3DS unlock conditions: Beat Classic Mode on at least difficulty 4.0 with Mario or play 60 Vs. matches, then defeat Dr. Mario on Mushroomy Kingdom.
Wii U unlock conditions: Complete Master Orders on hard or play 50 Vs. Matches, then defeat Dr. Mario on Delfino Plaza.
After his absence from Brawl, Dr. Mario is back to administer KOs! Out of the "trinity" of moveset clone characters, Dr. Mario is the most different from the character he is based off of. Dr. Mario can best be described as a slower but stronger Mario, with some elements of Luigi mixed in. Due to this mixture of traits, Dr. Mario requires a more defensive, spacing heavy playstyle instead of a combo-oriented one like with Mario or Luigi. Unfortunately, Dr. Mario's flaws a more significant than Mario's. While he has a bit more options to KO, Dr. Mario suffers from mobility issues and has a notoriously terrible recovery, one of the worst in the game. Nevertheless, if you were a fan of Mario's Melee moveset or are a more incremental and defensive player, Dr. Mario is a solid choice with a bit of effort.
Dr. Mario is made to be a stronger but slower version of Mario, and it really shows in his statistics. Dr. Mario is nearly identical to Mario in terms of weight and fall speed. However, Dr. Mario is much slower, both on the ground and in the air, and has a lower jump. In exchange, Dr. Mario's attacks deal 1.12 times more damage and knockback across the board. Just like Mario, Dr. Mario can wall jump, a minor feature to improve his lackluster recovery.
Dr. Mario punches with each hand, then kicks. This moves is fast and good for getting foes off you if they're too close for comfort. Compared to Mario, the interval between each hit is slightly longer, and they do more knockback, so you might not get the full combo consistently.
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Forward Roundhouse
Dr. Mario does a roundhouse kick forward, which can be angled up or down if you tilt the movement input slightly in the respective direction. It has good range and knocks opponents moderately far, which can help set up an edgeguard. It is also an adequate move to pivot cancel into, since Forward Smash is best saved for KOs.
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Doctor Uppercut
Dr. Mario does a spinning uppercut. The move can chain into itself at low percents and launches opponents just high enough to combo into your aerials. It is one of Dr. Mario's main combo starters, as well as a quick, desperate KO move when your opponent's percentage is very high. The higher knockback lowers the percentage threshold for it to juggle, so you'll need to transition into aerial follow-ups sooner than Mario.
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Crouch Kick
Dr. Mario does a crouching roundhouse kick that has moderate endlag. It is a decent launcher with similarly weak knockback to his Strong Up Attack, but it has a bit more range in exchange for being slower. Its low trajectory can let it poke through the shields of more defensive players. Its relatively poor speed means that you can't use this liberally, so be careful when committing to it.
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Rushdown Kick
Dr. Mario kicks while sliding. The move has a fairly long duration and moves Dr. Mario forward, being stronger at the beginning of the slide than at the end. It can be used to punish missed attacks when you're just out of range, but the duration and knockback of the slide makes it difficult to get any follow-ups.
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Smash Attacks
Control
Attack
Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller
Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller
GameCube Controller
Nintendo 3DS
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Defibrillator
Dr. Mario reels back and sends out his palm, creating a strong discharge that surrounds his hand. The attack can be angled up or down with the control stick. It is a very powerful smash attack that can KO relatively early is sweetspotted. Compared to Mario's Side Smash, it has less range, and is stronger at the arm, so you'll need to be very close to your target to get the best result. The initial animation can let Dr. Mario narrowly evade attacks by reeling back. However, it is fairly slow, so it is best used to punish whiffed attacks and careless recoveries rather than as a move one randomly throws out hoping for a KO.
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Cranium Crush
Dr. Mario swipes his head in an arc above him, knocking enemies skyward. Dr. Mario's head is invincible during the attack, making it a strong anti-air. The move can be used to end early Up Tilt chains to rack up more damage. It is also a decent upward KO move.
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Breakdance Sweep
Dr. Mario does a breakdance, hitting foes in front of and behind him. Of Dr. Mario's three smashes, this is his fastest smash attack. It does have less knockback than his other smashes, but the speed more than makes up for it, and it can still KO if unstaled. The multi-directional nature of the attack also makes it good for hitting foes out of their roll dodges. Usually you should use this attack simply to get opponents offstage as it sends foes away horizontally, setting up an edgeguard scenario on your favor.
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Air Attacks
Control
Attack
Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller
Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller
GameCube Controller
Nintendo 3DS
Drop Kick
Dr. Mario kicks, hitting any nearby enemies. This move has odd properties and is often referred to as a "reverse sex kick". Its knockback increases over time instead of decaying like Mario's, so it starts out very weak and becomes strong by the end of the move. It is good for intercepting midair opponents if you're uncertain that other air attacks will hit, as well as for air-to-ground assaults. You can also use it defensively, using the immediate knockback of the move to get out of an enemy's combos or a crowd of foes.
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Fist Hammer
Dr. Mario swipes his fist downward. This move doesn't meteor smash, but instead does diagonal knockback throughout the whole attack. The move is strongest in the middle, so time your attack to strike with the sweetspot. This attack is quite powerful, and is one of Dr. Mario's KO moves. Compared to Mario, it is capable of reliably KOing from anywhere on the screen, instead of being limited offstage. It still suffers from the same speed flaws as Mario's Forward Air, so use it sparingly.
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Back Thrust
Dr. Mario kicks backwards with both legs. One of Dr. Mario's most used aerials, this attack is both quick and has good reach, making it an awesome spacing tool to keep opponents at bay. At low to mid percentages against certain characters, it can combo into itself. It is also one of Dr. Mario's most reliable edgeguarding moves, and can serve as a dangerous KO move if left unstaled.
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Backflip Kick
Dr. Mario kicks in an arc upward. This is an attack you will use very frequently in combos. It has weak knockback, great speed and good horizontal range, making it naturally strong at juggling opponents. Use this liberally to rack up guaranteed damage on your opponents.
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Surgical Drill
Dr. Mario performs a drill kick, dealing multiple hits and sending foes sideways at the end. This move is carried over from Melee Mario and Dr. Mario's moveset. Compared to the Mario Tornado, it doesn't cover as much of Dr. Mario's body, but is faster and requires less commitment to use. It's a decent combo ender and edgeguard tool, as well as a good aerial to use out of short hops.
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Throws
Control
Attack
Info
Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller
Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Wii Remote (sideways)
Wii Classic Controller
GameCube Controller
Nintendo 3DS
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Nosebutt
Dr. Mario hits the grabbed foe with his nose. Decently damaging, although not particularly fast.
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Spin Throw
Dr. Mario turns around once and throws the grabbed opponent forwards. It is a quick and straightforward throw simply meant to keep foes out or get them offstage.
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Spin Chuck
Dr. Mario turns around multiple times and throws the grabbed foe backwards. This is Dr. Mario's strongest throw in terms of both damage and knockback. It can knock other enemies away while Dr. Mario is spinning his victim, so it's a good throw when playing against more than 3 players. It's another move to get opponents offstage, and serves as Dr. Mario's sole KO throw at high percentages.
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Upwards Hurl
Dr. Mario tosses the grabbed foe upwards. This move has awkward knockback, in that it does too much knockback to be used in combos reliably, and too little to be a good KO move. There's not much reason to use it over Down Throw other than on fastfallers at low percentages.
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Throwdown
Dr. Mario throws the grabbed foe into the ground, bouncing them back up. Arguably Dr. Mario's best throw, since it keeps the thrown opponent close enough to easily follow-up at low percentages. However, since it has higher knockback than Mario's, it can't start combos as reliably once you reach the middle percents. Its knockback is more vertical than Mario's, so you must learn to use different follow-ups out of it. Air attacks are typically your best choice after the throw, so use them often to rack up reliable damage.
Dr. Mario throws out a Megavitamin that causes 4% damage. The pill behaves like Mario's fireballs, bouncing along the ground. This simple projectile is what you should be throwing out whenever you're not close to an enemy. The bouncing trajectory of the capsule makes it impossible to duck under, although it is easily avoided by jumping over. It is still pretty spammable, so throw out capsules whenever it is safe to deal chip damage as well as to frustrate your foes. Be sure to mix up your capsule trajectories by throwing them either standing or from different jump heights.
Fast Capsule
Dr. Mario throws out smaller, weaker pills that shoot across the screen in a straight line. The damage and knockback depends on the distance the pill travels, decreasing more the further the fireball is from Dr. Mario. This move serves a similar purpose to the default Megavitamin, which is to build up damage and harass opponents. While the pill loses its unique trajectory, it is easier to hit characters with good air control who can easily evade the ground-bound default capsules. Its fast speed also makes it easier to disrupt enemy attacks on reaction.
Mega Capsule
After a brief delay, Dr. Mario tosses out an enormous capsule that moves a short distance, doing multiple hits to foes caught in its rotation. While Dr. Mario's other capsules are used to annoy opponents from afar, the Mega Capsule is best used to discourage enemies from staying too close. While the capsule doesn't move very far, it takes up a lot of area and lasts moderately long, limiting your foes' options at close range against you. However, the startup delay of the move gives opponents an opening to strike, and makes deliberately hitting opponents with the Mega Capsule a bit difficult. Make a habit out of short hopping every time you use the Mega Capsule, as you can still move laterally through the air during the startup animation, letting you position yourself better.
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Super Sheet
Dr. Mario swings his coat, briefly reflecting projectiles and thrown items as well as reversing the direction of any nearby opponent. Due to the interval between each sheet use, this move is better used to counter single, powerful projectiles like Samus's Charge Shot rather than continued projectile spam. Using it on opponents will often cause their attacks to miss and briefly disorient them, which can create an opening for your own attacks. However, it is best used to disrupt a recovering foe, and can often spell doom for them if they rely on a recovery with a set trajectory. Compared to Mario's Cape, its momentum stall is barely noticeable, so you may ignore it altogether and rely on Dr. Tornado for recovery assistance instead.
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Shocking Sheet
Dr. Mario discharges static electricity in his sheet every time he swings it. The sheet loses much of its original functionality, including reflecting projectiles or flipping foes, but gains a moderately powerful attack that knocks foes sideways. The move has pretty good range compared with the rest of Dr. Mario's kit, which compensates for the slight startup of the attack. Even though you can no longer use the cape to confuse opponents or mess up their recoveries, the move's good reach and moderate power gives it a niche among Dr. Mario's aerial attacks. Mario's Back Air Attack is still the safer bet for knocking enemies to the side, but the Shocking Cape's power gives it a slight edge over the Air Attack.
Breezy Sheet
Dr. Mario's sheet whips up a strong gale that pushes enemies away from him, but the sheet itself does less damage. Dr. Mario can still reflect projectiles and flip opponents. The wind generated by the sheet has much more reach than the sheet itself, but only at close-range will the gust have any significant effect. While the default Super Sheet is great at sabotaging recoveries, the Breezy Sheet amplifies its utility by pushing recovering foes even further from the ledge in addition to reversing their momentum. It is also better at disorientating opponents with cape flips, as they will also be pushed away. Since the default Super Sheet isn't used for its damage, the Breezy Sheet is pretty much a better substitute to it.
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Super Jump Punch
Dr. Mario jumps diagonally into the air, hitting enemies in his path. As Dr. Mario's main recovery move, it travels less distance than Mario, making it one of the weaker recovery moves in the game. Its attack properties are strangely based off of Luigi's, being a single hit that is stronger at the start. Unlike Luigi, the beginning sweetspot is easier to hit, but not as powerful. Since Dr. Mario's recovery is poor, you must be extra careful when fighting near the ledge, and pay extra attention to edgeguarders when recovering. As an attack, it is a great out-of-shield option due to its fast startup and strong knockback at its start. At high percents, it can even serve as a KO move!
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Super Jump
Dr. Mario jumps up higher, but will not hit opponents at all on his way up. The advantages and drawbacks of this custom special should be quite obvious. More distance means Dr. Mario can survive better, elevating his recovery from mediocre to average. The loss of the attacking part of the move makes it an unviable out-of-shield option, unlike the default Super Jump Punch, and leaves you a bit more unprotected during recovery, but its speed somewhat compensates for it. The Super Jump also has an offensive use, as it lets you be more daring with your edgeguards, since you can safely extend further offstage than with the Super Jump Punch.
Ol' One-Two
Dr. Mario's uppercut becomes a powerful two-hit combo at the expense of recovery distance. The first hit knocks foes into the second hit, which is a fiery explosion with heavy knockback for KOs. Like the Super Jump, the change in usage caused by the differences of this special variant are quite apparent. The reduced vertical distance renders Dr. Mario's recovery as effective as Little Mac's. However, the Ol' One-Two has more KO potential than the Super Jump Punch, and is a deadly out-of-shield option. If you choose to use the Ol' One-Two, you should definitely look for more opportunities to land explosive KOs, but you must avoid going offstage as much as possible.
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Dr. Tornado
Dr. Mario spins around, trapping foes with multiple hits before launching them. Mash the special button to make Dr. Mario rise with the move while in the air. Another move from Mario's classic moveset, this move is useful in a different way than the Luigi Cyclone. It has notably high priority that lets it break through many attacks and projectiles. Use this at mid-close range as a safe way to stuff opposing attacks and deal damage. Additionally, you can use it to gain more height while recovering, which Dr. Mario can never get enough of. It is rather slow and predictable to use, so watch out for nearby edgeguarders trying to hit you once the move ends.
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Soaring Tornado
Dr. Mario's horizontal movement is restricted during the move, but he will ascend much higher. Dr. Mario can only attack opponents with the jump at the end, the rest of the move doesn't affect foes. This variant is more specialized for recovery, gaining the most height out of all Tornado variants. However, its functionality as an attack suffers as a result, as Dr. Mario's movement is greatly restricted during the move. While its single-hit attack is quite powerful, it is difficult to land due to the long startup animation before Dr. Mario shoots up. Its poor horizontal distance and lack of hitbox in its first half makes it easier for foes to edgeguard you, so only use it when far from the stage to gain height.
Clothesline Tornado
Dr. Mario can't gain as much height when used as a recovery, but he will knock opponents away with each strike. This variant is pretty pointless, as it lacks both Dr. Tornado's relative quickness as well as either cyclone's recovery distance. Each hit is slower to come out, so it's easier to react to and avoid. While the last hit has great KO potential, it is very hard to strike with as you can't combo the previous hits into it. Finally, Clothesline Tornado has the worst height gain out of the three tornadoes, worsening Dr. Mario's terrible recovery. Overall, this variant isn't worth using over the others.
Dr. Mario unleashes two massive Megavitamins, which spin around as they expand vertically, forming a cone of pain. The pills do continuous damage to any fighters caught by it, while dragging them forward. There aren't any special properties compared to Mario Finale; it's simply stronger. It is important to note that the Final Smash KOs by carrying fighters off the screen by constant, minor knockback instead of one heavy-hitting blast. This means that while using the move on the edge of a stage facing the center will let you cover the most range, using it nearer to the blastline you're facing gives you a higher chance of KOing low percentage opponents.