Editing Dr. Mario

{{quote|Hi everybody! I'm [[Mario]]. How's it going? Over the last few years, I've been involved in some pretty wild adventures. Now, believe it or not, I work in the [[virus]] research lab at the [[Mushroom Kingdom Hospital]]. Today I'm about to begin my research as usual.|Dr. Mario|''Dr. Mario'' NES manual, p. 3}}

'''Dr. Mario''' is the persona [[Mario]] assumes in the [[Dr. Mario (series)|''Dr. Mario'' series]]. Under this identity, Mario dons a lab coat, a head mirror, and a stethoscope around his neck. Debuting in [[Dr. Mario (game)|his eponymous game]],  Dr. Mario and his assistant [[Princess Peach|Nurse Toadstool]] work at the [[Mushroom Kingdom Hospital]], where he eliminates [[virus]]es and other diseases by using [[capsule]]s, a premise that has been the standard for subsequent games starring him. Dr. Mario is a character separate from Mario in some media, such as the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|''Super Smash Bros.'' series]].

[[File:DrMarioPoint.png|thumb|Dr. Mario's original design for his titular game]]

[[File:MarioDMNES.png|thumb|left|Dr. Mario in the game]]

In ''[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]'' (and its remakes ''VS. Dr. Mario'', ''[[Tetris & Dr. Mario]]'', ''Dr. Mario BS Version'', and ''[[Dr. Mario & Puzzle League]]''), Dr. Mario works in a virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital, alongside Nurse Toadstool.<ref>{{cite|quote=I'm Mario. How's it going? Over the last few years, I've been involved in some pretty wild adventures. Now, believe it or not, I work in the virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital.|title=''Dr. Mario'' (NES) instruction manual|page=3|language=en-us|date=1991|publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> When an experiment goes wrong, the hospital is flooded with [[Virus|tri-color viruses]].<ref>{{cite|quote=One of the experiments has gone out of control. The viruses are spreading quickly!|title=''Dr. Mario'' (NES) instruction manual|page=3|date=1991|language=en-us|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref> Armed with [[Capsule|vitamin capsule]]s–a medicine of his own invention<ref>{{cite|quote=I have just developed a new vitamin that should be able to take care of it. I sure hope this stuff works!|title=''Dr. Mario'' (NES) instruction manual|page=3|date=1991|language=en-us|publisher=Nintendo of America}}</ref>–Dr. Mario sets out to neutralize the outbreak. In gameplay, Dr. Mario periodically throws vitamin capsules into the bottle. Afterwards, the player can move and land them on [[Virus]]es, which spawn throughout the bottle. By connecting a line of three or more halves of vitamins to a virus of the corresponding color, the Virus disappears. As such, blue vitamins eliminate Chill Viruses (blue), red vitamins eliminate Fever Viruses (red), and yellow vitamins eliminate Weird Viruses (yellow). Removing all viruses on the screen advances the player to the next level. Dr. Mario's design during gameplay also differs in comparison to his appearance in artworks and on the game's cover: his hair and mustache area a light shade of brown, his head mirror's headband is white, and he does not wear gloves.

In ''[[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 capsules from his bag and throws them into the bottle, using them to defeat viruses. His design is consistent, with blue eyes, a buttoned coat, a shirt, a red tie, a gray head mirror headband, fair skin and the stethoscope has an altered position, now being along his shoulders.

''[[Dr. Mario Express]]'' gives Dr. Mario the same role as in ''Dr. Mario Online Rx'', though with a cel-shaded model to match the game's cartoonish art style.

Dr. Mario's skill allows him to eliminate the lowest line of objects, and is represented by a big blue and red capsule with Mario's [[emblem]] on it. If the lowest line of objects contain only unclearable objects such as cages and [[Empty Block|Empty Blocks]], it will be ignored in favor of the next lowest line with clearable objects. In versus mode, his skill also allows him to clear the bottom-most line with objects, but starting from level 2 it will clear up to two lines, which are the bottom-most line with objects and the line above that. At higher levels, this skill fills up faster.  

In a version update, both Dr. Mario and Dr. Peach received [[Fire Mario|Fire Flower-empowered variants]], which gives them a lab coat and stethoscope over their normal Fire form outfits. Dr. Fire Mario improves upon Dr. Mario's skill by removing pieces that require multiple matches to clear otherwise. In a subsequent update, Luigi and [[Rosalina]] continued this theme. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of ''Dr. Mario'', an 8-bit version of Dr. Mario was given to all players as a gift. His "Newly Added Doctors & Assistants" video had most of the text and many of the visual elements done in pixel art.<ref>{{cite|author=Nintendo Mobile|date=July 27, 2020|title=Newly Added Doctor (Jul. 27, 2020)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz1EsEhbd6U|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=Nov 2, 2024}}</ref>

Princess Toadstool then advises Dr. Bloom play golf and return only when 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.

 

 

[[File:DrMario (Super Mario Manga Mania).png|thumb|Dr. Mario in ''[[Super Mario Manga Mania]]''.|left]]

Mario often dons his doctor robe in multiple occasions in ''[[Super Mario-kun]]'', starting from the very first chapter. While he mostly uses it to cure his partners, he also uses it to throw the capsules, having a different effect every chapter: sometimes they heal, sometimes they are jetpacks that he attaches to a [[Red Shell]] to strike down a [[Snifit]] army, and sometimes they have collateral effects like rapidly growing a [[Garlic|Garlic Pot]] to fill the one who eats it with roots.

 

In [[Super Mario-kun Volume 2|Volume 2]], while recapping his previous adventures, Mario recalls the events of ''Dr. Mario'', in which, about to treat a patient, he ran off scared of the surgery saw he pulled out.

 

In [[Super Mario-kun Volume 8|Volume 8]], Mario ends up turning into Dr. Mario not by choice, but because a [[Tweeter]] was sucking his blood.

Dr. Mario appears in a special chapter of ''[[Super Mario Manga Mania]]'', entitled "Super Mari-''Old''". While Mario is dealing with a mid-life crisis, Dr. Mario walks in and forces a giant pill down Mario. It cures Mario from his depression, and only then Mario and his friends to realize that Mario and Dr. Mario are occupying the same room. Dr. Mario explains that he is Mario from 25 years in the future, celebrating the series' 50th anniversary. After his work is done, he hops on {{wp|Doraemon}}'s [[time machine]], to go back to his time.

{{main-wiki|SmashWiki|Dr. Mario (SSBM)}}

Dr. Mario is an unlockable fighter in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''. He can be unlocked by clearing [[smashwiki:Classic Mode (SSBM)|Classic Mode]] or [[smashwiki:Adventure Mode (SSBM)|Adventure Mode]] with [[Mario]] without using any [[smashwiki:Continue|continues]] or by playing 100 Melee matches, and then defeating him in the immediate subsequent match on [[Peach's Castle]]. Unlike in his home series, Dr. Mario has a somewhat different design, having a blue stethoscope, a brown head mirror headband and a pair of dark gray pants. Like his normal self, Dr. Mario's weight is 100 units. The default theme from his game, "[[Fever]]", is available in the soundtrack. Due to being a moveset [[smashwiki:Clone|clone]], the overwhelming majority of Dr. Mario's moves are nearly identical to his normal self's.<ref name=Source/> The concept of a slower, yet stronger Mario was originally considered to be used for [[Wario]], a concept that went to Dr. Mario instead due to time constraints.<ref>{{cite|url=sourcegaming.info/2016/01/31/dufl-sources|title=The Definitive Unused Fighters List in Smash – Source Translations|publisher=Source Gaming|accessdate=June 5, 2024}}</ref> Some of Dr. Mario's animations are less energetic and thus make him appear more serious and contemplative.<ref name=Source>{{cite|url=www.sourcegaming.info/2016/01/16/melee-drmario|title=News Flash! Super Smash Bros.: Dr. Mario|publisher=Source Gaming|accessdate=June 5, 2024}}</ref> Besides an increased strength, Dr. Mario throws [[Capsule|Megavitamin]]s instead of [[Fireball]]s, his [[smashwiki:Forward smash|forward smash]] uses electricity instead of fire, he uses the white-colored [[Super Sheet]] instead of the [[Cape]], and his [[Super Jump Punch]] is stronger despite consisting of fewer hits. Dr. Mario cannot wall jump like Mario. His [[smashwiki:Air speed|air speed]] is slightly faster than his normal self's.

Although Dr. Mario is absent from ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' as a playable character, data for Dr. Mario can be found, suggesting that he was [[List of Super Smash Bros. Brawl pre-release and unused content#Unused data|intended]] to be in the game in some form. Meanwhile, his ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' theme can be used as one of the songs that plays in the [[PictoChat]] and custom stages, as well as an arrangement of the "[[Chill]]" theme, which plays on [[Flat Zone 2]]. There is also a [[Sticker (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)|Sticker]] of Dr. Mario  that depicts his artwork from the original ''Dr. Mario'' game.

{{main-wiki|SmashWiki|Dr. Mario (SSB4)}}

Dr. Mario appears in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Wii U]]'' as an unlockable fighter. Dr. Mario can be unlocked in the Nintendo 3DS version by first either completing [[smashwiki:Classic Mode (SSB4)|Classic Mode]] with Mario on at least 4.0 [[smashwiki:Intensity|intensity]] or playing 60 [[smashwiki:Versus Mode#In Super Smash Bros. 4|Smash matches]], then defeating Dr. Mario himself on [[Mushroomy Kingdom]]. Dr. Mario can be unlocked in the Wii U version by first either completing a [[smashwiki:Master Orders|Master Orders]] ticket with a difficulty level of Hard or higher or by playing 50 Smash matches, and then defeating Dr. Mario on [[Delfino Plaza]]. In addition to retaining his moveset, albeit with some mechanic modifications, the custom versions of Dr. Mario's neutral, side, and up special moves are shared with Mario, though the custom versions of Dr. Tornado are instead shared with [[Luigi]], owing to Mario having [[F.L.U.D.D.]] as his down special move since ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''. Dr. Mario's [[Final Smash]], [[Doctor Finale]], is a variation of Mario's [[Mario Finale]] that uses giant [[Capsule|vitamin capsule]]s instead of giant, streaming Fireballs. Dr. Mario has also gained two new taunts, a new idle animation, a new entrance animation, and a new victory animation that replaces the [[smashwiki:Victory pose|victory pose]] he shared with Mario in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. Like Mario, Dr. Mario is a middlewight close-range fighter. Unlike in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', Dr. Mario functions like a stronger, yet slower Mario due to multipliers being applied to his damage output and some of his attributes. Dr. Mario has the ability to [[Wall Jump]], unlike his previous appearance. Conversely, his mobility is lowered from Mario's attributes. These multipliers result in Dr. Mario being distinctly affected by passive [[equipment]] physics, in which he specifically possesses a +15 Attack value and a -50 Speed value; this allows Dr. Mario to KO opponents more easily than Mario, courtesy of a larger variety of finishing moves.

Dr. Mario's design is now a composition of his appearance as of ''Dr. Mario 64'' and his dark gray pants from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', although with a few original changes from this game: his stethoscope has a slightly different color scheme, his pants are rolled up to his ankles, and his neck is longer due to the graphics, allowing him to wear a dress shirt and necktie under the labcoat rather than just a white shirt, and his tie is looser compared to his home series. To reflect this change, Dr. Mario can wear tie equipment to boost his defense stat instead of the overalls equipment his normal self uses. However, he also uses the gloves and shoes equipment for attack and speed like Mario does.

{{main-wiki|SmashWiki|Dr. Mario (SSBU)}}

Aside from these changes, Dr. Mario has received a number of noticeable improvements. His damage multiplier has increased from 1.12× to 1.175×, further bolstering his already high overall damage output. Dr. Mario has a new down aerial where he stomps his opponent with both feet, which is capable of [[smashwiki:meteor smash|meteor smash]]ing when connecting with his feet, which is a trait only Mario has since ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', and has a hitbox on his chest that launches the opponents away. His aforementioned back throw has higher [[smashwiki:Knockback|knockback]] that, when coupled with his higher overall damage output, makes it one of the strongest [[smashwiki:Back throw|back throws]] in the game.

For the Megavitamins move, the capsules are not only larger, but also gained a higher launching angle, increased [[smashwiki:Hitlag|hitlag]], decreased [[smashwiki:Lag#Ending lag|ending lag]], better [[smashwiki:Hitbox|hitbox]] placements and increased knockback. Altogether, these changes make them much more effective for camping and setting up combos at the comparatively minor cost of their ability to lock a downed opponent. Dr. Tornado gained a drastic increase to its damage output and knockback, which make it a viable finisher unlike in previous installments. In addition, it boasts improved utility, courtesy of its improved vertical recovery and its ability to grant damage-based armor during frames 2-9 when Dr. Mario uses it on the ground.

However, Dr. Mario's grounded and aerial mobility use a negative multiplier with an unspecified value: although his walking and running speeds are slightly faster and his jump is higher, his short hop and double jump are slightly lower and his already sluggish air speed is slightly slower. Aside from these issues, Dr. Mario's up tilt gained the same horizontal range reduction that Mario's acquired, and his grabbing ability is hampered by ''Ultimate''{{'}}s near-universal lag increase for grabs.

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In ''[[Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit]]'', Dr. Mario and Dr. Luigi appear as outfits for Mario and Luigi.

Dr. Mario is playable in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', being added alongside Dr. Luigi as a separate driver from Mario in his own [[List of tours in Mario Kart Tour|tour]], the [[Doctor Tour (2022)|2022 Doctor Tour]]. Both have the [[Capsule]] as their [[Special skill (Mario Kart Tour)|special skill]]. One of Dr. Mario's [[Jump Boost|trick]] animations mimics his victory animation at the end of a multiplayer match in ''[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]'', complete with the same limited number of frames.<ref>{{cite|author=@mariokarttourEN|date=April 28, 2022|url=x.com/mariokarttourEN/status/1519919409694978048|title=X post|publisher=X|accessdate=June 5, 2024}}</ref> Dr. Bowser and Dr. Peach later debuted in the [[Peach vs. Bowser Tour (May 2022)|May 2022 Peach vs. Bowser Tour]].

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!width=20%|Release date

!width=20%|System/format

|''[[Minecraft|Minecraft: Bedrock Edition]]''

|Playable character as Dr. Mario and 8-Bit Dr. Mario

===''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''===

{{Spirit

|no=8

|name=Dr. Mario

|image=[[File:Dr Mario - Dr Mario Miracle Cure.png|x100px]]

|series=''Dr. Mario'' Series

|obtain=Clear [[smashwiki:Classic Mode (SSBU)|Classic Mode]] as Dr. Mario

}}

Dr Mariones.gif|''[[Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]''

Dr. Mario and Virus Artwork - USA 1991 Flyer.png|''[[Dr. Mario (game)#VS. Dr. Mario|VS. Dr. Mario]]

*In an interview about the ''Super Mario'' series for the then-upcoming 30th anniversary, [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] implied that "Dr. Mario" was not a licensed doctor.<ref>{{cite|author=Ryckert, Dan|date=September 10, 2015|url=www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/09/24/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx|title=Mario's Creators Answer Burning Questions About The Series|publisher=GameInformer|accessdate=June 5, 2024}}</ref> Despite this, in the background of the title screen of ''[[Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure]]'', a degree can be seen on the wall.