Gaming Navi...

[Ronin_K]

i didnt know exactly where to put this so i flipped a coin and this one came out. well, here goes...

i am a veteren of almost all Legend of Zelda games. i am also a patron of the Serial Experiments Lain saga. while lying in bed awaiting sleep that i felt would never come, i had a revalation, so to speak, i realized that the name of the computer system that Lain got was called a Navi. also, the fairy that aids Link is named Navi. is Navi a popular Japanese name or is there some connection? or is it just plain coincidence?

...help... :confused:

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

Navi can't really be a Japanese name because it wouldn't even be pronounced that way. I always associated it with "navigator," but I doubt that's what was intended, heh. Did Zelda come up with it first? If so, it's probably at least subconsciously influenced by that, or it may even be something the creators would admit to as far as influence. I'm not sure.

Matrix would've been cooler if Link was replaced with [i]Link[/i] though. And Bane with... [i]Bane[/i]. The "I will break you" Bane, that is.

[Brasil]

I really think "Navi" is simply short for "Navigator." That's her precise function in the game, and she really does nothing else apart from tell you where to go, fly into wooden fencing, and chime in with meaningless advice at the most inopportune moments. I don't think it's a coincidence there, but I'm thinking any other similarities are just coincidences. I mean, you have a Navigator character of some type, and for a fun, goofy, and easy-to-remember quirky name, "Navi" fits.

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I don't think the name Navi has any sort of meaning other than being short for "navigator," as Sciros and Siren mentioned. In the Mega Man Battle Network games, online personas such as Lan's MegaMan.EXE are called Navis (the characters use the Navi programs to [i]navi[/i]gate through the internet), so the name isn't exclusive to Zelda and Lain and I doubt there's any connection between the various uses of it. I'd say it's just a coincidence.

Oh, and because I seem to be the only one in the entire world that doesn't dislike Navi in Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I feel the need to stand up for her. :p The most useful thing that she does (short of giving you the ability to target things in the first place), I think, is something that Siren didn't mention: She tells you about enemies and their weaknesses when you target them and push C-up, which is something I really like. Not even so much for learning the weaknesses, but just for the general information about the enemies. To me, stuff like that is interesting, so I appreciate Navi for it. In general, I think most people take Navi's abilities for granted and only look at her annoying side when they develop a dislike for her.[/color]

[Ronin_K]

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]I don't think the name Navi has any sort of meaning other than being short for "navigator," as Sciros and Siren mentioned. In the Mega Man Battle Network games, online personas such as Lan's MegaMan.EXE are called Navis (the characters use the Navi programs to [i]navi[/i]gate through the internet), so the name isn't exclusive to Zelda and Lain and I doubt there's any connection between the various uses of it. I'd say it's just a coincidence.

Oh, and because I seem to be the only one in the entire world that doesn't dislike Navi in Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I feel the need to stand up for her. :p The most useful thing that she does (short of giving you the ability to target things in the first place), I think, is something that Siren didn't mention: She tells you about enemies and their weaknesses when you target them and push C-up, which is something I really like. Not even so much for learning the weaknesses, but just for the general information about the enemies. To me, stuff like that is interesting, so I appreciate Navi for it. In general, I think most people take Navi's abilities for granted and only look at her annoying side when they develop a dislike for her.[/color][/QUOTE]

Desbreko, i completely agree. everyone's always bashing Navi like she's just talking just to talk. if you listen, you realize she's got some nice stuff to say. to be honest, i must say that i kinda missed Navi and Tatl when i played MM.

but, back to the topic, when you censider Navi and the Navi system as [I]navigators[/I] then it starts to make some sense. maybe it was just a coincidence. maybe the translators changed the name from something else (however, the chances of an anime translator and two video game translators all thinking of the same names is pretty slim). wel, at least now i have a bit more of an understanding behind this strange coincidence. thanks! :D

[Semjaza]

[quote name='Siren']I really think "Navi" is simply short for "Navigator." [/quote]

Ding.

There's no direct relation. Everyone else's explanations covered it just as well as I possibly could.

There are a lot of interesting computer references in Lain (BeOS for example), but I honestly cannot think of any video game ones.