Bobby Fulbright


 * "Bobby" redirects here. You may be looking for Bobby Wolfe from the Kodansha Comics manga.

Bobby Fulbright  was a hot-blooded detective with the catchphrase "In justice we trust!" He had supposedly worked with Simon Blackquill many times and was paired up with him in court. The detective hoped to help the prosecutor redeem himself, and he seemed completely oblivious to the latter's attempts to manipulate him.

Fulbright, whom Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes met in their investigation of Rex Kyubi's murder, was later proven to be a complete imposter; he was actually a spy known as the Phantom. The real Fulbright was already deceased, and an unidentified body found in 2026 was revealed to be the body of the actual Fulbright. It was not stated if whether Fulbright was killed or died naturally, although it was heavily implied that the detective had been killed. The Phantom would pose as the deceased man and use his position as a detective to erase evidence.

Personality
Fulbright was enthusiastic and had a strong sense of justice. He was compelled to intervene to help those in trouble, and he would even help defense attorneys if it would lead to a fair trial. His interactions with Blackquill, Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice challenge his sense of justice. Fulbright also happens to be foolish, often finding himself caught in a decision-making trap of "which justice is more just" or not even realizing, for example, his shoes were stolen by Phineas Filch. He was immune to Blackquill's psychological manipulation tactics as he was too oblivious to know when the prosecutor was trying to manipulate him.

The truth behind his immunity, in fact, was due to a lack of emotion as his true self, the Phantom.

As Fulbright's personality was only known from the Phantom masquerading as the detective, it is unknown if Fulbright actually acted the way the Phantom did.

Name

 * The kanji used for his Japanese surname "Ban" (番) is also used in the Japanese words for "watchdog" and "guard/sentry".


 * His Japanese given name "Gouzou" is made up of the kanji for "roar/thunder/boom/resound" (轟) and "three" (三).


 * His English given name "Bobby" is a diminutive of "Robert", which means "bright with glory" (fitting with his surname "Fulbright"). "Bobby" is also a British slang term for a police officer.
 * "Fulbright" may also be a reference to his true identity as the Phantom, specifically the "glare" effect that occurs when a person is backlit by a strong light source, making it difficult to perceive their features, as Phantom's real face is never shown in the game.

Development

 * Fulbright's badge wallet was altered for the English game in order to confirm him as an actual LAPD detective.