Nintendo is a video game company that has dozens of impressive and popular franchises that are exclusive to their consoles, chief among them being the Super Mario series. It’s been incredible to watch the games evolve over time, yet how the core mechanics have largely remained unchanged.
A constant of the series is Princess Peach, an important figure in Mario’s life who he’s often trying to rescue, but she’s slowly transformed into a strong video game heroine in her own right. Peach presents an innocent attitude and usually appears to be mostly harmless, but there are plenty of chapters from the character’s past that would surely embarrass the Princess if they were to come to light.
10 She's Let Down Many Toads
The very first Super Mario Bros. title explains that Peach is a crucial force in the battle against Bowser and actually holds a great deal of power. Bowser's tyrannical rule involves transforming many innocent Toads into enemies and creatures in order to make his takeover easier.
Bowser has even captured Peach because she has the power to reverse this. However, Peach is almost never shown using these powers and it stands to reason that there are many helpless, transformed Toads that Peach could bring back to normal, but doesn't.
9 She Rejects Mario's Marriage Proposal
Super Mario Odyssey is one of the best titles for the Nintendo Switch, but it's also one of the most impressive Super Mario games, period. The game returns to some familiar tropes, like Bowser's continued efforts to marry Princess Peach. Mario is ultimately successful in crashing the wedding, but when he proposes to Peach afterwards he's shot down in the same manner as Bowser.
Peach instead opts for a peaceful vacation with her new partner, Tiara. There's nothing wrong with Peach's independence, but Mario looks genuinely hurt by her decision. She could have been more delicate with him.
8 She Submits Mario To A Dark Sense Of Humor
Super Mario Bros. 3 features major innovations in terms of its level design, but it retains the series' core idea of Mario needing to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Mario is very used to reaching the end of a castle, thinking he's reached Peach, only to learn it's just some enemy in disguise. The ending of Super Mario Bros. 3 has Peach poke fun at this when she gives Mario the whole "Our princess is in another castle" speech, only to then undercut it with "Just kidding!" It’s the kind of cruel trick that could send Mario into a tailspin.
7 She Wreaks Havoc As The Shadow Queen
The Paper Mario series has gone to some creative places over the course of the franchise. The GameCube's entry, The Thousand-Year Door sends Mario on a diverse adventure, but Peach is also trapped in her own story where she's the prisoner of the X-Nauts. These beings intend to use Peach as the conduit for their powerful ruler, the Shadow Queen. They succeed and the Shadow Queen briefly inflicts her terror on the world as she uses Peach as her host. Mario eventually reverses this, but not until after he has to fight against Peach and get hurt by her.
6 She's A Liability To The Mushroom Kingdom
Princess Peach has done an admirable job to keep the Mushroom Kingdom safe and foster healthy relationships with its neighboring nations. That being said, most of the times that Mushroom Kingdom is under attack it's because some villain is specifically after her. She's like a beacon for trouble and the honorable thing would likely be to resign. Additionally, several games see Princess Peach in hiding with an imposter pretending to rule, which is surely detrimental to the kingdom. She's also prone to take vacations, when she's likely got responsibilities in the kingdom.
5 She Produces Merchandise Of Herself For A Profit
Princess Peach rules the Mushroom Kingdom and is typically shown to be a rather fair and just leader. However, there are subtle hints throughout various games that her public image in the Mushroom Kingdom has resulted in some selfish impulses. In the original Paper Mario there's a doll of Peach that Goombaria owns and other titles highlight even more merchandise that revolves around her, like fans and pictures. Making a profit off of these items and creating the kind of society that idolizes her in this respect feels a little morally bankrupt.
4 She Holds Off Great Power From Mario
Many of the earlier Super Mario titles have Peach captured and she usually appears via thoughtful letters to Mario. What's significant is that in titles like Super Mario Bros. 3, these letters contain powerful relics like P wings or magical flutes that allow Mario shortcuts through the game. Even in Super Mario Galaxy she's the one who gifts Mario a Luma. If Peach has all of these powerful items, she could just stock Mario up with them and not be so stringent. She doesn't need to be depriving him of this help, especially when he's trying to save her.
3 She Takes Advantage Of A Boy Who's Been Turned Into An Umbrella
Super Princess Peach is an exciting departure for Peach, who's often relegated to the role of damsel in distress. This title puts Peach in the spotlight and on her adventure she becomes partners with a sentient parasol named Perry. Perry can transform into many different things to aid Peach, but it's explained that he used to be a boy that's been transformed by a wizard. Peach and Perry make a strong team, but the journey ends with Perry remaining in his parasol state. He accomplishes a lot for Peach, but is treated more like a means to an end.
2 Her Union With Bowser Creates The Chaos Heart
The Wii's Super Paper Mario is a technical achievement that introduces new features to the game, but there's also a new villain the form of Count Bleck who kidnaps Peach among other characters. Bleck's motives are particularly sinister and rather than claiming Peach for himself, he instead forces her and Bowser to get married in a ritual that will form the Chaos Heart, a dangerous tool that has the power to end the entire universe. Peach doesn’t have a say in the matter, but her role in the Chaos Heart’s formation is significant and it leads to constant trouble.
1 She Lets Bowser Jr. Believe She’s His Mother
The GameCube’s Super Mario Sunshine remains an outlier in the Super Mario series. F.L.U.D.D. didn’t connect with everyone and it’s a rather difficult platformer for a modern Mario game. A disturbing element of the title is that Bowser has duped his son, Bowser Jr., to believe that Princess Peach is his mother and that Mario is the villain by breaking up their family. A lot of this damage could be reversed if Peach just had an honest conversation with Bowser Jr. to set him straight, but she instead decides to just get as far away as possible from them.