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Heroism and Rebellion

Animenia - Ace Attorney, by William "Suede" DuFresne

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Objection! On fundamental level, societies create laws to prevent citizens from abuse by others, but sometimes this not enough. In Shu Takumi's visual novel video game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, developed by Capcom titled Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten in its original Japanese version, decent people rise to fight for truth and justice within the confines of a broken legal system. The game takes place in a fictional near-future world where the judicial system, under the pressures of high crime rates and rising populations, has been altered for maximum efficiency. Criminals are treated as guilty before proven innocence, prosecutors work directly with the police department and have unbounded influence over witnesses and court evidence, and trials are limited to just three days before a verdict is given. The law no longer defends the innocent, but situations change when rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright enters the courtroom. Phoenix is fresh out of law school, and is far from ready to take on the law's dark underbelly, but when his mentor, Mia Fey, is murdered and her sister - a young spirit medium named Maya - is framed for the crime, he is forced to confront enemies far more powerful than himself as he defends Maya and then takes over Mia's law firm. One of these foes is his childhood friend, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, a bitter man who has an obsessive hatred of crime, and will resort to any methods whatsoever in order to get a guilty verdict, regardless of the defendant's innocence.

One aspect of Phoenix Wright that is important to understand is that while it is science fiction, the issues surrounding its story are meant to reflect real life controversies in Japanese society, and that this aspect of the Ace Attorney series as a whole is somewhat lost in the translation from Japanese to English. Phoenix Wright is not a translation of Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten, but rather a localization, meaning that the story has been slightly altered to reflect the culture of the language it is translated into. While the original takes place in its native Japan, the English version is set in the United States, and therefore the Americanized version of the story becomes less grounded in reality. Pop culture critic William "Suede" DuFresne, in his comedic review of the live action film Ace Attorney, (see annotated sections of video), explores this aspect of franchise's mythos, (DuFresne, "Animenia - Ace Attorney"). The court system of the game may be fictional, but it is grounded in the struggles that real people face. Phoenix's quest for the truth, for justice, is real. This makes his mission not only entertaining, but important.

Young and optimistic, Phoenix wants honest justice and is willing to fight for it - armed with the law, investigative skills, some peculiar friends, and limitless determination. The interactive story takes the player through two types of gameplay, consisting of investigations where the player searches for clues to the crime, and trials where the player points out contradictions in the testimonies of witnesses. Both of these play styles, in essence, are searches for the truth, and in this embodies the mission of the main character as he challenges the corrupt and flawed system he works within, and tries to save his friend Edgeworth from his own crooked ways.

With its ludic mechanics, a unique artistry and visual storytelling, strong characters, and an intense narrative, Phoenix Wright tells a tale of personal growth, redemption, and heroism in a world that seeks to destroy heroes. While it paints a picture of a dark world, its optimistic story leaves its players hopeful for the future, and professes that justice can always prevail over fraudulency.
Turnabout Narrative Phoenix Wright's elements of heroism and political reform are best brought out by the power of its narrative. And the first way the visual novel builds its narrative is by crafting its main characters and placing them in the context of their fictional universe.

As mentioned before, the world of Phoenix Wright is not dystopian, but is troubled by injustice. Each chapter involves a homicide and features violent imagery, and the individual cases expose the reader to a multitude of atrocities, ranging from suicide to corporate corruption involving figures such as the shady and powerful Redd White. Furthermore, the courts themselves are plagued by apathy and pessimism. Judges allows prosecutors to manipulate evidence and witness testimonies, murder cases are written off by the police as decided before the evidence is discussed in court, and defense attorneys such as Phoenix are actually discouraged from speaking up. The majority of figures seem to accept that the system is broken, and that the resolution of a crime is less important than reaching a final verdict in court. And this, dear readers, is where our hero comes in.

Phoenix Wright as a character in many ways has a simple heroic personality. He is compassionate, brave, uncompromisingly loyal and, and he consistently puts his reputation, career, and life on the line for the because he wants to defend those who others have been abandoned. Furthermore, he is likable! The comedy sections highlight how relatable the character is, and the player is routinely treated to moments of insecurity, clumsiness, confusion, and irritation that bring out the character's simple humanity. While this type of hero is far from realistic, he proves to be the hero that his world needs. A noble, albeit naïve, person untainted by corruption who does what is right no matter what.

Phoenix's supporting characters also serve important roles in the narrative, and in particular his primary antagonist, Miles Edgeworth. Mia and Maya Fey countless times prove invaluable as guides, allies, and friends of Phoenix, and as the game progresses Phoenix gains the support of friends such as lovable idiots Detective Dick Gumshoe and Larry Butz - illustrating that even a downtrodden underdog attorney has people to stand by him in a cruel world. Miles Edgeworth, however, has a story of his own. He is in many ways a character foil of Phoenix himself. Edgeworth is the one who inspired Phoenix to become a lawyer. He originally wanted to be a defense attorney, but his father was murdered in a tragic incident, leaving the supposed killer walking away free and the true murderer unknown for fifteen years, and this sent Edgeworth's life in a different direction. The two journeys that Phoenix and Edgeworth go through during the game, both as friends and as rivals, make up the very core of the story.

But they also represent something more than that. As mentioned, previously, Phoenix Wright at its core is a satire of Japanese law, and therefore the contrasting ideologies of Phoenix and Edgeworth are emblematic of the faults of Japan's legal system and the changes that are needed for the system to heal itself.

As Suede argues in his review of the Ace Attorney movie, when viewing the narrative as a whole one can see an intense focus on maturity, victory over incredible odds, and redemption, (DuFresne, "Animenia - Ace Attorney"). As the game goes on, it raises the stakes of Phoenix's ordeals with each trial, and each time the hero comes closer and closer to reaching his breaking point. Remembering how likable and purely heroic Phoenix is, in some moments it becomes heartbreaking and nerve-racking to think that one wrong statement by the prosecution could end with the guilty verdict. Because of his likability and simple character, the reader wants Phoenix to win, and it becomes all the more satisfying every time he does succeed. Meanwhile, with every case, Edgeworth finds himself coming closer and closer to redemption. In one chapter, he subtly helps Phoenix break a confession out of a guilty witness (Takumi, "Turnabout Samurai"), and eventually he is able to confront his tragic past and find peace within himself ("Turnabout Goodbyes"). The once "demon attorney" starts to realize that he and his talents could be used for greater purposes, and starts to see people's capacity for good, and the possibility to change the legal system for the better.

The narrative of Phoenix Wright, with its lovable and fascinating characters, and uplifting message that individuals can accomplish change by standing up for what's right, shows the value of heroism in the real world, as harsh as it can be.