History Fridge / AceAttorney

*** On the other hand Dhalia mananged to get phoenix basicly into the same or at least a very similar state of mind. While he was much more naive then he is as a lawer, Phoenix was a pretty normal guy at that time. So it is possible that Terry was brainwashed into killing himself by Dhalia.

* The three imperial regalia of Japan are the jewel (magatama), the sword, and the mirror. We have Phoenix Wright, an attorney who actually uses the magatama. We have Miles Edgeworth, a prosecutor whose (Western) name refers to the edge of a sword. And lastly, we have Justine Courtney, a Judge whose original name means 'water mirror'. This way, all three the regalia are represented in court.

** Also, the magatama represents benevolence, the sword valor, and the mirror wisdom. Phoenix has to be kind and benevolent to his clients to actually let him work for them and allowing to defend them, the prosecutor has to be a honorable person to do the job, and the judge has to be wise enough to decide the rightful verdict.

* While it was very heartwarming to find out that [[spoiler:Iris]] really did love [[spoiler:Phoenix]] during the time she was dating him, she did it in order to help [[spoiler:Dahlia]] get away with attempted murder and didn't explain the deception for over half a decade... even when [[spoiler:Phoenix]] was being put on trial for a different murder that was committed while the real perpetrator was preparing to murder ''him'' and would have been executed if he wasn't proven innocent. Her almost overwhelming guilt at the end is ''very'' well earned.

* The three imperial regalia of Japan are the jewel (magatama), the sword, and the mirror. We have Phoenix, an attorney who actually uses the magatama. We have Miles Edgeworth, a prosecutor whose (western) name refers to the edge of a sword. And lastly, we have Justine Courtly, a Judge whose original name means 'water mirror'. This way, all three the regalia are represented in court.

* Remember how Godot mentions [[spoiler:that he can't see the color red on white? This is not only literal, there's a deeper meaning to it. He blames Phoenix for Mia Fey's death, despite him not actually being the culprit. Now, remember who actually murdered Mia in the said case? That's right, a man by the name of Redd White.]]

** During the 4th case of Spirit of Justice, seeing Blackquill and Sahdmadhi in the same courtroom made me realize that, not only do they have opposite character designs, but they're both parallels in more ways than even that. Both have histories with Wright's two subordinates, Blackquill with Athena and Sahdmadhi with Apollo, and we eventually find out that [[spoiler: both were friends with Athena and Apollo, respectively, and both needed their old friend to save them from something by the end of the game.]] Now let's look at their designs. Blackquill wears predominantly black, has long disheveled hair, which is also black for the most part, and in general has a intimidating appearance. However, parts of his hair and outfit are white. This perfectly reflects his personality and role in the fifth game. [[spoiler: Blackquill was a prisoner and the convicted murderer of Metis Cykes, so he put on a dark, intimidating personality fit for a criminal, which is reflected in his predominately black outfit. He constantly refers to his time in prison during arguments, and he makes many intimidating threats, including slashing out at witnesses and the attorneys he's facing up against. However, the truth is he's innocent, and he made a selfless sacrifice to protect the daughter of his mentor, which shows that he's really a kind person at heart, something reflected by the streaks of white in his hair and outfit.]] Sahdmadhi, meanwhile, is predominantly clad in white, has neat white hair that has been meticulously braided, and has a calm, gentle appearance. Yet his glove [[spoiler: and the Mark of the Dragon it covers]] is black. Once again, this conveys his personality. [[spoiler: Sahdmadhi makes himself out to be a spiritual man who is loyal to the Queen of Khur'ain, placing himself on the moral and spiritual high ground in arguments and seemingly valuing his duty to the Queen more important than familial ties or his own desires. However beneath this is the same fiery revolutionary that he was under his father Dhurke, which he reveals fully when the Queen no longer has his hands tied and he's able to finally revolt against her. Both wind up being good people, swayed and manipulated along the way, but ultimately staying true to themselves in the very end, and fighting to protect the truth against those who try to obscure it for their own gain, mending their relationships with Athena and Apollo in the process, and becoming allies in the trials (both literally and figuratively) they'll face moving forwards.]]

** More like FridgeLogic, but during The Inherited Turnabout during AAI:2, von Karma's shocked sprite doesn't grip his shoulder. Of course- [[spoiler: he hasn't been shot there yet]].

* There was a missed moment of brilliance in Case 2-3. So, [[spoiler:Acro sets up an elaborate trap to kill someone without having to visually confirm where they were. Phoenix works out how the box setup was used to solve the issue of aiming. However, nobody every brings up the problem of ''timing'' when to drop the bust. How did Acro know exactly the moment that his victim's head was in the right spot? What if he had covered the top of the box in pepper? The target leans down to pick up or open the box, sneezes, Acro drops the bust. This would also have been a great moment of karmic retribution for the prank that took away his brother.]]

* The reason Phoenix and Edgeworth don't face off as much after the first game to is due in part to Edgeworth's HeelFaceTurn. Phoenix [[GoodLawyersGoodClients refuses to defend guilty clients on principle,]] and the magatama usually lets him tell when his client is hiding something [[spoiler:(Matt Engarde being the only exception so-far)]]. And post-JFA Edgeworth does his best to ensure that whoever he prosecutes is actually guilty [[spoiler:(to the point of ''defending'' those who have been accused by less scrupulous prosecutors, as in ''[=T&T=]'' and ''Investigations 2'')]]. If Edgeworth does his job right, Phoenix's defense isn't necessary.

* Ace Attorney is renowned for its [[PunnyName punny naming convention]], but with many of the recurring characters, their slightly more subtle names are very [[MeaningfulName meaningful when you look into them]], causing quite a bit of FridgeBrilliance: The Japanese names were just as, if not even more punny than their English counterparts.

* Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth as inverse RedOniBlueOni counterparts; Phoenix as the Red Oni, who jumps into things without thinking sometimes and is outwardly passionate about his job, yet wears blue- and Miles as Blue Oni, cool tempered and initially callous, but wears red. Not only reflects their difference in personality, but sets them up more strongly as rivals in the beginning [[spoiler: which later becomes something more along the lines of them being two sides of the same coin, as they begin to work together in court, especially during Matt Engarde's trial]].
** After [[spoiler:being disbarred]], Phoenix wears darker clothes, as seen in ''Apollo Justice'', representing [[spoiler:how far he seems to have fallen from the man he used to be, and how much darker and more underhand his approach and attitude is now]]. However, the hat he wears is the same bright blue shade as his old suit, and the writing the same colour as his tie, telling us that the old Phoenix is still here, just deferring to this more [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass badass]] version of himself for now. The hat is likely a gift from his daughter (it ''does'' say "Papa"), and representing Trucy as a bright spot in his life who reminds him who he's doing this for. In ''Dual Destinies'', he returns to his old colour scheme- complete with a hint of gold too represent his legendary status in the legal world, and as head of the Wright Anything Agency.
** Don't forget Trucy. She wears a similar outfit to her father Zak Gramarye and has followed in his footsteps as a magician- but she wears blue with a red scarf, much like her adopted daddy's former court wear.

** It seems slightly odd that Edgeworth doesn't wear the same colours as the von Karmas, seeing how he was mentored by Manfred, who essentially raised him to be a twisted image of everything Gregory Edgeworth stood for. However, then we have [[AceAttorneyInvestigations Ace Attorney Investigations 2]], where we play as Gregory in a flashback: his tie is the exact same colour as his son's suit in the present day, acting as a retroactive sign that Miles really was always Gregory's son at heart.

** Edgeworth wore a little light blue back in the days, also hinting at the trauma of his past, and reflecting the influence of the von Karma's. Later he stopped wearing blue, as he wants to get over it.

*** Interestingly, purple is also associated with death in Asia; reflecting how 'Fey' means 'Close to death'.
*** Morgan Fey, however, wears a black kimono with a hint of red in her sash, [[spoiler:which symbolizes her less-than-sweet intentions for her niece]]. [[spoiler:Her sister Misty, when she reappears,]] also wears black- but in this case it symbolizes [[spoiler:secrecy more than malevolence]], and has additional hints of purple, showing how much stronger her spiritual power was.
** The Gavins. Kristoph wears dusky blue, which seems to almost be a recurring theme for defence attorneys, and highlights his kinship and friendship with Phoenix, as well as his renowned 'Coolest Defence in the West' demeanour. [[spoiler:But notice that he wears a black waistcoat underneath. And it is really ''black''. Represents the terrifying, malevolent darkness he's been hiding under a benevolent smile.]] Then take his little brother, Klavier, who wears a purple jacket- a colour of decadence and pride, very suitable for a relaxed rock-star prosecutor- along with a lot of black, which screams 'arrogant rival who is not to be trusted'. [[spoiler:However, Klavier is genuinely a nice guy who wants the right verdict to be given, rather than be obsessed with winning the way Kristoph is. The fact that he wears the black more openly makes him all that much more of a {{Foil}} to his brother- [[FridgeBrilliance both of their appearances are deceptive at first glance]].]]

** More like FridgeLogic, but during The Inherited Turnabout during AAI:2, von Karma's shocked sprite doesn't grip his shoulder. Of course- [[spoiler: he hasn't been shot there yet.]]
** And where does Franziska Von Karma [[spoiler:get shot in the last case of Justice for All? The shoulder.]]

* There's a pretty neat MusicalSpoiler that is this trope: Try listening to Florent L'Belle's theme, then listen to Luke Atmey's theme. They sound rather similar, no? Well, that makes sense; they're both self-centered, SmallNameBigEgo LargeHam characters. But how about this? [[spoiler:Compare Atmey's theme to Masque*[=DeMasque=]/Ron [=DeLite=]'s theme. Atmey's theme is based on [=DeMasque=]'s, and Atmey at one point claims to be [=DeMasque=], having disguised himself thusly to provide an alibi for the murder he committed. [=DeMasque=], as played by Atmey, is a murderous thieving blackmailer who hid his identity behind a mask, a famous identity, that ''wasn't his''. What was L'Belle again? Ah, yes. A murderous blackmailer and attempted thief who hid his identity behind the famous mask of another man. Who it should be noted, is the one who actually does own the mask, which was the person they were blackmailing]]. How's ''that'' for a good case of NotSoDifferent?

** It has a second, much brighter, meaning. The sword and shield on the prosecutor's award also can represent the prosecution (the halberd), and the defence (the shield). It works great as an analogy for Edgeworth's later choices to think more like a defence attorney (and the fact that during his own games, he acts as one), as the thing representing the prosecution is gone from the prosecutor's shield. Yet he is still a prosecutor, just as the shield is still an award given to prosecutors. There's a third one, too; the two items representing the influences Edgeworth had in his life. First, the halberd representing influences like Manfred von Karma, and the shield representing people like Gregory Edgeworth or Phoenix Wright. Removing the halberd is like removing the influence of von Karma from him, allowing him to act more like his father or best friend.

* Manfred von Karma's [[spoiler: killing of Gregory Edgeworth on {{Revenge}} of his first penalty ever]] looks like an extreme case of DisproportionateRetribution, and it indeed is. However, his actions take a whole new meaning after playing the fourth case of ''Investigations 2''- the whole reason von Karma was penalized was because [[spoiler:the chief prosecutor was the one who forged evidence (von Karma was an UnwittingPawn) and wanted to cover his tracks]]. He's still guilty of forcing witnesses into giving out false confessions, but his DisproportionateRetribution is not ''as'' disproportionate following that reveal. Problem is, he unleashed it on the wrong person.

* The anime adaptation premiered in 2016...the same year that the first game is supposed to take place.

** More a fridge TearJerker, but as of ''Spirit of Justice'', Maya is now 28...and is now older than her big sister, who died at 27.

** More a fridge TearJerker, but as of ''Spirit of Justice'', Maya is now 28...and is now older than her big sister, who died at 27.