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This page covers heartwarming moments in the fourth Ace Attorney game: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.


  • The part in Apollo Justice where Mafia heir Wocky discovers that the decision of his father to go straight, a decision Wocky had loathed, was done because of his father's desire to protect him.
    • Made even more heartwarming by the fact that Wocky just can't quite accept it. He stutters, then returns to his normal "gangsta" sprite and disappears. Switches to a CMOF when his father reveals the new family enterprise to be a bakery.
  • It's kind of sad to see perky Ema Skye grown up and jaded, but the minute Apollo mentions he's working for Phoenix Wright her face lights up. After Phoenix's disbarment, it's nice to have a reminder of all the good things he did.
  • During Turnabout Serenade, if you present Apollo's Attorney's Badge to Ema she'll comment on how Apollo carries it everywhere with him, just like Phoenix used to. She then says that its good to have a reminder of who you are and that she's proud of Apollo.
  • The moment at the end of the 4th case of Apollo Justice where, playing as Juror #6, you choose whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. As the juror leans over the touch screen, their face is reflected in it- Lamiroir, the amnesiac singing diva from the third case. Then, after you press the button her sleeve slips back, revealing a familiar bracelet on her wrist. As the realization sinks in it's simply amazing- her true identity, which she'd forgotten for years, is Thalassa Gramarye, the mother of both Apollo and Trucy, long believed dead. Then you realize Phoenix had planned this all along and you're simply lost in awe.
  • During the end credits sequence of Apollo Justice, there is the scene with former shut-in Vera Misham.
    Vera: I've decided to keep painting. Originals only, of course. I suppose I'll have to see a bit of the world outside to find out what to paint. But, I know there are good people out there, now. I've met them.
    She draws in her sketchpad and reveals a sketchnote .
    Vera: The door is open. The world is waiting. Thank you.
    • Even more heartwarming when you consider what you learned during the investigation: the rough sketches underneath the paintings were of Apollo's cases, and her father, who played a role in Phoenix's disbarment, admired Phoenix greatly. Despite her limited understanding of what she was asked to do and why, the Mishams were always on your side.
  • The end credits of Apollo Justice, when you see Phoenix. Goes something like this: "You know, I've been a piano player longer than I've been a lawyer now. Maybe I'll start taking lessons. Or maybe I'll take the bar exam again." The screen pans out to reveal a photograph of Phoenix floating down, with Phoenix giving the most sincere grin the player ever sees.
  • The Judge gets a couple of lines that seem to indicate he himself never believed that Phoenix had been forging evidence, and he had faith in Phoenix. He's the last character from whom you would expect Character Development, but it's clear that he has developed, in a sense: he's come to hold Phoenix in high regard.
    Judge: You do belong in the courtroom, after all.
    • The Judge wouldn't have had anything to do with Phoenix's disbarment (the Bar Association voted to decide the penalty), so it's probably the first time the Judge gets to tell Phoenix that he is a true attorney.
  • Pretty much all Phoenix/Trucy moments. Happily Adopted indeed!
    • Half this, half CMOF with all of Apollo's baffled responses to them.
    • Phoenix admits that it was the darkest time in his life, but Trucy was his light.
    • Trucy is one of only two people the other  in Phoenix's flashback who doesn't display a Psyche-Lock. It's a small detail, but it really accentuates her innocence. Light indeed.
    • And then we have a freshly disbarred Phoenix and an eight-year-old Trucy in the MASON system. Phoenix is so awkward and unsure of how to be a parent, but he still comes to the firm resolution to look out for this little girl. One of the most notable exchanges in this scene occurs after Trucy tells Phoenix about her mother's mysterious disappearance in a magic trick several years ago. Considering that her biological father also just vanished two weeks earlier...
      Trucy: Hey, Daddy? You won't...
      Phoenix: Don't worry. I won't vanish, I promise.
      • It's not an explicit callback, but it does seem to reference Phoenix's first meeting with Maya, who was also suddenly left alone in the world — and Phoenix hasn't changed. He told Maya he would defend her because he couldn't abandon her and he believed in her innocence, and he makes the same promise to Trucy.
    • During the MASON System, once Phoenix obtains Thalassa's photograph from Spark Brushel, he has no need for Trucy's locket since the former is an uncropped version of the photo in the locket. Instead of the standard removal of evidence from the Court Record, Phoenix just excludes it from the list while keeping it on his person, planning to return it to her as soon as possible.
    • Related to this, once Apollo goes to work at the agency, Phoenix basically goes about treating him like his kid. Even if it’s via methods like cracking lame jokes and having him babysit Trucy all the time, it’s pretty evident how much he cares about him underneath it all and that he wants him to feel like he belongs. This becomes clearer after the fourth case, where you realize he knew that Apollo had already lost his parents and that he was Trucy’s half-brother.
  • Apollo's reaction to Trucy's "abduction" from the courtroom, in Case 4-2. He's so happy to see her safe that he starts crying. He then angrily threatens to drag the guy responsible to court. It then becomes much more funny when Trucy reveals that the guy was her ventriloquist dummy, leading to Apollo threatening to drag her to court.
    • The heartwarming doubles exponentially after The Reveal: they're half-siblings, and yet Apollo showed the care and love of an older brother long before they—nor we—even learned of it.
    • Even better: up until the Mr. Hat reveal, Apollo thought that someone from the Kitaki family abducted Trucy to prevent Wocky from getting a guilty verdict. The same powerful crime family that intimidated him the day before. That's who he's threatening to drag to court. That's how much he cares about Trucy.
  • Phoenix, on Trucy and Apollo, to their real mother.
    Phoenix: I'll take care of them for you. They're...very important to me, too.
  • Klavier's response to Apollo and Trucy's victory in Case 2? Reward them by treating them to one of his band's concerts. They still had to pay, albeit with a 20% price cut.
  • Klavier's easygoing style of prosecution in general. While it might get on Apollo's nerves, Klavier's laid-back attitude is heartwarming when you consider Apollo's Butt-Monkey status. Instead of being whipped, badgered, or pelted with mugs of hot coffee, Apollo and Klavier work together to find the truth, with Klavier in particular taking that as his personal philosophy in a similar vein to Edgeworth post-Character Development. Makes you wonder if they influenced each other...
  • Twice during the investigation portions of "Turnabout Serenade," Apollo and Trucy walk in on Klavier in a bad mood. The first time, he's arguing with Daryan over who missed the cue, and the second time, he's on the phone trying to get answers about the replica of the Borginian cocoon. Both times, he immediately perks up when he realizes that Apollo and Trucy are there. It's clear how much he enjoys their company.
    Apollo: Erm...hiya.
    Trucy: Tee hee! Just thought we'd drop in. Hope you're not mad...?
    Klavier: ...How could I be? There's not enough "tee hee" in the world, in any case. Have a seat.

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