Spoilers Off applies to all Heartwarming pages, so all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
In what arguably known as one of the most depressing manga stories that ever existed, heartwarming moments are what basically keep the readers to maintain their overall sanity and motivation to keep on reading. Let's list them up, shall we?
- As seen in the animated adaptation, before the bombing occurred, Gen and Shinji attempt to steal carp from an old neighbor's pond in order to feed their sick mother and their unborn sibling. The neighbor, enraged, slaps Gen who shouts "[Beat me], but let me keep the fish when you're done", to which Shinji follows along ("You can hit me as much as you want to"). They explain their motivation for stealing the fish which silences the neighbor. The brothers sob with grief taking the silence as a refusal. Then the old man smiles and allows the boy to take the carp. This is later followed by the old man telling Kimie and Dankichi of his admiration for the boys' devotion to their mother. And followed by the parents embracing their boys.
- Also, Kimie and Gen taking Ryuuta in.
- And when Gen and Ryuuta try to get a job so they can get food for their baby sister, who is ill with malnutrition. They get jobs but their client is very spoiled and rude. When they can't take it anymore, they slap him and decide to quit. But the patient starts crying that his family started neglecting him after the bombing and treated his workers like crap like what they did to him. Then Gen and Ryuuta decide to continue working and try to persuade him into painting again.
- When Koji leaves to join the Navy, the whole family gathers to see him off at the train station... except for his father Daikichi. Koji (and the reader) are led to believe that Daikichi still has not forgiven Koji for his decision... until Koji sees his father standing next to the railway as the train approaches him.Koji (as he sees his father): Pa... Papa...Daikichi (raising his arms): Hurrah for Koji Nakaoka!! Hurrah for Koji Nakaoka!!!Koji (weeping): Papa!!!Daikichi (also weeping as he raises his arms again): Hurrah for Koji Nakaoka!!Koji: Papa! Thank you.Daikichi (as the train goes by him): Banzai!! Hurrah for Koji Nakaoka!
- After the bombing, Gen and Kimie are homeless and forced to live at Kiyo's house, Kiyo being a childhood friend of Kimie. Kiyo's children and mother-in-law scorn the newcomers and do everything to make them leave, eventually driving them out for a short while. But Kiyo, full of remorse, remembers how Kimie was always kind to them and eventually takes them back.
- The entire story of Mr. Park in general. At the start of the story, being a Korean, he is discriminated by everyone, including to some extent by Gen. A quick scolding by Gen's father turns the Nakaoka childrens into his only friend during his time in Japan. After that part Mr. Park basically become the most loyal friend of the Nakaokas. When the Nakaokas are orcastrized for their anti-war stance, he was the only one who shares his grains with them despite not being in a good condition himself. During the bombing, it was Mr. Park who helped Gen to bring his mother into safety, which lets her to gave birth to Tomoko. Despite his anger for losing his father during the bombing, Mr. Park decided to move on and slowly work his way up in the Black Market business. The next time he appeared, Mr. Park clearly lived his life in comfort thanks to his successes, yet he still remember the kindness of the Nakaokas. In various points throughout the first seven books of the story Mr. Park would gladly give Gen a monetary aid for no strings attached.
