Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake May Feature Navi’s Classic Voice!

A few weeks back, I shared my thoughts on the unique experience of hearing a new voice for the iconic fairy companion Navi in gameplay previews for the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If you’re eager to hear the original Navi during your playthrough, there’s a chance you can—by switching the audio to Japanese.

Recently, fans have noticed that the voice of Navi in the Japanese trailers for the Ocarina remake closely resembles the original, and it might even be the same voice actor. Navi was originally voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi, who remains active in both gaming and anime. She recently voiced Eirika in Fire Emblem Engage and has lent her voice to Mami Tomoe in various adaptations of Puella Magi Madoka Magica across anime, film, and games. It’s fantastic that she’s available to reprise her iconic role after all these years.

If it is indeed her, she’s doing an outstanding job. Just listen!

Yeah, I think that’s probably her! Wow!

I’ve reached out for confirmation on whether this is Mizuhashi and inquired about the English voice actor as well. To be clear, the English actor is doing a fantastic job, and I understand why it wouldn’t make sense for Mizuhashi (or someone who sounds just like her) to voice all versions of the game. The Ocarina of Time remake features significantly more voice acting than the original, and Mizuhashi primarily voices characters speaking in Japanese. It wouldn’t be fair to expect her to handle a lot of foreign-language dialogue beyond simple lines like “Hey!” and “Listen!” just as we wouldn’t ask most English actors to suddenly perform in Japanese if they weren’t fluent.

Still, I’m now considering switching my voice language in Ocarina to Japanese, even if just for a little while!