1) : Just look at any reason that involves epicness and badassery. That's why.
2) : Without him, no school trial, no school trial, no PW series.
3) : Maya and Nick would be DEAD at 1-3 sans him.
4) : Up until 1-4, he's just Edgeworth at a super level minus the tragic childhood. Without Phoenix, this might be where Edgy ended up.
5) : Not as much a Mary Sue as claimed, and her flaws are pretty interesting in contrast with her virtues.
6) : Solely for the science investigation segments.
7) : Best. Theme. EVER.
8) :Character development. She has it.
9) :Seriously. We need more mothers as devoted as she is to her sister.
10) : W00t for swimmin'

10) : Fantabilliterate!
9) : My problem with this guy is-*falls asleep*
8) : Well the Prosecution said it, so it must be true. Mr. Wright, if you disagree, prove other wise, layout who did it, lay out why, and lay out how. No, I don't care that the defendant could not have done it, if you fail at the final hurdle, you are wrong and must be discounted.
7) : A-a girl kissed me, and I-I-I uh, kinda liked it...
6) : I was shoe-horned into a game with a new protagonist, and the ONLY WAY I could POSSIBLY return was to make the PW series irrelevant.
5) : Yeah, and I'm the dick that made it happen!
4) : Oh, you have a question? Hold on, let me break game flow so I can while about burning hemmeroids (sp) of agony!
3) Zak: See Kristoph.

2) : I'm a gonna abandon my son to get my stupid self in a love triangle, then chose the dick, then go blind so people love me rather than call me out on that bullshit.
1) : Oh no, the media doesn't love me. See ya Mia and Maya, have fun with the crazy lady who I subverted to become the Master of Kurain. She won't kill you for power, there's no history of that shit happening, nope not at all! Oh, god, she's trying to kill Maya, I never saw this coming! I'm going to half-ass a plan so I can get out-witted by a nine-year-old and then channel the spirit who will kill Maya, but take no precautions because I'm that smart! Oh, and then, when I die, people will forget my flaws and wuv me so!

Yes, I'm aware of the slight contradiction of having her co-conspirators being in my top ten. Bah.

10. Diego Armando
9. Maggey Byrde
8. Larry Butz
7. Detective Gumshoe
6. Mike Meekins
5. Winston Payne
4. Gregory Edgeworth
3. Phoenix Wright
2. Ema Skye
1. Miles Edgeworth

10. Lana Skye
9. Jake Marshall
8. Kristoph Gavin
7. Iris
6. April May
5. Valant Gramayre
4. Daryaaaaaaan
3. Dahlia Hawthorne
2. Sal Manella
1. Wendy Oldbag

10. We don't get to meet the REAL her, but....the poor thing died in her sister's car accident. And she loves the occult O_O <3

9. <33 I love Redd. He pwn'd Phoenix in the face. and he's probably Richard's father too but shhh. Plus without him, the series would be lame. Mia would keep bailing Phoenix out.

8. Dustin Prince. Yeah I know, not much info for him and all that crap. But I swear my headcanon says that he and Richard dated.

7. yes <3 She's not only hot, but snarky. And that turns me on XDDDD

6. MIAAAAAA <33333 I love Mia. She's smart and she has nice tits. X3

5. I love her ;; She's so cute but deadly. Her story made me sad, too D: And I love her theme song <3

4. ZVARRI. He's awesomely eccentric, and he is full of WIN. WIN I SAY.

3. asdfasdfgasdfg TURNER GREY. Honestly, you people who think he's too negative? Shut your facehole and take a look at Edgeworth. I mean not only is he smart (let's face it. He's a doctor. That means he's smart.), he had to guts to try and use the Kurain Channeling Technique to get the truth from his 'dead nurse'. srsly? Awesome.

2. Eeeeeheeeeeheeee. He's so cute. Everyone finds him creepy but I fail to see how that is so. Yeah he likes April's boobs. What man in that case DIDN'T besides Edgeworth? 8D and he's so eager to help out. krjgkfjkgdjflgf he melted my little heart. I'd hit that. >3

1. well gee who saw that one coming. 8D I love him. I loves the Richard. Not only is he fucking sexy and I want to bend him over the witness stand and fuck him with a strapon, but he has the balls to beat the shit out of Phoenix with a fire extinguisher. *I* wanted to do that. Also, the person who said he had dumb hair and a disturbing face? Hell. Go to it. k, thx.

10- : He is a very well constructed villain, plus he was very amusing at times. Props from well done theme music.

9 - : At times I liked his character even more than PW era Phoenix. Plus his sprite animations very much amused me.

8 - : I find her to be somewhat overrated due to her fanbase, but she is what I would look for in a assistant. Clever, amusing and attentive to detail. Plus she could easily be one of the most tragic character in future games if Capcom tried hard enough.

7 - : The thought of nearly being killed by Darke, along with losing true contact with Lana due to Gant made me feel real sorry for her character. Aside from that she's quite amusing and cute.

6 - : A woman who I truly felt sorry for in 2-4. I believe she is strong on both the inside and outside, but she really does need someone in her life. She had to ordeal Engarde who took advantage of her to satisfy his desires. Plus the way she turned around in 3-2 makes her a very respectable character.

5 - : There are some villains who are so well thought out that you have to love their character. He is everything you would want in a final case villain, smart, person of huge authority, and very amusing at times.

4 - : The complaints about her being a mary-sue/dull are idiotic. She is extremely developed if you look hard enough already.

3 - : More developed in AJ than in his era. He has become someone you can look up to, wise, amusing and brings that sense of reality and how you have to adjust to severe change in your live. Plus I feel he has been a great father to Trucy.

2 - : You respect Edgeworth more than Phoenix in my opinion. He thought he had murdered his own father for 15 years, had been slipped forged evidence which started the near destruction of his life and has the knowledge and ability to not give up without a true fight in court. He would be the prosecutor I would want to have on my side.

1 - : The most respectable character in all of Ace Attorney. You see a very well done cold shell of her when you first meet her and as you proceed through the case you see the true relationship between Ema and Lana. The burden of presenting forged evidence and being Gant's puppet took a huge toll on her that I'm wondering what she did to cope. Plus seeing her smile at the end of Rise From The Ashes made me very happy.

10. - : Someone I feel not only has a very moronic fanbase for some reason but doesn't have anything to him that his fans keep presenting in posts and topic. An okay character at best.

9. - : I hate young gangsta punks. I really, really do HATE THEIR GUTS.

8. - : A total blond bimbo who I cant see going anywhere in life to be honest.

7. - : Pearl was okay in GS2 but I found her to be a real stuck-up twithead who only wants things done her way to be honest. You do not slap someone just because he doesn't fall in love with someone. Pathetic.

6. - : Another prime example of a dumb-ass bimbo but has pink hair. She's too psycho once you dig just a bit and will never satisfy myself.

5 - She may have had tragic things occur in her life, but the way she turned into a total bitch really turned me off. Plus her innocent mask really turns me off.

4 - : Abandoned both Apollo and Trucy just because she felt ashamed that she was shot in a accident. A woman who is just pathetic in general.

3 - : There are some villains you love and some you hate, Redd White is an example of someone you hate. His personality was so fucking irritating along with the tactics he used to obtain power.

2 - : Probably the most overrated character in Ace Attorney. Actually starts holding your hand halfway through the trail, never grew as a character and hasn't shown me a reason to actually appreciate his character.

1 - : Fucking bastard. Drove a happy woman to suicide, tore apart a very strong woman and has that whole celebrity atmosphere and personality which I can not stand. AAARRGH!

10 Pretty much the only thing that kept me through playing AJ. I found her to be really endearing, and a much better improvement over Maya.
9 I lied, I also played to see more of his sexiness e_e; What can I say, I can fangirl too....
8 She really shone through with her shenanagins in 2-2, the fact she back talked to Morgan gives her bonus points.
7 A character who deserved more screen time, the creepy aura she has about her is very cool, not to mention the whole mafia thing
6 Despite the OMG NICKxMAYA FOREVAR! I found her to be quite adorable, you can never stay angry at pearls for long.
5 The cuteness kills... plus he reminds me of my Boyfriend.... *minus the whole alter theif ego bit*
4 Partialy for the tragic backstory, and the other half for the spacey character you love to hate.
3 The one and original, and his 180 in AJ is what almost made me not want to play it.
2 My original favorite; I liked her for her no-nonsence additude and her whip lashing in game that led to many lawl-fests.
1 The simple fact that she reminds of GLaDOS, and is a character that is unnappreciated, and needed more screen time... here's hoping for AJ 2.....

10 The smug scale is OVER 9000! Seriously, half way through TaT I was wanting to stick pin needles into his mask. convict innocent people just to one up Phoenix? Boo Godot Boo!
9 yeah, everything about him is pathetic and annoying. Why can't HE be the murder victim for case 1 of a game?
8 Horrible pixalation, not to mention the boobage on this chick is horendous... why... just... augh....
7 Mostly for her ungratefulness to Gumshoe in case 3-3, the little tramp is so ungrateful >:O
6 I like to pretend that Phoenix died... and this guy just happens to be named Phoenix e_e;;
5 ......... everyone else has explained why this makes it onto the list.
4 He killed Mia, not to mention... his fashion sense is horrible, and his ego meter is OVER 9000!
3 Smug b@stard who plays Lana for a fool, and kills Jake's brother, not to mention many others, all the meanwhile maquerading as the Police Chief....
2 No, just... no... the simple fact he was my first enemy in any PW game (bought JFA first) comletely put a bad chip on my shoulder
1 An otherwise interesting character is ruined with the most horendous character design ever....

SO CUTE CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT HER. KILL HER. CUT OPEN HER Y***** AND STUFF IN UP HER LITTLE C*** THEN SHOVE THAT SAME C*** UP HER LITTLE A** WHILE SUCKING YOUR OWN G**** AND KILLING E*** AND S* AND ALL KINDS OD F****** LITTLE K**** D**** h** R*** F*** U**** I**** MAYA M*****K GANT AND G**** Z** R****8
G**** G***** G***** J***** Q**** DIGITAL CAMERA D*** T**** AND F*** C**** MILKSHAKE R****** TRUST THE MIDAS TOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!111

10: Iris. She spent all that time with Phoenix, pretending to be Dahlia. If she truly loved him, she would have been able to stop being Dahlia's b***h for two seconds to tell Phoenix the truth.

9: Marvin Grossberg. He was kind of helpful in 1-2, but all he talked about was lemons. Then in 3-1, all he talked about was his buttocks and his hemmorhoids.

8: Turner Grey. Just... not funny. He was really annoying, and he was the only victim that I didn't feel sorry for.

7: Maya Fey. *Dodges bullets* She's too popular. She's too annoying. She's too unhelpful. And she shouldn't have to have a clone to be the Defense Aide just because she happens to not be in the case.

6: Sal Manella. The L33T was kind of cool at first, and I thought I could like him, but he ruined it by being gross and perverted. He ruined it even more by becoming a random accomplice just because he wanted some action from Dee.

5: Ini Miney. The words "Like" and "Umm" made up about 33% of everything she said. Quite annoying.

4: Maggey Byrde. She whined too much, she made Gumshoe sad, her life stories were depressing.

3: Lotta Hart. I see absolutely NO point in having a character speak with an annoying accent, and using words that no one in the world has ever said before like "Reckgiven" and "Reckoncourse".

2: April. May. Her bipolar-ness was quite uncalled for and annoying. And All the jiggling was distracting.

1: Yep, it's still Wendy Oldbag. Her rants were sooo annoying. You couldn't even speed through them after you beat the game. Also, Edgey does not approve, therefore I do not either.

10: Victor Kudo. He is a hated character. He is somewhat of a pervert, but he has nothing else to live for. He is a respectable character with a good story.

9: Ron DeLite and Luke Atmey tie for this position. I can not choose between them. Ron is cute (in a baby-ish sort of way), helpless, and amusing. Him actually being Mask*deMasque was a pretty big twist, yet very un-important. Luke Atmey. He was the second in the group of T&T criminals that was obviously the criminal the first time s/he is seen. But he has a twist. He was in two places at once! He's not an Ace Detective, but he IS an Ace Criminal.

8: Bellboy. He is quite amusing and he saved me from hating Turnabout Sisters

7:Jake Marshall. One of the only characters who didn't want revenge for (Or didn't cause) their siblings tragic death or injury. All he wanted was justice. He would have stood up to Gant if he had to.

6: Moe the Clown! He is also quite hated, but I LOVE his jokes, his music, his animations, and how he's the only one at the circus who's knows what's really happening in the world.

5: Damon Gant. Perfect villain. Not as disastrous as Dahlia, not as INSANE as von Karma. But he WAS evil. I will give him that. He completely used Lana and killed Niel, but he's his own type of disastrous. He asks about everyone's recent swimming ventures, he killed Goodman mainly out of stress and to keep his cover, and he kept a piece of cloth in a safe for 2 years but he's his own type of insane. He's just his own type of villain. No wonder his fan-topic has more posts on it than any other thread in the Defendant's Lobby.

4: Larry Butz. Another disliked character, but he's just so lovable I don't see why people hate him! Seems like I love all the most hated characters.

3: Phoenix Wright. He always has a witty line ready for his opponent, and he is possibly the greatest Defense Attorney in the history of the world (of Ace Attorney)! There's no replacing him, but Apollo can have his game. Just as long as Phoenix gets one too.

2: Godot. Yep. He's second now. I still love him the same, I just love Edgey more.

1:Edgey has defeated Godot! His witty humour, all his emotions in AA, and his epic prosecuting has put him at the top of my awesome list!

I liked Diego, though.

- Why...why couldn't he go insane?....just...just why...?

I swear to you, I do love some villians. Engarde, Tigre, Atmey, Daryan, and Wellington top the list.

He could have easily avoided killing Misty Fey.

10. I like Diego. I like his bravado. I like his smitten with Mia. To be honest, I like Diego more than Godot. Even though they're the same person.

9. I know a lot of people hate him because he's the newest kid on the block, but I find him adorable. And CHORDS OF STEEL.

8. Gumeshoe~. Ah, he's so funny and amazing and akahdfjshdfs. I love him very much.

7. I also found him adorable. Plus his whole relationshipe with Dessie is amazing.

6. Yeah, she may get in trouble every other game, but come on. You develope a tight closeness with her, over the course of the series. I've grown to love her so much.

5. Okay, I really have no reason for this one. She grew on me. *shrug*

4. Yes, INI. Not MIMI. INI. I've grown very fond of her, as of late.

3. I found her to be a very human character and more sympathetic than many other characters in the series.

2. / / SHUT UP OKAY!? I LIKE HIM. GEEZE./Lisa is very awesome. I love her <3/ See Stickler.

1. GAWD I LOVE HIM SO MUCH ONLY GUILTY CLIENT MANIPULATIVE BASTARD SUPER HAWT UNF

Adrian Andrews: In PW2, she was an interesting character, what with the whole suicidal and suicide note drama going on.
Mia Fey: The fact that anyone can take her seriously with those...things is amazing. Also, Pearl channeling Mia: discomfort to the max.
Dick Gumshoe: I shouldn't have to explain. He's that cool.
Detective Ema Skye: Science, mini-games, temptation, and Snackoos. That is all.
Oh, and this.
Apollo Justice: CHORDS OF STEEL.
Trucy: Magic panties. MAGIC PANTIES
Maya: She has a...unique perspective on life. Let's put it that way.
Pearl: She's the youngest character, and one of the most mature. wat.
Shelly deKiller: C'mon man, he's SHELLY DEKILLER. He testified as a giant radio! I also bet he has a killer website ahahahaha.
Judge: He's so old and senile, it's depressing. MEANING IT'S HILARIOUS.

Phoenix: He's actually one of my favorites, but he be can such a "fuddy duddy" sometimes. Also, he likes to insult pretty much
everyone he meets to their face. OH MY GOD MAYA YOU ARE SO FAT. AND STUPID. YOU ARE FATLY STUPID!
OH MY GOD GUMSHOE I SWEAR YOU ARE THE MOST INCOMPETENT PERSON I'VE EVER MET HOW DID YOU EVEN GET THIS JOB.
Sometimes his insults are justified, but he can come off as a jerk.
Larry: WOOOOMMMMEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN ohandthankstomystupiditytherewasamurderididn'tseebutanyway WOOOMMEEEENNN!
Matt Engarde: BWAHAHAHAHA I AM SO DARK AWESOME I AM A GENIUS THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO BUT GET ME A NOT GUILTY AHAHAHAHA.
Spark Brushel: Ugh, it's like I could actually smell the mint.
Moe Curls: NO PRESSING EVERY STATEMENT FOR YOU!
Ini/Mimi Miney: The whole "SHE'S NOT INI, BUT HER EVIL TWIN SISTER" thing.
Here's a joke:
How does Phoenix Wright start a trial?
Shoving his hand up his ass.
How does Phoenix Wright end a trial?
Pulling.
Morgan Fey: She's crazy. End of story.
Regina Berry aka Sparkles McGee: The fact that I can call her Sparkles McGee.
Klavier: NONSTOP AIR GUITAR IS SO COOL.
Dahlia: THE GUY HELD ONTO THE BOTTLE OF MEDICINE WHILE HE WAS BEING ELECTROCUTED TO DEATH WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?

1. When I first saw her, I suffered from a cute overload
2. Yes, more cute!! And I'm totally in love with Mr. Hat
3. He has an orange suit!!!!!!
4. If I become a hobo, I want to be like him. And, I think I have a thing for older guys.
5. Anyone that can drink that much coffee and not need a bathroom break every few seconds is automatically amazing
7. Well, it's Edgy, no explanation needed
8. He's cool, but he's so much better when he's all grown up
9. I love him so much!!!!! And he has a great outfit
10. She's a wench, and so am I!!!

1. That stupid raygun and her annoying tangents. I kinda wished she would've been a murder victum.
2. Don't use Pearl for your stupid plots!!!
3. Useless, so utterly useless
4. I just don't like birdseed I guess
5. More useless, with a dash of pathetic
6. Please, don't ever mention your hemorrhoids again. EVER!
7. I couldn't stand the way she looked or talked
8. *shudder*
9. Way to scary for me
10. Sal: He reminded me of a stalker I had a few years back at a con, I think he looked exactly like him, and just as creepy.

10. Shelly
Shelly is a sum-up of why PW is different from other games; you need to understand what's going on, understand your opponents, and know how to twist them. In any other game, Shelly would just be "an extra boss fight before Engarde". But 2-4 wouldn't have worked if Matt had been the killer and kidnapper. Shelly's presence throughout 2-4 ratchets everything up, and the writers do a good job of keeping away from the really REALLY lame anime "shady man who never smiles, and always punctuates a point by pushing his glasses up so they shine"
9. Ini Mini
In a forward sense, I hate her. In a deep sense, I love what the writers were getting across, and the fact that you get to have her put away. I think a lot of people here hate the leet-speak and Blonde idiocy that the internet has made possible, and Ini embodies that in a simple, easy-to-hate without actually being harmful, package.
8. Maya
There are some people here who have put Maya in their hate list, which, though I like her character, is something I DEFINITELY understand. She brings a humorous touch to pretty much all the investigations, but I will freely admit she needs to be saved by Nick one too many times. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the "Knight in shining armor" scenario. My brother used to think making a female character "stupid" in a TV show or such would be real heresy, but surprisingly it works well for Maya. (Seriously...a snowcone in winter? A robo-cinerator?)
7. The Judge
When he's moving the court scenes along, his lines could be written by most anyone. There are one or two nice lines from him, like "Objection...denied" to Von Karma, but he has some hilariously good quotes, and setups for quotes (etc).
6. Gumshoe
Gumshoe might remind anyone of Homer Simpson in a way. Big, lovable, and stupid, but a real go-to guy even if he's going in the wrong direction. Once again, he has a lot of the great quotes, and even comes through for you several times.
5. Larry
Larry's character goes downhill after the first game, but his role in 1-4 is unforgettable. The game had made sure that he was the one character you had forgotten JUST ENOUGH about to burst in. I had been expecting Maya, Mia, or even Gumshoe, but Larry was last on my list.
4. Gant
Gant is a bit like some recent villains. You're meant to like him and his character rather than hate him, but the difference here is that in those movies (examples: Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men) you still sort of like the character at the end and the hero is made out to be weak. But Gant takes just enough turns towards the end of 1-5 to be just hated enough. Gant's character was so respectable that, had I not gone on the forums so much before doing the case, I wouldn't have seen him as the murderer early on.
3. Lana
As Phoenix Wright goes, there aren't many "serious" characters. Take a look at the sprite sheets; everyone, save maybe Adrian Andrews, has at least one super-stupid face. (compared to Gumshoe's...who has ALL stupid.) Lana was a definite departure from that, and to be honest I was a little pissed at her at the start of the case. Then later on, you figure it all out and it's like that "OH! G-Geez...I...I never knew..." moment where you find out someone's mother is dead after you finished a string of yo momma jokes at them. You really get no choice but to respect her at least a little for what she did. Also, the case wouldn't have been complete without seeing her smile.
2. Godot
I understand a lot of people see Godot as getting a lot of undeserved hype. Truth is, we don't consider him "awesome" in the "serious-awesome" way that someone like Batman would be. Godot is a little closer to the "silly-awesome" of Captain Jack Sparrow or Problem Sleuth. He makes a lot of stupid comments in court about coffee and inky blackness, but the game KNOWS it's stupid, and plays off of it plenty of times. On the plus side as an "awesome" character, he still smiles and frowns, he's never completely "dominating" or unwavering, and his last few lines in the game were an awesome way of pulling so many aspects of the game together.
1. Phoenix
Recently a lot of games have had difficulty immersing the player through a character. In a game like Half-Life or LoZ, it's done by silencing the character so all the decisions are yours; but to ensure the game is linear, it takes away all choices (Either fight these aliens or get killed by them!). This went way too far in plenty of games where what you are silent, though what you're doing has a very moral standpoint. In Far Cry 2, you're silent, though you're committing war crimes for the payment of African "freedom fighters" (read:warlords). Some games have given you dialog trees, but they're still of course limited and sometimes just go to one extreme or another.
How does this relate to Phoenix? Because he's the player. His character is written to be mostly "normal" so that anyone can relate. But since he's the lead, he can't be uninteresting, so all of his lines need to be strong, but also something EVERYONE will agree with. For example, the only time Phoenix really seems to directly show true HATRED for a murderer is when the player is supposed to; Matt Engarde, Von Karma, etc. (usually after they've said something unusually cruel) Pulling the player's thoughts is not always easy. Phoenix is also written to establish the other characters by comparison. When someone makes a ridiculous observation and Phoenix thinks "Uh...yeaaaah", then that character is stoopid. Conversely, when a stronger character like Edgeworth talks to Phoenix, and Phoenix makes comments like "Mastering more than one language? I've only sort of mastered this one!" it establishes Edgeworth as more of a bold and unwavering character.