It's no surprise since I am posting in this thread that I am a Phoenix/Maya shipper. I didn't actually realize that until I was playing the second game though - I did notice something incredibly cute in the way that Phoenix valiantly defended and protected Maya in the first game, not to mention the way he moped around when she was gone. I think it really helped establish Phoenix as a believable protagonist that you could get behind. I think that because of the way that Maya was drawn, it really emphasized the age gap between her and Phoenix, so it felt kind of wrong to think of them in a romantic sense. Nonetheless, in the back of my mind, I guess it was there, mainly fed by the fact that Phoenix very clearly didn't want Maya to leave.

But then came JFA (I played all three of these games back to back), and I must first say that this game is my absolute hands down favourite of the series. Phoenix's growing attachment to Maya is demonstrated in not one, but two cases where he must do everything in his power to help and protect the now 18 year old medium. If people choose to ignore the completely obvious way that Phoenix seems to uncharacteristically lose the plot when it comes to Maya being in danger, they are either blind or ignorant. Maya wouldn't do the channeling without seeing Nick first, and while some may argue that this is merely a plot device to get Phoenix to Kurain, I argue that there are plenty of other ways to do that without it being at the insistence of Maya. Simply put, Maya called and Phoenix came running. Phoenix mentions upon meeting Dr Grey that Maya had gone back to Kurain to undergo more training Dr Grey's response is "Ah, yes, I heard. It must be lonely for you." Phoenix's response struck me as odd. Dr Grey could have been simply stating that the office was empty without his assistant, and that Phoenix would have been working alone. Phoenix however pounced on that statement with denial. Dr Grey's meaning in what he said was ambiguous, but it's very clear how Phoenix interpreted what he said.

When the gunshots rang out, Phoenix found some sort unbelievable strength. He's not even sure how he managed to break that door.
Phoenix: It doesn't seem possible, but I managed to break it pretty badly. When we want to do something bad enough, people can do the most amazing things.
Phoenix was functioning on instinct. His most basic instinct told him that he needed to get to Maya. Why? Could it be that the subconscious already knows what the conscious has not yet admitted? Phoenix is also scarily insistent on representing Maya in court. I don't think I've ever seen him so eager to take a case before, especially one that seemed to be open-shut. His belief in Maya is already so strong, that he knows she couldn't have killed anyone, even if she thinks otherwise.

The De Killer case only re-enforces what we already suspect about Phoenix's feelings for Maya. He is willing to do anything, even going against his own morals (and bank account!) to ensure her safety. De Killer and Engarde manage to find the one person that would affect Phoenix this way, and ensure that he does what he is told. Would Phoenix be this concerned about someone who was just a mere assistant? Would Phoenix be this concerned over Edgeworth, or Larry? The answer is no - and that's why Maya was chosen as the target. It's plausible to assume that De Killer has done his homework when it comes to Phoenix Wright, otherwise he wouldn't have insisted on his representation of Engarde. The Kurain case would have more than sufficiently demonstrated Phoenix's attachment to his young assistant, making it clear to De Killer exactly who he would need to get maximum co-operation from Phoenix.

Phoenix takes the case of someone who is clearly guilty in order to protect her. He is erratic and irrational in court, doing anything he can in order to stall the verdict and find her. People around Phoenix notice his anguish and try to console him at various times, even bending the rules to help him when they clearly shouldn't. It seems Maya's importance to Phoenix isn't lost on the outside world either. I don't think I've ever been as emotionally invested in a game as in this case. Every reaction from Phoenix is echoed through the player. I remember cringing, gasping and panicking at stages throughout play, because Phoenix's urgency was just that damn obvious. I'll never forget the sinking feeling in my gut when Phoenix thought he had failed. The empty judges chair, the empty courtroom, Phoenix alone with his head in his hands. That's very powerful emotive imagery. And it was all for Maya. Phoenix wasn't even this affected by the death of his beloved mentor, Mia. His reaction to his failure to protect Maya is unprecedented.

At some stage Phoenix even refers to Maya as "The person closest to me". Granted, not an admission of love, BUT her significance in his life is admitted. If it were in the familial sense that is often argued, he would have said "one of the people", as obviously Pearl and even Edgeworth, his treasured childhood friend, would fall into that category as well. Pearl herself is an interesting addition to the story - despite her fairytale romantic beliefs in the pair due to the heartbreak she has seen surrounding Kurain women as she grew up, her insistence of love between the two still manages to rattle and embarrass them both on many occasions. Phoenix is not a teenage boy any more, it's highly unlikely that he would be embarrassed by someone assuming he was in love with someone, especially when it is a child, unless there was perhaps something to her claims after all. Maya also tries to hide what she has said about Nick to Pearl on multiple occasions. There would be no reason for this unless she had said something that may be interpreted as romantic feelings. Children are also often very astute when it comes to observing things that adults don't quite get either. I fail to think that Pearl's continuing belief in Nick and Maya is simply just romantic delusion. She has eyes, and ears.

Maya's drawing is also an interesting point. During her imprisonment, it's clear that the only thing on her mind is the man that would save her, demonstrated by her drawing of Nick. She never stopped believing in him. She is dismissive of her drawing upon being reunited with everyone, and Phoenix doesn't ask about it. But such is the theme with the two of them. They are never around to see the actions of the other, that may lead them to believe the other feels something more than friendship. Franziska and Edgeworth on the other hand, obviously see something important in the drawing. Its powerful reveal in the credit sequence suggests that it is very important, and both Franziska and Edgeworth seem to understand that importance. If the drawing was simply a product of Maya's belief that Phoenix would save her because he was family to her, then there would be no reason to withhold it from him. They both know that the drawing is a catalyst for much more though, demonstrated by the way that Franziska plans on leaving it for later. If it wasn't of great importance, someone like Franzy would simply discard it.

But now we get to T&T...And to be honest, I feel like this game was a huge letdown (Apart from getting to play as Mia! Rowr!). Phoenix's character took some huge steps backwards. The MasqueDeMasque case was fine, and there was even some rather weirdly placed flirt-ish comments exchanged between Phoenix and Maya, but I noticed a distinct change in Phoenix's demeanour when it came to the Don Tigre case. His dialogue with Maya (both inner and outer) seemed to double in sarcasm, snappiness and annoyance. He seemed to have zero patience for Maya throughout the entire case. I found this really strange. Phoenix had simply gone from finding Maya's quirks endearing, to finding them annoying. And apart from the backhanded comment about her looking good in a waitress uniform, it really felt to me that the writers were trying to distance him from her, and I found that irritating and confusing. It started to turn me off the game.

Even at the beginning of 3-5, Phoenix's refusal to go to Hazakura was uncharacteristic. Since when had he ever said no that insistently to Maya? It didn't make sense. The reason though, soon became abundantly clear. Iris.

In order to make Iris a sympathetic character, they had to distance Nick from Maya. You had to wonder whether Nick still had feelings for her, and his feelings for Maya (although not completely ignored by this case) would get in the way of that, so they were seemingly given a back seat. Given Nick's reaction to Maya's kidnapping in the De Killer case, his reaction to Maya being trapped in the freezing cold at the Inner Temple are surprisingly mild. He doesn't ask about her as much as we had come to expect, nor did he seem as frantic to find her safe and well. Well, apart from crossing a burning bridge to reach her - once again acting on that same instinct that compelled him to break down the door in 2-2. While that action is characteristically Nick, along with his insistence to accompany Edgeworth to the Sacred Cavern because, and I quote "But it's Maya!", but a lot of his actions that followed weren't.

The writers seemed to hint at remaining feelings between Iris and Phoenix, but at the same time weren't completely willing to let go of his feelings for Maya that he doesn't yet understand properly. Phoenix tries his best to defend Iris (who is really Dahlia), and flashes of the old Phoenix come through when Dahlia accuses Maya of the murder, and tells him that she is dead. He blatantly refuses to believe that Maya is capable of anything of the sort, and even breaks down again when it appears she is dead. But as soon as the mystery of Iris/Dahlia is unraveled, he tells Iris that he always believed in her, once again pushing those strange feelings for Maya aside. Dahlia even makes a comment about Maya being Phoenix's girlfriend, and all we get in response from him is "...!". If this were not important, it wouldn't be mentioned. Why did we need to see that Phoenix didn't deny this to Dahlia, or even know how to respond at all? If she were family, he would have simply said no. But she isn't. And the writers clearly enjoy confusing us on this issue.

Phoenix was deeply hurt by Dahlia's betrayal, but it wasn't only Dahlia who betrayed him, but Iris too - who despite her claims of love chose her sister over Phoenix, even if she didn't know of her plot to kill him that day, she knew Dahlia was prepared to "deal with Phoenix at a moments notice" yet still went along with her plans. Forgive my bad paraphrasing, I can't quite remember the line, but I distinctly remember Phoenix saying that he hated two things. The first thing I can't remember, but the second was clearly "betrayal". Highlighted in orange as an important fact. Phoenix also spoke of bringing all of this to an end. But Iris provides a loose end, and her scene in the closing credits about Phoenix not being able to keep his eyes off her and copping a slap from Pearl for it certainly contradict what Phoenix said about bringing this chapter of his life to a close, and about his hatred of betrayal. Coupled with the fact that we learn Phoenix completed the special course with Maya, and Pearl's repeating of the line "You'd walk over hot coals for Mystic Maya, wouldn't you Mr Nick?", lead us to be unsure about what Phoenix really feels for either girl. The repetition of that line is important, otherwise it would have only been said once and forgotten.

Obviously, it's just fence-sitting by the writers in order to please everybody, but IMO, that's a cop-out because fence sitting pleases no one. Phoenix/Maya shippers are confused by the inclusion of Iris in Phoenix's life and Phoenix/Iris shippers are confused by Phoenix's devotion to Maya. I'm sure if they could have gotten away with a clear Phoenix/Edgeworth hint that wouldn't have freaked out the general non-yaoi loving public, they would have gone with that too. It would have been nice to have a little closure now that Phoenix's arc is over.

I've read the Phoenix-based spoilers for GS4, and know all about his hobo-tastitude, and I refuse to believe that Phoenix will stay in that manner forever. His unwillingness to disclose information from his past, especially regarding the Fey's, speaks more than most people think. He's not proud of the hobo that he has become, and I honestly believe that Maya (and Pearl) are not with him due to his own insistence. He doesn't want them, let alone Mia who comes along with the package to see him like he is now. Maya respects his wishes, but she's never stopped sending him Steel Samurai DVD's, therefore she's never stopped thinking of him... And despite the writers ambiguity about Phoenix's feelings at the end of GS3, I do think that when he does "rise from the ashes" if I may use a pun, a certain little spirit medium will be there once again to hold his hand. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"This is my Magtama, It is my treasure, given to me by someone long ago...."

By the end of the game, He sent the DVDs to Vera, And Apollo stated, "Woah! He finished all of those?!?"

"Maybe he's looking for a new mommy!"

You are right, it doesn't seem like Nick that much at all now that I think about it. It is highly probable that he has seen Maya and Pearl in the space of the last seven years, and possibly even Edgeworth too. It doesn't make sense for them to not be in his life. However, Maya is Kurain Master now. And we were told in the last game how much of a large responsibility that is. Government being involved and all. I wouldn't be surprised if that kind of pressure would need them to keep their friendship a secret, due to Nick being a "fraud".

It does pour a bucketload of ice water on the whole "Maya shows up after seven years looking smokin hot and Phoenix realises he's head over heels" theory that would have been nice to have come to fruition in GS5, as unlikely as that might have been to actually happen (but would be so freaking cool).

Takumi:
For those of you who are new to the series, let me explain. The protagonist of the first three games was a young lawyer by the name of "Ryuuichi Naruhodou." Though each of the individual episodes stand alone, the whole trilogy comes together to form one complete story.

...that story came to its conclusion with Gyakuten Saiban 3. I don't want to add any new episodes to it.

This was how I honestly felt when I first heard of the decision to make GS4. On the other hand, knowing that players are calling out for a sequel is the best feeling in the world for a game designer... this was also my honest feeling. So I thought it over, and I came to this answer:

"If we're going to make an official sequel, it should be a completely new story."

That way, newcomers to the series would be able to jump right in and enjoy themselves, and we might even be able to come up with some new surprises!

...and that's how I stated my case. Sounds reasonable, right? In a way, though, this was selfishness on my part, though, and I was fully prepared for the possibility that I'd be denied. The response?

"Sure, go ahead."

Such compassionate people here at Capcom! However, they gave me two conditions.

-> You have to bring back characters from the original series... or at least Phoenix Wright.
-> You have to address XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in the story. [Jurist systems]

To be honest, both of these orders were extremely difficult for me. With it being a new story, I didn't just want to bring back Phoenix as he always was. At the same time, I also wouldn't want him to upstage the new protagonist. So... what to do? Plus, I need to find a way work XXXXXXXXXXXXXX into the story!

...not a simple task.

I wish we had more to go on... but it sounds and looks like they went ahead with their 'completely new story' ['I don't want to add any more episodes to GS3'] but returned the character 'Phoenix Wright', more a stereotyped descendant of 1-5 persona [with additional 'development'] than anything else

The fact that Phoenix writes up reports on Maya's favourite Samurai shows, despite us already knowing that he never really got what all the fuss was about anyway, speaks of the usual Phoenix/Maya dynamic that we were used to in the original series. Maya insists on something, and Phoenix will complain for a bit, and then give in to whatever she wants. She's likely sending them to him as a way to help keep him busy since he has been disbarred (how thoughtful) and I find it hard to believe that the only interaction they would have had is her sending DVD's and him sending reports. They would have spoken often, and most likely even seen each other too. Apollo asks what he is doing with all those kids shows, and he responds thet some "kid" keeps sending them to him. There are two ways to interpret this, both correct in their own ways. The somewhat sarcastic tone surrounding the use of the word kid (the inverted commas stress the way in which the word was used) leads the player to believe that it isn't really just some random kid, but someone in Phoenix's life who will never stop being a kid. Who else could that be? Secondly, it seems to also be in direct response to Apollo referring to them as "kids shows". Phoenix then responds about why he has them in his usual cryptic manner, playing off his use of the word "kid". Apollo doesn't know about Maya, and Phoenix doesn't feel that he needs to.



This in itself tells us why Maya isn't in the game. Takumi didn't even want Phoenix in the game, but it was specified that Phoenix appear. Adding Maya as well would only shift focus back in the direction of Phoenix and away from Apollo. Therefore, Maya is implied. I'm getting that loud and clear. But in keeping with the non-pairing specific ending of GS3, her relationship to Phoenix is not disclosed. All we know, is that the two are still in contact, and we are to make of that what we will.

http://www.court-records.net/interviews/gs4blog.htm:
For those of you who are new to the series, let me explain. The protagonist of the first three games was a young lawyer by the name of "Ryuuichi Naruhodou." Though each of the individual episodes stand alone, the whole trilogy comes together to form one complete story.

...that story came to its conclusion with Gyakuten Saiban 3. I don't want to add any new episodes to it.

This was how I honestly felt when I first heard of the decision to make GS4. On the other hand, knowing that players are calling out for a sequel is the best feeling in the world for a game designer... this was also my honest feeling. So I thought it over, and I came to this answer:

"If we're going to make an official sequel, it should be a completely new story."

That way, newcomers to the series would be able to jump right in and enjoy themselves, and we might even be able to come up with some new surprises!

...and that's how I stated my case. Sounds reasonable, right? In a way, though, this was selfishness on my part, though, and I was fully prepared for the possibility that I'd be denied. The response?

"Sure, go ahead."

Such compassionate people here at Capcom! However, they gave me two conditions.

-> You have to bring back characters from the original series... or at least Phoenix Wright.
-> You have to address XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in the story. [Jurist systems]

To be honest, both of these orders were extremely difficult for me. With it being a new story, I didn't just want to bring back Phoenix as he always was. At the same time, I also wouldn't want him to upstage the new protagonist. So... what to do? Plus, I need to find a way work XXXXXXXXXXXXXX into the story!

...not a simple task.

I wish we had more to go on... but it sounds and looks like they went ahead with their 'completely new story' ['I don't want to add any more episodes to GS3'] but returned the character 'Phoenix Wright', more a stereotyped descendant of 1-5 persona [with additional 'development'] than anything else

The entirety of the Phoenix games lead back to one incident, DL-6, as proven here.

Two main paths branch off from DL-6. The first being Edgeworth’s development into a prosecutor. The second being, of course, that of the Fey clan. These lead to 1-4 and 1-2 respectively. As it stands, there are parallels between the above three cases, and cases 4-1, 4-4, and “the case seven years earlier” (from here on referred to as P4-4).

An obvious parallel is that reputation (specifically the loss of it) plays a part in both case trios. In DL-6, Misty Fey was called by the police to channel the spirit of Gregory Edgeworth. Gregory Edgeworth accused Yanni Yogi of his murder, but Robert Hammond got an acquittal anyway via an insanity plea. Misty’s reputation was ruined in the aftermath of the trial and she was forced to go into hiding.
Now, in P4-4, Phoenix Wright unwittingly presented the forged evidence to the court. Of course, in the aftermath of this trial, Phoenix’s reputation was ruined and he lost his badge.
So both Phoenix and Misty lost their reputations over presenting evidence that they themselves believed to be correct. Effectively, neither of them were at fault for their situations (ok, well that’s arguable, but the parallel still stands).

Phoenix and Misty were not the only ones to have their careers ruined by their respective “past” cases. Because Hammond had used an insanity plea in DL-6, Yanni Yogi could no longer be a court bailiff and had to pretend to be a crazy old man for then on. He went into hiding after his wife, Polly (not to be confused with Apollo Polly), commits suicide, disguising himself as the boatkeeper.

In P4-4, Valant Gramarye accuses Zak of murdering Magnifi. Phoenix is almost able to convict Valent, but the diary page is revealed to be forged. While, for the time being, no one finds out about Valent’s true role in the case, his reputation is still tarnished, as people believe him to be the real murderer. Similarly, Zak is forced to go into hiding, disguising himself as Shadi Smith.
Expanding this further, the real murderer in both DL-6 and P4-4 was someone outside the scope of the court. In the case of DL-6, it is von Karma. In P4-4, it is Magnifi himself.
Also, Apollo and Edgeworth, both having strong connections to Magnifi and von Karma respectively, end up on the sides of the courtroom that lost the respective past cases, though this is likely just coincidence as Apollo and Edgeworth’s role in their case trio are entirely different.

icer has told us (back on page 44 of this thread) of the Edgeworth -> Kristoph parallel,

But there’s also a parallel with Kristoph and Redd White: the reason that Misty Fey was forced to go into hiding was that Redd White leaked the info to the press. The press then told everyone and Misty got implicated as a fraud. Similarly, Klavier Gavin was informed of the forged evidence by Kristoph, which eventually leads to Phoenix’s disbarring. Both Kristoph and Redd White have the same problem, however. They are both concerned about their true roles being discovered, and so they keep an eye on anyone involved in their respective cases.

Meanwhile, Mia Fey decides to investigate Misty’s involvement in DL-6 in order to clear her mother’s name. She is still working for Grossburg at this time, and Redd White is still blackmailing Grossburg. Mia learns a lot about Redd White, enough that she is considered a threat. So Redd White walks into her office one night and kills her. Eventually he is found guilty for this through the joint efforts of the student (Phoenix) and the mentor (Mia).

When Phoenix got disbarred, it is indisputable that Maya would want to help him. As she stated in 3-5, she is continuing to work for Phoenix, will presumably keep working for him to help clear his name. Phoenix is meanwhile being watched by Kristoph. Eventually, Kristoph is convicted through the joint efforts of the student (Apollo) and the mentor (Phoenix)…but then, what about…I think you can see where I’m going with this…Nick is certainly reluctant to talk about the past regarding the Magatama…

*goes off to mourn*

(Now for the realization)
But hold it! There’s one thing that disproves this, and really it’s the only thing that Phoenix/Maya fans have to hang on to in GS4: The DVD easter egg. With this it is proven, or at least strongly implied that Maya is alive! (Apparently Takumi or someone said that it was from Maya? I’m not sure where the article is, and I can’t read Japanese) Actually, this is the only thing that we have as of now that lets us know this, this is ridiculous.

Sadly, I think that to the writers she is still ‘symbolically dead’ given the knowledge that said easter egg was only put in at Takumi’s insistence. The total lack of her for the whole rest of the game (the DVD scene sounds like it was put in near the end of the game’s development), and, indeed, Phoenix’s attitude towards anything to do with Maya seems to show this.

So even though Takumi effectively saved Maya’s life, as weird as that sounds, I highly doubt that we will be seeing Maya in GS5 (but I guess we kind of already knew that).

---
Lana: Damon Gant and your mentor,
Manfred von Karma...

Edgeworth: ...!

Lana: were both the best of the best
when it came to fighting
crime.
Lana: But they both made the same
mistake. [forged evidence]

Edgeworth: ...

Lana: You said, "in order to fight
crime alone, one needs a
weapon.'"
Lana: That may be right, but
think back to today's trial.
Lana: You weren't alone.

Edgeworth: ...!

Lana: You were working together with
Mr. Wright.
Lana: And because of that
partnership, you were able to
present evidence that
Lana: otherwise would have gone
undiscovered.
---
Phoenix: Our counterattack began with
this.
Phoenix: You had one half of the
evidence list, and I had the
other.
Phoenix: Apart, we wouldn't have been
able to completely restore
Ema's picture.

Lana: That didn't just happen by
"chance," Edgeworth.

Edgeworth: ...!

No Edgeworth in 4-4 Flashback. Evidence failure, can't bring down injustice.