Princess Peach

|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} 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. She has been voiced by Samantha Kelly since 2007.

As the lead female character in the ''Super Mario'' series, Peach's role is typically the damsel in distress who is kidnapped by the main series antagonist, Bowser. In most of the games, her role is to be a captive until she is eventually rescued by Mario. In several multiplayer games of the series, she is a playable character, such as ''Super Mario 3D World'' and ''Super Mario Bros. Wonder''. 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 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), 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 as one of the most iconic and influential female video game characters. Provided by Wikipedia