Overview
is a fictional character in The Legend of Zelda series. She appears in Skyward Sword and its 2021 HD remaster. Fi is a major character in the storyline and is the guide and companion to the protagonist, Link. She is a spirit that inhabits the sword that Link uses during gameplay, which eventually transforms into the Master Sword. Her main function is to provide hints and advice to the player. Fi received a mixed reception from both critics and gamers who considered her repeated interjections to be annoying and excessive. Her dialogue was significantly reduced as part of various improvements to the remastered Skyward Sword HD. She also appears as a playable character in the 2014 spin-off game Hyrule Warriors.
Concept and creation
Fi was first revealed at E3 2009 in concept art for Skyward Sword alongside Link. Her original function was different than it is in the final game. The designers created Fi to serve as a counterpart to the silent protagonist in order to provide hints, navigation and storytelling. They used 1980s anime as a source of inspiration for Fi's design. In the Nintendo book titled Hyrule Historia, the designers said that "we had imagined this a la 1980s anime, in which the main character was usually accompanied by a beautiful personal assistant". They also wanted the character to resemble the Fairy Queen character that appears in The Wind Waker.
Fi is voiced in Skyward Sword and Hyrule Warriors by Ayumi Fujimura.
Characteristics
Fi is a humanoid spirit that resides within a sword called the Goddess Sword, which eventually becomes the Master Sword. According to Hyrule Historia, she was designed to appear aged 13 or 14. She has a metallic appearance and her voice is robotic, which gives the impression that she displays no emotion. She wears a cape, which opens up when she spins. Her appearance is predominantly blue and purple in colour. Beneath her cloak Fi has no arms, though when she dances the cloth moves as though it were her limbs. She wears a blue gem on her chest, a purple miniskirt and black tights with criss-crossed teal stripes. In the game she appears to wear heeled shoes that blend seamlessly with her tights but in early concept art she is described as barefoot. Fi was designed to resemble the sword that she inhabits.
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