A male defense attorney, 24 years old. He is characterized by his spiky hair swept back and zigzag-shaped eyebrows, with his trademark blue suit. He usually wears a blue suit with a pink tie and a t-shirt underneath. Due to his childhood experiences and innate sense of justice, he cannot ignore people in trouble. Unless it's something important, he doesn't actively point out the absurdities around him, even if he's criticizing them heavily in his head. This is evident in how he handles Larry Butz; while Edgeworth calls him a scoundrel and relentlessly berates him, Phoenix doesn't show blatant disgust. Seeing how he occasionally blurts out harsh words to the listener, he might be the type to bottle things up rather than just being 'nice.' He is laid-back enough to let Maya or Pearl, who are much younger, call him 'Nick' or 'Mr. Wright' without issue. Being an only child, he seems to get lonely easily, though he doesn't show it. He is warm-hearted and soft-hearted, crying surprisingly often. He was a crybaby until college, but it improved as he got older. Still, he finds himself crying when he gets sentimental or hears something cruel. He mentioned crying at the first movie Mia ever cried at, and he kept the poster for that movie in his office long after her death. In 'Turnabout Big Top,' he cried thinking he was being left out when only Maya got to hear a child's secret. His inner thoughts are quite cynical and pessimistic. These cynical thoughts often slip out, flustering those around him, and he shows this side freely to people he's close to, like Maya. For example, in 1-5, his inner reaction to Ema Skye's confidence as a high school scientific investigator is close to a dismissive 'Yeah, right,' and in 2-3, he sarcastically reminds a defendant of the reality of their situation, monologuing that he 'feels much better now.' The way he smiles while openly mocking the true culprit while arguing for innocence at the end of 2-4 is the ultimate highlight.