Virus

Virus
	; A group of viruses from Dr. Mario World
First appearance	Dr. Mario (1990)
Latest appearance	WarioWare: Move It! (2023)
Variants
	Dizziness Virus; Floatie Virus; Wheel Virus
Notable members
	King Virus

“I wanted to enjoy a nice day with my pal Toad, but it turns out he's feeling under the weather. Huh? Do you think it's my fault? Probably not, but I still feel bad about it!”

—Red, Dr. Mario World official social media accounts

A virus is a germ-based enemy found in the Dr. Mario series. Viruses most often appear in three colors – Red, Blue, and Yellow – however, in later games in the series including Dr. Luigi and Dr. Mario World, a larger variety of colors and types are present. To defeat a virus, usually Dr. Mario must line up three Capsule pieces of the same color next to the virus of that color. The virus, along with the capsules, will then disappear. In most Dr. Mario games, after clearing one jar of viruses, Dr. Mario will move to the next one, with each jar containing increasingly more viruses.

History[edit]

Dr. Mario series[edit]

Dr. Mario[edit]

Earlier artwork of the viruses used for Western releases of Dr. Mario

The viruses' general animations in Dr. Mario

Black (red), gray (blue), and white (yellow) viruses from Dr. Mario (Game Boy)

Viruses first appeared in Dr. Mario and were retained in its editions in Tetris & Dr. Mario and Dr. Mario & Puzzle League. They are small germs that have to be eliminated by Dr. Mario using vitamin capsules, which can come in combinations of their colors (red, blue, and yellow), four of these capsule pieces must be stacked on top of a virus of the same color to eliminate it. As the difficulty increases, the number of viruses will also increase. In the Game Boy version, viruses appear in black, white, and gray because the system does not support color graphics; the black virus resembles the red virus, the gray virus resembles the blue virus and the white virus resembles the yellow virus. Because the simple monochrome display of the Game Boy is only able to show a few shades of gray, the black and gray viruses lack the black sclera that the red and blue viruses had, and hence look marginally different. In the high-level ending, the viruses are seen on a tree before being beamed up by a UFO.

Dr. Mario 64[edit]

Viruses from Dr. Mario 64

Viruses appear in Dr. Mario 64 and Nintendo Puzzle Collection, having the same role as before. The way to beat them stays the same, too. Dr. Mario 64 adds a Flash mode, where one virus of each color is flashing, and two players compete to clear the flashing viruses with numerous other viruses in the way.

Dr. Mario Online Rx[edit]

Viruses from the title screen of Dr. Mario Online Rx

Viruses also appear in Dr. Mario Online Rx, where they act like they do in Dr. Mario. They are also seen fighting Miis in the Virus Buster game.

Dr. Luigi[edit]

The cyan virus, Dizzy

The magenta virus, Confused

The alternative yellow virus, Drowsy

Three new viruses with two new virus colors, cyan and magenta, appear in the Wii U game, Dr. Luigi, exclusive to the Nintendo eShop. The classic blue, red, and yellow viruses appear in the "Retro Remedy" mode by default, while new viruses – a cyan virus (Dizzy), a magenta virus (Confused), and an alternative yellow virus (Drowsy) – appear in the new Operation L mode by default. The colors of the viruses in this game are based off CMYK printing colors.

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure[edit]

Basic gameplay of Dr. Mario mode in Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure

The standard three viruses return in Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, in the same role as past games. Even though Dr. Luigi and the Operation L gameplay return in this game, the new viruses seen in Dr. Luigi do not.

Dr. Mario World[edit]

The standard three viruses returned in Dr. Mario World, along with four new green, purple, light-blue, and pink viruses. The three classic viruses also received a new design reminiscent of their in-game appearance from Dr. Mario, and were prominently featured in the promotional video series for the game, Virus Vid. Although there were seven types of viruses, they did not appear in all stages. In the regular stages, three out of red, blue, yellow, green and light-blue would appear throughout that World. Pink viruses exclusively appeared in challenge stages and special stages. Purple viruses were absent in stages and only appeared on the world map.

Viruses could come with new gimmicks in Dr. Mario World, such as being frozen in ice, encased in bubbles, protected by cages that could be unlocked with lock blocks, or hidden by clouds and dust. A variant called the floatie virus could teleport away from a matched pill to another location on the grid. Unlike the other Dr. Mario games where a match of four in a row or column involving capsules are required to eliminate them, the viruses in this game required a capsule match of three in a row or column to eliminate (such as two viruses and one capsule piece of matching color).

Videos for Dr. Mario World feature Red, Blue, and Yellow. One of the three can wander onto the screen, and comment on the features of the game. The Virus(es) involved usually change between segments of a video. They also sometimes got eliminated to line up with the events on the screen. Sometimes, the events of the screen affect them more literally, such as a Shell pushing Red off the screen or Dr. Luma's skill warping Red upward on the screen. "The Welcome to Dr. Mario World" and "Dr. Mario World Multiplayer Introduction" videos have more involvement from them, sometimes having more than one Virus commentating and using voice acting as in the Virus Vid series. The transitions for all of these videos used footage from Virus Vid, modified to reflect the content. The rebranding of the videos starting from August 2020 removed this element. The characters also communicated on the social media accounts of Dr. Mario World.

Nintendo Comics System[edit]

The viruses appear as the main antagonists in Nintendo Comics System's adaptation of Dr. Mario entitled "The Doctor Is In... Over His Head." This appearance names the red virus Fever, the blue virus Chill, and the yellow virus Weird.

In the same comic, the viruses are given special powers: Chill can manipulate the cold, Fever can control heat, and Weird can forcibly morph others into different shapes and creatures.

Club Nintendo[edit]

Two viruses can briefly be seen inside Bowser's stomach in the Club Nintendo comic "Süße Weihnachten." They symbolize his sickness after having eaten too much.

Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up[edit]

A Blue Virus appears on the Scientist page in Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up.

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

Viruses commonly appear as collectible items in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, a Red, a Blue, and a Yellow Virus are all featured together within a trophy, which can be obtained when it appears at random in one of the game's single-player modes. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a Blue Virus, a Red Virus, and a Yellow Virus each have their own sticker: the Blue Virus sticker boosts electric attacks by five points; the Red Virus sticker boosts fire-based attacks by twenty points; and the Yellow Virus sticker increases the amount of damage recovered after eating food by 4 points. All three stickers can be used by any fighter in The Subspace Emissary by any fighter. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, there is a randomly obtainable trophy of all three Viruses, similarly to Super Smash Bros. Melee. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Viruses all appear as an Advanced-class support spirit that occupies one support slot, and reduces the damage taken from poison-based attacks when used. In World of Light, the spirit is encountered on The Light Realm, near Riki's Dojo. The spirit's puppet fighters are three Kirbys, each colored after one of the viruses, and the battle takes place on the Battlefield form version of the Mario Bros. stage.

WarioWare series[edit]

Viruses in Dr. Wario, featuring a different look

Weird Science

In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, one of 9-Volt's microgames called Dr. Mario is based on the game Dr. Mario, and the player must defeat the viruses using capsules, just like in the game. There is also a minigame in the same game called Dr. Wario, which is a Wario version of Dr. Mario, where the viruses look different. In WarioWare: Twisted! in the microgame Weird Science, a blue virus makes an appearance. WarioWare Gold features another Dr. Mario microgame under the same name, where the player must tilt the game system to defeat a row of three Viruses.

Mario & Luigi series[edit]

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]

Sprites of the viruses between games

Viruses appear as enemies at Woohoo Hooniversity in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and its Nintendo 3DS remake, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. They appear in all three colors and attack in groups - each color virus has different stats (e.g. Red Viruses have the highest POW and lowest DEF).

Viruses attack by charging at Mario or Luigi and chewing on their heads, which may poison them and can be countered by using the hammer. When hit by Mario or Luigi, they will change into a different color: a Red Virus that is hit will become a Blue Virus, a Blue Virus will become a Yellow Virus, and a Yellow Virus will become a Red Virus. If all Viruses in a battle have a matching color, they will be instantly defeated, as a callback to how they are beaten in Dr. Mario. In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, a small portion of the Fever theme plays when this occurs.

The Red Virus takes critical damage from Thunderhand and Thunder Bros., while the Blue Virus takes critical damage from Firebrand and Fire Bros., and the Yellow Virus is healed if hit with either element. If an Advanced Swing Bros. attack is used against a Yellow Virus, or it is defeated with the Game Boy Horror SP equipped, it will drop a Steady Badge.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey[edit]

Sprite of the Blue Virus between games

The blue virus makes a cameo in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and its Nintendo 3DS remake, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. After knocking out all the body segments of a Toothy, the Toothy attacks by spitting out a blue virus holding a small spear to attack the player.

In the Toadley Clinic's lobby, there is a prohibition sign on the wall featuring a blue virus.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team[edit]

Viruses appear in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team as enemies. They can be found in Dozing Sands, Wakeport, Mount Pajamaja, and Mushrise Park, but only in sections made accessible during the Ultibed part hunt.

In the field, Viruses chase Mario and Luigi upon sight. Sometimes, they trip and fall over, which can occur directly after chasing or randomly on their own.

In battle, Viruses appear in a group of 16, the highest number enemies seen in a single real world battle. Viruses change color whenever they are damaged, much like how they did in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The pattern they go in is from blue to yellow to red and back to blue again, repeating itself. If one attack hits a virus multiple times, the Virus changes color for each hit. Counterattacks do not cause colors to change. When three or more Viruses of the same color are next to each other after an attack ends, those Viruses are defeated instantly, also like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. If a Virus is defeated, the ones behind it will move forward to the front if possible. They are also one of the very few enemies who can inflict the Mini status on the Bros. which decreases their Attack and Defense and shrinks them. Red Viruses can inflict POW-Down, yellow Viruses can inflict DEF-Down, and blue Viruses can inflict SPD-Down.

Viruses have two attacks. One attack has the group form two rows, one in the foreground and one in the background. The rows may not be of equal length. The rows move simultaneously, in one of the cardinal directions, taking only a couple of steps each time. The lines always move left or right together, but can can move up or down together or in opposite directions. The up and down movement will cause the lines to pass through one or both of the Mario Brothers' positions. This can be dodged by jumping when appropriate. Landing on a Virus damages it and causes it to leave the formation, but the viruses will close the gap. If this puts three or more Viruses of the same color together, those Viruses disappear.

The other attack has the Viruses circling the Bros. in a single file line. Mario and Luigi have to hammer all of the Viruses, knocking them into a stack. If three Viruses of the same color land on the stack consecutively, they disappear. If the Viruses circle the Bros. enough times, then the unhammered Viruses jump onto the Mario Brothers. They can still be hit by the hammer, but the speed and potential number of Viruses makes this difficult to counter.

Viruses are dangerous enemies, as the Mini and DEF-Down statuses they inflict do stack. With both effects, the damage dealt by a Virus to a Bro can easily turn into a one-hit KO (999+ damage). Due to their reactions to counterattacks, they can be defeated with counterattacks even while using a Boo Biscuit.

Mario Kart series[edit]

Mario Kart Arcade GP subseries[edit]

In Mario Kart Arcade GP and its two sequels, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, there are two blue Virus related items: Wheel Virus and Dizziness Virus. The first and third titles include both, while the second only has the Dizziness Virus.

Dizziness Virus (Mario Kart Arcade GP)
Wheel Virus (Mario Kart Arcade GP DX)
Dizziness Virus (Mario Kart Arcade GP DX)

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

Image seen in the Magniflying Glass from Mario Kart Tour.

Texture of the viruses as seen in the Magniflying Glass glider

The red, blue, and yellow viruses from Dr. Mario World appear in Mario Kart Tour on the Magniflying Glass and its pink variant.

Other appearances[edit]

Viruses appear as enemies in the unlockable minigame Virus Buster (also known as Germ Buster) for Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!, which was later included in Dr. Mario Online Rx and all subsequent titles in the Brain Age series.

Viruses also make a small cameo in the obscure Super Famicom game Motoko-chan no Wonder Kitchen, appearing in a cut-scene for mayonnaise 'facts'.^[1] They also cameo in Nintendo Monopoly, appearing on one of the Coin Block (Community Chest) cards. Viruses are also referenced in Super Paper Mario when a Shayde says he was killed for an illness caused by multicolored viruses. Of all the virus colors, the blue virus is the one with the most appearances and cameos.

As part of the promotion for the release of Dr. Mario World, three T-shirts modeled after the main three viruses were released on July 19, 2019 as a gift in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

General information[edit]

Physical description[edit]

The design of the various viruses has changed somewhat over time. In most of their appearances, viruses are bipedal and wear brown shoes and white gloves. Depending on the media, some viruses are missing certain limbs, and in some appearances, can even have floating extremities. Viruses come in multiple colors, each with a unique set of physical characteristics to set them apart.

The three viruses featured in the original Dr. Mario for NES have appeared in far more entries than others and have had the greatest revision in terms of design. Red viruses have yellow eyes, large buck-teeth, an outstretched tongue, round pill-shaped ears, and a pair of horns, with earlier depictions giving them floppier dog-like ears, thinner horns, a simple nose, and a spiked tail. According to the Tetris & Dr. Mario instruction manual, the red virus is female, making it the only one until the introduction of the magenta virus Confused in Dr. Luigi. Blue viruses have yellow eyes, thin stemmed eyebrows, no horns, and a single tooth, with earlier depictions rendering their eyebrows as spiked ears that wrap around the back of the head instead. Yellow viruses have orange eyes, two pairs of horns, a pronounced eyebrow ridge, and a unique snout-like nose with jowls, with earlier depictions typically having the eyes be smaller and uneven in size.

Viruses introduced in Dr. Luigi are vastly different in appearance from the others, lacking gloves on their hands and feet entirely. Cyan viruses are spherical and have large white eyes with gold irises, two small bulbous antennae on the top of their head, and a large mouth with four fangs and a long tongue. Magenta viruses have a cube-shaped body with three small horns on the top of their head and slightly mottled skin, large eyes with eyelashes and magenta irises, segmented arms with mitten-like hands, and a large square mouth with no visible teeth or tongue. The alternate yellow virus has a blob-like appearance, large eyes with green irises and droopy eyelids, a single spike protruding from the top of its head, low-hanging fork-shaped arms, and a long mouth featuring a line of teeth on the lower jaw.

Viruses introduced in Dr. Mario World share many design elements with the original three viruses, however, they all now have a more super-deformed appearance and noticeably lack arms. Green viruses have yellow eyes, two large leaf-like features atop its head, no teeth, and a sad or sick expression. Pink viruses have yellow eyes, a single bulb-like antenna atop its head, and a fixed wide grin with large puffed-out cheeks. Light-blue viruses are most similar in appearance to the original yellow viruses, though they have a lower eyebrow ridge, three horns instead of four, and a wide frown with a single tooth sticking up. Purple viruses have yellow eyes, a wide mouth with a single tooth off to the side on the upper jaw, and a single horn protruding from the front of the head.

In the NES version of Dr. Mario, when the player beats the game with the level and speed set to 20 and high respectively, a cutscene will play showing a UFO flying over a tree with the three viruses, who then enter the UFO, hinting that they might be aliens of some sort.^[2] The UFO also appears before the title screen of Dr. Luigi.

Abilities[edit]

Viruses are contagious, to the point that one of them can multiply to fill an entire glass jar within seconds. According to the Nintendo Comics system, each virus has unique abilities that correspond with their names: red viruses can manipulate heat, blue viruses can manipulate cold, and yellow viruses can transform people into different shapes and species, which is referred to as "weirdness". In the Mario and Luigi series, viruses are able to change their color when attacked, and are shown to wield spears. When a virus is in a line with a minimum of three viruses or capsules of the same color, of which there is at least one capsule, all of them are eliminated. This property can vary depending on the game, either reducing the numerical requirement, detecting adjacency rather than a line, or not requiring a capsule.

Personalities and relationships[edit]

Throughout the Dr. Mario series, the three red, blue, and yellow viruses are shown to be mischievous, dancing beside the play board as if to mock the player. The Virus Vid series often portrays them as being too bumbling and incompetent to be cooperative, but being otherwise fond of each other's company ("they never seem to get together, but they do seem to get along… somehow"). The official Dr. Mario World Twitter and Facebook accounts, where announcements and updates related to the game are communicated in person by the aforementioned three viruses, provide some individual characterization. Yellow is shown to have a fondness for snacks^[3]^[4]^[5] and a tendency to daydream and prattle about wings,^[6]^[7] to Red's bemusement.^[8] He is a self-described collector, scrabbling every bottle cap he finds without a practical reason for doing so,^[9] and appears to be generous and selfless, as he claims to have given away his entire bottle cap collection to someone who really liked it.^[10] He also claims to "forget stuff all the time".^[11] Red secretly wishes to be popular, and when Yellow makes his secret public, he does not object, confidently stating that he is already popular due to his "eye-catching color".^[12] In addition, Blue suggests that Red is a poor planner.^[13] Blue tends to speak in a polite and elevated manner;^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17] he typically occupies himself with researching newly added doctors and setting up video presentations to communicate his findings.^[18]^[19]^[20]

Red, Blue, and Yellow are not gregarious with other characters. In their above-mentioned social media presence, they often express fear when announcing the arrival of a new doctor, uttering pleas such as "Please take it easy on me".^[16]^[21]^[22] Blue claims to be terrified of children when he announces Dr. Baby Peach.^[23] In a June 12, 2020 post, Yellow announced an in-game event where 20 of the then-available 21 doctors had their staffing rates increased by 1.5^[24]^[25], with the omitted doctor being Dr. Waluigi^[26]; the virus indicates in the post that said doctor was left out because they particularly do not get along.