Heartwarming / Live A Live

"In you alone I place my faith."

The game just plain wins at these.

All spoilers are unmarked!

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Prehistory

• Pogo's chapter is essentially him just trying to make Beru as comfortable and safe as possible, including fighting a cult and a T-Rex to make sure she's alright, Precocious Crush or not.
  • The fact that, if the player grinds Beru enough, her ultimate spell Sing Hurt represents The Power of Love, capable of destroying said T-Rex. It reflects how much Beru cares for Pogo in return.
  • And at the conclusion of his chapter, when all is said and done, the first actual word he says — the first word spoken by the human race — is "LOVE!"^note In the remake, he shouts "AIIEEE!!!" instead, but "ai" in Japanese means "love" so it still counts.

Imperial China

• The Earthen Heart Shifu takes Yun, Hong and Lei in because he saw potential in them all: Yun had true strength and needed confidence, Hong needed to be proud of his body and Lei was truly a soft girl at heart. When he dies, the surviving student cries out for their master and vow to continue passing down his martial art.
  • There’s already some clear foreshadowing that Lei isn’t half the hardass she pretends to be when she laughs warmly at being called a “lady” by Hong and rushing to Shifu’s side without any hesitation when he collapses and has a coughing fit. She even asks, “Are you okay!?” with genuine panic and worry in her voice. Suuuuuuure, Lei, you totally don’t care about him at all and he’s absolutely not your Shifu even though he is one for the boys. But the moment that cements her Heel–Face Turn is when the Shifu tells her that she shouldn't be afraid to show kindness. The acceptance in her voice in the dub says volumes on how much she's grown.
    Shifu: If you take but one thing to heart, than let it be this. There is strength in kindness. Do not be afraid to show it.
    Lei: <sniffle> I know. I know...
• While it is a Bittersweet Ending, the Earthen Heart Shifu dies in peace, knowing that his martial art will survive, the Indomitable Fist will never use their strength to bully anyone ever again, and he will be reunited with his deceased pupils in the heavens whereas the Earthen Heart Successor knows that their loved ones are watching over them.

Twilight of Edo Japan

• The fact that you can save Watanabe's dad can be heartwarming on its own because of how they're treated in every other chapter (though it ruins the Pacifist Run because you have to kill the man who is about to kill them). The remake adds an extra detail confirming they escaped just fine as well if Oboromaru aborts the mission, where they're together while he's on the run.

The Wild West

• The townspeople's reaction to Sundown and Mad Dog's victory over the Crazy Bunch. Doubly so if you neglected to put any trap and went against the entire gang. After suffering them for God knows how long, they can finally live in peace. In the remake, hearing Annie's reaction of incredulity mixed with joy is simply sublime.
  Annie: They won... THEY WON!!
• At the end, Sundown is given a hero's sendoff as he rides off into the wilds again. He doesn't mind that they didn't have anything to pay him with — after all, he managed to save innocents in the end. After he leaves, the Sheriff recalls a story about a legendary gunslinger who got too cocky with winning battles, which led to a band of outlaws razing his hometown. Devastated by this, he put a price on his own head while looking for a nice place to die in. The Sheriff now suspects that the man in that story was Sundown himself. Given that in the Final Chapter if he's the protagonist where he no longer seeks death and just wants companionship, it seems that saving Success Town was his second chance at saving a town from destruction.
  Sundown: "I don't want your money. ...It's been a long, long time... since I had the chance to do something good and decent. That's reward enough."

Present Day

• Great Aja only has three moves: Bite, Frankensteiner, and Tornado Press. Masaru can only learn the last two, while there is a chance that Great Aja may get a soda can on his head for using Bite. It's strangely heartwarming that Great Aja doesn't want Bite be inherited by Masaru, as if he doesn't want Masaru to be a Heel like him or for Masaru to learn dishonorable moves that can earn him a soda can on the head.
• During the fight against Odie O'Bright, Masaru may call out to his fallen rivals when using their learned moves.
• At the end after O'Bright's defeat, a new challenger arrives to fight Masaru, who even refers to him as the current greatest, showing he's finally achieved his dream for now.

Near Future

• The endgame has that young couple at the park decide to get together, then they get spooked at the sight of Steel Titan rising from the lake. The credits show them chasing after a child, who is implied to be theirs.
• Despite learning what Lawless had done, Akira never holds a grudge against him for killing his father. In fact, the end of the chapter has him inheriting both Lawless' motorcycle and his job at running the taiyaki stand.
• The manga gives Lawless the chance to kiss Taeko before he heads off to the afterlife.

Distant Future

• A small but cute moment is when Cube tells Huey they want to read his book, Huey lifts Cube up to put them in his chair.
• The end of the chapter, where Darthe finally overcomes his Fantastic Racism and befriends Cube, even asking Cube to give him a cup of coffee (which he refused at the beginning). The ending reveals that he retired and now spends his days making medical robots.
• If you go out of your way to visit Kato's room and talk to him after you have defeated the chapter's Big Bad OD-10, in both the remake and the original he tells Cube how glad he is that he has created them. The remake however adds a So Proud of You element making the final speech even more heartwarming. The voice acting in both the Japanese and the English versions is exemplary and it really sounds like a father being happy for his child.
  Kato: You did it, didn't you? You saved us. [...] You're incredible, little one. Truly incredible. And I'm so proud of you... and so glad that I brought you into this world.

Middle Ages

• While they are in competition for the hand of the princess, Oersted makes sure Streibough isn't too badly hurt after their duel.
• As pictured above, it appears Oersted's betrothal to the princess was a Perfectly Arranged Marriage. It is too bad things go downhill for everyone shortly after this moment.
  • Even if you go with the interpretation that Alethea was always in love with Streibough or simply just wasn't into Oersted, knowing that Oersted at least was genuinely in love is still sweet.
• Despite everything, even after being sent to the Trial of Heart by Odio, that little boy never stops believing in Oersted.

Final Chapter / Dominion of Hate

• In a twisted sort of way, in Oersted's version of the chapter, it's nice to see Oersted doting over his other incarnations like a concerned family member. Undercut, though, by the fact that he's encouraging them to cross the Moral Event Horizon and in the end, even their victory doesn't make him happy.
• A twisted example related to Oersted like with the above example, the map of Lucrece calls the Hero's Rest the Last Hero's Grave. Compared to the other demeaning names given to the other locations, the Lucrece Castle called the Seat of the Betrayers and Fugalia Village called the Condemned Village, this demonstrates that Oersted still respects Hasshe as the hero of Lucrece. The name being the Last Hero's Grave indicates that Oersted views Hasshe (and possibly Uranus) as the last heroic people in Lucrece and does not view himself as a hero, despite his own heroics and his implied Glory Hound character (albeit in the remake's dub only).
• The moment when your chosen protagonist finds someone else in the ruins of Lucrece. While this is their first meeting which would reassure them that they're not alone in this wasteland, this is actually a moment for the player, seeing a familiar face that you know will help make things right.
• Should Cube be your main character and you try to recruit Masaru, particularly in the remake, he'll refuse to fight them (which is normally required to recruit him). Why? Because Cube is just too cute to be hurt.
• Reaching Odio requires the chosen protagonist to find Brion, Hasshe's legendary sword which was used to open the way to the Archon's Roost back in the original chapter. It was last in possession of Oersted, so where is it now? Back where it originally was, on the grave Hasshe made for himself atop the mountain. Even though he could've just destroyed it or hid it far away in an unknown location since you need it to open the Archon's Roost once more, finding the sword there is the first sign that, despite everything that's happened, there's still a bit left of Oersted within the Lord of Dark.
• Alethea is utterly ashamed and disgusted with her past actions, crying out of heartbreak over what she did to Oersted and herself. She appears before the heroes without being prompted to (unlike the other citizens of her kingdom), begging for them to help her undo her mistakes and stop Oersted. She then uses the magic power she obtained from being a spirit and teleports them all out of the Trial of Heart as her atonement, sending them to save Oersted from Odio (or rather, himself) once and for all, proving that she truly does care deeply about him and wants to redeem herself by helping the heroes stop AND save him.
• If you fulfilled the requirements for the Golden Ending, the other three protagonists rush in to help you, despite them showing up late to fight Pure Odio, they still wanted to help your party. However, Odio appears again and tries a Last Stand to kill them where he subjects everyone to fight their respective Odio incarnation. The lead's response? No matter what happens, they and their new friends will return home.
• In the remake's True Final Boss fight, Oersted manifests the Sin of Odio — a living incarnation of Oersted's own hatred and all the hatred and darkness in the world. Yet through seeing all seven heroes fight together and refuse to give up, Oersted remembers who he once was and forcibly tears himself free from the boss just as the latter has the entire group of heroes at his mercy. Oersted confronts his own evil and hatred by landing the final blow on Sin of Odio, proving himself stronger than his own hatred with full awareness it will kill him as well, and FINALLY becoming the hero he could have been by saving all of time and space.
  • Oersted does not fully remember who he is until after Sin of Odio is destroyed. He really did prove himself as a hero — true to Hasshe's words, he saw that the party was in danger and the fight for his memories immediately took a back seat so he could take action and save them.
• The speeches that the heroes give to Oersted after the final battle in the remake are far more impactful and resonate much stronger in the knight now that he is free from his hatred. He echoes their sentiments of trust, love, faith, and/or having a sense of camaraderie.
  • Pogo yells loudly as usual... and then proceeds to give the poor broken man a MUCH needed Cooldown Hug. Oersted is at a complete loss for words until he comments on how this is pure love.
  • Lei tells Oersted that he reminds her of how she used to be. She admits that she made mistakes and still does, but she acknowledges that she is trying to be better and knows that we can't get everything we want.
  • Yun tells Oersted that he put too much pressure on himself. Reminding him that even when things are hard, there is still a choice in what we do in response to that hardship.
  • Hong reveals that he wished to hurt people that mocked and bullied him, but he realized that he understands what this pain is and others shouldn't. Oersted acknowledges that while what he is saying is simple, it is pure and true.
  • Oboromaru states he once would've killed anyone without question, but no more. He understands that while there is risk with mercy, there is great value to it as well. For a brief moment, Oersted remembers Hasshe's words, "By love and trust and faith, will we be saved."
  • Sundown Kid states that he misses having a place to call home. Oersted admits that for how much his former loved ones put him through hell, he still misses them after being alone for so long in his own misery.
  • Masaru tells Oersted that there is nothing wrong with wanting more or wanting to be the best, but he can't let that be the end of it or destroy his soul. Oersted shares this sentiment.
  • Akira gives an angry speech, reminding him that he shouldn't shift the blame onto others for his own decisions, and that while humans are capable of doing wrong, they shouldn't be judged by their lowest moments. Oersted agrees and recognizes that he was blinded by his hatred to the good that humans can do.
  • Cube gives Oersted flowers. Oersted recognizes that Cube is a construct without emotions, but despite that, or maybe even because of that, Cube understands the value of such things.
  • Oersted gives a warning before perishing is more clearly meant to caution the heroes not to repeat his mistakes. A warning the heroes seem to take to heart as they go home.
• Ultimately, the final ending where everyone resumes their lives as normal after all those multi-dimensional hijinx, and at least freeing Lucrece from the terror of the Lord of Dark. With appropriate heartwarming music as well. Even Oersted, who — while running into Tear Jerker territory — at least gets Dying as Yourself and Heel–Face Turn statuses.
  • Pogo returns and finds that Beru has given birth to their child.
  • The Earthen Heart inheritor reopens the school and trains a new generation of martial artists in memory of his/her master. The remake has Sun Tzu Wang having a Heel–Face Turn — seeing as he indirectly would cause two of the successors to die — and bury the hatchet; doubly so if Yun ends up being the successor. Moreover, if Hong is your successor in the remake, then Wan Tan Na Bei becomes a disciple.
  • Oboromaru's scene depends on the final dialog choice in his scenario: he follows his duty as an Enma ninja and proves himself as a loyal shinobi, or he becomes a bodyguard for Sakamoto Ryoma and helps safeguard the future of Japan.
  • The Sundown Kid returns to his lonely life as a drifter, as he stops and takes off his hat, should Mad Dog be killed. If Mad Dog is spared in the original, he encounters Mad Dog once again, however the ending implies that this encounter is more peaceful. The remake changes this to them riding together, all but stating that they reconciled as friends and Sundown likely told him the truth about the bounty. Plus, Mad Dog found the O. Dio horse again.
  • Masaru closes up his gym and hits the road as a travelling warrior, looking for the next challenger.
  • Akira reunites with the other children of the orphanage and helps Tobei with his (still unsuccessful) experiments.
  • Cube reunites with Kato and sees Earth for the first time in their mechanical life.
  • While there is no happy ending for Oersted, the Epilogue shows life returning to Lucrece, implying that the curse of the Demon King is broken for good.

Credits

• We see the heroes running together as the sun rises behind them. It represents that even if they never meet each other again due to their different time periods, they will remain connected, and they will continue doing what they think is right.
  • The credits music — which eventually becomes a triumphant medley of the heroes' personal themes — is appropriately lively and upbeat, as if celebrating the player's victory and assuring them that the characters have truly earned their happy endings at last.
• The final message of the remake's credits acknowledges the people who fell in love with this game via the fan-translations and implies they were a large part of the reason this game was eventually remade.

  And to all of our players, old and new fans alike, Thank you for playing!