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You don’t need to be anAce Attorneyfan to know the name Phoenix Wright. Capcom’s famous defense lawyer has starred insome of the greatest visual novels ever, cementing his place among the best characters in the genre. However, those who play the Apollo Justice trilogy may be shocked to see that Phoenix is no longer an attorney.
The scruffy, piano-playing Phoenix Wright from Apollo Justice Ace Attorney is undoubtedly a far cry from the once-renowned turnabout king from previous games. The mystery behind how he lost his badge proved to be one of the toughest in the entire series.
Spoilers for Apollo Justice Ace Attorney ahead!
Why Did Phoenix Wright Lose His Badge?
The tragic story behind Phoenix’s disbarment is revealed inthe final case of Apollo Justice Ace Attorney, Turnabout Succession, whenyou’re taken back seven years agoto witness the trial that ended his career.
Wright is hired at the last minute to defend the famous magician,Zak Gramarye, afterhe fired his previous lawyerfor unknown reasons.
The illusionist was arrested when his terminally ill mentor, Magnifi Gramarye, was shot in his hospital room after writing to his student, asking him to put him out of his misery.
Before entering the courtroom, Phoenix is approached byZak’s daughter, Trucy Enigmar, whohands him a piece of torn paperthat she had received from a stranger in the hall.
The page appears to bethe last thing Magnifi wrote before he died. Wright files it into evidence, utterly blind to the fact that his fate is now sealed.
Despite his many objections, Phoenix struggles to counter Prosecutor Klavier Gavin’s argument centered around Magnifi’s diary.
In it, the victim wrote thathe would continue journaling if Zak failed to kill him. The court is stunned to see thatthe writing ends there.
Desperate to win back the judge,Wright presents the page he obtained from Trucy, believing it to have been torn out of the diary, thus proving that Magnifi did continue writing after meeting his disciple.
As if he knew this would happen, Klavier calls an artist named Drew Misham to the stand, who testifies thatthe diary page is a fakehe created for an anonymous client.
Silence fills the courtroom as reality sinks in.Phoenix Wright hadaccidentally presented forged evidence. The trial is put on hold as Phoenix is brought before the Bar Association, who promptly disbars him and takes away his attorney’s badge.
To avoid jail time, Zak Gramarye goes into hiding, leaving his daughter, Trucy, behind. Phoenix winds up adopting her, and the two develop a strong bond. It would later be revealed that Zak was innocent, and Magnifi had shot himself.
Who Gave Phoenix Wright Forged Evidence?
Wright spendsthe next seven years investigatingwho framed him for forging evidence. The answer to that is hidden in the past before Phoenix took on Zak Gramarye’s case.
The magician had previously hiredKlavier’s brother, Kristoph Gavin, as his defense attorney. Determined to win at any cost,Kristoph anonymously commissioned Drew Mishamto create the fake diary page.
However, Zak saw the darkness lurking behind his lawyer’s smile andfired him one day before the trial.
With his ego shattered and fame no longer within his grasp, Kristoph set his sights on revenge,ensuring the false evidence was passed along to Wright, and a fake tip was given to Klavier.
Does Phoenix Wright Get His Badge Back?
Pursuing the real culprit proved to beone of Phoenix’s toughest cases. Every clue he digs up for seven painstaking years leads to a dead end.
It’s not until he meets Apollo Justice that he finally has a breakthrough whenDrew Misham is murdered in his art studio.
After investigating the crime scene, Apollo deduces thatthe cause of death is a poisoned stampthat was sent to Misham in a letter detailing the transfer of money in exchange for the forged diary page.
While Apollo can’t link the letter to Kristoph Gavin,he proves in court that Phoenix did not write it; thus, he couldn’t have been Misham’s client.
Since he left no evidence behind, Kristoph is never convicted of forgery or Drew Misham’s murder. However, Apollo and Phoenix successfully indict him when Zak Gramarye is found murdered.
With a bit of influence from Miles Edgeworth,Phoenix is exonerated of all wrongdoingand given his attorney’s badge back. He goes on to lead the Wright Anything Agency and hire Apollo to work for him.
