Navi

(pronounced , ) is a recurring character in . She is a Fairy who serves as Link's companion in his quest to save Hyrule in Ocarina of Time.
==Biography==
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Since Link is not a Kokiri but actually a Hylian and does not have a Fairy to call his own, Navi is summoned by the Great Deku Tree to accompany him on his quest to save Hyrule as a partner. Throughout the N64 game, Navi provides Link with a variety of clues to help him solve puzzles and progress in his quest. Navi also helps the Hero of Time learn the main controls in the game, teaching him how to open doors and how to push and pull blocks. The player can listen to Navi's advice by pressing the C-Up Button in the controller whenever her name flashes on the screen, which she yells out "Hey!". When the button is pressed, she will say "Listen!".
Navi's primary purpose is to function as a focusing target. By pressing the Z Button, Navi targets the most nearby object, enemy, or person. She glows yellow to indicate when she is targeting an enemy, blue when Link can talk to someone from a distance, and green when she is targeting something of interest. Any time Navi targets an enemy or something suspicious, she yells out to Link "Hey!", "Look!", or "Watch out!" Pressing the C-Up Button while targeting an enemy allows Link to hear Navi's information about said foe. Once Link learns "Saria's Song," he can communicate with Saria through Navi. When Navi's help is not being used, she seemingly hides herself inside Link's hat. However, she can be summoned at any time by pressing the A Button while Link is standing still (she will return to his hat if remaining still for 5 seconds). In , Navi also often tells Link to take a rest from playing, breaking the 4th wall to players.
Although Navi can target most enemies and give Link clues on how to defeat them, during the battle against , Navi is unable to help him due to the waves of darkness produced by the King of Evil (though she can still target him gameplay-wise). Once Link defeats Ganondorf and escapes the crumbling Ganon's Castle along with Princess Zelda, Navi apologizes to him for not having helped him in the battle. However, Ganondorf emerges shortly after from the castle ruins and transforms into Ganon. Navi, willing to aid Link, exclaims that she will not be held back by the villain again and joins him in the final battle (although like Ganon's human form, she does not know the weaknesses of the monster), where they eventually defeat the King of Evil. After Princess Zelda sends Link back to his original time, Navi can be seen leaving Link's side for undisclosed reasons as she flies away into the lit window inside the Temple of Time, as her mission of guiding him to save Hyrule has been completed.
During the prologue of , Link sets on a personal journey to find Navi after the events of . Throughout his adventure in Termina, Tatl replaces her for the same purpose during gameplay.
At the end of Majora's Mask, Link parts ways with Tatl and departs from Termina to once again attempt to search for Navi. However, it is very likely he never could find her in spite of his efforts, as she was never seen or heard again since the ending of Ocarina of Time.
==Other Appearances==
=== (Himekawa)===
Navi is first seen spying on Gohma, as it begins feeding on the Great Deku Tree's insides. He tells her to go find Link, so she leads the boy to the Great Deku Tree, who is close to death. Once Link and Mido enter the Great Deku Tree's trunk, they are faced with Gohma. As Link battles the menace, Navi tells him about Gohma's week spot, its eye. Link then shoots the monster with his slingshot, ending the battle. When Link realizes he is too late, the Great Deku Tree tells the boy he can defeat the evil growing in Hyrule. Navi is then commanded to help Link. Throughout the manga, Navi guides and accompanies Link, even comforting him when he worries about seeing Princess Zelda again. As Link battles Ganondorf, the Gerudo king uses his magic to keep Navi away. When he defeats the thief, Navi apologizes for not being able to help, but is reassured by Link that it's ok. Shockingly, Ganondorf is revealed to have survived the encounter, and transforms into the hideous beast Ganon. Link is wounded in the unexpected event, causing Navi to fret and worry. When Ganon approaches, Navi attempts to defend her wounded friend, but is pushed aside by the demon. Luckily, Princess Zelda retrieves the Master Sword, allowing Link to resume the fight. Navi alerts Link to Ganon's weak point, allowing the hero to wound him. At the end of the , just as Navi leaves Link, she tells him that she loves him, and that the forest will be safe with a magnificent hero. 
=== (Himekawa)===
In the , Navi makes a small cameo during the prologue where Link sets on his journey to the forest in search for her.
===Link and the Portal of Doom===
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In the North American version of , Navi appears at the beginning of the "Land of Myth" Scenario, pleading to Impa and Sheik that they save the captive Princess Ruto from Darunia and his troops; however, in the Japanese and European release as well in and , she is referred to only as a generic Fairy. Navi's speech portrait also refers to her as a generic Fairy while she is speaking during the battle in all versions.
==Development==
When the concept of Z-targeting was being developed, an upside-down triangle was used to determine which enemy Link was targeting. The designers felt this marker was too simple, so they wanted to replace it with a cute Fairy girl, believing it would fit the Zelda atmosphere. However, the Nintendo 64 was not able to support such a Fairy due to hardware limitations, so a mere ball of light with wings was used instead. She was originally called the "Fairy Navigation System," but was later simply named Navi. After naming her, many of her functions were designed, such as changing color to distinguish between friends and foes, acting as a guide, and providing strategy tips. She herself is distinguished by healing Fairies as well as the Kokiri's companions by her light blue color.
Her design also allowed developers to overcome a problem in Kokiri Forest. Due to the Nintendo 64's limitations, it was difficult to display the villagers and structures all at once, so each person was paired with a Fairy to help locate them. When Link approached them, their owners would appear from thin air and he could interact with them. Both of these expanded the story so that Link was the only child in the forest without a Fairy, then he met and parted with a Fairy companion.
==Reception==
Although she does have a small fanbase, Navi is one of the more criticized characters, which is due to her constant yelling of "Hey!" and "Listen!" throughout the game and for giving "unsolicited advice." Cracked.com editor, Tim Lovett, listed Navi the eighth most annoying video character, mentioning how she "pester[ed]" Link like a "naggy, clinging spouse." Although Mikel Reparaz from GamesRadar credited Navi for helping players by locking onto targets and enemies, he criticized her for the overused "Hey! Listen!" phrase and listed her as the number one most irritating female character. Additionally, another GamesRadar editor ranked her second place in a list of "cutesy characters" they want to "beat the crap out of," describing her as a "tactless" and considering her to distract players from the gameplay. GameDaily also listed her as one of the gaming characters they "wish they could kill, but can't." Even Shigeru Miyamoto himself ultimately disliked Navi after the release of Ocarina of Time.
==Trivia==
*In an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, he mentioned that Navi is jealous of Princess Zelda, as she feels something for Link.This implies she has a love interest in the Hero of Time.
*At one point during development of , Navi could carry things for Link. She would also turn red when there was something dangerous around, which is scrapped as she instead turns yellow in the final release.
**Ironically, Tatl in Majora's Mask turns into a red color when speaking to Sakon in Ikana Canyon.
*Prior to the release of Breath of the Wild, Navi is one of the few characters with any voice acting in the series which uses actual English words.
*In the Ocarina of Time (Himekawa) manga, Navi refers to herself in third person.
*When Navi flies toward Link's house while being sent by the Great Deku Tree, she can be heard saying "Hello!" when interacting with the female Kokiri on top of the Kokiri Shop. She also greets Link himself when waking him up.
*She is said to be tomboyish, though to a lesser degree compared to Tatl in Majora's Mask.
*Navi has a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl during the Subspace Emissary, accompanying the Link from Twilight Princess, who is the Hero of Time's descendant.
**A very similar Fairy to Navi appears in Phantom Hourglass, used to guide Link with the controls much like in Ocarina of Time.
*Navi's "Eep!" when she comically hits the brown gate before entering Link's house is reused for Princess Ruto whenever she gets startled.
*Navi, alongside the Hero of Time, has a pop culture appearance in the popular 1998 Cartoon Network superhero TV show The Powerpuff Girls. A scene based on the then-new Ocarina of Time shows Link repeatedly running into walls while Navi says "Hey!" multiple times. After suddenly being crushed by a block, Link reaches his sword out, with Navi says "Hey!" two more times, then the young hero abruptly slashes at her, killing Navi (something fans who hated the character wished they could do at the time). It then ends with the character Mayor getting a Game Over. Humorously, Link in the cameo loses three Heart Containers after murdering Navi, the same amount as he was crushed by the block. In this appearance, she was voiced by the famous actress Tara Strong, who also voices the character Bubbles.
*Navi and the other Fairies in Kokiri Forest being accompanied by a person was inspired by Tinker Bell from Disney's version of Peter Pan.
*Navi appears as the guide of the Japanese Official Guide Video, where she is fully voiced.
*Navi appears as a mouse cursor in the Japanese website. official Japanese website
==Nomenclature==
Navi's name comes from the word "navigation." Navi was originally supposed to be named "Fairy Navigation System," but since the name was too long, the developers changed it simply to Navi.
==Gallery==
File:Navi.jpg|Navi in Ocarina of Time
File:HW Navi Cameo.png|Navi from 
File:Oot3d4.png|Link meeting Navi from 
File:Fairy companions.png|Navi, alongside Tatl and Tael
File:OoT manga Link enters the Child Timeline.png|Navi parting ways with Link in the Ocarina of Time manga
File:MM Manga Navi Cameo.jpg|Navi in the manga
===Video Gallery===
Category:Female characters