Fans may have found a way to hear Navi’s original voice in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake: selecting Japanese as the game’s spoken language.
Recent Japanese trailers feature a Navi voice that sounds remarkably close to the character’s original performance. The actor may even be the same performer, Kaori Mizuhashi, who remains active in both video games and anime.
Mizuhashi recently voiced Eirika in Fire Emblem Engage and continues to play Mami Tomoe in projects connected with Puella Magi Madoka Magica, including anime, films and games. Her continued work makes a return to Navi plausible, although Nintendo has not confirmed the casting.
A familiar voice after 28 years
Navi was originally voiced by Mizuhashi, and listeners have noticed striking similarities between her performance in the 1998 official Ocarina of Time strategy video and the 2026 remake footage.
A Japanese fan comparison describes the two performances as sounding the same despite the 28-year gap, praising Mizuhashi’s ability to recreate Navi’s voice. The discussion appeared alongside the hashtags #時のオカリナ, #NintendoDirectJP and #ゼルダの伝説40周年.
The resemblance is particularly notable because the remake appears to include substantially more spoken dialogue than the original game. Navi’s familiar calls, including “Hey!” and “Listen!”, are now part of a broader voice-acting performance.
English and Japanese voice options
The English performance in the previews has also been well received. However, recreating Mizuhashi’s performance across every language would not necessarily be practical, especially when the remake requires more complex dialogue than Navi’s short lines in the original.
Mizuhashi is primarily known for performing Japanese-language roles, so asking her to record extensive dialogue in another language would present a different challenge from repeating Navi’s iconic expressions. The English actor may therefore be delivering a separate, carefully considered interpretation rather than attempting to copy the original exactly.
Nintendo has been asked to confirm whether Mizuhashi returns as Navi in the Japanese version and to identify the English voice actor. Until an official announcement arrives, the evidence remains based on trailer audio and fan comparisons.
Would you switch languages for Navi?
For players who value voice direction as much as visual upgrades, changing the audio to Japanese could offer a way to experience Navi with a performance that appears closely connected to the original. It may be worth trying for a section of the game, even if players ultimately return to English.
For more coverage of gaming developments, browse the RETROCADE Arcade Blog and explore our arcade videos. If this remake inspires a dedicated home setup, our arcade machine buying guide can help with the planning.
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