%%
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%%
[[WMG:[[center: [- ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' '''YMMV pages'''\\
'''Franchise as a whole'''\\
Mainline entries:\\
''YMMV/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' | ''[[YMMV/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll Justice for All]]'' | ''[[YMMV/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations Trials and Tribulations]]'' | ''YMMV/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' | ''[[YMMV/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]'' | ''[[YMMV/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]''\\
Spin-offs:\\
''YMMV/{{Ace Attorney Investigations|MilesEdgeworth}}'' | ''YMMV/GyakutenKenji2'' | ''YMMV/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' | ''YMMV/TheGreatAceAttorney''\\
Other media:\\
[[YMMV/AceAttorney2012 The 2012 film]] | [[YMMV/AceAttorney2016 The anime]]]]-]]]

This page is for the entire ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series and its supplementary material.

!!YMMV items with their own subpage:
[[index]]
* [[AndTheFandomRejoiced/AceAttorney And the Fandom Rejoiced]]
* [[AwesomeBosses/AceAttorney Awesome Bosses]]
* [[BaseBreakingCharacter/AceAttorney Base-Breaking Character]]
* [[CommonKnowledge/AceAttorney Common Knowledge]]
* [[Monster/AceAttorney Complete Monster]]
* [[DieForOurShip/AceAttorney Die for Our Ship]]
* [[EnsembleDarkHorse/AceAttorney Ensemble Dark Horse]]
* [[Fanon/AceAttorney Fanon]]
* [[Memes/AceAttorney Memetic Mutation]]
* [[TheScrappy/AceAttorney The Scrappy]]
* [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic/AceAttorney Unintentionally Unsympathetic]]
* [[Woobie/AceAttorney The Woobie]]
[[/index]]
----
* AccidentalAesop:
** Don't judge people by who their relatives are. There can be black sheep and white sheep in every family.
** Don't {{Bowdlerise}} the world to children, hiding the harsh truths from them: they need to know how the world works to make good decisions and understand the consequences of their choices. In the case of Regina Berry, [[spoiler:this led to her causing an accident that left a guy in coma and another permanently crippled, and being completely unapologetic, not out of malice but because she wasn't able to understand the harm she had done]]. In the case of Pearl Fey, [[spoiler:this led her to go along her mother's plan to murder Maya, who Pearl clearly adores, because (having never been told of Morgan's previous attempt to frame Maya) she believed her mother to be a good person and thought said plan to be in Maya's benefit]].
** Being a "prodigy" is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be and can lead to problems in its own right. Both Miles Edgeworth and Klavier Gavin gain reputations for being geniuses, with Edgeworth becoming a prosecutor at age twenty and Klavier at seventeen. And while they are skilled at their jobs, both of them wind up messing up ''big time'' early in their careers thanks in large part to being manipulated by older, more experienced people:
*** One of Edgeworth's first big cases was the SL-9 Incident, in which he successfully convicted Joe Darke for the murder of Neil Marshall. [[spoiler:While Darke did indeed kill people, he wasn't Marshall's killer, and unbeknownst to Edgeworth, the evidence had been forged by the real murderer, Damon Gant.]]
*** Klavier's first trial ended with him [[spoiler:accusing Phoenix Wright of forging evidence, effectively destroying Phoenix's career. Seven years later, Klavier discovered that the evidence was actually forged by his own brother]].
* AccidentalInnuendo:
** ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations Trials and Tribulations]]'':
*** Due to a typo in Case 3-2, Mia says "Your Honor. When you were ''in'' a child, this is what was on your report card every year."
*** Assuming it's not an intentional innuendo (unlikely due to [[{{Narm}} it coming up during serious moments]]), everything about the "weenies" (as in sausages) in Case 3-3. Made worse by the fact that they're supposedly a symbol of [[ADickInName Dick]] Gumshoe's love for Maggey Byrde.
*** In 3-5, you can get Gumshoe to admit he wants to stick his pen in Phoenix's face.
** ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'':
*** This line in Case 4-3:
---->'''Apollo:''' Lamiroir, fingering Daryan Crescend. Not only is he a guitarist, he's a detective!
*** Apollo trying to butter Ema up into doing forensics with him in 4-4 sounds a ''bit'' too much like a [[DoYouWantToCopulate sex request]].
---->'''Apollo:''' What is it we always do... scientifically?\\
'''Ema:''' Ah, you know me too well! OK...\\
'''Apollo:''' OK... meaning we can get erm, scientific now?\\
'''Ema:''' Oh, I suppose. Just this once!
*** This line from the MASON System in 4-4, when Phoenix presents [[spoiler:Apollo]] to Zak Gramarye to break his Psyche-Locks:
---->'''Zak:''' You can show me pictures of strange boys all you like.
** ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]'': The ending movie of Case 3 has [[spoiler:Juniper smiling happy and blushing at the sight of Apollo, while she's cosplaying as Lamiroir. It's quite an [[ShipTease adorable moment]] between them, but if you've completed ''VisualNovel/{{Apollo Justice|Ace Attorney}}'' [[labelnote:(spoilers for that game)]]and you know that Lamiroir is Apollo's mother[[/labelnote]], then you may see this scene in a slightly squickier light...]] The fact that the ''[[WordOfGod Gyakuten Saiban 5 Official Visual Book]]'' says that [[spoiler:Juniper may have "scored a few points in [Apollo's] book" thanks to her dressing up as his mother]] doesn't help lessen the {{Squick}} either.
** ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Spirit of Justice]]'': The phrasing leading up to the forensics investigation in 6-2 sounds a bit like Ema offering herself up for an [[APartyAlsoKnownAsAnOrgy orgy]].
--->'''Ema:''' Would you like to partake in my delicious dessert? I don't mind sharing.\\
'''Athena:''' Oh, yes, please! There's always room for dessert, right?!\\
'''Apollo:''' All right... I guess I'll join you two.
* {{Adorkable}}:
** Apollo. While Phoenix pretty much resigns himself to be the punching bag of others, Apollo tries his hardest to be taken seriously, only to look ridiculous as a result. Also, his childhood dream was to become a ''lawyer'' which he still treats with boyish enthusiasm into his twenties.
** Athena. When you fangirl over an ''aquarium'' and show persistence in trying to get a ''penguin's'' attention, you know you're this. This is also exemplified with her portrait where she's stroking her ponytail with both hands while having an "Awww, shucks!" face.
** Ema. During "Rise from the Ashes", she often says things that aren't actually scientifically valid but blissfully plods on, even though Phoenix monologues that she's not on the right track. She also accidentally insults Edgeworth a few times, only to realize her goof after the fact.
** Adrian Andrews, due to being extremely intelligent and ''very'' clumsy, especially in ''Trials and Tribulations''. Her dependency can also put her here.
* AlternateSelfShipping:
** There's fanart of crossovers between [[MirrorUniverse the US and Japanese counterparts]]. Phoenix (US) seems to be always portrayed as enjoying Ryuichi's (JPN) company [[HoYay a little too much]].
** [[BunnyEarsLawyer Phoenix]], [[OlderAndWiser Hobo Phoenix]] and [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Feenie]] get shipped together. Sometimes they also throw [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Kid Nick]] into the mix.
** There's Edgeworth/[[FanNickname Bratsworth]] (Edgeworth's 20-year-old self seen in a flashback) and [[GenkiGirl Younger Ema]]/[[TookALevelInJerkass Older Ema]].
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Maya rarely, if ever, seems to suffer lasting anguish from the deaths of close family members. Is this because she knows there's an afterlife and is able to channel them? Or do these deaths [[StepfordSmiler affect her more than she lets on]], with her just putting on a brave face?
* AluminumChristmasTrees: Many Western fans are surprised to learn that attorney lapel pins [[https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2015/02/23/issues/badges-honor-japans-legal-lapel-pins-really-mean/ are real in Japan]] and not invented for the games.
* AmericansHateTingle:
** Wendy Oldbag is one of the most popular characters of the series in the franchise's home country, Japan. This netted her reappearances in later games. In America however, not so much.
** Larry Butz tends to be very popular in Japan and has consistently ranked high on Japanese character popularity polls. By contrast, in the Western fandom, Larry is far more [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]], with many fans either liking him or finding him to be an unlikable and creepy {{Jerkass}}.
* AngstWhatAngst: A common criticism of the series. In general, people tend to rapidly get over the shock of encountering bodies that have suffered rather violent murders.
* ArcFatigue: Most likely the reason [[TheArtifact 3-Day Trials]] stopped showing up after the first game. This also allowed trials, which are the meat of the games, to be longer and more elaborate (the first game often had entire trial days dedicated solely to one witness. A rarity in later games).
* BetterAsALetsPlay: Many people enjoy watching other people play the games instead of going through them themselves, both because many people who LetsPlay the game do their own fun voice acting, and because it's hilarious to watch them mess up by [[YouShouldntKnowThisAlready figuring out the case too quickly and presenting evidence before the game catches up to it]]. It also allows the audience to enjoy specific cases that are infamous for a ScrappyMechanic or ThatOnePuzzle without having to put up with it themselves (and perhaps even laughing at the player's frustration).
* BrokenBase: ''Ace Attorney'''s fanbase has become steadily more broken ever since ''{{VisualNovel/Apollo Justice|Ace Attorney}}'' was announced. Popular topics of "discussion" include:
** Whether or not the series should've kept Phoenix as the main character ([[CreatorBacklash something even Shu Takumi has mixed feelings about]]). Some feel like he already had a perfectly good character arc across the original trilogy and ought to have been completely retired afterward, while others see him as too iconic to dispose of and feel that any other main character [[ReplacementScrappy would fall short of his greatness.]]
** Whether the post-original trilogy development of certain characters was good or bad, ''especially'' Phoenix as stated above.
** Whether the series should've kept going after Takumi's original trilogy, and if any of the games made afterwards are up to par with those first three, if not better than them.
** The agency's treatment of Apollo is one. Are they just teasing and messing with him out of love? Or is it just mean-spirited bullying that grows tasteless game after game?
* CatharsisFactor:
** Watching those smug bastards you've successfully proven to be guilty break down in the courtroom is always satisfying. Of note is case 2-4, where [[spoiler:you get to choose whether to plead guilty like Engarde deserves, ''or'' plead not guilty knowing that he'll choose prison over being assassinated the moment he's out of custody]].
** While Larry Butz is not evil, he's also known for giving everyone investigating a hard time with his obsessions over his latest girlfriend or whatever, resulting in evidence that doesn't seem to get the case anywhere. So watching Franziska whip him unconscious in case 3-5 and I-5 can be pretty refreshing especially since it's someone besides the player attorney/prosecutor getting whipped this time. I-5 in particular has a cutscene of Franziska doing this as the ''generic "sorry, presenting this evidence isn't helpful" response'', and even in-universe Edgeworth says in his internal monologue that he feels catharsis in watching this.
* TheChrisCarterEffect: While the series as a whole isn't guilty of this, fans have felt this way in regards to the character of Apollo Justice. His first game had a pretty cut-and-dry display of his backstory, but starting with ''Dual Destinies'', the games started giving Apollo a heaping amount of new backstories that either feel farfetched when trying to apply it to what's already been said about him, or [[{{Retcon}} outright contradicts]] what his initial backstory said about him. Because his backstory is so needlessly inconsistent, many fans have stopped caring about it and wish for Capcom to just stop adding new backstories to Apollo.
* CreepyAwesome: The Blue Badger, especially when it turns psycho in ''Investigations''.
* DifficultySpike: Edgeworth represents one in every game he appears on the prosecutor's bench. 1-2 being the first case that isn't a tutorial, and being the last prosecutor in ''Justice for All'' and ''Dual Destinies'' comes with a massive increase in the complexity of the logic puzzles. He's also significantly better in ''Spirit of Justice'' than the other two prosecutors in the main story at shooting down Phoenix's defenses, despite the DLC case being overall easier.
* DesignatedVillain: Winston Payne. Unlike practically every other prosecutor in the series (with the obvious exceptions of Klavier and post HeelFaceTurn Edgeworth), he ''never'' uses ''any'' dirty tactics in court, to say nothing of not assaulting the defense with whips or cups of coffee like Franziska and Godot, or bullying witnesses like his brother Gaspen. Winston is just doing his job, and has even been known to defend witnesses at certain points. The only thing that you can really hold against him is the fact that he is smug and sometimes enjoys taunting the defense attorneys that face him.
* FanNickname:
** Phoenix in ''Apollo Justice'' is [=HoboPhoenix=], Naruhobo, or Hobonix, due to undergoing a wardrobe change that fans have compared to a homeless man.
** Daryan Crescend is "Dickhead" due to his UnfortunateCharacterDesign kinda making his head look like...
** 20-year-old Edgeworth, with the more elaborate jacket, is "Bratworth".
** The country the game takes place in is called "Japanifornia", especially as later installments have made it ''really hard'' for the localization team to come up with {{Hand Wave}}s as to why these increasingly Japanese characters and settings are [[ThinlyVeiledDubCountryChange actually totally in Los Angeles]].
** While the individual trials within each game are officially referred to as separate "episodes", fans have taken to calling them "cases" instead. For example, "Turnabout Sisters" is officially "episode 2" of the first game, but fans typically call it "case 2". Numbers stylized in the same way the ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'' stages are formatted are also common (i.e "2-4" for ''Farewell, My Turnabout'' as being the fourth case of the second game).
* FandomSpecificPlot:
** [[RoleSwapAU Switching]] Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth's roles as defense attorney and prosecutor respectively is a popular concept that is frequently explored in fanworks.
** A rather popular storyline for both fanfic writers and Phoenix/[[spoiler:Iris]] shippers is [[HappilyAdopted Trucy]] [[spoiler:meeting [[ImpliedLoveInterest Iris]]]], and seeing the direction Phoenix and [[spoiler:Iris]]' relationship would take upon the latter finding out that Phoenix has a daughter.
** Having some of the killers meet in prison. These tend to most commonly involve [[spoiler: Godot or Kristoph Gavin]].
* FanonDiscontinuity: The mainline titles post-''Trials and Tribulations'' all get this to some extent.
** A number of fans who hate ''Apollo Justice'' prefer to ignore the game's events, due to the concept of [[HappyEndingOverride Phoenix getting disbarred for 7 years]]. It helps that the game's events would be quietly swept under the rug in ''Dual Destinies'' and ''Spirit of Justice'', making this easy to do.
** Some fans tend to ignore ''Dual Destinies'' and ''Spirit of Justice'' for a variety of reasons both story and character related, but primarily due to the [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight lack of involvement]] from series creator Creator/ShuTakumi.
* FirstInstallmentWins:
** There's a reason why many people call the entire franchise "Phoenix Wright" instead of ''Ace Attorney''. The first game's title (''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'') contributes a lot to this. Additionally, the most popular lawyer-assistant duo is Phoenix and Maya, and as great as Franziska and Godot are, most fans greatly prefer to see Phoenix and Edgeworth duke it out in court.
** To an extent, the Original Trilogy as a whole could be considered this. While the later games undeniably have their share of fans, most of them are [[ContestedSequel incredibly divisive]] and even many who like the later games can agree that they just don't hold up to the original trilogy. Capcom themselves generally pay a lot more attention to the first three games as well, given that they have been ported [[PortOverdosed to a wide number of systems]], on top of getting the most focus in marketing and crossovers. Furthermore, adaptations, such as [[Film/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney the live action film]], the stage plays and the [[Anime/AceAttorney2016 anime]] tend to only adapt the trilogy or use elements from the trilogy (or in the case of the live action film, the first game), while the rest of the series is left ignored in comparison.
*** In a more meta sense, the post-trilogy games themselves end up making the Original Trilogy this trope by not straying far away from its elements. In the case of ''Ace Attorney Investigations'' (spin-off series), there's multiple times where you more or less ''need'' to know what happened in the Trilogy to understand/fully enjoy the story, especially with concepts such as [[spoiler:Edgeworth solving the case that led to the DL-6 Incident]]. And for the Apollo Justice Trilogy, the fifth and sixth games made efforts to ignore the developments from ''Apollo Justice'' and bring back Phoenix to his original trilogy personality, while also adding in characters, references and callbacks to the original trilogy - to the point that both have been accused of PanderingToTheBase.
* FoeYayShipping:
** Edgeworth and Phoenix. Phoenix becomes a defense attorney to reach out to and save Edgeworth, then later feels personally betrayed after Edgeworth's disappearance for much of the second game. After Edgeworth's HeelFaceTurn, relations between the two improve, but they're still rivals in court. It's not hard to understand what the shippers see in these two.
** Edgeworth and Franziska to an extent, though AAI clarifies this into being a competitive sibling relationship.
* FranchiseOriginalSin: The fact that the games generally don't reference previous games has caused problems in later installments, but it began as early as the Phoenix Wright trilogy, in which the fact that Miles Edgeworth's mentor is a murderer who killed Miles' father is never mentioned in the second and third games. Back then, it didn't cause all that many problems due to the relatively simple stories and the fact that the significance of the twists was made clear; for example, it was clear that Edgeworth rejected von Karma's ways by the time of his return in the second game. In later games, the refusal to spoil plot twists causes various plotlines to be dropped without explanation, characters who ''should'' logically be important never making additional appearances, and important events to never be spoken of again even when they should inspire obvious comparisons to current events.
* FriendlyFandoms: There's an overlap between ''Ace Attorney'' fans and ''Film/LegallyBlonde'' fans, largely due to the similarities between the main characters -- Phoenix and Elle both being highly competent [[BunnyEarsLawyer (though eccentric)]] lawyers who went to law school in the first place to chase after a boy. And of course, a number of fans love to apply "Gay or European?" from the latter's musical adaptation to Phoenix and Edgeworth.
* GrowingTheBeard: The first game was a little rough around the edges in some aspects, and ''Justice for All'' had a few glaring issues which have caused many to see it as a SophomoreSlump. ''Trials & Tribulations'', however, ironed out all the issues of the first two games and is still near-universally seen as the pinnacle of the series, with almost all the games that followed tending to somehow copy its story structure.
* HarsherInHindsight: The Dark Age of the Law. Over [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney the]] [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll first]] [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations five]] [[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth games]] timeline-wise, [[spoiler:Damon Gant was arrested and the police department's reformed]], [[spoiler:Phoenix set a standard for attorneys to have genuine trust with their clients after getting Matt Engarde arrested]], [[spoiler:a decade-long feud between the Feys, the Hawthornes, and the Armandos was put to rest]], and most importantly, [[spoiler:Edgeworth got Blaise Debeste incarcerated to put a stop to corruption among prosecutors]]. However, these major accomplishments, especially the second and fourth ones in the way of attorneys and prosecutors, would end up being AllForNothing, as [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin getting Vera Misham to forge a diary page that [[VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney would get Phoenix disbarred]]]] ruined the reputation of defense attorneys, while [[spoiler:[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Simon Blackquill getting framed]] for the murder of Metis Cykes]] ruined the reputation of prosecutors. It speaks volumes to how much these past efforts were undone when [[spoiler:it takes Edgeworth 6 years to become Chief Prosecutor, and even ''that'' doesn't put an end to the ruined reputation of the legal system]].
* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
** Throughout the series, you can present your Attorney's Badge at different points during a case to get unique reactions and dialogue from various characters, many of which are funny, which led to [[MemeticMutation lawyers presenting their badges to everyone they meet becoming a meme in the fanbase]]. However, at the beginning of the second case of ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritofJustice Spirit of Justice]]'', you actually ''have to'' present your badge to Trucy, upon which Apollo reminds her that she can trust him with anything [[UndyingLoyalty because he will always believe in her]]. And then, in that same game's third case, Phoenix has a Psyche-Lock puzzle against Datz Are'bal, with the final lock being broken by proving that like Datz's Defiant Dragons armband, Phoenix presents his Attorney's Badge as something he believes in alongside his clients.
** Phoenix is responsible for stopping Manfred von Karma, and kickstarting both Edgeworth's (his adoptive son) and Franziska's (his biological daughter) redemptions. ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' explains that an apprentice of the Asogi clan ended up taking the name of their family sword, "Karuma", as their surname. In the original Japanese version, the "von Karma" family name is, precisely, "Karuma". After Kazuma [[spoiler:seemingly]] dies, the one who takes the sword is Ryunosuke Naruhodo... Phoenix's ancestor, who ends up solving a conspiracy that involved the Asogi family and cleared their names. This makes Phoenix's influence at the von Karma family's HeelFaceTurn the continuation of his ancestor's work.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Throughout case 1-5, the detective working on the computer in the background of the police station can be overheard writing a [[StylisticSuck rather awful]] mystery novel. One of his twists involves the use of a tape recorder, which he's particularly proud of because "[[TechnologyMarchesOn no one would expect it in this day and age!]]" Eight years later, an audio tape was used with a straight face as a critical clue in case 5-3. And the fourth case of ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Investigations]]'' involves falsified evidence with the use of [[spoiler:a VCR]].
** At one point in 1-5, [[spoiler:Lana Skye]] says the line "Contradictions? In my testimony?". You're forgiven if you expected Phoenix to reply with [[MemeticMutation "It's more likely than you think."]]
** In Case 3-1, Grossberg says that his hemorrhoids were doing the Harlem Shake (from 1981). Case 3-1 is set in April 2013, just two months after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Shake_(meme) the Harlem Shake internet meme]] started. Keep in mind that the game came out ''years'' before this.
** Phoenix's anime voice actor, Creator/YuukiKaji, is also playing [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Koichi Hirose]] during the Spring 2016 anime court. Both characters end up getting wrapped up in murder cases, and are prone to screaming and sweating dramatically at the sight of them.
** In Case 1-4, there's the infamous scene where Phoenix [[spoiler: cross-examines a parrot]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzohMPj8QA8 Guess what happened later in real life?]] To make this even better, this news report happened in 2016, ''the year that the first game takes place in canon''.
** In case 2-2, Phoenix reacts with shock when Ini asks if Pearl is his daughter -- "how old do you think I am?" Two years later, Phoenix adopts Trucy, who is of a similar age to Pearl, and Apollo assumes that Phoenix was a young father.
** It's also hard to ignore the fact that Godot is voiced by ''Creator/HiroakiHirata'', the same guy who voiced Kotetsu T. Kaburagi in ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', whose civilian appearance is nearly identical to Godot's, minus the visor of course.
* HoYay: See [[HoYay/AceAttorney this page]].
* IconicCharacterForgottenTitle: The series as a whole is often referred to as ''Phoenix Wright'' instead of the actual title, ''Ace Attorney'', even when referring to games in which Phoenix isn't the protagonist or doesn't even show up. This is actually a bit of a [[JustifiedTrope justified]] example, as the series ''was'' originally going to be titled ''Phoenix Wright'' in the west, with ''Ace Attorney'' just being the subtitle of the first game. This was changed when it became obvious that Phoenix wouldn't be the main protagonist of the fourth game.
* IKnewIt:
** The fandom were correct in assuming that [[spoiler:Ema's button was a spycamera]] and that [[spoiler:Edgeworth is secretly a big fan of the Steel Samurai]].
** [[spoiler:When the flashback case featuring Gregory Edgeworth was announced to involve Manfred von Karma, people began [[{{Pun}} suspecting]] that this was the case that led to von Karma's penalty, and by extension the DL-6 incident that basically sparked all the events of the series.]]
** When the first details of ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]'' at TGS, some people guessed that [[spoiler:Apollo was related somehow to the courtroom bombing that was the focus of the game's first case. Fast forward to March 2013, when the first images of injured Apollo showed up. Fully confirmed a month later, when a playthrough of the updated demo outright stated that Apollo was protecting someone from the debris produced by the explosion.]]
** Someone on this very site's WMG page managed to predict that [[spoiler:Bobby Fulbright]] in ''Dual Destinies'' was [[spoiler:the real killer in the case in which Blackquill was convicted of murder. It's a little more complicated than that, though.]]
** Janet Hsu, a member of Capcom's localization department, [[http://www.capcom-unity.com/zeroobjections/blog/2014/10/31/ace-attorney-trilogy---surprising-tidbits-you-never-knew confirmed on her blog]] the widespread theory that Klavier Gavin isn't actually German, though she says he did study in Germany for a while.
** When the first details of the [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice 6th game]] came out, people were saying Maya Fey has to be in this one, given the heavy emphasis on spirit mediums since ''Trials and Tribulations''. Lo and behold, the March 2016 update reveals that she's a major character, and will again assist Phoenix at the defense bench.
* IronWoobie:
** Maya Fey: Her sister got murdered, has been accused of murder multiple times, got [[spoiler:kidnapped]] in ''Justice for All'' and ''Spirit of Justice'', saw the [[spoiler:murder of her mother in front of her very own eyes]] in ''Trials and Tribulations'' and yet, despite all of this, she continues to smile through and remain a cheerful GenkiGirl. This is even acknowledged InUniverse by Franziska near the end of 3-5, who expresses shock by how Maya can be so chipper despite having gone through so much.
** Maggey Byrde, who fell from the ninth story of a building when 6 months old, has been hit by multiple vehicles, gets accused of murder three times over the course of the series- the first time she's accused of her boyfriend's murder and the second time she's convicted before Phoenix overturns the conviction- ([[BornUnlucky and that's not even covering half the things that have happened to her]]) but does not give up, and remains plucky and optimistic throughout.
** Phoenix Wright had his beloved mentor die, was framed for murder twice, [[spoiler:nearly killed by the woman he loved]], abused by nearly every single prosecutor and witness, is never in the Judge's favor, almost never gets a thank you from his clients, was bullied in school, and let's not get started on what he goes through in ''Apollo Justice''. This [[BreakTheCutie cutie]] has been broken by then [[spoiler:-- even to the point of arguably overlapping with JerkassWoobie via his consequent UnscrupulousHero actions in retaliation against the one responsible]].
** Pearl Fey during Case 3-5. Despite her doubts about her powers and fear over Maya's safety, she still manages to ShutUpHannibal at Franziska and makes Phoenix present solid evidence before her last psyche-lock breaks. Pearly is tough as nails.
* ItsTheSameNowItSucks:
** ''Justice For All'' and ''Trials and Tribulations'' both occasionally receive flak from some critics and fans for not doing much new with the formula established in the first game outside of some tweaks and the psyche-locks in investigation segments. While the unique characters and compelling stories more than make for it, even fans who adore them have admitted to feeling fatigued when playing the trilogy back to back, due to how little the core gameplay changes between games.
** A common critique aimed at the franchise was how they tend to be overly reliant on murder cases at the expense of exploring other crimes. Even if the murders are creative enough to keep things interesting, some fans have admitted to become tired by how ''every'' case tends to resolve around murder, even in cases that didn't start out as such (such as Case 3-2 and Case 5-1).
** A common criticism aimed at the mainline 3DS entries was how little the returning trilogy characters change despite the large TimeSkip between the original games and ''Apollo Justice'', with Maya and Pearl receiving the most flak for being mostly unchanged from how they were depicted and portrayed in the trilogy, despite them being far older than in the DS games. Phoenix also gets flak from some for suddenly going back to his trilogy characterization instead of building upon the cynical chessmaster characterization he gained in ''Apollo Justice''. Ironically though, this was done in response to ''Apollo Justice'', which was criticized at the time for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks changing the pre-existing characters too much]]. To be fair to the developers, a large part of this is due to Creator/{{Capcom}} [[ExecutiveMeddling vetoing the team's more ambitious ideas in an desire to play things safe]].
* JerkassDissonance: Miles Edgeworth owes his popularity to this trope. He was originally conceived as a character who was still tragic, but thoroughly unlikable. However, the tragedy of his backstory combined with his polished, suave demeanor and generally awesome moments in court endeared him to the fans. In response to this, the second and third games gave him CharacterDevelopment away from being a {{Jerkass}} and the rest is history.
* JerkassWoobie: Franziska Von Karma, despite appearing to be a [[DressedLikeADominatrix dominatrix]] figure who has complete control over everyone around her, is anything ''but'' in control. From a young age, she was taught by her father, [[AmoralAttorney Manfred Von Karma]], that being a von Karma entails [[ThePerfectionist absolute perfection]], that [[AllCrimesAreEqual all defendants are guilty]] regardless of whether they did or didn't commit the crime, and that everyone will submit to her if she beats them senselessly into submission. She took all of these values to heart, being none the wiser for her age, and became a ChildProdigy of a prosecutor, but Franziska grew to have an unhealthy InferioritySuperiorityComplex due to the fact that von Karma [[ParentalNeglect paid absolutely no attention to her]], instead focusing his efforts on raising Miles Edgeworth into an equally relentless prosecutor, who she saw as better than her in every way and wanted to one-up no matter what the cost. Following von Karma's incarceration and Edgeworth's RedemptionQuest masqueraded as suicide, Franziska became mentally broken and blamed Phoenix Wright for taking everything away from her, especially Edgeworth because he left before she could prove her worth to him. Following Edgeworth's eventual return and Franziska [[HeelFaceTurn aiding]] in the trial for Juan Corrida's murder, she decides to go on her own RedemptionQuest, with Edgeworth telling her that she's not perfect like she claims, but has the potential to become what she aims to be. Said statement reduces Franziska to tears, with her admitting that Edgeworth is better than her and that she refuses to give up her lifelong goal. Franziska is nearly as cold-hearted as her father, but she also happens to be a victim of circumstance whose life was plagued with misfortunes that took a massive toll on her self-esteem.
* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: This is a very common affliction of witnesses. Characters known for being difficult witnesses (Wendy Oldbag, Lotta Hart, Victor Kudo, Moe Curls, Trilo Quist, Mike Meekins, etc.) tend to be far more controversial or outright disliked than the actual murderers involved in their respective cases. This comes down to a few factors: the witnesses are still usually committing (albeit more minor) crimes by way of perjury and [[KarmaHoudini rarely receive any significant onscreen backlash for it]], the witnesses frequently lack a motive for [[BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible obstructing the player]] outside of [[FailedASpotCheck stupidity]] or [[ItsAllAboutMe vapid selfishness]], and the witnesses tend to be far less fleshed-out than the villains, often being little more than gag characters (whose one gag may well not land).
* JustHereForGodzilla: A sizable portion of fans were interested in the original trilogy primarily because of the HomoeroticSubtext between Phoenix and Miles. The same group of people tend to ignore the post-original trilogy games because of Miles Edgeworth's diminished presence.
* LGBTFanbase:
** The franchise as a whole has a very strong one because of the copious amounts of AmbiguouslyGay and AmbiguouslyBi characters. Not to mention the fact that Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth as a pairing is one of the most popular in the franchise.
** The BaraGenre fandom ''really'' likes Dick Gumshoe. To a lesser extent, there is also Will Powers and Tyrell Badd.
** In an interesting case, the main male characters (namely Phoenix, Edgeworth, Godot/[[spoiler:Diego]]) in general tend to be in ''this'' fandom, due to their lack of {{bish|onen}}i-ness. The YaoiGenre fandom instead go for Apollo, Klavier, and Kristoph.
* MagnificentBastard: See them [[MagnificentBastard/VisualNovels here.]]
* MemeticBadass:
** A group of members from the [[http://court-records.net Court Records]] forum has elevated [[AgentPeacock Klavier Gavin]] to the status of a rock/sex god, complete with commandments. Said commandments (numbering 55 as of this edit) include paying to see Klavier shower and losing one's virginity simply by looking at him.
** The ''real'' reason for [[NervesOfSteel Godot's]] CoolMask is that he can [[EyeBeams shoot lasers from his eyes]].
** [[BadassBookworm Miles]] [[BadassBureaucrat Edgeworth]]. Not only is he the only prosecutor to ever [[spoiler:beat Phoenix]], but he was also the guy Phoenix called in to replace him when he was incapacitated. In [[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth his own game]], over the course of two days (three if you count the flashback case) Edgeworth solved 5 murders (7 counting the flashback), an arson, a kidnapping, the theft of a national treasure and DISMANTLED A CRIME SYNDICATE that had been evading police and a vigilante for 10+ years and was lead by [[spoiler:a man with diplomatic immunity]]. And don't forget about him being able to update the autopsy report in the middle of the trial. Do not mess with Edgeworth!
** [[HardboiledDetective Detective Tyrell Badd]] earned the FanNickname "Detective Baddass" within days of ''Investigation's'' release. You know how his BadassLongcoat is riddled with holes? Yeah, those are bullet holes. He also dodged Franziska von Karma's ever-annoying whip.
* MemeticLoser:
** Phoenix Wright. Canonically, he's intelligent, good at thinking on his feet, and has an almost perfect[[note]]He only lost three times. In "Farewell, My Turnabout," his client was guilty and Phoenix worked to ensure that he would be forced to confess. Similarly, the civil trial of "Turnabout Revolution" also had Phoenix being blackmailed into representing someone guilty of murder, and he resigned shortly before said client was cornered. Maya was convicted of murder in the first trial of "The Rite of Turnabout, but Phoenix was able to overturn her conviction[[/note]] win record in a court system biased toward the prosecution, even if he often has to bluff in order to buy time to gain information and is ignorant of many basic legal concepts due to having studied art in college. To many fans, especially those who make parodies, he's an IdiotHero who can't remember basic details about the cases, does next to no preparation and wins solely because of luck.
** Maya Fey gets this treatment as well; being arrested no less than five times during the series and personally connected to multiple murder incidents has led to the fan interpretation that she's a magnet for trauma whenever she isn't getting kidnapped or framed for murder.
** In a meta example, ''[[VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth Gyakuten Kenji 2[=/=]Ace Attorney Investigations 2]]''. This game is often touted as the series' [[SacredCow best installment]], and is rather infamous for being a highly-desired example of NoExportForYou. For a while, ''Gyakuten Kenji 2'' shared this position with ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' games, but following the announcement of ''The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles'' bringing the games to the west, ''Gyakuten Kenji 2'' now sits sorrowfully on the throne of being ''Ace Attorney'''s least favorite child, no matter how beloved it is by the fandom.
* MemeticMolester:
** Gourdy, the Gourd Lake Monster, gets quite a bit of play in kink meme fills and requests.
** Damon Gant would like to take you swimming.
** Phoenix Wright is sometimes joked to be a StalkerWithACrush and {{yandere}} for Edgeworth due to how his entire motivation for becoming a lawyer was to meet up with him again in hopes of helping him after they were separated for fifteen years. To a lesser extent, dirty jokes have also been made about how his assistants mostly consist of teenage and little girls.
* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Based on the words of people such as [[LetsPlay/AceAttorneyWithAnActualLawyer Prij]] and WebVideo/MangaKamen, the ''Ace Attorney'' series is popular with actual defense attorneys and prosecutors, who recognize the games as not being intended as a remotely accurate depiction of law, while alluding to genuine [[KangarooCourt corruption found within real-world legal systems]].
* {{Moe}}: Any of your female assistants could count. Young? Check. Innocent? Check. Upbeat? Check. Cute? Very check.
* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
** The "Pursuit" music. Normally, when you make a good point in cross-examination, "Objection" plays; when this song plays, it means you're very, ''very'' close to the conclusion, and gets you hyped up.
** Hearing the sound of your life meter refilling after you successfully broken all of the witness's psyche-locks.
** Hearing the crowd cheering when you ''finally'' get that Not Guilty verdict. There is one exception, however, [[spoiler:in Case 4 of ''Justice for All'']].
** An inversion: the music ''stopping'' when presenting correct evidence during a cross-examination is extremely satisfying, especially if it's a part you've been struggling with.
* NeverLiveItDown: Due to MemeticMutation, Edgeworth is associated with updating autopsies reports at any given time in court just to screw with Phoenix. This only happened once, [[EstablishingCharacterMoment in his introduction in the first game]] before his CharacterDevelopment.
* OneSceneWonder:
** Ema Skye's appearance in ''Investigations'' was hyped up quite a bit in promotional materials, and there are rumors that the game was originally planned to star her as the player character. In the end, we get about five minutes of actual dialogue from her in a brief and somewhat tacked-on cameo that was more or less just there to establish an investigation technique that never appeared again. She does have a larger role in the sequel, however.
** Several sprites which are only used once or twice in ''Investigations'', particularly those used in a character's VillainousBreakdown, are among the most widely utilized in fanmade videos and games.
* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: While the mainline entries directed by Takeshi Yamazaki (''Dual Destinies'' and ''Spirit of Justice'') aren't regarded as being ''bad'' per-se, many fans feel they are the weakest entries in the series and that they don't stack up to the previous titles directed by original series creator Creator/ShuTakumi, who would distance himself from the mainline series in TheNewTens to focus more on spin-offs such as ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsPhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' and ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'', which have been well received by fans. Ironically, this is despite the fact that Yamazaki had previously directed and wrote the acclaimed ''[[VisualNovel/GyakutenKenji2 Investigations 2]]'', while Takumi had directed ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', which is arguably the most [[BrokenBase divisive title]] in the franchise.
* PolishedPort: The CompilationRerelease of the original trilogy on the Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne and Platform/{{Steam}} is widely considered by most to be the definitive version of the trilogy, as not only does it have the first three entries in one convenient package in a higher resolution than the original games, but it has higher quality sprites than the previous two ports of the trilogy (with all lost animations restored), uses the proofread script of the 3DS version, contains multiple languages, uses the remastered soundtrack from the Platform/WiiWare rereleases and can run at a full 60 [=FPS=] (and higher on the PC version if you [[https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Phoenix_Wright:_Ace_Attorney_Trilogy#Essential_improvements take the steps to disable the framerate locking VSYNC]]).
* PortingDisaster: The original trilogy was initially ported for a CompilationRerelease over to the iOS, which released with many {{game breaking bug}}s and problems from a lack of beta testing and/or laziness: Slowdown was all over the place. Character art, while better looking, was not truly HD, it looked more as if the original art was added into the port with minimal cleanup. Character animations were choppy, lacking several frames (half the characters didn't blink), or flat-out missing. Several "cutscenes" (such as Franziska bursting into the courtroom in 2-4, and Gumshoe doing the same in 3-3) were also missing. Music would not loop properly, Pearl's theme was missing, and the second and third games used the older GBA soundtrack when the high-quality OST used for the Wii releases already existed. Ema Skye's fingerprinting tutorial in the first game was completely omitted, and [[https://36.media.tumblr.com/d1a63b1ce38add85fe8e59c92ff49dac/tumblr_n02z7bthA81rgkwumo1_500.jpg several typos were ADDED]]. And when iOS 7 came out, it broke the HD version to the point that the app simply would not launch, and it took Capcom nearly two months to fix the problem. This version of the game has since been delisted and replaced in June 2022 with a new version based off the later Console/PC version, which thankfully is [[PolishedPort not this]].
* PortmanteauCoupleName:
** Phoenix x Edgeworth: Wrightworth
** Phoenix x Maya: [[GratuitousJapanese NaruMayo]]
** Phoenix x Mia: [[GratuitousJapanese NaruHiro]]
** Phoenix x Iris: Feenris
** Phoenix x Dahlia: [[GratuitousJapanese NaruMiya]]
** Phoenix x Franziska: [[GratuitousJapanese NaruMei]]
** Apollo x Athena: Justicykes
** Apollo x Klavier: Klapollo
** Apollo x Ema: Emapollo
** Apollo x Juniper: Junipollo
** Athena x Juniper: Junithena
** Maya x Franziska: Franmaya
** Edgeworth x Gumshoe: [[GratuitousJapanese NokoMitsu]]
** Mia x Godot: Miego
** Gumshoe x Maggey: Magshoe
** Franziska x Adrian: Fradrian
** Ron x Desirée: [=DesiRon=]
** Raymond x Katherine: Rayte
** Aura x Metis: Aurametis
** Ryunosuke x Kazuma: [=AsoRyuu=]
** Ryunosuke x Susato: [=RyuuSusa=]
** Ryunosuke x Van Zieks: [=BaroRyuu=]
** Susato x Rei: [=SusaHao=]
** Sholmes x Mikotoba: [=HomuMiko=]
** Klint x Genshin: [=GenKlint=]
* SequelDifficultyDrop:
** In ''Investigations''. In nearly every situation Edgeworth's inner monologue would make it clear even to Gumshoe what you're supposed to do next. Not to mention that, save for a few instances, penalties in the game always take off 10% of your life bar, giving you twice the chances of ''Ace Attorney''. [[spoiler:The penalties are beefed up to 20% when Alba gets annoyed at one point by your constant time wasting with your questioning. The sequel does it again with Souta Sarushiro/Simon Keyes, who bumps them up to ''50%'' near the end for similar reasons, with the addition of him just being a Troll]].
** In ''Dual Destinies''. While we get new features like a cursor that [[AntiFrustrationFeatures tells you what you can and what you have already investigated]] and the ability to tap your partner for assistance during cross-examinations, the game is all too ready to throw the player a bone when the dialogue itself is filled with helping hands and thinking aloud that makes the experience less challenging and frustrating.
* SequelDifficultySpike:
** ''Justice for All'' and ''Trials and Tribulations'' are significantly more difficult than the original game. The mysteries are significantly more complex, with Turnabout Memories being one of the most difficult first cases in the series. The penalties are stricter (the original game tended to penalize you 20% of your health at a time), and there are several cases in which a single mistake will cause you to lose instantly.
** ''Spirit of Justice'' brings the difficulty back up by giving more vague hints and bringing back the "increase the penalty because the judge/antagonist is sick of your shit" mechanic.
* ShipMates: Phoenix/Edgeworth shippers are naturally on very good terms with Apollo/Klavier shippers and you'll be hard-pressed to not find shippers that don't ship both. There is also a ton of overlap between Phoenix/Edgeworth shippers and Maya/Franziska shippers.
* ShipsThatPassInTheNight: Maya and Franziska have very few interactions on-screen, but they are a popular ship in some spaces. Commonly cited reasons include their personalities make great foils to each other and the similar backstory of young girls burdened with their families' legacy. It helps that they make perfect ShipMates with the extremely popular Phoenix x Edgeworth ship.
* ShipToShipCombat: The fights that can ensue between [[HoYay Phoenix/Edgeworth]] shippers and [[SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl Phoenix/Maya]] shippers can often feel like court battles in the games with how intense and chaotic they can get, as both sides tend to frequently find ways and use what the slightest evidence there is for both ships to discount each other. That said, In spite of this, both sides have no problems [[EnemyMine teaming up]] against their shared foe, the Phoenix/[[spoiler:Iris]] shippers, in which it tends to get [[FromBadToWorse even nastier]].
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Many fans have noted that the track "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpuyJovEyQE Court Battle - Turnabout Big Top]]" from ''Panchislot Gyakuten Saiban'' (a Japanese-only pachislot game) sounds identical to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Qts9bMlNs Riders of the Light]]" from ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Quite a few for many reasons detailed in their respective YMMV pages, but the most notable ones are Iris and Viola Cadaverini from ''Trials and Tribulations'', Klavier Gavin from ''Apollo Justice'', Clay Terran from ''Dual Destinies'', Courtney Sithe from ''The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve'', and [[spoiler:Jove Justice]] from ''Spirit of Justice''.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Jurist System from ''Apollo Justice'' is set up by Phoenix to be a change to the legal system that'll change how the law is perceived forever, and break out of the Dark Age of the Law for good. However, by ''Dual Destinies'', the Dark Age is [[ResetButton still going on strong]], the Bench System is still in place, and no games after ''Apollo Justice'' give any indication as to why the Jurist System was phased out when it was set up to be a huge deal.
* TransAudienceInterpretation: Some fans, to varying degrees between jokingly and seriously, have taken to suggesting Apollo being a trans guy as the real reason for his "chords of steel" voice training.[[note]]Many trans people take up voice training to sound more masculine/feminine/androgynous because, if they begin hormone replacement therapy after puberty, their vocal chords will have already developed and settled, so the hormones won't change their voice.[[/note]]
* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: One of Luke Atmey's character sprites is of him [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/aceattorney/images/9/99/Atmey_Breaks_2.gif/revision/latest?cb=20100329184301 laughing crazily]], but due to his left arm moving in a back-and-forth motion accompanied by a happy look on his face, more than a few gamers have said that it looks more like he's, erm... pleasuring himself.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Canonically, the original trilogy takes place from 2016 to 2019 (as proven by the date of the DL-6 Incident). However, the [[TechnologyMarchesOn technology featured in them]] matches up with the tech that was around in the early 2000s, the time frame when the games were made. VHS tapes, black-and-white photos, and old cellphones are still in use,[[note]]Although around that timeframe, older models of cellphone became popular again, as they tended to be cheaper and have longer battery life.[[/note]] and digital cameras are still a new thing.
* ValuesDissonance:
** The entire in-universe court system is mishmash of loose elements from the Japanese court system and its American equivalent, resulting in a system which looks alien and unjust to Americans familiar with the adversarial system and the principle of "innocent until proven guilty." Due to the necessities of localization, it's probably best to liberally apply the MST3KMantra about "how could America dump the right to jury trial when it's in the Constitution", but....[[note]]"Innocent until proven guilty" is actually written into the Japanese legal code; however, in practice, this often isn't how trials play out due to the prosecution only taking cases with near-guaranteed convictions to trial.[[/note]]
** To be more specific, Japan – like most of the world other than America and the Commonwealth[[note]] Britain and most of its former empire use Common Law. "Pure" examples of Common Law countries include the United Kingdom itself (except Scotland), Ireland, the United States (except Louisiana), Canada (except Quebec), Australia & New Zealand, most non-Islamic former British possessions in Africa (except South Africa), Belize, Guyana, India, Pakistan, Burma, Liberia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.[[/note]] – uses Civil Law with an inquisitorial court system. Under this setup, Judges are tasked with finding facts rather than simply prosecuting cases. They do not act as impartial referees but instead dominate trials; they can (and often do) directly question witnesses; they hand down verdicts and sentences. As a result, juries are not guaranteed (and in countries like Japan, are rare or nonexistent). It would technically require an Amendment to switch to the system in Ace Attorney (and "in order to speed up the court docket" would not be a reason likely to clear the massive hurdles required to do so).[[note]]Note that this applies to criminal cases only, not civil cases, which ''are'' often decided by a judge. It's also possible for a ''defendant'' to request a "bench trial," but this is understood as them waiving their default right to a jury.[[/note]] Also, there's no such thing as a plea under this system. On the other hand, inquisitorial Judges do not have to take a confession at face value if there is evidence that the person didn't actually do it.
** Japan in particular uses a "public procurator" to both investigate ''and'' prosecute a crime – Miles Edgeworth is one of these.
** The rights to silence and against self incrimination exist in Japan but the courts take a very contemptuous view of them and any defendant or witness who invokes them are almost always subject to adverse inferences, hence why almost no one in the series ever refuses to answer accusatory questions put forward by the defense. In the entire franchise, the only witnesses to ever invoke their right to silence are [[spoiler:Adrian Andrews]] and [[spoiler:Pierce Nichody]], the former of whom is promptly told by the judge that doing so would be the same as admitting guilt.
** Japan has one of the highest conviction rates of any legal system in the world – over 99%. Part of this is the unwillingness of prosecutors to push a case unless they're ''sure'' of a conviction, but a darker reason is that, historically, judges were part of the nobility; since procurators were (and are) hired by judges, they were considered social betters as well, but counsel for the accused was not. As a result, there is an ingrained bias against defense counsel.
** A standard element to shuttle the player into different parts of the investigation is to have the current defense attorney be unable to speak to that case's defendant until the player has progressed far enough in the investigation because "they're in questioning." In "Rise From The Ashes," Lana nonchalantly mentions having been questioned all night at the start of the trial's second day. In fact, during the third case of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'', the guard interrupts one of Phoenix's visits to Maya to ask her questions, forcing Phoenix to come back later to resume the conversation.[[note]]Albeit it should be noted that this case takes place in the Kingdom of Khura'in, a fictional country so bizarre in its legal system that it even ''did away with its defense attorneys''.[[/note]] American defendants very specifically have the right to summon their lawyer whenever the police are asking them questions.
** More Values Dissonance regarding sentencing. Japan and the United States are the only members of the [=G7=] to retain the death penalty. To fans in Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Australasia (which have outlawed capital punishment), the outcomes to certain cases can come off as barbaric. Even to Americans, it can seem this way, as executions in the ''Ace Attorney''-verse are by hanging, as in Japan (in the U.S., only two states allow execution by hanging, and there have only been three cases since 1965, with the last in 1996). Execution methods in the U.S. vary by state (as does the legality of the death penalty), but the most common is lethal injection, followed by electrocution, with the only other method used since the turn of the millennium being firing squad (the gas chamber used to be a more common method, but it's fallen out of favor).
** The recurring idea in the series that "accidental murder is still murder", IE an accidental murder or murder in self-defense carrying an equal or only slightly less serious punishment as premeditated murder, is one that's likely to raise quite a few eyebrows in the West, where the two charges carry ''very'' different weights. Japan in general tends to be significantly harsher on such cases than most Western countries, which- combined with the country not having an equivalent to the American "manslaughter" charge- means that the game's portrayal isn't far off on that front.
** On a non-legal note, Phoenix not having a driver's license. In Japan, this isn't so unusual due to the extensive rail and public transportation infrastructure there. In America--and particularly Los Angeles, which is notorious for its terrible public transport--it is very difficult to get by without a driver's license, and adds to the impression of Phoenix as somewhat hapless, goofy, perpetually unlucky, and in financial trouble (since someone his age and in his profession would almost always have one unless they had some impairment that made it impossible).
* {{Woolseyism}}: While consensus opinions have shifted about strict fidelity to the original story and script since the first ''Ace Attorney'' game dropped in America, and say as you please regarding [[DubInducedPlotlineChange the decision to shift the setting to the United States]], nobody ever denies that the localization team puts their heart and soul into each new title. In a series where every character's name is [[MeaningfulName meaningful]], [[PunnyName pun-based]], or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs both]], they manage to keep it intact, with often truly elegant results. ("Edgeworth" is a really good translation of "Mitsurugi," for example.) And the results speak for themselves, with the series' persistent, international popularity.
----