LogFAQs > #904426337

4. Miles Edgeworth (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
In my opinion, Edgeworth is by far the best character in the entire Ace Attorney universe, and that's really saying something considering just how fantastic most of that cast is. What starts out as a seemingly standard antagonists develops into one of the most complex rivals, some would even argue a straight-up hero, in gaming history.

Edgeworth doesn't start out all that amazing. Up until the very end of Case 3, he seems like just a cocky, occasionally flustered anti-hero. The only things we really know are that he is bent on perfection and he has some sort of history with Phoenix Wright. Then near the end of Case 3, he shifts. He suddenly starts to undermine his own case and try to help prove Phoenix's client innocent. Why? Because he realizes that he IS innocent and it reignites his passion for actual justice instead of simply perfection, an ideal that was instilled in him by a man who as it turns out was never really looking out for his best interest.

Edgeworth is very secretive, and for a good reason - he believes that he accidentally killed his own father, and thus is willing to go to jail (or worse) for another crime he didn't commit, knowing that proving his innocence in that crime would bring up his past. It leads to one of the best cases in the entire series, and Edgeworth struggling to let go of his perfectionist ideals after von Karma is disgraced, but Edgeworth's REAL shining moment is in my absolute favorite case, 2-4. After disappearing for months and leading the audience to believe he has died (which nobody believed), Edgeworth comes back for the ultimate case, worth both with AND against Phoenix, by helping him rescue Maya, as well as stalling the case as long as possible, while still fighting for a guilty verdict and urging Phoenix to let go of the innocent verdict. They end up uncovering the real villain and saving both Maya and Adrian together despite being pitted against each other because ultimately they are fighting for the same thing from different angles - justice. This is further proven in 3-5, when Edgeworth briefly sits in the defense attorney's seat.

Just like Phoenix, Edgeworth's frustration with those around him is another big part of his character. Although he has significantly less patience for foolishness and ignorance, his facial expressions and occasional breakdowns are still fantastic. He also delivers some of my favorite objections in the entire series, particularly, "I was hoping to come up with an objection while objecting," and, my all-time favorite, to a rambling Larry, "GO AWAY!" Ace Attorney remains one of my all-time favorite franchises, and no doubt the biggest part of that is Edgeworth.
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darkx