She’s a monarch. She wears a floor-length pink gown and high heels to a fistfight. Honestly, on paper, Princess Peach should be the worst character in the game. But if you’ve ever stepped into the competitive ring of Princess Peach Super Smash Bros, you know that the "damsel in distress" trope is a lie. She’s a nightmare.
Peach is a technical powerhouse. Since Melee dropped in 2001, she has consistently defied the physics of the game. Most characters jump. Peach? She floats. It sounds like a small thing, but that single mechanic changes everything about how the game is played at a high level. You aren't just fighting a character; you’re fighting someone who can ignore the ground entirely.
The Float is Basically a Cheat Code
Let’s talk about Float. It is the defining trait of any Princess Peach Super Smash Bros appearance. By holding down on the analog stick while jumping, Peach stays suspended in mid-air. This isn't just for recovery. It’s for "float canceling."
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, if Peach attacks while floating and then touches the ground, her landing lag is basically deleted. You can hit an opponent with a Crown Slap or a Fair (Forward Air) and be ready to move again before they even realize what hit them. It’s fast. It’s oppressive. Even in Ultimate, where the mechanics were tweaked to be more "balanced," her ability to perform ground-level aerials makes her a shield-pressure goddess.
You’ve probably seen players like Samsora or MuteAce doing things that look like they're breaking the controller. They are. Playing Peach at a top level requires a level of "input density" that most other characters just don't demand. You’re toggling the float, buffering aerials, and managing movement all within a few frames. It’s exhausting to watch, let alone play.
The RNG of the Turnip
Most characters have a projectile. Mario has fireballs. Link has arrows. Peach has... gardening?
Plucking a turnip is Peach’s "Down-B" move, and it’s the most frustrating thing in the world to play against. Most turnips do a bit of damage and some knockback. Standard stuff. But then there’s the Stitch-Face. If Peach pulls a Stitch-Face turnip, the game changes. It deals massive damage—often over 30%—and can kill at ridiculously low percentages.
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Then there are the rare items. Very occasionally, Peach will pull a Mr. Saturn or a Bob-omb.
I’ve seen tournament sets completely flip because a Peach player pulled a Bob-omb while they were a stock down. It’s pure luck, but in the hands of a pro, it’s a death sentence. It adds a layer of psychological warfare. When Peach starts plucking, you can’t just rush in. You have to respect the vegetable. If you don't, you're going to get a face full of explosives.
Why She Isn't Just "Easy Mario"
A lot of casual players pick Peach because she’s cute or because they like Super Mario Odyssey. They quickly realize she’s actually one of the hardest characters to master in the entire roster.
- Movement: Her run speed isn't great. You have to use Float to move efficiently.
- Range: Her reach is stubby. You have to get in close, which is dangerous.
- Recovery: While her Parasol is great for vertical height, she’s vulnerable from the sides.
Top-tier Princess Peach Super Smash Bros gameplay is about precision. It’s about knowing exactly when to use her "Side-B" (Peach Bomber) to recover or to punish a bad landing. It’s about her "Up-Tilt," which has a surprisingly large hitbox above her head. She’s a "glass cannon" in some ways—not because she dies easily, but because her neutral game is so fragile. One mistake and she’s off-stage, where she’s much easier to gimp than people think.
The Evolution from Melee to Ultimate
In Melee, Peach was a tank. She had "Crouch Cancel," which meant she could tank hits and immediately counter with a Down-Smash. That move—the spinning dress—was legendary. It could do over 50% damage if the opponent stayed inside the hitbox.
Moving into Brawl and Smash 4, she felt a bit heavier, a bit more sluggish. The removal of certain movement tech hurt her. But in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, she got her groove back. The developers introduced Daisy as an Echo Fighter. For a while, they were identical. Then, players realized there were tiny, frame-level differences in their hurtboxes and how their turnips behaved.
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For the most part, Peach remains the gold standard. Her combo game in Ultimate is terrifying. If she hits you with a "Down-Tilt" at low percentages, you might be in for a 60% to 80% combo that carries you across the entire stage. It involves "Attack Cancel" floats and constant turnip tosses. It’s beautiful if you’re the one doing it. It’s a reason to throw your controller if you’re the one taking the hits.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Matchup
Stop shielding.
Okay, don't actually stop shielding entirely, but if you sit in your shield against a good Peach, you’re dead. Her "Fair" (the slap) does massive shield damage. Her "Down-Smash" eats shields for breakfast. If she’s floating right in front of your face, she’s baiting you.
The trick to beating her is often verticality. Characters with strong "Up-Airs" or those who can out-range her—like Cloud or Sephiroth—tend to give her a hard time. You have to force her out of the air. If she can't float, she loses her biggest advantage.
Also, pay attention to the turnip. If she’s holding one, her options are limited. She can't use certain moves without throwing it first. Use that window. Most people panic when they see the vegetable. Don't panic. Just track it.
The Mental Game of the Pink Dress
There is a specific kind of disrespect that comes with losing to Peach. Getting slapped into the blast zone while she giggles and says "Aw, did I win?" is enough to tilt even the most stoic pro player.
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This is part of the character’s design. She is meant to be annoying. Her voices, her taunts, her "Side-B" sound effects—they’re all designed to get under your skin. In a competitive environment, "tilt" is a real factor. If you’re angry, you make mistakes. If you make mistakes, the Peach player will punish you with a 14-hit combo that ends in a turnip to the back of the head.
Daisy vs. Peach: Is There a Difference?
Strictly speaking, in the current patch of Ultimate, they are almost identical. In the past, there were "Turnip knockback" differences that made Daisy slightly better for specific combos. Most of those have been patched out.
Choosing between them now is basically a vibe check. Do you want the elegant, classic royal? Or the spunky, "Hi, I'm Daisy!" energy? Most pros stick with Peach because that's who they've practiced with for twenty years, but Daisy is just as viable.
Practical Steps for Mastering the Princess
If you actually want to get good at Princess Peach Super Smash Bros, you can't just play matches. You have to live in Training Mode.
- Master the Instant Float: Practice jumping and immediately holding down. You should be able to float a millimeter off the ground. This is your "neutral."
- Turnip Regrabs: Practice throwing a turnip, jumping, and catching it again. This keeps your momentum and keeps the projectile in play.
- The Bread and Butter: Learn the "Down-Tilt" into "Fair" combo. It’s simple, reliable, and kills at high percents.
- Watch the VODs: Go to YouTube and search for MuteAce or Ling. Don't just watch the wins. Watch how they move when they’re losing. Look at how they use Float to stall for time or bait an impatient opponent.
Peach isn't a character you pick up in a weekend. She’s a project. But once you understand the rhythm of her movement, the game feels different. You aren't just playing Smash anymore; you're playing a high-speed platformer where the goal is to embarrass your opponent with a piece of produce.
Stop thinking of her as a "support" character from the Mario games. In Smash, she's the boss fight. The pink dress is just camouflage for one of the most aggressive, technical, and rewarding fighters in gaming history. If you're willing to put in the work, you'll find that the view is much better from the top of the tier list.
Start by spending 15 minutes a day just practicing "Float Canceled" aerials in training mode. Don't even worry about an opponent yet. Just get the muscle memory down. Once you can move without thinking about the buttons, the real game begins.