Character Ananlysis -Godot

 Blacker than a moonless night, hotter and more bitter than hell itself... That is coffee

I was going to do Miles Edgworth originally, but I'm missing a game of character development so...

time for another of my favorite Ace Attorney characters, Godot.  (Spoilers below)


First, though, let's listen to his song (since it does a very good job of describing him)

 

 So, when we listen to the song, we hear... regret.  The song is sad, regretful, and yearning.  A large clue into his character.

Godot is, in actuality, a man named Diego Armando.  Around six years before his debut case, he was poisoned by a suspect.  While he miraculously survived, he was forever altered.  His nervous system had been damaged leaving him blind without the mask and his hair turned white.  He woke up to the scent of coffee and found out his girlfriend (And fellow defense attorney), Mia Fey, had died in the intervening years.

Not really what you want to wake up too. 

So, he becomes a prosecutor, starts trying to find a way to protect Mia's sister Maya and to punish Phoenix Wright who he holds responsible for Mia's death. (Phoenix actually has nothing to do with the deaths.  He couldn't have known about the attempt on Mia's life and fought very hard to bring Mia's killer to justice. )  Godot's attempt to protect Maya was also tragic.  But, I'll touch on that in a second.

When we fist meet him, he claims that he has never lost a case as a prosecutor... because it's his first case.  He is shown to be obsessed with coffee, but there is always hints of a tragedy beneath his veneer.  He mocks love, he insults everyone, he allows someone to trash Phoenix Wright's name, and when we meet him outside of the courtroom, he is alone.

While this is admittedly not unique to prosecutors, but when we do see him, the other prosecutors have established connections.  Miles Edgeworth and Gumshoe have been established as Partners in Crimesolving before this point and the last case in game 3 only highlights that fact. Franziska von Karma has also shown a deep family connection to Miles Edgeworth at this point and willingly teams up with Phoenix Wright.  Godot, instead, disappears for a while and when he does has no connections. 

Another sense of tragedy is a brief moment in case 3.  There is a large ketchup stain on an apron, but he can not see it, the first hint that even with the mask he can not see everything.

Case 5 is where it all comes together.  His past is revealed, and when everyone figures out that he killed someone in order to protect Maya, he forces the case to continue until he is convicted.  He knows he will probably die but he still continues.

He has a strong sense of right or wrong.  I know it sounds cliche, but when dealing with the world of Ace Attorney, it's a good indicator of character.  He woke up in a bad circumstance and really tried to make the best of it he could, he just went about it the wrong way.  His obsession of coffee can indicate a fear of falling asleep again.  He manages to work coffee metaphors into EVERYTHING. (And often throws his cups at Phoenix.  This was actually referenced in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3)  He has has a large guilt complex.  This complex got him to save Maya from an attempt on her life, but rather then doing the sensible thing (Namely calling the police and warning Maya straight on) He instead sets up a situation where she had a greater chance of being in danger.  While it ultimately proves successful, the price was quite high and it causes his future execution and the death of Maya's mother.  Even when he knows that this reveal will cause his death, he still moves forward.  (Admittedly, how the law can be applied in the case is rather confusing, but the point remains.  Death is an option and he fights for true justice)

And he still finds peace.  Once Phoenix (regretfully) reveals that Godot is the killer, he starts to cry bloody tears.  He Calls Phoenix by his actual name, and seems finally relieved that he knows that Mia's legacy is in safe hands, that he can admit to himself that Phoenix could not have stopped Mia's death, and that he now has something to talk to, even if it is only for a short time.

Godot is quite easily one of the more complex characters in Ace Attorney history.  His Ace Attorney gimmicks are much more then that.  Each line, each animation, sets up and expands on a character who's hints of tragedy are far more then what we would expect.