“Legacy” as a concept is a really important theme in ace attorney in general; it is, at its core, a serie about what we owe to our ghosts. This theme is especially prevalent in aai2, what’s with the whole deadbeat fathers/happy adoptions going around.
Can you break free from family cycles? Should you? All those things you’ve done, all those who have stood before you. Some characters pursue their ghosts willingly (Kay & Lang trying to uphold their family legacy, also the pastry lady whose name i cannot remember) some are actively trying to break away from them (Edgeworth & Francezka re: Von Karma & gGegory) some aren’t even aware it’s there (Simon, John, Sebastian in the beginning)
And the ugly truth is that you can’t just pretend this past doesn’t exist. People won’t shut up about Edgeworth and von karma. Raymond keeps asking so what of Gregory? have you figured how much you want to owe him? John is caught in the middle of the whole president plot even twelve years later, despite knowing next to nothing about it. Simon imitating his father in his killing method. Hell, Miles referencing “that man” all the time could be interpreted as Phoenix’s legacy to him. You can't ignore your legacy. It will catch up to you one way or another, even if you're running from it, even if you didn't know a single thing abou tit.
And yet!! And yet. Your legacy is a part of you, but it’s not all of you. You can choose a different path. Oh, surely, that requires some self-awareness, surely, a different perspective is needed to see that, but you can. aai2’s themes culminate in two places: Simon’s confrontation, obviously, but also with Sebastian convicting his father. Simon was alone, up until the end, and that’s why he could not break free of that legacy he ignored. Sebastian, however, had Edgeworth’s help, and Justine’s help, and everyone else’s, and that’s why he could say “thank you. and goodbye.” His sprite even mimics Justine’s in that scene. “I aknowledge you as a part of me. I will never be able to wash my hands of your blood. but I refuse to be trapped by it. i will be my own person. thank you. and goodbye.”