Ocarina of Time remake unknowingly brings back original Navi voice actor through blind audition

Kaori Mizuhashi reprises her role as Navi after blind auditions led Nintendo to rehire her

Nintendo has unknowingly brought back an original voice actor from the Nintendo 64 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for its 2026 remake, after blind auditions led the development team to select the same performer.

During a recent instalment of Nintendo's Ask the Developer interview series, music lead Masato Ohashi discussed the process of recreating the game's original soundtrack and sound effects while introducing a more orchestral approach.

The interview also covered the remake's voice acting, including the return of Navi, Link's fairy companion known for phrases such as "Hey, listen!" Japanese voice actor Kaori Mizuhashi has reprised her role as the character, despite the development team initially being unaware of her involvement in the original game.

Producer Eiji Aonuma explained the unexpected discovery, saying, “As fate would have it, one of the actors we selected had actually voiced the same character in the Nintendo 64 version. None of us saw that coming.”

The auditions were conducted blindly, meaning the team selected Mizuhashi without realising she had previously portrayed Navi. Her return marks a connection between the remake and the original 1998 release.

The American version of the remake, meanwhile, features Lisa Reimold as Navi. None of the actors from the original American voice cast returned for the new version.

Ohashi also discussed the work involved in updating the game's soundscape, including the use of live recordings of an actual ocarina player to recreate the breathiness heard when Link performs music in the game.