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Ace Attorney Files: Franziska von Karma, the Whip of Vengeance

Mar 27, 2019 // Kellen Haney

What drives a person to choose her profession? When you’re a von Karma and the daughter of a prosecutor with a spotless record, the choice seems to be made for you. The revenge-seeking prodigy, Franziska von Karma, is the star of today’s Ace Attorney File!

Heads up: Mild spoilers for the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to follow.

While Franziska makes her first appearance in the second game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All, she’s not the first von Karma to appear in the franchise. Phoenix faced another von Karma in court before: Franziska’s father, Manfred von Karma. In addition to being prosecutor Miles Edgeworth’s mentor, Manfred’s dogged pursuit of perfection earned him a spotless victory record in his own right – forty years’ worth of wins, to be exact! Due to the events that unfolded from Phoenix and Manfred’s incredible court battle, Franziska set out for the United States with a singular goal in mind – to find the man that defeated her father and take him down in court.

Being a von Karma, Franziska holds up the ideals of perfection and victory above all else. In fact, she was trained from her youth to be an incredible prosecutor, having passed the bar exam at the age of 13 with flying colors. After starting her career in her native country of Germany, a blow to her family’s honor brings her tothe United States to do battle against Phoenix. While Phoenix fights for justice, there’s only one thing on Franziska’s mind when she first stands in court. To quote Franziska herself: “I gave up a promising career in Germany and came to this country for one sole reason. Revenge.”

Not one to hold back, von Karma never pulls her punches. Not that she has to; she brings a whip with her wherever she goes, up to and including the courtroom. Nobody is safe from her furious whip, and anyone who crosses her risks getting a lashing in more ways than one. While Phoenix is the most familiar with the sting of her whip, she’s been known to lash out at investigators, witnesses, and occasionally even the Judge! She certainly knows how to whip a courtroom into shape. While the Judge may give out penalties for misguided guesses, Franziska will dole out her own painful penalty if she doesn’t like Phoenix’s deductions, too.

As you may have guessed from the above, Franziska tends to look down on others quite a bit, often coming up with snubs towards Phoenix, aggravating nicknames for the people she meets, and her personal favorite, creating elaborate insults such as “foolishly foolish fool.” Accepting nothing less than perfection in all aspects of her profession, she can often be seen cracking the whip – literally – to move the investigation along or intimidate witnesses, making her a particularly difficult prosecutor to stand against in court. Even during her quest for revenge, there might be more that motivates her beyond vengeance and preserving a flawless win record in court.

You’ll be able to find out more about Franziska for yourself when you play through Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All, part of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy coming to PS4, XB1, Switch, and Steam on April 9!