Every Ace Attorney Prosecutor, Ranked

Summary

• The Ace Attorney series has many prosecutors, but some stand out more than others due to better serving their role in the story.
• Less screen time doesn't necessarily mean a worse character. Nonetheless, main rivals and one-off prosecutors should be memorable and entertaining.
• Not all prosecutors need to be aggressive opponents, with some opting for a more playful rivalry.

You can't have a courtroom battle without a prosecutor, and the Ace Attorney series has no shortage of them. From a masked genius who throws coffee at defense lawyers to a literal knight in shining armor, Capcom's famous visual novels are packed with quirky, colorful rivals.

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While Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice face off against many foes, some stand out more than others. The best Ace Attorney prosecutors have distinctive personalities and contribute to the story rather than just standing around and yelling "Objection!" now and then. That being said, which of the series' rivals is the best?

Updated on September 9, 2024, by PJ Molloy: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is finally out, and many people are going toe-to-toe with the father-son rival duo, Eustace and Excelsius Winner, for the first time. But how do these prosecutors compare to the rest? We've updated the list to answer that very question.

It can be hard to compare the Ace Attorney prosecutors since each plays a drastically different role in the story. For example, main rivals naturally have more screen time and better-defined character arcs than one-off prosecutors. To make it fair, these characters are ranked based on how well they serve their part in the narrative.

Spoilers ahead for every Ace Attorney game.

20 Jacques Portsman

A Rather Forgettable Foe

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Turnabout Visitor

Two

No one will blame you for forgetting about Jacques Portsman. He's Edgeworth's first rival and the tutorial culprit in Ace Attorney Investigations. Sadly, he falls short in both roles. He's a shockingly terrible liar, practically giving himself away by how easily flustered he gets over tiny contradictions in his testimony.

Despite getting tragically little screen time, tutorial prosecutors can still make an impact by having a unique personality or humor. Unfortunately, Portsman's smiley, basketball-loving demeanor leads to few memorable interactions, jokes, or conflicts.

19 Prosecutor Flynch

A Quirky Character Who Feels A Bit Too Familiar

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

The English Turnabout

One

As the first prosecutor of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, Flynch acts as the British equivalent of Winston Payne, sharing the same goofiness and unwarranted over-confidence. While it maintains the series' running joke of incompetent first rivals, it's nothing you haven't seen before.

While featuring many similar traits, each member of the Payne family has one or two unique characteristics that set them apart. Flynch does little to distinguish himself from his peers, leading to a character that, while entertaining, evokes a sense of déjà vu.

18 Gaspen Payne

Quite A Payne, Indeed

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

Turnabout Countdown

Two

As the most morally dubious of the Paynes, Gaspen is more of a villain than a rival. The Rookie Humiliator is not above dirty courtroom tactics like forging evidence, leading to his termination and self-imposed exile to Khura'in.

As the Khura'inese Chief Prosecutor, Gaspen gave in to his wicked desires and tried to sentence Phoenix to the death penalty as revenge for their previous encounter. He's just as comically inept as his brother, albeit way less likable due to his comic book villain levels of evil.

17 Zacharias Barnham

A Promising Character Arc That Falls Slightly Short

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

The Fire Witch

Two

The chivalrous Inquisitor Zacharias Barnham has a few fascinating qualities. His disdain for witches is matched only by his knightlike dedication to Labyrinthia. He's even willing to sacrifice his life as retribution for wrongfully convicting Maya Fey.

Barnham's journey from mindlessly following orders to being imprisoned for paving his own path is undoubtedly interesting and tragic. However, it isn't given the proper screen time to explore fully. His baffling absence from the game's climax only showcases his missing potential.

16 Nahyuta Sahdmadhi

A Slow Build Up To A Somewhat Satisfying Conclusion

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

The Magical Turnabout

Four

Many Ace Attorney prosecutors are aggressive, so it's refreshing to see the meditative Khura'inese monk Nahyuta Sahdmadhi at the opposing bench in Spirit of Justice. Sadly, there's not much more to his character than reciting proverbs and condemning criminals to the underworld.

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Granted, his character arc in Turnabout Revolution is touching, leading to a powerful moment when he stands in defiance of the tyrannical queen while exclaiming his father's motto, "A dragon never yields." However, given his amount of screen time, it would have been nice to see a bit more depth.

15 Professor Layton

A Grand Entrance With A Subdued Payoff

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

On a Dark and Stormy Night

Two

Layton is Wright's greatest ally throughout their adventure in Labyrinthia, so it's quite a twist to see him as the opposing counsel during the final trial. As Phoenix's intellectual equal, he theoretically makes for a worthy adversary.

However, Layton is more of a laid-back prosecutor, nudging the defense toward the truth with subtle hints. Despite that, he always has a rebuttal to Wright's arguments. He winds up feeling like a friendly chess opponent, which doesn't exactly jibe with the high-stakes nature of the case.

14 Klavier Gavin

A Fun Prosecutor With Little Screen Time

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Turnabout Corner

Four

Known as the "cooperative prosecutor," the rock and roll superstar Klavier Gavin developed a fanbase for being less antagonistic than other main rivals, instead opting for playful teasing and informal courtroom tactics. Despite that, he gained notoriety for disbarring Phoenix Wright.

Tragically, the rock star gets swept under the rug after Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, never needing to cope with his brother and best friend being in jail or the guilt of disbarring an innocent lawyer. There's a lot of missed potential to explore the character's nuances and struggles.

13 High Inquisitor Darklaw

The Most Tragic Ace Attorney Rival

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

The English Turnabout

Two

Darklaw lives up to her name, having the darkest backstory of any Ace Attorney villain. After accidentally causing a fire that destroyed an entire village, the High Inquisitor of Labyrinthia escaped into a world of magic and witches to block out the horrifying tragedy.

Her hatred for the defendant, Espella Cantabella, and aggressive courtroom tactics make Darklaw a formidable rival, leading to an intense battle of wits during the last trial. It's unfortunate that she only prosecutes half the case, but she puts up a decent fight regardless.

12 Taketsuchi Auchi

The Funniest Payne There Is

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures

The Adventure of the Great Departure

Two

Arguably the silliest of the Paynes, Winston's ancestor, Taketsuchi Auchi, sets the family's precedent for clumsiness and cartoonish antics. The biggest difference is that he's more of a push-over than his successors, allowing witnesses to walk all over him in court.

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That, mixed with his unwavering belief in tradition, leads to many funny interactions with Ryunosuke, Kazuma, and Susato. He even goes as far as to chop off his hair with a sword after losing a trial. Overall, he does exactly what a first prosecutor is supposed to do: be funny and ensure the tutorial is entertaining.

11 Queen Ga'ran

The Scariest Rival In Ace Attorney

First Game

First Case

Number of Appearances

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

The Rite of Turnabout

Two

Initially seeming like a mild-mannered ruler, Queen Ga'ran reveals her true colors as a tyrannical dictator during the final trial in Spirit of Justice. Commanding, powerful, and scary beyond belief, the Khura'inese queen is a fitting final boss to the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney trilogy.

As the crowned ruler of Khura'in, Ga'ran can freely rewrite the law, constantly altering the rules in her favor. While this begs the question of why she never makes it so she can bypass the court system and automatically win, it makes for a formidable opponent nonetheless.