Dear Followers,

There has been a lot of demand and a lot of writing and now you finally get it.

This is the driving force behind the whole series and holds a very special place in my heart. Let’s talk about the relationship(s) between our co-stars in the biggest essay yet.

I’ve talked a lot about the relationship between Phoenix and Maya, particularly in their respective essays. Since this bond is the most prominently displayed relationship in the series and, frankly, the most important, there are a lot of questions about it. People ask if they’re like siblings, cousins, coworkers, comedic foils, just friends, or something more. To that I answer, “yes”.

There’s a reason this is the only fan pairing I truly support and I’ll speak of that as we go along, but something I want to point out is that they can’t be described by only one of the above descriptions. The relationship between Phoenix and Maya is extremely unique in that they are everything to each other. They were, after all, quite literally made for each other. Their perfect chemistry was carefully constructed by Shu Takumi to tell a story and no one can replace or replicate them. I suppose the only thing to do is start from the beginning so bear with me as I rehash things I’ve said before just to get us some groundwork.

9:03pm on Sept. 5th, 2016

This is how they’re introduced to each other. Someone extremely important to both of them has been taken away and poor Maya is the one accused of killing her. Phoenix doesn’t know this strange girl but seeing her kneeling there with eyes full of tears and watching her pass out at the sight of him is pretty clear indication she didn’t do it. He won’t abandon Mia’s little sister and so he takes matters into his own hands.

So what are they to each other at this point? They’re two people thrown together by the worst of circumstances. Phoenix became a lawyer to fulfill the creed of never leaving someone without anyone on their side. That’s exactly what he’s doing for Maya. Maya, on the other hand, was abandoned by the guy her sister said could take care of her and instead sees her sister’s protege step into his place. Phoenix swooped down just when she needed him so there’s a bit of hero worship right now, and maybe a bit of a “knight in shining armor” crush.

Nick might not be the Steel Samurai, but she’ll take what she can get.

Despite Mia’s warning of three more years, Phoenix manages to get Maya off the hook. Only, he’s the one accused of murder in her place. She’s free to go… but she doesn’t. Because of his faith in her, she returns it. She doesn’t know what she can do, but she can’t just leave him. Maybe she can be his lawyer in return?

It does run in her blood in a way, except she’s only a medium in training. She can’t channel at will yet. It’s not until seeing Phoenix concede defeat and accept his fate does she perform the impossible.

Phoenix, a man she hasn’t known for more than a few days, was Maya’s catalyst to unlocking her own abilities. Looks like those two were working together even before they started working together. Mia must have noticed that immediate rapport as well. She took the final step needed to make sure the kids she left behind had each other.

She trusted them to watch out for each other and so they did. For better or for worse, the Wright and Co. Law Office was founded and they would prove their judicial might by successfully defending the Steel Samurai.

It’s during Turnabout Samurai we really see them start to form the relationship that takes us through the series. We get to know Phoenix and Maya at the same time they get to know each other. Instead of just being told things, like with Feenie/Dollie or even Mia/Diego that come later, we’re shown them and experience everything along side them. We discover Maya’s love of all things samurai and eating the same time Phoenix does. We learn of Phoenix’s ladder discrimination and impulsive badge flashing along with Maya. Turnabout Samurai is often called a filler case, but it’s the landing between Turnabout Sisters and Turnabout Goodbyes. It lets us stop, take stock, and learn about our cheeky cast while they’re at their best before things get worse in case 4.

(Art by HelloWinter)

Basically what I’m saying is, we form our own relationship with these two as the player the same time they form their relationship as characters. Most importantly, they act like real friends instead of a wrote comedy routine. While it’s true Phoenix often plays the straight man, he can still get in his hits.

Much like how Maya will occasionally be the voice of reason (though admittedly not often).

I’m getting ahead of myself with that screenshot, but my point is that by not stuffing them into tropes it helps them feel more real and natural. Because they act like people instead of stock characters, you come to genuinely care about them and, as you come to see, they genuinely care about each other as well.

Turnabout Goodbyes isn’t just the story of clearing Edgeworth’s conscious and breaking him of Von Karma’s spell. It’s also about clearing up Maya’s history and helping her find the confidence she needs to be Master of Kurain (granted we don’t even know of her future title yet).

Whether Phoenix himself realizes it or not, Maya devotes herself to him. With her parents gone, her sister murdered, and Pearl just a child, Nick is all she has. The one thing she wants is to be useful to him and no matter how snarky or plucky she acts, no matter how quickly they became friends, deep down she feels like he’s only holding on to her out of pity because Mia wanted him to. She feels like a burden.

She throws herself on a taser for him and gets held in contempt of court just to keep his case afloat. People will often accuse Maya of selfishly draining Phoenix’s wallet, but she’s clearly more than willing to sacrifice herself at a moment’s notice for him. Even if she understood that he kept her around because he liked her for her, that wasn’t good enough for her. She wouldn’t be happy unless she was an asset to the team.

So she leaves a note wishing Phoenix a fond farewell and heads to the train station. Even hungover from the previous night’s celebrating, our hero heads after her, determined to help her snap out of her funk somehow and prove that she’s more than just a token sidekick or a means to talk to Mia. That’s just what he does.

Maya had given up and started retreating yet the man who had saved her life, given her a home, and filled the void when she lost the last piece of her family came back for her. By catching her at the station and proving to her she was an invaluable part of defending Edgeworth, Phoenix solidified the relationship between them. They wouldn’t be apart forever, even if they were saying goodbye that moment. She couldn’t stay away. Not from him.

So what is their relationship at the end of the first game? While it’s easy to imagine Maya has a bit of a crush on the guy who not only saved her but asked her to stay, there’s no case to be made for actual romance. Maya’s not even of legal age yet! They genuinely enjoy each others’ company, though, and they’re a team through and through.

In fact, they’ve already become integral parts of each others’ lives. I’ve described them before as two halves of a whole, and it’s extremely apparent. During this time apart, you can see them sorely missing each other.

In Rise From the Ashes, we start the case seeing Phoenix suffering Maya withdrawal. He’s turning down cases left and right all because she isn’t there by his side. In fact, the only reason he accepts Lana’s case is because Ema reminds him of Maya. Perhaps Adrian Andrews isn’t the only person with dependency issues in this series.

What about Maya? Does she pine for him just as much?

Take that as you will.

She’s been training diligently to be a full fledged spirit medium, just like she said. However, she refuses to perform her first channeling without Phoenix there. Maybe she thought it would be dangerous, maybe she wanted to prove to him she wasn’t a kid any more, or maybe she just missed him something fierce. Whatever the case, Dr. Grey wasn’t the only person she had talked to about him.

Both Morgan and Pearl have heard all about Phoenix Wright. Likely others had as well, though we didn’t meet any other Kurain denizens while we were there. It makes you wonder just how much gushing Maya had done and how Pearl got it in her head that Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya were special someones in the first place. Just what were you telling her, Maya?

Justice For All was where the Phoenix/Maya relationship was really pushed into the foreground. It starts as early as the first case, showing Maya as the reason Phoenix’s memories return. Yes, objecting in court made him feel like his old self, but that partner of his is what brought it all rushing back:

And so they did.

So getting back to Kurain Village, let’s now talk about Reunion, and Turnabout. It was here we learned of Maya’s destiny as Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique as well as the reason she never mentioned it before. She wanted nothing to do with such heavy responsibility and during this case she learns the position is built on a foundation of blood. First, though, she has to suffer the idea that she still isn’t good enough.

Maya truly believes that due to her weakness and incompetence, she allowed a spirit she channeled to murder a man. It must have been torture to sit across from the one person you wanted to succeed for having failed completely and with tragic consequences. She doesn’t want his pity. She’d rather the earth swallow her whole.

So she tries to send Phoenix away. When she needs him the most she instead turns down his help for fear of handing him her problems in the form of an unwinnable case. Once again, you see her self sacrifice in action. So what happens? Phoenix tells her to fill out the necessary paperwork, that’s what.

*Note there is a screen shake and a shout noise here*

I can think of two times Phoenix has ever raised his voice against Maya. One is when she brings up Edgeworth after his “suicide” and the other is right here. Phoenix flat out refuses to believe she would ever kill someone because his faith in her is that strong. This isn’t like any other case where a client is hiding the truth or lying and saying they did it. This is a case where Maya genuinely believes that blood is on her hands but Nick isn’t having any of it.

This is also the case where Phoenix physically strikes someone for the second time in his life. The first time was against Doug Swallow when that stuck-up Brit wannabe insulted his precious Dollie. The second is when Lotta starts disrespecting Maya.

Phoenix isn’t a person who’s quick to anger and is even less likely to retaliate physically, especially against a woman. However, it becomes clear over the course of the series that all rationality leaves the building when Maya’s on the line. Whether it’s a conscious effort or not, he returns that devotion she gives him.

So during the trial he completely rejects the plea of justified self-defense and opts to defend Maya’s honor instead. He’ll prove to not just the court, but to her, that she had nothing to do with the murder whatsoever.

Oh, and we can’t forget one last thing introduced in this case.

It’s our own, in-universe Phoenix/Maya shipper, of course. Now Nick and Maya won’t miss a moment of their lovey dovey potential. You provide a valuable service, Pearls. Just one more reason to get that Not Guilty, right?

Well, despite Maya being proven innocent, however, the end result of Reuinion, and Turnabout still has ramifications on our young medium. Her future position as Master will get her killed and that’s naturally the last thing she wants, so she runs away from it. We don’t see Maya train at all after 2-2 and that was the big reason she left in the first game in the first place. Rather we see her stay in the city with Phoenix and pretend Kurain was all just a nightmare. He’s her confidant and her comfort zone.

So instead of more Kurain mysteries, the next case is as big a departure as you can get: the circus. As far as Phoenix and Maya’s relationship goes, there isn’t much to be had in this filler case unless you count Maya wanting to ride Phoenix out of a big lion’s mouth.

Let’s just move on to the big one - JFA’s finale. It was here Phoenix learned what being a lawyer meant to him. I also think it’s where he started to realize what Maya meant to him too. Let’s begin.

Actually, let’s just cut straight to the chase.

The above isn’t even hyperbole. After hearing that the voice on the radio had Maya, the screen actually blurs repeatedly during the conversation and the color drains away for a short time. Phoenix is literally so distraught, he’s starting to black out.

Once De Killer’s voice brings him back to his senses, such as they are in the situation, his immediate response is to offer whatever it is the kidnapper wants. Poor, cash-strapped Phoenix is willing to give anything to have Maya back no matter the cost. It speaks to how inseparable they really are.

We saw it in the beginning of the game and we see it at the end. Their relationship has swelled far beyond where it was when they parted at the end of the first game. Others must be taking notice as well, considering De Killer knew exactly who to take to get Phoenix under his thumb.

And so Phoenix manages to finagle Matt Engarde as his client and sets out to get the acquittal the assassin demanded. Unfortunately for him, Engarde is a killer. Well, a killer by proxy, but still a guilty man. The point is, Phoenix is asked to do the impossible in order to save Maya’s life and it turns the whole courtroom against him.

Phoenix became an attorney because only one person stood up for him when everyone else accused him of a crime. Because of his position, he doesn’t have a single soul supporting him. Even Mia, Maya’s own sister, can’t approve of Phoenix’s tactics of pinning the murder on an innocent woman. He has taken the contempt of the whole world on his shoulders and become the rotten, slimeball lawyer you see on television all for Maya’s sake.

Why would he do that? Because without her, he isn’t Phoenix Wright. She’s the most important person in his life.

And I think Phoenix finally realizes it too. He’s even willing to admit it in front of Pearl, who hardly needs more ammunition for her fantasies, and Edgeworth who is still considered an enemy of sorts at this point. Unfortunately, that revelation comes with all-consuming despair. Phoenix has no clue what to do and thankfully that supposed “enemy” has returned to the land of the living with an epiphany of his own.

He needs that help too. The poor guy is so broken by the thought of losing Maya, there was a new sprite made for that specific purpose:

Rather than have Phoenix shout his theatrical wailing with his standard shock sprite, they made a new one just to show the impact the end of the first day in court had on him. Head down, shoulders hunched, fingers gripping his hair, he shouts his grief into the top of his bench to hide his face. Don’t give up, Nick. Chief wouldn’t want that.

So with Edgeworth’s help, as well as Mia’s, Phoenix manages to carry on and keep fighting. There was one more thing that helped keep his sanity in check too. Mia wasn’t the only one left notes by Maya. On the back of that picture of Celeste was a message just for him.

Once again, Maya’s willing to sacrifice herself rather than be used as a bargaining chip. Instead of letting Phoenix betray his principles and defend a guilty man, she just tells him to not worry about her and let Engarde get what he deserves. If she can do nothing else, she could at least give him her blessing.

Thankfully, a well timed objection by Franziska means Phoenix never had to let it come to that. There was a miracle in that scruffy green coat and the day was saved. Best of all, we were treated to a reprise of an earlier scene.

After Reunion, and Turnabout, Maya got to see Mia again through Pearl. You have to remember this is the first time in around a year she’s seen her beloved sister, and so we’re given this:

Now, after getting Maya back through impossible odds, we’re rewarded with a very similar image:

It helps show the purpose of this long-winded essay. It shows the growing relationship these characters have and it’s a big reason you can call this trio “family” without any qualifiers. They belong together, plain and simple.

So is that what Phoenix and Maya are to each other at the end of JFA? Family? Yes, but like I’ve said, it doesn’t just stop there. They were already friends and partners on top of that, but there’s more under the surface. Seeing Phoenix’s utter desperation to have her back meant a lot more than mere friendship or even a sibling like bond. Maya also did a little something to keep herself occupied while locked up.

There was one person on her mind the whole time and one thought that got her through her ordeal: Phoenix was going to save her. That picture right there is the last thing we see in Justice For All. It’s the stinger after the credits and it’s what the writers specifically wanted us to take home with us. They purposefully teased the fourth piece of evidence the whole ending just to build up to it.

The love is there, that’s very clear, but there’s something you have to realize. We got to see the card. Phoenix did not. Whether that evident love is romantic or not, the starter of that particular conversation is on a plane with Franziska. For whatever reason, what could be the next step in their relationship doesn’t happen.

So now you ask why they didn’t just pair them up? Well, we’re getting there. Let’s move on to T&T and see what new developments it brings. Even without Maya in the first case, it gives us a lot of insight into Phoenix.

For example, Phoenix made a great pupil to Mia because he already displayed the faith in people she taught. Even before defending people as a lawyer, he defended his “Dollie” with every ounce of himself. Firstly, it was against Doug Swallow who was only trying to warn him. What did Doug get for his troubles?

He got proof that Phoenix belonged in UMvC3, that’s what. Even as the sappy, dorky Feenie he was, Nick still packed enough punch to one hit KO a fellow college student with just a shove. However, the point I’m making here is that there is one way to make our hero come to blows and that’s to bad mouth someone dear to him. As you might recall…

Lotta tried the same thing with Maya. Don’t go insulting Phoenix’s ladies if you know what’s good for you.

There’s one more parallel to other events in Turnabout Memories too. When faced with the possibility that Dahlia wasn’t who he thought she was, Phoenix goes berserk and steals the damning evidence from Mia’s hands. He then proceeds to swallow it. When asked for an explanation of his actions, all he can reply is this:

No facts or reason; just pure emotion. Phoenix swallowed possibly lethal poison all because of his belief in the woman he loved. Keep this in the back of your mind as we’ll be revisiting it later, but for now, let’s move on to The Stolen Turnabout.

This case introduces us to Phoenix and Maya going on the third year of their time together. Much to Pearl’s chagrin, they still aren’t a proper couple, but you can see a natural progression in how they talk to each other compared to years past.

In fact, one of the first things said:

Yeah, don’t be silly, Nick. What were you thinking, anyway? Now this is the sort of out-of-context screenshot I chastise others for, but I still have legitimate use for it. It’s quickly followed by this:

They’ve teased each other a great deal throughout the series, but now there’s a slight variation to it. They’ve only grown closer and it shows in the way they speak to each other. It was even brought up back in JFA a little bit.

Something has been brewing in the shadows for some time even if they won’t notice or acknowledge it. So in this case, maybe it’s just Maya needling Pearl, but you pick up on an ulterior motive as this line of teasing continues. In fact, she nearly lets it slip once they get to Lordly Tailor.

Sure, Maya. Once again, this is done right in front of Pearl. It’s as if she’s asking for more dreamy eyed fantasies from her little cousin. This isn’t the last we hear of it about Adrian, either. Presenting Maya with Adrian’s picture has her determined to look up the records to Farewell My Turnabout’s case to find out the truth for herself. Clearly she’s very suspicious of Nick’s pretty lady friend.

Funny enough, Pearl seems perfectly fine with Adrian. However, what she’s not fine with is Phoenix taking Ron DeLite’s case. He was the man who stole from Mystic Maya, after all. That must mean Maya’s doubly upset. How about it, Maya, are you really okay with Phoenix defending this guy?

Don’t cry, Nick. I know you’re an emotional dude, but keep a stiff upper lip. It’s obvious Maya’s trust means a great deal to him.

Pearl’s outburst, on the other hand, was when Phoenix finally decided to ask a question I actually asked earlier in this overblown dissertation. With Pearl falling over herself to try and make amends for doubting Phoenix when his “special someone” did no such thing, Phoenix and Maya get to have a little chat.

Phoenix, you big dummy, don’t say that. Look at how hurt she is. It’s not because of your improper grammar, either. I’ve always felt Maya harbored a bit of a crush she never acted on for various reasons, so that right there had to sting. You can see it in her reply as well.

Drooping and downtrodden, Maya explains Kurain’s matriarchal society and how Pearl has seen nothing but unhappy marriages and couples falling apart. It helps foreshadow Bridge to the Turnabout, but it also shows Maya doing something else.

Phoenix was asking how Pearl managed to get it into her head that he and Maya were special someones in the first place. Maya completely dodged that question. It’s no wonder, since he just blurted out how Pearl has the wrong idea.

So does that end any chance of romantic involvement right then and there? Did a slip of the tongue mean that, despite everything they clearly mean to each other, a traditional relationship is out of the question?

No. Phoenix brings it right back in Recipe for a Turnabout.

It’s a quick gag, but it shows their relationship (and Maya to Phoenix) in a whole new light. Phoenix liked what he heard before he realized who it was. Even then, it didn’t stop him from liking what he saw either. These few lines make Maya the one person in the series Phoenix has ever actually flirted with (outside of “Dollie” in college, naturally). Maybe with a little luck Armstrong will let her keep the outfit, Nick.

Before this, Maya was always “just Maya” to him, at least in regards to a relationship. With Pearl around there’s no doubt other thoughts crossed his mind from time to time but he’d just shake it away as silly talk from a little girl. In fact, they even cover this if you present Maya’s portrait to Larry in The Stolen Turnabout. While Larry thinks Maya looks better than ever, Phoenix ponders that she looks the same to him and maybe that’s because they’re just always together. Before seeing her out of her robes, Phoenix was just taking his assistant for granted, it seems.

So he thinks she’s pretty cute after all. Does that mean the game is back in play? Is there a chance after all? Well, about that…

It looks like Phoenix’s old relationship isn’t as over with as he thought. Even Maya picks up on how distracted by the nun Phoenix is and begins teasing him about it. If that crush really was ever there, it’s here she convinces herself it will never happen. She’s so plain compared to that pretty Sister Iris. Maybe “just friends” is how they should stay anyway. Well, that’s not exactly the reason Phoenix is so distracted.

Phoenix and Maya’s relationship is still true to its roots, though. This case also shows that the death defying Phoenix we knew from JFA is still with us. A murder occurs up on that mountain and the first thing Phoenix does is run to Maya’s side as per usual.

Well, actually he tries to run to her side, but said side is across a burning bridge. Despite the odds and despite any sensibility, Phoenix goes for it anyway. Naturally, he falls through the weakened boards and plummets into the river below. He had no chance of making it across safely. What on earth was he thinking?

Does this sound familiar to you? I hope you kept what I asked in the back of your mind, because I’m bringing it back now. "Phoenix, why did you try to cross a burning bridge over a fatal drop?“

Well, maybe not, but the parallels here are undoubtedly purposeful. I don’t just mean with this one instance. I mean the whole case and the end in particular. As time stretches on and chances of recovering Maya dwindle, Phoenix starts to lose it again, much like he did in Farewell, My Turnabout and much like he did over Mia accusing Dahlia. Recognizing this, Edgeworth has to get tough with him.

"But it’s Maya” is the theme to the ending of this trial. Maya Fey progressively becomes the only thing Phoenix cares about as the case continues. This is doubly true when “Iris” makes the declaration that Maya was the one who murdered Elise Deauxnim.

Phoenix’s defense instantly becomes solely focused on protecting Maya, even if he has absolutely no evidence to the contrary whatsoever to support it and he’s facing an supposed eyewitness testimony.

Come on, Nick. You have to have better than that. We all know Maya wouldn’t stab a french fry with a plastic fork, but this is a court of law.

So much like Farewell, My Turnabout, Phoenix immediately starts defying his own client for Maya’s sake. However, instead of taking scorn on himself over a guilty defendant this time, he’s basically abandoning Iris once she makes the claim of Maya stabbing Misty. That’s the complete opposite of his creed of being the one person on the accused’s side. It’s even worse when you remember that he actually wants to defend Iris and believes she’s innocent.

That’s because of one other declaration he’s made in the past.

If you haven’t noticed, Phoenix gets rather irrational when it comes to Maya. To him, Iris is betraying the both of them. Granted it’s not the real Iris, but he doesn’t know that yet. He just remembers that Iris understands that Maya’s important to him.

And if there’s something Phoenix can’t forgive…

Dahlia’s cutting into Phoenix with these testimonies as Iris. She’s making her sister betray him, just like she did five years prior. It’s clear to anyone that Phoenix’s main concern is getting Maya out of the inner temple alive, and Dahlia quickly picked up on that when she made the swap with her sister. She might be evil but she’s definitely not stupid. She knows just how to hurt him.

There’s another assumption she makes.

If she can twist the knife in his love life again, all the better for her. Just because her primary target is Mia Fey, it doesn’t mean she can’t also cast down the reason she failed in the first place. All those years ago she described Phoenix as a worthless, pathetic man that no woman could ever depend on. With Maya Fey’s death, she can prove it to him.

We know what happens next. Mia steps up to bat and, with Phoenix, puts that demon back in her place.

Mia’s pretty freakin’ awesome, isn’t she? Yet not even she is the one who shouts Dahlia right out of Maya’s body. That’s Phoenix. In fact, let’s take a look at his final lines as he does it.

Phoenix says it himself, plain as day. He doesn’t care about Dahlia any more. He doesn’t care about her plans, or revenge, or the relationship that turned out to be a lie, or any of that. All he wants is Maya back.

And Phoenix’s name is the first one out of her lips. Mia promised her he’d save everyone in the end and Maya’s unyielding faith and devotion in him is present, even when her consciousness is fading.

But the real thing to note is that Maya’s safe. That was all Phoenix wanted. In fact, he’s so caught up in that, he doesn’t even realize that having her returned isn’t the end of the case.

As if nearly losing her wasn’t enough, Phoenix is forced to cross examine the person closest to him while she’s physically weak and mentally exhausted. Even her introduction is torture.

Wait, aren’t you actually a spirit medium and the heir to the title of Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique?

Poor Maya has suffered so much, even beyond the past few days as a prisoner in her own body and watching her own mother get murdered in front of her. Now she has to face the very cross examinations that have broken hardened killers from her best friend.

It was a stroke of genius to make Maya the “final boss” of the original trilogy. Yes, you’re really exposing Godot, but he’s only the ends. Maya is the means. You have to tenderly peel away her defenses to expose the truth while she’s just trying to hide and make everything go away and to protect her sister’s boyfriend; the man who saved her life. It’s an incredibly emotional ending, even before Godot’s breakdown.

But that ending comes. That breakdown happens. Maybe exposing the truth was the only way to salvage Diego Armando, but it also reunites our heroes once again. Phoenix has Maya back and she’s in strangely high spirits, particularly after being so broken down on the witness stand.

It’s not just Pearl Maya has to be strong for. She understands that Phoenix needs her too. The three of them, as I’ve stated countless times, are a makeshift family.

In fact, Maya’s final line in the entire series speaks of her not only accepting her role as Master, but also always being with Phoenix and Pearl.

So is that how their relationship ends up then? "Like brother and sister"? Hardly. Being a big sister means a lot to Maya; more than you’d think by just seeing the line without context. Mia was everything to Maya because of their situation. She wasn’t just a sister, but also a mother and best friend. To Phoenix, Mia was also a friend as well as a boss and mentor. She was so much to so many people. To take on that role, Maya has to be a fill-in mother to Pearl and be Phoenix’s comforter.

They were forced together through circumstance and stayed together because they wanted to. There’s a reason I use the purposefully vague term “family” to describe them because no single relation fully encompasses what they mean to one another. They’re not just “family” either. They work together, are the best of friends, and that love between them is extremely real. There’s no question about it. Whether it’s romantic or not is the only part open to interpretation.

So is it? We’ve come this far for that answer, after all. Well, in the games… no. At least not openly, or not yet. Throughout everything I’ve said here you’ve seen hints of it the whole way from jealousy, to pining, to even a touch of flirting. I’ll also reiterate that it’s the mostly likely of all fan pairings to come true and is the only one in game canon to be assumed by other characters. I don’t mean just Pearl, either. I guess the real question is why isn’t it romantic?

There are a lot of reasons. For starters, there’s Pearl. Ironically enough, her constant insistence that they’re special someones causes them to immediately deny everything. Because of that, they’re stuck in place instead of being able to move forward.

Actually, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think they ever actually tell Pearl she’s mistaken. Mostly they just get embarrassed. Busted.

Next, there’s how they met. For Maya, she’s completely inexperienced in the realm of love. Men in Kurain are extremely rare. For Phoenix, on the other hand, his first relationship was love at first sight. Well, it was for him, anyway. For Dahlia it was evidence disposal at first sight. Regardless, he was approached by a beautiful woman, given a token of love, and was swept right off his dorky feet.

Meeting Maya wasn’t anything like that. It was a catastrophe and one of the worst moments of his adult life. What he gained in Maya was wonderful and serendipitous but it doesn’t change the fact that seeing her sobbing over Mia’s body was hardly romantic.

From that moment, Phoenix sees Maya as someone to protect. As she gets closer and more precious to him, his resolve becomes more ferocious in return. Intimacy would be a betrayal of Mia’s trust and could hurt their relationship if he did anything wrong. His last relationship was a disaster, if you recall. While I don’t think he’s opposed to starting over again, I doubt he’s actively looking after a burn like Dahlia and just doesn’t realize what he has.

On Maya’s side, I still support the idea she holds a crush. Phoenix stood before the face of evil like the Steel Samurai for her and, even though she’d never say so to his face, she gains a lot of respect for him. However, her own feelings of insecurity get in the way. As a poor spirit medium, she feels like a burden and that’s not to mention the age difference.

Settle down, Gummy. I know seven years isn’t that big of a gap and will matter even less as they age, but from the start she’s still young. What could he see in her, right? Besides that fear of rejection, the thought of damaging their friendship keeps her quiet.

I think the one thing that would push them past that line in the sand and into an actual relationship, the catalyst if you will, is a threat of losing one another. You see how passionate Phoenix becomes whenever Maya’s in danger, but when the smoke clears they’re already reunited. The danger of losing each other is in the past and the touching confession never happens.

You probably see where I’m going with this. If something were to get them past all the obstacles and doubts, it would be Phoenix’s disbarment. There’s not a question in my mind Maya would be the first to him when the news breaks. She could be in the middle of a Steel Samurai marathon at a burger buffet and she’d still drop everything and run to L.A. like Pearl if the trains weren’t on time. Rather than be pulled apart, she’d cling to him more tightly than ever.

It’s not coincidence Maya is the one missing face in AJ that gets the most references. I see a lot of people just assume that Phoenix cut ties with everyone and that’s why they aren’t in the game. I think that’s ridiculous, to put it nicely. Look no further than the massive Samurai collection in Phoenix’s hospital room. There’s still a very special spirit medium in his life whether Apollo sees her or not. Maybe even Trucy hasn’t seen her. The last thing Phoenix needs is Trucy begging for a new mommy by name in front of Kristoph.

No matter your headcanon for Maya in AJ, it should be clear she and Nick are still together in some capacity. He’s busy clearing his name and she’s busy running a village, but they’d still be together over the phone and even in person whenever they could. You just don’t see it because you experience the timeline through Apollo’s eyes. I like to think Maya was the one with the government influence to get Phoenix and Edgeworth’s Jurist System its debut.

Besides, I’m not the only one who realizes Phoenix and Maya belong together. Their relationship doesn’t stop in the primary games. They’re together in cameos in the Investigations games, together in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, and even together in UMvC3. They could have simply had Phoenix fighting by himself, but they didn’t. They understood that Maya is an integral part of him and so there she is, at his side where she belongs.

Having no sign of Maya in GS5 would be the biggest mistake ever made in the series. You should see by now she isn’t tied to some “Kurain Arc” or some nonsense. She’s Phoenix’s closest friend, if not more by then, and it damages the character of both of them to have her missing. While she’s Kurain’s Master and wouldn’t be an assistant any more, she needs her own role in the game. Whether or not she rightfully returns, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

So there’s the long span of Phoenix and Maya’s relationship. Whether you think it’s romantic or not, it honestly doesn’t matter. That’s one of the reasons I love it so much. They don’t have to be romantically involved to be awesome together and if they are, hey, all the better. They’ve earned it. If nothing else, we have this official artwork:

If that’s not a meaningful, dreamy look, I don’t know what is. Even Capcom supports it.

So you wanted my thoughts on Phoenix and Maya’s relationship? Honestly, I was skeptical at first. Maya didn’t look like a leading lady. She certainly wasn’t dressed like one either. But as Phoenix got to know her, so did I. She grew on me in a hurry and so did Phoenix, for that matter.

I genuinely enjoyed every moment I spent with them. Their interactions kept me happy through even the longest investigations and their unique sense of family was heart warming. Watching them start their relationship from the beginning and watching it grow through all their ups and downs made it feel natural. The love wasn’t superficial or needlessly tacked on.

It wasn’t until I got through AJ that I realized just how great Phoenix and Maya really were together. I missed them. More than that, I missed them together. Without even realizing it, I wanted them to wind up as a couple. There’s no reason they can’t add romantic love to that big ball of all the other relationships they share. It wouldn’t even be a big change, considering they already do everything and go everywhere together.

So many games or stories are plagued with the “mandatory significant other” character. Because that character is created for the sole purpose of giving the main character a love interest, they are almost always shallow and boring and have no reason to exist besides telling the main character they love them. Maya didn’t start this way and never acts this way. She has a life and motivations of her own, independent of Phoenix, despite how devoted she is to being useful for him. Because of this, it makes their union greater than the sum of its parts. She might not tell Phoenix she loves him like that flat character I mentioned earlier, but she shows it instead. That’s more important.

Picturing AJ-Phoenix trying to keep his relationship with Maya not only healthy, but out of the public eye while he investigates his disbarment is legitimately interesting. Even that one sentence should bring to mind countless scenarios and close calls. That’s one more reason I support it and one more testament to what great characters they are.

There will never be a pair like them in Ace Attorney again and there’s nothing I want more out of this series than to see Phoenix and Maya be reunited. It bears repeating…

Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey are two halves of the same whole.

-The Mod