By the time Skyward Sword released in 2011, having an-game companion was nothing new to the Legend of Zelda series. Ever since Navi guided Link through the world of Ocarina of Time, the personal assistant feature has been something of a tradition in the Zelda series. From Tatl of Majora’s Mask to the King of Red Lions of Wind Waker to Midna of Twilight Princess, each generation has redefined the identity of Link’s companion. In reference to the development of Skyward Sword and its own assistant character, Fi, the Hyrule Historia mentions that “at the beginning, we had imagined [Fi] à la 1980s anime, in which the main character was usually accompanied by a beautiful personal assistant”. While no specific anime is mentioned by name, this quote brings to mind many Japanese media from the 80s which may have inspired the character we know now as Fi.
As an expressionless and emotionless assistant, Fi pretty easily calls to one’s mind robotic assistants popular in sci-fi media. One such character from the popular 1982 anime, Space Adventure Cobra, is Lady Armaroid. Similar to Fi in many ways, Lady Armaroid is cold, calculating, and rarely emotional. She is often considered the second half of the anime’s protagonist, Cobra, and assists him in a variety of ways, ranging from piloting his ship to assisting him in combat. She has a much more active role in the story than Fi in Skyward Sword, though the potential resemblance and inspiration is easy to see.
Fi’s constant floating presence around Link brings to mind another character from a popular 1980’s anime— Lum from Urusei Yatsura. Though Lum is very expressive and bubbly in stark contrast to Fi, she still fits the broader theme among 1980s anime of having a companion constantly with the main protagonist. It’s a much farther cry from Fi compared to Lady Armaroid, but there’s something about her constant presence around the protagonist, Ataru, that reminds me of Fi.
It’s debatable whether or not Lum, Lady Armaroid, or any other assistant from 1980s anime had a direct inspiration on Fi’s character, since no specific inspiration was listed in the Hyrule Historia. I personally find it very interesting to look back on the history of media that inspired the creators of today’s media and analyze the bits and pieces that persist throughout the ages. Maybe someday, we’ll see other creators cite the Legend of Zelda series as an inspiration for their own personal assistant character!
