Don't blame Princess Peach for being kidnapped. Blame Bowser for kidnapping her

[WindKnight]

It's a trope almost as old as gaming itself. Princess Peach being kidnapped by Bowser, with Mario having to rescue her. Gamers of several generations have often criticised her for this, saying things like "she gets kidnapped too much" or, "she's incompetent" because of how often she gets imprisoned. And while I, for a long time, shared this sentiment, I came to realise something that, frankly, I probably should have picked up on much sooner.

Why are we blaming Peach for this? She didn't want this. She's the victim here, and yet we're constantly putting her down because of somebody ELSE's crime, namely Bowsers. HE'S the villain here. HE'S the one kidnapping this woman and dragging her from her home, so why isn't HE the one who gets the criticism?

I doubt I'm the only one who has thought of this, but yeah, it's just something I thought I should put out there for discussion.

Last I checked, we were actually blaming the writers/devs for repeatedly using a tired-ass lazy stereotype/plot device instead of actually putting a bit more thought into the games storyline.

 

[QuicklyAcross]

I blame nintendo for a lack of creativity, that's all i blame anything on when it comes to anything Mario-related.

 

[JimB]

Gamers of several generations have often criticised her for this, saying things like "She gets kidnapped too much" or "She's incompetent" because of how often she gets imprisoned.

May I ask who's been saying that? The only person I've ever heard say that is Yahtzee Croshaw, and he seemed to do it for the sake of making jokes about inbred aristocracy.

Just...It's a goddamned cartoon, people!

If you are allowed to decide the level of importance you wish to attach to this issue, please reciprocate that courtesy to people who attach a greater level of importance than you do.

How is it Bowser's fault when she's dressed like that?

Okay, I shouldn't be laughing at a "It's her fault she got raped" joke, but that was just funny. Well done.

 

[Mutant1988]

She deserves a lot of critique for failing to improve her security detail. She's a monarch yet can't manage to hire competent security guards? I mean, come on...

 

[FFHAuthor]

I don't blame Peach for being Kidnapped, I just wonder why she decide to perhaps invest some of the Mushroom kingdom's finances (there are quite a few gold coins floating around) in a military, or perhaps a Hostage-Rescue unit after the eighth or ninth time she get's kidnapped and has to be rescued by an overweight plumber of dubious motivations.

 

[Gengisgame]

I don't think anyone actually cares that much and it's said as more of a joke than as direct criticism.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Slightly more serious, doesn't Mini fight during the escape at the end of patch 2.55, or at least it is implied, to buy you time. Hell the first time Alphinaud pulled out his book in Ishgard it stood out because I don't think I'd ever seen him do that before (and I find him more annoying than Mini ever is).

Alphinaud pulled out his book in the Final Coil. And we didn't really see what happened with Minfillia. She stayed behind but we don't know why or what happened.

 

[Politrukk]

this thread smells like bait and I ain't biting.

As Captcha states "What even..?"

 

[Panthera]

She could so totally break free if she wanted though. I played Melee Peach, your down smash is ridiculous. Bowser puts you in a cage? Spin around, you're free. Bowser objects? Float around slapping him until he's gone. That matchup's like 9-1 in your favour, don't give me that "oh Mario I'm so scared" crap, you're just a privileged rich person forcing the working class hero to do all the damn work to save you.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Eh, in the game universe, Peach has a lucrative kingdom, she can hire people to teach the toads to jump on enemies. she can grow fire flowers. hire guards, build canons, throw some logs together and build tanks and airships coz it works for koopa. Have treasure tracker toads find debris from beaten bowser vehicles to reverse engineer. Get some invincible power up stars and have the

Spoiler: TOOOOOOOOOOOOOAD WARRIOR

<youtube=69-3-J8cq0s>

do something. Hell, spawn an army of them.
Grow an army of piranha plants. Make a series of 10ft walls. Anything not outright flying will just get turned around.

Indeed she doesn't. But why is that? Maybe she's not really being kidnapped at all? There don't appear to be any negative consequences after each escapade. And if you include the spin-off party games, all the characters appear to be pretty chummy, playing golf, tennis, go-karting, and various other party games with each other.

I don't know, I just don't get the impression that Peach gets captured so often because she can't defend herself. Maybe she lets herself get captured out of pity for Bowser and Mario, because that's their raison d'etre. Without it they're nothing and she knows it.

Yeah, the whole Mario Bros 3 thing lets on it's a performance. The karting, the tennis, the golf, soccer, etc. I don't think it counts as canon, but there's that mario game where they go inside bowser, and they likely worked together in core games. They likely don't have the level of antagonism that most think they do. Still, until there's confirmation of the antagonism levels, I still say Peach could at least pretend to put up a fight.

 

[MeatMachine]

0 people play Mario games for the plot. I have never once heard a person say, in all sincerity, "I gotta be World 8-8 because I want to save the princess!" The kidnapping thing is a paper-thin plot that only serves to excuse anyone who may ask, "WHY am I jumping on turtles and running to the right?" Anyone who takes Mario stories seriously are just... I don't know.

There are one or two exceptions to this though, like Super Mario RPG's storyline and character portrayals actually being really fun and enjoyable.

 

[lacktheknack]

"OK, so, in the new Mario game, we've got a new set of challenging levels that'll take effort to get through."

"Why would Mario go through them?"

"...screw it, he's rescuing Peach. Good enough."

There's truly nothing more nerdy than deconstructing the motives and flaws in the grand narrative arc of FREAKING MARIO. That's like deconstructing the story of Minesweeper.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

0 people play Mario games for the plot. I have never once heard a person say, in all sincerity, "I gotta be World 8-8 because I want to save the princess!" The kidnapping thing is a paper-thin plot that only serves to excuse anyone who may ask, "WHY am I jumping on turtles and running to the right?" Anyone who takes Mario stories seriously are just... I don't know.

There are one or two exceptions to this though, like Super Mario RPG's storyline and character portrayals actually being really fun and enjoyable.

"OK, so, in the new Mario game, we've got a new set of challenging levels that'll take effort to get through."

"Why would Mario go through them?"

"...screw it, he's rescuing Peach. Good enough."

There's truly nothing more nerdy than deconstructing the motives and flaws in the grand narrative arc of FREAKING MARIO. That's like deconstructing the story of Minesweeper.

Oh my god. Thank you! Thank you both sooo freaking much for talking sense!

 

[wulf3n]

Yeah, the whole Mario Bros 3 thing lets on it's a performance. The karting, the tennis, the golf, soccer, etc. I don't think it counts as canon, but there's that mario game where they go inside bowser, and they likely worked together in core games. They likely don't have the level of antagonism that most think they do. Still, until there's confirmation of the antagonism levels, I still say Peach could at least pretend to put up a fight.

Couldn't hurt. I've got to imagine Mario and Bowser are getting just as bored of the whole routine as Peach is.

 

[Dragonbums]

Nah son. If someone has a knack for kidnapping you repeatedly you have equal responsibility to make sure it doesn't happen to you again. It would be one thing if Peach made fool proof defense mechanisms and Bowser STILL gets through to them.

But half of her kidnappings result in her just being there in the open with literally nobody there to guard her, and she has shown zero capable self defense skills.

 

[SweetShark]

Well, I think it is like Adventure Time now: It is a routine which sometime is very visible in some more story-wise Mario games. Mostly in Mario & Luigi series.
But I digress, at least in Adventure Time Princess Bubblegum "evolve" as a character and she is now a more stronger....no, I am wrong she was ALWAYS a strong character.
Princess Peach however get along with her routine......she doesn't become something more....

 

[RJ 17]

I blame her...but not for the reason of being "security challenged".

Personally I apply to the Game Theory thoughts on the matter: Peach is a repressed woman with absolutely nothing to do but sit around the castle baking cakes all day. She craves some sort of excitement, something to give her a good rush. As such, she pays Bowser to kidnap her.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Nah son. If someone has a knack for kidnapping you repeatedly you have equal responsibility to make sure it doesn't happen to you again. It would be one thing if Peach made fool proof defense mechanisms and Bowser STILL gets through to them.

But half of her kidnappings result in her just being there in the open with literally nobody there to guard her, and she has shown zero capable self defense skills.

I'm not sure there's anyone she can get to guard her effectively. Short of hiring Mario 24/7, who already seems to always have his hands full even when she's not kidnapped, there doesn't seem to be anyone who would be a competent guard

 

[Reed Spacer]

That girl needs a taser.

 

[samgdawg]

It needs to be said, IT'S A FUC**** NINTENDO GAME!

Dear god, do people really need to go the whole sexism tropes on a game series that is quite literally nostalgia incarnate for a time when large complicated stories were hard to insert to a game? It's just feels like an easy target despite even it doesn't take itself seriously.

THANK YOU!! It's one thing to poke fun ala everyone in the world or Yahtzee because it's going to happen anyway, but when you start to really get upset at a cartoony fictional world inhabited by mushroom people and frickin' dino/raptor/dragon things, and that's not even getting into the weird stuff that apparently exists in the same games everyone's quoting as examples of the story done "right", for "sexism" because the writers/developers are literally making the games at this point for A: Gimmicks ala New Super Mario Bros 2 with the Golden Flower. B: Nostalgia. C: Money. And D: It's what people want.

In today's world of gritty reboots, brown shooters, and awful misunderstandings of the original source, I reject the idea that we need to make Mario games "get with the times" and... And do what exactly? Kill Bowser for his crimes against the Mushroom Kingdom? That's a bit dark. But it's your much beloved "realism" you seem to want. Dungeons? Torture? Silencing of political dissidents? Awful brutal stuff that is totally realistic in terms of wanting to make the Mushroom Kingdom function like a "real world" and making Peach "act like a ruler".

It's not "the writer's fault", or "Peach's fault", it's not even "Nintendo/the industries fault". It's pointless to try and point fingers over this. There's no sexism here. Sure maybe at the start in the usual "Women are to be saved in stories so we'll make the player care by giving him a princess" if you're feeling cynical, but that's it.