Godot (Ace Attorney)

Godot (ゴドー) is a fictional character in the Ace Attorney series. He is a prosecutor, appearing only in the third game in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. He has tanned skin, white hair, and an electronic visor. He drinks a large quantity of coffee, often drinking 17 cups in court a day. The name Godot is a combination of the last syllables of his original name (Diego Armando).

Design
Godot is voiced by Hideki Kamiya in the Japanese version of Trials and Tribulations, and by James C. Wilson in the English version. In a recent interview with Japanese Entertainment website Nihongogo, Ace Attorney art director Tatsuro Iwamoto revealed Godot's visual appearance was based on Roy Batty played by Rutger Hauer in the movie Blade Runner. Godot is said to be based on the eponymous character from Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot. In his Godot design, he wears a white tie with a striped vest over a green shirt, along with black sleeve garters. He also wears black slacks and black shoes as well. Most noticeable of his attire is an electronic visor adorned over his eyes, with a silver shell and three red lines going across it. He has tanned skin, white hair, and light facial hair. As Diego, he wears similar clothing; the differences being that his tie is black and his suit is red. Additionally, he lacks the visor and has dark hair. In both incarnations, he enjoys coffee and drinks it from a mug during a trial.

Appearances
Godot appears in the second episode of Trials and Tribulations as the prosecuting attorney, swearing revenge against protagonist Phoenix Wright and purposely mispronouncing his last name as "Trite" instead of "Wright" (Maruhodou in Japanese, for Naruhodou). He is defeated twice in this episode, and again in the third episode. In the fourth episode, a defense by the name of Diego Armando (神乃木 荘龍) accompanies defense attorney Mia Fey as she defends a person accused of murder. He has brown hair and drinks coffee. Mia and Armando developed a short-lived romance together. He is eventually revealed to be Godot, and that he was put into a coma by Dahlia Hawthorne, who poisoned him. When he awoke from his coma five years later, he was nearly blind, his hair pure white, and Mia Fey was deceased. He donned the visor that he wears as a result, changing his name to Godot, and becoming a prosecuting attorney in order to get revenge on Phoenix for failing to protect her as well as protect Mia's younger sister, Maya Fey. In the fifth episode, his identity is revealed as Armando, and it is revealed that he killed the children's book author Elise Deauxnim, the name Mia and Maya's mother, Misty Fey, adopts, in order to save Maya from Dahlia, who was channeled into Misty's body. After the trial, Godot shares one last cup of coffee with Wright and they both state it was the best coffee they have ever had. In addition, Godot pronounces Wright's name correctly for the first time. Wright becomes upset that he was unable to save Godot, but Mia, being channeled by Pearl Fey, assures him he saved Godot in a way that had nothing to do with living or dying.

Godot, along with Franziska von Karma and Miles Edgeworth, appears as cards in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3's Heroes and Heralds Mode, along with an alternate costume for Phoenix Wright based on his outfit.

Reception
Godot's appearance in Trials and Tribulations has been met with highly positive reception, stated by Game Informer that some believe him to be the "best prosecutor in the series." A coffee mug based on Godot's was made by Capcom for sale. GameZone editor Marissa Meli called Godot "one of the more memorable characters in the series," comparing his visor to that of Star Trek: The Next Generation character Geordi La Forge. GameDaily listed him as the 21st best Capcom character, stating that he is one of Phoenix's "most feared opponents," citing his "high level of confidence" and his "electronic Cyclops-ish visor." In another article, they state that Godot has a "place in [their] heart." NGamer UK editor Matthew Castle praised Godot as "brilliant," stating that his "quiet coffee sipping approach and woozy jazz theme" was a "breath of fresh air" compared to the prosecutor from the previous game, Franziska von Karma. Nintendo World Report editor Michael Cole commented that while Godot does not hold up to Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth, his "rugged, confident attitude and biting retorts" were superior to Franziska's "shallow ramblings." Similarly, Game Informer editor Bryan Vore commented that Shi-Long Lang, a detective from Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, was not as good as previous opponents in the series, including Godot. Adventure Gamers editor Kim Wild commented that Klavier Gavin, a prosecutor from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, had less presence than Godot, whilst Castle noted in his review of Apollo Justice that Klavier wowed him as much as Godot did.

1UP.com editor Jenn Frank described Godot as a "philosophical, coffee-house hipster, with facial hair like a Backstreet Boy." Fellow 1UP.com editor Ryan Scott described him as a "sharply dressed, coffee-guzzling pop philosopher with an ax to grind," adding that he is "easily the best character in the entire series." GameSpot editor Aaron Thomas commented that amongst new characters in Trials and Tribulations, Godot and Hawthorne were amongst the only good characters, Thomas specifically calling Godot "one of the best new characters in the game." Destructoid editor Colette Bennett described him as a "cross between an anime villain and a control freak." RPGFan editor Dennis Rubinshteyn called him the best new character in Trials and Tribulations. Fellow RPGFan editor Patrick Gann stated that the things that Godot did with his coffee cup during the trials were his favourite animations in the Phoenix Wright trilogy of Ace Attorney games. RPGFan also discussed his theme, describing it as the "softest and most jazz-influenced piece" in the "Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album ~Gyakuten Meets Orchestra~" soundtrack. In another soundtrack, Gann stated that Godot's theme is one of the most impressive of the soundtrack.