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There was always more to Edgeworth that met the eye when he was young. I want to take a moment to talk about Miles’ life as a child. Because I think it is really important. His first interaction with Manfred (that we see..in the anime) is Manfred telling him he can only take what he needs with him. It’s not much of course, his dog, a few items..his signal samurai keychain. A symbol of his friendship with both Larry and Phoenix. That we watch Manfred throw away calling it a childish toy. Which is already a terrible thing to say to a 10 year old child. That signal samurai meant so much to Miles that he went back for it. And it still means a lot to Miles. It was the one piece of his childlike self that he never throws away. In that item is where Miles’ heart was.
And I don’t believe that Miles ever forgot for a second because he clearly kept it very safe (based on the contrast between the condition of his and Phoenix’s) and even so, Miles interactions while living with him as a child were very short, one or two words. They weren’t developing any sort of trusting relationship. That was, until the day at the mall. Miles’ dog escaped from them, causing Miles to chase after it, when he did so he discovered that another dog was also on the loose! His dog wasn’t the only one causing trouble. When he finds both his dog and the other missing dog, he’s confronted by a stranger who tries to tell him that it’s her dog. (But all she was after was money..) When Miles figures this out, he calls her out on it. Being quite snarky about it by telling her if it’s truly hers she needs to give him the reward money. Obviously she gets mad, but she must have complied because Miles then asks if he can donate the money to a charity that happened to be collecting donations at the mall that day. (He’s such a sweet kid..ough…)
This was the turning point in the way Manfred looked at Miles, who he was about to just send off to an orphanage. He cancels only when he realizes Miles’ potential..Manfred bestows upon Miles a Carvat. (A sort of trust symbol) For the first time Miles smiles in the presence of Manfred. He was finally gaining his trust..so he thought..
Miles suppressed the shit out of his emotions. And Manfred took full advantage of him because of this fact. He was deeply hurt. He was young, with no guidance. Manfred used this to instill his hate philosophy. His need to be “perfect” and how “the defendant is always guilty” “you HAVE to win” he made Miles think in black and white. And with only one goal in mind. (“Winning”) He manipulated Miles by being nice to him, acting like he cared about him. And Miles took every word that this man said to him to heart. And I think this explains why he was so nasty to Mia in The PW (Phoenix Wright) trilogy. Miles was treated like shit. To put it simply. He was talked down to constantly. He was made fun of simply for the way he talked, and his confidence. Even his own mentor talked down to him calling him “worthless” all things that would bring down a young person’s confidence…what is wrong with this man. This just spoke to me a lot because I have been through this in my own life…
The way Miles didn’t have a word to say here…and Franziska had to stand up to him here. (Their relationship is really special I think…)
The people around Miles were all shitty to him. Miles being young, took this personally, even though he didnt show it. His confidence is a mask. The way that everyone treated Miles, shaped the way that he too started treating people because at his young age it’s all that he knew was “right”
Edgeworth is stuck trying to prove his worth to a man that’s just manipulating and using him I think what we see in the PW trilogy (especially the first game) is more so Manfred talking than Edgeworth. And I have reasons for this. (It doesn’t excuse him, but it explains a LOT about him)
Kay. The little girl that Miles meets during the very first investigation he ever took part in…he showed genuine kindness to her. He spoke gently to her, especially surrounding her fathers death. Even opening up just a little bit about the fact that he too had lost his father and that it still deeply affects him and we know how hard it is for Miles to be openly emotional like that. It was so clear that he cared about her through the whole case. The gesture of the handkerchief and her blowing her nose on his cavart..giving it to her was a symbol of trust. (See the cavart being a symbol of trust again) She saved his life too, when Yew pulled the gun on him…he owed her his life. and this was the start of a deep bond of trust between these two. Later cemented by the fact she gets accused of murder and he immediately says ‘absolutely not’ speaks volumes to his character and his development.
Miles Edgeworth has always had a heart but Manfred Von Karma took that away from him.
The fact that Edgeworth showed genuine kindness during that investigation just made me feel like if Manfred was not in the picture it would have been a different story..even his impact on Detective Gumshoe..after all, Edgeworth is the one that cleared Gumshoe of suspicion of murder…and tho the road to trust him was a rough one I do not believe Miles actually thought ill of him (it’s a façade!!!). I don’t think he would have cleared him if he did tbh. And the fact that Gumshoe still has the same affinity for Edgeworth speaks for his impact on him. Edgeworth may not know of the profound impact he had on Gumshoe. But I think Gumshoe could see right through Miles and knew that deep down somewhere Miles has a heart. He watched him be gentle and kind to Kay, who he was also protecting because he has a deep profound care for those around him. Gumshoe is very emphatic. I think he is deeply impacted by emotion which is why he feels so strongly about Miles. Miles always had a heart in there!!!
It explains why Gumshoe was so passionate about Miles’ innocence during Turnabout Goodbyes. He could clearly see right through Miles’ walls that masked his vulnerability and emotions in a way that even Phoenix can’t see himself. Gumshoe believed in Miles because he had witnessed his true genuine kindness that day during turnabout reminiscence and he did not forget that, and he knew deep down that that’s the person he truly is, even if Miles’ himself does not know it to be true. But who can blame him for not knowing?
He was deeply traumatized by his fathers death during the DL-6 incident. He convinced himself it was he who killed him through his constant nightmares…never actually processing his fathers death..that mind you, was Manfred Von Karma’s doing. His mentor. That he was supposed to look up to. Miles didn’t want to believe that Von Karma was an evil vile man....as we know Miles never processed it until..he was brought on trial for murder of Robert Hammond…Miles saw everything laid out in front of him during the course of that trial. And even so, he didn’t want to believe it because he was ready to accept the guilty verdict. His belief that the defendant must be guilty playing its role here even though the defendant is himself. Convincing himself that his nightmare was real. It had to be the only way. Not even Manfred was going to make an exception for the student he had supposedly raised, and knowing he is the one that killed Miles’ father and not him.
I think Miles destain for everyone around him came from those around him, especially by the influence of Manfred, he was treated like crap therefore he must also throw back what they are giving him. He was hurt and this was the only way he knew how to express himself, after all his whole life got turned upside down, and it was never the same. I genuinely think he saw Gumshoes profound kindness and care and did NOT know what the fuck to do with it. He’s emotionally constipated.
Gumshoe was so genuine to him, and Gumshoe's emotions are always displayed in full, you never question how Gumshoe is feeling one bit. He sees the good in all his friends and this had more of an impact on Miles then perhaps even he himself knew of. (Sorry he and Gumshoes relationship is just so freaking special to me..)
To me it speaks a lot about a character when they show their vulnerability, as he did with Kay and even Gumshoe. Just that little opening..and the connection that they had in both sharing the loss of their father to murder. He showed kindness to her. Kindness that Manfred was striping him of. It makes it that much harder knowing what becomes of him, Manfred is a disgusting man.
Miles Edgeworth proved there was a genuine human being under there but it was being kicked and shoved away by Manfred Von Karma, until all that was left was a mini Von Karma. Everything even down to Miles’ mannerisms you just SEE Manfred written all over them. The finger wave and the wink, the very thing that we know Manfred does when making his arguments…that was Manfreds work. Miles didn’t know how to be himself, he knew how to be a ‘Von Karma’ using his words to manipulate a guilty verdict.
He ran away from his life because all he could see when he looked into the mirror was Manfred. He acted like him. He had the same mannerisms as him. Everything about him stemmed from Manfred and once he learnt the truth it was too much for him to bear…he was scared. He felt weak. Everything that he thought that he knew was flipped upside down. Every principle that he followed was tainted by Manfreds twisted words. He nearly ended his life because he truly thought that this was it, and that this is who he was..which was simply not true at all of course..Miles lost sight of who he actually was, which is why he had to go onto a self discovery journey. He needed to put the pieces together and redefine who he was because all he had were questions and not answers.
HIS GROWTH…
Seeing Miles finally say he is NOT that man was so satisfying…the fact that he said “I’m not a genius prosecutor” speaks volumes for how far he has actually come…”nobody should have conceived the notion that prosecutors should convict all defendants in the first place” the fact that he sees this and acknowledges how much of a problem now, reflecting on what it actually means to be a prosecutor. Miles was so misguided by Manfred..but he’s free now…it was thrown in front of his face but he needed that..
“as a prosecutor, what I pursue is not the perfect victory but the perfect truth, and if that means that the bridge I must cross will crumble beneath my feet then let it crumble as I walk towards the truth”
He’s finally chosen his own path and his own creed that HE alone believes in. No matter what happens all he wants is for the truth to come to light and it doesn’t matter how long or hard it is to find..as long as he finds the truth that’s what counts. The way that he redefined what being a prosecutor is in its entirety on his hard journey to finding his true calling in his profession. The fact that he didn’t give up and give up on being a prosecutor..speaks to how dedicated he was in righting his wrongs..
“My want to pursue the truth and my want to believe in the strength of those who use the power of the law for good. As someone who has chosen to live my life as a prosecutor…that is my new creed.”
Miles Edgeworth is finally living as his true self the same ‘true self’ that was in there all along!!! The one that was crushed by Manfred Von Karma..
Miles Edgeworth always HAD A HEART. He just..had to pick up the broken pieces and put it back together again.
Anyhow! Thanks a bunch for reading this if you got this far! Miles means a lot to me and I hope that you, the reader enjoy my takeaways about his character! I’m quite new to the Ace Attorney fandom! All that out of the way, here’s some headcanons I’ve got for (little) Miles! Enjoy :)
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Autistic—he can mask it pretty well, but his autistic tendencies are more apparent when he’s around people he’s comfortable being around. (Me when I project and make all my favs autistic)
He was selectively mute around Manfred Von Karma when he first started to live with him. He only spoke a couple words at a time to him. Soft ‘hellos’ and ‘thank yous’ when applicable.
Looking at his signal samurai keychain provided him with comfort because it would make him think of Phoenix.
He keeps it secret from Manfred fearing that he would make him throw it away again.
Manfred at first, made him incredibly anxious in turn his hands were always shaky.
Because of his nightmares he doesn’t get a lot of sleep, Miles is spacey because of it often staring off into the distance in deep thought. (A few of the inner monologue from investigations is my strong reason behind this, particularly when he would get lost in his thoughts why looking at plants)
Miles keeps a journal, where he would try to make sense of everything. Sometimes in frustration he would simply scribble.
He has a really dorky smile that he is self conscious about and he doesn't like to smile often. (Nothing to smile about anyway 😭)
Miles spent a lot of time in his bedroom often alone. On occasion he would allow Franziska to join him and her company often eased his mind. Making him feel less anxious. She can sometimes even make him smile.
They would paint each others nails, and she also helped dye his hair too.
He starts to consider her as his sister the more they are together.