Aristotle Means

"Aristotle Means"

- Here at our esteemed academy, we train our students to produce meaningful results.

Aristotle Means is a defense attorney teacher of the Themis Legal Academy. When Means is pushed to his limits and gets serious, he pushes the middle of his hair to form a mohawk in the middle of his head.

Personality
At first glance, Means appeared to be a benevolent teacher, genuinely interested in seeing justice made (although Athena Cykes found his policy that "the end justifies the means" somewhat disturbing). He possessed a large, somewhat unnerving grin, which he tended to flash when disagreeing on something.

In actuality, Means' benevolence was a façade. He was not above accepting bribes for good grades or falsifying evidence to secure victory for himself. He also viewed the "dark times of the law" as a boon to the legal profession and even "beautiful", since his philosophy was a matter of routine. When cornered (and having his ruthless view of the law criticized), Means would fashion his hair into a structure similar to an ancient Greek war helmet; at this point, he would become belligerent, condescending, and downright malevolent; he employed a ruthless psychological attack on Athena Cykes, causing her to doubt herself to the extent of nearly losing a case, which only failed due to the intervention of Apollo Justice, Robin Newman, Hugh O'Conner, Juniper Woods, and Simon Blackquill.

Name

 * His Japanese first name comes from the word "shinjiru" (信じる), which means "to believe", and his last name means "one road" so his full name literally means "believe in one road". If mixed with Courte's Japanese name, then the phrase "michi wa tadase" is read, with the phrase meaning "correct the road".
 * His Western surname is "Means". Means may come from phrases such as "the ends justify the means" and "by any means necessary", referring to him teaching his students to win as their top priority. His first name, "Aristotle", comes from a famous ancient Greek philosopher who believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, and resembles for his holding the pole of a globe. The name can also be a play on words of the phrase "arrest at all means", showing his ruthless drive towards victories in court.
 * His first name "Aristotle" not only refers to his resemblance to a typical figure from Classical Greece, but also to his personal philosophy. Aristotle the philosopher is famous for his belief that everything we do is a means to an end (e.i. going grocery shopping is a means toward the end of eating well), which happiness as the ultimate end at which all our activities aim. Means' philosophy that the "end justifies the means" is an absolutist spin on Aristotle's beliefs.
 * In line with his "Classical Greece" theme, Means' "post-transformation" mohawk is similar in appearance to the plumes often sported atop the corinthian helmets worn by hoplite warriors in ancient Greece.