Russell Berry

"Moe"

- How could anyone do that to such a wonderful man...!?

Russell Berry was the owner and ringmaster of Berry Big Circus since its opening. He had a daughter, Regina Berry, and an incident involving her led to his death.

Leader of the circus
Russell Berry was good man and a kind employer; when no customers came, he would pay Moe out of his own pocket since the clown had a family to look after. All of the members of the circus respected Russell and he was seen as something of a father figure. When the Dingling brothers were orphaned, he took them in and raised them and they became the acrobats Acro and Bat.

Bat's accident
One day, Bat was involved in an accident (unintentionally caused by Regina) when Léon the lion bit him and put him in a coma. Acro, defending his brother, was paralyzed from the waist down. Russell shot Léon outside after that, and no one spoke of the incident again, but Acro resented Regina for not taking his brother's condition seriously.

Death

 * Main article: Turnabout Big Top

"Russell Berry"

- Sorry Max. I have something I must attend to right now. Do you mind waiting for me right here?

"Max Galactica"

- It's pretty cold outside. Where's your coat?

"Russell Berry"

- It's alright. I'll be right back. It should only take about 10 minutes.

Wanting to keep things fresh, Russell added a new act to his circus, a magician called Max Galactica. This worked fantastically and his circus was given a new lease of life, although Galactica did generate some resentment from the other performers due to his egotistical attitude.

Six months after the Léon incident, an anonymous threat, given to the innocent Regina by Acro in secret, appeared on the bulletin board calling out the "killer" from six months ago. Fearful, Russell decided to meet the sender at the appointed time, after talking with Galactica about an incident at breakfast in which he had hit Benjamin Woodman over the head with a bottle and his proposal to marry Regina. Russell put on Galactica's costume and stepped out, being witnessed by Ben and Trilo along the way. When he arrived, a wooden box containing only a container of pepper was in the snow. He stooped to pick it up, and Acro, not knowing that it was the ringmaster below his window, dropped a bust of Max Galactica out of it, bashing Russell on the head and killing him instantly. Galactica's cloak fell off Russell's shoulders and caught on the bust, so that when it was hoisted back up, Moe the clown thought it was Galactica flying.

Moe's witness testimony led to Galactica's arrest for the murder, but Galactica's lawyer Phoenix Wright exposed Acro as the real killer.

Personality
"Moe"

- The Ringmaster was a real big shot in the circus world. A real class act.

Although Wright never had the chance to meet the ringmaster, his former employees held him in high regard. His paying of Moe even when no-one came to the circus clearly shows his generous nature, along with his taking in of the Dingling brothers. Russell was also apparently a man of many, often bizarre, talents, as could be seen from the trophies in his room including: "All Country Quiz Champions", "Ringmaster's Association Mini Golf Master", "Beer Belly Balloon Bounce Champ" and "Pet Grooming Grand Prix". Russell's generosity was also tinted with this oddness; his room contained a line of framed Thank You cards received due to his annual donations to the "Robot Clown Research Center".

Name

 * "Berry" was likely chosen for the pun-based name of his circus (Berry/Very Big Circus).


 * "Russell" may be a reference to The Russell Brother's Circus, a famous circus.


 * His full Japanese name means "700 people come to watch".


 * His French surname was chosen for the same reason as in English; to provide the pun-based name of his circus. In the French version, his circus is called "Cirque Hullere" which is a play on the French word "circulaire", meaning "circular". "Loïc Hullere" comes from "L'auriculaire", which means "The auricular".