Princess Zelda has been lost, kidnapped, and forced into hiding.
Shes been trapped in stone, crystal, and in the twisting body of a dragon.
Historically, Nintendo hasnt beencompletelyallergic to interesting female characters.
Nintendo of America
But, being a princess, specifically, assigns most Nintendo girls to doom.
For the past 30 years, the company has largely pigeonholed women as damsels in distress.
In 1989,Dragon Questhas Princess Gwaelin stolen by the bile-eyed Dragonlord.
Ganondorf possesses Zeldas body in 2006sTwilight Princess, turning her fair skin a nauseous, seafoam green.
Zelda doesnt let that slow her down, though.
Nintendo lets her retain only the basics of her personhood.
But Nintendo has thought of Zelda as an implausible main character as recently as 2016.
If we have princess Zelda as the main character who fights, then what is Link going to do?
Nintendo producer Eiji Aonumaasked GameSpot.
Rage engulfs her in flame, while more agreeable calm restores her health.
Showtime!takes a more holistic approach to Peachs strength.
Shes allowed all the pink and glitter shes always been associated with her companion inShowtime!
is literally a sentient ribbon, and Peach is at her most powerful while wearing a shimmering Cinderella gown.
But shes adaptable, too.
Shes multidimensional, like male Nintendo characters have had so many opportunities to be.
And Nintendo might have figured out that a tiara cant stop a girl from saving herself.
Correction: This story previously stated that Dragon Quest came out in 1986.
It came out in 1989.
