Dr. Mario Is A Legitimate Doctor
So many people have wondered if Mario is a legitimate doctor, and many people believe he isn't. A good portion of people believe this to be the case because Miyamoto said he wasn't.
But I'm going to push back on this.
But first.....
In an IGN interview titled Shigeru Miyamoto Says We Shouldn't Trust Dr. Mario By Ryan Dinsdale, Miyamoto claimed Mario is a shady guy you can't trust as a Doctor.
"Mario’s a blue-collar, he’s a regular person," Miyamoto said. "So, even when he becomes Dr. Mario, there’s a sort of, like, shadiness, like 'can I trust this person?'"
So Miyamoto in this quote does seem to imply Mario isn't a legitimate doctor, though he never says it outright. But here's the thing.
As I have brought up before, Miyamoto's word isn't the end all be all of Mario lore, and official media should take priority always.
So if say his claims the Koopalings are not Bowser's kids, and the games corroborate this; then we can take his word.
But if he is claiming Mario isn't legitimate doctor, then the official text should corroborate this.
Well in official game media and elsewhere, Mario is only ever treated as simply a doctor, and not a illegitimate doctor.
Looking to Dr. Mario Nes' manual, we get this line of dialogue from Mario.
"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."
So by the time this game happens, Mario has already been jumping around the Mushroom Kingdom for years, and is doing research as a doctor at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital. So he has had some time to become a doctor.
Note, it doesn't need to be as long as it is in the real world, given the people of this world don't go by our rules.
Meanwhile Mario's description in Mario Superstar Baseball's Exhibitions Record in the MVP, it just straight says Mario is a doctor.
"A kart racer, tennis player, golf enthusiast, doctor... The list goes on and on, showing he's a jack-of-all trades."
He is just simply called a doctor.
The you have the doctor outfit from Super Mario Odyssey.
"Headwear worn by a doctor famous for extremely colorful prescriptions."
"White coat worn by a doctor famous for fighting our most colorful viruses."
Again. simply treating him as a doctor.
So in-universe, Mario whose primary profession is plumbing, is a jack of all trades and occasionally will do other jobs top help people out. One of these jobs is being a doctor who does research, and in-universe is treated as a legitimate doctor. Him being a doctor just is in the Mario world, that's just how things work. It isn't playing by our world's rules.
So with that said, if Miyamoto is indeed implying Mario is a illegitimate doctor. Then the official work would override his claim.
Written by Eris the Lorekeeper
