Even in fanfiction, Ace Attorney has no shortage of thoroughly unlikable characters.
Spoilers will be unmarked, but put under the folders in which the Walking Spoiler Hate Sink characters appear.
This list is incomplete, so feel free to add other examples.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Conflict of Interest
- Kristoph Gavin is just as much of a bastard as he is in canon. Determined to win no matter what, he willingly and gleefully participates in a trial with the end result of falsely accusing an innocent man in order for a dangerous mobster to go free. Under his sophisticated and soft-spoken persona, he slowly reveals what a narcissistic and condescending man he is, belittling and taunting Obidiah Williamson as he condemns his star witness to a lifetime imprisonment. A perfect example of how a heroic occupation doesn't mean a heroic character, Gavin more than provides Obidiah with a Freudian Excuse for why he has so little faith in defence attorneys.
- Michael Rivales is the second case's Asshole Victim. A cruel and ruthless mobster, he murdered everyone unfortunate enough to cross him, including having a father executed in front of his young daughter. Lacking basic empathy for his underlings, he rules the Rivales family with an iron fist, oozing cruelty and hatred out of every word and action. The only reason anyone is concerned about his death is due to the brutal nature of it, rather than the fact he was killed, as even the law enforcement are grateful someone killed him.
- Nathen Togamera is Beware the Silly Ones personified. A conspicuous and loudmouthed FBI agent made to be as obstructive and irritating as possible, he originally seems overzealous yet harmless. This turns out to be far from the case. In cahoots with the mob, he's participated in multiple assassinations and murdered an innocent man to cover his tracks, framing the victim's best friend as the suspect. Creating a flame war to conceal his tracks, he then attempts to murder a teenager, only failing because someone else killed him first. An arrogant and ruthless man who sees himself as superior to everyone around him, he holds up the courtroom at gunpoint rather than surrender to the police, showing that he's a Dirty Coward nowhere near as impressive as he believes himself to be.
- Morton Dreisan/Carlo Luciano is the game's Big Bad, and a man as unlikable as he is evil. Not satisfied with merely killing his targets, he prefers to psychologically torment them by ruining their lives and killing the people closest to them. After fulfilling his sadistic urges with his victims, he moves on to others to repeat the process. A man with no loyalty or charm whatsoever, he targets fellow mobsters for reasons ranging from petty to understandable yet overly cruel. As Morton Dreisan, he seems odd yet decent until his true colors show. He lacks charisma and compassion, making cruel jokes about Mark Watter's deceased wife, who he murdered. Taunting the court as he recounts his cruelty, his last action as a free man is to attempt to murder Phoenix Wright and Mark Watters for catching him, laughing manaically as he does so.
- Francisco Mendirez may not be quite as evil as Luciano, but he's no less unlikable. Killing his fellow mobsters including his own uncle to rise the ranks of the Rivales family, he inadvertedly sets the game's events into motion by gouging out Luciano's eye, giving the assassin the motive to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Tricking Phoenix Wright into accepting him as a client, he does nothing but make life more difficult for the lawyer. When it seems like he may face justice for his actions, he wriggles his way out by turning on Luciano, only doing so to save his own skin and gain sympathy amongst the court.
Ace Attorney: Beyond the Shadows
- Wesley Stickler is a rare example of a Hate Sink who isn't evil in any way or even that bad of a person, just an insanely obnoxious idiot who makes things difficult for everyone. Unable to understand why people are repulsed by his actions, he goes off in tangents and makes life difficult for Apollo and Athena while taking the Be as Unhelpful as Possible trope to ludicrous extremes. With his worst traits in Apollo Justice:Ace Attorney taken up to eleven, he's a thinly veiled Take That! to the character, who the author obviously loathes. When he's mocked and berated in court, it's hard to feel sorry for him due to how insufferable he comes off across, making it feel almost cathartic when he's lashed out against.
- Matt Doore is the weak link of the Mags crime syndicate, and one of the most unlikable members, despite being rather standard in his actions. Murdering his co-worker on his boss' orders, he's too cowardly to face the consequences, hiding behind others to help him get out of his own mess. Showing what an Ungrateful Bastard he is, he attempts to betray his own boss to save his own skin, being killed instead for his treachery. An Asshole Victim through and through, he's a spineless coward to the very end.
- Nathan Mags may be incredibly charismatic, but it does little to hide how odious he really is. Fancying himself as The Chessmaster, he orchestrates a series of murders against his own employees and police officers to rise through the ranks of the mob, attempting to murder Phoenix Wright when confronted by him. Seeing himself as above the law, he blames others for his shortcomings and puts his hedonistic desires before the wellbeing of others, using his former poverty as his excuse for evil. He ends up helping Apollo, but only so he can attempt to orchestrate a Miscarriage of Justice, using his testimony to gloat about his heinous deeds and gaslight and torment Apollo. A power hungry sadist whose obsession with being recognised for his insidious deeds negates any likable or charming traits he may otherwise have, he's a Smug Snake with a pretentious facade and a Social Darwinist with no loyalty to anyone but himself.
- "Judge" is like Judge without any noble, honest, or likeable traits. Accepting bribes from killers if it fills his pockets enough, he obstructs cases and enables murderers to continue their reign of terror. Being inept at his job, he's easily outsmarted by the defense and forced to do his job properly due to being pathetic enough to cower after being given one "The Reason You Suck" Speech. Evil yet nowhere near endearing enough to give his awful acts any charm, he shows how even the most unimpressive criminal can prosper if left unchecked and supported by corrupt businessmen.
- Vito Rivales is charismatic and powerful, yet that slips away more and more as the case goes on. A neglectful parent, he drives his own son into becoming a ruthless psychopath by discarding him for not living up to his expectations. Knowing that his cancer is killing him, he takes to court to try and get his guilty son cleared of suspicion while not taking any responsibility for how his actions caused his son's descent into villainy. After being arrested for his crimes, he demonstrates that he's a petty and selfish man by mocking and taunting Apollo, much like he's done to his son.
- Tristan Rivales is Vito's son, and even worse than him in terms of unlikability. While his gloomy teenager persona is entertaining, it becomes clear it's not his true personality. Upset that he's being overlooked as the successor to the family, he murders the next in line after being insulted by him. Boasting about his power despite having done nothing worthy of bragging about, he's a pathetic failure who relies on his father to bail him out of trouble, despite singlehandedly destroying the Rivales family due to his stupidity and entitlement. A Smug Snake who goes down in an instant in court, he's a Spoiled Brat who proves that his father was right about him being unworthy to continue the family legacy.
A Game of Turnabouts
- Ken Forza is a rare male example of a Gold Digger. While he's quite likeable for most of the game, the ending changes things completely. It's revealed he only ever dated Isla Strater to mooch off her family fortune. Upset about her death due to no longer being able to get her money anymore, he only returns to her father's mansion to get back into his good graces. Ungrateful Bastard he is, he doesn't even care she was trying to protect him, cruelly mocking her sacrifice to a disgusted Athena.
- Ronald Barre is a distrubingly realistic portrayal of Domestic Abuse and a ruthless murderer. A CEO of a social networking site, he blames its massive data breach on everyone apart from himself. Killing his supposed best friend's daughter to cover his tracks, he coldly stays close to him to make sure he doesn't become suspicious. When Arkus Strater does turn on him, he forces his emotionally battered wife to commit murder on his behalf while still treating her like garbage. A cruel Jerkass even from his first appearance, he's easily the most hatable of Gizmological's characters.
