| Ryūnosuke Naruhodō |
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- This article is about the character, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō. You may be looking for the game Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken.
Ryūnosuke Naruhodō was an ancestor of Phoenix Wright who lived in Japan during the Meiji period.[3]
While he was a second year student at Teito Yuumei University, Naruhodō was put on trial for a murder he did not commit. After his acquittal, he traveled to London where he became acquainted with Sherlock Holmes. Naruhodō went on to defend clients in the English courtroom.
Accused of murder
- Main article: The Adventure of the Great Departure
On November 19, 1899, Naruhodō met and talked with his friend Kazuma Asōgi at the “La Quantos” restaurant. After his friend left, he saw John H. Watson sitting nearby, recognizing him as a British professor at his university. Naruhodō walked up and greeted Watson, talking with him for a bit. Afterwards, he was preparing to leave when he noticed a handgun on the floor. When he picked up the weapon, Naruhodō heard a nearby gunshot and found Watson dead. Because he was holding onto the gun, the witnesses nearby believed that he was the murderer and he was promptly arrested by Detective Satoru Hosonaga.
Three days later, Naruhodō was put on trial with Asōgi as his defense attorney. However, when he learned from Yūjin Mikotoba that his friend’s chance to study abroad in England was in jeopardy, he decided to represent himself and Asōgi stood as his assistant. Despite being heavily nervous at the beginning of the trial because of his lack of experience with the law, Naruhodō was able to stand firm against Prosecutor Taketsuchi Auchi. He figured out that the witnesses, Sanmon Sonohigurashi and Taizou Uzukumaru, were concealing the important fact that Watson was with a British exchange student, Jezail Brett, at the time of his death, so he suspected that she was connected to the murder. When she appeared in the courtroom, Brett repeatedly denied killing Watson, but Naruhodō was able to hold his ground against her. At one time when the witness had the upper hand, he and Asōgi were assisted by Mikotoba’s daughter, Susato, who gave them Watson’s research documents on curare. Naruhodō prevailed against all odds and proved that Brett poisoned the professor with curare and framed him by shooting the corpse with her hidden handgun. Thus, he was able to prove his innocence, and he and Asōgi won the trial.
Naruhodō was congratulated for his victory and acquittal, but soon learned from Yūjin Mikotoba and Detective Hosonaga that Brett would be heading for Shanghai and not be put on trial in Japan due to the invocation of the “trial consul’s authority.” Naruhodō was given a compliment by Asōgi on how he had the making of an attorney. His friend then stated that he had a request for him.
Losing a friend
- Main article: The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band
Asōgi’s request was for Naruhodō to join him on his journey to London and study law alongside him. His friend not only wanted the two of them to revolutionize the law in Japan, but also let Naruhodō realize his true potential as an attorney. So Asōgi smuggled him onto the steamship, and Naruhodō hid in the closet to avoid the sailors. But a month after they left Japan, Asōgi was found dead in his cabin, and Ryūnosuke was found and charged for murdering his friend. Wanting to clear his name, he asked Susato if they could try to figure out the truth together about Asōgi’s death, to which she allowed under her supervision. It was during their investigation that they met Sherlock Holmes, the great detective of London, who was also looking into the murder case.
With Susato and Holmes’ help, which involved two joint reasonings, Naruhodō figured out that Asōgi’s murderer was Nikomina Borschevic, a Russian ballet dancer who was seeking asylum and snuck onto the ship. With his friend dead, Naruhodō was informed by Hosonaga that they had to return home since there was now no attorney. But he declared that he would take Asōgi’s place as an attorney and study law on the ship, even though they had forty days left until they reached London.
Unbeknownst to Naruhodō and Susato, Asōgi was in fact alive and had only suffered a broken neck and memory loss.
As an exchange student
First trial in London
- Main article: The Adventure of the Runaway Room
Arriving in London, Naruhodō and Susato met with the Chief Justice, Hart Vortex. In order to prove to the chairman that he was worthy of taking Asōgi's place, Ryūnosuke was immediately assigned to take on a case and win a "Not Guilty" verdict. At the Old Bailey, he and Susato meet their first client: Cosney Megundal. Although he was a well-liked businessman, nobody took his case because the prosecutor was the "Death God of the Old Bailey," Barok van Zieks. It was during this trial that Naruhodō learned about the jurist system, and how he could make a case to continue the trial should all six jurors decide on a "Guilty" verdict.
As the trial progressed, Naruhodō nearly had his vitcory until van Zieks pointed out that someone had tampered with the carriage and had created fake evidence. He indicated that the ones responsible were Megundal and Gina Lestrade, a pickpocket who caused a smoke explosion earlier. It was here that Naruhodō began to question Megundal's innocence, but the trial could not continue because Megundal pointed out that the prosecution lacked decisive evidence that the crime scene was tampered. Thus, Naruhodō won the "Not Guilty" verdict, albeit conflicted on the truth of the case. Soon after the trial ended, Megundal said he was being summoned back to help the investigation on the carriage, but the carriage caught fire and Megundal's burnt body was found within.
Defending a fellow Japanese
- Main article: The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro and The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro
The next day, Naruhodō and Susato met with Vortex, who congratulated the former on his victory and acknowledged him as an attorney. Naruhodō admitted that he wasn’t satisfied with the trial, but was immediately informed by Vortex about Megundal’s death. The pair was further shocked when they learned that Scotland Yard did not arrange for him to inspect the carriage. Shortly afterwards, Vortex assigned the pair to a new case, with the trial happening the next day. After meeting with Detective Tobias Gregson, they learned that Naruhodō was to defend Sōseki Natsume, a fellow Japanese exchange student who was accused of stabbing Viridian Green in the back.
As they met with Natsume, Naruhodō and Susato learned that he was arrested by Holmes. They later went to the detective’s lodgings to hear his side of the case, but they instead found the girl they met the other day, who turned out to be Holmes’ assistant and autobiographer, Iris Watson. After deducing that Naruhodō and Susato wanted to see Holmes about the case, Iris helped them by sending a letter to Gregson that convinced him to let them do their investigations. After they were directed to Natsume’s lodgings, the pair met with the owner of the flat, John Garrideb. With his permission, Naruhodō and Susato searched Natsume’s room and found Holmes conducting his own investigations. Later, when the detective began to suspect John and his maid, he and Naruhodō deduced that the maid was actually John’s wife, Joan, and they had a heated argument during the time of Green’s stabbing.
On the following day, Naruhodō and Susato were shocked that Joan was the fourth juror. Throughout the trial, whatever advantage they found was countered by van Zieks and they were put at a major disadvantage. However, Naruhodō found his turnabout when he figured out that the patrolman, Patrick O'Malley, moved the crime scene from his patrol area so that he could spend time with his wife, Rola. After indicting Joan as the criminal, Naruhodō found that she threw the knife during her fight with her husband, unintentionally causing it to fly out the window and stab Green as the victim was picking up John’s book on the street. Thus, Naruhodō won the case in a fair fight.
Afterwards, Naruhodō and Susato were invited by Holmes to live at his flat, and the three of them and Iris celebrated with Natsume on his freedom.
Natsume's freedom was short-lived, however, as he found himself once again being arrested for the attempted murder of William Petenshy. As he took up Sōseki's defense, Naruhodō proved that Petenshy was trying to get Sōseki out of the flat with a gas leak to get a treasure left behind by Selden. Naruhodō also revealed that Green, the victim of the previous case, wanted to get her revenge on Petenshy for her fiance's death by poisoning the lamp pipe he used to cause the gas leak, making her the true perpetrator of the attempted murder. After Green and Petenshy were arrested for their crimes and Sōseki was acquitted once again, Naruhodō and his friends searched the flat for Selden's treasure and discovered that it was an expensive dog collar. But to everyone’s surprise, Holmes forbade Iris from publishing a story based on the case, and also allowed Gregson to confiscate the collar.
The truth of two months ago
- Main article: The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story
Following two months without any cases, Naruhodō and Susato accompanied Holmes to the pawn shop of Hatch Windibank. As they were taking a look around, they were caught in a fight between Lestrade and "Egg Benedict", who were both trying to claim the same items: a coat and music disc. After a joint reasoning with Holmes, Naruhodō and Susato discovered that the items in question once belonged to Megundal, who left them at the shop before his trial and death. Naruhodō was then held at gunpoint by Benedict for the disc, but was saved by Gregson’s timely arrival. After Benedict’s escape, Naruhodō was asked by the inspector to give Megundal’s disc to the Yard as evidence and the shop was closed for inspection.
Returning to the flat, Naruhodō enjoyed a relaxing evening with Susato, Holmes, Iris, and unexpectedly, Lestrade. But things turned for the worse at around midnight when there was a break in at the shop. In the ensuing chaos, Holmes was hit by a gunshot, Windibank was found dead in the shop’s storeroom, and an unconscious Lestrade laid next to the corpse with a gun in her hand.
The next morning, Naruhodō took Iris along as his assistant in his investigations, as Susato was being questioned at that time. They reunited with her at Vortex’s office, where they were shocked to discover that she was to return to Japan the next day due to her father’s illness. Although Vortex was certain of Lestrade’s guilt, Naruhodō gained his permission to be the attorney for the trial because the pickpocket refused to have one. Afterwards, the three headed for the gaol where Lestrade confessed to lying during Megundal’s trial, and how the businessman truly killed Mortar Milverton and blackmailed her into becoming his accomplice. Naruhodō then asked Lestrade to sign a request for an attorney so that he could investigate the crime scene for the sake of both her and Holmes, who was undergoing surgery at that time. He managed to get her signature, but not her approval to be her lawyer.
Going back to the shop, Naruhodō, Susato and Iris discovered that Megundal made another pledge for a small box at the shop, but the box was not found due to the pledge expiring a few days ago. Returning to the goal, Naruhodō asked Lestrade if she would allow him to defend her or not as the deadline to submit the request was approaching. Although he found out that he was betrayed by her and Megundal two months ago, Naruhodō still believed in Lestrade and was set on defending her in court. That night, he received from Susato a binder containing her notes on Megundal’s trial as her last duty as his assistant. Before he could say anything to her, Naruhodō was tossed by Susato, who begged for him not to say goodbye.
At the trial, Naruhodō was joined at the defense bench by Iris, who wanted to support him in place of Susato. Once again, the attorney found himself immediately at a disadvantage as van Zieks easily convinced the jurors and the crowd that Lestrade was guilty. Naruhodō had to win two closing arguments to continue the trial after concluding that someone intruded the shop with the Tinpillar brothers to get Megundal’s disc. After the recess, Naruhodō cross-examined Robrt Crogley, who went by “Egg Benedict” two days earlier, and Lestrade. But while cross-examining the latter, he admitted that he falsely acquitted Megundal two months ago, making him and Lestrade guilty of perjury. Nevertheless, Naruhodō pressed on to prove that Megundal’s pledged items were a music box and two discs that played a message in Morse code. Naruhodō also figured out that Crogley was Milverton’s son, and that the two of them stole government information to sell it to Megundal.
After Naruhodō indicted Crogley as Windibank’s killer, he later found himself cornered when tests on Megundal’s coat found splattered blood on the front, prompting the jurors to give a “Guilty” verdict to Lestrade. But when Holmes unexpectedly arrived in court, Naruhodō found his turnabout when the Great Detective gave him Iris’ “Cat Flap Maker,” as requested by Susato. With this evidence, Naruhodō broke down Crogley and Gregson’s lies and they were finally exposed for their crimes. After Lestrade was given a “Not Guilty” verdict, Naruhodō had a talk with van Zieks, earning the respect of the prosecutor.
Before Lestrade was taken back to the gaol, Naruhodō exchanged gratitudes with her, and then learned from Iris that Susato’s departure was delayed due to the rainstorm. They, along with Holmes, rushed to the port where they spotted Susato throwing a book on British law into the ocean. Learning that she was quitting law due to her tampering with the crime scene, Naruhodō assured her that her actions were what saved Lestrade. When they suddenly heard Iris saying Asōgi’s name, Naruhodō and Susato were shocked to find that Megundal’s discs were giving a message in the Japanese Morse code, Iroha. It contained four names, which were Asōgi, Gregson, Dr. Watson, and an “A. Sasha.” Before Susato boarded her ship, Naruhodō made her promise to return as his legal assistant, to which she happily agreed to.
Reunited with Asōgi
- Main article: The Return of the Great Departed Soul
Following Lestrade’s trial, Naruhodō was punished with a legal license suspension and was forbidden from defending clients. During the suspension, he kept himself busy by further studying British law, submitting reports to Vortex, and reading Holmes’ past cases. But after six months, Naruhodō’s suspension was lifted by the Chief Justice and was immediately assigned to defend a scientist named Benjamin Dobinbough, who was accused of murdering a volunteer of his experiment. While on a visit to Connette Rozaic’s wax museum with Iris and Holmes, Naruhodō came to learn of the Professor Killings, and that the last victim was van Zieks brother, Klimt.
Naruhodō faced off against van Zieks in the trial, as well as his mysterious compatriot; the "Masked Disciple". In the end, Naruhodō proved that Dobinbough was framed by the true killer, who was working with Enoch Drebber to get their revenge on Meningen. After the presiding judge acquitted Dobinbough, the "Masked Disciple" revealed his identity as Kazuma Asōgi, the man who was presumed to be murdered about a year prior.
Defending van Zieks
- Main article: Twisted Karma and His Last Bow and The Resolve of Naruhodō Ryūnosuke
Ryūnosuke later came to defend Barok van Zieks when the latter was accused of murdering Tobias Gregson. The trial was far from a standard one however, as Asōgi took the prosecutor's bench and Hart Vortex eventually took over as judge and dismissed the jury.
Personality
Ryūnosuke with his hat on.
Ryūnosuke is defined by his loyalty to his friends, faith in his clients, and pursuit of the truth. All three of those drive him to transcend cultural barriers in an environment prejudiced against Japanese. Ryūnosuke has a very sharp detective instinct, and is skilled in both observation and deduction. By using Sherlock Holmes's deductions as a starting point and scaffold, Ryūnosuke finds difficult truths behind otherwise baffling situations.
In trials, Ryūnosuke's lack of experience is countered by his natural charisma. In closing arguments, he is able to bring all sorts of eccentric and even outright racist jurors around to his point of view. Many characters note he is an excellent public speaker, and he succeeds even when placed under odd demands like time or word limits. He shares many of the same movements and sarcastic mental commentary as his descendant Phoenix Wright, although Ryūnosuke is not quite as fond of bluffing.
Ryūnosuke tends to be a bit uptight. He is easily flustered and breaks down often and dramatically. He hates doctors since he had bad experience getting a needle jab at the age of 5. When it comes to females, he tends to be indifferent. Ryūnosuke's nervous habit is to glance around wildly. He brings himself back to his senses by slapping his cheeks. When Ryūnosuke is confident, he maintains eye contact and rests his hand on his sword. Over the course of five cases, he becomes more composed.
Kazuma Asōgi's advice has significant impact on Ryūnosuke's outlook. In times of self-doubt, Ryūnosuke reflects back on Asōgi. Ryūnosuke derives a lot of his inner strength from his friends, first Susato and Asōgi and later Sherlock and Iris.
Ryūnosuke's miscellaneous talents include a proficiency with tongue twisters.
Name
- Like his descendant Phoenix Wright, Ryūnosuke Naruhodō's Japanese surname, "Naruhodō" (成歩堂), is a reference toward the Japanese expression "naruhodo", which roughly means "I see", "I understand", or "indeed", and is usually used to agree with other people's ideas.
- His given name "Ryūnosuke" (龍ノ介) is shared with the Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (芥川龍之介), with the kanji 之 replaced with the katakana ノ.
- The name literally means "dragon herald" (i.e., someone heralding the arrival of a dragon). This is in reference to his status as ancestor to Phoenix Wright, who has the Japanese given name "Ryūichi" (龍一) that refers to the dragon; as the "dragon herald", Ryūnosuke precedes Ryūichi "the dragon" in the timeline of the Ace Attorney series.
- The name is a combination of Phoenix Wright's and Apollo Justice's Japanese names, "Ryūichi" and "Housuke" respectively.
Development
- Ryūnosuke is written similarly to his descendant Ryūichi (Phoenix Wright), with the different setting providing enough to distinguish them while still making the former easy to get used to by series veterans and new players alike.[4]
- Ryūnosuke was given a student uniform designed to distinguish his look from Phoenix Wright's. Art director Kazuya Nuri had the most trouble with the hairstyle due to the limited selection of plausible hairstyles of the period.[5]
- Ryūnosuke's sword is "Karuma", the exact same sword owned by Kazuma Asōgi before his apparent death. Ryūnosuke also wrapped Asōgi's headband around it in memory of his friend.
- Ryūnosuke is one of two protagonists who have multiple animations for the same actions. During his first case, he nervously slams the desk. This animation is kept in later cases, however a more traditional desk slam animation is used to show his growth. Up until the end of the end of his second trial, Ryūnosuke's "document animation" shows him nervously shuffling through documents. This is replaced with him confidentially tapping on a document during the middle of his third trial. Athena Cykes is the second attorney with more than one animation for multiple action, with several desk slamming variants.
- Ryūnosuke does not say "Objection!" until partway into the first case. At first, he uses "Hai!" (Sir!) for everything, which is typically said Japanese to mean something akin to "I have an opinion". This is to reflect the fact that he was not supposed to be an attorney and feels out of place.
- Of the speech bubbles used in the series so far, Ryūnosuke has used 6 of them (Objection!, Hold it!, Take that!, Got it!, Hang on!, and Hai!), which is more than any other character in the series to date, though he shares this distinction with Phoenix Wright, who has also used the same speech bubbles, except for "Hai!", as he uses "Welcome!" instead.
References
- ↑ "Twitter / nurikazu_: え～、りゅうのすけ168、あそうぎ174、すさと153、ほーむず183、あいりす120、じーな160cm…となっております。 オマケで…ほそなが178、ばんじーくす192、ボルテックス196cmでございます。あくまで僕のなかでですが。" Twitter. 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- ↑ Meiji-Era Ace Attorney Game to Bundle Sherlock Briefcase. April 6, 2015. Anime News Network. Retrieved on April 16, 2015.
- ↑ Joe Skrebels. New Ace Attorney game will star Phoenix Wright's ancestor. April 23, 2014. The Official Nintendo Magazine. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ash. Takumi Special Interview. Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ↑ Ash. Capcom Legends interview with Nuri (art director DGS). Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-07-26.