Persona 4/Heartwarming

• Many. Especially the True Ending.
• Pretty much any post-Shadow scene has some of this, with the characters both accepting themselves and being accepted by the Investigation Team.
• The final scene for most of the Social Links qualifies.
  • Heck, there's generally several throughout any given S. Link.
  • It's not the final scene of his S. Link, but Yosuke's monologue in his penultimate Link is a fitting conclusion to his character development in its own right.

Yosuke: I want to tell Saki-Senpai something. That what's important... Isn't where you are. This town I hated so much? Now, I love it. There's still nothing here, but I have family and friends... and you. The important things are never far off... They're all around you. I always wanted to be 'special'. I thought my life'd finally have meaning if I was special to someone. That's why I was really excited when I got my Persona. But I really didn't need it... It's not what you have or what you can do... Just being born, living your life... Before you know it, you're already special to someone.

• The follow-up to the end of Izanami's fight, the final boss in the true ending, is also quite heartwarming.

Izanami: Children of man...WELL DONE!

• The Christmas Eve scene with a girl, any girl. Naoto's is a personal favorite.
  • Christmas Eve with anyone, really.
  • Special note that if you don't have a girlfriend (or decide not to spend any times with any of the girls), Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie will decide to have a bros party with you.
• When Nanako comes back to life, if you choose to spare Namatame.
  • Also when MC checks his phone afterwards, and his inbox is flooded with messages from all of his friends, offering support. This troper felt himself get a little teary-eyed.
• The fact that Dojima still considers Adachi as his partner despite the things he did.
  • Even moreso if you consider this may be at least part of the reason Adachi not only fully cooperates with getting himself convicted but even helps you find the true ending.
• All of Kanji's social link is adorable. But when the little kid vouches for his innocence with the police officers, you just want to give your playstation a hug.
  • When the player first formally meets Kanji's mom, she reveals just how much Kanji appreciates his friendship with the protagonist.
• The five words that codified Video Game Caring Potential: "I love you big bro!"
• Throughout the game, if you score highest in the exams, Nanako gives you some very useful homemade accessories. After the final exam of the game while Nanako's in the hospital, if you check the cushion she usually sits on you'll find a writing assignment by Nanako talking about how her big bro is the greatest guy in the world, as well as the final accessory.
• And one could say the Heroic Sacrifice of everyone during said Izanami fight was incredibly heartwarming (and slightly heartbreaking).
  • And the trumpet that plays when Yosuke knocks the player out of the way of the Thousand Curses this video also deserves some mention, as it plays in almost heroic tune as Yosuke is struck by Thousand Curses.
• YMMV with this one, but this troper felt that all of the S. Link people offering their support to the main character to get him to stand back up and fight Izanami was particularly heartwarming. But one brought this troper to tears:

Chie: No Protagonist... Don't leave me...! I'm scared...

• • Which, later, was followed by Nanako telling the Protagonist this:

Nanako: Hey... Big bro... Are you going to leave me behind...? I'll be a good girl... So don't go... I don't want you to go... Big bro...

• Chie's Social Link, my favourite being the romantic route, always makes me fangirl inside.
• Teddie's resolution to come back after realizing he's a shadow. And Yukiko finally laughs for the first time to a Teddie joke.
• Ms. Kashiwagi's surprising friendship with Hanako, especially after the beauty contest. Yukiko later says that: "They often come here [to the Amagi Inn]."
• Max out the Hermit S. Link and visit the shrine at the end of the game. You see that the Fox has a trio of adorable children.

The Anime of the Game

• This exchange from the anime between Narukami and Yosuke after the latter finds out that Saki, the girl he had a crush on, actually despised him, and Shadow Yosuke twists the knife by taunting him that he'd only decided to investigate her death because he was looking for excitement:

Narukami: You loved her, didn't you?
Yosuke: Huh?
Narukami: Konishi, that is?
Yosuke: Yeah... I truly loved her.
Narukami: Then isn't that enough?
Yosuke: [thinks for a moment, then smiles] I guess you're right.

• The flashback with Yukiko and Chie first meeting.
  • At the end of the same episode, Chie reveals she raised the puppy Yukiko had found back then, and thanks him for bringing them together.
• When Chie accepts her Shadow, which has previously been ranting about how jealous Chie is of Yukiko and how she enjoys having Yukiko depend on her for self-confidence, she responds that even if that may be true, she and Yukiko are still friends:

Chie: We are friends, aren't we?

• When both Yukiko and Yosuke accept their Shadows, you can see the look of joy on their faces for finally being acknowledged.
• Yu bonding with Nanako, with the lonely, little girl slowly opening up to him.
• In episode 7 it's revealed why Kanji took on 100 bikers single handedly. The noise of the bikes had kept his mum from sleeping for several nights so he decided to shut them up.
• Giving Naoki closure, acceptance, and Rice Bowls.
• Yu's Friendship Moment / Ship Tease with Rise in episode 9. Complete with a "romantic escape" from the paparazzi at their school and the duo bonding while making origami together.
• Yu supporting Rise during the Shadow Teddie battle.
• Also the ship tease for Yu and Rise at the end of the episode.

Rise: May I make this my special place?

• Episode 12 had quite the dozy;
  • The development of the Yu and Yosuke Bromance, with the duo finally going on First-Name Basis. Specifically when Yosuke saved Yu form Mitsuo's shadow.
  • Teddie making a pinkie swear with Nanako to play with her.
  • Also in Episode 12, the way that Yu defeats Shadow Mitsuo by unleashing every Persona he has in quick succession works as a non-verbal Shut UP, Hannibal to Shadow Mitsuo's claim that they're Not So Different, thanks to the bonds Yu has made.
  • At the end of the episode, Yu completely drops his stoicism and opens up to his friends about his desire for them to still meet up with each other. They remind him that of course they would, because they're already True Companions.
• Episode 13:
  • Nanako, period. Could she possibly get any more adorable?
    • The episode opens with Nanako running into the shrine fox during a rainy day, and she ends up giving it her umbrella so it doesn't catch a cold.
  • Just when Nanako is about to give up on figuring out what Yu's up to, Naoto shows up to encourage her to keep at it until she solves the "case". Even better, Naoto knows the show Nanako was imitating and quotes one of the lines to the little girl, which is what finally inspires her to perk up and keep going.
  • The climax of the episode. Nanako and Yu watch the festival fireworks together, and she watches Yu interact with the Social Link characters he'd been spending the episode with while Out of Focus. Without knowing what he'd done, she sees these people seem to magically become happy thanks to her "big bro", and then she walks home hand-in-hand between Yu and Dojima.
• Episode 14 was full of these, all of them courtesy of Yu
  • The scene where Yu put on Teddie's costume to entertain the children doubles as this and a Crowning Moment of Funny
  • Yu recovering Hisano's hairclip after she threw it into a river and returning it, after seeing that she clearly regretted doing so the moment she did it.
  • Yu giving Shu a birthday gift, and encouraging him to try and make some friends.
  • After Eri gets struck by another woman and gets a fairly nasty wound on her forehead, Yu rushes to her side and treats the injury. In the process, he calls Sayoko and desperately asks for her help, which, in turn, rekindles her passion for helping others as a nurse.
  • As for Eri herself, the CMoH comes not only when Yuuta is visibly pissed off when she is insulted by another woman, going so far as to attack her (which led to the incident mentioned directly above), but also when she wakes up. The first thing she sees is Yuuta, with tears of relief in his eyes, as he seems to finally accept her as his new mother.
  • And finally, the fox approaching Nanako at the end of the episode and presenting her with a brand new umbrella, thus returning the favor from the beginning of the previous episode. Needless to say, Nanako's reaction was unbearably adorable.
    • And it was actually a tag-team effort between Yu and the fox- after helping out all the people he did over the summer, he was still short of the money he needed to replace Nanako's umbrella (which, as mentioned, she had given to the fox). Then it suddenly digs out a stash of money from underneath the shrine... you can't help but feel that the fox was rewarding them both for their good deeds.
  • It turns out all those good deeds Nanako performed in the previous episode ended up indirectly helping Yu to save Eri's life.
  • The credits feature all the people Yu bonded with enjoying their lives, from Shu playing the game he was given with other kids to Sayoko hard at work at the hospital. It's striking just how big of a difference a few weeks of his time made in these people's lives.
• Episode 15 had a good number
  • '110'
  • Chie and Yu sharing a rather tender moment.
  • Yukiko and Yu wanting to invite Naoto, who until that time had been something of a gruff stranger to the Investigation Team, to join them in their activities.
• From episode 17, Kanji gave us a good few, mainly his interactions involving Naoto and the way he refers to Yu as his "Best Bud."
  • Naoto and Yu eating the nikudon together.
• Episode 18 alternates between this and Tear Jerker for the entire episode.
  • This picture shown at the end of the episode (which has been set next to another picture of the Dojima family before Chisato's death that Yu had recently gotten framed).
• Episode 19. Perhaps the major one is the friendship between Ayane and Yu.
  • The developement of Yu and Rise's relationship, most notably the picture she left on Yu's desk.
• Episode 20 has a blink and you'll miss it one. Naoto and Nanako ends up sharing a bed when they go to sleep. The sweetness of it can melt any man's heart.
  • Naoto can be seen holding Nanako's hand a couple of times after the hotspring scene. It's pretty cute.
• Episode 21 has some rather sweet moments between Yu and Nanako. However, this makes it so much harder to bear once things start getting real serious.
  • To a small extent, Yu and Dojima's conversation at the end, In light of everything that had happened during the episode.
• In 22, Kanji giving a short but very emotionally deep and badly needed speech while the team is blaming themselves for recent events, Naoto most of all.
• In between all of the Tear Jerkers brought by episode 23, we have Aika giving the infamous Rainy Day Special to Yu... to cheer him up after how It Got Worse.
  • Better yet Yu finishes it!
  • Yosuke holding a sobbing Yu, without a single word...THE defining Brosuke moment.
  • Don't forget Nanako surviving in the end.
• Episode 24: Every scene involving Teddie from him weeping in the Velvet room thinking that he hadn't been able to save Nanako, and Yu telling him he had, to his being told in the television world that since he's got a Persona he's basically as good as human and his visit to Nanako in the hospital.
• Episode 25 is full of moments. Watching the various team members support each other against the Reapers is pretty inspiring, as are their various Shut UP, Hannibal speeches. Yu tells Ameno-Sagiri that as long as he has his team he can do anything. Everyone's determination to save him allows them to evolve their Personas all at once, Susanoo pulls Yu out of Ameno-Sagiri, and everyone makes an opening for Yu to finish off the baddie with freaking LUCIFER. The Power of Friendship at its finest.

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