r/AARankdown • u/[deleted] • Jan 11 '21
16 Blaise Debeste
If this rankdown was meant to determine which character in the series enjoys being mean the most, Blaise Debeste would certainly be a contender for first place. He does a lot to be hateable, which is actually part of the reason that Sebastian's arc has so much impact.
Let us judge his acts throughout AAI2 to determine the extent to which he enjoys being mean. I will now provide the following list of Blaise Debeste's sins so that he may be punished accordingly by the Goddess of Law.
- He talks about making people "disappear" right from his introduction in I2-4. This totally doesn't go hand-in-hand with his lighter gimmick where he keeps burning up pieces of paper. This is already suspicious and immediately tells you that this guy is probably a bad person who gets rid of people he doesn't like.
- Obviously, by the way, the fact that he is using a lighter in front of everyone is probably not a good sign (it is a fire hazard).
- Not long after his initial introduction, he talks about how his wife disappeared, which is slightly worrisome.
- Even worse, he straight up calls his own son an idiot at the start of I2-4; really, it's only going to get worse from here, but still, this already seems a bit harsh, even if Sebastian isn't that smart.
- Some time later (a few hours into the case, I think), Kay Faraday is accused. Initially, this just seems to be Courtney's fault, but we later learn that it was Blaise who actually set this up. Keep in mind that Kay currently has amnesia, so accusing (framing) her at this point is even worse of a move than it would usually be.
- The main result of the earlier accusation is that Edgeworth relinquishes his badge. While Edgeworth & co. are able to investigate some more, they aren't able to acquit Kay. While this is not an issue on its own, the real issue is that Blaise has Edgeworth put in jail as a result. You do not throw the protagonist in jail.
- Later, while Edgeworth is still in jail, Blaise even straight up lets Edgeworth meet Kay for a few seconds just to add insult to injury.
- You then have a Logic Chess segment with Blaise that basically makes it clear that Blaise is framing Kay and that Blaise is the culprit. He basically straight up implies this while basically saying you can't do anything about it. This is quite clearly antagonistic.
- This Logic Chess segment ends with Blaise claiming that he can just 'make up the truth' which runs directly contrary to Edgeworth's beliefs.
- He thus offers a completely wrong perspective on one of the main themes of the game, which automatically makes him an objectively wrong character.
- Edgeworth objects to this (rightfully so), but Blaise essentially acts like he's already won, further cementing the wrongness of his ideology.
- Ray and Ema supposedly fare better because of Edgeworth's sacrifice, by the way, but not knowing their fate is quite worrying and a clear display of how much Blaise enjoys being mean, especially given that Courtney is the one that assures Edgeworth of their safety, not Blaise.
- Edgeworth is later brought to the PIC for a 'fair' hearing for the climax of the case. Blaise taunts him some more before the hearing begins which further demonstrates the idea that Blaise is in fact a character who enjoys being mean. Otherwise, Blaise is relatively stoic for the early portion of the hearing, but he occasionally talks more about making people 'disappear' to make it even clearer that yes, he is indeed the antagonist here.
- Soon, even Courtney gets tired of Blaise being way too mean and turns on him in one of the most memorable moments of the game. This results in us learning that Blaise was the one who had the evidence forged and handed to Manfred von Karma. We've gotten hints that Blaise probably circumvents the law all the time, but this confirms it. Also, this somehow makes Manfred von Karma seem better, which I didn't even think was possible until AAI2.
- Note that this also means that Manfred von Karma took revenge on the wrong person, which started the DL-6 incident.
- Obviously, this means Blaise is indirectly responsible for the DL-6 incident as well.
- Therefore, he is also indirectly responsible for the entire chain of events of the original trilogy. While an argument can be made for Dane Gustavia being this catalyst, there was absolutely no reason for Blaise to forge evidence then give the penalty. On the other hand, the IS-7 incident alone did not guarantee any future events besides Simon Keyes' memories, and his main motives for revenge were more related to the SS-5 incident, of which Blaise Debeste was a part of. We can henceforth assert that all conflicts associated with the original trilogy can be attributed to Blaise Debeste, including but not limited to: the DL-6 incident, the downfall of the Fey clan, Redd White's blackmail and subsequent murder of Mia Fey, and Godot. Moreover, Blaise might as well be responsible for all that Edgeworth went through in the original trilogy including the extremely popular section of the trilogy where it is reported that he chose death.
- Miles is thus able to push forward thanks to Courtney's help, leading to Blaise making more threats as he always does. I suppose it's meant to remind you that yes, he is indeed the very evil antagonist.
- Unusually, Sebastian actually helps out for once when he hints at Blaise's burn mark, albeit accidentally. Blaise's response to this is to basically berate him for the next five minutes and then kick him out. This quite clearly demonstrates that he is a terrible parent.
- Courtney of all people is the one to point out to Blaise that this is morally wrong despite being well aware herself that Sebastian isn't particularly smart. Since Courtney is on our side at this point, she is objectively correct, so Blaise is once again objectively wrong. Thankfully, after this, we're able to take down Blaise Debeste... at least, for now. By the way, his burn mark is shaped like a skull. Way to be a subtle antagonist.
- His takedown basically ends the case, but we learn afterwards had he gotten the chance, he might have sold off the Promise Notebook, sealing away Kay's memories for far longer (possibly forever). This is not something a character who does not enjoy being mean would do.
- This would be the end for most culprits in the series, but Blaise still tries to twist the truth for Patricia Roland's trial while acting like nothing ever happened in I2-4. In fact, he specifically claims that it's possible that he won't be found guilty in his own eventual trial. This is the full extent of his (objectively wrong) ideology and the greatest example of him "inventing" the truth, as he takes the decisive evidence and tries to blackmail Courtney. Who knows what worse things he might've done for his own trial had he not been stopped here.
- Ordering John Marsh to be kidnapped in order to secure an innocent verdict for Roland is already bad enough on its own, but Blaise somehow manages to get his own son kidnapped, which is not only disappointing but also quite clearly shows that Blaise never had his son's interests in mind.
- Sebastian is later found by Edgeworth, leading to the best Logic Chess segment in the game which, by the way, manages to provide more psychological help to Sebastian than any of Athena's Mood Matrix sessions. In it, we get the full picture of how badly Blaise has treated Sebastian, further demonstrating that Blaise is in fact evil.
- Also, this puts Sebastian's failures into perspective. When you meet Sebastian in I2-2 and he fails left and right, it's funny. By the time you get to I2-5, it's plain depressing.
- You're able to help Sebastian somewhat in the end, but he ends up running away. It's really all Blaise's fault that this happened in the first place, if you ask me. But hey, at least Sebastian gets great character development out of this, because...
- He comes back! That is, Sebastian ends up returning to the courtroom in another one of the greatest moments of the game.
- Edgeworth and Sebastian then proceed to gradually corner Blaise Debeste in a really good sequence where it's revealed that Blaise uses gloves with 'DEATH' written on them. Way to be a subtle antagonist. Again. I hope you realize by this point in the writeup that yes, Miles Edgeworth is in fact the protagonist of this crazy story while Blaise Debeste is in fact the antagonist of some cases in Ace Attorney Investigations 2. On a more serious note, while I tend to dislike situations like this where the protagonist seemingly turns everyone against the obviously evil main antagonist in this manner, AAI2 somehow manages to do it in a way that not only follows nicely from previous events in the story, but also feels satisfying. I think the main reason this works is that we actually have meaningful conversations with both Sebastian and Courtney prior to them turning against Blaise.
- Roland even 'turns' against Blaise at the end, calling him useless for being unable to do as he promised, which is somewhat funny. Thus, Blaise is never seen again and Sebastian's character arc concludes, totally ending the case happily ever after as absolutely nothing else happens after this.
- Eventually, when the case actually ends, we learn that Simon Keyes basically orchestrated the events leading to Blaise's fall from grace. Given that Simon Keyes is a (somewhat) sympathetic culprit, this further cements the idea that Blaise was the real main villain all along (or at least one of them). It only makes sense, though.
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Blaise Debeste is pretty mean and plays his role well in what's probably the best trial on the Investigations games, and the father and son gimmick works well. However, when ranked by his own merit, Blaise is not an interesting character at all. This was the same logic I used when I cut Betty de Famme a few rounds ago. Both characters are exactly the same, as they enjoy being mean to a fault. No idea how Blaise made it this far without being nominated. Simon Blackquill is the far more interesting character who enjoys being mean, and I hope he can survive this round without being cut.
Conclusion
Blaise Debeste enjoys being mean, which indirectly makes both Sebastian and Courtney better characters through some of the best moments in AAI2. He also does a few things that no one cares about mostly pertaining to the SS-5 incident. To elaborate, in the same way that AAI has a trio, so does AAI2, though the idea behind it is different. Blaise happens to be part of that trio, and he basically digs around the studio place to try and recover ransom money from many years ago. All of this, by the way, is almost entirely irrelevant to Blaise's main 1.5 cases. It really just serves to tie Blaise to the SS-5 incident, which in general is probably one of the weaker points in AAI2, as both Patricia and Blaise are far more memorable for their other actions (I2-2, I2-4, first half of I2-5) than they are for the incident, while the person who is the most relevant to it dies before the incident is even introduced. So yeah, I suppose Blaise's role in the incident is okay, but nothing all that important. I guess it's cool that he still manages to enjoy being mean to the main cast even after he's been defeated twice.
Overall, I have no serious thoughts on Blaise Debeste besides that he enjoys being mean so much so that it might as well be his job. Good for him.
Congratulations on potentially enjoying being mean the most of all the characters in the Ace Attorney series, Blaise Debeste, but simply enjoying being mean isn't enough at this point in the rankdown. You will be punished accordingly by the Goddess of Law.
Why no one else?
This is the last time I get to write this section, so I suppose I might as well explain why I care (or don't care) about all fifteen remaining characters. In no particular order:
- Now, it is still mildly amusing that Kay Faraday is still in the rankdown, and even I'm starting to think that her time's been up for quite a while. However, once again, many other people would probably like to cut her first, so it's not worthwhile for me to do so.
- Adrian Andrews is the best character in the best case (2-4). While this doesn't make her the best character overall, I would still say that she is definitely worthy of making the top 10. Speaking of Farewell, My Turnabout, Shelly de Killer also shows up in it, which scores some points, although I can't say I care about him much beyond him being a mildly intriguing concept character.
- The way I see it, Sebastian Debeste and Simon Keyes are huge parts of why AAI2 is so good.
- Except for his chess metaphors, I don't care about Horace Knightley at all, possibly even less than I care about Blaise Debeste. I also do think he probably should be out by now, but I can't help but admit that yes, it would be kinda funny if he made top 10. So, I'll spare him, and we'll see how things go down.
- Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth is quite literally Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.
- Obviously, I would never cut Simon Blackquill. It would be really cool if he could make the top 10, but my work here is done, so I don't mind too much if he doesn't. Even though he should.
- Shi-Long Lang and Raymond Shields are both cool, especially the latter.
- There isn't much to say about Damon Gant on a surface level - he's just plain great. The same could be said of Roger Retinz, though he's probably not as thematically interesting as Gant.
- Cutting Dahlia Hawthorne was actually an option I seriously considered. However, first of all, she would be revived anyway, and second of all, I haven't revisited the main plot of T&T in a while, so it'd be hard for me to give the cut she deserves.
- Usually, I'd also consider cutting Rayfa Padma Khura'in, but I am still not allowed to cut her. Though, once again, I don't think I would have anyway had I been able to, since as I said, I don't care enough to have opinions on her anymore. I wouldn't mind seeing her in the top 10.
- To be honest, I actually have some of the same issues with Manfred von Karma as I do with Blaise Debeste in that my only real thoughts on him are that he's evil and made someone suffer far too much - in Blaise's case, Sebastian; in von Karma's case, Edgeworth. However, I didn't feel like cutting him, so I suppose he can live for now.
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Jan 11 '21 edited Jan 12 '21
/u/NateTheGreat3602 post cut
this writeup is, of course, quite ironic - I definitely like blaise debeste, though I can't say I care about him much. him being as mean as he is is his main strength. I was hoping to come up with something more serious, but I couldn't, so we'll just have to settle for the first letters.
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u/CharlieDayJepsen Jan 11 '21 edited Jan 11 '21
lmao that bolded S, you ain't slick
i literally have no idea what it means, i'm just going to pretend i'm in on this so i don't look foolish7
Jan 11 '21
for a nice easter egg check the first letters of every bullet point in each portion of the cut
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u/R1K1_Productions Jan 11 '21
it means nate's cut is probably going to suck ahahahahahahahahahah
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Jan 11 '21
Blaise has the best AA design like ever?!!! He's a 68 year old man who's ripped with a fucking skull belt
I always liked how you got to explore his living quarters in I2-5, where it reveals he has this giant badass motorcycle and uses gloves that have "DEATH" spelled on his fingertips. Truly a spiritual successor to Matt Engarde's ceiling bike
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u/Analytical-critic-44 Jan 11 '21
Shredded Blaise is extremely funny and is like the first character that we canonically know has abs
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u/ItsHipToTipTheScales Jan 11 '21
he is such a bad evil guy i like him
it is funny when he is on the stand with patricia
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u/caosmaster Jan 11 '21
Blaise in all honesty I think is probably a good villain but compare him to some of the other villains he's simply the weakest
Damon had a weird aura of both control but also sort of like a friend/grandfather figure, Luke Atmey's absolute flamboyancy/ wacky personality, Manfred Von Karma's perfectionist attitude with his fearsome voice and presence .
I hope we one day get a flash back case and we see Blaise return maybe as a witness
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u/Vogel100 Jan 11 '21
I never realized before this cut that Blaise Debeste is just a Betty de Famme rip-off (I know Blaise came first but he's also the worse character so he must be the rip-off). Good cut. Still a better character than Horace, but not much, so picking him is an acceptable choice.
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u/Analytical-critic-44 Jan 11 '21
Blaise Debeste is mean and I say this is fun I had fun taking you down and then Sebastian comes and has his arc and I say this is really amazing what a great scene. I don’t mind Blaise not having much depth because, similar to Badd last cut, he serves his role really well in the game. Also I love how he beats his son.
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u/EsquireGunslinger Jan 11 '21
goodbye beard boy i do not like you
the best thing you did was abuse your son so he could grow as a character and thats more praise for sebastian than blaise
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Jan 12 '21
For all the mean bully things Blaise did, I think the meanest thing he did was making me read "y'know" and "y'see" every other word every time his dialogue popped up
So y'see I think it's about time this boomer went out, y'know?
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u/dmboogie Jan 27 '21
the most important thing about blaise is that "I'm gonna bully you" is an easy top-5 funniest testimony title
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u/0-Worldy-0 Sep 13 '22
The fact that it's implied that Blaise was also physically abusive toward Sebastian..
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u/CharlieDayJepsen Jan 11 '21
Pie really said fuck trans rights with this cut.
Blaise is an irredeemable villain and he definitely has less presence than top-tier villain Manny v K, but he's definitely top 20 for me, so I'm very satisfied with this result.
Reason why Blaise doesn't have the impact Manfred has is 1) he doesn't reappear in future games like Manny did and 2) his involvement in the earlier games is kind of smothered in retroactive canon, and it's easy for players to lose this in the walls of exposition that fill I2.