Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney



""OBJECTION!""

- Phoenix Wright, and many others

The first three games in the Ace Attorney series star Phoenix Wright, a sympathetic, easily flustered Perry Mason with Anime Hair, who digs deeper into the mysteries surrounding his client's cases (which always seem to involve murder), butts heads with a host of eccentric characters, discovers clues and evidence the police miss, and uses those clues in court to force the truth out of witnesses and discover the true perpetrators. He fights alongside his late mentor, Mia Fey, and her Genki Girl sister Maya Fey.

They were originally developed for the Game Boy Advance, with the exception of the fifth case of the first game, "Rise From the Ashes", which was exclusive to the DS remake, known as Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten (Turnabout Trials: The Revived Turnabout) in Japan. The game plays out in a Visual Novel style through the perspective of Phoenix Wright during investigation sessions, where you can talk to other characters, present evidence, and find clues to build up your case. Usually the next day, court begins, where you cross-examine witnesses to find contradictions, eventually forcing the real culprit to confess. Starting early on in Justice For All, you can try breaking characters "Psyche-Locks" by using evidence to tear their secrets apart and reveal vital information. The bonus 5th case of the first game took advantage of the touch-screen and mic on the DS allowing for more in-depth investigations on evidence.

The eponymous first game of the series chronicles Phoenix's first cases, Mia's death, and Phoenix's first battles with prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and his abhorrent tactics, culminating in a fierce face-off with Edgeworth's mentor, the legendary Manfred von Karma. In 2010 it gained a U.S. iPhone port. A live action movie directed by Takashi Miike was released in theaters in Japan in February 2012.

The second game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All, introduces von Karma's prodigal daughter, Franziska von Karma, out for revenge after the events of the first game, and highlights the nature of the relationship between Phoenix and Edgeworth.

The third game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, further explores the background of Mia, Maya, and Phoenix by way of the mysterious coffee-guzzling prosecutor Godot.

A further Updated Rerelease featuring all three games was released for iOS in February 2012 (currently in Japan only), targeted primarily at the iPad and replacing the pixel art in the GBA and DS games with scanned versions of the original character drawings.

A character sheet for the whole series can be found here.

All three games provide examples of
"Maya: I mean, you normally only see hair like that in a video game.
 * Abhorrent Admirer: Oldbag. Poor, poor Edgeworth.
 * Absolute Cleavage: Mia. Especially when she's channeled by Pearl, whose clothes are... small.
 * All Love Is Unrequited: The blatantly obvious example of Oldbag's affection for Edgeworth (and assumably all of her other crushes).
 * Angrish: Whenever you catch someone in a lie.
 * Anime Hair: Oh so much.
 * Phoenix possesses what could be classified as "hedgehog hair", with spikes that protrude behind his head. His wannabe double, Furio Tigre, has similar spikes on his head.

Phoenix: (Is my hair really that weird-looking?)"

She makes up for it in Investigations however. She'll whip him a good number of times in required scenes, more if you press certain things or present the wrong evidence. Edgeworth and Gumshoe are also her victims-by-proxy whenever she doesn't want to whip the person who wronged her. "Gumshoe: You have time to go wild monster hunting!? Why not do a little questioning for me then!?"
 * Pearl has a big pretzel on the top of her head, and her mother Morgan sports a massive shapeless bun that can only be held together by antigravity. Ron DeLite has a pair of cinnamon buns on the side of his head that spring outward when he's upset (which is often). Detective Luke Atmey's hair looks like he shaved his head, broke a plate, took the biggest piece, spray-painted it bright yellow, and glued it to his head. Redd White and April May both have unnatural hair colors—dark blue-lavender and bright pink, respectively.
 * Both Maya's and Phoenix's hair is lampshaded frequently throughout all games. ("...Is my hair too spiky? Not spiky enough?" Phoenix says this when Pearl starts crying.)
 * Ace Detective Luke Atmey, if presented with Phoenix's profile, deducts that Phoenix must be a defense attorney because his hair shows that he's constantly taking blows from his enemies.
 * And then, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 happened...
 * Gumshoe's pointy hair cannot be contained by and sticks through.
 * Arc Words: In the third game, "The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over."
 * Armor-Piercing Slap:
 * Pearl, whenever she believes Phoenix has wronged "Mystic Maya" in any (in)significant way.
 * Franziska, throughout her appearance in the third game, very rarely hits Edgeworth with her whip even in court, choosing to hit other people instead of him. Also, if you ask the wrong question to Sister Bikini during that trial, it is possible to make Franzy Whip It Good.
 * * Whenever Phoenix Wright gets too sappy talking about Dahlia, Mia subconsciously attacks Grossberg to vent.
 * Artistic License: Law: Barely follows the rules of the criminal justice system. For instance, there is not even a Grand Jury to review evidence for the trial before hand, and defendants don't receive a trial by jury. Real life trials take weeks of cross examining evidence and witness testimony, with plenty of time for the defense to review all the evidence out of court. Granted, Japan's court system had trials with only one judge and no jury until 2009, when a system incorporating a group of judges was implemented. Makes use of many common subtropes.
 * Asshole Victim: from 1-4; Turner Grey from 2-2; Juan Corrida from 2-4.
 * Also, Jack Hammer (1-3) may count, and Valerie Hawthorne (3-5) plays with it a bit:.
 * Awesome but Impractical:
 * The DS support functions for the microphone and touch screen were tacked on to all three of the remakes. While it is cool to press the Y button to turn on the mic and yell "OBJECTION!" and "HOLD IT!", it's far easier to press the shoulder buttons instead. The touch screen is rarely ever required for any of the games either.
 * The Wii remakes let you swing the Wiimote as if you were making Phoenix's trademark 'Objection!' pose. Fun, but ultimately it's easier to just press the minus button.
 * Back for the Finale: Larry in the first game, in the second,  in the third.
 * Back From the Dead: Mia Fey is also channelled throughout the series after her death.
 * Bash Brothers: If there's a legal version of this trope, Phoenix and Edgeworth are definitely it. Edgeworth wants to get the guilty into jail, Phoenix wants to keep the innocent out. There is no contradiction here. 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.
 * They worked together to take down  as well. If the two are working together on any case after 1-4, they will find and take down the true criminal.
 * Berserk Button: One of the lighter examples, but in 1-4 when you talk to Gumshoe about Gourdy and say that you're looking for him, Gumshoe flips out. Of course, Pheonix didn't have the common sense to tell him beforehand that they had to give information about Gourdy to Lotta for the investigation.


 * Big Damn Heroes: Just about the only thing Detective Gumshoe does right. Mia, also has a knack for this. And yes, it's lampshaded by Godot.
 * Big Screwed-Up Family: One really wonders if the Fey clan's ancestors deliberately structured their clan's hierarchy to promote hatred, jealousy, infighting, and backstabbing so that only the strongest daughter may even hope to survive to adulthood, let alone claim the prize.
 * Bittersweet Ending: A few of the cases end on a fairly bittersweet note. One example being case 1-5, where Lana is cleared of her murder charges, and is finally able to act like her old self again, . However, Lana will still have to answer for, and will, in all likelihood, still end up having to serve some jail-time, leaving Ema alone regardless. A more straightforward example occurs in the very first case. Larry is proven innocent, but the fact remains that his girlfriend (the victim of the case) is dead.
 * 2-3 Also ends on this note.
 * Born Lucky: Many characters accuse Phoenix of winning his cases with mostly pure luck, though they are not far from the truth considering something ALWAYS comes up in the last minute that can help Phoenix win.
 * Phoenix
 * Phoenix, in the long run, isn't even that lucky. He gets handed some pretty horrible cards on each of his cases, most clients are unresponsive and hard to work with, and the true culprits won't confess so easily.
 * Overall, whenever something truly bad would happen to Phoenix, he gets the best result... but if someone terrific would happen to him, he gets the worst result instead.
 * Brick Joke: A possibly unintentional example in Justice for All. One of the cases introduces Ini and Mimi Miney. About a case later, we're introduced to the clown Lawrence Curls, who goes by the name of Moe.
 * Butt Monkey: Detective Gumshoe. Larry Butz. Hell, Larry gets ripped apart by everyone on both sides in Investigations.
 * Phoenix himself comes across as being rather unlucky. What with him being surrounded by lunatics and idiots in a justice system that's ridiculously stacked against him. Or how he's repeatedly injured and assaulted, be it from being hit by a car, knocked into a river, or getting shocked by a tazer. This becomes really apparent when you in T&T: witnesses and detectives are actually helpful rather than directly or indirectly hindering and undermining you, the judge comes off as being slightly more reasonable, and the prosecutors don't assault you!
 * Edgeworth does, however, begin to suspect that there may, in fact, be a "Kick-me" sign on the defense bench in the court.
 * Maggie Byrde has an extreme run of bad luck her entire life, most of it told through backstory. When Maggie and Phoenix's first cross paths, their bad luck combines and Phoenix gets hit on the head, ending up forgetting all the rules of the court right before defending her. He still wins.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: Larry Butz, Butt Monkey extraordinaire, managed to save the day three times in the whole series' run...
 * Continuity Nod:
 * Every case in Phoenix's trilogy is referenced by some other case in the series. This even includes an instance where the bonus case in the first game had a reference to the only non-referenced case by way of a flyer for the restaurant there. This made sense in Japan, where the third game had been out for years and this case had been made for a special edition released a few years later. However, to gamers outside Japan that are unaware of the series history on the GBA, it just came off as a strange instance of foreshadowing.
 * Also in the DS-exclusive 5th case of the first game. Look at the safe Chief Gant has closely, you can see the logo for KB Security, yet another future nod to the third game.
 * In Justice for All, has apparently been paying attention to the previous cases and decided to go in for a symbolic gesture, as when he, he does so.
 * Getting is quite the reoccurring theme in Trials and Tribulations. It's the method of death for   It's also what  Furthermore, it's initially believed in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney that
 * Additionally, Franziska von Karma shares some animations with her father, as does a young Edgeworth. (The younger Edgeworth also wears a blue vest reminiscent of Manfred's, with matching trim on the suit jacket.)
 * Colon Cancer: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All.
 * Courtroom Antic: Frequently.
 * Dojikko: Maggey.
 * Determinator: Phoenix, without a doubt. The odds are so stacked against him, most lawyers would simply accept a Guilty verdict, forget their doomed client and move on. Not Phoenix, not ever. He will prove the innocence of his clients, no matter the personal cost or the odds.
 * Maggie Byrde has pretty much lived her entire life spitting in the face of her horrible luck. No matter what happend, Maggie keeps on moving with a positive attitude. She's a tough old byrde.
 * Devil's Advocate: The rival prosecutors sometimes become this, rather than your true opponent. Once he warms up to Phoenix, Edgeworth isn't acting as a prosecutor because he wants you to fail, but because he wants all the holes in the logic of the case to be filled satisfactorily.
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?:
 * Almost nobody likes Phoenix, except for a token few. Even his "friends" Edgeworth and Larry don't give him much respect despite him having an almost 100% success rate.
 * While Phoenix himself suffers both inside and outside the courtroom, pretty much anyone leading the defense tends to suffer extremely abusive treatment from everyone in the courthouse for most of the trial. Edgeworth, in 3-5, engages in a bit of Lampshade Hanging when he wonders if the defense's bench has a target painted on it.
 * At the end of the conversation referenced in the Dirty Old Man entry under the third game, Mia says that she can't believe that Maya channelled her for that.
 * This is very much due to the Japanese legal system (and the culture surrounding it) of which the gameplay is based. Because the legal system is built on an inquisitorial system, in which the court has an active role in the case (whereas the adversarial system in the West reduces the role of the court to a form of referee), Japan has an incredibly high conviction rate. Furthermore, only in 2009 did Japan re-institute a form of jury system after revoking it in World War II. As a consequence, how people view prosecutors and defense attorneys is reflected as one of adoration and contempt, respectively. That Phoenix Wright has such a success rate is nothing short of unprecedented: Defense attorneys in Japan are lucky if they score an acquittal in their entire career.
 * Economy Cast: Detective Gumshoe and the Judge, for the most part. Other characters in those positions appear only when absolutely required by the plot—and in the judge's case, when a second judge is required by the plot, it is always his almost identical brother. Strangely, in an interview it's been commented that the first game (in GBA form) had filled its cart to the brim, so much that one character (Grossberg) had to have animations cut. This doesn't seem to be a problem with the later games, so having an Economy Cast only really makes sense for plot reasons (plus the occasional Lampshade Hanging).
 * Exact Words: The Magatama has a problem with this. Depending on how the question Phoenix asks is formulated, there may be no Psyche-Locks appearing because the character may not really have something to hide about that specific point. In case 2-4,
 * Fan Girl: Pearl is an in-universe Phoenix/Maya shipper, and Maya is also a huge fangirl of the Steel Samurai. Trucy becomes a belated fangirl of the Gavinners, and Apollo used to be a Phoenix Wright fanboy (before he actually met him). In Investigations,
 * First-Person Smartass: Phoenix, on occasion.

"Pearl: You'd walk over hot coals for Mystic Maya, wouldn't you, Mr. Nick?"
 * Foe Yay: So much of it, you half expect Edgey and Phoenix to rip their clothes off in the middle of a trial and start screwing like bunnies.
 * Edgeworth and Franziska to an extent as well.
 * Franziska and Phoenix have their moments.
 * Foreshadowing: Oh so many.
 * In case 1-2, Mia says that Phoenix would be more likely to get  a guilty sentence rather than an acquittal, and that she should wait three years.
 * There's one in case 3-5:

It's implied that Phoenix's clients don't pay him, and Maya's burger addiction probably has something to do with it, too. ": Mystic Maya... She's your girlfriend, isn't she? Phoenix: ...!"
 * George Jetson Job Security: Gumshoe appears to have this, in some part due to Edgeworth's influence.
 * Going for the Big Scoop: Lotta Hart does this in three separate cases, one time she goes crazy and starts going after the crime scene Laughing Mad. Even Wright doesn't know which is scarier after that, the ghosts or Lotta.
 * Good Lawyers, Good Clients:
 * Phoenix always seems to get the innocent clients, leading one to wonder just how competent the investigators are if they arrest innocent people that often...
 * Well if they're all like Gumshoe...
 * However, this is subverted with.
 * subverts it, too.
 * This trait is actually justified in-universe. Phoenix (and Mia) always ask the cliente if they are truly innocent, and only will defend them if they believe the answer. As of the second game, Phoenix backs this up with the magatama. If there's no psylocke, he assumes they are truly innocent. This comes back to bite him in case 2-5.
 * Hot Chick in a Badass Suit: Mia.
 * Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Most of the cases have the word "Turnabout" in their titles.
 * Indy Ploy: Usually, Phoenix has no idea what he's going to reveal when he presses someone.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: Wendy Oldbag claims this, but we only have her word for it. However, one of stories in the first volume of Official Casebook (a collection of Ace Attorney Doujinshi), we get to see how her identical grandmother (!) looked as a young lady, and she was quite attractive.
 * Japanese Pronouns: In the Japanese version, uses boku when he displays his flaky outer persona and ore when he reverts to his sociopathic true self, further indicating the difference between the two.
 * Kubrick Stare: Phoenix is especially good at this, or at least his sprite suggests so.
 * Like Brother and Sister: Phoenix and Maya, although you may interpret their relationship as something more. Pearl certainly does.
 * Metal Detector Puzzle: One in all three games.
 * My Sibling Will Live Through Me: Mia, through Maya (and Pearl), far more literally than in most cases of this trope.
 * Next Sunday AD: The first game takes place in 2016. Almost nothing has changed, except the court system. They use 90s-style cell phones and VHS tapes.
 * The Nicknamer: Maya, as well as Franziska (who invariably calls Gumshoe "Scruffy") and Wendy Oldbag.
 * The Obi-Wan: Mia.
 * Oblivious Mockery: A museum worker says that any intelligent person would think that the writing on an urn belonging to a clan whose founder was Ami Fey would say "Ami," and would reassamble the urn to say that if they broke it. Unknown to her, a little girl who broke the urn and is standing with her reassembled it incorrectly such that the name was spelled wrong.
 * Passing the Torch/Take Up My Sword: When Mia dies, Phoenix takes over her law firm having only won two cases. Maya or Pearl still summon Mia throughout the trilogy whenever Phoenix needs help. However in the very last trial of the Phoenix trilogy,
 * Perpetual Poverty:
 * Gumshoe is at the point where even instant ramen is a luxury, and he's on the verge of having to pay to do his job.
 * Despite his success as a defense attorney for several high-profile clients, Phoenix also seems to suffer from this, albeit to a lesser degree. This can be puzzling if you play the second game and think "Didn't he, all within his first year as a lawyer?" He has a better record than Johnny Cochrane.
 * Gumshoe is at the point where even instant ramen is a luxury, and he's on the verge of having to pay to do his job.
 * Despite his success as a defense attorney for several high-profile clients, Phoenix also seems to suffer from this, albeit to a lesser degree. This can be puzzling if you play the second game and think "Didn't he, all within his first year as a lawyer?" He has a better record than Johnny Cochrane.
 * Power of Trust: Phoenix and Edgeworth, in pretty much everything from midway through their second case together and beyond. Which is a very interesting display of trust, considering the fact that one of them will have to lose whenever they're in court together.
 * Although later on Edgeworth realises that there's a lot more to being a prosecutor than just winning or losing.
 * Punny Name yet Meaningful Name: Dear God, where to begin? Phoenix's habit of rising up out of the ashes of his cases, Mia Fey (me, a fey), the detective Dick Gumshoe (both slang for detectives), and those are just the main characters. Everyone else? Frank Sahwit (the witness, who saw it), Redd White (of Blue Corporation), Will Powers, Jack Hammer (action stars), Penny Nichols, Wendy Oldbag (very verbose), Lotta Hart, Lawrence 'Moe' Curls (a clown)..
 * Pretty much every name in every game, with only a few exceptions.
 * The Feys are also Arthurian Theme Naming, after Morgan le Fay (with altered spelling), evidenced by Misty Fey (after the Mists of Avalon). The tradition continues into Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney with the Gramarye family, named after Merlin's island.
 * Running Gag: Maya appears to have trouble understanding the concept of a stepladder. Examining one almost always yields a conversation in which Phoenix has to explain to her what a stepladder is. This is continued by Trucy and Apollo and Miles and Kay.
 * Ema gets in on the action in 1-5, and another variation occurs in 3-2 with Maya confusing a fireplace for a hearth.
 * Gumshoe also gets in on it in case 3-5.
 * She's All Grown Up: Maya or Pearl, whenever either one of them summons Mia.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Maya and Phoenix go through this a few times, first with Larry Butz assuming Maya is Phoenix's partner in more way than one, and subsequently several times with Pearl.
 * ...though in 3-5, pressing at one point yields the following exchange:


 * Spirit Advisor: Mia Fey fills this role, and even though she appears to be omniscient (since she's dead and all), she seems to have varying levels of this (such as in the third case of the first game where even she doesn't know what happened until Phoenix does).
 * Stuffed Into the Fridge: Subverted with Mia Fey. When she's murdered at the beginning of the second case, it seems like a standard cliche - female character close to the protagonist is killed solely so that avenging her can serve as his heroic motivation. In fact, though, in the most literal way possible. Furthermore, even in the third game,.
 * There Can Be Only One: The brutal system of succession in the Fey clan of women.
 * They Call Me Mister Tibbs: Parodied with Detective Dick Gumshoe.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Maya and her burgers (Ramen in Japanese), and to a lesser extent Gumshoe and his instant noodles (which is about all he can afford on his salary).
 * Plus Godot and his coffee.
 * When It All Began: The majority of the cases in the game have some event before that gives the true killer their motive.
 * You Keep Using That Word: From the first game: "Accidental murder is still murder." Apparently "manslaughter" isn't in an Ace Attorney's vocabulary.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney provides examples of
"Lana: Give it three years. Then we'll see what you have become."
 * Absence of Evidence: In the 5th case (MAJOR spoiler):.
 * Absolute Cleavage: April May and Angel Starr.
 * Affably Evil:
 * Arc Words: "DL-6" throughout the first four cases; "SL-9" in the fifth case.
 * Amoral Attorney: Miles Edgeworth and Manfred Von Karma set the series tradition for these types of prosecutors.
 * Asshole Victim:
 * Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Played for laughs in the side-comic for Case 4.
 * Awesome but Impractical: The DS support functions for the microphone and touch screen were tacked on to all three of the remakes. While it is cool to press the Y button to turn on the mic and yell "OBJECTION!" and "HOLD IT!", it's far easier to press the shoulder buttons instead. The touch screen is rarely ever required for any of the games either.
 * Bara: Will Powers. In fact, Gumshoe and Powers are often a bara couple in fanart.
 * Berserk Button Don't ever come between Manfred von Karma and his perfect record. Berserk Button doesn't even begin to describe the consequences you will suffer if you do.
 * Big Bad:, along with in the 5th case
 * Bratty Half-Pint: Cody Hackins
 * Chekhov's Boomerang: For example, in case 4.
 * Case 5 has, which comes up four times
 * The was used at least 3 or 4 times too.
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * In the murder case
 * In Rise From The Ashes, This comes back to bite  in the ass, since
 * Chekhov's Gunman:.
 * Clock King: Manfred von Karma in the fourth case. Edgeworth specifically (though not by name) suggests Xanatos Speed Chess as a method of combating him.
 * Covers Always Lie: See that woman, on the far right in the trope image (the game's cover)?
 * Cowboy Cop: Played literally with Jake Marshall, the justification being that he's from west L.A.
 * Crazy Prepared: Manfred von Karma practically defines this trope; he to get a guilty verdict.
 * Creative Closing Credits: The ending of Case 5.
 * Crime After Crime: Joe Darke's backstory in case 5. It ends with him killing at least five people.
 * The Day the Music Lied: At one point, Edgeworth brings up an OBJECTION!, his awesome theme music starts up... then he realizes he has nothing to say. The music kinda deflates. Then it starts up again when he does think of something.
 * Dead Man's Chest: In case 1-5,.
 * Death Glare: The big bad of case 5, . In the same case,  burning hatred for prosecutors in general makes her glares pretty nasty as well.
 * Defeating the Undefeatable: Phoenix goes up against two prosecutors with perfect records... until they encounter him.
 * Disproportionate Retribution:
 * Don't Explain the Joke: This game tended to Lampshade Hanging the Punny Names. Someone on the writing team must have figured out how unneeded this was, because it stopped happening.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: This game features a different health system, with a "five strikes" rule rather than the lifebar and variable penalties given out in the latter titles. The trials also take place over three days, which was changed to two days in subsequent games after complaints that the frequent shifts between the trial and investigations phases ruined the game's pacing.
 * Eureka Moment:
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Bellboy, a.k.a. "The Bellboy Who Swore An Affadavit".
 * Evil Overlooker: See the picture.
 * Expressive Hair: Most memorably Angel Starr. Depending on which eye her bangs cover, she can be sweet as a lollipop, or sour as a lemon.
 * First Episode Spoiler Mia is murdered in case 2.
 * Fission Mailed: In the middle of 1-4,.
 * Foe Yay: Gregory and Manfred, according to most of Fandom.
 * A Fool for a Client: Phoenix winds up representing himself for the last trial of case two.
 * Foreshadowing: possible there was some collaboration between the English script writers and Takumi. In Case 5, upon presenting your badge to Lana...

"Phoenix: I'll get to this woman's bottom! Wait... I mean... you know what I mean."
 * Strangely inverted by Mia, though. In her phone conversation with Maya, she says to give him 3 years unless she wants a guilty verdict. Guess when's the first time Phoenix fails to get an innocent client off the hook?
 * "Rise From The Ashes" actually manages to foreshadow things in Ace Attorney Investigations! Mainly how Ema thinks that Edgeworth's framed jacket has a story,, and how Edgeworth will one day be forced to see the limitations of the law while trying to find the truth.
 * In Case 4 it actually, although subtly, foreshadows Justice For All! Upon talking with Maya about how Larry  Maya says "someone should whip that Butz into shape". Guess what whip-toting prosecutor comes in next game?
 * While defending Phoenix asks Gumshoe  . Later in the game,.
 * 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, with being revealed as an excuse. Even in his first case against you, an old friend, Edgeworth is snide, condescending, rude, dishonest, and manipulative. Fortunately, his Excuse was upgraded into Character Development over the course of the three games.
 * Gag Boobs: April May takes it Up to Eleven, and the bellhop of the Gatewater Hotel even makes mention of how she's unmistakable because of "them" with a HUGE blush.
 * Maya in this comic.
 * Gambit Pileup:
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar:
 * Also in case 1-2, after you get April May's.

"Bellboy: It's French for "kiss", but not a French kiss, sir."
 * From the same case:

"Maya: Wow! It's amazing.............ly dusty."
 * Gonk: Sal Manella, the sweaty otaku TV director.
 * Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!: Damon Gant is 65 when he first appears.
 * Hammerspace: Case 4 establishes that
 * Head Desk: pulls one of these against the wall as a Villainous Breakdown.
 * Hoist by His Own Petard:
 * Hypocritical Humor: When Dee Vasquez complains about Phoenix slamming his desk, Edgeworth slams his desk, chimes in "Yeah! Mr. Wright...! then realizes his mistake and says "Oops".
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: PWAA:.
 * And don't forget.
 * Karma Houdini Warranty:.
 * Laughing Mad:.
 * Last-Second Word Swap


 * Make the Dog Testify: As seen in the (former) page image, Phoenix brings a parrot to the stand at one point. Said parrot completely turns the case around.
 * Man in White: Bruce Goodman
 * Metal Detector Puzzle: Used in the fourth case.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Manfred von Karma. And if the name itself isn't badass enough, it's also seemingly a reference to Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron.
 * The Nicknamer: Damon Gant (e.g. "Wrighto" for Phoenix, "Udgey" for the Judge).
 * Nonstandard Game Over: If you present a certain piece of evidence too early in 5, you are later told the trial was unwinnable from the time you presented it. The screen then goes black with a "Guilty" verdict.
 * Before most testimonies you have the option not to cross-examine, but this usually just results in your assistant calling you an idiot and making you go ahead with the cross-examination anyway. However, in 1-4, if you choose not to cross-examine the witness after then Phoenix really will decline the opportunity to do so, which results in an instant "Guilty" verdict.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity:.
 * Ominous Pipe Organ: While Gant's Leitmotif doesn't use pipe organ in-game, he himself plays one and his leitmotif was arranged for organ for the Villain Medley in the 2008 Gyakuten Meets Orchestra concert.
 * Only a Flesh Wound:, who.
 * Parental Bonus: "I like men with a big... vocabulary."
 * This technically foreshadows and possibly lampshades Redd White's splendiforusly huge vocabulary.
 * The Password Is Always Swordfish: Manfred von Karma has his ATM PIN set to 0001 because he's "number one"—and openly highlights this during a trial. 's safe combination is the same as his ID card number:.
 * Polly Wants a Microphone: Although Polly can't talk with a mind of her own, she is useful in that she can be taught to say certain words in response to a question.
 * Power Trio: Phoenix, Edgeworth, and Larry, when they were childhood friends.
 * Pretty in Mink: Angel Starr.
 * Put on a Bus: Maya, right before Case 5.
 * Rear Window Witness: April May in the second case is initially set up as one.
 * Running Gag: Gumshoe excitedly barging in on Phoenix and co., finding them all depressed, and then trying to excuse himself happens three times throughout Case 5, with almost the exact same dialogue each time.
 * Six Is Nine: In the fifth case, a piece of evidence contains a note that reads "6-7S 12/2." However, the note was apparently written upside down and it actually reads "2/21 SL-9," tying it to another case altogether.
 * Snot Bubble: Yanni Yogi gets one when he falls asleep, when you first meet him in Case 4.
 * Smug Snake:.
 * Stupidity Is the Only Option:.
 * This is painfully prevalent in this game—you have to confront and  with their guilt as well, though the results aren't quite so devastating to your case as with.
 * Also, in case 1-2 you're never given the option of, and need to wait for
 * In 1-3 Phoenix somehow doesn't pick up on, so that
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Ema Skye in the bonus chapter is very similar to Maya. Phoenix lampshades the similarities between her and Maya both having older sisters, and Lana happened to know Mia. Ema resembling Maya is even part of the reason why he took the case.
 * Taking the Heat: April May refuses to willingly provide information that might incriminate Redd White in wiretapping, and Lana is doing this.
 * That Was Objectionable: The Trope Namer.
 * Theme Music Power-Up: Double subverted in case 1-3, when Edgeworth voices an objection to the usual heroic fanfare... which dies when he admits that he has nothing to say. Seconds later, he objects again, and the music starts back up when he realizes that he does have something to say.
 * Theme Naming: All of the chapter names (save for the DS-exclusive chapter, "Rise From the Ashes"--and even then, only in English) have the word "Turnabout" in them.
 * They Died Because of You: Manfred von Karma tries to convince Miles Edgeworth that he (accidentally) killed his father, Gregory Edgeworth, by getting angry and throwing a gun that went off and hit him.
 * Title Drop: A subtle example, but still... the full name of the DS re-release of the first GBA game is Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten. "Yomigaeru Gyakuten" is the name of the 5th case of the DS version of the game (and its literal translation is "The Revived Turnabout"). This 5th case was then localized as "Rise from the Ashes".
 * Valley Girl: April May.
 * Vanilla Edition: An odd inversion. The Wii edition of the first game does not include the fifth case, which must be purchased for an extra 100 Wii points ($1 U.S.) Said case was not released until May 2010, four months after the game itself became available for purchase. (Presumably this is because the DS-specific Waggle mechanics in Case 5 took longer to adapt for the Wii than the rest of the game, because of the case-unique evidence examination mini-games.)
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: The killer of 1-5 sets up two separate framings in the brief time between Joe Darke's escape and recapture.  This is extremely fast work, manipulating both people and evidence.
 * Yakuza: Dee Vazquez has ties to the Yakuza, but Phoenix, always one to search for the whole truth, confronts her anyway.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Redd White's hair is lilac. And it sparkles.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Redd White's hair is lilac. And it sparkles.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All provides examples of
"Judge: GWWWWAAAAHHHH!! Judge: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!? THAT'S A PENALTY!! (45% penalty) Phoenix: Arrrgghhh! Judge: WHAT'S THAT!? YOU WANT A DOUBLE!? HERE YA GO!! (50% penalty) Phoenix: Double arrrggghhh!!"
 * Accidental Murder:  in Case 2-3.
 * Alliteration: "You huffy, puffy, loosey-goosey excuse for a whimpering whining wuss of a witness." - Franziska, with some good ol' rhyming added for good measure.
 * Affably Evil:.
 * Amoral Attorney: Franziska von Karma.
 * Anachronic Order: The second case is set before the first case.
 * Avenging the Villain: Franziska von Karma.
 * Bait and Switch Boss: Franziska is all set to enact her revenge on you in the final case until...
 * Berserk Button: Whatever you do, don't accuse the Judge of being the murderer. The results won't be pretty.

""Baseballs have stitches! Are you saying all baseballs are suspicious?!" and "Footballs are made of leather! Are you saying all footballs are suspicious?!""
 * Franziska doesn't react too kindly to getting accused of being the murderer, either. Fortunately you only get a standard penalty if you do that, but you also get the mother of all whippings to go with it.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Although any good mystery story requires some criminals who don't seem like criminals at first, such as, the crowning example is.
 * Break the Cutie: In 2-3,.
 * In 2-4, applies too. Not to mention Maya Fey, who gets accused of murder, along with , and many other things throughout the series. Finally, we learn in the third game that . It seems like all the  have horrible luck.
 * Going off of Cry Cute, below: As is revealed in the closing credits, it seems the whole game was this for.
 * Camp Straight: Maximilian Galactica has bright pink hair, sequinned makeup, calls everyone (including Phoenix) sweetie, has the Catch Phrase "Fabulous!"... and is totally in love with the very Moe Moe Regina Berry. Although his metro-persona seems to be a mask to hide.
 * In that same case, Maya refers to the ringmaster as metrosexual after getting a glimpse at his makeup collection...
 * In their defense, they both work in the entertainment business, where pretty much everyone wears makeup. Max is only likely wearing his during the trial to keep his public image up.
 * Chekhov's Gun: The scrap of paper in the ringmaster's coat in 2-3. Maya spots it the first time she sees the coat, but Phoenix tells her to quit snooping around in other people's things. The next day, it turns out to be an important piece of evidence.
 * Contrived Coincidence: Two of them in Case 2-1:
 * Also, Maggey just happens to accidentally step on her glasses and break them around the same time the pair of broken glasses was found underneath the victim.
 * Possible Hand Wave in the fact that it never states . It's still pretty dang convenient that, though.
 * Cry Cute: in the post-credit epilogue of the good ending.
 * The Cutie: Regina, to a ridiculous extent.
 * Deadly Delivery: Career Killer Shelly deKiller disguises himself as a hotel bellboy delivering tomato juice to get into his target's room.
 * Dead Man's Chest: An unusual version of this trope occurs in the second game.
 * Dead Person Impersonation:
 * Demonic Dummy: Trilo. Not actually demonic, but may as well be.
 * Demoted to Extra: Maya spends most of the game sidelined in favor of Pearl (and, for part of the first case, Maggey Byrde) and only really takes much of a part in the third case. Not to say that she doesn't play much of a role in the overall storyline, though, she just spends most of it in the background.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: Franziska von Karma is quite fond with the word 'fool'.
 * In the original, "baka" takes its place.
 * Diagonal Cut: During an awards ceremony, the Nickel Samurai does this with the moon.
 * The Ditz: Ini Miney in the second installment.
 * Dr. Jerk: Dr Turner Grey,.
 * Dirty Coward:
 * Everything's Worse with Bears: Juan Corrida is strongly associated with bears (most likely due to a PR move) and his room is full of nearly every bear related object known to man. The whole reason he is killed is because.
 * Not to mention the.
 * Expressive Shirt: Moe's hat reflects his emotions.
 * Foreshadowing: In 2-2,.
 * Friend to All Living Things: Acro has birds that fly around him..
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Phoenix has an interest in Max's bust.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars:
 * Highly-Visible Ninja: A Show Within a Show example is the Jammin' Ninja. He has a bright blue suit, a golden shuriken on his forehead, and wields a bright red guitar. Justified in that the Jammin' Ninja is less about ninjitsu and more about music.
 * Doubly justified in that he's supposed to be a Shout-Out to another Capcom series character, Mega Man 3's Shadow Man.
 * Hitler Ate Sugar: Inverted in an equally illogical manner, oddly enough. In 2-4, Will Powers' testimony mentions some rather incriminating observations about a certain bellboy,, namely the bellboy's unusual pattern of stitches and his non-uniform leather gloves. Phoenix's objections to each respectively are

"Edgeworth: "
 * Hitman with a Heart: Shelly deKiller shows signs of this, which is pointed out by Phoenix on occasion.
 * The Hyena: Laurence "Moe" Curls, the clown.
 * Impersonating an Officer: During the third case, Gumshoe says he won't let Phoenix into a crime scene simply because he flashed his attorney's badge again. Maya states that he would if they were to show a Steel Samurai badge. Gumshoe's response implies that yes, it would indeed work. "Crime scene security" obviously doesn't exist in the Ace Attorney world.
 * Infinite Supplies: Adrian Andrews with her many many many pairs of glasses that are fragile enough to be broken by nerves and shock.
 * The Ingenue: Deconstructed with Regina. Growing up in the circus sheltered by her dad meant that she has no idea what's real or normal, including the concept that people die. So when she, she feels absolutely no responsibility for her actions.
 * Ironic Echo: Fransizka promising to end Phoenix's perfect record at their first meeting.
 * It's a Wonderful Failure:.
 * Jerkass Has a Point:.
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Locked Room Mystery: 2-2.
 * Love At First Punch: "Director Hotti" reacts quite... happily... to being whipped by Franziska.
 * Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Obscure, but in the Nickel Samurai, all three ninja brothers fall for the evil Strawberry Clan leader's daughter.
 * Or "Mad Prosecutor's Beautiful Daughter"?
 * Moral Dilemma: Justice For All teaches us that  with case 4.


 * Murder by Mistake: In 2-3,.
 * Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Averted by Turner Grey in Justice For All, who continues to talk about how much of a failure his subordinate Mimi was after her death, even going so far as to want to get a spirit medium to summon Mimi for the express purpose of making her take responsibility.
 * Never Suicide: Averted with.
 * Nightmare Sequence: The dream where the shade of the Judge brings a gigantic gavel down on Phoenix, telling him, "You are no longer worthy of your title!" in the opening of the first case.
 * It also becomes one of Phoenix's hyper combos in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
 * Noble Demon: Shelly de Killer.
 * Nonstandard Game Over: Happens in 2-4, if you don't present the right piece of evidence to the right person near the end of the case. However,.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: and.
 * Ominous Pipe Organ: Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" plays during the opening cutscene.
 * 108: Subverted. Phoenix can inspect an ancient Kurain tapestry, which has a list of 108 ways to make money. Then Phoenix thinks of two more, and they're immediately put on queue to be added to the tapestry.
 * Princess Curls: Regina Berry.
 * Red Herring: At the beginning of Case 2-4, the rivalry between two film studios is discussed at length. What does this have to do with the case? Nothing.
 * The Reveal: 's legendary Obfuscating Stupidity revelation in 2-4.
 * Right for the Wrong Reasons: In Case 2-4,.
 * Sequel Difficulty Spike: A slight, but noticeable example thanks to the new health system. In addition to the fact that you can now get penalties that wipe out all or most of your health bar in one go, if you do a really poor job of unlocking the Psyche-Locks you can end up going into the trial with only half of your health. In addition, you don't get health bar refills in the trial, which can become a real problem in the last case.
 * Played with somewhat, though, by the fact that unlocking Psyche-Locks does refill some of your health meter, so that's a bit of a help.
 * Shipper on Deck: Pearl is absolutely convinced that Phoenix is Maya's "special someone", and nothing either of the supposed lovebirds can say will change her mind.
 * "Silly Me" Gesture: One of Ini Miney's regular gestures.
 * Stage Mom: Morgan Fey is a particularly venomous version; it's clear she's not happy about being passed over as head of the Kurain legacy, and . Her attitude towards Maya is particularly tragic considering that Pearl herself idolizes Maya and hangs on her every word.
 * Stupidity Is the Only Option: Played straight in the last case when Phoenix finds out that his client.
 * Ultimate Job Security: Edgeworth apparently can leave the prosecutor's office for a year, with no explanation other than what appears to be a suicide note, and immediately reclaim his position on his return . Must be a serious shortage of prosecutors in Tokyo/Los Angeles (despite the fact that in this universe they are better paid than highly successful defense attorneys!), which would explain the government's willingness to allow teenagers to be prosecutors.
 * Valley Girl: Ini Miney, who makes Elle Woods look articulate by comparison.
 * Viewers Are Geniuses: Sort of, anyway. 2-1 requires the player to know enough about baseball to realize that, and 2-2 requires the player to know that.
 * Well, for 2-2, if you don't know
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: In Justice for All, . Recently revealed promotional materials are making it look like you'll finally have a chance to put this plot thread to rest in Ace Attorney Investigations 2.
 * You Can't Get Ye Flask: 2-1 revolves around a murder where the victim was pushed from a ledge and died of a broken neck upon impact. The defendant is accused because the victim wrote her name in the sand with his finger before expiring.
 * Possible Call Back to 1-2, where arguing that the victim couldn't have written the killer's name due to expiring immeadiatly fails because the prosecutor shows evidence that they might have survived long enough to.
 * Possible Call Back to 1-2, where arguing that the victim couldn't have written the killer's name due to expiring immeadiatly fails because the prosecutor shows evidence that they might have survived long enough to.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations provides examples of
"Phoenix: *gulp* (Maybe I should've brought a diaper with me today...)"
 * Acquitted Too Late:.
 * Always Murder: Double subverted with case 3-2, which starts off with a grand larceny trial only for your client to get charged with murder after acquittal for the theft.
 * Ambidextrous Sprite: In case 3-5,
 * Amoral Attorney: Godot (sort of).
 * Anachronic Order: The first and fourth cases are set five and six years before the second, respectively.
 * And Now for Someone Completely Different: Case 3-5 has two trial days. There isn't a single prosecutor, lawyer, judge, witness, who is present on both days until the final cross-examination.
 * On a smaller scale, you play as Mia in cases 1 and 4 rather than Phoenix.
 * Anticlimax Boss: in 3-2 initially appears to be one of these, since he gives up with surprising ease on the first trial day and admits to being the true thief. Actually a subversion however, since.
 * Asshole Victim: Played with in 's case: she is murdered precisely because she decided to atone for her misdeeds.
 * Back for the Dead:
 * Back From the Dead:.
 * Berserk Button: Don't ever poison or betray someone when Phoenix Wright is involved. Love wounds run deep.
 * Berserker Tears: Ron DeLite is said to have done that.
 * Big Bad:.
 * Big Damn Heroes: In 3-3, in two ocasions:
 * Big No: Edgeworth in 3-5 involving Larry and the "psycho-locks". It easily qualifies as a Crowning Moment of Funny.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
 * Bluffing the Murderer: In, this is how Phoenix finally catches the killer.
 * Bottomless Magazines: Victor Kudo in Trials and Tribulations pelts Phoenix with an endless supply of birdseed when he gets angry. Phoenix even questions if Victor has an infinite ammo code on.
 * He also wears a bandana. I wonder where he got that from...
 * Brain Bleach: Referenced in Case 3. At one point, Phoenix comments that a witness only saw the waitress from the back and "Even I could have been in that uniform!"; the judge asks that he refrain from putting those images in their heads. Later, Phoenix's response to seeing Jean Armstrong rub oil on himself (the player just sees a generic animation, thank God): "M-My eyes! My EYES!"
 * And in case 5 of the same game, Sister Bikini. There's a good chance she actually does it on purpose.
 * Brick Joke: In the final case of Trials and Tribulations, Phoenix has a conversation with . In the next scene, we find that   and couldn't make it.
 * Bring My Brown Pants: Phoenix, when Furio Tigre is on the stand.

"Mia: "That "P" on his chest doesn't stand for Phoenix anyways!""
 * Butt Monkey: Mia uses Grossberg as a random punching bag during 3-1.
 * Chekhov's Gun: The 'Double Jeopardy' rule in 'The Stolen Turnabout' (the Mask DeMasque case)
 * Chekhov's Gunman: Going back two games, even! If you were paying very close attention in 1-2, you might remember
 * Confess to a Lesser Crime: A variant..
 * Cover Identity Anomaly: An impersonator doesn't know that the person he's imitating recently suffered an injury that made him . When a witness who was fooled by the imitation testifies that, Phoenix has to point out that it makes no sense.
 * Cowardly Lion: Ron DeLite, who despite being a neurotic, fussy, and perpetually fearful is a Gentleman Thief by trade and met his Biker Babe wife by attacking multiple armed men that were threatening her.
 * Crazy Prepared: is only one of about two people in the world crazy enough to use  also counts.
 * Crime After Crime: 's looooooooong list of murders to cover up the previous ones.
 * Cry Cute:.
 * Deadly Euphemism:
 * Dead Man's Chest: In Case 3-2,.
 * Death Glare: Mia gives a particularily nasty one to Payne in the first trial of Trials and Tribulations.
 * Then, of course, there is 's?
 * remarks on how his glare scares people. You can't see his in-game sprite while he's saying that, but if you think about the sprite while reading that, it makes sense.
 * Defeating the Undefeatable: Lampshaded with Godot, who is described as undefeatable—until you actually meet him and he brags that he's never lost because it's only his first case.
 * Different As Night and Day:.
 * Dirty Old Man: Victor Kudo. The man will throw birdseed at poor Phoenix, but the moment Maya channels Mia in the skimpy waitress outfit, he'll be eating it out of her hand.
 * Dojikko:, after allowing herself to pursue her own personality.
 * The Don: Bruto Cadaverini.
 * Dramatic Irony: 3-4 has this in spades, due to it taking place before any other case up to that point in the series (including 3-1). Thanks to info about Edgeworth's perfect record in the first game, Dahlia's appearance in 3-1, and Mia's trauma about the case, we know something bad is going to happen, no matter how hopeful things might seem along the way.
 * Evil Overlooker: There is a poster for this game with Godot as the overlooker.
 * Evil Redhead:
 * Evil Twin: Trials and Tribulations: Also spoofed in the third trial of Trials and Tribulations with the Phoenix look-a-like Furio Tigre, whom Maya refers to as Xin Eohp, and she wonders if she has her own evil twin whom she names Ayam.
 * Expressive Hair: Ron DeLite's twisted-up buns start swirling whenever he breaks out into panic (which is often).
 * Flamboyant Gay: Chef Jean Armstrong. Full stop.
 * Flash Back: and  are playable flashbacks.
 * Foregone Conclusion:
 * Foreshadowing: In the ending of case 3-1, Phoenix says that, Mia thinks that he's delusional. Then it's revealed in the ending of the final case of the game that.
 * Another case has Desiree DeLite talking about how Ron saved her life when they fell in love. Maya then asks Phoenix if he would ever risk his life for her.
 * Don't forget how Pearl asks whether Phoenix would.
 * In 3-2, Pearl cheerfully says that if Phoenix worked hard, he would have copycats of his own. Guess what happens on the very next case.
 * In 3-2, Maya asks what Phoenix would think if she came in calling herself Ayam (which is both the backward spelling of her name and a homophone of "I am.") Early in case 3-3, when it turns out that someone is, Maya asks, "I wonder if   will make an appearance?" Later, we see that
 * In case 3-3, upset with Viola's misguided affection, Phoenix mentions that poisoning and betrayal - the marks of a coward - are things he considers unforgivable.
 * Case 3-5, being heavily involved with spirit mediums and channeling, throws a pretty good bit of foreshadowing at you.
 * Friend to All Living Things: Dahlia has butterflies.
 * Fun with Palindromes: The third case has Blue Screens Inc., a computer firm where all of the employees have palindromes for names.
 * Futureshadowing
 * Gambit Pileup: The final case. If it wasn't entirely resolved in the first two games, it's resolved here. Good grief. By the end of it, the player feels quite a bit like Phoenix, as he/she tries to comprehend the following: . And then, while all of this is being dropped on the player,.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: 3-1 gives us:
 * Gambit Pileup: The final case. If it wasn't entirely resolved in the first two games, it's resolved here. Good grief. By the end of it, the player feels quite a bit like Phoenix, as he/she tries to comprehend the following: . And then, while all of this is being dropped on the player,.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: 3-1 gives us:

"Dahlia: The pharmacology students love their drugs..."
 * Also from 3-1:

": "Are..."
 * There's also one from 3-5, a subversion mix of Curse Cut Short and Last-Second Word Swap, as the last word is used in a different context:
 * "You..."
 * "High! ""

"Franziska: Listen, Phoenix Wright! It's impertinent to call people by their full name! Phoenix: I was only copying you."
 * And when they judge misinterprets one of Godot's obtuse coffee metaphors: "Cafe o' Lay? Is that even legal?"
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars. Terry Fawles from 3-4 has a series of plus-shaped scars going across his face, and he's probably one of the sweetest guys despite his deteriorated intelligence... which makes his ultimate fate even more tragic.
 * Grand Finale: 3-5 neatly wraps up the trilogy.
 * Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Winston Payne . The judge notes that Payne has lost his spirit along with his hair very soon after. It's mostly true, though he keeps more of his general ineffectiveness than he regains his self-confidence....
 * Hannibal Lecture + Humiliation Conga:.
 * Head Desk: Gumshoe pulls a wall bang (off screen) when Phoenix and Maya tell him that Maggey hates him for betraying her.
 * Hypocritical Humor: Franziska in 3-5:

" : Young people these days simplydon't know how to respect their elders. : (Why you...! You're even younger than me, you hypocrite!)"
 * Let's not forget  in 3-4:

": Take a good look, everyone! Unable to find a rival worthy of my genius, I was forced to create one by myself! Here I am! The tragic clown..."
 * Identical Stranger: Wright's doppelganger
 * I Never Told You My Name: Iris to Phoenix in the last case. When confronted about it, five psyche-locks appear before her and the issue has to be dropped. It's not explained until the very end of the game.
 * Infinite Supplies: Victor Kudo with his box of birdseed (lampshaded with infinite ammo code).
 * Godot has an apparently unlimited supply of coffee mugs. Rather than simply refill his empty mug, it disappears without explanation (always while the camera is elsewhere) and a brand-new mug comes sliding across the bench into his hand from off-screen. This is patently impossible, as there is never anyone besides Godot standing anywhere near the bench. That doesn't stop him from doing it several dozen times per trial. Presumably a bailiff could be getting these, but that's still a lot of coffee...
 * Informed Ability: Ron Delite wears a vivid green jacket/vest with a cape-like back. It has large, very dramatic cuffs near the hands. There are a large number of bright, gold-colored leaves going down the front of his costume. He keeps his very red hair in Princess Leia hair buns that occasionally spiral outward. He has a baby face and an effeminate appearance that would be considered attractive by bishonen standards. Even by animated character standards, he has a very expressive face that moves between expressions that show surprise/determination, uncertainty, and pouting/fear. He frequently shrieks loudly at people to get their attention. And we're supposed to believe that he has a hard time getting people to notice him.
 * Ironic Echo: Dahlia declaring she was going to make Mia suffer in the afterlife.
 * delivers the following line twice, with a completely different meaning on each occasion:


 * Kansai Regional Accent: Furio Tigre in the Japanese version (hence his Brooklyn accent in the English adaptation).
 * Lethal Chef: Jean Armstrong again, along with Viola Cadaverini in the same case.
 * Licensed Sexist: Despite being clearly chauvinistic, even embarrassing Franziska, Godot is still treated as a . Why, exactly, would want him is unclear.
 * Well, he wasn't that much of a Jerkass before . And, c'mon, there must be a few times back in the second game when you wish you could punch Franziska in the face.
 * Lonely Piano Piece: "Elegy of the Captured".
 * Lucky Charms Title: Mask★DeMasque. Ron DeLite will be sure to correct you if you don't include the ★.
 * Luke, I Am Your Father:.
 * Made of Iron: Phoenix with no ill effects, and later  and only catches a cold. He also is repeatedly whipped by Franziska and has scalding hot (and one cold) coffee thrown on him by Godot, though both of these are Played for Laughs.
 * It's a possible allusion to his extreme luck, both in and out of court.
 * Meaningful Name: Almost every character has a punny and/or meaningful name. Most of the examples are on the tvtropes Ace Attorney character sheets.
 * The Fey family's surname. The definitions of the word "fey" include: "appearing to be under a spell; marked by an apprehension of death, calamity, or evil" and "supernatural; unreal; enchanted."
 * Mask DeMasque. He wears a mask
 * Meido: The Tres Bien cafe. The food is terrible and over-priced—hence the only regulars that aren't mobsters are perverts.
 * Musical Nod: plays during the last confrontation with.
 * Musical Spoiler:
 * Never Found the Body:.
 * New Old Flame: Two: Dahlia for Phoenix and  for Mia.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: At the beginning of case 3-2, Phoenix easily gets Ron DeLite off a larceny charge by proving he was somewhere else... only for Godot to come up to him afterward, say there was a murder committed there, and haul Ron off into custody again. What, you thought it wouldn't be Always Murder?
 * Only Six Faces: Referenced when.
 * Palette Swap: Iris and Dahlia's court record pictures are exactly the same except for the hair color.
 * Palm Fist Tap: Mike Meekins does this, then yanks on his hand since he did it with his bandaged hand and he hurt himself doing it.
 * Punny Name: Luke Atmey likes to be the centre of attention
 * Queer People Are Funny
 * Reading the Stage Directions Out Loud: Larry actually wrote "Salutation here" at the top of a letter.
 * Running Gag: Phoenix cleaning the toilet in 3-2.
 * Sdrawkcab Name: Maya insists on referring to Phoenix's imposter in 3-3 as "Xin Eohp".
 * Sdrawkcab Name: Maya insists on referring to Phoenix's imposter in 3-3 as "Xin Eohp".

"Lisa Basil: That data is SuPer-Admin Restricted Desktop Access password-protected. Maya: SuPer-Admin Restricted Desktop Access password-protected!? What!? This is madness! Phoenix: No, Maya, that is SPARDA."
 * In the same case, Maya asks whether they'll find her doppelganger, "Ayam."
 * And then there's the victim of the same trial, Glen Elg, and his boss, Lisa Basil.
 * And another Blue Screens employee, Adam Mada.
 * She's All Grown Up: Invoked Trope in 3-3. A recalcitrant witness is titillated by waitress outfits like the one Maya is wearing, but since Maya is small and looks young he has no interest in her. Mia then takes over Maya's body, which changes it to Mia's rather... ample form. The witness becomes much more helpful.
 * Sherlock Scan: Parodied.
 * Shout-Out:

"Judge: I-I'm a spoon!? I'm no spoony bard. I'll have you know!"
 * There is even a shout out to Final Fantasy IV.

"Phoenix: So he neither "descended" nor "danced"..."
 * Hey, Filly. Know your role, and shut your mouth.
 * Mask*DeMasque's symbol looks an awful lot like a Phanto.
 * Sickeningly Sweethearts: Phoenix plays one half of the equation. The other side only looks like she shares this, though...
 * Sissy Villain: Subverted in case 3-3. Jean Armstrong is very much a sissy, and has a criminal record, a motive, an opportunity, and the means to commit murder, but is not the culprit.
 * Snow Means Death: Case 3-5.
 * Spit Take: Played straight by Godot, but occasionally spoofed where he, upon having his witness discredited by Phoenix, grabs a coffee mug, brings it to his mouth, takes a sniff, takes a sip and THEN finally spits it out.
 * A Shout-Out to The Daily Show perhaps?
 * Stealth Pun:
 * Strange Minds Think Alike: Both Luke Atmey and Ron DeLite describe a thief's appearance at a crime scene as him "dancingly descending". From the entrance.
 * Strange Minds Think Alike: Both Luke Atmey and Ron DeLite describe a thief's appearance at a crime scene as him "dancingly descending". From the entrance.

"Edgeworth: I think you've watched to many trials, Detective."
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Gumshoe doesn't have feelings for Maggey Byrde, pal!
 * This, along with Exact Words:
 * Thief Bag: Mask*DeMasque uses the Japanese-green-and-white-swirl variety.
 * Occasionally, Gumshoe will bring evidence in a similar, smaller version.
 * Tiger Versus Dragon: Furio Tigre and Phoenix Wright. It makes more sense in the Japanese version as Phoenix represents a dragon.
 * Title Drop: Luke Atmey calling himself the "Ace Detective" prompts Phoenix to introduce himself, "I am Phoenix Wright...Ace Attorney."
 * Too Dumb to Live: Phoenix and Maya are investigating a murder that was apparently committed in a restaurant and carried out through poisoned coffee. Meanwhile, Phoenix hears that his client was apparently fooled by a Phoenix impersonator who shares Phoenix's spiky hair. During the first day of trial, there is a witness who says he saw the defendant, a petite dark-haired young woman, . After asking the witness to describe , Phoenix suggests to the court that  . At some point, Phoenix and Maya go into the restaurant's kitchen and find  . When they inquire about this,  . When they go there, they meet  . Phoenix and Maya are offered coffee. They actually drink it!
 * Tragic Villain:
 * Twin Switch:
 * Unfortunate Names: Detective Gumshoe always mistakes Phoenix for Larry; the only problem is, he always calls him Harry Butz. Also applied when Phoenix tells us that in school, the kids had a saying... "When something smells, it's usually the Butz."
 * Weapons Grade Vocabulary: Particularly clever counterpoints apparently have the ability to hit opposing attorneys like a gale-force wind, throwing them back, making them flinch and, in one particularly devastating case, tearing all the hair off a person's head, leaving him mostly bald.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Minor, but curious. At the end of Justice for All, Franziska von Karma says that she'll give to him the next time they meet. She doesn't.
 * The fate of is never revealed.
 * Presumably, it's still.
 * Or.
 * X Makes Anything Cool: Cold Killer X.
 * Yakuza: Furio Tigre, a.k.a. the "Phony Phoenix Wright", as well as Dee Vasquez; the English version changes it to The Mafia.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko:
 * Yandere:
 * Your Princess Is in Another Castle: In the final case, after a long and arduous battle,  and the case seems to be resolved... but then Godot chimes in, pointing out that . Thus, there's one final gameplay segment over which Phoenix eventually proves that  is responsible.
 * You Watch Too Much X: In Bridge to the Turnabout:
 * You Watch Too Much X: In Bridge to the Turnabout: