Nintendo’s princesses usually protect the world from evil, but what if they were the villains? Fans love reimagining video game characters in different roles. In particular, they love reimagining the “good guys” as villains who seek to conquer the world they once protected!
I quite enjoy this creative role-swapping. It’s always fun, and sometimes it complicates characters in fascinating ways. Most of the pictures below depict utterly evil characters, but some depict more nuanced characters. I always prefer complicated antagonists, and Nintendo heroines are perfect for the role. After all, we primarily associate these characters with virtue, so we’re more likely to empathize with them and recognize the good within them.
Many stories show power corrupting characters and turning them evil. So it makes sense that that could happen to other characters, including Nintendo’s princesses. It’s sad seeing them turn evil, but it’s also very satisfying! These princesses would make incredible, compelling, creepy villains that we both love and fear!
There aren’t a huge number of princesses in Nintendo’s roster, so a few princesses show up more than once in this article. Peach, Zelda, Daisy, and Rosalina are Nintendo’s most iconic princesses, so I included a few pictures of each! I had fun finding various pictures of each princess and exploring their villainy from multiple perspectives.
I hope you enjoy this fanart as much as I do! I’m always impressed by the array of creative fanart available on the Internet. Here are some incredible fanart pictures that reimagine Nintendo princesses as villains!
23 Majora’s Descendant
In case you’ve never noticed, Midna’s helmet bears an uncanny resemblance to Majora’s Mask. They have the same creepy, diagonal eyes. The connection between these masks has never been confirmed, but many fans theorize that the Twili are the same tribe who created Majora’s Mask.
So, of course, Midna would use Majora’s Mask to conquer the world!
After inheriting Majora’s Mask, Midna can continue the legacy of her ancestors. That’s going to be an emotional battle when Link has to stop Midna from destroying Hyrule.
For more incredible Nintendo fanart, visit Pertheseus’s page here!
22 Queen Of The Koopas
Peach might not be a Koopa, but she rules them far better than Bowser ever did. Her evil forces look more than happy to serve Peach and conquer the Mushroom Kingdom for her. Especially that Chain Chomp on the left—even evil Peach has secret admirers.
I really enjoy justD3F’s version of a villainous Peach, especially her creepy crown and Poison Mushroom earrings. Her dark, creepy aesthetic perfectly matches the red, black, and white colors of her minions. Her red eyes and violet pupils are particularly intense.
21 Transformed Into Evil Queens
These two villains are actually queens, but Peach was a princess before the Shadow Queen possessed her and turned her into a villain. Bowser, on the other hand, was a king before he used the Super Crown to turn into Bowsette, queen of the Koopas!
Most Bowsette fanart pairs her with regular Peach, so I appreciate that SailorBomber paired her with an evil version of Peach. Since Bowsette’s a Peach look-alike, it’s fun comparing villainous Bowsette with villainous Peach.
For more incredible Nintendo fanart, visit SailorBomber’s homepage here!
20 The Tyranny Of Zelda
This is by far the creepiest picture of Princess Zelda I’ve ever seen. Majora’s Mask is known to turn good people evil, but at least Skull Kid turned good when he removed the mask. Zelda looks evil even with the mask off!
I love DarknessZelda’s spare use of color. Only the eyes of Zelda and Majora’s Mask have color—which perfectly highlights their evil, demonic, heartless characteristics. With the combined power of Majora’s Mask and the Triforce of Wisdom, evil Zelda will be unstoppable!
19 Trapped Inside
Mipha isn’t necessarily evil in this picture; maskedgolem just gave her Link’s armor (Vah Ruta Divine Helm, Ancient Cuirass, and Ancient Greaves). But I like interpreting this as an “evil” version of Mipha who’s being controlled by the Divine Beast she sought to control.
Like in Breath of the Wild, Mipha’s trapped inside Vah Ruta.
Ganon took control of Vah Ruta and trapped Mipha’s soul inside it. Now Mipha can only watch as Vah Ruta destroys Mipha’s home. I imagine the same thing’s happening in this picture: Mipha’s powerless within her robotic suit of armor.
For other incredible Zelda fanart, including the other Champions with their respective Divine Beast gear, visit maskedgolem’s page here!
18 Is She Evil Or Just Mischievous?
Obviously, Rosalina doesn’t have to be evil in this picture, but she and her Luma are giving us some pretty intense looks. Whether she’s truly evil or just teasing us, Rosalina looks incredible! I love the various shades of purple in her dress! Her red hair and purple lipstick look great, and they perfectly emphasize her green eyes (which used to be blue).
That purple Luma looks an awful lot like Lubba…
Lubba’s boisterous in Super Mario Galaxy 2, so this is probably a different Luma. But maybe not; after all, Rosalina’s also happier in the actual games.
For other awesome Nintendo fanart, visit Jacyll’s homepage here!
17 Mark Of Grima
This artist—Lucina #Grimleal—loves imagining Lucina joining forces with Grima. From what I can tell, they invented that symbol on Lucina’s hand.
I love that the symbol is completely up to interpretation!
Personally, I think the symbol represents Grima with Grima’s six eyes on the sides and Grima’s mouth in the middle. The artist significantly placed the mark on Lucina’s left hand, so perhaps the mark is connected to the Mark of Naga on her left eye. Regardless, the artist definitely intended for Lucina and her strange mark to represent evil.
16 Shadow Queen Daisy
I thought Peach looked awesome as the Shadow Queen, but Daisy looks even cooler! In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Shadow Queen possesses Daisy, giving her a black outfit and simplistic red jewelry. I personally prefer Daisy’s outfit in this fanart by CrystalisZelda. The purple clothes look amazing and perfectly combine with Daisy’s creepy, beautiful, magenta jewelry! The Shadow Queen knows how to conquer the world in style.
CrystalisZelda has a lot of other amazing Nintendo fanart! Check out their homepage here.
15 Evil Lyn
Lyn is my favorite Fire Emblem character. She’s incredibly cool, powerful, good-hearted, and strong-willed! The legendary Mani Katti recognizes her virtue and strength by marking her as its owner: only Lyn can draw the Mani Katti from its sheath.
What if the Lyn and Mani Katti were actually evil?
I’m not sure what drove Lyn to villainy. Revenge? Overwhelming power? Possession by an evil deity? Regardless, Lyn’s clearly evil in this fanart. As a powerful heroine who saves the world against impossible odds, Lyn would be an unstoppable villain.
For more amazing Fire Emblem fanart, visit Kaejunni’s homepage here!
14 Please Don’t Eat Me!
Cheep Cheeps haven’t always been villains (Sushie from Paper Mario is the primary heroine amongst Cheep Cheeps), but I’ve never met a friendly Blooper. So when I saw this picture of Peach and Daisy reimagined as a Cheep and Cheep and Blooper respectively, I knew something fishy was going on. Perhaps these princesses are still good inside, but they could be completely evil now—especially since Peach is trying to eat Daisy.
For other awesome Nintendo fanart, check out xXCloneyXx’s homepage here!
13 Another Princess Possessed By Evil
This alternate version of Rosalina wonderfully combines aspects of other Nintendo princesses turned evil! She reminds me of possessed Zelda from Twilight Princess as well as possessed Peach from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Her outfit is simultaneously beautiful and creepy.
I guess evil Rosalina wanted to grow her hair out!
Rosalina’s hair is much longer in this fanart than in the Mario games. It honestly reminds me of Rapunzel’s hair from Tangled; Rapunzel’s hair is about that long when she braids it.
KatLime has drawn Rosalina and other Nintendo princesses in many alternate costumes! Check them out here.
12 Cute Little Bundle Of Evil
I love this picture by drowtales because it complicates Grima and our concept of “villainy.” Instead of seeking world destruction and nothing else, Grima lovingly raises Lucina as its child. Why possess people when Grima can raise them to share its villainous ideals?
I never knew Lucina and Grima could look so adorable!
drowtales actually didn’t intend to change Lucina’s age, but she looks like a giddy child to me. I know kids like her who love giving presents to their parents. Little Lucina is so incredibly happy to be giving Grima a present!
11 What If Grima Possessed Lucina?
The previous picture imagines Lucina and Grima working together under a loving relationship. This picture, on the other hand, reimagines Grima possessing Lucina instead of Robin.
Under Grima’s control, Lucina would have no trouble destroying the world.
The artist, GrimaSpawn, nicely implements the Mark of Naga on Lucina’s left eye. Since Naga opposes Grima, you’d think the Mark of Naga would protect Lucina from Grima’s influence—but in this picture, Lucina’s left side is more “evil” and dragon-like. Maybe since Naga’s a dragon, her mark is turning Lucina into a dragon.
For other incredible Fire Emblem fanart, check out GrimaSpawn’s homepage here!
10 Villains Of The Triforce
onisuu’s take on Dark Link and Dark Zelda are wonderfully unique! Nintendo and most artists depict Dark Legend of Zelda characters with dark-gray skin, white hair, and black clothing. onisuu, on the other hand, preserves Link’s and Zelda’s regular skin tones and adds color to their outfits.
In fact, Zelda’s outfit is largely unchanged! She still wears purple clothing and golden armor. Her jewelry’s now red instead of blue, which perfectly matches her change in eye color (her eyes were previously blue). Good job, onisuu—you mixed up the formula and made Dark Zelda look amazing!
9 The Princess And Her Pegasus
Meet Caeda and her evil pegasus. Caeda’s the princess of Talys and is Marth’s love interest from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, but I doubt they’re on good terms now that Caeda’s turned evil.
I really love the colors in Caeda’s outfit!
Her vibrant, blue hair and dark-blue armor nicely contrast with her red clothing and blade. I wish LeeBigTree hadn’t outline Caeda in red, but I still love the picture!
LeeBigTree has reimagined multiple Fire Emblem heroines as villains. Check out their amazing fanart here!
8 Evil Duo
Obviously, these evil iterations of Peach and Zelda already exist, but I love that SigurdHosenfeld reimagined them as an evil duo! The Shadow Queen has possessed Peach and Ganon’s possessed Zelda—but in this artwork, the villainous princesses have developed their own personalities. They look far happier than their in-game versions. I appreciate that SigurdHosenfeld complicated these villains with innocent smiles and friendly demeanors. They may treat the world terribly, but these evil princesses share an unbreakable bond with each other.
7 Dark Sheik
Considering that Sheik already has red eyes, I’m surprised that more artists haven’t drawn “Dark Sheik.” In this amazing fanart by onisuu, Dark Sheik bears the same traits as Dark Link: ashen skin, red eyes, white hair, and black clothing. But onisuu made Dark Sheik look incredible! Her white hair and dark clothing are cool and fashionable, and her red eyes complement her hair and black mask.
onisuu has a lot of amazing Nintendo fanart, including more Dark versions of Zelda characters! Check out their work here.
6 The Evil Princess And Her Sidekick
I appreciate that the artist, Shadow7Zerudahime, didn’t go over-the-top with this evil pair! Zelda and Sheik might be villains, but that doesn’t mean they’re evil to the bone. Their outfits mostly lack the “evil” black and red hues that artists usually associate with evil. Instead, the characters wear very colorful, fashionable attire that any nobility would wear.
These two remind me of a villain and sidekick from a Disney movie. Sheik’s courteous (and probably kind to an extent) but unquestionably loyal to her evil master, Zelda.
5 Evil Begets Evil
Throughout Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Eirika expresses incredible compassion and a genuine desire to avoid unnecessary violence. So seeing as her a villain is devastating and disturbing.
Something in Eirika must have snapped when she lost her father.
King Fado falls at the beginning of The Sacred Stones in an unexpected invasion. Such an unnecessary, evil invasion—combined with the loss of her father—would likely twist Eirika’s view of the world. Lyon will regret invading Renais; this grief-stricken, revenge-driven princess will destroy him and his entire kingdom.
Kaejunni has a lot of incredible Fire Emblem fanart, including other Fire Emblem heroes and heroines reimagined as villains. Check out their artwork here!
4 False Princesses
This fanart actually depicts two established villains from Super Smash Bros. Brawl: False Zelda and False Peach. The Subspace Army copies the appearances of Zelda and Peach to create their False, evil counterparts.
This artist, bellhenge, reimagined False Peach and False Zelda, giving them cool new looks! bellhenge draws more attention to their outfits than the game does. Their jewelry glows with a creepy purple light, and light reflects off the gilded components of their dresses.
For more amazing Nintendo fanart, check out bellhenge’s homepage here!