Important people in the Kingdom of Khura'in in the Ace Attorney series, who appear in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice. Note that due to the sheer number of spoilers regarding them, all spoilers on this page are UNMARKED.

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The Royal Family

Rayfa Padma Khura'in

Rayfa Padma Khura'in

Voiced by (Japanese): Saori Hayami (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Brina Palencia (SoJ)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rayfa_8.png

"Foolish child. Doubting the Divination Séance is tantamount to doubting the Holy Mother herself. Your Magistry! As royal priestess and in the name of the Holy Mother, I command you! Impose the highest penalty against this unclean soul!"

Her Benevolence, the crown princess of Khura'in and a priestess who acts as an oracle. Although she is mostly antagonistic to Phoenix, she acts as his investigative assistant in 6-3 and 6-5.

A-Cup Angst: The actress playing Rayfa in The Plumed Punisher is quite a bit older and more well-endowed than the real Rayfa, which has given her some... issues. She claims to drink lots of milk. It's not played entirely for laughs either, as Ga'ran decides to bring it up for very little reason and essentially body-shame her own daughter in front of the whole country in the finale just to add on to how horrible of a "parent" she is. invoked
Being Personal Isn't Professional: When we first meet her, she's in her official capacity, so she's The Stoic and kind of intimidating. This doesn't last past the beginning of the first case: after Phoenix pokes holes in her insights, she stops being Royal Priestess and starts being a normal bratty teenage girl.
Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: Sometimes she's too upset or angry to think of good put-downs, resorting to immature taunts like "you nincompoop!" while shouting at the top of her lungs. Though this is understandable, as she is only 14 after all; something that Phoenix lampshades in the first case (also she seems to have picked up this tendency from Nayna, who uses "nincompoop" herself, though less spontaneously than Rayfa).
Break the Haughty:
- She's smug and taunting towards defense attorneys, but she has an understandable grudge and is more naive than spiteful. The game is a nice, long skewering of everything she believed was true and righteous, along with the slow revelation that her so-called parents are horrible people.
- A somewhat more humorous case of this happens in the ending, when she's ashamed to realize that the servant she's been ordering around was actually her mother and a former queen. After Amara gives a list of all Rayfa's demands, she then suggests that Rayfa make amends for this, starting with giving her shoulder rubs.
Broken Pedestal: Her parents become this to her in the wake of Case 3, and only become more so over Case 5, though it applies more so for Ga'ran than Inga when it comes out how loathsome an individual Ga'ran is.
Buffy Speak: When flustered or her Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness fails her.
Calling Parents by Their Name: Much like her brother Nahyuta, she calls Dhurke by name when referring to him as a foe of the Kingdom of Khura'in, unaware that Dhurke was actually her and Nahyuta's biological father and that her aunt and uncle have raised her as her foster parents.
Cannot Spit It Out: A mild case at the end of case 5, when she's unable to bring herself to call Nahyuta "big brother". Nahyuta's credits scene is him wondering what he's done to warrant Rayfa's nickname for him, "Braid Head". In the Japanese version, she tried to address him as "onii-sama" but got stuck at "oni" (demon) instead.
Character Catchphrase: That's enough!
Character Development: Initially, she's convinced that her Insights are wholly accurate and purely depict the truth. Thanks to Phoenix pointing out several discrepancies in them and that they don't necessarily represent the truth, but can help discover it. By the final Insight, the statements are non-biased and state the confirmed facts as well as what can be inferred in the current state. It's also implied that she's also consistently looking for contradictions when she hurriedly asks "where?" when Apollo finds one.
A Child Shall Lead Them: Becomes Queen following Ga'ran's arrest. However, because she can't channel spirits yet, her older brother Nahyuta serves as her regent, and her mother Amara handles the channeling duty and mentors her.
Closet Geek: Is a die-hard fan of The Plumed Punisher show to rival Maya. Not that she would ever show it of course...
Deadpan Snarker: She's quite the master of witty, elegant put-downs and dark humor. At least, when she's calm.
Delusions of Eloquence: Downplayed. She's quite intelligent and knowledgeable, but there's gaps in her learning and she loathes having to admit to it, especially to Phoenix.
Enfant Terrible: It's just creepy enough to know she's a 14-year old princess willing to call for others' executions, even other children.
Fainting: Initially her faints are purely melodramatic, where she makes a grand scene of her daintily falling down upon her insights being countered. However during the final trial, when she first attempts to perform the Divination Seance for her late father, it's Played for Drama where she's short of breath and on the verge of a mental breakdown before being legitimately overwhelmed and collapsing.
Fire-Forged Friends: With Phoenix and Apollo over the course of the game. Initially, Rayfa had no respect for any of them, calling them names, insulting and belittling them, and even flaunting her status as a princess to them, but they later earn her respect and she begins to trust them for all the good that they have done.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Downplayed. Amara did get to know the real Rayfa during her time as “Nayna”, and while the princess does regret her spoiled behavior and Amara isn’t mad at her for it, she’s not letting her daughter get off that easily; Rayfa can have a new attendant if she learns humility, and she can earn what she wants by doing mundane chores for her mother, like shoulder rubs.
Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Even more so than other Ace Attorney characters; she's so insistently formal that "heck" is a far too vulgar word for her when startled.
Hair-Trigger Temper: She spends a good portion of case 3 repeatedly getting mad at Phoenix either for not knowing Khura'inese customs, or for saying something that's disrespectful (or something she believes to be disrespectful). Justified in that Wright had humiliated her in public at Ahlbi's trial less than two weeks ago; she's not in a very good mood or feeling charitable towards him to begin with.
Heel–Face Turn: During Case 5, she's had enough of the Queen's villainy and starts supporting Apollo and co.
Height Angst: Of the too short variety, as Rayfa wishes to be taller.
Heroic BSoD:
- Case 3 confronts her with the fact that Inga and Ga'ran, who she idolizes, are sponsoring a Secret Police whose only purpose is to murder political dissidents, and that people who aren't defense attorneys are being swept up in the purge. Small wonder she wants to be left alone for a while afterwards.
- In Case 5, she tries to perform her duty and do the Divination Séance to show Inga's final moments. Unfortunately, she wasn't as prepared as she thought, and has a breakdown that causes her to faint.
I Am Not Your Father: At one point, Ga'ran tells her the true identity of her parents, which sends her into a shock... and later relief, because that also means her actual mother wasn't an abusive monster.
I'm Standing Right Here: When she follows Phoenix to meet with Maya in the detention center on the first investigation day of "The Rite of Turnabout," Maya asks if Rayfa has anything better to do, and Phoenix says no. Rayfa then says she heard that, and gets offended.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: Her Fatal Flaw. She holds herself to a borderline-impossible standard, and gets easily flustered when trying to cover for where she doesn't measure up. In particular, when she realizes Ahlbi Ur'gaid trusts Phoenix (who is a member of a group her people regard as downright demonic), she blames herself and has a minor Heroic BSoD, sinking into a Troubled Fetal Position over her "failure".
Insult of Endearment: Her insulting nickname for Phoenix, Barbed Head, gradually becomes more of an Affectionate Nickname as Rayfa comes to accept Phoenix as a friend. Same thing with Apollo Justice, whom she calls "Horn Head." By the end, she calls her brother Nahyuta "Braid Head".
I Reject Your Reality: Especially near the beginning of the game, she can't bring herself to admit when she's misinterpreted an Insight and instead claims the defense is twisting the truth. After several more cases of this, she finally learns to roll with it.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Her personality when not putting on a formal face. She's moody, sarcastic, and bears a grudge like nobody's business, but most of that attitude is due to talking with a defense attorney (which she's been told all her life are Always Chaotic Evil as a profession), and despite her frequent death threats she's really too nice to hate people she actually knows, despite herself. Unless, of course, she feels well and truly betrayed. By that point though, the person she's come to loathe (Ga'ran) has long since pissed everyone else off almost as much, so nobody blames her.
Knight Templar: She is completely trusting in the fact that her Water Mirror tells her all the court needs, and hates defense attorneys for killing her aunt; or rather, forcing her into hiding. She starts having doubts about this over Case 3, and by the end of Case 5, she completely abandons her grudge.
Leitmotif: "The Unyielding Medium Princess".
Little Girls Kick Shins: Actually hits Phoenix and Apollo during her more indignant moments. It's not shown if she's actually kicking them (the text implies it's a punch) but the spirit of the trope remains. It doesn't sound very strong, sounding like being hit with a toy hammer (*ka-tonk!*), but Phoenix and Apollo exclaim in pain all the same.
Luminescent Blush: Whenever she is slightly humiliated or embarrassed, which then quickly turns into her angry Big Stupid Doo Doo Head retorts.
Meaningful Name: Her middle name, "Padma", is a term for a sacred species of lotus in Hinduism and Buddhism.
My God, What Have I Done?: She's horrified to realize that her Insights may have led to false convictions, but Phoenix reassures her that the Divination Seance is just another piece of evidence.
The Nicknamer: She tends to nickname people based on their hairstyles. Phoenix is called Barbed Head, Apollo is called Horn Head, and Nahyuta is called Braid Head after she finds out he's her brother. In the non-canon DLC case Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney, Klavier is called Drill Head.
No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Even after Maya and Phoenix are found guilty of the High Priest’s murder, Rayfa can’t enjoy it because it wasn’t her Divination Seance or insights that contributed to the guilty verdict.
Not So Above It All: One minute she's the perfect picture of a proud, refined princess. The next minute she's making childish, petty insults. Justified by her young age; she is only 14 after all.
Not So Omniscient After All: She fully believed that the Divination Séance told her (and the court) everything needed to know about the crime involved in its visions. This in turn led her to neglect to consider anything Behind the Black or otherwise obscured from the victim's senses, or that the victim might have had some sort of bias or ulterior motive regarding their imminent death.
Oblivious Adoption: Because she was taken from Dhurke and Amara as a baby, she had no idea that Ga’ran and Inga weren’t her real parents.
The Pawn: She was instilled with many cruel and egocentric qualities by Ga’ran and Inga, so she thought that she was acting in the name of justice when she was sending innocent people to their deaths or unjust punishments. She later learns that nearly her whole life was a big pile of lies, so she becomes a Rebellious Princess.
Practically Different Generations: Her biological brother Nahyuta and foster brother Apollo are 11 and 10 years her senior, respectively.
Princesses Prefer Pink: She wears a pink dress and she's a princess.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She petitions the queen to lower the bounty of an escaped prisoner from 3 million to 1 million because she knows the money will come from the taxpayers.
Rebellious Princess: She rebels from Ga'ran when she gets the courage to perform the divination séances that help expose critical evidence clearing Dhurke and implicating Ga'ran.
Royal Brat: She starts taunting Phoenix about the possibility of spirits torturing him with fire in the Twilight Realm, and the Judge has to have her escorted out of the courtroom because she keeps insisting her Insights can't possibly be wrong. Throughout the game, she undergoes some changes and becomes a nicer person, but it's a very long journey for her, and catering to her real mother will more than provide her a lesson in humility before she becomes Queen.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: She knows a lot of really big and obscure words, and she uses them as many times as she can.
Significant Birth Date: Christmas Eve. One of the few characters in the franchise to have an exact birthdate.
Skilled, but Naive: Rayfa definitely has spiritual power, but until she ran into Phoenix Wright, she never considered the Divination Séance could be misinterpreted by her to point to the wrong person and requires cross-examination in order to clean up any misinterpretations. This realization crushes her world for a bit. She gets better.
Sophisticated as Hell: She has an extensive vocabulary and an extremely proper method of speaking, even when not acting as priestess... and then she runs out of words she knows or is startled, awkwardly finishing with simple words or hilariously mild interjections. Justified by her young age; proud princess though she may be, she is only 14, something which Phoenix lampshades in the first case.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: She tries to cover her fundamental lack of self-confidence and highly-strung nature via being insulting to the persons who end up exposing her imperfections. She's not very good at it, especially around people she likes and doesn't like to lash out at. After we see what Ga'ran is actually like, her behaviors suddenly become a lot more understandable.
The Stoic: Subverted. She's like this in official functions. Off the clock, she has a tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: This tends to be the dynamic between her and Phoenix, and she tends to insult Phoenix whenever they have no choice but to work together.
This Cannot Be!: It's practically her Catchphrase, especially during Case 3.
Took a Level in Kindness: Once it's discovered that Ga'ran was behind everything that takes place in this game, not to mention that she's a horrible mother figure who was the reason for Rayfa's harsh personality, she quickly matures at the end as she accepts the success and failures of her divination séance and becomes Queen of Khu'rain.
Trauma Conga Line: The cases in Khura'in pretty much prove everything she believed in and fought for is nothing but lies.
Tsundere: She's too proud to show her Dere side, though. She even has a hard time calling Nahyuta "Big Brother" and eventually can't do it in front of everyone.
Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Although non-romantic between her and Phoenix/Apollo, she's so brutally honest like you wouldn't know, and she will give this to them whenever she feels like it, and it's usually when they show signs of ignorance.
Would Hurt a Child: She calls for the highest penalty possible on the nine-year-old Ahlbi Ur'gaid when he was handed a guilty verdict (though Gaspen Payne was also needling this outcome so he could apply Ahlbi's fate to Phoenix as well by way of the DC Act).
You Fool!: She says something reminding fans of Franziska von Karma during the trial for Rheel Neh'mu's murder:
Rayfa: You are a fool, Barbed Head. And your foolishness shall yield no gratitude from me.
You Watch Too Much X:
- Watching The Plumed Punisher has somewhat distorted her view on reality. When Dhurke shows up in her home in Case 5, she immediately thinks that he's there with his evil minions and that it was "time for a revolution" because she saw something similar on the show. Apollo even mentions this trope when hears her quoting lines from the show in court.
- This is actually a Plot Point in Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney: the making-of the Steel Samurai documentary she saw on TV amazed her with the castle backdrops, how cool the titular Samurai is and the energy of the actors (Including a certain lion mane-headed man who keeps apologizing). It amazed her to the point that she mistook the show for an actual tourist spot. Also, at one point during the "trial", Apollo remarks she spends too much time watching fictional things and should devote more time to the world news, as a future head of state, which prompts her to indignantly declare that she will issue a five-point penalty for the statement until Apollo retracts.

Inga Karkhuul Khura'in

Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inga_3.png

"Heh, you lawyers are all the same. You strut your stuff till the DC Act comes down hard. Then you start begging and pleading for your lives. It's really hard to watch, I tell you."

The Minister of Justice for Khura'in and the queen's husband.

Asshole Victim: You're not gonna have much sympathy for him when he dies after everything he does to the main characters, especially Apollo. He was most definitely the Big Bad until his death.
Beard of Evil: He has quite a large beard, and is evil.
Big Bad Wannabe: Effectively the one pulling the strings for the Khura'in half of the game and the first half of Case 5... until he gets killed by Ga'ran, who takes action in the second half.
The Blank: He suffers from prosopagnosia, so he remembers everyone this way. His killer, Ga'ran, used this to frame Dhurke for his murder through the Divination Séance.
Cigar Chomper: Constantly has a cigar in his mouth. Ends up subverted, like with Detective Badd and his lollipop. It's actually a Personal Seal he uses to approve execution orders.
*Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": Among the things you find in his room are a syringe and some painkillers that he would inject into his back. These end up being used to prove that he was channeled after his murder, the suggestion being that he could’ve written off the stabbing that killed him as his back pain flaring up, thereby not even realizing he had died.
Death by Irony: He would have survived the events of Turnabout Revolution or at the very least delay his death if he didn't kill Dhurke. He failed to realize that killing Dhurke makes him a martyr for the Defiant Dragons. This plus his own coup to overthrow Ga'ran gave her more of an opportunity to take advantage of him and lead him to his death while dragging Dhurke's name through the ground doing so. In short, had Inga kept Dhurke alive he would have survived the revolution. By killing Dhurke he sealed his own fate.
Dirty Coward:
- In order to get his hands on the Founder's Orb, Inga hires Paul Atishon-Wimperson to get the Orb back from the Defiant Dragons to ensure that Paul is elected. After that, Inga captures Maya Fey, and has Paul constantly remind Phoenix what will happen if Phoenix lets Paul go to jail for murder of Dr. Buff. This tactic fails as Paul is found guilty of Dr. Buff's murder through Apollo's clever thinking. Inga also runs away from Dhurke after seeing Dhurke standing up like nothing happened to him after shooting him three times.
- Speaking of his threat to Maya's safety, Inga knew something that Phoenix did not, that being that Maya had escaped her imprisonment because he fled from Dhurke after shooting him three times in the chest and realized it was doing absolutely nothing to stop Dhurke from standing. If Phoenix knew that Maya had gotten away before taking on Atishon's case, then neither Paul nor Inga would have had power over Phoenix because those threats to Maya's safety would have been no more than Ineffectual Death Threats and the civil trail subplot could have been rendered absolutely pointless.
- The above is to say nothing of when he actually kills Dhurke. After cornering him in Amara’s tomb and shooting him thrice in the chest, a single Death Glare from Dhurke before he dies is enough to send Inga scurrying off in fear, giving Maya the opportunity to channel Dhurke, break her bonds, and escape the palace grounds without incident.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Repugnant skunk of a man he may be; he at least genuinely loves Rayfa as opposed to his completely heartless wife.
Evil Is Petty: He stamps execution orders for stress relief. Considering the high rates of false convictions due to the genocide of lawyers, that stress relief kills innocent people.
Evil Versus Evil: Has his own machinations at work against Queen Ga'ran. It ends up working in her favor because his treachery allows Ga'ran to claim Plausible Deniability for his actions.
Expy: He takes clear inspiration from Ace/Gentarou Hongou from Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, being a rich, powerful man suffering from prosopagnosia who ends up being Out-Gambitted by the female mastermind.
Extreme Doormat: Cross-examining Maya reveals that he was quite the spineless pushover. Even as he held her hostage, all it took was a bit of whining for him to lavish her with burgers and a television. Ga’ran confirms that he was like this in other aspects of his life, as well.
Give Me a Reason: Knowing that Phoenix doesn't have a very positive opinion of him, he dares Phoenix to say what's on his mind so he can charge Phoenix with lese-majesty.
Hate Sink: Even if he surprisingly cares for his daughter Rayfa, it does not hide the fact that he is still an unspeakably dreadful person to be around as he casually signs death warrants, throwing countless people under the bus thanks to his country's nonsensical legal system. While he does get what's coming to him, it's not before he manages to take out a very likable character before going down himself.
Hero Killer: Shoots Dhurke dead in Amara's Tomb.
In the Back: He ends up becoming knifed in this manner by his traitorous wife Ga'ran doing a Dead Person Impersonation, no less!
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Downplayed. Inga is still a horrible person, but he seemingly has a soft spot for Maya, genuinely loves Rayfa, and isn't abusive towards her, unlike his heartless wife.
Kick the Dog: One of his animations is him rapidly stamping his personal seal on execution papers, without even bothering to look at them. When he explains what he's doing, he complains about how the work piles up over time. He adds that he'll have Maya's to stamp tomorrow, and Phoenix's if he tries to defend her.
The Killer Becomes the Killed: Kills Dhurke, ends up being killed by Ga'ran.
A Lighter Shade of Black: The fact he really cared about Rayfa, and that he treated Maya quite well for a kidnapping, makes Inga just a little bit less irredeemable than his wife Ga'ran. Just a little.
Malicious Misnaming: Like Redd White and Godot, he often deliberately gets Phoenix's name wrong to get under his skin.
The Man Behind the Man: Is the mastermind behind Andistan'dhin's theft of the Orb, the rebel-hunting Secret Police, and Paul Atishon's scheme on Case 5, Part 1.
Meaningful Name: The kanji that make up the name "Inga" come from Sanskrit, meaning "cause" and "effect". His middle name comes from the Japanese phrase "karakuru", "to pull the strings".
Obviously Evil: One look at this guy's face will let you know he's probably not one of the good guys.
Out-Gambitted: He had planned a long, complex scheme to gain even more power by usurping the throne. Ga'ran caught onto it, and killed him before he could.
Overly Long Name: His full name is Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III (Inga Karukūru Kukurūra Raruban Gijīru Hofudaran Madara Vira Yashima Jakutiēru Kurain III in Japan). Inga's full name is not public knowledge, and this fact proves Maya couldn't have channeled him, since she would need to know his full name.
Pet the Dog:
- When Phoenix and Edgeworth search his quarters, they manage to open a safe containing various important documents to Inga that refers to his plan for a coup among other things. They find a drawing belonging to an 8-year old Rayfa among the contents of the safe, implying that Inga genuinely cares for his “adopted” daughter. Even more so, the number combination required to open the safe in the first place refers to Rayfa's birthday date.
- Despite the fact that he kidnapped Maya to use as leverage against Phoenix, he still had the decency to treat her well, not hurting her and bringing her favorite food and a TV. Well, Maya said she acted like a brat, so considering how he puts up with Rayfa... It takes an even weirder turn when one remembers he suffered from prosopagnosia, so he'd have trouble telling Maya and Rayfa apart visually.
Personal Seals: What his "cigar" actually is.
Precision F-Strike: A minor one, but he does state in case 3 that Phoenix has balls, for a lawyer.
Punny Name: Read his full name out loud. Yes, the name itself is complaining about how flowery it is. For those who may have difficulty sounding it out, his name essentially says Inga Karkhuul "How could this name be any longer or more pompous than it already is?" Khura'in the Third.
Ridiculous Procrastinator: Fortunately for the Ga'ran regime's victims, he was one of these especially towards signing execution orders. Edgeworth found a five year old execution order on Inga's desk waiting for his signature.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After his failed attempt to defeat Dhurke Sahdmadhi by shooting him down, he makes a break for it. Probably helped that Dhurke kept standing despite Inga shooting him three times, then adding in a Death Glare and a Badass Boast.
The Starscream: He was planning on killing his own wife in a coup so he could seize ultimate power over Khura'in. Too bad for him that Ga'ran whacked him first.
The Unfought: He never has his confrontation with Phoenix. Instead, he's one of the victims of the final case.

Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in

Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in

Voiced by (Japanese): Gara Takashima (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Cindy Robinson (SoJ)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garan_2.png

^{Click here to see her as a prosecutor.}

"Ho ho... May the Holy Mother's blessing be upon you."

Her Eminence, the current queen of Khura'in. Formerly a prosecutor and Minister of Justice, she rose to power following the assassination of the previous queen. Serves as the prosecutor for the final case of Spirit of Justice.

Abusive Mom: She's neglectful of Rayfa to the point of spoiling her rotten, at best; generally, Ga'ran is emotionally abusive. During the final trial, she goes out of her way to mock Rayfa in every way possible, from calling her "worthless" to insulting the size of her chest to forcing her to perform a Divination Seance of Inga's murder. She also blackmails Rayfa with her true parentage, knowing that Rayfa's life will be ruined if it gets out that she's the daughter of a criminal. As Apollo says, she's not winning any Mother of the Year awards anytime soon.
The Ace: She had a perfect win record as a prosecutor until Apollo Justice defeated her. Her perfect win record was much more legitimate than Gaspen Payne's perfect win record because she did have to face real defense attorneys before she usurped the crown and passed the Defense Culpability Act.
Ambition Is Evil: Ga'ran is arguably the biggest forefront of this trope. As her jealously against Amara and her hatred of Defense Attorney's coming from her brother-in-law Dhurke is what drove her to usurp the throne. And with it, she therefore became the ultimate evil.
Amoral Attorney: Manages to outdo even Manfred von Karma in this department - after all, it doesn't get much more amoral than a prosecutor who used her position to become the dictator of a country. Once she's faced in court, she's soon revealed to be amoral on a case-by-case basis as well, forging evidence, using her position as queen to change the rules to her favor, attempting to kick out the judge, right down to throwing down a premature 'guilty' verdict, and finally trying to arrest and execute Apollo when she can't counter his argument.
Animal Motifs: Spiders, befitting her true cruel and manipulative nature; her machinations are described as an intricate web that ensnares Khura'in.
Anime Hair: It's shaped like a spider. Eight long "legs", the fringe as fangs, and her large, round hair decorations for eyes.
Arachnid Appearance and Attire: The shoes of her prosecutor outfit have spider designs on them, her hair is styled after one, and her personal seal depicts one (on her queen robes its legs are curled together so that it looks more like a flower).
Arch-Enemy: Ga'ran is the archenemy of Dhurke Sahdmadhi, and is responsible for staging an assassination attempt on her sister, demonizing the lawyer profession with the Defense Culpability Act, implicating Dhurke in this heinous act and branding him a terrorist. Dhurke would spend the next 23 years finding a way to permanently end the Defense Culpability Act, while she would spend those same years hoping to finally indict him, but for a long time, they were trapped in a stalemate with no resolution.
Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Her "prosecutor" outfit is heavily reminiscent of an evil sorceress; while she doesn't have any spiritual power of her own, she did turn Khura'in into a toxic, despotic kingdom through manipulation, blackmail, and even outright murder and genocide. And as mentioned above, her outfit has spider motifs, symbolizing her cruel and manipulative nature.
Ax-Crazy: Not necessarily within her false persona, but deep within is an enviously egocentric usurper who isn't afraid of getting her blood in her hands through despotism, genocide, and murder through the Defense Culpability Act. It even goes farther in the final trial of the case that she even threatens to shoot Phoenix and Apollo after realizing the finger has been pointed at her. She's easily the most bloodthirsty culprit in the franchise.
"Woe to you, O enemies of Khura'in, for I shall personally slice, dice, and grind you up into hog feed!"
Be Careful What You Wish For: One of her goals is to obtain the Founder's Orb. Apollo gives it to her in the final trial and challenges her to channel the Holy Mother, forcing her to reveal that she has no powers.
Bait the Dog: How she was like this for over the course of game towards her people and to our heroes. Case in point, Ga’ran allows her subjects free speech, but the reason she does is to identify possible Defiant Dragons or their sympathizers.
Big Bad: Of Spirit of Justice, and even to the point where she's able to hold a sphere of influence outside her nation.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Appears at first to be a benevolent queen and a caring mother, but quickly reveals to herself to be the exact opposite. This comes as no surprise, because after Phoenix meets with Datz for the first time, it's not hard to conclude that she's a vicious tyrant. Even the Dragons know for sure she’s evil. Admittedly, Dhurke himself remembers her saying he was like a brother to her. Clearly that was a lie.
Blank White Eyes: She gets these during her Villainous Breakdown after her attempt to channel the Holy Mother fails.
Blow You Away: Carries around a fan as a prosecutor and will use it to blast the defense with a powerful gust when she deals a major blow to their case.
Bond Villain Stupidity:
- Despite her ability and brutally pragmatic willingness to just change Khura'in's laws for a faster victory, she still keeps giving Apollo and co. chances to rebut — and for no other reason than that she enjoys watching them squirm. Though given that by that point the revolution was in full-swing, her husband was dead, her sister was proven to be alive, and her own daughter had begun to turn on her, that some part of her might have realized that she needed to defeat Apollo in the courtroom properly to put a stamp on any claims against her legitimacy to the throne.
- While she recognized that defense attorneys were a threat to her rule, instead of merely writing a law that made defense attorneys forbidden, she writes one where they would share the defendant's fate were they declared guilty, solely because she wanted them to give up out of fear. This works at first, but when a group of foreign defense attorneys show up and don't fear the Defense Culpability Act, a revolution begins and Ga'ran is overthrown in weeks.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: She's rather indifferent that she killed Jove Justice and doesn't seem to remember attempting to kill Apollo 23 years ago. As far as she is concerned, they happened to be in the way, the former being a potential witness to what really happened. The only "victim" she cared to remember was her sister.
Cain and Abel: The Cain to Amara's Abel.
The Caligula: She is an absolute terrible ruler. As she turns out to be prone to megalomaniacal flaunting of her own power when she stops pretending to be a good person.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: As much as she would have liked to get rid of Amara so she could take the throne, she has no spiritual power to speak of but needs to keep up the guise of being a queen capable of channeling spirits, so she keeps Amara around for when she needs to channel someone.
Catchphrase: Her unique Big Word Shout as a prosecutor is Such insolence! In Japanese, it's Hirefuse!, which roughly translates to "Bow down!".
Classic Villain: Representing Ambition, Pride, and Envy.
Dark Is Evil: She switches to a much darker looking outfit and reveals her black hair once she gives up pretence of being a nice lady.
Dead Person Impersonation: It is revealed that after Dhurke had been killed by her husband Inga, and his body laid to rest in the tomb's empty sarcophagus, Ga'ran saw an opportunity to ambush Inga. She stealthily opened the sarcophagus, took Dhurke's clothes and eyepatch from his own corpse, and dressed herself up in them before proceeding to literally and fatally stab Inga In the Back with a knife, thus pinning the crime on Dhurke himself... or at least his channeled spirit.
Despotism Justifies the Means: She won't go out of her way to betray her family, kingdom, and her people as long as she has all her power to viciously use it.
Dirty Coward: For all her extortion and abuse towards others, she lets her goons and proxies do her dirty work. She even changes the law to have anyone speaking out against her executed on the spot, only because she was backed into a corner.
Don't Create a Martyr: She could've easily sent assassins to kill Dhurke during her reign, but considering he was racking up a reputation beyond a terrorist, Ga'ran is well aware this trope is in effect. The whole point of her scheme is to frame him and paint him as a murderer to kill the spirit of rebellion. When he does get killed by Inga it only messed up her plan, so she had to keep up the facade that he's still alive for a while.
Dragon Lady: Has this appearance in her evil outfit. Justified, as she is a queen from a Far East country where the typical more of dress is also distinctly Asian.
The Dreaded: Because of her ratifying the Defense Culpability Act, no one wants to get on her bad side. Once she reveals her true colors in the final trial, the people know they really can't do anything about her tyranny.
Establishing Character Moment: An unconventional one since it occurs late in the story. Considering her queenly persona was a mask to provide a decent image to the public, it always left room for doubt as to who she truly was. There were hints of her nature beforehand by means of the state of Khura'in and some subtle threats, but nothing truly substantial. That is until the trial of Case 5 cast aside all doubts as to what kind of person she is. She starts with her queenly persona but provides some thinly veiled hints of the woman underneath. Then she changes into her prosecutor outfit and it immediately sets off bells as to who we're dealing with. It only gets worse when we finally see how frothing-at-the-mouth crazy she is. She starts openly talking about how she'd personally slice her enemies into hog-feed and openly threatens the defense team with beheading where they stand. It's at that moment that you know for sure that you're dealing with an insane megalomaniac.
Et Tu, Brute?: Dhurke remembers Ga’ran saying he was like a brother to him. The truth is she had it out for him. The sister-in-law he knew was a facade.
Evil Aunt: To her sister's children Nahyuta and Rayfa.
Evil Is Petty: She is quite petty. For example, she abuses her niece, makes evil laughs, and drags the trial out just to play with her opposing lawyers.
Evil Laugh: She makes evil laughs in the courtroom as a prosecutor especially when her main enemy is discovered to be murdered.
Evil Makeover: She gets one when she steps in to become a prosecutor, as she goes from this◊ to this◊ when she changes from her queenly attire to her prosecutor's attire. Phoenix and Apollo even lampshade how she underwent an extreme makeover. Chatter from the gallery also says this was her regular attire during her prosecuting days.
Evil Priestess: Because she was the de facto queen of Khura'in, she was also the de facto head of the religion of Khura'inism and perverted it into a Corrupt Church until she was exposed as someone who was not fit to be queen at all.
Eviler than Thou: Killed her husband Inga, who was trying to overthrow her so he could install his own dictatorship.
Faux Affably Evil: Ga'ran appears to be publicly harmless and jovial towards the heroes, even giving polite warnings, but it's all just a facade, because at the core, she is generally abusive, especially towards Rayfa, and she is cruel and merciless towards the heroes once they meet in the courtroom.
Femme Fatalons: She's concealing long red nails under her robe sleeves. They also apparently function as pens.
Final Boss: She's the main prosecutor of the final trial, and the last killer in the game.
Foil: To Lady Kee'ra, which is highlighted by the fact that her older sister Amara's kindness and power is compared to the Holy Mother's a few times in-game. Although Lady Kee'ra had no spiritual power, she didn't let that influence her actions, and fought valiantly to help establish her sister's kingdom and was responsible for keeping the peace within it afterwards. Ga'ran, meanwhile, deals with her ambition and lack of spiritual power by staging a coup and destabilizing Khura'in in a bid to get the throne, becoming a person that Kee'ra could've become if she obsessed over the fact that her lack of spiritual power cut her off from the line of succession to the throne.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Originally, Ga'ran was a Justice Minister at the time and was a princess who was seen alongside her sister Amara. After she ruthlessly usurps the throne however, she becomes an Amoral Attorney capable of committing the genocide of lawyers.
Genocide Backfire: She committed genocide against lawyers in Khura'in. Dhurke Sahdmadhi, the last surviving Khura'inese lawyer, started the Defiant Dragons to dethrone her. His foster son, Apollo Justice, manages to nullify her rule as queen by exposing her as someone who never can legally become queen.
Good Wears White: Subverted. Although she wears some white in her queenly attire and she initially seems like a Nice Girl, she's actually pure evil.
God Save Us from the Queen!: It was her that created the Defense Culpability Act, and sent countless people either to prison or to their beheadings. And, just to rub salt in the wound, she isn't even fit to be queen under the laws of Khura'in.
Greater-Scope Villain: For Apollo's arc, and it's not until Spirit of Justice where it's revealed she's the killer of Apollo's father.
Green and Mean: Her eyes are green, she wears some green (most notably in her queenly attire), and saying she's "mean" is a huge understatement.
Hate Sink: She staged an assassination attempt on her sister to cruelly paint lawyers as sinful people, then ratified the Defense Culpability Act to effectively remove them from the justice system, leading countless innocent people sentenced to their deaths, all of which serve to make you root for the Defiant Dragons more.
Hoist by Her Own Petard:
- By committing what is essentially genocide against defense attorneys, Ga'ran left herself without someone who could legally defend her once her crimes came to light. This sealed her demise, since she was left with no choice but to try channeling the Holy Mother in a futilely attempt to prove her innocence.
- Her pretending to be a powerful spirit medium eventually backfires when Apollo requests to see her so-called power himself, so he gives her exactly what she's been seeking from him—The Founder’s Orb. The possibility of seeing their holy "queen"'s legendary power in public brings the adoration and applause of Ga'ran's subjects, much to Ga'ran's fury, as she knows that she's really a fraud and Apollo had backed her into a corner with no escape.
Hypocrite: She has no qualms about pleading for a lawyer when it's certain that she will have to face justice for her many crimes, despite the fact that she created the law that made that profession practically illegal in the first place. Of course, the existence of said law means that there is no lawyer left in Khura'in that could defend her anyways after her schemes come to light.
I Am the Noun: She declares that as the queen of Khura'in she is the very embodiment of the law and thus has the right to make or break them as she pleases.
Improbable Age: Somehow served as Khura'in's Minister of Justice at the age of 20, and as a prosecutor before even that. There's probably nepotism involved, however, and she's certainly not the first prosecutor in the series to debut in their teens.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: According to Nahyuta, Ga'ran developed a complex from her inability to channel spirits. Her main reason for usurping the throne, using her sister to fake being a channeler, and building a Cult of Personality is because she desperately seeks outside validation. This results in her genuine belief that she's channeling the Holy Mother's spirit during her breakdown when she's finally exposed.
Informed Ability: Justified; everyone believes that Ga'ran is an incredibly powerful spirit medium, but she never actually performed such acts on screen. This is because she's truly powerless, but hides it by having other spirit mediums perform for her. Only when Apollo takes the stand is she exposed to her subjects.
It's All About Me: This is apparently who Ga'ran is. A self-serving, sadistically crazy megalomaniac who cares no one but herself. In spite of the lies and propaganda to spit on defense attorney's and her non-sensical legal system, the only real thing Ga'ran cares for is her own self.
Judge, Jury, and Executioner: An almost literal example. She certainly does fancy herself as such. She even invents a law that allows her to have everyone executed on the spot in the middle of a trial.
Karma Houdini Warranty: For 23 years, Ga'ran has gotten away with killing Apollo's father, oppressing the populace with unfair laws, killing numerous innocent people, scaring away lawyers and executing those who became victim to the Defense Culpability Act, and threatening Princess Rayfa's safety. It isn't until Apollo faces her in court that she finally gets her long-overdue comeuppance.
Kick the Dog:
- Especially if that dog's name is Rayfa, to whom she goes out of her way to mock and abuse repeatedly, in public no less. Special mention goes to the time when she banned Rayfa's favorite TV show while slipping in an insult about her daughter's chest size.
  Ga'ran: I have already banned its broadcast for containing content unsuitable for our kingdom. Besides, the actress playing Rayfa looked nothing like her. I can't have my subjects feeling so... disappointed when they see the real Rayfa.
- She kicks two dogs for the price of one after the "Dhurke is actually dead" reveal, where her reaction is to laugh and express joy that the rebel leader is dead right in front of his clearly-despairing sons Apollo and Nahyuta. At that point and time, she already knew that he is dead because she used his clothes to disguise herself to kill Inga, so she only said all of this to drive Apollo and Nahyuta further into despair.
Kneel Before Zod: She insists on this, even while otherwise appearing gentle and regal. In the Japanese version, her special Objection, "Such insolence!" was "Hirefuse!", meaning "Bow before me!"
Laser-Guided Karma: Two of Ga'ran's crimes came back to become her undoing:
- By killing Jove Justice, she gave Apollo a Divination Seance, that (unlike all the others) identifies the culprit with little to no mistake. Furthermore the baby, which she left to die in the flames that supposedly killed queen Amara, was then saved by her Arch-Enemy Dhurke, grew up to become a lawyer like his adoptive father and then later returned to Khura'in to end Ga'ran's regime.
- When Apollo accuses her of having no spiritual powers at all (the one thing you need to have to become the ruler of Khura'in) she demands a lawyer, forgetting that there was no one left thanks to her Defense Culpability Act which had literally all of them killed or forced to resign.
Lean and Mean: It's especially noticeable in her prosecutor outfit how thin and how much of a bitch she is.
Leitmotif: "Audience Chamber", despite its title, plays during encounters with Ga'ran even outside of the eponymous location. As a prosecutor, it gets a more malevolent rendition as "The Court of Resignation".
Leave No Witnesses: She killed Jove Justice the same night her sister was "assassinated", because she did not want to risk any potential witnesses getting word out about the truth on Amara's survival.
Light Is Not Good: She wears some white in her queenly attire and she lives up to the "Not Good" part.
Loony Laws: Not only is she responsible for the Defense Culpability Act, a law that punishes lawyers for defending guilty criminals, but in the final trial she attempts to rewrite the law to make it impossible to punish her. In the end, all of her insane laws are rendered void when Apollo discovers she has no real claim to the throne.
Loophole Abuse: When coaxed by Apollo into admitting that she was responsible for her husband's murder, she uses her position to change the law such that anyone who'd dare challenge her authority regardless of their motives is to be executed on the spot.
Machiavelli Was Wrong: Ga'ran was certain that by passing the Defense Culpability Act, fear would deter people from crime out of knowing that there will be no one to defend them in court if they are accused, as well discouraging (but not criminalizing) lawyers from practice, knowing that they will be seen as liars who abet criminals and that their lives will be on the line if they do. Thanks to the events of Maya's second trial in the game, people's eyes were opened to a tragedy the DC Act caused, the Defiant Dragons slowly gained momentum, but Dhurke's arrest and a successful TV station hijack led to general outrage enough for more citizens to rescind their support for the queen in favor of the rebellion.
Make an Example of Them: To deal a crippling blow to the Defiant Dragons, Ga’ran aims to not only prove Dhurke guilty, which the hardcore Dragons would never accept, but also to have his head displayed on a pike to discourage all would-be rebels any idea of going against the crown.
Muggle Born of Mages: Unlike her sister, she doesn't have any spiritual power, so she forces Amara to impersonate her when she is required to channel spirits. Apollo finally defeats her by exposing her as a fraudulent spirit medium and thus unfit for the crown.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Sigatar" comes from "shi kataru", meaning "death speaks". While it's meant to be a reference to the Khura'in royal family's spirit channelling abilities, Ga'ran is very bloodthirsty and has left many, many deaths in her wake. Doubles as an Ironic Name, since Ga'ran has no spiritual power and can't speak for the dead at all.
The Nicknamer: She uses some of Rayfa's nicknames on Phoenix and Apollo.
Noblewoman's Laugh: She laughs this way, complete with hand-to-mouth pose.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: She paints the DC Act as something that is cruel but necessary for order to be held in the country. In reality, it's all a blatant power-grab in order to keep herself in power.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: She could've ended the trial regardless of her desire, and at best she lets Apollo and Wright discover what appears to be incriminating evidence which ends her reign entirely.
Obnoxious In-Laws: A very vicious example. She became a foe to Dhurke when her sister Amara got married to him.
Obviously Evil: As queen she's serene and dignified but, when she decides to prosecute the case, run for the hills. She basically looks like a demon or a witch with her crazy hair and long fingernails (Apollo even calls her a "witch"). And apparently this is how she came to court every day when she was a prosecutor!
Older Than She Looks: She's in her mid-forties, although she looks younger than that.
Off with His Head!: Her preferred method of execution seems to be beheading.
Oh, Crap!: Her reaction to seeing her formerly-loyal Royal Guard turn on her upon realising that she's a fraud.
Phony Psychic: An interesting case where psychics actually exist in the series, but she's not one herself, a fact which really grates on her. It also makes her unfit for the crown under Khura'in law, requiring a huge gambit to cover this up.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Ga’ran absolutely hates foreigners, especially Westerners, and you’ll see her spout venomous words towards Phoenix and Apollo.
Power Copying: Invoked and Subverted. Queen Ga'ran's attempt to channel the Holy Mother has her desperately and poorly copying Maya's channelling, Rayfa's Dance of Devotion, and Nahyuta's sutra.
Praetorian Guard: The Royal Guards, who often show up to applaud her or support her points. It's later revealed she chose them more for their worship of her than competence, though... and even they turn on her when they realize she's a Phony Psychic.
Psychopathic Womanchild: She carries himself with a more composed, sophisticated air befitting a dignified queen, but is deep down a Spoiled Brat not unlike Rayfa, one who thinks she deserves to have power and rule all of Khura’in, simply because she thinks she should, and that's not even getting into how much of a Sore Loser she is when things are about to not go her way for once.
Pyrrhic Victory: Apollo invokes this to do her in once and for all. She is given the Founder's Orb, the MacGuffin that she and all the players in the story had been desperately seeking, at the worst possible time. Since the Founder's Orb shows the founder's face, Ga'ran herself knows the founder's name, and she allegedly has great spiritual power as Grand Priestess of Khura'in, everything should be in place to channel the founder. To the courtroom that has seen Apollo accuse her of being a Phony Psychic, which would nulify her claim to the throne. And her Praetorian Guard who worships the ground she walks and wants to see her show her power. By obtaining the Orb when she does, she is now forced to demonstrate her power to the court... or rather, her lack therof.
Red Is Violent: She wears some red in both of her outfits, and she has zero qualms with murdering innocent people.
Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: She constantly rewrites the law mid-trial in a bid to legally become a Karma Houdini. When cornered, she instantly writes a law giving her permission to shoot anyone who opposes her.
Royal "We": As queen, she refers to herself as "we," but she drops this once she becomes the prosecutor of the final trial.
Sadistic Choice:
- It's not her that makes it, but she gives one to Apollo Justice. Sometime during the case of Dhurke Sahdmadhi, Apollo finds himself trapped under the Defense Culpability Act, enacted by the very prosecutor of Dhurke's case, meaning that Apollo is pretty much considered a criminal himself for "defending a criminal". While he seems royally screwed, Ga'ran offers Apollo this in exchange for his life: if Apollo were to give up on Dhurke right then and there, she would let Apollo and his friends go, given that Ga'ran is the law, with no strings attached. Ga'ran was even willing to reduce Dhurke's punishment, should Apollo give up.
- At the climax of the trial, after being called out for a fraud in spiritual channeling, she must either prove otherwise or lose her crown. Needless to say, since she is a fraud, she fails. Epically.
Sadist: Indeed, quite so. There's never a moment where Ga'ran can make evil laughs, let alone play around through the whole trial for her amusement. She also finds it quite delightful abusing her niece and her nephew through blackmail.
Sanity Slippage: Overlaps with Villainous Breakdown; upon waking up from fainting, she was convinced she really was the Holy Mother.
Scenery Censor: Orders three members of the Royal Guard to stand in front of her while she changes into her prosecutor attire.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: She repeatedly changes the law on the spot throughout the trial, up to making it so just opposing her will get you executed. Then again, since Khu'rain is portrayed as an absolute monarchy, this is more or less Truth in Television. But, Apollo proved she’s not fit to rule, which effectively voids every law she created since the start of her reign.
Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: Her "evil" outfit has the most cleavage-showing of any Ace Attorney character yet. This bites her in the ass when a chest burn that she does not have proves that The Alibi that she was claiming actually exonerates the owner of that burn scar.
A Sinister Clue: She writes with her left hand, and is the Big Bad.
Smug Snake: Her true personality is that of an arrogant and selfish individual who looks down on others. Underestimating Apollo and his allies ends up being her downfall.
Sneaky Spider: She is associated with spiders through her personal seal and her appearance and clothing once her true colors are revealed. This fits her scheming, cruel, sadistic, and manipulative nature.
The Sociopath: She is willing to change the laws of the land to suit her needs on a whim, is willing to have anyone who gets in her way killed, thinks nothing of hurting her own family, cares for no one but herself, and was perfectly willing to let a baby die in a fire that she started.
Stripperiffic: While not as overblown as some examples of this trope, her prosecutor's outfit is easily the most provocative one worn by either side of the bench up to this point, with special note going to the ample cleavage it reveals. This, of all things, comes back to bite her big time later on.
Stupid Evil: She confesses to Rayfa that her birth parents were Dhurke and Amara all along, sadistically choosing to abuse the entire trial for her own selfish entertainment, and even letting it continue without realizing the two greatest attorneys of the legal world were there to put an end to her reign of terror.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
- She's essentially a combination of Morgan Fey and Manfred von Karma. Like Morgan, she was jealous of her sister's spiritual abilities and the power that she was able to achieve because of them, and plotted to take her place (albeit she did so directly, whereas Morgan aimed to do so via proxy with Pearl). And like Manfred, she's an Amoral Attorney who takes over as prosecutor for the final case of the game, constantly dictates the flow of the trial once she takes over (though it's more justified in her case considering she's the queen), forces the rival prosecutor to take the fall for a murder that she committed, and was responsible for the death of a main character's parent many years before the game's events. She even uses the same dirty courtroom tactics that Von Karma uses, like withholding witness testimony she deems "irrelevant" (i.e. disadvantageous to her case) and withholding vital evidence until she can use it to put Apollo at a disadvantage. Her resemblances to von Karma are even lampshaded when Phoenix and Edgeworth have a talk with her; when Ga'ran starts talking about getting perfect trials, Edgeworth all but begs Phoenix to not go "THAT" path. In a sense, she's even worse than Von Karma, as Von Karma never had the ability to freely rewrite the law whenever it suited him.
- In terms of character design, she bears resemblance to Darklaw from the crossover title Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, with a witch-like design and Femme Fatalons. She even has a vaguely similar role in the plot, as both serve as prosecutors for the final cases in their respective games and were responsible for fires that occurred years before the events of the story, albeit Darklaw started the fire by accident after the Disaster Dominoes had been set up by several others, whereas the fire that Ga'ran caused was very much intentional.
- In addition, she has traits from several other villains from the previous games. Fitting for a game that has so many call backs to the rest of the series — for example, she's got a vicious streak and has a sibling to impersonate her when needed like Dahlia, covers up her sister's survival in a fire like Mimi Miney, forces a prosecutor to take the fall for her crimes(namely two murders- one to establish her power and one to remove a potential threat) because of leverage she has over their younger sibling like Damon Gant, attempts to have the opposing attorney shot in the middle of court like Callisto Yew, kills an accomplice who was plotting to overthrow them and uses their position of power to evade justice and prolong the investigation like Quercus Alba while only being defeated by being stripped of said position (Lang gets the royal family to fire Alba from the embassy, Apollo proves Ga'ran is an illegitimate ruler), her abusive treatment of Rayfa mirrors the relationship between Yumihiko and Bansai, frames a heroic defense attorney in blue for forging evidence and gets away with it for several years like Kristoph Gavin, and is responsible for killing a parent of one of Wright Anything Agency's attorneys and later being responsible for one of their allies being Dead All Along, like the phantom.
Til Murder Do Us Part: Ga'ran gets wind of the fact that her husband Inga is planning to kill her. She murders him.
Tom the Dark Lord: Her name sounds pretty innocuous enough (her name is derived from the Sanskrit meaning for "Temple", which is rather fitting for the high level of spirituality of the populace), yet severely understates how evil she really is. "Sigatar", on the other hand...
Twitchy Eye: This tends to happen when she gets flustered.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: Her predecessor was considered The High Queen. Ga'ran is The Caligula.
The Usurper: She lacks the spiritual power necessary to be the legitimate holder of Khura'in's throne. She made her way onto it through manipulation and maintained her rule with lies.
Utopia Justifies the Means: Ga'ran feels that by ratifying the Defense Culpability Act, crime will be virtually non-existent under the fear that no attorney will defend one in court if accused of a crimes. However, it's subverted because her promise of peace and safety is just a way to rule her own subjects with an iron fist.
Villainous Breakdown: Apollo's final objection, literally blowing her guards away and making her jolt back in shock, as he challenges her to channel the Holy Mother. She accepts and tries doing the ceremony dance, while her guards cheer her on. Nothing comes out of it, though, so her guards realize the truth and aim their rifles at her. She tries doing the dance again, only to be knocked unconscious, fall backward to the pool, and lie there, now defeated. It also overlaps with Sanity Slippage; Ga'ran thought she genuinely was the Holy Mother after waking up.
Villainous Crossdresser: Overlaps with Sweet Polly Oliver; she dressed herself up in the clothes and attire that belonged to Dhurke (who's a man) as part of a Dead Person Impersonation.
Villainous Legacy: Her murder of Apollo Justice's biological father plays a large role in his backstory of how he came to be where he is now.
Villainous Princess: Plays the trope to the letter. Ga'ran was the jealous younger princess who wanted to be queen, so she faked her older sister's death, framed her brother-in-law for it, and usurped the throne.
Villain with Good Publicity: As evidenced by the gallery in the Khura'in trials (and even some of Ahlbi's early dialogue while he's a suspect), she manages to at least sway the populace that isn't aligned with the insurgency that her way of doing things (where defense attorneys are a blight and interfere with the rite of passage of the slain) is for the best in Khura'in. Even when she takes off her facade as a saintly person and puts on her villainous prosecutor robes she garners support from the audience but none of her advocates realize she's manipulated everyone into shunning defense attorneys to keep them under her thumb, not to protect the values of Khura'inism. However, the revolt gains more steam in the wake of case 3 and by the end of the game, even her Praetorian Guard has turned on her.
Well-Intentioned Extremist:
- Ga'ran tries to convince Rayfa to be this, believing that sometimes the truth must be kept from the "ignorant masses". And this is before it's revealed that Ga'ran is the Big Bad.
- Ga'ran meanwhile seems to fit the bill at first glance, initially coming off as a fair yet stern queen who believes that the DC Act is for the greater good. Of course, it's complete bunk as she's simply an egocentric and purely evil dictator who's putting on a friendly face.
Wild Take: A more subdued example than most, and it only happens twice, but when Apollo points out a large enough contradiction, Ga'ran grimaces and clenches her fist slightly, causing her fingernails to fly off.
Witch with a Capital "B": Apollo calls her a witch multiple times throughout the final trial, with his tone heavily implying he means something else. This is made deliciously ironic when it's revealed she has no spiritual power to speak of.
Would Hurt a Child: Tried to murder the infant Apollo alongside his father because he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Back then, Apollo was just some nobody that she couldn't care less about. However, while Jove dies, Dhurke rescues Apollo just in time, eventually providing the means to topple Ga'ran's reign.
The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: Through attempted assassination and blackmail, Ga'ran secured her place on the throne to Khura'in and kept her legitimate relatives in line so they wouldn't retaliate against her. Through lies, she also painted herself as a spirit medium despite being born completely powerless, and kept up this facade by having her spiritually powerful niece and sister do the spirit channeling for her. Once Apollo publicly exposes her, Ga'ran's subjects waste no time in turning against her.
Worthy Opponent: She seems to regard Phoenix as one due to him winning a couple of court cases in the face of the DC Act. Out of everyone who has ever opposed her, he deserved a little credit for his attempts.
Xanatos Gambit: Invoked in Case 5: If Apollo and Wright lose the trial, they'll be executed. Or, since Nahyuta made false testimony in favor of her, the Defense Culpability act will still apply even if she's convicted, and thus he will share her sentence. But after a while, Ga'ran instead decides to execute them for speaking against the Crown. Unfortunately for her, Apollo had the founder's orb as his final ace up his sleeve, and proved she is not fit to be queen.
You Killed My Father: Is responsible for the death of Apollo's biological father, Jove Justice. And quite fittingly, it's Apollo who takes her down, avenging his death.

Amara Sigatar Khura'in

Amara Sigatar Khura'in

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amara_81.png

"I must say, a life dedicated to the servitude of others is not the least bit disagreeable. It is a quiet, humble existence — far removed from the tedium of regal duties."

Her Mercifulness, the former queen of Khura'in. She was assassinated 23 years ago, and in the aftermath of her death the succeeding queen, Ga'ran, imposed the Defense Culpability Act. Except she's not actually dead; she survived the attempt on her life and was forced into hiding.

The Alibi: The burn scar on her chest is her alibi for Inga's murder.
Abdicate the Throne: Despite her reveal and return to the public, Amara decides to step down and make way for her daughter, Rayfa, so she can pursue a quieter life far from Khura'in's politics. Her son, Nahyuta, would serve as king regent for the kingdom until his younger sister is of age to take the throne. She decides her duty is to mentor the future queen. She does however, reclaim her position as Grand Priestess after her sister is overthrown, seeing that Rayfa refers to her as such.
Assassin Outclassin': Subverted on the first attempt on her life, as the assassin deliberately made it so that she'd make it out alive, and she never figured that out. Played straight on the second, where she gets shot but lives through the ordeal.
Becoming the Mask: She has grown taken to being "dedicated to the servitude of others" and abdicated the throne in favor of her daughter, Rayfa, because of it. Though she was happy to finally throw off her guise as an elderly woman after 23 years.
Beware the Nice Ones: When angered, she performs a Death Glare that surpasses her husband's, making the screen go dark as lightning flashes and her animals flee. The Judge immediately pleads for mercy.
Big Sister Instinct: Before Rayfa was used as a hostage against her, Amara performed spirit channeling for Ga'ran because she didn't want her sister's reputation to be tarnished.
Cain and Abel: The Abel to Ga'ran's Cain.
Call-Back: Amara's use of Disney Creatures of the Farce, positive and negative alike, recall the Big Bad of Trials and Tribulations.
Disney Creatures of the Farce: Zig-zagged. She's built up to be a loving, benevolent woman, something that's only emphasized with woodland creatures (and a tiger!) approaching her when she speaks. However, she's initially introduced as somewhat antagonistic, with an unhelpful, haughty air and a tendency to give backhanded compliments to the defense, with one of her damage animations being a lightning bolt appearing out of nowhere and shocking away the animals. She's eventually revealed to be a good person and a genuine Friend to All Living Things however.
Distinguishing Mark: She possesses a large burn scar on her chest from the arson that was an attempt to assassinate her that is normally obscured by the Holy Mother emblem on her dress. It's visible for a fleeting moment in a photograph of her being forced to pose as her sister. Her scar becomes The Alibi for her, causing her false confession that she likely was extorted into giving to be shown as false. It also proves that Ga'ran has no alibi for Inga's murder.
Eyes Always Shut: When she first reveals herself on the stand her eyes remain shut, adding to her mystical air. However, once she's pressed far enough, she’s completely shocked and tearfully opens them, and she's depicted normally from then on.
Faking the Dead: She faked her death and went into hiding because she was told assassins were out to kill her. However, this was intentional—Ga'ran needed to keep her alive so that she can extort Amara with her Spirit Medium ability, and it never occurred to her that her sister didn't want her dead.
Friend to All Living Things: One of her animations has her being flocked by several woodland creatures and a tiger, all looking at her with awe.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: When she is pushed far enough, lightning strikes and everything goes dark except her eyes, which give out a menacing glow.
God Empress: Her phenomenal spiritual power led to her being practically regarded as a goddess by the people of Khura'in. Some even saw her as the reincarnation of the Holy Mother.
Good Parents: Even with her hands metaphorically tied behind her back, she's always by Rayfa's side.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple: While her younger sister's darker shade of purple makes her look evil, Amara's lighter lavender dress (accentuated with pink) fits her High Queen status.
High Priestess: As queen, she’s also the Grand Priestess of Khura’inism. Even after her sister is arrested and though she abdicates her throne, she takes back her position as Grand Priestess.
The High Queen: A dignified, benevolent queen who was so beloved that her apparent assassination being pinned on Dhurke led to the backlash against attorneys. She's relegated to Queen Mother as her daughter in the process of the latter’s ascension.
His Name Is...: Gets shot by one of Ga'ran's guardsmen while revealing who Inga's true killer is. Fortunately, she survives.
Horrible Judge of Character: Her sisterly love of Ga'ran allowed the latter to dupe Amara on what Dhurke did and what he was planning to do, and on the subject of Ga'ran's moral standing.
House Fire: This is the method of her first assassination attempt. She was in her residence when it was set on fire by her sister.
Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: She gets shot by a member of the Royal Guard before being about to reveal who gave her orders in the first place. Thankfully, she survives.
Leitmotif: She has two: "A Woman Freed" is used when she reveals herself. "The Person Freed 2" plays during her subsequent dialogues.
Love Makes You Dumb: Her love for her sister blinded her to her sister's evil plans to the point that she was a Horrible Judge of Character and Super Gullible in regards to said sister.
Man in the Iron Mask: The usurped ruler of the kingdom, kept virtually imprisoned with her identity hidden as Nayna. A rare case where this trope's Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? aspect is entirely justified: as Ga'ran has no spiritual power, she needs Amara alive in order to perform a Twin Switch whenever a channelling is required.
Meaningful Name: Her name comes from the Sanskrit word meaning "immortal".^note She was not actually dead following her assassination, and later survives a gunshot.
My God, What Have I Done?: She's visibly shaken when Apollo reveals that Dhurke suspected she had killed Inga, but lied about it to protect her. She spent twenty-three years believing Ga'ran's lie that Dhurke tried to kill her, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that he was innocent and truly loved her.
Nice Girl: A serene, kind, and wise queen that everyone loved. Her design even resembles Guanyin, a bodhisattva who's also known as Goddess of Mercy, and she's addressed as "Your Mercifulness". When she reveals herself, this seems to be subverted, with her propensity for a Death Glare and backhanded apologies... but her meanness turns out to be a deliberate attempt at Taking the Heat, and she really is that saintly.
Noblewoman's Laugh: Actually laughs like this, just like her sister, although she's far from a villainous character.
Older Than They Look: Played with. As shown in the picture, she looks around twenty despite being older than Ga'ran, who is in her forties...but in her Nayna disguise she appears significantly older than her true age. She does have visible wrinkles, but they're only noticeable in her close-up art.
Red Herring: Her serene beauty and backhanded apologies to the defense make her look like the villainess intially, even getting a Death Glare for her damage animation and a breakdown. However, she's actually Taking the Heat to protect her daughter. Furthermore, her transformation from Nayna to Amara can fake out the player into thinking that she is the culprit when she isn't one for murder. She did commit obstruction of justice due to her Frame-Up of Dhurke, but she has the defense of being Blackmailed by her sister into doing it so she is not guilty of that crime.
Scars Are Forever: She has a burn scar on her chest from her first assassination attempt that becomes The Alibi for her.
Spectacular Spinning: How she took off her Nayna disguise in the court. She also has a pose where her forearms are constantly rotating in front of her in a decidedly Buddha-like fashion.
Strong Family Resemblance: A plot point.
- She and Ga'ran were born a year apart, and look extremely similar to the point that Amara was able to pose as Ga'ran when needed for twenty-three years. Her biological children don't look all that much like her at first glance, however.
- Her prosecutor son, Nahyuta, looks like a pale-skinned, male version of her, sans the facial markings. This serves as Foreshadowing for the reveal that he's really a prince of Khura'in, and his loyalties lie with his immediate family instead of his lying, selfish aunt.
Super Gullible: She was this in regards to her sister's lies thanks to Amara's sisterly love towards Ga'ran.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
- Of Misty Fey, heads of spiritually-powerful clans who had to go into hiding by impersonating lowly elderly women, with both also having an extremely jealous sister with less spiritual power who conspired to usurp their positions.
- Also one of Iris, being the kinder one of a pair of sisters who, through sisterly love, is made to go along with her evil sister's schemes (which involve impersonating the other). Bonus points for falling in love with a lawyer (who's blue-themed, at that).
Taking the Heat: When exposed, she tries to claim she's the killer because Ga'ran is threatening to ruin her daughter's life.
Teen Pregnancy: Downplayed. She's 44 in-game and her eldest child is 25, meaning she was around 19 when she gave birth.
Villainous Breakdown: Subverted. Amara seems to get a breakdown, although a more subdued version than usual, when it seems like she's been exposed as Dhurke's killer. She clutches her face and screams as her hair whips to the side and some flower petals shake loose from her hair as the screen fades to white. However, she's not actually the killer, she was covering for the true culprit.

The Defiant Dragons

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/defiant_dragons.png

A group of revolutionaries and ex-lawyers formed by Dhurke Sahdmadhi after the Defense Culpability Act was passed, the Defiant Dragons have one goal in mind: to overthrow the evil Queen Ga'ran and restore Khura'in's legal system to its previously fair and just state.

The Heretic: Defying the Royal Family is considered tantamount to blasphemy and heresy towards Khura’inism, so the Defiant Dragons are considered such in the religious sense. However, this is not true. All Defiant Dragons are practicing Khura’inists—they have nothing but respect for the late queen, and they even bury their dead in accordance to their faith.
Heroes With Bad Publicity: Most Khura'inese people thought that the Defiant Dragons were a group of villains thanks to the Propaganda Machine that the government uses to demonize the Defiant Dragons and defense attorneys in general.
Heroic Resolve: The defining trait of many rebels is their ability to persevere in seemingly-hopeless situations. That's why their motto is "A Dragon never yields".
La Résistance: The whole premise of their existance: A rebel group struggling against the oppressive, lawyer-prejudiced Kingdom of Khura'in.
The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: Initially, one is under the impression that the Defiant Dragons are a case of The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized, but don't believe anything the Kingdom's Propaganda Machine tells you—they're quite the opposite. The Dragons are indeed heroic paragons of truth and justice, with no ambiguities in their heroism. As such, the Dragons have the higher moral ground, for it is the Kingdom of Khura'in that has destroyed all that is right and just by creating a law that induces prejudice against lawyers. Plus, all their supporters are just as faithful as almost everyone else in the Kingdom, and even they still respect the former queen while hating the rest of the royal family.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: One of their highest moral standards is that they do not take lives. Dhurke wants his revolution to be as bloodless as possible, thus leading to any members willing to fight using blunt weapons like truncheons or just using their fists.
You Rebel Scum!: Commonly said word-for-word by anyone from the Khura'inese government on the rebels in question.

Dhurke

Dhurke Sahdmadhi

Voiced by (Japanese): Masashi Ebara (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Jamieson Price (SoJ)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dhurke_6.png

"A dragon never yields. Even when wounded, a dragon bites down hard, and never lets go till its dying breath. It glares, it roars, and it latches its jaws firmly onto its prey till the bitter end. That's what lawyers do to get to the truth!"

A former defense attorney and the leader of a group of revolutionaries. Amara Sigatar Khura'in's husband, Nahyuta and Rayfa's biological father, and Apollo's foster father.

Action Dad: Apart from leading a revolution to save the legal system, he's been on the run for over two decades, broken his wife out of imprisonment once, saved his kids from drowning twice and manages to stay standing after taking 3 bullets (and scaring the crap out of his attacker). He's also been in jail who knows how many times, and had to save his compatriots from the same.
Acquitted Too Late: After 23 years, Dhurke was finally cleared of suspicion for the attempted assasination of his wife... but not before he was killed by Inga merely a few days before.
Ambiguous Situation: It’s unclear whether he was ever aware that Rayfa was actually his child. He doesn’t talk about Rayfa all that often, but then, he never talks about the whereabouts of his own daughter either.
Arch-Enemy: Of the Ga'ran administration, the head of which happens to be his sister-in-law. He is the target of their frame-up of Queen Amara's assassination (as well as the face of their smear campaign against defense attorneys and the overt reason for the DC Act) and they are the final obstacle he needs to defeat in order to restore a lawful and just judicial system.
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents:
- More than happy to tell embarrassing childhood stories about his children, and offers to show Trucy a picture of a young Apollo running around in his birthday suit.
- He also tells Apollo that Trucy would make a good wife. In front of her.
- He also pulls out and reads Apollo's diary... with Trucy's help of course.
Badass Creed: "A dragon never yields. Even when wounded, a dragon bites down hard, and never lets go till its dying breath. It glares, it roars, and it latches its jaws firmly onto its prey till the bitter end. That's what lawyers do to get to the truth!"
Badass Pacifist: He seeks to reform the legal system in Khura'in through a bloodless revolution, and vows to never kill anyone.
- When Apollo asks him what happened in the tomb, he says that he doesn't remember, but since he can't see himself killing Inga, he's pretty sure it wasn't him. Of course, the real reason he's certain of his own innocence is that he is perfectly aware of the origin of his memory gap, but he still sounds utterly sincere as he says it... which says something considering that not only is Inga the one who killed him, but Dhurke had also scared him off from the scene of the crime with his Death Glare. Defies death itself; wouldn't hurt a fly - Dhurke Sahdmadhi, everyone.
Barbarian Longhair: His long hair flails violently when he does his Dragon's Glare. Sarge calls it a "mop" and reprimands him, saying that soldiers should be "clean cut", nevermind the fact that Armie's own hair is even longer.
Big Damn Heroes: When he came back to save Apollo from drowning alone in a cave.
- To Maya. She probably wasn't expecting the leader of the rebellion to come to personally break her out... and definitely not to get killed right in front of her for his trouble.
Big Good: He's leading the Defiant Dragons to reform Khura'in's legal system and to free the country from Ga'ran's tyranny.
Blood from the Mouth: Due to being shot in the chest and lungs, you notice that his blood is trickling on the side of his mouth as he sits over slumped next to the sarcophagus that would soon become his final resting place, looking straight at a teary-eyed Maya with a smile on his face.
Call-Back: His Eyepatch of Power and Coat Cape is reminiscent of Apollo's costume switch in Dual Destinies, hinting that there's something between the two.
Cannot Spit It Out:
- Dhurke can't bring himself to tell Apollo that's he's already dead, opting to tell Apollo that he's close to death's door instead.
- He also can't say who else was in the tomb when Inga died, as he didn't want to risk putting blame on his wife Amara.
Catchphrase: "A dragon never yields", which doubles as his Badass Creed.
Coat Cape: An odd variation where his right arm is free but prefers to rest his left arm on the inside of the coat in front of him as it's taut against his waist with his sash, as if his arm was in a sling.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Dhurke Sahdmadhi gets shot three times in the chest by justice minister Inga Karkhuul Khura’in and this kills him. Dhurke does not die instantly either, he was probably alive for several minutes since he was able to talk to Maya Fey for a while and since he had blood dripping from his mouth the bullets likely pierced his lungs and not his heart since he did not die immediately. Whether he died of blood loss, drowning in his own blood, or suffocation from having bullet holes in his lungs is unknown, but one thing can be certain. Not only was it probably hard for Dhurke to breathe after getting shot in his lungs and he got dyspnea from such gunshot and bullet wounds, but it likely hurt for him to even breathe. He probably had the worst death of any Ace Attorney Victim.
Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: He had to lead a revolution against the current regime, and keeping Apollo around would have put him into a completely unjustifiable amount of danger, especially considering Apollo had already lost his biological parents to this chain of events.
Dead All Along: Is chronologically the first victim of Case 5 (not counting the incident 23 years earlier), but Maya channels him as a promise, leading to his appearance in the first part of Case 5 up to the 'hostage situation'. His appearances past that are courtesy of Amara. His only appearance alive during the present (apart from the cutscene at the end of "The Foreign Turnabout") was after the "DCA Tragedy", at which point the revolution was gaining momentum.
Death Glare: His signature Dragon's Glare, apparently his equivalent to Phoenix's famous Objection pose. Amusingly, Phoenix is skeptical of its results when he first hears about it.
Defiant to the End: As is his philosophy, "a dragon never yields". His Death Glare manages to frighten Inga Khura'in enough to send him packing even though he'd just shot Dhurke three times in the chest (and yes, it was fatal).
Determinator: "A dragon never yields". Even after death.
Disappeared Dad: Drops Apollo off in America, promising to come back for him soon. Unfortunately, "soon" meant 10+ years. By the time that he reenters Apollo's life, he's already dead and only living on via spirit channeling.
Dying Moment of Awesome: It's more of a low-key example, but even after being shot three times by Inga, he's able to send him running with his tail between his legs with his utterly terrifying Death Glare before requesting Maya to channel him and succumbing to his wounds. He also apologizes to her as he's dying in front of her as he's caused her such an inconvenience! However, he has a plan anyway...
Eyepatch of Power: Wears an eyepatch, and he's the leader of the Defiant Dragons.
Eye Scream: If you notice the area around his right eye, it is obvious that a blade destroyed his eye.
Face Framed in Shadow: At the end of "The Foreign Turnabout", we see him partially in the darkness, as he tells his friend Datz Are'bal that the wheels of change are starting to turn in their favor after the first "Not Guilty" verdict in 23 years.
"Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: Far too badass for one of these, he instead gets an "Already Faced the Bullets" One-Liner after being shot 3 times in the chest.
Dhurke: Heh... did you really think a peashooter like that... [Dragon's Glare] ... could kill a dragon!?
Figure It Out Yourself: Tells Apollo that there will be some uncomfortable truths found in the trial, as he's unable to bring himself to tell it to Apollo straight.
Dhurke: Apollo. In court tomorrow... you may find yourself faced with a truth that is difficult to accept. But I know you. And I know you can handle the truth, no matter what it turns out to be. I know that because I believe in you. You're my son, after all!
Foil: To Phoenix. Both are legendary lawyers who act as mentors to Apollo (with Dhurke's being more pronounced given their relationship) who were accused of murdering a loved one (Dhurke's wife Amara and Phoenix's mentor Mia) and represented themselves in these cases. Both were also charged with falsifying evidence and this negatively impacted the legal system and destroyed the people's trust in lawyers (creating the DC Act and starting the Dark Age of Law). Both men then had to change from their normal tactics so that they could then undo the damage that was done to the legal system. They also both raised a child of Thalassa Gramarye (Dhurke raised Apollo, Phoenix raised Trucy). However, Dhurke deviates from Phoenix in that his relationships were typically a lot closer and more personal and was unable to practice law for 23 years as opposed to Phoenix's 7 yet never lost his optimism and charm. Phoenix, on the other hand, became a lot more jaded and pessimistic after losing his badge and only returned to his optimism until after getting a chance to return to the legal profession.
Follow in My Footsteps: Dhurke hopes that Apollo will take over his law firm after his death. Apollo accepts.
Fond Memories That Could Have Been: Subverted. Once Dhurke is fatally wounded, he asks Maya to head back to the States and channel him after he dies so that he could bond with Apollo one last time, since he put off the reunion for many years.
A Fool for a Client: He defended himself while on trial for killing Amara and succeeded... until Ga'ran accused him of fabricating evidence.
Good Parents: Despite leaving Apollo in America for all of his teenage and adult years, Dhurke was still a great father to his kids.
Dhurke: What father wouldn't risk his life to save his own children?
Go Out with a Smile: He's smiling while he's bleeding out in front of Maya, trying to calm her down and telling her that she should channel him after he dies.
Handicapped Badass: Losing an eye and mobility in one arm doesn't stop him from pulling exploits such as bringing along the revolution, saving Apollo when the cave gets flooded or scaring the hell out of Inga.
Happily Married: Despite being split up for years, and his wife thinking he had tried to murder her, he still is in love with her and continues to fight for her and protect her.
Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrificed himself to save a captive Maya.
I Shall Taunt You: Being on-trial for murder doesn't deter him in the least from insulting and provoking Queen Ga'ran, much to Apollo's chagrin.
Just in Time: He manages to save Apollo inside the Kurain cave before he drowns in the rising water.
La Résistance: The leader of one.
Last Request: Asks Maya to channel him after his death so he can see Apollo again - as well as hide the fact that he's dead.
Dhurke: [in his final moments] P... Promise... Promise me... o-one thing, young lady. I-It's about my son.
Maya: Dhurke... was talking about you, Apollo. He said he wanted to see you... one last time. So he asked me to return to the U.S. and channel his spirit.
Laughing at Your Own Jokes: Tends to laugh at his own dad jokes. His laughing animation is just icing on the cake.
Dhurke: [To Apollo, after rescuing him from drowning] Get your fill of seawater? Good thing your name's not Neptune, huh! Hah-ha ha ha ha ha!
The Leader: Of the Defiant Dragons. Of the Headstrong/Charismatic type.
Leitmotif: "A Dragon Never Yields".
Like Father, Like Son: Nahyuta ends up following in Dhurke's revolutionary footsteps by trying to take down the regime from the inside as a prosecutor. Apollo is a straight example through, as he becomes a defense attorney like his foster father.
Love Martyr: Downplayed. Although he and Amara were never able to reconcile while he was alive, he never stopped loving her and being loyal to her. He even went along with her using him in her cover-up of Ga'ran's crime because of this.
Luke, I Am Your Father: He is Nahyuta's father, although this fact is already well known in-universe. The real example of this trope is he's also Rayfa's biological father, unbeknownst to everyone else but Nahyuta, Amara, Inga, and Ga'ran.
Meaningful Name: His name is a corruption of the Tibetan and Dzongkha word druk, meaning "thunder dragon." The name for the Bhutanese monarch is Druk Gyalpo, or "Thunder Dragon King." With Dhurke, the name refers to both his status as leader of the Defiant Dragons and his ties to the Khura'inese royal family.
Multiple Gunshot Death: Shot 3 times by Inga.
Must Make Amends: Dhurke felt guilty about not returning for Apollo for over a decade, and uses his time while being channeled by Maya to make up for it.
Never Got to Say Goodbye: To anyone. He had a chance to say it to Apollo but he couldn't spit it out.
Nice Guy: A kind, fatherly, and brave man.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: He is extremely similar to Chiba Takusaburo, a low-class samurai and legal scholar in the Meiji Era who sought to reform the Imperial government's legal system through bloodless revolution.
Not Too Dead to Save the Day: A ridiculously badass example of this trope. Killed while trying to save a hostage? No problem! Just have the hostage channel him, and then he can finish the job, right in front of his own dead body! And also find Khura'in's most sacred treasure and bring in his adopted son to finally successfully usher in the revolution, because why stop at half-measures?
Papa Wolf: Extremely protective of his sons, and is more than willing to risk his life to save them.
Perpetual Poverty: Seems that even before the DC Act, Khura'inese lawyers still had the same financial problems as their colleagues in Japan/California do, with Dhurke mentioning he had to milk yaks to make ends meet.
Prison Escape Artist: He has carried out countless jailbreaks for himself and his subordinates.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Dhurke is drawn with a glowing red eye when depicted by the government's Propaganda Machine. Subverted in reality.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Dhurke refers to the Druk, a dragon in Bhutanese mythology.
Sadistic Choice:
- Which is worse parenting: having your child live with you on the run, bringing them up as a revolutionary and essentially a Child Soldier, or leaving them in a foreign country and cutting contact with them for their own safety? Dhurke ends up choosing a different option for either of his two sons, and the game pulls no punches in showing how both suck: Apollo is struggling with an abandonment complex, while Nahyuta ends up in the center of a horrific hostage situation, both having others be held hostage against him and being held against them as hostage himself.
- Any father would risk his life to save his son, of course. Except Dhurke is already dead and the life he has to risk is Maya's...
- Dhurke has successfully defied death to rescue Maya and get the Founder's Orb, and is now taunting Inga over the phone about it. Except Inga has hostages, and now Dhurke is going to Khurain to not only give him the Orb, but also essentially deliver Maya right back to him...
- Finding himself in the tomb and realizing who it has to be that's channeling him right now. If the framing plan works, his revolution is over and done with, leaving Khura'in in the clutches of tyrants and lawlessness; but the other option puts his beloved wife Amara in harm's way. He actually has a half dozen varyingly horrible courses of action to choose from in this situation. He can put his son's life on the line by encouraging Apollo to defend him, which is his best chance of uncovering the truth. He can expose Amara by announcing he is dead and being channeled (easily provable with a Magatama of Parting and the fact his dead body is right there), which would clear his name at the expense of his beloved wife's and also cripple the revolution with the knowledge that they lost their leader. He can confess to the crime, which leaves Apollo and Amara safe but destroys the revolution. He can refuse to go along with Datz's prison break, keeping Amara captive and preserving evidence of what happened in the tomb for when Apollo figures it out; or he can go along with it and let her go, making himself look worse in the eyes of the court and making Apollo's life harder but also giving him the opportunity to call her as a witness. In this situation he holds all the cards but virtually no control over the eventual outcome of playing them, and half the potential results involve death of his loved ones.
Shipper on Deck:
- Encourages Apollo to go after Trucy, unaware that they're actually half-siblings.
- He also wonders if Apollo has a crush on Princess Rayfa, to which he advises him to give her a few years. Given Rayfa is Dhurke’s daughter, a fact Dhurke may or may not be privy to, whether he was serious about this is a matter for debate.
Signature Laugh: "Hah-ha ha ha ha ha!"
Single-Target Sexuality: Only ever loved Amara for his whole life.
Sole Survivor: For a long time, he was the only Khura'inese lawyer who managed to survive Khura'in's genocide of defense attorneys. This trope was originally Played Straight in cases 1 and 3 but ultimately became a Subverted Trope when Apollo deduced that Dhurke was murdered and later channeled in the final case.
So Unfunny, It's Funny: Dhurke really likes telling dad jokes.
Sarge: Papa had these [boots] custom-made for his archeological fieldwork. He had the soul of an adventurer.
Dhurke: This boot had the "sole" of an adventurer, too.
So Proud of You: Really is proud of what Apollo has become. He's also proud of Nahyuta, especially since he is convinced that something is being held against him that has made him the Queen's lapdog.
Dhurke: [To Apollo] Yes, well, to think you actually defeated the Fighting Phoenix... All I can say is, that's my boy! Hah-ha ha ha ha ha!
Sorry That I'm Dying: To Apollo, which is sadly a lie.
Spanner in the Works: In addition to being a revolutionary in general, he also gives Apollo the photograph of his biological father who died in the arson attack on Amara's home twenty-three years prior. This ends up being the crucial evidence implicating Ga'ran in that particular crime, as having a picture of Jove Justice's face allows Rayfa to perform a Divination Seance for him.
Street Performer: Mentions that he was one when discussing his early experience as a lawyer, mainly to take any job to make a living.
Strong Family Resemblance: Subverted. He shares some physical features with Apollo (hairlines, eyebrows, skin tone), but it is merely a coincidence.
Suddenly Voiced: Whenever a certain line comes up: "A dragon never yields!"
Thanatos Gambit: As long as Apollo still had that photo of his biological father Jove Justice that Dhurke spent a lot of time trying to find, it wouldn't matter if his own death prevented him telling Apollo why he was trying to find it, all Apollo needed to do was remember that Rayfa needed a name and a facial reference in order to start a Divination Séance, in hoping that Jove at least saw something proving that Dhurke didn't start the fire 23 years ago before he died.
Unfinished Business: He did not let his death stop him from visiting his foster son or completing a revolution.
Wacky Parent, Serious Child: He's really lighthearted compared to Apollo's serious attitude with everything. Doesn't help that Dhurke keeps brings up embarrassing childhood moments and tries to be buddy-buddy with him after a decade or so.
Dhurke: It's okay to brag about it. Tell everyone your old man is me, the rebel Dhurke!
Apollo: [annoyed] ......... Trucy, what do you say we close up early today?
Warrior Prince: Even though he married into the royal family rather than being born into it, he does lead the revolution against Ga'ran.
"Well Done, Dad!" Guy: In the beginning of Turnabout Revolution, Dhurke is constantly trying to renew his connection with Apollo or even get a smile out of him, but Apollo refuses.

Other Members

Datz Are'bal (Dats Dinighel)

Dhurke's right-hand man, who escaped from prison around the same time as the death of Tahrust Inmee. See here for more details and associated tropes.

Beh'leeb Inmee (Saara Aatam)

Tahrust Inmee's widowed wife. She was a member of the revolution, and leads an army for its cause. See here for more details and associated tropes.

Tahrust Inmee (Malmel Aatam)

Beh'leeb Inmee's husband, and the first known victim of The Rite of Turnabout. He was a member of the revolution up until his death. See here for more details and associated tropes.

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi

An international prosecutor and a devout Khura'inese monk. Despite seemingly being subservient to the Ga'ran regime, his true allegiances lie with the Defiant Dragons. See here for more details and associated tropes.

Historical Figures

The Holy Mother

The Holy Mother

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/holy_mother_soj.jpg

The founder of the Khura'in belief and the first ruler of the kingdom.

The Blank: None of the murals or artifacts around the Kingdom depict the Holy Mother with a face, and in fact it is considered taboo to depict it on anything. The Founder's Orb is the only artifact that bears her likeness, and even then the actual relief in the orb is covered in luminescent wax.
Crystal Dragon Jesus: Founded the Khura'in religion, which has Buddhist and Shamanistic elements.
The High Queen: The Holy Mother continues to be greatly revered long after her death, so she might have been a good ruler in life.
Only Known By Her Nickname: Her real name is known only to the current queen of Khura'in.
Our Founder: She is Khura’in’s patron deity, and founded the Kingdom and the faith it was built upon. Every queen is descended from her.
Sealed Good in a Can: It's believed that her soul is sealed within the kingdom's sacred treasure, the Founder's Orb. It's Metaphorically True; the orb contains a miniature statue that is the only remaining artifact that depicts her face, which is one of the two things needed to channel her spirit.
Touched by Vorlons: It's speculated and implied in the legends in-game that she held enough spiritual power that she could infuse a living person with spiritual power (much like how Maya and Pearl infused Phoenix's Magatama). It's also implied this is the primary reason Ga'ran seeks the Founder's Orb late in the game. Lacking spiritual power herself, she wishes to have someone else channel the Holy Mother for her and ask the Holy Mother to give her that power.
The Unreveal: Her real name remains unknown throughout the course of the whole game. Likewise, once everything is put in place to legitimately summon her (with a lot of buildup of the case being summoning the Holy Mother and the reveal that the original queen of Khura'in is alive and well), she never gets summoned and instead only serves to prove that Ga'ran can't summon her and thus is unfit to rule.

Lady Kee'ra

Lady Kee'ra / Ihmsan

The younger sister of the Holy Mother, who fought valiantly to establish the Kingdom of Khura'in and is now revered as a guardian deity. The local TV heroine 'The Plumed Punisher' is based on her. A vigilante bearing her cloak, mask, and dagger hunting down rebels turns out to be Rheel Neh'mu, a Secret Police agent.

Badass Normal: Had no spiritual power, yet was responsible for maintaining the peace in her sister's kingdom as her most trusted general and second-in-command, to the point that she's revered as a guardian deity.
Lady of War: Rayfa describes her as such.
No Name Given: In the Japanese version at least, where she's only referred to as the 'Avian Lady/Princess'. Even in the American version Lady Kee'ra isn't her real name. However, checking the Tome of Secrets reveals her name to be Ihmsan.
Samus Is a Girl: Inverted for the "returned" Kee'ra hunting down rebels-that turns out to be the male Rheel Nem'hu doing his duty as one-man Secret Police.
Sibling Rivalry: A notable aversion, considering the series' penchant on having sibling relationships go sour if there's a position of power at hand. Despite her lack of spiritual power giving her no claim for the throne, Lady Kee'ra does not become The Usurper for the Holy Mother, and instead put her life on the line to ensure the safety of her sister and kingdom. The contrast between her and Ga'ran on how they handled the exact same shortcoming is very obvious, and likewise for another likely descendant of the Holy Mother, Morgan Fey.

Others

Royal Guard

The Queen's guards, who are in charge of protecting her, singing her praises and carrying out her orders.

Archaic Weapon for an Advanced Age: Subverted. At first they're only shown to carry swords, and they surround Amara's Tomb to arrest Inga and Dhurke. However, during Dhurke's trial, they're shown to have rifles when one of them wounds Amara, when Ga'ran threatens to execute the whole courtroom and when they turn on Ga'ran once it becomes apparent that she's an illegitimate ruler.
Bayonet Ya: Their rifles have fixed bayonets.
Character Catchphrase: They end their praises with "Ur dihara Ga'ran!"
Dynamic Entry: When Ga'ran writes a new law so she can threaten to execute everyone, the guards force the courtroom doors open while pointing their guns at the defense and witness.
Loyal to the Position: They're fanatically loyal to the Queen no matter what orders she gives out, even when Ga'ran is clearly abusing her power. However, they also take the Queen's legitimacy very seriously, and turn against Ga'ran once it becomes clear that her claim to the throne is invalid.
No Indoor Voice: They always yell at the top of their lungs when talking.
Plausible Deniability: At the end of Amara's cross-examination, one of the guards shoots her, leaving her seriously wounded (she survives, though). When accused of ordering the attack, Ga'ran denies it and claims it was a rogue guard that will be dealt with later. The defense doesn't buy it, but can't exactly press her on the matter.
Praetorian Guard: This is their job, as they're in charge of protecting the Queen.
Punny Name: The guard who escorts Phoenix and Edgeworth for an audience with Ga'ran is named Lah'kee, a pun on "lackey".

Characters / Ace Attorney: Kingdom of Khura'in

The Royal Family

Rayfa Padma Khura'in

Voiced by (Japanese): Saori Hayami (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Brina Palencia (SoJ)

Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III

Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in

Voiced by (Japanese): Gara Takashima (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Cindy Robinson (SoJ)

Amara Sigatar Khura'in

The Defiant Dragons

Dhurke Sahdmadhi

Voiced by (Japanese): Masashi Ebara (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Jamieson Price (SoJ)

Datz Are'bal (Dats Dinighel)

Beh'leeb Inmee (Saara Aatam)

Tahrust Inmee (Malmel Aatam)

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi

Historical Figures

The Holy Mother

Lady Kee'ra / Ihmsan

Others

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Characters / Ace Attorney: Kingdom of Khura'in

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The Royal Family

Rayfa Padma Khura'in

Voiced by (Japanese): Saori Hayami (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Brina Palencia (SoJ)

Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III

Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in

Voiced by (Japanese): Gara Takashima (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Cindy Robinson (SoJ)

Amara Sigatar Khura'in

The Defiant Dragons

Dhurke Sahdmadhi

Voiced by (Japanese): Masashi Ebara (SoJ)

Voiced by (English): Jamieson Price (SoJ)

Datz Are'bal (Dats Dinighel)

Beh'leeb Inmee (Saara Aatam)

Tahrust Inmee (Malmel Aatam)

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi

Historical Figures

The Holy Mother

Lady Kee'ra / Ihmsan

Others

Previous

Index

Next