Navi (The Legend of Zelda)

Last updated
Navi
The Legend of Zelda character
Navi (The Legend of Zelda).png
Artwork of Navi in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
First game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Created by Yoshiaki Koizumi
Voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi
In-universe information
SpeciesFairy
GenderFemale

Navi [lower-alpha 1] is a fictional fairy who acts as series protagonist Link's navigator throughout the 1998 Nintendo 64 video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time . She was voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi. Navi performs a variety of functions within the game, including being a companion and guide to Link, providing the player with advice and being a focal point for the game's Z-lock targeting combat system. Other characters in The Legend of Zelda series have served in similar roles, including Tatl, Midna, and Fi. When designing the reticle for the game, designer Yoshiaki Koizumi made a ball of light with wings, naming it "Fairy Navigation System" before naming it Navi. She has been widely criticised by players and critics for her repetitive interruptions in gameplay, particularly with the prompt "Hey! Listen!", though some have argued that she was a valuable companion in the game.

Contents

Concept and creation

Navi was originally created as a marker for targeting an opponent in battle in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time . Game designer Yoshiaki Koizumi stated in an interview that he wanted to use something more than a simple triangular marker, so he came up with the idea of a fairy. However, due to the limitations of the Nintendo 64, he created the fairy as a ball of light with wings. He named it the "Fairy Navigation System", which led to the character being named Navi, from "navigation". Coming up with the name helped them come up with other ideas, such as her color changing to indicate the threat level of someone and having her be a story guide. [1] Navi was designed as the focal point of the game's Z-lock targeting system, which gives the player the ability to combat more than one enemy at a time by locking on to them using the Z button. Using this system, Link is able to move freely around the enemy's fixed position, with Navi allowing the camera to follow his movements. [2]

Shigeru Miyamoto explained in a strategy guide published by Japanese magazine Famitsu in April 1999 that Navi had been purposefully designed to provide simple advice, due to limited developer time and manpower. This resulted in Navi repeating the same advice throughout the game, which became the main reason for players branding the character as annoying. Miyamoto also felt that Navi's advice was a major weakness of Ocarina of Time, wanting to remove her altogether, but worrying about turning off fans who may get lost if they return to the game after a period of time and would be lost without her. [3] Various concepts were developed for Ocarina of Time and later abandoned. An old Nintendo 64 demo cartridge holding F-Zero X revealed files for a 1997 Zelda demo build, which featured a magical Soul Medallion that gave Link the ability to "become Navi and fly around". The Great Deku Tree had also been originally intended as a prison for fairies, creating the need for Link to save Navi during the game. [4]

In Ocarina of Time, Navi is voiced by Japanese voice actress Kaori Mizuhashi. [5]

Appearances

Navi first appears in Ocarina of Time , where she is instructed by the Great Deku Tree in Kokiri Forest to assist Link in his quest to stop Ganondorf, which took both of them seven years into the future via time travel. All Kokiri have companion fairies, but because Link is actually a Hylian, he never received one until Navi joins him near the beginning of the events of the game. [6] In gameplay terms, Navi functions primarily as a guide to Link that helps the player learn the controls and advance in the game. Throughout the game, she offers various advice, such as how to use items or defeat enemies, which is repeatedly preceded by various prompts, such as "Hey!" and "Listen!". [7] She can also be used to lock onto enemies as part of the game's Z-targeting system. [8] She is unable to help Link battle against Ganondorf, but is able to return during the final fight in his Ganon transformation. After Link defeats Ganon and returns to the past, Navi flies off, leaving Link behind. This leads to Link traveling into the Lost Woods to look for her in Majora's Mask , which caused him to find himself in the land of Termina, though he is ultimately unable to find her. A fairy named Navi appears in the North American release of the spin-off title Hyrule Warriors , but is named "fairy" in other languages. [9] She appears in other video games, including as part of Young Link's taunt in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . [10]

The manga adaptation of Ocarina of Time has Navi serve a similar role as the video game, the two of them forming a mutual bond. [11] An official, non-canonical book titled Link and the Portal of Doom also features Navi. The plot takes place after the events of Ocarina of Time and involves Navi helping Link close a portal that threatens Hyrule. [12]

Reception

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
Navi in Ocarina of Time
Many publications described Navi as annoying for persistently saying "Hey! Listen!"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The character drew a strongly negative response from many critics and players, with GamesRadar+ writer Mikel Reparaz criticizing her habit of saying "Hey!" and "Listen!", with these quotes being noted as often quoted following the game's release to annoy people. [13] The website also listed her "Hey! Listen!" quote as one of the 40 most repeated game quotes. [14] She has generally been regarded as an annoying character, with author Chris Bateman described Navi as the "most famous, and most famously annoying, instance of an explicit funneling companion." [15] [16] Characters have been compared to Navi, either as a positive or negative comparison. These comparisons include Fi[ who? ]. [17] Camden Jones of GameRevolution considered Navi to be a symptom of the poor direction and difficulty in navigating Ocarina of Time, feeling that she was there to "patch up the holes" in the game's story by including a character to give Link hints. [18] A source port of Ocarina of Time titled Ship of Harkinian was created, which allows the user to disable Navi's gameplay interruptions. [19]

In the character's defense, Brendan Main, writing for The Escapist , argues that while Navi is undeniably annoying, she is also indispensable in the game and extremely useful, citing her role in the Z-targeting system and her role as a gameplay prompt through physically changing colours near secrets and danger. He even goes as far as claiming that Navi is the greatest partner to grace a videogame. [20] IGN's Chris Reed also stressed her utility, feeling it important to have a character who helps the player get unstuck. [21] Ryan Lambie, writing for Den of Geek , called her a "recognizable and important character in the Zelda canon." [22]

In a 2011 interview with Kotaku , director Eiji Aonuma defended Navi when asked if he finds the character annoying: "Going on an adventure by yourself is lonely and dull. Navi may seem "annoying" at times, but it's hard to imagine Ocarina of Time without communication with Navi, and communication partners like Navi have been employed in different forms in subsequent games in the Zelda series". [23]

Navi is featured saying her phrase "Hey! Listen!" in a sample at the beginning of "If I Die Tonight" by Japanese rapper Kohh. [24]

Navi’s well known exclamations are also featured throughout UMI’s song “Friendzone”. [25] [26]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ナビィ, Hepburn: Nabī

Related Research Articles

<i>The Legend of Zelda</i> Video game series

The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flagship, Vanpool, Grezzo, and Tantalus Media. Its gameplay incorporates action-adventure and elements of action RPG games.

Universe of <i>The Legend of Zelda</i> Fictional universe

The Legend of Zelda is a video game franchise created by Japanese video game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and mainly developed and published by Nintendo. The universe of the Legend of Zelda series consists of various lands, the most predominant being Hyrule. The franchise is set within a fantasy world reminiscent of medieval Europe which consists of several recurring locations, races and creatures. The most prominent race in the series are the Hylians, a humanoid race with elfin features identifiable by their long, pointed ears. The series' lore contains a creation myth, several fictional alphabets, the most prominent being Hylian, and a fictional universal currency, the rupee. Most games in The Legend of Zelda series follow a similar storyline, which involves the protagonist Link battling monsters to save Princess Zelda and defeat a villain, which is often the series' main antagonist, Ganon. Nintendo developed the series' lore into a timeline that spans thousands of years across its history.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time</i> 1998 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a 1998 action-adventure game by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regions the following month. The game is the first in The Legend of Zelda series with 3D graphics.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past</i> 1991 video game

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask</i> 2000 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a 2000 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was the second The Legend of Zelda game to use 3D graphics, following Ocarina of Time (1998). Designed by a creative team led by Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto, Majora's Mask was completed in less than two years. It features enhanced graphics and several gameplay changes, but reuses elements and character models from Ocarina of Time, which the game's creators called a creative decision made necessary by time constraints.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker</i> 2002 video game

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. An installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was released in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 24, 2003, and in Europe on May 2, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triforce</span> Fictional artifact in The Legend of Zelda series

The Triforce is a fictional artifact and icon of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game franchise. It first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda video game (1986) and has appeared in every subsequent game in the series. It consists of three equilateral triangles that are joined to form a large equilateral triangle. In the fictional history of the series, it represents the essence of the Golden Goddesses named Din, Nayru and Farore who create Hyrule. Imbued with divine power, it is capable of granting any wish to anyone who possesses it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Zelda</span> Video game character

Princess Zelda is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. As one of the central characters in the series, she has appeared in the majority of the games in various incarnations. Zelda is the elf-like Hylian princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, an associate of the series protagonist Link, and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Link (<i>The Legend of Zelda</i>) Protagonist of The Legend of Zelda

Link is a character and the protagonist of Nintendo's video game franchise The Legend of Zelda. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Link was introduced as the hero of the original The Legend of Zelda video game in 1986 and has appeared in a total of 21 entries in the series, as well as a number of spin-offs. Common elements in the series include Link travelling through Hyrule whilst exploring dungeons, battling creatures, and solving puzzles until he eventually defeats the series' primary antagonist, Ganon, and saves Princess Zelda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganon</span> Video game character

Ganon is a character and the main antagonist of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series and franchise, as well as the final boss in many Zelda titles. In his humanoid Gerudo form, he is known as Ganondorf. A massive and malevolent porcine creature, Ganon first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda game in 1986, while his alter ego, Ganondorf, was introduced in Ocarina of Time. He has since appeared in the majority of the games in the series in various forms. He is the archenemy of the protagonist Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule and originally the leader of the Gerudo, a race of humanoid desert nomads before becoming the ruler of his demon army.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures</i> 2004 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the eleventh installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released in 2004 in Japan on March 18, and in North America on June 7. In 2005, the game was released in Europe on January 7, and in Australia on April 7. The Game Boy Advance handheld game console can be used as a controller when using the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable bundled with the game in North America and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master Sword</span> Fictional weapon

The Master Sword is a fictional divine magic sword in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. It is also known as "The Blade of Evil's Bane", the "Sword of Resurrection", the "Sword that Seals the Darkness" and the "Sacred Sword". It was introduced in the 1991 action-adventure video game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and has since appeared in most other games in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tingle (character)</span> Fictional character

Tingle is a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda series, designed by Takaya Imamura. He first appeared in Majora's Mask, where he is a map salesman who wants to become a fairy. He has since appeared in several installments, including The Wind Waker, where he provides maps to help Link find pieces of the Triforce. He has gone on to be the star of Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, where his origin as Tingle is shown as him tasked with collecting as many Rupees as possible. He also appears in its sequel Irozuki Tingle no Koi no Balloon Trip, where he is transported into a storybook and has to enter into relationships with women in order to escape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midna</span> Fictional character

Midna is a fictional character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, introduced as one of the main protagonists in Twilight Princess. She is a member of the magic-wielding Twili who joins forces with Link to prevent the kingdom of Hyrule from being enveloped by a corrupted parallel dimension known as the Twilight Realm. While Midna appears as an imp-like creature in the majority of Twilight Princess, her actual form is humanoid. She was designed by Yusuke Nakano and voiced by Akiko Kōmoto. Midna also appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors, and makes minor appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D</i> 2011 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Grezzo and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console. A remake of the original 1998 Nintendo 64 game, it features updated graphics, quality of life changes, stereoscopic 3D effects, and mirrored versions of the rearranged dungeons from Ocarina of Time Master Quest. The game was released in June 2011, with digital release via the Nintendo eShop arriving in 2012.

<i>Hyrule Warriors</i> 2014 video game

Hyrule Warriors is a 2014 hack and slash game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, mixing settings and characters from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda with the gameplay of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. Hyrule Warriors was released in Japan in August 2014, and worldwide the following month. It became one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. An updated port, Hyrule Warriors Legends, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in March of the same year. A second enhanced port, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. A successor, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linkle</span> Character from The Legend of Zelda

Linkle is a fictional character who appears in various versions of Hyrule Warriors, a non-canon spin-off title in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, starting with the 2016 Nintendo 3DS release of Hyrule Warriors Legends. She was originally featured in concept art for Hyrule Warriors, and was conceived as Link's sister, though this idea was rejected by The Legend of Zelda designer Eiji Aonuma who felt this conflicted with Link's sister, Aryll, in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urbosa</span> Character in The Legend of Zelda game series

Urbosa is a fictional character from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. She first appeared as one of the major characters in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where she is the leader of the Gerudo and one of the four Champions who helped Princess Zelda and Link protect Hyrule from Calamity Ganon, losing her life in the process. She also appears in the hack-and-slash video game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as a playable character.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the fifth main entry in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first to both be on the Nintendo 64 and in 3D. It was developed by Nintendo, with series protagonist Link tasked with rescuing Princess Zelda and Hyrule from the villain, Ganondorf. Link interacts with a variety of characters throughout the game, some friendly and some antagonistic. The game's cast had various points of inspiration, including works by J. R. R. Tolkien and the TV series Twin Peaks. The staff was told to focus less on the plot and more on the characters, and emphasis was put on giving them interesting and realistic animations to make them more real. Some members of the cast were also intended as references to previous The Legend of Zelda games.

References

  1. ↑ "Iwata Asks: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D". Nintendo of Europe. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  2. ↑ Power, Tom (2018-11-21). "Why is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time considered the best game ever?". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  3. ↑ Walker, Ian (26 January 2022). "It's Not Just You: Miyamoto Hated Navi In Ocarina Of Time, Too". Kotaku . Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Phillips, Tom (2021-01-20). "Zelda: Ocarina of Time demo leak reveals Link could once transform into Navi". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Navi". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  6. ↑ Hyrule Historia. Dark Horse Books. 2013. p. 85.
  7. ↑ Reyes, Jessica (2022-02-06). "The Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Character Even Its Creator Hated". Looper.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  8. ↑ Fitts, Jonathan (2021-10-17). "The Legend Of Zelda: 9 Ways Ocarina Of Time Changed The Gaming Industry Forever". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  9. ↑ Gates, Christopher (2019-04-12). "Characters That Were Cut From Zelda Games And Nobody Noticed". SVG.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  10. ↑ "Zelda Creator Thinks Navi Is Just As Annoying As We Do". TheGamer. 2022-01-26. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  11. ↑ "Ocarina of Time: 10 Times The Manga Was Better Than The Game". CBR. 2021-01-26. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  12. ↑ Creswell, Jacob (2021-01-10). "Legend of Zelda: 3 Great Theories About What Happened to Navi". CBR. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  13. ↑ Mikel Reparaz (Jul 28, 2008). "The Top 7... Irritating female characters". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  14. ↑ Tyler Wilde (Jul 15, 2009). "The 40 most repeated game quotes". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  15. ↑ Bateman, Chris Mark (2007). Game Writing: Narrative Skills for ... Charles River Media. ISBN   9781584504900. Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  16. ↑ "The Most Annoying Video Game Characters Ever". GameRevolution. 2018-11-24. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  17. ↑ Zwiezen, Zack (7 February 2021). "Nintendo Wants To Make Skyward Sword HD Less Annoying". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  18. ↑ Jones, Camden (2019-09-16). "Ocarina of Time is frustrating as hell to navigate, even with Navi". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  19. ↑ "Zelda: Ocarina of Time PC port adds an option to shut Navi up". GamesRadar+. 2022-07-15. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  20. ↑ Brendan Main (Dec 28, 2010). "Hey, Listen, I Like Navi". The Escapist. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  21. ↑ Reed, Chris (2014-04-15). "The Best Video Game Wingmen Ever". IGN. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  22. ↑ "The Legend of Zelda: The 10 Most Memorable Characters". Den of Geek. 2016-02-27. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  23. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (17 June 2011). "'Is Navi Annoying?' and Other Questions We Asked the Creators of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  24. ↑ McCormick, Rich (2016-02-20). "Japanese rapper Kohh has bars — and Legend of Zelda samples". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2023-08-06. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  25. ↑ Unknown, Unknown (2017). "UMI - Friendzone". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  26. ↑ Moses, Miranda (2018-12-05). "Sad girl of the week: UMI puts listeners in their feels". Collegian. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.