Arguably, one of the defining game series of the 2000s was Shu Takumi’s Ace Attorney franchise. The handheld courthouse visual novels have spanned 11 games, including five spin-offs, and several tie-ins, including a manga series, a live action film, and anime series.
RelatedThe Complete Ace Attorney Timeline, Explained
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PostsWant to follow Phoenix Wright’s antics, but don’t feel like playing the games? Or, maybe you want to revisit it in a new way? The Ace Attorney anime ran for two seasons and adapted the first three games in the franchise. Not to worry: most of the cases from the first three games made it to the screen via its anime adaptation.
Every Place You Can Watch Ace Attorney
Ace Attorney has had two cinematic adaptations. Firstly, it was brought to life as a live-action movie in 2012, then subsequently again as an anime series from 2016 to 2019. They're both currently available to watch online.
The two versions don’t really rely on each other in any significant way — you can watch one without the other, since they both include roughly the same content — but they are both available to watch online should you want to.
Where To Watch The Live-Action Ace Attorney Movie
Prolific director Takashi Miike took Ace Attorney to a new medium by replacing 2D courtrooms with film sets and actors. The film follows the first two cases of the series, plus the Turnabout Goodbyes case:
ServiceSubscription Amazon Video Available to rent for $0.89 or buy for $3.59. Apple TV Rent for $3.99 or purchase it for $12.99. Fandango At Home Available to rent for $3.99. Or, you can buy it for $12.99. Kanopy Available to stream without purchase if you have a library card for a partnered library, or for university students at certain institutions.The original games aren’t voice-acted beyond Objection and Hold It barks, meaning that this film was the first time a lot of characters got their own voices.
Where To Watch The Ace Attorney Anime
Ace Attorney was adapted for television by esteemed director Ayumu Watanabe. The show ran for a total of two seasons and 47 episodes:
ServiceSubscription Amazon Prime Streaming via the Crunchyroll channel. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 a month for the full subscription, or $8.99 for Amazon Prime Video. Then, you also need a subscription to the Crunchyroll channel for a further $7.99 a month. Amazon Video Buy the series digitally for $1.99 an episode or $16.99 per season in Standard Definition (SD). High Definition (HD) versions are $2.99 an episode or $24.99 for the full season. Apple TV Available for digital purchase for $2.99 per episode with English audio, and $1.99 an episode with Japanese audio. Or, you can buy entire seasons for $22.99 Crunchyroll Streaming for $7.99 per month.The first season covers most cases from the first two games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Justice for All, while the second season explores the storylines of Trials and Tribulations.
Are the Ace Attorney Stage Plays Available To Stream?
Hold it! The TV series and movie aren’t technically the only ways of watching Ace Attorney. It’s also been adapted for the stage as several different plays and musicals. Most recently, The Great Ace Attorney: New Truth Reborn ran in 2023. These shows include:
- Ace Attorney: The Truth Reborn
- Ace Attorney 2: The Truth Reborn, Again...
- Ace Attorney 3: Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth
- Ace Attorney 2: Farewell, My Turnabout
- Ace Attorney Investigations: Turnabout Teleportation
- Ace Attorney: Turnabout Spotlight
- Ace Attorney: Turnabout Gold Medal
- The Great Ace Attorney: New Truth Reborn
A number of these shows have been recorded, but unfortunately, as is often the case with theatre productions, it hasn’t been reliably and officially distributed yet.
Crunchyroll And Kanopy
The best place to stream the Ace Attorney anime is Crunchyroll at the moment. It has the lowest cost attached, and it has both the original Japanese audio and English dub available. It also has subtitles.
Don’t already have an Amazon Prime subscription? Get a Crunchyroll subscription directly rather than as an Amazon Prime Video Channel to save money.
The live-action Ace Attorney film isn’t on Crunchyroll, though, so if you want to watch that, you’ll have to use another platform. If you have a card for an eligible library or a part of a university that has access to Kanopy, then that’s the best way of streaming it, as it’s completely free for you.
However, you don’t have to watch the live-action film to complete the Ace Attorney story, as every case in it is covered by the anime. Still want to see it and haven’t got Kanopy access? Your best bet is probably renting it on Amazon Video.
Every Other Streaming Service
Amazon Video and Apple TV both sell digital copies of the Ace Attorney anime. There are two seasons, so it costs around $40 to $50 to buy every episode on either of those platforms. Presuming you stream every episode on Crunchyroll within a couple of months, it works out much cheaper to stream it on Crunchyroll.
Admittedly, you don’t own the episodes afterwards with streaming, but digital ownership through big platforms can still go wrong when content becomes unavailable anyway.
Streaming it through Amazon Prime also becomes pricey thanks to the fact that it’s only available on there through Crunchyroll anyway. So, unless you already have an Amazon subscription, it would cost a lot more to pay for both subscriptions than it would be to pay for just a Crunchyroll subscription.
If you already have an Amazon Prime or Amazon Prime Video subscription, then it costs the same regardless of whether you go directly to Crunchyroll or not.
NextAce Attorney: 20 Best Cases In The Series
Phoenix Wright and co. have taken on some intriguing and engaging cases over the years. Here are some of the Ace Attorney series' best.
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