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Layton Detective Agency
Katrielle Layton
"The truth is always stranger than fiction."
The 21-year-old daughter of Prof. Hershel Layton, Katrielle opens a detective agency and will leave no mystery or puzzle unsolved.
- Action Girl: She's not afraid of getting her hands dirty for the sake of investigations. She jumped down from a bridge to a boat!
- Ambiguously Jewish: Like her father; "Katrielle" is a name rarely seen outside of Jewish communities.
- Animal Motifs: Sherl often compares her to a cat, citing her insatiable curiosity and nonchalant personality, traits stereotypically associated with cats. It's lampshaded in one case coda, when some cats talk about her, especially noting that her nickname, "Kat," sounds exactly like "cat."
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Ernest and Sherl need to constantly remind her to keep at a case, not shop for food or clothes.
- Big Eater: Can pretty much be tempted to go anywhere or do anything, as long as there's food as a reward. If there is food within sight, she will be the first one to comment on it or even get distracted by it. A big eater she may be, but she can't compare to Luke Triton's own voracious appetite.
- Blunt "Yes": When Sherl asks Katrielle if she "decides which cases to investigate based on how interesting they are", her answer is this.Katrielle: Exactly. I'm glad you understand.
- Brainy Brunette: Much like her father.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: A very good detective in her own right. A very untidy person proud of the mess she has in her office on the other hand.
- Brutal Honesty: Quite often.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: She's a pretty astute detective, but her flippant everyday demeanor kind of undermines people's confidence in her.
- Catchphrase: "Any mystery solved!" as the general motto for her agency and her MO, and "This mystery is history!" for when she's cracked a case. She also favors "the truth is always stranger than fiction!" when on the job.
- Cloudcuckoolander: She's a little kooky in the head but otherwise competent at her job.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Hershel Layton. Hershel was a quintessential gentleman, but while Katrielle is a self-styled "gentlewoman," she has a lazy and gluttonous streak. Hershel was more mature and grounded than his companions, Luke, Flora and Emmy, while Ernest and Sherl often have to rein Katrielle in.
- Disappeared Dad : Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Apparently Hershel Layton had been missing for a while. Not to mention her biological dad disappeared when she was a baby, too.
- Disappointed by the Motive: She's saddened that a talented young man like Lord Adamas or rather, Ernest would waste his gifts on revenge. It turns out to be a bit more complicated than that, but by the end of the night, Adamas regrets what he's done.
- Everyone Has Standards: She finds Kelly annoying, and she spends most of episode 39 of the anime in a shouting fit over the phone with her as her patience with her continues to dwindle throughout the episode.
- The Fashionista: She loves shopping and dressing up, and the DLC features a variety of cute outfits for Kat to try on.
- The Gadfly: Especially with Sherl, Hastings, Emiliana... basically anyone who can act as a good comedic foil.
- Genius Sweet Tooth: She's an incredibly talented detective who's a huge fan of sweets.
- Genki Girl: Played up more in the anime but there's almost never a dull moment whenever she's around.
- Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Graciously gotten the gesture from her father.
- Great Detective: Unlike her father, she actually works as one.
- Gut Feeling: While she still needs evidence to base her conclusions on, following her instincts is her number one method to finding the truth.
- Happily Adopted: Kat is well aware she is not Hershel's biological child. It does not change her love and admiration for him as her father one iota.
- Iconic Item: Her mini silk hat headband, which is her equivalent of Hershel's top hat. It's even part of the wax seal on her logo, just like the Professor's.
- Innocently Insensitive: Kat's a woman who marches to her own drum, so she'll often make cutting observations without much reserve, especially around Ernest.
- In-Series Nickname: Her closest friends call her "Kat"note or "Katri"note .
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She has a bit of an ego with her and can be a little rude and insensitive at times, but is genuinely a good person at heart who goes out of her way to help her clients and more during cases.
- Missing Mom: Not that she's even brought up since she is technically Happily Adopted. The anime averted this by explained further into her background. Apparently she died at the childbirth in the middle of the ocean.
- Large Ham: Has quite the taste for dramatics, especially when a case is about to be cracked.
- Like Parent, Like Child: Like Hershel, she's a savant at detective work who operates on a gentleman's (er, gentlewoman's) code of conduct.
- And like Hershel, it was implied that Katrielle is Happily Adopted during the post-credits scene, freaking out both Ernest and Sherl.
- Furthermore, Katrielle deliberately answered a puzzle incorrectly just so she can investigate, something which Hershel himself did in the Eternal Diva, this doubling as a Call-Back of sort.
- Nice Girl: Despite her immaturity, Katrielle is a good person at heart, who's friendly to virtually everyone, even Emiliana. She even manages to gain enough goodwill through her detective work that when she's accused of murder, several people are willing to help her hide from the police.
- Oblivious to Love: In regards to Ernest's crush on her, it seems.
- Primary-Color Champion: Katrielle mainly dresses in red and yellow, and her eyes are a clear, wide blue.
- Private Detective: Unlike her father, who was an archaeologist and academic first, Katrielle is this, full stop.
- Real-Place Background: Her office
◊, which seems to be based on London's Sherlock Holmes Museum. - Sibling Yin-Yang: In comparison to Alfendi, she's much more amiable and outgoing.
- Skewed Priorities: If food or unrelated hidden puzzles are involved in a case, she's the first in line. Far more pronounced when she's accused of murder in Case 11.
- Sore Loser: Played for Laughs. The anime shows that she is not the happiest of campers if she ends up losing in a game or if she's playfully one upped for whatever reason.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Downplayed; she and Ernest can understand Sherl, but nobody else can, and they can't understand other dogs.
- Sweet Tooth: Kat loves sweets dearly and constantly likens mysteries to desserts in ways that Sherl says never make any sense.
Ernest Greeves
"Brilliant, Miss Layton!"
A first-year student at Gressenheller university who also works as Katrielle's devoted assistant.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Katrielle going out of her way to prove his innocence to everyone when he was accused of theft on the day they met was the catalyst for his infatuation with her in the story's present day.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Ernest is generally a kind and somewhat soft-spoken young man aside from some open displays of jealousy and aggressiveness directed towards any guy who tries to flirt with Katrielle in front of him. But then he's also revealed to be Lord Adamas, the mastermind at the end of the game who plotted against The Seven Dragons out of a misguided sense of revenge for his mother's sake.
- The Butler Did It: Ernest acts like a butler to Katrielle Layton and is Miles Richmond, the grandson of Maximillian Richmond, the mastermind in the final case.
- Composite Character: He's essentially an amalgam of Luke and Emmy: a boyish, wide-eyed admirer of the protagonist (Luke) who was saved by her after being taken into Scotland Yard under false accusations (Emmy).
- He also adopts Emmy's reveal from Azran Legacy.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: He really doesn't like it when other guys try to hit on Katrielle in front of him.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Is head over heels in love with Katrielle and would do anything for her, but has trouble actually voicing his affections strongly. Even after he was revealed to be the mastermind behind the game's main plot, his attraction and affection toward Kat were genuine.
- Dub Name Change: From "Noah Montol" to "Ernest Greeves" in the localized version of the game.
- Extreme Doormat: Katrielle is only ever seen working during cases or eating/dressing up. What does he do while she rests? Everything else. From cleaning up after her, or allowing her desk to remain a mess of stacked papers she's proud of.
- Have a Gay Old Time: Ernest's general way of speaking is super polite and prim, to the point of sounding both very young yet antiquated for a man his age. He actually even uses words like "gay" and "queer" as they were intended decades ago.
- House Husband: He's not married to Kat, but he essentially looks after the daily upkeep of her office for free, serves her tea, and is marked with more traditionally feminine interests like botany.
- Love at First Sight: Was enamored with Kat the first time he set his eyes on her. Her genius detective skills and bold, honest personality only made him fall for her even more.
- Meaningful Name: "Ernest" is meant to represent his intense conviction as Katrielle's assistant, but "Greeves" is a little bit out there, until it's revealed that, together with his first name, it's meant to represent his "earnest grieving" for losing his grandfather, his mother, and his family fortune that all compelled him to seek Revenge against the Seven Dragons.
- Mistress and Servant Boy: His relationship with Katrielle is essentially this, what with her treating him like a Butt-Monkey from time to time and him being her ever faithful and loyal assistant in spite of it.
- Nice Guy: Ernest doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Well, when he isn't fuming in jealousy towards any guy who'd flirt with Katrielle in front of him anyway.
- Though he did have a mean mind, all that became null and void like the Diamond Mine.
- Riches to Rags: He and his mother were driven to poverty due to what he assumed was The Seven Dragons' doing and it's one of his motivations for his revenge plot against them.
- Undying Loyalty: To Katrielle, who he's in love with and would do anything for.
- The Watson: He and Sherl share this role together with Kat as the Sherlock analogue, hanging lampshades and asking questions over Kat's deductions and how she arrived at her answers whenever she solves mysteries.
Sherl O.C. Kholmes
"They don't call me Sherl O.C. Kholmes for nothing!"
Katrielle's first client, a talking dog. Cannot remember anything about his past.
- A Day in the Limelight: Episode 42 of the anime has him be the main character this time instead of Katrielle and he even gets to solve the mystery of the day by himself in that episode without Katrielle and Ernest's involvement.
- Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Can always be found jabbing at everyone, usually at Katrielle and Ernest, should they be engaged in some kooky behavior.
- Deadpan Snarker: Often remarks on Katrielle's unconventional methods and Ernest's pining over her in spite of said methods, though he extends this towards any eccentric individual they come across too in the anime.
- Got Me Doing It: In episode 42 of the Anime adaptation, Sherl got Katrielle's mannerism of the exaggerated spin as he took on a case, the Eureka! moment, the dramatic stares at the audience as he explains and borrowed the catchphrase of the truth being stranger than fiction as well as having an assistant who is a cat. Ironically, he never lampshades this after being around Katrielle for so long.
- Identity Amnesia: A key part of his introduction. He can't even remember if he was always a dog.
- Not So Above It All: For all his frustration and snark, he admits liking the name "Agent Sherl" when Katrielle challenges him to solve a case.
- Only Sane Man: Is always the first one to question everyone's antics. And did we mention that he's a dog?
- Pungeon Master: Barks out a dog-related pun in every other sentence.
- Riddle for the Ages: Why is Sherl able to communicate with Kat and Ernest and why is it that only they can understand him? Neither the game or the anime give a concrete answer even in both their endings.
- Shout-Out: His name is a blatant anagram of Sherlock Holmes.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: For obvious reasons. Downplayed, as he can only communicate with other dogs.
- Subverted in the Anime episode 42 where Sherl can talk to a cat just fine.
- Talking Animal: He can talk like a regular human, but for mysterious reasons, only Katrielle and Ernest can understand him. Every other person can only hear his barks.
- Team Pet: And not exactly happy about it.
Scotland Yard
Inspector Hastings
A rising inspector in Scotland Yard, loved by the people of London for his passion for his duty.
- Book Dumb: Tends to have the hardest time with puzzles among the main cast.
- Slight subverted when he manages to solve some himself.
- Dub Name Change: From "Darjeeling Aspoirot" to "Ercule Hastings" in the localized version of the game.
- Friend on the Force: Is Katrielle's main contact at Scotland Yard, and comes to her with cases too out of the ordinary for the police to handle.
- Guest-Star Party Member: During Case 08, he accompanies Katrielle and can solve a few puzzles.
- Happily Married: To his wife Felicity.
- Inspector Lestrade: Is often going down the wrong path on the cases in the game. However, this is more due to how bizarre and unusual the cases actually are.
- Technically slightly subverted in Case 08. While he was right in pointing out Abel Seamon being the culprit in stealing the Golden Goddess Statue, he did not know it was the entire crew of the Thametanic who were involved.
Emiliana Perfetti
A master criminal profiler working at Scotland Yard. Sees Katrielle as a rival.
- The Ace: Is known around the Yard as "Perfect Perfetti" due to her outstanding success rate as a profiler.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Starts off as a no-nonsense Scotland Yard profiler who can't tolerate Katrielle's antics and laughs at her detective skills (despite being always right on the money). As time goes on, she becomes friendlier to her and even her peers at work.
- Dub Name Change: From "Geraldine Royer" to "Emiliana Perfetti" in the localized version of the game.
- Foil: Her more logical and no-nonsense approach to investigations contrasts her greatly with the more bombastic and instinctive yet equally astute Katrielle.
- The Gadfly: Surprisingly, despite her usual demeanor and attitude, she manages to pull a fast one on Katrielle, of all people, at the end of episode 40 and even had a lot of fun successfully playing her like a fiddle before leaving, much to Katrielle's annoyance.
- Got Me Doing It: Near the end of Episode 48, Emiliana found herself doing Katrielle's dramatic staring at the audience prior to explaining things with a straight face, no one else other than Sherl commenting on it.
- Gratuitous Italian: Given that she is Italian, she'll often throw around an "allora" or "va bene."
- Guest-Star Party Member: Works with Kat during investigations on occasion, and even solves a few puzzles while with you.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While she can act condescending toward Kat, she ultimately is willing to lie to Britannias and give Katrielle vital information to solve the murder she was accused of.
- The Profiler: A profiler by trade.
- The Rival: To Katrielle.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Constantly preaching how superior her profiling is to Kat's "Amature" sleuthing, despite Katrielle's constant sucess in piecing the mystery together. Sherl even lampshades how satisfying her superiority complex is more important to her solving the case.
- Tsundere: It's pretty clear she enjoys being around Katrielle the more time they spend time together, but she gets flustered whenever told this. She also dislikes when people notice she used to be more "severe" in personality at Scotland Yard.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: As much as she'd like to deny it, her relationship with Katrielle eventually becomes friendlier and less antagonistic over the course of the story, though not without some bickering from both their ends.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Has a huge fear of ghosts; which makes case 05 rather difficult for her, since it investigates a haunting.
- Subverted in the Anime where she was not present in the episode based on the case and not even afraid when she did show up in a later episode.
Chief Inspector Royall Britannias
The Chief Inspector for Scotland Yard, and a longtime friend of Inspector Hastings.
- Dirty Cop: While he may not be a murderer, he still manipulated the scene to look like a murder, framed Katrielle, and fully intended on putting her in jail for a crime she didn't commit, all so Hastings wouldn't outshine him.
- Good is Not Nice: While he's definitely abrasive, he's still Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector, and lines from Hastings implies he was once nice enough to be a good friend. Subverted, as it turns out he was the one behind the murder in Case 11. Then Double Subverted, or at least downplayed, as he didn't actual commit murder, and merely seized the opportunity to frame Katrielle after an accident.
- Green-Eyed Monster: His jealousy of Hastings' recent success is what motivates him to frame Katrielle for murder.
- Heel–Face Turn: He was introduced as a Jerkass who accuses and frames Katrielle for a murder she didn't commit just so he can outshine Hastings, but after a big talking to by everyone in the anime, he genuinely turns over a new leaf once he gets demoted and transferred to Southampton, where he starts fresh and even becomes a vital ally to Katrielle during the Relic Stone Mystery arc in the adaptation.
- Walking Spoiler: The fact that he was behind the incidents in Case 11 is a majority of what we know about him. Admittedly, part of that is
guessable as soon as he appears. The fact that he's not the murderer, however, then becomes one.
The Seven Dragons
Seven of London's wealthiest and most powerful. The Dragons in general
- The Conspiracy: Subverted. The title would imply that they're the main antagonists, but while they supposedly caused a man to suffer financial ruin, they actually wanted to help his family.
- Rags to Riches: Several of the Dragons came from humble beginnings before becoming London's elite.
- Riches to Rags: They're threatened with the loss of their fortunes in the climax if they fail to complete the puzzles, and one by one, they fail. Most of them don't seem to mind (except for Doublee, who owns much more than the rest), since they have other passions and duties. On the other hand, they were perfectly willing to hand over their fortunes because they all thought that Miles Richmond - AKA Ernest - was alive and well and surely trying to reclaim the fortune the Dragons were willing to give back in the first place.
Madame Gretchin Doublee
The business-focused Dragon. She is an enormous woman with wealth to match. Case 04 is dedicated to finding her lost Rexie-wexie.
- Big Fancy House: The first of the Dragons' manors we get to see.
- Dub Name Change: From "Scola Gulfretser".
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Her case could've been easier to solve had she told Kat from the very beginning that her pet is an iguana.
- Large and in Charge: A rather rotund woman, and the leader of the Seven Dragons. Several jokes involve defining her as a "larger than life" person, which she doesn't take as an offense but rather a compliment she's fine to run with.
- Pet Monstrosity: Has a pet iguana she dotes on very much, though Kat is initially led to believe it was a cat.
- Rich Bitch: Invoked. Although she looks certainly threatening, she is in fact a very nice woman who pretty much funds so many projects with her wealth. Come the final case, she's the only one who feels disheartened to lose all her fortune until she comes around to it.
Phineas T. Barnone
The entertainment-focused Dragon. He owns the Saveloy Theater. Case 03 is dedicated to finding a movie scene at his theater.
- Dub Name Change: From "Clark Gospeck".
Mayor Pipper Lowonida
The politics-focused Dragon. She is the mayor of London, and also loves festivals. Case 02 is dedicated to solving a murder at her favorite festival.
- Dub Name Change: From "Ridley Fremens".
- Freudian Excuse: When her father was alive, he used to make time for her by bringing her to festivals to spend time together. This and her Thrill Seeker attitude were what made her stage a fake murder to draw people to the unpopular Riverside Festival.
- Thrill Seeker: She very much enjoys suspenseful events and won't hesitate to participate in them. It's this attitude that made her orchestrate a fake murder with the help of her performing friends in order to save the Riverside Festival from getting cancelled in the following years for low visitor turnout.
Cesar Chance
The media-focused Dragon. He owns the London Times. Case 07 is dedicated to finding local celebrity Ratman to boost sales.
- Action Dad: Becomes this because of his baby.
- Cuteness Proximity: Whenever his baby is brought up, the man's stern attitude does a complete 180.
- Dub Name Change: From "Mark Scarloid".
- Punny Name: Cesar Chance basically sounds like "Sees a/our chance", or "Seize your chance".
- Refusal of the Call: He hung up his heroic antics the moment his baby was born. Katrielle practically scolds him for giving up on his role and convinces him to return as Ratman, alongside a crew of sidekicks.
- Secret Identity: Cesar is Ratman himself.
Liza Wight
The social-focused Dragon. She's a lonely heiress. Case 05 is dedicated to investigating the supernatural phenomena at her manor.
- Does Not Like Spam: She's not fond of vegetables or spicy foods.
- Dub Name Change: From "Andrea Quinto".
- Family Honor: Her motivation for joining the other Dragons in the climax.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Due to only having her butler, she yearns for company, so much so that she is the culprit of Case 05 by making up all six horror stories as excuses to invite investigators to her home for a chance for company. Thanks to Katrielle, Liza decides to open up an occult club to discuss the supernatural with other fans.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Her parents passed away recently, so she only has her butler for company.
- Punny Name: Her name means "lies are right," referencing the six tales she created. "Wight" is also an old English word for "specter."
- Sins of the Father: Since she was only a child ten years ago, she played no role in the alleged theft of the diamonds from Richmond's land, but feels that she must make her stand for the sake of her family's honor.
Grant Sloanes
The finance-focused Dragon. He owns Britain's largest bank. Case 06 is dedicated to finding a missing 100,000,000 pounds.
- Dub Name Change: From "Zack Lyle".
- Face of a Thug: One of the most physically intimidating Dragons.
- Punny Name: Grant Sloanes, owner of a bank, grants you loans.
Mustafa Fullhold
The shipping-focused Dragon. He's launching the Thametanic cruise liner. Case 08 is dedicated to finding the lost gold statue from the lounge.
- Benevolent Boss: Despite having a reputation as a ruthless businessman, he treats his employees well. He's not even mad that the entire Thametanic crew was in on stealing the statue, once he learns that they did so in order to reclaim their old ship after Mustafa granted them work on the Thametanic. As it turned out, Mustafa had already reclaimed their old ship and was planning to put them back on it.
- Call to Adventure: Although he is rich, his dream is to set out on adventures.
- Dub Name Change: From "Henri Ehzerland".
- Punny Name: Must Have a Full Hold, a very appropriate name for a shipping magnate.
Other Important Characters
Hans and Aleks Lipski
Hans
Aleks
A pair of brothers that Katrielle encounters at the start of the story. Hans repairs the Big Ben, while Aleks is a patissier.
- Dub Name Change: From Marc and Reggie Yanchatta, respectively.
- Starter Villain: While not evil, they're the culprits of the first case. After Hans dropped the clock hand, Aleks baked a replacement, but it ended up dissolving in the rain, hence why people thought it had been stolen.
Ratman
The powermouse of justice
A costumed superhero who makes the rounds in London. For more tropes associated with him, check Cesar Chance's folder.- Collective Identity: While he's initially a one-man operation, at the end of "Ratman Forever," several other individuals take up his mantle.
- Heroic Build: He appears to be a rather muscular individual, at least while in costume. It turns out that his true self, Cesar Chance doesn't look much like him when not in costume.
- Rhymes on a Dime: He speaks in rhyme, even when he has to fall back on painful rhymes.
Midas Shipman
Captain of the Thametanic.
- Easily Forgiven: To an extent. While he does serve time in prison for trying to steal the statue, Fullhold intends for him to once again captain his former cruise ship once he pays for the crime.
- Ungrateful Bastard: He ends up betraying his employer and trying to sell a priceless statue in order to buy back his cruise liner. Granted, he was unaware that Fullhold was holding onto it for safekeeping, or that he'd intended to help Shipman captain it again one day.
- Walking Spoiler: It's difficult to talk about his character without revealing that he's the mastermind behind the theft, alongside the entire crew.
Lord Adamas (Warning! Many spoilers)
A mysterious man whose identity is a mystery to all. Case 12 involves him inviting Professor Layton and the Seven Dragons to Richmond Manor for a puzzle party.
- Affably Evil: Well, Ambiguously Evil, admittedly, but he does intend to ruin the Dragons. However, he does give them a chance to solve the puzzles in the manor to earn their way out.
- Blatant Lies: It's fairly obvious by the signing that the whole party was just a charade to ruin the Dragons. By the end, it turns out even if they had somehow won, the Richmond Fortune doesn't even exist to be won.
- Easily Forgiven: Lampshaded. The Dragons completely forgive him for trying to ruin their lives over things they didn't even do. The fact that everyone around him told him they did might help explain it.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He was close to his deceased mother, who died of her illness sometime before the start of the story.
- Misplaced Retribution: By the time he's introduced, it's fairly clear to the player that the Dragons are ultimately decent people, if sometimes a little misguided. They didn't even do what Adamas accused them of doing in the first place, almost doing the exact opposite.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He says this almost verbatim upon learning the truth, complete with Tears of Remorse and a Pose of Supplication.
- The Voice: He doesn't appear physically for his guests, instead speaking to them from elsewhere. As it turns out, there's a good reason for that.
- Walking Spoiler: More than any other character/villain in the game. He's Maximillian Richmond's grandson, Miles, who's pursuing the Dragons as revenge for cheating his grandfather out of a great fortune in diamonds. If that wasn't enough, he's also Ernest Greeves, the main character's assistant and deuteragonist for the whole game.
