We’re up to our fourth edition in the Ace Attorney character profile series already? That means today we’ll have covered eight different characters that appear in the upcoming Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice by the end of this article! Today we’re talking about the newest member of the Wright Anything Agency, Athena Cykes, and a TV producer, Roger Retinz. Maybe they’re not the perfect pairing, but hey – that’s showbiz!

Athena Cykes is the Wright Anything Agency’s newest attorney, and also the most eager to prove herself. A well of never-ending energy and curiosity, Athena is constantly on the move, challenging Apollo to races, diving head-first into investigations, or just running for the sake of running. Always excited to learn, she’s even been known to join Apollo in his “Chords of Steel” voice exercises – though one has to wonder just how much the neighbors enjoy it.

Never miss a chance to show off (or talk about) your badge.

(From Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice )

Athena’s been with the Wright Anything agency for a year, but she previously studied law overseas in Europe. Studying abroad helped Athena develop a better understanding of international court systems and provides her with a unique perspective on both America’s court system and law in general. There’s another reason she was hired on to the Wright Anything Agency, though; Athena also has the ability to listen to people’s hearts.

Thanks to her ultra-sensitive hearing, Athena can both hear voices that others can’t (for example, voices that are far away or people who are whispering), and also pick up on lies or confusion in a witnesses’ testimony based on discord in their voice. With help from her companion robot, Widget, Athena is able to use a special program called the Mood Matrix to pinpoint emotions that don’t match with what the witness is saying. Is someone happy in a scary situation? Maybe they’re surprised by something they should already know? Athena can hear it all, and use her skills to draw out new testimony!

Athena first made her appearance in Dual Destinies , where her Mood Matrix was an invaluable tool.

(From Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies )

With her natural deduction skills and the ability to run therapy sessions via the Mood Matrix, Athena is more than capable of finding the truth from uncooperative or traumatized witnesses. She and Apollo will need it with some of the colorful characters they’ll run into in Spirit of Justice, and it will certainly come in handy when Trucy’s stage show goes wrong, with a death on stage during the performance! It’s up to the Wright Anything Agency to prove Trucy had nothing to do with it, but making matters worse is a particularly stubborn producer standing in their way.

Roger Retinz, the Ratings Rajah, seems like a pretty relaxed guy at first. As a producer for Take-2 TV, he’s always on the lookout for something new to put in his programs. You’ll often see him pulling out a camcorder at the drop of a hat to record reactions the moment he sees them, or looking for any opportunity to talk up his own personality and selection of TV shows. He even looks the part with a cup of coffee in his hand and an… inspired sense of fashion. Plus, he has a condescending tone of voice that says “I’m just plain better than you.” What’s not to like about him?

(From Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice )

In his never-ending search to bring people the best (or at least, highest-rated) programming on Take-2 TV, Roger has worked to bring Trucy’s stage show, “Trucy in Gramarye-Land,” (based off of the magic Trucy inherited from her biological grandfather, Magnifi Gramarye) to televisions and living rooms across the nation. Thanks to Roger’s help, Trucy is sure to finally realize her life-long dream and restore the Gramarye name. But when the show goes awry and The Great Mr. Reus, Trucy’s co-performer, is found dead on-stage, Roger certainly isn’t happy about it. In fact, he immediately refuses to take any responsibility, and blames Trucy for the disaster!

That’s all for today! Next time we’ll be talking about the magical girl herself, Trucy Wright, and her adorable bunny assistant, Bonny de Famme! And don’t forget, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice will be available on September 8th as a digital download via the Nintendo 3DS eShop!