Top 10 Most Underutilized Original Series Characters in the Apollo Justice Trilogy

This blog entry contains Ace Attorney spoilers. 

One of the main complaints about Apollo Justice and its sequels- Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice- is that few of the original games' cast returns, and the ones that do- Phoenix and Ema- don't feel like their old selves. In this list, I will rank the top ten characters who deserved more of a role in the sequel trilogy.

For this list, I will be judging characters based on the following criteria.

1. Role: The character's role in the Apollo Justice trilogy compared to the Phoenix Wright trilogy; characters who have a great role in the latter and a small(or nonexistent) one in the former will rank highly.
2. Importance: How important the character is to the narrative. Obviously, recurring characters will be given preference over minor characters from a single case.
3. Reason for being absent. If a character has a justifiable reason for not showing up, such as being dead or in prison, they won't appear. Additionally, if their character arc has concluded, they are less likely to rank high on the risk.
4. Unexplored Potential: Any further roles the character has left to play in the storyline.

Now for the list.

10: Maggey Byrde

Maggey is one of the most frequent defendants/murder suspects in the series, being charged with murder in "The Lost Turnabout," "Recipe for Turnabout" and "Turnabout Visitor."

Maggey is relatively low on the list due to being a minor character, and it's possible that the writers didn't want to recycle defendants too often.

9. Lana Skye

At the end of Lana's debut case, she's saved from being convicted of murder, but at the cost of being exposed as Gant's accomplice over the years, albeit as a blackmail victim. She ends up going to prison, but she remains determined to redeem herself and assist Ema somehow.

It's unclear how long her sentence was, but considering that Adrian Andrews got out on parole in less than a year, it seems unlikely that Lana would be locked up for more than seven years.

8. Adrian Andrews

Adrian is one of the better examples of character development for a secondary character in Ace Attorney. When she's first introduced in "Turnabout Goodbyes," she seems cold and no-nonsense, but as the trial goes on, it's a mask to hide her "codependency"(not the right word, but that's beside the point), and suicidal grief over the loss of her mentor. By the end of the trial, she's come to terms with herself, and after serving a brief jail sentence for tampering with the crime scene, she returns in the following game as a changed woman- clumsy but cheerful and earnest.

It would have been nice to see how she changed over time, or learn more about her apparent friendship with Franziska, but apparently, the developers thought her story was over.

7. Mia Fey

Yes, Mia has been dead since the second case, but she's the most frequently channeled character, so perhaps she could make an appearance.

On the other hand, Phoenix has long since learned to stand on his own, so perhaps Mia decided that he doesn't need her anymore and chose to pass on.

6. Miles Edgeworth

I figured I should mention him, given his importance to Phoenix's life. He's the one who inspired Phoenix to become a lawyer, both by saving him in the class trial and by becoming the "Demon Prosecutor," someone Phoenix wants to redeem. He plays a role in every game Phoenix stars in, apart from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, where he isn't even mentioned.

That said, because Edgeworth plays a significant role in Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice, I decided that he wasn't as deserving of a spot on the list as the other five.

5. Pearl Fey

Pearl debuted in Justice For All, as Maya's young cousin. She served as Phoenix's investigation partner when Maya was otherwise unavailable, especially when Maya was charged with murder("Reunion, and Turnabout"), kidnapped("Farewell, my Turnabout") or otherwise in peril("Bridge to the Turnabout").

Pearl often aggressively shipped Phoenix with Maya, and often fiercely slapped him whenever he seemed remotely interested in another woman. One can only imagine how she feels about this now that Phoenix has an adoptive daughter, Trucy.

Pearl is low on the list due to appearing in "Turnabout Reclaimed" and "Turnabout for Tomorrow," and not being as important as Maya in the best of times.

4.Franziska von Karma

While Franziska is one of the less popular prosecutors, at least when judged by her role in her debut game, Capcom's writers seem to have gotten a better idea of what to do with her character in subsequent titles. She gradually shows a softer side over time, such as developing a friendship with Adrian Andrews or showing sympathy for Sebastian, another prosecutor whose father turned out to be a criminal

That said, Franziska's primary relationship is with Miles Edgeworth, and her rivalry with Phoenix is mainly based around Phoenix's ties with Edgeworth. She edges out Pearl due to not appearing at all, but isn't higher because she has understandable reasons for not appearing in games where Edgeworth doesn't play a major role.

3.Iris

Iris is a prime example of an underutilized character, and is the only character on this list who only appears in a single case. To put a long story short, she dated Phoenix for six months while posing as her sister, and came to fall in love with him. Phoenix, who'd been deeply scarred by Dahlia's betrayal, only realized the truth at the end of the trial in "Bridge to the Turnabout," and then concluded that Iris had always been the person he thought she'd been.

Unfortunately, Iris is never seen again after that, nor is she so much as mentioned for the rest of the series. One might imagine that she's still in prison, but considering that Adrian Andrews was charged with a similar crime and got out in time for Trials and Tribulations, it's unlikely that Iris got seven or more years in prison without the possibility of parole.

That said, it's possible that while Phoenix appreciates her thinking of him, he doesn't return her feelings, and thus her arc is concluded. The same can be said of Adrian, but she's much lower due to her lack of connection with a main character.

2.Dick Gumshoe

For the Phoenix Wright trilogy, Gumshoe was the primary- and only detective. While none too bright, he nevertheless could be a useful ally in a pinch, especially when Edgeworth was in danger.

Unfortunately, Gumshoe is one of the few recurring characters who doesn't appear at all after the seven-year timeskip, with his last appearance being in the flashback part of Turnabout Storyteller.

Gumshoe nearly got the top by virtue of his absence, but the #1 candidate did actually appear in the sequel trilogy, and had a more important role. Additionally, while Gumshoe works under Franziska, Godot and Klavier, most of the time, Edgeworth isn't far from the action, so it's a bit harder to justify keeping him around.

And now for the #1 pick. By now, you might be able to guess who it is if you're familiar with Ace Attorney...

1.Maya Fey

From the start of the second case, Maya has been one of the most important characters in Phoenix's life and legal career. By channeling her sister's spirit or other actions, she's ensured some of Phoenix's early legal victories. She's also a dear friend, and the thought of her coming to harm drives Phoenix to despair in "Farewell, My Turnabout."

As such, it's more than a little odd that she disappears between Phoenix taking Zak's case and the final case of Dual Destinies, in which she sends a letter to Phoenix. Perhaps she is training to become Master of Kurain, but one would think that Phoenix, being unemployed, would have more than enough free time to visit her once in a while.

Spirit of Justice was supposed to be Maya's triumphant return to the franchise, but she only appears in two cases, and plays a far smaller role than one might expect. She reprises her role as the defendant in the third trial, and spends most of the fifth trial absent. She's matured over the course of the timeskip, but it would have been nice for her to get a larger role in the story.

Conclusion

Because all the characters on the list have significant fanbases, or at least reasons to be present in Phoenix's life, the fanbase is understandably disappointed by their absence. Two solutions exist to this problem- either bring them back and do them justice, or make a spinoff  with entirely new characters. The former may be possible if future games are made in the Phoenix continuity, but the latter may be why Capcom made The Great Ace Attorney. In any case, all fans of these characters can do is hope for the day they receive the screentime and character development they deserve..