22 years after its initial release, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remains many players' choice as the greatest video game of all-time, but it still has some characters, like Navi and Kaepora Gaebora, whose appearances and conversations can invoke eye rolls. Ocarina of Time doesn't have any major flaws in music, storytelling, or gameplay, but the flow of the game's story is occasionally disrupted by these two vexatious sidekicks who, while on Link's side, have frustrated players as much as (sometimes even more than) the enemies.
Navi is Link's companion from his opening slumber to the final showdown with Ganon. The blue fairy is as loyal a friend as Link could hope for, but perhaps Navi is a little too loyal. Her constant pestering whenever she has something to tell Link ("Hey! Listen!") ranks alongside Slippy in Starfox 64 in the annals of gamer irritation. This doesn't completely erase Navi's usefulness, as she provides critical advice on how to beat an enemy during Z-targeting. However, her utility would be much more appreciated if she wasn't constantly badgering the player to use it in the first place.
That isn't the only ally whose assistance proves more of a hinderance. At periodic intervals, Link is stopped in his tracks by a doddering owl named Kaepora Gaebora. These completely unskippable moments force the player to have to sit through long-winded sermons about all sorts of things, and for most Zelda fans (especially on a second or third playthrough) the common reflex is to hit the A button as fast as possible to scroll through everything he says. One problem: when he's finished, Gaebora asks if the player understood everything with a yes or no prompt. The cursor is automatically set to no, making at least one accidental restart of his lecture inevitable as a result of constant button-pressing. Unbecoming of the Zelda's usual soothing, majestic soundtrack, the owl's missives feel even longer thanks to his grating theme song. (At least, it feels grating after hearing it longer than one would prefer.)
Navi or Kaepora: Who is the Bigger Headache?
This begs the question: which one of these two is the more annoying sidekick? It's a hard one to answer. Navi is a constant presence from beginning to end, while Kaepora Gaebora only shows up to both Link from time to time. That they both mar the experience of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time makes their seemingly trivial actions far less tolerable. Getting lost in the moment, only to have it interrupted by Navi or the sight of Kaepora spinning his head around, is a drag. It can be even more irritating for Navi to shout "Hey" over and over when the player already knows what she's going to say, especially if they would rather just be exploring Hyrule Field in silence rather than advancing the plot.
Ultimately, the dishonor goes to the garrulous owl. The pacing of Ocarina of Time would be better if he were entirely absent. Worst of all, the mechanism that can cause the player to repeat what he said by rapidly pressing the A button is likely to keep the player stuck in the frustrating moment with far more pressing things to tend to. In the grand scheme of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its multifaceted adventures, having to put up with both Navi and Gaebora is admittedly not a big deal, but it would be a better experience without them.