Summary
Nintendo has created some of gaming’s most famous mascot characters over the years, with Princess Peach being one of the most popular. What few fans realize, however, is just how many princess characters Nintendo has created across its many successful franchises.
While many of these female characters originally started out as damsels in distress for the likes of Mario and Link to save, they’ve evolved over time. These days,the best Nintendo Princessesare heroines, strong enough to give the male heroes a run for their money. Seeing as they all hail from different worlds and their powers can change from game to game, ranking these leading ladies in strength is no easy task. Based on their feats and powers within their own universes as well as across franchises, here’s how they stack up.
Updated June 18, 2025 by Robbie Mitchell:So, it turns out Nintendo has produced more Princesses than you might expect. In fact, they’re responsible for creating more female royals thanDisney. But unlike many of Disney’s princesses, Most of Nintendo’s aren’t just damsels in distress. They kick butt too. With that in mind, we’ve updated this article with some of Nintendo’s strongest princesses from across some of their most popular franchises.
Princess Daisy first appeared in 1989 in Super Mario Land as the ruler of Sarasaland, and has been a recurring character in the Mario series ever since. Ranking her power level isn’t easy since Daisy hasappeared as a playable characterin quite a few games, with her powers often changing between entries.
For a start, the various Mario sports games have shown Daisy to have enhanced strength, agility, endurance, and reflexes compared to “normal” humans. Other games have given her the ability to summon everything from flowers and rainbows in combat to deadly crystals. While these abilities make her a formidable opponent, most Mario characters have shown similar feats at this point, earning Daisy a bottom ranking.
As one ofthe bestFire Emblemprotagonists,Princess Eirika deserves her spot on this list. First Appearing inFire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Princess Eirikia is known for her fearsome combat abilities and leadership skills. In particular, she’s a skilled swordfighter, wielding the Rapier and Sieglinde effortlessly. Her agility and speed mean she’s able to strike most opponents twice before they can hit her.
This all makes Eirika a princess no one would want to mess with. ByFire Emblemstandards, she’s pretty strong. That being said, compared to other princesses on this list, she’s a bit low-level. Eirika is a powerful warrior, but other Nintendo princesses can wield magic and warp reality.
Much like Eirika, Crown Princess Lucina of Ylisse isn’t all that strong when it comes to sheer firepower. She doesn’t really have any particularly strong magical abilities and relies almost solely on melee attacks. However, when taking into consideration her role in Fire Emblem lore, it’s foolish to underestimate her.
In battle, she tends to wield falchion swords, which she puts to great effect. Using her signature skill, Aether, she can boost her offensive abilities while healing herself. InFire Emblem Engage, she’s a powerful support character who can shield enemies while coordinating powerful team attacks. As a character, she’s a brilliant leader and master tactician. She was responsible for traveling through time to prevent a cataclysmic future and save the world. Brave, decisive, and dedicated to her cause, there are few other Nintendo princesses we’d rather follow into battle.
As both the princess of Zofia and a priestess with magical powers who also wields a sword, Celica makes for a formidable opponent. In melee combat, Celica wields the sword Beloved Zofia, which allows her to combine magical attacks with deadly sword strikes. While not as physically strong as Eirika, her magical abilities put her a step above.
By the end of the game, Celica can cast powerful spells like Ragnarok and Seraphim, with Ragnarok being particularly powerful. When injured, she can also heal herself with magic. Unfortunately, while impressive, these magical abilities pale in comparison to some of Nintendo’s other princesses.
TheLegend of Zeldaseries has plenty of powerful princesses and Mipha is a fan favorite. The princess and champion of the Zora domain inBreath of the Wild, Mipha has some impressive magical abilities and is no slouch with a spear. Chosen by Zelda to pilot the Divine Beat Vah Ruta, Mipha quickly mastered the beast and used the legendary Lightscale Trident in battle.
Shy by nature, Mipha has shown impressive courage and determination when it comes to protecting those close to her. Even after her death, she helped Link by gifting him Mipha Grace, an awesome ability that revives him with full health if he falls. Beloved for her combat skill, healing powers, and dedication, Mipha’s people celebrate her through the Champion festival. Perhaps not Nintendo’s most powerful princesses, Mipha is one of their most impressive.
When people think of theLegend of Zelda,obviously Princess Zelda is the first royal to come to mind, but there are others. The series has plenty ofgreat female characters, and Hilda is arguably one of the best. Princess Hilda is a dark version of Zelda who rules over Hyrule’s shadow version (kind of) Lorule. While she’s technically yet another version of Zelda, Hilda is also a character in her own right.
While she doesn’t possess the power of Goddess Hylia like Zelda does, Hilda is still plenty powerful. She wields Lorule’s Triforce of Wisdom and can use powerful dark magic like creating barriers and summoning shadow entities.
Midna may not have access to the power of a goddess, but as the true ruler of the Twii, she has access to a dizzying array of abilities. Among other things, she can create portals, summon energy fields, phase through walls, and, using the Fused Shadow, transform into a giant creature.
In fact, in her shadow form, she’s the only character in the game strong enough to destroy the Mirror of Twilight, allowing the heroes to defeat Zant. Midna doesn’t just have one ofthe best backstories inThe Legend of Zeldaseries; she’s one of its strongest princesses. Midna should be able to hold her own against the majority of Nintendo’s princesses.
Princess Peach has been around for a long time. When she first appeared in 1985’sSuper Mario Bros.,she was little more than a damsel in distress with no agency. Boy, has she grown since then. With countless game appearances under her belt, she’s grown into not just one ofthe best femaleMariocharacters, but one of Nintendo’s most powerful princesses.
On paper, Peach’s abilities may not sound that impressive, but they’ve increased over time. InSuper Mario Bros. 2,she can float; inSuper Princess Peach,her emotions give her magical powers; and inSuper Smash Bros.,she’s a fierce combatant. With each new game she appears in, Peach gains new powers, making her incredibly versatile. Throw in the fact that, like Mario, she can use power-ups, and Princess Peach quickly starts to look overpowered.
Peach might be powerful, but she’s got nothing onSuper Mario Galaxy’sPrincess Rosalina. Rosalina is arguably the most powerful of all of Mario’s lady friends, wielding powers on a cosmic scale. It’s her responsibility to protect Mario’s entire multiverse/cosmos, and she has the powers to perform this duty.
Rosalina is either immortal or almost immortal, having witnessed the death and rebirth of entire universes. Able to use cosmic magic, she was able to take on Bowser’s entire fleet and is responsible for creating the Comet Observatory, which allows Mario to traversethe best galaxies inSuper Mario Galaxy.She’s an absolute powerhouse, which makes one wonder why she needs the little Italian plumber at all.
Talking about theLegend of Zeldaseries' wider canon and Princess Zelda’s connection to the goddess Hylia opens up a ridiculously massive can of worms, so we’re going to sidestep it as much as possible. Much like Princess Peach, the original Princess Zelda was little more than a damsel in distress for Link to rescue, but over time, Nintendo has developed her into a heroine in her own right.
As the lore behind the multiple incarnations of Zelda has expanded, so has her power set. She’s a powerful magic user, a skilled warrior, and can reinforce her powers through various transformations, like the Sheik Transformation. On top of this, her use of the Triforce of Wisdom grants her heightened intelligence and the ability to foresee and influence events. Fans may argue over the precise nature of Zelda’s connection to Hylia, but that connection makes her Nintendo’s strongest princess, and gives her seemingly limitless potential.
