Heartwarming / Fire Emblem Gaiden

That hug has been waiting seven years to happen.

Unmarked spoilers below.

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• After Rinea is turned into a Tragic Monster by Berkut's Deal with the Devil, her soul still returns to comfort Berkut. After all of that... she still forgives him. She still loves him, even when he (and she) know that Berkut will not succeed Rudolf after all.
  • The same scene also finally has Berkut enter a My God, What Have I Done? moment... and he accepts Rinea's forgiveness, humbly telling her that if she'd have him back, then they shall search for their own "empire". The tone that Ian Sinclair uses in the localization as he says his lines strongly implies that Berkut is crying.
• In a way, Conrad's final battle quote. Most of the others in Celica's party refer to Duma as an evil god, probably due to being brought up in Mila's faith. Conrad was raised by Halcyon, a benevolent Duma Faithful member, so he instead vows to give Duma a dignified death fitting of a god.
  • Similarly, Silque's final battle quote also seems more respectful than some of the other allies'. This despite the fact that she's a cleric of Mila.
• Zeke and Tatiana's ending, should they both survive: Zeke will return to help Marth and co. fight Medeus and tie up his loose ends in Archanea, but he never lets Tatiana out of his mind and eventually returns to her side.
  • Their relationship as a whole is very cute, actually. Tatiana doesn't want to just wait for her beloved at home, and while Zeke wishes she didn't have to fight, he acknowledges her decision and even supports it by promising to protect her. And when she angsts about their future after he starts to remember his past as Camus, he again acknowledges her feelings and reassures her.
    • The fact that Zeke is able to immediately recognize it when something's upsetting Tatiana is pretty sweet on its own.
• Throughout the story, Mae and Boey are shown to bicker and tease each other over any number of things. In their B support however, Boey tells Mae that it's okay if she's uncomfortable with killing people as she seemingly expressed in their C support, a stark contrast to earlier instances such as when he made fun of her for getting seasick.
  • Their relationship is all the more touching as shown in their A support when Mae talks about wanting to return to Novis after the war. She goes on to ask where Boey would rather go—the island or the castle with Celica—which leads to this exchange.
    Boey: Er, you're headed back to the island, right?
    Mae: ...Yeah.
    Boey: ...Then that's where I'm going as well.
  • And then there's their ending, in which they get married and have Babies Ever After. The ending notes that they still bicker like always, but that they both couldn't be happier.
• Besides their relationship with each other, Mae and Boey's absolute loyalty and devotion to Celica is touching in itself. Mae considers Celica her best friend to the point that, when first selected during the final battle against Duma, she tells Jedah that he's going to pay for hurting Celica without even acknowledging Duma's presence. While Boey tends to distance himself somewhat due to them coming from different social backgrounds, he is shown to be horrified when Conrad slaps Celica in Act 4 and angrily questions Saber if he's planning on leaving Celica in Duma Temple at the start of Act 5.
• Tobin and Gray are such close friends that, in their A Support, they consider the possibility of their friendship being damaged over their Love Triangle with Clair... and both boys immediately shoot it down. Without an ounce of hesitation.
  Tobin: Hey, the writing is on the wall. She's out of my league. But I don't have to throw away the good things I DO have over her. You know, like my best friend?
  Gray: I wouldn't want to lose my best pal either.
• The Sickeningly Sweethearts between Mathilda and Clive is rather goofy at times but also very sweet.
• The credits song is Mila's farewell to the people of Valentia, wishing them fortune and promising to protect them even after her death.
• The title screen with Alm and Celica as children running together is heartwarming on its own. But it's amplified after beating the game when the pair is now seen as adults in the same field, implying they returned there after the war.
• There's a moment at the end of act 1 where it cuts to Rigel Castle and shows the villains discussing the recapture of Zofia Castle. This exchange between Rudolph and a nameless soldier takes on a very different tone upon a replay of the game. That smile he makes at the end? It's not the smile of a Blood Knight intrigued by a potentially interesting opponent. It's the smile of a father who couldn't be prouder of his son.
  Rudolf: You said the leader of this "Deliverance" is named Alm, correct?
  Soldier: Yes, Emperor. He assumed command after Sir Clive of the Knights of Zofia stepped down.
  Rudolf: (Smiles) Did he now...
• We see the siblings Luthier and Delthea express care for each other after the player manages to clear Tatarrah's level. If Delthea's alive, after she breaks out of Tatarrah's mind control, the very first thing she does is wonder where Luthier is, and she even tearfully apologizes to him in their base conversation. Luthier, despite being known to lecture her, responds very sweetly that he's glad she's safe instead of retorting to his usual overbearing nature. Despite all of their bickering, they really do care about each other.
• Once Celica reaches the Sage's Hamlet, Halcyon uses his magic to let her talk to Alm, albeit as an illusion instead of in person. They both show regret over their argument at Zofia castle, and Celica sounds like she's holding back tears. The CG image also shows the two of them holding each other. It's also pretty telling that Celica doesn't ask Halcyon for anything for herself, but instead immediately thinks of Alm. This allows him to access his promotion.
• While it is diminished somewhat by Alm and Celica getting into an argument soon after, it's hard not to smile at the scene of them being reunited. Celica is so excited to see Alm again that she runs up the stairs to the balcony so quickly that she stumbles along the way. When she finally reaches the balcony and sees Alm for the first time in years, she leaps at him to hug him, knocking him off his feet.
• In Echoes, sometimes characters can praise each other afterwards if they do well in a fight. This is pretty nice in general, but a couple of standout ones include:
  Alm: (sounding completely sincere) You really are amazing.
  Python: Never change, my friend.
  Forsyth: See? You've got this!
  Luthier: (to Delthea) We ARE cut from the same cloth!
  Est: Couldn't be prouder if I did it myself!
  Atlas: I really look up to you.
  Saber: And that's why I like you!
  Palla: (to Catria or Est) I have the best little sisters.
• Some of the quotes characters say when they're given provisions that they particularly like or love can come off as sweet or downright adorable, especially if they sound particularly happy or excited.
  Gray: "Just like Ma used to make."
  Tobin: "Yum! Let me at it!"
  Kliff: "Now this makes me happy!"
  Silque: "A gift from the Mother indeed."
  Clair: "Simply scrumptious!"
  Celica: "Wonderful! My favorite!"
  Mae: "Aaaaah, My favoriiite~!"
  Boey: "Really? I can have this?"
  Genny: "Ooh! Can I really have this?"
  Saber: "Heheh, that's mighty kind!"
  Leon: "YUUUUUUM~!"
  Palla: "For me? That's very kind."
  Est: "Yay, this is great!"
  Nomah: "I always did love these!"
• Not everyone necessarily has a good relationship with their family, but the ones that do clearly care for their parents and siblings a lot.
  • Tobin joins the Deliverance so that he can earn money; he makes it clear from the start, however, that the gold is for his little brothers and sisters back home.
  • Faye's family in Ram Village consists of her parents and nana. In her Act 4 base conversation, she says that she hopes that they're doing all right without her and that she sends them letters.
  • In his last base conversation, Nomah tells Celica that while he never married and had children, watching over her, Mae, and Boey had given him a sense of purpose, indicating he views them like grandchildren.
  • In their B support, when Alm says what hurt him most was finding out Mycen wasn't really his grandfather, Mycen has this to say to him.
  Mycen: "You will always be my grandson, Alm. You and Celica are like blood to me. I never would have known the joys of family had I not met you."
  • Boey had to be sent to the priory since his family was poor and couldn't afford to take care of him alongside his two brothers. Despite this, he talks about them very fondly in his Act 3 base conversation.
  Boey: "There are just five of us in my home, and it's packed to the gills! Being poor's rough sometimes, but we're all still quite close."
  • Palla and Catria came all the way from another continent in order to rescue Est from pirates. There's a very good reason you don't mess with the Whitewings.
  • Similarly, Atlas was pretty damn ticked off when Grieth decided to kidnap his little brothers. The only reason he didn't immediately go charging off was because he knew he couldn't face him and his army of brigands alone.
    • Also, the first thing that happens when the player steps into the fortress is Celica asking Atlas if he found his brothers. She also tells him to be sure to spend some time with them before they have to leave again.
  • Luthier is beside himself worrying about Delthea's capture and brainwashing, and once he helps Alm rescue her, it's clear that while the mage siblings get on each other's nerves, they do love each other. In their supports, Luthier is constantly trying to get Delthea to behave, telling her directly that he only does it because he wants her to be loved. Delthea points out that his asocial behavior is just as bad as her rebellious behavior, but she turns around and tries to help him be more likable, too. There's also her support with Clair— when Clair compliments Luthier's studiousness, Delthea talks some smack about him instead. When Clair comes back, she agrees with Delthea's badmouthing him as a ploy to see if Delthea really doesn't like her brother, or if she's just talking big. Delthea's quick backtracking convinces Clair that she loves Luthier just as much as Clair loves Clive.
• The simple fact that Faye doesn't actually have any ill-will towards Celica (down to even getting a support bonus when fighting alongside her.) despite the fact they're technically rivals for Alm's love.
• Faye clearly holds great affection for Mycen. He's the only character outside of Alm and Silque (her two actual supports) who gives her a support bonus, and one of her victory quotes refers to him:
  Faye: "I was taught by the best!"
• During the 4th DLC map, Fernand - previously a different man, now anguished and forever disillusioned by the loss of his entire family - sees that the situation is hopeless, and thinks the only ways out are through death. Nevertheless, he says to Clair that he, Clive, and Matilda are prepared to parley with Slayde. Even in his current state, he's still willing to die an honor-less death to try and salvage the life of his best friend's sister.