Rivals

Phoenix Wright's most famous prosecutor rival is Miles Edgeworth. Phoenix and Miles Edgeworth have a deep history together, which few of the other characters know about, and in a way, they're not truly rivals. Edgeworth is being cold and distant on purpose to protect Phoenix, so Phoenix won't get caught up in his own messes. However, of course, Miles Edgeworth is not the only prosecutor Phoenix ever battled against in the courtroom. There are many others yearning to beat Phoenix in trial, the rookie who never lost a case.

Winston Payne

This older, balding prosecutor is known as the "Rookie Killer" and prides himself on defeating new up and coming attornies in court. Of course, we have to wonder if that nickname is self proclaimed because he has never beaten Phoenix yet! Payne would act confident and arrogant while he is battling it out against Phoenix, but when it comes to the end of the trial, the victor is Phoenix, walking away with a "Not Guilty" verdict for his client. In the end, Payne will start crumbling and end up shocked (mouth wide open, arms flailing) that a novice beat him, his reputation 'destroyed'. Every time. He really ought to get used to Phoenix beating him by now.

Payne is a minor rival of Phoenix's, and usually only shows up in the first cases of each game before the 'main prosecutor' does. Mia Fey also battled it out against Payne once and won as well. This has led many to think Payne is just a really lacking prosecutor who thinks highly of himself.

Franziska von Karma

She is a very young (only 18!) progidy prosecutor from Germany who has come to America with only one purpose: to defeat Phoenix Wright in the courts! She, like her father before her (who was also a prosecutor, Manfred von Karma), has a perfect win record and will do anything she can to uphold that. She has a deep grudge against Phoenix because Phoenix was the one who broke her father's perfect win record, and sent her father to jail when he revealed some crimes Manfred committed fifteen years ago. So Franziska actually has a reason to hate Phoenix.

It really shows in court too. She's rather ruthless and not afraid to speak her mind to anyone, even against the judge. She is famous for cracking her whip, and she seems most happy when she's cracking her whip at Phoenix.

As unlikely as it seems, Phoenix and Franziska do end up learning to co-operate; that prosecutors and defense attornies must work together to uncover the truth while in trial. She even flies in from Germany to help Phoenix look for clues as to where Maya could be when Maya mysteriously disappears in a temple.

Godot

Godot becomes Phoenix's main rival later on in his career. Godot is very mysterious because while Phoenix could kind of figure out why previous prosecutors disliked him, he can't figure out why Godot despises him so much! There appears to be no information about Godot at all, it's as if this prosecutor appeared out of thin air. The only thing he really knows about him is that he is a terrible coffee addict and enjoys using metaphors that relate to coffee.

Godot has very little respect for Phoenix. Godot doesn't even call Phoenix by his proper name (no respect there); instead Godot likes to mock him by calling him Mr. Trite. Godot is very smug and looks down on Phoenix quite often. It really is quite perplexing for Phoenix because he was used to prosecutors disliking him and having grudges against him, but never before has one hated him so much for merely existing!

The truth is, Godot was actually a defense attorney named Diego Armando years ago. He was Mia Fey's (Phoenix's mentor) lover, but fell into a coma when Dahlia Hawthorne poisoned him. When he awoke from his coma years later, he found out Mia was already dead and the only person who could have protected her at the time, didn't. That person was Phoenix, and that is why Godot hates Phoenix so much. Godot never really forgives Phoenix, although he realizes later on he was just very frustrated to lose Mia, and blamed himself for not being there to protect the one he loves.

Klavier Gavin

Klavier has only been Phoenix's opponent once in court, but once was all he needed. Unlike previous prosecutors, this is the one prosecutor Phoenix could not defeat. Klavier defeated Phoenix in a way much different from winning a guilty verdict -- he took Phoenix's defense attorney badge away, ending his career!

To be fair, Klavier had no idea that things would end up that way, and was merely being set up, along with Phoenix, by Klavier's older brother, Kristoph. Klavier was the last prosecutor Phoenix ever faced. Phoenix doesn't seem to harbour any ill feelings against Klavier, though Klavier felt awful about what happened once the cat was let out of the bag.