History Heartwarming / ReturnOfTheJedi

** [[HeartwarmingInHindsight Even better]], if you watch ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' you'll know that Anakin basically sought guidance from Palpatine to "to save the one [Anakin] loves" (and it was also what initiated his fall to the Dark Side). Fast forward 23 years later, that's exactly what Anakin does here, save the one he loves (his son), but this time, going back to the Light Side.
* This AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Darth Vader seemingly throwing away the fight just so Luke can win; deep down, he knows the Emperor expects only one of them to come out alive and he isn't willing to kill his own child, so in an act of attempted sacrifice, he toys with Luke long enough to get him angry and leads both of them towards the shaft, allowing Vader to put himself on the railing and allowing Luke to deal him every blow till he cuts his arm off, allowing Luke to come out as the victor.

** In a way, it must also be nice for Lando to be reunited with L3-37 after a very long time.

* When Palpatine is torturing Luke, it's clear to see the moment that Anakin realizes that, for the first time in a quarter of a century, somebody needs him. And not just anyone, but his son. And Padmé's son. Who loves him. And in that moment of realization, Darth Vader is no more, and Anakin Skywalker is back.

** The Special Edition ending has the entire galaxy celebrating when the second Death Star is destroyed, which means that the Imperial army is gone and freedom and democracy have returned. It's just... the fireworks, the cheering, the energy... *sniff*

*** Made even better when Luke sees his redeemed father's spirit, returned to the man he once was before he fell to the dark side, or as the man he would have been had he not turned, depending on your preference of editions, sharing a friendly look with his old master, and then favoring his son with a loving smile.
** A piece of meta heartwarming: Sebastian Shaw ([[Characters/XMenHellfireClub not that one]]), the actor who originally played the unmasked Darth Vader (credited as 'Anakin Skywalker'), was a relatively unknown British actor at the time who had never been particularly famous despite appearing in various projects since ''1930''. His role as Anakin contained 24 words across two minutes of screen-time, but this role was important enough to catapult him into stardom among 'Star Wars' fans, with the actor recollecting (in a 1987 interview) that he had received ''numerous'' fan-letters about his brief appearance as Anakin, and even commented on how 'flattering' it was to have an action-figure made of him. Considering how many actors regretted their experiences with 'Star Wars' for various reasons (Harrison Ford, Ahmed Best, Jake Lloyd...), it's sweet to know one of the actors who had arguably one of the briefest of parts in the series ended up not only getting a huge fanbase over it, but also ''greatly'' enjoyed it.

** One Meta example but Anakin's eyes are blue when Luke removes the mask, not Sith yellow, symbolizing that he had truly returned to the light and died as Anakin Skywalker and not Darth Vader.

* How the Emperor is defeated--not through [[IncrediblyLamePun force]] of arms, but through the love of a father and son. HeartIsAnAwesomePower, indeed.