Bansai Ichiyanagi

"When you get to where I am, you can just create your own truths. Anytime you want."

- Bansai Ichiyanagi

Bansai Ichiyanagi (Blaise Debeste in a fan-translation) is one of the main antagonists of Gyakuten Kenji 2 (Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path) and the overarching antagonist in the entire Ace Attorney series. He also serves as the catalyst in Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path and the one responsible to drive Sōta Sarushiro into villainy.

He served as Chief Prosecutor and Head of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee. He frequently abused his power as Chief Prosecutor, holding black market auctions of evidence, and disposing of those who got in his way. He is also emotionally abusive towards his son, rookie-prosecutor Yumihiko Ichiyanagi (Sebastian Debeste).

Personality
Bansai Ichiyanagi is extremely selfish, arrogant, egocentric, manipulative, and controlling person who loved to use and abuse his power to destroy anyone who challenged or defied him. He uses his influence to manipulate cases and cause people to "disappear", including his own wife and a rival detective. At least, some of these "disappearances" involved being jailed permanently for made-up crimes. He also deceives Manfred von Karma by giving him falsified evidence, and then stripped him of his quintessential record when he was caught using a forced confession. Exerting control over everyone else is almost an irresistible need for him, and he is hot-tempered and excitable when he lost control.

His corruption is matched only by his sheer arrogance. He takes all of the opportunities to gloat and humiliate other people. For example, he greets Franziska von Karma in front of everyone else during a murder investigation in a very embarrassing and ignominious manner by talking about how she used to sit on his lap as a child. Bansai will even treat his own son this way, persistently calling him an idiot, though Yumihiko seems to be used to it. When revealed to be an argumentative and murderous criminal, Bansai cruelly tells his son that he had only received every good grade and award that he was so proud of thanks to his personal connections and influence.

He also has a tendency to play with his lighter, which flared up when he became quite overwrought and nervous. When it accidentally set his fake beard on fire, he will use the tears trapped in his goggles to put it out. His goggles are often filled with tears, as he will often cry to make himself appear temperamental, obstreperous, and sensitive. Bansai will also tend to tug on his beard when anxious.

Evidence Auctions
Even when being the chief prosecutor, Blaise held secret auctions with evidence of past cases. He used masks and voice-changers to hide the true identity of the participants, including his own. He actually also took off his wig and fake beard, to be unrecognized. However, it actually revealed his burn mark on his chin, though not so many people knew of it anyway. His black market auctions drew attention of photojournalist, Jack Cameron, who conducted a secret investigation.

IS-7 Incident
During Blaise's job as a chief prosecutor, he was reported about IS-7 Incident, specifically about the victim's body disappearance. Debeste neglected to tell about this fact to the prosecutor in charge, legendary Manfred von Karma, so the latter was forced to forge an autopsy report in order to win the trial with help of Blaise and a doctor whom he forced to fabricate that evidence - Bonnie Young. Eventually, the disappearance of the body was discovered by the defense attorney in charge - Gregory Edgeworth, who then proved the fabrication of the report (and also false confession of the defendant who had been pressed by the police under Von Karma's instructions) in court. This ended with Manfred von Karma still winning the trial after one year, but leading to his one and only penalty from Blaise himself. This led to the cataclysmic effect, which forced many antagonist of the Ace Attorney Universe to do, what the did.

Villains AND OTHER PEOPLE affected by Blaise Debeste

 * Manfred von Karma - after being penalized and spoiling his perfect record, he went in daze. An earthquake then went, and Von Karma went to the elevator, when it stopped. He then was accidentally shot in his shoulder by Miles Edgeworth, who threw a gun to prevent Yanni Yogi from killing his father in despair. As the elevator had opened, Manfred took the gun and killed Gregory Edgeworth, what became the DL-6 Incident and later led to Manfred von Karma's arrest as he was revealed to be the true murderer by Phoenix Wright.
 * Yanni Yogi - due to the DL-6 Incident, Yogi lost his lover, his status as a bailiff and everything else as his defense attorney suggested that he suffered brain damage while being stuck in the elevator. It also led to Yanni's part in Manfred von Karma's plan of revenge to Miles Edgeworth and Yogi's defense attorney, Robert Hammond, what led to Yogi's arrest, being convicted by Phoenix Wright.
 * Redd White - he was the one to reveal the police's attempt to learn about the murderer of DL-6 with the help of spirit medium Misty Fey. He then brought it to light, crushing the Feys and police's reputation. This case was the reason Mia Fey was investigating him in first place, and that persistence of her was the reason Redd White killed her.
 * April May - being an accomplice of Redd White and his secretary, she wouldn't be involved and convicted if not the DL-6 Incident in first place.
 * Morgan Fey - as DL-6 Incident ruined the Feys' reputation and her husband abandoned her alongside with her daughters Dahlia and Iris, Morgan grew even more angry toward her disappeared sister Misty Fey and her daughters, Mia and Maya. That was the reason she helped Mimi Miney to kill Dr. Turner Gray and incriminate Maya for this. Also, it was the reason she contacted her daughter Dahlia in cell and conducted the plot to kill Maya Fey.
 * Mimi Miney - with no DL-6 Incident to take place, she most probably wouldn't have an accomplice such as Morgan Fey to perform a well-detailed crime and she would most probably exposed as actual Mimi and not her deceased sister Ini.
 * Dahlia Hawthorne - the reason Mia Fey ever became an attorney was to explore the DL-6 Incident and find the true culpit. Due to her becoming an attorney, Dahlia was found guilty for two murders and an attempt one (on Mia's co-council, Diego Armando), and executed several years later. But the hate to Mia Fey led to Dahlia accepting the plan her mother offered, as she though that kill Mia's little sister would be painful enough for her.
 * Diego Armando/Godot - coming from the Dahlia Hawthorne's and Mia Fey's relations to Blaise's actions, it was the reason Dahlia was almost exposed as the murderer of her step-sister Valerye Hawthorne, so she would poison Diego and put him into coma. As he was being in it, Mia had been killed by Redd White, and, as he awoke, Dahlia was executed. So, it's indirectly the reason he went under name of Godot and was the murderer of Misty Fey, as Dahlia was planning to kill Maya.
 * Horace Knightley - due to his father being dead and the culprit not to be found, it led for Horace to be what he has become, though, as shown in Simon Keyes's flashbacks, Knightley actually was somewhat friendly and kind to Simon.
 * Patricia Roland - being the partners in crime of SS-5 Incident, Blaise set her as a prison warden. Also, the crime itself was the reason behind Patricia's paranoia, which led to her murder of Horace Knightley.
 * Frank Sahwit - he was an accomplice of Patricia Roland in her smuggling activity due to Sirhan Dogen threatening her. Also, he was an accomplice of her in her covering up the murder, which led him to be extended of his prison term.
 * Dane Gustavia - 18 years after the IS-7 Incident, which actually led to every other thing, Blaise's actions led to Gustavia nearly died of the poison trap set by Katherine Hall (adoptive daughter of IS-7's defendant, Jeff Master) to catch the true culprit of the Incident. It was when the crime was exposed.
 * Di-Jun Huang's Body Double - Blaise was an accomplice of his and, most probably, the one who conducted the plan and set an attempt of killing the hired assassin Sirhan Dogen.
 * Simon Keyes - not only the IS-7's fail to find the true culprit distorted Simon's personality, as he misleadingly grew hateful to his childhood friend Horace Knightley, but also SS-5 led him to became a paranoid person, always afraid for his life, as Blaise, Body Double and Patricia Roland were searching for him every since the SS-5 Incident's night to shut him forever. This also was the reason Simon indirectly caused those three to be taken into custody for other crimes or (in Body Double's case) dead.

Trivia

 * Though he's male, in the first game when his voice is heard has really high pitched beep, like women voice, while men has a slightly lower pitch beep than women. This was fixed in the game that he appears (namely, GK2).