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Which character is stronger, irrespective of how attracted to her you may or may not be?
At first glance I thought Zelda the obvious choice. She's stoic, clever, and occasionally plays an active role in Link's adventures. Overall she's still a princess that needs to be rescued all the time, but she seems like the stronger character up front.
But it can't be discounted that Peach was a playable character as early as the North American Super Mario Brothers. And it wasn't a one-time thing just because the game was ripped off from Doki Doki Panic either! Peach could be a party member in Super Mario RPG. And she had a ton of really interesting playable segments in Paper Mario. Zelda still hasn't achieved that level of participation in the zelda franchise. (And that's without considering all the sports and cart racing games Peach has been playable in. Those probably shouldn't count.)
True, Peach is feminine. Which isn't to say that Zelda is butch or anything, but Zelda has a certain stoicism and aloof dignity. Zelda is defined by her womanhood, but she is also defined by the fact that she is royalty. Peach, on the other hand, is defined solely by her womanhood. Peach is what a 3 year old girl might describe if asked what she wanted to be like when she grows up. Peach is a princess, yes. But from a design perspective it seems as though Peach is a princess because girls like princesses. Her royalty doesn't define her the way it does Zelda.
But Peach's relentless femininity does not necessarily make her a weak character. She is upbeat and hopeful. She's shown being more caring towards her subjects than I think we've ever seen Zelda be. Really, we almost never see Zelda being a ruler. We see her acting like royalty, but I can't personally think of any instance where she interacted with her subjects. Peach, on the other hand, is often shown being concerned for, or spending time with, the Toads.
I don't know. Which do you think is the stronger character?