Why Did Phoenix Wright Become a Hobo?

[Music] allow me to start this video with a short personal anecdote phoenix wright ace attorney became my passion in late 2011. i discovered the series and became obsessed with the characters and stories to the point where my ringtone was the still samurai theme my dress sense consisted of blue suits and my secondary school peers began to loave my obnoxious constant objections it's adorably childish to look back at the profound impact the series had on my life perhaps even sharing some responsibility for my decision to move to japan during that initial discovery of the series i was fortunate enough to experience the games linearly since the games weren't hot off the press at the time it was also easy to avoid spoilers what proceeded were several weeks of hurrying home watching phoenix writing company go through trials and tribulations culminating in one of the most satisfying endings i've ever had the pleasure of reaching phoenix wright had truly become the embodiment of an ace attorney by the end of that trilogy a shining example of how to strive to be a beacon of truth and justice to always do what's right and look out for the people who need someone on their side enter apollo justice ace attorney the fourth entry in the mainline ace attorney series picking things up seven years after the end of the original trilogy keep in mind the last time we were with phoenix mia had praised him for becoming a truly skilled attorney stating she had nothing left to teach him it seemed the future was bright for this experienced lawyer only three years into his career starting the first case of apollo justice however we are introduced to phoenix wright at least the dialogue box says it's him and despite his disheveled appearance that certainly looks like him with the exception of his signature spiky hair being concealed by an adorably light blue beanie labelled papa eagle-eyed fans will also notice that phoenix's hat has the same shocked face pin worn by emma skye back in case 5 of the first ace attorney game 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 so despite being hit with phoenix's predicament i obviously still had some semblance of admiration for this new take on the character his appearance aside apollo begins conversing with phoenix seemingly as starstruck as a fan returning to the series however phoenix's demeanor seems radically different from the lawyer we became so intimate with no longer is he stumbling his way through conversations or approaching people with a lighthearted open attitude this man is incredibly cool and collected his reserved attitude will leave people who thought they knew the character rather taken aback that's when we learn the tragic truth seven years ago phoenix was disbarred for presenting forged evidence during one of his trials his badge taken away from him and the writenco law office closed indefinitely for the past few years phoenix has been scraping by playing piano in some dingy bar disgraced and shunned from the legal world he now stands here as your client accused of murder it would be an understatement to say i was devastated by this revelation to see the character i adored so much hit with what seemed to be the lowest of possible lows i've already elaborated in another video my complicated relationship with the game apollo justice so feel free to check that out if you'd like to know my feelings on that entry as a whole today though i'd like to focus on why phoenix is portrayed like this in the game of course there's the real world answer that capcom believed an ace attorney game wouldn't be popular or successful without their leading man incorporated somehow in the article the making of apollo justice which will be linked below shu takumi creator of the ace attorney series states when we were making apollo justice ace attorney we'd received two orders from above number one bring phoenix back and number two work the lay judge system into the story the interviewer janet hasu a localizer for the ace attorney series replies speaking of phoenix i know you spent many years writing him but how different was it from writing a whole new set of main characters mr takumi answers it was so hard to write a completely new main character the most natural parts of me had already been used up by the phoenix wright character so i tried to take everything about phoenix and turn them upside down with this great turnabout i came up with apollo a character who is aggressive passionate and youthful in short shutakumi had ridden phoenix based on his own personality keeping him simple and grounded so players could easily step into phoenix's shoes however he now had the task of creating an entirely new protagonist while trying to characterize a well-established figure in the ace attorney series so why like this why drag the character down to being a disgraced hobo well as the plot continues we learn a little more phoenix's hat wasn't just for show he is indeed a papa to his daughter trucy wright a magician who's also a performer for the now rebranded write anything agency suddenly it's easier to understand how phoenix could mature over the last seven years becoming a parent demands that of you so it's no surprise that he comes across as a great deal more level headed than before without spoiling too much later in the game we get to play as phoenix once again for a brief amount of time suddenly it becomes very apparent that his inner thoughts while a little more mature aren't drastically different from the phoenix we knew back in the original trilogy allow me to share what i think this means during ace attorney 4 we see phoenix through the eyes of apollo the reason phoenix comes across as a carefree chilled out guy is because that's exactly the facade he wants to put on not only for apollo but for those around him phoenix's bluffing abilities from his days as an attorney have reached new levels his face is composed and as a good lawyer should he rarely lets go of his sly confident smile the only reason why phoenix's character seems so alien in ace attorney 4 is because we experience it from apollo's point of view being served a surface level persona from the master of bluffing this more put together version of phoenix is explored further in subsequent entries of the series but that's a topic for another time i've come to accept what phoenix was put through during and prior to the events of apollo justice i no longer bear any resentment to capcom for essentially robbing one of my favorite characters of their bright future i'd even go as far to say that i prefer the route they went down life doesn't always end happily ever after bad things happen to good people but the fact phoenix could pull through it all despite the pain loss and sorrow it proves that he is deserving of his title as comeback king a true ace attorney but what do you think i know a lot of people have several different positions on his inclusion in ace attorney 4. there's also folks who feel apollo has been given the short end of the stick not receiving his own direct sequel i mean imagine how the athena fans feel these are all topics i'd adore to explore in the near future so if you're interested subscribe and thank you so much for checking out my video it's become hilarious how infrequently i post here and that's because i can only really do so if i feel passionate about the subject matter at hand i'm also eager to start a conversation and hear other people's opinions so thanks again hope you have a wonderful day and take care you

Channel: Jack's Melancholy

Views: 777,179

Keywords: Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney, CAPCOM, Apollo Justice, Gyakuten Saiban, Hobo Phoenix, The Great Ace Attorney, Miles Edgeworth, Nintendo

Id: wNd8PZEHlCA

Length: 9min 1sec (541 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 17 2020