Why is " и " needed here?
и (particle, preceding a verb) Emphasizes the truth of the following verb.
Он так и де́лает.
He does do it that way.
Она́ и пошла́ туда́.
She did go there.
Оно́ и есть тако́е.
It is like that.
Я и есть тот челове́к.
I am that person.
I guess it’s kind of like the English word “indeed” in this context. Note that и can also mean “even” as in “that in addition”.