That’s right, another special post on a non-blogging day (aye and on one of our special holidays, at that, ye scallywags)!

Last night, Capcom held a special Ace Attorney 6 stage show for TGS 2015. I didn’t watch it because it was entirely in Japanese… and the last time I tried that, I understood so little it was better to wait for the translation.

Anyway, the stage show included an extended trailer that revealed Apollo Justice as a returning character. Many people already gave up on seeing Apollo and Athena for some reason, so it’s good to have an early reveal.

But it’s more interesting than just Apollo’s return. In the trailer, he says:

“I’m fine! Even if Mr. Wright’s not here, I can fight! I have to win… even if that person is my opponent…!”

At first, I thought the line about Phoenix being “not here” meant Apollo might be handling cases back home, but the image shows him in the Kurain court. His reference to “that person,” however, has caused a great deal of speculation. Let’s take a look.

Coupled with Apollo’s statement, the silhouette at the end is likely the new prosecutor, much like the silhouetted glimpse of Blackquill in Dual Destinies trailers. But why would Apollo refer to “that person” as though they’re someone to be feared?

It’s a line clearly written to invite theories, and the final image only increases it.

The pink butterfly made some fans immediately think of a Kurain-related character with a butterfly motif, but while she’d definitely qualify for the sinister that person descriptor, it seems a stretch even for Capcom.

So, who else could this mysterious prosecutor be?

A user over at Court-Records brightened the image and traced it to get a clearer image. The result shows someone who is either bald, wearing a hat, or wearing a hood (personally, I think it looks like a hat), with their hand raised near the butterfly. Some sort of material seems to attach their hat to their wrist.

Here are some possibilities that have been suggested:

• Iris – This is an easy jump to make if you connect the motif to Dahlia, but there’s no reason for Apollo to give her such a sinister build-up. It also seems odd to make her a prosecutor…
• Maya – Why would they bring Maya back as a prosecutor? It would be an interesting twist… but I don’t see enough evidence to suggest it.
• Winston or Gaspen Payne – With a pink butterfly motif?
• Kristoph Gavin – It’s a stretch, but I can Kristoph symbolized by a butterfly. I can see his braid in the silhouette if I try hard enough. And I have absolutely no idea why the coolest defense in the west would be prosecuting. Maybe another member of the family, out for revenge against Apollo?
• Juniper Woods – If that’s a hat, it could conceivably be Juniper, except she was studying to be a judge, not a prosecutor.
• Robin Newman – Robin could return as a prosecutor, but I really don’t see the pink butterfly as a match.
• Thalassa – Well, this would definitely return to a loose end from Apollo Justice, but is even Capcom crazy enough to do something like this?
• Edgeworth – If he dresses like his father, there’s a case for it… but butterflies?
• von Karma’s granddaughter – A minor detail never played with in the Ace Attorney series is that Franziska has an older sister, who has a child – the granddaughter Manfred references in the first game. Given Ace Attorney ages, she’d be old enough to prosecute by AA6 and could follow in her grandfather’s footsteps.
• A brand new character – This is honestly the theory I lean toward the most. The quote is there to draw attention, and the character’s significance will be built up in the game rather than from the series’ past. It might just indicate that this will be a big challenge for Apollo.

Check out the new gameplay footage from the stage show helpfully compiled by a fan, and share your thoughts on Ace Attorney 6 and the mysterious prosecutor in the comments below. Let the speculation commence!

The new issue of Famitsu is out, which means the feature on Ace Attorney 6 has been revealed. Let’s take a look at the new scans and information, courtesy of Court-Records.

As we learned yesterday, Phoenix travels to another country. When his tour guide (the monk-in-training, Bokuto Tsuani) is arrested, Phoenix attends the trial and learns the country has no concept of defense attorneys.

Since good ol’ Nick doesn’t want his tour guide declared guilty because an “oracle of spirits” says so, he jumps in to defend him and attempts to revolutionize the court system.

These scans also revealed an unnamed woman the developers said is Ace Attorney 6’s “key person” and that she isn’t a prosecutor/witness/judge but has a “fourth role” in the courtroom.

It seems the developers felt there were no longer any valid threats to Phoenix in the Japan/California court system, so they decided to put him in a more hostile environment.

How hostile it will be is unclear, but the bailiff is holding a gun. The judge also looks more severe.

They didn’t provide any more details about the Water Mirror or other changes to the court system, but apparently changes to the system will give trials a new sense of urgency.

Finally, they said they’ve listened to the criticisms that Dual Destinies was too easy. Therefore, players will be able to disable hints, and characters won’t give such direct clues. (I hope this also means we’ll be able to investigate all environments again, though this wasn’t addressed.)

Many questions remain, and a lot of fans just want to know about Maya.

The spiritual elements, the monks, and what appears to be a variant on the usual Magatama all make it very likely the Fey clan will return. Perhaps this group is a rival to the Kurain tradition?

And who is the mysterious new female character? Some people think she’s a Fey (a few even claiming she’s Maya herself, although the appearance and age don’t add up), but her staff makes me wonder if she’s an important figure in this new religion. Perhaps the equivalent of Kurain’s Master?

Both her attire and her stance suggest she’s a powerful person. According to people who can read Japanese, her dialogue sounds formal. If this is meant to be a more dangerous environment for Phoenix, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s an antagonist.

What little we’ve seen of the setting suggests Tibet or India, or a place inspired by them. Some fans think it will be set in Zheng Fa, a fictional country reminiscent of China that is referenced in the Investigations games. Shi-Long Lang is from Zheng Fa. Other fans have suggested a region near Zheng Fa, with a relationship similar to that of Tibet and China.

Okay, if Zheng Fa is involved, and this game is coming West, they really should localize Investigations 2. Perhaps this is a precursor to an announcement? (I will never lose hope.)

What do you think? Will we see the long-awaited Apollo Justice/Investigations/Investigations 2 collection to bring the entire series to the 3DS for newcomers? Does this game feature a clan connected to or rivals of the Feys? Which characters will return?

If you’re new to the series and you like what you see, be sure to check out my guide to the best playing order so you can catch up in time for Ace Attorney 6.

Note: if you heard the rumors that Dai Gyakuten Saiban localization has been officially shot down, it isn’t so clear-cut. Keep telling Capcom we want DGS (and AAI2).