Line #9 Heartwarming/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker


1	! This page contains unmarked spoilers. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
2	* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', Link's grandmother gets sick and delirious in the first half of the story. When you get back, she's begging you and your sister not to leave "your poor grandma all alone." If you cure her with a fairy [[note]] and really, [[VideoGameCaringPotential why wouldn't you try?!]][[/note]], she gives a real TearJerker of a speech about how she'll try to be strong.
3	** What makes it even sweeter is that it's a rare moment of Link having someone else show parental love for him. After so many games of him being pretty much alone to go risk his life in monster-infested dungeons and temples, how many times has he had someone say "I should be the one taking care of you"?
4	** Even the practical, non-emotional reward for doing this is rather heartwarming: after you get Grandma all better, she whips you up a batch of your favorite home-made soup! (The fact that this is 2 helpings of the game's ultimate healing item simply makes this a KarmicJackpot, and a just reward for your kindness.)
5	** When you arrive on Outset Island intending to obtain Nayru's Pearl, there's also a notable heartwarming moment with the King of Red Lions - after making note of the curse of endless night cast by Ganondorf, he ''insists'' that Link return home to visit his friends and family, and that meeting with Jabun can wait until he's done. Even though he spends the entire adventure up to that point just encouraging Link to achieve the next in-story objective, it shows that he's aware of how this journey might have affected Link, and is willing to put his own interests on hold in order for Link to reunite with his loved ones, however briefly, after such a long time away.
6	** After doing this, there's even an extra reward just in case the soup wasn't enough: ol' Grandma will send you a letter mentioning that although it's not much, she's sending you what she's saved up to give you some sort of aid while you're out there on your journey. That twenty rupees will feel better than any you got from a chest.
7	* The entire ending of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'': from the King's HeroicSacrifice, Hyrule's destruction, and finally Link setting off with the Pirates to find a new land], everything fills you with a sense of hope for the future.
8	-->'''King''': I have scattered the seeds... of the future...
9	** And the best part? Link sailing his new boat, a perfect recreation of the King of Red Lions
10	** According to Hyrule Encyclopedia, Ganondorf is freed from his unceasing desire for the Triforce after his death. It’s heavily implied that once he remembered his past and initial motives, [[DeathEqualsRedemption he is now free]] from the curse of Demise’s reincarnation in this timeline.
11	* Pretty much any scene with both Link and Tetra in it can be enough to make any gamer's stone heart turn all mushy...
12	** An example happens shortly after their first meeting. When Aryll is nabbed by the Helmaroc King and Link tries to rush in to save her, Tetra runs in and grabs Link's hand before he falls to his death. She doesn't even know him at this point, and she still goes out of her way to save him.
13	** Another classic example is at the bomb shop on Windfall Island. Tetra's tension is high due to seeing Link supposedly flung to a watery grave, and she's concerned not with obtaining Nayru's Pearl, but with saving Outset Island in what she assumes is her dear friend's last wish. Then she looks up and sees Link eavesdropping; rather than rat him out, she immediately perks up and allows Link to get a head start, confident that he'll save the day this time.
14	** Yet ''another'' one happens after Link reaches his sister. When Tetra and her pirates show up, Link is already trusting enough of her to let her take the girls to safety, even ''if'' you agree to find the Windfall daughters earlier. And after the Helmaroc King is taken out and Link is confronting Ganon, Tetra comes straight to his aid when he needs it most. It doesn't work, but you can definitely see how much the two have bonded in what little time they shared on-screen.
15	* The whole final fight. You were not fighting for Hyrule: all that was being destroyed around you. The only thing you were doing was fighting for your own lives so you could go find a new land.
16	* How much Link cares for his little sister Aryll is really touching. Even the his facial expression and little laugh when he finally reaches Aryll in the cage is enough to make you all tingly.
17	* The statue of the Hero of Time and the images of the 6 Sages in stained glass really drive home the awe and reverence that the people of Hyrule had for the people who had sacrificed so much, including their lives, to ensure that the kingdom was safe. It's nice to know that, with the ContinuitySnarl that exists among the games at times, that at least once the actions of Link and his allies was remembered and honored.
18	* Many of the interactions with Medli are just adorable. One particular moment in the Earth Temple:
19	--> '''Medli:''' I hope you're not offended by my suggestions. I just want to be helpful...
20	* Zunari's plotline is a wonderful illustration of the game's overarching theme of "letting go of the past." When he arrives at Windfall, he has only two things of value: his sail, and his Magic Armor, both treasured family heirlooms. He sells the sail to Link, which gives him the money to set up his stall. With Link's help, his business becomes a big success, and eventually he gives his Armor to Link as a token of friendship. It's painful at first, but by giving up the treasures of his past he grows happier than ever, with new friends and a bright new future ahead of him.
21	* In a moment that also implements a bit of FridgeBrilliance in an otherwise TearJerker scene: Despite her best efforts during the ending, all of Zelda's insistence, and the promise of finding a new land to call Hyrule, was for nothing, as the king is simply too distraught over his past failures to let go of his kingdom of old...But then he ''does'' reconsider, albeit briefly, at the mere sight of Link reaching out to him, fighting against the rising current, all without a single word spoken. The relation he holds with Zelda, their connections to Hyrule, meant nearly nothing to him, but the relationship he'd formed, however subtle, with the klutzy goofball who'd basically stumbled face-first into a heroic destiny, with no notable lineage or experience whatsoever, was enough to make him hesitate. Like the above example, this speaks volumes as to the true message of the game - even through the pain of loving something that's long since passed, there'll always be something there to make you smile in your future. It's only up to you which way you choose to go.
22	** At the end, Tetra (Zelda) did fulfil her promise to King to find a new land in memory of Hyrule; the setting of ''Spirit Tracks''.
23	* In a way, Salvatore, who runs the Battleship mini-game. While he's clearly bored out of his mind when you first talk to him, he immediately begins hamming it up as soon as the game actually starts, all so some random kid could have a bit of fun.
24	* Sturgeon and Orca, the two brothers who represent brain and brawn respectively having each mastered one of them at the exclusion of the other. Both try to pass on some of what they know to Link when he comes of age. Guess what Link does for the entire game, put his swordskills from Orca to use for a noble goal and solve puzzles using the intellectual skills Sturgeon taught him. Link took both of their messages to heart without forgoing knowledge or fitness.

Context Heartwarming / TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker