I've been meaning to draw him for a while! I love this guy!!!

I just want to start by saying that i think that no other game Ive played does character work like Ace Attorney does. It might be because it's the longest vn Ive played but the side characters in AA are just top tier to me.

One of the things i love about the character work in particular are few moments when the goofy and gimmicky side characters show their more human side to remind you that yes, they are still people with lives at the end of the day, no matter fantastical they are.

So I'm asking, What are your more lowkey character moments in the games?

Examples that i like (spoilers ahead for the OG trilogy: 1-2, 2-3 and 1-3):

- April May in 1-2 : After the first trial, where you confront her in the detention center and present the picture of Redd White she gives you info reluctantly. The moment i like is where after the fact she tells Phoenix that she's scared of telling him anything more, saying that she doesn't want to end up like 'her' (Mia) by going against Redd White directly. I also like that Phoenix in the end reassures her, telling her that he's going after Redd White himself. I dislike the fact that the anime didn't adapt this scene. It's really important imo both to Pheonix's character and April's , because even though she was a bad person, she was still someone that was under Redd White's thumb and this scene was the game's way of telling us that

- Maximilian Galactica in 2-3: When you first meet him in the detention center, Max, thinking that they were just fans visiting him, entertainment them with a magic card trick. Max being max of course, puts all his attention on Maya instead of Phoenix, he shows this by guessing Maya's card immediately but doesn't bother finishing Phoenix's. When you finally make him realize he was arrested and agree to let him defend you, Max in the end gives Pheonix his card, finally finishing his trick. It's a sweet moment, symbolizing Max giving his trust to Pheonix. Which again, the anime didn't adapt. Yipee.

- Dee Vasquez in 1-3: At the last trial, after you finally reveal everything that happened and how she actually killed Hammer in self defense by pushing him into a fence, the game cuts to black and shows us the immediate aftermath of the incident 5 years ago. There it's revealed that actor that Hammer originally killed was someone presumably close to her, and that his death probably still affects her to this day, giving her a deeper reason for blackmailing Hammer. I really like that this backstory scene is only viewable to us the players and herself. She doesn't make any excuses or tell her sob story, she just accepts what she did to him and even looks content in the end, confessing everything because this secret is finally out in the open. I hate hate HATE that this simple cut to black WASNT IN THE ANIME!!! What's frustrating is the anime shows her content reaction and confession and everything but doesn't show us WHY she is like that in the end. To any anime only watcher they'd have assumed that she was just a one note, blackhearted Mafioso lady who blackmailed someone for selfish purposes when she is so much more than that. And ALL they had to do was include this scene.

Now, for one of my favorite character moments actually involves one of the fandom's most desicive character, Wendy Oldbag.

-Oldbag in 1-3 : In the last investigation day of the case, Oldbag is infuriated after you accused the departed Jack Hammer of trying to frame Powers, and she demands proof that Hammer did it. After you show her proof, you'd expect her to blow up like she always does, especially when it concerns her idol. But to everyone's surprise, she stays silent and calmly says that she sees the truth now and that she understands. She accepts the evidence given to her calmly, wishing rest upon Hammer's soul while still acknowleging what he did wrong. After this she isn't seen being mad anymore, she even helps Pheonix out by willingly giving him information she had been safe guarding before.

This, to me is the understated part of her character. To me Oldbag was probably was originally made as a character that only showed up in this case, and that this final moment we see of her was supposed to be the end of her character arc before they decided to flanderize her. It kinda sucks because this brief version of her, one in which she is a cranky old lady that still has enough common sense to see wrong in other people is quickly discarded for a crazy oldbag that doesn't know when to shut up for laughs. She's kinda like Larry in that regard.

Honorable mentions for:

Moe in 2-3 when He reveals he known Acro did it , Viola in 3-3 when She tells Phoenix her backstory and Pheonix's reaction to it , and Franziska in 3-5 when She's shown to be sad when Pearl yells at her

I bet they would get pretty dizzy...

I actually like this case, it gets you established a lot more on Dahlia's story and background even more and the relation to previous cases. Please don't give me any spoilers for case 5, because I want to finish the game spoiler free before I release my full review on every case ranked. This is just me brain dumping my thoughts on the case

Good: Playing as Mia again was a nice change and learning more about how she first met Dahlia and how that impacted the story of the first case of the game Turnabout Memory. The case itself was very deep, and I like how it made me think about the very specific details and it kept the tension high the entire time. The twist of a fake kidnapping caught me off guard with trying to get ransom to split only for Dahlia to betray both and jump in a river that she well knew was dangerous. Diego Armando as a "rival" seemed interesting enough, but I think if they established him more it would make sense, but they still did a good job with him acting as a small mentor for Mia's first trial. The connection that the poison Fawles drank was the same neckless that was used to poison Diego Armando that was later given to Wright. The ending was kinda sad (in a good way) a tragic ending where no one wins, but you know the ending pays out in the end because you got Dahlia locked up in Turnabout Memories.

Bad: It's really short, this kinda felt like a tutorial case (in a way) but the length could have been a bit longer to get a few more details I wanted, but that only happened because of Fawles ingesting poison. Really difficult, even though it was nice to really think about the specifics, it was kinda frustrating at some points where I found the perfect evidence and it said it was wrong. Really dark, I know there is bits of tragedy in Ace Attorney, but this has got to be one of the darkest cases so far, a 5 year story where someone just wanted details only to get blamed for another murder that he didn't commit, but then to poison himself because Dahlia told him to.

Overall, I loved the case but there is just a lot of unsolved mysteries that are getting me excited for case 5 (which I assume will explain everything).

nah man look at my lawyer i’m going to jail

As the title states above, I'm pretty new to the series and currently making my way through the original trilogy, and I just finished my playthrough of JFA.

Honestly, I was kinda worried going into it because I'd gathered from lurking here for a bit that it was a bit of a black sheep in the series, especially regarding Big Top. However, after finishing it, I can safely say I had a great time playing it! Below, I'll explain why, along with some more general thoughts on the game as a whole. I added some headers to make it easier to read because I get a bit rambly here.

Story

First, I really like the game's relatively episodic nature. The fact that, for the most part, none of the cases have any strong connection to each other is actually something I quite enjoy. Gives off the feel of a syndicated court TV show with a case-of-the-week style format. Very Columbo. Not everything has to congeal into a huge, overarching story for me to enjoy it. It's fun to be dropped into a case and just be able to enjoy the ridiculousness without having to think "Wait, is that thing from ages ago going to be relevant again?"

Speaking of those individual cases, I enjoyed pretty much all of them because they, for the most part, nail a balance that I love: a delightfully silly core premise and set dressing, but anchored by real emotional weight. 2-2, for instance; we've got a murder happening during a spirit channeling session in not-Kakariko-Village, all while we've got the world's first wellness influencer hanging out nearby. That's a fun premise! Effectively having to prove that "why yes, Your Honor, my client was in fact possessed, but she's totally innocent and here's why" sounds like a fun, somewhat silly but intriguing story. Until you realize it's a tale of medical malpractice and family jockeying, along with what might be another world first: a super-deepfake of Ini by Mimi. Then you're like "Shiiiit," and you're reminded that this is, in fact, an Ace Attorney game.

Also, brief aside, the magatama mechanics are pretty cool. It's fun to actually do some interrogating out in the field, rather than in the first game, when investigations mostly felt like run-of-the-mill point-and-clicks. The way it comes in too, with the color inversion and the chains running everywhere, kinda feels like you're entering into an entirely different, more true world, like this is The Matrix or something.

I feel less strongly about 2-3, and I share a lot of the same criticisms other people do. Yes, the love triangle is gross and weird, and yes, ultimately a lot of stupid contrivances are needed for it to make sense. However, that doesn't change the fact that at its core, a murder mystery set at a circus is a super fun concept! You've got an eccentric cast of characters (totally not Roswaal from Re: Zero, a Reddit mod who can only speak through his persona, etc.) that are more often than not really annoying, not to mention creepy for obvious reasons, but in the end I managed to convince myself, "Alright we're clearly operating on cartoon logic here and I'm just gonna roll with it". Also, there is tragedy underpinning Acro's motives ultimately, even though his actions based on that motive don't make a ton of sense, at least to me. Still, what I'm trying to get at here is that the concept itself is not a bad one; it's just that there's a lot bolted onto this story that really weighs it down for me, as it does for seemingly everyone on here.

Also, honorable mention to 2-1. Yeah, it's short and doesn't have a lot going on besides the immediate circumstances, but it is fun to see a case where everyone involved is stupid and bad at everything. It's also a good warm-up, which is what any good first level should be.

Characters

Second, wow, I kinda hated Phoenix at quite a few points here. Idk if this is a hot take or not, but to me he came off as an irritable, judgmental asshole way too often. In his defense, it mostly manifests in his internal monologue rather than in speaking to other characters, and he's under a ridiculous amount of stress nearly the entire game (especially in 2-4), but it was still super jarring for me coming from the first game. There, he comes off much more like a likable newbie bumbling his way to victory, which is always a very fun archetype to follow. This isn't a dealbreaker for me; I still enjoy Phoenix as a character overall, but his attitude at times really took me out of the story.

Third, Franziska. She's my favorite character by a long shot at the moment. Every game series has this unspoken side quest of finding best waifu (or best husbando if you swing that way), and I'm glad I got this out of the way fast. From the second she showed up, I was like "YEAHHHH" whenever she appeared. How can you not love the gimmick of this teenage prodigy who whips nearly anyone who pisses her off? That's insanely entertaining regardless of context! I also think she works much better story-wise as a pure antagonist than Edgeworth did in the first game. There, he's more so your rival, and even then he's only truly your unambiguous enemy in 1-2. Here though, Franziska hunts Phoenix down, like she's Liam Neeson or the T-1000 or something, specifically to kick his ass into the next area code, and there's not a whole lot he can do about it. That's just a fun dynamic, very reminiscent of those sports movies where you have the young upstart being put up against the relentless, ego-driven rival. Going back to the syndicated TV analogy, she fits in perfectly as the dastardly foil that comes in every week to take up a new case and finally defeat Phoenix once and for all.

Earlier, I talked about disliking Phoenix because of him being an asshole sometimes. In contrast, I really enjoy Franziska being an asshole towards Phoenix because it's absurdly entertaining how she goes about it. I wrote during the scene where he goes to visit her in the hospital in 2-4, and I quote, "look at this smooth criminal." I think that conveys my point well. The way she's so dismissive of him and never lets up gives her a sort of swagger and coolness that I really enjoy in any story. Also, unrelated note, can't wait for that creepy fake doctor to get Me Too'd if he hasn't already. Fuck him. I'll get back to Franzy in a minute because I have more to say about her character development, but for now I want to talk about peak.

Why 2-4 Is Peak

In any sort of narrative, I am a sucker for ticking-clock mechanics. I also like plots that get right into the thick of things with minimal wait time needed. As you can probably expect from that, playing through 2-4 might be one of my favorite gaming experiences I’ve had in recent memory. You think it’s going to be a normal, somewhat silly case like the previous ones, until Maya gets kidnapped. Buckle up suckers, because this game is now Die Hard, and Phoenix is John McClane. The ticking clock instantly got me more into the case; I was immediately like, "fuck it, we ball, I'm gonna get this guy if it's the last thing I do." And then we get into a series of Succession-style backstabbing and scheming. Everyone everywhere all at once is lying, Phoenix is constantly getting the rug pulled out from under him...it's so, so good. Especially the tragedy of Adrian's character and her history with Celeste. You feel horrible for her and want to help, but due to the way she is and the role she plays in the case you kind of can't until the very end. It's painful to watch but also incredibly satisfying. Additionally, one thing I think is underrated about this case is the dramatic irony it has. Phoenix and Edgeworth trying to figure out who Shelly de Killer is while you, the player, are 90% sure that he's the bellboy makes for an incredible bit of tension that I always enjoy whenever it comes up in media.

Not to mention how, almost out of nowhere, you're hit with the totally awesome heel-turn of Matt, and you realize that the game was dropping subtle hints at you that something was up about this dude the entire time; for example, the fact that we never hear any of the conversations he supposedly has on his proto-smartwatch is probably because they were fake (my fan theory, idk if that's ever been definitively established though) and he wasn't actually talking to anyone. I love a good plot twist, especially any that feature a classic, unambiguously evil mustache-twirling villain. It also forces Phoenix to confront what being in his position actually means in a natural way that doesn't feel forced like it does in a lot of other stuff. The tough choice to do your job as specified and pray to sweet Jesus that it saves Maya or stick to your morals comes naturally as the case progresses, as it should.

Also, Edgeworth! I love the role he plays in the case too. He comes back from his sabbatical a changed man just as Phoenix is beginning to question what it means to be an attorney, which serves as another excellent contrast. Dude is gonna dig to the center of the earth for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as he should! Also, the raid on Engarde's mansion is another one of those punch-the-air moments that I loved.

Anyway, back to Franzy. When she came in at the end with the evidence the court needed to close the case, I legitimately stood up and clapped. That is not a joke. Best girl coming in with the game-winning RKO out of nowhere works so well for me because she does a good thing without being forced to betray who she is. She didn't feel a need to do any of this out of sympathy for Phoenix; rather, she's just that dedicated to her job and her reputation. Can't help but respect the shit out of that. What a badass.

What sent her into the stratosphere for me though was the epilogue at the airport with her and Edgeworth. When she started crying and said "I am Franziska von Karma," I think I must've taken like 15 screenshots of that. I was all like "MY HEART GIRL YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME" which was only furthered by the reveal of the drawing Maya made on the card that she kept. Seeing her, this character who projects herself as perfect, ruthless, and always on top of everything, break down as we, the audience, realize that underneath all that, she's just a teenager with the whole weight of the world placed on her, on top of a horrible-sounding childhood...all that hit me right in the feels, in a way I haven't felt from a game in quite some time. The immediate comparison I made was Britney Spears, which sounds weird at first but there’s something there, I just know it! As this was all happening I was like "Can I cover your therapy bills, you need it" before I remembered that healthcare is free in Germany, which just made it double-sad for me as an American. Also, I read that apparently this was a last-minute addition because the team had nowhere to use her crying animation and wanted to use it somewhere because they loved it so much. I love that. We need more stuff like that in modern games.

So, overall, yeah, I'd say I enjoyed JFA. On to T&T now, I suppose. I'm really excited to get into it! No spoilers, please!

Gostaria de ouvir a opinião de vocês. Eu acho que Edgeworth, por exemplo, usaria um acessório qualquer e diria que está fantasiado. Maya usaria uma fantasia elaborada de um personagem que gosta. O que vocês acham?

Hi everyone! I need some help seven years ago I created an oc character named Alexander Baskerville who was created to the adopted son of miles edgeworth well I’m back at in again for creating more ace attorney oc who are part of an au I’m working on for Alex but I need help.

I need help coming up with named for each of the characters and since it the world of ace attorney i thought it would be fun to give them names based on puns and give each of them a theme in this case based on the Chinese zodiac.

So far I have a possible name for one based on the cat of the zodiac the name being Alison with her nickname being ally which is a reference to an ally cat sadly i can’t not think of a good last name that would match.

I honestly appreciate any help for the character names.

So when replaying the original Ace Attorney Trilogy, I decided to let all my clients after 1-2 be declared guilty instead of fighting for their innocence (except the Maya cases), until I got to 2-4, where I got Matt Engarde acquitted. But instead of the usual bad ending, it seems like Maya stayed with Phoenix, and the game ended mostly normally? Anyway, I went on to T&T continuing to get my clients found guilty, but Maya was acting way different to normal. After finishing 3-3, she took Phoenix to the lake from 1-4 and started saying some crazy stuff like this?

Did anyone else know about this scene?

does anyone else here have an ace attorney OC, or even an OC you've grown attached to? i'd love to hear about them! things like their personalities, backstories, relationships with canon characters, character designs, anything really! i enjoy seeing what other people come up with and how they incorporate their own characters into the ace attorney universe 🫶

i'll go first! wolfgang heuler is my ace attorney OC! he's a famous german concert pianist and former model, nicknamed the "ageless prince of germany". he's refined, arrogant, and manipulative beneath his carefully maintained public image. he has a complicated history with gregory edgeworth that eventually extends to miles, whom he serves as a sort of dark counterpart to. a lot of his characterization revolves around performance, obsession, control, grief, and an inability to let go of the past. he's essentially someone who has allowed his suffering to consume him rather than learning how to move forward

there's a lot more to his backstory and relationships than i can reasonably fit into one post LOL, so this is just a little introduction! i've shared more of his lore elsewhere if anyone's interested in reading further :)

i also commissioned l0wkey_n0tluna to create his official character design!! the colors of his main suit were deliberately chosen to resemble gregory's color palette, so even his clothing carries some symbolism regarding his connection to and fixation on him hehe

anyway, enough of my rambling!! i'd love to hear about your OCs, whether they're prosecutors, defense attorneys, detectives, witnesses, or characters who don't fit into any of those categories! you don't have to have a developed backstory or even a finished design. i'd just love to see everyone share their creativity and give their characters a little love!!! :D

Richard and Raiten are characters that I love and think work as great first killers as I found them really interesting and would love to see more of, but sadly the first killer of their respected game

Olive green probably one of the most tragic characters in the whole series. Her story is extremely sad** ***and I loved her during the trial a lot I hope she is doing better*

Like they are famous but capcom have been pushing street fighter, resident evil and monster hunter as there main franchises and both DMC and AA haven't have new games for years (like actual new games) so why them? is it because both of there franchises are now 25 years old, is capcom baiting the audiences or........ARE WE ACTUALLY GONNA GET NEW GAMES FOR BOTH OF THESE FRANCHISES?! (says as I get high on hopium)

Day 12 - Defendant

[AA4 Spoilers]

We noticed a theme in all Apollo's defendants, for one reason or another he had to really fight for them to talk with him, whether it be cause they were keeping secrets, just being belligerent, language barrier, or outside intervention.

YouTube - Tumblr - Instagram

Disclaimer in case anyone thinks I’m somehow being a misogynist: I’m a girl; not that that makes me immune to misogyny—but I’m not some dude speaking about things that I shouldn’t, basically.

Don’t get me wrong—I don’t like how Athena was sidelined in SoJ, and I’m all for more Athena content. I wouldn’t mind a game where she’s the protagonist, either. But Dual Destinies is the Athena game, even if her name’s not in the title. It’s completely centered around her story, and she has a very satisfying character arc. I get the complaint that she only had 2 cases to herself, but I feel like people overlook the fact that the final case (two cases) is Athena-centric and she has a major role as a defendant and a witness. It’s not like she was sidelined. She had a major role, it was just different. And the whole case was about uncovering her backstory and trauma and helping her escape from its clutches. I will say that she could’ve been the lead defense for at least the first half of that case, though.

Regardless, I think Athena has already had her arc and it was very well-written, so it confuses me when people demand she get a new game where she gets a more “proper” arc. I think a do-over would do more harm than good. I’d honestly be a bit worried if they released an Athena Cykes game because I’m not sure what they’d do with her besides give her completely new, unrelated lore a la Apollo Justice, since her original arc is already wrapped up and they can’t touch on it anyway thanks to the no-spoiler rule. I don’t want her character to be assassinated like that. I think their job with her is done.

But I don’t know. Does anyone else feel this way? Am I overlooking something here? It feels like a large majority of the fanbase feels otherwise.

Modeled in Blender and 3d printed. The lock bar slides out as well.

I love 1-3 I know the painting is a bit of an issue, but besides that I love everything the setting the characters I just love everything about this case which I can understand why people dislike it, but I really love it

(I misspelled Franziska's name, I know; frankly, it's a miracle that she's the only one knowing myself lol)

Source: https://www.deviantart.com/dangarang/art/Turnabout-for-Tomorrow-415976714

i made an attempt with the face tracking, sue me.

I'm poking the sleeping dragon here.

These games are easily the most controversial in the series. The debates about them are far more heated, and I think this is largely because people don't just call these games poorly executed, but some call them "not my Ace Attorney". People allege that AJ is anti-PWT, that DD is anti-AJ, and that SOJ has worldbuilding they don't like.

That being said, I've also heard fans of all three games alleging that their game is easily the least popular. I wanted to see how true this is. Which Apollo Justice Trilogy games do you like, and why?

Will make a follow-up post sharing the results! Try to keep discussions civil please