Speech bubbles, also known as speech balloons, dialogue balloons, or word balloons, are a graphic convention used to represent the speech or thoughts of characters in graphical fictional works, most commonly in comic books, comic strips, and cartoons. The Ace Attorney series predominantly uses labeled text boxes on the top or bottom of a screen to convey speech and thoughts, but also uses spiky "scream balloons" to convey certain exclamations. These scream balloons use stylized red letters for over-the-top emphasis, albeit not in all capital letters. These speech bubbles are an iconic element of the series, especially the "Objection!" bubble, which is used whenever a major character is about to counter an argument or a witness's testimony.