Heartwarming / Bokurano

• The chapter where they confront the fake pilot's parents after finding out the real reason he lied to try and prolong the divorce of the two. The remaining pilot's find his brother and tell him that his brother really was a pilot and was going to fight to protect the world even if it meant he would die. To help it sink in they prove to him that they actually pilot the Zearth and upon hearing that the boy's brother finally has faith in his family again. I can't be the only one who's heart was warmed by that.
• The scene after the last battle is one too all the kids see each other once again in the afterlife and despite the problems they had with each other earlier they all come together once again and laugh and talk like children should.
• In the manga, Ushiro tells to Kanji he's not in the contract right before the latter's fight. Kanji thinks that the reason Ushiro bothers sticking around despite not being involved is because of his guilt over Waku (even if he didn't actually kill him). Right before Kanji leaves at the end of his fight, Ushiro admits that Waku wasn't the only reason he stuck around for so long. Kanji pauses for a second before it hits him.
  Ushiro: Kanji! (Kanji turns around) Just so you know... Waku wasn't the only reason... I've stuck around all this time.
  Kanji: What?
  Ushiro: (says nothing)
  Kanji: Me?
  Ushiro: (still silent)
  Kanji: C'mon. now, Don't make me cry, man.
• The preview for the final episode, especially when you consider that Kana will be the Sole Survivor of the kids, with her brother being chosen as the last pilot.
  Kana: To my friends who fought through all the suffering... Thank you. I'll never forget any of you.
• Maki makes a comment about her adoptive father watching anime while his wife is giving birth to their first child, but then he says that she is his first child. It's a shame that Maki is going to die soon.
• While it's highly bittersweet given the circumstances, when Maki learns that her victory will result in the enemy universe being destroyed, she asks everyone else not to watch, not wanting them to see how "ugly" she is at the moment. Kanji, however, insists on watching, saying that he'll "kill those 10 billion people" with Maki.
• At the start of Kanji's arc, he reflects on the ramifications of Anko's broadcast- while some people still hate her, others are coming around, so it's mostly positive. For extra heartwarming, you see a picture of Anko smiling and then walking off, a far cry from how she spent her last moments having lost her legs to the acid.
  Kanji: If nothing else, Anko got her wish. She's just about the most famous girl on Earth now.
• During Kanji's arc, his insistence on fighting near the Ascension Towers ends up backfiring, and he considers abandoning his plan to protect the towers. Seki, however, insists that Kanji do what he feels is best.
  Seki: Kanji-kun, during the other children's battles, you insisted that they be allowed to follow their hearts. I want the same for you. If the world is destroyed because you were following your heart... so be it. But I'm a soldier, and I won't give up until the very end. There must be something we can do.
• Nakama's Character Development throughout her arc. Despite having been embarrassed about her mother being a prostitute, she realizes that her mother was a good person at heart.
• At the end of Nakama's arc, Oda, the leader of the trio of girls who'd been bullying her, actually starts taking part in cleaning duty, per Nakama's request, and Oda's two similarly lazy friends actually ask if they can help out.
• Just before the final battle in the manga, Ushiro wonders whether it's even worth fighting for his world. Koyemshi, of all people, gives a surprisingly succinct and compelling reason to fight- out of all the universes, only Ushiro's universe has the people he cares about in it.
• While most of the visits to those affected by Zearth's battles are fairly depressing, there are actually a few uplifting stories.
  • Shortly before his death, Daichi has a brief moment in which he imagines Futaba crying and assuming that Daichi had abandoned his siblings. When Ushiro and Machi find his siblings, who have reunited with their father, Futaba says she believes that Daichi would never abandon them. In a way, she's right; he died protecting them, rather than simply giving up and running away.
  • Kazuko Motoyama, Kirie's cousin, snaps out of her borderline-suicidal state, and starts volunteering to help the victims.
  • Even after everything Chizu did, her sister still cares for her enough to think of her family's efforts as atonement on Chizu's behalf. Similarly, Machi points out that while Chizu's circumstances don't excuse her actions, Chizu had to deal with the knowledge of her impending death for a month.
  Machi: (to the Hondas): The world may not forgive her, but I hope you will.
  • Kako's older sister had a strained relationship with him, but after correctly suspecting that he didn't die bravely, she doesn't judge him- she just says she hopes Ushiro and Machi don't hate him. When they say they don't, she's clearly grateful and relieved.
  • Maki's adoptive father is furious after hearing Ushiro and Machi admit that they're going to fight and die in the last battles, since as he puts it, "This isn't something children should be handling!"
• Shortly before Kana's battle, Kana goes to fetch Jun, who coldly says that he isn't her brother. She responds by saying that "You were my brother for ten years. There's not much time until my battle. You can be my brother a little longer, can't you?" It's quite heartwarming that Kana would say that even considering how Jun treated her as his little sister, and even more so considering Jun's distant relationship with Kana's father. While Kana's father struggled with how to raise Jun, things are much simpler for Kana- to her, Jun will always be family.
• After Nakama sews the uniforms, Anko admits that while she hadn't always liked Nakama, she's actually fairly cool, which says a lot considering that Nakama has always wanted to be liked. In the manga, Anko also gives Nakama a hug to comfort her after she has a breakdown and admits she doesn't want to die.
• At the start of Kana's battle, there's an awkward moment after Machi arrives, since it's implied that everyone knows that she's Koyemshi's accomplice. Koyemshi steps in and says that if they have anything to say, they can say it to him, since no one messes with his little sister. Koyemshi's quite a callous jerk, but even he has people he cares about.
• During Kanji's battle, he learns that the other 22 soldiers who are going to sacrifice themselves to allow him to shoot Javelin all had volunteered to be pilots. He apologizes for not doing well enough and forcing them to resort to this, but one soldier reassures him, and speaks on the soldiers' behalf when he says that they, not the children, should be the ones fighting and dying for the planet.