Franziska von Karma
 |
|
| Franziska von Karma | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Homeworld | |
| Birth | May 23, 1985 |
| Died | |
| Family | father (deceased), mother (unknown), Miles Edgeworth ("Little Brother"), Unnamed Neice, Unnamed Sibling |
| Occupation(s) |
Court Prosecutor |
| Alias | |
| Physical description | |
| Species |
Human |
| Gender |
female |
| Hair color |
A flawless shimmering platinum, the likes of which no other man or woman could hope to emulate. |
| Eye color |
Grey |
| Height |
5'7" |
| Statistics | |
| Weapon(s) |
Whip |
| Abilities |
keen deductive skill |
| Affiliation |
Godot, Klavier Gavin, Ema Skye |
| First Appearance |
February 11, 2012 (appx) |
|
|
|
- "You say lawyers are unworthy of defending this world? There is a reason Lady Justice carries a Sword."
- —Franziska von Karma
Franziska von Karma is the daughter of the late veteran prosecutor Manfred von Karma and a formidable prosecuting attorney in her own right. She was the prosecutor for many of Phoenix Wright's cases as well as the acting prosecutor for the trial of Iris of Hazakura Temple. More recently, she aided Interpol in their investigation into an international smuggling ring. She likes referring to others as "fools" (and variations thereof) and is known to carry a whip (a riding crop when she was younger) with her at all times, which she will often use on almost everybody she meets (although nearly all of her victims are male) with very little provocation.
Contents
Brief Biography
Franziska von Karma was born and raised in Germany by her father Manfred von Karma. When she was two years old, her father took in an orphaned Miles Edgeworth, with whom she shared a sibling bond. However, Edgeworth tended to do his own thing, frequently leaving Franziska behind.
Feeling overwhelming pressure from her father's reputation as a "perfect" prosecutor, as well as her adoptive brother, Franziska started her legal studies in Germany at a very young age, and by the age of 13, she was set to pass the bar exam. She took a vacation to America with her father to watch Edgeworth prosecute his first case, but the trial was canceled when the defendant and a prosecutor were found dead in a defendant lobby.
Franziska started her prosecuting career shortly after this incident. Compounded with her perfect record up to her arrival in America, she earned a reputation as "the Prodigy". Like her father and Edgeworth, she would go to great lengths to get a guilty verdict, resorting to her father's tactics in her efforts to match his fame.
An Early Brush with Evil
At some point when she was a new prosecutor, Franziska had one of her cases ended suddenly due to the intervention of the mysterious Thule Society, an event she thinks back on more and more as the years go on.
| One of my earliest trials... |
|---|
|
|
When Franziska von Karma learned of her father's loss to defense attorney Phoenix Wright and his subsequent conviction for the murder of Gregory Edgeworth and Miles Edgeworth's losses to Wright and his subsequent disappearance, she traveled to Los Angeles to face Wright in court; if she won, she would have beaten a lawyer that Edgeworth could not, getting her revenge for being "left behind". After facing numerous defeats at the hands of Phoenix Wright, von Karma almost left the legal profession for good, but Miles Edgeworth convinced her that while she was not a genius like her father, she was still a prosecutor and would one day understand the true meaning of being a lawyer. Franziska then began to cry, for the first time perhaps in a long time, and vowed to become a better prosecutor and to face Wright in court again when she came back.
- "Wherever there is a case, I will follow. National Borders mean nothing before me!"
- —Franziska von Karma
Von Karma went on to assist Interpol in many investigations, travelling the world, and even having a brief relationship with Interpol agent Shi-Long Lang which amicably ended when she realized she could not stand to see him continue to get hurt in the line of duty. When she finally did return to America, one of her first acts was to team up with Mia Fey, Prosecutors Godot, Edgeworth and Gavin, and Defense Attorney Apollo Justice to clear Phoenix Wright's name and get him reinstated to the bar.
During the course of the trial she and Prosecutor Godot were kidnapped by an assassin determined to not see their petition approved, but Mia Fey managed to achieve something called "turnabout mode" which was so awesome it caused the judge to become 50 feet high and smash the Bar Attorney with his hammer.
She did this act out of respect and friendship, but when called on it by Phoenix Wright, she slyly remarked that it was only to ensure that she could finally have a rematch with him in order to defeat him once and for all.
In 2011, before leaving for Japan, she prosecuted the leaders of a Los Angeles-based Pokémon Fight Club where players "started off as a 'Trainer' and the more Pokémon you stole from your defeated opponents the closer you got to being a 'master'." The ring was so large even some members of Team Rocket lost Pokémon to it.
Moving into The Hotel
- ""Foolishly stuck in this Foolish circus of Foolish Fools...""
- —Franziska von Karma
In February 2012, she traveled to Japan under the aegis of INTERPOL investigating the murder of Hazel Ninegate.
After that investigation, she contemplated bringing charges against Anthony Suthers for the attempted murder of YingGirl, but realized, after much soul searching that to do so would completely destroy the value and function of The House and so let things go, much to her displeasure.
Shortly thereafter, due to the abrupt resignation of Arx Sylvanran, Franziska has found herself the sole prosecutor in the jurisdiction of the Hotel-- and possibly the Alien Zone courts. Unwilling to leave the place lawless, she has resigned herself to stay there for time being.
In May 2012, she co-authored UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session Resolution A/66/352 with Harriet S. Weinberg, Esq., in the hopes of using the law to stop Tony Suthers' project: Prometheus. The Resolution failed to achieve the required 2/3rds vote, even though it gained a simple majority of votes. Von Karma took the loss hard, as she saw herself playing a role akin to Robert H. Jackson, the Chief Prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials.
Becoming a fighter?
 |
After being drafted into the 39th Tenka'ichi Budokai by Michael Sunnyside, von Karma scored a surprise victory over a completely stunned Piccolo. Realizing it was as much due to luck as well as Piccolo's initial underestimating her, and also realizing that she's quite outmatched against even the regular denizens of the Hotel should they decide to do her harm, she agreed to train with him for 10 (virtual) years in The Room of Spirit and Time, spanning ten days, sparring with Gemini Sunrise and Bixia Yuanjin. The training paid off, as Von Karma went on to win the 39th Tenka-ichi Budokai in a fierce battle of whips and wits with Karasuma Akane. Indeed, she became one of the rare fighters to repeat the victory the next year, defeating not only hino rei.bot but the legendary Son Goku to retain the title in the 40th Budokai. |
Wielding the sword of Justice
As part of Jack Dinsdale's master plan against Hazel Ninegate, Franziska began a rapid learning program to earn her Interplanetary Legal Doctorate. She endured weeks of sleepless nights-- despite "sleeping" 18 hours a day-- to allow the teaching machines to fill her brain with the raw knowledge and legal theories, which of course, it would take her unparalleled legal mind to actually utilize properly. On November 5th, 2012, she left for the Shadow Proclamation facility on Gamma Epsilon to sit the six day exam, with Karasuma Akane, Aya Reiko, Sakura April (w/party van) and Neva D'yan as her escorts in case of any trouble from Ninegate.
On November 12th, 2012, Franziska was awarded her I.LD at the Shadow Proclamation facility on Gamma Epsilon. She has also become an accredited prosecutor for the Shadow Proclamation, and can bring indictments for crimes committed anywhere in Time and Space.
Her greatest Triumph, and bitterest Tragedy
|
|
|
Regaining her Balance
Falling into a depression after the Ninegate Trial, Franziska was literally forced back to good cheer by John Constantine, who tormented her with a bad movie, and when she laughed despite herself, he challenged her to one-up him with an even worse one. These movie nights became a regular feature of her weeks, and Franziska found herself enjoying them privately, but refusing to admit it publicly. She pretended not to realize that she knew Constantine was trying to keep her occupied, and that he wanted more of her company as well.
Grateful for Constantine's help in her recovery, she allowed him to sleep on her sofa and share the use of her room, within limits. She became used to his presence, and came to relish challenging him and teasing him, knowing full well that he had feelings for her that went beyond professional admiration, but never reciprocating or acknowledging them beyond threatening to leave the hotel to gauge his reaction.
Living thusly, Franziska began to relax, even upgrading Constantine from sleeping on the couch to a cot after many months. But that night, Nizhaladax attacked Constantine and caused him to regenerate before her eyes.
"Ich will nicht jemand anderes zu verlieren."
- "Ich will nicht jemand anderes zu verlieren. (I will not lose someone else.)"
- —Franziska von Karma
While Constantine survived the attack, Franziska found herself remembering the last moments of Agent Lang, and vowed she would not lose anyone again. What form this vow will take in practice is not yet known.
Trivia
- Franziska views the house as a "foolish circus" that maddens her. Nonetheless she has booked suite 1003. Her opinion of the Hotel and its inhabitants has softened over time.
- She knows Lobelia Carlini, at least by reputation, and knows of her good works as well as her acts of theft, thus leading to an uneasy respectful truce.
- She owes Sakura April a debt for saving one of the Interpol agents she was working with from an assassin's bullet.
- She insists that Mongoosetiger is "an unfortunate boy in a bear suit".
- She respects Suu's dedication to studying and making a future for herself.
- Franziska is bar-certified in every US Jurisdiction except Louisiana, and is certified in Japan and Germany as well as the Commonwealth nations.
- She rarely drinks beer, preferring wine or vodka, but when she does drink beer, it's a Pilsner.
- Franziska von Karma smells like whip leather and cotton.
