Princess Peach

Princes Peach (also known as Princess Peach Toadstool, or simply Princess Toadstool) is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto to be the damsel-in-distress type character but has also had her own starring roles in the form of both Super Princess Peach and Super Mario 3D World.

She is normally always seen wearing pink and usually has a kind personality. Her design was said to represent her "stubborn, yet cute" appearance.

In Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS
In the first 3D Mario title, Peach invites Mario to her castle for cake but before he arrives, Bowser had already took control of the castle and hidden the Power Stars in paintings.

If the player searches the room that houses the Princess's Secret Slide painting, they will come across a note from Peach. The note says, "My castle is in great peril! I know it's because of Bowser again. Will he never tire of terrorizing us? He stole the castle's Power Stars and disappeared into the into the walls along with us! Retrieve the Power Stars from the walls and the paintings in the castle."

After finally being rescued, Peach thanks Mario by kissing him. She does eventually give him the cake, as seen by the end credits.

In Super Mario Sunshine
In this game, Peach decides to take both Mario and Toadsworth along with her on a vacation to Isle Delfino. When they arrive, Mario is accused of covering the island with graffiti and he is tasked with cleaning it. While Mario is cleaning, a mysterious figure called Shadow Mario grabs Peach and run off, though the princess is rescued quickly.

After collecting a total of 10 Shine Sprites, Shadow Mario captures her yet again and reveals that he is Bowser Jr. He believes that Peach is his mother and he must take her back to his father. Jr. then flees to Corona Mountain with Peach, causing Mario to give chase and defeat both Bowser and his son.

In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2
Peach serves mostly the same role in both Galaxy titles.

At the beginning of each one, Peach has invited Mario to her castle once again for some cake while they watch the shooting stars at the Star Festival. Bowser kidnaps Peach in both games and takes her to the center of the universe where he tries to make his own galaxies.

However, in the first game, Bowser also takes Peach's Castle with him instead of just Peach herself. In the second title, Bowser has grown to planet size and simply takes Peach with him.

Throughout the games, Peach will send Mario letters containing 1-Ups. After being rescued, the princess and Mario are reunited though in the first game, they wake up back in the Mushroom Kingdom.

In Super Mario 3D Land
Peach is captured yet again in this game but it is revealed that she was captured when investigating damage done to the Tail Tree in a rampaging storm. The next day, Mario and a few Toads notice a letter Peach left behind, causing them to chase after her.

Everytime Mario completes a world, he receives a letter from Peach that shows the current predicament she is in. At one point, she is shown attempting to get out of a cage Bowser entrapped her in while in another, she is being chased by Boom Boom and other Koopa Troop fiends. She is rescued after Mario completes a total of eight worlds.

In Super Mario 3D World
Though Peach was playable in the NES game Super Mario Bros. 2, this game is the first time she was ever playable in a 3D title. At the beginning of the game, Peach is out on a walk with Mario, Luigi, and Toad when they discover a broken Clear Pipe that leads to the Sprixie Kingdom. After fixing it, a Sprixie Princess comes out of the pipe and tells them that Bowser has ransacked their kingdom. Suddenly, Bowser pops out and kidnaps the Sprixie right before their eyes. The heroes jump into the pipe, with Peach being the first to do so.

Peach is the slowest of the playable characters in the game, yet her "float-jump" is exceptional for beginners. She is able to use all the power-ups in the game including the Cat Suit, Double Cherry, and Boomerang Suit. Whenever she uses a power-up, her suits are always pink.