Princess Peach

Princess Peach (Japanese: ピーチ姫, Hepburn: Pīchi-hime; pronounced [piːtɕi̥ çime]) is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original Super Mario Bros. game as Princess Toadstool. She is the princess regnant and head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides in her castle along with Toads. Since her debut, she has appeared in the majority of Mario video games as the main female character and the romantic interest of Mario. As the lead female character in the main Super Mario series, Peach's role is typically the damsel in distress who is kidnapped by the series antagonist, Bowser. In most of the games, her role is to be a captive until she is eventually rescued by Mario. In several later games of the series, such as Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Run, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, she is a playable character. Outside the series, she has appeared as the protagonist and player character of several video games, including Princess Toadstool's Castle Run, Super Princess Peach, and Princess Peach: Showtime!. She also makes regular appearances as a playable character in Mario spin-offs and other video game series, including Mario Sports games, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Paper Mario, and the fighting game series Super Smash Bros. Peach is one of the best-known female protagonists in video game history, having appeared in more video game titles than any other female character. She has also appeared in official merchandise, comics, and animated series. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), she is voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy. Peach has received a mixed reception, with much commentary being critical of her longstanding repetitive role as a princess waiting to be rescued. She has been described by critics...