Summary
- Nintendo Switch is showcasing more women-led games like Metroid Dread, so these women could be next.
- Characters like Ashley, Nana, Cynthia, and Vivian deserve their own games to shine in the Nintendo universe.
- Fans are clamoring for individual adventures with characters like Medli, Daisy, Captain Syrup outside their current roles.
Compared to past systems, the Nintendo Switch has been kind to the women of Nintendo's roster. Samus, of course, has seen her triumphant return to the spotlight with both a top-tier remake of Metroid Prime and the long-awaited Metroid Dread. For once, though, it doesn't feel like Samus is the only female Nintendo character who can hold her own and be the starring character of a full game.
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PostsWith Princess Peach: Showtime and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom offering Peach and Zelda respectively shots at having their own adventures on Switch, we can't help but get excited about the idea of seeing even more Nintendo women take the lead in a game, starting with these.
10 Ashley
Series
WarioWare
First Appearance
WarioWare: Touched (2004)
Latest Appearance
WarioWare: Move It! (2023)
Ashley the witch in training has been a fan favorite ever since she first appeared in WarioWare: Touched for the Nintendo DS back in 2004, but most Nintendo gamers know her for the iconic remix of her theme song featured in the Super Smash Bros. series.
With her hatred of sweets and her serious attitude, we'd love to see a game all about what life is like for Ashley outside of her role in the WarioWare games, training alongside her in pursuit of becoming the best witch around, all while maintaining a less than inviting haunted mansion.
9 Nana
Series
Ice Climber
First Appearance
Ice Climber (1985)
Latest Appearance
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)
Nana is a crucial part of the iconic tag-team duo, the Ice Climbers, and has been ever since the pair first scaled the icy heights back in 1985. In general, the Ice Climbers are long overdue for a modern revival a la Kid Icarus: Uprising, and if/when that happens, we vote Nana take the lead.
We'd love to see a modern Ice Climber game focus on working together to climb an all-new mountain, with heavy emphasis on story and of course, fleshed out characters. In a game like that, Nana could really shine as an individual who is more than just one half of a Smash fighter.
8 Nia
Series
Xenoblade Chronicles
First Appearance
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017)
Latest Appearance
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (2023)
While not every Nintendo fan is familiar with the big N's JRPG series beyond knowing who Shulk is and knowing that he's from Xenoblade, those who do actively play the Xenoblade Chronicles games will agree that a full game starring Nia would make for a fantastic time.
Nia's heartwarming character arc and charming personality could easily carry a full-length RPG, and getting to experience her backstory in more depth from her own perspective would be a great way to expand the world in a series already famous for having incredible world-building.
7 Rosalina
Series
Super Mario
First Appearance
Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Latest Appearance
Mario+Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope (2022)
Super Mario Galaxy is one of Nintendo's most beloved games, and a big part of why was the introduction of the Mario world's cosmic princess, Rosalina. Given how creative the Galaxy games were, the potential a Rosalina-led 3D platformer has is out of this world.
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PostsMario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope gave us a glimpse of what a story-driven experience involving Rosalina could be, but even if the story wasn't the game's main focus, we'd still love to spend more time with Rosalina and the Lumas, especially if it means more Galaxy style level design.
6 Cynthia
Series
Pokemon
First Appearance
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (2006)
Latest Appearance
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (2021)
While yes, you could argue that the entire Sinnoh region in generation four and every game that takes place in it are already Cynthia's and that we're just allowed to walk around in them, we'd still absolutely flip our lids over a game where we could actually play as Cynthia.
With how strong Cynthia is as champion of Sinnoh, preventing the game from being too easy would be a real challenge, but that problem could be addressed by making the game a prequel about how Cynthia became the Garchomp queen we all know and fear, and how she met her infamous team.
5 Vivian
Series
Paper Mario
First Appearance
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
Latest Appearance
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2024)
Nintendo's shiny new remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has given Paper Mario fans new and old a lot to love, but perhaps the most exciting addition to the 2024 version is the proper and honest portrayal of Vivian as being trans, something the original localization unfortunately chose to sweep under the rug.
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PostsVivian's story, though only lightly touched upon in the game, has already made a lot of trans gamers feel heard and represented, so it would be wonderful to see Nintendo expand her character with a full game. A Nintendo game starring a trans character would be a big step forward for the industry, and one that's long overdue.
4 Min Min
Series
Arms
First Appearance
Arms (2017)
Latest Appearance
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter Pass (2020)
Taking full advantage of what the Joy Con could do, Arms set itself up to be the next big Nintendo e-sport alongside Splatoon and Super Smash Bros., but the lack of a story mode really hurt the game's reputation early on, and it never really managed to recover after that.
Of all the game's wildly imaginative characters, the one fans gravitated the most toward was Min Min, with her fun ramen noodle arms and her unique cultural background. Realistically, a Min Min game could only really work as a sequel to Arms or something similar, but we don't care. We love Min Min, you love Min Min, and she was always too good to not be the headlining act.
3 Captain Syrup
Series
Wario Land
First Appearance
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994)
Latest Appearance
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (As A Spirit) (2018)
Captain Syrup is one of the more obscure Nintendo characters, primarily appearing as the main antagonist of the Wario Land series, and getting fully fleshed out in an exciting way in Wario Land: Shake It for the Nintendo Wii.
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PostsEven though she's been around for quite a while, it's quite rare for Nintendo to mention her, and we say that's a crying shame, because a first-party Nintendo pirate game starring Captain Syrup of the Black Sugar Gang would be a truly unique experience that could be as fun as finding buried treasure.
2 Medli
Series
The Legend of Zelda
First Appearance
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
Latest Appearance
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (As A Spirit) (2018)
The Rito have long been an intriguing tribe within The Legend of Zelda series; frankly, we'd take any game centered specifically and exclusively around our favorite feathered friends, but the kind hearted Medli who met us back on Dragon Roost Island is the Rito we'd like to play as the most.
A game set within the world of The Wind Waker that revolves around preparing for the arrival of the hero could be incredible if done right, but a game starring Medli giving us a similar experience to A Short Hike, only set on Dragon Roost Island instead, would be great too.
1 Daisy
Series
Super Mario
First Appearance
Super Mario Land (1989)
Latest Appearance
Super Mario Party Jamboree (2024)
We all know that no character has risen in popularity among the Mario fandom more than Princess Daisy did with the advent of Twitter, and as funny as that is in hindsight, it also isn't without reason. Daisy is quite the character, and she deserves a chance to prove it on her own.
Her demeanor and attitude have had us longing to play as her in a mainline game ever since Super Mario Strikers let her character shine, and while Super Mario Bros. Wonder did do a lot to help satiate that desire, there's still no denying that Princess Daisy deserves to have her own adventure.
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