pose where Dr. Mario pounds his fist into his palm has been slightly altered; he now smiles during it.
  • Change All of Dr. Mario's victory poses have been slightly altered.
    • Change The victory animation where Dr. Mario rubs his chin has him tap the toe of his shoe on the ground before contemplatively rubbing his chin.
    • Change The victory animation where Dr. Mario throws Megavitamins has him looking towards the camera with a happy expression when holding the Megavitamins in his hands.
    • Change The victory animation where Dr. Mario poses with his stethoscope is more exaggerated.
  • Change Dr. Mario once again has his own section in the Sound Test, much like in Melee.

Attributes

  • Buff Like all characters, Dr. Mario's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 5).
  • Buff Dr. Mario's damage modifier has been increased (+15 → +22), meaning that the damage output of all attacks has been increased from 1.12x to 1.176x and slightly higher KO power as a result.
  • Nerf Dr. Mario's mobility modifier has been decreased (-50 → -65). Due to Dr. Mario's movement speed being relatively unchanged from his previous appearance, he hardly benefits from the universal mobility buffs, and is 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.
    • Buff Dr. Mario runs slightly faster (1.3312 → 1.397792).
      • Buff His initial dash is also faster (1.3312 → 1.5375712), although it is the 2nd slowest in the game.
    • Buff Dr. Mario walks slightly faster (0.9152 → 0.917301).
    • Nerf Dr. Mario's air speed is slower (0.9292 → 0.9238784).
    • Nerf Dr. Mario's short hop (14.171785912 → 13.414592) and midair jump (29.356105712 → 27.785184) cover less distance.
  • Buff Dr. Mario's full hop no longer uses an external multiplier and covers greater distance (29.356105712 → 30.8805).
  • Buff Dr. Mario's traction is much higher (0.045 → 0.106), allowing him to punish out of shield more easily. It is slightly higher than Mario's.
  • Change Dr. Mario's gravity is slightly lower (0.08715 → 0.087).
  • Nerf Forward roll grants less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 4-15).
  • Nerf Back roll has more startup with less intangibility (frames 4-16 → 5-16), and more ending lag (FAF 30 → 35).
  • Buff Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 27 → 26).
  • Buff Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-27 → 3-29).
  • Nerf Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 33 → 53).

Ground attacks

  • Neutral attack:
    • Buff Consecutive uses of the first hit of neutral attack are faster (11 → 6 frames).
    • Buff The first two hits transition into the subsequent hits noticeably faster (frame 10 → 5 (hit 1), 6 (hit 2)) and have less ending lag (FAF 23 → 20 (hit 1), 25 → 22 (hit 2)), no longer being slower than Mario's.
    • Buff The third hit comes out faster (frame 7 → 3) and goes higher, allowing it to connect better from the first two hits.
      • Nerf However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 36 → 34), giving it more ending lag.
    • Buff The third hit has increased base knockback (45 → 60).
    • Nerf All hits have a higher hitlag multiplier (1× → 1.8× (hit 1), 1.2× (hit 2), 2× (hit 3)), giving opponents more time to SDI each hit and DI the last hit.
    • Nerf All hits have smaller hitboxes (3u/2.8u/4u → 1.2u/1.5u/1.8u (hit 1), 3u/2.8u/4u → 1.8u/3u/4u (hit 2), 5u/2.5u/2.5u → 4.3u/2.5u/2.6u (hit 3)).
    • Change The first two hits no longer use set knockback (30 set/100 scaling → 25/20/10 base/30/20 scaling (hit 1), 30/20/15 base/35/25/15 scaling (hit 2)), and have altered angles (60°/70°/80° → 361°/180° (hit 1), 70°/78°/88° → 361° (hit 2)). This allows them to lock, and gives them jab cancel setups at high percents, but causes them to connect less reliably.
  • Forward tilt:
    • Buff Forward tilt deals slightly more damage (7% → 9%).
    • Buff Forward tilt has less ending lag (FAF 31 → 26). Combined with the increased shieldstun for ground attacks, this makes it much safer on shield.
    • Change It has much more base knockback (8 → 55), but less knockback scaling (100 → 65). This makes it significantly safer on hit at low percents, but removes its ability to lock, and reduces its KO potential from across the stage.
  • Up tilt:
    • Nerf Up tilt has an altered animation with the spinning uppercut starting from a higher and closer position, noticeably reducing its range in front of Dr. Mario, to the point where it can no longer hit most characters on the ground unless they are very close.
    • Change Its animation has been flipped, with Dr. Mario spinning toward the screen rather than away from it.
  • Down tilt:
    • Buff Down tilt's sweetspot takes priority over the sourspot.
    • Buff It has less knockback scaling (80 → 55) and has gained a hitstun modifier of 3, significantly improving its combo ability, to the point of possessing KO setups at high percents.
    • Change Its animation has been flipped, with Dr. Mario spinning toward the screen rather than away from it.
  • Dash attack:
    • Buff Dash attack's clean hit deals more damage (8% → 9.8%) with knockback scaling not fully compensated (42 → 38), improving its KO potential.
    • Buff The hitboxes are placed farther from Dr. Mario (Z offset: 4.4u/4u → 5.4u/4.9u), improving its horizontal range.
    • Buff It has gained a shieldstun multiplier of 1.875×, which when combined with the increased shieldstun for grounded attacks makes it safer on shield.
    • Buff The late hit has a slightly bigger hitbox (2.6u → 2.7u).
    • Nerf It has a different animation where Dr. Mario's head is positioned higher, his legs extend farther from him, and he gets up during the ending lag instead of staying sit. This prevents him from sliding under certain attacks, and makes him easier to hit overall.
  • Forward smash:
    • Buff Forward smash deals consistent damage across all angles (14%/17% (forward), 14.7%/17.85% (up), 14.42%/17.51% (down) → 14.7%/17.8% (all)), increasing it overall, with knockback scaling minimally compensated on the unangled (96 → 94) and downward angled (96 → 95) versions.
    • Change The electricity produced from Dr. Mario's forward smash is magenta/lavender instead of light blue.
  • Up smash:
    • Change Up smash launches at a more vertical angle (130° → 120°), which allows it to KO earlier onstage and function better as an anti-air punishment tool, but makes it more vulnerable to LSI and worsens its KO ability near the ledge.
    • Change Its animation has been flipped, with Dr. Mario facing toward the screen rather than away from it.
  • Down smash:

Aerial attacks

  • Buff All aerials have less landing lag (12 frames → 7 (neutral), 28 → 17 (forward), 16 → 10 (back), 14 → 8 (up), 21 → 13 (down)).
  • Neutral aerial:
    • Buff Neutral aerial's late hit deals more damage (8% → 10%) and has more knockback scaling (90 → 94), improving its KO potential.
    • Buff The late hit has larger hitboxes (3u → 3.6u).
  • Forward aerial:
    • Change Forward aerial has a different animation, with Dr. Mario punching downward with his opposite hand and twisting around afterwards instead of flipping.
  • Up aerial:
    • Buff Up aerial has less ending lag (FAF 32 → 31).
    • Buff It deals more damage (7% → 8.7%) and knockback (9 base/100 scaling → 10/114), giving it much more KO ability, without drastically reducing its combo ability due to its reduced lag.
    • Buff It auto-cancels earlier (frame 18 → 17).
    • Nerf Its hitboxes have a shorter duration (frames 4-8 → 4-7).
  • Down aerial:
    • Change Dr. Mario has a new down aerial: a downward stomp similar to that of Captain Falcon. It consists of only one hit instead of five.
    • Buff It has a shorter total duration (FAF 52 → 43), making it safer to use offstage.
    • Buff It deals more damage (1.7% (hits 1-4), 3% (hit 5); 9.8% total → 12%), with knockback not fully compensated (50 base/120 scaling → 10/100), and has a sweetspot that meteor smashes opponents, while the sourspot launches them at a lower angle (45° → 270°/361°). Combined with its previous changes, this allows it to start combos onstage at various percents, while also improving its edgeguarding ability, being as strong as Mario's forward aerial.
    • Buff It auto-cancels much earlier (frame 45 → 35), allowing it to auto-cancel in a short hop.
    • Buff It has larger hitboxes overall (4.5u/3.2u (hits 1-4), 5.5u/3.7u (hit 5) → 5.2u/4.5u).
    • Nerf Down aerial has more startup with a shorter hitbox duration (frames 11-27 → 14-17), which also increases its ending lag despite its total duration being reduced.
    • Nerf It no longer possesses a landing hit.

Throws and other attacks

  • Grabs:
    • Nerf All grabs have increased ending lag (FAF 29 → 35 (standing), 36 → 43 (dash), 34 → 37 (pivot)).
    • Nerf Dash and pivot grab have slightly more startup lag (frame 8 → 9 (dash), 9 → 10 (pivot)).
    • Nerf Dash grab has slightly less range (Z2 offset: 10.6u → 10.4u).
  • Pummel:
    • Buff Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 16 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 24 → 7), shortening its duration.
    • Nerf It deals much less damage (3.25% → 1.3%).
    • Change It has a slightly different animation: Dr. Mario uses one hand during it instead of both of his hands like in previous installments, to maintain consistency with his grab animation.
  • Change All of Dr. Mario's throws have been altered with more exaggerated animations.
  • Change The speed of Dr. Mario's throws is no longer weight-dependent. This improves their combo potential on heavyweights, but reduces it on lightweights.
  • Forward throw:
    • Change Its animation has been altered, with Dr. Mario turning on the opposite direction faster, but the second half of the spin is slower and he tosses the opponent more exaggeratedly.
  • Back throw:
    • Change Dr. Mario has a new back throw: he heaves the opponent overhead behind him.
    • Buff It releases opponents faster (frame 44 → 30), making it harder to DI.
      • Nerf However, its total duration remains unchanged, increasing its ending lag.
    • Buff It has more knockback scaling (60 → 68). In combination with Dr. Mario's higher damage multiplier, this turns it into one of the strongest back throws in the game.
    • Nerf It no longer possesses a collateral hit.
  • Up throw:
    • Buff Up throw has increased combo ability due to Dr. Mario's faster jumpsquat and jump speed.
    • Change It has a different animation where Dr. Mario faces horizontally rather than towards the screen, and holds the opponent by their chest instead of lifting them on their back before throwing, more closely resembling Mario's Upward Cap Throw from Super Mario Odyssey.
  • Down throw:
    • Buff Down throw has increased combo ability due to Dr. Mario's faster jumpsquat and jump speed.
    • Change Dr. Mario no longer performs a front flip after throwing the opponent. He also slams the opponent more forcefully and with a single arm instead of two.
  • Floor attack:
    • Nerf Floor attacks deal less base damage (front and back floor attacks: 7 → 6 (both hits), trip floor attack: 5 → 4.3 (both hits)), meaning that they deal roughly the same damage as Mario's.
  • Edge attack:
    • Buff Edge attack deals more base damage (7% → 8.51%).

Special moves

  • Megavitamins:
    • Buff Megavitamins has less ending lag (FAF 53 → 50), improving its safety.
    • Buff It launches at a higher angle (361° → 65°), deals much more knockback (35 base/20 scaling → 60/40 (clean), 28/15 → 55/40 (mid), 22/10 → 50/40 (late)), and has a higher hitlag multiplier (0.3× → 1×). Alongside the previous change, this greatly improves the move's camping and followup abilities.
      • Nerf Due to these changes, however, it can no longer lock opponents.
    • Buff Megavitamins are slightly larger, and have been given an extended hitbox to match their size, increasing their range despite the hitbox itself being smaller overall (2u (clean)/1.8u (mid)/1.6u (late) → 1.7u).
    • Change The pills are generally less bouncy (bounce speed: 1.8 (min)/2.2 (max) → 1.65/2).
    • Nerf It has received negative shield damage (0 → -2.5 (clean)/-2 (late)), effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.
    • Change Dr. Mario no longer opens his mouth when using Megavitamins on the ground.
  • Super Sheet:
    • Buff Projectiles reflected by Super Sheet have a higher damage multiplier (1.5× → 1.6×).
    • Buff It no longer gives the opponent super armor on hit.
    • Buff The Super Sheet now deals knockback and hitstun to opponents grabbing the ledge.
    • Nerf The reflective hitbox is smaller (9u → 7.7u), and has been moved forward (2 → 6.5). As such, it can no longer cover behind Dr. Mario, making it less safe to use.
      • Buff Although, it is easier to reflect projectiles that otherwise would have stopped short of Dr. Mario.
    • Nerf The reflective hitbox has more startup with a shorter duration (frame 6-22 → 9-22), although it has a new function causing it to start two frames earlier (frame 7) if a projectile is very close to Dr. Mario at the time. This slightly reduces its safety.
      • Buff In the same circumstances, the entire move loses two frames of startup, allowing the offensive hitbox to come out earlier (on frame 10) and reducing the move's total duration.
    • Nerf The animation is considerably longer (41 frames → 58). In the air, this increases the amount of time Dr. Mario's air mobility is restricted if the move is not interrupted.
    • Change It always forces opponents to show their backside while they are using their moves; this even works to characters with mirrored stances, such as another Dr. Mario, causing them to turn away from the screen.
    • Change Super Sheet has an updated animation to differentiate it from Cape. It starts flat on the floor, and Dr. Mario lifts it up above his head. This better indicates the move's higher vertical reach compared to Mario's Cape.
  • Super Jump Punch:
    • Buff Super Jump Punch's clean hit has slightly more knockback scaling (100 → 105).
    • Nerf The clean hit's hitbox is no longer extended towards Dr. Mario. Thanks to the new jostle mechanics, it does not induce a blindspot despite the reduced range.
    • Change The window to reverse Super Jump Punch is shorter, no longer being reversible during the clean hit. This makes it easier to angle vertically, but harder to recover with when facing away from the stage.
    • Change The clean hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (1.5× → 1×).
    • Change Super Jump Punch has an altered landing animation where Dr. Mario lands on his feet, like in Melee, as opposed to his back.
  • Dr. Tornado:
    • Buff Dr. Tornado hits seven times, up from five, and deals much more damage (1.2% (hits 1-4); 7.8% total → 1.6% (hits 1-6); 12.6% total).
    • Buff It has gained percent-based heavy armor during frames 2-9 when used on the ground, with a threshold of 10%.
    • Buff It has larger hitboxes (3.5u/4.2u → 4u/4.5u (looping hits), 6u/6u → 6.5u/6u (last hit)).
    • Buff It gains more height via button mashing, improving Dr. Mario's recovery.
    • Buff The looping hits have shorter gaps between them (6 frames → 4), different angles (90°/180° (grounded), 90°/366° (aerial) → 90°/105°/367°), a lower hitlag multiplier (1× → 0.5×), and use set knockback for all their hitboxes, allowing them to connect much more reliably despite their increased SDI multiplier (1× → 1.2×).
    • Buff The last hit has more knockback scaling (130 → 154), which combined with its increased damage greatly improves its KO potential.
    • Nerf The looping hits are only active for one frame each, instead of being fully active throughout and using a rehit rate (frames 10-33 → 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30).
    • Change Dr. Mario opens his hands when using the move, and rises slightly upwards on the ground.
    • Change It has a vortex form around Dr. Mario when used, much like Luigi Cyclone.
  • Doctor Finale:
    • Buff At the start of Doctor Finale, nearby opponents will be slowed down more, and for longer.
    • Nerf The Megavitamins have a shorter duration with a faster travel speed (260 frames → 210). This makes them more likely to drop opponents, and makes them worse at timing out offstage opponents.
    • Change 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. This makes the front Megavitamin worse early during the Final Smash, but the back Megavitamin stronger later during it.
    • Change Dr. Mario sports an angrier expression than in the previous game when unleashing Doctor Finale.

Update history

Initially, Dr. Mario had received a mixture of minor buffs and nerfs. In 1.1.0, Super Sheet was buffed, as reflected projectiles are now somewhat stronger. 3.0.0 nerfed the shield damage of Megavitamins like with most other projectiles, but it also slightly improved Dr. Mario's Final Smash as well. Overall, these changes had little to no effect whatsoever on Dr. Mario's competitive viability.

However, 7.0.0 gave Dr. Mario more noticeable buffs. His down tilt has received reduced knockback scaling and increased hitstun which improves its utility as a combo starter and grants it combo potential even at percents where Mario's stops working, down aerial has a longer hitbox duration, and strong moves such as Super Jump Punch have been made better for KOing and out of shield option. Despite the notable buffs, the overall opinion on him remains the same and that his base fighter, Mario, outshines him in nearly every category. His buffs unarguably benefit the character, but he is still considered one of the worst characters in the game by many players.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 1.1.0

  • Buff The reflection damage multiplier for Super Sheet has been increased (1.5x → 1.6x).
  • Buff Super Sheet's reflector has more range (6.5u → 7.7u).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 3.0.0

  • Nerf Megavitamin has received negative shield damage (0 → -2.5 (clean)/-2 (late)), effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.
  • Buff Super Sheet no longer puts opponents into hitstun during ledge return vulnerability, increasing his combo potential.
  • Buff At the start of Doctor Finale, nearby opponents will be slowed more (10 → 20), and for longer (60 frames → 85).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 7.0.0

  • Buff Forward tilt deals more base damage (7% → 9%), with knockback scaling not fully compensated (70 → 65).
  • Buff Down tilt has less knockback scaling (80 → 55), and inflicts 3 additional frames of hitstun. This significantly improves its combo potential, granting it KO setups into Super Jump Punch at high percents.
  • Buff Neutral aerial's late hit deals more base damage (8% → 10%), with knockback scaling not fully compensated (102 → 94).
  • Buff Down aerial has a longer hitbox duration (frames 16-17 → 16-19).
  • Buff Super Jump Punch's clean hit has more knockback scaling (100 → 105).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 8.0.0

  • Buff Doctor Finale deals more damage (2.7%, 2%, 2.9%/2.2%, 3.1%/2.3%, 3.3%/2.5% → 3%, 2.3%, 3.2%/2.5%, 3.4%/2.6%, 3.6%/2.8%).

Moveset

For a gallery of Dr. Mario's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

  Name Damage Description
Neutral attack   2.9375% Two punches, followed up by a kick. Useful for spacing and comes out quickly. The first and second hits can jab lock.
1.7625%
4.7%
Forward tilt   10.5% A wheel kick. It deals average knockback, but it is enough to KO at around 150% at the ledge.
Up tilt   7.4025% 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, although it fails to hit most short opponents due to its high hitbox placement.
Down tilt   5.875% (foot), 8.225% (leg) A legsweep. A great combo starter, as it can combo into up aerial, Super Jump Punch, and Dr. Tornado, all of which serve as KO confirms.
Dash attack   11.515% (clean), 7.05% (late) A baseball slide. Launches opponents vertically unlike Mario's version, which can potentially make it a combo starter if hit late.
Forward smash   17.2725% (electricity), 20.915% (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. Its electric properties also make it safer on shield compared to Mario's, especially if spaced.
Up smash Ear, Nose, and Throat 16.45% 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. The horizontal angle allows the move to combo into itself at low percentages and KO earlier at the ledge, although it weakens its potential as an anti-air and punishment tool.
Down smash   11.75% (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, and can punish ledge stalls effectively. It can also semi-spike with above-average knockback, making it a great edgeguarding tool.
Neutral aerial Dr. Kick 5.875% (clean), 9.4% (late) A sex kick that has the unique property of having its late hit being stronger than its clean hit. Its clean hit can jab lock and start combos, while its late hit has surprisingly high knockback for a sex kick, KOing at the edge at around 130%.
Forward aerial Dr. Punch 11.75% (early), 17.625% (clean), 10.575% (late) Throws an overhand punch. Unlike Mario's version, it does not have a meteor smash hitbox. It has slow startup (tied with his down aerial for the slowest of his other aerials), high ending and landing lag, and is the only aerial that cannot autocancel in a short hop, but it has extremely high diagonal knockback when hit clean, making it one of the strongest forward aerials in the game. Can KO middleweights as early as 70% near the edge.
Back aerial   14.1% (clean), 8.225% (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. Can also chain into itself at low percents, or set up tech-chase situations.
Up aerial   10.2225% A bicycle kick. The move launches diagonally unlike Mario's up aerial, which can be ideal for edgeguarding mixups. However, this renders it unusable for juggling and lengthy combos past low percentages. It can be used twice in a single short hop, or the second up aerial can be replaced with a neutral aerial instead. Despite its very quick startup, it works well as a KO option at high percentages, especially offstage.
Down aerial CLEAR! 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. It has a sourspot on his hips, which launches away instead. On grounded opponents, the meteor hitbox can open up many KO confirms, notably with forward aerial, back aerial, Super Jump Punch and Dr. Tornado; however it can be difficult to hit as it only has four active frames.
Grab   Reaches out. Has average range and above average speed.
Pummel   1.5275% Headbutts the opponent. Moderately fast.
Forward throw   9.4% Spins and throws the opponent away. Can be used to set up an edgeguard, or combo into dash attack against certain characters at 0%. Decently quick. It is also slightly stronger than Mario's forward throw as it can KO middleweights at around 178% at the edge of Final Destination, which is about 10% earlier.
Back throw   12.925% 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 when at the ledge. Can KO middleweights at around 109% near the edge of Final Destination with good DI.
Up throw   8.225% Heaves the opponent upward. Can put the opponent into a juggling situation. Can combo into up aerial and Dr. Tornado at low percentages. It can KO middleweights at around 224% on Final Destination, which is about 5% earlier than Mario's up throw.
Down throw Hospital Bed 5.875% 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. It can KO at percentages as low as 60% if followed up with Dr. Tornado at the sides of the stage, though this is also reliant on reads. It also has KO setups into up aerial and back aerial.
Floor attack (front)   7% Sweepkicks, then gets up. Identical to Mario's.
Floor attack (back)   7% Punches on both sides, then gets up. Identical to Mario's.
Floor attack (trip)   5% Sweepkicks, then gets up. Identical to Mario's.
Edge attack   10% Performs a dropkick while climbing up. Identical to Mario's, though it deals more damage.
Neutral special Megavitamins 5.875% (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 if timed correctly.
Side special Super Sheet 8.225%, 1.6x times the reflected projectile Flips his white sheet upward. Can turn opponents around (which also temporarily reverses their controls and aerial momentum) and can function as a reflector, which deals more damage than Mario's variant due to Dr. Mario's attack multipliers. 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), 7.05% (late) A jumping uppercut. It functions better as an attack than a recovery option, as it has great KO potential and fast startup, which can make it a deadly out of shield option. However, it travels a short distance compared to Mario's version.
Down special Dr. Tornado 1.88% (hits 1-6), 3.525% (final hit) A series of clothesline spins. Can hit up to seven 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. As an attack, it is notorious for being able to KO very early at the sides of the stage (around 45% at earliest) due to its extremely high knockback growth on its last hit. As such, it is a deadly edgeguarding tool, although it is a bit risky due to Dr. Mario's poor recovery.
Final Smash Doctor Finale 3.1% (front Megavitamin), 2.3% (back Megavitamin) Similar to Mario Finale, but the fireballs are replaced with huge Megavitamins with their respective sounds, 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

  • Left: Throws two randomly-colored Megavitamins in different directions, dusts his gloves, pulls out two more Megavitamins of the same color, and smiles.
  • Up: Waves his stethoscope in front of him, off to his side, then to the other, and then back in front of him.
  • Right: 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.

In competitive play

Although his power, out-of-shield options, and damage-racking capabilities were improved in the transition to Ultimate, Dr. Mario has been consistently perceived as an inferior version of Mario. While Lui$, Stroder, and Locus achieved decent success very early on, his recurring flaws from Smash 4 would still remain prominent, as his sluggish speed, atrocious recovery, and mediocre range would only highlight his still poor approach options. However, he does have a few strengths over Mario, such as his out of shield game and KO power with back throw and Dr. Tornado. Even with these specific strengths, both of Doc's best players would eventually drop him or relegate him as a secondary in favor of Terry and Fox.

Dr. Mario would arguably only get worse throughout subsequent patches, as characters such as Palutena, Samus, and Lucina would continue to hinder him in competitive play. Even with players such as Oryon, Fons, and Tsumusuto achieving notable success with the character, top players such as Mr.R, Samsora, and Dark Wizzy continue to see him as a low tier character, with some like ESAM and Maister viewing him as one of the worst characters in the game. Some people asserted their argument for Doc to connect to Mario as a better version. However, his viability continues to remain questionable. For example, ZeRo, Nairo, Armada, and Leffen now believe Dr. Mario is a mid tier due to his scary attributes and improved punish game after 7.0.0. ESAM and MkLeo also believed Dr. Mario's buffs helped him in certain character matchups he struggled with prior, such as their mains Pikachu and Joker, respectively. In addition, Goblin views him as a high tier and says that Doc is underrated after 7.0.0 because of his improved combo game and out of shield options. Lui$ is thinking of picking him back up as a co-main with Fox due to these buffs.

Notable players

Any number following the Smasher name indicates placement on the Fall 2019 PGRU, which recognizes the official top 50 players in the world in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from July 13th, 2019 to December 15th, 2019.

Active

Inactive

Classic Mode: Colorful Treatment Plan

Dr. Mario's congratulations screen.

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. The stage before Master Hand with the trio of Warios references their rivarly from Dr. Mario 64.

Round Opponent Stage Music Notes
1 Mr. Game & Watch Team MrGame&WatchHeadRedSSBU.pngMrGame&WatchHeadYellowSSBU.pngMrGame&WatchHeadBlueSSBU.png Flat Zone X Chill (for 3DS / Wii U)
2 Kirby Team KirbyHeadYellowSSBU.pngKirbyHeadBlueSSBU.pngKirbyHeadRedSSBU.png Green Greens Fever
3 Yoshi Team YoshiHeadRedSSBU.pngYoshiHeadBlueSSBU.pngYoshiHeadYellowSSBU.png Yoshi's Island Chill (Brawl)
4 Wii Fit Trainer Team WiiFitTrainerHeadRedSSBU.pngWiiFitTrainerHeadSSBU.pngWiiFitTrainerHeadYellowSSBU.png Wii Fit Studio Fever
5 R.O.B. Team ROBHeadRedSSBU.pngROBHeadBlueSSBU.pngROBHeadYellowSSBU.png Battlefield Chill (for 3DS / Wii U)
6 Wario Team WarioHeadClassicSSBU.pngWarioHeadClassicRedSSBU.pngWarioHeadClassicCyanSSBU.png Luigi's Mansion Tetris: Type A
Bonus Stage
Final Master Hand Final Destination Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity)
Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)
On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Note: Every stage plays a track from the Mario or Tetris universe, no matter what universe the stage originates from.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Dr. Mario has Fever accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Dr. Mario's location in World of Light.
Finding Dr. Mario 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.

Fighter Battle

No. Image Name Type Power Stage Music
18
Dr. Mario SSBU.png
Dr. Mario
Shield
Shield
3,400 Mario Bros. (Ω form) Fever

Template:-

Spirit

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.

In Spirit battles

As the main opponent

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
592 Dr. Stewart F-Zero Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadYellowSSBU.png
Neutral
9,500 Mute City SNES (Battlefield form) •Item: Food •Timed battle
•The enemy heals over time
•Items will be pulled toward the enemy
Mute City (Original)
736 Dr. Crygor WarioWare Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png
R.O.B. ROBHeadBlueSSBU.png
Wario WarioHeadGreenSSBU.png
Grab
3,400 WarioWare, Inc. (hazards off) N/A •Defeat the main fighter to win Mike's Song
752 Hal Emmerich Metal Gear Solid Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlackSSBU.png
•Giant Metal R.O.B. ROBHeadCyanSSBU.png
Shield
4,500 Prism Tower N/A •Defeat the main fighter to win
•The enemy tends to avoid conflict
•The enemy is metal
Yell "Dead Cell"
867 Dr. Light Mega Man Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png
Mega Man MegaManHeadCyanSSBU.png
Shield
10,000 Wily Castle (Battlefield form) N/A •Defeat the main fighter to win
Stamina battle
•The enemy tends to avoid conflict
Mega Man 2 Medley
873 Dr. Wily Mega Man Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png
•Metal Mega Man MegaManHeadGreenSSBU.png (×8)
Attack
12,600 Wily Castle (hazards off) N/A Stamina battle
•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd
•The enemy is metal
Mega Man 2 Medley
1,132 Hockey Players Ice Hockey Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png
Donkey Kong DonkeyKongHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Luigi LuigiHeadWhiteSSBU.png
Attack
1,500 Pokémon Stadium (Ω form) •Slippery Stage •The stage's platforms are very slippery Core Luge Short hockey player
1,135 Andy Advance Wars Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadRedSSBU.png
•Tiny Snake SnakeHeadRedSSBU.png (×8)
Grab
3,400 Halberd (Ship deck) •Health Recovery
•Item: Exploding Types
•The enemy is healed when the enemy's at high damage
•Defeat an army of fighters
Filled with Hope
1,195
Sick Beats Doctor Spirit.png
Sick Beats Doctor Rhythm Heaven Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png
Shield
2,200 Wrecking Crew •Assist Trophy Enemies (Ghosts)
•Hazard: Poison Cloud
•The stage is covered in a poisonous cloud
•Hostile assist trophies will appear
Chill (Brawl)
1,214 Dr. Kawashima Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png
Neutral
3,800 PictoChat 2 (hazards off) •Assist Trophy Enemies (Dr. Kawashima) •Hostile assist trophies will appear Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
1,216 Dr. Lobe Big Brain Academy Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadYellowSSBU.png
Kirby (×2) (KirbyHeadWhiteSSBU.pngKirbyHeadPurpleSSBU.png)
Neutral
3,400 PictoChat 2 •Hazard: Low Gravity
•Hazard: High Gravity
•All fighters have reduced jump ability
•Gravity is reduced after a little while
Title Theme - Big Brain Academy
1,266
Plague Knight Spirit.png
Plague Knight Shovel Knight Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadGreenSSBU.png
Grab
1,900 Unova Pokémon League •Item: Bob-omb •The enemy's explosion and fire attacks have increased power
•Items will be pulled toward the enemy
•The enemy is easily distracted by items
Flash in the Dark (Dr. Wily Stage 1)
1,319
Professor Riggs Spirit.png
Professor Riggs & Plaise & Lerna Nintendo Labo Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadYellowSSBU.png
Bayonetta BayonettaHeadBlueSSBU.png
•Tiny Young Link YoungLinkHeadRedSSBU.png
Neutral
2,500 Paper Mario •Attack Power ↑
•Defense ↑
•The enemy has increased defense after a little while
•The enemy has increased attack power after a little while
Title Theme - Super Mario Maker Professor Riggs
1,390
Seteth.png
Seteth Fire Emblem Series Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlackSSBU.png
Villager VillagerHeadGreenSSBU.png
Neutral
4,200 Garreg Mach Monastery (Cathedral) N/A •Timed battle
•Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd
•The enemy has increased power for the first part of the battle
Chasing Daybreak

As a minion

Spirit Battle parameters Inspiration
No. Image Name Series Enemy Fighter(s) Type Power Stage Rules Conditions Music Character
1,344 Gruntilda Banjo-Kazooie Series King Dedede KingDededeHeadGreenSSBU.png
•Giant Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadGreenSSBU.png (×3)
Attack
13,900 Find Mii (Ω form) •Hazard: Poison Floor •Defeat the main fighter to win
•The floor is poisonous
Stamina battle
Vs. Klungo Klungo
1,421 Alfyn & Therion OCTOPATH TRAVELER Sheik SheikHeadBlackSSBU.png
Dr. Mario DrMarioHeadBlackSSBU.png
Attack
9,200 Distant Planet (Battlefield form) •Hazard: Poison Floor •The floor is poisonous
•The enemy's melee blows will heal them when they hit
Save the World, Heroes! Alfyn

Alternate costumes

Dr. Mario Palette (SSBU).png
DrMarioHeadSSBU.png DrMarioHeadRedSSBU.png DrMarioHeadBlueSSBU.png DrMarioHeadGreenSSBU.png DrMarioHeadBlackSSBU.png DrMarioHeadYellowSSBU.png DrMarioHeadPurpleSSBU.png DrMarioHeadPinkSSBU.png

Gallery

Character Showcase Video

Trivia

  • Excluding Cloud, whose universe only has his fighter spirits, Dr. Mario is the only character in the initial release of Ultimate to not appear in any spirit battles from their home series. He shares this distinction with downloadable characters Piranha Plant and Terry.
  • 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, namely Mario, with no gameplay connection between the two (not counting Dr. Mario being a costume in Super Mario Odyssey).
  • 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 Drug Store.
      • 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 in Melee and Smash for 3DS, 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 during his final stock in Stamina Mode, Dr. Mario uses his heavy knockback scream rather than his standard KO scream. This trait is shared with Mario, Hero, Terry and Byleth.
  • Using Megavitamins and pausing the game the moment the projectile appears in Dr. Mario's arm reveals that it will always appear completely red before changing to a randomized color one frame later.
  • Prior to version 2.0.0, Dr. Mario’s down aerial was named Bone Drill, a name arguably more fitting for his old down aerial in Smash 4. The current name, CLEAR!, references the message appearing when a level is completed in the original Dr. Mario, as well as the shout paramedics give when using defibrillators.
  • Dr. Mario technically has the most victory screens of any fighter. Although it may seem he has only three like most fighters, the colors of the pills in the animation where he throws them are random, totaling up to 6,561 combinations. When the other two are added, Dr. Mario has 6,563 victory screens.
  • Despite the sound effects having been removed from the Sound Test, as well as Dr. Mario having no Sound Test section in Smash 4, he now has his own Sound Test section, similar to Melee, though it is now functionally identical to that of Mario's, with some voice clips not used by Dr. Mario (such as "Let's-a go!" from Mario's on-screen appearance) being removed.