SusaHao

"Oh, Susato...you know you'll always be a gallant, dashing lawyer in my eyes now!"

- Rei to Susato after the latter asked Rei to find inside her heart to forgive her for failing as her lawyer during the brief recess.

SusaHao is the femslash ship between Rei Membami and Susato Mikotoba from the Ace Attorney fandom.

Canon
In the first episode of the series, Susato is appointed as an attorney to defend Rei, who is disguised as "Ryutaro" due to the legal restriction that prohibits women from representing clients in court. Susato's father, Yujin Mikotoba, disguises her as Naruhodou's "cousin" to bypass the gender barrier. Rei expresses her gratitude to "Ryutaro" and "his" father, denying all allegations against her. Susato identifies Rei as her closest friend, born in the same year as her and who worked with Yujin at the university research laboratory. Rei becomes flushed as Susato inquires about the reason behind it. She admits that "Ryutaro" looks gallant and dashing, leaving Susato to wonder if Rei had ever noticed her true identity. Yujin assures Susato that the disguise is successful, which surprises Rei. She then compliments Susato's appearance, stating that she looks like a male Yumei University student, much to Susato's relief. Nonetheless, when Susato reveals her true self, Rei still finds her attractive. Susato playfully asks her to stop looking at her with doting eyes and a flushed face.

At first, Rei doubted whether Susato truly believed her, but Susato reassured her that she would stand by her side through thick and thin, no matter what. This meant a lot to Rei, as she had previously expressed the same sentiment to Susato. During the court hearing, Susato questioned her father about whether he had kept the truth from Rei regarding the reasons behind her predicament. Due to the fact that the victim was a serial killer, no lawyer was willing to take on her defense. Yujin admitted that law was not his area of expertise, but he would continue to support his student.

When the trial starts, Auchi taunts "Ryutaro" by calling him a "country boy." Rei defends Susato's honor by pointing out that she's just as capable as any other Tokyo attorney. Susato warns Rei internally to be careful with her words, and Auchi briefly wonders who Rei is referring to as "her." Despite this moment of confusion, Auchi continues to describe Susato as a "tomboyish" lawyer who can defend Rei. Susato herself grows increasingly nervous, as she can empathize with Naruhodou's situation from past trials.

During the recess, Rei apologized to Susato for not disclosing the toxin used in the victim's poisoning. Yujin tried to console Rei, but she was worried that her failure would be exposed. Rei hoped to retrieve the poison before it became known to others. Rei asked Susato about her comment on her innocence before the trial began. Feeling down, Rei believed she had betrayed Susato by withholding crucial information. Rei asked Susato to hit, throw, or drag her to the ground. However, Susato denied that request since she also doubted Rei for a moment. Susato apologized to Rei for failing as her lawyer. Yujin reminded both of them that they learned a valuable lesson about trusting others. Susato asked Rei for forgiveness, and Rei smiled and complimented Susato for always being a gallant and dashing lawyer in her eyes. Susato was moved by Rei's words. Rei admitted to being frightened because everything happened right before her eyes, and she struggled to speak up about it earlier. Susato offered reassurance, promising to prove the validity of her testimony in court.

In the aftermath of exposing the true killer, Menimemo, he becomes agitated and denies responsibility for the murder of the Englishwoman. As he flails his camera around, Rei steps in to help Susato execute the "Susato's Takedown" move to subdue him. However, Susato corrects her and names it the "Ryutaro's Takedown".

After Rei was declared innocent of all charges, she expressed her profound gratitude to Susato for everything she had done. She revealed that Susato's efforts had moved her so much that she was on the verge of tears. Susato, in turn, acknowledged that their journey had not been easy, but they had managed to overcome the obstacles together. She insisted that Rei deserved all the credit for her resilience and courage, but Rei was quick to dismiss this notion. Rei reminded Susato that they were equals and friends, and it was time to abandon any formality and celebrate their victory together. Susato couldn't help but smile at Rei's infectious enthusiasm and the two shared a moment of joy. However, their victory was bittersweet as they had to bid farewell to Ryutaro, who had done a remarkable job defending Rei. Rei expressed her regret at not being able to see him again, and Susato echoed her sentiments, acknowledging that they would both miss him dearly.

Moments

 * Their shadows are seen in The Adventure of The Blossoming Attorney's cardboard at the beginning facing each other (with Susato dressed as Ryutaro.)
 * At the end credits of The Great Ace Attorney, Ryuunosuke is seen passing by Susato (disguised as Ryutaro) and Rei, which girls were standing next to each other.

Quotes
The Adventure of The Blossoming Attorney "(...Rei Membami. Born the same year as I, and my greatest friend. Though unusual for a woman in our time, she works at the university research laboratory, helping my father. And sadly...she's the defendant in today's trial. Accused of committing a truly awful murder.)"

- Rei's introduction made by Susato as Ryutaro.

"(Rei... You're managing to put on a brave face in all this, but I can see through it. I've noticed how your shoulders are slumped and how you're trembling ever so slightly.)"

- Susato, internally worrying about Rei.


 * Yuujin – "I think this situation has taught both of you a valuable lesson. Placing your unbridled faith in another is no easy task."
 * Susato – "...Yes, Father. That fact has certainly struck home. Which is why I can see more clearly now. So...Rei..."
 * Rei – "Yes?"
 * Susato – "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
 * Rei – "......... Oh, Susato...you know you'll always be a gallant, dashing lawyer in my eyes now!"
 * Susato – "(Oh Rei...)"
 * — Rei reassuring Susato during the brief recess.


 * Rei – "At any rate, we really knocked the wind out of that horrid man! [Menimemo] And it felt so good!"
 * Susato – "Yes! It was satisfying."
 * Rei – "It really was! Isn't there anybody else we could throw together?" (gazing at Yuujin)
 * Yuujin – "I hope you're not looking at me, Rei."
 * Rei – "Oh! My! Goodness! No, of course not! OF COURSE not!"
 * Susato – "(Ah, there is it at last. Rei's lovely smile...)"
 * — Susato about how Rei was finally smiling as she joked on throwing Yuujin together.

4koma


 * Auchi – "My, my. What a sad state of affairs..."
 * Susato – "It is sad!"
 * Rei – "Susato-chan is a splendid defence attorney!"
 * Susato – "I'm Susato-chan!"
 * Rei – "If you dare mock her, I won't—"
 * Susato – "Won't forgive you!"
 * Yuujin – "Ryuutarou! Calm down! Please calm down!"
 * — 4koma — Response. The 4koma is a parodied version about the game which centers about Auchi feeling pitiful about "Ryuutarou" (Susato in disguise) but then Rei defends her along with Susato herself, for then finally Yuujin intervene for calming "Ryuutarou" down.

Behind the Scenes

 * Nuri – "The character of Haori wasn’t originally in Mr. Takumi’s scenario."
 * Interviewer – "No?"
 * Nuri – "At first, the story featured Mr. Mamemomi as the only original character, but the story just seemed a bit plain compared to the first game. I mean, you had Professor Mikotoba, Sōseki and Auchi… only middle-aged men! (laugh) "
 * Takumi – "Originally, Professor Mikotoba was the defendant, and the story would be about Susato defending her father. So I had never thought about just having middle-aged men."
 * Nuri – "Still, I had to voice my opinion on that. It wasn’t just about having middle-aged men, but if Susato were to stand at the defense’s bench, I figured you could have a girl in the role Susato usually had, and bonds between Ryūnosuke and Asōgi shown in the first game, could then be changed into the bonds between Susato and Haori. And the friendship between those two could also help flesh out a new side to Susato. So I proposed adding a new character."
 * — Interview about Murasame Haori (Rei Membami)'s character, and Susato's bond with her.

Fanon
Due to The Great Ace Attorney being recently released, it's a rarepair in the fandom, but at the same time, the most popular femslash ship for both characters and the game, and in general, the most written for Rei and the second most for Susato. Rei is often regarded as a lesbian due to her behavior around Susato (as Ryutaro), and because she described "him" as someone dashing and gallant. However, after Susato revealed her true identity, Rei still referred to her as "gallant and dashing," leading many to believe that Rei is a "raging lesbian." Nevertheless, there are those who argue against this idea.

Rei and Susato's relationship often competes with other popular ships, such as RyuuSusa and KazuSusa, SusaHao having a smaller following (not as much as KazuSusa's case) due to Haori's limited appearances in the game. Despite this, people who adore the connection between these two characters find their interactions significant. In fan art, Rei and Susato are often depicted together along with Asougi and Ryuunosuke, although they are usually drawn as a duo. Susato is frequently portrayed as Ryutaro, and Haori is always shown making physical contact with her, such as dancing, intertwining fingers, or holding hands.

While some believe that Rei's description of a "radiant and gallant" lawyer was referring to Ryutaro, others argue that she was referring to Susato all along. Rei herself mentions that Susato will always be her "gallant and radiant" lawyer. Despite its popularity, there are limited results for "ReiSusa" on Tumblr, and "SusaHao," "HaoSusa", and "Susaori" are more commonly used on AO3. Regardless, Rei and Susato's hard-fought victory together is a moment worth celebrating.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

FAN ART

TUMBLR
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.
 * hellshakeyuno. User dedicated to SusaHao's artworks.

TWITTER
 * , an account for the ship week in 2021.
 * , an account for the ship week in 2021.
 * , an account for the ship week in 2021.

Trivia

 * Rei's full name in japanese is "Haori Murasame", while in English is "Rei Membami". However, the japanese ship name tends to be used a bit more, forming "SusaHao" or "HaoSusa" instead of "SusaRei" or "ReiSusa".
 * Both share the same skills in martial arts.
 * Whenever Rei appears in official artworks, Susato is usually with her.
 * According to Kazuya Nuri (art director of The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures), Rei initially didn't exist in Shu Takumi's planned scenario for The Adventure of the Blossoming Attorney. The defendant of the case was in fact, originally going to be Yujin (Susato's father), with the story centered around Susato defending him. However, Kazuya pointed out that if Susato and Membami were friends, it would parallels the relationship between Ryunosuke Naruhodo and Kazuma Asogi, and so providing more character depth to Susato.
 * Also, Nuri mentions that Rei was designed to be someone who admired and adored Susato.
 * As stated in Rei Membami's personality section on the Ace Attorney Wiki, the character has a predilection for gallant men. In fact, Rei is smitten with "Ryutaro Naruhodou" (Susato in disguise), a "gallant" young defense attorney who came to her aid. Despite Susato revealing her true identity, Rei's affection remains unwavering, much to Susato's unease.