All the way back in 2009, in the last episode of his Mother 3 playthrough, ProtonJon lent out his voice for the character of Rope Snake. One line he says is Heartwarming in Context and Hindsight, when you consider Jon was the reason Emile started lets playing in the first place, and that they are good friends now.
"Emile, was it? I'll be certain to etch that name into my mind."
At the end of the Anju and Kafei sidequest, during the final scene where the two exchange their masks, Chugga stays completely silent throughout the whole scene, not even reading the text like he normally does. Then, afterwards:
Reminiscing about two Gabby and Ty cosplayers at an official Nintendo event that he befriended.
In one of his bonus episodes, he rants about how he had to spend over $140 just to get all the materials needed to show the battle for Latias. The very fact that he went through what he described as "hell" but did it because he loves doing these videos is very sweet.
His rant on Peach's dream of being surrounded by miniature Marios and his rather symbolic rant on what it represents. It was a parody of this trope, but could be considered an example all the same.
After encountering a Cragnon complaining about his camera job, Emile gives us this:
"Maybe they just don't understand the value of videos. Maybe they don't understand how many people you make smile all over the world for making videos, and that is exactly why making videos is the best thing in the world."
Constantly gushing about how much he loves the music of Jolly Roger Bay (and the level as a whole by extension).
Because for years Chugga has defended Super Mario Sunshine, calling it underrated and superior to Super Mario 64, and said that he would never LPSuper Mario 64, the idea has grown up that Chugga doesn't like 64. In this LP we see that this is untrue, he loves the game and has great childhood memories of it, he just thinks Sunshine is even better.
Even more so in episode 31, when he talks about how the game got him through a difficult time in his childhood and (along with Pokémon Red and Blue) is ultimately the reason he's where he is today. The music punctuates it perfectly. Here's a link to the relevant section.
When he continues his playthrough of the game, Shari asks him if his wish of "his next LP being great" came true, the LP in question being Xenoblade Chronicles. He admits that it's the LP he's got the most compliments on and it also seems to be one of his most viewed Let's plays. Considering how expansive this game is, and that his answer was a yes, this is quite a heartwarming and underrated moment as well as a CMOA.
Emile's entire Let's Play is this, simply because he says the game was a big part of his childhood.
After several stories of his mess ups while playing the game as a kid, the fact he admits he enjoyed the return of the Koopalings. note This is their first appearance since World for those who don't know.
His ending speech about why he wanted to get this game done, it really helped it through when he was sick.
In episode 11, after he let the nighttime Pokémon Center theme play for a little bit, he mentions that hearing this theme gave him nostalgia. He used to communicate with his friends through Pokémon Platinum a lot and he would hear that theme when talking with his friends. Awwwwwwww.
There is something sweet about Emile having two weak pokemon in his team that use happiness to evolve at some point and would later become strong, dependable Pokémon.
After visiting his mom to find a heartwarming dialogue, he mentions that he amended his relationship with his real-life mom. Considering he was on rocky terms with his parents, this is wonderfully heartwarming.
In part 38, he describes how fans of his were motivated by his discussions of several now-defunct/sparsely accessible promotional events to dig up their old copies of the Gen IV games. In doing so, they discovered that they had downloaded those events when they were available but never got around to redeeming them, and in the case of Manaphy (which can be transferred over from a copy of Pokémon Ranger, but only once per game card), that they still had yet to redeem it for themselves. Given that a few words from Emile was enough to get these people to experience these defunct events legitimately for what is likely the first time in their lives, this is quite touching to hear.
One of the reasons that Emile got into Let's Playing is because he enjoyed Marilland's videos. Come his Pokémon Platinum Let's Play, he manages to get Marilland to help demonstrate multiplayer features twice, and Marilland even says that he's been watching the LP and has thoroughly enjoyed it. How's that for Ascended Fanboy?
The Revelation that EVERY appearance of the female Inkling was MasaeAnela certainly is one. She might have been "new" to many viewers and followers of Chugga but that didn't change the fact that she became an important part of that Let's Play.
Chugga not bringing himself to be mean to Zelda in the first episode and honestly complimenting her.
Chugga: I can't do it! I swear I'll be mean to the next guy I see, okay?!
A side quest dealing with Peatrice, who has a crush on Link, makes him feel legitimately bad because whether you turn her down or agree to cheat on Zelda, as Chugga puts it "both these options SUCK!"; apparently being mean to pixels is just as troubling to him as being mean to real people. Granted, he makes lots of jokes throughout but that's Chugga.
His reaction to this scene when Luigi gives his younger self a Yoshi cookie.
The ending of the Bonus Episode. He gives his final thoughts on the game, showering it with praise. He then thanks several people and communities and people involved with the game or the LP. And all with the beautiful music box rendition of the main theme playing, which is left playing by itself at the end of the video, with not a stinger in sight.
Emile's reason for using Trubbish on his team is because he really likes the Pokémon and he feels it gets too much hate for being a Pokémon based on a garbage bag. Likewise, he uses Archen on his team because his favorite Pokémon is the Archen line.
In episode 51, he comments that he's using all of the Pokémon who get picked last and showing them a good time. He specifically points out Ottawa (whom he picked as his starter because Oshawott tends to be the last choice), Hilbert (who's Pokémon line is very disliked for its design) and Hex (an often-overlooked Pokémon).
To make it even more heartwarming, many people have commented that Chugga made them either rethink their old negative views on the Pokémon or give them a chance in their own games.
Initially, Chugga isn't very fond of the Pokémon Beartic. In the Black side of the playthrough, he ends up using one on his team because he felt he needed an Ice-type. He was not happy, and named her ":(". Then, :( defeated the eighth Gym Leader without taking a single point of damage, causing Chugga to change his opinion of Beartic. A later episode reveals that Chugga took :( to the Name Rater. Her name is now :).
In Episode 55, Chugga finally reveals that he is autistic, explaining he only took things back because a relative convinced him that he wasn't, and explains some things about how his mind works, right down to the way in which he visualizes his thoughts rather than remembering mental text blurbs the way that neurotypical people do. The moment itself, and even the support from various fans, especially his autistic fans, is incredibly touching, especially upon remembering that this comes after years of having previously resented his autism due to the constant bullying he faced as a child; Emile being able to come to terms with being autistic and being able to describe it so succinctly and positively is, for many autistic people, a highly empowering and encouraging moment.
In the finale, the name of the player he entered, as revealed in the final boss when the player prays. "All of us". Him, his fans, his fellow lets players, all of us. Only amplified by the context—all of us are praying for Ness and his friends to defeat Giygas. And we all land the final blow.
During a montage of levels he gained while looking for two enemies that he didn't encounter before Giygas, Chugga gives a heartfelt speech about how he feels about how timeless, charming, etc. that EarthBound is, and how he feels that EarthBound represents childhood as a whole, commending the game for acknowledging the bad parts of childhood as well as the good.
In episode 7, he goes on a brief tangent about how he completely understands the special relationship between a single mom and an only child when their dad wasn’t the best person. After all, he was there.
Chugga gushing about how happy he is that every party member is useful and there's no-one he wouldn't recommend using.
In Episode 39, he absolutely gushes over how Magus can join the party when he played the game for the first time.
And when he brings Magus to his cat, Chuggaa just coos over how the cat just fawns over Magus as if reminding his own master.
In Episode 43, after he completes Frog’s arc by having him meet up with the ghost of Cyrus, he decides to rename Frog from his default name to Glenn.
Somewhat subverted when, due to constantly referring to him as Frog, he reverts the name back.
When he ends up in an area in the Dimensional Vortex that plays Singing Mountain, he immediately shuts up for a bit to let the viewers hear it, and talks about the song and its origin, praising it all the time.
After his raging at the Lost Sanctum, Chugga plays the other piece of DS-exclusive content, the Dimensional Vortexes, and ends up having a lot of good to say about them. He feels bad that the Lost Sanctum soured his opinion on the DS-exclusive content on his original playthrough, as looking back now he finds the Dimensional Vortex genuinely good.
Upon visiting Starshine Beach Galaxy, Chuggaa squees over the references to Super Mario Sunshine, and explains just how much he wishes for a sequel to the game. Emile's gleeful reference to the iconic "I'M A CHUCKSTER!" meme just goes to show that while he might not be fond of his playthrough of the game, he absolutely still loves the game as a whole.
Also in Starshine Beach, Chugga reminisces on a fond memory associated with the level. When he first played through the game, he called his legally-blind friend, who was unable to play the game since they couldn't play it up close, and allowed them to experience it alongside him via Skype. When they reached Starshine, they were both overwhelmed with joy and nostalgia; he recalls it being one of the happiest moments he's ever had with that particular friend.
After several deaths that nearly resulted in a Game Over in Clockwork Ruins Galaxy, Lubba catches Chugga's attention, reminding him that he's thankful for the recovery of their Power Stars. Chugga, who usually snips at the interactions with Lubba, replied with a heartfelt "Lubba. You and me. Star Bits. I'm buying." while firing a few Star Bits his way.
Chugga's kind words when Satoru Iwata's name comes up in the credits: "We're all still playing games with your name in the credits."
During the finale, Chugga talks about how much he loves the game and also that it helped him heal during a very rough time in his life. He said that the game was what kept him going as things just got worse and worse.
At the end of the bonus video, Chugga admits that while this series did start mostly for an April Fools goof, he actually gained a new appreciation for the game and was pleasantly surprised to learn there were so many secrets and interesting tidbits that he wouldn't have otherwise learned.
Chugga explaining during Episode 100 why Nia is his favorite character in the game. Back during the Furo Scene, when the other girls foreshadowed the twist of Nia being a Flesh-Eater, Chugga initially saw this as a hint that Nia was actually transgender. While this wasn't the case, he still sees Nia's story arc as a beautiful allegory for people who've had to live their lives in fear of expressing their true selves for fear of judgement, or like in Nia's case, persecution. It helped to make Nia a very sympathetic, yet empowering character in Chugga's eyes.
Related; earlier in the LP, Chugga goes over the different genders Blades can have, and reveals that Roc's is canonically not male or female. From then on, he tends to refer to Roc using they/them pronouns.
Chugga gives one final shoutout during the finale to the main story, Episode 136, that being to the vocalist for the game, Jen Bird. The tag included with her channel link? "She's good, I promise!"
Chugga: I wish I had a great, big, inspirational speech to give in a moment like this, but... I just wanna say, if you've made it this far, watching every single episode, thanks so much for your time. (beat) Our adventure's coming to a close soon, but we still made it to this landmark before it did. It'll be a while before this record's broken.
In episode 10, Chugga sees a post in the square greeting him. He greets the poster back and gives them a Yeah!.
At the end of episode 14, in the middle of his outro, Chugga sees a post praising his Let's Play of the game, saying that he's doing an awesome job. His reaction is a few seconds of silence before giving them a sincere "Thank you" and talking about the LP has been a lot of hard work and "been in the pipeline for a very long time" before thanking them once again.
In episode 31, Chugga sees a post wishing the reader a good day. His response to wish them the same while giving the post as Yeah!
Just hearing Chugga sound so happy talking about the game, as well as the series in general, considering how much he's made his distaste for the modern games clear.
In episode 22 Chugga reveals that getting stuck in the Forever Forest was the first time he ever looked up an online guide/walkthrough. Given the soft spot he has for GameFAQs, it's safe to say he probably discovered the site around this time.
Better, Chugga said this moment defined the direction his life would take. Why? Because this was Chugga's first exposure to gaming content on the internet. In other words, this moment indirectly inspired Chugga's Youtube channel.
Funny enough, Goombario's tattle can be used for hints, as a commenter pointed out:
juan Calderon: Seeing as you dont seem to like goombario, he is a huge help to this forest puzzle. All of his world lore is different in every area of the forest that gives a huge clue as to what is different or what to pay attention to. For example: i think on one of those he acts freaked out that he swears he saw eyes in the stumps.
Chugga: Hm... Maybe I should have enlisted his help all those years ago! I think I went to Merlon and he didn't really help.
In Episode 24, Emile recounts from his time playing the first game that a commenter (who he assumed was young in age) would, in the lead-in to Chapter 3, repeatedly comment for Emile to not forget Luigi's diary in the basement using the exact same text almost every time. Emile makes a point to showcase the cutscene introducing the basement that foreshadows the diary in this episode, because he admits that that reminder was something that stuck with him across all those years.
After Kirby the cat interrupts the video again in Episode 57, Emile says he'll never enable the feature in his capture card that cancels out background noises purely on the ground that everyone, including Emile himself, loves Kirby.
During episode 12, when revealing Elekid's new nickname, Chugga notices that the winning comment mentions that he (the commenter) and his wife had a baby. Chugga is quick to take a moment to congratulate them.
In episode 24, Chugga talks about having ridden a roller coaster, and is excited to try more. He's been afraid of them for many years, so it's great to hear that he's been getting past it.
In Episode 42, Chugga talks about how he always wanted to make his adulthood the childhood he never had, and that he feels he's succeeded.
In Episode 50, Chugga mentions how he's been doing a lot of multiplayer activities in the game with his girlfriend, and admits that it was a huge part of the healing process for both of them after Kirby passed away.
Episode 59 reveals Chugga's final team member — Crustle — which is a Pokémon he had previously written off as useless. So why was he using it on his team? Some of his viewers who were fans of Crustle contacted him and challenged his viewpoints on it and Chugga admits that he would later come to believe them, deciding to show off his new views via using it on his team.
The Let's Play is Chugga experiencing Character Perception Evolution for Typhoon (a.k.a. Hugh). At first, he didn't gel with Typhoon's stubbornness to get his sister's Purrloin back, but as a pet owner, he comes to relate with him over the journey. He understands that losing a pet to thieves is very damaging, and, realistically, it's nigh-impossible to get it back, especially when the Purrloin he once knew is now a Liepard loyal to Team Plasma. While it's a bittersweet end to Typhoon's story, he's happy Typhoon got closure.
In Episode 87, Chugga talks about the Hiker Dance and how he's glad it was received as well as it has and becoming associated with TRG Colosseum each year.
The Finale gives one final farewell and dedication to Kirby, who passed away during production.
For our Star Warrior
Other Stuff
Chugga's Let's Plays often feature games with mixed reception from people. He plays them specifically so he can get people to appreciate them more and often succeeds.
Anytime he tells his fans how awesome and encouraging they are.
*Description of YouTube channel* "I've been making Let's Plays here for over 3 years now, and really appreciate the support from every one of you, not to mention the many of you I've actually met at conventions this year!"
Chugga said in episode 7 of his Pokémon Crystal LP that Wooper is awesome because, "If you can look that happy all the time, and have no arms, you are amazing, and you are truly a king among kings." That's not the heartwarming part. A user by the name of Kawaii Baka Daysu left this comment:
Kawaii Baka Daysu: I was watching this episode with my cousin who was born without arms. When you said that true fact about Wooper, my cousin burst out laughing saying "THAT'S SO TRUE!!!" Thank you for making my cousin laugh.
His four-year anniversary video, in which he not only thanks all of his viewers, but also brings up how a small, ten-second comment of his from a Luigi's Mansion episode about how he could never stick to exercising led to users sending him loads of encouragement and tips, which actually allowed him to finally stick to a routine.
He also mentions how let's playing has helped him become less shy, which is also pretty sweet.
Just check out this page. Nic, a seven year old fan with brain cancer and not much time left to live, wanted to play a video game with Chugga before he dies. On May 14, 2012, Chugga flew and drove all the way to Minnesota with NintendoCapriSun to grant this wish.
This tweet... if you needed any more proof that Chugga and Jon are good friends and their rivalry in TRG is friendly... look no further.
Chugga mentions in episode 5 of The Runaway Guys' LP of Castle Crashers that he always preserves the save files from his LPs so he can always load them up again and look back on the memories.
This becomes even more heartwarming when you realize that Stephen and Mal only make logos for him. LOGOS! He gave him all that, just because of the logos they made him.
He provided Stephen and Mal with such amazing gifts not only because they make logos for him, but because they are such great friends. Stephen and Mal offer him to stay over and hang out fairly often (as made evident through Emile's various appearances in Stephen's vlogs) and THAT (the friendship they share) is what makes it truly heartwarming, not to mention the 'Very Awkward Hug' Stephen wants to give him for all of this. Especially when Chuggaa responds by hugging him instead and pushing him onto the ground via said hug.
During Geek Week on Youtube, he and many of his fellow members of Polaris talk about how Video Games have had a big impact on their lives. he openly states that Super Mario 64 and Pokémon Red and Blue are games that he owes everything.
When Chuggaa was outed as a brony, some people decided to be assholes, but the majority of his fanbase didn't have a problem with it.
This got better. A member of a fangroup for Chugga on DeviantArt posted a journal for the group about how him being a brony isn't as bad as some thought.
Chugga bought 24 COPIES OF XENOBLADE◊ just so his friends could enjoy one of his favorite games of all time which is very hard to come by. Keep in mind that a copy of Xenoblade costs roughly 60 dollars so he spent about 1440 DOLLARS just on giving a great game for a bunch of his friends for Christmas. His generosity is truly limitless.
In an interview with Wired.com, he had nothing but praise and encouragement for Let's Players who aren't nearly as popular as him:
"They’ll say, oh, this video only got 100 views. That’s huge! Imagine you’re standing on a pedestal with 100 people listening to what you have to say about a videogame. That’s awesome."
In that same interview, he also said that he didn’t think he was still going to be doing Let’s Plays when he was 30. Oh, how wrong he was...
Only a day after his return to making videos, Emile took time out of his day to go and personally thankAriZonia for her thoughtful comments during the time he had been sick to show he had seen them, even he had been unable to respond.
A while ago, MasaeAnela was forced to stop posting videos when her hard drive crashed, and all her work was lost. She gave it to Chugga to repair it...and he made it work.
Emile has mentioned on his channel's Facebook page that he has spent a lot of time going around buying all the available Amiibo and even getting some of the rarer ones for his friends. In particular, he stayed awake for 21 hours just to get the Gold Mario Amiibo and then stayed up longer to try and get one more for a friend.
In the finale of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Emile mentions that he offhandedly has frequent nightmares. On the infamous TRG streams, amid the mix of Never Live It Down moments to do with poor word choices, an offhanded comment reveals a fan gifted him a dream catcher to help him, and he has it hanging in his office.
When Chuggaa makes a post about his cat Teddy passing away. He tells us that he spent the time traveling back and around to visit family and friends so they can see him one more time. And he also says that reading through the comments on his pictures was a source of good feelings.
In September 2016, Chugga has adopted a pet rabbit and named her "Pippy" after the rabbit in Animal Crossing.
In the comments of the 3rd episode of Black and White, someone implied and then confirmed that they were going to commit suicide. In addition to a slew of supportive comments from complete strangers, Chugga himself chimed in to give his support as well.
Chugga: I don't want to sound like a broken record since many nice people have already said this to you, but I don't want to assume this isn't serious. Seek help right away. Don't do this and not talk about it with somebody who cares. Speaking as a surviving abuse victim who struggled in school and to get along with others in those years, I can assure you that things can get better and that there is a rock bottom to it all that things can only improve from.
Shortly after, the commenter himself confirmed that he was going to be ok, and had this to say:
Commenter: Wow. I didn't expect so many people would care this much. I'm feeling better now, but my heart goes out to all the people who cared to comment. Even those who didn't comment and still cared I still appreciate you. I can't believe even Chuggaa himself reached out to me. Thank you everyone!
Chugga's two hour video that he made for the tenth anniversary his first Let's Play. He went into detail on how he made his videos and claims that his method for his creative process isn't the definitive way to make them. It's still impressive to learn about Emile's process and how things happen behind the scenes. He also thanked several of his friends, loved ones and fans alike for their support over the years, and how they even helped him with the video making process. Yes, even the viewers get credit for their help, not just the people closely involved in the videos.
The very title of that video is also a kicker. Creating a Let's Play: What You've Taught Me.
Even if that very video inspired you, what pushed it further is that Chugga says that people shouldn't be afraid that their first few videos will suck, because no matter how long you wait to get the good tools, they'll still be bad to the maker if they look back at them. The message he left was that as you continue with your work, you'll eventually get better, and those old works are your stepping stones to get you where you are now. It's an extremely relatable message because everyone in the world, even the people you look up to suffered from this mentality, and continuing to do what you love is how you get over these hurdles and be excellent at what you do.
When Stephen, Mal, and Stephen's parents had to evacuate due to Hurricane Florence, Chugga let them all stay at his house, plus their cats and Masae's pets.
The amount of joy-filled comments made by fans after Chugga revealed he would be playing Phantom Hourglass.
To add to the heartwarming, most of his previous mentions of his upbringing were put in a negative light. It wasn't until Pokemon Platinum where he off-handedly mentioned he was able to patch things up with his mother. Here we get to see a good part of his family through their interactions.
Crossing with funny moments, when the Mii Fighters appear, her guess is The Runaway Guys.
There's also the fact the video reached a million views within a few weeks, making it the first video to reach a million since Episode 1 of Pokémon Black and White!
During the endslate of the video JaidenAnimations did on Fossil Fighters, she gives a heartfelt thank you to Chugga for lending her a 3DS in order to record footage from the game and even went on to say the video wouldn't have been possible without his help.
When Emile and his friends played Among Us during the 2021 Colosseum, the official Twitter account for the game replied, and then revealed they were a longtime fan of Emile's since likely near childhood. Such a famous game that took the internet by storm, and the devs (or at least the person running the Twitter account) were watching Emile from the very beginning.
On Discardables, his Pokémon TCG series, Chugga comments that everyone has that one Pokémon they're fond of. His, as of late? Skitty. It's sweet to think that one Let's Play turned his opinion around so positively, when you consider how much he disses on Skitty in the past.
While it's tagged onto the end as a quick outtakes gag, at one point when Chugga was recording commentary for the second episode of his "Chugga Sticks It to Sticker Star" series, his cat Kirby meows out of apparent concern for him.
Chugga, acting as Kirby: "Is the mean Sticker Star hurting you again, Emile?"
Chuggaa's sheer joy at the reveal of Super Mario RPG's remake.
Chuggaa MARIO RPGS AREN'T FUCKING SHIT ANYMORE, YES!
Remember Emile's hype for Super Mario RPG's remake? Well, it seems it was topped when on September 14, 2023, the Nintendo Direct on that day announced a remake for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, with Chuggaa's reaction being PURE gushing for the return of Paper Mario's former glory and vindication for all his problems with modernPaperMario games as all of those problems are effectively struck down with this remake's existence.
.Chugga: Awww, aren't you a cute little Voldemort impersonator. Aww, and look at that, he belched. These things are adorable.
