Datz Are'bal

Datz Are'bal

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Datz Are'bal V · T · F
Occupation	Paratrooper (lapsed) Revolutionary ( - May 19, 2028) Prisoner ( - May 8, 2028)
Biological information
Reckoned birth year(s) (this is for age comparison purposes, and so may look odd; click on the question mark for details)?	1982
Documented age range (as recorded in court record profiles & case files)	46* (The Rite of Turnabout)
Last known status	Alive (May 2028)
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Brown
Height (the metric (cm) values are sourced from official guidebooks and may not reflect the relative sizes of characters as depicted in-game or in other official media)	6'1"; 186 cm
Associates
Family	None mentioned
Friends	Dhurke Sahdmadhi (superior; deceased) Nahyuta Sahdmadhi (Sahdmadhi's biological son) Apollo Justice (Sahdmadhi's foster son) Phoenix Wright (visiting attorney)
Affiliates	Beh'leeb Inmee (fellow revolutionary) Tahrust Inmee (fellow revolutionary; deceased)
Aliases/nicknames
Prisoner 201* (prison ID) A'nohn Ihmus (TBD)* (provisional name while suffering amnesia)
Names in other languages
Japanese (romanization written with the given name first)	ダッツ・ディニゲル (Dattsu Dinigeru) ナナシーノ・ゴンビェ (仮) (Nanashiino Gonbe (Kari))* (provisional name while suffering amnesia; equivalent of A'nohn Ihmus (TBD))
Miscellaneous
Debut episode	The Foreign Turnabout
Musical theme	"Strange People" "Cheerful People" "Revolutionaries ~ Defiant Dragons"

Datz Are'bal

Looks like they've got me again! Three times in one year! "Datz" a new record! Har har har har har har!

— Turnabout Revolution

Datz Are'bal is a former paratrooper who joined the Khura'inese rebel group known as the Defiant Dragons. Although eventually captured by the authorities, he managed to escape from prison at around the same time that the apparent murder of Tahrust Inmee was occurring. Unfortunately, his escape method resulted in a brief bout of amnesia during this time, and thus he went by the provisional name of A'nohn Ihmus (TBD) until his memories were returned to him.

The Defiant Dragons

Are'bal was the right-hand man of Dhurke Sahdmadhi, leader of the revolutionary group known as the Defiant Dragons, whose goal was to overthrow the regime of Queen Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in in order to reform the judicial system of Khura'in and nullify the Defense Culpability Act (DC Act). During his time in the group, Are'bal came to befriend Nahyuta Sahdmadhi and Apollo Justice, Dhurke's biological and foster sons, respectively. Justice was eventually sent to the United States for his safety.

The Fighting Phoenix arrives

Main article: The Foreign Turnabout

Fifteen years after Justice was sent to the United States, Phoenix Wright arrived in Khura'in and soon became involved in defending a young boy called Ahlbi Ur'gaid after the latter was accused of murdering a guard. Despite the threat of the DC Act, Wright was able to successfully acquit Ur'gaid and uncover the true killer. The news of his efforts leading to the first acquittal in the kingdom since the DC Act was passed soon reached the Dragons.

Are'bal met with Dhurke at a rebel safe house that had previously been latter's old law office to discuss this interesting development. After throwing a kukri that hit a poster of Queen Ga'ran between the eyes (he would later claim he was trying to kill a fly), Dhurke told him that "the winds of change were beginning to stir."

Escape from prison

Main article: The Rite of Turnabout

A wanted poster for Are'bal printed after his escape from prison.

At some point after his meeting with Dhurke, Are'bal was captured by a rebel hunter disguised as Lady Kee'ra and imprisoned in Royal Penitentiary No. 4, the prison located above Khura'in's Inner Sanctum. Prior to a planned Purification Rite at the Inner Sanctum, a plan was formed to break Are'bal out of prison with the help of fellow Defiant Dragons members Tahrust and Beh'leeb Inmee. Using prayer flags that had been sewn together to form a makeshift parachute, Are'bal parachuted from the mountain prison where he was held, but hit his head upon landing, losing consciousness and his memory in the process.

As Tahrust had been found dead at the time Are'bal was in the area, he was accosted by the authorities and asked to provide testimony under the name "A'nohn Ihmus (TBD)" in Maya Fey's subsequent trial. To avoid suspicion, Are'bal provided a fictional testimony on the spot to implicate Fey. Wright managed to disprove his testimony, during which time Are'bal fully regained his memories. However, he maintained his amnesiac facade until Wright figured out who he really was. After briefly addressing Nahyuta directly, Are'bal quickly made his escape from the courtroom.

Are'bal returned to the temporary hideout, having shaved off the bushy beard and shaggy hair he had grown during his time in prison. After Fey was accused of murdering of Puhray Zeh'lot, Wright tracked Are'bal down, since he was the last remaining lead on the double homicide case. To ensure Wright was not acting as a spy for Queen Ga'ran in return for leniency, Are'bal knocked Wright out and brought him to the hideout, where he pretended to be defecting from the rebel group and intending to sell rebel secrets to Justice Minister Inga Karkhuul Khura'in. However, in the process of breaking Are'bal's Psyche-Locks, Wright was able to deduce the rebel's true intentions. An impressed Are'bal told him about the revolutionary group's true nature and gave him a key to a hideout the Inmees had prepared at the Inner Sanctum.

After Fey was cleared of all charges, Are'bal and Dhurke caught up with Beh'leeb at the Hall of Justice. After distracting the guards with small explosives (likely Are'bal's own "Dragon Snot Snaps"), the three Dragons briefly encountered Wright, Fey, and Princess Rayfa Padma Khura'in in the Accused Lobby. After telling Dhurke that everything was ready, Are'bal and his two comrades eluded the pursuing bailiffs and escaped.

Suspect in a murder

Main article: Turnabout Revolution

Loitering around Dr. Buff's house on the night of the murder.

After Fey's trial, the Dragons decided to hijack the broadcast of The Plumed Punisher: Warrior of Neo Twilight Realm, a show that disparaged them and their cause. Dhurke delivered a message of legal revolution, with Are'bal standing by his side. Are'bal then traveled to the United States with Dhurke to meet Archie Buff and retrieve the Founder's Orb, having already secured an agreed trade with the professor. However, Paul Atishon intervened by telling Buff that the Defiant Dragons were dangerous, and so he refused to surrender the Orb, leading to an argument between Buff and Are'bal. Are'bal left his suitcase at the scene, which Atishon would later used in his own visit to murder Buff by dropping it on the professor from the second floor of the man's study.

The next day, Are'bal was arrested for trespassing; as he had locked his passport in his suitcase, he was considered to have entered the country illegally, but the charges were lifted shortly thereafter. In court, he became a suspect for the professor's murder, as he had been seen leaving the scene of the crime, but was soon cleared when Apollo Justice and Wright figured out that Atishon was the real killer during a civil trial between the two attorneys.

Leading the revolution

Main article: Turnabout Revolution

In front of Tehm'pul Temple during the protest against the Defense Culpability Act.

Are'bal then returned to Khura'in, where he and Beh'leeb led a protest group at Tehm'pul Temple to demand the release of Dhurke and the rescinding of the Defense Culpability Act, after Dhurke had been arrested for the murder of Inga Karkhuul Khura'in. Are'bal was put in charge of ensuring Dhurke's safety, but lost sight of him during the trial that followed. It would later be revealed that Dhurke had been killed before their trip to the United States to retrieve the Founder's Orb, and was instead being channeled by Maya Fey.

Due to Justice's efforts, not only was Dhurke proven innocent of Inga's murder and the attempted assassination of Amara Sigatar Khura'in over twenty years prior, but also revealed that Ga'ran was unfit to rule Khura'in owing to her lack of the necessary spiritual abilities that the royalty of the country must possess by law. Following the trial, Are'bal asked Justice to stay in Khura'in to reopen Dhurke's law office and help them rebuild their justice system, to which the latter agreed.

Personality

Phoenix Wright

Someone should really put a leash on that guy.

— Turnabout Revolution

Mugshot.

Are'bal has a carefree and friendly personality, often addressing his friends and allies in a very casual manner, such as calling Phoenix Wright "PW" or Nahyuta Sahdmadhi "Yuty". He also tends to overreact to situations with exaggerated reactions and burst into laughter at anything he considers remotely funny, even in inappropriate scenarios; others have pointed out that Are'bal's apparent inability to take things seriously has often landed him in trouble. Despite his somewhat flippant nature, Are'bal can be serious if the situation requires it, such as his lamenting of Dhurke's death.

Another prominent trait of Are'bal's is his insatiable hunger, which he claims to have developed due to being physically buff and expending a lot of energy from constantly being on the run. He can therefore often be seen snacking on apples or cooked sewer lizards on sticks. His favored weapon appears to be a kukri, which he wields with deftness and skill.

Are'bal could be considered to Justice what Larry Butz is to Wright; they have both been friends of the defense attorneys since the lawyers' respective childhoods, and both have a fairly similar carefree attitude.

Name

• His full Japanese name comes from the phrase "datto de nigeru" (脱兎で逃げる), which means "fleeing as fast as I can", which is befitting his status as a revolutionary on the run from the law.
• His Japanese alias while suffering amnesia comes from  "nanashi no gonbei" (名無しの権兵衛), which roughly means "John Doe", which is a generic name used when a subject's true identity is unknown or withheld for legal reasons and is fitting for an amnesiac man and a revolutionary in disguise.
• "Datz Are'bal", his full English name, is a play on "that's a rebel". It could also be a play on "that's horrible", alluding to his former reputation as an alleged murderous rebel, or on "that's our ball", referencing the struggle over the Founder's Orb. "Datz" may also come from his Japanese given name.
• "A'nohn Ihmus", his English alias while suffering amnesia, is a play on "anonymous", while "TBD" is an abbreviation for "to be determined".

Development

• Perceiving Trucy Wright and breaking Datz Are'bal's Psyce-Locks are the only times where the Attorney Badge is present as evidence.