Obviously there's the post-credits scene in SoJ where Thalassa and Phoenix decide they are going to tell Trucy and Apollo that they are siblings. Obviously they don't show it, which will upset some people (I actually think its better that way so they don't have to go through all of the work) and I know some view it as a cliffhanger to hint at this plot point appearing in GS7 rather than a conclusion. I've been discussing and thinking about the scene and the whole plot from AJ in general and I'm starting to get more and more confused about why it was even a thing in the first place. In fact, I feel like many of the criticisms that have arisen from DD and SoJ's reluctance to go into this are actually more the fault of AJ than Yamazaki or his games.

If I remember correctly, (and correct me if I'm wrong), Phoenix doesn't give a real legitimate reason as to why Trucy and Apollo shouldn't know they're related. He says something along the lines of "We'll wait until they're ready". What I'm trying to figure out is, what exactly do they they need to fulfill to satisfy Phoenix's requirements? (Apparently as of SoJ they have done it, but on the other hand we should probably ignore the Yamazaki explanations for now if we're trying to figure out what Takumi's reasoning was.) Can anyone explain this?

There are also a lot of issues that revolve around where this story would go. I'm not sure if Takumi had a gameplan for why this was important and how it would develop, but for me it's a plot point that is uninteresting for a couple of reasons:

1. The audience knows about it already. This means that we don't get the shock and surprise - the best thing we'll get is the pleasure of finally seeing the truth revealed. No doubt that would be fun, but it's not the same as some of the other twists on the "excitement" scale.

2. It creates a lot of unnecessary conflict between Trucy/Apollo and Phoenix/Thalassa. In AJ, Phoenix is kind of shady, but he always does the right thing in the end. Thalassa is pretty much completely pure; I don't remember her having any negative qualities, really. Why would these two specific individuals hide this fact to these kids? When they eventually find out, right alongside the positive emotions will be negative emotions Trucy and Apollo will feel such as feeling left out or betrayed because they didn't tell Trucy and Apollo this. Looking at AJ without DD or SoJ, to Apollo it would make Phoenix look even more distrustworthy and would definitely not help his relationship to Thalassa. It will create a bombardment of different emotions and I don't think the AA series has the ability to explore that in the way it would need to be. I think they would understand if there was a good reason for hiding it, but I don't see what reason that could be.

3. It doesn't have enough power or plot importance to be the subject of a case matching the emotional importance fans place on it. I've heard discussions about how AA7 might have a case or game focused on the sibling thing. In my opinion, the reveal - which would be important to the fans and Trucy and Apollo - wouldn't be that important in the overall scheme of AA. In order for it to be a part of a big case, something like Thalassa or Trucy getting murdered would have to occur for it to be really important, and that would be too out-of-nowhere (and cruel, for that matter) for it to be the payoff fans want.

4. It doesn't fundamentally change anything. Trucy and Apollo act like siblings anyway, and apart from jokes from others like Dhurke, there hasn't been any evidence of romantic interest (Thank God!) so the reveal wouldn't actually have a big effect on the characters. They'd end up right where they are now emotionally. This is why the 2nd point I made is such a big issue. The amount of conflict and tension required to get this secret out there isn't worth it when you compare it to how unimportant it is from a narrative level.

So from my perspective, making a big deal out of this - and the fact that this was even a "mystery" to begin with - is kind of frustrating, because it's simultaneously the biggest "twist" and the most unimportant "twist" at the same time. I'm sure that Takumi put it in there for a reason (even if that reason was to build some artificial mystery up), but he never made any effort to get his GS5 rolling soon after either, and he didn't really want to continue the series post T&T in the first place so I'm not sure why he'd leave this "open".

Now, if we look at Yamazaki's handling of the situation, it might first look like he and his team are avoiding it or acting like it doesn't exist. But I think the way it was handled in SoJ was totally fitting, because I think the team knows that dealing with it is too much trouble and would make the narrative weaker because it would have to devote so much time to it. By setting it up to happen offscreen and leaving it at that, each fan can "make up" how it happened, potential emotional ups and downs, etc. and have it settle before we see the characters again in the next installment. They'll be over it and so will we. Then fans will be able to get the happy outcome of the situation without any of the complicated part. Do I think it was perfect? No. I think it could have been improved by showing a single still photo of Thalassa, Trucy, and Apollo together or something (similar to the photos/drawings that ended GS1 and T&T) to make more clear that it happened soon after that. But I'm glad they didn't actually write a scene with it in there.

The biggest issue I have with it in relation to the 3DS games is that it feels weird to see the characters all together while they don't know. But once again, I put more blame on AJ for that than the recent games.

Sorry about the long post, but I think this is a really interesting part of the games - not the actual plot line, but the reasons why it was treated the way it was. Am I missing something? What are your thoughts? What do you think is the reason why Phoenix decided to hide this? Why did Takumi decide to hide this? What do you think about how SoJ concluded it? Or do you think it's not a conclusion and expect more about it in the future? I'd love to discuss this.

Thanks for making these points because I never looked at this issue in this way. To start:

I don't know what plans Takumi had for post-AJ. Can we even know?

1. Agreed. And if AA7 does go into this because the team is pressured by the fans, I fear it will fall flat of expectations and execution.

2. Agreed. I imagine it will create unnecessary drama between Apollo and Phoenix. We already got that in DD, so I don't see the reason to put strain on their relationship again.

3. There would have to be some new detail or aspect introduced in order for it to have that effect.

From what I've seen, some fans (including me) want this to be resolved for the sake of it, but I don't think there is a best way to do it, for the reasons you've stated.

AJ: (My name is Apollo Justice. I'm a defense attorney here in Kura'in.)
AJ: (This is Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. He's a prosecutor.)
NS: Why are you looking at me like that?
AJ: (...And he's my adoptive brother. We get along. ...I think.)
AJ: (I also have an adoptive sister. And a half-sister... since yesterday.)
*flashback*
*phone rings*
PW: Hey Apollo.
AJ: Mr. Wright? Do you need something?
PW: Nah. You really like Trucy, right?
AJ: Wh-Where are you going with this, Mr. Wright.
PW: Okay, I'll get right to it, then. You two are half-siblings and share the same mother.
AJ: WHAT!?
PW: Okay, bye.
*hang up*
*end of flashback*
AJ: (...)
AJ: (In hindsight... I'm not surprised...)