Nintendo has formally stated that its flagship characters Mario and Princess Peach are "good friends" rather than a romantic couple, ending years of fan speculation about the pair’s relationship. The clarification appeared on 25 July in a character profile published through the company’s Nintendo Today mobile application, which noted that the two "help each other out whenever they can." It is the first time in roughly four decades that Nintendo has addressed the nature of the characters’ connection in official material. Mario and Peach have been portrayed together since the 1985 release of Super Mario Bros., with occasional hints of romance—including a marriage proposal in 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey—leading players to assume a deeper relationship. Nintendo’s brief statement suggests the company is distancing itself from that interpretation, though it did not detail whether future games will revisit the issue.