History Heartwarming / InvaderZIM

* "Walk of Doom". After Gir strands the two of them by replacing his guidance chip with a cupcake, Zim starts shouting at him... until he sees poor Gir in tears and, in a brief moment of humility, realizes that getting mad at him won't solve their problem and accepts his apology. Subverted, though, in that Gir was just sad that his cupcake was gone.

** A lot of Zim's CMOH seem to relate to Gir, for instance: "I already promised the moon to GIR."
*** Not to mention Zim telling Gir "please" that one time.
*** And then there's Gir's obvious affection for Zim, like in "Germs": "Aww, somebody needs a hug!"

** One of the earliest examples is in "Battle Of The Planets", when Zim sends Gir to stop Dib. "Maybe that little robot isn't such a bad evil minion after all..."

** From the same episode, Gaz shows some serious ''concern'' for Dib when he quits paranormal studies in favor of "real" science (which makes him bored and miserable but keeps him from being a social outcast). She even tries to lure him back by bringing up th Vampire Doughnut special airing on TV that night, something which would normally interest him. To her, his new behavior "isn't right" and upsets the natural balance; the shift back to status quo at the end sees her saying contentedly, "All is right with the world again. ... [[MoodWhiplash stupid world]]." When you consider that she normally finds his "paranormal stupidity" profoundly irritating, it's quite interesting that for her, the rightful balance of things apparently involves Dib ''being true to himself and doing what he really loves.''

* Gaz cares so much about spending time with her dad that she goes out of her way to save Dib from being experimented on by Zim. Not because she cares about Dib, mind you (or at least, not that she cares about him whenever his rivalry with Zim is involved), but because she's afraid that if she brings home Dib as a horrible mutant their dad will cancel dinner.

* Dib stargazing at the end of "Tak, The Hideous New Girl," saying how wonderful it'd be to just "fly up there and see it all." It's a small validation that Dib really isn't just an attention-hungry nut job, he really is fascinated with alien life.

* For a truly insane yet extraordinary example, the last page of the Magazine/{{Nickelodeon Magazine}} comic: Zim offers Dib to come with him to a planet consisting of giant space bunnies and soda after Zim becomes Earth's overlord and plans to destroy it via killer robots. Dib actually accepts, followed by the last picture being the two guys as well as Gir and Minimoose doing just that and having the time of their lives. Negated some since it's EsotericHappyEnding incarnate and was most likely meant as a joke, but [[SadistShow the show considered,]] how this situation could have went, how much both Dib and Zim get downer endings, and just seeing them having fun together ''without'' it ending in a fight it counts.

* Crosses as Funny is Dib and Gir dancing together in "The Frycook What Came From All That Space", Dib especially looking like he's having fun and a total 180 from getting humiliated earlier in the episode.

-->"The major tenants of the show are [[SadistShow sarcasm, cruelty and violence.]] Affection and warm, fuzzy things, anything that would [[MisaimedFandom inspire "Awwww!"]] ...it's not in the show!"
-->--'''Jhonen Vasquez''' on why this page really shouldn't exist

* In "Future Dib," after Gaz mentions to Prof Membrane that Dib's constant babbling about aliens and whatnot bugs her, he explains that some people like to talk and he'll probably settle down if she just listens to him. If you think about it, that's pretty nice for a guy who claims his son's insane, since instead of agreeing that the blame should be on Dib for annoying Gaz, he kind of stood up for him by saying Dib just has a few quirks and Gaz should try to be more understanding.

* For a truly insane yet extraordinary example, the last page of the Magazine/{{Nickelodeon Magazine}} comic: Zim offers Dib to come with him to a planet consisting of giant space bunnies and soda after Zim becomes Earth's overlord and plans to destroy it via killer robots. Dib actually accepts, followed by the last picture being of the boys as well as Gir and Minimoose doing just that and having the time of their lives. Negated some since it's EsotericHappyEnding incarnate and was most likely meant as a joke, but the show considered, how this situation could have went, and how much the two have downer endings it still counts.

* For a truly insane yet extraordinary example, the last page of the Magazine/{{Nickelodeon Magazine}} comic: Zim offers Dib to come with him to a planet consisting of giant space bunnies and soda after Zim becomes Earth's overlord and plans to destroy it via killer robots. Dib actually accepts, followed by the last picture being of the two guys doing just that and having the time of their lives. Negated some since it's EsotericHappyEnding incarnate and was most likely meant as a joke, but the show considered, how this situation could have went, and how much the two have downer endings it still counts.

* That waiter who only makes 5 monies every two years is forced to bet 500,000 monies on Zim... and wins over 6 million monies when Zim makes it. He quits his awful job as a waiter immediately. [[spoiler:Though this is quickly subverted when the Tallest respond by tying him up and trapping him in a ship with Zim that is set to autopilot to fly into a star. Given that [[NegativeContinuity Zim is alive and well in the next episode]], there is a chance the waiter survived as well.]]

* For a truly insane yet extraordinary example, the last page of the Magazine/{{Nickelodeon Magazine}} comic: Zim offers Dib to come with him to a planet consisting of giant space bunnies and soda after Zim becomes Earth's overlord and plans to destroy it via killer robots. Dib actually accepts, followed by the last picture being of the two guys doing just that and having the time of their lives. Negated some since it's EsotericHappyEnding incarnate and was most likely meant as a joke, but the show considered, how this situation could have went, and how much the two have downer endings, Dib especially it still counts.

* ''Walk of Doom''. After Gir strands the two of them by replacing his guidance chip with a cupcake, Zim starts shouting at him... until he sees poor Gir in tears and, in a brief moment of humility, realizes that getting mad at him won't solve their problem and accepts his apology. Subverted, though, in that Gir was just sad that his cupcake was gone.

*** Zim just having a casual conversation with him in ''Zim Eats Waffles'', or any time he does so. There's no way he hates the little robot as much as he claims, taking the time to bond with him like that.

** One of the earliest examples is in ''Battle Of The Planets'', when Zim sends Gir to stop Dib. "Maybe that little robot isn't such a bad evil minion after all..."
* The unfinished episode, ''Mopiness of Doom.'' In a nutshell, Dib and Zim realize how much they need their rivalry. It ends with them shouting insults and death threats at one another, both as happy as can be.

--> ZIM (IN A DAZE): ''(gasps)'' Dib, is that you? Is it really you? You're back to your old self?
--> ...
--> ZIM: You have no idea how happy that makes me, you revolting little worm!

* "Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy" was a particularly [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids cold-blooded episode]] in which Zim's time travel machine keeps making Dib have debilitating accidents years before they'll even ''meet''--by the time he's eight, he's got an oxygen tank, liverspots, a mechanical claw for a hand, lethargic, brain damage... and then Zim goes all the way and KILLS HIM... so Professor Membrane brings Dib back to life with a HumongousMecha powersuit so that he can't be injured ever again! Given his [[ParentalNeglect normal treatment]] of his "insane" son, that's probably the nicest thing we've ever seen him do for the boy. Who cares if it's an alternate timeline? It's still sweet to see.

--> '''Robot Dad''': Sports aren't everything, I'm sure your kid'll find ''something'' he's good at.
--> '''Billy's Dad''': (Warmly) That's true.

--> '''Zim''': I need to play Santa until I beam humanity to the Tallest as slaves!
--> '''Dib''': (trying to be in disguise but lets his horror slip out) ''Slaves?! That's awful!''

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: The Show]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Comics]]
* For a truly insane yet extraordinary example, the last page of the Magazine/{{Nickelodeon Magazine}} comic: Zim offers Dib to come with him to a planet consisting of giant space bunnies and soda after Zim becomes Earth's overlord and plans to destroy it via killer robots. Dib actually accepts, followed by the last picture being of the two guys doing just that and having the time of their lives. Negated some since it's EsotericHappyEnding incarnate and was most likely meant as a joke, but the show considered, how this situation could have went, and how much the two have downer endings, Dib especially it still counts.
* A Meta example. Among the credits for the first issue are the show's voice cast.
* Gaz helping Dib get back into shape with an awesome guitar solo in the first issue. Though, she does it mostly to make him less of a smelly, unhygienic blob.
* Professor Membrane, a man who was often very distant from his children in the show, playing video games with Gaz in the comic's first issue.
** He also cooks dinner for his kids.
** Indeed, Jhonen Vasquez himself found Dib's immediate family to be a little ''too'' cruel to be funny, and wanted to make them just a little bit nicer in the comics (albeit so that the cruelty would become even funnier).
* At the end of the second issue, after a long spaceship chase taking them halfway across the universe, Zim asks Dib for a ride "home". Not "back to Earth", or "back to my base", he calls the Earth his ''home''. Though the context ultimately subverts it.
* At the end of Issue 5, Dib apologizes to Gaz for interrupting her game and he asks if she'd be willing to play video games with him and she accepts both. Unfortunately, this gets subverted since Gaz is a SoreLoser, but it's still kind of touching that before that she only required his sincere apology to stop tormenting him, even carrying him in her arms to [[ItMakesSenseInContext have his butt fixed.]]
** Given there's no question that Gaz went overboard in obtaining her "justice", just that fact that Dib harbors no ill will towards her after all she put him through and genuinely just wants to be a decent brother to her. That takes a high caliber of bravery/compassion to almost stupidity levels.
* Issue 8 actually ends with Dib beating Zim's plan with nothing bad happening to him in return. Which doesn't sound like much, until one remembers the kind of crap Dib normally goes through.
** We also get a brief glimpse of [[ActionGirl Groyna]] and her friend Sheather being reunited after they're freed from the space pants.
* In Issue 9, after all of the ridiculous chores that Zim makes "Derb" do, he decides to reward "Derb" by bringing him to his special place: a miniature galaxy where Zim likes to spend personal time. Gets subverted in that Zim also goes there to destroy the planets and then tries to get "Derb" to do the same.
** At the comic's end, Dib actually gets one positive comment out of the sea of hate. The commenter does admit they believe the video was fake, but they still said it was their favorite show and that Mothman was awesome.
* Issue 10 has a cute little space cat that quickly took a liking to Dib, although it turns out to be the snarl beast that Zim was looking for.
** Taking a look at how the snarl beast was fighting Zim or just being intimidating, one could possibly interpret it as it really trying to protect Dib like a guard dog, or at the very least it never made any real attempt to harm Dib.
* Issue 13 has a subtle one. Some aliens [[IHaveYourWife kidnap Dib]] in an effort to obtain Zim's humungoserum, mistakenly believing that he and Zim are friends. When they tell Zim they've taken his "best friend," Zim lets out a Characteristic BigNo before seeming to recall that "I don't ''have'' a best friend"— but only after a panel in which he silently [[http://majorspoilers.com/2016/09/19/preview-invader-zim-13/invaderzim-13-marketing_preview-3/ looks at GIR playing with Minimoose across the room]]. The implication is that he either stopped short ("Wait, what?") when he realized that GIR was in the room with him and couldn't have been taken, or simply took a moment to make sure that the two most likely candidates for his "best friend" were still there.
* In Issue 14, Gaz has to keep Dib from going into a depressive state for a certain amount of time in order to prevent him from exploding due to accidentally drinking a substance created by Membrane. It was her fault to begin with since she unknowingly slipped Dib the vial because he was hogging the TV and apparently it was Dib's turn to choose where the family went for dinner night (and of course Bloaty's was selling a pair of multi-pocket shorts that Gaz really wanted), but throughout the comic it's clear her major concern was making sure that Dib didn't explode and only brought up going to Bloaty's about once if any. She pretty much goes all out for this too by having her fellow gamers participate in an elaborate scheme posing as different cryptic creatures in order to make Dib feel like he is a great paranormal investigator. And when it turns out that Dib's camera was on the wrong setting and he was afraid Batflaps would call him a fake again, Gaz goes straight to the guy's house and threatens him into giving Dib a good review. Needless to say that not only is Dib still alive by the end of the comic, he is also so grateful to Gaz that he lets her choose the restaurant.
** While there can still be some debates on the topic of Gaz's overall character, this issue does hammer in an important note Jhonen had intended for her; she is certainly not the nicest person by a ''long'' shot (proven by the beginning and ending of the comic), but she will ''never'' go as far as to let Dib die, despite how much she is annoyed by him. Combined with the affection she shows for her father in the show, it seems [[ThickerThanWater her family really is important to her.]]
* In Issue 17, when Dib [[ItMakesSenseInContext buys pizza for all the Skoolchildren to save them from being brainwashed by Zim]], they start cheering for him and say he's "not uncool". It's especially nice when you consider [[KidsAreCruel the way they usually treat him]].
-->'''Gaz:''' [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther That's my brother, everyone! The best!]]
** Of course, then you remember the UnreliableNarrator in play throughout the whole issue, and you realize this is probably all just wishful thinking on Dib's part. Or at the very least, a more romanticized version of what actually played out.
* While Issue 37's ending would ''seem'' to put a rest to any potential heartwarming that could be derived from its subject (Dib waking up in a world where Zim is his brother and best friend, purely because Zim's ego is huge enough to make him believe that this is an appropriate "fantasy" to program a LotusEaterMachine with), if you scratch the surface there ''is'' some seriously sweet content there anyway. No, really: Zim's last crack at the LotusEaterMachine in "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom" offered a far more accurate version of Dib's ideal life, in which he successfully captured Zim and kept him in a big test tube in his basement for years, then thrashed the entire Irken Armada as they attempted to invade Earth. Zim has [[CharacterizationMarchesOn clearly made some serious revisions to his personal concept of how Dib sees him]], for [[FriendlyEnemy whatever reason]]. More importantly, Zim comes from a society with no sexual reproduction or familial bonds, so his entire understanding of sibling relationships likely comes from his time on Earth. The fact that he considers a sibling something to be ''desired''—even for himself, as he falls victim to his own machine and is delighted to find himself sharing the Membrane house with his other self—is pretty incredible given that the sibling relationship he's most familiar with is the one between Dib and ''Gaz'', and may have something to do with that [[TookALevelInKindness level in kindness]] the latter took for the comic series.
* In Issue 38, GIR impersonates Dib and convinces everyone that the real Dib is a clone, leading to him being chased into the woods. Gaz is ''actually visibly irritated by this'' and, in a move that [[HiddenDepths surprises herself]], decides to do Dib a favor: she convinces GIR-as-Dib to try and expose Zim as an alien, because that's what the real Dib would do, with the ensuing antics stopping Zim's plan for the week.
* It only lasts a moment, and of course it depends on [[RashomonStyle whether his recollection of events is accurate]], but Issue 39 has an alien robot scout greeting Dib as a friend and assuming he's an important person in human society, allowing him to briefly indulge in his fantasies of being Earth's unofficial ambassador.
** Also, when the alien ship is exploding, Gaz actually goes out of her way to make sure Dib evacuates rather than stay behind talking to the alien observer.
* In Issue 44, Professor Membrane actually has a bout of active parenting and decides to take his kids on a family skiing holiday.
* Issue 45 shows Zim actually being capable of being affectionate, in this case towards [[CompanionCube Li'l Meat Man]], which he treats like his own child.
[[/folder]]

* "Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy" was a particularly [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids cold-blooded episode]] in which Zim's time travel machine keeps making Dib have debilitating accidents years before they'll even ''meet''--by the time he's eight, he's got an oxygen tank, liverspots, a mechanical claw for a hand, lethargic, brain damage... and then Zim goes all the way and KILLS HIM... so Professor Membrane brings Dib back to life with a HumongousMecha powersuit so that he can't be injured ever again! Given his [[ParentalAbandonment normal treatment]] of his "insane" son, that's probably the nicest thing we've ever seen him do for the boy. Who cares if it's an alternate timeline? It's still sweet to see.

* Issue 13 has a subtle one. Some aliens [[IHaveYourWife kidnap Dib]] in an effort to obtain Zim's humungoserum, mistakenly believing that he and Zim are friends. When they tell Zim they've taken his "best friend," Zim lets out a Characteristic BigNo before seeming to recall that "I don't ''have'' a best friend"— but only after a panel in which he silently [[http://majorspoilers.com/2016/09/19/preview-invader-zim-13/invaderzim-13-marketing_preview-3/ looks at GIR playing with Minimoose across the room]]. The implication is that he either stopped short ("Wait, what?") when he recalled that GIR was in the room with him and couldn't have been taken, or simply took a moment to make sure that the two most likely candidates for his "best friend" were still there.

** After many a DownerEnding and the mental, physical and emotional damage he suffers over the course of the episode, it's extremely uplifting to witness Dib's joy at being restored to his ordinary [[ButtMonkey if unlucky]] self, with no more trauma in his past than usual and no worse comedown than being dragged off Zim's lawn by gnomes.

** After so many episodes with a DownerEnding for Dib and the mental, physical and emotional damage he suffers over the course of the episode, it's extremely uplifting to witness his joy at being fully restored to his ordinary [[ButtMonkey if unlucky]] self, with no more trauma in his past than usual and no worse comedown than being dragged off Zim's lawn by gnomes.

--->'''Dib:''' ''(inside giant mech)'' ''Enjoy your last moments'' ''(back to normal)'' of privacy! Soon the world will see—wait a minute. Have I always been like this? ''Yes!'' I have, haven't I?! My whole life! Good old Diblike Dib!

** After so many episodes with a DownerEnding for Dib, it's uplifting to see how happy he is to be fully restored to his ordinary [[ButtMonkey if unlucky]] self, with no worse comedown than being dragged off Zim's lawn by gnomes.

** After so many episodes with a DownerEnding for Dib, it's nice to see how happy he is to be fully restored to his ordinary [[ButtMonkey if unlucky]] self, with no worse comedown than being dragged off Zim's lawn by gnomes.

** After so many episodes with a DownerEnding for Dib, it's nice to see how happy he is to be fully restored to his ordinary self, with no worse comedown than being dragged off Zim's lawn by gnomes.

** After so many episodes with a DownerEnding for Dib, it's nice to see how happy he is to be fully restored to his ordinary self, with his Zim-created childhood trauma undone and no worse comedown than being dragged off Zim's lawn by gnomes.

* At the end of Issue 5, Dib apologizes to Gaz for interrupting her game and he asks if she'd be willing to play video games with him and she accepts both. Unfortunately, this gets subverted since Gaz is a SoreLoser.

* Gaz cares so much about spending time with her dad that she goes out of her way to save Dib from being experimented on by Zim. Not because she cares about Dib, mind you, but because she's afraid that if she brings home Dib as a horrible mutant their dad will cancel dinner.

* Now, we know Zim as, basically, a total jerkass. But then somebody created [[http://love-courage-ham-and-a-spoon.tumblr.com/post/24388763511/so-irkens-are-nasty this]] post on their blog and it makes you think that maybe he isn't as bad as we think.