Apollo Justice


 * You may be looking for the game Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

"Apollo Justice"

- I find that shouting "I'm fine!" in a loud voice really relieves stress. It's part of my "Chords of Steel" workout, and a must before every trial.

Apollo Justice is a defense attorney working for the Wright Anything Agency. He is notable for his involvement in a test trial for the Jurist System, an effort to reintegrate the jury into court proceedings, along with co-counsel Trucy Wright, Prosecutor Klavier Gavin, and mentor Phoenix Wright.

Early life

 * Main articles: Turnabout Succession and The Cosmic Turnabout

Justice was born to Thalassa Gramarye and a stage performer. His father died because of a tragic stage accident a year after he was born, and his mother left him soon afterwards, giving him one of her bracelets and later remarrying and having Trucy Wright. Justice grew up not knowing about his mother or his half-sister, and he came to idolize and respect defense attorney Phoenix Wright. However, Wright was disbarred in 2019 following a vaguely reported forgery incident. Nonetheless, Justice worked to become a lawyer like him.

In middle school, Justice found his classmate Clay Terran crying alone after learning that his mother had died. Justice, knowing the pain of having no mother himself, encouraged Terran to stand tall by yelling, "Clay Terran is fine!" The two soon became close friends, and both shared and talked about their dreams, with Justice wanting to become a lawyer and Terran wanting to become an astronaut. It was through this friendship that Justice came to visit the Cosmos Space Center and meet Solomon Starbuck, whom he soon respected deeply.

Meeting an idol

 * Main article: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

"Phoenix Wright"

- You know what changed her mind? Hearing your defense in there today. She could feel your gaze, unwavering, always looking straight at the truth.

Justice passed the bar with badge number 29003, and came to work for Kristoph Gavin's law firm, Gavin Law Offices. Gavin acted as his co-counsel during his first case, in which the defendant was the disgraced former lawyer, Phoenix Wright. The trial was a very standard one until Wright began to accuse Gavin of being the real killer. Wright helped Justice to figure out the truth about the case, securing the not guilty verdict and resulting in Gavin's arrest. After the trial, Wright told Justice that he had faked a key piece of evidence. Horrified that someone he respected would openly admit to forgery, Justice punched Wright and then left, intending never to see Wright again. Gavin Law Offices was consequently dissolved, and Justice was left without work. During this time, Clay encouraged him to continue being an attorney despite the turn of events.

Wright invited Justice to work for the Wright & Co. Law Offices, which he refused. After two months, however, with nowhere else to turn for a job, Justice reluctantly visited the old firm. He found that it was now a "talent agency" run by Wright's adoptive daughter, Trucy Wright. After the confusion was settled, Trucy hired Justice as the agency's lawyer. Because Justice had no entertaining talent to speak of, Trucy renamed the agency the Wright Anything Agency to account for Justice's involvement in it.

At first, Phoenix assigned Justice to three minor, seemingly pointless cases, but he found that all three cases were tied to a murder that had occurred in People Park. Desperate for real work, he offered to take on the resulting defendant's case. With the help of Trucy and Detective Ema Skye, Justice gathered evidence and then faced off against Kristoph Gavin's brother, Prosecutor Klavier Gavin, in court. Justice implicated the defendant's fiancee as the real killer, and as Klavier began to figure out that Justice was right, he helped Justice with the process of proving his claims. Justice wondered whether he had really earned his victory.

Klavier also had his own band, and he invited Justice and Trucy to one of his concerts at a discounted price. However, during the concert, a bodyguard was fatally shot, and Justice once again defended the accused in court against Klavier. A blind witness implicated one of Klavier's band members, Daryan Crescend, as the real killer. While Crescend had set up an alibi for himself, Justice was able to show that Crescend had set up the crime to throw off the time of the shooting, and that he had been smuggling a Borginian cocoon, which had led to the confrontation that had killed the victim. Lacking decisive evidence, Justice convinced his defendant to testify to his involvement in the smuggling, proving Crescend's motive.

Three months later, Justice participated in a test trial for the Jurist System, defending Vera Misham against the charge laid on her for the murder of her father Drew Misham, with Klavier as the prosecutor. Although Phoenix promised Justice a "simple" case, the case quickly ballooned into a complex monstrosity, as the murder weapon, a Troupe Gramarye commemorative stamp laced with atroquinine, was tied to Vera's secret life as a forger, as well as the case that had cost Phoenix his attorney's badge. It was revealed that Phoenix had continued his investigation into his last case for the past seven years.

Eventually, Kristoph Gavin was summoned from his prison in Solitary Cell 13, accused by Justice of setting up the murder seven years prior. As Justice and Klavier closed in on the truth, they found that they had no decisive evidence to prove that Kristoph had done the deed. However, they had no need for this under the new Jurist System. As Kristoph utterly broke down upon finding out that the common people would decide the outcome of the case, Klavier and the judge gave their justifications for the new system, though Justice was rendered speechless. Justice vowed that he would learn what law was for himself, and fight to change it if he had to.

The return of Justice

 * Main article: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies

"Apollo Justice"

- No matter what the truth is that's waiting ahead, I won't be afraid!

The following April, Justice stumbled upon a murder scene in the village of Nine-Tails Vale. He agreed to defend Damian Tenma, who had been accused of killing alderman Rex Kyubi, and met up with Athena Cykes, the newest lawyer at the Wright Anything Agency, who would act as his assistant and co-counsel. During this case, the duo met the stalwart detective Bobby Fulbright and faced off against the convict prosecutor Simon Blackquill. Eventually, Justice and Cykes were able to prove Damian Tenma's innocence by showing that Florent L'Belle was the true culprit. L'Belle planned to pin the crime on Tenma and steal a hidden cache of gold from Kyubi Manor.

In October, the newly reinstated Wright, Cykes, and Justice went to attend a presentation and mock trial at Themis Legal Academy. It was here that a murder was discovered that matched the exact details of the mock trial. Cykes took up the defense of her friend Juniper Woods, who was accused of killing Constance Courte. Justice let Cykes take the helm in this case while he acted as co-counsel. While at the academy, the pair had a run-in with Justice's old rival, Klavier Gavin, who assisted with the investigation. In the end, Justice was able to help Cykes uncover the truth and convict Aristotle Means for the murder.



In December, a tragic incident occurred, in which the Cosmos Space Center was bombed and Justice's best friend Clay Terran was murdered. He took up the defense of his old acquaintance and Terran's mentor, Solomon Starbuck, for the case. However, during his investigation with Cykes, Justice's bracelet indicated that Cykes was lying about various things in the Space Center, particularly about the knife that was used as the murder weapon. Wracked with guilt at the thought that he considered his friend and co-worker to be suspicious, Justice chose to wear an eye patch to court so he would not be able to perceive any of Cykes's tells. Unfortunately, in the midst of the trial, a bomb was detonated, interrupting the case and injuring Justice as he attempted to protect Juniper Woods (who had come to watch the trial) from falling debris.

Justice, who now sported bandaged arms and Terran's tattered jacket, spent the next day investigating as Wright and Cykes defended Juniper Woods in the bombing incident. Justice visited the remains of the bombed courtroom and uncovered some new evidence, but he was suddenly attacked by Ted Tonate and sent to the Hickfield Clinic. Wright and Cykes were able to prove Tonate's guilt in Justice's assault and the courtroom bombing.

Wright picked up the Space Center case from Justice while he was in the hospital, and continued to gather clues with Cykes. However, in the middle of their investigation, Justice discharged himself from the clinic and announced that he was taking a leave of absence from the Wright Anything Agency. Wright questioned his reasons, but Justice would only say that he planned to catch Clay Terran's killer in his own way. Wright eventually proved that an unknown third party had committed the murder of Terran and cleared Starbuck of all charges. However, with this revelation, suspicion was cast on Athena Cykes as the killer and she was taken into custody-- further complicating the case.

Justice was later seen by Wright questioning Aura Blackquill about the transport of a certain capsule. He brushed off Wright and continued his investigation. Aura Blackquill later took hostages at the Space Center, including Trucy Wright. Her demand was that a retrial be conducted for her brother Simon Blackquill, who was convicted of murder seven years before, with Athena Cykes as the defendant. Wright was able to deduce that neither Simon nor Athena murdered Metis Cykes, but suddenly Justice stormed into the courtroom. He requested that the trial to find the killer of Terran continue.

Justice took the stand as a witness, and accused Cykes of being Terran's killer. Justice revealed his suspicions about her from their investigation together. He then investigated the possibility that Cykes was the culprit after leaving the Wright Anything Agency, and came to the conclusion that she was the only possible perpetrator. However, Justice was not happy about this conclusion, and implored Wright to prove that some other possibility existed so the doubt in his heart could be cleared.

Wright was able to do just that, by proving that a spy known only as "the Phantom", the same person responsible for the incident seven years ago, was the killer of Clay Terran. Wright deduced that the Phantom was none other than detective Bobby Fulbright. Justice, who was finally rid of his doubt, shed his bandages and joined his friends in court for the final showdown against the Phantom. The spy was finally brought to justice after a long battle, with all three lawyers of the Wright Anything Agency working together. After the case's resolution, Justice, along with Cykes and Wright, agreed to do his best with his fellow attorneys so that the they could put the Dark Age of the Law behind them. Justice was later present at the shuttle launch of the HAT-3 project, where he encouraged Solomon Starbuck as the astronaut finally returned to space.

Personality
Justice tends to be sarcastic and critical. He often makes blunt comments concerning his mentor Phoenix Wright's piano playing in particular. He occasionally even shows some disdain for some of his clients. He also has a vain side; he frequently makes puns out of his own name, and he practices his shouting for hours at night, calling it his "Chords of Steel", which sometimes makes his voice raspy. Underneath it all, he is serious about his job, and he cares deeply about justice. He is also caring, frequently worrying about Trucy Wright (although her odd relationship with her adoptive father puzzles him) and his clients. Justice cried in relief after finding out that Trucy was safe following her "abduction", as well as when Vera Misham survived her atroquinine poisoning.

During his first year in court, Apollo Justice was often unsure of himself and easily flustered. He has been shown to suffer somewhat from stage fright in court, as shown when he was supposed to perform a Luminol test on a piece of evidence, only for his hand to tremble when he realized the whole courtroom was looking at him. However, he is just as determined as his mentor was. His training under his former mentor, Kristoph Gavin, has led him to rely mostly on facts and arguments, which often puts him at odds with Wright's use of questionable tactics. Justice has also adopted Gavin's serious attitude, which conflicts with Wright's easygoing manner. Justice's unusual hairstyle frightens many of the defendants or witnesses whom he sees, though unlike Wright, who claims his hair is "natural," Justice uses hair gel.

Justice has a strange dynamic with his rival Klavier Gavin, in that the prosecutor does not seem to see Justice as a rival at all. He often calls Justice "Herr Forehead" in reference to an objection made by Justice about where a murder victim had been shot, as well as to the defense lawyer's rather large and exposed forehead. However, Klavier is pretty friendly towards Justice outside of the courtroom, even talking openly to him about cases on which they are both currently working. Justice, on the other hand, often shows jealousy and a sense that Gavin is "stealing the show", while also showing a certain morbid disdain towards Gavin's brand of loud music. Despite this, the two eventually worked together in court against Kristoph Gavin.

By the time Athena Cykes had joined the Wright Anything Agency, Justice had matured greatly into his role as a defense attorney. He no longer showed any major signs of stage fright in court (although he was still somewhat easily flustered by Simon Blackquill's swordplay metaphors and slashing motions), and had become an overall calmer individual.

When Clay Terran was murdered, Justice had to isolate himself from everyone to investigate for the truth on his own. Because the incident involved a childhood friend, Justice took Terran's death personally and sought vengeance upon the culprit. When Justice gathered proof that pointed to Cykes as the killer, he tested Phoenix Wright in court to see if Wright had anything that could break Justice's argument. In this instance, Justice took on a confident persona similar to Kristoph Gavin, with an indicative head pose and restating Kristoph's quote, "Evidence is everything in court." Once Wright verified who the true killer might be, Justice snapped out of his Kristoph-like attitude, removed his bandages and Terran's coat, and rejoined Wright at the defense bench for the case's resolution.

On a superficial level, Justice has several similarities with Wright. For example, Justice is afraid of heights and rides a bike. Additionally, when talking about newspapers, he has admitted that he only reads the funnies. Justice claims to be good with astrology and hula hoops, and used to watch a certain science-fiction show, which he was reminded of when Trucy used the phrase "bigger on the inside than on the outside" to describe her top hat.

"Perceive" ability
The bracelet Justice has helps him to focus on the nervous habits of other people. When Justice feels his bracelet getting tighter during a cross-examination, he knows to focus on the witness. Justice inherited the bracelet from his mother.

Name

 * His Japanese surname, "Odoroki" (王泥喜), comes from the word for "a surprise".


 * The kanji that make up "Housuke" (法介) can be broken down into "hou" (法) meaning "law", and "suke" (介), which is a common suffix for male Japanese names. This makes the meaning of his first name literally "boy of law" or "law boy".


 * His Japanese full name can roughly mean "A surprising man of law".


 * The name "Apollo" comes from Apollo, the god of, amongst other things, light, the sun and truth in Greek and Roman mythology. This is referenced in Turnabout Countdown, when Juniper Woods describes the moment that Justice shielded her from the explosion. Woods compares Justice to the sun -- strong, bright and warm. Later, when she testifies about Justice looking for her cough medicine, Phoenix Wright thinks to himself that she seems to be making Justice out to be some sort of ancient god, before stopping himself, realizing what he just said. The name may also be a nod to Phoenix Wright's first name originating from mythology.


 * Additionally, the given name may be a reference to NASA's Apollo program, which Trucy mentions in Turnabout Corner when suggesting that Justice's crest should be the Lunar Lander. This, likely unintentionally, also links with his time spent at the Cosmos Space Center as a child.


 * The surname "Justice" is a reference to his job. He likes to make puns with his last name.


 * In both Spanish and Italian, Justice's nickname "Pollo" means "chicken", which might be a reference to his hairstyle being like that of a chicken's comb.

Development

 * In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, Justice is the only player character to have five voice clips, while the other two have only four.


 * The main clothing color themes of Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes (blue, red, and yellow, respectively) are the three primary colors.


 * Justice's cellphone ringtone is a remix of The Guitar's Serenade.


 * In Justice's "Stylin' Street Clothes" DLC outfit, his backpack has a little keychain that bears a resemblance to Trucy's Mr. Hat puppet, as well as a button that looks like one of the ones belonging to Ema Skye.


 * In the Japanese version, when Justice refers to a person, he says their last name (written in kanji form in the text box) as well as the common "-san" honorific, with only two exceptions.


 * Justice is the only returning character in Dual Destinies to be cross examined.

References to popular culture

 * During Turnabout Serenade, Trucy states that her hat is "like a little universe! Bigger on the inside than on the outside!" At this, Justice muses that this reminds him of a sci-fi show he used to watch. This is a reference to the long-running British sci-fi show Doctor Who, in which the main character travels through the universe in his spacecraft/time machine, one of the most notable features of which is that its interior is much larger than its exterior.

Other media

 * In episode 19 of the anime Lucky Star, Hiyori produces two drawings to show Yutaka and Minami. These are of chibi versions of Klavier Gavin and Apollo Justice, complete with "Objection!" written beside the picture of Justice. The episode premiered in Japan on August 12, 2007, four months after the release of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney in Japan. The scene can be viewed here.


 * Apollo Justice has a cameo in the Capcom game We Love Golf on the Wii, along with Pearl Fey.