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- “Ema said this was some of her best work, so I know she put a lot of effort into it!”
- — Maya on Ema, Turnabout Time Traveler.
Emamaya is the femslash ship between Ema Skye and Maya Fey from the Ace Attorney fandom.
Canon[]
Ema and Maya are friends on good terms. While they both appear as early as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the first game in the modern Ace Attorney Timeline, the two don't meet in canon until the events of Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. Ema and Maya are shown to quickly bond and care for one another, and each displays a soft spot for the other, dropping their general sarcastic demeanour and always talking earnestly and genuinely together.
The Rite of Turnabout
Ema and Maya first meet in The Rite of Turnabout as Maya is being suspected for the murder of The Kingdom of Khura'in's high priest, Tahrust Inmee. As the detective put in charge of the case, Ema is forced to arrest Maya, something that she expresses deep regret about; in an effort to make things easier for Maya, she orders the other members of the police to treat Maya with "respect" (something especially big in Khura'in as its laws had resulted in every defendant being found guilty for some twenty years).
After Phoenix Wright agrees to take on Maya's defence, Ema repeatedly assists him in his investigation, first by granting him access to the crime scene despite knowing it was off-limits to the public (something she only did once Phoenix emphasised its importance in helping Maya's case) and by trying to give him a number of forensic investigation tools. During this time, Ema is very apologetic and repeatedly expresses concern over Maya's situation, stating that in her personal, unprofessional opinion, she agreed that there was "no way" Maya was the murderer.
When Prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi calls Ema into court to testify as to the events of the murder, Ema almost protests and then nearly abandons her job, stating that she "can't do this [testify against Maya]." It is only through Maya's encouragement—telling Ema that she and Phoenix would be okay and that Ema could focus on her job—that Ema finds her resolve.
Turnabout Time Traveler
Later that year, Ema and Maya meet in another murder case, this time with Ema as its acting detective and Maya as a judicial assistant for its defence attorney (Phoenix). Throughout this case, Ema expresses care for Maya and the two are very encouraging of one another. Maya also expresses interest in spending more time with Ema, stating that she "would've loved to restore this thing [a broken piece of evidence that Ema had repaired] with her."
Character Parallels
Ema and Maya's characters also heavily parallel one another, especially through their backstories and character arcs in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Both Ema and Maya lost their parents at an early age and, as a result, both were primarily raised by their older sisters (Lana and Mia, respectively). Events in each of their lives caused their sisters to become lawyers in order to protect their family (in Mia's case, to research into the DL-6 incident and figure out the reason behind her mother's disappearance; in Lana's case, as a result of blackmail by Damon Gant to protect Ema from being prosecuted for murder). Both of these events caused their older sisters to grow distant from Ema and Maya, and eventually, they lost both of their sisters as a result of these events. (Mia was murdered for researching the DL-6 incident; Lana confessed and was arrested for performing illegal actions as a result of Gant's blackmail).
Ema and Maya's personalities are also similar during this time; while each girl puts on an air of happiness and lightheartedness, they use this as a means to get through life. Both are heavily hurt by their family's histories.
The parallels between the two are so strong that in Rise from the Ashes, Phoenix acknowledges them, agreeing to help Ema because of how she reminded him of Maya.
Moments[]
- In The Rite of Turnabout, despite having never met before in canon, Ema expresses repeated concerns about Maya's arrest and repeatedly tries to help Phoenix in his efforts to defend her.
- Ema almost refuses to assist the prosecution against Maya before Maya herself reassures her.
- Despite Ema and Maya both generally having a very sarcastic sense of humour, they are both very soft and genuine around the other.
- When Maya points out that a character must be left-handed due to a set of fingerprints being from their left hand, Ema comments that Maya is "pretty good," to which Maya responds very giddily.
- This comes in contrast to Phoenix's sarcastic thought of Maya's deduction being obvious.
- When Maya and Phoenix come across a broken statue that Ema had repaired, Maya enthusiastically states that because Ema said it was "some of her best work," she must've "worked really hard on it."
- This comes in contrast to Phoenix's sarcastic thought that the statue repair looked really patchy.
- When Maya points out that a character must be left-handed due to a set of fingerprints being from their left hand, Ema comments that Maya is "pretty good," to which Maya responds very giddily.
- In Turnabout Time Traveler, when reinspecting the statue that Ema repaired, Maya comments that she'd have loved to work on fixing it alongside Ema.
Quotes[]
The Rite of Turnabout
- Ema – "I'm so sorry, Mr. Wright... but we're placing Maya under arrest. All right, take her down to the station! But with respect—got it?!"
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
- Phoenix – “Would it be okay for me to go take a look at the crime scene, Ema?”
- Ema – “The police have already wrapped up their investigation... ...but the location itself is off-limits to the general public, so I'm not sure.”
- Phoenix – “Ema, please! I'm begging you! Just like the police, I need access if I'm to mount a viable defense [for Maya].”
- Ema – “...All right, then. Leave it to me! I'll explain the situation to Prosecutor Sahdmadhi and the police later.”
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
- Phoenix – “Well, just so you know, I have no intention of giving up [defending Maya].”
- Ema – “I figured! That's why I've prepared a little gift for you! I thought it might help your investigation. Here, it's all yours! I wanted to bring you a bunch of other forensic tools... ...but they were confiscated at the airport.”
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
- Ema – “Mr. Wright? I'm, uhh... I'm so sorry about what happened to Maya.”
- Phoenix – “It's not your fault, Ema. You were just doing your job. And if I had just done mine...”
- Ema – “Mr. Wright...”
- Phoenix – “...But it's no use crying over spilled milk! Would you mind telling me what you know about the murder? It's do or die in court tomorrow. And I mean that literally.”
- Ema – “Gladly. I'll help in any way I can!”
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
- Phoenix – “There's no way Maya is that Lady Kee'ra vigilante!”
- Ema – “I agree on a personal level, but the police are just going with what today's trial concluded.”
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
- Ema – “...D-Does it look like you have any hope of winning [Maya's trial], Mr. Wright?”
- Phoenix – “Ema... I can't really say at this point. All I know is I have to keep investigating.”
- Rayfa – “What are you two sneaks up to? I would advise you to get back to work if you are done here, Detective. Otherwise, I will report you to Prosecutor Sahdmadhi for dereliction of duty.”
- Ema – “I-I-I, I'm going, I'm going! Well, see you later, Mr. Wright. And good luck!”
- —The Rite of Turnabout.
- Nahyuta – “Detective Skye... I understand how you would wish to save the accused [Maya Fey] and the defense [Mr. Wright]. They are your friends, after all. But you must let them go... and move on.”
- Ema – “B-But...!”
- Nahyuta – “There is only one way to save them now: By giving their souls the chance to burn away the taint of their sins in the infernal flames.”
- Ema – “Ooh... I... I... I can't do this!”
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
- Maya – “Ms. Skye!”
- Ema – “Y-Yes?!”
- Maya – “Don't worry about me and Nick. You just do your job. I'm sure Nick will figure something out... eventually!”
- Ema – “............... Right. Thanks, Ms. Fey.”
- — The Rite of Turnabout.
Turnabout Time Traveler
- Ema – “If you do go up to the vista deck with the lift, be careful not to fall off!”
- Phoenix – “Got it. Thanks.”
- Ema – “That goes double for you, Maya!”
- Maya – “Yes, ma'am!”
- — Turnabout Time Traveler.
- Maya – “I just figured out something amazing!”
- Phoenix – “You did?”
- Maya – “Get this -- if the fingerprints on the candelabra were from his left hand... ...then Mister Doom-n'-Gloom must've been... left-handed! What do you think of that? Do I have the makings of a great detective, or what?”
- Phoenix – “(Oh, yes. Your deductive reasoning skills are nearly Encyclopedic...)”
- Ema – “Hey, you're pretty good, Maya! I looked into it myself, and sure enough, the victim really was left-handed.”
- Maya – “Really? I got it right? Awesome!”
- — Turnabout Time Traveler.
- Phoenix – “Here's the broken lantern, all patched up. (And I do mean "patched"...)”
- Maya – “Ema said this was some of her best work, so I know she put a lot of effort into it!”
- — Turnabout Time Traveler.
- Maya – “Ema must've worked really hard on this.”
- Maid – “You mean that police lady? She was going at it like a jigsaw puzzle. All "Not this piece" here, "Not that piece" there...”
- Phoenix – “It was pretty busted up. I can just imagine what a hard time she had figuring it all out.”
- Maya – “She should've asked me to help! I would've loved to restore this thing with her!”
- —Turnabout Time Traveler.
Fanon[]
Because Ema and Maya were introduced so early in the franchise but only met later on, the ship appeals to a variety of fans. Many people point to the canon interactions between Ema and Maya in Spirit of Justice as a basis to ship them, and see Ema and Maya forming a relationship after the events of this game. Other fans see the similarities between Ema's and Maya's characters and, recognising that they would get along well, like to imagine that Ema and Maya met during or right after the events of the Phoenix Wright Trilogy. Even more fans headcanon that, because Ema's and Maya's older sisters were close, the two girls met one another and were friends even before the events of the Phoenix Wright Trilogy.
However, relative to other pairings in the fandom, Emamaya is a rarepair. It suffers from the fact that Ema and Maya never meet canonically until the most recent game in the modern timeline, which not as many people have played (especially considering that it was only brought to modern consoles recently, in January 2024). Additionally, it is frequently overshadowed by other ships for Ema and Maya—namely Faraskye and Franmaya, which are the two girls' most popular ships by far (and, with Franmaya, one of the most popular ships in the fandom overall).
On Ao3, Emamaya has 66 fics in the romantic tag and 20 in the gen tag.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Ema/Maya tag on AO3
- Ema & Maya tag on AO3
- TUMBLR
- Ema/Maya posts on Tumblr
- Emamaya posts on Tumblr
- Emmaya posts on Tumblr
- Emaya posts on Tumblr
- Ema/Maya posts on Twitter
- Emamaya posts on Twitter
- Emmaya posts on Twitter
- Emaya posts on Twitter
Gallery[]
Official[]
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|---|---|---|
| Ace Attorney Ships • Ace Attorney Characters | ||
| SHIPS | het | Feenris • Justicykes • Magshoe • Miego • NaruMayo • NaruMiya • RyuuSusa |
| slash | AsoRyuu • Homumiko • Klapollo • Krisnix • Manosouta • Narumitsu • Soutamitsu | |
| femslash | Aurametis • Emamaya • Faraberry • Feyberry • Fradrian • Franmaya • Franziskay • Junithena • Lanamia • SusaHao • SusaMaya | |
| poly | Weirdgirl Polycule | |
| family | Faraday Family • Von Karma Siblings • Wright Family | |
| friend | Investigations Duo | |
| CHARACTERS | male | Phoenix Wright |
| female | Franziska von Karma • Kay Faraday • Maya Fey | |