While focused more on mental battles rather than physical ones, Ace Attorney is no stranger to some truly epic showdowns, be it with culprits or interesting and innovative witnesses.
Due to most of these characters being some degree of a Walking Spoiler, all spoilers are unmarked.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
- While not as popular as Edgeworth or Godot, Manfred von Karma is regarded as one of the best prosecutors on a gameplay level. Manipulating testimonies and quashing evidence before it can even be used, he controls the courtroom with an iron fist, displaying just how terrifying of an adversary he is. While never cross-examined, he's still the biggest opponent (before Damon Gant usurped his role as the Final Boss) and the Big Bad all future villains tend to be compared to.
- While somewhat overshadowed by two of the absolute top bosses in the series, Yanni Yogi is still an innovative and interesting character. His testimony is full of so many lies that exposing his true personality is necessary to obtain any information from him. The fact that his parrot holds the secret to his identity adds a level of complexity future games would rely on more and provides quite possibly the most memorable testimony in the series, courtesy of said parrot.
- Damon Gant is one of the most challenging and satisfying bosses in the series. He uses everything you've learned so far, is an excellent liar with a skilled poker face, and has the unique ability to dismiss incriminating evidence on a whim. While he's second only to Quercus Alba in terms of length, he's seen as a far superior enemy.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All
- Adrian Andrews is an interesting change of formula that the series uses. Her mannerisms and lies are in the style that previous culprits used, yet they're stemmed from mental illness and trauma rather than malice. Determined to bring Matt Engarde to justice and willing to break the law to do so, it's a tragic example of how not all witnesses are binary in their morality and how a person could talk themself into a guilty verdict for a crime they never committed. It's a challenging and provocative battle that shows a more complex and pessimistic side to law that isn't usually touched in the games.
- Shelly De Killer is a challenging and unique opponent. Due to talking through a radio, you have to listen to his words rather than expressions, and he's skilled at deception due to his work as a Professional Killer. There's immense satisfaction to be had in outsmarting him due to his sly testimony and subtle lies.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations
- Luke Atmey's second outing is much more difficult and entertaining than his first. Due to his gleefully confessing to a lesser crime, the challenge revolves around dismissing his own confession and pinning him to a crime he's never accused of. Since he's a Card-Carrying Villain by this point, he gets to ham it up as much as possible, giving insight into a killer far earlier than most others in the series.
- Dahlia Hawthorne's first and last fights. In her first outing, she's a serious Wake-Up Call Boss due to being a skilled manipulator and having gone through her alibi many times before the trial. When encountered the last time, she impersonates Iris, almost succeeding in derailing an entire day's worth of trial before unleashing all her hatred and cunning into her final testimony, making her a challenging, unpredictable, and incredibly memorable boss.
- Maya Fey, even with only a few short testimonies, uses everything she's seen Phoenix do against him in an attempt to protect Godot from being outed as the killer, even managing to blindside Phoenix by poking a large hole in his reasoning out of nowhere. It's not as challenging or satisfying as most examples, but it's so shocking and heartbreaking that it stands up there with the best confrontations.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
- Kristoph Gavin ironically is far more climactic in his first fight. He's a seasoned lawyer who knows the tools of the trade and seeing him reveal his true colors as he turns against his "allies" is shocking and memorable. He's not at all a pushover for a Starter Villain and his confrontation is usually regarded as one of the highlights of the game.
- Lamiroir and Machi Tobaye are a unique and interesting Dual Boss, despite both being contentious characters. Due to Lamiroir's (revealed) blindness and Tobaye's weak grasp on English, finding a way to obtain evidence and testimony without important information being lost in translation is an interesting and welcome challenge. It's one of the first of it's types and while not without flaws, it sets the groundwork for some other memorable bosses who require unconventional strategies to defeat or understand.
- Daryan Crescend is far more formidable than he first seems. Being a good detective with almost no morality whatsoever, he holds his own through stubborness and willpower. He's a difficult foe who keeps Apollo on his toes, long after he's first accused as the culprit. Taking the dickhead down is a high point of a case regarded as pretty mediocre.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
- The Judge is an unexpected and interesting opponent. Ill informed about the events that have recently transpired, he offers a glimpse into his personality when he is a participant in a trial rather than a spectator. It's a short and easy battle, yet an incredibly welcome one due to being so different than most confrontations. It takes a fantastic concept and executes it perfectly.
- Calisto Yew/Shin-na is the only boss who isn't seen as being mixed to negative in quality. She's a cunning and shrewd liar who is good at keeping in character and her testimonies are challenging without relying on unnecessary length to be climatic. While it's not originally clear they're the same person, Shin-na retroactively becomes even more interesting when compared to Calisto as it shows just how much more dangerous she has become now that she can manage her outbursts. Ironically despite being The Dragon, her fight is far more well recieved than Quercus Alba's, who is a mix of The Scrappy and That One Boss.
Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Miles Edgeworth
- Sirhan Dogen is both a terrific Red Herring and a fearsome opponent. Cunning and unhelpful, he's more interested in playing mind games with Edgeworth, who he slowly grows to see as a Worthy Opponent during their battle. He's unpredictable and unnerving, creating a tense and different battle much earlier than you'd expect such a complex confrontation to happen at.
- Manfred von Karma is a brief but difficult obstacle. His testimony is unusually short but difficult to break through due to being so succinct. It really shows that despite being obscenely corrupt, he is still a highly competent prosecutor.
- Dane Gustavia is a controversial character, but his final fight is quite enjoyable. With time on his side, he's able to sidestep most evidence by using the fact that eighteen years have passed since the incident, meaning the evidence is mostly circumstantial. Even more unique, he confesses to his crime while using the statute of limitations to his advantage, only being bested due to a misunderstanding about how the statute works. He's far more savvy than he seems and it's an intense battle of wits that requires a familiarity with the gameplay to succeed.
- While difficult, Blaise Debeste's confrontations are highly regarded. They're far more personal and emotional than logical, taking Edgeworth out of his comfort zone and pitting him against someone who uses psychological abuse as a debate tactic. It requires much more strategy to overcome and is a welcome change of pace, showing how even a rather inept criminal can become formidable if handed too much power. His testimonies are more straightforward and also well liked due to Debeste's inability to show any humanity, making it intensely satisfying when he's defeated.
- Simon Keyes is up there with Dahlia Hawthorne when it comes to memorable final bosses. His mindset is chaotic rather than analytical, providing a perfect foil to Edgeworth's strategies. His expressions are demented and unpredictable and his testimonies are unique due to being so full of Insane Troll Logic that the goal is to find the most plausible events that link him to his crimes. Taking the Monster Clown down is climatic and rewarding, being challenging yet fair as well as shaking up the formula.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
- Apollo is a well liked challenge. Determined that Athena is the true killer, his intense desire to avenge his best friend puts him at odds with another protagonist and shows how much he's improved as a lawyer in the most tragic example possible, as the only way to defeat him is to cause him to have a Heroic BSoD. It's a tense and tragic battle against a character finally standing on his own two legs.
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures
- Magnus McGilded is regarded as the most memorable boss in the game by a wide margin. Supposedly an innocent defendant, he's actually the real killer, having manipulated the witnesses and jury into sabotaging the case so he can walk off scot free. His testimony would otherwise be a rather easy one to poke holes in, if the goal wasn't to create reasonable doubt about McGilded's guilt. Ryunosuke slowly realising he's been lied to and having to deflect suspicion off McGilded from an increasingly cynical courtroom is an incredibly tense and skilled subversion of the usual good vs evil battles the games are known for, with Ryunosuke having to battle between duty and morality.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice
- Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin is a memorable Starter Villain due to incorporating music into his testimonies and being challenging yet forgiving, easing people into the game's tone and mechanics. He's also fun to cross examine due to his charismatic presence.
- Bonny and Betty are a great Dual Boss due to the two having completely different motivations for testifying. They're each other's biggest weakness and having to compare both their testimonies to find the weak links is a challenge that was and would be further explored in the Great Ace Attorney duology. It's a welcome change of pace and they're memorable opponents due to their antics and personalities.
- Roger Retinz is a surprisingly difficult enemy for an early case. Illusionists are skilled at deception by default, and his occupation is mirrored in his testimonies instead of just a personality quirk. His vendetta against Trucy makes him far more determined to best her and gives an insight into just how fearsome the Gramaryes can be when they're against you. Beating him is difficult, engaging, and utterly cathartic.
- Tahrust Inmee is a Base-Breaking Character, but being channeled by Maya Fey is a real treat. Not only is his battle interesting, with appealing to his morality being as important as refuting his statements, there's also something mesmerising about his contortions and expressions mixed with Maya's hair and clothing. He's a decent challenge and a visual treat due to the gameplay and animations using Maya's channeling to the story's full potential.
- Uendo Toneido is a remarkable battle due to his multiple personalities. His statements are fragmented and contradictory due to jumping in and out of alters and there's a unique and welcome challenge in identifying what is worthwhile testimony and what is merely confused observations.
- Phoenix Wright as a rival attorney is a highlight of the controversial final case, and part of the reason why the first half is so beloved. Getting to see how fearsome he is from Apollo's perspective is an impressive experience and having to fight against the tactics that you've used as him for the previous games is something unique and interesting. While he's not too difficult due to being Forced into Evil, it's still a great confrontation against a deservedly repsected character.
- Pierce Nichody is one of the smartest characters to appear in the series, so it makes sense he's one of the trickiest criminals. Being the first civilian to evoke his legal rights, tricks commonly used on culprits are rendered moot and it becomes an intense battle of wits against someone who is well aware of who they're up against. While his actual testimony is rather easy due to him being backed into a corner, seeing him put up a creative and unusual resistence is a memorable event that makes him a truly special opponent.
The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve
- William Shamspeare is a beloved opponent due to being such a memorable Hate Sink. Oozing with flamboyance and pretentiousness, his stories are as theatrical as he is. Trying to find damning lies in a testimony full of filler and exaggerations is an interesting challenge and provides an immensely satisfying moment when Shamspeare realises the past has caught up to him.
- Enoch Drebber is one of the reasons chapter 3 is so beloved and his cross examination is no exception. As a grave robber and con artist, he's well aware of how to decieve others, which he uses in his testimonies with a great degree of skill. A challenging and determined foe who won't go down without a fight despite the damning evidence against him, demonstrating proof of his guilt as soon as his testimony shows a weakness is necessary to beat him and it provides an engaging and well earned challenge.
- Courtney Sithe is an interesting Arc Villain for a unique reason. Knowing her time is up, she starts her testimony by confessing, hoping to avoid the extent of her crimes from being revealed. A contrast from Drebber who is determined to maintain his guilt, battling her becomes a gamble as it requires using previous testimonies to poke holes in her confession, which requires weakening your own case to get her to dispense more statements. It's a tense and surprising fight and a good teaser for just how savvy and cunning evil law enforcement officers can be.
