Top 10 Video Game Damsels in Distress

Top 10 Video Game Damsels in Distress

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Timeless motivation or tired trope, you can’t deny that this has been a bit of a pattern. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our Top 10 Video Game Damsels in Distress. While game these days definitely feature a larger number of strong and empowered female characters than they did it the past, it seems that from generation to generation, there’s always a few young ladies that need saving. As usual, we're limiting this list to one character per franchise.

#10: Princess Daphne “Dragon's Lair” (1983)

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One of the first ever Video Game Damsels in Distress comes off today as cliché as a distressed damsel can get. Captured by the malicious dragon Singe and locked away in a crystal orb, her champion, Dirk the Daring must traverse the Wizard's Castle in order to save her. Like we said, cliché. Once you do find her, there’s not much about her demeanor, or outfit, that indicates distress. However lighthearted the game was, the character's overly sexualized presentation was quite the topic of debate. Whatever man it was 30 years ago.

Stripped of her freedom and exposure to the real world as an infant, this character awaits her liberation in a tower on the desolate Monument Island. As fate would have it, the protagonist Booker is offered a gratuitous deal of erased debts in return for the girl's retrieval. However as sheltered and helpless Elizabeth comes off as at first glance, she does truly come into her own as a force to be reckoned with as the game goes, saving you from distress on occasion. Then again, you do literally save her from a tower in the sky, so you’re at least even.

Not all damsels get out of distress, as this lady’s knight in shining armor arrived all too late in this tragic tale. Once the happily married Corporal Dominic Santiago, by the events of the second game she has gone missing. After venturing underground, Dom finally find her a captive in a Locust prison camp, emaciated and lobotomized, a shell of her former self. As a mercy, her husband was the one to reluctantly end her misery.

Long story REALLY short: This girl broke up a friendship between two of the main characters, Sora and Riku, in a battle for her heart, quite literally and figuratively. It gets really complicated, but in the end of the first game, it’s revealed that she’s one of the Princesses of Heart, which is apparently a pretty big deal. Only trouble is, Sora has her heart at this point, and he sacrifices himself to…ugh, we told you it was complicated.

Now who said princesses couldn't be tough? Lithariel is the adopted daughter of Lady Marwen, and the Warrior Commander of the Tribesmen of Nurn. She's as strong as she is tactful and fearless to a fault. On a desperate mission to save her mother, she is captured by Uruks, forcing Talion to step in and save her from a terrible fate. Of all the damsels we’ve seen so far, Lithariel is perhaps the most bad ass yet, as you can even play as her in the game’s free DLC.

This spoiled bundle of joy finds herself in Agent Leon Kennedy's protection when he is sent to rescue her from a … troubled Spanish village. What’s funny is that, as the President’s daughter, she’s technically as close to a modern day princess as you can get. Though she’s definitely not strong or independent, she at least has the common sense to stay hidden in a dumpster when things get messy.

This otherworldly character becomes the victim of her own mother, the Queen of the castle she is captive in. Once the horned exile Ico rescues this princess from her imprisonment, they find themselves relying on each other in their escape. Yorda, being unfit for combat, counts on Ico to defend her from the Queen's shadow creatures, and to escort her through the castle's perils. She may look high maintenance considering Ico has to drag her around by the hand everywhere, but Ico needs Yorda's powers in order to activate many of the magical devices in the castle.

We're instantly greeted into this character's distress with a shameful punch to the stomach, when she is knocked unconscious and kidnapped by the Black Warriors gang. Jeeze, you think that would fly today? Anyway, it’s then left up to the two martial artist masters, Billy Lee and his brother Jimmy to rescue their shared love interest. Before the climactic end to this love story, the game's multiplayer feature involves a final match between the two brothers in a duel for Marian's affection where the winner lives happily ever after … Until the sequel when Marian is shot dead at the start of the game. Distressing.

#2: Zelda “Legend of Zelda" series (1986-)

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As a descendant of royalty, one would expect to be constantlybe targeted for kidnapping, although this doesn't quite help the princess of Hyrule. Link, the game's protagonist is classically sent on elaborate quests in order to save her from the dark lord Ganon, or Gannondorf depending on which Zelda game your playing. Despite the games' cookie cutter hero-saves-the-princess-trend, Zelda is shown in many games to have magical abilities, enabling her to fend for herself. In fact in some games, she turns out to be a skilled archer when taking on Gannondorf. Before we unveil our probably obvious top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Tootie “Banjo-Kazooie” (1998) Jessica Haggar “Final Fight” (1989) Princess Prin “Ghosts N' Goblins” (1985) Paula “Shadows of the Damned” (2011) Potato GlaDOS “Portal 2” (2011)

#1: Princess Peach “Super Mario Bros." series (1985-)

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Being the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom can be tough, especially when you have a giant fire-breathing giant turtle monster ready to kidnap you at every turn. It should be no surprise then that our top pick has been kidnapped more than anyone else on this list. But, Mario was saving Pauline from the clutches of Donkey Kong long before PP every showed up, so at least he’s had a ton of practice. Despite her horrific track record, Peach never take measures to prevent this sort of thing from happening again, like say letting Mario stay in her castle? Friend zone, much? Do you agree with our list? What damsel is still awaiting her knight in shining armor? For more awesome Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.