WMG / The Great Ace Attorney

Eventually, one of the games will revolve around characters from the works of Charles Dickens, treating each case as a loose adaptation.

The ladder and step-ladder thing will be crucial in one of the cases.

Probably a witness will claim that someone used a ladder to climb to somewhere but it will turn out they used a step-ladder or something.

This game will be Capcom's testing grounds that will decide whether Phoenix's jurist system in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney will push through or not.

The second trailer sprung forth the rumors, because of the six seats below the judge. The spring trailer revealed there IS a jury. Word of God is the only one proof left. There is a reason why, despite being developed at roughly the same time, this game is being prioritized over the next game after Dual Destinies, with the latter making seemingly almost no progress.

Baron van Zeiks (the rival prosecutor) is the Ace Attorney version of Dio Brando.

He's cold, British-born, strives for superiority, and people have noted his vampire-like appearance. He's going to turn out to be Not Even Human and get into an actual fight with Ryunosuke. That's what the swords are for. Also he's going to shout "Muda muda muda" at some point in the game. Preferably with an accompanying speech bubble.

Susato Mikotoba is also Naruhodou/Phoenix's ancestor.

Ryuunosuke ends up marrying Susato some time during or after the series. She and Ryuunosuke both bear a resemblance to Wright and they both gesture with their pointer finger.

• Either that or Ryuunosuke married another woman.
• Hinted at at the end of the second game with Susato going back to Japan with Ryunosuke, wanting to stay by his side(they’re literally being shipped at the end!)

The person who made Ryuunosuke's Katana will have 'Mitsurugi' as a last name.

• Why? Because of the name itself. "Mitsurugi" means "Honorable Blade". Likewise, "Mitsurugi" is the Japanese counterpart to "Edgeworth".

The Spring 2015 trailer will be the launch trailer of the overseas release.

Because this troper's personal favorite Dual Destinies Trailer (the Nintendo Direct trailer) became the overseas launch trailer.

• Unfortunately, there will be no English localization until Capcom Japan gives a concrete answer.
  • There is now, with The Great Ace Attourney Cronicles.

The music in the first trailer will be the one that will play at the start menu, and the first music in both the second and the spring trailer will be Ryunosuke's themesong.

This is the first trailer, Here is the second trailer, and this one is the third (spring) trailer.

• Partially jossed, partially confirmed. The one that plays on the first trailer is Sherlock Holmes's theme, but the first music in both the second and the spring trailer is indeed Ryuunosuke's.

Ryunouske and Susato will be ship-teased.

Perhaps in a "Is she your girlfriend?" way or the "she gets into trouble so he saves her" way.

• Ironically, it is known that Ryuunosuke himself gets into trouble and he decided to defend himself in court, similar to Phoenix who had to defend himself in the very first Ace Attorney game.
• Hinted at at the end of the second and quite literally shipped in fact! With Susato wanting to be by Ryunosuke’s side, going back to Japan with him.

The ladder jokes will continue.

Because it should. Even in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, there is a ladder joke.

• Not confirmed as of now but the recurring joke definitely will be in there.
  • Confirmed as of DGS 2, which has 2 ladder jokes! In addition, the shovel joke from DGS 1 continues.

This game will be Darker and Edgier.

Because the spring trailer revealed it might have something to do with massive changes, like, changing entirely the legal system or something, and the credibility of a jury, as the rival prosecutor states when Ryunosuke tries to change the jurors' decision.

If localized, the English version will take place in Japan and Phoenix's ancestors will be stated as having some sort of Japanese past. This will give them the means to merge the two versions of the series together.

Most likely they'll have Phoenix having a Japanese-American inheritance, or they could even have Phoenix's ancestor being an American who's moved to Japan briefly for some reason or another.If it's the former, they'll likely keep the Japanese names for the protagonist, but if it's the latter they'll keep the name "Wright".If indeed they keep his Japanese name and have Phoenix with a part Japanese inheritance, it's a good opportunity for them to merge the two names for Phoenix Wright/Ryūichi Naruhodō into both being canon to both series. That is to say, having "Phoenix" and "Naruhodo" as both being canon to the English series, for the first time.

• If this is true, then it also means it's likely that this will be the first game in which they won't have to hand-wave the Japanese culture in the games's settings.
• I sincerely doubt they'll keep "Naruhodou" as the surname since otherwise most people who play the games won't be able to make the connection that it's Phoenix's ancestor. Not everyone who plays these games comes onto TV Tropes, the Wikia, or speaks Japanese and would thus get the reference. They may keep Ryuunosuke, but not "Naruhodou".
  • They said MERGE it, not completely change it into Japanese. There's plenty of ways that they can keep the Japanese name while making it clear he's actually Wright's ancestor.
• They might not mention the location, as they never directly do in-universe unless you're looking at a specific piece of evidence.
  • I'm pretty damn sure they'll at least make it clear if it takes place in America or not. You'd have to be an idiot to not see the connections.
    • And don't forget how the setting will make it so obvious its set in japan that the only thing they will get if they try to find a way to hand wave the setting is a lot of facepalms.
• It seems that the game is primarily set in London, so the easiest way to go about it would be to have Ryunosuke meet a British woman with the last name Wright and imply a love connection between the two.
  • Or perhaps, if they really want to make him a Wright from the get-go, have him be a child of a Japanese woman with the last name Naruhodou, and a Westerner with the last name Wright. He then could stress his mother's Japanese surname while in Japan, while eventually using the "Wright" surname while in London since, most likely, people would have trouble pronouncing the Japanese name.
• For bonus points, "Ryuunosuke Naruhodou" will actually be renamed to "Chiron Naruhodou" to keep both the theme naming with Phoenix and Apollo with a word that reasonably could be confused for a Japanese name and to acknowledge the Japanese setting that the first part of the game has.
• Jossed. Ryuunosuke's name isn't changed at all. He's still Japanese, and he still goes to England.

The localisation will change "Ryuunosuke" to "Chiron"

This was just an example name I gave in explanation on YouTube, but it fits, considering what Chiron was like. Originally I picked it on a glance-over of what he was, as well as the fact that like a Phoenix, he's a creature (a Centaur). Not only does Chiron have ties to Phoenixes, but he taught the God Phoenix, and was the adopted son of Apollo. Both work and tie into his physical appearance being close to theirs (though I think he looks a lot like Clay◊. See?◊) Chiron's personality suits someone who Phoenix Wright would be descended from, someone who is intelligent and kind, as well as different from his fellows. And of course, it fits in with the Theme Naming of the playable defence attorneys, as Chiron is a Centaur from Greek Mythology. Of course, they tend to pick meaningful names differently, and will probably go with something completely different, but for now, I do like the way "Chiron Wright" sounds. Both as it's spelt and actually said (something close to kai-ran).

• Jossed. He retains his original Japenese name.

The Judge's ancestor will be featured as the main Judge in the game, and he'll be the exact opposite of his descendant

He'll be serious, harsh and very unforgiving and unpersuasive, in a direct contrast to the modern Judge's goofy, easy-going, forgiving and easily swayed personality.

• Since the game is primarily taking place in England, the bit about him being the main judge seems jossed, however his ancestor could easily be the judge of the warm up case against Payne's ancestor.

There will be many uses in-jokes, both to history and to the modern timeline

This is something I'd love to see if, and believe I WILL see, with the game taking place over a century in the past. Many It Will Never Catch On jokes as well as just general jokes about events from the 1800s and 1900s will likely be included, such as jokes about "moving pictures", "a huge world war", "man going into space" ect.As well as this, I believe that they'll make jokes relating to the main series. Such as joking about descendants, as well as "historical jokes" relating to the modern timeline, such as joking about the possibility of robots, centres relating to space exploration, holograms and just general technological aspects from the main games.

• Related, there will be at the very least one reference to Harry Houdini, or at least an Expy of Houdini, who was indeed alive and performing during the game's timeline.

At some point, Sherlock Holmes and Iris Watson will be unable to help Ryuunosuke and Susato during a case.

Ryuunosuke will instead unknowingly be helped on the case by gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. As a bonus, it will be Lupin who will be the one to suggest to Ryuunosuke to turn things around and look at the case from a different angle, serving as an echo to Mia Fey's own teachings to Phoenix Wright as well as a nod to his stories which were a reversal of detective stories that Holmes represents.

• Jossed, though Holmed is unable to help you in the fifth case due to being shot in the chest (non-fatally)

The prosecutor will be Edgeworth's ancestor.

Because it would be funny to see 19th-century versions of Wright and Edgeworth squaring off in court.

• Supposing Ryuunosuke is anything like Phoenix and that Edgeworth's ancestor is anything like him, anyway.
  • Lending credence to this theory, the new prosecutor Barok van Zieks is British, and Edgeworth has a British accent.

The main prosecutor will be female

Since they're so rare, it'd be nice to see one, even if it would go against the time period, seeing a fierce, Morgan Fey-esque prosecutor who then subverts what Morgan is/was by being actually a halfway decent person with a very strong moral compass. If not the prosecutor, the judge.

• Afraid not. This sort of makes sense since we are talking about a considerably older age, although it would have been a nice flavor all the same (someone with a similar design to High Inquisitor Darklaw, although that would probably be riffing too much off of PLvAA).

The first prosecutor will be an Expy of Payne.

Foregone Conclusion, most likely, but worth mentioning.

• Confirmed!

The origins of the Fey clan will be revealed

Wouldn't it be kickass to learn about the details of how the clan was founded, and hopefully see Ami Fey in person?

• Jossed. Somehow, the Fey clan wasn't shown or mentioned during the Meiji period.

None of the new characters, save Ryuunosuke, will be related to any of the other past cast members.

Nice as it would be, I'm sure, it's a bit of a Contrived Coincidence if also the prosecutor and/or judge are also related to past cast members, especially since the localised games take place in Los Angeles and this one will (probably) unavoidably take place in Japan.

• Extremely unlikely. The game takes place in the Meiji era of Japan. Having no ancestor aside from Ryuunosuke would be wasted potential. I'm not saying every character in the game should be an ancestor, but at least a few of them.
  • What does it being the Meiji era have to do with anything? And how would it be "wasted potential"? Just because someone's an ancestor of a character doesn't automatically make them interesting. I can maybe see a few witnesses being the ancestors of other witnesses (like trouble magnets Lotta Hart and Larry Butz and having their penchant for getting in trouble being In the Blood), but not the judge, prosecution, or the detective. THAT is too much of a coincidence for me to accept, especially if it's more than one of them. The only thing I could accept as totally reasonable is the first prosecutor being Payne's ancestor because it feels like the Payne brothers come from a long line of prosecutors (though I do wonder what pun on the surname they'll do this time if that's true. Cry in pain? Flinch in pain? Shriek in pain? *gasp* I hope his name is Shuriken Payne. Squeak in pain? Sob in pain? Die in pain?). It's too much to accept that all or most of the main characters are ancestors of the current cast, especially Edgeworth, because it would be cliché.
    • Again, I didn't say that all of the main characters need to be ancestors of the current cast, I'm just saying we need more than just Ryuunosuke. In my opinion, having a game set far back into the past of a series which doesn't reveal any of the origins of the current cast (How the Fey clan came to be, for example) or at least show what their ancestors looked like would be a shame. I agree that it would be a bit cliché to see too many ancestor characters, but we need to see at least a few of them.
    • I always thought the Kurain Technique and thus, the Fey Clan, went back even further than just the Meiji period. Like it went back hundreds of years to the early 1800's or so. There were implied to be different channelling techniques still in use, maybe we'll see more of those if we see nothing of the Feys.
• Jossed, of course, since the Foregone Conclusion of Payne turning up came true, but otherwise looking good for the most part, since the game takes place primarily in England.

Susato isn't a Spirit Medium.

Well, she might not be!

Alternately, Susato is a Spirit Medium, but from a different Clan and thus, uses a different technique.

Well, Ami Fey had to build her training on SOMETHING, and I do believe Maya, Mia, or Pearls do say that there are other techniques, but that the Kurain technique is both the best and most difficult.

Ryuunosuke and Susato already know each other before the game begins.

Because that hasn't happened in the series yet.

• I would almost suggest they'd even be a couple and avert the Will They or Won't They? other assistants tend to have, but that would be seen as killing too many wonderful ships by our lovely Teasing Creator.

Susato is from Tokyo

Because the last Kanji in her name (都) refers to the administrative division of Japan, specifically Tokyo.

Naruhodou Ryuunosuke is ancestor of both Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright.

• He looks similar to both of them.
• His name Ryuunosuke has parts from both names - "Ryuichi" and "Housuke"
• This also means Trucy actually is related to her adoptive Papa, just not in quite the same sense they think of each other.

Ami Fey/Kyouko Ayasato will be in this game

• She will be either Susato Mikotoba who will change her name and surname for some reasons.
• Either she will be witness or suspect in one or more cases
• Either she will be just mentioned

Alternately, the Feys won't be mentioned at all.

Possible ways for the victims to die...

Almost certain possibilities that are very popular ways to die:

• Blunt Force Trauma (In every single game if you include falling off something; non-fatal in T&T)
• Impalement (in every game except Apollo Justice)
• Shooting (Also featured in every game, again non-fatal in T&T and in DD, and considering what's going on in-universe, likely)

Everything else:

• Poisoning
• Asphyxiation
• Drowning
• Being crushed by a giant statue (is this technically BFT?)
  • Partially confirmed. The death order is as follows: Case 1 has poisoning, Case 2 has blunt force trauma, Case 3 has stabbing (and later burning to death), Case 4 is not a murder case, but still features stabbing, and finally Case 5 has shooting

Susato won't be accused of murder.

Unlike Maya.

Ryuunosuke will do the 'Curiouser and Curiouser' quote.

Everyone else has, why not him?

The Localisation, if there is ever going to be one, will at the least localise the names.

It may not localise the location (it may, as the games continuously do, NOT mention the location in-universe and thus leave it ambiguous), but it will with the names to maintain the jokes and references they make, as per the usual standard, especially if there's more than one character who's ancestors we see (since it would just be plain odd to see maybe three or four English names amidst a cast of nothing but Japanese names in early 20th Century Japan).

The story is being told through the summoned spirit of Susato, discussing the murder of Ryuunosuke and how it came about.

It would make for a good framing device, as well as tie in the game to the rest of the series. Ryuunosuke could just be Phoenix's great-great-great uncle. Why did they summon Susato? Either Phoenix was curious about his ancestor's early death and asked Maya or Pearls for help (and Maya wanted to summon Susato instead because she's "cuter" than Ryuunosuke), or somehow, some way, the cases Susato and Ryuunosuke worked on together relate to a current case Wright is working on. Thus they put to rest not only a cold case from over a century back, but they solve a current case, too.

Case 3 will have the most unique cause of death for the game, the murder will be spur-of-the-moment (meaning not pre-meditated), and there will be blackmail.

Because there's a bit of a recurring theme for each of the Case 3's we've had so far. In Case 3, the cause of death tends to be the most unique in each game and tends to involve blackmail in some way. Also, every single Case 3 murder bar one was not pre-meditated.

• Turnabout Samurai: Death by impalement. Was a unique death until Case 1-5 came about. However, it's the only case in any of the games that the killer can plea justified self defence (though she'd go to jail for tampering with the crime scene), and the only case in the game where the murderer is female. Also the only Case 3 where the killer is a woman. Only murder that was more accident than intent. Introduced Oldbag, Powers, and Nichols, whom appeared in later games. Involved blackmail.
• Turnabout Big Top: Only case in the game with blunt-force trauma as the cause of death. Only case with a sympathetic murderer in the entire series, and the only case with crippled murderer. Only case in the series, too, where the victim was meant to be someone else. Introduced Regina Berry, who showed up in Investigations 2. Only Case 3 that doesn't feature blackmail. Ironically, the only premeditated murder.
• Recipe for Turnabout: Only case with poison as the cause of death in the game (not counting Fawles' suicide). Only Case 3 where you defend a character from a past game (and by virtue, involved a character from a previous game). Introduced Viola Cadaverini, who appears in Investigations. Involved blackmail. Borderline premeditated murder due to having the poison on hand, but did not go to the restaurant with the intent to kill.
• Turnabout Serenade: One of three Case 3s where the death isn't unique in-game (both the vics in Case 2 and Case 3 were shot), but has the dubious honour of being the only known victim to have not died within moments of being attacked. Also possibly the only victim to have not died within minutes of being injured. Only case in the series where the killer is a detective. Did not involve a character from a previous case who wasn't part of the game's legal party, but introduced Lamiroir who appears in the next case. Blackmail again.
• The Kidnapped Turnabout: The second Case 3 without a unique death for the game (Cases 1, 3, 4, and 5 involving shooting) and also involved bleeding out (though the vic here didn't live long after being shot). Introduced a new character who returns for other games, Kay Faraday. Once more, blackmail was a thing in this case.
• The Inherited Turnabout: Another blunt-force trauma death, and again, unique to this case in its game. Only case where the killer actually cannot be charged with the murder any longer, and the only Case 3 to heavily feature a past case. Introduced no one new who shows up later. Also, blackmail (from von Karma to the defendant)
• Turnabout Academy: The least unique of the other Case 3s. The last Case 3 lacking a unique way of dying (impalement being used for the deaths in Cases 2, 3, 4, and 5). Did not involve a character from a previous case who wasn't part of the game's legal party (counting Klavier as he's part of the aforementioned legal party, just in Game 4). Blackmail was discussed and implied that the killer was involved in it.
• The Golden Court: Yes, even the third trial in Layton vs Wright follows this trend to a degree. This is the third trial in the game (following The English Turnabout and The Fire Witch), thus the third case. Obviously being turned to gold is a unique way to die in the Ace Attorney entire series ( subverted in that the Professor didn't actually die but it still counts because it's the only poisoning case in the game and the only one where someone actually died). There are also two vics in this case (which is surprisingly NOT unique in this game; the second case also had two vics, though again, subverted since Layton obviously didn't turn into a pretty lawn ornament, but Belduke kicked the bucket. Neither murder in this case was pre-meditated. And guess what? It also had blackmail though it was subverted in the end like most things.
  • Huge spoilers. You have been warned: Confirmed in some aspects and zig-zagged in others. The cause of death for the victim is stabbing, a very common one. However, it is the first case in the series where you actually get an acquittal for the guilty party (who you defend), and in which said defendant is killed shortly afterwards. Additionally, there's quite a bit of blackmailing going around. The murder was probably also not premeditated, though I don't remember it being ever clarified.

The Great Ace Attorney will introduce another new Big Word Shout.

Possibly not from Ryuunosuke unless he has a new ability to introduce, but the prosecution or the detective. Possible ideas with explanation:

• "STOP RIGHT THERE!": Used in the same connotation of "OBJECTION!", much like Agent Lang's "NOT SO FAST!", this one could be used by the prosecution or even the detective in charge as a means of objecting to Ryuunosuke.
• "JUST A MOMENT!": Probably delivered in the same calm, level, perfectly normal speaking voice as Professor Layton's Big Word Shouts in the crossover game, possibly by Susato. Again, a stand in for the most iconic of the Big Word Shouts.
• "ELEMENTARY!". Used by Sherlock Holmes when answering a question. Example:
  Ryuunosuke: "HOLD IT! If the victim was attacked from behind then how did the knife end up in his chest?"
  Holmes: "ELEMENTARY! The killer must have knocked the victim out cold before killing him. Naturally once the victim was unconscious the killer could the stab him anywhere they pleased."
  • There's "YES SIR!" (or "HAI!!") in the second trailer. With this, shall we consider this confirmed?
  • Indeed it is! "HAI!" serves as the "OBJECTION!" of most of the first case. Localized as "YES!".

The last case of the game will parallel another case in a past game.

This has happened with a few cases. One case per game tends to parallel a past case, usually the last case paralleling another. Often times, they subvert a lot of details to keep the cases from being too same-ish. Prepare for another long WMG.

• Case 1-5 and Case 1-4: Case 1-5 could be compared to 1-4 and 1-2. I'm going to compare it to case 1-4, just so I can say that the killer was a dirty blackmailer in a high political position and within the legal system who was revered and well-respected within his offices who was behind another case that is integral to the current one. Both cases heavily involved a past cases (DL-6 and SL-9) where the defendant's life was utterly destroyed thanks to false charges. That past case heavily scarred a young witness who was eventually led to believe they had murdered someone they cared for. Both current cases involved staged crime scenes (as did the SL-9). The opposites in these cases lay in that SL-9 featured a false conviction due to false evidence, and the DL-6 had no conviction due to a lack of overall evidence. And now, the list of things that are subverted. First, the aforementioned killers. Gant killed out of a desire to see a killer brought to justice and then again to silence a detective so the case would die. On the other hand, von Karma killed out of selfish revenge, and only orchestrated the second murder to bring the case back before it was too late to finish his revenge. Gant actually earned his respect and reverence by being a pretty swell guy who was good at his job, where Von Karma earned it through fear. Gant cared about justice; von Karma cared about his perfect record. With the scarred children, Miles was a young child where Ema was a teenager; Miles also later became the defendant and Ema did not (though she came close).
• Case 2-4 and Case 1-3: Case 2-4 subverts almost everything about 1-3. From the Samurai star being the defendant (with one being innocent and one guilty, to the fact that the victim was the arch-nemesis of the defendant (or in Powers' case, the defendant's TV character), to a woman in management seeking revenge for the death of a loved one, to the blackmail (and the aforementioned woman's relation to said blackmail), to even the cases of impalement in both cases. The entire cast in 2-4 subverts what they were in 1-3. Powers was a genuinely nice guy with a Face of a Thug, where Engarde was a truly evil Bishounen. Vasquez and Andrews have very deep parallels to each other: both are women who act very cold and are in places of management, both lost loved ones thanks to the actions of the victim, both mutilated the victim's corpse to implicate someone else for the crime, and both were involved in blackmail in some way. However, Vasquez accidentally committed murder (and then tried to cover it up) where Andrews didn't murder anyone (but tried to Frame The Guilty Party), and Vasquez was actively using the blackmail; Andrews wanted to destroy it. Hammer and Corrida have more in common than they don't (both being jerkasses who were deeply involved in blackmail and responsible for the deaths of someone else). Oh, and both had Oldbag and Will Powers in them.
• Case 3-1 and 1-1: Both directly involved Phoenix on a personal level, both cases had Mia on the defence bench in some way, both cases involved an utterly smitten man unable to accept what kind of person his girlfriend really was, and both defendants were complete idiots. The way case 3-1 subverts 1-1 the best is that the girlfriend was the killer, not the victim. Also that Larry never grew out of being an idiot, where Phoenix has.
• Case 3-5 and 1-4: 1-4 sees itself paralleled a lot. At least once more, when the game is also working with this case. Both cases, the killer was the prosecutor for the trial (or at least, had something to do with the murder; von Karma was responsible directly for the murder of Gregory Edgeworth and orchestrated the murder of Robert Hammond, where Godot was directly responsible for the death of Misty Fey). All the murders in those cases were for revenge (von Karma for the black mark on his record, Yogi for ruining his life, and Godot for everything that happened to him and Mia thanks to Dahlia). Both cases, the defendant was accused of murdering their only parent at the time (Edgeworth charged with patricide and Maya, matricide). Both cases involved staging a murder for a witness (though Iris probably didn't intend for Bikini to see her desecrating the corpse where Yogi definitely intended for Lotta to see him "be shot" by Edgeworth). Both cases drove the defendants to want to quit their jobs (Edgeworth left the prosecutor's office, Maya initially rejected being the Master but doesn't have the luxury of abdicating). Both 1-4 and 3-5 had ties to past cases (1-4 to the DL-6 and 3-5 to Case 3-4 and Diego Armando's poisoning shortly after).
• Case 5-2 and 3-2: This one is my favourite because I'm pretty sure it was totally unintentional. The two cases are virtually identical. Let's start with the villains (not murderers for these two, villains). Atmey and L'Belle. First off, they're the Joker and the Penguin with their personalities switched. Atmey looks like the Penguin, acts a bit like the Joker, and vise-versa for L'Belle. Their leitmotifs are rather similar, both stole the masked alter ego identities of the defendant (Atmey to make an alibi and L'Belle to frame the defendant), both knocked out the defendant in order TO frame him (Atmey with... an undisclosed blunt object implied to be the Shichishito, and L'Belle with drugs), both have verbal tics that get everyone else doing it that I don't need to explain, both get a noticeably large amount of interior snark from the attorney in charge, both are full of themselves (one in his appearance, one in his skills), both have ties to larceny (though L'Belle failed), both where blackmailers, and both are notable for a laugh (Atmey being Laughing Mad and L'Belle for his Annoying Laugh)... And that's just the bad guy! Onto the defendant! Actually a pretty nice dude who does what he does for a loved one, has a secret masked identity (which the killer "borrows"), both are knocked out cold by the killer, both are blackmail victims and both try to insist they're guilty of a crime, though Tenma claims he's a killer to ensure Jinxie isn't put in his place as the defendant and Ron claims he's a thief so he's NOT accused of being a murderer. Both of the cases had larceny at the heart of them, both involved a thief what left calling cards (though Ron sent them ahead and Filch's granddad did not).
  • It can also be said that both criminals had a connection to the secret identity. However, Atmey was the man behind Mask*De Masque (he created thieving and escape plans for Ron, controlled the payments for stolen artifacts, and then took on the identity himself), while L'Belle's actions regarding the merger was the factor that led Tenma to take on a secret identity to fight against them.
• Case 5-5 and Cases 1-4 and 3-5: I'll try to keep this one short. Interestingly, all three of these cases had the finger being pointed at the prosecution for the murder (von Karma, Godot, and Blackquill; Edgeworth I suppose counts as well though he didn't prosecute Case 1-4). All three cases, the defendant was charged with murdering a parent (with 1-4 being the odd man out, as it was a patricide charge to a man in his 20's, where the other two were teenage girls charged with matricide). All three cases dealt with past cases as motive for murder (the DL-6 for the death of Hammond, Cases 3-4, 3-1, and 1-2 for the death of Dahlia-channelled-by-Misty, and the IS-7 for poor Clay).

Both Case 2 and Case 4's murders will be a first-degree murder.

You know, it's odd. There's actually a pattern. I noticed it when I was thinking about how every Case 3 but one was pre-meditated, but then I realised that every single one of them except the very first Case 3 is actually murder in the second degree (even Case 2-3, as Acro didn't mean to murder the Ringmaster, but Regina; Case 1-3 was justified self defence). So I got to thinking about the other Cases, to see if there's a similar pattern. And there is. As with my study of Case 3's, this includes Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney.

• Case 1: Almost always murder in the second degree. Exceptions are Case 3-1, Case 4-1, and I2-1.
• Case 2: Almost always murder in the first degree. The lone exception is Case 4-2.
• Case 3: Almost always murder in the second degree. The only exception is Case 1-3, which was justified self defence.
• Case 4: Always murder in the first degree. Every single one.
• Case 5: A mixed bag, actually. There have been five, two in the second degree, and three in the first.

The cases I didn't count were the back cases in Cases 1-4 and 1-5 (DL-6 and SL-9), which were both murder in the second degree, and the two cases where there wasn't a murder: the DLC and the first case of Layton vs Wright. I also didn't count the Manga cases.

• Jossed...but there are, in fact, two first-degree murders, Case 1 and Case 3. Cases 2 and 5 are murders in the second degree, and Case 4 is, surprisingly enough, reckless infliction of grievous bodily harm (the victim was still alive, albeit comatose).

The game, if localised, will take place during WWI.

Before you start telling me I'm wrong or am likely wrong simply because you hate the idea, let me explain:

• One, the English games are already set in dates after the Japanese ones, with the first game taking place in 2017 where the Japanese game takes place in the present day. The Meiji era ends a few years before WWI started, so the dates would remain relatively proportional to one another.
  • Actually, the original versions also took place in a near future setting.
• Two, the English games, at least, all take place in California already. I believe the Japanese versions are the only games to keep the games in Japan and not California, but I could be wrong.
• Three, putting it during WWI would allow them to keep the game in California AND explain Ryuunosuke's militaryesque college uniform to people who don't know a lick of Japanese or Japanese culture, which is most people.
• Four, it would mean the names could be localised and the puns could be kept.
• Five, remember that English isn't the only language these are translated into, so odds are, even if the names aren't translated in English, they could be in French, Dutch, Spanish, German, or Italian so seriously get over your butthurt that the names could be translated, mein gott.
  • Jossed. It sounds like it takes place around about the turn of the 20th century.

The Ace Attorney universe takes place in an Alternate History where Japan colonized California.

At least, that will be the excuse they give to justify setting this game in "Japanifornia" when the setting is so obviously Japanese. It would also retroactively explain all the "Japanese" settings that have featured in past games.

The Great Ace Attorney will have a new Jury mechanic as part of the trials.

Released pictures of the new courtroom (with the exception one used for the first case) show three chairs in front of the Judge's seat. If fan response is positive to the new mechanic, AA 6 will pick up the dropped Jury System arc from Apollo Justice.

• Based on the TGS extended trailer, a Jury is indeed present in the game. Time will tell whether or not this leads to a new game mechanic, however.
  • This is probably historically accurate, since Meiji-era Japanese courts were modelled after European court systems. A proper trial-by-jury wouldn't be adopted until the 1920's where it was abandoned for the "Ace Attorney" system of only having a judge after WWII.
  • Confirmed.

Iris Watson is John Watson's daughter.

Considering what happens to most everyone's parents in the Ace Attorney universe, no points for guessing what happened to John.

• John Watson is indeed the first case's victim so at least half of this is true. Guess it remains to be seen what his relationship was to Iris, though.
• Confirmed in case 5. John Watson in indeed Iris' father.
  • ...Only to be Jossed in the second game, as it turns out John Watson is not Iris' real father.

The Great Ace Attorney will also serve to tie in Ghost Trick to the Ace Attorney universe.

• Ghost Trick has been officially stated to be taking place in the same universe as Ace Attorney, but thus far we have no idea when it takes place: Before the games, between them or even a few generations later. It would be nice if this game found a way to show, or at least elaborate, on where Ghost Trick stands with regards to the overall Ace Attorney universe.
  • Not confirmed as such, but there is a reference to Tesmic in TGAA2.

John Watson is Iris Watson's uncle.

The game will take place during John's tour of Afghanistan with having Iris picking up John's medical knowledge during her visits with him. After the game, Sherlock will seek out John once he returns from the central Asian country, having grown slightly uncomfortable with bringing a little girl around to investigate murder mysteries and somewhat knowing of his growing eccentricity would be too much for a child to deal with, no matter how mature they are. Not to mention he doesn't want the risk of Iris somehow picking up his growing heroin addiction.

• Jossed, he's Iris' father. Except he's not even that...

The Big Bad will be the infamous Sherlock Holmes villain Professor Moriarty.

Or, alternatively...

The Big Bad will be Irene Adler.

She is "the" woman to Holmes, after all, the only woman to outwit him and get away with it. But in this scenario, it will turn out to be more complicated, and Adler will be portrayed sympathetically, as in the original story, "A Scandal in Bohemia."

• Going with the guesses about who is whose ancestor, Irene is the ancestor of Iris and Dahlia and has a personality which is more Tsundere than Yandere. Her sympathetic plight will be played against her descendant's tendencies to be a Hate Sink.

• Jossed and jossed... perhaps. We still don't know who organized the selling of secrets

Sherlock Holmes will be the victim of the final case.

Sherlock Holmes' death is very famous and has been included in every recent Holmes adaptation, so naturally it would make sense for the final case to revolve around it. That, and it'd get rid of a potential Story-Breaker Power right when things get really serious. This could possibly tie into one of the above two guesses too. Then possibly, The Stinger would show him to he alive, in keeping with what ended up happening in the original stories.

• Jossed. Though he does get shot, he survives.

Susato will turn out to be Iris Hawthorne's ancestor.

Iris did have a few Yamato Nadeshiko traits. Or alternatively...

Iris Watson will turn out to be Iris Hawthorne's ancestor.

This one is unlikely, but that's why we have wild mass guessing.

Iris Watson is a Steampunk Magitek Robot Girl co-developed by Holmes and John Watson.

As such, she was programmed to have a docterate. She truly is eight years old, however.

Iris Watson is spirit medium

And she will use her powers to summon her father (John Watson) and other people.

Holmes will be the one constantly being accused of murder

His Sherlock Scan giving him insight to the crime? Preposterous! The only way he knows so much is because he did it!

• Jossed. Not once is Herlock accused of any of the crimes committed.

Apollo is related to Sherlock Holmes, not Ryuunosuke.

Holmes's Sherlock Scans come off as a heightened sense of Apollo's own perception skills. Not only can he read gestures like Apollo can (like Susato looking off with her eyes and thinking), but he can deduce what her book is without being able to see it. Apollo's ability likewise relies on his incredibly good eyesight. We also don't know much about Apollo's family. It's possible the reason Apollo has a better perception ability than Trucy is not due to his bracelet, but because he received similar abilities from both sides of his family. His mother's family has the perception ability, and through his father's side of the family, he also inherited extremely good eyesight and a knack for spotting things others wouldn't. We don't know anything about his father, after all, except that he was a performer.

Iris is not who she thinks she is.

Iris witnessed the murder of her parents not long before the story began, and the shock and trauma of the incident triggered a kind of self defence mechanism that caused Iris to become her father in something like a Dead Person Impersonation. She's still aware she's not exactly John, but believes also that the things he did, like write about Sherlock's adventures and the medical degree, are things she is really responsible for. That's why she's eight, but seems to have both a medical degree and is apparently an author whose works have reached overseas already. In reality, these are things her father did that she's remembering as her own. Sherlock possibly lets this continue because he hasn't been able to work out who really killed John Watson and most likely doesn't tell Ryuunosuke or Susato about it either because he wants to avenge John himself or because he doesn't want to risk Iris finding out. It's also possible that she's not even John's daughter, but was a little girl heavily involved in another case they worked on who grew attached to John and on seeing him be killed by the same killer she saw before, her mind took his memories he shared with her and made them her own.

• I mean... Right for the Wrong Reasons here. Iris is exactly the person she thinks she is, as she has been with Sholmes since infancy, but she is NOT the daughter of the man she thought she was. She is, in fact, of noble blood, her father is a serial killer and not Sholmes's assistant, and she's the niece of the game's main prosecutor.

The ring on Ryuunosuke's hand is important.

Ryuunosuke wears a ring on the middle finger of his left hand. Possibly it's a memento of some kind, and will be important in one of the cases. It may even be why Ryuunosuke's even in England- the ring may be from his father (who may or may not be recently deceased), and contained a letter from him asking Ryuunosuke to look in on a friend of his- Sherlock Holmes- who needs his help. The ring may possibly be used as an identifier.

• It's actually an arm guard◊.

Susato is part of a Big, Screwed-Up Family.

Oh come on, so far all of the female assistants have been part of one.

• While I agree the possibility is good, there is a contradiction in this argument. Kay Faraday, Miles Edgeworth's assistant, does not come from a Big, Screwed-Up Family; her home life before her father's murder was quite normal and happy. Athena Cykes is of a similar case; her family was more dysfunctional due to Metis being introverted, rather than screwed up like the Feys and Gramaryes are. That aside, perhaps there will be a subversion, and it will be Iris who comes from a Big, Screwed-Up Family, not Susato (whose family we won't be seeing much of, due to being in England the majority of the game).

Sherlock and Watson's roles will be "swapped", in a sense.

Meaning, Iris will be the one between them who calls the shots and does most of the work. Sherlock himself will be more something of a Genius Ditz/Cloudcuckoolander combo than his more dashing and capable literary counterpart; Iris, despite being only 8, will be more reasonable, focused, and mature. It's been officially stated that "her skills of deduction may surpass even Holmes'", perhaps implying that she's a bit more competent than he is.

• The "Joint Reasoning" gameplay mechanic (where Ryuunouske is tasked with pointing out that Holmes is going off-base with his deductions) seems to lean towards this. Holmes is too aggressive and too surface-level to see things as they ought to, leaping to conclusions without a full picture. So having Iris be the one who figures things out correctly may make sense (with Ryuunosuke breaking apart the argument and progressively deducing the solution while sorting out Holmes's faulty reasoning).

Kazuma Asougi will die sometime after the first case.

Kazuma is shown to be wearing a red headband◊ in his official art. Ryuunosuke has a similar headband/piece of fabric tied around the grip of his sword.◊ One could argue that this is a staple of their academy's uniform, or maybe just a custom, but another look at Kazuma's art shows that he does not have the fabric tied to his own sword.Kazuma will be murdered sometime between the first and second cases, and Ryuunosuke will tie his headband around the hilt of his own sword in memorial; given that most, if not all mentors and mentor-like figures in this series tend to meet an untimely end (or at least turn out to be antagonists of some kind), it is possible that Kazuma won't be sticking around for long. Grasping at straws? For sure, but after all, this IS the WMG.

• This has been a common theory among the speculators since he was revealed. Personally I think his death will factor into Ryuunosuke's motivation to travel to Europe (maybe not directly but will play some major role in it) since Kazuma wanted to travel to Europe on his own. Maybe the second case takes place five or so months later and Kazuma sends a letter back to Japan telling of all the fantastic opportunities in England. Ryuunosuke likes it and brings along Susato but when they arrive they find out that Kazuma was murdered (this might actually be the third case or later because, as I recall, the second case actually happens en route to England). His death might even become the game's overarching arc.
• Alternatively, rather than being either a murderer or a victim he will be both. He will fake his death sometime after the first case and maybe even disguise himself as another character until the end of the game.
  • Inversely, maybe he really does die, but it's later set up to make it look like he faked his death and is truly the Big Bad, and the person who is pretending to be him is, in fact, another character we already know (and could be related to the False Holmes idea below; Holmes has always been a Master of Disguise, after all), and is impersonating Kazuma to get to Ryuunosuke and make him think that he falsely accused someone of murdering his mentor/friend.
• While not debunking the possibility Kazuma dies, the fabric on Ryuunosuke's sword may not be a Tragic Keepsake as-is but simply a gift Kazuma gave to Ryuunosuke before leaving on his study abroad. Ryuunosuke ties it to his sword so he'll have it nearby but doesn't regard it as a memento of a lost friend until the events of the game play out, at which point he comes to think of it as such. The fact Ryuunosuke has the cord wrapped around his sheath even in these preliminary artworks (before the story of the game is fully revelaed) leans towards a more mundane meaning that could gradually become deeper.
• Confirmed. Asougi is the victim of Case 2: The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band.
  • But then Zig-Zagged as of the reveal during Case 3 of the second game.

The main prosecutor will have a more minor role than previous prosecutors

Hence why they aren't one of the lead four characters. They may even be a purely antagonistic Big Bad.

• Maybe, for the first time, there is no set prosecutor? It's also possible that the reason they're not shown as part of the lead four is because there's actually four protagonists this time. Or because we've only seen six characters (the lead four, Meiji-Era Payne, and Kazuma), it just so far appears that the prosecutor's not as major because they haven't been shown yet.
  • Jossed. Baron Van Zieks plays a very important role in both games.

Sherlock Holmes in the game is not the real Sherlock Holmes, and is the true Big Bad.

Holmes is still, of course, a fictional character, and one he is pretending to be to gain credibility as a gifted investigator. Iris is either in on the charade, she suffered a severe mental trauma that has skewed her perception of reality and False-Holmes is using it to his advantage, or some other reason that leaves her quite innocent and open to betrayal. Ryuunosuke will be unaware of this, but gradually find clues that "Holmes" is not who he says he is, until he learns that Holmes really IS entirely fictitious. When he confronts False Holmes about it, it's revealed False Holmes has been the mastermind all along, and part of the last case revolves around capturing him. I mean, it doesn't make sense that a series that has (....mostly) adhered to reality would make a fictional character non-fiction in their universe, and all the fictional stuff has been consistently in the same category (personal abilities).

• Jossed. He is the real deal, though slightly less competent.

This Payne's first name.

It's surely going to be a pun on "_______ in pain" or something similar, right? Just like his descendants, Winston and Gaspen (winced and gasped). So, what could it be? Keep it alphabetical.

• Aaron Payne (are in pain)
• Antoine Payne (and in pain)
• Constantine Payne (constant in pain; there's already a character by this name in the franchise but there's also a Manfred and a Manny)
• Dylan Payne (still in pain)
• Gibson Payne (give some pain)
• Holden Payne (hold in pain, as in hold the injured spot)
• Newton Payne (new to pain)
• Oliver Payne (all of your pain)
• Quinton Payne (quit in pain)
• Robin Payne (rub in pain; unlikely as, again, there's already a character by this name)
• Xavier Payne (save your pain)
• Since Ryuunosuke's and Susato's names are both kept the same, this will likely be jossed in favor of his original name: Taketsuchi Auchi.
  • Indeed, it was indeed kept the same in the localization.

Roirotto from the game preview is related to Tuggit from PLvsAA.

Except instead of pulling on his beard, he tries to cut it with a pair of dulled scissors. Which him cutting his beard with them is true, because later on Holmes says in the video "あなた は, そのはさみ を 使 リッパ は ひげ を 切 ところ ところ だった", which... if I translated that right and I may not have, says "You use the scissors the Ripper/Reaper had to cut your beard" which... well. Well. I was halfway through this post when translating that and... I wasn't serious when I told someone I thought Jack the Ripper would be referenced in the game, but that line actually implies the Ripper himself is a character, or an expy of him is.

• Well, if the demo is to be trusted, Roylott being related to Tuggit is probably Jossed (as far as we know); Roylott is a disguise donned by the missing Russian ballet dancer Nikomina Bolshevich. Though considering the case takes place on a boat to London, the possibilty is still there.

Jack the Ripper will get an expy.

Well, supposing I translated that line right above this correctly... it certainly sounds like something like that could happen. The Meiji Era took place between 1868 and 1912, and Ripper was active at least in 1888. Which if it is, places the game soundly in 1888 or 1889.

• Pretty unlikely. "Ripper" is a generic term, it has no link to Jack the Ripper specifically. Besides, it could be interpreted as "reaper" too. It seems unlikely we'll get an actual major character based on Jack the Ripper, considering: 1) the brutal nature of Jack the Ripeper's killings as well as who his victims were (aka, prostitutes), 2) The fact the Jack the Ripper killings were real. I doubt Ace Attorney would base it's cases on anything from real life. It's not that kind of series. Basically, if we are gonna get an "expy of Jack the Ripper", they'd have to change the damn character so much that it wouldn't even resemble Jack the Ripper in the slightest, apart from sharing the title "The Ripper" maybe. They might make reference to it in some way, but I doubt we'll get an actual serious case, or even character, based around him.
  • It's "Reaper" now I think about it (I being the one who posted the initial theory). I know it can be Reaper or Ripper. I did translate that myself and say as much that it could be Reaper. It's most likely "Reaper", though because the ri gets dragged out and "Rip" has a shorter sound than "Reap". Though I have to say, "the ripper" usually would instantly bring to mind Jack the Ripper. It's not really a generic term, especially in a game series focused on solving murders. I think this Reaper character is supposed to bring to mind the Ripper because he seems to use scissors which sounds like a far more gruesome way to go than being stabbed with a knife, even if the scissors were used as a makeshift knife. Not be him, not really reference him, but bring him to mind for older players familiar with him. Reaper does this to players who don't know. I can't see why they would refer to a character as the Reaper or the Ripper unless meaning to bring to mind one of history's most well-known serial killers.
    • If it's supposed to be "The Ripper" then yes, most likely it is a nod to Jack the Ripper. But you'd have to stretch a LOT to say that a character called "The Reaper" is supposed to be an expy of Jack the Ripper. For one thing, Jack the Ripper never used scissors. His trademark weapon is almost always portrayed as a dagger, and while it's probable he may have used scissors when mutilating his victims, it's hardly something he was known for using. If this "Reaper" that uses scissors IS supposed to be an expy of Jack the Ripper, it'd need to be a proper one that goes more in depth then just saying he's called The Reaper and that he used scissors. Because that's so far flung from what most people would know Jack the Ripper for, that it wouldn't be worth even trying to make it a reference to him. And while I agree that most people would think of Jack when they hear "The Ripper", "Ripper" IS still kinda a generic term. Not sure exactly how it is for people in other countries, but Jack isn't the only serial killer who got named "The Ripper", that struck England. So here in the UK when someone says "The Ripper" it doesn't instantly just bring to mind Jack. There's also The Yorkshire Ripper and The Suffolk Ripper, among others. So even if it is Ripper, it might not even be referring to Jack the Ripper.
• Confirmed, actually, although the Jack the Ripper Expy actually isn't the "Reaper" (a connected but completely different character). Instead, it's the serial killer known as the Professor, active from 1888-1889 before the main events of the game, who had five victims in total, matching up perfectly with the generally accepted Jack the Ripper details. Although, the murders are also a nod to The Hound of the Baskervilles, given that the victims were killed by having their throat ripped out by a giant dog.

Localisation names.

Supposing the game's localised, it is possibly an unavoidable fact that, no matter how much you might hate it, the names will get localised as will the region (though it's never directly stated in the games that it's in LA, unless you closely examine the victim's ID Badge in the first Investigations case). Especially since only one case is being played in Japan. Because of that, there's also precious few characters who it would even make sense to keep a Japanese name if the game stayed in Japan (Susato, Ryuuichi, Payne, and Kazuma). The last 3-4 cases are going to be in London, so most of the characters except them will likely have English names.

• Ryuuichi Naruhodou
  • Chiron Wright. Chiron, so named for the Centaur of Greek mythos, and the archer of Sagittarius. A Greek figure with ties to both phoenixes the creature and Phoenix the God, Chiron was an adopted son of Apollo and a symbol of bridging the gaps between two feuding groups. He was a teacher and a tutor, and believed in fair judgement: "Decide no suit, until you have heard both sides speak". Seems perfect for an ancestor of Phoenix Wright (or for anyone seeking fairness in a trial).
    • Phoebus Wright. Phoebus is one of the epithets of Apollo (the god, not the lawyer), meaning 'bright'; oh, and the name also starts with 'Phoe'.
• Susato Mikotoba
  • Mary Kingsleigh. Most of the assistants, excepting Ema, all have a Y in their name, and I wanted to pick a traditional name to go with Susato being a "traditional" woman, and a name that fit the time period. Mary was also the most popular girl's name in the time period the game is set. Mikotoba refers to the words of a higher entity, like an emperor or a god, so I suggested her a last name that somewhat reflects that, as it sounds like "Kingly".
• Iris Watson (who probably will get a different given name, due to there already being an Iris)
  • Alice Watson, the Alice obviously referencing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This will only be her name if it's intended to be somewhat of a spoiler as to her character, unless it's referring to the fact that she's a child.
• Both of these are jossed. Ryuunosuke and Susato keep their original names, while Iris only has her surnamed adjusted.

Holmes and Watson are both false identities.

Branching off a suggestion above, this troper is partial to the idea of both Holmes and Watson being false identities, although they aren't villains in any sense. Iris Watson is truly Iris Watson, and she is really a prodigy who writes her own books, but the detective duo Holmes and Watson are nothing more than characters. The "Sherlock" we've seen is an actor hired to pose as the real Sherlock for publicity for Iris' books (think the actors at Disneyland but taken to a much more sincere extreme) and Iris plays along, seeing as she's the author, and the SH stories are written from Watson's point of view.

• "Sherlock" is actually the illustrator for the book series' (hence the colorful vials of what look like paint or ink at his hip) and was taken along with Iris one day at a book signing or meeting with a publisher. The two were mistaken for Iris' characters, under the assumption that the stories were true and the author was really Watson (as well as "Sherlock" being enough of a peculiar, extravagant enough person on his own that he was mistaken for the just-as-eccentric great detective)
• The concept of Holmes and Watson being real, live people who solve real, live mysteries quickly snowballed, and the two were soon up to their ears in fame. The abundance of this kind of publicity began to rake in the money fast (and much more than the truth would ever produce) and this troper believes the root of this charade was almost entirely motivated by money.
• Both "Sherlock" and Iris have their separate personal reasons for needing very large sums of money very urgently. "Sherlock"'s motivation was serious, but not quite as critical as Iris'; hers might have something to do with a very sick family member (her father? Dr. Watson?) or something just generally emotionally urgent, time-sensitive, and painfully expensive.
• "Sherlock" actually took care of his reason some time ago and could have ditched their deal altogether if he really wanted to, but he and Iris formed something of a familial bond along the way and it would be nearly impossible to abandon that (not to mention rather cruel to just leave an eight-year-old girl with a looming emergency to her own devices in London)
• Additionally, "Sherlock" isn't from London. He's not even from the United Kingdom; he's American, and has had to fake an English accent the entire time for his 'role'. The same might be possible for Iris as well. (One way or the other, eventually it'll make for a fantastic twist of one of these)
• Overall, even in the Ace Attorney universe, Holmes and Watson are nothing more than fictional characters, albeit created by someone else in-universe. The Holmes and Watson we've seen are false identities, and a good portion of the plot will revolve around their slowly-crumbling charade as well as the financially and emotionally demanding reasons they have for trying to keep the whole thing up (with a dash of The Dark Side Of The Law, but that's a different entry for a different day)

Complicated, but it's not like this series is completely unfamiliar with elaborate, tangential, yet mostly realistic explanations to important plot points...

• As the OP of both the above "not who they say they are' theories, I like this idea, too. However, while the only reason that bird of explanation flew was because it was a Layton explanation (note how perplexed Phoenix is at how outrageous it is), the theory above has been shown off in the Ace Attorney series proper with Godot, Mimi Miney, Dahlia Hawthorne, Calisto Yew/Shih-Na, the phantom, Shelly de Killer, Matt Engarde... *Beat*' Well, it's about time they subvert the fact that whenever someone is pretending to be someone or something else, it's the bad guy.
• You certainly have a point there! And definitely, it'd be nice to see another plot point character hiding their identity for a decent, non-malicious reason. With a well-loved duo like Holmes and Watson (whom fans of the books and other media in the franchise might respond... unfavorably to any sort of villainous role they may play) I think this would be the game to do it.

The guy in the latest trailer in the jury with the knife is actually Jack the Ripper, some expy thereof, or just a shout out to him.

Linking to a point made above, however I don't believe this will be an important plot point. I do believe however that the guy in the jury with the knife is at the very least a reference to Jack the Ripper. He has the same basic look as the typical portrayals, he's wielding a knife, and he has a murderous look on his face. The game takes place around the time of the killings, maybe in the few years following them, so at most we could be looking at a possible expy of the uncaptured Jack the Ripper. Granted this is unlikely, and if this does turn out to be true, they'd likely only give a few vague hints to this fact at most through comedic dialogue, but I do believe it's possible. If they do this however, it'll be a very moot point, put in just for the sake of referencing Jack the Ripper somewhere since they felt like they had to giving the game's setting.

Ryūnosuke will be the one who invents the use of "objection" in court proceedings, as well as the habit of pointing at people.

In all the trailers we've seen so far, this is what it seems to point to. We've not seen anyone use "objection" for the most part, and in the latest trailer, which shows the back and forth between Ryūnosuke and the new prosecutor, they use "HOLD IT!" rather then "OBJECTION!". Which seems to imply that "OBJECTION!" isn't something used back then. Plus in the spring 2015 trailer, it ends with a speech and epic finger point from Ryūnosuke, where he shouts out "OBJECTION!", in which he mentions that he feels his confidence in his argument building up inside of him through that single word, and a point of the finger. This seems to imply that he shouts out the word "OBJECTION!" accompanied by a finger point on the spare of the moment, causing him to effectively invent that practise right there.

Ryūnosuke wil have a crush on with a woman in England with the last name "Wright".

If they do this, it'll perfectly set it up for the localization to make sense. Shu Takumi and the development team obviously know about the localization after all. If they imply that that Ryūnosuke likes someone with the surname Wright, then don't show anything past that, it'd set things up for the localization while not contradicting anything for the Japanese version. It'd set it up in such a way where they wouldn't have to change Ryūnosuke's name or the setting to make it fit with the main series. In the English version, it will be assumed Ryūnosuke married this person, took her name as the family name, and stayed living in the West and that's why Phoenix is American with a Western name. While in the Japanese version, it will be assumed that he either didn't marry this person, or did but kept his family name before moving back to Japan.

Baroque is a vampire.

C'mon, we're all thinking it.

• I think so too, probably Dracula, as according to the book he's in London, he has become a Public Domain Character like Holmes, and missing for a while? He was probably in slumber like vampires usually do.

The overarching plot of the game will be related to John Watson's death in the first case.

The first case might end on a cliffhanger,and the reason Ryūnosuke and Holmes work together for the rest of the game is because Ryū was related to the case and they are trying to figure out what happened.

• Jossed. As far as the game goes, it's mostly related to case 3. Now for the sequel...
  • And then Confirmed - the death turns out to be part of an assassin exchange program which gets fully exposed in the final case of the second game.

The names of the Japanese characters will not be localised...

...rather,they will be changed to Japanese-sounding names with English puns.Because,let's admit it,localising the location for the first case seems more unlikely as more info about it is revealed ,like the Japanese restaurant setting.

• Ryounousuke's name will be changed to Hiroshi Raito, with him usually being reffered to as "Hiro".
• Jossed. He keeps his original name. But also confirmed at the same time - while the major Japanese characters kept their original names, the minor witnesses in the cases taking place in Japan had their names changed to puns that made more sense in English.

Sherlock Holmes is real, but the one we meet isn't him.

Just as how Iris is not actually the Watson, the Holmes we see is not actually the Great Detective himself. Rather, he is probably a stand in for Holmes, who is away somewhere. The real Holmes might be disguised as a different member of the cast, under an assumed name.

The two gentlemen at the top of the box art are the true Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Going off the above on how the Holmes we've been shown is false and the real one could be disguised as a member of the cast (plausible, as one of Holmes' most notable skills was disguising himself to hide in plain sight) the Watson we've been shown is false as well, and the true one is most likely away for a yet-to-be-determined plot reason. As such, the John Watson we see as the victim in Case 1 is definitely not our doctor.

• These two◊ are the real Holmes and Watson. In spite of the small image quality, the man on the right appears to be blond and blue/green-eyed, making it easier for the Holmes we've been shown to masquerade as him given their slightly similar physical appearance. He also seems closer in age to 34 than this Holmes (whose age can be seen in his profile in the recently released Joint Reasoning eShop demo of the game)◊, who appears to be quite younger than he's stated to be. It's possible that he is younger and is only claiming to be 34 to lend credibility to his false Holmes identity.
• The real kicker here, however, is the appearance of the man on the left in the first photo - his bowler cap and moustache are reminiscent of classic portrayals of John Watson not only in canon, but in several different adaptations. He's also shown to be saluting; before his discharge due to injury and illness, Watson served in the British Army as an assistant surgeon.

If one were to surmise that this gentleman is the true Watson, then the next logical conclusion to draw would be that the man standing next to him is the true Sherlock Holmes.

• Jossed. Based on the recent Famitsu article, the man on the left is Inspector Tobias Gregson. The man on the right is a new character.

One of the cases will involve the first De Killer.

• According to Edgeworth, the name De Killer first showed up in the early 1900s, which is part of the Meiji era in which the game takes place.

Jezail Brett is Irene Adler

• The fact that she's implied to maybe be a Karma Houdini means she could possibly appear in a sequel, where her true identity and reason for killing John Watson will be revealed.
• Jossed. Jezail Brett is in fact Ann Sasha.

Natsume Soseki is distantly related to the Joestar bloodline

• It would explain all the posing.
  • Considering Natsume Soseki is an actual person I very much doubt it.

There will be a Whole Episode Flashback featuring a playable Asougi

• It will probably come late in the series whole; before then, there will be hints given to the cast as to what his mission was, before being fully (or at least, more substantially than only by words) revealed in this manner. As a bonus, it will also more solidly reveal to us his work relationship with Susato, and show to the players how much she has grown since then. It's also likely that it will involve the other persons whose names were uncovered at the end of Case 5.

Jezail Brett is actually Japanese

• This is why she is always covering her eyes, to prevent others from identifying that she is of Japanese descent. This explains her fluency in the language despite calling it primitive, making her a Boomerang Bigot.

The four characters mentioned in the music box disk at the end are assassination targets for the Great British Empire

• The four characters being Kazuma Asougi, Tobias Gregson, John Watson and an unknown figure known as Sasha. They probably witnessed something very, very dark about the British Empire and thus are considered major threats to somebody in the British government. This something is also most likely related to Asougi's supposed mission he spoke about and the London darkness Holmes mentioned at the end of Case 4.
  • Half-confirmed. Gregson and Watson were assassination targets, however, Asougi and Sasha were intended to be the assassins.

Related to the above, Jezail Brett is actually a British spy sent to kill Watson and Asougi

• The real reason she keeps her face covered all the time could hint that she is an undercover spy from the British Empire and is trying to keep her identity hidden. Also, her reasons for killing Watson are still a complete mystery, and it's totally possible that she was after Asougi as well, being disguised as a British exchange student in Japan. It's likely that her character will be explored further in the sequel, which is confirmed to reveal most of the mysteries set up in the first game.
• Jezail Brett is confirmed to be the victim in the first case of DGS 2.
• Jezail Brett turns out to be Ann Sasha, a British assassin sent to kill Watson. Asougi wasn't a target though: he was supposed to be the second assassin.

Viridian Green is the killer of DGS 2-2

• Pre-release information confirmed that DGS 2-2 takes place a day after DGS 1-4 and involves Ryunosuke and co visiting her in the hospital. It's implied we'll be finding out more about her this time, which begs the question: why would they develop her character like that when she doesn't seem relevant to the case's murder? Pre-release information also raises the question of why she happened to get caught up in DGS 1-4 in the first place, as she's been revealed to live far away from where it took place. This troper's guess is that Viridian killed the victim before DGS 1-4 took place, and happened to get accidentally stabbed while making her getaway. Not only would this give an interesting emotional conflict: the supposed innocent victim of a past case wasn't so innocent after all, but it could make for an interesting challenge to overcome, as Viridian has an accidental alibi in her coma.
  • Somewhat confirmed. Petenshy, the victim, didn't ACTUALLY die, but she DID poison him. But it was for a sympathetic reason as well, as Petenshy killed her fiance.

His True Killer

We never learn who the assassin Crogley hired to kill Megundal was, however it's really likely that it was Tobias Gregson considering that he worked in the Assassination Program, was one of the only witnesses to Megundal's death and because Ann Sasha wasn't in Britain at the time.

Did He Even Die?

In DGS 2, it's revealed that Asougi was alive the whole time making DGS conscious of the he was alive the whole time trope, which makes me wonder. Could Megundal still be alive?

Remember, we never actually saw him die or even enter the Omnibus, who's to say he didn't escape at the last second?

The accidentally-leaked collection's Western release will happen in January 2022, perhaps even on January 1st, Public Domain Day.

This will basically confirm the popular theory that the infamously well-defended Sherlock Holmes copyrights were the reason the games were not originally localized.

• Partially jossed. To avoid the copyrights, Sherlock Holmes has been renamed Herlock Sholmes, and John and Iris Watson have been renamed John and Iris Wilson.
• For another take on this theory, the game could be given a patch or an Updated Re-release to restore the intended character names once the last Sherlock Holmes copyrights expire.

Auchi to Payne and Naruhodou to Wright

So obviously the localisation kept the Japanese names, which means the two knowns, Auchi and Naruhodou, were left untranslated. So, for the sake of the localisation, how did these two change to Payne and Wright respectively? Obviously we'll never see a confirmation for this, this is merely in fun, but here's my thoughts.

• Factoring in the personality of his descendants who are clearly cut from the same cloth as Auchi, it seems likely that Auchi will leave Japan. Gaspen leaves LA/Japan himself to take up residence in Khura'in a century later, so it seems possible Auchi also does this. But unlike Gaspen, Auchi changes his name because he's desperate to avoid the curse/promise/threat made by Kazuma about the Auchi and Naruhodou clans. His choice to move and change his name comes purely from that line by Kazuma. Missing the point in that way does feel like a Payne/Auchi trait. He goes to LA because their legal system is somewhat corrupted as well and will stay such for quite some time. And he thinks he escaped the curse, naturally, until Ryunosuke's descendant comes along.
• Regarding Naruhodou, it honestly seemes possible that Ryunosuke will simply have a daughter who he raises to be bright, intelligent, forward-thinking, and gives her every advantage he can, including letting her study abroad, and this daughter marries into the Wright family. Ryunosuke doesn't have much of a reason to go to the US himself nor change his name, unlike Auchi.

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