26. DR. MARIO

Franchise / home series: Dr. Mario / Super Mario

Notable non-Smash games: Dr. Mario (1990); Dr. Mario 64 (2001)

Dr. Mario entered Melee as a variant of Mario based on his puzzle-game persona. Wearing a lab coat and stethoscope, he represents the classic falling-block puzzle series where Mario tosses vitamins to eliminate viruses.

In Smash, Dr. Mario’s moveset is heavily derived from Mario’s but with distinct traits: his pills replace fireballs and travel in a bouncier arc, his attacks generally hit harder, and his mobility and recovery are worse. This makes him a more close-range, power-focused version of Mario, rewarding aggressive play and strong reads over mobility and safety.

Though often overshadowed by his mainline counterpart, Dr. Mario has maintained a niche in the roster through Brawl’s absence and subsequent returns in Smash for 3DS/Wii U and Ultimate. He stands as an example of how Smash can reinterpret an existing character into a different gameplay archetype while still staying faithful to Nintendo’s broader character catalog.