Ace Attorney Character Profiles: Larry Butz and Miles Edgeworth
“When something smells…”
Series veterans will know exactly how to end that sentence, but newer attorneys may not have heard of Larry Butz until playing Turnabout Time Traveler, a full-length DLC case for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice released just last week. It’s time to turn back the clock and take a closer look at both of Phoenix’s childhood friends with an encore profile for Larry Butz and Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth!
Way back in Phoenix’s profile , we mentioned the impact that Larry had on Phoenix’s career, detailed during the events of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In fact, Phoenix’s very first case as a lead attorney was defending Larry against accusations of murdering his girlfriend, Cindy Stone. Larry didn’t make things any easier on himself during the trial, though, with his sour attitude and constant need to talk doing him more harm than good!
(From Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy )
Despite Larry’s constant outbursts almost spelling defeat for Phoenix, the fledgling attorney was able to find the truth of the matter, delivering a decisive blow to the prosecution and proving Larry’s innocence.
( From Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy )
Since then, Larry has managed to bounce back, though it seems as though he’s learned very little about how to keep his mouth shut and his personality in check. In fact, he’s popped up during a few of Phoenix’s investigations, having been spotted selling hot dogs during an incident at Gourd Lake, working as a security guard for KB security when the Sacred Urn of Kurain Village was stolen, and later billing himself a children’s picture book artist under the pseudonym Laurice Deauxnim. Even so, it seemed like wherever trouble was, Larry was there, too. And as they’ve said ever since grade school, when something smells… it’s usually the Butz.
The long-standing saying seems to be the case in the recently released DLC chapter, Turnabout Time Traveler, when Larry insists that he’s about to marry a woman who’s not only already betrothed, but is also suspected of murder – and that’s after she says she travelled through time!
Of course, the history of Phoenix and Larry goes back even further than that first court case, with Larry being one of the people who came to Phoenix’s defense when he was accused of stealing in a classroom trial. The other person to defend Phoenix was none other than Phoenix’s long-time rival….
Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.
Edgeworth has had a long and illustrious career as a prosecutor, despite being the son of a well-known defense attorney, Gregory Edgeworth. After an incident involving his father when he was younger, Edgeworth was taken under the wing of the ruthless prosecutor, Manfred von Karma. While he initially spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years in Germany, Edgeworth returned to the United States as a fully-fledged prosecutor at just 20 years old. Believing that the only way to achieve justice was to prove everyone guilty, Edgeworth maintained a perfect record throughout his early years, oftentimes in spite of accusations that he had resorted to unscrupulous methods to achieve guilty verdicts. Earning the nickname of “Demon Attorney,” Edgeworth remained undefeated until the trial of Maya Fey put him in a direct showdown with his childhood classmate and friend, Phoenix Wright.
(From Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy )
The result of the trial rattled Edgeworth to his core, with a series of cases and events that followed eventually causing him to leave the prosecutor’s office – and the country altogether, leaving only a distressing note in his absence. However, after traveling abroad, Edgeworth eventually returned with a new outlook – he no longer wished to see every suspect guilty, but rather looked to find the truth of each case he was assigned to and determine a person’s guilt based on facts.
By Spirit of Justice, Edgeworth’s skills have seen him promoted to the position of Chief Prosecutor, where he is keeping a watchful eye on the prosecutor’s office and occasionally taking on investigations of his own. It seems as though he doesn’t set foot in court too much these days with the responsibilities he has now. Even so, circumstances have forced Edgeworth’s hand and he must now take on Phoenix in court as a prosecutor during the events of Turnabout Time Traveler! If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can grab it now and see if the “Demon Attorney” has lost his edge (spoiler: nope).
(From the Turnabout Time Traveler DLC case for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice )
And that’s it – our final set of profiles for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice. I don’t think I’m alone as an Ace Attorney fan in saying I wish I could travel back in time myself to rediscover all the zany characters and stories of the franchise, let alone the characters, returning and new, in Spirit of Justice. To all the ace attorneys out there who have been there from the start, those who have only just picked up the series with Spirit of Justice, and those who just needed a bit of a refresher, thank you for reading through and learning more about these wonderful characters. We’ve finally reached the end, which means there’s only one thing left to do. Say it with me now:
OBJECTION!
Want to learn more about the other characters in Spirit of Justice? We’ve got you covered:
Phoenix Wright and Rayfa Padma Khura’in
Apollo Justice and Nahyuta Sahdmadhi