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English Name: Franziska von Karma
Japanese Name: Karuma Mei
Age: 18 (Justice For All), 19 (Trials and Tribulations)
Occupation: Prosecutor
Height: 162cm (5'3")
Game Voice Actors: Suwabe Yukari (JPN), Janet Hsu (ENG)
Anime CV: Yumiba Saori (JPN)
Drama CDs CV: Sawashiro Miyuki

Franziska von Karma (Karuma Mei) first appears in the second Phoenix Wright game, Justice For All (Gyakuten Saiban 2). Although she is only 18-years-old, she has been a prosecutor since she was thirteen. Considered a prodigy, Franziska has never lost a single case (at least until she faces Phoenix), which is something that Franziska takes great pride in. Prior to coming to the United States, Franziska practiced law in Germany, where she was born and raised. (In the original Japanese game, Mei grew up in the United States, then came to Japan to face Naruhodou.)

She is the daughter of legendary prosecutor (and recently convicted felon) Manfred von Karma (Karuma Gou). Though it is never mentioned in the games, only the guide books, Franziska has one older sister, who is married with a daughter. Franziska also has an adopted brother, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth (Mitsurugi Reiji), Phoenix's friend/rival. Although Edgeworth is seven years older than Franziska, she refers to him as her "little brother."

Franziska is smart, beautiful, arrogant, sharp, and callous. Taking after her father, she will do anything to preserve her perfect win record, including employing some of Manfred's more devious methods. In Franziska's world, perfection is the von Karma way of life, her constant mantra, and her single goal. Franziska does not tolerate incompetence, has little regard and patience for the feelings of others (though she seems to have a soft spot for women), is blunt, rarely shows any weaknesses, and is generally a wonderfully unapologetic bitch. Due to her temperament, she's been called a "wild mare" by both Edgeworth and Godot.

Her constant companion is her whip, which she uses on anyone and everyone, including judges. (The whip makes a delightful "crack!" noise in the game.) Besides perfectly complementing her cutting personality, the whip symbolizes her need for control and dominance, as well as her constant strive for perfection.

Aside from the whip-cracking, some of Franziska's more bizarre mannerisms include her overuse of the word "fool," which she sometimes uses repeatedly in the same sentence (for example: "Foolish fool who foolishly dreams of foolish dreams" and "I grow tired of the foolish foolery of the foolish fools of this foolish country"), and her tendency to call people by their full names.

There's also another side to Franziska, which she keeps carefully hidden: the insecure little girl who is forever following in the footsteps of her father and Edgeworth. Overwhelmed by the pressure of living up to her father's reputation, this Franziska feels forced to be completely perfect, such that "perfection" has consumed her entire life.