Manfred von Karma

Manfred von Karma was an intimidating prosecutor who held great sway over the courts. This was not just due to his long win record, but also thanks to his forbidding appearance complete with stoic glare and occasional sneering grin. He also had a distinctive deep, threatening voice, which manifested itself in the "horrible scream" Miles Edgeworth heard during the DL-6 Incident. His authority was enough to override those of veteran detectives such as Tyrell Badd, and he could assign his students to any trial of his choosing. He commanded respect from everyone, especially his students. Miles and Franziska address him as "sir" and "papa", respectively, and Miles has referred to him as "legendary" and a "god" among prosecutors, while Kay Faraday simply thought him "scary" when she met him. Manfred was extremely arrogant, seeing defense attorneys as nothing more than annoying flies to be swatted. He would often almost take over the judges' jobs during trials (such as sustaining his own objections or overruling those of the opposing defense attorney), with the judges themselves being too terrified to attempt to reassert control. He had a habit of piercingly snapping his fingers when he wanted to help get his point across and took such great pride in considering himself as "number one" that he not only set his ATM card number to "0001", but also openly advertised that it was such in court. Manfred von Karma's most prominent trait, however, was his obsession with perfection and nothing less. He would do whatever it took to win a case, regardless of whether or not the defendant was actually guilty, even if it meant hiding undesired evidence, rigging witness testimonies - even going as far as retraining a parrot - and attacking Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey with a stun gun at one point. He also considered other prosecutors, such as Byrne Faraday, weak for failing to get defendants convicted. However, this "perfection" was also his greatest weakness. The small blemish on his previously-perfect record from the IS-7 trial led to a disproportionate response from Manfred: murdering the defense attorney, taking on Miles as his student (in a way, making him more like his father's killer than his own father), and then framing him for murder despite nurturing such a relationship. When Miles was to take his place as a prosecutor for the first time, Manfred seemed proud of him. However, the way Miles talks about him is always as a mentor whom he respects, rather than as a parental figure. There was no surprise from Miles that Manfred would prosecute his trial with the aim of winning, evidently seeing his mentor as a man who would gladly prioritize his "perfect" career over him. Whatever feelings Manfred actually developed toward Miles were, they did not dissuade him from carrying out his plan to get back at the man who had ruined his perfect record.

ALIASES/NICKNAMES Papa Manny Sir

ONE-OFF NICKNAMES God of prosecution