What does Columbo have to do with Ace Attorney?

Columbo, the 1970s detective show starring Peter Falk, is having a bit of a resurgence right now. But did you know that was previously a huge hit in Japan? Columbo references show up in all kinds of anime like Detective Conan and Lupin the 3rd... and in games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Detective Gumshoe is a pretty spot-on Columbo-alike, but how did this schlubby American detective get so popular in Japan, anyway?
0:00 Mystery Shows For Depressed People
0:20 What's Columbo?
2:03 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
3:11 Mystery fiction in Japan
4:43 Columbo meets Ace Attorney
6:40 The evolution of Ace Attorney
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#Columbo #AceAttorney

[@polygon]

Okay, what's your favorite Comfort Murder Mystery?

[@polygon]

Definitely watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and reading any of the Agatha Christie books with romances in them for me - Simone

[@PPeasants]

Definitely Paradise Killer for me, just living in the Lovecraftian Vapourwave City Pop world with fantastic characters and listening to some truly banging music is just to fun, and I love just being in that world.

[@davidfalterman8713]

It actually really is Columbo! But runners-up are Murder She Wrote and the BBC version of Father Brown starring Mark Williams, which is criminally underrated.

[@Narnyx]

That episode of The Golden Girls where Dorothy solves a murder.

[@Honeylvr]

I'm certainly a sucker for Murder She Wrote and Father Brown!

[@natekreimer7221]

I love that Edogawa Ranpo is literally just a broken up Japanese spelling of Edgar Allan Poe, the dude was just a fanboy

[@ryke_masters]

I was a little bit sad they didn't mention that in the video tbh. There's something inherently playful about mystery stories and puns like Edogawa Ranpo's name fit right into that.

[@jedimasterpickle3]

...Until this video I had no idea that wasn't even his real name. I first even heard of Ranpo when I started watching Bungou Stray Dogs.....

[@Vesperitis]

Also half the inspiration Conan Edogawa from Detective Conan/Case Closed.

[@moejuggler6033]

@@Vesperitis My favorite trifecta: Lt. Columbo, Detective Conan, Phoenix Wright.

[@repeekyraidcero]

Oh. That is interesting. That Natsume Ripoff in Dai Gyakuten gave me mad Poe vibes for some reason...

[@coreyhaynes7951]

My first experience playing Phoenix wright while my mum was in the room watching Columbo, so this is a frighteningly weird episode to watch.

[@polygon]

synergy!!!!!

[@cronchypickle]

Columbo is the perfect man, just a smart lil guy who loves his wife.

[@Feasco]

He missed her terribly while she was stuck in the Delta Quadrant

[@SuperNova-so2cj]

hes justa guy!

[@MuntsonWeekdays]

and his dog!

[@TheSongwritingCat]

We need to have higher standards. He eats an egg out of the garbage.

[@MackenzieChandlerDunnavant]

I was literally just about to put Columbo on because I was feeling depressed. He's like an SSRI in a trench coat.

[@polygon]

Glad this is a universal trait. - Simone

[@andosugi]

He really is

[@jello2679]

in the Columbo episode Suitable for Framing, Columbo leaves his fingerprints on a stolen painting, and the thief walks in on him before he can check what it is later in the episode, he corners the thief using said fingerprints, something Ace Attorney does with the urn fingerprints in Stolen Turnabout

[@shelbyherring92]

There's a bunch of characters and gags in Ace Attorney that takes stuff from Columbo and Murder, She Wrote... And I mean, A BUNCH. Redd White? Loosely based on Mr. Brimmer from Death Lends a Hand by blackmailing clients for info. Clogged exhaust pipe leads to catching the killer in Apollo Justice? Also used in Death Lends a Hand. Chief Gant from AA? Commissioner Halperin is very similar in both motives and means. Manfred Von Karma even takes one of Jack Cassidy's lines from the series, "It was perfect." Even a character seeking revenge against our MC by attacking or incriminating his colleagues and friends? Heck, even Auchi/Payne's constantly bringing up his wife who we never see in the series, much like Columbo. Point is, if you watched Columbo and played Ace Attorney you do start to realize the similarities do run deep.

[@Benny_Blue]

You got SO close to the best comparison between the two: The breakdowns of trapped murderers in Columbo (brought to life by some VERY skilled actors) inspiring the art style and character design of Phoenix Wright. Everything is stacked up just to get that same satisfaction when the murderer breaks down and confesses!

[@rawnkin]

This made me want to try out Ace Attorney, as Colombo is one of my all-time favorite series. I would argue that there is a mystery in Colombo for the viewer to participate in - how will Colombo snare the killer? What mistake did they make? I feel like often they left that part vague, so you could be surprised along with the killer - or figure it out yourself if you can.

[@joshrios590]

I never thought about that. I didn't know to think about the mistakes until Columbo brought it up.

[@rawnkin]

@@joshrios590 Maybe that's just how I've always watched them, but I remember that being part of the fun for me. Gosh, I'm going to have to revisit that series now!

[@IrvingIV]

From Whodunnit to Howcatchem

[@cninh4574]

100% agree. There's plenty of episodes where you can tell Columbo's known from the beginning, and is just waiting for the perfect moment to catch the killer. The mystery is still present, but rather than figuring out the killer, we're figuring out Columbo. It's why the endings are so satisfying to watch!

[@elliottapp5611]

this actually made me want to try out colombo as ace attorney us one of my favourite series!

[@aimelle3]

As someone who's currently in the middle of playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, this is relevant to my interests. Thank you Josh!

[@Lomecron]

If only he had mentioned the whole, history of Herlock Sholmes in japan, thing

[@moejuggler6033]

I'm playing GAC case 6 right now and Columbo is my favorite show. The algorithm got me right in the feels here 🤠

[@ListerTunes]

A lot of Columbo's character is influenced by Porfiry Petrovich from Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, if you want to go further down the influence rabbit hole.

[@jonm4883]

Josh has once again broken into my brain and heisted my thoughts. He is truly a "Great Thief"

[@haughtygarbage5848]

Dick Gumshoe may be a cop but he's our cop

[@glassphoenix9095]

no cops at pride, only dick gumshoe (and only then because his job perpetually hangs by a thread)

[@Silverwind87]

Is he in the public sector or is he just a private detective who works for Edgeworth?

[@glassphoenix9095]

@@Silverwind87 hes the head detective of the homicide division and works with franziska and godot so im guessing hes public

[@SoLinkSmash]

Yay Ace Attorney is also one of my all-time favorite games! (And its fan musical adaptation, Turnabout Musical, is one of my favorite stories of all time!)

[@KazyEXE]

6:48 I'd expect sales in the US to be slow, it didn't come out on GBA in the US! It wasn't until the DS remaster years and years later (and I believe after the other games in the first trilogy were out in Japan) that we got it here in the west.

[@Slumbering_Alex]

Which is pretty insane given that it was inspired in part by western media

[@crism8868]

Was gonna point out the same thing! Before the official translations by Capcom for the DS there was a fan translation of the third game on GBA, they only got to do the first act of the game, but it was enough to get the attention of many more savy gamers. I wonder if it was the success of this unfinished fan translation that convinced Capcom the series could do well in the west

[@KurtIndovina]

Thank you, Polygon. Thank you, Josh. This video feels so specific to me I'd like to think it was made for me alone. I know it wasn't. But I'll believe it anyway. I'll see myself out.

[@polygon]

Thank you for being our target audience, GameSpot's Kurt Indovina who makes his very own good videos that people should watch: kzbin.info/aero/PLpg6WLs8kxGMLxDSYQgn3jsNCR8qG8tlj

[@e.d.5766]

Reverse Detective is a really cool format, most long-running mystery series end up using it eventually because it provides a really strong dynamic with that immediate tension that comes with the audience having greater knowledge than the characters. I can understand why it's not as marketable as having the audience try to solve the mystery alongside the main character/s, but if it wasn't the structure of the first Ace Attorney mystery, I don't think the series would be as popular as it is today.

[@twothreebravo]

What's really under appreciated about it is that the audience knows who did it, but they also know that in the end the killer will of course get caught by the detective so there is the ultimate suspension of disbelief involved because you are really involving yourself in the story rooting for the outcome even though you know it's inevitable.

[@davidfalterman8713]

Wake up babe, Polygon made a COLUMBO VIDEO

[@finnsweeney406]

There is just one more thing mr sawhit, just one more thing

[@roxas_rucksack1042]

Omg josh thank you for making a polygon ace attorney video!! I’m crying!!!

[@Saturn-gs6wl]

This was a great video! It's always exciting to see videos from Josh and this one was super interesting. it wasn't as packed with esoteric information as some other videos but Josh's humor really shines through and I smiled a bunch. Everything felt very concise. I'm glad I had a half day so I could watch this when it came out!

[@polygon]

Yay! Thanks for spending your half-day on us :D - Simone

[@krell.1415]

love that Josh has enough of a style now that I assumed this was his video before clicking. Great to see.

[@indylockheart3082]

Colombo and his method of acting ignorant to get information put of people, to the point of being annoying, is a template that is really underused

[@katietaylor5094]

An absolute banger Josh!!! I’ve been on a detective puzzle game kick, so this was perfectly timed. Great work!!!!!

[@SupahTrunks7]

I'm surprised when talking about anime references to Colombo he didn't mention that JoJos Bizarre Adventure literally has Columbo canonically exist in that universe and jotaro enjoys it. I'm pretty sure he even does the "one more thing" to enyaba

[@daveatron_]

I've been watching SO much columbo and poirot during the whole pandemic, I just love them so much. Falk and suchet give such endlessly lovable performances. I just think they're neat :^)

[@thomasgood3970]

The Zodiac Murder Mystery is one of my favourite detective stories and it’s written by a Japanese author. Damn Japan does some awesome detective books

[@Yesnomu]

Love this series, and it's great to see where it all came from! Thanks for this video.

[@olympus10001]

0:42 same. i love that detective

[@polygon]

he's a Good Detective

[@Brandon-oc8lr]

My grandpa was the one that got me into Columbo, such a good show. I haven't tried ace attorney but this video makes me interested... well.. that and watching Legal Eagle on youtube... Edit: Right after finishing the video and posting this, I went to resume watching a VOD I had paused (shout out to the Drawfee stream) and a minute after I resumed they started talking about Ace Attorney... I feel like im getting some signs from the universe.

[@LagrimaArdiente]

It always makes me happy to see AA content on KZbin. Learning something new is a wonderful bonus, too!

[@nshkurkin]

I really liked the the format of this video. Joshua’s story telling and flow really shine in this one. Keep up the good work!

[@VickVicka]

Ive been obsessed with ace attorney but havent heard of columbo until now! thank you for giving lots of context for the great detective stories that inspired one of my favorite games!

[@nothanks645]

i used to watch columbo a ton and i love ace attorney a lot...this video feels made for me, thank u polygon and josh!! i wanna rewatch columbo now, it's been ages

[@Ladderphobia]

Reading the captioner's description of the end-slate music is always a delight (HORNS!!)

[@SuperOssumPossum]

Sahwit (Saw It). It's a pun if you pronounce it right.

[@polygon]

oh my god

[@aimelle3]

I think the series reached maximum pun-hood when it named one of the characters in Spirit of Justice, Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III.

[@bigthecat100]

Scratching my head as to how anyone could miss this. I mean, Phoenix spells it out when he confronts him by saying "Mr Sahwit. Or should I say...Mr Did It?"

[@SuperOssumPossum]

@@bigthecat100 everyone's got blind spots

[@mokaza40]

My dad is a 70's kid and okay with anime. But than I showed him Jojo, which had Jotaro as Colombo and a bunch of 70's band references. Now my dad likes anime. He watched Lupin the 3rd with me. He really gets a kick out of the Japanese people referencing his favorite American things. Mainly because he was a refugee too and had to watch the same things and grew up with it as well. TLDR: Colombo and 70's references got my dad to like anime.

[@governor_explosion]

I always wondered if Jotaro's baggy coat in Part 4 was vaguely inspired by Columbo.

[@Honeylvr]

As a huge Phoenix Wright fan, it is was so much watching this video! Thanks yet again for the great work, Josh!

[@olivialuberda999]

One of my all time favorite game series!!! Thanks for the deep dive, Josh!

[@lovethesuit]

Okay. This is an incredibly good video, and a fantastic topic. Thanks so much for mentioning my favourite detective of all time.

[@AdamDSmith-xs7ci]

Great video!!!

[@ClericalError87]

I've been watching Columbo for the first time recently and this was the content I needed. We need more howcatchem mystery games.

[@saraellwood630]

I learned about one of my favorite game franchises today! Great choice of topic, keep up the good work! 😄👍

[@birdzilla01]

This was a fun little deep-dive!

[@osaka_lilac]

as someone who grew up watching columbo after school with my dad after school, this is wonderful seeing folks talk about it again :D

[@allergyboy8303]

The biggest homage to Columbo to have come out of Japan--I am a little surprised that it is not even mentioned here--is Furuhata Ninzaburo (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furuhata_Ninzaburō). From plot structure to the mannerism of the title role, it models closely on Columbo.

[@shenai2187]

I thought the same. And I enjoyed that series so much. I felt so called out when he mentioned listening to audio recordings of Columbo because I used to listen to just the audio from Furuhata Ninzaburo episodes on long drives.

[@DarthArachnious]

A Drifter solving crimes, moving on to the next Murder Town. That might be the best description of a show I would watch all the time.

[@willd.4808]

I NEED a Gumshoe-centric spinoff game

[@keysmash_roa]

Adding this to the database for more accurate guesses on the video host. I'll be right next time.

[@edgymoss]

i am absolutely THRILLED that my favorite (and only one im invested in) gaming journalism video site has done a video on my most favorite game franchise hell yess

[@lovisaandersson4079]

Speaking as a huge ace attorney fan who a few months ago started to watch and love Colombo, this is video is everything i needed and more

[@Ardacalya]

Everything I know about Japanese mystery I learned from a childhood addiction to detective conan, and now, this video.

[@seratlantis6956]

I cannot believe this video was written for me specifically djdjw this was a Very good analysis

[@lesblep]

an ace attorney video from polygon? be still my beating heart.

[@Radien]

My aging mother is a big Columbo fan. Thank you so much for enlightening me on something else that we can enjoy together. ❤️

[@neTTer0h]

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if this video kept geeking on for dozens of minutes more

[@aquaintsound]

Ace Attorney has been a special interest of mine for over a decade, yet I've never seen Columbo! I'm definitely gonna watch it now though

[@alexanderlobanov3880]

Thanks for the video and additional thank for the absense of the spoilers.

[@wornleatherboots]

josh providing ace attorney content like the king he is!!!!!!!!!

[@hoppenflop]

Josh's enthusiasm is infectious. Book fooooorrrrm!

[@mudkipaficionado7547]

JOSHHHH YOU MADE AN ACE ATTORNEY VIDEO!!! THANK YOUUUU!!!

[@Quicksilvir]

I want you to know how much I appreciate the Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd century shoutout. I only watched 2 episodes, but boy did it stick with me.

[@kevrock]

Love Francavilla’s Daredevil print! I’m a huge fan of his. I have 6 of his works framed in my house.

[@stephgilliam]

The Columbo content we all needed.

[@ZigealFaust]

To be frank, this whole vid could have just been "Columbo inspired Detective Conan and that inspired Pheonix".

[@Lomecron]

Who else's first thought when he said "one more thing" was Uncle from jackie chan?

[@MrTmb64]

Holy cow yes ! Always watched Columbo as a kid, it's quite popular still now in France, and yes now that you say it Gumshoe is Columbo !

[@nathancarter8239]

"Oh, just one more thing. Have you heard of those, uh, whaddya call 'em, Japanese video games, with the attorneys and stuff? See, I got a cousin who's real into them things, an' he says the trick about solvin' the case ain't about lookin' for holes, but lookin' for things that don't quite fit. There's always a little more there to find, if you just look for it."

[@datafoxy]

What a fun journey. I like the character Goto from Patlabor. He was a laid back police captain who everyone underestimated.

[@ConnorLordBassist]

I want to see this presenter more! He did a great job!

[@dyll_pyckle]

Hey Polygon? Can you pretty please make more Ace Attorney vids? Please & thank you :)

[@anszjaa]

Oh, no, I was playing Ace Attorney a couple of days ago, and my brain suddenly went "you know what, I REALLY need to watch Columbo right now". I guess my brain unconsciously noticed some similarities between the two 😅

[@Demurr]

Shoutout to our boy Pat Takumi!

[@FakeFF0000]

That was lovely.

[@rmdcade1717]

I grew up on Columbo and am so happy he's experiencing a resurgence right now.

[@dorothycosentino]

this is the only time ive heard someone else refrence sherlock holms in the 22nd century. i sometimes think i made it all up.

[@Kane_the_Newschool_DM]

This was a great, well-researched insight into how a game developer became inspired by great mysteries and then made a visual novel series with infamously bad mysteries! I especially liked how he said he was disappointed in how passive most mystery stories are, and then went on to make several games in which you know the outcome and solve the puzzle light-years ahead of everybody else, and are then forced to wait for the characters to catch up to you.

[@Teknanam]

Infamously bad mysteries? I know Ace Attorney ain't perfect and the earlier games haven't aged too well, but IDK about calling it infamously bad mysteries. Also you can't make a game where every single player is can't figure out the truth before the plot gets to it. Some players are just more perceptive. Especially players who've been playing the series or similar games.

[@Kane_the_Newschool_DM]

@@Teknanam I don't want a game where you can't figure out the truth before the plot reveals it, I want a game where figuring out the mystery early lets you present your evidence and lines of reason. Unfortunately, the AA series forces you to wait until the main character figures it out and then prompts you to present those things. I just started watching a playthrough of the Great Ace Attorney games though and they seem way better about that stuff, so hopefully the team can figure it out in the future.

[@alexanderlobanov3880]

@@Kane_the_Newschool_DM Bad mysteries? Turnabout Rise From The Ashes and Turnabout Corner are awaiting for you.

[@StevenUlyssesPerhero]

I would imagine that sales of the first game on GBA were abysmal in the US, since the series never came to North America until the original trilogy was ported to DS.

[@joshrios590]

You're right. I think my delivery wasn't clear enough that I referring to the DS sales. The first US version didn't sell due to larger stores such as walmart not buying enough copies and having to wait between shipments.

[@StevenUlyssesPerhero]

@@joshrios590 (Thank you for responding ^_^ ) Yeah, probably would have been better to cut the line about US sales, or at least move it to after the talk about the series' slow growth in its homeland.

[@paul_j_b]

This makes up a little bit for Phoenix Wright not getting that final Smash slot

[@drskelebone]

A LOT of Japanese crime dramas use the inverted style as well. Source: watching the weekly J-crime drama on KIKU-TV in Honolulu for nearly a decade. I didn't know there was a name for it, so when I first watched Columbo, my thought was "huh. This is a lot like those KIKU shows."

[@royalmushroom4688]

"Ah... one more thing."

[@sofiarocha9907]

ace attorney really gains traction with time huh i feel like i've been hearing more and more about it, which is common for 2000's now ig

[@polygon]

Same thing with Columbo it seems! It's having quite a resurgence this year. -Simone

[@mazenhaggag8669]

Oh my god Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd century wasn't a fever dream it was real!

[@polygon]

I had the same reaction when I heard that title, lol - Simone

[@amfdfireinside]

Y’all need to get my man a new mic setup. Such good video and content. But the audio!!! The audio!!!

[@numatruehome100]

I had no idea that guy from gate was a Columbo reference

[@rissawillis8594]

You got a pencil I could borrow? - the next Phoenix Wright game, probably.

[@Epinardscaramel]

“Ronin detective show” YES!

[@CianDelano]

Okay, I love this, but there is one part I have to disagree with. Me and two friends have been slowly watching through the Columbo series together, and absolutely love it.... but the thing is, as the watcher, it is a greater inverse mystery then you say. You know who did it, you know how they did it, you see everything they did leading up to and usually right after the killing... and then the thing the audience gets to try and figure out instead of Who and How the murder was done, you try to figure out what it is that Columbo is going to use to get them in the end... what is the big contradiction? What piece of evidence or thing that doesn't make sense is he going to latch onto and use as the breaking point against the Murderer. Columbo has a brilliant Bullshit detector and usually is pretty quick to figure out who his culprit is... but figuring out how to force them into a corner and confess or prove it tends to be much harder.... So as the Reader, you aren't trying to figure out the Bad Guy... you are trying to figure out Columbo before he can get the Pop.... at least that is the way I see it.

[@Goldneon1]

Just wrapped up reading And Then There Were None, and now I'm seeing this. It's a murder mystery kinda feeling today.

[@polygon]

That book gave me nightmares when I was in middle school! I love it though. -Simone

[@wrstlrwm84]

You think Columbo did a lot for Ace Attorney? Check out classic Perry Mason. Some of the cases are really similar... almost eerily similar.

[@joshrios590]

I wanted to push it to Perry Mason in my early research, but Columbo was a lot more fun to watch.

[@wrstlrwm84]

Perry was a good watch too if you love procedural court dramas.

[@sinmonsworul]

i don't think there could be a single topic that appeals to me, personally, more than this does

[@PiquantPan]

0 for 2 on the wordplay in this episode, Josh :PPP other people have already mentioned "Sahwit" but if you pronounce Edogawa Ranpo with the proper cadence and stress, it sounds like "Edgar Allen Poe"

[@joshrios590]

Would you believe I was trying for that a Lil bit? If not, it's cool. I'm awful at puns and wordplay...

[@PiquantPan]

​@@joshrios590 i'm not truly fluent in Japanese so it's kinda hard to articulate what makes the pronunciation weird, but i think it's putting the stress on it like "rahn-PO" -- if it was "RAHN-po," and if you took a moment to repeat it, then say Edgar Allen Poe, it would be funnier as a "GET IT...?" moment imo hahaha. also last thing, but honkaku has an "N," these mysteries ain't about trifling women :P

[@dencioanimation2714]

amazing ❤️

[@laurelcoleman7359]

I have always loved Columbo since I was kid, and I definitely should have made this connection a lot sooner!

[@AnarchoLoserist]

hell yeah

[@lillybean730]

man this makes me wanna play aa investigations 2 again lol :p

[@mygills3050]

No mention of gumshoe outside the thumbnail?

[@Myouqa]

New ace attorney content??? Sign me the f up!! (my favorite murder mystery is actually the ace attorney, I don't know how many times I replayed the games)

[@maverickREAL]

Just imagining "Oh, and one more thing" instead of "OBJECTION!" is causing me to crack up

[@redsands1001]

Excellent premise

[@niteowl9491]

Columbo is eternal, i luv him so much