Characters / Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright

Ace Attorney | Main Character Sheet
Wright Anything Agency (Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice) | Defense Attorneys & Assistants | Main Prosecutors (Miles Edgeworth, Franziska von Karma) | Prosecutors & Judges | Law Enforcement | The Fey Clan | Troupe Gramarye | Kingdom of Khura'in
Witnesses and Other Characters (Original Game | JFA | T&T [Dahlia Hawthorne] | AJ | DD | SoJ | Manga | Anime | Novels | Theater) | Victims
Investigations (AAI | AAI2) | TGAA (Major | Minor)
PL vs. PWAA

Phoenix Wright (Ryuichi Naruhodo)

Voiced by (Japanese): Shu Takumi (OT, AJ), Kosuke Toriumi (MvC3), Takayuki Kondō (DD, SoJ, PXZ2, Teppen), Hiroki Narimiya (PLvAA), Yūki Kaji (anime)

Voiced by (English): Ben Judd (OT, AJ), Sam Riegel (MvC3, DD, SoJ, Teppen), Trevor White (PLvAA), Eric Vale (anime), Jill Harris (child - anime)

Played by: Hiroki Narimiya (film), Takeru Shibuya (child - film)

Debut: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

^{Click here to see him in the original trilogy}

^{Click here to see him in college}

^{Click here to see him in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney}

"My past is like my logic, straight and true. Nothing's changed. All I did was point the finger of justice in the proper direction."

Known as The Comeback King and The Turnabout Terror. Phoenix Wright is an easy-going, good-natured, and intelligent defense attorney. Despite that last part, he usually ends up using bluffs, manipulation and general making things up in court. The scary thing is that he usually turns out to be spot-on. He is the owner of the "Wright Anything Agency", where he and his two protégés work and take cases to defend in court.

Phoenix's early career was heavily intertwined with the Fey family. Mia Fey defending him after he was accused of murder reignited his desire to be a lawyer, and he later trained under her until her murder. After this, he worked with Mia's sister Maya and their cousin Pearl. However, after a few successful years as a lawyer, he lost his license and was disbarred from practicing law for seven years. During this time, he raised his daughter Trucy and prepared to expose the real criminal behind his disbarment and clear his name, which he eventually accomplished with Apollo Justice's help. After that, he retook the bar exam and the legendary ace attorney rose from the ashes once more.

His power resides in an amulet Maya gave him called the Magatama. With it he is able to see if a person is keeping secrets from him in the form of big locks, known as Psyche-Locks, and then force the person in question to reveal these secrets by presenting evidence. In other words, he will always know if you are lying because the sudden appearance of these locks (your heart and soul) will give you away. This makes it highly unlikely for him to take on guilty clients (no one can deceive the Magatama. There is one catch, however — if Nick makes them feel like they have nothing to hide by asking the wrong questions, no lock will appear and he can be deceived).

Also has an, well, objectionable description of himself.

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A-M

• The Ace: Even if he is bluffing and grasping for straws most of the time he goes on from being an inexperienced rookie with no cases under his belt to becoming a living legend in the courtroom, all the while maintaining a near perfect victory streak that was earned fairly and began with his very first case.
• Affectionate Nickname: "Nick" to Maya and Larry, "Feenie" to his ex-girlfriend, "Mr. Nick" to Pearl. Meanwhile, Edgeworth just calls him "Wright".
• Aggressive Categorism: In Justice for All Phoenix goes through a phase in which he believes all prosecutors, without exception, are out to get the defendants without any regard for truth. This certainly isn't helped by the first prosecutor he encounters after his hiatus being Franziska von Karma, who shares her father's attitude and is even more aggressive, to the point of assaulting Phoenix in court. This is partially due to his feelings over Edgeworth's departure, though, and he reconsiders this idea when he ends up having to defend the guilty Matt Engarde in order to save Maya's life; Edgeworth and even Franziska help him in this situation.
• Almighty Janitor: Defense attorneys in Japan's type of legal system tend to be given less respect than prosecutors. Despite that, he's one of the best attorneys around (counting both types). In the sixth game, a defense attorney is basically scum of the earth in Khura'in.
• Amateur Sleuth: Although sometimes he has Gumshoe's assistance.
• Ambiguously Bi: He has had a girlfriend before, but he also has a lot of romantic subtext with Edgeworth. His sexuality has been deliberately left ambiguous by the developers, and has led to many a fan speculation about whether his fondness for Edgeworth is more than platonic.
• Amoral Attorney:
  • Far from it; however, he's accused of being this by onlookers in the courtroom over the course of "Farewell, My Turnabout", when everyone becomes increasingly convinced that his client is guilty. Which is not only true, but Phoenix was also being outright coerced into defending him.
  • To the public he became this after the Magnifi Gramarye case since he attempted to introduce fraudulent evidence. However, in this case he was tricked into it by a third party and clears his name with Apollo's help.
  • He does certain actions that would normally get most attorneys arrested or disbarred, like taking personal property from people's rooms or personal affects. The best example is in the case against the Police Chief Damon Gant where the culprit notes that Wright taking his personal possessions by breaking into his office and safe to get them is against the law, and even Edgeworth agrees with the culprit and states he'd see to it that Phoenix was punished for it.
• Anime Hair: And proud of it. It is even shaped like his namesake! ^note it is either a pair of phoenix's wings or a Chinese dragon's mane Though being the Butt-Monkey he is, he often gets ridiculed for it by his enemies and some witnesses; even some of his friends occasionally tease him about it!
  Phoenix: Is it my hair? Is it too spiky? Not spiky enough?
• Animal Theme Naming: In Trials and Tribulations, his Japanese name (with the character for "Dragon") is given minor symbolism with Furio Tigre (AKA Toranosuke ["Tiger Boy/Man"] Shibakuzo).
• Anti-Hero: He's an Unscrupulous Hero in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney after realizing that it would require an upheaval of the country's entire legal system just to catch a killer.
• Apparently Powerless Puppetmaster: In Apollo Justice, he has the appearance of a homeless guy who's stuck with a piano playing job with zero skill and resorts to gambling (and cheating) to keep supporting his daughter financially. Despite this, he still has enough power and know-how to joyride his own murder trial in order to bring the true culprit to the court so he can indict him, and despite being shunned from the legal world, was able to get a jury system test run in the court.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: In 3-4, where he remarks that Sister Bikini, the head nun of Hazakura Temple, "must have just gotten off the trolley from the land of make-believe". This is despite witnessing his assistant channel spirits of the dead and using mystic powers himself to tell when people are lying.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Partially guided by the player, but Phoenix can piece together convoluted plots and conspiracies just by observing a few clues. Then there is his trademark ability to find contradictions in witness testimonies and wrangle the truth out of lies.
• Badass Pacifist: Phoenix rarely raises a hand to physically fight (and in fact gets beat down quite a lot), but once he gets you in that courtroom, you better pray he doesn't find a contradiction in your testimony otherwise he is going to OWN your ass. In canon, he never physically fights, but he has broken down a few doors in his time, one of which had a specially reinforced iron lock on it.
• Bash Brothers:
  • With Miles Edgeworth. Plenty of criminals can vouch for just how much you should tremble in raw terror when they see these two standing on opposite sides of the courtroom. The truth will be exposed, and oh, it will hurt.
  • Towards the end of the final case in Dual Destinies has him standing side-by-side with Apollo for the first time since Phoenix reclaimed his attorney's badge. Both accomplished lawyers in their own right, seeing them work together to bring down the phantom is a sight to behold.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Miles Edgeworth stood up for Phoenix once in grade school and then moved away a few months later. Because of that, Phoenix changed his major from art to law partway through college after seeing news stories about the new "Demon Prosecutor", becoming a defense lawyer purely to "save" Edgeworth from what he had turned into.
• Big Good: In Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies now that his firm, the "Wright Anything Agency", actually has more than one attorney in it. They defend cases.
• Big Damn Heroes: In Case 1 of Dual Destinies, he arrives just in time at the start of the trial to snap Athena out of her Heroic BSoD.
• Boring, but Practical: When you go up against him in Spirit of Justice, he's the only opponent who never mocks you or do weird stuff, but will turn the case around completely in three seconds flat if he spots an opening.
• Born Lucky: It's one thing that Phoenix mostly ends up successfully getting through his trials using bluffs that end up being spot-on, but in "Turnabout Corner", he's struck by a speeding car, flung thirty feet into the air, and hits his head on a telephone pole, yet only manages to get a sprained ankle out of the ordeal.
• Brain Bleach: Upon seeing Norma DePlume's breakdown in "Turnabout Reclaimed", Phoenix goes into to his despair animation. With good reason.
• Break the Cutie: A more-protracted variant than most, but definitely there. Compare how he acts in Case 3-1 to how he acts after Mia's death, and especially after Edgeworth's disappearance in PW2. He undergoes another, even more severe one after being disbarred, becoming noticeably more cynical and jaded, and no longer keeping his barbed comments about others to himself.
• Bring My Brown Pants: In Case 3 of Trials and Tribulations, when Phoenix has to confront his "Evil Twin", Furio Tigre in court. He's not alone either.
  Phoenix: *gulp* Maybe I should have brought a diaper with me today.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: Suffered his first Guilty verdict after representing Matt Engarde in Farewell, My Turnabout.
• Bullying a Dragon: In Case 2-2, Phoenix gets so aggravated at Franziska Von Karma that, once he has defeated her at the end of the trial, he gloats about how her perfect record has been destroyed to her face. She whips him into unconsciousness in response.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Phoenix is a sweet-natured man who commonly commits theft, stuffs the strangest items into his pockets, comes up with the most remarkable arguments/evidence in court, and celebrates even the slightest victories in an enthusiastic tone. But if there is a single lie or error in your testimony, he will find it and he will shred it to bits.
• Busman's Vocabulary: In Apollo Justice, it's revealed he uses "Objection!" outside of court, even years after losing his badge, the two known instances being Shadi Smith accusing him of cheating, and being on the highest part of a roller coaster. Lampshaded by Winston Payne in that game's first case.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • Phoenix is ridiculed and mocked by almost everyone and is never in favor of the Judge on a regular basis, no matter if he's mocked, verbally abused, or even physically attacked. The saddest part is that, at 33, with a legendary reputation, and probably considered the best defense attorney in the present, he's still treated like trash while defending in a court of law.
  Phoenix: Why is it that lately, all I want to do is cry?
  • Gets toned down from Apollo Justice onward, especially in Dual Destinies when he becomes the Big Good, though even then he still suffers a few moments of humiliation and egging by the prosecution, witnesses, and the judge.
  • Gets ramped up in Spirit of Justice, since he's being a lawyer in a country where being a lawyer is viewed in the same light as being a conman.
• Cannot Tell a Joke: In-universe. Maya and Moe were not impressed in the slightest.
  Phoenix: Do you know why I, Phoenix Wright, am a great lawyer? Because I'm Wright all the time!
• Catchphrase: Surprisingly, unlike other major characters, he does not have a consistently used unique speech bubble.^note Compare "GOTCHA!", "NOT SO FAST!", "SILENCE!", etc. The closest example would be "HANG ON!", used when a witness disagrees with what another witness said, from Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.^note Only in the English version. He shares this speech bubble with his ancestor, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, in the Japanese version of The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. The English release of the latter game gave Ryunosuke "'SCUSE ME!" instead.
• Character Development: He goes from being a bumbling fool to an intelligent and savvy (but still a little bumbling) attorney at law, to being a downright brilliant and respected owner of his own law firm. By the time Dual Destinies rolls around, he's Legendary in the Sequel.
• Character Tics:
  • He has a tendency to show or present things he's especially proud of to strangers. Whenever he's playable, that usually means his attorney's badge, but this habit comes to bite him back during 3-1, where his constant presentation of Dahlia's poison vial makes him a target to her.
  • He has several character poses unique to him (or shared with a few others close to him, such as Mia); he rubs his chin when thinking, slams his desk with both palms, puts his hands on his hips and smirks when confident, holds the back of his head with his hand when bashful, hunching over and sweating when nervous, and slumping forward holding his head with both hands when in despair. In Apollo Justice, he picks up the habit of keeping his hands in his sweatshirt's pockets, though he drops it when he's back to wearing a suit in Dual Destinies.
• The Chessmaster:
  • The role he takes in Apollo Justice. doing everything he can to help Apollo take down the villain for good.
  • Shades of this turned up as early as 1-5, where Phoenix had an entire plan in motion to draw out the truth behind the SL-9 Incident.
• The Chew Toy: "Why it is that, lately, the only thing I want to do is cry...?" And he's in his sweaty face animation so much that it may as well be his default expression.
  Phoenix: Nobody loves me...
• Clear My Name: Since losing his badge after presenting forged evidence, he spent seven years from that point onwards uncovering the culprit responsible for his disbarment. He succeeds with Apollo's help and would eventually retake the bar exam to reclaim his badge.
• Close-Call Haircut: Simon manages to cut a strand of Wright's hair when they face each other.
• The Comically Serious: To a lesser extent than Apollo or Edgeworth, in part due to having very noticeable quirks of his own, but he's constantly doing his best to keep things professional despite all the quirky, outlandish and eccentric prosecutors, judges, witnesses and defendants he has to work with throughout cases. The only game he averts this in is Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, where he adopts a more laid-back attitude and acts as a Trickster Mentor (which causes Apollo to become this trope in his stead), and the serious moments he does have are fully Played for Drama.
• Compressed Hair: Somehow, he can fit a beanie over his hair without ruining its shape.
• Cow Tipping: A throwaway gag in "Rise From the Ashes" has him claim that he did this before when accused of not being gutsy enough to plant evidence.
  Phoenix: What!? I'll have you know, back in the day I once broke into a cattle ranch, and tipped-
  The Judge: M-Mr. Wright! What are you saying!?
• *Crack!* "Oh, My Back!": He's started having problems with his back in Spirit of Justice. One instance of it was so painful that he went unconscious for an entire day. At the age of 35, no less.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's like a legal idiot savant; he's always flustered and it seems like he has no clue what he's doing, but he's brought down some legendary prosecutors, including Manfred von Karma. Furthermore, Defense Attorneys in his type of legal system rarely tend to win even a single case. He has a (nearly) spotless record: Technically, he's only been "defeated" two times. In Case 2-4 he loses because his client is guilty and in Case 6-5 he's acting as an attorney due to threats against Maya, and resigns once the opposing lawyer - Apollo - is able to guarantee Maya's safety. Apollo even says he wouldn't be able to beat Phoenix in a "real" trial. He also essentially loses a case to Klavier because he's tricked into presenting falsified evidence, which results in the loss of his badge, although an official verdict was never reached due to the defendant escaping.
• Crusading Lawyer:
  • Wright's goal is to pursue the truth. If he knows his client is innocent (and he will), he'll move Heaven and Earth to save them.
  • That being said, don't think you can use him to get a "Not Guilty" verdict and get away with your crimes either, he will still find a way to bring the guilty to justice. Matt Engarde learned that the hard way.
• Darkest Hour: As a boy, having to endure an entire classroom's worth of false accusations with no way of fending them off. As an adult, the moment when his attempt to pin the crime on a witness (as he always does) turns into a false lead, which he believed would seal Maya's fate.
• Deadpan Snarker: Phoenix tends to be pretty snide, but he typically keeps it to himself. Until the fourth game, where he vocalises most of his snarkiness. Seven long years after being disbarred can do that to a person.
• Death Glare: Butt-Monkey status aside, several characters comment that Phoenix has a pretty intimidating glare when he's sufficiently motivated.
• Decoy Protagonist: In Spirit of Justice. Despite his name being in the title and having the most cases in the game where he is the player character, Phoenix ends up playing support after a brief stint as an adversary to Apollo, who has a much more personal stake in the events of the final case.
• Defeating the Undefeatable:
  • One of his biggest achievements was delivering Manfred von Karma his first two losses in forty years. He also did the same to Manfred's daughter Franziska, who had been undefeated in her five-year prosecuting career (keep in mind, she started at thirteen) until she came to kick Phoenix's butt and failed subsequently.
  • By Apollo Justice, his reputation as a poker player has elevated to this status, attracting numerous challengers to the Hydeout in order to best him and coming away bested. This is what attracts Shadi Smith (aside from more pressing matters that require him to visit Phoenix) to the Borscht Bowl Club and wraps Phoenix into the present-day plot of the game.
  • In Spirit of Justice, he fought against the anti-attorney justice system of the Kingdom of Kurain by successfully winning several trials and restoring the kingdom's faith in lawyers. To wit, his first victory made the headlines in Japanifornia due to it being the first in 23 years.
  • His entire career is this with loads of Serial Escalation. He's not only ended the undefeated streaks of three very reputable prosecutors, but just in terms of who he's managed to put behind bars, his hit list includes: one of those very prosecutors (with a noted habit of covering his tracks with manipulated evidence), the chief of police, a celebrity who hired one of the world's deadliest hitmen as insurance, the vengeful spirit of his ex-girfriend with unfinished business, his former friend — a defense attorney whose record is close to his own, an international assassin, and the head of state of a country that has outlawed lawyers. Needless to say, he's amassed one of the wackiest records put together for a defense attorney in all of fiction.
  • It's rather telling of his own skill as an attorney that out of all the cases he's ever seen in, he rarely loses them himself. He does lose 2-4, the flashback case seen in 4-4 and the first trial in 6-5, but all had pretty extraordinary circumstances that sort of necessitated them, like being blackmailed into representing guilty clients, or getting tricked into using forged evidence. Outside of those cases, if he's defending a truly innocent person and with nothing holding him back, you can expect him to pull out a win by the skin of his teeth.
• Determinator:
  • Phoenix sometimes gets down on the dumps when a case is not going his way, but he never gives up on it. He is SO determined in doing what's right that he went through an entire trial, and won while suffering from amnesia. Perhaps a more fitting example would be how he spent seven years gathering evidence and revamping the entire court system to catch the one who cost him his badge.
  • He's a lawyer in the first place because he kept trying to get in contact with Edgeworth after reading about the "Demon Prosecutor," but Edgeworth would never respond. Phoenix was so determined to talk to the guy that he changed his entire intended career path.
• Disappointed by the Motive: In Trials and Tribulations, Phoenix is equal parts disheartened and bemused to learn to learn that Godot chose to prosecute against, and regularly antagonize, him because he blamed him for not being around to protect Mia, even though he had no idea she was in danger and helped capture her killer.
• Does Not Drive: Phoenix does not drive any vehicles whatsoever. He walks or takes public transit, and rides a bicycle in the anime.
• Doting Parent: To Trucy. Considering that Trucy practically provided the only income for her and Phoenix (before Apollo arrived), and that Trucy seemed to be the one in charge of the Wright Anything Agency, he has his reasons.
• The Dreaded: The criminals who have heard of Phoenix Wright take him very seriously after a while. The prosecutors, even more so (except maybe the Payne brothers). Even the prosecutors who hated his guts eventually came to recognize just how good Phoenix is at turning a case around.
• Dreadful Musician: He is absolutely horrible at playing the piano. How the Hydeout got him to do it is a riddle for the ages, even if it's only a cover for him being a poker player.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Almost never gets any long-term acclaim for his accomplishments. It's utterly remarkable how arrogant and obnoxious his opponents can be towards him, especially since Phoenix has rarely lost.
  • Subverted in Apollo Justice, where multiple characters treat him affably and with appropriate respect. Which is ironic, because now he's been disbarred for presenting forged evidence (and, in fact, resorts to Damon-Gant-like methods (albeit without being ruthless like him) to catch the one responsible). That said, Kristoph decides to trick him into presenting forged evidence after Zak chooses Phoenix instead of Kristoph, simply because Kristoph regards Phoenix as "A second rate attorney who relies on luck and bluffs!"
  • In Dual Destinies he does have a reputation as a "legendary lawyer", albeit one who "bluffs his way to victory". He's back to being abused by everyone in that game and Spirit of Justice, though in the latter game this comes from defense attorneys being seen as heretics in Ku'rain than anything about Phoenix himself.
• Dudley Do-Right Stops to Help: He will lose cases on purpose if it means doing what's morally right.
• Easily Forgiven: Zigzagged. Apollo is understandably furious and untrusting towards Phoenix for making him unknowingly present forged evidence at his first ever trial, only goes to work for the Wright Anything Agency (as oppposed to a proper law office) because he has no other choice, and it's heavily implied that one of the reasons he temporarily leaves the agency in the fifth game is because he still has unresolved trust issues with Phoenix, but Apollo is pretty quick to get back to idolizing him, despite how Phoenix treats him.
• Endearingly Dorky: His college self. "Feenie" spends most of the time with his eyes closed, open adorably wide, or crying. Iris, who was posing as his college girlfriend, was head over heels in love with him for it, though.
• Exact Words: In "Rise from the Ashes", his gambit to get the true culprit to implicate himself involved a combination of this, with a dash of straight-up lying. It didn't work, but he had a back-up plan just in case.
• Excellent Judge of Character: He generally has a really good handle on whether or not someone is innocent. The one time he felt worried enough to double-check with the magatama, it turned out that his original instinct was correct and his client was guilty. Even his Horrible Judge of Character moment with Dahlia in college was actually this; He was absolutely correct that his girlfriend loved him and that the person in court wasn't her, he just didn't know that he hadn't been dating the real Dahlia Hawthorne.
• Eyepatch of Power: His Date Masamune-inspired Downloadable Content costume in Spirit of Justice.
• First-Person Smartass: He's outwardly fairly polite, but virtually everyone gets his snarkiness in thought dialogue at some point or another.
• Fixing the Game: He relies on cheating in poker by using Trucy to read his opponents' subtlest emotional tells to make a living while he is disbarred. This was only for very serious games against true professionals, as he had his own skills sufficient against average challengers.
• Foil: He is a huge one to Kristoph Gavin. Both of them are gifted, respected defense attorneys who are driven and hard-working. But Kristoph is a petty, self-centered monster who cares only about winning and his reputation, and will go to horrific lengths to suit his desires. Phoenix meanwhile is a good man who cares about his clients, and actually wants to make sure the truth is revealed and justice is served.
• A Fool for a Client: For the second half of Turnabout Sisters, he defends himself for Mia's murder. Though in this case, it's Justified as Redd White would've made sure that the only lawyer Phoenix could get would be so incompetent it'd be even worse than going pro se. The other two times Phoenix gets framed for murder, he does get a lawyer to defend him- Mia in Turnabout Memories, and Apollo in Turnabout Trump.
• Forced into Evil: Phoenix can be forced into this as seen in the instances below:
  • He is forced to defend a man who wants to be acquitted for murder despite the fact that he hired a Professional Killer in "Farewell, My Turnabout" because Maya Fey is held hostage by the hitman with a threat saying that either the hitman's client gets an acquittal or Maya Fey gets killed.
  • He confronts Apollo in a civil trial in "Turnabout Revolution". While Apollo claims the object they fight over is the Founder's Orb (a Khura'inese national treasure), Phoenix asserts it's the Crystal of Ami Fey, which belongs to the Atishon family in Kurain Village. He only confronts Apollo because Phoenix's client has kidnapped Maya to make sure he gets the orb for him.
• Framing the Guilty Party: He forged evidence in order to start the process of getting Kristoph Gavin convicted of murdering Shadi Smith in "Turnabout Trump", although the other evidence and testimony afterwards proves that Kristoph Gavin did it.
  • Earlier, he also showed phony evidence to Furio Tigre, exposing him when he calls him out.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: A heroic example to any of his opponents. Phoenix was actually an art major in college when he decided to start studying law. His own mentor, while seeing potential in him, thought he was a long way away from being a professional. By the time of the fourth, and especially the fifth game where his reputation is restored, he is known as a legendary attorney and a respected figure in the field (though he still has his moments as a Butt-Monkey).
• Generation Xerox: Taking his events thus far, he's essentially repeated those of his ancestor's via being put on trial for murdering someone in a restaurant, accused of murdering his own mentor, defended in British Court, went against several witnesses at once as well as a Grand Jury (even though he was the chairman) and defending someone who without his knowledge was in fact the guilty party. Taken further in an anime-exclusive episode, where he appears dressed in practically the same uniform as Ryunosuke's, along with the spark-shaped badge on the collar. He also shares most of his ancestor's poses.
• Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: His trademark pose while objecting. When the Judge says that losing his hand would prevent him from using his gavel, Phoenix's Internal Monologue involves him thinking that he would not be able to point at people if that happened.
• Got Volunteered: Several cases begin with Phoenix's assistants - usually Maya or Pearl - agreeing to take the case, without waiting for Phoenix's input.
• Graceful Loser: In the times he has been forced to work for a villain wanting a bad result, he is grateful when either he or his opponent finds a way to make him lose without letting the hostage get harmed.
• Gratuitous French: Oddly, Phoenix speaks French once in trial during case 2-3 as a retort towards Franziska von Karma.
  von Karma: That has nothing to do with the question!
  Phoenix: Au contraire mon frére!^note  (On the contrary, my brother) It does indeed have something to do with the question!
• Guest-Star Party Member:
  • He becomes Apollo's co-counsel in the second half of "Turnabout Trump", wherein he's trying to nail the original co-counsel as the murderer.
  • He acts as Athena's partner for the first part of "Turnabout Academy"'s investigation before turning it over to Apollo.
  • The middle section of the Day 2 Investigation phase of "Turnabout Revolution" is from his perspective with Edgeworth as his partner, while the rest of the case is entirely Apollo's show, with Phoenix being his co-counsel.
• Guile Hero: As a lawyer, he uses his wits, evidence, and knowledge of the events of the crime to best the true villain of each case.
• Hairstyle Inertia: Discounting the years he spent disbarred (during which his hair was messy and under a beanie), his trademark spiky hair has been around since elementary school.
• Hero with Bad Publicity:
  • Has this throughout Apollo Justice since the infamous trial of Shadi Enigmar due to being suspected of forging evidence and being known as the "Forgin' Attorney", as well as losing his badge.
  • After winning a trial in Khu'rain which was the first one in 23 years to end in a "Not Guilty" verdict, he's immediately earned the ire of the general populace due to the stigma against lawyers there.
• Heroic BSoD: Goes in and out of this during Case 2-4, especially after Maya is kidnapped.
• He's Back!: In Dual Destinies's beginning where he's suiting up and ready for court.
• Honorary Uncle: The untimely death of Mia, Phoenix's mentor, led to him becoming close friends with her sister and cousin. Thereon, they have Phoenix accompany them on trips that require a chaperone over the age of 20, and stay at his office whenever they need a break from their lives in Kurain Village. And long before he met any of the characters mentioned above, he dated another member of the Fey Clan in college. It's just his fate to get involved with that family.
  Maya: You're one of us, Nick! Next time, you can train ^note [as a spirit medium] right alongside us!
• Honor Before Reason: Phoenix is not really determined to get his client to go free as much as he's dedicated to the ideal of justice, and this is never more apparent than in his darkest hour: case 2-4. Phoenix has to decide between winning the case or ensure justice was served. Phoenix actually manages to not only get a watertight case in favor of his client, but also to point at Adrian Andrews as the real killer. The Judge then asks what course of action Phoenix wants to pursue, and he has the choice of asking for the Judge to pass a Not Guilty verdict or allow the said person to testify. Phoenix, having already basically won the case, decides he does not want to leave any doubt of his client's innocence nor deny their right to testify. The following testimony not only proves their innocence, but also riddles Phoenix's case full of holes, and the Judge decides to extend the trial one more day. Phoenix breaks down in agony, thinking to himself that, had he done what he wanted to instead of what was right, Maya would not be doomed to death. Note that you can actually take the option to let the Judge pass the Not Guilty verdict. The result is the same; but instead of Phoenix allowing them to testify, Edgeworth cuts in and forces them to.
• Hopeless with Tech: Even in a day and age where the world is thriving with modern technology, Phoenix continues to use an old-fashioned cell phone in his everyday life.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: In Case 4-1, when he shows up next to Apollo as co-counsel, he leads the entire trial, with Apollo merely pointing out what he means.
• Hypocrite: Calls Apollo "unreliable" to Maya, despite Phoenix being the one using Apollo to carry out his plans. Is upset at Apollo for going off on his own to solve Clay's murder, yet in the sixth game, he does the exact same thing in regards to Maya being held hostage.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Forging evidence in "Turnabout Trump" just to find the truth largely because the real incriminating evidence had been removed. He also used phony evidence and caught Furio Tigre, who was such a phony himself he deserved it and could only be caught this way. Though in this case, he never claimed to the court that the ear medication bottle was the poison bottle.
• Idiot Ball: Phoenix had a terrible case of this in the first game, where he would directly confront the real killers with decisive evidence outside of court and without any other witnesses besides Maya, thus ending up being punched, tazed or threatened by The Mafia.
  • After the Time Skip, when he's not the controlled lawyer in an episode, he acts very professional-like around Apollo and Athena. Come the time he's being controlled, and suddenly he becomes goofier in the player's hands.
  • He STILL does this in the sixth game, telling Ga'ran that Apollo is Dhurke's son, nearly getting him kidnapped by the guards.
• Idiot Hair: Not at first, but as of Dual Destinies one of his spikes now droops over his forehead. Lampshaded by Maya when they reunite in Spirit of Justice.
• Idiot Hero: While Phoenix proves time and time again to be a sharp guy who can pick up on subtle things that most would miss, his main strategy in court is to fake it until he makes it. His actual understanding of the law is more or less non-existent, to the point where even the Judge has to explain rather basic legal concepts to him. He was an art major in college, after all!
• I Have Your Wife: On the wrong end of this, twice. In both 2-4 and the first case of 6-5, his clients kidnap Maya Fey to force him to defend them despite their guilt.
• I Let Gwen Stacy Die: A subversion. Phoenix discovers Mia's body, but he doesn't really blame himself for her death and just wants to live up to her legacy.
• The Illegible: He has bad handwriting. Phoenix admits to himself that he was never good in handwriting if he messes up a connect the dots puzzle that when correctly solved recovers a forged message on a jar in Rise from the Ashes. This trope is also invoked when Phoenix reproduced a letter in Turnabout Succession, when the judge complains about Phoenix's terrible handwriting.
• Indy Ploy: Phoenix Wright's most consistent weapon, and what he's most well known for. If you leave the man with so much as a scrap, he will figure out how to destroy you with it. Virtually the only way to stop him from pulling these sorts of schemes is to stonewall him entirely and make sure he doesn't get his hands on evidence.
  Phoenix: [Y]ou know my strategy... speak first, think later!
• Informed Flaw: In Apollo Justice, his nasty incident seven years ago branded him as "The Forging Attorney" and is partly treated as a disgrace by the Judge, but he's allowed to tip off the bailiff to go get something for him at the crime scene, handle and deliver evidence under supervision, and convinces the court to set up a jury and become the chairman of it, selecting a case to test it under and specifically picks out Thalassa as a Jurist as she technically was unrelated to the current case. Seems to be a justified example, however- Apollo himself states Phoenix was never actually proven to have actually requested the forgery. The only people who seem to wholeheartedly believe he did so are people who have a negative opinion of him already.
• Inner Monologue: Constant, and the main source of his snarky side. For some reason, other people can occasionally hear his thoughts.
• Insult of Endearment: He is given the insulting nickname "Barbed Head" by Rayfa. She later warms up to Phoenix, but still calls him "Barbed Head".
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Pearl, who's not even a preteen in the original trilogy (although she sees him as a future in-law). In Spirit of Justice, the teenage Rayfa slowly warms up to him, although not without ridicule.
• Internal Reformist: He manages to become one as the result of a Batman Gambit after being disbarred.
• Iron Butt Monkey:
  • All sorts of abuse is heaped upon the hapless attorney on a regular basis. He gets punched by Pearl for "being unfaithful" to Maya, whipped by Franziska, and beaned by Godot's (full) coffee mugs. All he has to say about the latter is "Should I be grateful the coffee's only hot enough to give me first-degree burns?"
  • It catches up to him in Spirit of Justice, as his back problems in his middle age from all the abuse have gotten particularly bad.
• Kleptomaniac Hero: Most of the time it's not clear whether he's picking up items or photographing them, but every game has at least a few items where it's unambiguous that he's stealing them.
• Knight in Sour Armor: In the fourth game. At the end, he casts off said armor and starts a new life, eventually regains his attorney badge after his good name is cleared by Apollo.
• Last-Name Basis: His friendship with Edgeworth has spanned decades, but they still address each other as "Wright" and "Edgeworth". This is due to Values Dissonance, as this is how they refer to each other in the Japanese version. The dub of the anime occasionally has them use first names, though.
• Large Ham: Even in the World of Ham that is the Ace Attorney franchise, Phoenix still stands at the top of the pork pile. Pounding on his desk, shouting his objections, shamelessly bluffing the court whenever he can.. Courtroom Antics have never been so entertaining. He loses some of this hamminess after the Time Skip, but not all of it.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: He gets his named cleared by the end of Apollo Justice and re-takes the Bar Exam, as of Dual Destinies advertises both Phoenix (with his classic attorney outfit) and Apollo.
• Leitmotif: In each of the first three games, he has a different "Objection!" theme. In Dual Destinies, he uses an orchestral remixed version of his Objection theme from Trials and Tribulations. This carries over to Spirit of Justice (which really could be said as a remix of the Dual Destinies theme) so it seems the Trials and Tribulations "Objection!" main riff is his official theme, with variations being penned for each game.
  • On a smaller note, the original "Objection!" serves as his main theme for his two major crossover appearances in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Project X Zone 2, being lumped together with the "Pursuit" theme from said game.
  • Two separate orchestral remixes of the original "Objection!" theme are also used in his crossover experience in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney; one for the English court and one for the court in Labyrinthia.
• Like an Old Married Couple: By Dual Destinies, he's grown into this relationship with Edgeworth. The two bicker in court as much as they actually argue their cases, and Bobby Fulbright comments at one point that they embody the phrase "close enough to argue".
• Living Legend: By the time of Dual Destinies, his reputation precedes him and everyone knows him as the defense attorney who will find a way to turn a "Not Guilty" verdict from an impossible case (although this goes hand-in-hand with his infamy as a legendary bluffer as well). It's safe to say he'd become the most famous lawyer in the country, given that the contour of how he presents evidence is studied by the top legal academy in the nation. Even prior to this, during Apollo Justice, he gets recognition for his accomplishments despite his disbarment (although it does cast a shadow, especially after he seemingly reinforces the allegations during the first case). This reputation later comes back to haunt him and the legal system, because while he did present forged evidence unknowingly the context for it meant that his entire streak of victories were now called into question and his disbarment was one of the key reasons the dark age of the law came to be in the first place.
• Love Martyr: Subverted. Dahlia is way unlikable but Phoenix was dating Iris, Dahlia's twin sister, who genuinely loved him back.
• Made of Iron:
  • He's surprisingly resilient. On two separate occasions, Maya has hit him hard on the head to test certain theories: once with the shichishito to see how it would bend if used for that purpose, once with a pipe to see if it was possible to hit the back of his head from the front. In both instances, he suffered no ill effects whatsoever. In the third game, he falls 40 feet from a burning bridge into a freezing river known for having a current so fast that nobody who falls in is ever seen again, and only got a cold. He was better after a couple of days. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney he gets hit by a speeding car, flies several feet through the air, and smacks headfirst into a lamp post. All he got was a sprained ankle.
  • Sadly, all these incredible feats of resistance are finally catching up to poor Phoenix. At 35 years old, his back is so badly damaged that it can render him unconscious for a whole day from the pain.
• Magnetic Hero: His honest drive for truth and justice warrants the admiration of several people, and he tends to be at least partially responsible for Character Development the other major characters undergo. By the sixth game, he's amassed quite a lot of True Companions because of this trait.
• The Magnificent: He's called the Comeback King for a damn good reason.
• Meaningful Name:
  • "Phoenix" because he always returns from the brink, and "Wright" as in "right" ("Is that right, Mr. Wright?"). "Ryuichi" is simply a Shout-Out to Ryuichi Sakamoto from Yellow Magic Orchestra (although the "ryu"—dragon—is played on once Furio Tigre shows up), but "Naruhodo" means "I see", used to the same effect as "Wright" ("Naruhodo, Naruhodou.").
  • In-Universe, Phoenix Wright is the name of the omnibus line that was involved in the first case taken by an ancestor of his as a proper lawyer.
• Memento Macguffin: In the anime, he has an aged Signal Blue keyring that was originally part of a Signal Samurai set that Larry won when they were children, but split it up between Phoenix, Edgeworth and himself to symbolise their friendship.
• Mentor: Is this to Apollo and Athena in Dual Destinies, giving them advice on cases and investigations, taking over when they're not able to continue their case, and generally putting up the image of the wise and mature veteran lawyer putting his rookies through the ropes much like Mia would have had she never died. His thoughts when you play as him indicate that he can be as stumped as them (Edgeworth did say that he is still GREEN in some situations), but he tries his best to keep up his veteran image.

N-Z

• Nerves of Steel: Say what you will, but this guy stood still even when threatened with a bomb in Dual Destinies. Justified, since at one point, it is said that the bomb was too sophisticated to be replicated and that the one in the courtroom was a training prop. Therefore, one completely aware that the real deal has been blown beyond recognition can only assume it was a bluff.
• Nice Guy: Phoenix always believes in his clients and will go the extra mile for anyone who is all alone, with no one else to defend them. He's also rather patient, considering how few times he genuinely loses his temper despite of all the crap he puts up with from everyone.
• No Indoor Voice: All that shouting sure isn't good for his lungs. He's calmed down by the time of Dual Destinies.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • In Justice For All, Acro comments that Phoenix is really not so different from Franziska, as they both approach the world tainted by their own biases. Needless to say, Phoenix is none too pleased with this, although the next case brings into stark contrast just how true it is. And by the end, both Phoenix and Franziska's world view evolved.
  • Come Dual Destinies, let's see... an upstanding young man enters the legal profession. He shows great talent and potential, and receives incredible public acclaim. He has at least one standout physical feature, an unconventional appearance, and a remarkable and unique sense of fashion. He is honorable, good-natured, kind, compassionate, and committed to truth, justice, and helping others, if also fairly snarky. He also has a number of friends and family who adore him and whom he is very devoted to. In particular, he has a younger woman in his life - a relative of his mentor, in fact - whom he is extremely close to and fiercely protective of, to the point where he is willing to risk his job, his reputation, and even his life for her. This man goes through quite a few setbacks. His beloved mentor is murdered, and he is later convicted for a crime he did not commit, which destroys his career and reputation and greatly contributes to the dark age of the law. He suffers immensely for seven years, becoming bitter, jaded, and much more snarky. He ultimately remains true to himself, though, and in the end he is able to get justice for his mentor, clear his good name, and take down the monstrous, murderous sociopath who hurt him and many others with his cunning and intelligence as well as help from his friends. He is now a leading figure in the legal world and huge symbol of hope, inspiration, truth, and justice. Are we talking about Phoenix Wright or Simon Blackquill?
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Despite bluffing being his primary tactic in many situations, he can also pretend to know less than he actually does. In "The Rite of Turnabout," he asks Rayfa for information about the Tome of Secrets, despite having learned about that information already from Maya, since Maya insisted that he keep his knowledge of that secret from her.
• Odd Name, Normal Nickname: "Nick" to his friends.
• Oh, Crap!: In Spirit of Justice, he momentarily panics upon finding out that Trucy's been arrested for murder, but can't do anything since he's in Khu'rain. He then leaves her in Apollo's hands.
• Oh God, with the Verbing!: "Mia, not you too! With the whip... and the pain... and the owww..."
• Older and Wiser: His role in Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies, and Spirit of Justice. However, his monologues and actions in Dual Destinies and onward indicate that he's still mostly fibbing and finding contradictions on the spot in true Wright fashion. Examples of this trope played straight:
  • He is now a father and has the responsibility of caring for his daughter along with his lawyer duties.
  • He is now a mentor to two younger attorneys, and takes the role very seriously, like his own mentor, Mia Fey. In fact, he often gives clues to Apollo the way Mia was giving to him.
  • He no longer underestimates anyone, going from taunting a Von Karma in JFA to acknowledging and respecting Winston Payne in Apollo Justice. The latter game showcases it by having Phoenix act arrogantly towards the then-novice Klavier in the flashback section of Case 4.
  • As he grows older, he becomes more effective against fake friends and allies. He blindly defends Dahlia while they were a couple and has to be saved by Mia Fey. Later, in Justice for All, he initially trusts and defends Matt Engarde, but eventually unmasks him and, with some trouble and help due to being blackmailed, succeeds at turning the tables on him. When Dahlia returns as a spirit, Phoenix and Mia waste no time in humiliating her, and finally, in Apollo Justice, after Kristoph tricks him once and gets him disbarred, Phoenix outsmarts him twice with little help in retaliation, breaking his pride completely the second time.
• Only Sane Man: Most of the time, as shown by his Deadpan Snarker internal monologue.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • He's typically fairly easily flustered for the most part, but if he suddenly becomes calm, cool and confident, it's a sign that he is going to utterly own somebody.
  • His actions in Apollo Justice are a series of these. There are times when it's almost impossible to tell he's the same protagonist from the previous three games. Thankfully Dual Destinies shows that the old Nick is indeed still under the seemingly-bitter, morally questionable exterior.
• Parental Substitute: It's most obvious in the case of his adopted daughter, Trucy, who he took in after her biological father disappeared before he inevitably adopted her, but it's present even further than that. Before Trucy, he was looking out for Pearl, a fatherless girl about Trucy's age, and he later describes Trucy and Pearl's relationship as being similar to sisters. The game also appears to be pushing for Phoenix to be a father figure towards Apollo, largely due to the fact that Apollo and Trucy are biological siblings. Not to mention that Apollo has lost two different fathers before. Based on fan interpretation, this can extend to just about every younger character he associates with, included Athena, Maya, Ema, and so on.
• Pay Evil unto Evil:
  • What he does to Kristoph in 4-1, through getting him arrested through forged evidence. Lampshaded by this person: "Is... this your idea of revenge, Phoenix Wright?".
  • He often defeats other very nasty people through their own tricks. He turns Shelly de Killer on Engarde and exposes Tigre with fake evidence.
• Perma-Stubble: He sports a couple strands of facial hair in Apollo Justice. He shaves it off after returning to his profession in Dual Destinies.
• Perpetual Poverty: Not nearly as bad as Gumshoe, but Phoenix is frequently complaining about his financial situation despite winning several high profile cases. It is heavily implied that many of his clients don't pay him, while the money he does earn is immediately spent by Maya. Larry even wonders aloud if Nick was better off financially as a piano player, and it's implied that Trucy is the real reason the Wright Anything Agency is able to stay open despite having three good lawyers working there.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Maya. Although they're not a couple, they are very close and rely on each other quite a lot. Phoenix never hesitates to rush to her aid whenever she's in trouble — in the prologue anime of Spirit of Justice he flies all the way around the world because he thought she was in danger from a brief phone call (he in fact also does this in "Turnabout Revolution"). He is also willing to do questionable things in order to keep her safe.
• Positive Friend Influence: He single-handedly kickstarts Edgeworth's Character Development from a lawyer who fights to win to a lawyer who fights to find the truth.
• Prophetic Name: Basically anyone who interacts with him, much like the mythical bird of the same name, gains a 'new life' or 'rebirth' in one way or another. The most obvious being that his clients have a conviction-free life, but also his friends (Maya and Pearl gained an adventurous lifestyle), his opponents (he sets off both Franziska's and Edgeworth's defrost process), and somewhere in between (The Gatewater Hotel gaining publicity after his case, Angel Starr gets a new hit lunch dish, Adrian Andrews gets closure for herself). It even got to the point where his name was prophetic for himself, following the events of Apollo Justice and now Dual Destinies.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: Several characters note that he has these, including the Judge, who outright calls them "puppy dog eyes". The audience can see them whenever he's not the player character, and they seem to be one of his default expressions (along with his sweaty face animation).
• Pyrrhic Victory: In the bad ending of 2-4. He won the case, saved Maya and kept his perfect record. The problem? He just helped a very evil criminal get away, got an innocent woman convicted and Maya stopped talking to him. In the good ending, he saves Maya and brings justice, but has essentially lost the case.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • He gives one to Edgeworth in 2-4, denouncing his Amoral Attorney ways, saying that unlike him or Franziska, he would never fight for a false verdict, and accusing Edgeworth of having left for a year due to his record being tarnished.
  • He gives one to Matt Engarde if you select the guilty ending twice.
  • Together with Mia, gives one to Dahlia Hawthorne in "Bridge to the Turnabout".
• Red Baron: As of Spirit of Justice, to people that don't know how he works, he's known as the Turnabout Terror. For those that do, he is known as the guy who bluffs a lot. In Khura'in, he also becomes known as The Fighting Phoenix.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Played with.
  • Inverted in the original trilogy, Phoenix is the red oni to Edgeworth's blue, despite the fact that Phoenix wears blue while Miles wears red. Shows up once again as part of the nostalgia-fest case with Edgeworth in Dual Destinies.
  • Played straight from Apollo Justice onwards, where he's the blue oni to Apollo's red (and later also to Athena the Fiery Redhead Genki Girl), wearing a blue hat and gray sweater, and eventually his classic blue suit compared to Apollo's red vest and pants.
• Rogue Protagonist: He is the opposing lawyer in the first case of Turnabout Revolution in Spirit of Justice. It turns out that he is the victim of Blackmail.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: His dynamic with his assistant Maya. Phoenix is the quick-thinking and put-upon Savvy Guy to Maya's perky and childish Energetic Girl.
• Secret-Keeper: He's one of very few people who know that Apollo and Trucy are half-siblings, and that their mother Thalassa is alive, and keeps this secret throughout Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. In The Stinger of the latter, he considers letting it out in the open.
• Ship Tease: With Iris at the end of Trials and Tribulations, although this appears to go nowhere, most likely because his entire life fell apart for seven years shortly after their reunion, when he was disbarred.
• Signature Headgear: A cyan beanie with a yellow pin and the letters "PaPa" in pink, worn as part of his outfit in Apollo Justice. He ditches it once he puts his blue suit back on and returns to court in Dual Destinies, though it can still be seen in the Wright Anything Agency in the games that follow Apollo Justice.
• Significant Wardrobe Shift: Throughout Apollo Justice, following his disbarment, he dresses in a gray hoodie, black pants, sandals and a cyan beanie.
• So Proud of You: By the end of Spirit of Justice, he declares that he's never been prouder of Apollo and how much he's grown and improved.
• Spanner in the Works:
  • Had Phoenix not blissfully showed the bottle given by Dahlia, let alone not returned it to Iris when asked to, Dahlia would have not taken drastic measures, and may have never been caught for her crimes.
  • One of the biggest spanners in Spirit of Justice, in just his first case his victory revealed that the Khura'in National Treasure is stolen and Alhbi wouldn't even be a spanner himself in Case 5 without Wright proving his innocence and it only escalates from there. Without Wright, the revolution would have been lost before it began.
  • In the anime, his radio station request to play the Signal Samurai theme for Edgeworth catches the rude lady attempting to claim the reward money for a lost dog in a lie.
  • The climax of Manfred von Karma's revenge plot hinged on there not being an attorney determined, skilled, or resourceful enough to defend Edgeworth against a slam-dunk murder charge. Not only does Phoenix prove to be von Karma's match in court, he turns the case around and exposes von Karma as the real culprit of a case that went ice-cold years ago, less than a day before it's closed for good.
• Spotlight-Stealing Squad: In Apollo Justice, he is pretty much this. In the first case, he ends up as the one who takes care of it despite that he hands some actions to Apollo and that he's a defendant of that case. And later he takes a main role in a flashback and the one who make Apollo's cases a lot easier than they should be.
• Supporting Leader: In Case 1 and 4 in Apollo Justice and Case 5 in Spirit of Justice.
• Supporting Protagonist: Becomes this in Spirit of Justice, as while he's rather important to the overall plot, and you play as him in the first and third cases, Apollo is actually the focus of the story, and by the final case, this is especially evident since you play as Apollo for almost its entirety (aside from a single investigation segment), as well as the fact that Phoenix is his (VERY helpful) assistant in the last trial.
• Taught by Experience: After being threatened, assaulted, and losing important evidence to the culprit on different occasions by presenting it to them, Phoenix stops doing this by "Turnabout Reclaimed", knowing that Dr. Crab might take away the mysterious capsule found in Orla's stomach findings and instead gives it to Apollo to investigate privately.
• Team Dad: Towards his young assistants and staff. In the DLC case of Dual Destinies he even thinks of his staff as "good kids". There's a moment in Spirit of Justice when someone threatens to curse him alongside his descendants and disciples, and he immediately thinks of Apollo and Athena. At the end of Spirit of Justice, he expresses pride in the next generation when Apollo leaves to form his own office.
• Tempting Fate:
  • In "Turnabout Showtime" in the manga, he's fairly confident in his case, and believes that he has the upper hand on Edgeworth when he proves that Julie Henson couldn't have stabbed Flip Chambers from outside his costume. Edgeworth then reveals that he already knew that, and calls in Raymond Spume to provide a possible way she could have done it.
  • He taunts Franziska von Karma, a woman armed with a whip, after defeating her in court the first time. She loses it and whips Mimi Miney, The Judge, and then lashes out at Phoenix until he goes unconscious.
  • In the first game, Phoenix had a notably bad habit of confronting criminals outside of court with damning evidence and expecting things to go well for him, though he wises up after he gets tased for his trouble.
• That Came Out Wrong: "I'll get to this woman's bottom! Wait... I mean... you know what I mean."
• Theme Naming: Has a mythology-based given name like his fellow Wright Anything Agency attorneys: see Meaningful Name entry.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: It's implied that him forging evidence against Kristoph in "Turnabout Trump" stems from Phoenix deciding that he might as well take advantage of having nothing left to lose after already getting disbarred for (unknowingly) presenting similar evidence 7 years prior. Apollo introduces him to his fist for this.
• Thinking Tic: Phoenix holds his chin in one hand when thinking.
• This Is Unforgivable!:
  • He states "This is inexcusable!" when he finds out that one of his cases involved not only poison, but also betrayal- specifically, the betrayer manipulating someone who has feelings for them. Poison and betrayal reminds him of his ex-girlfriend Dahlia, who first betrayed him, then tried to poison him, then betrayed him again in court.
  • He's also quite angry when Franziska withholds evidence while prosecuting Maya, thinking that she's as bad as her father.
  • Threatening Trucy is also a way to earn this, despite understanding why Aura kidnapped Trucy and other visitors he finds her actions to be without question unforgivable in his eyes and it's left ambiguous if he accepts Simon's case for Aura.
• This Loser Is You: Phoenix is put-upon and unappreciated by most of the public, which helps you identify with all the struggles he has to go through to win.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Phoenix has a bad habit of confronting the true culprits in person. Sure! Let's confront the culprits in person, it's not like they can do anything to me anyway! Predictably, it ends badly for him each time.
  • He once taunted Franziska of all people after winning his first trial against her. Not surprisingly, he gets whipped into unconsciousness for his troubles.
  • In the third game, he had the great idea of crossing a burning bridge. Unsurprisingly, the old bridge broke under his weight and he fell into the Eagle River, ending up in hospital.
  • In the sixth game, he nearly gets Apollo kidnapped by telling Ga'ran to her face that Apollo is Dhurke's son.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • During his college years Phoenix bore a more than passing resemblance to Larry Butz such as crying when being scolded and repeatedly saying and doing things that make him look guilty during his trial. By the time he's finally become a Defense Attorney he's matured greatly, albeit still being somewhat easily flustered, so much that you'd be surprised that they're the same person.
  • It's subtle but Phoenix slowly comes into his own as an Attorney throughout the original trilogy such that by the end of the final case of Trials and Tribulations Mia admits that there's nothing left for her to teach him and all but says that he's surpassed her as a Defense Attorney.
  • After getting disbarred, Phoenix has become much more cynical and jaded about his life. However, in exchange, he's more collected and Crazy-Prepared, to the point where he almost-easily Out-Gambits the Big Bad himself. Twice. In a way he only dealt with a minor villain in the third game beforehand the first time. But he — you guessed it — mostly reverts to his original, Hot-Blooded, Butt-Monkey persona in Dual Destinies; so much so that Edgeworth rakes him over the coals in the DLC case from Spirit of Justice for "sweating like a rookie".
  • Hell, the creators of the series has acknowledged this as well. One of the reasons for Spirit of Justice being set in a completely different court system is because they felt that Phoenix has grown so much that there are simply no more challenges for him in his regular court anymore.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: When he was disbarred, he was absolutely at the top of his game. When he got the badge back, he can be taken off-guard with demeaning comments (unlike his hobo self), and things just get worse when he is in the player's hands.
• Took a Level in Jerkass:
  • A minor case in Justice for All, when he has much less patience with Franziska than he does for his other prosecutorial rivals, due in part to his bitterness over Edgeworth's disappearance. Possibly because she also physically assaults him.
  • In Apollo Justice, he's more irritable and impatient due to the events that have transpired. In his final case, he arrogantly looks down on Klavier for being inexperienced. He gets over it by the end of the game, and acts more like his old self in Dual Destinies.
• Trauma Button: Since Mia's death, he has an aversion for clocks shaped like other objects after she was killed with one.
• Trickster Mentor: To Apollo in the fourth game. This is dialed back several notches when Phoenix returns to the profession.
• The Unchosen One: Looking into Phoenix's past and overall comparison to other defence attorneys and rivals in the lawyer profession reveals him to be this, bordering on The Generic Guy. He has no overall traumatic backstory deeply tied to a case or miscarriage of justice save him being relatively uninvolved as a minor Unwitting Pawn of Dahlia Hawthorne's compared to the others she manipulated and opposed in court prior to him becoming a lawyer. The class trial incident that galvanised his sense of justice was forgotten about by both Miles and Larry until Phoenix reminded them of it. Phoenix has no bloodline-related power or unique special ability to aid him in court cases (His magmata does provide a special advantage, but it's tied to the object and the power is transferable if he hands it to another, as seen with Edgeworth). Compared to his students, colleagues and daughter, all of whom have special ties to past tragedies that motivate them in different ways, Phoenix stands out as being as close to normal as you can get....which makes it all the more awesome that he's still The Hero of the franchise who either resolves or has a hand in resolving so many of these past misdeeds, just because there's somebody in need of help.
• Unconventional Courtroom Tactics: All of his legal tactics are unconventional except one, and he uses Indy Ploys (which most of his cases boil down to).
• Unluckily Lucky: Not only do his cases hit rock bottom several times before finding just the clue or lead he needs to continue pressing on, but outside investigations he's still at odds with Lady Luck. Phoenix has the tendency to end up in life threatening situations, but come out of them largely unscathed through bizarre twists of fate. Reaches absurd levels by the fourth game: he gets hit full-on by a speeding car, causing him to fly through the air and slam head-first into a telephone pole. His only injury from this? A sprained ankle. He's also fallen from a burning bridge into a raging river known to be deadly, and all he came home with was a cold. Franziska may have put it best in the third game when she said, "As always, it's hard to say whether he should be called lucky or unlucky..."
• Unusual Eyebrows: The kinked eyebrows variation to be exact. They're not as iconic as the hair spikes, but still recognizable.
• The Watson: Phoenix is invariably left in the dark regarding the whole Kurain Channeling Technique thing as well as all these TV shows aimed to kids that Maya always happens to be a fan of.
• Waistcoat of Style: Gains one in Dual Destinies.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • In "Rise From the Ashes", he chews out Lana Skye for being absolutely no help to him since the beginning. Justified on her part, as Damon Gant was blackmailing her.
  • In "Turnabout Big Top," he calls out Max for lying to him about his reasons for meeting with the ringmaster (the murder victim), saying that lawyers and clients need to trust each other.
  • He's on the receiving end when Apollo punches him for giving him fake evidence to use in his first trial.
• Whole Costume Reference: His bonus outfit in Spirit of Justice is a Furio Tigre getup, which references the fact that Tigre had impersonated him at one time.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Trucy reveals in Apollo Justice that he's afraid of heights (likely due to falling off a bridge in "Bridge to the Turnabout"), which flared up on a Ferris wheel ride with her, causing him to go green and mutter "objection" several times under his breath.
• Worf Had the Flu: He's only lost three trials in his entire career and of those three, two times were because he was being blackmailed into defending a guilty client and the third loss was due to being tricked into using forged evidence.
• World's Best Warrior: He's the best acting Defense Attorney in the series so far, with a nigh-spotless record (with the only failed client being Matt Engarde, the culprit of his case, so he was happy to lose that time), and who has outwitted many a manipulative criminal, and schooled many a skilled Prosecutor.
• Worthy Opponent: Phoenix has one true equal on the Prosecution's bench in all the series, and that's one Miles Edgeworth. The two of them have a bond of trust based on a mutual understanding: they will stop at nothing to see justice done, and the unspoken demand that the other can take everything they can dish out and fire back just as hard. Put the two across from one another in the courtroom, and watch the fireworks. Between testimony and evidence, they'll both thoroughly demolish everything in the crossfire of their logistic duel until only the single truth remains.
• Xanatos Gambit:
  • Producing the metal detector to prove that Manfred von Karma was shot in 1-4. von Karma refuses to have the metal detector ran over him? Good — he implicitly acknowledges that the bullet is still inside him. He allows or is forced to let Phoenix run him over? Also good — Phoenix likely finds the missing second DL-6 bullet.
  • Forging the "Bloody Ace" in 4-1. Kristoph reveals the forgery? Good — he also self-implicates as the killer. He keeps quiet? Also good — the fake likely convicts him the usual way.
  • The Jurist System in 4-4 comes across as this, too. Even if Kristoph beats the evidence, he can still lose via reasonable doubt among the new jury (which is exactly what happens).
• Xanatos Speed Chess: While he usually relies on Indy Ploys, he upgrades to this during 4-1. He endures attempted Frame-Ups from both Shadi/Zak and Kristoph, neither of which he saw coming. Nevertheless, he quickly adjusts and turns both around upon their respective instigators. In particular, his retaliation against Kristoph even overlaps with Xanatos Gambit (see above).

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"And so my story ends. Time to turn a new page... and say goodbye to the novice defense attorney that I once was... Now a new story begins... With the same old crazy cast of characters..."

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