The Ace Attorney series holds relatively true to the happenings of the Japanese criminal justice system, except some scenarios are localized and exaggerated for the sake of video game drama and suspense. Moreover, since its first release in 2001, procedures in Japanese courts have changed. This leads players to believe that the game is inaccurate.
While the legal accuracy of Ace Attorney isn’t always perfect, the series does still cover some very real legal issues. And you thought Ace Attorney was just a game.
In the Ace Attorney series (excluding the spin-off, Ace Attorney Investigations ), the player assumes the part of a defense attorney. The focus is on Criminal Law, which perhaps appeals more to the public. After all, who would want to defend a husband against his wife in a divorce?
In Ace Attorney, though, hearsay runs rampant. In fact, the whole body of evidence law got flung out the window somewhere because our heroic defense counsel in the games routinely pick up garbage off the floor and submit it as critical evidence the next day in court. Chain of custody obviously means nothing to these lawyers.
Double Jeopardy in Ace Attorney The Double Jeopardy Clause means that if someone is prosecuted once for a crime, they can’t be prosecuted again for the same crime. It doesn’t matter whether they were acquitted or convicted. This is true both under the American Law system and the Japanese Law system.
To begin with, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is an exceptional satire of Japan's judicial system. Japan, unlike the US, has a system of “guilty until proven innocent”. If one is accused of a crime and brought into Japan's court, there is a 99% chance of conviction.
Changing to Japanese Voices in Great Ace Attorney Chronicles You can change the options either from the title screen, or by bringing up the menu with the + button. Then, go to the Language tab, and press left or right on the d-pad to toggle between the English or Japanese language.
Gyakuten SaibanIn the "Ace Attorney" game series (known as "Gyakuten Saiban" in Japan) players take on the role of a defense attorney who fights for the lives of his wrongfully accused clients.
Phoenix "Nick" Wright, known as Ryūichi Naruhodō (Japanese: 成歩堂 龍一, Hepburn: Naruhodō Ryūichi) in the original Japanese language versions, is a fictional defense attorney in Capcom's Ace Attorney video game series....Phoenix WrightOccupationDefense attorney, pianist, poker player13 more rows
I highly recommend playing the English version of The Great Ace Attorney —as a thoughtful engagement with the Japanese text, filled with rich and vibrant English, it's a new artistic high for video game localization.
Phoenix Wright is a series of games created in Japan for the Game Boy Advance.
His case gave Wright the only guilty verdict in his entire law career, while Wright earned the other client an acquittal. He was also one of only two clients not to be acquitted by Wright, the other being Zak Gramarye due to the latter's escape before a verdict could be given.
While Edgeworth does not appear in person in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, in later games he is mentioned as still being in contact with Wright after he lost his attorney's badge, as well as seeing his daughter Trucy's magic shows from time to time.
[4-4 cont] (#s "So he forged the evidence 1. to give Kristoph a taste of his own medicine, and 2. to introduce Apollo to the reality of the courts and the ugly truths that he's working to change. He needs to shatter Apollo's rose-tinted glasses in order to get him to join his fight, essentially.
Maya FeyJapanese nameAyasato MayoiAgePW:AA: 17 PW:JFA: 18 PW:T&T: 19 PW:SOJ: 28OccupationSpirit Medium in trainingFamilyMother: Misty Fey Sister: Mia Fey Aunt: Morgan Fey Cousin: Iris Cousin: Dahlia Hawthorne Cousin: Pearl Fey1 more row•Jul 25, 2020
Mia FeyJapanese nameAyasato ChihiroAgePW:AA: 27 (deceased) PW:T&T: 24 in flashback caseOccupationDefense AttorneyFamilyMother: Misty Fey Sister: Maya Fey Aunt: Morgan Fey Cousin: Iris Cousin: Dahlia Hawthorne Cousin: Pearl Fey Boyfriend: Diego Armando (Godot)1 more row•Jul 25, 2020
2:219:01Why Did Phoenix Wright Become a Hobo? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGame possibly suggesting the two maintain their friendship. A quick side note around 8 years ago iMoreGame possibly suggesting the two maintain their friendship. A quick side note around 8 years ago i tried to make phoenix's hat myself and practically lived in the thing until my early 20s.
In the world of “Ace Attorney,” the statute of limitations for murder is seven years, which is shockingly low when you stop to think about it. That means that, if you murdered someone at the first screening of “Despicable Me,” you could not be charged in the present day. Only the minions would know what you’ve done.
In order to increase stakes, the “Ace Attorney” protagonists often find themselves in a case personally relevant to them. Sometimes a close friend is the victim, other times a companion is framed — if you’re lucky, you could be settling a traumatic childhood event, too. Regardless, this is the extra incentive to get these underdog lawyers in the game.
Certainly, a defense attorney suddenly turning away from the suspect and claiming that “They are, in fact, guilty” would be fascinating, to say the least. Though, fortunately for the defendant — and unfortunately for drama junkies like me — this cannot happen. Legally, anyways.
In practice, this is not too far from the truth — at least, it’s not as far as I thought it was. There are procedures in place to ensure court can go on without the defendant, as the defendant is not necessarily expected to testify or provide quirky character exchanges as they do in the video game-world. The consequences, however, are much more severe: A warrant would be issued for the missing defendant’s arrest, as not attending your trial is considered a fairly hefty crime on its own. In other words, I wouldn’t advise it — we only offer the most practical of advice here at The Stanford Daily.
While real court does not enlist knights, this game series allows you to don the armor in a setting more familiar than ancient kingdoms or haunted ghost ships. This is something that all of us are drawn to.
Although "Ace Attorney" is an entertaining game, it is by no means an accurate depiction of the legal system (MARK YORK/The Stanford Daily).
Reality runs on a different set of logic. It is not the attorney’s job to decide the client’s fate; that responsibility goes to the judge and jury. Such a heel-turn would be met with heavy consequences for the defense attorney to say the least.
Ace Attorney follows rookie lawyer Phoenix Wright (and later, other lawyers under his employ) as he takes on various cases, defending his innocent clients as they are falsely accused of crimes, all the while battling his rival prosecutors.
It started in 2001, and went on to have six main games and 5 spin-offs, its latest installment releasing in 2017.
Between 2005 and 2016, almost all Ace Attorney games have been released in the West, the exceptions being the second Miles Edgeworth spin-off game and the two Great Ace Attorney spin-offs . In the Western releases of the games, the entire story is localized, the setting being changed from Japan to the United States, and the characters being renamed accordingly.
The influence of Japanese culture on the Ace Attorney world is indisputable. Localization has inserted American pop culture references, and characters often vaguely assert that events happen "here in this country," yet, in reality, the world of Phoenix Wright is distinctly Japanese. Assisted on his adventures by two Hakama-clad spirit mediums, Phoenix ("Nick" to his friends) draws special powers from his "magatama," a traditional Japanese symbol. Japanese flavor pervades the whole environment. The top TV shows are the Steel Samurai and the Jammin' Ninja; our heroes seem to be constantly snooping around Shinto/Buddhist temples; and a deranged Japanese nationalist is encountered throwing seeds at birds in the local park. It is only natural that the courts also mirror their Japanese counterparts. Juries are virtually unknown and major criminal cases are decided by professional judges based on evidence presented by defense attorneys and state prosecutors. ”
In the Ace Attorney world, the lawyers go out into crime scenes themselves, picking up evidence themselves while law enforcement awkwardly tries to keep people out of areas. Phoenix often finds major pieces overlooked (like a camera in a teddy bear or a discarded firearm in a vent.) Reports are unfinished and updated through the trial. Falsification of evidence also looms a lot. Nothing like this would fly in the real world, even in the Japanese criminal justice system.
To get a guilty verdict, they must have a numerical majority, including one of the three judges. In North America, the jury hands down the verdict and must be unanimous (excluding Oregon and Louisiana.) Jurors or lay judges aren’t present at all in Ace Attorney except, as said above, in the fourth game.
There’s a rule in the Phoenix Wright courts: three days to find a verdict. A person arrested in the Ace Attorney is put on trial and they must be found guilty or innocent in three days. That simply does not happen… at least, in the United States.
It is a satire about the ethical and legal ramifications of the Japanese judicial system. There was a pretty interesting article on the topic some time ago; here is a citation from it:
In the real world, this is a crime. Both the prosecution and the defense have to disclose their evidence before the trial begins to ensure it isn’t fabricated, and to ensure that both the prosecution and the defense can prepare for cross-examination of the witnesses. It’s called disclosure.
these are all ( technically because rfta is only kind of the last case in aa1) the final cases of their respective games. it’s really hard for me to choose one as the best… personally, i might love turnabout goodbyes the most? but they’re all really amazing, imo.