Narumitsu fics on Ao3: A timeline ⏳
Ok, so one thing to know about me is that I love me a good spreadsheet. A good infographic. I'm not particularly good at it, but creating them and analysing them makes me happy. There's a story in them thar numbers.
So while researching for an upcoming fic rec list (Narumitsu fic recs: the 'Ancient Texts' edition), I started thinking about how popular and rich our AA fanfic community is, and how we really shouldn't take it for granted. I've seen on Reddit people lament that they are writing out of love in a dying fandom, and friends, pals, the numbers show that we are NOT in a dying fandom. Quite the opposite actually. Lookit!
Notes from a data purity point of view:
this is only looking at Narumitsu fics on Ao3 (I tried FanFic.net and Wattpad, we just didn't vibe. It's ok. We still meet up for coffee every now and then)
Ao3 was launched in 2009 (as an author, you can set the publication date for accuracy, which is a great feature if you are archiving from another platform)
This data represents Ao3 search results by the following filters: M/M, Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright, Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney Language: English
That all said, you can see the momentum.
The good ship Narumitsu is a strong, hearty vessel, and I am so happy to be cruising on these waters with you!
Below is a timeline for your interest. I invite you to play the 'event correlation' game with me and see if you start drafting the same analysis narratives. Examples: there was a slight dip in the number of fics during 2017- 2018 which I contribute to no major releases or media from Capcom; The COVID era sucked man, but look at all the little fic babies it spawned (!)
2002 | The Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban) series began in Japan on the Game Boy Advance in 2001, with most major titles releasing in Japan months or years before Western localization. Key Japanese release dates include the original trilogy (2001–2004), Apollo Justice (2007), Dual Destinies (2013), and Spirit of Justice (2016)
2006 | [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS): October 11, 2005
2007 | # of fics on Ao3: 1 | [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All (DS): January 16, 2007, [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations (DS): October 23, 2007
2008 | # of fics on A03: 32 | [Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS): February 19, 2008
2009 | # of fics on Ao3: 65 | Ao3 website launched officially and entered open beta, becoming accessible to the public November 14, 2009),
2010 | # of fics on A03: 97 | [Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS): February 2010
2011 | # of fics on Ao3: 133
2012 | # of fics on A03: 159
2013 | # of fics on A03: 222 | [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (3DS): October 2013
2014 | # of fics on A03: 308 | [Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (3DS): August 29, 2014, [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (3DS/Switch/PC): December 9, 2014 (3DS)
2015 | # of fics on Ao3: 501
2016 | # of fics on Ao3: 817 | [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice (3DS): September 2016, Season 1 of The Ace Attorney anime (Gyakuten Saiban: Sono "Shinjitsu", Igiari!) first aired in Japan
2017 | # of fics on Ao3: 1,226
2018 | # of fics on Ao3: 1,441
2019 | # of fics on Ao3: 1,786 | [Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (3DS/Switch/PC): April 9, 2019 (Modern) Season 2 of The Ace Attorney anime (Gyakuten Saiban: Sono "Shinjitsu", Igiari!) airs in Japan, October 6, 2018, to March 30, 2019
2020 | # of fics on A03: 2,390
2021 | # of fics on A03: 3,552 | [The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Switch/PS4/PC): July 27, 2021
2022 | # of fics on Ao3: 4,924
2023 | # of fics on Ao3: 6,326
2024 | # of fics on Ao3: 7,377 | [Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Switch/PS4/Xbox/PC): January 25, 2024 [Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (Switch/PS4/Xbox/PC): September 2024
2025 | # of fics on Ao3: 8,390
2026 | # of fics on Ao3: 9,680 < We are here (as of April 11, 2026)
🤓😺🤓😺🤓
As always, I invite you to not only enjoy these fics, but to show some love to the authors who spent their time creating and sharing them with you. *Please kudo, comment and bookmark the fics you enjoy!* It doesn't matter if the fic is old. The authors may still be there, and your fellow readers too. I'm so grateful to them and to the Archive for all the hours of entertainment and feels they've given me these past 2 years. It's fascinating to see anthropological patterns emerge too - from the spartan way people used to tag their fics when there were only a few of them, to how now I've seen the tag section longer than the actual fic - Maybe this is the influence of Tumblr culture? Who knows? Not me. I just look at numbers and make giant assumptions 😹
Anyways, thanks for joining me on my Ted Talk / PowerPoint /Geek-o-share. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I have and if you have something to add, please do in the comments and tags. I love talking about this stuff <3