Princesses Ranking, Version 4 · 10:35pm Apr 10th, 2018
I didn't opt to update the rankings until now because Season 7 and the movie did not affect my overall rankings of the five princesses that existed up to that point. But since then, there's one new princess from the movie, one from the comics, and technically another that hasn't been talked about much. So the list warranted an update. Here's the third version, from the end of Season 6. Time to see what changed, and who got added and where.
8. Princess Amore
Why she's on the bottom: Princess Amore appeared in King Sombra's "Fiendship is Magic" issue and was briefly acknowledged at the end of "Siege of the Crystal Empire". But to be honest, she doesn't have much going for her. The most we get is that when Sombra confronts her after being transformed by the umbrum, Amore reveals that she saw Sombra's vision in the Crystal Heart that so terrified him. Yet she never tried to tell him that vision didn't have to come true, and never made any overtures to help him. There are those who speculate Princess Cadence is a reincarnation of her (thus explaining the shared name of Amore), but I think the ending of "Siege of the Crystal Empire" pokes a big hole in that theory.
7. Princess Flurry Heart
Why she moved up: Well, technically she only moved up in the sense that she's not on the bottom like she was in the previous list. Flurry Heart has developed a tad bit of a personality, but in terms of appearance and character she's still non-exisitant most of the time. Even in "A Flurry of Emotions" was she was a supporting character at best.
6. Princess Luna
Why she moved down: Despite "A Royal Problem" and the Legends of Magic series, not much has really been done with Luna. Heck, she was non-exisitant for all of "School Daze", despite many similarly important events warranting her presence (including the movie). And it doesn't seem like she's going to get anymore focus this season, not even in a supporting role. To be honest, as good a character as Luna is, I feel like her show self and the fandom perceptions of her might as well be two entirely different characters. And I'm getting sick of her always winning "Who is Best Princess" polls on Equestria Daily all the time.
5. Princess Ember
Why she was added: Ember was a princess when we first met her in "Gauntlet of Fire", but since then all of her appearances have had her as lord of dragons. I put her above Luna though, because I feel like she has slightly more of a character, a more enjoyable presence, and it feels like she's amounted to something. If she were still a princess in her subsequent appearances instead of dragon lord, she'd probably be higher.
4. Princess Cadence
Why she moved down: Every time I update this list, Cadence slides further and further down. She used to be much higher, but it seems like the more they try to expand on her character, they more she loses appeal in my eyes. Part of it may stem from Hasbro not really knowing what to do with her in marketing, but I think part of it also stems from the fact that for me at least, she already had character prior to the attempts made to "enject" her with some. Even "Once Upon A Zepplin" is not immune to this problem, because the expanded material suggests Cadence isn't satisfied with her role as princess, meaning her attempts to guide Twilight on what a good princess should be don't exactly work. Heck, she's the first of the princesses to be defeated in the movie, and that's when she can cast shields and has crystal magic (whatever that is). Even Princess Celestia, who doesn't do anything, outlasts Cadence.
3. Princess Twilight
Why she moved down: I still do like her character, but she's had some very rough patches lately that I can't overlook. The movie seemed to have a hard time deciding whether Twilight is supposed to be the cynic or the only sane one, not helped by the fact that her friends have their default personalities more than what was probably necessary (Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie in particular seem to cause more problems than they fix, and Rarity at times seems to hold the group back). Yet when she's accused of not trusting her friends, she go offs on a tangent about how she's the one Tempest is hunting down, and says something that she would NEVER say after seven seasons of friends! And then in "School Daze" she kind of ends up repeating the same lesson to a lesser extent, she ignores her friends suggestions, even when they outright tell her the school isn't working. And of course, there's the fact that in both "Shadow Play" and "School Daze", Starlight is the only one ever allowed to question Twilight's judgement and tell her what she did wrong, everyone else either says nothing, is ignored, or goes along without question. Twilight will hopefully get better as this season progresses, just like she probably redeemed herself in a lot of fans eyes after "Once Upon A Zepplin" demonstrated the proper way to have Twilight break down and snap.
2. Princess Skystar
Why she's so high: I wasn't entirely sure how high I should place her, but I felt that Twilight's recent developments just couldn't justify her staying in the number two spot. So I bumped Twilight down and put Princess Skystar here. She's a nice character, even if she doesn't develop much beyond being a Pinkie Pie expy (and in the show seems to have been replaced with Silverstream, likely because they knew they couldn't get Skystar's VA back and there was no way they'd find a sound alike among the Vancouver pool). I think it helps that she genuinely means well, and much like Pinkie Pie her cheerful demeanor comes across as endearing rather than annoying (or stupid). If not for the fact that unlike Capper, she isn't as big a part of the rescue operation (she stays with the group for a while, before she leaves to fight off some of the storm guards with her shells), and the contrivence of her appearing on shore after Twilight's been captured, I'd probably put her at number one.
1. Princess Celestia
Why she stayed the same: It may kind of be cheating to do this before "Horse Play", but I think after Season 7 no one will deny that Princess Celestia got a major boost in personality and character. We finally got a chance to see more of her, and see her as something beyond either a damasel in distress or a mischevious fun lover. As much as her behavior in "A Royal Problem" felt like a bit of a stretch at times, Daybreaker alone more than made up for it. It really conveyed just what Celestia would be like if she ever allowed herself to operate without limits. And I like that she's getting a bigger part in the two parters, like she did in "School Daze". This time around, I think hardly anyone will object to her being number one. She's more than earned it.
And there you have it. Keep an eye out for a review of Legends of Magic #5 within the next few hours (hopefully).
Personally, I would never distinguish the Princesses by rank. To me, they're all number one.
My rankings:
Twi
Skystar
Ember
Flurry Heart
Celestia, Luna, Cadence
Besides, I've been planning a some head canon idea for Princess Luna some years before her transformation into Nightmare Moon. Trust me, it's going to be very interesting.
I dont really think Luna even belongs on this list, yea shes not had much development, but that's the beauty of it, she's one of those characters you can fantasize about a ton and still not break cannon much, and in that area she's on top. There's also the fact that many people, including me, can relate to her troubles in some way, and that's allows us to connect with her.
In short, Luna is her own sort of pony in my eyes, and shouldn't really be compared against the other royalty in the way this list does, not that its a bad list.
4837864 That's exactly my griveance with Luna, she's overrated in the eyes of the fandom. They gush about her in the fandom and invent all kinds of different personalities and character quirks, none of which are ever seen in show. It gets to the point where Luna might as well be two separate characters.
4837977
While I despise the term "overrated" in general because I fee like its being used to say that linking something a lot is wrong, I respect your opinion, its just that ponies like my enjoy fantasizing about her.
4838061 And you're welcome to do so. I just get tired of THAT being the sole reason why Luna always gets the title of "Best Princess" in fandom poles and fandom content. Fandom content should not be used to justify a lack of canon contributions, even in the expanded media.
4838164
Ahem..... Princess Luna happens to be my favorite Royal Princess :T