Miles Edgeworth

Miles Edgeworth, known as Reiji Mitsurugi (御剣 怜侍 一, Mitsurugi Reiji) in original Japanese language versions, is a fictional prosecutor in Capcom's Ace Attorney video game series. He first appears as an antagonistic rival to main character Phoenix Wright in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. He later reappears in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All as a friendly rival, gains a playable role in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, and — due to the character's popularity — later went on to star in two of his own spin-off games, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and its sequel. He also appears as a friendly rival in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice as well as appearing as a cameo in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. He is the protégé of legendary prosecutor Manfred von Karma, the main antagonist from the first game.

Design

According to Shu Takumi, Edgeworth was difficult to develop as a character compared to Wright. Edgeworth's character came together once Takumi decided he would be rich. In the original game, Takumi designed Edgeworth to be an unlikable and tragic character. This is seen in Manfred von Karma raising Edgeworth to be a prosecutor and then prosecuting him for murder, just to have his revenge against Gregory Edgeworth. After the first game, when Takumi saw a comic depicting Edgeworth liking the Steel Samurai, he decided that a more likable Edgeworth would be "cuter", and so Edgeworth was fleshed out into the valuable friend and ally seen since Farewell, My Turnabout.^[2]

In Edgeworth's original design, he was going to be a 36-year-old veteran prosecutor, but the staff decided that was not interesting enough as a rival. When Shu Takumi saw the second version of the character, he was struck with inspiration and created the backstory between him and Wright. The older Edgeworth in Dual Destinies went through many iterations. In the first design, he had large frills that went down to his thighs. In other designs, he had grown facial hair. In the end, Edgeworth retained an "elegant" look, with rolled-back sleeves and vest, and sporting a longer coat and a pair of glasses, appearing more like his father.

Appearances

Edgeworth's first appearance was in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, where he was introduced as an antagonist prosecutor with a perfect record, who'd do anything to win a trial; he's presented as respectable, but cold and ruthless. Throughout the game, the perception of Edgeworth changes, starting in episode three when he, for reasons then unknown, suddenly helps Wright to corner a witness. In the next episode, Edgeworth finds himself accused of murder, and Wright defends him against the menacing Manfred von Karma, Edgeworth's austere adoptive father and the only prosecutor to have won every case in his 40-year career. It is revealed during this episode that Wright and Edgeworth were childhood friends, and that Manfred von Karma murdered Miles's father, the defense attorney Gregory Edgeworth, and raised Miles as a prosecutor under his wing. Edgeworth believed he himself shot his father, a fact that lead to him becoming a prosecutor instead of a defense attorney.

After his father's murder is resolved, Edgeworth becomes much more relaxed about his strict rules and personality, and becomes less antagonistic. It's also revealed that many rumors and negativity exist about him in the legal field. In the DS-exclusive episode, Rise from the Ashes, he's portrayed as reaching solely for the truth; however, guilt-ridden by his reputation and past as a prosecutor, he ends up running away, leaving a supposed suicide note that simply read, "Prosecutor Edgeworth chooses death."

Edgeworth returns in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All, where it's revealed that Edgeworth was alive after all, and his purpose for running away was so that he could think about what it really means to be a prosecutor. As a result of this, he has become less focused on guilty verdicts in favor of seeking the truth. He acts as the prosecutor for the final episode when Franziska von Karma is incapacitated, and helps Wright take down the villain. Later, he meets with Franziska to discuss his reasons for choosing the path he has, and advising her to also consider similar personal growth.

In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations Edgeworth has left the country to study abroad for a time, and is called back by Larry Butz to assist Phoenix, who has taken ill and is in the hospital. Edgeworth temporarily stands in as the acting defense attorney for Phoenix's client, while Franziska acts as prosecutor. Later, he and Franziska assist Phoenix in the rescue of Maya Fey. During the game's events, Phoenix looks into a case from the past, in which Edgeworth was a young prosecutor going up again Mia Fey in court, which set many of the game's events into motion.

Edgeworth gained a starring role in the spin-off Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, in which he investigates murders relating to a smuggling-ring. During the course of the game, he meets Kay Faraday, a young self-proclaimed "great thief", who acts as his assistant in a similar vein to Wright's assistant, Maya Fey.

In Ace Attorney Investigations 2 — the sequel to Ace Attorney Investigations — Edgeworth comes under fire by the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee, who seek to have him stripped of his badge. Edgeworth begins investigating cases tied to a larger conspiracy and cover-up, including the last case his father took before his murder, and struggles between his life path of becoming a defense attorney like his father, or continuing as a prosecuting attorney.

Edgeworth returns as a friendly rival in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, which takes place 8 years later, where it's revealed he's now become chief prosecutor. He assists Phoenix in unraveling the mystery of the spy known as the "Phantom", stepping in as the prosecutor for the first half of the retrial for Simon Blackquill. When they successfully clear Blackquill of all charges, Edgeworth declares Blackquill a free man, unlocks his shackles for good, and assigns him to the second half of the trial while he goes to investigate the case further. In the end, Edgeworth brings to court the revelation that the detective known as "Bobby Fulbright" is actually an impostor, allowing both the defense and prosecution to reveal him to be the "Phantom". At the conclusion of the trial, Edgeworth joins the team to celebrate, lets it be known to Phoenix that he was the one who pushed for him to get his attorney's badge back, and later sees the launch of the HAT-3 shuttle from the comfort of his office window.

Edgeworth returns once again in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice. Here, he assists Phoenix in resolving a hostage situation in Khura'in involving Maya Fey, as well as the true ownership of a valuable Khura'inese treasure. He returns in the game's special case, where he takes up the prosecutor's bench during a murder trial, where the defendant claims to have traveled through time.

Other appearances

Both Edgeworth and Phoenix made a cameo appearance in She-Hulk's Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds ending. Edgeworth makes a brief cameo at the end of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, where he is seen taking on Wright in a trial. He also makes an appearance in one of the game's DLC episodes. Edgeworth, along with Phoenix, Franziska von Karma and Mia Fey, appear as cards in the game SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS. Edgeworth also appears as a non-playable character in Project X Zone 2.

Reception

Lauren Orsini from Anime News Network praised Edgeworth's role in the anime series' seventh episode.^[3]

References