Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright (INFP)

While popular opinion for Phoenix Wright appears to be ENTP or even ENFP, he actually seems more inline with an INFP.

Fi:

“Because someone has to look out for the people who have no one on their side. I know…I’ve been there. A long, long time ago.”

“Why must we make up for our mistakes, you ask? Because in so doing, we can find the way back to our rightful path. And it is from there that we can move on toward a brighter future.”

“It’s time that I start on a new journey of my own. A journey to rediscover myself.”

“To think your motivation for prosecuting trials was so selfish…”

“The courtroom is not a personal battlefield for prosecutors and lawyers. I stand in the courtroom to defend my client. …To save their lives. …Those who think only of their own ego-driven goals… Those kind of prosecutors are reprehensible to me.”

“Even if the whole world turns against me, this is one fight I can’t give up on.”

“I can’t count on the evidence to help me anymore. I have to listen to my heart!”

Phoenix Wright appears to be an Fi dominant. He has a strong focus on personal values, and uses those to guide him in his career. He’s the type to keep fighting for what he believes no matter how bad it looks and how unlikely he is to win. Wright specifically chooses to become a lawyer in order to defend the innocent, and those who have no one else to help them. As a result, he judges Edgeworth for his actions as a prosecutor, seeing them as selfish and ego-driven. He and Edgeworth clash on numerous occasions over this difference in values.

In addition, Wright struggles greatly at the prospect of defending someone who might be guilty. We see this during the case where he defends Engarde. Wright learns partway through that Endgarde is, in fact, guilty, and feels greatly conflicted as a result. He says, “I can’t fight for a false verdict — for a man I clearly know to be guilty.” Edgeworth eventually ends up teaching him that even the guilty deserve a proper defense.

Wright has a focus on empathy and emotions, which further supports being a feeler. He’s sensitive to the emotions of others, often seen empathizing with his clients and friends. He makes comments such as, “No one is as sad as a person without any friends.” Edgeworth even refers to him as an “insufferable emotionalist.” We also see him do things like, for instance, trying to lie to protect Maya’s feelings.

Wright tends to reference his own personal experiences in order to empathize, which is common for Fi users. For instance, we often see him reference his experience as a kid when the entire classroom turned against him. He uses that as a means to empathize with those who have no one to defend them. Wright also makes references to following his heart, and going on a journey of self-discovery, which often ties back to Fi as well.

Ne:

“Nameless flowers bloom in solitude. They probably have a proper name… But it is not for me to know. Not now, nor ever till the end of my days. … I need a vacation.”

“Do you have anything to support such a preposterous idea?” – Edgeworth

“Well, you know my strategy. Speak first, think later!”

“For the benefit of the defense, I’m willing to play along with his ‘what if’ game.” – Edgeworth about Wright

“It hardly seems likely that the coffee the waitress served would contain it, either! But it did! The possibility is undeniable!”

“I bet he’s just making that up, like how Nick does with everything in court.” – Maya

Wright appears to be an Ne users. A large part of his strategy is based on guesswork, and considering all of the possibilities in order to find the right one that proves his client innocent. While a lot of the guesswork is obviously a game mechanic, this game incorporates it into the story and into Phoenix himself, which makes it relevant as evidence. As a result, Wright is demonstrated to be someone that explores seemingly preposterous ideas and play “what if” games in an attempt to find the truth. He often does this initially without any evidence to prove his hypothetical claims, later managing by luck to find something to support it.

Due to these tendencies, Maya refers to him as just making everything up in court. This honestly demonstrates his good Ne use, since he’s able to think on the fly and produce these alternate scenarios in which his client is innocent. The Judge at one point calls him the most unpredictable lawyer that he knows. Wright even refers to himself as one to speak first and think later, which shows the basic way in which Ne works. Ne users often find it natural to verbalize their thoughts, even if it leads to rambling somewhat in an effort to state their thoughts more precisely.

We also see his focus on possibilities come out in a more lighthearted way with Maya on occasion, although not too often since he’s often playing the role of an adult with her, trying to rein in her wilder nature. However, in one particular instance, she’s trying to strengthen her connection to the spirits, and says she needs to meditate under a waterfall. Wright responds by giving her several options, one after another. He tells her to go to Gourd Lake, or take a cold shower, or go down to the fire department and ask them to spray her with the hose.

Wright has a poetic streak, which surfaces fairly early in the game. He sees some flowers at one point and starts waxing poetic. He even makes a comment about “What is it about winter that turns people into poets?” This is a common, albeit anecdotal, tendency of Fi-Ne users specifically.

Si:

“That lowlife ain’t no lawyer! He just punches away at stupid details ’til he wins.” – Furio Tigre about Wright

Wright’s Si surfaces in a few different ways. He occasionally gets caught up on semantics (or ‘the details’), which is something we see most often in his interactions with Maya. For instance, when she points out a ladder, he corrects her and says that it’s a “step ladder”. He also gets annoyed when people keep forgetting details, like with Wendy Oldbag. Of course, in trial, his primary tactic is to find the tiniest contradicting details in the witness statements and call them out, sometimes discrediting the entire testimony.

As mentioned in the Fi section, he does tie things consciously back to past experiences fairly often, which is common for Si users. He also keeps comparing Edgeworth to how he was as a kid, trying to figure out what made him change. Of course, other personality types can and do reference impactful moments as well.

Wright overall is fairly grounded as someone who is a mature adult. His Ne seems to be fairly reined in, which further supports his Si being in the tertiary position rather than inferior. (I noticed some online opinions state that he is an ENXP.) He’s not one to often piggyback off of Maya’s more explorative nature. In addition, when Pearls asks what if Engarde is the real murderer, he doesn’t allow himself to follow that train of thought, responding with: “We can think about all the bad things we want, but it doesn’t change a thing.”

Te:

“Please, stop! …I can’t listen to you. I can’t believe that.”

“I couldn’t let myself deny reality like you.” – Edgeworth to Wright

Phoenix Wright appears to be an inferior Te user. He can be highly idealistic to the point of denying reality. Edgeworth references this tendency in him at one point. However, we see it most prominently in the case where he’s actually a defendant accused of murdering his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. He refuses to consider that she might be guilty, even after her true nature is revealed on the stand. His Ne actually surfaces during this as well, when we see him invent the possibility that the Dolly they convicted was actually a fake, because his Dolly could never do any of the things she had confessed to doing. In later years, when he’s defending Engarde, we see hints of this weakness show up, as he begs Edgeworth to stop when Edgeworth suggests that his client ordered a hit on the victim.

Another indication of low Te that Wright displays is his tendency to not lean heavily on evidence. If Wright believes that his client is innocent, he will do whatever it takes to prove that no matter what evidence there is to the contrary. Edgeworth often berates him for making claims and presenting possibilities with no proof or supporting evidence to back them up. Wright is ultimately willing to go off of little to no evidence, devaluing it, in a sense, in his effort to follow his heart or what he believes to be true.