#while SOJ was more about Apollo (with a side of Phoenix)

[wright-anything-agencyisms]

i will always say that we should've gotten more of the primary colour lawyer trio

[characteroulette]

Okay y'know despite not receiving any answers on Apollo's apparent lack of character, I think I have figured out why people think as much about him. It's purely that they tend to just fill in their perceived lack with a more Phoenix motivation than Apollo's own actual motivations. Apollo gets conflated with Phoenix, especially in DD, despite how in AJ he wants nothing to do with Phoenix after his first case. It's easier to just treat Apollo as an extension of Phoenix since Phoenix is the main stay, the main focus, even if that couldn't be the furthest thing from the reality of the text.

Apollo wants the truth above all else. It's why he reveals that Machi is a smuggler and Vera is a forger despite how it might damage his clients' credibility. (We don't get things like this in DD, and in SOJ it's more revealing Datz is a terrorist would lose his case immediately. I think, at least.) But usually, when I see people muse in their fics on how Apollo would take defending an actually guilty client, they have him swap sides immediately. Just like Phoenix would. And I think that's not what Apollo would do. There's plenty of evidence in AJ that shows Apollo doesn't flip sides so immediately. He accused his teacher since the evidence and logic led him (/us) to that conclusion, but the entire time he was hoping for a different explanation. He pursued the truth in spite of his own misgivings on the situation. He presents the forged card because he is being manipulated into this, being led straight into the waiting jaws of that snake trap made specially to snare Kristoph.

He was naive, and he makes sure that doesn't happen again. Even in the final case of AJ, he makes sure to explain the second forged piece, to explain the same trick of it that Phoenix made for the first forged piece. It doesn't work this time (and I am begging Phoenix to have thought up a better way to get traces of poison from a convicted inmate's cell, even despite how favoured Kristoph was), but Apollo knows what he is doing now. He acknowledges instead of attempting to fudge anything, in direct contrast to Phoenix's own actions from the original trilogy.

I don't think he'd deny his client's guilt if they did truly commit the murder. I think he'd still fight for the truth, wouldn't settle for just a guilty verdict until the whole plot was figured out. Apollo wants to help his clients, sure, but that's never been his driving force. How could it be when it was never his choice who he ended up defending? What he wants is to know the truth. He wants to understand how the crime happened and follows the logical conclusion from that on how this crime occurred.

To be fair to Phoenix, he was under duress when this happened to him both times (Matt and Iris). But Phoenix is driven by belief in his clients while Apollo is driven by the desire to uncover the truth. Similar but very different motivations, I think.

I think this is also what separates Phoenix from Ryuunosuke. Phoenix believes in his clients. Ryuunosuke had to learn that belief but also carries Apollo's drive for the truth. He will claw and scrape until the worst is revealed, even if it hurts someone. (He'll feel terrible about it later, but he will still expose Kazuma's guilt in almost killing a man for the sake of the truth.) Taking this even further, the one who decides how like Phoenix or Apollo's motivations Ryuunosuke is are the choices the player can make. They might be meaningless choices narratively, but they matter in the same way the Matt Endgarde decision matters. You can choose for Ryuunosuke to turn a blind eye to McGilded's forgeries, belief in your client above all else. Or you can have Ryuunosuke acknowledge there is something shady happening here, truth above all else. Or you can have a mixture of the two! (I chose this option, making Ryuunosuke question the new evidence but ultimately pleading for a Not Guilty verdict.) It's a fascinating way to mix these two's strongest driving forces and leave it to the player to determine how much each side affects Ryuunosuke's personality as shown in the text.

Phoenix is willing to fudge the truth for the sake of his clients. We see as much in 3-3. Apollo would never do such a thing, he is here to find out the truth, no matter how ugly. And Ryuunosuke sits in-between the two, a little of column A and a little of column P. I just find this distinction between all of them so fascinating.

All this being said, I'd love to see Phoenix be put in this situation where he isn't under duress for once, actually. What he would do is fascinating to me hahaha

[ind1c0lite]

FINALLY yall get to see this lmao, basically Ive had an au (??) rattling around in my head where Apollo decides to hire Kay, a private investigator, to help him find and track down his birth mother, shenanigans ensue, some more things abt it under the cut (feel free to ask anything abt it it lives rent free in my head JHKLJ)

-Most likely takes place a year after SOJ- Though I havent actually watched it for myself yet so Im just going off of info from the wiki HGJKHL

-Kay is 26! shes been a PI for about 3 years now and has gained a rep for being VERY good at her job

-Apollo approaches her with basically nO info or leads and while its gonna Make their job MUCH harder, Kay decides to take it on anyways on the condition that Apollo acts as her assistant during this case

-Basically this is just Apollos lil secret mission for himself, he doesnt tell anyone else abt it since its so emotionally heavy for him

-Im not sure exactly /how/ theyd do it, but I do know that Apollos bracelet would be the best bet after looking through way too much paperwork, probably via finding out what its made out of it since its a special kind of metal

- Basically it'd go like: Find out who commissioned said bracelet > turns out it was Magnifi Gramarye > Uh Oh.PNG > Theres only one woman who was in Troupe Gramarye > Apollo crisis whenever he sees Trucy now > He needs more proof though beside that > Kay finds an older recording of Troupe Gramarye, Thalassa is seen out of costume, wearing both bracelets > Well it cant be just coincidence now > He Is Now a lil Magician man > Now they have to find Thalassa > Turns out shes dead > find out that she didnt ACTUALLY die, Magnifi faked her death> not sure how they would get from here to finding out Thalassa is Lamiroir > Also find out that Phoenix has knwon this entire time and didnt tell either trucy or Apollo > mixed emotions over aLL of it but GOD Apollo is just happy to know his mother is still alive

-I like to think that Trucy joins Apollo and kay at some point in their investigation since shes directly involved at that point

-Maybe a small side plot where Apollo hasnt told Kay about the perceive thing and so he knows shes lying about /something/ unrelated to their case (the whole being the yatagarasu deal)

-overall I think Kay and Apollo would be good friends they could ABSOLUTELY match each others energy and it'd be a good time, they're trans girl trans guy solidarity

-It /c o u l d/ be like an Investigations like plot wheres theres different cases that all tie into the greater mystery OR finding his mom is the focus of it Im not totally sure yet hjgkhlj

[shadowgeist-stars]

There's something I wish we talked more about...

Everyone likes wondering about how the big "Lamiroir is actually Thalassa Gramarye and Trucy and Apollo are her kids" reveal would affect our oblivious pair of half-siblings. But I noticed that a grand total of NO ONE thinks about how certain other characters would also take the news. Mainly in Apollo's Khura'in family. (There will be SoJ spoilers below)

Let's start with an easy one. Datz.

He already knows Apollo (as "AJ"), and it looks like he meets Trucy when saving Apollo and Dhurke from the undersea cavern. Obviously a generally fun-loving fellow who I bet would happily call Trucy an honorary Defiant Dragon if he caught wind of her being Apollo's sister. Doubly so when remembering she managed to stow away in Edgeworth's luggage to reach Khura'in. (Rule-breakers need to stick together!) He'd probably also assign her some kind of nickname like TW or something, and consider himself her new uncle. He also seems like the only one crazy enough to willfully be Trucy's magic assistant/guinea pig, which would spare Apollo and Athena.

Then comes Rayfa, our dear crown princess.

While not as emotionally invested as her brother (and we'll get to him), it would be a surprise to learn that "Horn Head" has a little sister. And it just so happens to be the girl with the strange blue hat who was watching from the gallery during the trial that got Ga'ran deposed. While a bit upset that she never really got to talk to her back then, Rayfa would be fairly alright with seeing Trucy as a sister of some kind... and discuss with her the ways of pestering both of their brothers all in good fun.

Of course, Trucy would be over the moon to the mere idea of calling Rayfa her little sister, especially when she's a literal princess on the road to being queen. Their personalities could bounce off of each other surprisingly well, and maybe Trucy can help Rayfa swallow enough of her pride to actually call either of the boys "brother." And thanks to Phoenix's connections to Maya and Pearl, Trucy knows other spirit mediums who might be able to help Rayfa in her training.

And now we get to someone with a bit more... complicated stake in the matter, and honestly the meat and potatoes for this whole post: Nahyuta.

Being completely honest here, I think our dear Last Rites Prosecutor would take this news as a complete slap in the face. "Let it go and move on" mantra be damned, he'd basically be told "Hey, remember your first case against Apollo? With that magician girl you tried to get convicted for murder who turned out to have been framed? Yeah, she's actually your brother's sister, which also kinda makes her your sister by proxy. You unknowingly tried to get your own sister condemned for murder and quite possibly put on death row." (Since, y'know, capital punishment's still a thing in Ace Attorney L.A.)

Even if we almost never see our Not Guilty defendants hold a grudge against the prosecutors, Nahyuta's entire deal in Spirit of Justice was doing everything he possibly could to protect his baby sister and his mom, being unnecessarily harsh with the defense and the accused in the process. So finding out that he tried to condemn someone who could be considered part of his family on a false charge wouldn't be without consequence. (Turnabout Revolution only proved that because of his parents' direct involvement.)

Undoubtedly, he'd see fit to apologize to Trucy personally upon learning about her being Apollo's little sister, and would do so at his earliest convenience. But we can all be certain that she'd gladly accept him as another big brother regardless of any perceived "past transgressions." There would be hugs involved, I'm sure, and Nahyuta would be able to... possibly bring out the protective and caring big brother he was supposed to be from the very beginning.

Side note: Y'know this here lightning thing you see with Amara when she gets mad? And also Dhurke's dragon glare when he goes Mad Dad on Paul Atishon?

I get the feeling Nahyuta would inherit either or both of their little tricks to some extent when his big brother instinct REALLY kicks into high gear.

[nyaagolor]

Spirit of Justice rewrite

Had a moment where I really got thinking abt the game and went into rewrite mode— I don’t think I’ll expand on this concept for a bit because I have to finish DGS and have other projects I’m more invested in, but figure it couldn’t hurt to just throw down the ideas I have before I forget. Under the cut so I don’t clog the dash!

So first things first the biggest change I would make is relegating this game to spinoff land. My biggest issue with SOJ as a whole is how steeped the narrative is in some weird colonialism, and I think just taking the main cast out entirely could remedy Most of that. At the very least, making the entire cast Kuhrainese gets rid of the whole “we need foreigners to come and fix our legal system” thing, which is my main problem with the plot

Due to the above, Phoenix / Maya / Athena / Miles / etc are taken out completely. Apollo is too integral to the plot, so he gets replaced with an OC that serves as our protagonist. My current placeholder name for him is Hermes, but in this post I’ll just call him Protagonist

Protagonist keeps a lot of elements of the Apollo backstory— he’s the son of a traveling musician who died in the fire that “killed” Amara and was adopted / raised by Dhurke. I am tweaking it so that he’s 4 years younger than Nahyuta, mostly bc I thought that was canon the entire time

Instead of being sent to America, he’s sent to a temple. Dhurke assumes that because Nahyuta has royal blood, he’ll be safe at the castle and can safely keep an eye on things / his mama, while Protagonist gets sent to the temple because killing a monk would be a political disaster and that’s the only way Dhurke can think to protect him

Protagonist really wants to help the cause though, so he runs away from the temple at some point to become a bard-like figure, collecting information and helping the revolution while being a traveling musician. Using his status as an entertainer, he gets into places he otherwise wouldn’t to get intel and secretly studies law on the side

When his friend from his temple days (Ahlbi) is accused of theft and murder, he takes up the mantle of his adoptive father to defend him in court! No idea what his gimmick, if anything, will be. I think Dance of Devotion is enough but we'll see

Nahyuta’s plot is something that’s still very up in the air, but atm my biggest change is that he knows about Amara’s hiding and is being blackmailed to protect HER, not Rayfa. I’m unsure if I wanna keep the Rayfa sibling thing or not, but in spite of that the two are actually closer than in canon

Another big change is that because everyone is Kuhrainese and Ema is no longer in the game, there’s no detective! That’s where Rayfa comes in. I’m still shaky on the in-universe reason for her acting as quasi-detective, my current idea is that it’s imperative for her to get as much detail as possible so she can more accurately make her insights. Really I just wanna see more of her

By consequence, she’s around investigations much more often, following around both Protagonist and Nahyuta. Nahyuta in general just shows up more outside of the courtroom, and him and Rayfa have a strong bond and lots of banter with each other and the protagonist

Another slight tweak is that this game’s timeline is changed, taking place in the 90s and not the 2020s. The literal only reason for this is that I think Nahyuta studied abroad to learn about other legal systems and came back with the most out of touch 90s slang ever. He wears shutter shades in court

Final tweak for now is that the civil trial aspect of Turnabout Revolution is cut entirely, instead being replaced with a flashback case— Dhurke defending himself from the arson and regicide accusations with Datz as his co-counsel. It's simultaneously horrifying and silly

that's it for now! I might add more to this if I think of anything else :)

[jawsofbalmung]

so as im playing more and more aa games im thinking about like, capcom is definitely going to keep coming out with aa games, it's a massively popular series and one of their flagships, and if they can keep making money on something they will. but im realizing lots of ways in which they could and probably will (and already have, in some spots) jump the shark if they keep dragging out the two aa timelines we have, and i thought of some future ace attorney game concepts that i would actually want to play, and would actually do a service to the existing world and characters (if done well of course). spirit of justice and dgs spoilers below!:

i can't claim this idea since ive seen a million fan variations on it, but returning to the heart of og ace attorney with a prequel game like mia fey ace attorney would be, maybe a little mid in the grand scheme of the series, but have a lot of potential for a fun game that actually probes deeper into a character as beloved as mia, as well as shows a more rounded and dynamic approach to phoenix's character without overusing him as a protag as ive seen people complain about before. i think it would probably end up disproportionately popular on here too given all the talk ive seen about wanting something like it.

i think another very, very likely concept would be a post-soj sequel focusing more heavily (or even entirely) on apollo and nahyuta's work in reconstructing the khura'inese legal system. most likely this would involve nahyuta staying as a prosecutor and helping apollo puzzle out cases as his opposition as aa prosecutors are prone to do, but i think it would honestly be more interesting if nahyuta was more like apollo's co counsel or even a secondary protagonist, and we got a brand new prosecutor. this would be probably the most exciting game for me personally, and id be very interested in seeing how rayfa's personality would change as she got older and her life got completely upended, and i personally love the divination seance mechanic and look forward to how they would use it in interesting new ways, having a game that takes place entirely in khura'in.

also not a concept i can claim to own, as ive seen a bunch of different ideas for it, but while im not super excited about more [prosecutor] investigations games because i feel like a lot of it will be jumping the shark, there have been some interesting concepts floating around. i really like this one (dd spoilers in the link) though its very very unlikely given that capcom likes its games to be able to stand alone with minimal knowledge of prior aa games, and i feel like dual destinies was so poorly received that they're trying to pretend it didn't exist and move past it. that's what i would do. but my favorite idea that i genuinely, deeply want is a barok van zieks investigation game taking place post-dgs2. it would be a fun way to expand the dgs universe a little more, and show us more of barok's sweeter side after things were resolved for him. i feel like his story isn't quite over yet, and i would quite honestly kill and/or die for a game that focuses on him. @van-zieksy has a good post outlining a bvz investigations game here!

along the lines of extending the dgs storyline, a trequel to the dgs series may be unlikely with how much they packaged it as a duology, but still possible, and something that could be done pretty well or very badly. personally, i think it would be fun to have a dgs game that takes place almost entirely in japan, in which some or all of our english friends wind up there. it was briefly hinted in the dgs2 epilogue that sholmes and iris might be making a trip to japan very soon, and on top of it being fun to see the englishmen being the out of place foreigners for once (especially barok) this would make a good leaping off point to focus partially or even entirely on susato's budding law career, in how she (and ryunosuke) tackle not only uprooting the unfair judicial system in japan, but slowly incrementally making misogynistic policies fade out as susato proves herself as a (very unconvincingly crossdressing) female attorney.

finally, i believe ive seen a fangame(?) concept for it, but a more visual novel-y approach to a dgs prequel would be so fucking cool, and if that is indeed a fangame development i saw, i am beyond stoked to get my hands on it tbh. i don't have the link anymore, but if anyone knows what im talking about, please hit me up with it!

[lacrymarial]

did someone ask me to overanalyze this five year old comment? no? anyways—

“2007: I” references Apollo making his debut with a somewhat delicate objection theme compared to PW, with less underlying rhythm compared to his later themes. Represents the initial naïveté of Polly in believing he could forge his own narrative, only to be used as a tool for Kristoph’s and Phoenix’s own goals.

“2013: AM” references Polly’s “adolescent” phase, where he begins to seriously question his identity as a lawyer. This theme is a mix between the subdued DS style and blatant orchestra style of SoJ, which may represent Kristoph and Phoenix respectively. While early game Apollo is very much the lawyer we met in AA4, Clay’s death and Athena’s arrest forces a conflict between the blind faith of his new mentor Phoenix and the evidence-based approach Kristoph taught him. You could say he was conflicted with Dual Destinies. DD is about Apollo asking himself, “who am I?”

“2016: FINE” references Apollo coming into his own as a lawyer, a identity admittedly influenced by but separate from Phoenix and Kristoph. As mentioned, the orchestra style is shared with Phoenix but what distinguishes the two (as with Athena’s theme) is the obvious use of electric guitars. This difference is mirrored in the plot, with the civil trial highlighting the difference in hotheadedness between these two. In fact, 6-5 as a whole sees Apollo actually taking center stage and directing his own story for once. Keep in mind, he defeats Phoenix in the civil trial, a far cry from basically being PW’s puppet in AA4. While Apollo goes through more ~trauma~ and ~grief~, the epilogue cutscene of 6-5 ends on an optimistic note, Apollo poised to revolutionize the Khura’inese legal system with his foster family by his side and finally getting to confidently choose his own path. Apollo Justice is doing FINE!!

[axolotlsupremacyowo]

Maya Fey: Ace Attorney Megalist!

The Maya Fey Defense Attorney Au is a series of fanfictions where I write Maya and Ema replacing the roles of Phoenix and Apollo respectively. It’s partially canon compliant? Though both Maya and Franziska are aged up, just to make things easier for myself. I’ll be changing things about the cases as I see fit. Also I’m only doing up until AJ, since I haven’t seen DD and SOJ yet.

I’ll be editing this post as time goes on, linking cases when they’re finished and stuff. All spin offs and oneshots will be posted here, too!

I hope you enjoy reading it, I sure enjoyed writing it!

_______________________________________

┊         ┊       ┊   ┊    ┊        ┊

┊         ┊       ┊   ┊   ˚✩ ⋆｡˚  ✩

┊         ┊       ┊   ✫

┊         ┊       ☪⋆

┊ ⊹     ┊

✯ ⋆        ┊ .  ˚

˚✩

Maya Fey: Ace Attorney

Maya Fey, rookie defense attorney and sister of legendary defense attorney Mia Fey, is newly hired into her sister's law firm. In her first trial she defends Mia's friend Larry Butz, winning and jump starting her career at the age of 20. However, a tragedy befalls her sister, and Maya comes to inherit the Fey & Co. Law Offices with a new assistant. Maya goes through the trials and tribulations of her career, making sure to keep those she loves close to her.

Cases:

Case 1: Beginnings of a Turnabout (Finished) Case 2: Turnabout Camaraderie (Finished) Case 3: Turnabout Warriors of Tokyo (Finished) Case 4: Turnabout Auf Wiedersehen (Finished) Case 5: Rise for Justice (WIP)

Maya Fey: Justice for All

[COMING SOON]

Maya Fey: Trials and Tribulations

[COMING SOON]

Ema Skye: Ace Attorney

[COMING SOON]

SPINOFFS

Yours Truly, Franziska von Karma

After the divorce of Franziska’s mother and father, she’s sent off to live with her mother. While there, she makes a new friend and gets to closer to those she loves. Her life starts to look up for the better, and she’s happy with all she loves around her. However, that all changes one stormy night. Now Franziska has to navigate through life under the sole care of Manfred von Karma. Follow through Franziska’s life, from her first meeting Maya Fey to meeting her again years later.

Bliss in Munich

Miles Edgeworth, prosecutor in Munich, a workaholic who is committed to the search for justice, yearns to meet his old childhood friend Phoenix Wright again.

Phoenix Wright, artist and assistant in the Fey & Co. Law Offices, exploring the world to broaden his horizons, longs for the same.

And when they reunite, they spend a blissful week together in Munich, falling in love with each other all over again.

Turnabout Farms

[COMING SOON]

Trucy Fey: Star Substiture

[COMING SOON]

ONESHOTS

Angel, Don't Fly So Close to Me

Maya Fey was an angel, one that flew close to Franziska, a beacon of hope that lit up her way. There to guide her, to stay with her until the end of time. Franziska didn’t understand it. She didn’t want to let Maya down, didn’t want to see her hurt in any way whatsoever. But it was inevitable, Franziska hurting Maya. She wasn’t perfect, she’ll never be perfect. And yet, Maya stayed, flying close by her side…only to eventually be pulled down by Franziska. Franziska wished that it didn’t have to be this way, for Maya to love her when someone else could love her better. And yet, it was. Maya never left her, even when Franziska would inevitably hurt her. Angel, why do you fly so close to me?

Yours and Only Yours

When a witness flirts with Maya, she notices that Franziska gets jealous. Even with a reassurance from her, she knows it’ll take much more than words for her doubts to be go away. And so, Maya gets her girlfriend a gift.

Rest, My Sunshine

Franziska von Karma, top prosecutor in Los Angeles, is worried and stressed, and has been studying to become the next Chief Prosecutor for 28 hours straight. Maya Fey, local defense attorney, is worried about her, and finds a creative way to finally get her to sleep.

Summer Will Turn into Fall

With the arrival of fall, and her girlfriend Franziska von Karma on a trip to Poland, Maya Fey finds that she misses her. Trucy Fey, worried about her mother, shows Franziska just how much Maya misses her.

Moments Missing You

Many times throughout Franziska's life, she had missed Maya. No matter where she was, when it was, or how she was feeling, every second that she wasn't with Maya Fey, she found that she missed her. And yet…one moment with her was enough to make Franziska happy. Or, 5 times Franziska missed Maya, and 1 of the many times she got to see her again.

Salted Caramel Comfort

Miles did not get children. Children were just one of the things that he didn’t understand, dear lord did he not understand them. It wasn’t that he hated children, far from it. Children were just…enigmas to him, something that he never could quite wrap his head around. And of course, he has to help babysit Trucy while Maya is away on a trip with Franziska. Though Miles realizes, as he comforts Trucy about her fears, that he isn’t as bad with kids as he thought he was.

Reunion of the Nerds

Apollo, Ema, and Clay, resident nerds of Los Angeles, were best friends, practically inseparable. That was, until Apollo moved away. Now, after years of being away from them, Apollo reunites with them and rekindles their friendship. And what better way than with a nerd sleepover?

The Most Intimate Snack of Them All!

Phoenix, Trucy, and Pearl all accidentally eat a gift basket from Franziska meant for her girlfriend Maya. Ema comes up with a plan to get away with it. Maya finds out in the end, though.

[4ragon]

I'm not the original anonymous but I would extremely want to see that essay about Apollo's trust issues.

Also since I just finished Spirit of Justice, do you think Lamiroir ever told Trucy/Apollo about her and if so what would be their reactions?

Let’s see if I can write this up without crying again like I did on twitter.

So a while ago a friend of mine asked me why I liked Apollo, and I really couldn’t put my finger on it. I knew he was my favorite, but unlike Simon Blackquill, I hadn’t done that deep dive into figuring out why. I’d always just sort of loved him, and was never able to pinpoint the part that made me care about him so much. It drove me crazy, too, I love rambling about characters that I love, and I love writing from Apollo’s perspective more than anything. So why did I love him? Why did I care about him?

Well. I figured it out. I figured out my answer.

I think there are two things that characterize Apollo more than anything. One: He has trust issues. He genuinely believes that the people around him don’t give a shit about him. Especially after being betrayed multiple times in that first trial, he truly and deeply believes that the people around him are only trying to hurt him and is too scared to really believe that they care about him.

And two: He cares so much about the people around him that he constantly helps them anyway.

So like. And I won’t tag her because I don’t think she’d appreciate it, but I was watching the laquilasse AA4 stream last night, and the entire opening of Turnabout Corner is so striking to me, especially right after the end of Turnabout Trump. At the end of Turnabout Trump, Apollo’s trust and belief in Phoenix is finally and thoroughly shattered, and Apollo lashes out, punching Phoenix in the face. And for good reason! That was a huge breach of trust! Apollo literally did the exact thing that got Phoenix disbarred, namely present evidence that wasn’t real. Sure, they never exactly claimed it was the real deal, but Apollo didn’t even know it was faked, he just trusted Phoenix and this new piece of evidence and it almost fucked him over. It did sort of fuck him over, he did lose his job and his Mentor.

And then, Phoenix calls him and says that they’re in trouble, and Apollo doesn’t even question it, of course he shows up to help.

Like. You can feel how much he mistrusts Trucy on their first meeting, in everything he does and says. Especially when Trucy and Phoenix are in the same room, he’s actively thinking about how he doesn’t ‘buy their act’ when Phoenix is calling Trucy daughter-ly nicknames. And then, in a way, he’s kind of right? They guilt him into essentially being their errand boy, and I feel like they’re constantly and loudly using him throughout so much of the game.

And Apollo was there anyway. Apollo doesn’t even trust them and he’s still there the first instant Phoenix says he needs his help.

Like you can loudly do and say whatever you want and crush his dreams and betray his trust, and despite everything, there’s always that part of Apollo that desperately needs to help anyone who asks him. He can’t even bring himself to trust them, and he’s still crawling back the moment someone needs him, ready to let them disappoint him over again.

Like this struck me about Apollo from the moment I played AA4, but he’s so lonely? And desperate for connection? He cares so much about a world that has always and consistently never cared about him, and he just keeps caring and keeps caring even as that starry-eyed naivete is ripped away. And I feel like he just wants someone to care about him back, but never really able to believe that they do, because they never really seem to, because every time he allows himself to trust it’s just thrown back in his face so horribly.

Here’s an interesting thing I noticed: in Turnabout Trump, there’s a really interesting line. Phoenix has accused Kristoph of being the murderer, the extra person in the room. Kristoph takes the stand and claims to have witnessed the moment Phoenix committed the murder. And this exchange happens:

Apollo: There must have been someone else there at the moment of the crime!

Kristoph: Justice... I just said I saw no one. Not a soul.

Apollo: B-But, that goes against what Mr. Wright said!

Kristoph: Ah yes, this mysterious "fourth person"... ...who would conveniently be the "real killer", I suppose.

And this is well past the point where Phoenix has accused Kristoph of being that person. There’s no possibility at this point that they’re both innocent, it’s either one or the other. And Apollo is still so desperately trying to find a way for them both to be innocent, basically saying, “Just give me a fourth person and I’ll believe you.” And then Kristoph turned out to be a monster, and then Phoenix turned out to have betrayed Apollo from the start, and as far as Apollo is ever aware, none of the care from either of these men was ever real. He trusted, and he suffered the consequences.

But again. He’s still there. Someone pointed out a while ago, but Apollo stays. Apollo shows up to the Wright Talent Agency under false pretenses, and he complains and hems and haws, and he still stays. Why?

Phoenix and Trucy loudly manipulate him into working their case. They’re perfectly happy to flaunt that they’re basically tricking him. And he stays. Why?

Because Apollo can’t trust them, but he wants to so fucking bad. He doesn’t even seem to like Phoenix that much, but he wants that connection so fucking bad. He cares about them so much and he doesn’t believe for a second that they extend that feeling back at him, and he’s compelled to stay anyway.

He knows Trucy is practically using him, and he’s a sobbing mess when he thinks she was kidnapped for a few minutes. He’s cynical and mean and it’s all just to cover up the fact that he loves all these people around him with all his heart and they never once pay it back. And he comes back anyway. He’s like a fucking loyal dog that is never given enough affection and so he’s constantly trying harder and harder to earn that love while never believing he’ll ever really get it.

(Shit nope crying again)

It’s just so sad. And this is all without adding anything from the 3D games. The 3D games do build on this theme in one way or another, but from the get go, this is who Apollo is. A caring young man who is constantly punished for caring and yet can’t stop caring anyway.

We see it again in the 3D games. And I think part of why I don’t enjoy DD as much as SoJ is that DD doesn’t capture this mistrust the same way. It’s so surface level, that sense of betrayal and mistrust and anger he gets consumed by in that final case. And the worst part is it doesn’t have to be! There’s already that foundation! Apollo has been hurt already a million times. The only person he’s ever been able to trust, the only lifeline that’s kept him above water since he was a child, was Clay Terran, and now that was taken from him because he DARED to trust someone new. That’s so fucking compelling! But we never get that! We never get to see how Apollo is feeling. We get that he’s convinced Athena did the murder, but never really get into the Why, into the What This Means for Apollo.

It’s a bit better in SoJ. We see how far he’s come in terms of trusting people when he trusts in Trucy wholly and immediately in case two. And then, conversely, we see his mistrust and hurt when they introduce Dhurke into the mix. Apollo refuses point blank to believe that Dhurke had come to visit him, that Dhurke cared about him. Apollo demands to know why Dhurke was there, what Dhurke wanted, how Dhurke was going to use him. He’s been able to slowly start building that trust with people like Trucy, but he still cannot let himself trust again when Dhurke had already betrayed that trust.

I said it before, but as much as I hate the slapdash ways in which Capcom keeps throwing backstory at this boy, I love what the backstories are, because they build on this angry, cynical, lonely young man I care about so much. He’s been hurt and abandoned and used and betrayed since he was young, and being good never truly paid off for so long, but he kept doing it, he kept being good, he kept caring about people because he couldn’t help it, and kept hoping that maybe they could care back. And eventually I think it does start paying off for him. People do start caring about him. And I feel like it takes until around SoJ for him to start really believing that the people around him might care about him too.

Also congrats on finishing SoJ! Since there’s a very good chance that they might be announcing AA7 soon, I...hope? fear? expect? that they’ll touch on this then. However, I also worry that they’re going to botch it up so hard.

I know what I want to happen. I want Trucy to be angry. I want her to be angry at Lamiroir and Phoenix. She is constantly putting on a mask to try to make the people she loves happy, and I feel like this is a reasonable breaking point. After all, this is kind of the one thing that Phoenix hasn’t been honest with her about. She had a brother right there, and knew the whole time?! She had a mother there the whole time?! And no one bothered to tell her?! I think she’d be heartbroken, and I think she deserves to be angry. She’s been through so much, and they never give her time to really grieve or be upset.

I think Apollo would be ecstatic and angry at the same time. All he’s ever wanted was family, and now he does! He already loved Trucy, and thought Lamiroir was amazing, so I think he would be so happy to have that family back in his life. On the flip side, I do think he’d be angry at Phoenix, particularly for keeping it to himself before Lamiroir came into the picture, but I think if they talked it out, Apollo would come around to it and be able to forgive Phoenix.

[rivalsforlife]

Additional, what's your thoughts on AA6, then?

Oooh okay I know that AA6 is generally better received than AA5, but I didn’t really like that game much either, for somewhat similar reasons why I didn’t like AA5?

Like not only did it abandon most of the plot threads of AA5 -- which they have even less of an excuse for, since this game came out three years after DD and on the same console -- but it had a similar problem that DD had involving pushing back major characters. Namely, Athena, who was kind of hyped up in DD as someone who was going to “revolutionize” the courtroom, but then barely had a major role in SOJ aside from the fourth case (which only had the one trial day and no investigation time, and was completely disconnected with the plot.) And yeah juggling three protagonists at the same time is a bad move, but if you had to pick a protagonist to give a smaller role... I would not pick Athena.

I guess the thing about Spirit of Justice is that it’s an Apollo game which tries to be a Phoenix game. I can’t really see any reason for Phoenix to go to Khura’in and stay there. Sure, he wants to hang out with Maya, who he hasn’t seen in a few years -- but she was supposed to come back in a couple of weeks. Also, and this is one of my bigger issues, one of the biggest shows his daughter was ever going to perform would be in the time he was gone, but he didn’t seem to particularly care about missing it. And, and, and! He didn’t even get to SEE Maya for two weeks after he arrived! So why go that early?

I know the semi-canon prologue kiiind of touched on that with Phoenix thinking Maya was in danger, and I can definitely see him rushing over there if he thought she’d been hurt and/or accused of murder somehow. But... the prologue isn’t really CANON canon, it’s not ever stated explicitly or shown in the game. Instead the game just has him say he was worried about Maya for no particular reason, so he... abandoned his daughter just before her big show... and then didn’t even go back after she was accused of murder? I know that he couldn’t have made it back in time for the trial, but he didn’t even go back to comfort her? For two weeks? Where he was in Khura’in and couldn’t even see Maya? 

It just strikes me as a “we need Phoenix to be in Khura’in for Plot Reasons and not because it’s something his character would ever actually do” kind of thing. And, you know, there is that one interview where they say that Phoenix had to be in Khura’in because they needed to “challenge” him more, but this isn’t really much of a challenge. “He needs to win otherwise he’ll die”??? Big deal, we all already KNOW Phoenix would die to defend his friends! We’ve played Bridge to the Turnabout and seen him run across the burning bridge because he thought Maya was trapped with a murderer. Like, the stakes aren’t that much higher. Phoenix wouldn’t let something silly like death get in the way of doing what was right. That one concept about an “underground court” where Phoenix couldn’t trust his clients was a MUCH more interesting concept because it actually challenges one of Phoenix’s core beliefs. Instead, I can’t say that Phoenix has grown or changed at ALL before and after Khura’in.

And aside from Maya Being There and a general intolerance for injustice, Phoenix has no personal stakes in the general conflict of Khura’in. You know who apparently does? Apollo. But his connection to Khura’in isn’t even really explored until the last case, where they shove all of the Dhurke and Nahyuta development in at once. Of course, his beloved childhood friend he was so distraught over in the last game isn’t ever really mentioned, nor does his loss seem to have any long-term effect on Apollo beyond DD.

And speaking of Dhurke and Nahyuta... another issue I had with Turnabout Revolution is that it was trying to do SO MUCH that it didn’t give much focus. Also the severe delaying of Nahyuta’s character arc: he’s pretty much in Second-Case Prosecutor Mode until the very last case, where we only see him for the last part of it. It makes his development feel a little rushed, I think -- it’s been a while since I played SOJ though, so take that with a grain of salt.

Also I want to say that I really love Maya and I’m glad to see that she’s okay, but it doesn’t feel like she had a huge role in SOJ despite the game pretty much existing to bring her back in a big way. She comes back, and she’s still not the Master, inexplicably, despite it having been nine years since T&T. The game says it was because she could only channel spirits 30% of the time or something before, but... that never really came up past Turnabout Goodbyes? After that she’d pretty much always been able to channel whoever, whenever she needed to (including channeling Dahlia for several days) so I don’t really buy that excuse. My fear is they didn’t want to risk changing Maya Too Much so they just kind of tried to keep her as close to original Maya as possible. Plus, she only shows up for two of the five cases, in which she spends almost all of her time accused of murder, kidnapped, or channeling someone. And all of her important interactions are with Phoenix, or sometimes Rayfa, and like maybe an offhand comment to Apollo? But she doesn’t ever bond with Apollo or Athena or even Trucy -- she and Trucy never even ACKNOWLEDGE each other, which is SO weird, because this is her best friend’s daughter, why is she acting like she doesn’t even know her? 

There’s more with Trucy -- the game tries to claim Trucy has a bigger role because she’s accused of murder, but the entirety of that case irritates me for how it completely disregards previously-established Gramarye lore to add in This Random Dude (who does have an awesome theme song, but still), and then perfectly sets up the opportunity for a sibling reveal only to completely ignore it. (You’ve got a guy who knew Thalassa and should have known about her perceiving power + bracelet, and has a huge complex about being defeated by a Gramarye, coming face-to-face with Apollo with his perceiving power and bracelet and... nothing! Not even acknowledging it!)

oh and the civil trial. the civil. freaking. trial. is SUCH a cool concept that they ABSOLUTELY fail to make work. Because instead of it being about Phoenix’s ideals failing him, or him believing in his client until the very end but his client just turned out to be a terrible person, it was yet another Farewell, My Turnabout but worse, with Phoenix only defending this guy because Maya’s kidnapped again... and he learned absolutely nothing from last time, where the only reason he got through the trial safely was by trusting Miles and teaming up with the other side to delay the trial for a rescue, instead he just decides I’m Not Telling Apollo Anything and struggles like he did in the second game. Plus it takes any victory of Apollo triumphing over Phoenix away, because Phoenix wasn’t actually trying his best. It had the opportunity to be an exploration of “what would Phoenix do if his trust in people actually went wrong”, but they abandoned it because Phoenix Wright Is Never Wrong. Instead it was just so weak!

Wow this is ALL OVER THE PLACE I’m sorry about that anon. ending with a bit of positivity, I really like that Final Big Twist at the end of the game, I think that was a super cool use of spirit channeling! And getting a little more spirit channeling lore was nice (though I would have liked to see more about the structure of Kurain Village -- you expect me to believe this random dude has a major role as the mayor of what has always been described as a matriarchal village?) I guess my main issue is... a lot of potential for cool things (in the civil trial, in Maya getting to know and bonding with the New Generation, sibling reveals and spirit channeling lore) and it doesn’t really deliver on most of it.

[sophistopheles]

Where’s Ace Attorney 7?

A few days ago it was the third anniversary of the most recent Ace Attorney game, Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2- which means we’re going through a 36-month hiatus; longer than any we’ve had before, excluding the gap between Trials & Tribulations and Apollo Justice.

So what gives? Why haven’t we seen AA7 yet? Will we ever see it in the future, or is the franchise dead? 

Well, I have a few theories for the first question, and some evidence concerning the second. This will probably get long, so I’ll put it under a cut.

Why is this hiatus so long?

Theory #1: Difficulties in porting the franchise to Switch

Ace Attorney has been on handhelds for its whole lifespan, so the sudden change to consoles may be slightly problematic in terms of gameplay- forensic evidence mechanics, the loss of a touchscreen, etc. The problem with this theory is that by all (w)rights, it should already be resolved; a port of the Trilogy already came to consoles last year, fingerprinting and all, and it worked just fine. It’s possible that creating a new AA game from scratch is difficult in its own way, and/or producing games for multiple platforms takes longer, but it doesn’t account for such a long delay.

Then again, Switch games might just take longer to make. I’d rather have a well-crafted AA game every three years than a rushed/poorly-made one every year.

  Theory #2: Difficulties in finding a new director for the franchise

As most people know, Yamazaki, the director for the AAI duology, AA5, and AA6, left Capcom about a month ago. However, he said all the way back when SoJ was released that he only really stayed as AA’s director because of the fans, and also had Fuse, the games’ artist, step up as co-director for SoJ.

Takumi, the original trilogy/Apollo Justice/DGS writer and director, should theoretically have been available since 2018, but he has stated that he’s done with Phoenix’s story, and given that his last games haven’t sold very well (more because of marketing and bad timing than any flaws in the games, but I digress) it’s not guaranteed that he will return for AA7. Maybe if he does, we’ll get some answers to the many loose ends and questions left by AA4, but given that Apollo’s relocated to Khura’in as of the end of AA6, that’s not guaranteed either.

This leaves the only other candidate, co-director of SoJ Takuro Fuse. Personally I think his involvement as a full-on director in the future is quite likely, for reasons I’ll explain later.

  Theory #3: We were supposed to get a game in 2019

This is just a pet theory of mine, but hear me out.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban was originally supposed to be a trilogy of games, until the Switch absolutely flattened the 3DS as the definitive Nintendo handheld, and Takumi decided to compress the remaining two games into just DGS2. This is why the third-case culprit and twists in DGS2 feel so sudden; the culprit was supposed to appear all throughout DGS2, and be arrested at the end, with DGS2-3’s big twist as a finale cliffhanger. DGS3 would have then completed the story.

My point is that DGS3 was likely slated for a 2019 release, given the release pattern of DGS (2015) and DGS2 (2017). That would have lessened the current three-year hiatus to just a two-year one, more standard for the AA franchise.

  Theory #4: The franchise is dead, there are no plans for more games.

I find this difficult to believe given that Capcom is still creating content, running café promotions, releasing ports, and has stated plans for more AA games in the past, but I have to acknowledge the possibility.

Is Ace Attorney 7 coming soon?

After the 2018 Kotaku UK rumour (suggesting that ports of all six games and a new game were going to be released on the Switch by the end of 2018’s fiscal year) was disproven, I almost lost hope for any future AA games- but this year, there’s been a lot to suggest something’s coming soon.

1.       The July 2020 Café

This one pretty much explains itself. If Capcom has decided to put money towards a café feature that promotes both the Trilogy and Apollo Justice- with Klavier and Apollo both featuring prominently on the café’s menu and in its merchandise- it stands to reason that they’re doing something with it. You don’t promote a franchise if there’s nothing to promote, after all.

2.       The Café Art

So, remember two months ago when Ace Attorney dropped this new official art of Phoenix, Edgeworth, Maya, Apollo and Klavier, and the fandom lost their shit to the point of Ace Attorney trending on tumblr for about half an hour? Well, what I personally found most interesting was the style of the piece- because it was new. A quick scroll through Capcom Café’s twitter proved that as far as I can tell, when non-chibi art is called for, the official artists of the brand in question are the ones to draw the art. So who drew this one?! I could rule out Iwamoto, Fuse, Suekane and Nuri by their styles (Apollo especially looks quite unfamiliar)- so unless there’s someone I’ve forgotten, it seems like there’s a new Ace Attorney official artist.

And, well… they don’t hire new artists for fun. This artist, whoever they are, probably weren’t hired for a one-time café promotion either; as far as I know, most of the old AA artists are still working at Capcom. They’re probably doing something for the franchise.

Remember when I said Fuse, AA5/6’s art director, was a candidate for full time director? My personal theory is that he’s become the main director, and this new artist has taken his role as art director. It’s all speculation, of course, but it stands up to scrutiny.

3.       Capcom X B-Side Label Maya Acrylic

Capcom have also had a recent merch collab with B-Side Label, and a certain merch image of Maya stood out to me… because it’s an entirely new design.

I could understand if it was only a discrepancy in the fact that she has four necklace beads while appearing to be an adult, or that she has arm guards but lacks an under-robe; they’re minor details. But to leave out her topknot, one of the most distinctive parts of her design?! Either the artist made a major mistake and no one called them up on it, or it was intentional- that this is a design meant to be an older and wiser Maya, who we’ll see in an upcoming game. I wouldn’t be surprised.

4.       The 20th Anniversary

This is more of a meta point than anything else, but it’ll soon be 2021, the twentieth anniversary of Ace Attorney. AA is usually very good with anniversaries; in 2011 (10th anniversary) we got Investigations 2, and in 2016 (15th anniversary) we got both SoJ and an AA anime. I think if they’re ever going to release AA7, they’ll do it next year: at the very least, we’ll have another orchestra and more official art. And with TGS 2020 hosted online and fast approaching, I’m hoping for news very soon!

Either way, the future of Ace Attorney isn’t as dark as it seems! Keep your hopes up!

[gaychins]

i’ve big issues w soj - while i was excited abt it bc we mostly hear ppl talking abt how it’s another apollo focused game (and that is true in some ways) it’s actually worse to him than aa5 was.

now, in aa5, apollo was mostly forgotten abt through big part of the game - he shows up briefly in the first epi, he has his case and then fucks off for ‘mysterious reasons’ that don’t make sense with the ‘shounen’ speech he does when taking a leave from the agency & then only really makes a comeback in the second part of the last case. in his one case he was, well, fine i suppose and in other times he didn’t have the biggest personality and they clearly ‘defanged’ him - made him nicer & more ~sociable i would say (which i can even let go considering he was now a senior to athena and would want to help her&give a good impression) but! in his most remarkable scene ie the one where he accuses athena of murder and makes phoenix prove him otherwise he is...... good?him being as reckless/ruthless/impulsive + leaning on kristoph’s teaching was really nice to see after what happened in aa4 and him clearly being conflicted w himself through all that it was. nice. and rewarding in some ways.

which brings me to aa6, did they have anything rewarding re: apollo in that game? 6-2 does NOT count. did they? and i say: no. lol. once again his character And characterization is made up by the plot - not moved by the plot but Clearly made for/by for it. that is: he is allowed to show some abandonment issues & pettines (and it’s interesting how these ARE things that he would be feeling towards aa4 phoenix but they move it towards a ~foreign brown new charac bc phoenix can do no wrong) but only in specific times and its biggest one was mostly during investigation day1 and that was pretty much it. after that and the shitshow that was trial day1 (&their push to apollo’s idolizing phoenix still+phoenix acting like he cares abt apollo when it nvr comes off as truly genuine) apollo’s issues/traumas are pushed to the side so we can focus on the mystery&case. 6-5 is supposedly about his backstory and it’s supposed to make us know more abt him but do we? we do not know those characters in khurain, we do not know his relationship with nahyuta (there was potential after 6-2 for a builtup but then they never revisit it and once again it shows yamazaki’s failure in writing multiple povs), his biological father’s last memories are just ok (apollo barely reacts to it) and that shitshow of story makes no sense if seen alongside aa4 (how did he EVEN end up w thalassa’s bracelet?) &they did do dhurke better than clay (which isn’t hard btw) but we don’t know why he left apollo and he just ends up looking like asshole bc it looks like he dropped his adopted kid in usa at 13 years old bc what? he found his wife&could’ve his biological family tgt again AND a new daughter so bye apollo? by the last trial, and maybe even last investigation day, apollo has lost most of his personality and everything has lost its emotional touch (which they had almost got in the beginning of that case).

so no, we do not end up knowing more about apollo because it feels like a complete different character - khurain and this apollo connected to it feel SO detached from aa and that’s why aa6 feels worse to his character. from the amount of things that that last case TRIES to tell you abt apollo it destroys everything we have known. before it he was known as an orphan, that probably went through foster families/homes but now, suddenly, he has a ‘hidden’ family in a foreign country? and oh they are rebels AND, actually, part of the royal family? it’s ridiculous and it would mean part of his personality CHANGING to fit all that and that is why, for me, at the end of the case i did not care about that apollo anymore even though he is my absolute favorite in ace attorney because he feels like a new character. 

[lesbianmarth]

it’s been a while since i posted about aa but i just finished soj in its entirety tonight. here’s my new list so far

i still have to give thoughts on cases 4 5 and dlc so that’ll be under a cut. spoilers!

6-4: this was such a filler case, almost shamefully so. i don’t know why they thought they could manage to do this in the 4th case when every game with 5 cases has been pretty consistent about making the 4th case plot relevant, sometimes literally just a preamble to case 5. so yeah i think this one was kinda ass

the two things it had going for it: one, athena. in 6-2 i actually got confused about why i ever liked her, because in that case she felt like she was just acting the part of the Peppy Teen Girl With a Rowdy Streak that makes up almost every assistant character. But then as SOON as she started bantering with Simon in 6-4 i was like “oh, THAT’S why i liked her!” was nice to take control of her again.

two, uendo toneido. while i don’t think you can say the DID was portrayed with quite the necessary respect or kindness, it was handled better than i’ve seen other media handle it-- at least it’s not completely demonized. other people have written more on that in better detail so i’m not really the judge, but the basic point is that this witness was mad fun to read, and even the dumb jokes like the changing number of floor cushions were entertaining. thus why this case is in the “hard carried by one side character” tier.

especially since there was like nothing else going on. no connection to the main plot, only two other characters besides uendo, and for some reason the clown tits girl was here instead of the magic show case (and to be honest, she wasn’t enjoyable for me even BEFORE she did the standard aa female villain thing and changed her speech pattern as soon as she fell under suspicion). just a weird, nothing case stuck right around the point aa games usually enter endgame. And especially weird because...

6-5 part 1: inexplicably there are two separate cases in the final chapter and each gets one day of investigation and trial. such a weird setup, and it really shouldn’t work... but i think it kinda barely does. barely. it would still have been better to split it into case 4 and case 5 though.

i have a hard time articulating much on the first case bc it sort of blends together for me. the main thing is that the concept of it being a civil case where apollo and phoenix face off is really good. it was a good change of pace, even though you knew it was gonna be a murder somehow anyway. sarge was reasonably nice, i guess, paul atishon had some good animations and quirks (my favorite being when he tries to just walk away from the stand to avoid answering a question), and the logic of the actual murder was good enough.

but i especially got those strong “oh this is a FINAL case!” vibes during the segment in the cave, and that added so much to it even if not much of it was relevant in the first half of the case. the adventure feel reminded me of some of the (out of context bc i still havent played it) scenes i know from 3-5, which is a good association to invoke imo. and it did a lot to give apollo and dhurke time to bond.

speaking of which, dhurke, holy shit. what a KING. i don’t think i’ve ever liked a dad character in ace attorney this much. he’s so genuine and like down to earth that it’s impossible not to start liking him and believe how much he cares for his sons. the bit where he rescued apollo from the cave flood... i felt it in my heart

6-5 part 2: let me just get this out of the way: ga’ran sucks. her design after she goes full evil is so bad, she’s so malicious that it’s immediately obvious she’s going to be the culprit, her breakdown is ridiculous and just embarrassing to watch, and inga had already established way more charisma as a villain when he did the “those were orders of execution actually” bit in 6-3. with that said,

i actually liked it for the most part. the spirit channeling stuff was excellent imo-- they probably use it to similar or greater effect in 3-5 but as someone who again has not played that, i was surprised and almost impressed by how well it was applied. maya was relevant for something! it feels like it’s been ages!

rayfa was a little underutilized, i think-- her moment of determination where she stops letting ga’ran have control over her was alright but it fell flat bc it didn’t have any weight during the moment. i kept hoping she would like, wordlessly take of her shawl and do the little verbal preamble to the divination seance while ga’ran kept yelling at her to stop, but no, the script can’t be good like that, i guess. and since she didn’t get to be the investigation assistant for long, none of her charm in that role carried through.

but DHURKE!! oh my god! in a game almost devoid of emotional impact, his involvement in this case really hit. the way they painstakingly animated his death, the scene where he makes a promise with maya, and then the weight of knowing in hindsight that everything he did in the first part of the case was after he’d already died and just wanted to see his son again before passing on for real....... it hurt. i felt something during that section. this case would also be hard carried by him if not for the fact that i really liked the murder bits.

amara was good too--liked how they made her suspiciously serene and accentuated it with the lightning strikes to make her look like a hidden murderer character about to reveal herself, only to walk it back and confirm she was being forced to act that way. i thought it worked. nahyuta was boring though, i’m sorry-- i get the motivation with having to be a bastard bc his sister and mom were basically held hostage, but the only time i found him compelling in that mess was the bit where he removed his one fingerless glove and revealed he still has the dragon tattoo. that was it. athena was also completely unused the whole case (not even a single mood matrix? really?) and trucy one again went without any role of importance.

the ending also... yknow, a friend said they had to end it this way bc they never figured out what they were going to do with apollo (since following up on what they started in aa4 clearly wasn’t an option???) and just threw him on a bus to get rid of him. i agree with that-- he really feels thrown to the side, and with that i think trucy’s officially stranded with no hope of any character advancement. and the way they ended the game with phoenix and lamiroir deciding “yeah, maybe NOW we should finally tell those two they’re related” honestly felt insulting lol

but maybe the dlc case will let things go out on a high note...?!

6-6: it was okay.

it would’ve worked pretty well as a filler case in an older aa-- honestly i think it’d be one of the better filler cases, certainly worth replacing the shitty ones like 2-3 or 3-3 or, hey, 6-4. but whether i’d say it was worth paying for... eh.

the time travel conceit was done well enough, i think. the way they tied it back to sorin and pierce’s backstories was nice, and the twist about having two receptions was good, although they needed to treat that as a real twist with much more gravity. when the truth comes out it just feels like “oh of course that’s what happened” rather than a big surprise worthy of the Confessing the Truth theme. it’s sort of important because the case becomes a lot less interesting when you take out the time travel element.

far as characters are concerned, i think they needed more side characters to sell the whole thing-- another sprocket family member or another servant of the household. it felt a little limited-- sorin and pierce are pretty good witnesses and i like their quirks and their secrets, but the only alive woman (ellen) has very few traits and no connection to the deeper story of the case, so she falls really flat. the old aa characters didn’t add much- maya and edgeworth were just there for fanservice, ema didn’t get to do much other than acknowledge for the first time in years that she’s a big edgeworth fan, and larry is annoying as hell like he always is.

and oh my god i actually forgot while i was writing that, how they put in athena and trucy but only used them for brief slapstick where trucy would try to set athena on fire and shit. again-- no mood matrix? couldn’t even try once to fit those two characters into something?

i did like pierce’s transformation into his surgeon form though-- that was really cool. loved him doing surgery on a robot, taking xrays of the lawyers, and his breakdown was fantastic-- he would make a really good culprit if they didn’t whiff the last bit of pathos at the end. i don’t think he should’ve been aiming for revenge on sorin; it would have hurt much more if he was still loyal to the guy and never intended for him to be in danger, but the final “why’d you do it?” talk in the trial just felt flat and one-note, much like the one in 6-4.

... so that’s spirit of justice! not a super positive experience but i’m happy to say it’s done. as much as i want to go and replay dgs, i think when i do go back to ace attorney i’ll be replaying the trilogy for the first time since high school

[askaceattorney]

(Previous Post)

Dear Anonymous,

The Mod: I learned to like Kristoph the more I wrote for him, but the entire disbarment of Phoenix is a sore spot for me. It’s not the fact that it happened, it’s a good story beat with good character development (that was later ignored by DD and SoJ), and I love hobo/dad Phoenix as a character. I just don’t like the way it was handled and Kristoph has always been a part of that.

Like I said in the article, I’ve warmed up to it some. If you bring Kristoph’s obvious mental state and extreme paranoia into the picture, it works out. I’m not going to say I like that Kristoph went from “I’m upsetty that Phoenix Wright stole my spaghetti” to “Everyone must die” but it does make him an interesting and dangerous character.

I suppose there really are two steps to his killing spree. He started out with only wanting Zak Gramarye to take a fall for jilting him and, if Phoenix Wright got disbarred, he didn’t care. Once he realized that Phoenix might have been wise to his game, he started phase two: eliminate those involved and keep an eye on his “friend”. It’s an interesting dynamic that works like the best parts of Death Note. I wish we got to see those seven years happen.

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: Nah, that’s the one we’ve been using for as long as I can remember.  None of us are eligible for a real attorney’s badge, and asking one of the lawyers here to give theirs up would be unthinkable.

The Mod: It’s been that way since the blog’s incarnation. That probably means the Admin wasn’t Mia as I presumed, but actually Furio Tigrette.

Dear rogertheegg,

The Mod: I’ve had the following theory since AJ and it’s only become more likely as the series progressed. They’ve teased Lamiroir finally telling her children she’s their mom twice now. AA7 is where she finally does it, Apollo doesn’t take it well, she winds up dead, and Polly finally gets accused for murder. Athena defends him.

Co-Mod: I’ve never cooked up a scenario like that in my mind, so I’ll just go with the Mod’s idea.  I’d hate to see Thalassa die as much as anyone, but if that’s the price Capcom makes us pay to see more of Athena, then so be it.  Yeah, I’m actually that cynical.

Dear Anonymous,

The Mod: Phoenix banked on Apollo to be an integral part of his plan to bring Kristoph down and clear him name. If Polly didn’t play ball, Phoenix might have very well wound up dead like all the other pieces in Kristoph’s game. Either Phoenix or those close to him. Somehow I always imagined Kristoph being more sadistic and less straight forward with Phoenix considering he pretended to be his friend for seven years like a straight up sociopath.

Athena working for the Dark Side of the Law™ would be a manipulator to the maximum degree. Let’s face it, her Mood Matrix isn’t an exact science and really shouldn’t be allowed in a court of law. She’d definitely fill in a few blanks and tamper with witness memory to ensure every testimony fit her vision.

Co-Mod: Not really a fan of alternate timelines where the good guys join the dark side, so I’ll leave this one alone.  And no one draw a picture of that Athena, or I’ll never forgive you.

Dear Anonymous,

The Mod: It’s super sad. He was a great voice actor and still young.

I haven’t played TF2 in years and never got around to installing CSGO, so I’m not really sure what all happened with the source code leak. I know it was really bad and allowed for malware distribution, but that’s about it.

Co-Mod: I’ve played either of those games, believe it or not, but I might consider doing so just as a tribute to Rick May.

(Art by submitter)

Dear kuromajinevil,

The Mod: Who gave them life? They are the real monster.

Co-Mod: The only way I can respond to that is with a sprite.

(Previous Letter)

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: Thanks for mentioning that.  It’s been some time since I played Dual Destinies, so I didn’t quite put that together.  Even still, I imagine Apollo would be quite bewildered (while also smiling to himself) after hearing something like that from Pearl.

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: That’s just one way I’m used to saying it, and how I imagine many of Ace Attorney’s adults would say it.  It’s also been said that way at least once in the games (by Sister Bikini), so it’s just part of the characters’ portrayal.

(Previous Letters -- Arachnophobia Warning)

Dear Anthony,

Co-Mod: Thanks for clarifying.  I was wondering why I couldn’t find a letter to Athena about Larry that matched the context of this letter.

Also, with all due respect, ix-nay on the uge-hay iders-spay.  You’re freakin’ us out with those, dude.

-The Mods

[restlessfeathers]

Is Simon Blackquill your favorite character or just your favorite prosecutor?

Honestly, my tastes shift around all the time, and I really don’t have issues with ANY of the main characters what-so-ever…but yes, I do have a weird obsession with Simon Blackquill.

Read more for my rant explanation.

Point 1: I love writing for him. I’d say “as” him, but I write scripts where the POV changes constantly. I’d say that he and Rayfa are my favorites to write for. He’s got a really specific gimmick - not the sword thing, that part’s easy, and not the British thing either, that’s a bit trickier but not the part I like. His long sentences have rhythm. His short statements are as restrictive and to-the-point as they could possibly get. I love the way his words flow, and it’s so much fun to see him interact with others. For some reason, I take pride in my portrayal of Blackquill as it’s carefully curated to be in line with his SoJ interpretation and also more of an evolution of what he learned from both games. My writing colors my interests a lot, so my bias comes from having so much fun while doing his character.

Point 2: He’s not afraid to do take a risk. Yes, he’s selfless, but that’s not the part about him that I love the most. I like that he has the courage to do things I know I couldn’t, and I envy that. It comes across as an attitude, but he’s actually not too much unlike Phoenix in that he has to go off on guesses and bluffs and whims in order to get people to see his points. He guesses less, yes, but he still does it. You just don’t notice that’s what he’s doing until you play through his cases again. Telling the court that the witness is literally possessed by a demon? That’s a risk, and he had to take it to make his point.

Point 3: He isn’t afraid to change his mind, but his morals are clear. When you first face him, it’s really hard to understand what his motivations are, but once you get to the end of DD, it’s absolutely clear that everything before then, when it seemed like he was swapping sides constantly, was all in the name of truth. He upholds his own honor code, and because of his time in the prison system, he knows when a mistake can slip through the cracks, how a system can literally be corrupted from the inside-out, and that one should protect their allies at all costs. My absolute favorite thing about both Simon and Gavin is that they aren’t out for a verdict, they’re out to find out the truth - to do their damned jobs and do it well. For Simon, it isn’t manipulating the judge into thinking he’s right, it’s trying to have others see the situation as he does. The evidence first makes it appear that the defendant did it. It’s his job to have the court see into that line of thinking until the evidence no longer supports that theory. 

I know his design is kind of weird, I know he has a bit of a bad attitude, I know so many people think he’s an edgy jerk who watches anime and wears a fedora and white knights all over the place… But, really, I think, following his story-line through from Dual Destinies, he’s got some great material in there.

…however, I do think they jumped the shark by sacrificing Apollo’s story for Simon and Athena’s. Dual Destinies did some unfortunate things for the series, and it’s impossible to discuss Simon Blackquill without looking at the narrative follies of the game he comes from. I think there was a lot of unfounded redemption in Turnabout Storyteller (my favorite case that isn’t from AAI2) in that he and Athena loosen up in order to work together on something in the moment. The writers never had to give us that case, they never had to let us see that side of him, where he helps the protege of his former master, but because they did, you get to see a lot more of his personality in that case than in most of DD, and that’s probably, no, it’s DEFINITELY why I took to liking him.

Again, though! I do not have any characters I consider “awful” that are in the main cast. Some have bad morals, some have bad motivations, some have bad designs, and some have bad arcs. But I don’t think any of them are bad characters. Simon is just the one that I understand the most. A lot off his flaws come from the things attributed to him, like the anime stuff, which I have no idea where that comes from, he’s more of a history nut than anything else. I think those attributions have to do with the culture Dual Destinies was released in. 2019 is a different beast; understanding how closely his morality ties to his interests is a lot less (excuse the pun) black and white than it probably seemed back then.

TL;DR: Simon sits in a slightly different category of character for me than anyone else. I love all the prosecutors, lawyers, spirit mediums and magicians, yes, but some of them I just cannot get in the head-space of. A lot of it has to do with how I write, because that’s so tied to how I understand the characters of this series, but for Blackquill, it’s a little bit more than just that.

….also his hair looks sooooo fluffy. I wanna touch it.

[pinksweatergettingbetter]

// The Rotten Royals - A look at how fucked up the ‘good’ Royal Family of Spirit of Justice really is.

So having finished SOJ and having had a little time to mull it over, I gotta say that I still find a lot of the antics of the supposed “good” royal family pretty fucking fishy. 

We’ve got an emotionally insensitive king-consort, a skeevy prince and a woefully useless queen, all of whom are fiercely protected by the writers’ mouthpieces in the game.

The title is a little misleading as only one of the people mentioned actually has any royal duties, but the point here is to point out how the writers accidentally made their supposed ‘complicated heroes’ into straight up assholes. 

Each section will be prefaced by a name in case you’d rather just read one section rather than all of them (cause there’s a lot to write)

So, as promised, here’s my little analysis of the Royal Family of Spirit of Justice.

DHURKE

So let’s start off with Dhurke, shall we? Because Dhurke sucks.

Now I’m going to be as fair as I can while still maintaining my grievances. As I’ve mentioned before, I can see where they were going with Dhurke. They wanted him to be the awesome rebel leader who laughs in the face of death and danger, and who roguishly rescues the poor endangered hostages. etc.

And I can accept him as that. I can accept him as a rebel leader. What I can’t accept him as is a reliable, caring or competent father figure.

Since the points are numerous, I’ll put them in bullet form and then expound. Oh look! One bullet per shot in Dhurke’s chest. Nice!

•Dhurke provided no emotional security for either of his sons, sometimes even the exact opposite 

Early on, Apollo recounts a particular story that happened in his childhood; when he was small, he and his foster brother Nahyuta were playing by a river when the two of them fell in. Dhurke quickly rushed to their rescue and scooped them out of the water, insisting that any time they need him, they should call, and he’ll come running (a little hard to pull off for a kid with a lung full of water, but i digress). However, he also proceeds to essentially tell his two toddler aged sons to “suck it up; boys don’t cry” about nearly dying. This kind of ‘manly man’ behaviour persists for the length of his character, despite the fact that he lived in a Matriarchal society that most likely wouldn’t have those kind of roles enforced on their boys.

Later on in the case, Apollo nearly drowns again, and while Dhurke saves him a second time, the moment Apollo comes to, Dhurke proceeds to make light of the situation. One could say he was trying to lighten the mood and comfort Apollo, but the fact that he allows Datz to howl with laughter at Apollo’s expense (not to mention Trucy if I remember correctly,) proves that he doesn't see the situation as very upsetting because Apollo survived, despite what Apollo might feel on the subject. 

Dhurke also appears to Apollo right the fuck out of nowhere, without a single word of warning, after FIFTEEN years of complete radio silence. Apollo is understandably pissed off, but Dhurke makes no attempt to talk Apollo’s feelings through with him OR apologize– he simply does everything he can to play off this awful behaviour as no big deal, and even asks Apollo for a favour. When Trucy gives Dhurke the benefit of the doubt, not knowing their shared history very well (and having Daddy issues of her own), Dhurke immediately suggests Apollo marry her, apropos of nothing– implying he wants nothing more than Apollo to immediately accept him, rather than confronting the emotional issues he started in the first place. 

Apollo isn’t the only victim of this either; when Dhurke interacts with Nahyuta, both his tone of voice and sprites indicate a bewildered sort of patronizing air. He asks why Nahyuta has betrayed his cause, but doesn’t seem to show much actual betrayal or hurt on the subject. The way he treats Nahyuta while talking about his motivations and morality makes it seem like he doesn’t actually care about how Nahyuta feels or thinks– he sees him as more of a piece in his game rather than a beloved member of his family. 

This seems even harsher when we take into account the fact that Nahyuta is doing all of this against his own will– so not only does Dhurke seem completely indifferent to him, but he admonishes him like a child when Nahyuta himself is going through an incredibly difficult time. 

Dhurke doesn’t even trust his own son, not for a second wondering if perhaps there are extenuating circumstances behind his supposed betrayal, despite knowing what kind of a woman Ga’ran is. 

•Dhurke often undermined Apollo’s skills, and kept glaring secrets from him

One of Dhurke’s first orders of business on arrival to America is to give Apollo a plate of sushi and say something to the affect of “wow! you’re doing WAY better than i imagined you would be, son!” which, to someone like Apollo, must sting a lot. Dhurke does say that he believes in Apollo later on, during the trial, but considering the other evidence, it seems disingenuous, and more like he was just trying to pep him up so that he could achieve his desired result. 

Continuing a point from the previous bullet, Dhurke pops right the hell out of nowhere to visit Apollo after years of neglect. Sure, he may not have been able to leave the country, but considering the stuff he did manage to do, there was nothing stopping him from secreting letters to his son. Either way, his motivation to finally visit his son was the fact that he’d run out of time to do just that. He was DEAD, and he knew he had to see his son one last time before he went. Seems kinda sweet.... until you remember that he also went to secure Apollo’s services to help him in the final trial against Ga’ran. 

And thats what brings us to his ridiculous secret keeping– the fact that he kept his death a secret made a load of the final trial an absolute chore to get through. If he’d simply explained to Apollo that he was already dead, a lot of the contradictions in the trial would have been removed, thus making it easier to come to the truth. He actively sabotaged his son’s chances of winning to keep up a useless charade. Because whether he told him then or after, Apollo would have to live with the fact that Dhurke got himself killed before he ever managed to see Apollo again. Sure, letting Apollo believe he was alive at first might have spared him a large amount of initial angst– but in the long run it was an absolutely idiotic move. It put Apollo in deep emotional turmoil while in the middle of a very sensitive case, and directly decreased his chances at surviving the ordeal. 

One could say that Dhurke simply kept the secret so that Apollo would cooperate with him more willingly, thus giving the trial (and therefor the revolution) a better chance at succeeding... but that would simply support my point by showing that Dhurke’s a cold, calculating bastard who used Apollo as an unwitting pawn. 

Either way, his decision to keep his death a secret was deeply disrespectful to Apollo’s feelings, and his refusal to grant important information nearly killed his entire family. 

•Dhurke often put people in needless danger for absolutely no reason at all and performs insanely boneheaded moves for the supposed head of a revolution. 

Let’s start chronologically with a problem that’s been glaring at me from day one. 

Upon becoming a fugitive, Dhurke sent Apollo to America to keep him safe from the dangers in his country. This, at first, seems like a kindly move on his part. But it falls apart when you consider the fact that he kept Nahyuta with him, and the consequences it had.

His decision doesn’t work emotionally or practically, because.... 

-On the practical side, he sent Apollo away to keep him safe, but keeping Nahyuta meant putting Nahyuta through the very danger he wanted to protect Apollo from. Not only did Nahyuta risk imprisonment or death by his association with Dhurke, but he was also canonically ostracized by all members of his society and affectively made a pariah until he became Ga’ran’s right hand man. This makes Dhurke look like he considers Nahyuta his property (being his biological son) rather than a loved member of his family. Sure, sending Nahyuta away to America would leave him childless, but it would assure Nahyuta’s safety, and being with Apollo would mean he wouldn’t be alone. Practically, this would also mean Dhurke wouldn’t have to actively worry about his children’s safety while rescuing Amara and getting the revolution underway.  

-On the emotional side, he sent Apollo (his adopted son, therefor not his flesh and blood) away to a place the child knew nothing of, to grow up an orphan abandoned by his birth and adoptive parents. It’s notable that during flashbacks, Nahyuta calls Dhurke ‘father’, while Apollo simply calls him ‘Dhurke’. These two together make Dhurke look like a callous man who didn’t consider Apollo his real son, or a valid member of his society, and simply sent him away to prevent him from becoming a hindrance. 

Neither option paints him in a kind light, and it makes you wonder what was going through his head at the time. To be a little more meta on the subject; the decision makes sense to the writers, who have to shoehorn this backstory into Apollo’s established past, but they failed to realize how awful it made Dhurke look as a human being.

Now onto the next point. During the trial, Dhurke keeps numerous important secrets, mouths off at the queen and generally behaves very difficultly the whole time. This would be nothing more than an annoyance during a normal trial... except this is a trial where the DC act is in place. And Dhurke knows that.

Dhurke knows full well that if they lose, Apollo, Phoenix, and his entire rebel group (if captured) will be put to death. Yet he continues to act like a roguish piece of shit the entire time.

This makes Dhurke look almost sociopathic– he cares more about being rebellious than the safety of his own son and numerous other people. Because he’s already dead, his line of reasoning appears to be “well, i’m dead! who cares if they kill me?” which once again means that he’s completely disregarding the other lives he has on the line by putting them in this predicament in the first place. 

As mentioned above, not telling Apollo about his death put major obstacles in Apollo’s way to winning the trial, thus putting him in grave danger. If we assume that Dhurke was trying to spare Apollo’s feelings for as long as possible, you just want to shout “Apollo’s life might be a little more important than his emotions right now, Dhurke!”

This leads me to my second... third? Point.

Correct me if I’m wrong, because I’m still totally mystified on this…

Why did Dhurke take Maya back to the hostage situation? 

Dhurke rescued Maya from Inga and got himself killed (in the most idiotic and short-sighted way possible– good job o glorious rebel leader) and then asked Maya to channel him so that he could visit Apollo for the last time.

Ok, that seems all very well and good. Except... why would he take Maya back to the hostage situation he rescued her from?!

This was days after he’d saved her life, and even more importantly, he knew that he had done so. It wasn’t like with Dahlia, where she didn’t realize Maya was the one channeling her– Dhurke knew full well why he was still on earth, and who he was cruising around inside (which also makes his actions in the cave a little nasty too– being pretty careless with MAYA’s body, aren’t you, Dhurke?).

Returning Maya to the hostage situation not only put her in danger, but it also allowed Ga’ran to put forth her evil plan in the first place. It’s not clear if Dhurke knew about the plan from the beginning, but if he didn’t, there’s literally NO reason for him to make the “exchange” for a girl who isn’t there. In fact, why did Inga even think he still had a hostage? Dhurke rescued Maya days ago.  What the hell was anyone thinking?!

Let’s say this does make sense; let’s say that both sides “collaborated” for different reasons to bring this sham together so that we could have the trial of our final case (Ga’ran wanting to crush the rebels, and Dhurke wanting to crush Ga’ran).

- If Ga’ran knew Maya was already rescued, what reason would she have to assume that Dhurke would return with her, rather than taking her to safety?

-If Dhurke knew about Ga’ran’s plan, why wouldn’t he try to sabotage it and expose Ga’ran right then and there?

The entire ending of the game, including Ga’ran’s plot, seems to hinge on completely backwards actions. I really cannot fathom why Dhurke would bring Maya back to a hostage situation he’d already rescued her from. 

Granted, for this point I will say that the plot is so convoluted that I may be missing something that makes sense of it... But considering the quality of the writing, I doubt it.

The final point I will save for Amara’s section, as it concerns her. But rest assured, it is an ENORMOUS plot hole.

NAHYUTA 

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. Sad-mad indeed. Not only is Nahyuta a complete ripoff of Simon Blackquill (who in turn is a ripoff of Miles Edgeworth and Jowd) but he’s an even more unlikeable ripoff of said character.  

Right from the beginning, Nahyuta is presented as a smug, holier-than-thou douchebag who uses the excuse of “it’s my religion!” to treat people abominably. 

His accusations are shaky at best, and his reasoning seems to be less fuelled by logic and more by malice. During the two turnabouts he faces in America, Nahyuta claims the defendant would kill over incredibly trivial or easily manageable matters, and claims that he's completely right because... karma..? Yeah– his Prosecutor Power isn’t even ever explained, and rarely brought up. We know Simon is a manipulative bastard, but Nahyuta’s “karma” powers are never satisfactorily explained in any way, shape or form. 

His odious nature is amazingly difficult to deal with, and the poor attempts of Lol Foreign Guy humour they throw in barely makes up for it. Godot was an asshole, but he was charmingly eccentric and charismatic. Edgeworth was an asshole, but he showed proper logical thought in his deductions. Franziska was an asshole, but she and Edgeworth share the Von Karma excuse, as well as also being quite clever in her rebuttals. Simon was an asshole, but he had a generally good reason to keep up his nasty behaviour. 

Nahyuta? Well, he shares the same excuse– he’s trying to protect someone by acting the part of the evil prosecutor. Except... he only really has to do that while he’s under Ga’ran’s eyes, e.g., in Khura’in.

While in America, Nahyuta has NO excuse to act like such an insufferable prick. Not only does he force his religion’s dogma down others’ throats (which would be equally obnoxious if it were any other religion, say, Christianity) but he’s actively malicious for no good reason. As I’ve mentioned before, but must mention again– He directly tries to use Athena’s PTSD against her to make her unfit to act as Defence.

When we get to the reveal, Nahyuta claims he’s being blackmailed with his sister’s safety into submission by Ga’ran. However, this doesn’t explain WHY he has to act like such a terrible person. He could very well have simply acted as a devout, if civil prosecutor, doing what Ga’ran asked of him without any further malice. But let’s say he put on a horrible facade to further placate Ga’ran.

Then why does he keep up the charade while out of her line of sight? If he truly hates his situation, as he says, one would think he’d find foreign trials to be a welcome respite from his terrible, exhausting act of villainy. 

But no– he gleefully flings self-righteous abuse at foreign lawyers, while in THEIR COUNTRY, serving under THEIR LAWS. And this, combined with the fact that he only puts up a resistance to Ga’ran when Apollo already has her on the ropes makes him look like a bully who actively enjoys his power, and quickly defects to align himself with whoever is suddenly on the winning side. 

AMARA 

And at last we come to Amara, who is the least malicious and most mysterious of the three. 

Amara is held up by the people of Kura’in as a just, benevolent queen who brought them prosperity and peace. Her death is greatly mourned by her people, and much rejoicing is had when she returns to them.

But is Amara really that great? Well, considering the circumstances, no.

Amara’s excuse for siding with her villainous sister is the same as her sons; she’s scared of what will happen to Rayfa if she disobeys. 

Now, while it’s never directly stated, this is supposedly what prevented Amara from simply revealing herself to be still alive, thus dethroning her horrible sister. 

But there’s a window of time that doesn’t match up with this excuse– and that’s during her pregnancy. 

Here’s the excuse the game gives us: 

- Amara claims that she didn't trust Dhurke when he rescued her, which is why she returned to her sister’s service.

This is most likely a lie, because she says so while still under Ga’ran’s power. But if it IS a lie, it makes no sense why she wouldn’t out her sister at the nearest available moment. 

If she trusted Dhurke, it would be easy to deduce that Ga’ran was behind the initial arson. After all, the chain of events went thusly:

Amara’s house nearly burns down, but she miraculously survives. Her sister claims that Dhurke caused the blaze, and encourages Amara to fake her own death to ward of any further assassinations, meanwhile giving Ga’ran the crown. Ga’ran keeps Amara under house arrest and has her make it look like Ga’ran can channel spirits. Ga’ran puts a law in place that outlaws defence attorneys, and makes defence of criminals punishable by death.

When Dhurke convinces Amara that he didn’t set the blaze, then the only logical (or at least, deeply suspicious) culprit is Ga’ran. 

If neither Amara nor Dhurke realized this, when putting their respective stories together, they’re colossal idiots. If Amara DID realize this, then her inaction is inexplicable. And finally, if Amara really didn’t trust Dhurke... then the writers of Spirit of Justice are implying that Rayfa is a child of rape. Because I highly doubt a woman would willingly consent to sex with a man she believed tried to kill her. 

Later on, there’s a second excuse for why Amara didn’t try to challenge her sister.

- Amara was a kind soul who loved her sister, and didn’t want to hurt or mistrust her.

Well this is absolutely ridiculous. If Amara simply didn’t out her sister because she loved her, then she’s an absolute shit queen. This means that she cared more for her sister’s peace of mind than the wellbeing and safety of her own people. She was foolish enough to believe that the woman who framed her husband for murder and usurped her crown would be a fair and just ruler. And letting– LETTING her sister impose the DC act meant that she was indirectly responsible for the oppression and death of many of her people. 

Her inaction during her time on the run with Dhurke cost her country hundreds if not thousands of lives, culminating with that of her own son.

One might say that Amara might not have been safe enough from Ga’ran’s forces to reveal herself– yet, she was protected by Dhurke’s rebels, and the royal guards would most likely have still been loyal to her at that point, especially if she revealed that her sister couldn’t channel (which appears to be the only reason they follow her. what a delightful system they have in place)

Even during the time when Rayfa’s reputation (and possibly life?) is at stake, Amara makes no attempt to even try to oppose her sister. She simply sits idly by while her people suffer and die under her sister’s iron-fisted regime. Sure, it would probably be dangerous to attempt, and it would be a tragedy if Rayfa’s life was taken in the process... but compared to the hundreds of other families destroyed by the DC act and Ga’ran’s corruption, it seems like a smaller price to pay. Sometimes leaders have to make difficult decisions for the good of their people –something that is deeply impressed upon poor little Rayfa throughout the game– and Amara fails to rise to the challenge. 

So in the end, Amara’s portrayal makes her look naive and childish at best, and callous, apathetic and neglectful at worse. She is, at least, certainly not the excellent queen everyone makes her out to be.

In general, the Sahdmadhis are all kind of assholes. And what’s most depressing is that if the writers had put just a little more effort into writing them (instead of having other characters mindlessly extol their virtues), they wouldn't have been. With a few simple dialogue/story tweaks, Dhurke could have been a complicated, but ultimately sympathetic and loving father. Nahyuta could have been a deeply conflicted but ultimately virtuous person in a desperate situation. Amara could have been an intensely tragic character who tried to protect those she loved, but was ultimately rendered powerless by forces beyond her control. 

But strangely enough, it seems that all the failings the writers accidentally heaped onto these three are completely absent, or explored in depth in...

RAYFA

Little Rayfa, only fourteen years old, who has been spoiled and abused all her life, somehow manages to be a better person than all her family combined.

Once Rayfa is exposed to a different way of thinking by Phoenix as early as the third case, she begins thinking critically about her situation and actions. Despite being a child, and being raised to think a certain way and never question it on pain of... well, something horrible, Rayfa not only shows a surprising amount of compassion for her stunted moral growth, but actively defies her “mother” several times. She puts herself in a surprising amount of danger to help two people considered criminals in her country– simply because, despite her conditioning, she sees something wrong with the situation, and wishes to fix it. 

Rayfa stands tall where Nahyuta cowers, she reaches out where Dhurke pulls back, and she looks deeper where Amara looks away. 

If this were intentional on the part of the writers, it would be a deep and interesting moral. But considering the context, Rayfa is just accidentally far more heroic and sympathetic in comparison with her family.

As I said during my play-by-plays, I don’t loathe Spirit of Justice, and I think the game introduced some interesting concepts and ideas. It simply failed to play them out with any sort of competence. I don’t judge anybody for liking Dhurke, Nahyuta or Amara, but I can’t sit idly by without pointing out the piss-poor writing job the characters had. 

You can’t just write a character who makes terrible decisions, and then make them “good” just because everybody else says so. A complicated character needs effort put into their portrayal, and this effort is simply something that the SOJ writing team didn’t bother with. 

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the characters are out of luck. We’re role-players– writers! We have the power to fill in the gaps the original authors neglected or forgot. There’s hope for the royal family yet– it’s just not in the hands of Capcom.