Ema Skye |
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Ema Skye is a forensics scientist with the Los Angeles Criminal Affairs Department who was the detective in charge of Apollo Justice's first few cases. As a teenager, nine years before she became a detective, she was Phoenix Wright's investigative partner and co-counsel in the murder of Bruce Goodman and also aided Miles Edgeworth in some of his cases.
Ema Skye is responsible for introducing forensic investigation techniques to Wright, Edgeworth, Justice, and Athena Cykes.
Early life[]
Ema Skye lost her parents in a car crash at a young age, so her elder sister Lana was her only family. Lana raised Ema alone while pursuing her detective career, resulting in Ema's interest in forensics. Lana gave Ema an allowance, usually in the form of money and bottles of luminol. Lana was known for being a cheerful and likable person at the time. Through her, Ema came to know many people in the police department, the Criminal Affairs Department and the prosecutor's office, including Jake Marshall, Angel Starr and Miles Edgeworth.
Ema also used to take organ lessons and was a fan of the popular children's television program The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo, even having the show's theme music as her ringtone as a teenager.
Involvement in the SL-9 Incident[]
During the events of the SL-9 Incident, Ema was waiting for Lana in her office so that they could go out for dinner. Suddenly, the serial killer Joe Darke, who had escaped from his interrogation, burst into the room. Prosecutor Neil Marshall soon came to the rescue, engaging Darke in a fight. During the struggle, Ema saw a man about to stab another with a broken knife. Thinking the attacker was Darke, Ema pushed him, knocking him out. She lost consciousness soon afterward. When she woke up, Lana was cradling her in her arms, Neil was dead, and Darke had been recaptured.
Detective Bruce Goodman interviewed Ema for evidence, but she could not remember anything clearly and was still in shock from the experience. A couple of days later, she managed to draw a picture of one man stabbing another on the back of a list of the evidence used to convict Darke. Subsequently, Ema decided to become a scientific investigator to prevent such situations from happening again. After the encounter with Darke, Lana suddenly became cold and more serious.
Resolution[]
Ema Skye |
So, to scientifically analyze the data available so far... You, Ms. Starr, are a lunch vendor with an ulterior motive for coming here! |
Two years after the SL-9 Incident, Goodman was murdered and Lana was quickly accused of the crime. Before Lana was apprehended, she called Ema to tell her about the situation. Ema sought Mia Fey, a lawyer whom Lana knew from law school, to defend her, but she found Phoenix Wright in Fey's office instead. Wright informed her that Fey "no longer worked there", so she requested his services instead. They visited Lana in detention; Lana informed them that she had confessed to the crime and told Ema not to get involved, but her little sister insisted on helping her only family.
Wright and Ema investigated the scene of the crime; the parking lot at the prosecutor's office. They found the victim's wallet; Ema told Wright to examine the wallet and other evidence "scientifically", from all angles, for clues. The next day, Ema gave Wright a bottle of luminol and told him to use it to find blood. Wright did as he was asked and soon found blood in various parts of the evidence room at the police department headquarters, in which Goodman had allegedly been "murdered" at the same time that he had been murdered in the parking lot. After gathering their clues there, they visited Edgeworth, who gave Ema a jar of aluminum fingerprint powder for her to use on fingerprints they had found. Wright used the resulting fingerprint evidence to prove in court that the "Goodman" at the evidence room was, in fact, Jake Marshall, who had been "killed" in a scuffle with the overeager police officer Mike Meekins. Jake had wanted to take the evidence from the SL-9 Incident, and asked Lana whether the evidence was forged. Lana confirmed that she had forged evidence in that incident, sending the courtroom into an uproar.
As the investigation continued, it became clear that the murder had something to do with the SL-9 Incident, which had plagued Lana ever since it had happened. Wright found out about Darke's attack on Ema and the subsequent arrest. He convinced detective Dick Gumshoe to let them into the office of the police chief, Damon Gant, whom had been in charge of the investigation into the SL-9 Incident. Wright deduced Gant's safe combination from an ID number he saw in a previous piece of evidence, and found hidden evidence from the incident, including a piece of cloth with Ema's handprint on it, which he determined using the fingerprint powder. Just then, Gant came in and told Wright and Gumshoe to leave, firing Gumshoe and telling Ema to stay with him for questioning.
On the last day in court, Lana tried to insist that she had killed Goodman, and Gant pushed for a guilty verdict as well, but Edgeworth defied them both and summoned Ema to the stand, despite Gant's threats. Ema testified about the SL-9 Incident, and the picture she had drawn came up. While she fainted and was sent to the infirmary, she later attended the rest of the trial in the gallery and rejoined as a co-counsel after a recess. Eventually, Wright found out that Lana had believed Ema had killed Neil Marshall by accident, but soon proved that Gant was the real killer in both cases and that he had blackmailed Lana with the lie that her younger sister was the killer.
Closing the case for good freed Lana from her guilt and she became her cheerful self again, even if she was still going to be tried for evidence tampering. After the trial ended Ema was saddened Lana did not thank her, but she was happy to see her sister again after Gumshoe brought her before sending her to the detention center. Lana apologized for the forgeries, saying that she only did it to protect Ema. Her sister understood her and immediately forgave her, as she had known that the old Lana would be back someday. Before Gumshoe handed her over again for detention, Lana gave Ema the first book she had ever bought; a book on scientific investigation. Lana was going to be tried again for her crimes, so she sent Ema to Europe to live with a coroner friend of hers and to learn more about scientific investigation.
Before leaving, Ema bid farewell to Phoenix Wright in the train station and thanked him for saving her sister.
Vacation[]
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- Main articles: The Kidnapped Turnabout, A Turnabout Forsaken, and Turnabout for the Ages
Two years later, Ema returned to the United States for spring break. She was hoping to catch Miles Edgeworth at the Hope Springs Airport, but she just missed him there. Gumshoe called her to help Edgeworth with an investigation, so, using a footprint analyzer, she managed to trace the prosecutor all the way to Gatewater Land. This footprint analyzer later proved useful for determining what had gone on in the park's stadium. Edgeworth used this to find the truth behind a kidnapping and murder that had taken place at Gatewater Land. Ema believed she would be unable to meet up with Edgeworth again before she returned to Europe, for which she expressed regret.
However, a month later, Ema received a call from Gumshoe, who told her that Edgeworth needed her assistance at the Bigg Building for a murder investigation, for which Kay Faraday was being falsely accused of the crime. She hurried to the rooftop and met Edgeworth there, who had just found a hatch leading to an otherwise inaccessible floor of the tower. The secret floor turned out to be a storeroom for police evidence being sold at a black market auction. Ema's luminol was used to find blood traces, indicating that the victim had been killed here. However, when they took a lift in the room downward, they found themselves in the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence meeting room, and Edgeworth and Faraday were promptly apprehended. Edgeworth managed to get out of his predicament the next day and find the real culprit.
Later, Faraday found Ema again at Edgeworth's request, and they both hurried to the Berry Big Circus, where Edgeworth was confronting Simeon Saint. Using Ema's fingerprinting powder, Edgeworth was able to prove that one of Saint's vehicles had been at the scene of the kidnapping of Shaun Fenn. Later, Ema helped Edgeworth prove that Saint had crushed Di-Jun Wang's body double to death with his hot air balloon. The body double had been holding a bouquet of lion lilies at the time, and traces of lion lily pollen were found at the bottom of the balloon's basket. Afterward, Ema returned abroad to continue her studies.
Detective career[]
Ema Skye |
*sigh* I never seem to get a lucky break. Back after nine years, and they won't give me the position I requested... ...And then I hear he gave up the defense attorney life... |
After seven years, Ema returned to the United States to become a forensic investigator there and to meet Wright again. To her dismay, however, she failed to qualify for the job and was instead hired into the Criminal Affairs Department as a homicide detective. Finding out that Wright had in the meantime been disbarred only added to her disappointment. Adding further insult to injury was the fact that she had to work with prosecutor Klavier Gavin, a "glimmerous fop" she couldn't stand, not only for his attitude, but also in large part due to his role in Wright's disbarment. Due to this, Ema was generally in a grumpy and surly mood, being almost unapproachable while on the job, and munching on chocolate snacks, Snackoos, to relieve the stress.
Meeting Justice[]
When defense attorney Apollo Justice visited one of the crime scenes to which she was assigned, Ema initially ignored him. However, after some advice from Wright, Justice gave the detective a bottle of fingerprint powder Wright and Ema had used nine years earlier, which she immediately brightened at the opportunity to use. She became even more open to collaborate upon learning of Justice's, and his assistant, Trucy Wright's, connections with Phoenix himself. With her assistance and the use of shoeprint casting, Justice was able to find the evidence he needed to acquit his client of the crime and have the true killer arrested.
Witness to murder[]
Later, during a Gavinners concert, someone stole Prosecutor Gavin's keys, so he called Ema to look for them, much to her disgruntlement. She met Justice backstage, where the two of them heard what sounded like two gunshots. They broke into a dressing room to find a badly wounded bodyguard called Romein LeTouse. Ema ran outside to call for help, and Justice was the only one present to hear LeTouse's final words. She later testified against Machi Tobaye in the bodyguard's murder, but Justice once again managed to clear his client's name and prove who the real culprit had been.
Involvement in the Jurist System test trial[]
Three months later, Ema and Justice participated in the trial of Vera Misham for the murder of her artist father, Drew Misham. At the crime scene they used an atroquinine indicator to find traces of the poison on a small picture frame. They also used a special X-ray machine designed to see through objects to read two letters that had been sent to the Misham residence.
During the trial, Ema appeared again, imitating the voice of Klavier Gavin's older brother Kristoph (who had been previously arrested for murder) to spook the prosecutor. Justice determined that Drew had sent a letter, using a stamp to do so; the stamp had been poisoned with atroquinine, which had subsequently killed the artist. Ema added that she could test for atroquinine on one of the letters that were in the Misham residence. When she did so, she found a small smear near the bottom of a letter, about the size of a stamp. This was crucial evidence for the defense, and, along with the investigative work of Phoenix Wright, all the unknowns of the case were solved and the jury declared Vera innocent.
Afterwards, Ema contemplated the idea of creating "Golden Snackoos" in order to "augment the crunch, or better yet, make them ding," but she also mused that the preservatives needed "might not be 100% safe." Trucy later mentioned her during Phoenix Wright's first case after being reinstated, referring to her as a "detective friend" who had given her some items for forensic investigation. Additionally, Phoenix still owned the glasses for luminol testing that Ema had given.
Forensic scientist career[]
Reunited with Justice & Wright[]
- Main articles: The Magical Turnabout & The Rite of Turnabout
Two years after Vera Misham's trial, Ema finally secured her dream job as a forensic investigator, improving her general mood. She once again encountered Justice (and also met his new co-worker Athena Cykes) while investigating a death that had occurred at Trucy's magic show, Justice being quite surprised by her shift in attitude compared to before. Ema later testified during Trucy's subsequent murder trial for said death; unlike Prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Ema firmly believed in Trucy's innocence. Ema's belief turned out to be well-founded, as Justice exposed the real killer, resulting in Trucy's acquittal. After the trial, Sahdmadhi complimented Skye on her work (much to her surprise), and decided to retain her as his partner for the near future.
Ema later traveled to the Kingdom of Khura'in with Sahdmadhi. For the first time since her sister's trial, Ema found herself assisting Wright with one of his cases when his longtime friend, Maya Fey, was accused of murdering a priest.
Further cases[]
- Main articles: Turnabout Revolution & Turnabout Time Traveler
Ema would later investigate and testify about the "accidental" death of Dr. Archie Buff. The case she testified in was not a murder case, but rather a civil trial between Justice and Wright (representing Dhurke Sahdmadhi and Paul Atishon, respectively) to determine the rightful owner of the Founder's Orb (although Buff's death, later revealed to be murder, was brought up in the case). After the trial, she traveled back to Khura'in to help investigate the death of Inga Karkhuul Khura'in. During the subsequent trial, she was sent to investigate a sarcophagus, within which she found the dead body of the trial's defendant, Dhurke Sahdmadhi. She subsequently obtained a photo of the scene and presented it as evidence during the trial, which caused Justice (the defense attorney and Dhurke's foster son) to break down. However, Justice was eventually able to reveal the true culprit and clear Dhurke's name.
Ema was later assigned to investigate a death that occurred at Ellen Wyatt and Sorin Sprocket's wedding, with the former being accused of the murder. Since she was working for Edgeworth; her long-time idol, she willingly testified for the prosecution. Despite this, a defending Phoenix Wright proved the defendant's innocence by exposing the real killer. Later, Skye, alongside Wright, Edgeworth, Maya Fey, Larry Butz, and Athena Cykes, attended a recreation of the interrupted wedding. However, after Larry Butz inadvertently caught the bridal bouquet Wyatt tossed, an enraged Ema joined the equally furious Cykes and Fey in chasing him down.
Personality[]
Ema Skye is generally cheerful and optimistic, especially when it comes to forensic science. She was more withdrawn as a detective, disliking talking to people on any subject other than forensics, though she mellowed out after finally getting her dream job. Even with her time as a detective being a relatively low point from her perspective, she would immediately cheer up if the opportunity to engage in or discuss forensic investigation presented itself, and would sneakily investigate crime scenes when the assigned forensic investigators were not around.
While investigating with Phoenix, Ema had a tendency to write down notes in her notepad, even if they were completely irrelevant to the case at hand. Later on, she would type into her phone instead. She was a fan of Global Studios's Samurai franchise, with her ringtone being the Steel Samurai theme and her bag having a chibi Pink Princess on it. She also expressed a dislike of horror movies.
Due to her family and career path, Ema has worked with multiple prosecutors. She deeply admires Lana and Edgeworth, though she is not a fan of the latter's office. In contrast, she has a combative relationship with Klavier, to the point of referring to him a "glimmerous fop". Besides being unable to stand how he treats her, she is also resentful of him for his role in Wright's disbarment. Her relationship with Nahyuta was more complicated: he genuinely appreciated working with her and she appreciated his calm and polite mannerisms; however, she also found herself frustrated with Nahyuta's unreadable nature and preachy attitude, and found herself at odds with him due to knowing all three of the defendants whom he prosecuted while working with her. According to Ema, prosecutors should be "simmerous" and "cool of wit and furrowed of brow".
Ema enjoys Snackoos, spending large quantities of time vigorously munching on them, particularly when annoyed, sad, or stressed. She sometimes throws them at people who annoy her.
Name[]
- Japanese - Akane Hōzuki (宝月 茜):
- "Akane" (茜) may come from the phrase "akane sasu sora", meaning "a glowing sky". Her English surname, "Skye", may be a reflection of this.
- "Hōzuki" (宝月) means "treasured moon" or "jeweled moon".
- English - Ema Skye:
- "Skye" may be a reflection of her Japanese given name "Akane" (茜), which may come from the phrase "akane sasu sora", meaning "a glowing sky".
Unofficial[]
- Brazilian Portuguese - Ema Ciel:[1]
- Simple adaptation of the name from the English version.
- "Ciel" comes from the French word for "sky".
Development[]
Design[]
Ema has long brown hair that is styled similarly to Maya's, with a topknot or bun, two pieces draped over her shoulder and bangs on the front. Her eye color is inconsistent across different sprites, mugshots, and official artwork.
The original Ema from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney wears a blue vest with gold buttons over a pink shirt, an ID card (only shown in sprites and certain concept art), a blue plaid skirt, a red bow on her chest, red stockings, red shoes, a pink pouch to hold her lab equipment, and a light pink watch. The test tubes in her bag are filled with water. She also wears three button badges on her lab coat. One has a surprised face on it, while the two smaller ones have angry faces. These badges bear a great resemblance to the molecular model used for water (H2O), with the larger, "surprised"-looking badge representing an oxygen atom and the two smaller, "angry"-looking badges representing the two hydrogen atoms.[2]
In Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, Ema only wears the larger button badge with a surprised face on her lab coat. She keeps her shirt, vest, and watch, adding a striped tie, brown shorts, striped thigh-high stockings, brown laced boots, a black bag over her shoulder to hold her lab equipment, and a pink newsboy cap.
The adult Ema only wears the one small button badge with an angry face. One of her blue badges can be seen on Apollo Justice's "Stylin' Street Clothes" outfit. She also wears a pink shirt, a green vest with gold buttons, brown capri pants, black high heels, a red tie, and a pink bag to hold her lab equipment. In her Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice appearance, she wears a red armband labeled "Forensics", indicating her new role.
For her wedding outfit during Turnabout Time Traveler, she puts most of her hair up in a messy bun, and wears a blue-green dress with white trim and a bow tied around the waist, black high heels, a red scarf, and two bracelets around her left wrist. This is also the only time she doesn't wear a lab coat.
Ema always wears a specialized pair of glasses with pink lenses, used to detect luminol, which get wider as she gets older. She apparently carries at least one spare pair with her at all times, even lending them for Wright to use during their time together.
Ema was the first character designed by Kazuya Nuri, and continues to be one of his favorite characters partly due to getting to draw her at different stages of her life.[3] He modeled her after Maya Fey, to the point of having a nearly identical hairstyle, but gave her unique traits to make the two ultimately distinct from each other.[4] Ema and Maya also have multiple similarities in the storyline, to the point that both have had their names written in blood on a piece of evidence in an attempt to incriminate them.
Ema was made more mature and moody for her appearance in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney to prevent her role from conflicting with that of Trucy Wright.[4] Nuri wanted to keep Ema's "cuteness" intact for her facial expressions, however, so when she is expressing anger it is more like an "adorable pout". His favorite Ema animation is when she is munching on her snackoos.[4]
Miscellaneous[]
- Takeshi Yamazaki's original idea for Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was a detective spin-off game for the adult version of Ema Skye.
- There were early rough sketches of a Khura'inese detective partner for Nahyuta, designed somewhat like Sun Wukong from Journey to the West. There was an incantation that Nahyuta would use to shrink a headband worn by the detective. This character was scrapped in favor of having Ema travel between the U.S. and Khura'in with Nahyuta.[5]
- During her appearances in the Ace Attorney Investigations games, she is seen holding a pink-colored gadget highly reminiscent of a pink Nintendo DS.
- Ema Skye and Mia Fey (during Bridge to the Turnabout) are the only Ace Attorney characters to date to have their forward-facing sprites used while acting as the player's co-counsel.
- Ema Skye and Mike Meekins are the only characters to date to have been introduced in Rise from the Ashes and reappear in other games in the series.
- Ema Skye is the only assistant in Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit with whom the player can interact physically. Namely, in A Turnabout Forsaken, the player can push her around while she is Edgeworth's assistant.
- Very early concept art for the assistant character that would eventually become Maya Fey shows her wearing pink-lensed glasses that are seemingly identical to the pair that Ema wears.
References[]
- ↑ "Nomes - Jacutem Sabão". Advogados de Primeira. Retrieved on 2022-03-21.
- ↑ Ash (2016-07-30). "Turnabout Interview 2 – Development Staff Discussion (2005)". Gyakuten Saiban Library. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ↑ Ash. Capcom Legends interview with Nuri (art director DGS). Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 (2009). "The Art of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney". UDON. ISBN 1-897376-19-7.
- ↑ Ash (2020-04-14). "Looking Back At Episode 2 Turnabout Magic Show with Gyakuten Saiban 6 Director Yamazaki (2016)". Gyakuten Saiban Library. Retrieved 2023-01-21.