History Headscratchers / PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations

* [[spoiler:Furio Tigre didn't expect Glen to win the lottery and back out of the deal. He only manages to avoid suspicion by reenacting the crime and planting evidence on an unconscious Maggey.]] So what exactly would the murderer have done had [[spoiler:Maggey not fainted and simply called the police? Or what if Maggey hadn't passed out for an hour, and instead woke up before or during the reenactment?]] Seems like a pretty flimsy plan to me . . . .
** It's probable that [[spoiler:Viola]] can be called in as witness, as a witness to the scene when the killing happened, and [[spoiler:Jean was also in the plan, so there's no witness to support Maggey]]. For [[spoiler:Maggey waking up]], well, if I remember correctly, [[spoiler:she was carried out]]. It would still be an flimsy plan, though.
** On a related note, can anyone genuinely picture [[spoiler:Furio slipping poison into someone's drink unnoticed? I mean, he's the anthropomorphic personification of intimidation! His impersonation of Phoenix consisted of yelling at and threatening everyone. His attempts to throw suspicion off himself in court consisted of yelling at and threatening everyone. He doesn't strike me as the calm, subtle type at all! Now, see, if ''Viola'' had slipped it in there...]]
*** Considering [[spoiler:how intimidating he is]], it's not entirely likely that the victim would have been looking him in the eye... or even at his body.
*** If you look at intro, you can see that Elg was indeed facing away from the killer when he poisoned the coffee.

** In case 2-2, Morgan Fey explained that inexperienced mediums run the risk of channeling spirits who are too strong to be properly controlled. Misty probably hasn't channeled anyone in quite a while; she might have just been too out of practice to be able to control Dahlia's hatred and aggression.

** Why would Elg give up a virus worth several million dollars just for the purpose of saving himself $500,000? That's asinine, and even Tigre knew that.

*** Obviously, it arrives from the same place as [[spoiler: Matt Engarde's mysteriously appearing glass of brandy]].
*** [[spoiler: Now see, it always looked to me like Matt was pulling it literally out of his ass.]]

* In 3-2, Phoenix says that Godot is the "most dangerous man he's ever faced in court", or something along those lines. Phoenix had only known him for a few hours, and the most Godot did was throw coffee at Phoenix. Sure, Godot has a deep, bitter dislike for Phoenix that Phoenix didn't know about, but why would Phoenix think that? Franziska was also after him, and used a whip. Plus, there's Manfred von Karma (world-class prosecutor, among other things), [[spoiler: Matt Engarde, and de Killer, both of whom put Maya in danger.]] Really, why would Phoenix act as if Godot was his most dangerous foe?

* Winston Payne says that perhaps the victim could have grabbed the bottle of medicine to "identify the killer" or something to that effect. [[spoiler: Did the victim stop and pick it up as he was about to be murdered and hold onto it while being electrocuted, or did he pick it up after having electricity from a high voltage wire surge through his body? The bottle was most likely planted.]] It doesn't bother me that Payne said it, but that Mia didn't pick up on it.

** Detective Luke Atmey, with his very {{meaningful name}} [[spoiler:(look at me)]] did it because he's an {{attention whore}}.
** Also, [[spoiler:getting convicted of stealing the urn]] was always plan B for Atmey. Plan A was to [[spoiler:have Ron [=DeLite=] arrested at the scene of the crime, relying on the planted evidence and the justice system to get Ron convicted.]] However, the Butz screwed that plan up and Ron escaped. Atmey's backup plan, just in case [=DeLite=]'s lawyers or an over-zealous prosecutor managed to track down some connection between Atmey and Bullard, was to [[spoiler:be convicted of stealing the urn.]]

** There's a little bit of FridgeBrilliance at work here when you consider that Godot [[spoiler:originally trained as a defense attorney, and had never prosecuted a case before Ron's first trial]]. That being the case, whereas a more experienced prosecutor might have just charged Ron with stealing the urn, and then brought a seperate case (or cases) for the other thefts at a later date after gathering more evidence during and after the first trial, Godot whacked him with charges for all five thefts at once, couldn't make them stick due to the lack of evidence that Ron had stolen the urn, and thus had him acquitted on all five counts. Godot even indirectly admits that he screwed up his handling of the situation at the end of the second trial day.
* On a note related to the question above: why was Ron never charged with the [[spoiler: data theft that he confessed to in court]]? They never even asked him for information that would allow them to warn the [[spoiler: company whose data had been stolen]] that their security had been compromised.

** Consider that Atmey implies that it was ''Mask☆[=DeMasque=]'' who hit him on the head, bending the Shichishito. However, from Atmey's point of view, [[spoiler:''he is Mask☆[=DeMasque=]'']]. Of course it was Mask☆[=DeMasque=] who bent the sword [[spoiler:and that Mask☆[=DeMasque=] is Atmey himself]]. That was "the truth" on about the same level as [[spoiler:Matt Engarde's]].

** I thought that those were the prices that [[spoiler: Bullard received from Luke Atmey for blackmailing him over the theft of each item]]. It was stated twice that the prices were too low to be the black market values of the stolen items.

** There's reasonable possibilities. Maybe it's like the hotel from the first game, where they try to get publicity from being "the hotel/restaurant you know about from that murder trial". It's not like Armstrong needs all his few tables, he never gets many customers and any chance at all to change that is important for him. Alternatively, Gumshoe might have told him not to touch the crime scene yet because Maggey was going to need an appeal first, and Gumshoe isn't above spending good money on bad food to butter Armstrong up.

*** She was probably lying at that point; according to ''Spirit of Justice'' you aren’t able to channel someone unless you have an idea of what they look like.

* How did Dahlia [[spoiler:successfully impersonate Iris? We've seen various members of the Fey family channel Mia, and each time, while [[{{Fanservice}} Mia's presence]] was fully visible, it was also obvious who was channeling her. Yet she managed a picture-perfect Iris imitation, and one that can fool ''the player'', unlike Tigre. She didn't display Maya's black hair, nor her usual red. She couldn't have planned for this, either; the intent was for ''Pearl'' to channel her, and both Misty and Maya's channelings occurred without her knowledge.

** Because Edgeworth met [[spoiler:Diego Armando]] during [[spoiler:his very first case as a prosecutor]] and recognized that [[spoiler:he and Godot were one and the same]]?
*** Even when he hasn't even met him? Remember, Godot was [[spoiler:stuck on the other side of the Inner Temple at the time, so Edgeworth had no way to meet him and realize that he was Armando.]]
*** Easy, you're assuming he's referring to Godot, but he's referring to Armando, who we know already had the coffee quirk. Yes, Armando is a defense attorney, but Edgeworth wasn't submitting evidence to a court, he was casually remarking on the sort of stuff people can get away with. Readers obviously are meant to know he's right because of Godot, but in-universe it's easy to imagine he's just thinking of Armando's quirk, which stuck with him all those years later because his first trial would surely leave a large impression on him of what to expect in a court room.
** Edgeworth was still a prosecutor with a fair bit of connections, even if he was spending time abroad. It's not that odd that someone else at the prosecutors office or in the police would tell him about Phoenix Wright's newest rival.

* So Maya got the idea to channel Dahlia's spirit to protect herself from asking Mia. But how did either of them know that Maya's attacker was a channeled spirit, or her precise identity in order for Maya to channel her? Given the circumstances, wouldn't Maya have assumed Iris was the one who had a attacked her?

* So Maya got the idea to channel Dahlia's spirit to protect herself from asking Mia. But how did either of them know that Maya's attacker was a channeled spirit, or her precise identity in order for Maya to channel her? Given the circumstances, wouldn't Maya have assumed Iris was the one who had aattacked her?

** He did kill Dahlia['s host] in defense of Maya, but what's important is that he knew about the proposed crime well in advance of when it was carried out, and avoided taking steps to prevent it due to his hero complex. Not only that, but he knew Dahlia was being channeled either by Misty or Pearl, and could have found a way to subdue her without risking harm to whoever was channeling her -- and he specifically admits to that part.

** Why did the last page of Morgan's letter talk about "gravely roasting the Master in the fires of Hell," or whatever it said? The note says elsewhere that Pearl just needs to channel Dahlia at the right time, and she'd planned out the rest with Dahlia before her execution. Did she want Pearl to know that she was committing a horrible crime by doing this? If Pearl had been able to read that part of the letter, wouldn't it have thrown her off?
* So Maya got the idea to channel Dahlia's spirit to protect herself from Mia. But how did either of them know who to channel, or that they could be channeled? Given what Maya would've known by that point, she most likely would've assumed that she was attacked by Iris in the courtyard. Yet when Maya wakes up in the Inner Temple, she's worried that her attacker might come back, yet if she were able to channel her attacker, then that would mean her attacker was dead already, and with no one else at the Inner Temple who could channel her, she wouldn't be able to harm Maya.

** He tells you outright in his first case that he came back from Hell to defeat Wright. Clearly, he brought with him the infernal power to summon coffee from the blackest pits.

* A question I have in regards to the fanbase, rather than the game itself- where do the accusations of sexism on Godot's part come from? I mean, I know that he isn't the greatest person in the world, but I never noticed any signs of considering women beneath him. I mean, there was that incident with Franziska, but that just reeks of DoubleStandard if that's where people are coming from- he says that he hates women like her, but this is a woman who routinely throws fits resulting in the whipping of anyone nearby, sometimes into unconsciousness. On top of that, she routinely victimizes men (outside of Justice for All and even there, she still does it, she just includes women as well) and yet many of these occasions are on the SugarWiki/{{Funny|Moments}} page. So, [[UnfortunateImplications woman routinely abusing men=funny, man calling her out on it=awful chauvinist?]] Aside from that, there's the accusation that he considered Mia too frail to defend herself, which is so ridiculous I didn't even know about it until I read about it on this very page. As I said in response to that, his guilt over Mia's death is survivor's guilt, more than anything, which has nothing to do with sex. He certainly never refers to her as though he thought she was incapable of defending herself- to the best of my memory. I'm not defending Godot as a character, as he's very divisive to me (mostly due to 3-5) but seriously, where are these accusations of sexism coming from?
** A lot of it also comes from 3-4, where he repeatedly refers to Mia as words like "tiger" and "kitten" in the courtroom, generally speaks to her in a condescending tone, and on several occasions suggests that she's not qualified to stand as defense on her own. It's not hard to see his words as demeaning, and I've seen at least one Let's Play group tear into him for it during a blind run.
*** Ah. Well, that makes some more sense. It's certainly a better explanation than either of the ones I mentioned before, which, believe it or not, I ''have'' heard people argue. I can definitely see where that would come across as sexist. I mean, it didn't seem that way to me, more like an affectionate nickname than anything, but then again, that's what YMMV is for.
*** If you look at how Diego uses his commentary to Mia, and how she responds to it, I see it much more as him being condescending to her as a way of getting her to fight back. He usually calls her "kitten" and such when she's letting Edgeworth dictate the pace of the trial or if she's otherwise being timid. And every time, it pisses her off and she puts her game face back on. Furthermore, notice that, as Mia becomes accustomed to fighting in court, Diego backs off on calling her these things.
*** Diego's attitude towards Mia could just be part of his generally smug personality rather than sexism.
** Also, worth noting that Godot acts rather condescending towards Dessie in case 3-2, too. The wording of his comments was something along the lines of her being a good wife and swooping in to save her husband, which could easily be read as her "[[UnfortunateImplications knowing her place]]" if you're not especially charitable.
*** Now that's just looking for offense for the sake of it. How does trying to save your husband, or vice-versa, ''not'' make either person a good spouse? It's not like Godot was saying she should stay in the kitchen and make Ron a sandwich, he just made a comment that highlighted her doing what any human with normal emotions would do in that situation, that is trying to get her beloved life partner cleared of a murder implication.... maybe by any means necessary.
** I recall during that case he made some remarks towards Ron that he wasn't a "real man" because of his more timid and effeminate character, although I don't recall them specifically enough to say if that was truly the case. But that's the only thing that stuck out to me as sexist at the time. I think overall it's what you say, people looking for offense for the sake of it. Nearly all of Godot's "sexist" moments can individually be explained as not being motivated by sexism, but because he has quite a few of them, and people might have reasons not to read him too charitably, lots of people in the fanbase ignore the other explanations. Might also be some kind of stereotyping, since he's Hispanic (Latino?) and stereotypes exist of Hispanics being more hypermasculine and chauvinist. Not that I've looked around in the fandom, generally.
** While I can understand people disagreeing on Godot being sexist, Franziska ''really'' is not a good counterpoint. The fact her victims are mostly men is just because the cast of Ace Attorney is mostly men, the reason for her violent outbursts is all but directly stated to be because she's emotionally stunted and socially inept, and the reason most people view it as funny more than anything is because the game plays those moments for comedy. Because Franziska is a character with every dial cranked up to eleven where Godot is meant to be read with more nuance the fandom reading similar actions differently isn't a sexist double-standard, it's the actions themselves meaning different things in different contexts.
** Exactly. Regardless of what you think of the whip-based BlackComedy involving Franziska, she doesn't say anything that indicates that she whips the men that she whips ''because'' they are men; gender is not a factor at play there. Godot, meanwhile, specifically uses phrases rooted in gender when speaking to women, for example saying things to Franzsika like "You can go now, princess. It's time for the big boys to take the reins" and "Hey, Filly. Know your role, and shut your mouth. I can't stand women like you." And for that matter, one of the biggest factors in his rivalry with Phoenix is that he doesn't consider Phoenix a "real man" because he ''dared'' to not protectively hover over Mia 24/7, and since he is projecting his own feeling of failure onto Phoenix this implies that's how he would behave toward Mia if he hadn't been poisoned, since ''yes'', to Godot, Mia was a fragile creature who needed to be safeguarded at all times, which is at complete odds with reality - not even Mia's death stopped her from being a powerful and active force for good. "Survivor's guilt" is not a sufficient explanation, since there is no reason for him to so rabidly hate Phoenix if that was the only issue . Fans see Godot as sexist because that's exactly what he comes off as, regardless of whether that is his intent or not.
* I still don't understand Godot's hatred for Phoenix over Mia's death, which was so strong that it apparently drove him to become a mysterious masked prosecutor to try and crush his career. Did he expect Phoenix to predict the future, or pull the fact that someone wanted Mia dead from thin air, and save Mia from getting murdered? If Phoenix knew the danger Mia was in, and did nothing about it, that would've been one thing, but he didn't, and there was no way he could've known. It seems completely irrational, and nonsensical, especially considering the fact that he seemed to blissfully skip over the parts where Phoenix ''caught Mia's murderer, saved her sister on multiple occasions (including the arduous events of 2-4), dealt with conflict in her home village, helped look after her cousin, and carried on Mia's legacy as an attorney''. I get that hatred is often times irrational, but hatred this strong normally comes from some legitimate place, or because there's no other way for someone to express themselves. Godot had plenty of more reasonable targets to aim his hatred at: Redd White is the obvious one, but there's also Marvin Grossberg. And he would've been fully capable of just dealing with things normally. If he felt some sort of anger towards him I can get that, but it wasn't like he didn't have the ability to deal with it in a normal way, like introducing himself to Phoenix and explaining things to him, the entire thing could've been avoided. All of his irrational hatred was just able to manifest because he didn't do anything about it, even though he had the options to.
** To be fair, maybe Godot didn't know about ''all'' of the things Phoenix did for Maya and Mia. Aside from that, Godot is dealing with survivor's guilt for not doing anything to save Mia himself. He was in a coma and couldn't protect her, and he hates himself for that. Phoenix on the other hand ''wasn't'' in a coma and conceivably could have protected her, if only he'd arrived at her office a bit earlier. It's not Godot's fault for being in a coma and it's not Phoenix's fault for not knowing a murder was about to happen, but that's probably some of his thought process anyway. As for other targets, Redd White is in jail and Marvin Grossberg is... um... not a main character. And Godot also has reason to hate Phoenix because he dated Godot's would-be murderer Dahlia, helped her conceal evidence, and adamantly defended her in court, even if he was manipulated into doing all of that. So overall, that might account for him hating Phoenix so much that he'd want to face him in court.
** An additional point for why Godot might have zeroed in on Phoenix is because part of his hatred is fueled by the fact that Phoenix, as Mia's protege who has now become a defense attorney of his own, [[ReplacementScrappy is standing where Mia once stood]]. While he rationalizes it as him failing to protect Mia, there are several implications that he also feels like Phoenix isn't worthy of being Mia's successor (for whatever reason--the simple fact that he's not Mia, his goofy antics and near-failures in court that Godot would not have seen as the triumphs they were, him unwittingly dating his near-murderer Dahlia, etc.) Consider the end of the last case, where his realizing Phoenix wasn't the enemy is accompanied by literally seeing Mia in him, and how many of his comments are critiques of him as a defense attorney, not as a bodyguard.

* The Judge and Winston Payne in 3-1 [[spoiler:and 3-4]], the reactions they show to the witnesses, with no comment whatso ever on MsFanservice?
** I think it's the fact that Dahlia [[TheIngenue looks and acts so sweet and innocent]] and angelic [[spoiler:(which she's not)]] that she has the Judge and Payne under her spell for that reason rather than her looks. There's a difference between looking hot (like Mia does) and looking like you'd never hurt a fly (like Dahlia does).
*** Indeed. Dahlia looks completely harmless, vulnerable, needing and worthy of protection. Mia is confident and aggressive (when she's not being rookie-nervous), exactly what many men find threatening... indeed, this is underlined when the force of her point ''blows Payne's hair away''. There's probably a trope or three in there.
** For what it's worth, Gumshoe does make a comment in which he flat-out tells Mia, "You're really gorgeous!"
* In the first case of ''Trials and Tribulations'', Winston Payne says that perhaps the victim could have grabbed the bottle of medicine to "identify the killer" or something to that effect. [[spoiler: Did the victim stop and pick it up as he was about to be murdered and hold onto it while being electrocuted, or did he pick it up after having electricity from a high voltage wire surge through his body? The bottle was most likely planted.]] It doesn't bother me that Payne said it, but that Mia didn't pick up on it.

* In case 3-1 why is Mia so surprised when she learns Doug couldn't have been hit by lightning? Did she forget who was at the witness stand?

* Okay, maybe I'm just being dumb, but in Case 3-1, there's an offhand line from Mia, regarding Phoenix, saying "that P on his sweater doesn't stand for Phoenix!" when she's mad at him for lying. Was this just a way of calling him a "pussy" (seeing as he was crying at the time) or something else?

*** It could also be something like "pathetic" or "pitiful." That's what I assumed at first, and wouldn't have thought it was something dirtier if I hadn't seen anyone else suggest it. There's ''several'' derogatory words starting with P that Mia could've meant there, really.
* At the end of case 3-1, Phoenix says that he wants to become a lawyer in order to save his friend (or something to that effect). If he's talking about Larry, how did he predict three years in advance that Larry would be accused of murder? Or had Larry already been accused and somehow put off his trial for three years so that Phoenix could defend him?
** He's talking about Edgeworth. The first game details his efforts to change him.
*** So he became an attorney in order to save Edgeworth from being like Manfred von Karma?
*** In a nutshell, Phoenix mentions in the first game that what pushed him to become an attorney was hearing all of the media coverage of Edgeworth's success as a prosecutor. Facing him in the courtroom was the only chance he felt he had to confront Edgeworth about becoming a ruthless prosecutor instead of a defence attorney like his father.
*** But he also says to Mia in the very first case of the first game, before even entering the courtroom, that ''Larry'' is one of the reasons he became a lawyer. Edgeworth's reputation and refusal to communicate with Phoenix was probably what pushed him into making the final decision to study law on the side, but he says it's because of both of them that he decides to become a defense attorney. So probably he'd been at least considering it since that classroom "trial", perhaps also because of Edgeworth's shining image of his own father.
*** One of the reasons he became a lawyer was a class trial. Larry supported Edge in saying that Phoenix is innocent and that's what sparkled friendship between the three of them. So yes Larry is still one of the reasons(although he still did it to confront Edge)
* Either I'm missing something, or did Mia win this case based on no evidence at all? The murder in question was of Doug Swallow and virtually NO evidence pointed at Dahlia being the culprit: no fingerprints, nothing. Mia just theorised what probably happened, cited the poisoned meds and Dahlia decided to surrender. She could've admitted to wanting to poison Nick and be charged for that crime that is nowhere near as severe as what she got in the end. But that's about it: admit to the attempted poisoning, but deny any involvement in Doug's death. No other physical evidence exists that incriminated her, and the only other testimony the court had was of the original freaking murder suspect, so why believe him so wholeheartedly? Other students seeing her near Doug's body also means nothing criminal, and the fact that Nick's meds disappeared during lunch was not backed up with evidence. Since everything revolved around those meds, Dahlia could have also claimed that she has nothing to do with it in the first place. It only became relevant because of the Godot poisoning incident, but Nick just ate the evidence and suffered no consequences, which could have been interpreted as the bottle being harmless all along. No evidence to support her involvement with the Godot incident = no tie to the current murder = no evidence that she was Doug's murderer = no case. It only came together because Dahlia herself suddenly surrendered and because Mia kept pressuring the prosecution to basically eat a rat poison sandwich. Of course Mia's case holds very strongly in the narrative sense and the fact that Dahlia just gave up out of nowhere helped immensely, but that would have never worked if the case wasn't a tutorial. All such witnesses always bickered to the bitter end and never allowed the player to say anything without evidence to back it up, which Dahlia did not do. Even the judge would demand that occasionally, but once again - nothing. Am I really missing something crucial or did the case really slide that way?
** This probably isn't a good enough explanation, but I think that when Dahlia refused to take the poisoned medicine, that not only proved that she did attempt to poison Phoenix, but also gave credibility to his testimony about him being told about Dahlia stealing the poison and seeing her kneeling over Doug's body. The fact that Dahlia was already planning out a murder before Doug Swallow's death would likely make the court more suspicious of her and less suspicious of Nick. Mia also revealed that she was the prime suspect of Godot's poisoning, and though Dahlia wasn't caught for that, I imagine that if you combine that with her surrendering after Mia requesting her to take the medicine and Nick’s testimony (Dahlia giving Phoenix the pendant on the very first day they met, on the same day Godot was poisoned and the necklace being the only possible container for it), that might get Dahlia a conviction based on circumstantial evidence despite the lack of physical evidence. It was at that moment when she refused to take Nick’s medicine that Dahlia accepted defeat because she knew there was no way the court would believe that she had nothing to do with Doug’s murder after that, especially after she showed the court her true nasty colors. Another thing I think is worth noting is that Doug likely wasn’t the only one who knew that Dahlia stole poison from the lab; it’s highly likely he would’ve told all of his other classmates about the theft, and since Dahlia was put on trial, it’s very possible that those other pharmacology students could’ve testified that Dahlia stole poison from their lab twice, which would corroborate Phoenix’s testimony.

* In 3-2, what was the murder weapon [[spoiler: that also knocked out Ron [=DeLite=]? I assumed it was the Schichishito, because it was bent even though Luke was never knocked out. But why would Luke take a fake sword all the way from Lordly Tailor?]]
** Same troper here. In that same case, [[spoiler: How did Kane and Luke know each other? How did Kane know Luke was blackmailing Ron, and what did he have on him?]]
** Me again :(. [[spoiler: If the numbers next to each stolen item on Kane's list weren't their values, what were they?]]
*** He was knocked out without a specific weapon, Luke didn't knew Kane but Kane found out somehow that he was behind [=DeMasque=]'s heists, and the numbers were maybe what Luke paid Ron for each of them, or just what he could get in the black market.
*** Thank you. And if I remember correctly, presenting Kane's List to Ron merely has him confused and saying "those numbers seem too low to be the values", so I'm guessing it's not what Ron paid, but the black market thing.
*** I'm not sure where this is mentioned, but I was under the impression that, while it's never put into evidence, the murder weapon was a statuette from Bullard's desk.
* In case 3-2, [[spoiler:Luke Atmey attempts to use the theft of the sacred urn as an alibi for Kane Bullard's murder. But no one knew that he was connected to Mask☆[=DeMasque=] in the first place, and Ron was still in the building and probably would be convicted.]] Even if his plan worked, simply not stealing the urn and making sure to frame Ron would have saved him a theft sentence. Why did he use this convoluted plan?

*** Ron [=DeLite=] was being tried for grand larceny. In America (which I'm going with), larceny turns into grand larceny when you've stolen a "significant value of property". In most states, you qualify for this at the $250 mark. The urn was valued as priceless, and I mean that in the worst possible way, meaning it had no "value". The odds of them lumping all of the theft crimes into one increases.
*** I think there is a legal need to prosecute all related crimes the state wants to charge somebody for at the same time. Not sure if this extendeds to serial theft though, but "charging him for all of it in one trial" is a valid, logical explanation.

** This is brought up towards the top of the page. I think the consensus reached there was that those were the prices [[spoiler: Luke Atmey]] received for selling the treasures on the black market. Or something.
*** I thought that those were the prices that [[spoiler: Bullard received from Luke Atmey for blackmailing him over the theft of each item]]. It was stated twice that the prices were too low to be the black market values of the stolen items.
*** I think the emphasis was more on "why can I pick this up if I'm never given the opportunity to use it"?
** You do use it. You show it to Ron to get information in the investigation.
* In 3-2, this troper can't see why Godot didn't squeeze another day of trial by simply proclaiming that, though the defense had proved that Atmey was at the crime scene, so was Ron [=DeLite=], both of them having opportunity and motive (the blackmail), there being no evidence pointing at either of them being the murderer (Ron's testifying that someone hit him in the forehead was not supported by any evidence).

** And why does Phoenix care about catching Atmey so much? He says near the end 'Even if I get Ron saved the real killer will go free.'. Getting the killer isn't the point, stop your client from getting the death penalty!
*** The way I understand it, there's quite a bit of irony about Phoenix's and Miles' rivalry: both of them are in a profession directly opposite from their natural inclination. Note how in Investigations, every single time Miles gets roped into it to protect someone he cares about (and unlike Phoenix, who often struggles with Mia's teachings, he always trusts them implicitly without even asking them first). The only time Miles gets into nailing the correct suspect is the last case, and Lang was quite passionate in convincing him how important it was. Meanwhile, Phoenix pursues the real culprit with passion every single time. In 1-2 he switches places with Maya in the detention center and it barely has any influence on his motivation: at this point he doesn't care who the wrongly accused person is, he wants to get ''White''. Phoenix is naturally fiery and passionate about catching criminals; Miles is naturally protective and has strong feelings about protecting the innocent. It's their experiences that have led them to the opposite profession, and it matters, but their true colors still shine through.
** Well, it's always about finding the truth in the 'verse. As for why there was no extension? Phoenix was quite adamant on it, and rightly so, since Atmey will be found guilty for theft ''really'' quickly, given it's exactly what he wants. If that happens, Double Jeopardy, people.

* Here's another one for 3-2: The last thing you have to trick [[spoiler: Atmey]] into mentioning is the fact that [[spoiler: Ron was wearing his Mask☆[=DeMasque=] costume]], since it hadn't been mentioned in the time he was there, which, the game would have us believe, meant that he couldn't have known [[spoiler: Ron was wearing it]]. Why is this a major plot point when [[spoiler: Luke]] ''obviously'' would have visited [[spoiler: Ron in the detention center]] (if for no other reason than to preserve [[spoiler: his 'Ace Detective' facade]])? He could have just looked at [[spoiler: Ron]] and found that out! I apologize if I'm missing something obvious, but...
** Just because [[spoiler:Ron was wearing the outfit when he surrendered himself to the police, it doesn't mean that he wore it when the murder occured]]. So even if [[spoiler:Atmey visited Ron]] in jail, there was no way he could have known what was worn at the time of the crime.
*** Ah, you know what I was forgetting? The fact that [[spoiler: Ron turned himself in, and wasn't arrested.]] It makes more sense that he might've [[spoiler: changed into his costume before admitting to being Mask☆[=DeMasque=]]] when nobody was sure that was the truth. I suppose it only would have been a problem if he hadn't had time and incentive to change...
** Ron went home after the murder, you can change clothes easily in your home.
* At the end of the first trial day in 3-2, the Sacred Urn turns up again, and its presence and fingerprints are used as decisive evidence to clear Ron's name. It looks odd, though, and immediately after the trial ends and more twists ensue, Pearl's first suggestion is to have it checked at Kurain Village, and everyone acknowledges that it doesn't look like it did in the exhibit ad. While the actual circumstances turn out to be less sinister and it turns out to be the same urn after all, you have to wonder: did Phoenix knowingly clear his client's name using evidence that he suspected was forged? Considering how later games establish this to be a Very Bad Thing...

* Case 3-3 involves an unplanned murder - [[spoiler:Furio Tigre didn't expect Glen to win the lottery and back out of the deal. He only manages to avoid suspicion by reenacting the crime and planting evidence on an unconscious Maggey.]] So what exactly would the murderer have done had [[spoiler:Maggey not fainted and simply called the police? Or what if Maggey hadn't passed out for an hour, and instead woke up before or during the reenactment?]] Seems like a pretty flimsy plan to me . . . .

* How is it that Jean Armstrong (The pink-loving chef from 3-3) is able to confuses people [[DudeLooksLikeALady about his gender]], with even the judge asking if he's male or female, yet nobody is confused by Ron [=DeLite=]? Jean is very clearly a guy. His body and face (And facial hair) are very obviously male, he just dresses weird. Ron was far more [[ViewerGenderConfusion effeminate-looking]] than Jean was.
** Ron doesn't do anything that calls his gender into question.
** They might not be sure whether or not Armstrong is transgendered and identifies as female.
*** When Armstrong talks about himself, he jumps around between masculine and feminine descriptives (at one point, he refers to himself as a "pert and perky gentleman" and another time calls himself a "coquette," a term reserved for women). It supports the transgender theory, but even if he wasn't, his inconsistent descriptives certainly wouldn't help anything.
** There ''are'' bearded ladies and really buff ladies that can sometimes confuse a person.
* In "Recipe For Turnabout", how exactly did [[spoiler: Viola manage to impersonate Maggey? Even if Kudo saw her from behind, wouldn't he notice her bandages]]?

* In 3-3, how the hell did [[spoiler:Furio Tigre]] manage to trick the entire court room into believing that he was Phoenix? I mean, I can understand how Maggey might have been fooled, since she only met Phoenix once before, and it's possible that Payne noticed it but decided not to say anything about it because he couldn't pass up a chance to stroke his ego with an easy victory. But the judge had seen Phoenix on multiple occasions over the past three years! Are you going to sit there and tell me that he sat through the whole trial without noticing that [[spoiler:"Phoenix" now had bright orange skin, a thick Brooklyn accent, a nasty temper, and, to top it all off, a ''fake paper badge'']]?

** alternatively, make-up is an option. Like mentioned above, in the intro, you can see him without red skin. And, as for the fake badge, not only is it very tiny in the in-game courtroom sprite, but just about everyone is either seated behind him (the spectators behind him) and the rest are so far apart that they likely couldn't tell.
* Glen Elg is Gle Nelg backwards. I know this is means something but I don't *what*!
** Lisa Basil, too
** Move the N in Gle Nelg and you get... Glen Elg. Same with Lisa Basil.
** The series is very, very big on ThemeNaming. The theme for the Blue Screens, Inc. employees just happens to be palindromes; there's no greater or lesser meaning to it.
** During the credits Lisa Basil lampshades this by saying they'd just hired Adam Mada, who she was certain would work out as soon as she heard his name.
* When I played the game, I was angry with Maggey for not telling Phoenix about the lottery ticket before the trial started. But in retrospect, Phoenix is the one who should be apologizing to Maggey for not reading the court record from the first time she was tried! I know he had a limited amount of time, but why didn't he read that over?
** For that matter, why did the judge act like it was his first time seeing the apron even though he had already given a ruling on the case? Was the first defense attorney ''so bad'' that ''Payne'' won without one of the most important pieces of physical evidence?
*** [[spoiler:The first defence attorney was ''trying'' to get Maggey convicted.]] It's actually possible and a lot more plausible that the evidence never came up.
*** A good demonstration of this can be found in the first case of ''Dual Destinies''. The prosecution suggests a possible motive for the bombing (one that isn't by itself compelling and could apply to a great deal of people) and presents a record of the disguised bomb, then reveals a piece of the bomb's remnants with the defendant's fingerprints on it. The defense is unable to offer a reason for the fingerprints, and suddenly has a HeroicBSOD due to past traumas. The judge is about to render a guilty verdict right then and there if not for arriving help, who doesn't even present any contradictory evidence and instead argues that the cause of the detonation and the reason for the fingerprints need to be addressed for a proper verdict. This is accepted, and the case continues. So in summary, yes, the defense being weak leads to an automatic guilty verdict, regardless of how flimsy the case up to that point is and how much evidence hasn't been presented. (This also explains how you lose when you run out of meter.)
*** Unlikely. There was nothing suggesting that the judge was going to hand down a verdict, whether Phoenix had interrupted said trial or not. This was just Payne being overly confident, which was aided by Athena's badly timed "PTSD" episode. In fact, Phoenix's entire point when he takes over is based around the fact that a verdict cannot be handed down yet.
* Case 3-3 reveals that [[spoiler:an accident with Furio Tigre's scooter colliding with Viola Cadavarini's car somehow caused enough physical damage to Viola to warrant a $1,000,000 surgical procedure. I'm not saying it's impossible but going by the image shown during the case, she plowed into him and she ends up receiving the brunt of the damage...from hitting a ''scooter with a luxury car''? Tigre's scooter isn't even that badly mangled by it (it has some dings but it runs okay enough to get him around regardless).]]

* In case 3-3 (Recipe for Turnabout), the prosecution's argument for what Maggey's, motive is has a giant hole: The theory was that her motive was to steal the winning lotto ticket. But why would she have the poison in the first place? There was absolutely no way of knowing ahead of time that the guy with the winning lotto ticket would be in the restaurant on that exact day, and I think it's safe to assume that she doesn't carry it around all the time, and I doubt a restaurant would just leave a deadly poison sitting around.
** The prosecution wanted to paint Maggey as a murderer. It sounds ridiculous, since we already know that Maggey's not the murderous type, but they might assumed that Maggey was carrying around poison just in case she finds a victim she can gain something from. It's a bad theory, but this is the same place we got the whole 'she wants to murder him for his lottery ticket!' thing from.

*** Except this wasn't Payne's argument- this was Godots. Even if he's not the best prosecutor,this is still a gaping hole for him to come up with.
* In the third case, there's a few problems I have with the circumstances of Tigre's "debt collection" from Glen. Why didn't Tigre just ask Glen for the virus CD, and explain to him his situation? I understand that the virus was illegal, and so he was excited when he won the $500,000 on the lottery because he could pay it with clean money. Presumably, him handing over the virus was his last resort. However, couldn't Tigre have just gone, "Look, I actually owe a violent criminal $1,000,000 and I need to get it now, or I'm as good as dead. I really need that CD, it'll literally save my life. I can sell it for the money I need. So if you give me the CD, I'll consider your debts paid, you'll get to keep your clean lotto' money, and I won't die. Everyone will be happy".
** It is entirely possible Tigre could have said that. However, Glen Elg is a programmer, so he knows good and well the kind of damage that something like his MC Bomber virus could do. So Elg may well have simply said "No." And that's not a word Tigre wanted to hear.
*** Elg created the virus himself, and was willing to hand it over to Tigre knowing the damage that he could do with it. I think this establishes Elg as an AssholeVictim. Keeping that in mind, if he was already going to hand it over to save his own life, who's to say he would not still hand it over to save himself 100 grand? Saving yourself 100 grand might not be as important as saving your life (it isn't), but an unsympathetic cad like Elg might still make that deal.
** Does asking nicely ''really'' look like something Tiger would do?
*** To save himself from needing to murder a guy, yes. Its not about "asking nicely", it's about other options that were there for Tigre besides "well he's won the lottery, I've gotta murder him now". Elg suddenly winning the lottery doesn't mean Tigre couldn't have gotten the CD if he had the common sense to just ask for it to be the payment, instead of the lottery money.
*** And what makes you think he gives a crap whether Elg lives or dies? Don't forget, Tiger didn't just grab whatever he could get a hold of, and murdered Elg in anger. He used cyanide, which means he must've brought it with him. Whcih means he was at least prepared to kill Elg from the start. There is exacly one character Tiger is nice towards: Viola. And only because he didn't want to get on her grandpa's bad side. Maybe trying to convince Elg to give him the virus would've been possible if Elg listened, but it would certainly require more compassion than Tiger is capable of.
*** Lack of compassion and apathy over people's lives is one thing, but that doesn't mean you'd be willing to murder someone and risk going to jail for it if you can help it. They were in a public place, where murdering someone is flat out dangerous to do. Yes the restaurant was empty besides those two at the time, but customers could've waltzed in at any minute. Plus covering up the murder and having it be a successful as it was relied on a lot of luck on Tigre's part. There happened to only be one waitress, who happened to faint, and later on only one customer happened to come into the restaurant who happened to be a senile old man, who happened to have a waitress fetish. There's no way Tigre could've realistically seen the cover up going as well as it did, and there's no reason for him to risk so much when he could've just spoken seven words and went "I want the CD as payment instead". Elg could've said no, sure, but there was a big chance he'd say yes, which could've saved Tigre a lot of luck-based effort on a halve-arsed cover-up.
*** How big chance? The reason Tiger wanted the virus was because it was worth far more than what Elg owed him. From selfish standpoint Elg has no reason to give him the virus once he has the money. If he keeps the virus he keeps his hands clean and can potentailly sell it himself to gain far more than he would've if he handed it over. From selfless standpoint the virus is really dangerous and while Elg was desperate enough to make it as a payup, he might not ba ''happy'' about virus getting out. And if Tiger needs money because of what was his own damn fault why should Elg care? Tiger owning money to Bruto was Tiger's problem, Elg isn't charity. And why would even Elg assume that Tiger is telling the truth and not just making bulshit up to get the virus? And finally taking all of the above into account why would Tiger think Elg would listen, even if he asked nicely?
*** You keep avoiding the point, which is that Tigre had other options open to him other then "murder Elg". This isn't about compassion or niceness. Even they were likely to even work or not, it was stupidly rash of Tigre to jump straight to murder instead of at least trying something else.
*** Because Tiger IS rash. He's an asshole, who works by intimidating everyone around him, and the only reason he was ever nice to anyone was because said anyone was MafiaPrincess with TheDreaded grandfather who would've killed him if he wasn't. When Tiger met Elg he had cyanide ready, that means he was ready to kill him from the start. And you keep asking why wouldn't someone like that ''ask nicely'' when such thing would be insanely out of character for him. Tiger was confident that he'd get away with the murder and he almost did. If Dick didn't go to Phoenix he would have. Why ''would'' he search for other options? Especially one that would require more niceness than he's capable of towards someone who isn't scarier than him?
* During the first recess in 3-3, Maggey suddenly declares that she loathes Gumshoe's guts because he didn't openly declare on the stand that he believed her to be innocent. Even leaving aside the fact that Gumshoe had previously been rebuked plenty of times (and even threatened with wage deductions) by Edgeworth and both von Karmas for interjecting his own opinions while on the witness stand, did she forget that the only reason she was even able to get a retrial in the first place was because Gumshoe ''didn't'' believe she could be a murderer? Or does she genuinely believe that Gumshoe is such a sadistic asshole that he'd get her a retrial just so that he could personally watch her be declared guilty again?

*** I'm pretty sure it would've come up in conversation at some point. Phoenix knows Gumshoe has a thing for Maggey, so I can't imagine he wouldn't have brought it up. Even still, if she did think that Phoenix did it himself, Maggey should have had the common sense, especially as a former policewoman, to know that Gumshoe was just doing his job and didn't exactly have much choice. The way she got upset at Gumshoe honestly came across as extremely selfish to me.

* Why does Tigre go around on a broken scooter? Is his business doing that bad? And continuing in the same vein, [[spoiler: could he really not come up with a million bucks without resorting to murder? Phoenix argues he could make that money, but he didn't have time for that... but he actually had about five months before the payment was due. With his huge loans, interests and all that whole-gold table thing you'd think he could manage.]] To begin with, you'd think [[ShapedLikeItself he would need to have some money to lend first to start working as a money lender]]. And yet he somehow can't even seem to be able to repair his own goddamn bike and seems to have no other options to get money [[spoiler: but killing and stealing]], like, at all.
* Why did Tigre go to the meeting with an intent to [[spoiler: kill? Bringing Viola and the poison with him, executing a very elaborate plan right on the spot... For all he knew, he was going to meet the guy who had no other way of repaying and already agreed to settle the score with the virus. And even if Elg suddenly changed his mind about that way of payment, the killing would be very much pointless then, as he would have very obviously not bring the virus with him - he was hardly stupid enough to try to show a yakuza sort of guy a ridiculously valuable item he wants and then walk away with it. But then even if Elg rethought his ways right there at the table, there still was not any need to kill - Tigre could just overpower him and take the item by force. He couldn't exactly go to the police and report a stolen virus, now could he? So it all happened that way just to show how ready to kill Tigre is? ]]

* In 3-4, while Phoenix is in the hospital, how does he know that Dahlia has come back if he hasn't gotten out yet?

* In 3-4, why is the obvious contradiction that [[spoiler: The people on the bridge are facing each other, there is no way the defendant could push her down]] not able to be pointed out?

* At the end of Case 4 of ''Trials and Tribulations'', [[spoiler:Terry Fawles commits suicide via poison]]. ''Who in their right mind'' would let a convicted murderer on Death Row keep [[spoiler:a necklace with a bottle on it]] without first checking [[spoiler:the contents]]? Also, how could everyone in the courtroom miss seeing him [[spoiler:take off the necklace, open the bottle, and pour it into the coffee Armando gave him before he drank it]]?
** He didn't keep the necklace for all of those years. Terry states that he went to retrieve it from the 'special place' where he and [[spoiler: Dahlia]] promised never to betray one another, on the day of the crime. It's clearly been there for the past five years.
*** Still, one has to wonder why they didn't confiscate it when they recaptured him.
* 3-4: Valerie Hawthorne's age is given as 23. Much attention is given to a then five-year-old incident in which Valerie, as a detective, played a significant role... but [[ImprobableAge she would have been 18 at the time!?]] For that matter, 23 is pretty young to be a detective!
** This bugged me too. I kind of figured that age is but a number in ''PW'' and doesn't affect anyone's profession or skill level. For example, Franziska became a prosecutor at age 13, Pearl is an incredible channeler at only age 8, etc.

*** Well, Dahlia claimed that she was pushed into the river by her "kidnapper" and that everything else happened as was determined in the trial that convicted Terry. Her existence, as we learned, is not proof that Terry was innocent of kidnapping and all that. He probably should have been retrialed and convicted for just attempted murder instead, but that's where the shitty law system comes in.

*** Double jeopardy would come into play. Even though there was now literal unarguably damning evidence that Terry did not murder anyone, at the time of his trial, this was not known. Therefore he was convicted fairly under a fair trial and his verdict was just and fair at the time. Therefore it cannot be overturned by law, even though everyone knows it is flat out, literally and factually incorrect. [[TruthInTelevision This is the same kinda thing as often happens in real life with any legal system that has double jeapordy, believe it or not.]] It's one of the main reasons double jeopardy is such a controversial concept in the first place. [[note]]This mostly occurs with DNA or other trace evidence that establishes that it was literally impossible that someone was guilty, because it shows they've got a solid alibi or some such. Double jeapordy renders a verdict absolute, as long as it was delivered fairly under the available information and circumstances at the time.[[/note]]
*** ...um... I have never heard this claim about double jeopardy in my life. In fact, I have heard many anti-death penalty advocates argue based on their own experiences of being sentenced to death for a crime they didn't commit and only being cleared after further evidence was found years later. I think I would have noticed if the courts argued that despite these new findings, the verdict had already been given and thus could not be nullified.
*** Double jeopardy, at least in the US system, attaches to any legal finding of 'not guilty', and in certain select other circumstances. The accused can appeal a guilty verdict, but once they have been exonerated, the state cannot quibble with that. You can be exonerated either by getting a verdict of not guilty from a bench trial (judge rules) or jury trial (jury rules), or by the circumstances you cite, where new evidence makes it obvious that the accused is factually innocent, and if prosecution had known that at the time, they never would have indicted. The charges, in that case, are vacated and/or dismissed, often "with prejudice", which means they cannot be re-filed. Note that the state does not have to vacate charges in light of new evidence -- they can opt to ignore it and say 'well, we did the best we could at the time', in which case the verdict stands. Double jeopardy in THAT case works against the accused; if the state refuses to consider the new evidence, or does not consider it substantial enough, it cannot be used to appeal again, and double jeopardy means the accused can't demand a new trial 'just because'. Aboslutely none of this applies to Ace Attorney, which operates under the judicial system of Japanifornia some indeterminate time in our nearby future.

*** Actually, this troper doesn't think Godot is nearly as sexist as everyone makes him out to be. This troper thinks it's down to a very simple reason- survivor's guilt. There's a tendency for survivors of tragedies, or even people who have someone important to them die- to think that they should have somehow stopped it, regardless of whether it was even possible for them to have done so. It has nothing to do with sex- Godot doesn't necessarily think of himself as Mia's protector, or think that she was incapable of taking care of herself- he just has a standard case of survivor's guilt. She died, he lived, he should have saved her, regardless of the fact that he was poisoned, simply because he was the one who lived. As for Phoenix, Godot himself stated he was just using him as a sort of scapegoat to avoid facing his own guilt. Not the greatest thing to do, but not something that one could cry sexism for.
*** Still, there's an element of sexism in Godot deciding to blame Phoenix in particular. Not Maya, not Misty, not any of the women Mia was close to. He sees Phoenix, an important male in Mia's life, and assumes everything was his fault.
*** ...except Misty was kind of missing and Maya was ''17''. Phoenix was the closest adult to her and worked in the same office, so he blames him for it.
*** Plus the fact that he already had reason to dislike Phoenix, as he spelled out during the final trial. He helped the woman who "killed" him, however innocently he did it.
*** To be honest, I don't think it can be realistically argued that Godot's completely irrational judgement that someone was murdered, and she was always around this one person, so clearly that one guy should've used his non-existent psychic powers to predict the future and protect her, was not in any way, shape or form, motivated by the fact that that murdered someone was a woman, and that the one person was a man. Especially given the fact that, to my recollection, Godot directly implies this to be one of the main reasons he expected Phoenix to protect Mia. I could be wrong, but, whether or not this is sexist, chivalrous, or chivalrously-sexist, is another debate entirely. But Godot definitely has a "chivalrous" and/or patronizing attitude towards women. You can't realistically argue otherwise, it's heavily implied constantly throughout his appearances. But whether this is makes him "sexist" is something else entirely, and not a debate I want to personally get into.
* In ''Trials and Tribulations'', it's revealed that part of the reason Mia went off to law school and left Kurain Village behind was because she didn't want her and her sister to end up fighting over who was the head of the Main Family and who was the head of the Branch Family [[spoiler:as their mother and aunt did.]] Given that this meant that someone could step down from leading the family, why is that Morgan Fey [[spoiler:went to all the trouble of framing Maya for murder in order to remove her for consideration as heir to the title of Master? Given how much Maya and Pearl love each other and the fact that Maya doesn't even like the politics of Kurain Village anyway, would it just have been easier to ''ask'' Maya to step aside in favor of Pearl?]]
** It would never occur to Morgan that Maya would comply.
** She couldn't just ask Maya. Maya and Mia were siblings of the main family and in that case it's just a matter of who have the most spiritual powers. Pearl is from the branch family and the only time the village would pick someone from a branch family is when there was no one left in the main one.
** You seem to be forgetting the little detail that Morgan is [[spoiler:batshit insane. She doesn't just want Pearl to become head of the clan, she also genuinely hates Misty and wants her and her daughters to suffer. Seriously, even ''Dahlia Hawthorne'' finds Morgan a little too evil for her tastes. And when ''Dahlia'' finds a character creepy, you can't expect anything resembling common sense from her.]]
* In 3-5, Edgeworth states that a prosecutor can "carry a whip or drink 17 cups of coffee." I don't remember Gumshoe ever mentioning Godot's coffee addiction. How did Edgeworth know?

* Question about the last case of ''Trials and Tribulations'': [[spoiler:Is there any way that Godot's going to get any sort of harsh sentence for actions? He was protecting someone he cared about from an obvious psychopath who had killed multiple times before. This is like Luke going to jail for killing Darth Vader or something like that.]]
** Well, he didn't really [[spoiler: kill ''her'', he killed Misty Fey, who was an innocent woman. The result of his action was that Maya's mother died and Dahlia survived (as much as she already was) to testify in court.]]
** There's also the popular fan theory that [[spoiler: Godot is in such poor health that he died soon after the trial. The only thing keeping him alive was sheer determination to defeat Phoenix Wright and/or protect Maya. So while he may have been convicted, he never went to jail.]]
*** Note that this depends on what Godot tells Phoenix to explain the former's absence until that point -- but Godot is [[spoiler: lying to cover up that he had been on that side of the river all along. The medical treatments he says or implies he had been undergoing at that time never happened.]] So he could be in much better shape than he claims, aside from his vision. For that matter, he survived [[spoiler: an unplanned stay of two days in midwinter with totally inadequate facilities.]]
** Despite his actions, [[spoiler: Godot killed someone. And it's pointed out quite specifically, by Godot no less, that he really had a number of options available were he just looking to protect Maya. By actively killing Misty, he acknowledged and confessed to premeditated murder. Even though it may have been consider justifiable had he only acted to save her...he had plenty of time to do something else. Sentence: death.]]
** He was a man desperate for [[spoiler: revenge from the woman who poisoned him and ruined his life. Dahlia was already dead, but after reading the note and knowing he could find a way to exact revenge, he used Maya's family for his own selfish needs. In my interpretation, I'd say he's up there with Dahlia in terms of being a main villain of that game.]]
*** That would make sense if [[spoiler: Godot had planned on killing Misty from the beginning rather than hoping that there was a way to stop the plot against Maya without killing anyone. That interpretation is at odds with the game: 1. Misty said she had hoped she could stop the whole thing just by reading to Pearl all evening. Maybe Godot was in on that. 2. Godot said that the reason he hadn't asked for Phoenix's help was out of pride. Assuming this is true, this implies that it ''wasn't'' because he wanted to prevent plans for stopping the attack without killing anyone from succeeding.]]
*** [[spoiler: Here's the thing: there is no such thing as premeditated self-defense/defense of other. Godot had ample forewarning about what was going to transpire, and had ample opportunity to warn the police, Phoenix, Maya, Misty, Sister Bikini, any number of people who could have caused Morgan's plan to go belly up without endangering the lives of anyone involved. Instead, he chose to withhold the information in order to play the hero himself. By his own admission, this was a selfish decision made not for Maya's benefit, but so that Godot could make amends to himself for not being there to save Mia, and also partially inspired by a desire for revenge against Godot's own would-be murderer, Dahlia Hawthorne. Although he was not planning to kill Misty Fey, he made the choice to allow the engangerment of many out of selfishness, and Misty Fey paid for that selfishness with her life. It's very easy to sympathize with Godot; he IS a victim, after all, and he suffered tremendously for other people's choices. Who hasn't lost someone they loved tremendously for reasons they felt were beyond their control? However, sympathetic though he may be, he still made poor choices that resulted in the death of an innocent woman, and his conviction for her murder is the consequence for that decision. Godot effectively paid his trauma forward to Maya and Pearl, taking their mother/aunt away from them before their relationships with her could ever even really get off the ground for his own selfish motives, just as Dahlia and Redd White took Mia from him.]]
** This may not be an actual law, but I think it's likely that [[spoiler:you can only plead self-defense or protecting somebody if you plead so right off the bat. He was actually PROSECUTING somebody else for the murder, and never admitted to his actions until the last minute. He probably had this option (Hey Phoenix it was me, no need for a case.) but wanted one showdown with Phoenix.]]
** [[spoiler: Godot, for one, admitted to murdering Misty. Misty agreed to be murdered, too, mind you, so this is basically assisted suicide. Godot went with this method because, one, it would protect Maya, and two, it would give him the chance to put Phoenix "in his place" for not protecting Mia. Godot is just as much of a villain as von Karma, in that he had a petty reason to do the elaborate crime he committed. Godot, in the end, committed premeditated murder and actively tried to push the blame on someone else.]]
*** [[spoiler: Misty never planned on getting murdered so much as she preferred to assume that risk for herself rather than making Pearl take the risk. She may have consented to being killed if there was no other way to stop Dahlia, but that wasn't plan A for her. There isn't proof that that was plan A for Godot, either. It is also implied that he didn't fully make up his mind to kill her until after he was stabbed.]]
*** [[spoiler:They were both still fully aware that it was an option. Godot not only admitted that ''he knew'' at that moment that he wouldn't really be stopping "Dahlia" and knew that it was really Misty ''or Pearl'' that he'd be stabbing, he also admitted that he willingly risked Maya's life just so he could go in and "save" her. That kind of implies that he pretty much let Dahlia get summoned despite the fact he probably knew that it would make it fairly likely that at least ''one'' person would walk out of there with at least some serious injuries]].
** In ''[=AAI2=]'', [[spoiler:criminals from the previous game are shown as still alive.]] Also, [[spoiler: Kristoph in ''Apollo Justice'' was sitting around in his jail cell, clearly not dead for murdering an innocent man.]]
*** [[spoiler: Kristoph had connections mad enough to get a ''freakin wall full of books'' on his solitary cell. It's really likely he was using those same connections to avert his sentence.]]
*** [[spoiler: Time is a factor. People tend to sit on Death Row for a fairly decent amount of time before their actual execution. Dahlia Hawthorne was evil as they come and still took - I think the game said six months? - before her execution.]]
*** [[spoiler: Actually, Dahlia was on Death Row for five years, not six months. And wasn't 'Dahlia' going to ''kill'' Maya regardless of being in Misty's body? Yes, what Godot did was undeniably selfish, but in a way, it was in defence of another, I thought.]]
*** [[spoiler: There is no such thing as pre-meditated defense of another. By not acting on the information he had until the event was transpiring, Godot allowed the attempt on Maya's life to happen so that he could make his move. In this way, he becomes an accomplice to the attempt on Maya's life in addition to being the culprit responsible for the murder of Misty Fey. Had he done the responsible thing, Maya's life would never have been in danger to begin with, and Misty would still be alive. Thus, Godot shares responsibility for Maya's attempted murder, and is out-and-out guilty of the murder of Misty Fey.]]
*** [[spoiler: Iris and Misty were also aware of the murder plot, though. They could have told someone, but like Godot, they didn't. Misty is killed but Iris isn't. Then shouldn't Iris be guilty of assisting a murder? Personally, I think that they should look at what Godot did - he defended Maya, and if Iris wasn't being tried for concealing knowledge of the plot, then it would not be fair to try Godot for that. All Iris is going to be tried for is altering the crime scene, not concealing the plot. Why try Godot for that, then? I think Godot would be ruled as having killed in defense of another, thus a not guilty verdict, but would die shortly after due to his poor health. Oh, and posts above said that Godot was just as much of a villain as Manfred von Karma or Dahlia. Don't get me started on the high degree to which those statements are wrong.]]
*** [[spoiler:Misty and Iris were accomplices, but we don't know how much Godot told them about what was going on. Somehow, I doubt he brought up the fact that he could have stopped the whole situation simply by stealing Morgan's letter and thus keeping Pearl from learning about the plan to begin with. He also played off of Iris's guilty conscious over Dahlia. Given how determined he was to have his chance to play the hero against Dahlia, he very well might have convinced the two that it was in their best interests to not call the police. Not to mention that when they agreed to the plan, murder wasn't a part of it. The ideal plan was that Misty would keep Pearl distracted, and Dahlia wouldn't have been summoned at all. Iris had no part in Godot's decision to kill Dahlia (and by extension, Misty) until he told her to alter the crime scene.]]
** The thing is,[[spoiler:Godot was acting in self defense, and in defense of Maya. But, he was willing to let an innocent person be convicted of the crime, withheld information from the police that put the lives of Maya, Pearl, Misty, and even Iris at risk, and by choosing to go after Dahlia himself instead of get police help, he took justice into his own hands, which is vigilantism. All these things would lead to him getting a guilty verdict. Whether he gets found guilty or not, though, it's safe to assume Godot didn't survive long after the events of the game.]]
** Is no one going to point out that [[spoiler:withholding information which could prevent a murder]] is still legally somewhere between murder 2 and voluntary manslaughter? Both of which are shown in-universe to be punished the same as murder 1?
* Case 3-5: [[spoiler: Why didn't Godot swing across on the same rope that carried Misty's body?]]
** Because [[spoiler: if he fell into the river, he'd die, most probably.]]
*** But [[spoiler: he wouldn't fall in as long as he tied the rope securely around himself, like he did to Misty. And since Dahlia was still at large as far as he knew (he wasn't there when Maya locked herself in the cavern), risking the river would seem to be the safer bet.]]
*** [[spoiler: The victim fell 10 feet after death because of that rope trick. If Godot had attempted it, he'd have died whether or not he fell into the river.]]
*** [[spoiler: Oh my god, a ten foot drop! [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat No one could survive that!]]]]
*** [[spoiler: [[ProfessionalWrestling How do ya learn to fall off a 20 foot ladder?]]]]
*** [[spoiler: It was late at night, it was cold, his body was utterly messed up, and he had gone for hours without his coffee. It was not the time for a dramatic action sequence. Besides, he had some snow to clean up first. And... uh... Mia would have never forgiven him if he had left Maya alone on that side all night.]]
*** Also, [[spoiler: there was always the chance that someone would see him. I think the point of Iris framing herself rather than just dropping the body into the water was to create a court case, so that Godot could blend in with the investigation group and get back home without arousing suspicion.]]
*** [[spoiler: He never got the chance to actually escape, after using the rope to swing the body it ended up dangling in the middle of the bridge like it's seen on the photo, it didn't return to the other side. And he didn't swing along with the body because he had cleaning to do.]]
*** Not to mention [[spoiler: he got stabbed in the face earlier. Do you really feel like swinging across a dangerous river on a flimsy rope connected to a burning bridge, all the while with a stabbed face?]]
* How did Dahlia [[spoiler:successfully impersonate Iris? We've seen various members of the Fey family channel Mia, and each time, while [[{{Fanservice}} Mia's presence]] was fully visible, it was also obvious who was channeling her. Yet she managed a picture-perfect Iris imitation, and one that can fool ''the player'', unlike Tigre. She didn't display Maya's black hair, nor her usual red. (On the brighter side, as seen when Dahlia left her body, Maya's hair ''was'' let down.) She couldn't have planned for this, either; the intent was for ''Pearl'' to channel her, and both Misty and Maya's channelings occurred without her knowledge. (For the record, does she dye? You wouldn't expect identical twins to have such different hair colors, yet even her spirit is a fiery redhead.)]]
** With regards to the hair dye stuff, I always assumed that Iris was the one who dyed her hair, because of the whole deal with the spirit.
*** Given that almost everyone else in the family has black or dark brown hair, Dahlia's has to be the one that's dyed. Her spirit's ''eyes'' are red too, aren't they? Can't be literal.
*** Everyone else in the ''Fey'' family. The twins could've inherited red hair from their father, who is never seen. And Dahlia didn't have red eyes when she was alive, so that's just a visual cue that she's an evil spirit. This ''does'' invalidate the logic that the red hair of Dahlia's spirit proves that hers was the natural hair color, but at the same time, there's reasonable doubt--bright red hair would stand out among the dark-haired Feys, so Iris could've dyed it when she returned to Hazakura Temple to become a shrine maiden.
*** Also, remember that [[spoiler:Iris successfully impersonated Dahlia when Dahlia and Phoenix were dating back in Ivy University. Either way, Iris would have to have dyed her hair at some point in time, whereas the only time Dahlia has impersonated Iris was when her spirit was in Maya's body.]]
** And a minor thing: [[spoiler:does that mean that Iris was wearing Maya's outfit when she was found?]] Not a headscratcher; just an excuse for fanart.
*** I think [[spoiler:Maya changed into a Hazakura Temple outfit before she began training. Sure, her sprites during the flashback have her wearing her usual clothes, but that's just because Capcom didn't have much room to spare on the GBA cart.]]
*** My only conclusion is that Dahlia and Iris actually do have black hair and the visual difference is just for the sake of the player. Which still doesn't explain the non-black haired people that were channeling her and ARGH ARGH [[MST3KMantra JUST A GAME BRAIN HURT]].
** [[spoiler: Iris has black hair. Dahlia was impersonating Iris]]. Maya has black hair. [[spoiler: Dahlia had Maya's hair]]. I honestly don't see a problem here.
*** It may just be an optical illusion, but Iris's hair looks gray to me. Also, the host keeps her hairstyle, and I don't know if Maya's hair braids up that well in the front.
*** Dahlia testified that [[spoiler: when she was channeled that night, the first thing she did was pin her hair up, though why she did that when she was going to be wearing a hood, or how she did it without hair pins or the like, is beyond me. At that time she was actually being channeled by Misty Fey, though she didn't know it; maybe when she was channeled by the mystery medium in the Training Hall she pinned her hair up in the dark?]]
*** One thing though, [[spoiler: Dahlia could not have been surprised to learn that it was Maya who was chanelling her in court. The hairstyle of the summoner is kept (when either Maya or Pearl channel Mia), so in pinning her hair up, Dahlia must have at least felt, if not seen her hair. if she really had been summoned by Pearl, then she wouldn't have been able to impersonate Iris anyway since she's a light brunette. Dahlia should have known Maya summoned her if she gave it a moment of thought.]]
*** Except that [[spoiler: Dahlia Never met Maya, Pearl or for that matter Misty. Morgan might've shown her Maya's picture so she'd know who to kill, but she had no way of knowing which of these three called her]]
*** It seemed more like she never suspected that Maya could have come up with the idea to channel Dahlia's spirit on her own (which she didn't). As for the hair, unless Morgan specifically told Dahlia "My daughter will summon you. She has pretzel hair, remember that", there wouldn't be any reason for Dahlia to ''not'' believe that the medium who summoned her was anyone other than Pearl Fey.
** Dahlia simply never knew Pearl's hair color, as in the original plan she was supposed to wear a hood while she was channeled anyway - Morgan would have had no reason to warn her that Pearl's hair wasn't black. Since Morgan's hair is black and Dahlia might have seen herself in a mirror after Misty channeled her, it was perfectly natural for her to assume that Pearl's hair was black when she unexpectedly woke up in the cavern and went on to impersonate Iris without a hood.
** There's also one more possibility. [[spoiler:Maya Fey was told by Mia to channel Dahlia. Maya doesn't go into a lot of detail about what Mia wrote. It is possible that, along with the instructions to channel Dahlia, Mia also told her to change outfits and put her hair down to avoid suspicion, and just didn't mention it to anybody.]]
** There's a possibility that Iris and Dahlia have the same color hair, but it is colored differently as a convenience to the audience. The same thing comes up all the time in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', where anime-Ranma's black hair changes to red when in female form but other characters can't always tell the difference right away.

** Personally, I don't believe that he [[spoiler: changed the blood on the dagger at all.]] Why? Because the dagger, [[spoiler:and the blood on it,]] is the ''only'' direct, physical evidence of [[spoiler: Godot's presence at the scene of the crime.]] Which means that, if Godot's coverup of what happened failed, that dagger, [[spoiler:and the blood on it,]] is the only way he has to [[spoiler:prove Maya Fey's innocence.]] The reason he says that [[spoiler:he swapped the blood on the dagger]] is just to throw a final hurdle at Wright, to force him to prove what really happened, leaving no doubt about who the killer is.

*** Now that I think about it, how did it get stuck [[spoiler: in the reverse side of the tree, anyway? If their fight was near the lantern, shouldn't it have ended up in the ''front'' of the tree (the part you see when you enter the garden)]]?
*** I firmly believe the reason that is so, it's because they didn't want you to find it and have the blood examined, and have [[spoiler: Godot be instantly snagged into the case.]]
*** Or it's possible that [[spoiler:Godot was just lying and he went and put it there in the tree himself so nobody would find it until later]].
* 3-5 is full of it, in my opinion: [[spoiler: How is it that Godot could tie a rope swing around Elise's body that supported her during mid-swing but came loose at the end? I try and work out the physics of it, and the way I see it, that body either should have dropped in the river or stayed on the rope, hanging down over the river. It would have made a lot more sense if Iris had caught it, but then there wouldn't have been that infamous ten-foot drop.]]
** There are certain knots that can be tied that, when pressure is released, they come undone. When [[spoiler: Misty's body swung up at the end of the arc, the knot was probably loosened enough for the body to slip free.]]
** He swung it with precision so that it would come up next to the outcropping on the Hazakura Temple side, then move sideways a little and drop ''on'' the outcropping. As for why friction had seemingly no effect, he ''threw'' it down.
* Why, in case 3-5, does [[spoiler:Dahlia's spirit have red hair? Dahlia did have red hair when alive, but as demonstrated by the Kurain Channeling Technique, spirits take on their host's hair. Why does Dahlia's spirit thus have hair, and not the actual features of Dahlia which are channeled?]]
** It's been shown before that the host acquires some of the more iconic features of the person they are channeling: Mia and Pearl both acquire Mia's facial features, her rather impressive bust, and a mole, which would imply rather extensive physical change (in Pearl's case, at least two feet). It's possible that the specific feature you mentioned is merely such a part of the character's self-image that it transformed the channeler.
** You make no sense, [[spoiler: when we see the spirit Dahlia had already stopped being channeled, so what we are seeing is her real self, so it's obvious it's going to have her normal hair again, she isn't even in Maya's body at that point]].
** My theory is that the harder it is to control a spirit, the less he or she would look like the channeler.
** It's a spirit. When the spirit inhabits a host, the spirit has to borrow the host's body and share physical features. When it's outside the body, it can look like whatever it wants to be. Recall 1-5, where Mia's spirit appears twice looking like she did in life. As for why it only has her red hair, remember that the spirit is being exorcised, and most likely 'fading away' just before she disappears completely. The red hair probably ''is'' important enough to the spirit that it stays on even after her other features have turned into shadows. A possible explanation may be that she actually dyed it, and her hair is actually black all along. The act of it may be important to her, perhaps symbolic of her taking charge of her own life, and thus why she values it enough to place such importance on it.

* Case 3-5: Once [[spoiler:Dahlia Hawthorne]] realises that [[spoiler:she's being channeled by Maya]], why doesn't [[spoiler:she attempt suicide]]? After all, we hear over and over again that [[spoiler:her objective is to kill Maya]]. Admittedly, it appears that [[spoiler:she's in denial over it for a while]] and [[spoiler:she IS in a court room]], but we already know that [[spoiler:she's a master of hiding her true nature]] and [[spoiler:it wouldn't be the first time someone has fled from, or died on, the witness stand]].
** [[spoiler:I believe it was stated at some point (case 2-2?) that a medium usually takes precautions to prevent the spirit from harming its channeler. Also, Dahlia didn't have any weapon or poison at hand with which to kill herself. As for the Terry and young Phoenix incidents, they happened years ago, and presumably court security was tightened up as a response.]] Also, wouldn't killing herself be against her nature?
** [[spoiler: I don't think Dahlia has prepared ''anything'' to kill herself with, and there aren't many things that can be used as aids to suicide in a courtroom. The moment she tries to seize a weapon, security will just pin her down (that's what they're trained to do). Given that, what's she gonna do? Grab a pen and stab herself? Get 1000 papercuts? Bang her head on the stand repeatedly and very, ''very'' strongly?]]
** She could've just run out of the damn room and jumped off the roof. After all, [[spoiler: Dahlia repeatedly said she didn't care what would happen to herself, as she was already dead]].
*** No, she could have attempted to run out of the damn room and been tackled to the ground by the bailiff, Phoenix, or any number of people between the courtroom and the roof. It's ''really hard'' to kill yourself in a room full of people, especially a room full of people who ''are all watching you''.
*** And this is precisely the reason (well, one of the reasons) why [[spoiler:Godot put her on the stand and forced Phoenix to reveal her identity.]] He must have known who she was from his first conversation that morning, but if he revealed it at the wrong time, she might realize who was channeling her and kill herself. By [[spoiler:putting her on the stand]], he could alert the bailiffs to jump her if she tried to do something unexpected.
* Also Case 3-5: If Godot [[spoiler:wanted to protect Maya]], why didn't he just [[spoiler: destroy Morgan's instructions so that Pearls would never find them in the first place]]?

* A timing issue from 3-5: [[spoiler:What woke Larry up? The lightning strike on the bridge. He claims he sketched exactly what he saw at that moment (the sketch is presented upside down because he was lying on his back at the time). Yet the sketch shows the body swinging under the bridge... so the body was swinging the moment lightning struck the bridge?]]
** The lightning woke him up, and he watched the fire for a while before he saw [[spoiler:the body swinging under the bridge]].
*** '''''[[red:OBJECTION!]]''''' ::pointing:: That directly contradicts the witness' testimony that [[spoiler:he sketched exactly what he saw at the moment]]! Further... ::slams desk:: [[spoiler:he would have no reason to continue to lie on his back after waking up]]! This means... ::speed lines, ThemeMusicPowerUp:: [[spoiler:the picture would not have been upside down]]!!
*** '''''[[red:HOLD IT!]]''''' Why wouldn't he [[spoiler:be laying down on his back]]? If he had just woken up, and he was [[spoiler:content with his position, then why would he move]]? Especially if he was [[spoiler:in awe of the burning bridge]]? In addition, [[spoiler:the body swinging under the bridge]] wouldn't take much time to complete at all, even if he didn't need time to take it all in! What we have here is simple; he did [[spoiler:sketch exactly what he saw at that moment]]. That moment was while he gazed in awe, and [[spoiler:saw a body swinging under a bridge]] - while he was laying on his back! Then he grabbed his sketching tools, and completed the sketch, long after that moment had passed!
*** '''''[[red:HOLD IT!]]''''' Have '''you''' tried [[spoiler:laying on your back with your head tilted back like that]]? It's a pain in the neck... quite literally! There's no way he would have stayed that way!
*** '''''[[red:HOLD IT!]]''''' Who says that he sketched it in that position? It would be perfectly reasonable if he sat up, sketched, then [[spoiler:went back down briefly]] to look again!
*** '''''[[red:HOLD IT!]]''''' Larry is an idiot. Logic does not apply to him. He might very well have stayed in that position.
*** The lightning roused Larry from a deep sleep, he craned his neck to see what was going on for a few moments as the bridge was going up in flames, and he snapped awake when he saw what appeared to be a [[spoiler: person flying]], immediately sat up, and sketched the sketch. Not only is it incredibly easy to assume that Larry has misrepresented or inadequately explained his testimony due to having just woke up (and being Larry), it's not that hard to think of a dozen ways those events could have occurred that match his testimony as-is.
*** '''''HOLD IT!''''' If it were a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersnow thundersnow]], there were probably ''several'' lightning strikes with associated thunder. He woke up at one of the earlier strikes and just happened to be looking outside to see the bolt that struck the bridge.
* 3-5. Godot makes ''absolutely no reaction'' to Mia showing up in Pearl's body. Whut.
** Presumably the same reason Franziska needed a photograph of Mia being channeled in 2-2, despite the fact that Mia was ''currently being channeled'' on the other side of the room. It seems that the rest of the court don't notice your partner unless she speaks to them first... Note that your partner often makes incredibly incriminating remarks, but nobody ever hears them.
*** Except that Mia does [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTTdG7Y9Mrc#t=4m58s immediately and directly address the court at that point]]. She and Godot even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olSDXIDRUQ4#t=4m49s exchange words]]. Godot obviously acknowledges her presence, and yet he doesn't completely freak out there (unlike later, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWfcWHOJXpQ#t=0m11s when he kind of does]]).
*** He and Mia acknowledge each other, yes -- and then the very next thing he does, as that clip shows, is tell Phoenix that from here out Phoenix has to do it all himself, no beautiful women jumping in to save the day. This is likely as much a message to Mia to let her protege prove himself as it is to Phoenix. And indeed, she does -- and he freaks out because he sees her ''in'' him, or parallel to him, in the form she had when he knew her (her rookie lawyer outfit and hairstyle), not just giving him counsel from the side while being channeled. At that point he sees the LiteralMetaphor that she ''does'' live on in him, or at least her brand of wholehearted belief in the clients does. When he shows that he can do it on his own, without prompting, Godot realizes how wrong he's been and this shakes him to the core... and damn, this troper just teared up for the first time thinking about it.
** Considering that there is both documented evidence of a medium changing appearance while channeling ''and'' precedence for people thinking that channeling is a hoax, it's likely that by now Kurain mediums have something of a reputation for somehow creating believable illusions of the deceased. Godot may have believed that he was seeing a very good impersonation of Mia rather than Mia herself.
*** Except, the last case kind of revolves around him believing the Kurain Channeling Technique's power.
** Godot had a somewhat surprised reaction to Mia being channeled through Maya in 3-2. He likely had gotten over his shock at the idea of her spirit being channeled by the time of 3-5.
** It's possible that Mia told Godot about the Kurain Channeling Technique [[spoiler:back when they were both defense attorneys]]. If he already knew what was going on, it'd make sense that he'd take it in stride once he got used to it. And after all, this is the guy who [[spoiler:showed no hints that he'd been ''stabbed in the face'']], so it's not impossible that he ''was'' having a strong emotional reaction, but managing to hide it.
* In game three, case five, [[spoiler: how is it that exorcism occurs in the middle of a public trial and no-one thinks it worthy of comment? I know Nick is surprised at how comfortable the Judge seems with it all, but what of the spectators? Aren't they disturbed? The existence of ghosts and the afterlife has been proven before their very eyes, for goodness' sake!]]
** The second case of game 2 [[spoiler: treats the Kurain Channeling Technique as an established fact, presumably everyone already knows that ghosts exist (of course this then puts Edgeworth into Main/FlatEarthAtheist territory with his initial disbelief)]]
** But Bikini mentions that the Kurain Technique was viewed with suspicion after Misty's failure, and that Kurain is failing financially as a result, or something.
** It is possible that everyone in that trial was simply SO amazed by what they saw that they were stunned speechless.
** I'll go with the last one. If I were to see that in person in a trial that's already holding so much unusual facts, I'd just go O_O for a while.
** There's nothing to say the spectators didn't freak out, but both attorneys and the judge were already familiar with the reality of ghosts and as long as they just kept going no one would've been able to really ask questions.
* According to case 3-5, the in game court system has no problem letting the defendant in the case testify that somebody else committed the crime in another location which was, at the time, not accessible from the location the body was found at.
** Most of Phoenix's rebuttal to that testimony ''is'' proving that it wasn't accessible. After all, the defendant claimed to witness the murder itself. [[spoiler:In fact, the fact that she didn't know that it wasn't accessible is key to the reveal.]]
* In the final case of T&T, why did Phoenix decide to defend Iris? At the time, [[spoiler: he didn't know Dahlia had a twin: Iris. For all he knew, he was defending Dahlia who, most likely, escaped from prison.]]

** You two need to refresh your memory. EDGEWORTH decided to defend Iris on the condition that she tell Phoenix the truth.
*** While that is true, Phoenix would not have given Miles his badge unless he wanted him to use it.
*** The last Phoenix saw of Iris was five Psyche-Locks, he wanted to protect her til he got the truth out of her. And he had reason [[spoiler: to believe she wasn't Dahlia because none came up for going to his university.]]
** Remember what Phoenix said after reviewing case file for 3-4. "That's not the Dahlia i know". Phoenix never really believed that Dahlia could be evil, even after she tried to kill him. When he met a girl who both looked ''and'' acted like the Dahlia he fell in love with it's obvious he believed in her, ''especially'' when she knew him.

** Given that Godot hated Dahlia so much that he was prepared to risk Misty's OR Pearl's life to take a stab on that long-dead person... Perhaps he has a subconscious dislike of Iris just because she looks exactly like Dahlia? As such, her life would be of the least concern to him, especially considering her own willingness to sacrifice herself in the name of Godot's self-righteousness. Although it does show that Godot, for all his championing of the "men must protect women" cause, apparently was fine with making an exception for a girl he didn't particularly care about to protect his own hide. However, one must not forget that the main part of the case against Iris was carried out by Franziska von Karma, - ironically, Godot was mostly prosecuting against the very same Maya he was trying to save.

** They probably thought that they could stop it on their own and it wasn't very clever to worry anyone for nothing. [[spoiler: Plus, Elise could be worried about revealing her identity to Phoenix or Maya.]]
** Plus, the plan on the whole is being masterminded by [[spoiler: Godot, who for his own personal reasons would have insisted Phoenix and, by proxy, Maya, who'll just blab it all out to him, be kept out of the loop. Presumably, Iris and Elise trusted him, and therefore believed him to have a better justification for this then he ultimately turned out to.]]
** I'll explain my reasoning for each character:
*** Bikini: Misty DID tell her actually. Not in the details, but she did tell her that someone is trying to take down the main family line. That would be enough to get her to cooperate and if they decided that they need her for something, they'd just need to ask without going into details of Morgan's plan itself.
*** Pearl: Why would they think that a child would listen to two random women over her own mother? Remember that neither Iris nor Misty knew Pearl prior to the plan, they didn't know if she was tricked of helping her willingly, or how was she convinced. Don't forget that Pearl trusted Morgan, they had no reason to believe that she'd believe them.
*** Phoenix: Misty didn't know anything about him except for being Maya's friend. Iris knew him better, but still, neither had any reason to think that he believes in channelling, for all they knew he was there just to humor his friend. Like Iris said when talking with Edgeworth most people don't believe in spiritual powers, and without knowing how does chanelling work explaining things to him would be pointless. Additionally until they came to Hazakura they had no way of contacting him. When they were there "Elise" was already Pearl's BFF, so they had every reason to believe that situation is under control.
*** Another Troper re: Phoenix: Did you see what he did when he found out that Maya was in danger? Had the plan been revealed to Phoenix, there were fair odds that he'd turn the party home ''that very instant''. Whatever Godot's motives were, Trite would have thrown a SpannerInTheWorks that Godot didn't want to account for.
*** Maya: I wouldn't be sure that they didn't tell her actually. When Mia was chanelled for advice she told her what to do before Pearl channels Dahlia, but in order to knew that she'd have to know about Morgan's plot. Maya herself had to know about Dahlia to channel her and it was too dark to see anything, she didn't see who attacked her. Given how Maya's actions after the attack were specifically to counter Morgan's plot i suspect that Iris DID in fact tell her, probably some time between dinner and her talk with Phoenix.
*** Alternatively, Misty told Mia what to do in case things went south and Maya channelled her for help.

** IIRC, if you present the bent Shichishito to Adrian in 3-2 she offers to fix it, in considerable distress.
* Iris repeatedly states that she's lived at Hazakura temple for as long as she remembers. However, [[spoiler: Dahlia implies that their father didn't leave Kurain until after DL-6. He certainly didn't, by her story, leave until after Misty became Master, which is said to be three years before DL-6. Iris would have been 8 when DL-6 happened.]] How could Iris not remember anything prior to age 8?
** The most probable explanation? She's lying. After all, given everything we can guess about her father and all we ''know'' about her mother, it's likely that Iris simply doesn't '''want''' to remember [[spoiler: life before Hazakura]].
*** Iris says that she's always been at Hazakura during conversations in which it is logical to think that the other conversant is using the Magatama. The Magatama must be in [[spoiler: "Luke Atmey saying that Mask [=DeMasque=] hit him over the head counts as an unlock"]] mode every time she says that... or else she doesn't consider that statement to be concealing a secret.
*** That's what I would argue, both in this situation and in [[spoiler: Atmey's]]. The Magatama doesn't detect falsehoods so much as it detects the deliberate act of ''concealment''; if a person doesn't consider themselves to be lying (either because they interpret Phoenix's wording differently then he does, i.e. [[spoiler: Engarde]], they are concealing a second falsehood behind the first ''as if'' it was the truth, i.e. [[spoiler: Atmey]], or they are applying something akin to {{Doublethink}} and may to some degree ''believe'' their own story, i.e. Iris), then the Magatama won't pick up on it.
** Also, Iris is, what, 25 now? She's still lived at Hazakura Temple for about 17 years, well over half her life. While that doesn't ''fully'' explain it, the Magatama may have just accepted that as close enough to work.
*** [[spoiler:Though one would have to assume that there were certain gaps in that stretch, seeing as how she impersonated her sister for a prolonged period of time.]]
** Iris never said that she doesn't remember her life prior to Hazakura. She said she doesn't remember ''when'' did she first came to Hazakura. whcih considering that it happened when she was 8 it's not really a stretch. She remembers that she's been at Hazakura since she was a child, but can't pinpoint the time.

** Iris was telling the truth. She stayed in her room [[ExactWords until the murder happened]]. But the murder happened about half an hour earlier than everyone thought it did. We don't know what was exactly the plan or what Godot told her it was. We don't know if she was supposed to go there according to plan. Considering that some creppy stalker apparently knew about her and Phoenix and was threatening to break his heart it's no wonder that Iris wasn't exacly fond of the idea of going there until the murder happened and she ''had'' to go.

* Case 3-5: Even considering light sources, it's surprising that someone attacking someone else with a weapon could [[spoiler:strike him in exactly one place, and have it be the one place that is covered with protective metal, in such a manner that he doesn't even need to adjust it to cover up the wound later]].
** FridgeBrilliance: Because it was dark Dahlia could only see the visor, so that's where she struck.
* It's related to an above entry about DL-6, but why doesn't Phoenix Wright point out that [[spoiler:Gregory Edgeworth didn't see his actual murderer]] when Edgeworth claims Misty was a fraud? Phoenix already proved that [[spoiler:Gregory was unconscious at the time of his death]]. It could very well have disproven the basis of Edgeworth's disbelief in spirit channeling, and proven [[spoiler:that Dahlia was in fact connected to the case despite being dead]].
** Maybe because they were in the middle of a completely different case and both were too busy to be discussing the past?
*** From a {{Watsonian}} standpoint, I agree. From a ''Doylist'', standpoint, though, it would be the ''perfect'' time to bring that point up, if for no other reason that this was supposed to be the GrandFinale, and Grand Finales are the best place to clean up loose plot threads and resolving character arcs; in this case, [[AgentScully Edgeworth]] being a FlatEarthAtheist about Kurian Channeling.
* Case 3-5 is one giant AssPull. The murder [[spoiler: of Maya]] could not have been planned. A) [[spoiler: Morgan was imprisoned for ''a year'' before this case happened]]. B) She also most likely had no contact to [[spoiler: Dahlia or Iris]], probably not even knowing that [[spoiler: Dahlia was even imprisoned]]. And C) [[spoiler: Dahlia said that the whole plan of using her death and having her spirit channeled was not conceived until ''one or two months prior'' to this case]]. So there's no way that thing could've been in the Kurain Village, let alone with the proper instructions in it.
** Even if Morgan had no direct contact with [[spoiler: Dahlia and Iris]], it's always possible that she learned of [[spoiler:Dahlia's imprisonment]] through the news. Since [[spoiler:Dahlia]] has been involved in so many crimes by now, all of which take place prior to 2-2, it's possible (though a bit of a stretch, yes) that Morgan just ''assumed'' she would cooperate, since obviously [[spoiler:Dahlia has no problem committing other crimes. Also, Morgan may have thought that, although she doesn't give a crap about her kids, Dahlia might still be willing to help out her mom]]. Also, maybe Dahlia just meant that [[spoiler:Morgan only told her about the plan then, but already had come up with it earlier]].
** I don't remember things exactly at the moment, but isn't it mentioned that Morgan hid the letter to Pearl in the Fey Manor before she was arrested? Which would mean she came up with the plan around the end of 2-2 (which would mean that her threats at the end of that case weren't just vague threats, and that she already had the backup plan to set in motion).
** Actually, B) is dealt with directly [[spoiler:when Dahlia testifies in 3-5: she says it was easy for her and Morgan to talk to each other because they were held in the same detention center, Morgan was her mother, and Dahlia was on death row. The implication was that the prison staff let them spend time together out of deference to the fact that they would be permanently separated soon]].
** Dahlia was on death row for a few years, so she had to die one day or another. I think it means the whole plan could have been prepared well in advance. Then Morgan told Dahlia and she sort of agreed, then Morgan told Pearl to do it only after Dahlia was already executed, so it should have worked fine from there. It was a pretty easy plan of go there, channel that, burn this, so it wouldn't have normally been too circumstances dependent.
* Why couldn't [[spoiler:Misty Fey]], ''the master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, [[spoiler: exorcise or control Dahlia's spirit and stop her from killing Maya? Presumably she has more control over the spirit's actions then, say, Maya and Pearl would. Not to mention she wouldn't have died. Okay, I understand why she wouldn't be able to exorcise her, because then Pearl would have probably channeled her, but still...]]
** [[spoiler: First, because it has not been established that such a thing is possible, even by the master of the Kurain Channeling Technique. Conversely, it's been repeatedly established that when a person channels a spirit, they disappear and the spirit completely takes over. Misty would not have been conscious when Dahlia was in her body, and consciousness is a requirement for just about anything a person could do to defend themselves from anything. Secondly, even if Misty did somehow have the ability to banish Dahlia from her body, as you pointed out, Pearl would have just been possessed instead; then either Pearl would murder Maya, or Maya (or Godot) would be forced to kill Pearl. As a loving mother, neither of these outcomes would be acceptable to Misty.]]
*** It's still stated or at least highly implied that [[spoiler:skilled mediums have at least some degree of control over spirits they channel. Yes, outright exorcising Dahlia out of Misty would have been a bad idea due to the risk for Pearl... However, perhaps OP meant why couldn't the Kurain Master at least have enough control to prevent her from attacking Maya? Though this is one of the most inconsistent rules of the Kurain chanelling technique, so I can see how the writers perhaps just forgot about it...]]
*** Stated and implied is one thing, but it's never ''shown''. This is one of those situations of "Dialogue is not gospel". When the characters say x, but what we see with our own eyes is y, then we must assume that y is the truth, and that the characters saying x are wrong. We have never actually witnessed [[spoiler: a spirit channeling that was anything other than the standard "medium disappears, spirit takes over completely" channeling that Maya and Pearl do with Mia all the time. Even Misty, who SHOULD have been able to override her possessing spirit if anyone is capable of doing so.]] Until we see evidence to the contrary, the only remaining assumption is that [[spoiler: the Kurain Channelers' claims of being able to control their channels]] is nothing more than empty boasting.
** Or maybe [[spoiler:Dahlia's ghost]] was just ''that'' strongly driven by sheer hatred that [[spoiler:she managed to resist Misty's attempts]].
** Aside from being named the Master, do we have any reason to believe Misty even that good at channeling? The title is passed by blood, not skill level. Since her daughters aren't that powerful, maybe we can assume she wasn't either. That's also one more reason for Morgan to be upset she got the title.
*** Except it was ''Morgan'' who was the elder claimant that turned out to be a MuggleBornOfMages; Misty wouldn't have gotten the title unless Morgan had failed to show proficiency. Had Misty ''also'' failed, the House would have transferred to a cousin of Morgan & Misty's.
** Also, it's been established that mediums' powers become weaker if they don't undergo spiritual training. Since Misty left Kurain Village 17 years ago, her powers could simply be rusty.
** This troper thought it would have been a very beautiful and tragic conclusion to the case if it turned out that Misty Fey gathered her strength, overpowered the evil spirit and killed herself to protect Maya from harm. Oh well. That just happened to be Godot's story, not Misty's.
* If I remember [[spoiler: Dahlia's]] testimony correctly in case 3-5, [[spoiler: she claimed that, after she was stabbed by Maya, she was the one who used her own blood to scribble "MAYA" on the stone lantern, which she was currently backed up against]]. Despite the fact that this was a lie in one aspect, there is physical evidence to support that [[spoiler: Dahlia wrote "MAYA" on the stone lantern]]. HOWEVER, what really happened was that [[spoiler: it was MAYA whose back was up against the stone lantern, and Dahlia was facing up against Maya when she was stabbed in the back by Godot. Not only was Maya not stabbed at all, but even if she HAD been, why would she write her own name on the lantern?]] While both these events are backed up by evidence to have actually happened, the two events contradict each other!
** Ooh, nice one. We also can't justify it as going back later, as [[spoiler:the writing was there before Dahlia got free two days later]].
*** Yeah, that's a good contradiction. After all, [[spoiler: Dahlia had a sword sticking out of her back, so it wasn't like she could put her back against the lantern. Plus, Maya was already against the lantern, so it was extremely difficult for Dahlia to have written it]].
** Maya did pass out, so it's likely that she [[spoiler:fell away from the lantern when she collapsed. So that would explain why the section the message was written on wasn't blocked by Maya]]. As for the contradiction in [[spoiler:where they stood, it's possible Dahlia remembered it wrong. She herself admitted that her memory of around that time wasn't clear, and she was being forced away as the body she was in was dying from blood loss.]] Not entire sure how to explain [[spoiler:the message being upside-down, though.]]
*** Given that Maya passed out, it's not too much of a stretch to go on and assume that [[spoiler: Dahlia stumbled away from Godot and ended up by the lantern as Maya was falling down]]. A bit contrived, yes, but not totally implausible.
** This is easy to explain; here's the sequence of events: 1) Dahlia is facing Maya, who is backed against the lantern. 2) Dahlia gets stabbed from behind by Godot. 3) Dahlia ''turns around'' to slice Godot's face with her knife. She is now facing Godot, so her back is to Maya and the stone lantern. 4) Maya passes out and falls to the ground. 5) Dahlia stumbles ''backwards'' against the stone lantern. Dahlia is now leaning with her back (or rather, the top of Misty's staff) to the lantern. 6) With her left hand flat against the stone slab, her fingers pointing down and her palm against the stone, she writes Maya's name. It's upside down because moving her fingers "up", away from her palm moves them downwards.
* [[spoiler:Okay, fine. Godot and Misty and Iris were determined to not let anyone know about the plot to kill Maya. But why didn't Misty just lock herself in a room and ''then'' channel Dahlia? Regardless of what Godot told her, I can't imagine that it could have come off as a better plan than "lock my body up where it cannot be used to harm my daughter". As soon as Godot told Misty about the plan, Misty could have just found somewhere ''on the other side of the country'' to lock herself away and then channel Dahlia. Hell, if she wanted to make it as simple as possible, she could have just had Godot or Iris tie her to a post before channelling. There, problem solved. Dahlia can't hurt Maya ''or'' Misty and Pearl can't channel her lunatic half-sister. I get that Godot want to ''save'' Maya, but Misty only cared about ''protecting'' her daughter. So why didn't she do the one thing that would have guaranteed Maya's safety? Even if you assume that her entire plan was to distract Pearl and that was derailed by Pearl not showing up to read with her, it's not like it would have been hard to find some rope and say "Hey, Iris, plan's gone to shit, so be a dear and tie me to this tree."]] Honestly, the actions of most of the people involved in that truth of that case make zero sense to me.

* The mistery of Case 3-5 is finally solved when Phoenix proves [[spoiler:Godot was wounded by Dahlia's dagger and he hid his wound behind his mask]]. But how did that happen? [[spoiler:Dahlia was focused on killing Maya so she may have never noticed Godot, her testimony implies that 'she' was stabbed and that's it, no mention of a struggle at all, and Godot is 30cm taller according to the game manual (Dahlia and Maya are at about the same height) so leaving a wound in his face without doing so deliberately does not seem likely]].
** Because [[spoiler:she did mean to do it. It's stated clearly in the case that Dahlia had already had the sword stabbed into her by the time she turned around the sliced Godot across the face. She was just stabbed from behind, so she turned around and attacked back at her killer. Makes perfect sense to me.]]
* Why do so many people think that [[spoiler: Godot died]]? Sure, he was stabbed in the face, but I am pretty sure he would have been taken to the hospital for that. He also would not get the death penalty. While he did [[spoiler: kill Misty]], that was mostly Dahlia's fault. It was done partly in defense of another. At most, he would be charged with reckless endangerment and withholding information from the police. A few years in prison, not a death sentence. As for the poison, he drank that five years ago. It lost it's effects a long time ago and would not be affecting his health anymore.
** Obviously the poison did some real damage to him. His [[spoiler: eyesight is proof enough that it got to his brain]] and people don't exactly go into a coma for 5 years and start tap-dancing once they wake up. At the end of the final court-day he'd also spent 2 days in near-Arctic conditions without proper shelter and probably missing some medical treatment for the aforementioned coma. The sketch shown at the end of the case also shows him next to Mia and [[spoiler: Elise/Misty]] instead of in the second sketch with Phoenix, Maya, Pearl, Gumshoe, Edgeworth, and Franziska. It's never stated outright and you can handwave all this if you want, but the implication is he died of medical complications shortly after the last trial.
** Also, as someone way above me on this page liked to point out, there's no such thing as premeditated defense of another. What he did falls somewhere between murder in the second degree or voluntary manslaughter, so he'd probably get a death sentence anyway.
*** The death sentence is only given for first degree murder.
*** In the real world, yeah. But ''Ace Attorney'''s universe tends to be necessarily harsh, and in a world where the criminal justice system is so overwhelmed they don't allow court cases to exceed three days, I'm more than willing to believe they're handing out the death sentence a little easier than we do.
*** Still, Frank Sawhit did not get the death penalty, and Godot was more sympathetic than him, so I doubt he would have gotten it either.
* After replaying Case 3-5, something caught my attention and make me think... [[spoiler: when did Morgan Fey write the letter asking Pearl to channel Dahlia?]]. It could me misremembering Case 2-2, but [[spoiler: Morgan's involvement with Dr. Grey's murder and trying to pin it on Maya was revealed in the very last day of the trial, giving her practically no time to think of the plan, write it on the letter and leave it on Fey Manor before being arrested]]. Supposing [[spoiler: Morgan [[CrazyPrepared had actually written the letter long before being suspected of being an accomplice]], this plan would still rely on the coincidence that Morgan were sent to the same detention center Dahlia was in, and telling her of her plan of killing Maya (Which, if Case 3-4 is of any indication, Dahlia did not recognize Mia, then much less Maya) for it to even have a chance of succeeding (As otherwise there would be a very puzzled Dahlia wondering why was she summoned)]]. I frankly cannot see how it was supposed to work.
** It's possible, though rather difficult. When Morgan Fey left the stand in 2-2, she could have suspected that her carefully devised plan was being unraveled. And until the end of that trial, nobody would have had reason to arrest her. Most importantly of all, Kurain Village is actually quite far away. So Morgan would have had at least a few hours to devise the plan, draft a latter, and hide it in the mansion. She could work out the details with [[spoiler:Dahlia]] later.
** It was my understanding that Pearl still visited her mother in prison, and the letter was given to her during one such visit not long before the Hazakura Temple trip.
** The plan might have been devised as a back up plan a very long time ago like all the way back to when Dahlia was just put on the death row. Being her mother, Morgan could have visit her in prison and somehow fill her in on the details. Dahlia actually says something along the lines of "that woman even planned to kill me at first!", so it's not that much of a stretch to think Morgan had a lot of plans ready and the one we saw unfolding just happened to be the one she choose to go with after meeting Dahlia and then learning about her execution.
* Why didn't 3-5's revenge plan directly target Phoenix? [[spoiler:While striking at Maya would have given Dahlia revenge against Mia, wouldn't killing Phoenix serve an equal purpose as well as target someone that she hated on a personal level? Morgan would also have a personal vendetta, as Phoenix was the one who revealed her connection to her previous attempt on Maya's reputation. And most importantly... haven't these people figured out that killing Phoenix is the key to actually getting away with any murders they commit, since nobody else on the case ever figures it out... except Mia, who was already dead? Just make it look like Maya did it and they're both out of your hair. (Also, as an unexpected bonus, Godot would never come up with a plan to protect him, and Iris would have probably chosen to not visit him again to save him the heartbreak.)]]
** That would have been a more effective alternative. Though I think you forgot that [[spoiler:Richard Wellington was close to killing Phoenix. Granted all he did was hit Wright over the head with a fire extinguisher and gave him amnesia, but he did have the right idea]].
** Because it was [[spoiler: Morgan who hatched the plan, not Dahlia. Morgan wasn't interested in revenge, by proxy or otherwise, but in securing Pearl's position as master. Killing Phoenix wouldn't help her in that. And I doubt Morgan or Dahlia were interested in getting away with anything since they were already both in prison.]]
*** But Morgan could have killed two birds with one stone if she had Phoenix killed and had Maya take the fall. If that happened, almost nobody would be able to save Maya at that point, since the most competent people would either be dead or prosecutors, thus unable to defend her.
*** And how would she pull this off? Morgan didn't even know Phoenix would be there at Hazakura, and she had one shot, I doubt Pearl would ever call Dahlia again if she killed someone. Frameups are by their nature much more complicated than simple murders, she couldn't order Dahlia to kill Phoenix and frame Maya and expect reasonable chance of success. And her plan was made on short notice just before she was sent to prison, she didn't have time or resources to hatch anything more complicated than "call Dahlia in Hazakura, tell her to kill Maya, everyone will think it was Iris, so you'll be safe".
*** Well, maybe because framing Maya had already failed once...? Remember, she tried to frame her before and failed. She's no idea that Nick is an extraordinary attorney. For all she knows, all attorneys are as good as Phoenix and Mia. The quickest and simplest thing? Kill Maya.
* Did Pearl just... forget that Franziska is the reason 2-4 turned out so well? She clearly knows, because she's not rude to Franziska at the end of the episode in question. When she sees Franziska in 3-5, Pearl reams her for her prior behaviour in 2-2... but she knows that were it not for Franziska, Engarde would have gotten away and/or Maya would be dead. It could just be distress, but considering she ran into Fran when she was working WITH Phoenix? It seems odd as anything except to show Franziska's a lot more human than the fans think of her.
** It's stress, most likely. Remember, Pearl's a 9-year-old kid who just spent a day trapped in a place she's never been to before, which probably isn't terribly safe, either. She's also been worried about Maya the whole time. Under the circumstances, it makes sense for her to snap at Franziska; if Pearl had run into her at any other time, she'd probably be more polite to her for the reasons you stated.
** The only time Franz actually helped during Engarde case was when she brought the 3 pieces of evidence at the end. Pearl couldn't remember that particuar moment because she was chanelling Mia at the time.
** It is almost certainly due to trauma. Pearl's initial reaction to ''seeing'' Franziska (basically needing a moment to process where she remembers her from) suggests that Franziska isn't really someone she remembers or thinks about that often, so when meeting up with her again while in a traumatized state of mind, it's their initial meeting that immediately comes into her memory and she impulsively reacts to that memory, which unfortunately for Franziska wasn't a good one.
* What would be Godot charged for after what he did in 3-5? Murder or Manslaughter? Since in a way he struck at Dahlia, but it was Misty who ended up killed by that strike.
** Probably murder. True, this situation has never happened in real life, but he struck Misty knowing full well he was killing Misty in the process of killing Dahlia (and, as several others have pointed out, his entire attack was premeditated) so you can't call it an accident. I doubt you could make a case for manslaughter.
** Actually, I'm fairly sure that this is a bit more of a convoluted situation then that. It requires getting into some pretty specific aspects of the law in different areas, since different places, and hell even different people within those different place, have ideas about what constitutes the degrees of murder, what constitutes the different types of manslaughter. If you want to look at it from a legal perspective, a good way would be to just take the supernatural aspect out of it, and apply the same kind of scenario to something else, that's kind of different, but has the same basic idea. Like imagine if instead of it being one person summoning another, it was someone who looks exactly like someone else, like a twin. A guy comes along, with full knowledge that this woman in front of him isn't the one twin that he loathes, but is actually a nice, innocent twin, just the idea of killing someone that looks just like that person drives them to plunge a sword into their body. Okay, so that's a pretty rough scenario, but you get the idea, at least. Depending on how you look at it, it could be seen as a whole multitude of charges, but the ''closest'' ones would probably be second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or first degree via felony murder. It really depends.
*** I'm pretty sure that if you murdered someone just because they '''look like''' someone you hate that would be a lot less excusable than what Godot did. A closer (imo), non-supernatural example would probably be if there was a killer who had rigged up a device to kill an innocent woman once the killer's heartrate reaches zero, perhaps to use that woman as a human shield. They then proceed to try and kill someone else, while using said human shield. A man is there to stop the killer and he successfully slays them, but in the process killing the innocent woman. Now, it's also revealed that this man knew months in advance what the killer's plan was. He could have done a ''lot'' of things in between the time he learned about the plan and when the plan was set to go off, but he didn't, or the things he did do were half-hearted at best. He let things happen in such a way that an innocent woman died just because he wanted to rescue the killer's target personally. That's in essence what Godot did. Depending on the situation (the legal specifics you mentioned and how sympathetic the jury is) I guess you ''could'' get anything between voluntary manslaughter to first degree murder (or some kind of negligence charge perhaps,) but I think he would be put at fault, to some extent, no matter what.
*** The thing is, as much as people tend to point out that Godot's crime was premeditated, dialogue in the game very heavily implies that Godot only went through with it on gut instinct. He specifically says that he knew the person in front of him wasn't really Dahlia, and that it might have been even been innocent ''little girl'' (namely Pearl), but he was so overcome by his hatred for Dahlia and desire for revenge that he did it anyway. So it's a pretty sticky situation when you're talking about whether Godot "hunted down a killer and stopped her" or not, because even Godot admits he doesn't really know. Phoenix insists that he was trying to save Maya, but Godot questions if that's really true. Although he did plan to confront Dahlia right from the start to save Maya, the game purposefully leaves it ambiguous as to whether Godot had a specific plan to kill her that he was fully committed to, or if he killed her during his confrontation out of hatred. Heck, it's not even made clear whether he really gave a crap at all about Maya's safety. It's basically chalked up to a shoulder shrug and a "I believe you did it for good reasons" thing from Phoenix and Maya, despite Godot himself not actually thinking that. Which makes the legal ramifications of his actions a pretty tricky thing to fully grasp.
*** That's a good point. In that case, depending on if the jury buys it, Godot would probably get the lighter sentence and just be viewed as culpable for reasons of negligence (he still didn't do anything that would have prevented the crime from happening until that moment, but he may not have gone into it believing someone would die as a result) rather than murderous intent?
* So the Judge seems awfully calm about the whole "spirit channeling" thing, and when it's pointed out, he says his brother suggested that he be more open-minded and reveals that he's been reading up on the subject ahead of time. This would be very good CharacterDevelopment for him... but there's a blatant contradiction. This conversation takes place at the end of Dahlia's testimony. Only about an hour earlier that same day, right before Dahlia officially reveals herself, the Judge says, and I quote verbatim: "Now see here! No judge in his right mind would consider the idea of 'spirit channeling' and..." Why the discrepancy? Is the Judge genuinely suffering from senility?
** Haven't played in a long time, but over the course of that hour spirit channeling became extremely relevant and evident in that case (i.e. Dahlia revealing herself). Maybe he was trying to save face after being proven wrong.
** Not necessarily a discrepancy. The Judge might have meant to say that on the grounds of using the idea of spirit channeling just to fix the contradictions in a way that suits the defense. Of course, since Dahlia decides to show her true colors immediately after that, he accepts the hypothesis.

[[folder:3-1]]
* The Judge and Winston Payne in 3-1 [[spoiler:and 3-4]], the reactions they show to the witnesses, with no comment whatso ever on MsFanservice ?

[[folder:3-2]]

[[folder:3-3]]

[[folder:3-4]]

[[folder:"Bridge to the Turnabout" (Case 3-5)]]