Ace Attorney/Characters/Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Officers

Miles Edgeworth (Reiji Mitsurugi)


""There is only one thing we seek: The truth. No matter how painful it may be.""

Main prosecutor of the first game and voted most popular character of the series. By-the-book and skillful, but less than honest at first; he tampered with witnesses and coached their testimony in some earlier cases, although despite allegations in the first game, the only time he used illicit evidence, he had no idea it was forged (but that didn't stop him from using it). He's Phoenix's childhood friend, and his actions in grade school inspired Phoenix's desire to be an attorney. Got his own Spin Off series called Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

His commitment to the truth, which serves as the basis for his Heel Face Turn, leads him to a different type of morally gray behavior after said Heel Face Turn. In Justice For All, he threatens to "Detective Gumshoe: You sure knows a lot about this show... Are you sure you're not one of those rabid fanboys?
 * A Day in The Limelight: First half of Case 3-5, Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations and Gyakuten Kenji 2 in Japan.
 * Amoral Attorney: Not HALF as bad as some of the others, and he gets over it very quickly, but he had his moments. Let's face it, over the course of the second trial in the series, he HAD to recognize.
 * Then again, considering the
 * Anti Hero: Arguably a Type II by the time of his own series.
 * Anti Villain: A bit of a mixed bag. He's just doing his job in most cases but that doesn't stop him from playing dirty if it suits him (and he has been trained well in that area). By the end of the first game he's completely out of the woods, though (prosecutors in the Ace Attorney world are presented as ruthless and will always assume the worst about the defendant; Edgeworth chooses to step out of this shadow after seeing the truth in his mentor).
 * Badass Normal: Of the three main/playable characters in the Ace Attorney series thus far, Edgeworth is the only one without some kind of supernatural aid. (Phoenix has a lie-detecting artifact and Apollo has superhuman perception.) He did use the Magatama once, though, but in his own game, his "power" is simply his own logic.
 * Big No:
 * Once in Case 1-5.
 * Even funnier one in case 3-5, when, Not only is it funny, it's also very understandable.
 * Bishonen: Less so than your average bishie, but, to quote a Youtube user: "I am comfortable enough in my homosexuality to admit that Edgeworth is fucking pretty."
 * Bluffing the Murderer: In "Turnabout Gallows" in the manga, he tricks into confessing to setting fire to the Den of Spiders by claiming that he found his fingerprints on the remains of a timed ignition device, prompting  to protest that he was wearing gloves. The device was destroyed in the fire.
 * Broken Pedestal:
 * To a lesser extent, he had a great deal for respect for.
 * Butt Monkey: More comedic characters seem to enjoy messing with him. From Oldbag the Abhorrent Admirer, to Larry being a dumbass (admittedly, he's one around other characters too), to Yew laughing at him for being too serious, and so on...
 * Catch Phrase:
 * Eureka! in Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth.
 * "I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious-looking nook and cranny."
 * After he's found all the necessary information, "I already checked this place, but it never hurts to take another look."
 * AAI2 gives him "Checkmate."
 * Chaste Hero: Ho Yay aside, Miles' libido is about as strong as the classic Sherlock Holmes'.
 * Chick Magnet:
 * Lampshaded by Gumshoe in the third game, to Edgeworth's shock: "D-Do I really inspire this sort of frothing desire from the female masses?"
 * Also poked fun at occasionally in Investigations, such as when Ernest says that Lance's Urban Legend Love Life reminds him of a "certain someone" or how one of the first things out of Lauren's mouth is about how she's desperately afraid that she's going to fall for him.
 * Closet Geek
 * The Comically Serious
 * Dartboard of Hate: He's too sophisticated for a dart board, actually. Instead, he has a chess board of superiority. He usually has it arranged such that a slew of red knights with sharp-edged swords are surrounding a spikey-headed blue pawn.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Defrosting Ice King: Kind of Tsundere too, though it's not as pronounced as Franziska. His behaviour towards Phoenix is certainly more dere than towards most others.
 * Deuteragonist
 * Dodge the Bullet:
 * Does Not Know How to Say Thanks: Regarding Maya getting arrested for contempt of court to save him, he can't quite say "Thank You." It takes quite a bit of effort to thank Phoenix for finally getting him off.
 * Dude Where's My Respect: At times when he's playable. In Investigations 2, he quickly goes from being a hero for his actions in Investigations to being at risk of losing his badge.
 * Eiji Takemoto
 * Even Amoral Attorneys Have Standards: Even in his 'Demon Prosecutor' days, the one line he never allowed himself to (knowingly) cross was to use forged evidence in court.
 * Fan Boy:
 * In the supplementary material, Edgeworth is a Steel Samurai fan to rival the best of them. He manages to outgeek Maya on the subject.
 * The games also hint at this from time to time. First, there's the fact he keeps a Steel Samurai figurine in plain view in his office (he even shows concern about it breaking). Then there's him clearly indulging in denial in this exchange during the first case of Investigations.
 * The games also hint at this from time to time. First, there's the fact he keeps a Steel Samurai figurine in plain view in his office (he even shows concern about it breaking). Then there's him clearly indulging in denial in this exchange during the first case of Investigations.

Miles Edgeworth: ..! O-of course not! Anyone who keeps up with society knows at least this much!"

"Edgeworth: *While looking into a LCD TV and a pile of Steel Samurai videos* Hm, I guess someone has to check the titles of all these... *Sighing while smirking* ... Oh, the things one has to do on his work."
 * And that figurine? It was a gift from Wendy Oldbag. He accepted a gift from Oldbag to support his hobby.
 * He also has a Steel Samurai manga hidden in the law book he was reading on the plane, in the second case.
 * Later in Investigations, one of Edgeworth's cases leads him to a Steel Samurai stage show hosted by an embassy. He gets an autograph from the Steel Samurai, and then tears it up when he finds out that the man in the costume is.
 * Heck, the last case of Investigations is chock-full of references to his fanboyism, so much that it's probably canon by now.


 * To finish with this final case, while talking with Larry, he just forget to put on the mask and admits right in the open than the Steel Samurai is cool. Nobody is surprised or even remarks something about it.
 * In the very first Steel Samurai case, Edgeworth introduces himself to Will Powers as “a fan”. Phoenix thinks it’s flattery. And probably, you will be led to believe it’s flattery on the first play through. As you get to know Edgeworth better in the latter games, though, and discover how he would rarely if ever engage in lies or flattery... you may have missed the easily overlooked hint that he was dead serious about being a fan of the show the first time.
 * In the manga, he's also a fan of the Sparklestar show.
 * Fan Nickname: "Bratsworth" for his younger self seen in 3-4.
 * Finger Wag: In his earlier days. Stops doing it by the time he's 24 (instead he taps his forehead and wears a "Nice try...but you'll have to do better than that" smile on his face).
 * Keep in mind that Manfred Von Karma was his mentor, and that this person loved to do the Finger Wag. It's only natural for him to mimick his mentor's behaviour, before finding his own trademark. Of course, after the events of 1-4, you can bet he will never wag his finger again.
 * Freudian Excuse: It can be a bit jarring when you go back through this game, after finishing the others, and notice just how much of a jerk Edgeworth was,  being revealed as an excuse. Even in his first case against Phoenix, an old friend, Edgeworth is snide, condescending, rude, dishonest, and manipulative. In fact, Shu Takumi commented that Miles was supposed to come off as a tragic yet unlikable character in the first game. Fortunately, his Excuse was upgraded into Character Development over the course of the three games.
 * Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Sometimes points and wags his finger.
 * Grammar Nazi: In Justice For All, Edgeworth gives literate Phoenix a lecture on sentence construction. Edgeworth also nitpicks Phoenix's use of the word "confess" to refer to what Edgeworth calls "public disclosure."
 * Hair Color Dissonance: Early sprites=silver hair, official/promotional art=brown hair, and later/current sprites and artwork=a color in between the two. Huh? Gets worse in the Flash Back of Investigations, where he has jet black hair, but actually it makes sense; as people age their hair changes color, remember? So black hair makes sense. The gray/brown/gray-brown of now is the only mystery here. He's only twenty something over the course of the games. That he'd have that much gray hair, even brown-grey hair...
 * Heel Face Turn: Quickly goes from a ruthless, bitter rival obsessed with getting a guilty verdict at all costs to an honest prosecutor who truly cares about the truth. He's all about the truth from Justice For All onwards, and the game makes sure we know it.
 * I Owe You My Life: Agrees to help Kay because she saved his life at the end of the fourth case, and helped him overcome a critical obstacle in the third case.
 * Japanese Pronouns: Watashi.
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold:
 * "The act of making an innocent girl cry should warrant the death penalty."
 * Also in 3-5, he is seen openly worried about Maya's situation.
 * Same thing in 2-4. He assembles a team to rescue her right away, and rests his case when DeKiller threatens to kill her if the trial doesn't end soon.
 * 3-5 makes it pretty apparent that he cares a lot more about Phoenix's well-being than he lets on to his face.
 * Even as early as 1-4, he pays Maya's bail when she gets held in contempt of court for an outburst at a witness that gets said witness to make lifesaving revisions to her testimony.
 * Kleptomaniac Hero: "I made a decision to keep all pieces of evidence in my personal satchel. It's the safest place I know."
 * Mostly subverted in Ace Attorney Investigations, where he jots down information on pieces of evidence in his Organizer.
 * Kubrick Stare:
 * His usual sprite when being serious, though it's the most obvious when he's addressing someone personally outside the courtroom. His stare gets a bit of notice from other characters- Gumshoe is rather frightened of it, and one girl falls in love with him because of it!
 * He was actually taught this by his mentor, and even wins a staring contest with his own reflection.

"Phoenix: I think we're OK; like we can do this. As long as he's standing there across from me... No matter how strong of a punch I throw, he'll counter it..."
 * Leitmotif: From the second game onward, he and Franziska both use "Great Revival".
 * In Investigations, he also gets his own version of "Objection!", which draws from "Great Revival". In fact, much of the music in Investigations draws from "Great Revival" (which would make sense).
 * Mad Prosecutor's Handsome Adoptive Son
 * Never Live It Down: In-universe example. In Ace Attorney Investigations, upon learning that Edgeworth is a Steel Samurai Fan Boy, Franziska views him less as a Worthy Opponent and more as a grown man who likes children's shows.
 * Not Distracted By the Sexy: He's managed to resist the charms of every attractive female witness, even Dahlia Hawthorne, to the point of probable Asexuality.
 * Justified, as Word of God states he doesn't like women. The judges are still out on whether or not that makes it Word of Gay.
 * Not Love Interest: To Phoenix. An old childhood friend with a troubled past, his frosty demeanor melted by The Power of Trust...
 * Oblivious to Love: Rhoda Teneiro is implied to develop a crush on him and Lauren Paups falls head over heels for him in Investigations, cases two and three respectively. He is none at all the wiser.
 * He's all too aware of Wendy Oldbag's affections, however.
 * Only Sane Man: Most of the attorneys you get to play as have some form of special "ability" they can use to detect lies and bring themselves closer to the truth. Phoenix has the Megatama and Psyche-Locks and Apollo has the Perception system. In Investigations, the player finally gets to play as Edgeworth and his ability is... Logic. And many of the other characters treat it as some kind of mystical superpower that only he can use.
 * It's like magic!
 * Or So Iheard: Edgeworth's reaction whenever Franziska or Gumshoe become suspicious of his knowledge of the Steel Samurai in Investigations.
 * Pet the Dog: Case 4 of Investigations could be seen as one big moment for him, considering it was long before his Heel Face Turn. He shows empathy toward Kay, and helps to defend the innocent Gumshoe.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Edgeworth" and "Mitsurugi" ("honorable blade") are both references to his sharp wit. "Miles" means "soldier" and "Reiji" means "clever samurai".
 * Properly Paranoid: certainly reinforces his negative views about defense attorneys.
 * Real Men Sport A Maroon Suit And Cravat Combo: And make it look GOOD.
 * Red Baron: Demon Prosecutor. It's never mentioned after his Heel Face Turn.
 * The Rival
 * Running Gag: Edgeworth has a lot of trouble getting witnesses to state their name and occupation.
 * His closet fanboyism towards the Steel Samurai series.
 * Shout Out: In Investigations, Edgeworth begins to show a lot of similarities to a certain great detective. He even has Gumshoe as The Watson.
 * Smart People Play Chess: He even plays it in his head.
 * Stupid Sexy Flanders: Dammit, Edgeworth!
 * Surrounded By Idiots: Well, he's surrounded by Gumshoe in any case.
 * Tall Dark and Snarky: His hair is lighter than the usual, but boy is he tall and snarky.
 * That Was Objectionable: The Trope Namer.
 * Think Nothing of It: At the end of "Turnabout Gallows", Phoenix thanks Edgeworth for calling the recess and bringing Brock to the stand, saying it enabled him to find the truth, but Edgeworth merely gives a slight smile when asked if he knew that doing so would result in Bobby being acquitted and being exposed.
 * : Case 4 of Investigations 2, when forced to decide between.
 * Ungrateful Bastard: Subverted in 1-4. Phoenix mistakes his somewhat awkward attempt to thank Maya for her intervention as being this, until he learns of his posting bail for her.
 * Used to Be A Sweet Kid: A  would cause any nine-year-old kid's personality to be majorly screwed up.
 * Wake Up Call Boss: His appearance in case 1-2 means it's time to get serious.
 * What the Hell Hero: The reaction to his, mentioned above, is played as this.
 * Why Did It Have To Be Quakes: Edgeworth, thanks to a traumatic event in his past, is deathly afraid of earthquakes. At best, he collapses into a shivering ball of nerves. At worst, he loses consciousness. According to his own game, this also extends to airplane turbulence. And elevators.
 * World of Cardboard Speech: In Investigations 2, when Mikagami asks him why he would to help Kay, he says that he had practiced law for selfish reasons in the past, but now seeks to protect others with it.
 * Worthy Opponent: Through and through. Phoenix puts it best in 2-4.


 * Don't forget that Damon Gant calls him Worthy (or occasionally "little Worthy")...
 * The trope is subverted in that, while on opposite sides of the profession, both Phoenix and Edgeworth, more than wanting wins on their record, want justice to be served. If Phoenix has a definite lead in court that points to his client being innocent, Edgeworth will pick up on it and do everything in his power to help Phoenix, as long as it is within his ability and duty as a prosecutor. The way they took down, in particular, shows how much criminals should quake in fear if both of them are on the same case.

The Judge


""Mr. Wright. You are truly the most unpredictable defense attorney I've ever known. I can tell you're grasping, yet I cannot deny the possibility of what you say."

"Oh No! I forgot my gavel! Sorry, I've gotta go.""

The lovable but gullible judge of the series' Economy Cast. Has a younger brother with a Canadian accent who is also a judge.


 * Assist Character: For Phoenix Wright in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, with his mighty gavel!
 * Berserk Button: While he does fold rather easily, there is only so much manipulation he will stand for. Several villains have discovered his limits the hard way.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Big No: Played for laughs; right after he does it, he says, "Wait. I'm not the one on trial here!"
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Despite his complete lack of common sense, he seems to do his job well.
 * Canada Eh: His brother.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: "From blood to peaches...the judge sure does love going off on wild tangents."
 * Cool Chair
 * Covers Always Lie: The cover of the first game makes him look strangely intimidating, even godlike.
 * Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: Either "the judge" or "Your/His Honor".
 * Hidden Depths: He can speak Spanish.
 * Modern Major General
 * No Name Given: When referred to by others, is called "The Judge" or "His Honor".
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Though he's extremely gullible, the Judge will never ignore an opportunity to discover the truth, no matter how small.
 * Stay in The Kitchen: When a witness in the 4th game gives her occupation as future wife, he expresses support for traditional values.
 * The, um, Judge

Winston Payne (Takefumi Auchi)


""To think I saw you enter this room a fresh attorney... and now I'll see you leave in chains.""

Usually serving as the first prosecutor to bar the player's way in the first case... every game that stars a defense attorney. From Phoenix, to Mia, to Apollo, they all will face this... err... rather spineless Prosecutor who has a rather high pitched, downright wimpy "Objection!" yell. Said to be a Rookie Killer.

"Payne: To think, I saw you enter this room a fresh attorney, and now I'll see you leave in chains."
 * Badass Boast: When faced with, Payne delivers a downright badass threat:

"Payne: They're not fish and chips, not a chip off the old block, not a motorcycle cop."
 * Butt Monkey: Given that his entire purpose in the series is to be creamed by rookie attorneys, yeah. Investigations makes it even worse by revealing that, despite the fact they've worked in the same office for years, Edgeworth has no idea who he is and in fact seems to believe he's the building's janitor.
 * Even better. During the first case of the second game, Phoenix Wright was  When Phoenix got his memory back, he remembered Maya, The Judge, the defendant at the time and everyone else... but had NO CLUE who Winston was and also thought he was the janitor.
 * Demoted to Extra in Investigations: a brief cameo appearance and a mention of "custodial work" is all we see (or hear) of him. Somehow it seems that Payne managed to regain his rank in time to be savaged by the new generation of up-and-comers (Apollo Justice).
 * He has a slightly bigger role in Investigations 2, and I emphasise slightly. He still doesn't get his own sprite, but at least he's involved in the plot this time.
 * Hair Today Gone Tomorrow: When he lost his case to Mia, he lost his hair.
 * Hurricane of Puns: Payne pulls one of these when faced with Apollo's questioning of the poker chips in the first case of Apollo Justice.

"Payne: Obviously, cheating was afoot! Or perhaps I should say...a hand!"
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: Once again, Payne delivers this groan-worthy line in Apollo Justice, when the possibility of cheating in the poker game is raised with a switch of cards.


 * "When you're in hot water, you might need a hot dog." They actually went with that?
 * Informed Ability: Rookie Killer. But the only chance we ever see him kill a rookie was . On the other hand, he put up a pretty good fight against Mia while he still had hair.
 * He also had a 7-year perfect win record before meeting up with Mia. That's longer than Edgeworth or Franziska, disciples of the "Prosecuting God" Manfred von Karma.
 * Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: He was a Rookie Killer... until he met Mia Fey.
 * Mandatory Line: He is the only character to have a speaking role in every single game in the series, regardless of how insignificant that line is.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Winced in pain". "Takefumi" is taken from a staff member's dentist, and "Auchi" comes from "ouch".
 * Oh Crap: Has this reaction in the manga as Phoenix proves that.
 * Once an Episode: As mentioned in Mandatory Line above, Winston will appear in the first case of every game without fail.
 * Red Baron: Sure, he's a complete pushover, but you have to admit that "Rookie Killer" has a nice ring to it.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Subversion. He has shiny glasses, but in truth, he is NOT scary.
 * Ugly Guy Hot Wife: Mind you, we never see his wife but both he and the judge claim she is quite attractive.
 * Warmup Boss: He's always the prosecutor of the tutorial case, in every game. He even makes a cameo appearance in the tutorial case of Investigations. Even in the manga, when Phoenix is not a rookie, he appears as the prosecutor in "Turnabout With the Wind" before Edgeworth prosecutes later cases.

Manfred von Karma (Go Karuma)


""I set my ATM card's number to "0001" because I'm number one!""

A legendary prosecutor, Manfred von Karma is obsessed with 'perfection' in all aspects of his life, and went forty years without a single defeat in court prior to the beginning of the series. Manfred appears as prosecutor in only one case in the first game, but his influence is felt long after he is gone. He is the father of Franziska, and was Edgeworth's guardian for most of his life.


 * Abusive Parents:, his dialogue towards Franziska in Investigations suggests he was at least emotionally abusive.
 * Amoral Attorney: The embodiment of this trope.
 * Arrogant Legal Professional: While every prosecutor (with the possible exception of Klavier) leans towards this, Manfred stands above all others with zero tolerance for even the slightest sign of imperfection in himself or his proteges.
 * : Arguably of the entire series. Him not only traumatized the young Miles, but it began a chain reaction of events: in the DL-6 case Misty Fey was called a fraud, which caused the Fey family's reputation to crumble. And therefore,  He's got a lot of blood on his hands.
 * But for Me It Was Tuesday: When Phoenix and Maya run into him outside of court, he doesn't recognize them, despite spending half of the past two days in the same room as them. At least, he says that; he could simply be lying to demean them.
 * Clock King: Predicts on the third day of 1-4 that it will end in three minutes, and checks his watch until he's proven wrong. It's impossible for him to be proven right, as the time is up before Phoenix begins cross-examining the witness.
 * Crazy Prepared: He . If that's not Crazy Prepared, the term has no meaning.
 * Devil in Plain Sight: When people discuss him, all they ever mention is how great he is. But... have you looked at the guy?! He's terrifying! He even dresses like an evil overlord! The fact that he has the voice of Satan and is even voiced by THE Norio Wakamoto at one point really does not help.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Oh, God... where to start? Once, while competing in court against, Manfred . Later the same day, . Manfred responded to this turn of events . Then, as an added Take That . Then, (which he arranged) specifically so he could use that frame up  Maybe he gave Kristoph lessons on overreacting?
 * However, his anger is understandable. He may have willingly used in the past, but ironically he was never told that the  which got him a penalty.
 * Evil Mentor
 * Evil Old Folks: 65 years old, and still sharp as a razor.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: Has the deepest "Objection" of the series.
 * Finger Wag: His signature gesture, which Edgeworth adopted during his rookie years.
 * Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Often points and wags his finger, a habit Edgeworth picked up on.
 * Hypocritical Humor: Shouting that yelling is not allowed in court while loudly slamming his cane.
 * Jerkass: Speaks to virtually everyone with varying degrees of contempt in his voice, up to and including the Judge.
 * Kick the Dog: As if he wasn't bad enough already, Investigations 2 manages to do this to him recursively through the flashback part of Case 3:  The fact that Japanese prosecutors have been rumoured to do this in Real Life makes it even more terrifying.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: His name, at least in the English translation, is a reference to Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. Both of them Also, he has bad karma. Meanwhile, his Japanese name, Go Karuma, means (as far as the pronunciation goes) "the effect of karma". The kanji in his name, meanwhile, means "great demon".
 * Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Averts this, regarding Byrne Faraday, in front of his long time partner Detective Badd. Badd can hardly contain his anger.
 * Nice Job Fixing It Villain: Manfred mentions the idea of as a joke to bring the defense to its knees. Sure, however the idea actually WORKED (albeit because of two pieces of information he didn't take into consideration) and the case continues.
 * Norio Wakamoto: He was voiced by him in a Gyakuten Kenji 2 promotional trailer.
 * Obviously Evil: Mocked in when a younger Kay tries to get change for a dollar from him. He immediately turns his fierce glare on her and asks "What is it, little girl?" She immediately hides behind Edgeworth and says, "You're terrifying!" Manfred responds by actually feeling hurt.
 * As one youtube commenter said, "Is it bad that I read all his lines as "
 * The Perfectionist
 * Pet the Dog: As we can see in, Edgeworth and Franziska's respect for him is pure, and not born out of fear or such. This tells that he may have been a caring father, strict, but caring nonetheless.
 * Then again, Von Karma is shown to be fixated on Edgeworth's career advancement, but uninterested in Franziska's, even though she clearly wants him to be more involved. Conversely, von Karma verbally abuses Edgeworth at one point to shut down his request to continue investigating the crime scene, but relents when Franziska asks instead. It seems that Edgeworth's respect is born partially of fear, while Franziska seems fearless but uncared for. This is only a Pet the Dog moment in that it shows von Karma was not a straightforward Complete Monster.
 * Red Baron: "Prosecuting God"
 * Villainous Breakdown:
 * Wicked Cultured: Look at this man and his nice suit. OF COURSE he's this.

Franziska von Karma (Mei Karuma)


""A fool's fool fools fools who foolishly accept the foolishness of a fool's fool.""

Main prosecutor of the second game. Extreme perfectionist who aims to live up to her father's legacy. Is always seen with a whip in hand.

"Edgeworth: Calling everyone by their full name... Can't you do something about that habit of yours?"
 * Amoral Attorney: Will do anything to get the defendant guilty in the second game, although she isn't as extreme in the third.
 * The Baroness
 * Beauty Mark: Below her left eye.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Broken Ace: Despite being a successful, relentless prosecutor, Franziska has very little emotional maturity, besides being competitive to the point of ridiculousness. The second game's epilogue also implies that she never quite felt like she earned her father's love.
 * Cry Cute: At the end of the second game.
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Daddys Little Villain --> Mad Prosecutor's Tsundere Daughter
 * Department of Redundancy Department: See the above quote.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Starts as a female Jerkass, ends up a Type A Tsundere.
 * Every Proper Lady Should Curtsy: Commonly does when introducing herself.
 * Full Name Basis: To the point that everyone else present starts doing the same, whether by accident or to call her out on it.

"von Karma: How naive of you.
 * Then there's this bit of hypocrisy at its finest.

Phoenix: But it's a bit strange, don't you think? ...Franziska von Karma.

von Karma: Listen, Phoenix Wright! It's impertinent to call someone by their full name!

Phoenix: I was only copying you."

"Edgeworth: (We got your point about three "foolishes" back, Franziska...)"
 * Giant Poofy Sleeves
 * Sleeves Are for Wimps: In Case 4 of Investigations.
 * Inadequate Inheritor: She's always concerned about living up to the von Karma name.
 * Informed Ability: For a supposed prosecuting ace, Franziska sometimes shows some shoddy handling of witnesses and is prone to breaking down worse than her father or Edgeworth ever do. Edgeworth genuinely seems much more competent when he's on the prosecutor's desk.
 * It Runs in The Family
 * Licking The Whip: She did this in her original designs in development. She doesn't do this in the actual game.
 * Like Brother and Sister: With Edgeworth, obviously. Oddly enough, she once said he was like her "Littler Brother", despite him being quite a few years older than her.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Mei" means "darkness".
 * Miyuki Sawashiro
 * The Napoleon: She was somewhat on the petite side in her childhood and early teens, and not at all fond of this fact.
 * Not So Different:.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: To Phoenix, though Edgeworth'll do in a pinch
 * Parody Sue: Seems to be a Take That at the Jerk Sue and Villain Sue used by many a fangirl.
 * Pet the Dog: She won't whip children or the elderly (except for the Judge and his Canadian brother). Phoenix also remarks that she seems genuinely hurt after Pearl chews her out for being a "mean lady". In case 4 of Investigations,, and on the game overall she sometimes shows concern for Edgeworth, even dropping the Full Name Basis with him when she's not angry or exalted. Also in case 4 of Investigations 2
 * Rage Quit: Her first loss to Phoenix causes her to
 * Small Name Big Ego: She may a teen prosecuting prodigy, but she seems to be under the impression that her defeating a small time defense attorney is enough to make national...no wait, global news.
 * Teen Genius: She became a prosecutor at age THIRTEEN.
 * Tsundere: Her "tsun" side comes up most of the time, and her "dere" side comes when she, does her best to aid Adrian, and is struck hard when Pearl called her mean.
 * Verbal Tic: She uses the words "fool", "foolish", or "foolishly" at least once three times every other sentence.


 * In the Japanese releases, she sprinkles her more anger-charged statements with "Baka."
 * Wake Up Call Boss: Of the second game. In Investigations, she's also one of the first Rebuttal opponents whose logical flaws are not readily apparent.
 * Well Done Son Guy: Defied in her first appearance: though she holds the same values towards court as her father, none of her motivation is driven by her However, in Investigations, during case 4, it is evident that she actually does seek her father's approval and he is not reciprocating.
 * Whip It Good: Nobody crosses paths with Franziska without getting whipped at least once. Except for Godot and Pearl.
 * When she started at thirteen, she carried a riding crop instead of the whip everyone's familiar with.
 * Investigations also sees Agent Lang catch the whip in midair.
 * Worthy Opponent: Mellows out a little between the second and third games, resulting in this..
 * Wouldn't Whip a Girl: Averted in her first appearance, where she has no trouble whipping Lotta Hart and Ini Miney when they get on her nerves. Played straight in the subsequent games however, where she tends to whip the nearest male character (usually Gumshoe) if one of the female characters is annoying her.
 * You Fool: Somehow takes this Up to Eleven, with her uttering variations of this at almost every turn.
 * You Fool: Somehow takes this Up to Eleven, with her uttering variations of this at almost every turn.

Godot


""Blacker than a moonless night, hotter and more bitter than hell itself... That is coffee.""

Main prosecutor of the third game, and a very widely-loved character, especially considering he's only appeared in one game. Godot is known for drinking lots of coffee, up to 17 cups per court session. Holds strong dislike, almost hatred, towards Phoenix until the end of the last case.

"Phoenix: Could you PLEASE knock it off with the cheesy proverbs and illogical metaphors already!?"
 * Ambiguously Brown: Word of God says he's Brazilian.
 * Anti Villain: To the point where.
 * Badass: Everybody, even the Yakuza loan shark Furio Tigre, is a little intimidated by Godot. He's the lone exception to the 'everybody who meets Franziska gets whipped' rule in the main seriesApart from Pearl... even she doesn't want to mess with him, so she whips Phoenix instead.
 * Blind Without Em: He needs his visor to see, but even then, he can't see perfectly.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Not only does he drink several mugs of coffee, he wears a mask all the time.
 * The mask is understandable. He's mostly blind and needs them to see.
 * Catch Phrase: "That's one of my rules." When it.
 * Cool Mask
 * Could Have Avoided This Plot: He himself admits in the end. The final case of Trials & Tribulations could have been avoided if he just . But then, where would be the fun (for the players) in that?
 * Disease Bleach
 * Food Slap: Throws his coffee at Phoenix three times.
 * Goggles Do Something Unusual: Phoenix was a bit intimidated to confront Godot until he was sure his goggles couldn't fire lasers. Understandably, he has Franziska to thank for his knee-jerk fear of aggressive prosecutors.
 * The manga has four panel, non-canon joke strips, and one of them had Phoenix questioning where all the coffee comes from. Godot then presses a button on his visor which causes it to dispense coffee.
 * He Who Fights Monsters
 * Large Ham: "Blacker than a moonless night... Hotter and more bitter than hell itself... That's coffee."... and that's just one of the few of his melodramatic quotes.
 * Definitely a case of Tropes Are Not Bad. The man is so damn suave and chic with his delivery that you just want him to say more.
 * Leitmotif: "The Fragrance of Dark Coffee", it's even his cell phone ring.
 * Making a Spectacle of Yourself: His slatted red visor.
 * Manly Tears: "The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over."
 * Metaphorgotten: He really loves his coffee metaphors. Too bad nobody but him ever seems to understand them.
 * Metaphorgotten: He really loves his coffee metaphors. Too bad nobody but him ever seems to understand them.

"Godot:"
 * Must Have Caffeine: 17 cups per trial day, with a philosophical comment or two to go along with each one.
 * ...and that's just in the courtroom; at one point he alludes to a 13th cup of morning coffee.
 * My Name Is Not Durwood: He constantly calls Phoenix "Trite". In the Japanese original, he intentionally mispronounces "Naruhodo" as "Maruhodo".
 * Meaningful Name: Besides the literary reference, bear in mind that his name is pronounced "Go-doe", not Go-dot".
 * Never My Fault: A very important part of his backstory.
 * : His drive against Phoenix Wright for and
 * : He all but admits that his reasons for hating Wright are pointless,
 * Spit Take: A favorite. Sometimes he'll take a fresh drink just to abide the spit-take.
 * Stay in The Kitchen: Tells Franziska to do this, though telling her to leave may be more about him being older than her than her gender.
 * Stay in The Kitchen: Tells Franziska to do this, though telling her to leave may be more about him being older than her than her gender.


 * Throwing Your Cup Always Works : Though he throws his cups right-side-up, they always turn in midair and land perfectly shut on Phoenix's head. Played for Laughs.
 * Trademark Favorite Drink: Do you seriously need to ask?
 * Waistcoat of Style
 * White Haired Pretty Boy:
 * White Haired Pretty Boy:

Klavier Gavin (Kyoya Garyu)


""Achtung baby! Today we play it my way!""

Main prosecutor of the fourth game, and a rock star, to boot. He's quite a skilled prosecutor, and could probably best Apollo in court every time, but since he's interested in getting an honest verdict as opposed to a guilty one, he rarely (if ever) plays the same mind tricks that his predecessors do, and when the "real murderer" of each case starts demanding proof, Klavier usually ends up helping.


 * Amoral Attorney: One of the few who AVERTS this trope. Probably THE cleanest prosecutor in the entire series.
 * Bishonen: And how.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: How many prosecutors have enough time to have their own rock band?
 * Strangely, in the courtroom he acts like a smooth, devil-may-care rock star (hiding some scary competence) but on the stage, he's a touchy perfectionist. It's like he's got the roles switched around.
 * Catch Phrase: The aforementioned Achtung among others.
 * The Charmer: Very much so.
 * Crazy Prepared:
 * Dark Skinned Blond
 * Even the Guys Want Him: Can also be associated with Stupid Sexy Flanders.
 * Gratuitous German: Klavier will routinely sprinkle German throughout his dialogue, because he went to law school in Germany. 'Gratuitous' because Franziska, who was also raised and educated in Germany, doesn't do the same. Phoenix also calls him out on his "affected Eurorock accent".
 * Leitmotif: "Guilty Love", a Gavinners song in-game.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Klavier" is German for "piano". The "kyo" in "Kyoya" means "echo".
 * Nice Guy: Compared to the other prosecutors.
 * Lost a Level in Jerkass: While he still wasn't that callous, Klavier was more crass and defiant
 * The Rock Star
 * Unwitting Pawn: used him to get Phoenix disbarred.
 * Worthy Opponent: Klavier really has no grudge against Apollo, and as mentioned above, often tries to help Apollo (within reason of being his judicial opponent) to find the true guilty party and the right verdict. Outside of the court, he's actually rather buddy-buddy with Apollo.
 * Which has resulted in a Broken Base. Some fans hate him, not so much for the attitude, but for the lack of conflict he brings to the courtroom.

Dick Gumshoe (Keisuke Itonokogiri)


""I'm just a lowly detective so... I'm not sure what to do with that, other than arrest it!""

Main detective of the first three games. Despite his skill as an investigator, Gumshoe has an unfortunate tendency to make mistakes, and as a result has a small paycheck. He is optimistic and eager to please.

"Phoenix: "If Gumshoe's salary gets cut even more he'll have to pay to work!"
 * Afraid of Blood
 * Big Damn Heroes: About one of the few things he does right.
 * The Big Guy: Class 4, including a serious devotion to Edgeworth.
 * Also Class 2 at times, given how he's twice faced down mobsters and once an assassin to save Phoenix and Maya. Important to note that he doesn't carry his gun due to distaste for it either.
 * Butt Monkey: Poor Gumshoe.
 * Can't Spit It Out: Towards Maggey Byrde.
 * Clueless Detective
 * Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: The above feets of sheer bravery and physical badassery, but seriously, when your investigation *needs* something, whether it's a bridge built overnight, that one piece of evidence found or a high speed race across town, Gumshoe will deliver.
 * Flanderization: He wasn't always a completely useless, incompetent idiot whose only narrative purpose was to make other characters look good. Unfortunately, his brains seem to drain away a little more with each passing game.
 * Friend On the Force: To Edgeworth and, to a lesser extent, Phoenix.
 * Friend to All Children: Fonds of kids and easily befriends Kay and Pearl.
 * George Jetson Job Security: Typically fired at some point during the game's final case and rehired by the game's end.
 * Genius Ditz: He's usually a doofus, but REALLY good with machines. Not only did he build the moving mascot for the police department, he's also actually pretty savvy when it comes to high-tech investigative equipment, and he actually built a bug tracking device when he was still in grade school!
 * Inspector Lestrade
 * Kouji Ishii
 * Large Ham: Almost every other line from Gumshoe is delivered with lots of screen shaking and sound effects.
 * Leitmotif: "Detective Gumshoe, Pal". Additionally, he has "I Can Do It When It Counts, Pal!" in Investigations.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name/Shout Out: "Dick" and "gumshoe" are two different slang terms for "detective"; "Keisuke" is a Shout Out to Japanese rocker Keisuke Kuwata.
 * Older Sidekick: To Edgeworth, and occasionally Franziska. He prefers Edgeworth.
 * Perma Stubble
 * Perpetual Poverty: Somehow continues to exist no matter how many pay cuts he gets. It gets Lampshaded in the first game...

"Gumshoe: * after trying to eat said Magatama* "I thought it was some sort of hard candy that would fill you up."
 * Further lampshaded in Investigations, where his idea of celebrating a big case is to have extra salt in his instant noodles.
 * A hilarious line from Edgeworth regarding this is heard (read: thought) if Edgeworth presents the Magatama to Gumshoe.

Edgeworth: (Nngh... Perhaps his salary's been cut too much...)"

"Maya: We're on this case too, pal!
 * Pointless Band Aid
 * Puppy Dog Eyes
 * Serendipity Writes the Plot: Might be in effect in Ace Attorney Investigations.
 * Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist
 * Throw the Dog A Bone:
 * Took a Level In Dumbass: In the final case of T&T, Gumshoe finds a  He thinks it's worthless and should be thrown away, since it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the case.
 * Verbal Tic: In the English version, punctuates most of his sentences with "pal". In the Japanese he slurs the end of his sentences.

Gumshoe: Huh? Hey! You can't just go saying "pal" like that! That's MY endearing character trait!"

Ema Skye (Akane Hozuki)


""Quiet please... It's snack time.""

Main detective of Apollo Justice, but started out as Phoenix's assistant in the bonus case 5 in the first game. Loves science with a child-like passion, and dreams of being a forensic scientist. She failed the test, and was instead made a detective. She's more than a little bitter about it. She's also reaaalllyyy cute.

"Apollo: (She Snackoo'd me.)"
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Brilliant but Lazy: In Apollo Justice. She's brainy enough, but really half-hearted in her detective work.
 * Fan Girl: Idolizes Edgeworth. The contrast between Edgeworth and Klavier is probably why Ema can't stand him: "Prosecutors should be cool-of-wit and furrowed-of-brow... less 'glimmerous', more 'simmerous'." Her phone also has the Steel Samurai ringtone, and a Pink Princess strap.
 * Foregone Conclusion: Being that Investigations is an Interquel, Ema's cheery personality remains intact from "Rise From the Ashes". It's a little sad to know that her good nature will be sucked away in the coming years by her failing the forensics exam, ultimately denying her dream.
 * Genki Girl: Back when she was a Suspiciously Similar Substitute, she was a slightly more serious and driven version of this than Maya. She was deliberately changed into her more mature and moody self for Apollo Justice so as her role would not clash with Trucy.
 * Goggles Do Something Unusual: The pink sunglasses that usually rest on the top of her head apparently allow her to see things that are normally hard to spot, such as footprints.
 * Hollywood Nerd
 * Inspector Lestrade: Her role in Apollo Justice.
 * The Lab Rat
 * Leitmotif: "Scientific Detective" in Apollo Justice, "Turnabout Sisters 2005" in the soundtrack of the DS version of the first game as well as Investigations.
 * One Scene Wonder: Her appearance in AAI was hyped up quite a bit in promotional materials, and there are rumors that the game was originally planned to star her as the player character. In the end, we get about five minutes of actual dialogue from her in a brief and somewhat tacked-on cameo that was more or less just there to establish an investigation technique that never appeared again. She does have a larger role in the sequel, however.
 * Punny Name: "Skye" comes from, well, "sky", tying in with her Japanese name. "Akane" comes "akane-sasu sora" ("glowing sky"), and "Hozuki" means "jewel moon".
 * Nice Hat: Gets one in Ace Attorney Investigations.
 * She Is All Grown Up: Compare her appearance in the first and fourth games.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: How she started out. Her Leitmotif is even called "Turnabout Sisters Theme 2005" in the first game!
 * Sweet Tooth: To the point she won't let go of her bag of Snackoos even while witnessing in court.
 * Though she will use them as a weapon. Ka-tonk!

"Ema: What are you doing here?!
 * Took a Level In Jerkass: Pretty far in the Apollo Justice games. She ignores people who ask for her help, puts little effort in her work as stated above, and throws her snacks at anyone who annoys her.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: "Snackoos" in the English, fried dough cakes called Karintou in Japanese.
 * Tsundere: Strongly hinted to have romantic feelings for Klavier in the Odoroki Gyakuten Manga. Although they both do not realise it.

Klavier: Huh, what about you? Aren't you cold?

Ema: Well, you...I...I am not cold!"


 * What Could Have Been: During the initial concept phase for Investigations, she was the intended player character. One can imagine that the game would have featured a large range of forensic techniques.
 * You Keep Using That Word: "Scientifically speaking" is practically her Catch Phrase, but at least in Rise From The Ashes she often uses it in inappropriate contexts, like when she has just stated her opinion rather than any objective fact.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Sports a Grade A in Investigations.

Lana Skye (Tomoe Hozuki)


""It's been a while, Your Honor.""

Ema's older sister, and Chief Prosecutor (as of the first game, but she hasn't been mentioned since). Went to the same law school as Mia.


 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Defrosting Ice Queen
 * Emotionless Girl
 * I Did What I Had to Do: Says this regarding her, claiming that it's to get Darke and criminals like him convicted,.
 * Punny Name: "Skye" comes from, well, "sky", tying in with her Japanese name. "Hozuki" means "jewel moon".
 * Promotion to Parent: Her parents died when she and Ema were very young.
 * Put On a Bus: Ema was brought back for Apollo Justice, but Lana hasn't been seen since. She was last seen waiting to be tried for forging evidence, hence she had to spend some time behind bars. On the other hand, considering that was out in less than a year for pretty much the same crime, and that Lana had connections and such in the law business, it's uncertain whether she's still in prison. But she probably is in another profession (likely by her choice, she seems like the type that would just move on without a second thought).
 * She's probably got a significantly longer sentence than, since the latter was a civilian who . Lana Skye was a high ranking detective and eventually Chief Prosecutor who . Especially egregious since she did it to , and that she ended up . Not to mention that she allowed  Oh, and in the furtherance of that crime, she aided in   after the fact, as well as actively  . So yeah, while Edgeworth would have been inclined towards giving her leniency, there would probably be a lot of political pressure and public outcry against it due to the sheer amount of corruption revealed in that case, and she seemed very guilt-ridden about the entire thing so she might not even try to take advantage of any connections she might have left.
 * The Stoic
 * Not So Stoic: She becomes quite outraged when Phoenix appears to shift the focus of suspicion to, but he manages.
 * Sugar and Ice Personality
 * Taking the Heat:
 * When She Smiles
 * You Monster: Uses this phrase.

Damon Gant (Kaiji Ganto)


""You know, we should all go swimming together sometime! Jolly!""

Highly eccentric Police Chief. Although he does some pretty odd things (for a guy that intentionally looks like Zeus), he's highly intelligent, clever, and cunning. He used to be Lana's partner when both were detectives.


 * Affably Evil: Need fifty bucks? He's your guy!
 * Beard of Evil
 * Big No: Plus special effects.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Uses some variation of "Been swimming lately?" as a greeting, eerily stares in silence for moments at a time, and calls the Judge, Phoenix, and Edgeworth "Udgey", "Wrighto", and "Worthy", respectively.
 * Cool Shades
 * Da Chief
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: He knew . He also interrupts a cross-examination at one point... during the actual playable part.
 * Dark Skinned Blond
 * Death Glare: They're so long, you'll think the game crashed. If not for his regular blinking.
 * Dirty Cop: It's implied that he had forged evidence even before SL-9.
 * Eccentric Mentor: Sort of.
 * Hoist By His Own Petard: Twice. First, the pieces of evidence he took as "insurance" were later used against him, and when it seemed he would succeed in putting the blame on, his own arrogance was what did him in.
 * Knight Templar: What he eventually became; interestingly, he also described Manfred von Karma in a similar manner.
 * Large Ham
 * Laughing Mad: With escalation!
 * Leitmotif: "Swimming, Anyone?"
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name/Bilingual Bonus: Damon is probably a pun on . The first kanji of "Kaiji" is "sea" (he brings up swimming a lot), and his name as a whole might allude to a Chinese proverb: "You can pick on the mountains, but don't pick on the sea [because the sea is merciless]". "Gant" (and "Ganto") come from the French word for glove, which he is always seen wearing.
 * Also, change the "a"s in his name to "e"s, and you get Demon Gent.
 * The Nicknamer
 * Not So Different: He pulls this on . It really got under his skin.
 * Obfuscating Goofiness
 * Ominous Pipe Organ: Quite explicitly seen and heard in his office and leitmotif, respectively.
 * Sarcastic Clapping
 * Thunder Shock
 * Villainous Breakdown: His hair goes on fire. He goes Super Saiyan!
 * Thunder Shock
 * Villainous Breakdown: His hair goes on fire. He goes Super Saiyan!

Jake Marshall (Kyosuke Zaimon)


""When there's gunshots, there's bound to be bullets.""

A Cowboy Cop and ex-detective that was demoted to a patrolman after SL-9. Because of the suspiciousness of the decisive evidence, the abruptness and hastiness of his demotion, and the fact that he wanted to know the truth behind his kid brother's death, Officer Marshall refused to let the case go.


 * Big No: See the quotes for the page.
 * Biting the Handkerchief: Or rather, the jerky.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Let's face it, it's par for the course at this point.
 * Cowboy Cop: Played straight and literally. Word of God holds it that he was made a cowboy so that.
 * Dead Little Brother: Neil.
 * Knight in Sour Armor: He's bitter about being demoted, but is willing to risk what's left of his career to find the truth behind SL-9.
 * Leitmotif: "The Vagabond Detective".
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Marshall", like a wild west sheriff.
 * Quick Nip: Often seen drinking from a hip flask.
 * What the Hell Hero: Gets one regarding.
 * Youngest Child Wins: According to Jake, Neil, the prosecutor, is significantly smarter.

Mike Meekins (Susumu Harabai)


""Sir I... I wish I didn't have to tell you this... but last year, tragedy struck a rising star at the precinct! I lost my case files four times... in three days! They fired me!""

An over-enthusiastic cop that is unnecessarily respectful in speech (he broke the dialogue boxes in the Japanese version). He's not the brightest bulb, doesn't have much luck, and is rather clumsy. He looks up to Gumshoe and aspires to be like him.


 * Alliterative Name: In English
 * Butt Monkey: He idolizes Gumshoe, so that's enough to make him a Butt Monkey by default.
 * Catch Phrase: Has a tendency to begin his answers to questions by saying "If I had to say I was (X) or (Y)..."
 * Gonk
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: He's certainly meek, and the "Mike" might refer to that megaphone. "Susumu" means "press forward".
 * No Indoor Voice: Doesn't help any that he always has a speakerphone in his hand.
 * Non Standard Character Design: Looks nothing like any other character in the series.
 * Verbal Tic: Speaks extremely politely and addresses everyone as "sir".
 * Up to Eleven: The volume knob on his speakerphone. Whenever he shouts into it, it causes loud feedback.
 * Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs: From a cop in the first game, to the Blue Badger in Investigations to a court bailiff in Apollo Justice.
 * He is shown to still be in the police force in Investigations, just placed undercover as the Blue Badger. In the end credits, he states he was fired afterwards for losing his gun (although the page quote suggests it was for losing case files).

The Blue Badger (Taiho)


""What the hell is that wriggling piece of plywood?" - Miles Edgeworth"

The mascot of the police force. Plays a significant role in case 1-5. It becomes the mascot of Gatewater Land in Investigations and gains a family of badgers which includes the Pink Badger, the Proto Badger, and the Bad Badger.


 * Beard of Evil: The Bad Badger's goatee
 * Companion Cube
 * Cool Shades: The Bad Badger.
 * Evil Counterpart: The Bad Badger.
 * Gotta Catch Em All: Visitors to Gatewater Land are awarded a prize if they can take a photo of all four Badgers. Since the Bad Badger only comes out for a certain event, Kay never gets the Bad Badger.
 * Leitmotif / Ear Worm: "I Want to Protect You".
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: He's blue, and carries a police badge. "Taiho" means "arrest". Lampshaded when Kay says that his name sounds threatening to a "Great Thief" like her.
 * Nightmare Fuel: In-universe, at least Phoenix and Apollo seemed to think so.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: In a certain sense; the character is based on Pipo-kun, the mascot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
 * Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: The Pink Badger has a bow. Lampshaded if Edgeworth examines the Pink Badger costume box.

Missile


""...The dog Detective Gumshoe takes care of just up and ate a Samurai Dog earlier as well. Poor little dog, slowly coming to resemble his handler." - Miles Edgeworth"

A police dog cared for by Gumshoe. One of the optional tools offered by Gumshoe in Case 1-4, he later appears in Investigations to help find evidence in case 5.


 * Assist Character: To Phoenix Wright in Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
 * Beast of Battle
 * Big Eater: Once devoured an entire cart of Steel Samurai hot dogs.
 * Evil Detecting Dog: Gumshoe likes to see him as one but... he mostly ends up finding food instead.
 * Heroes Love Dogs: Both Maya Fey and Shi-long Lang have expressed fondness for Missile.
 * Team Pet: The police investigation team's, anyway...

Luke Atmey (Aiga Hoshiidake)


"'Zvarri! The truth has once again been elegantly revealed to me!""

Self-proclaimed "Ace Detective" (which ends up prompting Phoenix to refer to himself as an Ace Attorney), and the detective on all the Mask?DeMasque cases. Full of himself and wants to be the center of attention (but you probably knew that already) and fails miserably.


 * Anime Hair: How do you even describe his hair?!
 * Try this: Take a plate, and spray paint it yellow. Hit said plate with a hammer. Shave your head, and glue the biggest of the plate shards to your forehead. Rinse, lather, and repeat.
 * Attention Whore
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Really, he's large enough of a ham to justify this...
 * Catch Phrase: "Zvarri!"
 * Gag Nose: Look at the size of the thing! Fans still don't understand how.
 * Gonk
 * Great Detective: Subverted or possibly deconstructed -
 * High Class Magnifying Glass
 * Insufferable Genius: Double subverted, or perhaps zig-zagged. When you first meet him, he's seems to be a classic case of Small Name Big Ego; overblown, and more confident in his intelligence than warranted. Then, you find out
 * Large Ham: "Welcome! To my private little "Banquet of Chaos"."
 * Leitmotif: "I Just Want Love", which is what his Japanese name literally means.
 * And he composed it. For himself. Seriously.
 * Meaningful Echo: "Take a good look, everyone! Unable to find a rival worthy of my genius, I was forced to create one myself! Here I am! The tragic clown..."
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: Look at me! I want love, that's all (ai ga hoshii dake)!
 * Nose Tapping: Can be seen doing this in the article about DeMasque's first heist. It helps that his nose rivals his finger in length.
 * Nuttier Than A Fruitcake
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness
 * Sherlock Scan: Subverted; his "scans" are ludicrously obvious. Godot makes it hilarious, though.
 * Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist:

Daryan Crescend (Daian Mayuzuki)


An International Affairs detective who also plays guitar in Klavier's band (see above). Appears in the third case of Apollo Justice.


 * Animal Motifs: His design is based on a shark, including his torpedo-shaped hair and jacket decorated with shark teeth.
 * Anime Hair: An oversized, phallic pompadour with a patch of white on the tip. It goes beyond even the most extreme standards of impossibility when he has his breakdown, by developing some split hairs... that split in the wrong direction, towards his head, as if they originated from the tip.
 * Everything Is Even Worse With Sharks
 * Expressive Hair: His hair sags when he's upset.
 * Jerkass: The guy is a dickhead in both the figurative and literal senses.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Crescend" might come from "crescendo" and could also be a reference to his Japanese name, which contains the kanji for "moon". "Mayuzuki" may come from "mayu suki" ("").

Shi-Long Lang


""Lang Zi says: The reason people judge people is because people are people.""

Edgeworth's rival in Ace Attorney Investigations, an international detective who is brash and dismissive of those he dislikes (especially prosecutors, since a corrupt one ruined his family's reputation), but cares deeply for his men. He practices a philosophy of "detention" which often leads him to suspect the wrong people, forcing Edgeworth to prove that they didn't do it before he can arrest them.

"Edgeworth: (These quotes are definitely becoming increasingly difficult to decipher...)"
 * Animal Stereotypes: His manner, name, and design are meant to invoke the Big Badass Wolf trope.
 * Badass: Remember how Franziska wouldn't whip Godot because of his massive aura of badassery? Well, ! And that's only one of his feats.
 * Later on, she tries again while he's still laughing and.
 * Batman Gambit:
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Catch Phrase: 'Not so fast!'
 * Also: "Lang Zi says: [insert wolf-related aphorism]".
 * Cool Shades: Way too cool for words. Just how do they even stay on his face?
 * Deadpan Snarker: In the Japanese version, he refers to Franziska as anesan - older sister. Normally one would use oneesan. Anesan is typically used by Yakuza henchmen to refer to their boss's mistress.
 * A Father to His Men: And how! One of the most hilarious scenes in Investigations even plays around with the trope: Lang calls out one of his men and gives him a birthday present, causing the others to compliment him for being such an awesome boss... Then the first one says it was not his birthday. The silence lasts a single second before Lang retorts with: "Hmph... The present's not for you. It's for your younger brother's wife's younger brother! Give this and tell him I said "Hi"!", at which his men cry Manly Tears.
 * A far less humourous (but certainly more awesome) example is where even after knowing full well that, his reasoning being that  was still , and he was still beholden to protect  from harm. And then he arrests.
 * In one of his first scenes, one of the other officers is having his men count off in number order but he stops the guy. All of his men are number one in his book. Turns into a Brick Joke later on.
 * Hot Blooded
 * Inspector Lestrade / Inspector Javert: Depending on the situation.
 * Interpol Special Agent
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: He only hates prosecutors due . He treats his men well, though, and even develops some respect for Edgeworth late in Case 5.
 * Kenta Miyake
 * Leitmotif: "Speak up, pup!"
 * In Gyakuten Kenji 2 he also gets "The Fall of the House of Lang".
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Lang" is Chinese for "wolf".
 * Metaphorgotten: He makes countless wolf metaphors. By the end of the game, Edgeworth has started to wonder what the hell he's talking about.
 * Metaphorgotten: He makes countless wolf metaphors. By the end of the game, Edgeworth has started to wonder what the hell he's talking about.


 * Mr. Fanservice: His original design had no shirt.
 * Only a Flesh Wound: He gets , and appears to just... walk it off.
 * Pretty in Mink
 * The Rival: To Edgeworth.
 * What Could Have Been: Lang's design was considerably different at the outset, according to Word of God. He was to be shirtless with a complex scar on his chest, resembling a constellation. However, they were unable to proceed with the design due to decency issues. Even attempting to cover up his nipples with a boa proved unsuitable and the current design was the end result. Apparently his Cool Shades are the remnant of his original design.

Shih-na


Lang's assistant, a demure seemingly albino woman with a penchant for sunglasses.


 * Glasses Pull: Usually done alongside Lang.
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick: to Shi-Long Lang.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: She looks a lot like Lady Gaga..
 * Pretty in Mink
 * Red Eyes Take Warning
 * The Reveal:
 * She's Got Legs
 * The Stoic
 * Sunglasses At Night: Wears sunglasses at night in Case 5, albeit mostly indoors.
 * White Haired Pretty Girl
 * She's Got Legs
 * The Stoic
 * Sunglasses At Night: Wears sunglasses at night in Case 5, albeit mostly indoors.
 * White Haired Pretty Girl

Jacques Portsman (Makoto Yuuki)


A sports-loving prosecutor who appears in case one of Ace Attorney Investigations, taking over Payne's role as the tutorial prosecutor.


 * Amoral Attorney:.
 * Anime Hair: It almost seems like his headband is the only thing preventing his hair from spiking straight up!
 * Coat Over the Shoulder: Rotates from this to actually wearing it.
 * Jerk Jock Jacques
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: Jock Sportsman. As an added bonus, he nicknames his partners "Jim" (As in "Gym") regardless of how it fits with their name. The Japanese version goes for complete irony; "Makoto Yuuki" means "truth, courage".
 * His first name also sounds like "j'accuse" which he does a lot of in the first case.
 * The Nicknamer: Gives nicknames to people, such as "Jim" to Buddy Faith.
 * Real Men Wear Pink
 * Returning to The Scene
 * Smug Snake
 * Ultimate Job Security: He doesn't seem all that competent at first, seeming to spend more time training than studying or working on cases,.
 * Warmup Boss: The first major investigative rival Edgeworth faces.

Byrne Faraday (Kurou Ichijou)


Kay's father. A prosecutor who works with Tyrell Badd in catching the Yatagarasu, as well as bringing down the mysterious smuggling ring.
 * Amoral Attorney: Subverted. Though  he is nonetheless a good person and one of the few prosecutors who never was bad.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: It's stated that he rarely loses his temper, but he gives Gumshoe an earful when he reports to his old post by mistake after becoming a Detective.
 * Disappeared Dad: To Kay, after
 * Gadgeteer Genius
 * Meaningful Name: Let's hope we don't have any scholars playing the game. Byrne is Gaelic for  "Kuro" is a pun on.

Tyrell Badd (Ittetsu Badou)


A hardened detective (we're not kidding, he looks like he'd be more at home in Sin City) who's worked many cases with Calisto Yew and Byrne Faraday investigating the Yatagarasu. . In Gyakuten Kenji 2, it is revealed he worked on the, helping discover  manipulations of the crime scene.


 * Badass Grandpa
 * Badass Longcoat: Filled with bullet holes!
 * "I wear this coat to remind me of My Greatest Failure." "You got all of them in one case?" "Only about half."
 * Bruiser With a Soft Center
 * But Now I Must Go:.
 * Coat Cape
 * Cool Old Guy
 * : His overall design seems to be based around the Darker and Edgier trope. Also because his surname is Badd, it may have led people to beleive that he was the true villain of case 4,
 * Dead Partner: Byrne Faraday.
 * Dirty Cop:
 * Fan Nickname: Badd ass.
 * The Gadfly: A low-key example, but by the end of Investigations even Edgeworth has noted that he's teasing Franziska for no reason other than to watch her freak out.
 * Guttural Growler: His speech is chock full of ellipses, probably as a way to allude to this trope without resorting to actual voices. Whenever Badd takes his lollipop out of his mouth, he speaks normally.
 * Which implies that the pauses are just him sucking on the lollipop.
 * Hey You: Typically calls Edgeworth and Franziska "kids" or some other variant, but after, he starts calling them "Mr. Edgeworth" and "Ms. von Karma".
 * Honorary Uncle: Kay calls him "Uncle Badd".
 * Leitmotif: "The Truth Ain't Sweet".
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: "Badd" and "Bado" are for "bad(ass)", and "Ittetsu" means "stubborn".
 * Actually, "Bad?" is a reference to
 * Reverse the name, and you get 'Bad Trial', a potential referenge to KG-8.
 * My Greatest Failure: He couldn't convict, which is why he's so determined to take down . He eventually finds out that and that.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast
 * Non Standard Character Design: In contrast to the bright colors and simple faces of everyone else, Detective Badd has drawn facial definition and much darker colors.
 * Obviously Evil: Badd? Really?
 * Oral Fixation Fixation: When Badd first appears there's a little white cylinder sticking out of his mouth, seemingly evoking the image of the smoking noir detective. When he takes it out, it's revealed that it's a lollipop.
 * : To Kay.
 * Real Men Eat Candy: Taken to even further extremes in Investigations 2 Case 3, which implies he may be a Closet Geek with regards to candy in general.
 * Smoking Is Cool: Subverted; see above.
 * The Stoic: He does not smile. Ever. Also, his "hurt/shock" animation shows the least amount of emotion when compared to everyone in the series (His eyes simply widen).
 * Not So Stoic: After . In the resulting chase, after almost getting shot, Edgeworth notices that he's more shaken than he lets on.
 * Verbal Tic: He likes to...pause dramatically...in the middle of sentences...
 * Though it's actually his sucking on his lollipop.
 * Though it's actually his sucking on his lollipop.

Hakari Mikagami


"Ah, 'Lady Justice'... blessings be upon her."

Edgeworth's rival in Ace Attorney Investigations 2, a fierce-looking (female) judge. She has a washboard of hair over half her face and seems to wear more traditional clothing.

"Mikagami: The defendant... ! I accuse you!"
 * Beware the Nice Ones: She's said to always have a kind smile on her face, but is merciless towards anyone who breaks the law.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Has her moment in Case 4.
 * Catch Phrase: 'Overruled!'
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * I Have Your Son:
 * Japanese Honorifics: Addresses almost everyone as -sama.
 * Japanese Pronouns: Like Pearl Fey, she uses the ultra-polite Watakushi.
 * The Judge: Obviously.
 * Large Ham
 * Leitmotif: "Goddess of Law"
 * Her ringtone is a version of "The Great Monster Borumosu".
 * Mama Bear
 * Meaningful Name: "Hakari" means "Scale" (As in "Lady Justice's scale") and Mikagami means "Water Mirror", possibly referring to the Yata-Mirror, the japanese imperial insignia of wisdom.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: An interesting case, as she does it through another character rather than herself. Basically, whenever she lets Yumihiko testify, you know she's pulling a MASSIVE Xanatos Gambit on Edgeworth.
 * Ominous Pipe Organ: Her Leitmotif.
 * Peek a Bangs
 * Principles Zealot: Strongly believes in upholding the law, and feels Edgeworth is unworthy to be a prosecutor if he breaks it.
 * Promotion to Parent: She adopted Shimon when her cousin died.
 * The Rival: To Edgeworth, in her stricter adherence to the law.
 * She's Back:
 * Wham Line


 * Yuriko Yamaguchi

Yumihiko Ichiyanagi


A rookie prosecutor who fancies himself an 'ace' at his work. He first appears in the second case of Ace Attorney Investigations 2.


 * Adorably Precocious Child
 * Baka: Considered an idiot by everyone who meets him, including Larry. Bansai calls him by the term "baka musuko" (idiot son) so frequently, he almost seems to deem it interchangeable with Yumihiko's actual name.
 * Break the Haughty: Given that he was not taken seriously in the first place, it's a bit surprising how thoroughly the final two cases kick him in the teeth.
 * Buffy Speak: Whenever Yumihiko is the one talking, expect to see nothing but vague terms -"that thing"- and pauses which Mikagami fills with the word he was looking for. If he attempts to make use of a slightly more complex term or idiom, he will misuse it without fail. Sure enough, his rather small vocabulary often results in him getting lost during someone else’s explanations.
 * Bumbling Sidekick: To Mikagami to the point that she often uses him to testify only to pull a Xanatos Gambit on Edgeworth. His attempts to support his dad only cause Bansai to feel embarrassed as well.
 * Butt Monkey: He's often told to shut up by the other prosecutors when he's trying to make a statement. Smarter characters like Mikagami and Edgeworth will now and then employ some fake throat clearing to resume the conversation ignoring whatever stupid thing he's just said. Franziska even whips him once when he's not making any sense.
 * : . Despite the shit puts him through, he still expresses gratitude towards.
 * Coat Cape
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * : While he doesn't call out for the crap, he manages to humiliate  in court which is just as satisfying.
 * Dumb Is Good: Likely the reason he managed to remain as pure-minded despite . Also leads him to obliviously aid Edgeworth here and there against Mikagami or Bansai's wishes.
 * Expressive Hair: The question mark on his head turns into an exclamation when he's startled.
 * Fan Nickname: Rather infrequent, but those in the Court-record.net forums will refer to him as "Question Mark Head." On Youtube, he's referred to as Bakahiko.
 * Follow in My Footsteps
 * : Has a MAJOR one in . (And who can blame him!) It takes an entire Logic Chess bout with Edgeworth to snap him out of it.
 * Idiot Hair: Word of God states that the question-mark curl on Yumihiko's head is not natural; he actually styles it that way carefully everyday.
 * Inferiority Superiority Complex: Will keep proclaiming himself the best, then instantly get teary-eyed when others don't take him seriously (which translates to all the time).
 * Japanese Pronouns: He uses anta, a usually condescending pronoun, when referring to almost anyone (saving Mikagami, who he always addresses by name), thus furthering his Small Name Big Ego-ness.
 * Joke Level: His first testimony is easily one of the most ridiculous in the entire series, yet it takes so long to crack simply because it's so damn vague! (seriously, since when was "finding 'traces', 'there' " a valid reason for arresting someone who's innocent?!) His second testimony is a little better, but has a contradiction so obvious Edgeworth points it out without you having to do anything. And most of the contradictions you do point out are with his own testimony!
 * Leitmotif: "Ichiryuu's Reasoning" and
 * Little Mister Snarker: Well... he tries to be, but it generally backfires when he can't seem to find the right words.
 * Meaningful Name: "Ichi" means one in Japanese. His goal in life is to be number one at everything.
 * "Yumi" in his Japanese name means bow, the weapon. This is parallel to Mitsurugi, which is a pun on sword.
 * Also, with his surname it creates the pun "ichiya naki yumi hiku" - "pulling a bow without an arrow", which is a reference to his baseless deductions.
 * Missing Mom: According to his dad, her whereabouts are unknown.
 * Noriaki Sugiyama
 * Pungeon Master: He's all too aware of his Punny Name and WILL make jokes off it at every possible opportunity. He'll even twist other characters' Punny Names to do this, like when he asserts that he's better than Edgeworth because the first syllables of their (Japanese) names can mean 'one' and 'three', respectively. Leads to Got Me Doing It on several occasions.
 * Small Name Big Ego: He thinks himself a fantastic prosecutor but really isn't anything special. If you present the wrong evidence to him, he doesn't even realize until Mikagami points it out for him., this is actually quite depressing. By the time the credits roll, he's already asked everyone to
 * Spanner in The Works:, temporarily.
 * : In the final case of Investigations 2, after he and Edgeworth, he finally has enough courage to stand up to.
 * Tsundere: Tsuntsun by default to everyone but Mikagami, but eventually lets his dere side shine through as the game progresses.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Having been told that that's the safest choice, he
 * : In Yumihiko's own words, he
 * You Keep Using That Word: Often uses sophisticated-sounding words or phrases while clearly having no idea what they actually mean.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Having been told that that's the safest choice, he
 * : In Yumihiko's own words, he
 * You Keep Using That Word: Often uses sophisticated-sounding words or phrases while clearly having no idea what they actually mean.

Marie Miwa


The director of the prison and the detention center. She is an animal lover who believed in animal therapy. to  She was the only   the prosecutor,   She then became the head warden of the prison, which she called her "home". However, when  was imprisoned,   She   because she

"Marie:"
 * Alliterative Name
 * : Other than and, she's a pretty nice person.
 * Crazy Fox Lady
 * Though she tries to come off as a Kindhearted Animal Lover.
 * Expressive Accessory: The silver fox on her neck is alive and usually copies her facial expressions. One of her animations shows her speaking through her fox.
 * Fox Mascot: See above.
 * Friend to All Living Things:
 * The Glomp: With Tateyuki Shigaraki. When it comes to hugging, they're soulmates.
 * She makes a habit of greeting everyone like that. And kissing them, which often leads to accidental Squick on the receiver's end.
 * He Knows Too Much:
 * Later
 * Japanese Honourifics: Makes a habit of calling nearly everyone -chan.
 * Leitmotif: "Hug and Kiss"
 * She does that. A lot.
 * Mama Bear:
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: Her name comes from mimawari, which means patrol.
 * Orphanage of Love: "Happy Family".
 * Pretty in Mink
 * Though she takes it a little too far., she would have been completely right.
 * Tsundere: Clearly deredere by default, she goes tsun on the guards big time once she realises  Even Edgeworth notes the abrupt change. Although it may be a hint to her serious side, it could just be dedication to her job.
 * Though she takes it a little too far., she would have been completely right.
 * Tsundere: Clearly deredere by default, she goes tsun on the guards big time once she realises  Even Edgeworth notes the abrupt change. Although it may be a hint to her serious side, it could just be dedication to her job.

Bansai Ichiyanagi


Yumihiko's prosecutor father, and head of the Prosecution Investigation Committee. He used to be the Chief Prosecutor and he was the one who delivered Manfred von Karma his only penalty, partly in order to disassociate himself from falsifying the autopsy record, even though  He also got involved with the group of conspirators who   He is the one who   and later,   His manner of dress resembles that of a WWI-era German airman. He has a tendency to play with his lighter.

"Bansai: This reminds me of the defendants who offered to make a deal with me. "Oh, you can trust me. Tell me everything, okay?" Then, on the day of the trial, when I requested a life sentence for them... Th-they were... so dumbfounded. All of them! ... Ha, ha ha ha...! Oh, I wanted everybody else to see... Their stupid looks!"
 * : Comes off as an that constantly  for his incompetence.  isn't affected at first because he seems to be used to these types of comments, but eventually, it gets to the point where he  and everyone (even Franziska) is offended by his attitude toward him.
 * Amoral Attorney: Even more so than Manfred von Karma.
 * Badass Beard / Beard of Evil: If you remember from the first Investigations game, tugs on his beard when he sweats. Guess what Bansai does when he is sweating.
 * Bling of War: In addition to probably being the only prosecutor to actually wear his badge on his clothing (apart from his son), he has many other such pins on his jacket worn in the manner of military medals.
 * Did You Actually Believe:  he seems to enjoy tricking people in general, mainly to watch their reactions:
 * Did You Actually Believe:  he seems to enjoy tricking people in general, mainly to watch their reactions:


 * Dirty Prosecutor: He doesn't even deny it. The reason he holds  in disdain? Not because he used, but because he
 * Although who he's to may not be immidately obvious. It's to the  rather than the . In fact, Bansai himself would probably have been the  were it not for a
 * Dramatic Unmask:
 * Goggles Do Nothing: He wears aviator's goggles which he occasionally has to empty of collected fluid.
 * I Have No Son: Even though his son followed in his footsteps.

"Bansai:"
 * Its All About Me
 * Japanese Honourifics: Franziska calls him 'ojisama', though he notes she called him Oji-chama when she was a kid. He also asks people to call him Ban-chan occasionally, which is quite disturbing for a man of his age.
 * Japanese Pronouns: Despite his age, he refers to himself as "boku", which is usually used by young men. Combined with his playful manner of speech, it makes him sound disturbingly childish and cute.
 * Jerkass: He makes look tame and since he is the one behind  and, you can't help but feel happy when.
 * : To, albiet indirectly.
 * Meaningful Name/Punny Name: Bansai is an expression of celebration or cheering. Along with his surname, which can be read as Ichiryuu (meaning "first class"), it could translate as "forever number one" - a reference to his self-loving attitude.
 * Might Makes Right: He makes fun of Edgeworth's righteous ideals while nonchalantly informing him that, once you get to his position, "the truth" is something that can easily be created.
 * Older Than They Look: He's neither balding nor graying and has some impressive abs. He's sixty eight.
 * Playing With Fire: Quite literally.
 * Say My Name: Delivers an epic one to when finally.
 * Slasher Smile: Quite frequently even during normal conversation!
 * The Reason You Suck Speech: He doesn't miss a chance to pour salt on others' wounds. A good example can be found
 * The Reason You Suck Speech: He doesn't miss a chance to pour salt on others' wounds. A good example can be found


 * Villainous Cheekbones

Dai-Long Lang
The late father of Shi-Long Lang. He was the main investigator of the SS-5 incident. He realized that the  and therefore he knew about the conspiracy. However, the evidence was manipulated by a corrupt prosecutor,, who then blamed him and his investigators. The scandal tarnished the reputation of the House of Lang and caused Shi-Long Lang's grudge against prosecutors.


 * Badass Grandpa
 * Badass Moustache
 * Death By Origin Story