Barok van Zieks

Barok van Zieks was a legendary English prosecutor. He was known as the "Death God of the Old Bailey" due to the fact that all defendants that he had prosecuted would supposedly wind up dying in some way or another, regardless of their innocence or guilt. This "curse" eventually led to a five-year leave of absence. Upon his return, he prosecuted trials again opposite a young Japanese defense attorney named Ryūnosuke Naruhodō.

Return to the courtroom

 * Main article: The Adventure of the Runaway Room

A simple case

 * Main article: The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro

A simple case's aftermath

 * Main article: The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro

Lestrade's trial

 * Main article: The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story

Naruhodō's return

 * Main article: The Return of the Great Departed Soul

In the defendant's seat

 * Main article: Twisted Karma and His Last Bow and The Resolve of Naruhodō Ryūnosuke

Personality
Van Zieks was most well known for the "curse" that befell everyone whom he prosecuted. At least some of the deaths were due to natural causes (according to Sherlock Holmes) or the machinations of others unrelated to van Zieks. Among his defendants, Natsume Sōseki and Gina Lestrade are not known to have died shortly after their trials, both of whom had Ryūnosuke Naruhodō as their defense attorney.

Van Zieks's bench attitude was dominated by a contradictory mix of imperturbable refinement and theatrics. He was extremely unflappable, rarely showing any sign of distress until late in a trial, and even then his reactions were quite muted. Though interested more in finding the truth than his win record, he did not cut the defense any slack. He had a wry sense of humor and often used snark at the expense of the defense, their assistants, and any other witnesses he found bothersome. He became notably upset when someone he trusted betrayed him. He did appear to have some sort of soft spot, as he personally ensured that a witness who had tampered with a crime scene to make an anniversary date kept his job.

Van Zieks often got away with outrageous actions at the bench, though this was tempered by a semblance of social grace. Aberrant behavior such as slamming the desk with his boot to object was frequently followed up by an apology for the behavior. Such apologies were obvious lip service as he did not make any actual effort to moderate his actions or mocking. Prominent among his bizarre bench behavior was his habit of bringing wine, though he only rarely actually drank the glasses that he poured. Instead, he smashed them wantonly to intimidate the defense and emphasize his points. When the court proceedings required van Zieks to change tacks, he would fling his bottle into the gallery behind him with little regard to whom it might hit. Over three cases that he prosecuted against Naruhodō, at least three bottles and 19 glasses were broken. Despite all this, the prosecution's bench and van Zieks's clothes would remain immaculate.

Van Zieks had a close Japanese friend who for some reason betrayed his trust and deeply wounded him. This caused the prosecutor to develop a resentment for all Japanese people. This was seen in his treatment of Naruhodō, never using his name in court as a sign of disrespect. Eventually, however, Naruhodō's attitude and dedication to the truth intrigued van Zieks. While the prosecutor has preference for prosecuting heinous crimes, he broke habit in order to have the opportunity to match up against Naruhodō once more. It appears van Zieks is something of a celebrity figure because many tabloids posted speculation columns on why he was taking on a seemingly ordinary case.

Van Zieks was rather more familiar with Sherlock Holmes and his stories than he was willing to openly admit, but he mistrusted the detective's tricky antics and inventions as far as courtroom proceedings went.

Development

 * Shu Takumi conceived of Barok Van Zieks as a prosecutor who could make sure that his defendants could not escape, even under a 19th-century jury trial setting. To fulfill this concept, Takumi came up with the "curse" and subsequent "god of death" persona.
 * Van Zieks's name was at first conceived as "Prosecutor Rival", but this was quickly dropped due to it being too obvious. Shu Takumi has stated that there is an origin behind the finalized name, however he considers it too embarrassing to talk about. The surname may be a pun on the term banjikyūsu (万事休す) meaning "all is over" or "nothing to be done".
 * In order to make him seem more "English", van Zieks has a unique design for his speech bubbles that is blue and white, rather than the usual red and white.
 * Kazuya Nuri incorporated themes of vampires, wolves and fallen angels in van Zieks's design to illustrate the theme of a god of death and an upper-class character. The fallen angel theme is shown most explicitly in a cross-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose, as well as in a post-Nintendo Direct trailer of Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken, which briefly depicts black wings behind van Zieks as he is introduced. Moreover, compared to other characters in the game, his movements are slower, emphasizing the refined upper-class theme.
 * Van Zieks's wine-flinging habit was likely inspired by a well-known scene in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night where Dracula throws a wine glass during a pre-battle monologue.
 * The animation of van Zieks performing a desk slam with his foot was originally conceived for Godot.