OOC: Reapplication to 
damned (Warning: Contains spoilers for the Ace Attorney series)
Note: This is the current application for Damned's App Cycle 13.
Basic Information
Series: Ace Attorney/Gyakuten Saiban
Series' Medium: Video game series only
Character you're applying for: Manfred von Karma (reapplication with intact memories from last time)
Character's role in their canon: All-around bad guy. Also, he was a prosecutor up until he was found guilty of murder, and he was Miles Edgeworth's mentor and foster father as well.
Character's age: 65
Character's gender: Male
Character's "Real Name": "Karl Fuchs"
Taken from: The time of his execution, which is assumed to have occurred between cases 1-4 and 2-2.
Canon History
Much of Manfred von Karma's personal history is not explained in canon, although one of his actions had long-term, far-reaching consequences, influencing most of the events in the series. One could even say that "all roads lead to DL-6," as I will explain later.
He was born in 1951. It is not stated who raised him nor specifically where he was born and raised, but it is implied that he originated from Germany and was raised in a rather grand family estate. Although it is unknown where he studied law or even how or why he decided to go into criminal law, he started his career at the age of twenty-five and worked in Los Angeles, CA, as a public prosecutor.
Little is known of most of his family, but he is the father of Franziska von Karma, born in 1999, whom he raised to become a prosecutor like himself. He also mentioned that he had a seven-year-old granddaughter. Franziska was too young at the time of the case to be the grandchild's mother, so it follows that she had an older sibling who had a daughter. One of the fanbooks states that there was an older daughter, but it is not known what her name was or exactly how old she was, nor is the granddaughter's name mentioned. Furthermore, nothing is said of the girls' mother(s). The general fandom assumes that he was married at least once, but nothing in canon or the official fan works confirms that this had ever happened.
For forty years, he maintained a perfect court win record, until the events of the fourth case ("Turnabout Goodbyes") in the first game occurred (I will refer to the case in question as "1-4" hereafter for brevity's sake). During that time, he had gained prestige as a "god among prosecutors" and had repeatedly won the annual King of Prosecutors award. A perfectionist who prized his undefeated win record, he was not above resorting to unethical or even illegal means to win his cases -- it was very likely that at least some of the people he had gotten convicted were actually innocent of the crimes with which they were charged. His motto was, "Decisive evidence... A decisive witness... What else could possibly be required?" Yet his "decisive evidence" tended to be forged or tampered, and his "decisive witnesses" were practically brainwashed into saying only that which met his approval.
During the first twenty-five years of his career, he maintained a pristine court record until the events of December 28, 2001, which led to the well-known "DL-6" case. On that fateful day, he prosecuted a case defended by Gregory Edgeworth, Miles Edgeworth's father. Miles admired his father so much that he wanted to become a defense attorney when he grew up, so Gregory had brought the nine-year-old Miles to court that day to witness his work. Most of the specific details of the case are not described in canon, and von Karma claimed not to remember them during 1-4. However, the most important event during that trial is that Gregory had questioned von Karma's tactics of using faulty evidence, causing the prosecutor to receive a penalty even though he ultimately won the case anyway. This was the first and only penalty that von Karma had ever received in his entire forty-year career.
The Chief Prosecutor at the time censured von Karma, saying that the penalty had to stick in spite of having "covered for him in the past." His formerly perfect court record forever marred by that one penalty, von Karma became disoriented, mindlessly wandering the halls of the courthouse for hours until he arrived at the Court Records room. At that point, a large earthquake hit the city, causing part of the courthouse to collapse and the power to go out. Jolted back into full consciousness, he tried to escape the building, feeling his way towards a possible exit. He eventually reached an elevator and pushed the button, only to have nothing happen.
Suddenly, his right shoulder exploded in severe pain -- an errant bullet had struck him from within the elevator. What he did not know at the time was that his rival Gregory and son Miles were in the stalled elevator, along with bailiff Yanni Yogi. Just moments earlier, the two men had argued over the rapidly depleting oxygen in the elevator car, and a gun landed at Miles' feet. Hoping to stop the fight, the boy tossed it at the men. The gun accidentally discharged in the process, injuring von Karma, who was standing right outside the elevator.
Right afterwards, the power came back on, and the elevator door opened. By then, all three people inside had fallen unconscious from oxygen deprivation. Right at von Karma's feet was the gun that had shot him. Although he later claimed not to remember most defense attorneys ("They are like bugs to me. Needless things, to be crushed."), he instantly recognized the one who had dealt him his penalty earlier that day. He shot Gregory in the heart, did what he could to ensure that no clues existed to implicate him in the murder, then left the scene. He left the bullet in his shoulder because of the risk it would pose to him were it compared to the bullet retrieved from Gregory's heart. Instead, he took a six-month "vacation" to allow the injury to heal; this was the only personal time off that he would ever take.
This pivotal incident affected many lives. It was believed that Yanni Yogi had shot Gregory but had acted irrationally due to brain damage from the oxygen deprivation. As such, his defense attorney, Robert Hammond, had encouraged him to plead insanity in the case, known hereafter as "DL-6." Miles testified against him, as did Gregory's "ghost," channeled through spirit medium Misty Fey. However, even though Yanni was acquitted, his life was permanently destroyed due to the social stigma of "insanity." Misty's life was also ruined, as the outcome of the case branded spirit mediums as "frauds;" she went into hiding, effectively abandoning her two daughters. Her elder daughter, Mia, later chose to study law in order to seek the truth of why she disappeared. Miles' childhood friend Phoenix Wright also eventually chose to study law in an attempt to contact him. But perhaps the one who was most directly influenced by Gregory's murder was Miles Edgeworth himself, and not just because he lost his father.
After von Karma returned from his "vacation," he took in Miles to raise him to become a prosecutor along with his younger daughter Franziska. It is speculated that his motivation for doing so was to completely destroy the Edgeworth legacy, not only twisting the boy into the opposite of his defense attorney father, but also to eventually ruin him later in life.
Little is known of this family's relationship between DL-6 and case 1-4, nor is it stated whether von Karma's elder daughter was still in the household at the time. However, it is known that Franziska considered Miles as her "little brother," despite his being several years older than she was. She also referred to her father as "Papa," implying at least a nominal family bond between them. Both children admired and looked up to von Karma, aspiring to follow in his footsteps. He rigorously trained them both in his ruthless prosecuting methods, passing on his philosophy of perfection in all things at all costs. When Franziska turned the age of thirteen, she left the household to start her career in Germany as a prosecutor. Miles started practicing law in Los Angeles at the age of twenty and had apparently left the von Karma household at that time, as well.
By 2016, the DL-6 case was still declared as "unsolved," as no one had been convicted for Gregory's murder. Yanni Yogi had disappeared after his acquittal, living incognito as a senile boat shop caretaker. As part of his plan to destroy Miles, von Karma located Yanni and anonymously sent him a package containing a gun and a handwritten letter. The letter ordered Yanni to "get his revenge" on the two men who had ruined his life (Miles and Robert Hammond), as this would be his "last chance" to do so (the fifteen-year statute of limitations on the case quickly drawing near). The note also contained meticulously detailed and complex instructions on how to carry out the revenge.
On December 25, 2016, just three days before the statute of limitations would expire, Yanni followed the instructions, inviting Miles to meet with him on a boat at Gourd Lake at midnight, under the guise of Robert Hammond. He also arranged a meeting with Hammond at his boathouse just before the meeting with Miles, killing the defense attorney and assuming his identity. Later, on the boat with Miles, he fired the gun twice and jumped into the lake. It was so foggy that Miles was unsure of exactly what had happened; he thought that Hammond had perhaps committed suicide. Yanni swam back to the boathouse to dump Hammond's body into the lake and to call the police to arrest Miles.
The trial for Hammond's murder (the 1-4 case) commenced the following day, with "rookie defense lawyer" Phoenix Wright defending Miles, along with Misty Fey's younger daughter Maya. And the prosecutor for this case was none other than von Karma, who did not intend to show any mercy towards his former student. The trial lasted three days, much longer than von Karma had anticipated due to some unexpected discoveries on the defense team's part, as well as a surprise witness who effectively reversed Miles' guilty verdict on the second day of the trial.
However, von Karma had already planned for the possibility that Miles might not be found guilty for Hammond's murder. Having raised and mentored the boy -- and knowing all along that Miles believed himself to be his own father's killer -- von Karma was all too aware of Miles' guilty conscience and plotted to use that to trap him. On the day before the trial's end (and the day before the DL-6's statute of limitations would expire), he went to the police station to retrieve and destroy all of the DL-6 evidence. There, he ran into Phoenix and Maya, who showed him the very letter he had written Yanni. Using a taser, he knocked out the defense team and took away the letter -- but not before Maya had quickly grabbed a piece of evidence he was carrying, the bullet that had killed Gregory.
On the third and final day of the trial, Yanni confessed to murdering Hammond, and it seemed that Miles was free. Curiously, von Karma did not object to Miles' "not guilty" verdict, nor did he seem to mind his first ever court loss. This was because he knew that just moments later, the young man would immediately confess to having killed his father fifteen years earlier. von Karma was not disappointed.
Because the statute of limitations for DL-6 would expire on that day, von Karma proposed that they hold a trial immediately, agreeing to "do this one by the book" though it was "unconventional" for him. What he didn't realize was that Phoenix and Maya were extraordinarily talented at thinking outside of the box... not to mention that Maya held the very piece of DL-6 evidence that would prove to be his undoing. Using a metal detector, they discovered that the other bullet fired from the same gun was still in his right shoulder, then ordered him to have it surgically removed. He then emitted a scream, the same one that Miles had remembered from his nightmares. Cornered, von Karma repeatedly banged his head against the wall and confessed to the murder. After regaining composure, he made one last order of the Judge: "Bring an end to this miserable charade!" After fifteen years, the DL-6 case was finally solved, but not in the way von Karma had anticipated nor wanted.
It is unclear as to what happened to him afterwards. According to Phoenix during the State vs. Miney case in June 2017, von Karma had stood trial for the murder of Gregory Edgeworth. However, although Phoenix didn't come right out and say it, he and Maya also implied that the fallen prosecutor was already dead by then. They said things to Franziska such as, "It won't bring your father back," and "Your father's gone." At a later date, during the third game, Phoenix went so far as to say that von Karma was "gone from this world." If he was indeed supposed to be dead, it is also uncertain as to whether he was executed or if he had died from another cause. For the purposes of Damned, I have followed the assumption that he was indeed executed.
Former Landel's History
Right after he received the lethal injection, he suddenly found himself at Landel's Institute. Understandably, he was disoriented and unsettled from this sudden change in circumstance for which he had no way to prepare. His attending nurse explained that his real name was "Karl Fuchs," and that his family had admitted him to this hospital for dementia. Refusing to believe this, von Karma demanded that she tell him the truth, only to have her threaten to sedate him if he failed to calm down. Making the pretense of humoring her, he grudgingly agreed to let her take him to the cafeteria for lunch.
There, he met a young blond man (Luxord) whom he unwittingly antagonized, due to his irritable mood from all of these unexpected occurrences. During their brief exchange, von Karma learned some basic information about the Institute, which he immediately rejected because it all sounded ludicrous to him. After lunch, the nurse sent him to the Sun Room, but after glancing over the notes on the bulletin board, he realized that his former student Miles, Phoenix Wright, and Detective Dick Gumshoe were about to have a meeting in there. He immediately demanded that his nurse take him elsewhere, and she directed him to the Courtyard, where he met Mousse. That meeting started poorly, as it had with Luxord, but seemed to show promise as soon as the young boy hinted that he might have information to share. Unfortunately, before he could tell the older man anything useful, he smothered von Karma in intense emotion over his beloved Shampoo, much to von Karma's dismay.
von Karma was relieved when the nurse came to take him to his room for dinner. He then met his roommate, Javert, with whom he would make a short-lived alliance. The prosecutor got along well with the respectable gentleman, discovering that they were of surprisingly similar minds towards the Institute. Before the Head Doctor interrupted their discussion to herald the approach of night, von Karma learned several concrete bits of information that he would later look into.
Though von Karma only managed to travel a short distance from his room that first night, it was nevertheless very eventful for him. First, just as he stepped out into the main hallway, he encountered his very own former student, Miles Edgeworth, who insisted that he was dead. Not wanting to give into the bizarre notions that seemed to plague the denizens of this Institute, von Karma argued with Miles over the concept of circumstantial evidence and reality. Just as von Karma realized that he was losing to his own dratted student, he saw his first concrete proof that the patients had been right: a monstrous scorpion suddenly skittered into the hallway. Just as he had his epiphany, two more of his enemies, Phoenix Wright and Detective Gumshoe, appeared on the scene. After a brief flurry of confused actions from all parties, as well as a narrowly-missed attack by the scorpion, von Karma escaped back to the hallway whence he came, but not before he made a grand parting shot: "Ha! The creature is now all yours to deal with, fools!" Exhausted, he barely made it back to his room, where he remained the rest of the night to brood over the intense humiliation he had just suffered and to vow to make the three men pay for it.
The next day, most of the patients left the Institute for a day trip to Doyleton. Due to his appearing "ill," von Karma's nurse ordered him to stay behind and rest. He eagerly awaited the return of his roommate, as he wanted Javert to elaborate on some of the information he had received the previous day. Javert was surprisingly amenable to this, not only allowing von Karma to copy his map but also providing sensitive details about the M-U experiments. He unwittingly gave von Karma what might possibly be the most valuable psychological weapon against Miles: the knowledge of Gregory's voice residing in the boy's head.
As soon as night arrived, von Karma made his preparations to set out to make Miles pay for the previous night's debacle. He carefully crept down the hallways alone, passed through the Recreational Field without incident, and obtained some items from the Activities Shed. He then searched for Miles, only to find the boy in the first hallway he went through. After taunting his former student and holding his ground more successfully this time, he immediately seized the first open opportunity he had to strike at the boy with his bat. Due to interference from his shoulder wound and Miles' suddenly moving aside, von Karma missed his original target (Miles' head); instead, through a stroke of irony, he broke Miles' right shoulder. Vowing to make his next strike the final one, von Karma was suddenly stymied by the same rookie defense lawyer who had sent him to prison. After a brief struggle with Phoenix, von Karma had lost both his weapon and his control over the situation. Unarmed and wearied, he decided to return to his room -- but as he did so, he hurled emotional blackmail and death threats against Miles and Phoenix.
The remainder of the night was uneventful, as he did not encounter any other immediate hazards on his way back to his room. He stopped at the Activities Shed to pick up another bat and to rest for a few minutes, then returned to his room. There, he reflected upon all that had happened and decided that he would need to lie low for some time and to plot even more extensively in order to make good on his promise to Miles and Phoenix. He eventually drifted off to sleep, vanishing without a trace before dawn.
Personality
The most important thing to know about von Karma is that he is a "perfectionist in all things." According to Miles, this includes the courtroom and his personal life. Thus, he didn't strive for convictions in every case necessarily out of malice towards the defendants, regardless of how sadistic and ruthless he appears to be; he had a deep-seated emotional need to maintain a perfect court win record, even if this meant harming innocents in the process. Also, he will do his damnedest to vanquish anything he perceives as a weakness or "imperfection." It is highly important to him that he maintain the image of physical and mental strength and flawlessness, even if he is the only one who really cares about it.
However, I do not see him as being the "obsessive-compulsive" type that others might regard him as, at least in the traditional sense (although I can see him as a health-conscious "neat freak"). Nitpicky details don't seem to matter to him nearly as much as the outcome, so long as he has planned for it and perhaps has come to grips with the consequences. For example, one would expect him to throw a tantrum over having lost the initial trial against Miles, since that was the first formal loss ever on his court record. (After all, he did have a minor public screaming fit over not being able to win the trial in under three minutes.) But such was not the case. He had probably mentally prepared himself for this outcome beforehand, deciding that the end result of destroying Miles was far more important in the grand scheme of things. He certainly did not expect to have it backfire as strongly as it did, though.
He can be very detail-oriented in the sense that he examines situations and problems from all angles, making sure that no margin for error exists in whatever solution or plot he conjures up. He takes his time to do extensive research and to prepare for his trials. He tries to ensure that every possibility can be accounted for, such that he can be assured of yet another win in court. Thus, he does not deal very well with something unplanned or unexpected happening. But because he is so well-prepared, this rarely happens; it was only by a few serendipitous occurrences and flashes of insight on Phoenix and Maya's part that they were able to break through von Karma's otherwise impenetrable schemes.
He is not a sociable person and seems to be uninterested in anything other than professional and/or opportunistic relationships. He often comes across as narcissistic and arrogant, appearing to think that most people are not worth his valuable time unless he can use them to his advantage in some way. While he may care deep down on some level about his daughters and granddaughter, I don't see him as being capable of outwardly showing affection or love towards them. Franziska actually seemed to care more about her "little brother" on an emotional level than for "Papa." She once admired her father and was concerned with carrying on the von Karma name, but the impression I got from her was that he had neglected her emotional needs in favor of priming her as an heiress to the family legacy.
He is very taciturn and not fond of speaking unless necessary. Pointless small talk and idle chitchat annoy him. Often, he takes a while to reply to a question, silently reflecting upon how he will respond... if at all. He is not one to speak -- or, for that matter, act -- impulsively. The only exception seems to be during the defense attorney's cross-examination of the witness, when he will sometimes be deliberately quick to interrupt with an objection, usually in an attempt to intimidate both the defense attorney and witness to keep quiet.
Rather than showing traditional charisma, he tends to come across as impatient and demanding, even verbally abrasive and insulting at times. He likes to punctuate his orders with an impressive finger snap. When mocking someone, he might waggle his finger at him or her in a condescending fashion. This is his means of persuading others into following his wishes and allowing him to get his way. It usually works quite well on easily intimidated people, such as the Judge and most witnesses, but a tough-minded person might not succumb so easily to these tactics.
Due to his perfectionist tendencies, he has a very strong work ethic and can even be considered something of a "workaholic." He spends as much time as possible on preparing for cases and is loath to take any unnecessary time off from work, lest he miss out on an opportunity for yet another victory in court. However, "work ethic" is not to be confused for general ethical behavior in his case. While he claims to despise criminals, he has resorted to criminal behavior himself just to help ensure his perfect win record. He also imposes an unfair double standard upon others in terms of burden of proof, requiring the defense team to back up each of their claims with irrefutable evidence while demanding that they blindly accept his tampered evidence and his witnesses' dubious testimony. He is aware of his own hypocrisy but does not allow it to affect him adversely because that would disrupt his ability to do his work "perfectly."
He generally appears to be unemotional with an unruffled, cool facade much of the time. His outward expressions usually range from annoyance to wicked amusement. It seems to be very difficult, if not impossible, to really faze him, and one could say that he is the proverbial "tough nut to crack." However, he has shown that when provoked enough or otherwise caught off guard (particularly when confronted with his own weaknesses or imperfections), he can display some very intense emotions, especially rage. When this happens, his behavior can be irrational, "crazy," and even dangerous.
Physical Description
He is of average height and build, standing just a bit below 5'10" (although his formidable presence may make him seem taller than that) and bearing a broad-shouldered and trim physique. His court attire appears to be anachronistic for the twenty-first century, resembling Victorian or Colonial American dress. It consists of a high-collared white shirt covered by a black (or purple, in the official art) waistcoat with gold trim, a large royal blue blazer with a high black collar and elegantly-designed lapels, royal blue pants, and black shoes. His accessories include a frilly cravat fastened around his neck by a turquoise brooch, and matching turquoise earrings on each earlobe. Although one of the official art pictures of him shows him using a cane, I think that is more for show than for necessity, as we don't see him using it in the game.
His skin is very pale and bears many lines of age. He has an elongated face with high cheekbones and a strong, aquiline nose. His nearly shoulder-length straight silver-gray hair is worn slicked back. But as striking as these features are, they cannot compare to his eyes, which are set beneath fine eyebrows that are steeply arched as though in a permanent scowl. His gaze is like steel: deep gray, cold, and hard. Whether he is glaring or smirking at someone, his intense and direct eye contact can be disquieting to the one receiving it.
Skills and Abilities
He has genius-level intelligence and is a very cunning and thorough problem-solver. His courtroom skills and persuasive powers are formidable. Furthermore, he is very well educated, and he is fluent in both German (his native language) and English. He is also skilled with small firearms and stun guns.
Despite his somewhat frail appearance due to age, he is actually physically stronger and quicker than he looks. He was able to launch a rather quick attack upon Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey with his taser (never mind that Maya was quicker; he was still able to subdue Phoenix before the young lawyer could escape). Given that he has presumably been in good health despite having a bullet in his shoulder for fifteen years, he has a high level of physical constitution. However, due to the effects of age, he has much less stamina than he used to, and so he tends to tire more quickly.
He has no magical, supernatural, or otherwise "inhuman" skills or abilities of any kind.
Basic Information
Series: Ace Attorney/Gyakuten Saiban
Series' Medium: Video game series only
Character you're applying for: Manfred von Karma (reapplication with intact memories from last time)
Character's role in their canon: All-around bad guy. Also, he was a prosecutor up until he was found guilty of murder, and he was Miles Edgeworth's mentor and foster father as well.
Character's age: 65
Character's gender: Male
Character's "Real Name": "Karl Fuchs"
Taken from: The time of his execution, which is assumed to have occurred between cases 1-4 and 2-2.
Canon History
Much of Manfred von Karma's personal history is not explained in canon, although one of his actions had long-term, far-reaching consequences, influencing most of the events in the series. One could even say that "all roads lead to DL-6," as I will explain later.
He was born in 1951. It is not stated who raised him nor specifically where he was born and raised, but it is implied that he originated from Germany and was raised in a rather grand family estate. Although it is unknown where he studied law or even how or why he decided to go into criminal law, he started his career at the age of twenty-five and worked in Los Angeles, CA, as a public prosecutor.
Little is known of most of his family, but he is the father of Franziska von Karma, born in 1999, whom he raised to become a prosecutor like himself. He also mentioned that he had a seven-year-old granddaughter. Franziska was too young at the time of the case to be the grandchild's mother, so it follows that she had an older sibling who had a daughter. One of the fanbooks states that there was an older daughter, but it is not known what her name was or exactly how old she was, nor is the granddaughter's name mentioned. Furthermore, nothing is said of the girls' mother(s). The general fandom assumes that he was married at least once, but nothing in canon or the official fan works confirms that this had ever happened.
For forty years, he maintained a perfect court win record, until the events of the fourth case ("Turnabout Goodbyes") in the first game occurred (I will refer to the case in question as "1-4" hereafter for brevity's sake). During that time, he had gained prestige as a "god among prosecutors" and had repeatedly won the annual King of Prosecutors award. A perfectionist who prized his undefeated win record, he was not above resorting to unethical or even illegal means to win his cases -- it was very likely that at least some of the people he had gotten convicted were actually innocent of the crimes with which they were charged. His motto was, "Decisive evidence... A decisive witness... What else could possibly be required?" Yet his "decisive evidence" tended to be forged or tampered, and his "decisive witnesses" were practically brainwashed into saying only that which met his approval.
During the first twenty-five years of his career, he maintained a pristine court record until the events of December 28, 2001, which led to the well-known "DL-6" case. On that fateful day, he prosecuted a case defended by Gregory Edgeworth, Miles Edgeworth's father. Miles admired his father so much that he wanted to become a defense attorney when he grew up, so Gregory had brought the nine-year-old Miles to court that day to witness his work. Most of the specific details of the case are not described in canon, and von Karma claimed not to remember them during 1-4. However, the most important event during that trial is that Gregory had questioned von Karma's tactics of using faulty evidence, causing the prosecutor to receive a penalty even though he ultimately won the case anyway. This was the first and only penalty that von Karma had ever received in his entire forty-year career.
The Chief Prosecutor at the time censured von Karma, saying that the penalty had to stick in spite of having "covered for him in the past." His formerly perfect court record forever marred by that one penalty, von Karma became disoriented, mindlessly wandering the halls of the courthouse for hours until he arrived at the Court Records room. At that point, a large earthquake hit the city, causing part of the courthouse to collapse and the power to go out. Jolted back into full consciousness, he tried to escape the building, feeling his way towards a possible exit. He eventually reached an elevator and pushed the button, only to have nothing happen.
Suddenly, his right shoulder exploded in severe pain -- an errant bullet had struck him from within the elevator. What he did not know at the time was that his rival Gregory and son Miles were in the stalled elevator, along with bailiff Yanni Yogi. Just moments earlier, the two men had argued over the rapidly depleting oxygen in the elevator car, and a gun landed at Miles' feet. Hoping to stop the fight, the boy tossed it at the men. The gun accidentally discharged in the process, injuring von Karma, who was standing right outside the elevator.
Right afterwards, the power came back on, and the elevator door opened. By then, all three people inside had fallen unconscious from oxygen deprivation. Right at von Karma's feet was the gun that had shot him. Although he later claimed not to remember most defense attorneys ("They are like bugs to me. Needless things, to be crushed."), he instantly recognized the one who had dealt him his penalty earlier that day. He shot Gregory in the heart, did what he could to ensure that no clues existed to implicate him in the murder, then left the scene. He left the bullet in his shoulder because of the risk it would pose to him were it compared to the bullet retrieved from Gregory's heart. Instead, he took a six-month "vacation" to allow the injury to heal; this was the only personal time off that he would ever take.
This pivotal incident affected many lives. It was believed that Yanni Yogi had shot Gregory but had acted irrationally due to brain damage from the oxygen deprivation. As such, his defense attorney, Robert Hammond, had encouraged him to plead insanity in the case, known hereafter as "DL-6." Miles testified against him, as did Gregory's "ghost," channeled through spirit medium Misty Fey. However, even though Yanni was acquitted, his life was permanently destroyed due to the social stigma of "insanity." Misty's life was also ruined, as the outcome of the case branded spirit mediums as "frauds;" she went into hiding, effectively abandoning her two daughters. Her elder daughter, Mia, later chose to study law in order to seek the truth of why she disappeared. Miles' childhood friend Phoenix Wright also eventually chose to study law in an attempt to contact him. But perhaps the one who was most directly influenced by Gregory's murder was Miles Edgeworth himself, and not just because he lost his father.
After von Karma returned from his "vacation," he took in Miles to raise him to become a prosecutor along with his younger daughter Franziska. It is speculated that his motivation for doing so was to completely destroy the Edgeworth legacy, not only twisting the boy into the opposite of his defense attorney father, but also to eventually ruin him later in life.
Little is known of this family's relationship between DL-6 and case 1-4, nor is it stated whether von Karma's elder daughter was still in the household at the time. However, it is known that Franziska considered Miles as her "little brother," despite his being several years older than she was. She also referred to her father as "Papa," implying at least a nominal family bond between them. Both children admired and looked up to von Karma, aspiring to follow in his footsteps. He rigorously trained them both in his ruthless prosecuting methods, passing on his philosophy of perfection in all things at all costs. When Franziska turned the age of thirteen, she left the household to start her career in Germany as a prosecutor. Miles started practicing law in Los Angeles at the age of twenty and had apparently left the von Karma household at that time, as well.
By 2016, the DL-6 case was still declared as "unsolved," as no one had been convicted for Gregory's murder. Yanni Yogi had disappeared after his acquittal, living incognito as a senile boat shop caretaker. As part of his plan to destroy Miles, von Karma located Yanni and anonymously sent him a package containing a gun and a handwritten letter. The letter ordered Yanni to "get his revenge" on the two men who had ruined his life (Miles and Robert Hammond), as this would be his "last chance" to do so (the fifteen-year statute of limitations on the case quickly drawing near). The note also contained meticulously detailed and complex instructions on how to carry out the revenge.
On December 25, 2016, just three days before the statute of limitations would expire, Yanni followed the instructions, inviting Miles to meet with him on a boat at Gourd Lake at midnight, under the guise of Robert Hammond. He also arranged a meeting with Hammond at his boathouse just before the meeting with Miles, killing the defense attorney and assuming his identity. Later, on the boat with Miles, he fired the gun twice and jumped into the lake. It was so foggy that Miles was unsure of exactly what had happened; he thought that Hammond had perhaps committed suicide. Yanni swam back to the boathouse to dump Hammond's body into the lake and to call the police to arrest Miles.
The trial for Hammond's murder (the 1-4 case) commenced the following day, with "rookie defense lawyer" Phoenix Wright defending Miles, along with Misty Fey's younger daughter Maya. And the prosecutor for this case was none other than von Karma, who did not intend to show any mercy towards his former student. The trial lasted three days, much longer than von Karma had anticipated due to some unexpected discoveries on the defense team's part, as well as a surprise witness who effectively reversed Miles' guilty verdict on the second day of the trial.
However, von Karma had already planned for the possibility that Miles might not be found guilty for Hammond's murder. Having raised and mentored the boy -- and knowing all along that Miles believed himself to be his own father's killer -- von Karma was all too aware of Miles' guilty conscience and plotted to use that to trap him. On the day before the trial's end (and the day before the DL-6's statute of limitations would expire), he went to the police station to retrieve and destroy all of the DL-6 evidence. There, he ran into Phoenix and Maya, who showed him the very letter he had written Yanni. Using a taser, he knocked out the defense team and took away the letter -- but not before Maya had quickly grabbed a piece of evidence he was carrying, the bullet that had killed Gregory.
On the third and final day of the trial, Yanni confessed to murdering Hammond, and it seemed that Miles was free. Curiously, von Karma did not object to Miles' "not guilty" verdict, nor did he seem to mind his first ever court loss. This was because he knew that just moments later, the young man would immediately confess to having killed his father fifteen years earlier. von Karma was not disappointed.
Because the statute of limitations for DL-6 would expire on that day, von Karma proposed that they hold a trial immediately, agreeing to "do this one by the book" though it was "unconventional" for him. What he didn't realize was that Phoenix and Maya were extraordinarily talented at thinking outside of the box... not to mention that Maya held the very piece of DL-6 evidence that would prove to be his undoing. Using a metal detector, they discovered that the other bullet fired from the same gun was still in his right shoulder, then ordered him to have it surgically removed. He then emitted a scream, the same one that Miles had remembered from his nightmares. Cornered, von Karma repeatedly banged his head against the wall and confessed to the murder. After regaining composure, he made one last order of the Judge: "Bring an end to this miserable charade!" After fifteen years, the DL-6 case was finally solved, but not in the way von Karma had anticipated nor wanted.
It is unclear as to what happened to him afterwards. According to Phoenix during the State vs. Miney case in June 2017, von Karma had stood trial for the murder of Gregory Edgeworth. However, although Phoenix didn't come right out and say it, he and Maya also implied that the fallen prosecutor was already dead by then. They said things to Franziska such as, "It won't bring your father back," and "Your father's gone." At a later date, during the third game, Phoenix went so far as to say that von Karma was "gone from this world." If he was indeed supposed to be dead, it is also uncertain as to whether he was executed or if he had died from another cause. For the purposes of Damned, I have followed the assumption that he was indeed executed.
Former Landel's History
Right after he received the lethal injection, he suddenly found himself at Landel's Institute. Understandably, he was disoriented and unsettled from this sudden change in circumstance for which he had no way to prepare. His attending nurse explained that his real name was "Karl Fuchs," and that his family had admitted him to this hospital for dementia. Refusing to believe this, von Karma demanded that she tell him the truth, only to have her threaten to sedate him if he failed to calm down. Making the pretense of humoring her, he grudgingly agreed to let her take him to the cafeteria for lunch.
There, he met a young blond man (Luxord) whom he unwittingly antagonized, due to his irritable mood from all of these unexpected occurrences. During their brief exchange, von Karma learned some basic information about the Institute, which he immediately rejected because it all sounded ludicrous to him. After lunch, the nurse sent him to the Sun Room, but after glancing over the notes on the bulletin board, he realized that his former student Miles, Phoenix Wright, and Detective Dick Gumshoe were about to have a meeting in there. He immediately demanded that his nurse take him elsewhere, and she directed him to the Courtyard, where he met Mousse. That meeting started poorly, as it had with Luxord, but seemed to show promise as soon as the young boy hinted that he might have information to share. Unfortunately, before he could tell the older man anything useful, he smothered von Karma in intense emotion over his beloved Shampoo, much to von Karma's dismay.
von Karma was relieved when the nurse came to take him to his room for dinner. He then met his roommate, Javert, with whom he would make a short-lived alliance. The prosecutor got along well with the respectable gentleman, discovering that they were of surprisingly similar minds towards the Institute. Before the Head Doctor interrupted their discussion to herald the approach of night, von Karma learned several concrete bits of information that he would later look into.
Though von Karma only managed to travel a short distance from his room that first night, it was nevertheless very eventful for him. First, just as he stepped out into the main hallway, he encountered his very own former student, Miles Edgeworth, who insisted that he was dead. Not wanting to give into the bizarre notions that seemed to plague the denizens of this Institute, von Karma argued with Miles over the concept of circumstantial evidence and reality. Just as von Karma realized that he was losing to his own dratted student, he saw his first concrete proof that the patients had been right: a monstrous scorpion suddenly skittered into the hallway. Just as he had his epiphany, two more of his enemies, Phoenix Wright and Detective Gumshoe, appeared on the scene. After a brief flurry of confused actions from all parties, as well as a narrowly-missed attack by the scorpion, von Karma escaped back to the hallway whence he came, but not before he made a grand parting shot: "Ha! The creature is now all yours to deal with, fools!" Exhausted, he barely made it back to his room, where he remained the rest of the night to brood over the intense humiliation he had just suffered and to vow to make the three men pay for it.
The next day, most of the patients left the Institute for a day trip to Doyleton. Due to his appearing "ill," von Karma's nurse ordered him to stay behind and rest. He eagerly awaited the return of his roommate, as he wanted Javert to elaborate on some of the information he had received the previous day. Javert was surprisingly amenable to this, not only allowing von Karma to copy his map but also providing sensitive details about the M-U experiments. He unwittingly gave von Karma what might possibly be the most valuable psychological weapon against Miles: the knowledge of Gregory's voice residing in the boy's head.
As soon as night arrived, von Karma made his preparations to set out to make Miles pay for the previous night's debacle. He carefully crept down the hallways alone, passed through the Recreational Field without incident, and obtained some items from the Activities Shed. He then searched for Miles, only to find the boy in the first hallway he went through. After taunting his former student and holding his ground more successfully this time, he immediately seized the first open opportunity he had to strike at the boy with his bat. Due to interference from his shoulder wound and Miles' suddenly moving aside, von Karma missed his original target (Miles' head); instead, through a stroke of irony, he broke Miles' right shoulder. Vowing to make his next strike the final one, von Karma was suddenly stymied by the same rookie defense lawyer who had sent him to prison. After a brief struggle with Phoenix, von Karma had lost both his weapon and his control over the situation. Unarmed and wearied, he decided to return to his room -- but as he did so, he hurled emotional blackmail and death threats against Miles and Phoenix.
The remainder of the night was uneventful, as he did not encounter any other immediate hazards on his way back to his room. He stopped at the Activities Shed to pick up another bat and to rest for a few minutes, then returned to his room. There, he reflected upon all that had happened and decided that he would need to lie low for some time and to plot even more extensively in order to make good on his promise to Miles and Phoenix. He eventually drifted off to sleep, vanishing without a trace before dawn.
Personality
The most important thing to know about von Karma is that he is a "perfectionist in all things." According to Miles, this includes the courtroom and his personal life. Thus, he didn't strive for convictions in every case necessarily out of malice towards the defendants, regardless of how sadistic and ruthless he appears to be; he had a deep-seated emotional need to maintain a perfect court win record, even if this meant harming innocents in the process. Also, he will do his damnedest to vanquish anything he perceives as a weakness or "imperfection." It is highly important to him that he maintain the image of physical and mental strength and flawlessness, even if he is the only one who really cares about it.
However, I do not see him as being the "obsessive-compulsive" type that others might regard him as, at least in the traditional sense (although I can see him as a health-conscious "neat freak"). Nitpicky details don't seem to matter to him nearly as much as the outcome, so long as he has planned for it and perhaps has come to grips with the consequences. For example, one would expect him to throw a tantrum over having lost the initial trial against Miles, since that was the first formal loss ever on his court record. (After all, he did have a minor public screaming fit over not being able to win the trial in under three minutes.) But such was not the case. He had probably mentally prepared himself for this outcome beforehand, deciding that the end result of destroying Miles was far more important in the grand scheme of things. He certainly did not expect to have it backfire as strongly as it did, though.
He can be very detail-oriented in the sense that he examines situations and problems from all angles, making sure that no margin for error exists in whatever solution or plot he conjures up. He takes his time to do extensive research and to prepare for his trials. He tries to ensure that every possibility can be accounted for, such that he can be assured of yet another win in court. Thus, he does not deal very well with something unplanned or unexpected happening. But because he is so well-prepared, this rarely happens; it was only by a few serendipitous occurrences and flashes of insight on Phoenix and Maya's part that they were able to break through von Karma's otherwise impenetrable schemes.
He is not a sociable person and seems to be uninterested in anything other than professional and/or opportunistic relationships. He often comes across as narcissistic and arrogant, appearing to think that most people are not worth his valuable time unless he can use them to his advantage in some way. While he may care deep down on some level about his daughters and granddaughter, I don't see him as being capable of outwardly showing affection or love towards them. Franziska actually seemed to care more about her "little brother" on an emotional level than for "Papa." She once admired her father and was concerned with carrying on the von Karma name, but the impression I got from her was that he had neglected her emotional needs in favor of priming her as an heiress to the family legacy.
He is very taciturn and not fond of speaking unless necessary. Pointless small talk and idle chitchat annoy him. Often, he takes a while to reply to a question, silently reflecting upon how he will respond... if at all. He is not one to speak -- or, for that matter, act -- impulsively. The only exception seems to be during the defense attorney's cross-examination of the witness, when he will sometimes be deliberately quick to interrupt with an objection, usually in an attempt to intimidate both the defense attorney and witness to keep quiet.
Rather than showing traditional charisma, he tends to come across as impatient and demanding, even verbally abrasive and insulting at times. He likes to punctuate his orders with an impressive finger snap. When mocking someone, he might waggle his finger at him or her in a condescending fashion. This is his means of persuading others into following his wishes and allowing him to get his way. It usually works quite well on easily intimidated people, such as the Judge and most witnesses, but a tough-minded person might not succumb so easily to these tactics.
Due to his perfectionist tendencies, he has a very strong work ethic and can even be considered something of a "workaholic." He spends as much time as possible on preparing for cases and is loath to take any unnecessary time off from work, lest he miss out on an opportunity for yet another victory in court. However, "work ethic" is not to be confused for general ethical behavior in his case. While he claims to despise criminals, he has resorted to criminal behavior himself just to help ensure his perfect win record. He also imposes an unfair double standard upon others in terms of burden of proof, requiring the defense team to back up each of their claims with irrefutable evidence while demanding that they blindly accept his tampered evidence and his witnesses' dubious testimony. He is aware of his own hypocrisy but does not allow it to affect him adversely because that would disrupt his ability to do his work "perfectly."
He generally appears to be unemotional with an unruffled, cool facade much of the time. His outward expressions usually range from annoyance to wicked amusement. It seems to be very difficult, if not impossible, to really faze him, and one could say that he is the proverbial "tough nut to crack." However, he has shown that when provoked enough or otherwise caught off guard (particularly when confronted with his own weaknesses or imperfections), he can display some very intense emotions, especially rage. When this happens, his behavior can be irrational, "crazy," and even dangerous.
Physical Description
He is of average height and build, standing just a bit below 5'10" (although his formidable presence may make him seem taller than that) and bearing a broad-shouldered and trim physique. His court attire appears to be anachronistic for the twenty-first century, resembling Victorian or Colonial American dress. It consists of a high-collared white shirt covered by a black (or purple, in the official art) waistcoat with gold trim, a large royal blue blazer with a high black collar and elegantly-designed lapels, royal blue pants, and black shoes. His accessories include a frilly cravat fastened around his neck by a turquoise brooch, and matching turquoise earrings on each earlobe. Although one of the official art pictures of him shows him using a cane, I think that is more for show than for necessity, as we don't see him using it in the game.
His skin is very pale and bears many lines of age. He has an elongated face with high cheekbones and a strong, aquiline nose. His nearly shoulder-length straight silver-gray hair is worn slicked back. But as striking as these features are, they cannot compare to his eyes, which are set beneath fine eyebrows that are steeply arched as though in a permanent scowl. His gaze is like steel: deep gray, cold, and hard. Whether he is glaring or smirking at someone, his intense and direct eye contact can be disquieting to the one receiving it.
Skills and Abilities
He has genius-level intelligence and is a very cunning and thorough problem-solver. His courtroom skills and persuasive powers are formidable. Furthermore, he is very well educated, and he is fluent in both German (his native language) and English. He is also skilled with small firearms and stun guns.
Despite his somewhat frail appearance due to age, he is actually physically stronger and quicker than he looks. He was able to launch a rather quick attack upon Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey with his taser (never mind that Maya was quicker; he was still able to subdue Phoenix before the young lawyer could escape). Given that he has presumably been in good health despite having a bullet in his shoulder for fifteen years, he has a high level of physical constitution. However, due to the effects of age, he has much less stamina than he used to, and so he tends to tire more quickly.
He has no magical, supernatural, or otherwise "inhuman" skills or abilities of any kind.