Ace Attorney Wiki
Register
Advertisement
The Monstrous Turnabout
Image Gallery Transcript

Simon Blackquill
Justice-dono, long has it been since I've been forced to draw my blade. You had best say your prayers.

Episode 2: The Monstrous Turnabout is the second episode of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies. Although the second episode of the game, it is actually the first one chronologically, as the game's first episode takes place a few months after this episode.

Jinxie Tenma has invited Trucy Wright and Apollo Justice for a celebration at Nine-Tails Vale. The festivities are abruptly interrupted, however, when the alderman of Nine-Tails Vale is found dead with a spear through his chest, and Jinxie Tenma's father, Damian Tenma, is arrested as the main suspect. To obtain the acquittal, Justice must uncover the mysteries behind the local legends, utilize the psychological abilities of his new aide Athena Cykes, and battle the mysterious convict prosecutor known as Simon Blackquill, who has mastered techniques of psychological manipulation.

Intro[]

Long, long ago, the Nine-Tailed Fox defeated the evil Tenma Taro and sealed the foreign demon away. To this day, it is said that he slumbers even still within the Forbidden Chamber.

Chapters[]

We need more pieces to finish this puzzle.
Bad Pearl This article is under construction. While it is not short, it still needs expansion as outlined in the manual of style. The article most likely needs expansion near the end of the tagged section or sections.
Screenshot Title Event(s) covered
"Investigation - Day 1" Investigation (April 17, 2027)
Chapters:
  • "A Mysterious Murder"
  • "The Legwork Begins"
  • "The Fox Chamber"
  • "Picking Fulbright's Brain"
  • "Questions for Filch"
  • "Questions for Jinxie"
  • "Who's That Masked Man?"
"Trial - Day 1" Trial (April 18, 2027)
Chapters:
  • "Cross-Examining Fulbright"
  • "Cross-Examining Filch"
  • "Jinxie's Mood Matrix"
  • "The Great Escape Act"
"Investigation - Day 2" Investigation (April 18, 2027)
Chapters:
  • "Interview with the Demon"
  • "Questions for L'Belle"
  • "Chamber Secrets"
  • "The Truth about Possession"
  • "A Startling Confession"
"Trial - Day 2" Trial (April 19, 2027)
Chapters:
  • "Cross-Examining Filch"
  • "Cross-Examining L'Belle
  • "Tenma Taro's Mood Matrix"
  • "A Locked Room Laid Bare"
  • "The Final Cross-Examination"
  • "Conclusive Evidence"
  • "Post-Trial Wrap-Up"

Timeline[]

To edit the information in this table, go to Template:Timeline and edit the information there.
Date Event type / related incident Description Notes
April 17, 2027 The Monstrous Turnabout Rex Kyubi is murdered. N/A
April 17, 2027 The Monstrous Turnabout Athena Cykes returns to the United States and joins the Wright Anything Agency. N/A
April 18-19, 2027 The Monstrous Turnabout Trial of Damian Tenma for the murder of Rex Kyubi. Athena Cykes makes her court debut as co-counsel to lead defense attorney Apollo Justice. N/A

References to other cases[]

  • Apollo and Athena's discussion of the monsters' battle (a dialogue that happens after presenting the Yokai Legend Scroll to her) is highly reminiscent of Shi-Long Lang and Kay Faraday's argument on "crow vs. wolf" in The Grand Turnabout. Both include a flying opponent descending from the sky to peck the ground predator, with the ground predator retaliating by pouncing on them.
  • Upon hearing about the circumstances of Kyubi's murder regarding about the Crime Photo, Phoenix muses that he also had to deal with a "locked room" style murder case, although in his case, it was his assistant at the time who was the main suspect. He also remarks that the prosecutor for the murder case loves to swing her whip around in court, much to Apollo's surprise.
  • After hearing Cykes' idea about becoming a masked wrestler, Justice states that no one would hire a masked lawyer. This could be a reference to Godot, a masked prosecutor who appeared in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations.
  • While examining the airduct at the crime scene, Cykes comments that there would be no way that anyone could escape though it. Justice then replies that they had gone to all the trouble of bringing a ladder with them, only for Cykes to correct him by pointing out that it's a stepladder. This is an in-joke in the series that began in Turnabout Samurai and has been in most Ace Attorney games to date.
  • While Jinxie Tenma tends to refer to the people she meets as some sort of yokai, upon meeting Bobby Fulbright for the first time she instead calls him a ghost. This is subtle foreshadowing of the reveal in Turnabout for Tomorrow that not only is the real Fulbright dead (a "ghost"), but also that he has been replaced by the international spy known only as "the phantom" who was responsible for the UR-1 Incident.
  • This case shares some similarities with "Turnabout Prophecy", from the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney manga.
    • Both feature a mythical being as a central plot point.
    • In both, the defendant seems like they were possessed by said mythical being. Both also feature a young teenage girl with a fixation on the supernatural, who is supposedly a victim of possession.
    • Both cases are a locked room, with two doors, both of which were locked from the inside.
    • In both cases, the defense believes they have solved the locked room by suggesting the culprit crawled through the ventilation system, only for this to turn out to be incorrect.
    • In both, the illusion of the locked room was actually created via a case of mistaken identity that was intentionally set up by the true culprit.

Cultural references[]

  • When investigating the tracks and feathers, Athena Cykes says that the tracks are big and bird-like and that the feathers also point to a bird. Justice then states, "It must have been one big bird! And not the friendly yellow type either!" This is a reference to Big Bird, a prominent character on the children's educational television show Sesame Street.
  • The wrestling match that Phineas Filch was watching during the crime is between "Howlin' Wolf" and "Pretty Boy Vampire", and is commentated by "Timothy Twilight". These are likely references to the Twilight franchise.
  • During several parts of the trial, Cykes says that Blackquill is playing, and winning, "Simon Says" with the judge.
  • During Bobby Fulbright's second cross-examination, pressing one of his statements causes Blackquill to refer to the villagers' fear of yokai as being as though Jack the Ripper were let loose in their village. Jack the Ripper was an infamous Victorian serial killer, who struck London in 1888 with a string of brutal killings.
  • When called to testify, Filch first calls the judge "Your Lordship", which is the standard honorific for judges in the United Kingdom.
  • When Cykes suggests going back to the scene of the crime she says, "Vamonos Apollo Vamonos!" This could be a reference to the educational animated children's television show Dora the Explorer, as that is a paraphrase of one of her trademark lines.
  • After the true form of Tenma Taro is revealed, Athena Cykes says, "Well you know what they say, 'The love of money is the root of all evil.'" This is a common way to paraphrase the Bible verse 1 Timothy 6:10.
  • At one point, Athena Cykes suggests Apollo Justice should become a professional wrestler under the moniker of "The Amazing Firebrand". This references the character Firebrand, a Red Arremer from the Ghosts n' Goblins series, which is also made by Capcom.
  • Presenting Azuki Kozo's statue to Phineas Filch prompts the latter to say he was noble, "just like your Robin Hood". Robin Hood is a heroic outlaw from English folklore that is traditionally depicted to have robbed the rich, to give to the poor.
  • While pointing out an inconsistency in emotions for Jinxie Tenma using the Mood Matrix during the first trial, if the player chooses the wrong emotion, Athena Cykes says “Hello? Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me.” to Apollo Justice. He then has an inner monologue- “Yes there is someone at home, and that someone is going to try that again.” This is a reference to the lyrics of the song Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.
  • On the second trial day, Florent L'Belle's green hair, purple suit, and pale complexion is reminiscent of the Joker, the archenemy of DC Comics' superhero Batman.

Notes[]

What the...whats Ted Tonate doing here!.

Ted Tonate in the mayor's mansion during the demo.

  • In the investigation demo trailers, a HH-3000 bomb, similar to the one in Turnabout Countdown, is discovered under a table at the crime scene. Ted Tonate is also discovered by Phoenix Wright after he asks Athena Cykes to check what is behind a suspicious-looking door.
  • In the Japanese version of the full game, when the Mood Matrix overflows for the first time, "Mood Matrix - It's Analytical Psychology Time!" plays. In the English version, however, it is changed to "Running Wild - Mood Matrix - Get a Grip on Yourself!" which plays every other time the Mood Matrix overflows.
  • The circumstances surrounding this case parallel those in The Stolen Turnabout in a number of ways: both culprits were blackmailing the defendants, were engaged in larceny (successful or not), were linked to and impersonated a famous mask-wearing individual whom they framed in order to give themselves an alibi and put the blame on someone else, both defendants were both knocked out cold at the scene of the crime by the actual murderer, and both rooms where the bodies were found were locked.
  • This case also contains a number of similarities to Reunion, and Turnabout, in particular, the manner in which the culprit framed the defendant. Both murders took place in a locked room in a manor where the defendant was apparently alone with the victim. In both cases, the culprit drugged the defendant before murdering the victim, planted the defendant's fingerprints on the murder weapon, hid the unconscious defendant in the back of the room, then disguised themselves as the defendant to create a witness before escaping the scene. Both cases also take place in Japanese-themed settings, are the second in their respective games, and are initially believed to involve supernatural elements that are later proven to be false (the channeling of Mimi Miney in Reunion, and Turnabout and the involvement of Tenma Taro in The Monstrous Turnabout).
  • This case is one of only a few in the series in which the killer is clearly shown in the introductory cutscene actually committing the crime (with the others being The First Turnabout, Turnabout Sisters, Turnabout Visitor, and The Foreign Turnabout).
  • When Apollo Justice says that he has proof that the killer may have jumped out the window and flown away, the Judge responds by saying, "Oh, I can't wait to hear this." This is likely a joke about how the series has used the "alleged flying person" plot point a number of times before.
  • In the Dual Destinies Launch Trailer, the end of the Revisualization sequence, this case is depicted for a brief moment. However, the question that the player is answering is "why didn't the killer arrange the alderman so he was laying on his stomach", with the options being "They didn't know the lullaby" and "The alderman was too heavy." The correct statement is "They didn't know the lullaby". This was likely changed on purpose to avoid spoilers.

Typos and mistakes[]

  • Before perceiving Mayor Tenma, Justice thinks that he needs to "pour over every word he says", when it should be "pore over every word he says".
  • After Blackquill tells the judge to give the opening statement, the latter says, "...but I suppose I could give it try" (instead of, "...but I suppose I could give it a try"). This is corrected in the iOS version.
  • When Cykes is about to claim there was a third party to the prosecution, Justice asks her "Are sure about this?", missing out the noun in the sentence.
  • As Apollo points out the objects Jinxie incorrectly sees as yokai, he tells her "And this racoon dog isn't a tanuki monster", a mispelling of "raccoon".
  • When Justice suggests that the killer, dressed as Tenma Taro, could have flown away from the crime scene, Blackquill says, "It is your brain that has flow the coop," instead of "flown".
  • When Athena and Apollo are thinking of possible escapes from the crime scene, Apollo says "Yeah, that why we gotta keep the solution simple.", whereas it should be "Yeah, that's why we gotta keep the solution simple."
  • When asking L'Belle to add the statement about the fallen statue to his testimony, Justice says "I believe that to be extremely importantly!" This should have been "I believe that to be extremely important!"
  • When Justice uses revisualization in court, he says, "Also, we all though the alderman was killed because he was the Amazing Nine-Tails", when it should have been written as thought.

Development[]

  • Dual Destinies director Takeshi Yamazaki came up with several supposed-paranormal case ideas that were ultimately scrapped. Among these was an "ethereal murder" where the defendant remembers committing the murder but there is no body or proof of it even happening. This was scrapped as it would ultimately be an inconceivable premise, particularly due to the absurdity that someone would be tried over a non-existent murder. Other scrapped ideas that were also deemed as too ridiculous or "dumb" included the supposed murder of a doll, a murder where someone died but there was no "cause of death" (as if their body just instantaneously shut off), and a case in which an fictional heroine is charged with killing her own actress after the character supposedly stumbled into the real world.
Advertisement