Character Tics / Visual Novels

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• Ace Attorney: All characters have their own poses and gestures, and Phoenix's dramatic finger point is among the most distinctive and iconic. The new prosecutor from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Klavier Gavin, even air guitars when things are going particularly well for him.
  • This is actually a key gameplay mechanic when playing as Apollo; if you have no immediate evidence to refute a testimony that is obviously false, chances are the witness is playing with her ring, or he's sweating profusely, or something similar. Apollo's keen ability to detect these minute changes causes his own body to unconsciously tense and warm up in reaction, and when this happens, his bracelet, which contracts when heated, tightens around his wrist, alerting him that something is up with the witness. He can hone in on their body language through "Perceive" mode and call out these unconscious nervous twitches, which will keep the witness talking and often prompt them to divulge new information.
  • Phoenix's most famous tic is his Giving Someone the Pointer Finger pose, but one of other poses is also very noticeable: his nervous one, where he's hunched over, eyes are half closed, teeth gritted and sweat going down the side of his face like a waterfall. He does it so much, it's even used more than his standard standing pose. The main reason this is notable is that in the sequel, Apollo Justice has his own versions of all of Phoenix' tics, including the nervous pose, but he doesn't do it nearly as much. Phoenix also rubs the back of his neck when he's feeling bashful, rubs his chin with his hand while thinking, and slumps forward holding his hair with both hands when he's feeling especially down.
  • Athena also has her fair share of tics, but one actually stands out as the developers have Shown Their Work: whenever she enters a Heroic BSoD, she covers her ears◊. This is actually a known habit of patients with hyperacousis, AKA overly sensitive hearing, which they do to block out overbearing sounds. Her other tics include her playing with her earring when she's thinking, and rubbing her ponytail whenever she's embarrassed.
  • Edgeworth grabs his left arm when feeling uncomfortable, turns his head to the right when smiling, folds his arms and taps one finger against his forearm when annoyed or deep in thought, wags his finger in front of his face when smug, and holds his hands out like he's daring you to object when he's making a point. He also bows when he finishes his arguments. After the timeskip, he adds occasionally adjusting his glasses.
  • Iris and Dahlia, being twin sisters, have similar habits with two exceptions: Iris has a pose where she directly faces the camera with her arms at her sides, and Dahlia has a pose where she looks over her shoulder and plays with her hair. 'Iris' doing Dahlia's hair-flip is a dead giveaway that a Twin Switch happened.
  • Klavier Gavin, as mentioned above, air guitars. But much more present is his finger snapping. He nearly constantly does this, as if listening to an invisible beat. When particularly distressed, he covers his ears much like Athena does and shakes his head, and leans forward when teasing or when presenting an argument in court.
  • Kristoph Gavin, when contradicted or feeling aggressive, tilts his head forward so that light flashes across his spectacles, often paired with adjusting his glasses. Apollo finds out when perceiving him at the end of the game that it's actually a cover for a Death Glare.
    • Kristoph also has a particular way of crossing his arms while looking down on whoever he's talking to when he's feeling smug. One of the signs that Apollo's dancing close to a Face–Heel Turn in the final case of Dual Destinies is that he starts mirroring this pose and quoting Kristoph's "evidence is everything" line.
  • Manfred Von Karma from the first game folds his arms a lot, eyes closed and squeezing his sleeves while doing so. The first thing we see of his daughter Franziska in the sequel is the same exact pose, causing the first impression to be that of uncanny resemblance from her father. Phoenix also notices something else
    "Of all the things to inherit from her father, why did it have to be that smarmy smile?"
    • Also used to great effect in the third game. In the first, Manfred Von Karma had another particular trait of sticking his arm out and wagging his finger obnoxiously. The third game has a case that takes place in the past, with Phoenix' mentor Mia being the Defense. The opposition is a younger Edgeworth, who has all his familiar poses and tics, and... his mentor's obnoxious finger wag, showing the great influence he had on him.
  • Von Karma also has one more significant tic: putting his hand on his shoulder when nervous. It seems like just another nervous pose until you learn that he got shot in the shoulder from a gun that accidentally fired. He used the same gun to kill Edgeworth's father, but just so the evidence that he's the killer isn't found, he didn't remove it surgically and it remained lodged in his shoulder for fifteen years.
    • When von Karma appears as the rival for the flashback segment of case 3 of Gyakuten Kenji 2, all of his animations are the same as game 1, with the exception of one: his nervous sprite. It's the same as his original game 1 sprite, but he doesn't clutch his shoulder. The case is before the DL-6 Incident, when he got shot in the shoulder.
    • Franziska has a very similar nervous sprite. Though it's not as obvious at first glance since she grabs both shoulders.
  • The Phantom, a Master of Disguise, can flawlessly impersonate anyone in the setting, right down their tics. It turns out that he does have one unique to himself, which is reaching for his gun holster. This clues Apollo in that he was the shooter at the Cosmos Space Center.
  • The lawyers also have their own way of banging on their desks: Mia and Phoenix hit the desk with both palms, Edgeworth with his right palm, Franziska does it with her whip (or left fist if she's feeling stressed), Godot uses either his right fist or a coffee mug, Apollo slams the desk with both fists, Klavier hits the wall behind him, Athena uses her lower left arm, Simon uses both lower arms, Nahyuta holds his prayer beads while he desk-slams, Ga'ran does it with a book, and Barok van Zieks uses his fist, or if his hand is full, axe kicks the desk. Ryunosuke has three variants; his right fist, both palms like his descendent, and a version used before he's got the hang of being a lawyer where he glances at his hand as he apparently hurt his palm whacking it on the desk.
• Danganronpa:
  • Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc:
    • Makoto holds his right arm out to his side with his elbow bent when he's making a point and holds his finger to his mouth when nervous.
    • Aoi Asahina makes a cat smile and holds her fists up to her chin when pleased (for example, when you've given her a gift she likes).
  • Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony has several:
    • Shuichi touches his finger to his chin when thinking.
    • Miu twiddles with her hair when flustered or nervous. She's also fond of Giving Someone the Pointer Finger.
    • Himiko pulls the brim of her hat over her eyes when she's uncomfortable.
    • Maki bites her thumb when thinking. She also plays with her twin-tails when embarrassed.
    • Kaito likes to give a thumbs-up when he agrees with someone (usually Shuichi) or punching both fists together when feeling pumped up.
    • Kokichi holds his index finger to his lips when he's toying with someone. He also almost always has his left arm held a little bit away from his body.
    • Tenko often gestures with her hands held flat and fingers straight together, since she's a martial artist.
• Doki Doki Literature Club!: The girls in the club have their own tics.
  • Sayori leans forward slightly and pokes her forefingers together, especially when she is embarrassed or pouts about something (such as when she calls the player character a "meanie").
  • Natsuki turns her head to the side, especially whenever she cries.
  • Yuri holds her hands behind her back (possibly in a subconscious attempt to hide that she cuts herself) or places her hands, usually her left, protectively over her chest (emphasising her shyness). She also tends to nervously look to the side while fiddling with her hair.
  • Monika occasionally leans forward and holds her hands behind her back. She also raises her finger, especially when she says her catchphrase: "Okay, everyone!"
• In Fate/stay night, it's mentioned that Shirou has an expression he makes whenever he's about to do something foolish, which is often. In the Heaven's Feel epilogue, which is narrated by Rin, it's shown that he frowns sulkily when "he wants to say something, but can't."
• Katawa Shoujo:
  • Misha often translates what she says into sign language. This would normally not be out of the ordinary, as she usually does it for the benefit of her deaf-mute best friend, but she often does it even when the only one nearby who understands it is Misha herself.
  • Hanako often covers the scarred side of her face during conversations.
• When taking or making phone calls, Seiji from Spirit Hunter: NG has a noted habit of stepping away from others, since said calls are usually of a morally dubious nature that he doesn't want overheard.

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