History DethroningMoment / VisualNovels

* [=AlienPatch=]: Agreed, it was infuriating, to say the least, to see Hawthorne get away technically Scott-free after all she had done. Sadly, though, this is perhaps not the worst instance of unfair endings and ineffective punishments in the series. In ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Investigations 2]]'' we get Ryouken Houinbou (or Shiran Dogen, if you prefer the unofficial translation), a [[EvilCripple blind serial killer]] who murdered around twelve people before Miles Edgeworth put an end to his career. In the past games, like ''Trials'', we have seen people get sent to the death row for much less than what he did. However, here not only he merely got a life sentence, and has been in prison for quite some time without his life being at risk, [[spoiler: as we find out later, he basically gets anything that he wants whenever he wants it, his dog is free to roam the place, has warden Miwa under pressure, and has many secret allies and henchmen who help him rule the place behind bars.]] Even worse, at the very end of the game [[spoiler: he escaped from prison and appeared in time to save Souta from being gutted by Shelly De Killer, which means, if he wanted, he could have gotten out and resume his killing spree, or merely disappeared without a trace, at any time he pleased. In the end, he ended up returning to prison with Souta, but Dogen refers to it much less as a punishment, and more like "going back home"]]. All this proves that:

** [=DevNameless=} I honestly had to debate with myself whether this was a good fit for the DMOS page as while it's definitely something that happened in-universe, I worry it's a little meta as it only happens in the localization. Still, I think it deserves a DMOS specifically because of the fact it's not one of the only major hiccups in what I consider a pretty stellar series localization, but it has done some serious damage to how people discuss my favorite prosecutor in the series. The moment, specifically, is when Godot goes on a misogynistic rant towards Franziska in the English version of ''Bridge to the Turnabout''. I think it subtracts from the moment as a whole, as it was just meant to show the fact he isn't intimidated by how Franziska acts, but the decision to make him come off as prejudiced just feels like a slap in the face to me. To this day, I dislike how it's affected perceptions of a character I really love, and "Godot is Sexist" is perhaps the one argument in particular I will never accept when it comes to people who aren't into him.

* Trialman: Spirit of Justice was a great addition to the Ace Attorney line-up, with some really compelling cases. However, the 4th case, while having a great set-up, and progressing quite well, ended up pissing me off with it's so-called SympatheticMurderer. To put it simply, [[spoiler:Geiru]] was intended to get revenge on the victim, solely because he chose a different successor. At the time, the victim was making noodles, which [[spoiler:she assumed to be a type she was allergic to. As a result, she decided he must be snubbing her, rather than maybe making himself a meal, or even that he was making a different type(Which is what he was doing, as a way of telling her she can still make it in life, following her own path). Then she killed him, and tampered with the crime scene to frame the victim's chosen successor, specifically implicating a SplitPersonality who [[WhatAnIdiot believed himself to be 5 years old]].]] So she intended to get revenge on him, and ended up killing him in a fit of rage, attempted to frame [[spoiler:someone who is a mentally a child]] and we're meant to feel sorry for her? Sorry, writers, but I don't consider this a sympathetic motive, or line of action, in the slightest.

* [=Jaydude=]: A certain scene near the end of the third case of ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Ace Attorney: Justice For All]]''. Phoenix has proven the identity of the true killer, and Franziska learns that her ordering a search of the killer's room played a big part in helping him catch them. Her reaction upon learning this? Banging her bench and calling herself an idiot for ordering a search. Yes, she's angry that her actions led to the conviction of the true killer, rather than the man she put on trial. She's furious that an innocent man wasn't punished for a murder he didn't commit, because the only thing that mattered to her was beating Phoenix in court, regardless of the consequences of her actions. To me, this is the point where Franziska crossed the MoralEventHorizon, and with her total lack of remorse for her actions in the next games of the series, she's pretty much been a DesignatedHero ever since.
* [=InTheGallbladder=]: I loved ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations,'' but there's one aspect of the game that still irks me even now: Near the end of "Bridge To The Turnabout" we find that Dahlia Hawthorne [[spoiler:is being channeled]]. As even the case itself shows, this turns [[spoiler:her execution]] into an extreme case of [[spoiler:MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll]]. It also marks the point where the game wrote itself into a corner, as illustrated by her final fate--[[spoiler:condemnation to the eternal agony of being herself]]. In short, since Dahlia's [[spoiler:{{death is cheap}}]] (a noteworthy exception to the rule), and there's nothing worse that can be done, she's a KarmaHoudini as of "Bridge..." and could never have been anything but. Given everything she did in ''Trials,'' this is unacceptable.

* [=InTheGallbladder=]: I loved ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney: Trials and Tribulations,'' but there's one aspect of the game that still irks me even now: Near the end of "Bridge To The Turnabout" we find that Dahlia Hawthorne [[spoiler:is being channeled]]. As even the case itself shows, this turns [[spoiler:her execution]] into an extreme case of [[spoiler:MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll]]. It also marks the point where the game wrote itself into a corner, as illustrated by her final fate--[[spoiler:condemnation to the eternal agony of being herself]]. In short, since Dahlia's [[spoiler:{{death is cheap}}]] (a noteworthy exception to the rule), and there's nothing worse that can be done, she's a KarmaHoudini as of "Bridge..." and could never have been anything but. Given everything she did in ''Trials,'' this is unacceptable.

* Tropers/MasterN: ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}: Liberation Day'' in general was a rather disappointing title when it first came out, with a whole slew of issues ranging from bugs to story direction, but the biggest disappointment has to be the ending. Basically, just when it looked like the Prototypes were defeated for good, they stage a FalseFlagOperation on the Liberation Day celebration, causing the Alliance and PACT to break off the peace they were finally working towards, the crew is [[BreakingTheFellowship forced to split up]], the titular ship is destroyed, Chigara is battling Alice for control over the Prototypes, and now a new threat arrives in the form of Crow and the Ryuvian Fleet. So what was billed as the big conclusion to the series turns out to be a giant {{cliffhanger}} where [[ShaggyDogStory everything the heroes accomplished is undone in a manner of minutes]]. Thank GOD that the ''[RE]turn'' DLC {{Cosmic Retcon}}s this in favor of a more satisfying ending (that [[SequelHook still leaves some threads open]] without destroying the heroes' accomplishments).

* Tropers/MasterN: The ending to ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}: Liberation Day''. Basically, just when it looked like the Prototypes were defeated for good, they stage a FalseFlagOperation on the Liberation Day celebration, causing the Alliance and PACT to break off the peace they were finally working towards, the crew is [[BreakingTheFellowship forced to split up]], the titular ship is destroyed, Chigara is battling Alice for control over the Prototypes, and now a new threat arrives in the form of Crow and the Ryuvian Fleet. So what was billed as the big conclusion to the series turns out to be a giant {{cliffhanger}} where [[ShaggyDogStory everything the heroes accomplished is undone in a manner of minutes]]. Thank GOD that the ''[RE]turn'' DLC {{Cosmic Retcon}}s this in favor of a more satisfying ending (that [[SequelHook still leaves some threads open]] without destroying the heroes' accomplishments).

** And then you realize: What about all the extremely wealthy and powerful people Phoenix and Edgeworth sent to prison? If a [[DisabilitySuperpower blind yet highly dangerous guy like Dogen]] could have avoided capital punishment and make prison more his home and turf than a penalty, [[FridgeHorror what could people like, say, Redd White or Matt Engarde, who had money, connections and influence, do inside prison? And what punishments did befall on them, for that matter? Did they, after all they did, got merely sent to jail and not executed for all they did?]]

* HarleyQuinnIsGreat: In one section of case 5 of ''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'', the testimony reads 'The man raised up his knife, and... and stabbed Mr. Marshall in the chest...!'. You possess an autopsy report stating that he was 'Stabbed in the back'. Presenting it here will get you a penalty.