Franziska von Karma

CantFaketheFunk
4. Franziska von Karma

"Lolz oh noes Funky lieks Franzy more than Godoh WE MUST KILLS HIM"

Franziska von Karma. Hm. I really don't know where to start on her.

So, 1-4 had Manfred von Karma. The perfect prosecutor, one hell of a final boss, intimidating as all crap. And then you beat him... so in 2-2 when you find out that his successor, a prodigy who'd been prosecuting overseas since she was thirteen years old is pissed off about it and coming to get you? Well, that was at first a "oh ****" moment for me. But I was also a little bit disappointed, because the whole "beat the big bad, but OH NOES HERE COMES HIS VENGEANCE-SEEKING SUCCESSOR WHO IS BETTER THAN HE IS!!!" trope is a bit overdone.

Only... then you find out through the next two cases that this isn't the case at all with Franziska. She isn't there in America to get vengeance for her father at all, for one thing. For another? She's not even as good as he is. Franziska is clever and crafty, sure, and a decent prosecutor--but her cheap tricks aren't as good as her father was, she gets rattled much more easily, and she's far from his equal. (Which is a good thing, honestly--it would have dulled the impact Manfred really did have). Franziska is living her life trying to live up to this impossible ideal set up by her father... and she's failing to do so.

For that matter, she didn't even come to America to avenge her father as Phoenix (and the player) initially think. There are two reasons Franziska is in America. The first... is to prove herself. Phoenix Wright is the man who beat the other two "Von Karma" prosecutors, Edgeworth and her father. If she can beat Phoenix, she proves herself as their equal, if not their better. Secondly, she comes for Edgeworth--after hearing of how he lost his perfect record and then fled? She knows he isn't dead, and says as much to Phoenix--and we learn in 2-3 and later 2-4 how she came for him. He had fallen from the Von Karma way and disgraced the name, and she came there to set him back on track.

Only... she fails in both of these goals. Phoenix tarnishes her record as he did Edgeworth and Manfred. And when she finally meets Edgeworth again in 2-4, not only does he not need her help at all, he's found his own path... and now she's the one who needs him. Franziska, who'd been raised her entire life as a prosecutor? Her entire existence had been to be a successor to her father and the Von Karma name, and she cannot understand how Edgeworth or Phoenix can accept a loss in court like that. So she's ready to give up once and for all, until Edgeworth shows up and tells her that she's better than that, and he knows she's better than that. If she's going to give up, than this is where they part ways once and for all.

That's what finally breaks Franziska, but she vows that she will catch up to him some day. She'll take his lesson to heart--that the Von Karma way is not the only way, or even the best way.

I mentioned how I love the Phoenix/Maya relationship? Well the Edgeworth/Franziska relationship is probably my single favorite in the series. They see each other as siblings, love each other dearly--but it's a tough sort of love, a "you're better than this" sort of love. When Edgeworth is suffering from his earthquake phobia in 3-5, Franziska takes the big sister role and basically tells him to go to his room until he can get a hold of himself. Their dynamic is utterly fantastic, and I really do adore it. Even though there is a lot of (somewhat twisted) affection there, though... Franziska sort of sees Edgeworth as a rival, something to be attained. We see this as they face off in court in 3-5 (one of the best parts of the whole series, IMO)... but more than rivals, they're siblings and partners.

Yes, Franziska is a bit annoying in the first two cases you have against her. But that's sort of the point, showing how she's a failed successor. (And the "fool" gimmick... well, at the risk of sounding like a weeaboo? In the original Japanese, it was stringing "bakabakabaka" together, which is basically a really childish thing to do. So it was to show that she's still pretty immature, meant to demonstrate something about her character... which didn't carry over into the localization, unfortunately, and WAS gimmicky there)

Like Godot, she is a flawed character with an obsession. But unlike Godot, with the help of Edgeworth, Phoenix, and in a way Adrian, Franziska actually manages to overcome her flaws and rise above them--though as she learns from Edgeworth, it's not just a single moment of enlightenment, it's walking a constant path. When she returns in 3-5, she HAS developed, and she IS more mature. Plus, investigating with her as your partner is one of the most amusing parts of 3-5.

She's a flawed character, of course. But I like her because of the flaws and how she develops and changes to rise above them. And there's just something that I really like about her that I can't quite put my finger on... but it's why she's my fourth favorite character in the entire series.

DNEA
73. Franziska von Karma

"WHIPWHIPWHIP FOOLISH FOOL WHO FOOLS WITH FOOLISH FOOL FOOL THOUGHTS IN FOOLING THE FOOL TO FOOLISHNESS FOOLISH FOOLS FOOLFOOLFOOLFOOLFOOL WHIPWHIPWHIPWHIP LOL"

Right now Funk's monocle is twirling around in disbelief. No matter how many Funk Backlund-approved 4-post rants about "how deep Franziska is" come up, they're not convincing me that Franziska is a good character. Sure, the first time she comes up and whips the Judge and Phoenix once or twice and goes on her "foolfoolfool" antics, it's all laughs and merriment, but then it all gets old after she does it for the six hundredth time.

It also doesn't help that Funk likes to hype up imaginary lesbian escapades involving her and Adrian.

Naye745
11. Franziska von Karma

foolish fools who foolishly place franziska outside of the fool-filled top 10! yeah...that gimmick got old really fast on the other hand, i loved her dedication. the von karmas totally outclass every other prosecutor you faced in terms of wanting to win and doing anything to win. i absolutely love that about both of them. and likewise, franziska's role in every step of 2-4 was just fantastic. it gave her character the extra dimensions she needed to be a great character, not just a great antagonist. still, i thought she wasn't as...good? as i would have liked in 3-5. ALSO FRANNY x ADRIAN YES PLEASE WHIP ME THERE OH GOD

SSBM_Guy
12. Franziska von Karma

http://www.court-records.net/mugshot/franny.png http://www.court-records.net/screenshot/JFA/frannydoorbreaker.png http://www.court-records.net/screenshot/JFA/3_1.gif http://www.court-records.net/arts/OA%20-%20franziska.jpg (big) http://www.court-records.net/arts/artbook/artofgs-090.jpg

Case(s): 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 3-5

And here's our first "main" Prosecutor. As well as the daughter of Manfred von Karma. Well...Franziska is mostly known for her whip and her "fool" lines. Both are known reasons for people disliking her, because of how childish she acts. But that's really part of her character ...Or something. You can tell Franziska really isn't a "prodigy", but she trys to be one. And her reason for hating Phoenix Wright is not due to Manfred von Karma...it's because she wants to be better than Edgeworth. She knew that Edgeworth lost to Phoenix, so if she beats Phoenix in court...she would be a better prosecutor than Edgeworth. So, yeah. Quick summary on Franziska's character. Aside from that, Franziska is pretty damn arrogant and would do whatever to win...just like her father. Arrogance is always awesome, as shown "The Arrogant Trio" being in the Top 20. And hell, one member of "The Arrogant Trio" is still in...that being the Ace Detective. But enough of that. Franziska is a great character and a great opponent in court. Not as good as Edgeworth or von Karma, yeah...but she's better than Godot or Payne. So, basically, she's in the middle.

As for the whole whip and "fool" thing...I'm okay with it. I don't hate it like other people, but I'm not certainly a fan of it. Now...in Case 3-5 and 2-4 is where she truly shines. Where she show her true personality. That's when she is really awesome. But for 2-2 and 2-3? Eh...she was high mid-tier, I guess. Plus, she's a cool investigation partner. I prefer Maya, Gumshoe and maybe Ema. But she's better than Pearl and Mia. Eh...that's all. So, basically, she's a mid-tier opponent in court and mid-tier investigation partner. ...<_< Yeah, she's still cool, though.

transience
21. Franziska von Karma

- I've got such mixed feelings on this chick - in 2-2 and 2-3, she's pretty much bad. she's a good opponent to fight, but her character is basically I AM PERFECT, FOOLISH FOOLISH FOOLISH FOOLS FOOLS FOOLISH FOOAFJDKJFHJHD and LOL I WHIP U. very, very boring and it gets *really* old. - she's cool in 2-4 though, mostly because she isn't your opponent. she's a cool peripheral character, just not a fun antagonist. quality lawyer though. - her 3-5 role is a bit forced but I don't hate her for it, she's just a stupid tagalong because that's not her style at all

WiggumFan267
17. Franziska von Karma

oh noes controversy. Well, I guess most of you have Franny Top 10, but 7 spots off or so really is still pretty good. While she is my least favorite of the main prosecutors, she's still a good character. Her character/development isn't as good as Edgey's or Godot's though. Now, first let me get this out of the way... Yes, the fool thing bothers me a lot. Yet despite that, I still have Franny at 17, so that says something. But yeah, it's pretty painful to hear her say it over and over. It's childish, which may be part of her character, but it's still annoying. Ok, now that that's out of the way...

She doesn't really do much for me in 2-2 or 2-3. She's a pretty good opponent, as far as prosecutors in general go... I actually feel like I got the most fight out of her than any other prosecutor, except von Karma. Edgey doesn't fight you all that much, except early on in 1-2 and 1-3, and Godot doesn't really know how to be a prosecutor, and Payne is just Payne. I don't dislike her whipping as much as the general consensus does. I like the touch it adds to the game and to her character. Kinky European stuff aside though, she's a person who it's enjoyable to faceoff against, because of her demandiness type of attitude. In 2-4, she of course does the awesome bust-in (who Gumshoe copied in 3-3, yay!) and in 3-5 you find out how much she's changed since JFA, and that scene with Edgeworth at the end of JFA (very touching, btw, to see her cry. I think she had a good relationship with Edgey). She doesn't say "fool" at all, and she pulls an Edgeworth in that even though she's the prosecutor for Day 1 of 3-5, she's on your side in the end. so she found Edgey's definition of what it truly means to be a prosecutor after all!