Valant Gramarye / Varan Arumajiki / Virgil Grimoire

或真敷バラン

Age: 44
Gender:  Male
Occupation: Magician
Official Art

A background character in GS4 cases 3 and 4.
 

Personality: Valant is a true showman - dramatic, jovial, and always a mystery. He's devoted to his magic and keeping his tricks a secret.

Misc Facts: Yellow is Valant's lucky color.

Valant's doves and rabbits (as shown in his sprites) died off as he got older. Very sad.

Spoiler: 4-4  
Valant's 7 years ago self was designed first, and was deliberately given black hair so that it would be obvious he was going gray in his older years.  Character designer Nuri made a point to show that he had a hard time those 7 years.

 

In case 4 Brushel speculates with Phoenix that there may have been a love triangle between Zak, Thalassa, and Valant.  Valant doesn't admit it himself, but at the back of the GS4 guidebook there's a character chart that labels Valant's feelings towards Thalassa as "one-sided love."

 

Originally Varan's belt buckle used to have a "B" on it, with the intention that his name would be "Baran." It became a "V" in the final version (Japanese does not have a proper letter V, so B is often used in foreign words as a substitute).

Friends and Family: Valant used to be part of the Gramarye Troupe with his partner, Zak. Once a pupil of the famous magician Magnifi Gramarye.

Name Origin:
English: "Gramarye" is an old word referring to cult magic, similar to "grimoire", a book a magic. Valant may come from the word "valiant."

Japanese: Zakkubaran means "frankly." Arumajiki means "unworthy."

Background: Seven years ago, Valant performed alongside Zak as a magician. Since then he has done his best to continue his career under his own power.

Spoiler: 4-4  
Before that, Zak's wife Thalassa was a part of their team as well. But during a rehearsal of a dangerous trick, Thalassa was shot, and her death covered up by her own father to preserve the reputation of the Troupe. Zak and Valant never learned which of their guns was responsible for the lethal shot, and afterwards, their relationship to each other and their master was never the same.

One evening, Valant received a letter from his master, telling him to come visit him in the hospital and shoot him in the head. But Valant knew him too well, and deduced that the letter was a test for him and Zak. He plotted ahead of time to frame Zak for Magnifi's murder, so that he could continue his own career with Magnifi's tricks. When he arrived at the hospital, Magnifi was asleep. Valant lost his nerve, and started to leave, but then Magnifi awoke and stopped him. He told Valant that he had already passed his tricks on to Zak. Valant had nothing left.

Valant left the room, but as he stood in the hall, he heard a gunshot, and rushed back inside. Magnifi had killed himself. Hurt and bitter, Valant decided to go through with his plan to frame Zak after all.

In court, Valant testified that it was Zak that killed Magnifi, but Phoenix Wright was able to break through his story. Just when it looked like Phoenix had proved that Valant was the one that shot Magnifi, Phoenix presented a piece of evidence that the prosecution was able to prove had been forged. Phoenix lost the case. But when Zak was brought to the stand for his verdict, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, never to be seen again.

Valant thought that with Zak gone he would be free. But since Zak's verdict was never read, and his body never recovered, Valant could not legally inherit Magnifi's magic tricks. And even worse, everyone came to believe that Zak had disappeared to take the blame away from Valant - that Valant really WAS guilty, and Zak was merely protecting him.

Valant was never entirely cleared of suspicion, but he managed to work as a magician for the next seven years, waiting for Zak to be declared legally dead so he could inherit the magic he thought was his due.
 

 

Vera Misham / Makoto Ese / Vera Monin

絵瀬まこと

Age: 19
Gender:  Female
Occupation: Artist
Official Art

Defendant of GS4 case 4.
 

Personality: Vera is painfully shy. She hardly ever speaks or smiles, and leaves her home even less (you could probably label her agoraphobic). But on the inside she is a sweet girl with a love of art and magic. Instead of changing her facial expression she draws smilie faces out in her notebook.

Misc Facts: Vera is a big fan of the Gramarye Troupe, and Ariadoney nail polish.

Friends and Family: Daughter of Drew Misham.

Name Origin:
English: Vera means "truth". Misham may come from "sham."

Japanese: Ese means "imitation." Makoto means "truth."

Background: Vera's father has always been an artist, and when she was little she would imitate him by drawing pictures of her own.
 

Spoiler: 4-4  
 In doing this, her father discovered that she had a remarkable talent for recreating the paintings she saw in perfect detail. In fact, she could copy almost anything. Because Drew was failing as an artist, he came up with an idea to have Vera do forged works. He would give her paintings to copy, and sold them on the black market (under his own name). Vera had no idea that what she was doing was a crime.

Seven years ago, Kirihito Garyuu came to Vera as a client and asked her not just to recreate something, but to alter it a little as well. It was a page from a man's journal. While Drew was out he and Vera talked for a long time, and he learned that she was a great fan of the Gramarye Troupe of magicians. But Vera was too timid to leave the house and see them live. Kirihito gave her a bottle of his nail polish, and told her that it was magic. If she wore the polish it would protect her from evil spirits, should she ever leave the house. But if she were ever to tell anyone about it, the magic would wear off.

Vera completed the forgery. Shortly afterwards, she received a red envelope from Kirihito telling her that he had deposited the full amount they'd agreed on. He asked her to return a receipt for the payment using a stamp he had enclosed: a stamp of the Gramarye she loved. But Vera loved the stamp too much to part with it, and forged a copy to put on the envelope instead. She kept the real Gramarye stamp for the next seven years.

 

Drew Misham / Doburoku Ese / Joseph Monin

絵瀬土武六

Age: 56
Gender:  Male
Occupation: Artist
Official Art

Victim of GS4 case 4.
 

Personality: Drew is a kind man who is very devoted to his daughter, willing to do most anything for her sake.

Misc Facts: Unknown.

Friends and Family: Vera's father. His wife left him years ago.

Name Origin:
English: Past tense of the verb "to draw." Misham may come from "sham."

Japanese: Ese means "imitation." Doburoku is a type of liquor.

Background: Drew raised Vera mostly by himself, after his wife left him for being a failure of an artist.

Spoiler: 4-4  
When Vera was very young she would imitate his paintings, and from that he learned that she had an extraordinary talent for copying things. Desperate for money, he began giving her paintings to copy so that he could sell them. To protect Vera he used his name in all his shady business dealings.

Seven years ago Vera was hired to copy a page from a man's journal. Drew did not meet the client, but afterwards he noted how happy Vera seemed. She told him that the man had given her magic, but she couldn't tell what it was that caused it.

Once the deal had gone through, Drew was approached by young prosecutor Klavier Gavin, who told him the "evidence" Vera had created was going to be used as fake evidence in a murder trial. Having never suspected it would be used for something like that, Drew agreed to testify that it was fake.

The trial concluded, and when Drew realized that not even the defense attorney who presented the evidence knew it was fake, he felt horribly guilty. He promised never to forget Phoenix, and kept an eye on him and his office for the next several years.

It's not entirely clear at what point Drew learned that Kristoph was the mysterious client who had met his daughter. But as years passed and Vera refused to tell him about her "magic charm" he grew fearful, and in the end wrote to Kristoph in prison, begging him to leave them alone.

 

Spark Brushel / Shoutarou Hamigaki / Eddy Taurial

葉見垣正太郎

Age: 36
Gender:  Male
Occupation: Journalist
Official Art

Witness of GS4 case 4.
 

Personality: Full of energy and always curious, Brushel is perpetually in motion. As a writer he is always creating new metaphors for things even when they're not necessary.

Misc Facts: Brushel is also a certified notary.

Friends and Family: Brushel used to be a friend of Zak Gramarye.

Name Origin:
English: Brushel probably comes from "toothbrush."

Japanese: Hamigaki means "toothpaste."

French: From the French for "editorial."

Background:

Spoiler: 4-4  
Brushel first met Zak Gramarye when he was investigating the disappearance of Zak's wife, Thalassa. Ever since then he and Zak had been friends, and Zak used him to investigate many things. But after the case 7 years ago Zak disappeared, and did not contact Brushel for a long time. Brushel would later suppose that the reason for this was that he was always being "watched" by some figure in the shadows...

In the meantime, Brushel devoted himself to investigating the many cases surrounding Zak, which led him to Drew Misham.

 

Zak Gramarye / Zakku Arumajiki / Zachary Grimoire

或真敷ザック

Age: 46
Gender: Male
Occupation: Magician
Official Art

An important figure from Phoenix's past...

Personality: Zak is very jovial on the surface, but he's also deeply competitive.

Misc Facts: He's crazy about poker.

Spoiler: 4-4  
His real name is Shadi Enigmar, aka Shadi Smith. The name Enigmar comes from "enigma." (In Japanese, Kagerou Nanafushi, and in French, Enzo Enigmar)


Friends and Family: Studied with Valant under Magnifi Gramarye.

Spoiler: 4-4  
 He was also married to Thalassa, and had one daughter, Trucy.


Name Origin:
English:  "Gramarye" is an old word referring to cult magic, similar to "grimoire", a book a magic.  Zak was probably just taken from his Japanese name.

 

Japanese:    Zakkubaran means "frankly."

 

Background:  In pursuing his dream to be a magician, Zak came under the tutelage of famed magician Magnifi Gramarye.

Spoiler: 4-4  
The test to join up was a game of poker, which Magnifi won thanks to the Perceive System, which was part of the Gramarye family. It was the first time Zak had ever lost a game of poker. While working for Magnifi, he also married Magnifi's daughter, Thalassa, and they had one daughter, Trucy. But when Trucy was only 5, her parents (along with Valant) were rehearsing a dangerous magic trick, and Thalassa was shot. Magnifi told them that he would cover up the murder to protect his two students from their tragic mistake. It was during this incident that he met and befriended Spark Brushel, a reporter looking into Thalassa's disappearance.

But then, only three years later, Magnifi was reaching the end of his own life. He devised a test to see if either of his students were up to the task of carrying on his magic. Zak received a letter from Magnifi, telling him to come to the hospital and shoot him in the head. Zak arrived and found two pistols, but he couldn't bring himself to shoot Magnifi, so he shot a doll in the corner instead. Magnifi awoke, and told Zak that he had passed. He wrote out his will saying that he would pass on his magic to Zak.

Zak left, but later that night was arrested for having murdered Magnifi. Though he was approached by defense attorney Kristoph Garyuu, he insisted on playing a game of poker with him, first. Kristoph lost the game, and during it Zak was convinced that he couldn't trust the man. He rejected Kristoph and instead hired Phoenix Wright, after HE was able to best Zak at poker.

But the trial took a turn for the worst, as Zak anticipated it would. With the help of his daughter Trucy and her Mr. Hat, he was able to escape the courtroom before his verdict was read.

Zak spent the next seven years in hiding, living as a professional poker player named Shadi Smith.



Magnifi Gramarye / Tensai Arumajiki / Melchior Grimoire

或真敷天斎

Age: 67
Gender: Male
Occupation: Magician
Official Art

An important key to GS4 case 4.
 

Personality: Stern, but brilliant, and a caring mentor.

Misc Facts: He had diabetes. And cancer.

Magnifi's motif is the spade. His hair makes a spade shape when his hat is off.

Friends and Family: Thalassa's father. Master to Zak and Valant.

Name Origin:
English: "Gramarye" is an old word referring to cult magic, similar to "grimoire", a book a magic. Magnifi may come both from the words "magnificent" or possibly also "magnify," a reference to the Perceive System.

Japanese: Tensai means "genius" and arumajiki means "unworthy."

 

French:  Melchior is the name of one of the three wise men.

Background: Magnifi was a brilliant magician, whose career was at its height 20 years before the current storyline.

Spoiler: 4-4  
He had one daughter, Thalassa, who married his apprentice Zak. But ten years ago there was an accident, and Thalassa was shot with a prop pistol. Magnifi covered up the death for the sake of the Gramarye name.

Two years later Magnifi developed cancer, and was hospitalized for a year. When he had less than three months left to live, he decided it was time to pass on his tricks to one of his two students. He wrote each a letter, giving them a test to complete: his instructions to each was for them to shoot him in the head. If either did, his tricks would be lost forever. If either followed the instructions but shot his "doll's" forehead instead of his, he would bestow his tricks to him.

Zak came first, and shot the doll as Magnifi had wanted. Magnifi signed all his tricks to him, and he left. When Valant came, he failed and couldn't bring himself to use the gun. Magnifi told him that he had failed.

Once Magnifi was alone he killed himself, now that his work was complete.


Thalassa Gramarye / Yuumi Arumajiki / Thalassa Grimoire

或真敷優海

Age: 33 (when she died)
Gender: Female
Occupation: Magician's assistant
Official Art

An important figure in the pasts of many characters.
 

Personality: Unknown.

Misc Facts: Thalassa can also, supposedly, use the Perceive System.

Friends and Family: Magnifi's daughter.

Spoiler: 4-4  
Thalassa was married first to someone unknown, and had a son, Apollo. After her first husband disappeared she married Zak Gramarye, and had Trucy.

 

Name Origin:
English:  Thalassa was a primordial sea goddess in Greek Mythology.  "Gramarye" is an old word referring to cult magic, similar to "grimoire", a book a magic.

 

Japanese:  Includes the kanji for "sea" which  may have helped inspire her English name.

 

Background:  Thalassa was raised as Magnifi's daughter, and worked as a magician's assistant to him and his pupils.

Spoiler: 4-1  
 When Thalassa was young she left the Gramarye troupe to marry another performer, and by him she had a son, Apollo. But only a year later her husband was killed on stage. She gave the infant Apollo one of her bracelets, and left him to return to the Troupe (where she left him and with whom is never stated). She then married Zak, and they had a daughter, Trucy.

A few years later, Thalassa was practicing a trick with Zak and Valant that required the use of prop pistols, and was shot. Her father quickly took charge to cover up the accident, to protect the Gramarye name. Zak and Valant believed Thalassa to be dead. But somehow she survived, and in a strange twist of fate ended up in the small European nation of Bolginia. She lost her memory and her sight from the trauma, and to make her living began singing in a small restaurant, accompanied by young Maki Tobaayu. She stayed there until "discovered" for her talent, and toured the world as Lamiroir.
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