Heartwarming / Hercules: The Animated Series

• "Hercules and the First Day of School":
  • Icarus is one of the first people at Hercules's school to welcome him as new student. He shows him around the school and gives him wise advice on how to survive high school.
  • Hercules ends up being humiliated by Adonis, who deems Herc to be a worthless nobody. Wanting to prove himself to the student body, Hercules goes after the two headed cyclops Orthos. He defeated the Cyclops but Adonis took all the credit. However, Icarus and Cassandra, Hercules' first friends, respect and care for him. At the end, Hercules starts to have fun with his new friends and Cassaandra, who looked like she didn't want to be part of the game, gives Hercules a friendly push. Also, Phil hangs up a picture on his wall of Hercules beating up the Cyclops with Phil wearing a proud smile on his face.
• The episode where the hero seeks to free Prometheus. Herc even gives a Patrick Stewart Speech in his defense.
• In "Hercules and the Green-Eyed Monster", Daedalus is getting remarried and Icarus is worried that his new stepmother, Thespis, will take his dad's love away from him.
  • Icarus reporting to his mother, who is divorced from his father, about Daedalus and Thespis in hopes that she'll be upset. When she's informed that her former husband is "dating someone," she breaks out laughing in glee and then demands details from Hercules. Instead of being upset like Icarus wanted, she's ecstatic that Daedalus has a second chance at love. She soothes Icarus, assuring him that both she and his father love him dearly and his father needed this shot of happiness while affirming she doesn't resent him for the divorce and wants him to be happy.
    Icarus's Mother: Daedalus? Dating? Finally! Ha ha! Tell me everything!
    Icarus: Maybe you're being a little too strong, Momalus.
    Icarus's Mother: I thought he'd never find anyone. Your father is a genius with everything but women.
  • When Thespis saves him from falling all the way down the throat of a personification of Jealousy, we have this exchange:
    Icarus: Wow. You saved me. You could have had Dadalus all to yourself. I was almost out of the picture.
    Thespis: Oh, Icarus, I don't want you out of the picture. I want to be in the picture with you.
  • When Icarus dreads how the marriage means losing his family, Hercules says he's just getting a larger family that will love him and says he knows from experience.
    Hercules: Between gods and mortals, I've got four parents.
• In "Hercules and the Yearbook", Meg singing "The Man That I Love" to reassure her husband after seeing how awkward he was in his high-school years.
  The most precious gems have their roots in the rough
  Just like my hero, the man that I love.
• Then there's "You're My Hero", which Helen of Troy sings after Hades and Adonis make fun of Hercules one too many times, saying how Herc is a good guy in spite of his flaws.
  But a demigod has a human side
  And a heart too big to hide.
• In "Hercules and the Gorgon", Medusa is The Woobie who is saddened that everyone regards her as a monster due to her looks and her petrifying gaze. She became happy when Hercules wanted to still befriend her despite knowing what she is. The episode ends with them going on a date.
• "Hercules and the Long Nightmare"
  • Icarus is in hysterics after first experiencing nightmares due to Phantasos' schemes and tearfully expresses glee that Cassandra isn't harmed afterwards. Why? His first nightmare was that of Cassandra taking his wax wings to fly away from him and ending up colliding with the sun before falling to her death. His biggest fear was the girl he loved suffering and dying from the same fate that made him the Cloud Cuckoolander he is now.
  • In the same episode, Phantasos who was never handed a position when Zeus was handing over domains to the gods and has been left in obscurity for millennia finally gets recognition as the new God of Dreams thanks to help from his brother Morpheus whose position he previously tried to steal.
• "Hercules and the Parent's Weekend":
  • Hercules is surprised that Amphytryon and Alcmene came to the school instead of Zeus and Hera and quickly embarrassed by them, but Zeus reveals he was the one who forwarded the invitation to them in the first place.
    Hercules: Why?
    Zeus: Because you oughta be proud of your mortal parents, Son, and treasure them as they treasure you. Because—
    Amphytryon: Because if you forget where you came from, you can't know where you're going.
    Zeus: Good one! Y'know, Hercules, you've got a marvelous Pop there!
    Hercules: I do know. I got the two best two dads a demigod could ask for.
  • Echidna's Villain Song "What's a Mother to Do?" from the same episode is more or less intended to show how Echidna is not so different from the other parents in terms of her relationship to her children, reminding us that being a mother is a tough job.
    Echidna: Just write to me sometime; I'm a mother I worry! Now is that too much to ask?
• "Hercules and the Visit from Zeus": Hercules and the temporarily mortal Zeus are being chased by Cerberus. Because music soothes the savage beast, Zeus sings a lullaby, one that Hercules knows by heart.
  Hercules: But h-how could you know that song? My mom... my mortal mom used to sing that song to me, as I fell asleep.
  Zeus: And I listened every night. Just because you were living on Earth didn't mean I stopped caring.
• In "Hercules and the Hostage Crisis", Zeus was willing to release the Titans himself after Hercules was held hostage if it meant Hercules would be safe from harm. He loves his boy so much, he'd start The End of the World as We Know It just for his safety.
• "Hercules and the Poseidon's Cup Adventure": Icarus is the only one to show actual appreciation for what Poseidon does for Greece (as well as asks why salt water exists) instead of simply send a generic tribute. While Poseidon cares more about the tribute, Amphitrite points out this is what should matter. When Icarus wins the big race, Amphitrite says he's the only one that deserved to. As such, Poseidon congratulates Icarus on his victory and answers his question about salt water.
• Evil though they may be, Typhon and Echidna's marriage is as sweet here as it was in the mythology. Indeed, when they first reunite, Echidna joyously cries out "Lovemuffin!" and rushes to kiss him, while Typhon (who needs to catch up a bit after his previous round with Zeus) seems quite relieved to see her again.
• In "Hercules and the Arabian Nights", Hercules and Aladdin find themselves at each other's throats when Hades and Jafar kidnap Icarus and Abu and pin the blame on the other's hero. When Aladdin is about to leave him holding up a collapsing roof, Hercules says he doesn't care what Aladdin does with him but begs him to let Icarus go. This makes Aladdin realize there's been a mistake. Herc protects him when the roof caves in, and the two have no problems with each other from that moment forward, having realized they're not so different.
• "Hercules and the Big Lie" proves that Icarus cares about Herc as much as Herc cares about him.
  • Hercules falsely tells Icarus that he has Catastrophia, a (seemingly) fatal disease that Hades is trying to spread. Icarus, despite often being the Lovable Coward, puts himself in danger to Find the Cure! and he even confronts the Hundred-Handed Giant Briares to save his best friend.
  • This crosses over with funny when Herc arrives to rescue Icarus from Briares. Icarus exclaims about Herc having made the long journey to get him out of trouble and, mid-sentence, switches to Anger Born of Worry that he got off his sickbed in his serious condition.
  • When Hercules confesses, Briares (who has just bonded with Icarus over their mutual Myklos fandom) asks if Icarus wants him to punish Herc for him. Icarus declines, saying that he and Herc are best friends. He adds that Hercules may not be a Myklos fan, but he has all the virtues Myklos stands for. Then they hug.
• "Hercules and the Caledonian Boar Hunt":
  • The morning after Herc runs away, Phil seems to be annoyed with him, calling him "stubborn" about what happened. But it quickly becomes apparent that Phil's very concerned for Herc's safety and claims, "I'll never forgive myself if something happens to him."
  • When Chiron (once again) makes fun Herc for being a "flincher," Artemis comes to Herc's defense by saying there's other ways for heroes to prove their worth (and for guys to prove their "manhood") than by hunting/killing animals. Artemis is also quick to point out that, despite being a "rookie," Herc did manage to beat three of the biggest names in the hero-business (Chiron, Nestor and Meleager, the latter two being friends of Phil's).