“On first impression visually, the Lord Chief Justice can only be described as intimidating. I recall being acutely aware of that intimidation as I was composing this theme. I felt like I was doing altitude training!” -Maeba
Looking back on it, I'd really like if they actually gave further time to develop Stronghart and his _ticks_ . Get him out on the field, directly investigating a case; delve more into how methodical he claims to be, how much he likes things working like clockwork.
Tbh, I'd have liked that if we ever got a Great Ace Attorney 3 or a Great Ace Attorney Investigations. Mainly with a flashback case to see the past characters back then: Klint, Genshin, Gregson, Stronghart, Jigoku, Mikotoba, Sholmes and Barok.
@@l.n.3372 I would love to see an Investigations game starring Gregson as the protag, investigating on his targets, with a mechanic of having to weave Daley around to the right places and whatnot.
@@martindouge1947 Gregson is a cool character but I don't think he can carry a game, unfortunately. If we did get a flashback game in this style, it would probably have to be a game focused on multiple groups of people. So, half the cases would be with Genshin, Gregson and Klint. And then the other half of the cases with Herlock and Mikotoba.
It was so obvious that Ye Olde Damon Gant was going to be the final boss. It was simply a matter of trying to puzzle out what he did. Suffice to say, I didn't expect him to be Luke Atmey.
Describing Mael Stronghart as "Luke Atmey" is fucking hilarious, kind to think about it. Like, not because it genuinely is funny or something, but it just describes him perfectly.
@@reaperz5677 I think it's hilarious because Luke feels like a joke villain while Stronghart is probably the biggest villain the franchise has ever had. But at the end of the day the core of their character is the same: They controlled a criminal through blackmail to make him commit more crimes.
i see a lot of people on dgs1 on this theme so im gonna say it now for y'all: *THERE ARE A LOT OF DGS2 SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS. DON'T READ THEM UNTIL YOU FINISH DGS2.*
MAJOR SPOILERS OF DSG2 The moment I saw him I was like "This is the final guy behind it all, no way around it" maybe looking similar to Damon helped me come to that conclusion from first sight.....and guess what ?
I will go through the songs in this playlist and list down the instruments I hear if I can UPDATED (14/4/2022) - Yeah, back again, I'm just killing time. Woodwinds: Brass: - Trumpets - French Horns - Trombones - Tubas maybe Keyboards: - Harpsichord Percussion: - Timpani - Bass Drum Strings: - Harp - Violins - Violas - Cellos - Double Basses // Contrabasses Other:
*DGS 2 SPOILERS* Man, what a great villain. While I felt he was being built up for something large in the first game, I still genuinely liked him. His dedication to forwarding the English legal system felt genuine, and all he did stems from said dedication. The murder of the former head Justice was executed so that he'd finally have the power to change London, and that event was what set everything in motion. He very cleverly continued "cleaning up" London as the Professor's successor, the Deathbringer, assigning Barok cases where he's sure the defendant needs to be disposed of one way or another. From the moment I saw him be the judge of the final chapter, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread. He's the one holding all of the cards, anything that happens, happens only cause he allowed it. It is only after we gain the favour of the audience, that things start slowly slipping from his control. And not even that, we're just slowly uncovering the seemingly endless layers of manipulation and secrets. And even when we reach the absolute truth, he still ends up regaining the audience, and would have gotten away with it all, had it not been for Sherlock's, honestly quite wacky final intervention. He'd probably have figured a way out way before, had he had proper time, i.e . if it weren't for Sherlock not giving him a chance for a recess. I just love how in his final breakdown, he repeatedly slams his gavel, repeating "adjourned" over and over again. After ten years' worth of careful planning and manipulation, he's furiously and desperately clinging to the power he no longer has. Love him as a villain. His actions are inexcusable, leading everyone around him into tragedy, but he's convinced it will benefit the country, "in the name of her Majesty".
Hi Hey I love this comment. Even before DGS2 was released, I liked the guy solely through design, theme, and his character. I was glad the sequel gave him more inclusion into the story, even if it was pretty obvious. You pointed out practically all the reasons why I like Vortex. He’s basically a flawed villain. A man with a vision to make Britain the best country in the world, but using terrible cruel means to do so.
And speaking of wacky intervention, the fact they needed to include *holograms* in 1900 speaks volumes of how impossible it would’ve been to defeat Vortex otherwise
There is one flaw in what you say. He's not doing that for the country, that's what he says for defending himself. His real goal was to become Lord Chancellor (i don't know if i wrote this correctly excuse me for my bad english)
@@elementalcolors4977 Exactly my thoughts as well. There are a lot of forced circumstances around Vortex's eventual downfall, for instance, I find Asougi's involvement as a prosecutor a horribly inserted plot device that's never explained or justified. And still, even after everything, the writers could not find a way to outsmart the villain and had to resort to live streaming the trial to Queen Victoria.
@@EpicRedCondor Indeed, he's using the international symposium as an opportunity to become the next Lord Chancellor. However, in a particularly non-subtle interaction with Vortex he clearly states his goal of becoming Lord Chancellor as the only way to gain enough power to bring his plans to make way for scientific investigation into fruition. He expresses frustration, for even the position of Lord Chief Justice proved to not be enough, if I am not mistaken. Even without him explicitly saying it, which I would have preferred to be honest, his passion and vision for his country is evident from many other interactions and actions, in which he has no reason to lie. Or, that is how I see them, at the very least. How trying to protect himself from his crimes being found out might have made him lose sight of his original goals, that is definitely up to interpretation. Whether he's convinced himself, or genuinely believes that he's still protecting the country by sacrificing anyone in his way, he's an incredibly compelling villain either way.
I like how this guy's theme, and appearance just gives him power, authority, and grandeur. Yet, it seems like a lot of people feel like something about him is... off, and twisted. I won't say anything more out of respect to those who still haven't finished DGS 2, but I have to say they nail Vortex/Stronghart's theme.
It’s a magnificent, imposing theme for someone known as the Lord Chief Justice in Britain. You know what this also sounds like? A theme that normally plays while confronting the final boss before the battle in a fantasy video game. And Stronghart looks like one too.
Blaise Debeste was kinda cliche evil, to me. He didn't really do anything impressive either, unlike the rest on this list. I'd say top 5 are: 1 Stronghart 2 Kristoph Gavin 3 Dahlia Hawthorne 4 the phantom 5 Manfred von Karma
@@williamnathanael412 Spoilers: Ga'ran was probably the most cliche villain Ace Attorney has ever had. Cliche villains aren't worthy of being praised. Unless you were implying that she's more cliche than Blaise? Which I would agree with that.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES okay I'm planning on writing a video essay about parallels between character's theme songs (and just in general, but MAN the music) and I've begun to notice that Stronghart (or vortex), the professor, AND Kazuma's 2nd theme song all have some sort of cello solo. the professor's is probably the longest, but its something I couldn't help but notice, along with the fact that van zieks's DOESNT. I believe it's because van zieks was the most innocent of them. all of them had been corrupted in some way, his brother, genshin, and Kazuma. van zieks was just being used as an unwitting puppet. thats why he doesn't share that darkness (like the deep notes of a cello, possibly?) in common, and though I have found some similarities between his theme and the professors, the cello is not a similarity
I'm midway through tga 1 so I'm not going to read the comment in case of spoilers, but I just wanted to say that this theme is a banger and that, for some reason, Stronghart remind me of Damon Gant
SPOILERS --------------- As soon as I saw this guy, and after 1-5 and the entirety of SoJ (I would count Quercus Alba from AAI1 but the other Ambassador guy was good so yeah) I was hoping that we wouldn't do the "Guy in high position of power turns out to be the villian" but meh. his passion for popularising forensic science in combat of crime did give me a slight tinge of hope but it just turned out to be his motive. (And of course he was the judge in the final case cause we gotta have a judge convicted) All in all i did actually like his character he was just slightly mishandled towards the end.
Spoilers: He wasn't mishandled at all. People who like and do good things for society (advancing science and medicine and criminal investigation) can simultaneously be selfish, awful people too. Stronghart is a villain who believes he's a well intentioned extremist: he thinks his actions are for the greater good of keeping London safe. But as Ryunosuke says, intentions don't matter if you yourself are also a criminal. He kept his hands clean but he gave the orders, and that doesn't absolve him regardless of his good intentions for society as a whole. Compare him to say, Gant (who was an seemingly good person at first but then an extremist who committed murder and forged evidence) or Ga'ran and Quercus Alba (both of whom never had good intentions for society and are pure selfish evil).
Spoiler alert: Good and bad are subjective terms depending on the person who you ask the question. No 'bad' person will openly say that they are evil. In their eyes they are the good guys. Mael stronghart is no exception. He believes that the end justifies the means. He had blackmailed and ordered the assassination of many people convicts and authority figures alike. All because his motives were self-centered. He wanted to be general attorney so everything has to run smoothley like the cogs in a grandfathers clock. He wouldnt accept discord. In the end he has destroyed many lives alle because of his self-centered motived which he pretentiously claimes as neccesary in the name of justice. That is not justice, that is hypocrisy. Stronghart is a hypocrite for believing himself that he is lord chief justice, while in fact he is no better than a dictator.
Genuinely...I fear this man. From what I've heard, he plays some sort of large role in the second game, which I haven't played through yet, but...just from the first game alone, I can tell he's hiding something, and he scares me. EDIT: FRICK I WAS RIGHT
In all of my ace attorney games, I thought Courtney was the most intimidating character, as she acted as a "cold mediator of justice", which was kinda scary... But this was the first time I've felt somewhat intimidated by a character. It helped me to put myself in Runo's shoes for the rest of the game. The ambience, the gears of time, and his fierce expression reminded me of my final college presentation... Instantly became one of my favorites osts of the game. Composer really cooked.
Spoilers From the first time he appeared in the story, he gave off villain vibes. I was hoping Takumi wouldn't go with that predictable route, but unfortunately he did. At least the other plot twists were more surprising
Spoilers: You say that like Damon Gant himself didn't immediately give off those same vibes tho. And at least Stronghart had more time (pun) to be built up as a major character threat. Unlike the sole case where Damon Gant was present.
@@l.n.3372 even if Gant did, it was the first time in the series that someone in a similar position of power was a culprit. And Rise from the ashes was a specially made standalone case (Also how did Gant get into this conversation?) Spoilers: Even with all the time spent with Stronghart before the final case, he never felt like a villain until then, as in, actively going out of his way to impede the protagonists. I feel they definitely could've fleshed out his character more
@@ratmgant Unrelated but nice name BTW. It's a funny Damon Gant giving out nicknames reference xD I mentioned Gant because you said that you'd hoped Shu Takumi wouldn't be so "predictable or cliche" again, as if maybe he'd learned his lesson from having obviously cliche evil characters in the OG trilogy already. Tbh, Dahlia Hawthorne could have been another example, but it's obvious that Gant was the inspiration for Stronghart in both character design and in their plot relevancy of corrupt authority figures in power. But what you said about Stronghart is not true at all. Stronghart is downright helpful until Resolve. And he never even gets in your way until Twisted Karma in game 2. Spoilers: You claimed that he's always impeding the main character? When? He gave Ryunosuke an immediate chance to be a defense attorney vs forcing him to return to Japan. This would have been the safer plot, because Stronghart needs a new assassin to replace Kazuma. But no, he allows Ryunosuke a chance to prove himself and Ryunosuke ends up getting the acquittal for McGilded. Now, McGilded is killed anyway so Stronghart can further the Reaper curse without any extra effort. But now, he allows Ryunosuke to stay in London, which means that he loses the opportunity to get a new assassin from Jigoku. How is this in any way creating an obstacle or hindering the main character? He's doing the exact opposite: he's being far more nice and generous than he should be given his ultimate objective in the end. Stronghart is also less obviously prejudiced/racist than Barok van Zieks at the beginning of the Chronicles, serving as a nice contrast: not all British authority figures are biased against Asians. He only shows a bit of prejudice in the final case of Resolve, when he's growing tired of so many Japanese characters getting in the way of his goals. Which ... Fair xD He gave Ryunosuke an early chance to prove himself, and then Stronghart assigned him the Natsume case immediately afterwards. He also gave Ryunosuke the case with Albert in Resolve, even though he could have easily just kept Ryunosuke banned or even sent him back to Japan at any point in time. He allows Ryunosuke to practice law again after a 6 month ban, and he even gives Ryunosuke the chance to investigate Barok's office - plus the coroner office in Return of the Great Departed Soul. That's 2 places you'd think Stronghart should keep off limits ... But nope! He gives Ryunosuke full access in Resolve, allowing Ryunosuke to have the opportunity to speak with Barok (and to see the masked apprentice early on) while also meeting with Dr. Sithe too. How does this in any way impede the main character? It doesn't, which is exactly the opposite of what an evil, cliche villain would be doing at that time. Stronghart also always answers Ryunosuke questions, even if he only gives half truths or little white lies at times. He still gives Ryunosuke a LOT of information that he wouldn't have otherwise. And as I've already said, he gave Ryunosuke permission to investigate places that you'd think he should keep off limits from Ryunosuke. But he doesn't. Stronghart doesn't become an obstacle until it became clear that Kazuma wouldn't listen to the plan anymore: he only interferes because Kazuma insisted on dragging up the past in his attempt to seek revenge on Barok and avenge Genshin. This is when Stronghart knows he must act now or else he'll lose control. And even then - he allows the trial to continue vs cancelling it or stopping it immediately. He never replaced Kazuma as the main prosecutor. He tries to stop it briefly but gets overruled by the gallery of the judiciary, so he holds to his promise of allowing the trial to continue. And even then, he constantly allows new evidence and witnesses when he obviously doesn't want the truth to be revealed. He's downright generous as the judge despite clearly wanting the truth to remain hidden. And once the truth is revealed, the gallery gives him applause and praises him for his efforts of keeping London safe for years! He doesn't NEED to impede or obstruct Ryunosuke: because he had the full support of the judiciary until Herlock got involved and turned the tides against him in the end.
@@l.n.3372Thank you. Also perhaps I should've worded my comment better but I think there has been a misunderstanding here and as such I didn't read your whole comment. But I was saying Stronghart never felt like a villain till the final case as that was when he actively went out of his way to impede the protagonists.
@@ratmgant Gant was amusing as hell. Wish he had been in the actual trilogy beyond a single DLC case from the DS port. Oh! My apologies, I must have taken your comment backwards then. I thought you were complaining about him as being too cliche or obviously predictable. That's why I wanted to explain myself, since I thought he was a very well characterized villain, indeed.
I hate this character because its so obvious that he's the mastermind murderer of everything. When I first saw him for the first time I thought, "Yeah, this guy is the villain."
Damon: Have you been swimming lately?
Vortex: Sorry, haven't had the TIME.
He was already running late for a meeting by 7 hours, 27 minutes and 45 seconds
Plenty of time to clap, though.
@@draconicfeline6177
There's always time to clap. Especially when people are cheering your name.
Zeus vs Chronus, perfection
@@BS-ru6lp Chronos? I can see that :D
I haven't even played the game and I can tell this guy is the Victorian Gant
(spoilers)
He even claps maniacally during one of his many mini-breakdowns leading to his main one
“On first impression visually, the Lord Chief Justice can only be described as intimidating. I recall being acutely aware of that intimidation as I was composing this theme. I felt like I was doing altitude training!”
-Maeba
Damon Gant vibes
I think Damon is a descendant of Hart Vortex
Must be the case...
I imagine if the vibes were accurate enough, he'd give you a big round of applause he would.
ahaha well,,,, *about that*
Major spoilers:
He and Gant share the same breakdown3
This theme screams power and superiority.
Why did I read superiority as “stupidity”...
currently near the end of dgs 1 if this man becomes a villain in the second game i swear to god
hehehe
So? Did you experience DGS 2 already?~
I'm not going to spoil it.
Bro we need an update on this!
homie its been three months how we doin
Looking back on it, I'd really like if they actually gave further time to develop Stronghart and his _ticks_ . Get him out on the field, directly investigating a case; delve more into how methodical he claims to be, how much he likes things working like clockwork.
Tbh, I'd have liked that if we ever got a Great Ace Attorney 3 or a Great Ace Attorney Investigations. Mainly with a flashback case to see the past characters back then: Klint, Genshin, Gregson, Stronghart, Jigoku, Mikotoba, Sholmes and Barok.
@@l.n.3372 I would love to see an Investigations game starring Gregson as the protag, investigating on his targets, with a mechanic of having to weave Daley around to the right places and whatnot.
@@martindouge1947
Gregson is a cool character but I don't think he can carry a game, unfortunately. If we did get a flashback game in this style, it would probably have to be a game focused on multiple groups of people. So, half the cases would be with Genshin, Gregson and Klint. And then the other half of the cases with Herlock and Mikotoba.
His _ticks_ and his _tocks,_ mayhap?
The theme of "YOU LOOK EVIL AF DAWG!"
It was so obvious that Ye Olde Damon Gant was going to be the final boss. It was simply a matter of trying to puzzle out what he did. Suffice to say, I didn't expect him to be Luke Atmey.
Zvarri!
@@DD-rn4giThe truth has once again been elegantly revealed to me!
It's simply a matter of having played AA1 and met Damon Gant
Describing Mael Stronghart as "Luke Atmey" is fucking hilarious, kind to think about it.
Like, not because it genuinely is funny or something, but it just describes him perfectly.
@@reaperz5677 I think it's hilarious because Luke feels like a joke villain while Stronghart is probably the biggest villain the franchise has ever had. But at the end of the day the core of their character is the same: They controlled a criminal through blackmail to make him commit more crimes.
i see a lot of people on dgs1 on this theme so im gonna say it now for y'all:
*THERE ARE A LOT OF DGS2 SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS. DON'T READ THEM UNTIL YOU FINISH DGS2.*
I love that this track has a perfect 1,2-1,2-1,2 beat exactly like a ticking clock.
The second I saw him, I immediatelly thought he was gonna be a culprit, so I was truly surprised when it turned out he wasn't.
Then I played Resolve.
.
To find out that he "wasn't"
MAJOR SPOILERS OF DSG2
The moment I saw him I was like "This is the final guy behind it all, no way around it" maybe looking similar to Damon helped me come to that conclusion from first sight.....and guess what ?
For me I think it was the cover art. It's like Capcom expected Americans to have already played the fan translations of both games.
I will go through the songs in this playlist and list down the instruments I hear if I can
UPDATED (14/4/2022) - Yeah, back again, I'm just killing time.
Woodwinds:
Brass:
- Trumpets
- French Horns
- Trombones
- Tubas maybe
Keyboards:
- Harpsichord
Percussion:
- Timpani
- Bass Drum
Strings:
- Harp
- Violins
- Violas
- Cellos
- Double Basses // Contrabasses
Other:
It's weird seeing the Japanese/fan translation names now the game's localized.
*DGS 2 SPOILERS*
Man, what a great villain. While I felt he was being built up for something large in the first game, I still genuinely liked him. His dedication to forwarding the English legal system felt genuine, and all he did stems from said dedication.
The murder of the former head Justice was executed so that he'd finally have the power to change London, and that event was what set everything in motion.
He very cleverly continued "cleaning up" London as the Professor's successor, the Deathbringer, assigning Barok cases where he's sure the defendant needs to be disposed of one way or another.
From the moment I saw him be the judge of the final chapter, I felt an overwhelming sense of dread. He's the one holding all of the cards, anything that happens, happens only cause he allowed it. It is only after we gain the favour of the audience, that things start slowly slipping from his control. And not even that, we're just slowly uncovering the seemingly endless layers of manipulation and secrets. And even when we reach the absolute truth, he still ends up regaining the audience, and would have gotten away with it all, had it not been for Sherlock's, honestly quite wacky final intervention.
He'd probably have figured a way out way before, had he had proper time, i.e . if it weren't for Sherlock not giving him a chance for a recess.
I just love how in his final breakdown, he repeatedly slams his gavel, repeating "adjourned" over and over again. After ten years' worth of careful planning and manipulation, he's furiously and desperately clinging to the power he no longer has.
Love him as a villain. His actions are inexcusable, leading everyone around him into tragedy, but he's convinced it will benefit the country, "in the name of her Majesty".
Hi Hey I love this comment. Even before DGS2 was released, I liked the guy solely through design, theme, and his character. I was glad the sequel gave him more inclusion into the story, even if it was pretty obvious.
You pointed out practically all the reasons why I like Vortex. He’s basically a flawed villain. A man with a vision to make Britain the best country in the world, but using terrible cruel means to do so.
And speaking of wacky intervention, the fact they needed to include *holograms* in 1900 speaks volumes of how impossible it would’ve been to defeat Vortex otherwise
There is one flaw in what you say.
He's not doing that for the country, that's what he says for defending himself.
His real goal was to become Lord Chancellor (i don't know if i wrote this correctly excuse me for my bad english)
@@elementalcolors4977 Exactly my thoughts as well. There are a lot of forced circumstances around Vortex's eventual downfall, for instance, I find Asougi's involvement as a prosecutor a horribly inserted plot device that's never explained or justified.
And still, even after everything, the writers could not find a way to outsmart the villain and had to resort to live streaming the trial to Queen Victoria.
@@EpicRedCondor Indeed, he's using the international symposium as an opportunity to become the next Lord Chancellor.
However, in a particularly non-subtle interaction with Vortex he clearly states his goal of becoming Lord Chancellor as the only way to gain enough power to bring his plans to make way for scientific investigation into fruition. He expresses frustration, for even the position of Lord Chief Justice proved to not be enough, if I am not mistaken.
Even without him explicitly saying it, which I would have preferred to be honest, his passion and vision for his country is evident from many other interactions and actions, in which he has no reason to lie. Or, that is how I see them, at the very least.
How trying to protect himself from his crimes being found out might have made him lose sight of his original goals, that is definitely up to interpretation. Whether he's convinced himself, or genuinely believes that he's still protecting the country by sacrificing anyone in his way, he's an incredibly compelling villain either way.
I like how this guy's theme, and appearance just gives him power, authority, and grandeur. Yet, it seems like a lot of people feel like something about him is... off, and twisted.
I won't say anything more out of respect to those who still haven't finished DGS 2, but I have to say they nail Vortex/Stronghart's theme.
this guy must be gants ancestor
It’s a magnificent, imposing theme for someone known as the Lord Chief Justice in Britain. You know what this also sounds like?
A theme that normally plays while confronting the final boss before the battle in a fantasy video game. And Stronghart looks like one too.
He pretty much IS a final boss
The first time i saw him i knew that he'd turn out to be the bad guy somewhere. It's so obvious just by looking at his appearance it hurts XD
So, which name to y'all like better: Hart Vortex, or Mael Stronghart?
I like Hart Vortex, but i feel Mael Stronghart sounds more British.
I like both at least
I go with Mael Stronghart. Since Maelstrom sounds more powerful than a Vortex.
Stronghart.
I mean Stronghart sounds pretty fucking badass
Hart Vortex all the way
I haven't finished the first game yet, but I am calling it this guy is a villain in either of the two games...
I can’t believe they chose sholmes to be the villain over this guy
"behold it was I, my machinations lay hidden for decades. For I am the master of deception"
Prozd
This man is looks like an anime villian
Dont you dare spoil dgs 2 for me
>sees "DGS2 SPOILERS" in the comments
Oh dear me i wonder what they could be saying down there.
I want to make entrances to this theme.
I guess there's a number of names to update now, huh?
Top 5 Mejores Villanos de Ace Attorney *(Spoilers)*
1°- Mael Stronghart
2°- Dahlia Hawthorne
3°- Blaise Debeste
4°- Kristoph Gavin
5°- Manfred von Karma
Blaise Debeste was kinda cliche evil, to me. He didn't really do anything impressive either, unlike the rest on this list. I'd say top 5 are:
1 Stronghart
2 Kristoph Gavin
3 Dahlia Hawthorne
4 the phantom
5 Manfred von Karma
@@l.n.3372 I think you are all forgetting the final boss of SoJ.
@@williamnathanael412
Spoilers:
Ga'ran was probably the most cliche villain Ace Attorney has ever had. Cliche villains aren't worthy of being praised. Unless you were implying that she's more cliche than Blaise? Which I would agree with that.
0:43 1:02 2:09 2:28
Best parts
The “So Totally NOT the final boss” theme song
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES
okay I'm planning on writing a video essay about parallels between character's theme songs (and just in general, but MAN the music) and I've begun to notice that Stronghart (or vortex), the professor, AND Kazuma's 2nd theme song all have some sort of cello solo. the professor's is probably the longest, but its something I couldn't help but notice, along with the fact that van zieks's DOESNT. I believe it's because van zieks was the most innocent of them. all of them had been corrupted in some way, his brother, genshin, and Kazuma. van zieks was just being used as an unwitting puppet. thats why he doesn't share that darkness (like the deep notes of a cello, possibly?) in common, and though I have found some similarities between his theme and the professors, the cello is not a similarity
Somewhere in the song, I hear the Death Egg Robot music, specifically from Sonic Generations.
NO FUCKING WAY ME TOO
MAEL STRONGHART
Exactly!
The song is so evil sounding that I thought he'd be a twist good guy.
At the McGilded case, I was *SO* convinced Stronghart was actually the murderer. He reminded me way too much of Damon Gant.
I'm midway through tga 1 so I'm not going to read the comment in case of spoilers, but I just wanted to say that this theme is a banger and that, for some reason, Stronghart remind me of Damon Gant
Goddamnit... They even made him clap...
i was always slightly annoyed by how the gears dont move in time with this song lol
This is my favourite
Is Mael Stronghart the ancestor of Damon Gant? He and Damon Gant look like each other...
This sounds like something that should be in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
SPOILERS
---------------
As soon as I saw this guy, and after 1-5 and the entirety of SoJ (I would count Quercus Alba from AAI1 but the other Ambassador guy was good so yeah) I was hoping that we wouldn't do the "Guy in high position of power turns out to be the villian" but meh. his passion for popularising forensic science in combat of crime did give me a slight tinge of hope but it just turned out to be his motive.
(And of course he was the judge in the final case cause we gotta have a judge convicted)
All in all i did actually like his character he was just slightly mishandled towards the end.
Spoilers:
He wasn't mishandled at all. People who like and do good things for society (advancing science and medicine and criminal investigation) can simultaneously be selfish, awful people too. Stronghart is a villain who believes he's a well intentioned extremist: he thinks his actions are for the greater good of keeping London safe. But as Ryunosuke says, intentions don't matter if you yourself are also a criminal. He kept his hands clean but he gave the orders, and that doesn't absolve him regardless of his good intentions for society as a whole.
Compare him to say, Gant (who was an seemingly good person at first but then an extremist who committed murder and forged evidence) or Ga'ran and Quercus Alba (both of whom never had good intentions for society and are pure selfish evil).
Spoilers for DGS2
This guy just reeks Damon Gant vibes, so I knew he was most likely evil, I was just wanting till it was revealed
Spoiler alert:
Good and bad are subjective terms depending on the person who you ask the question.
No 'bad' person will openly say that they are evil.
In their eyes they are the good guys.
Mael stronghart is no exception.
He believes that the end justifies the means.
He had blackmailed and ordered the assassination of many people convicts and authority figures alike.
All because his motives were self-centered.
He wanted to be general attorney so everything has to run smoothley like the cogs in a grandfathers clock. He wouldnt accept discord.
In the end he has destroyed many lives alle because of his self-centered motived which he pretentiously claimes as neccesary in the name of justice.
That is not justice, that is hypocrisy.
Stronghart is a hypocrite for believing himself that he is lord chief justice, while in fact he is no better than a dictator.
Watch your tone.
The Chief Justice, Stronghart ~ The Ticking Judiciary
Gant theme bass boosted ver.
Could this be Damon Gant's ancestor?
Genuinely...I fear this man.
From what I've heard, he plays some sort of large role in the second game, which I haven't played through yet, but...just from the first game alone, I can tell he's hiding something, and he scares me.
EDIT: FRICK I WAS RIGHT
bro can be 1 day late and people wont even give a damn
This person is nerver late, the person that arrives after him is.
In all of my ace attorney games, I thought Courtney was the most intimidating character, as she acted as a "cold mediator of justice", which was kinda scary... But this was the first time I've felt somewhat intimidated by a character. It helped me to put myself in Runo's shoes for the rest of the game.
The ambience, the gears of time, and his fierce expression reminded me of my final college presentation... Instantly became one of my favorites osts of the game.
Composer really cooked.
Kind of sounds like Firth of Fifth by genesis a bit there
Spoilers
From the first time he appeared in the story, he gave off villain vibes. I was hoping Takumi wouldn't go with that predictable route, but unfortunately he did. At least the other plot twists were more surprising
Spoilers:
You say that like Damon Gant himself didn't immediately give off those same vibes tho. And at least Stronghart had more time (pun) to be built up as a major character threat. Unlike the sole case where Damon Gant was present.
@@l.n.3372 even if Gant did, it was the first time in the series that someone in a similar position of power was a culprit. And Rise from the ashes was a specially made standalone case (Also how did Gant get into this
conversation?)
Spoilers:
Even with all the time spent with Stronghart before the final case, he never felt like a villain until then, as in, actively going out of his way to impede the protagonists. I feel they definitely could've fleshed out his character more
@@ratmgant
Unrelated but nice name BTW. It's a funny Damon Gant giving out nicknames reference xD
I mentioned Gant because you said that you'd hoped Shu Takumi wouldn't be so "predictable or cliche" again, as if maybe he'd learned his lesson from having obviously cliche evil characters in the OG trilogy already. Tbh, Dahlia Hawthorne could have been another example, but it's obvious that Gant was the inspiration for Stronghart in both character design and in their plot relevancy of corrupt authority figures in power.
But what you said about Stronghart is not true at all. Stronghart is downright helpful until Resolve. And he never even gets in your way until Twisted Karma in game 2. Spoilers:
You claimed that he's always impeding the main character? When? He gave Ryunosuke an immediate chance to be a defense attorney vs forcing him to return to Japan. This would have been the safer plot, because Stronghart needs a new assassin to replace Kazuma. But no, he allows Ryunosuke a chance to prove himself and Ryunosuke ends up getting the acquittal for McGilded. Now, McGilded is killed anyway so Stronghart can further the Reaper curse without any extra effort. But now, he allows Ryunosuke to stay in London, which means that he loses the opportunity to get a new assassin from Jigoku. How is this in any way creating an obstacle or hindering the main character? He's doing the exact opposite: he's being far more nice and generous than he should be given his ultimate objective in the end.
Stronghart is also less obviously prejudiced/racist than Barok van Zieks at the beginning of the Chronicles, serving as a nice contrast: not all British authority figures are biased against Asians. He only shows a bit of prejudice in the final case of Resolve, when he's growing tired of so many Japanese characters getting in the way of his goals. Which ... Fair xD
He gave Ryunosuke an early chance to prove himself, and then Stronghart assigned him the Natsume case immediately afterwards. He also gave Ryunosuke the case with Albert in Resolve, even though he could have easily just kept Ryunosuke banned or even sent him back to Japan at any point in time. He allows Ryunosuke to practice law again after a 6 month ban, and he even gives Ryunosuke the chance to investigate Barok's office - plus the coroner office in Return of the Great Departed Soul. That's 2 places you'd think Stronghart should keep off limits ... But nope! He gives Ryunosuke full access in Resolve, allowing Ryunosuke to have the opportunity to speak with Barok (and to see the masked apprentice early on) while also meeting with Dr. Sithe too. How does this in any way impede the main character? It doesn't, which is exactly the opposite of what an evil, cliche villain would be doing at that time.
Stronghart also always answers Ryunosuke questions, even if he only gives half truths or little white lies at times. He still gives Ryunosuke a LOT of information that he wouldn't have otherwise. And as I've already said, he gave Ryunosuke permission to investigate places that you'd think he should keep off limits from Ryunosuke. But he doesn't. Stronghart doesn't become an obstacle until it became clear that Kazuma wouldn't listen to the plan anymore: he only interferes because Kazuma insisted on dragging up the past in his attempt to seek revenge on Barok and avenge Genshin. This is when Stronghart knows he must act now or else he'll lose control.
And even then - he allows the trial to continue vs cancelling it or stopping it immediately. He never replaced Kazuma as the main prosecutor. He tries to stop it briefly but gets overruled by the gallery of the judiciary, so he holds to his promise of allowing the trial to continue. And even then, he constantly allows new evidence and witnesses when he obviously doesn't want the truth to be revealed. He's downright generous as the judge despite clearly wanting the truth to remain hidden. And once the truth is revealed, the gallery gives him applause and praises him for his efforts of keeping London safe for years! He doesn't NEED to impede or obstruct Ryunosuke: because he had the full support of the judiciary until Herlock got involved and turned the tides against him in the end.
@@l.n.3372Thank you.
Also perhaps I should've worded my comment better but I think there has been a misunderstanding here and as such I didn't read your whole comment. But I was saying Stronghart never felt like a villain till the final case as that was when he actively went out of his way to impede the protagonists.
@@ratmgant
Gant was amusing as hell. Wish he had been in the actual trilogy beyond a single DLC case from the DS port.
Oh! My apologies, I must have taken your comment backwards then. I thought you were complaining about him as being too cliche or obviously predictable. That's why I wanted to explain myself, since I thought he was a very well characterized villain, indeed.
I hate this character because its so obvious that he's the mastermind murderer of everything. When I first saw him for the first time I thought, "Yeah, this guy is the villain."