Favorite Ace Attorney Villains

Although I haven't played every game in it, Capcom's Ace Attorney, is one of my favorite game-series and one of the best things about it is its rogues-gallery; I honestly can't think of any other series in the medium that features so many colorful and memorable villains. As such, I've picked out my 5 favorite (in no particular order) AA bad guys. Now, I should you warn that due to the nature of this series, spoilers are pretty much unavoidable. Granted, many of these spoilers are from games that are more than a decade old. Still, I thought I'd warn you, just as a courtesy. Anyway, these are my favorite evil-doers in the Ace Attorney universe:

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Dahlia Hawthorne

There are Ace Attorney villains who are more powerful. There are Ace Attorney villains who come up with better schemes, but I can't think of any Ace Attorney villain whose as personal in their evil as Dahlia Hawthorne. A lot of that has to do with what she lacks; Dahlia does not have the authority, or the resources that most of the villains have at their disposal. Instead, she relies solely on her wiles, putting her playing-field on the same level as that of her enemies, making her evil feel much more intimate in the process. Dahlia also deserves points for tenacity, she's the first recurring villain in the series, facing of against Phoenix and Mia in three different cases. Oh, and did I mention that by her third appearance, she's already dead and you have to go up against her spirit? Gotta give props to a villain who will haunt their enemies from beyond the grave.

Manfred von Karma

Intimidating. That's the word best used to describe Manfred von Karma, the final boss of the first Ace Attorney game. Everything about this guy screams intimidation; from his appearance, to his general attitude and his voice. From the moment he appears, Von Karma makes it clear that he will crush you like a bug for getting in his way. He lives up to the hype too, forcing the player to fight teeth and claw for every little advantage. As a character, outside of his role as a final boss, von Karma is pretty one-note, but it can't denied that he plays that note masterfully. 

Matt Engarde

In the role of defense attorney Phoenix Wright, its up to you, as the player, to keep your client out of prison (or death-row), while exposing the true culprit. So, what happens when you get a client who is, beyond any shadow of a doubt, guilty? Enter Matt Engarde, the villain of the second game's final (and by far best) case. When you first meet him, Engarde doesn't seem like such a bad guy. Sure, he's unlikable, but he comes across as more of a self-absorbed air-head than anything else. Annoying, yes, but nothing more than that, certainly not a man capable of murder. With that in mind, its tempting to give Engarde the benefit of the doubt. Sure, he may have had his rival actor killed, but maybe there were extenuating circumstances? Perhaps Juan had it coming? There has to be more to it than this, right?
Then comes the hair-flip.

Justice for All was my first Ace Attorney game and to this day, I consider Matt Engarde's villain reveal to be the best done by this series, as your client flips back his hair to reveal the scars on his face and with them, his true nature as a cunning and remorseless sociopath. Engarde then proceeds to rub your face in it, reminding you that your assistant Maya is his hostage and that if you don't get him a not-guilty verdict, she dies. Its a tough choice, but if I had to pick the most despicable villain on this list, The Nickel Samurai would be it.

Damon Gant

This list isn't in any order, but if it was, there's a high chance that chief Gant would be at the top (there's really only one other character who can compete with him for the position, but we'll get to him further down the list).
The culprit of the first game's bonus case, Gant is as menacing and tough as von Karma, but he has an important advantage over old Manny in that he's far more interesting as a character. A scene-stealer if ever there was one, Gant dominates Rise From The Ashes with his eccentric personality and immense personal charisma. In fact, one of the most interesting things about Gant for me is how genuine his "good" persona feels: With Dahlia and Engarde its clear that the innocent/hapless mask they put on for the World is just that, a mask and von Karma never bothered to appear nice to begin with. With Gant, however, I get the feeling that it is as much a part of who he is as anything else. The jovial fellow who suggests you go swimming together and calls everyone by affectionate nicknames is also the cold, calculating master-mind who framed a girl for murder and blackmailed her sister. I'm reminded of the Mayor from Buffy the Vampire-Slayer or Count Fosco from The Woman In White, both villains whose genuine affability only served to underscore their wickedness.

Oh, and of course, one can't talk about the Demon Gent without mentioning his greatest weapon:

God, that's creepy.


The Mastermind

Last but not least we have the only villain on this list not from the original trilogy: The big bad of Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Due to the fact that this is the only game that hasn't been officially localized (there is a fan-translation though, which is how I played it), I've opted not to reveal the mastermind's identity or post a picture of him. All I can say is that the mastermind is a great villain for a multitude of reasons. First of all; he's the only one among this bunch who's a tragic villain. His back-story is genuinely sad and is tied in very well with the overarching plot of the game. Like Edmond Dantes, the mastermind is out for revenge against some really terrible people and much like the Count of Monte Cristo, his callous manipulation of others, including innocent people who trusted him and the sadistic delight he takes in his schemes, makes it clear that the mastermind really isn't much different from his enemies. A great villain who rounds out this list perfectly.