For cool moments from the games in the series, see the appropriate subpages:
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
- Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
- Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies
- The Great Ace Attorney
- Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice
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Notable awesome moments from the 2016 anime adaptation include:
Season 1
- They turned Butt-Monkey warm-up boss Winston Payne into a genuine opponent in the first episode, and he was a lot more reserved, only losing his cool when he lost. But despite that, he's actually a lot more of a serious threat here.
- In episode 3, while he is there to arrest Phoenix, Gumshoe is noticing something is up but can't do anything. The awesome thing is that it's him being aware of it.
- Episode 4, the last part of Turnabout Sisters, Mia comes back from the dead like in the game THROWS THE LIST OF NAMES AT REDD! Basically rubbing it in his face that he had lost.
- It gets better. White had disposed of the list of names the night he murdered Mia, and just as he said this she tells him she memorized the entire list of people he blackmailed. It's also implied that White realized Mia was the one standing behind the defense's bench.Redd White: What? No way! It's imperposterious!
Mia: That is a list of all the businessmen, politicians and celebrities you've blackmailed.
White: But I made sure to destroy that list the same night that I-
Mia: If it were released to the media, that wouldn't be very good for you.
White: Stop.
Mia: That list is burned in my memory. It lives up here. I can recite all the names if you want-
White: STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!
- It gets better. White had disposed of the list of names the night he murdered Mia, and just as he said this she tells him she memorized the entire list of people he blackmailed. It's also implied that White realized Mia was the one standing behind the defense's bench.
- Remember how the in-universe TV series "The Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo" was such a big hit? Those who wanted to see the show depicted in anime form finally get their wish in Episode 5, and it is glorious.
- Unlike in the original game where the Steel Samurai and the Evil Magistrate fight under a full moon, the anime ramped it up and threw more action into the mix. Here, the Steel Samurai rode his horse to the battlefield, saving an innocent child from the Evil Magistrate in the process and ends with the two engaging in an epic battle with the outcome set to be decided the next episode. Putting that into perspective, it's no wonder why Maya Fey, Cody Hackins and Miles Edgeworth are so invested in the series.
- How about the fact that the Steel Samurai's 'Samurai Hurricane' move is him actually manipulating the water! Keep in mind that the original cutscene in the game is limited because of the space on a Game Boy Advance cartridge, so the anime taking it further rather than making a direct adaptation was a smart move. It's one of the few moments where the anime adaption trumps over the games, and it would make some wish that the Steel Samurai was even made into an actual TV series.
- A thousand props to the voice work for Cody and Phoenix when Nick is trying to get Cody to tell the truth. It's not an interrogation, it's simple reasoning. Apart from yelling "Hold it!", Nick's voice doesn't once stop being warm and gentle, and you can definitely get a better sense of how lost Cody feels after watching his hero lose. As awesome as the source case was, this scene was a lot better in the anime, due to the change of location and tone.
- You thought that the portrayals of the decisive objections (as shown in episode 1) couldn't get any more higher and epic, right? Wrong! There are two in the last trial of the Turnabout Samurai episode shown with epic proportions. Firstly when everything seems hopeless in proving Vasquez's guilt, Edgeworth, like in the game first objects to her testimony, it's a normal objection like usual, but when he throws his second objection, suddenly both Vasquez and Nick and Maya are engulfed by a brief but powerful whirlwind summoned by Edgeworth's objection no LESS. But that's not all, when Phoenix remembers who actually got injured in the practice for the show, he throws an object that not only blows Vasquez away but the courtroom itself illuminates during said objection! Sure, they may look very over-the-top for the franchise's standards, but there's no denying that both the lawyers and prosecutors revealing the culprit itself like forces of nature makes the villain's breakdown afterwards much more satisfying.
- A small but notable one in the same episode, during Jack's attempt to murder Vasquez, there's a brief struggle between the two, but Vasquez quickly gains the upper hand by (unintentionally) back throwing him to the iron fence! I repeat, A simple producer with no physical build managed to overcome her much stronger attacker by using all the force she has!
- After Maya is taken away for contempt of court, von Karma tries to end the trial then and there. Phoenix then yells out OBJECTION!, blowing away both von Karma and Lotta. He slowly walks over to the witness stand saying that since Lotta's testimony has changed, he has a right to "a full and thorough cross-examination", only for von Karma to object and tell him that his cross-examination is over. A vision of flames engulfs both of them for a moment before the Judge smashes the screen and sustains Phoenix's objection.
- This moment establishes that Von Karma isn't going to get the perfect trial he wants and always got prior to that day. He's going to face the first defense attorney since Gregory Edgeworth who would dare to oppose his self-centered "perfect record," who will do whatever it takes to reveal the truth, and his name is Phoenix Wright.
- Larry jumping in to save his childhood friend, Edgeworth, from the guilty verdict, and unlike the game where he tries to explain in a comical manner, here, he speaks with firm seriousness, showing how much he cares for his friend and knows the right thing to do.
- He also does an epic entrance; with him leaping out of the gallery with a huge grin on his face while the others just look at him with either shock or awe at his boldness.
- Phoenix and Edgeworth proving Manfred's guilt is, to put it mildly, perhaps the best Tag-team KO in something that's not even an action franchise.
- Also awesome is Phoenix breaking Von Karma's cane by proclaiming the impact of truth. Von Karma is left on his knees, finally defeated after 40 years, with the Judge calling for his arrest as the bailiffs swarm the disgraced prosecutor.
- Even Maya gets her own "wind objection," when she storms in with the last piece of evidence that will seal von Karma's guilt and tells everyone he was hiding it in his office. At that point, Von Karma's fate is sealed.
- Child Miles figuring out where the puppy came from simply by looking at a torn postage label on the box!
- Later, when he is taken away by von Karma after DL-6, Miles manages to leave a trail of dog food out the car window so he can go back for his Memento MacGuffin. He keeps his mental self possession even when you'd forgive him for shutting down entirely.
- While searching for evidence of the bullet that killed Gregory in von Karma's office, Maya is tased by an officer. She quickly regains consciousness and escapes before she could be arrested.
- Nick and Lotta Hart breaking down a door together!
- In the same episode, Lotta having doubts on Ini being there in the exact same moment of the murder. It shows that the reporter, for loud she is, is smarter than she thinks.
- Seeing the first round between Phoenix and Franziska is pretty awesome too; seeing a rather even match even though Franziska is still plenty tough. But the minute Phoenix sees some inconsistencies between what he remembered and what she knows, it falls apart on her side.
- Franziska actually whips Morgan Fey once during the final episode of the trial. Perhaps a minor one, but it actually feels good that someone manages to get her to shut up for once, especially considering that she's the only major antagonist in the series that doesn't get a Villainous Breakdown.
- Max flying during the circus performance. This one is so in-universe awesome that it stuns Phoenix, who was fairly bored with the circus up to that point.
- Phoenix recreating Max's flying trick with help from the great magician himself, plus Ben and Trilo, Moe, and Money, all to show how the murder happened. Bonus points for Money's entrance with its picture-perfect timing. There's also the fact that Max was able to deduce the way that Acro could have done what he did, and used his experience as a magician to explain the methodology to Phoenix.
- Maya gets an objection to encourage Phoenix when he is challenged to produce the bust statue, with the problem being that it has disappeared in between days. At this moment, Phoenix also remembers Gumshoe's message, and realizes it came from Edgeworth.
- Edgeworth's grand entrance in "Farewell, My Turnabout." After a HOLD IT!, the courtroom goes dead silent except for Edgeworth's echoing footsteps. He starts to open the door, which then flies open by itself in a sudden rush of wind while everyone gapes and his theme music starts to play (though sadly it's not "Great Revival"). And then he declares himself ready to prosecute, despite having maybe an hour's notice — and ready to show Phoenix everything that he went away to learn.
- Wendy Oldbag calling out Matt Engarde is this for the sheer fact that it got a reaction out of him. Considering what his real personality is like, it feels oddly satisfying to see.
- Franziska shows up to save the day with the recording of DeKiller committing the murder, as taken by Engarde with a hidden camera. Watching Engarde self-destructing was pretty satisfying after everything he put everyone through.
- Not only that, but Engarde does his breakdown twice. Seeing this psychopathic monster in sheer despair of being the next to die is catharsis at its best.
Season 2
- Season 2 brings another original episode, and we get to see a teenage Edgeworth going on his way to become the genius prosecutor he's destined to be. To wit, he finds a stray female puppy in the mall, and then runs into a fat lady who claims that the puppy is hers. Edgeworth isn't fooled, and quickly breaks through her lies to deduce she's just trying to take the puppy to claim the reward for herself.
- The best part? He did it through his knowledge of the Signal Samurai show!
- When the lady decides to take the puppy by force, Manfred von Karma steps in and scares her off with just a few words and his usual Death Glare. Say what you want about the man, but you can't deny that was pretty satisfactory too.
- Gumshoe's Big Damn Heroes moment in Recipe For a Turnabout is gloriously animated in detail here. He tackles Furio Tigre down and skillfully hold him down. The loan shark didn't even land a single punch on Gumshoe. It's easy to forget this bumbling detective whose paycheck is always in jeopardy really is—a skilled man of the law.
- Gumshoe is the star of the second Turnabout Express episode. Not much happens on Phoenix's side aside from figuring out someone should be interviewed. But Gumshoe? He puts some pieces together, convinces the staff to send a message out, uses Exact Words to contact Edgeworth instead of any Japanese police and now has the missing body in front of him. And Edgeworth is putting the pieces together on his own side.
- Gumshoe in Episode 3 of the train episode still saves the day. Literally. After interrupting the trial to tell them about the body being moved over, informing them of a different key piece of evidence, helping connect Edgeworth through the phone, and literally helping them escape from a bomb? Yep. He needs a raise.
- In addition, Edgeworth - having access to info that Phoenix doesn't - manages to get the relevant info to Phoenix, helps put it together, and semi helps rewrite the US Prosecutor office too. Not bad for being told about all this at most a few hours ago and being continents away.
- In the same veins of Brian Drummond being cast as Copy-Vegeta in the dub of Dragon Ball Super, Funimation went the extra mile in casting Furio Tigre—by casting Sam Riegel, the official voice of Phoenix in the games, as the voice of Phoenix's imposter!
- In the penultimate episode of Season 2. Instead of just standing there when Phoenix psychologically exorcised Dhalia out of Maya's body, Mia joins in. In the end, Dahlia is sent back to the afterlife, brought down a peg as she never was able to commit the perfect crime, to never see the living world again.
- Maya's vocal objection in the final case. She shouts it loud and clear and actually makes Phoenix stumble. She definitely learned from the best.
