Speech bubble

Speech bubbles, also known as speech balloons, dialogue balloons, or word balloons, are a graphic convention used to represent the speech or thoughts of characters in graphical fictional works, most commonly in comic books, comic strips, and cartoons. The Ace Attorney series predominantly uses labeled text boxes on the top or bottom of a screen to convey speech and thoughts, but also uses spiky "scream balloons" to convey certain exclamations. These scream balloons cover an entire screen and use stylized red letters for over-the-top emphasis, albeit not in all capital letters. These speech bubbles are an iconic element of the series, especially the "Objection!" bubble, which is used whenever a major character is about to counter an argument or a witness's testimony.

Original speech bubbles
"Objection!" is one of the three original bubbles alongside "Hold it!" and "Take that!". More bubbles have been made over time, beginning with "Gotcha!" in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, though they tend to be derivatives of the original three in usage, applied to specific characters or gameplay mechanics. In particular, "Take that!" is used when evidence from the court record or organizer is used to answer a question at hand. Consequently, although "Objection!" is the most famous bubble, "Take that!" tends to be the one most associated with climactic moments in the games, due to the flow of the narratives.

"Objection!" and "Hold it!" are mainly used during cross-examinations of witness testimonies or rebuttals to arguments. Presenting evidence to counter a statement results in the protagonist yelling "Objection!" before giving his or her counterargument. Pressing a witness for clarification on a statement results in the protagonist yelling "Hold it!" to interrupt the testimony or argument. The other usages of these bubbles reflect their use in gameplay; "Objection!" is generally used to interrupt for the sake of giving a counterargument, while "Hold it!" is usually employed to interrupt for other reasons. However, this is not a hard distinction, as both can be used to interrupt courtroom proceedings, though "Objection!" tends to be used by attorneys when the judge is about to hand down a verdict.

Other speech bubbles
Many speech bubbles are associated with game mechanics other than cross-examinations and rebuttals:
 * "Take that!" when using the magatama
 * "Gotcha!" when finding a witness's tell using the bracelet
 * "Eureka!" when finding a relationship between a scene being investigated and a piece of evidence
 * "Hang on!" when noticing a witness reacting to another witness's testimony during a witch trial
 * "Got it!" when finding an emotion of interest in the Mood Matrix

Some characters use signature bubbles in place of the traditional bubbles:
 * Shi-Long Lang uses "Not so fast!" in place of "Objection!"
 * Hakari Mikagami uses "Overruled!" in place of "Objection!"
 * Hershel Layton uses "Have a look!" in place of "Take that!" in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In the Japanese version, "Eureka!" and "Have a look!" are the same speech bubble "Kore da!"
 * Phoenix Wright uses "Got it!" instead of "Take that!" when pointing out a location of interest in relation to a question asked during a witch trial.
 * Simon Blackquill uses "Silence!" interchangeably with "Objection!"
 * Jezail Brett uses "Shut up!" in place of "Objection!"

Finally, there is the Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney-exclusive "Welcome!", which is unique amongst the speech bubbles in that it is not used during the dramatic events of trials. Instead, it is used by Phoenix Wright (as well as Zacharias Barnham in the special episode Flour Everywhere) for the rather more mundane task of welcoming visitors to Patty Eclaire's bakery.