"I'm counting on you, Otacon."
- Raiden's idea for helping Emma with her fear of water involves her putting her head to his back and counting his heartbeats, not thinking about anything else. When they reach the filter chamber, Emma tells him that Otacon used to give her piggyback rides and that they used to play "House" together. It's a touching moment.
- Snake's and Otacon's special handshake and hug after the death of Emma; it showed that Snake did care for Otacon far better than any words could.
- Also the way that Snake tries to snap Otacon out of his grief by emphasising his place in the mission - while it might sound rather cold of him, he does this in such a way that makes it very clear how important Otacon is to him, to the extent that he knows he can't function in missions like this without Otacon's aid. And while it doesn't last for very long, it does actually work in making Otacon feel a bit better about the whole situation.
- A bit more Heartwarming in the Japanese version, but still as much a Tearjerker: The pet parrot that Otacon removes from its cage after Emma's death says "big bro"/"onii-chan", "big bro Hal"/"Hal onii-chan", and "I want to see you/I miss you", indicating that despite the unhappiness between the two of them, Emma still loved Otacon as her older brother.
- Snake using Gray Fox's last words from the previous game to inspire Raiden. Not only is Snake passing on his best friend's views to his new protege, but it also highlights just how much his life has changed since Shadow Moses incident - far from the self-described "hired killer" from Metal Gear Solid, Snake has grown into a man who fights for what he believes in rather than what he's told to do. He even lampshades this when Raiden asks him "Why stick your neck out for something this risky?"
- Later on, in Arsenal Gear, Raiden is undergoing a minor-Heroic B So D from remembering he was a child soldier. He asks what Snake and Otacon are fighting for. Snake's answer is "A future. You can stop being part of a mistake. Starting now."
- For the rare few who didn't despise Rose and all her dialogue, there are some incredibly sweet moments between her and Raiden, and the ending where they reconcile and promise to see the other for who they really are, while discussing how they're going to parent their child can still be heartwarming to some.
- "Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" is often made fun of for its repetetiveness, but the meaning behind it is quite heartwarming. April 30th is the day Raiden met Rose. While their relationship was staged, with both sides never really opening up, the day they met might have actually been pure coincidence. Rose is trying to get Raiden to remember one of the few real moments they had.
- At the end, Snake promises Raiden that he'll find Olga's child. Raiden wants to come along, but Snake rejects the offer, telling Raiden "You still have things to do. People you need to talk to." before Raiden spots Rose. It gives off the sense that Snake wants Raiden to live the life he was never able to before.
