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Maya Fey
Say, Detective Gumshoe. Do you know "Gourdy"?
Dick Gumshoe
The monster down in Gourd Lake? Not personally, no.

Gourdy was a lake monster believed to live in Gourd Lake. Its apparent appearance at the lake proved to be an important detail in Phoenix Wright's investigation in the murder of Robert Hammond. Although eventually proved not to exist, the monster went on to feature in a Global Studios film where it battled Taurusaurus.

The legend[]

Main article: Turnabout Goodbyes
Samurai Splash

The inflatable Steel Samurai landing in the lake.

Gourdy

The photograph that started the legend.

On Christmas Eve, 2016, Larry Butz was trying to fill up an inflatable Steel Samurai to promote his Samurai Dog stand at Gourd Lake. While trying to fill it up he let go of the air tank and the inflatable flew up into the air, giving off a noise like an explosion. It then crashed into the water just as a couple were getting their picture taken on the nearby shore, creating a serpent-like silhouette in the background. The couple would later tell a newspaper that "It rose from the water, creating a noise like an explosion." Soon after the publication of this article, people began to flock to the lake in search of the mysterious beast.

One such person was Lotta Hart. She was determined to get her picture without "second-rate shutterbugs" trying to steal her "scoop". When Phoenix Wright came to the lake in search of evidence for a case, Hart used a cover story that she was attempting to photograph shooting stars for a research paper. Unfortunately for her, she did not think her story through and her true purpose was worked out by Wright, since her camera was focused at the lake instead of the sky, she had binoculars with her but didn't have a telescope, and she had set the camera up to automatically take photos when an explosion went off. When Wright questioned his client, Miles Edgeworth, as to his motive for visiting the lake on the night of the murder, he initially stated that he was looking for Gourdy, although Wright was eventually able to discover the true reason: Edgeworth had received a letter asking for a meeting at the lake, seemingly from Robert Hammond. Wright was finally forced into helping Hart find Gourdy in exchange for information about his case, which led to the defense attorney working out the truth, much to Hart's disappointment.

Movie monster[]

Movieposter

Promotional poster for "Taurusaurus vs. Gourdy".

However, despite this revelation, Gourdy would appear three years later as a character in Taurusaurus vs. Gourdy. This Global Studios monster movie was meant to be a revival of the Taurusaurus franchise, but ended up also including Gourdy mostly due to the director's fascination with the lake monster, his original plan even involving trawling Gourd Lake in search of the "real" Gourdy before the idea was scrapped.

During Miles Edgeworth's investigation into a murder that had seemingly taken place at the filming lot for Taurusaurus vs. Gourdy at the foot of the Bigg Building, Gourdy was once again allegedly sighted, this time by Penny Nichols, a member of the filming crew. However, much to the disappointment of Hart yet again, who had come to the erroneous conclusion that both monsters were real, Edgeworth later figured out that the "Gourdy" witnessed by Nichols was just a camera crane draped in a waterproof sheet; it had been set up by the child actor Shaun Fenn to do some late-night practice, with Nichols's mistake originating from both being it being dark outside at the time and her failing eyesight.

Name[]

  • Japanese - Hyosshi (ヒョッシ)
    • "Hyosshi" is a nickname that mixes both the "-sshi" suffix often found in Japanese pet names and "Hyoutan Lake" (ひょうたん湖), with "Hyoutan" meaning calabash, a type of gourd. Hyoutan Lake is also a frequently used name for many lakes in Japan.
  • English - Gourdy:
    • "Gourdy" comes from "Gourd Lake", its supposed home. In-universe, the name was inspired by the Loch Ness Monster, a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands and is affectionately referred to by the nickname "Nessie".

Unofficial[]

Other media[]

Case4mangatrans

Gourdy appears.

Gourdy appears as an actual creature in a manga found in the Gyakuten Saiban Guidebook. In it, Wright and Edgeworth send Butz to Gourd Lake to look for the monster as punishment. After being pestered by Maya Fey, who wants to see Gourdy, they arrive at the lake (with Dick Gumshoe providing a lift) to find Gourdy with half of Butz in its mouth. Wright and Edgeworth promptly run away, while Fey shouts that she wants a turn on the lake monster next.

References[]

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