Phoenix Wright

Phoenix Wright, referred to as Ryuichi Naruhodo in the original Japanese versions, is a defense attorney in the Ace Attorney video game series. Phoenix is generally easy-going, which usually leads to his friends leading him around. He is dedicated to defending his innocent clients, but as he is new, he depends much on his boss and mentor Mia Fey. Phoenix is also a loyal friend who does not back down once he has set his mind on something. He has a bit of a sarcastic side that he usually keeps to himself.

Name
His first name is a reference to the phoenix, known for reviving itself from the dead; he is famous for his almost impossible comebacks during trials. His surname is likely meant to have a similar effect to his Japanese surname (with lines such as "Isn't that right, Wright?"). His Japanese surname, Naruhodo, is a reference toward the Japanese expression naruhodo, which equates to the English "yes, I see". His given name, Ryuichi, initially had no particular significance until Gyakuten Saiban 3 introduced a man named Toranosuke Shibakuzō (Ryūichi alludes to the dragon, while Toranosuke alludes to the tiger, which are said to be natural enemies).

During production, someone suggested "Souka Naruhodo" (which translates to "Oh, yes, I see now") as a name, but that was quickly struck down by higher members of the staff, settling for simply Naruhodo instead.

Background
During fourth grade, Phoenix Wright was in the same class as Miles Edgeworth and Larry Butz. One day, Phoenix was accused wrongly of stealing Edgeworth's lunch money. Due to a lack of an alibi, everyone assumed Phoenix was the culprit, but to their surprise, Larry stood up for him, and even Edgeworth came to his defense, claiming he could not be proven guilty without evidence. Miles at the time took strongly after his famous father, Gregory Edgeworth, a legendary defense attorney.

However, after the DL-6 incident, Edgeworth transferred schools and moved out of town, and was taken in by Manfred von Karma. After a fashion, he became the ruthless prosecutor he was better known as. The Miles Edgeworth that Phoenix knew had vanished after his personality transformation. It was a quite a few years later that Phoenix heard Edgeworth's name again. He saw a story in a newspaper with the headline "Dark Suspicions of A Demon Attorney." The article said that Prosecutor Edgeworth was suspected of tampering with witnesses and fabricating evidence. Despite the fact that Phoenix attempted to contact him, he was ignored. It was at this time when Phoenix decided that if he was an attorney, Edgeworth would have to meet him whether he liked it or not, in court.

Between these two events, Phoenix was framed for the murder of his girlfriend's ex-lover while in college. He was defended by Mia Fey, who hadn't taken a case since she lost to Edgeworth a year before. Mia exposes the true murderer in both cases; Phoenix's girlfriend, Dahlia Hawthorne, which Phoenix finds hard to believe. Dahlia's true colors are revealed, and she is convicted for both murders. After getting his law degree, Phoenix trained under Mia Fey. After she was murdered, Phoenix became the owner and proprietor of Wright & Co. Law Offices, thus turning it into Wright & Co. Law Offices.