For The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's remake on Switch, Nintendo unintentionally cast the same actor twice – 28 years apart – to deliver Navi's signature "Heys!" and "Listens!". The development team opted for a remake that would not only modernize the graphics but also incorporate full voice acting to match the visual upgrade. However, they were committed to preserving the nostalgic essence of the original game's sound design, particularly for iconic characters.
To achieve this, Nintendo conducted blind auditions, seeking voice actors whose performances would closely mirror the feel of the original N64 version. Series director Eiji Aonuma stated that the goal was to choose actors based solely on vocal resemblance. "As fate would have it," Aonuma recalled, "one of the actors we selected had actually voiced the same character in the Nintendo 64 version. None of us saw that coming."
While the developers initially did not name the actor or character, fan speculation strongly suggested that Kaori Mizuhashi might be reprising her role as Navi, the fairy companion. This has now been corroborated by a leaked video of the game's credits, confirming Mizuhashi's return after nearly three decades. The casting effectively means the person whose voice most closely resembled Navi's is, indeed, Navi.
Eurogamer's Chris Donlan described the new version as an "astonishing remake" in his five-star review.