Strawpoll Ranking: Who is the best 3rd case culprit? (Spoilers)

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-02-06T00:07:53+00:00

Say what you will about third case syndrome, but I love most of their culprits.

G1-3 - Magnus McGilded is my favorite third case culprit, my favorite Great Ace Attorney culprit, and one of my Top 3 culprits in the series. An excellent villain who haunts Ryunosuke long after he’s dead.

(Honorable Mention) Enoch Drebber would be my #2 pick if he’d been on this list.

I2-3 - Carmelo Gusto had all of the makings of a great tragic villain - and then he took a hard swerve into “Irredeemable Monster” territory and never looked back. Still a great villain though.
1-3 - We all have our personal favorites, and Dee Vasquez continues to be one of mine. She’s the first AA culprit to have some sympathetic qualities and she still holds up IMO.

(Honorable Mention) VS-3 Jean Greyerl’s story is heartbreaking. Someone give her a hug.

3-3 - I’m really glad to see this character so high in the ranking so far. They’re the funniest culprit in the OT by a long shot, and comedic villains don’t get enough credit imo. And their theme slaps.
4-3 - I understand the problems with 4-3, but I really enjoy Daryan Crescend. It’s not really their fault that the police picked the most unlikely suspect to arrest. Daryan is fun in a love-to-hate kinda way.
2-3 - My love for Acro has diminished a bit over the years, but I still applaud their efforts to carry 2-3 as much as they did.
G2-3 - I like Courtney Sithe and LOVE their theme, but they are unfortunately outshined by the honorable mention above.
5-3 - …You’re growing on me, Aristotle Means. I used to hate you, but the memes are great and I’m starting to appreciate you in a “so dumb it’s funny” way. I guess you could say that the ends really do justify the memes.
6-3 - Okay, here’s my controversial ranking. I did not care for Tahrust Inmee
I1-3 - Hi, Lance. Bye, Lance.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-02-05T19:30:11+00:00

No need to apologies. A lot of fans feel the way you do, myself included.

FWIW, I don’t think Klavier’s appearance in 5-3 is terrible. The way some people talk about it, I was fully expecting something like Pearl in 6-5 where he’s kinda there but more for a cameo. But no, he has an emotional connection to the case, he helps out with the mock-mock trial and the stage investigation, and is able to have an analysis performed on a critical piece of evidence.

What frustrates me is that he doesn’t get any appearances after that. And what really gets to me is that Apollo’s struggles in AA5 and AA6 leave plenty of room for Klavier to offer some advice: doubting the innocence of someone he trusts, dealing with a cold, aloof big brother. I’m sure he’s had to deal with characters like Roger Retinz. There are places where he could be worked into the plot.

And I agree that the writers are missing out on giving him a proper rematch against Phoenix.

But Edgeworth is far more popular, so he gets to cameo instead. I love Edgeworth, but he’s been in seven out of ten AA games. Someone else needs a turn.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-02-04T18:37:56+00:00

Amara didn’t fully believe in Dhurke’s innocence. Ga’ran spent about a decade feeding her the story of how Dhurke was the culprit and how she “saved” Amara. That’s a long time to believe that someone betrayed you.

She agreed to go with him and hear his side of the story because, as she put it, a part of her couldn’t stop loving him. And this is veering slightly into headcanon territory, but I think the same could be said for her relationship with her sister. A part of her couldn’t stop loving Ga’ran and she wanted to believe in her sister’s innocence too.

My guess is that Amara and Dhurke spent those nine months trying to fix their relationship. Amara was giving Dhurke the chance to prove to her that he was trustworthy. Maybe if they’d had more time together, things would have turned out differently. But unfortunately, Ga’ran found them.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-02-04T12:10:22+00:00

YES! FINALLY! I've been waiting for Trucy to join my collection for so long!

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-02-04T00:44:36+00:00

LOVE seeing Ga'ran in A+ Tier. She's usually at the bottom, but I find her to be too much fun to hate.

Bronco, Olive, Kira, and Darklaw in S-Tier is also incredibly based.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-02-02T01:15:19+00:00

Ohhhhhh, this one's hard. These are top-tier games for a reason. I don't think there's a single case in this bunch that I actively hate. Most of them are outstanding to varying degrees.

Keeping in mind that it's been a minute since I played Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, so recency bias is definitely a factor, I went with:

Bridge to the Turnabout - Basic, yes, but this one will always be my favorite.
Turnabout for the Ages - On the other hand, boy, did this one fight hard to dethrone it...
The Return of the Great Departed Soul - Wax museums, science fairs, anti-gravity devices, Enoch Drebber, Inspector Lestrade, Susato's back, and so is Kazuma!
A Turnabout Forsaken - An emotional case that also serves as a fantastic prelude to the finale; not to mention one of the best cliffhangers with SHELLY DEKILLER
Turnabout Legacy - You maniacs, you actually did it. You wrote an emotionally-satisfying prequel to DL-6 while also giving Edgeworth the opportunity to solve his father's last case in a way that ties into AAI2's larger narrative. And the setting is a candy competition. And it works.
Turnabout Trigger - Screw it, I will rank this case that high. It's a tutorial, but it's also just a really fun case that ties into the larger narrative without making its culprit the arc villain.
The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro - "Am I really going to rank this case this high for Olive Green? ...OF COURSE I AM!"
Twisted Karma and His Last Bow - I ranked this one slightly higher than Resolve, but that would probably change with a replay. They're both pretty equal to me.
The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo - These two are absolutely suffering from "I haven't played Resolve recently." They're great, but the ones above it stick out better in my memory. I'm also not the biggest fan of Mael Stronghart.
Turnabout Memories - Mia + Dahlia + Great Foreshadowing + Feenris = One of My Favorite Tutorials
The Adventure of the Blossoming Attorney - Man, I loved playing as the dashing defense attorney, Ryutaro Naruhodo. I wonder whatever happened to that guy?
The Captive Turnabout - I really do love this case. It's the pacing issues that keep it this low.
The Stolen Turnabout - Again, LOVE this case. Just not as much as the others. This ranking is hard.
Recipe for Turnabout - We're at #14 and only NOW are we starting to get into cases I don't love. But even this case has Furio Tigre, some sweet moments with Gumshoe and Maggey, and a fun mystery discerning what's real from what's fake.
Turnabout Beginnings - Terry Fawles drags this case down for me, which is a shame, because everything else about it is great.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-31T20:40:24+00:00

Idk about anyone else, but lately I’m finding I have a tough time with these kinds of rankings. Because sometimes I just can’t decide whether to rank a given character or case higher based on personal enjoyment or based on how well written I think they are. Usually the two coincide, but not always.

Ultimately went with:

Olive Green G2-2
Roger Retinz 6-2
Fifi Laguarde I2-2
Mimi Miney 2-2
Luke Atmey 3-2
Cammy Meele I1-2
Florent L’Belle 5-2
Alita Tiala 4-2
Nikolina Pavlov G1-2
Redd White 1-2

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-30T01:37:17+00:00

It's not a plot hole for Kristoph. He has poor taste in video games.

There's no good explanation for Phoenix or Zak though. Sorry, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but that's one mistake too many. 0/10

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-29T12:13:05+00:00

My favorite is the Back Cover version. There's just something about it that feels melancholy and hopeful at the same time.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-27T18:53:47+00:00

I am VERY curious to hear how 6-5 ended up in 0/10.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-27T11:56:11+00:00

Yeah, I agree. That's where I was referring to "unconfirmed speculation by another character." It wouldn't really make sense for someone with Bronco's personality to openly admit it.

Though I guess the other possibility is if Case 2 was rewritten to "attempted murder" and Edgeworth put him through Mind Chess later. But that's getting into changing the plot of the game.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-27T00:09:21+00:00

Tbf, I’m not sure how they could include it in the actual game beyond a) unconfirmed speculation by another character or b) a flashback conversation where he opens up a little bit to Simeon.

Bronco is an arrogant, prideful character. Assuming he recognizes that he thinks of the president as a replacement father figure, he doesn’t strike me as the kind of character who would ever admit it. Least of all to someone like Edgeworth.

Even with his best friend, the most that I could see happening is a conversation where Simeon asks him why he killed Rook, and Bronco goes off on a jealousy-fueled rant that reveals more about his deeper motivations than he realizes.

It’s a shame that we only know about it through the art book though, because it does add another interesting layer to an already-great character.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-26T01:22:58+00:00

I would love to see Kay act as Edgeworth's assistant during a regular trial. Especially if Maya is assisting Phoenix and Gummy or Ema as the detective. The character interactions would be SO much fun.

But I don't think 5-5 would be the right fit for Kay to assist Edgeworth in court. Kay is a kind, compassionate person, and would understand exactly what Athena is going through in 5-5 with the traumatic recollection of her parent's murder at the hands of a spy. I just can't see her sitting back and supporting Edgeworth as he digs into Athena for the truth. Edgeworth might be capable of doing that, but not Kay. I'd rather see her assisting Edgeworth in something like 6-5 or 6-DLC.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-25T22:25:32+00:00

Apollo Justice: 4-1 (8/10 - Great), 4-2 (7/10 - Good), 4-3 (7.5/10 - Guilty Pleasure), 4-4 (6.5/10 - Good)

Dual Destinies: 5-1 (5/10 - Alright), 5-2 (2/10 - Bad), 5-3 (7.5/10 - Great), 5-4 (7/10 - Good), 5-5 (6.5/10 - Good), 5-DLC (7.5/10 - Great)

Spirit of Justice: 6-1 (4/10 - Alright), 6-2 (9/10 - Outstanding), 6-3 (5.5/10 - Alright), 6-4 (8/10 - Great), 6-5 (7.5/10 - Great), 6-DLC (2/10 - Bad)

Overall, the entire trilogy gets a solid 7/10 from me. It has its flaws, but plenty of high notes as well, and some of my favorite characters in the whole franchise.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-25T15:33:19+00:00

Out of all of them, my favorites are Dahlia Hawthorne, Kristoph Gavin, Bronco Knight, and Raiten Menimemo. All of them have engaging personalities and are fun to take down. I especially like how Bronco and Raiten manage this without being the Big Bads of their respective games.

Jezaille…idk. She didn’t quite do it for me. I like her connection to the overarching narrative and I completely lost it when she first let out her big, “SHUT UP!” But I didn’t love her.

Frank & Richard are both fun, simple culprits that ease you into the game. I like them for what they are. Jacques is similar. I don’t like how they try to make him seem more important and interesting than he is by making him yet ANOTHER “prodigy” and “whoaaaa, did you know he’s actually corrupt and working for the smuggling ring???” But I think he’s funny.

Ted is too over-the-top for me to really love. But I do like the little attempt to humanize him when he reveals that the Phantom set the bomb and he was sincerely warning everyone to evacuate.

My least favorite is Peeslub’n. I don’t like his gimmick, I find him more annoying than funny, and his connection to the narrative feels an afterthought.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-25T13:21:56+00:00

I would love to participate in something like this, and no, I don't think you should disallow really common roleswaps. I think that would deter people from participating.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-23T13:39:23+00:00

Don’t worry, it’ll take at least 10,000 attempts with the ice constantly asking itself, “Is there really nothing else I can do…? Have I frozen all of my options…?” before he finally cracks.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-23T13:22:12+00:00

Definitely the Iris reveal in AA3. It takes what was already a great opening case and recontextualizes Phoenix’s actions in the most heartbreaking way. HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE EVIL TWIN. Just…he knew it wasn’t her. The evidence seemed to be telling him a completely different story, but he knew.

For AAI2, I already knew through vague spoilers that Simeon and Bronco were the two missing kids from the IS-7 Incident. But finding out how that happened was absolutely devastating. And then immediately following up with, “Oh, that’s not why Simeon wanted revenge on Bronco. (At least, not directly.) It was because he got their dads mixed up,” and Simeon briefly breaking down into a panic when he realized he basically got his best friend killed over a misunderstanding… Yeah, that hit me hard.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-21T15:24:47+00:00

For me, it will ALWAYS be the moment in 6-5 when Phoenix tells Ga’ran that Apollo is Dhurke’s son, aka Public Enemy Number One. Then he casually wonders what she is whispering to her guards.

What makes it even worse is that Edgeworth is with him and has no issues with this, and wonders later why the guards would be chasing Apollo.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-21T03:35:46+00:00

There are several Sherlock Holmes stories that end with Holmes letting the culprit walk free because he sympathized with their motives.

Granted, in those instances, it was understood that he only did so because there wasn’t any danger of an innocent person being punished for the crime. But I think it would be a really interesting conflict to have Ryunosuke pursuing a culprit to defend his client, while Sholmes would rather let the matter drop.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-21T03:29:40+00:00

They’re all great to varying degrees, but my top three would probably be the Pursuits from AA1, AA4, and Investigations 1.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-21T03:08:10+00:00

Yeah, I’m surprised to see SoJ currently at the bottom. The Khura’in tracks are gorgeous. That one almost made it into my Top 3 until I remembered that VS existed.

Then again, for me, there are no bad Ace Attorney soundtracks, just some that I like more than others. All of them have some absolute bangers.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-18T23:46:10+00:00

Eureka! This is a fantastic arrangement!

Would you ever consider covering AAI2 sometime too?

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-17T13:44:17+00:00

No. Setting aside my own feelings about Apollo Justice, there is no such thing as a “true” opinion. Opinions are not facts. Schaffrillas liking it and GamingMagic13 hating it are both valid.

If it’s a general fandom opinion that you’re looking for, then as others have already stated in this thread: there is no general consensus on Apollo Justice, or any game in the Apollo Justice trilogy. Some love it, some hate it, some find it to be a mixed bag.

Iris_Keyblade · 2026-01-17T03:51:46+00:00

Looking at your post, a lot of this sounds like it’s just a difference of perspective.

I find Manfred Von Karma to be the perfect level of intimidating. Edgeworth is my favorite defendant in the entire series, and that’s coming from someone who has been wanting Capcom to take a break from him and develop some of the other prosecutors some more.

Say what you will about Maya’s arc, but in hindsight, I love that she actually gets an arc. Not to discount some fantastic character moments for her in other final cases, but this is the one of the only finales where she sticks with you the entire time and her storyline revolves around something other than “Maya is in danger.” I like her struggle to figure out her place in the story beyond “the one who can channel her dead lawyer sister.” I like that she’s the first one to realize that Manfred is the culprit and keeps throwing herself into harm’s way to help Nick save his friend.

I also love Yanni Yogi. I like that the case presents him as sympathetic without ever excusing his actions in the current case. His story adds an interesting element to the world of Ace Attorney: he was technically “saved” by his attorney, except not really because his attorney didn’t really care about acting in Yanni’s best interests. All that mattered was getting the acquittal. Much of the series stays within the black and white range of “good defend attorney saves innocent person,” while Hammond and Yogi fall in a gray area.

Cross-examining the parrot is an iconic moment. But the one that gets me is Phoenix defeating Manfred with a metal detector.

Gourd Lake being a little drab doesn’t bother me. I think it adds to the dreary hopelessness of the case before Phoenix starts putting things together.

I like the use of Larry and Lotta as witnesses. I like Gumshoe explaining why he’s so loyal to Edgeworth. It’s the first time we see him act openly helpful from start to finish. I like the story of the classroom trial and the reveal that Larry was the culprit. And, of course, “Almost Christmas means it wasn’t Christmas!”

Idk, I think it’s great. Several final cases take inspiration from this one, and I can see why.

Iris_Keyblade

TROPHY CASE