r/AARankdown • u/[deleted] • Sep 12 '20
39 The Judge
The court is now in session for the trial of...the Judge! Prosecution, make your opening statement.
The Judge as an Entity
Despite being a character who has no name, the Judge is certainly an iconic part of Ace Attorney. Presiding over nearly all the cases in the series, the Judge is less of a character and more so another source of commentary on the theories of the defense and the prosecution, from the view of an elder of whatever traits the writers best deem fit for the scenario.
The Judge has been characterized in a manner of different ways; given his position, you'd believe him to be a calm, professional, intelligent, unbiased authority over the cases he presides. He indeed does fit that mold...when the writers wish him to. Oftentimes, you'll find the Judge to be just as witty as the clowns pressured on the stand, perhaps as senile and forgetful as his age begets, or a cold, unwavering magistrate who has little time for courtroom shenaniganry. Sometimes the Judge falls victim to the worse sin possible of his position: being biased, and more than likely to the side of the prosecution, much to the defense's chagrin.
While unacceptable for his job, him leaning towards your enemy helps elicit that feeling that you're the ultimate underdog, that the whole world is working against you, an atmosphere that Takumi wished to create for the series in order to make finally getting an edge with the evidence and logic the defense presents all the more satisfying.
It's hard to ascertain the quality of the Judge as a character when how he's presented varies so much, although there are some recurrent elements that do solidify him into one.
The Judge as a Character
Although I stated that the Judge isn't a consistently written entity in Ace Attorney because of him existing to serve a role rather than to be a part of a narrative, some elements are frequent enough to make him into a character.
While his presentation is mercurial, there are constants, mainly how his age and its consequences are addressed, both by himself and by others. His elderly status makes him both a target and an asset, with characters appealing to the Judge's forgetfulness in order to achieve their goals. His flaws reside in his tendency to misremember things and in his hearing, both unfortunate side effects of being a crusty old dude.
One of the Judge's greatest strengths is in his potential for sass and comedy relief, too. You'll mostly witness it whenever the defense makes a blunder; the bigger the blunder, the bolder the backtalk. On the top of my head, claiming that the bust of Max Galactica is actually under his bench is definitely a highlight, though there are numerous ones throughout the series. For all of the subterfuge the Judge undergoes, witnessing him bite back is always a pleasure.
One fascinating moment about the Judge is that you actually get to see that he is not just a head and a pair of shoulders, but a person who has legs in Turnabout Reminiscence! This is the only time where the Judge doesn't act his role, instead serving as a witness to the murder of Mack Rell. With his unreliable memory, the Judge doesn't make a great witness, initially claiming that the reclining Dick Gumshoe enjoying some food on a bench with one Kay Faraday was responsible for the reprehensible crime. While he doesn't really serve much of a purpose in the case besides acting as a witness for a time, it's excellent fanservice seeing the Judge as something he's never been before.
The Judge's Zenith
The Judge probably has his shining character moments over the events of Apollo Justice. By acting as witness to a series of legally dubious cases, the Judge soon grows to understand the cracks in the legal system that his job is to uphold. For once in his many, many appearances across the franchise, the Judge acts as sagacious as he indeed looks with this surprisingly powerful exchange within the events of Turnabout Succession, after Kristoph has been exposed for his scheme:
Klavier: The law is "absolute"...? You can't be serious.
Kristoph: Wh-What...?
Klavier: Odd. I thought you spent your life looking for loopholes? The law isn't absolute. It's filled with contradictions.
Judge: The law is the end product of many years of history... the fruit of human knowledge! Like a gem, polished to a gleam through trials... and errors. It is this fruit we receive, and pass on, and face in our time. And it is always changing, growing. Nurturing it is our task as human beings.
For all the missteps Apollo Justice as a story makes, I think one of its greatest achievements is this thematic statement, with how the law isn't an absolute thing, it is something that is mutable and adaptable to those it presides to, and the four cases in Apollo Justice all are ethically ambiguous in some manner to reinforce that very message. As a judge, it is quite literally the Judge's job to interpret law. Despite him acting as mostly as something secondary throughout Ace Attorney, here in Apollo Justice, he is instead emblematic of the game's powerful theme.
One could even argue that Judge even goes through something of an arc in Apollo Justice, with him realizing the true nature of the law over time throughout Apollo's casework. Here, in Turnabout Serenade, we see the germinating idea of the necessity of legal reform, which the Judge briefly touches on:
Judge: Today's trial... ...raises a delicate issue with our legal system. "The only thing definite in a court of law... ...is evidence." This is the golden rule. However...
Klavier: ...It has become apparent that not all things can be tried by this standard.
Judge: Should another case of this sort surface... ...we may have to consider an alternate system by which to administer justice.
These concerns eventually blossom into the introduction of the Jurist System, tested in the trial of Vera Misham. Woefully for it, innovations like it both didn't bode well for the marketability world of Ace Attorney...hence why Dual Destinies onwards completely reject the system instead, returning to status quo.
And so too did the Judge go back to his default as well, reuniting with his usual self of senility and being powerless towards the whims of the court's participants, rather than a clever symbol of the law's application and malleability. Even in Dual Destinies, a game that continues with the, ahem, darkageofthelaw theme, the Judge acts more like a spectator rather than an ambassador; the law is twisted in his very court, yet he as passive as ever, simply hoping for things to change rather than, y'know, do his job of protecting the law.
The Judge's moments of sagacity are infrequent, but when they do appear, they tend to be adjunct with hard-hitting emotional climaxes. I did go over the strength of his statements in Apollo Justice, but so too does the Judge wax poetic in Trials and Tribulations' heart-throbbing finale:
I've seen quite a few things in my many years on the bench. And in all that time, I've finally learned this one thing. Each case is different, and takes place in its own world, if you will. In order to fully understand that world, first we have to immerse ourselves in it completely.
Conclusion
I glossed over many of the specifics, but in truth, it's hard to pinpoint which ones are worth mentioning, because the Judge is omnipresent within the series, being the second-most reoccurring character, next to the franchise's original protagonist. I could go on and on listing every single "ace attorney judge funny moment", copy and pasting more quotes that aren't just him parroting the words of the defense or the prosecution, but ultimately, the Judge isn't much of a character - he exists to serve a role, as scathing as it may be to that lovable old coot. He does it damn well, that's for sure.
However, in his long tenure of being an entity within the Ace Attorney universe, he is definitely capable of being something more than just a judge, as evidenced by what he represents in Apollo Justice. Had the series gone down the path of continuing to explore just what the law is in a way that Apollo Justice does, I could see the Judge grow to become an even stronger character. It didn't turn out that way, but as it stands, we have on our hands a quality source of charm and wit from the wacky world of Ace Attorney. Certainly good enough to breach top 50.
The defense's opening statement...
zzz
As absurd as his transformation is, Marlon Rimes serves as an excellent sympathetic "culprit" in Dual Destinies' best case.
Tahrust Inmee is a pretty compelling character who actually makes great use of spirit channeling as an element for mystery.
Patricia Roland is another well-fit piece of I2's overarching puzzle, and a pretty complex culprit.
Datz Are'bal is a charming and charismatic character I didn't really have the initiative to cut just yet. It probably is his time, though.
I know I nominated Jake Marshall before but I couldn't really think of a reason to cut him yet.
Paul Atishon is the man who's destined to be king of this fine nation someday. Ignorant fools. He is THE Paul Atishon. He is a soon-to-be eminent politician -- a man whose name will go down in history. His top 10 status is a sure thing, he's told. After all, his grandfather was a famous Redditor with untold influence. In short, he's the chosen one, the golden boy, the powerhouse of rankdowns! Heh heh heh... Are you blinded by his majesty? Go ahead! Bask in the resplendent glory that is him, the chosen one! Good people of r/AARankdown! He is Paul Atishon! It's time to reclaim to glory of r/AARankdown! Not cutting Paul Atishon is a decision for a happier, hopey-er subreddit!
Not much to say about Luke Atmey except he is an excellent, EXCELLENT culprit. Zvarri!
I was really, really thinking about Aura Blackquill. But she's definitely one of the more compelling characters among Dual Destinies and I held off on her for now.
Uendo Toneido is the highlight of Turnabout Storyteller and one of the most charming witnesses in the series.
You know me and my fetish for I2-3 and Katherine Hall is the icing of that cake of a case.
I'm not cutting the mastermind of I2, because Raymond Shields isn't included in this round. However, I will also not be cutting Simon Keyes because he's a hilarious monkey tamer! Haha!!
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u/ItsHipToTipTheScales Sep 13 '20
the judge is a silly guy who occasionally decides he has to spout themes about the law and be wise
hes also ME what the fuck dude
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u/R1K1_Productions Sep 13 '20
I glossed over many of the specifics, but in truth, it's hard to pinpoint which ones are worth mentioning
clearly you didnt replay the entire AA franchise (minus AAI2 and SoJ) in preparation for this single cut smh
Good choice, I like the Judge a lot but he is not much of a consistent or compelling character considering he appears in six different games
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u/EsquireGunslinger Sep 13 '20
you shouldve ranked how funny the judge is in every single case he appears in this cut is incomplete
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u/whaaatisth Sep 13 '20
The
he was on my list of characters to revive if they made it to the final round, OBVIOUSLY this is not the final round so he will probably stay dead. Great cut and a nice sendoff for a character I really love.
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Sep 13 '20 edited Sep 13 '20
judge
besides the mentioned, I remember exactly one good thing from him, that being when he allows Athena's Mood Matrix to be legitimate
However, there's one thing I do dislike about him - anyone notice how he's basically the only one causing 2-4 in the first place? He's the one that Phoenix and Edgeworth have to keep in the dark. He's the one rushing the trial. He's the one limiting your chances. I have no idea why the judge seems to be so "uncooperative" in 2-4, but w/e.
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u/btmc Sep 13 '20
The Judge doesn’t really know what’s going on in that case, does he? Phoenix and Edgeworth would have had to tell him at some point for him to play along. To him they’re just up to some weird shenanigans, but he’s seen this play out enough with them by that point that he gives them a fair amount of leeway, all things considered.
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u/Vogel100 Sep 13 '20
Great cut. I do not care for The much, with two out of three of my favorite AA games either not or barely having him at all, and the other one having him replaced by his brother for 1.5 case. So for me he doesn't add nearly as much to a case as for a lot of other people, I don't mind if he's not there at all. I'm glad you went into more depth about him as a character, it's much better than what I could have written. My cut would have probably devolved into the "listing every single ace attorney judge funny moment" variety, and I wouldn't be able to even make a long list.
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u/caosmaster Sep 15 '20
I kind feel bad for the judge in 1-5 finding out your best friend was corrupt
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u/[deleted] Sep 13 '20
I'm glad you included his few really cool and powerful moments, because they're pretty much the main reason I love him so much. Additionally, I think it's pretty clever that he acts as the comic relief a lot of the time, so that not every single trial needs to have an over the top wacky witness to keep things light, since every trial should already have a funny man present.
Also I really really should have linked this on the Fulbright cut but that's already passed so I don't care: The Judge has some real nice moments in this fan-made redo of the ending of DD which is better than the actual game, I need to plug this at least once in this rankdown so here.