Tear Jerker / Shantae

• Asking around the Zombie Caravan in the original Shantae reveals that none of the other Zombies like or even trust Rottytops and her brothers. Knowing that, is it any wonder that she gets attached to Shantae so quickly?
• At the end of Risky's Revenge, Rottytops and her brothers kidnap Shantae's uncle, Mimic and deliver him to Risky Boots in exchange for a supply of coffee and in Rotty's case, Shantae's brains. When Risky Boots backs out on the deal, her siblings take it without problem but a heartbroken Rottytops falls to her knees realizing she just betrayed her own friend for nothing. She runs off crying from the place just when Shantae witnessed what she did.
• In Pirate's Curse, you learn from Rottytops' human soul in the afterlife, who perceives her zombie existence as a series of dreams, that she greatly admires Shantae and views her as one of the most important people in her life, but is ashamed of being such a terrible friend in return. Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment, as future games have Shantae noticeably more forgiving and understanding of Rottytops' behavior as a result of the exchange.
  Well, in my dreams... she comes and goes. She's brilliant and smart, and I want to be just like her! She is my very best friend in all the world. But when I reach out, I always manage to... I don't know... something always goes wrong. I upset her somehow. I just want to tell her how important her friendship is... and I try to grab on... but she runs away.
  • Unfortunately, the wounds of insecurity and loneliness don't heal up easily because you've found a friend. As shown in Seven Sirens, Rotty, in a fit of insecurity of being left out of Shantae's vacation, snuck aboard in her luggage, where she couldn't find her and properly invite her. Harmony saw through the disguise, but she still chose to become her friend.
• At the end of Pirate's Curse, the Pirate Master asks Shantae which of the Genies he killed was her mother. Shantae quietly says that she doesn't know, then snaps that the Pirate Master is the reason why.
• Shantae's self-esteem sinks lower and lower with each passing game:
  • She has some doubts about her ability to protect Scuttle Town as a mere half-genie in the first game.
  • While she spends most of Risky's Revenge recklessly confident, she starts beating herself up the moment Risky has Mimic kidnapped, and outright states that she feels useless without her magic after she's forced to destroy it.
  • These feelings carry over to The Pirate's Curse, and she spends a lot of time mulling over whether or not she's worth anything without her powers. While she does ultimately get them back (at least, in the game's good ending), it's quite sad to see. She also mentions that she thinks she's a bad role model when compared to heroes like Bran-Son.
  • All it takes is a few nasty comments from Scuttlebutt to bring back her doubts in Half-Genie Hero, even with Mimic doing his best to talk her back up.
    I'm Ret-2-Go... if anyone needs me.
  • She also shoulders the entirety of the blame for Risky's corrupting her with the Dynamo, and mentions she's been trying to make up for her human half not being good enough.
  • During a cinematic in Seven Sirens, she shows some hesitation on-stage with her fellow half-genies, and exhibits genuine stage fright after they are all captured in the blackout-induced chaos.
• Imagine being a single father who raised his daughter. Now imagine receiving news that your daughter has been kidnapped and is nowhere to be found. Poor Vera's father was so distraught that he was at the edge of the Despair Event Horizon. If not for Shantae reviving hope within him, he'd be far past it.
• After rescuing Harmony and realizing Fillin the Blank was actually Rottytops, Shantae was instructed to meet a ghost dog at the deepest depths of the Sunken City. However, it wasn't just a dog, but a dead Guardian Genie. Even worse, it's implied through her dialogue that she is Harmony's mother, who lost her life to seal an extremely powerful and dangerous Siren alongside the rest of her kin. Unfortunately, said seal isn't watertight, as stated by a little kid in Tree Town that it's dangerous to be out at night.
• How Bolo is treated throughout the series. Yeah, he is an idiot who gets himself in a lot of trouble, but you can't help but feel bad for him when he fails and is mocked by his "friends", including Shantae. All he wants is to be a hero and do good like Shantae, but he's frequently punished for it and shunned because of his stupidity. It makes you wonder why he bothers sticking around in a town where no one respects him.

---