Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth (INTJ)

Ni:

“I have something definitive that you lack. And working together is the definition of teamwork. It’s the power to find the truth. In order to understand this case, you have to understand a certain ‘truth’.”

“I don’t take things at face value when there’s more to be found…”

“Why don’t you just tell it to me straight and say, ‘I don’t have any info?'” – Phoenix Wright to Edgeworth

“Tsk Tsk. ‘Unexpected’ development? I think you underestimate me, Your Honor. …That Mr. Phoenix Wright would slave his way to subpoenaing Ms. Adrian Andrews is all happening according to plan… Even if Wright was a bit slow to catch on…”

“Everything… Everything was planned out in advance by that man…?” – Phoenix Wright about Edgeworth

Miles Edgeworth appears to be an Ni dominant. He’s skilled at anticipating the actions his opposition will take in court, and preparing accordingly. Phoenix Wright is often shocked by this, when he finds out that some move he miraculously managed to pull off was actually already planned for by Edgeworth. Examples of this happening are especially frequent in the Farewell Turnabout, in which we see Edgeworth make statements like “I knew this was coming.”

When not in trial trying to provide a clear and definitive argument to convict the defendant, Edgeworth can actually be quite vague when sharing information. Wright is shown complaining about this (internally). For instance, after returning from his soul searching journey, Edgeworth keeps referring to a “truth” that Wright must learn, but avoids explaining what he means. (An example quote at the top of this section). He also leaves the Prosecutor’s office suddenly, only leaving behind a vague (and somewhat dramatic) note saying “Miles Edgeworth chooses death”. In another example, Wright asks Edgeworth for some information (in the Farewell Turnabout), and Edgeworth in a roundabout way, tells him that he doesn’t have any. This all suggests the more vague nature of Ni. (Another type we considered was ISTJ, but this all seems to contradict the typical clear and straightforward nature of Si-Te)

Edgeworth also tends to struggle with tunnel vision, not wanting to deal with anything other than what’s relevant. This actually bites him in the butt in one instance. In Rise From the Ashes, he’s shown refusing to accept a report because he only wanted to deal with things relevant for trial the next day. If he had at least glanced at it, he would have realized that it was related, and it would not have caught him by surprise the next day. This oversight gets him in trouble.

Te:

“He’s a cold, heartless machine who’ll do anything to get a ‘guilty’ verdict.” – Phoenix Wright

“Unlike Mr. Wright, I never say anything unless I have the evidence to support it.”

“It’s a mystery how you always manage to do things in the most inefficient ways, Wright.”

“You can press as hard as you’d like. Just hurry up with your useless questions.”

“I detest talk of supernatural drivel. I suppose now you’ll say she has midi-chlorians?”

Edgeworth presents as cold, calculated, and ambitious. Phoenix Wright views him as heartless, seeing Edgeworth as someone who will do anything it takes to get the result he wants: a ‘guilty’ verdict. Of course, initially this is kind of true, to a point. Edgeworth desires to put criminals away and will do nearly anything to ensure that happens. He tends to dismiss feelings, often making rather cold or blunt statements to those around him.

Edgeworth is impatient in his efforts to reach the end goal. This is common for Te users, since they desire efficiency and to reach the correct outcome as quickly as possibly. He’s shown telling Wright to hurry up, and comments on Wright’s lack of efficiency. While I explained him to be vague in the Ni section, that’s not to be confused with him lacking the direct nature of Te, which he does possess. Essentially, he gets extremely direct and blunt when being assertive or bossy with those around him in his efforts to achieve his goal.

Edgeworth places an extremely high value on evidence, which obviously is important for a lawyer. However, this can be directly compared to Wright who often makes claims and then fumbles to find evidence to prove it. Edgeworth always has physical evidence to support his claims, and berates Wright for his failure in this area. This aligns with Te’s focus on external proof and results.

Fi:

“Thanks to you I am saddled with unnecessary… feelings. Yes. Unease… and uncertainty. …They only serve to get in my way.”

“I do have a code, and I follow it faithfully.”

“Given enough time, I might have tried to pull something like Chief Gant did. That thought terrifies me. That’s why I can’t continue on as a prosecutor.”

Edgeworth generally devalues feelings, which is a sign of having a low feeling function. He views them as getting in his way, and doesn’t like to overly dwell on them. He appears to specifically use Fi. He speaks of a code which he adheres, and doesn’t pay much mind to what others think of him or the way he does things. He also periodically shares values with Phoenix Wright, especially later on, such as “It doesn’t matter who, every person deserves a proper defense and a fair trial.” Young Edgeworth also seems much more idealistic, in a sense. He wanted to be like his father, defend the weak, and fulfill his duty to society.

After losing to Phoenix Wright, Edgeworth is thrown into an identity crisis, having his perspective of himself challenged. First, his perfect win record is broken, which would have been a Te way to define himself. He ends up being represented and saved by Wright, causing him to be impressed by Wright’s passion and more empathetic towards the side of the defendant. Next, in the subsequent case, he is confronted with the possibility that one day he will step outside the law, like Chief Gant. This terrifies him. Edgeworth begins questioning what it means to be a prosecutor, and disappears from the prosecutor’s office suddenly one day to essentially figure himself out.

Se:

“I have no interest in explaining myself to someone who cannot comprehend.”

Edgeworth’s inferior Se shows up in a couple of different ways. First off, his sudden disappearance from the prosecutor’s office without any useful explanation or advance notice could be an indication of Se impulse. Of course, it was being Fi driven as explained in the Fi section. However, as stated, he does it extremely suddenly, catching everyone off guard, and he completely drops off the map as far as his old life is concerned. In another very minor example, he impulsively crushes a paper cup full of hot coffee in his hand (in anger/frustration), and ends up getting burned.

Beyond that, Edgeworth finds it annoying to have to unnecessarily explain himself, and seems to prefer to not have to at all. That is often the case for inferior Se users, because it often takes more effort to translate thoughts into words. He’s also is shown making critical errors that were based around a failure to notice details and account for the sensory. One example is explained in the Ni section, and concerned him refusing the report. Another example can be seen when he misses Gumshoe’s note written on the back of a restaurant flyer. He ends up making a false assumption about Gumshoe’s actions because he didn’t look closely enough at the flyer.