Franziska von Karma

Franziska von Karma is a prosecuting attorney and the daughter of the late veteran prosecutor Manfred von Karma. She was the prosecutor for two of Phoenix Wright's cases, as well as an acting prosecutor for the trial of Iris of Hazakura Temple. She also aided Interpol in their investigation into an international smuggling ring, as well as another investigation into a black market auction. She enjoys using the terms "fool" and "foolish" (and variations thereof) to describe people who are, in her opinion, inferior. She is also known to carry a whip (a riding crop when she was younger) with her at all times, which she will often use on just about everybody who displeases her with very little provocation. Franziska von Karma in court was very competitive, unrelenting, and cold, going to extreme lengths to get a guilty verdict. She viewed trials and investigations as competitions, and considered defense attorneys her enemies. This was due to her belief that being a "genius" prosecutor with a perfect record was the only option that she had, although she knew that she was not really capable of the genius her father had displayed. In her earlier years, she even had a tendency to suck up and show off to those in authority. When she began to lose to Phoenix Wright, she lost what she believed was the meaning of her life. When Edgeworth began to talk about the meaninglessness of win records, she resisted the idea at first, but eventually began to understand, after which she resolved to no longer live under her father's shadow. She has since developed somewhat friendlier relationships with those whom she had previously considered her enemies and incompetent obstacles. She has expressed a continued determination to beat Wright in court - for her own sake, not for anyone else's - but has since moved on, aiding Interpol in its investigations. Franziska is very arrogant and headstrong. Although she generally speaks in a formal tone, to the point of addressing everyone by their full names, she constantly uses the word "fool" and variations thereof to describe people whom she considers inferior, namely almost everyone. In addition, she likes to use her whip to assert her dominance over other people, including those who are supposed to be her superiors. However, she is prone to lose her cool and even be visibly emotionally hurt, such as when Pearl Fey blamed her for trying to convict the innocent Maya, and when Edgeworth told her that he would leave her behind if she quit her job. Nonetheless, as far as her general reputation goes, Edgeworth has described Franziska as a megalomaniac, and he and Godot have both referred to her as a "wild mare". Franziska's whip is notable for revealing much of Franziska's attitudes toward others and herself. She once commented that it seems to have a mind of its own after suddenly whipping Gumshoe. She later whipped him again, claiming that it was her "reward" to him. The use of her whip in this way has the consequence that it is never seriously acknowledged as a weapon that could be used to cause serious harm or even death. While murder weapons like knives are frequently referred to as dangerous, Franziska is allowed to keep her whip and use it even on authority figures such as judges. The whip (with a riding crop being previously used when she was a young teenager) also seems be a metaphor for Franziska herself. She abandoned it while trying to run away from her life, and her one known emotional breakdown occurred as Edgeworth was giving it back to her. Pearl Fey also told Franziska that she was simply a little girl without it. She has also befriended Adrian Andrews and taught her how to use the whip, a friendship that she initiated after her own breakdown at the airport in front of Edgeworth. Butz has persistently asked Franziska to model for his picture book, "Franzy's Whip Lash Splash: Simple & Magnificent" (later changed to "Franzy's Whippity-Whip Trip"), something she (violently) refused to do. Butz did manage to eventually publish the book.