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Heartwarming / Metal Gear Solid

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  • Either ending. in the canon ending where Meryl lives, Snake realizes he should live for the sake of others - specifically Meryl. He also reveals his real name, David, to Meryl. The bad ending is almost identical, except Meryl is replaced with Otacon.
  • Snake choosing not to tell Naomi that Frank Jaegar killed her parents, knowing fully well what the truth would do to her.
  • To say Psycho Mantis is a sick fuck is a massive understatement... and yet, his death scene is quite poignant, especially with his revealed backstory. "This is the first time I've used my powers... to help someone... strange... it feels kind of... nice..."
    • Made even more heartwarming with the original meaning. He actually said that it felt "nostalgic." Kojima elaborated that he was remembering his mother giving her life for him when he was born.
    • Also, Snake's talk with Sniper Wolf before giving her a Mercy Kill, assuring her that she's no dog of war, but a proud wolf.
    • Not killing any of the wolves because they really are noble animals and in honor of Sniper Wolf.
      • The comic adaptation changes her speech, and it's no less heartwarming - rather than depicting Otacon as being "in love" with her due to Stockholm Syndrome, they both instead show concern for each other and seem to genuinely like each other. She gets shot by Snake, and when Otacon starts to blame himself for it, she assures him that it wasn't his fault, and that she genuinely cared for him and felt that he'd shown her what true compassion was after so many years caring for nothing but killing people.
  • While planning the escape with Otacon and Meryl, Snake thanks Otacon for the first time in the game and tells him "I believe in you."
    • Let's put this in perspective: a hardened special ops soldier who's seen all the horrors of war, is telling a meekly nerd who's effectively been a hostage the whole game that he believes in him to save his life. Perhaps this is where Otacon started believing in the one who believed in him.
    • Similarly, in his final codec with the Colonel, Snake calls him "Roy" for the first time in the game.
      • Even earlier in a conversation with Naomi, Snake tells her that he considers Campbell one of his few friends, despite having just realized that Campbell has been withholding information about the mission. Campbell's response is an earnest sigh of relief followed by "you're still calling me friend?" Even more poignant as in the mission briefing, Snake was skeptical when Campbell called himself an old friend of Snake's. Jerk with a Heart of Gold big time.
  • "Live Snake, that's all I can say to you."
    • Despite Solid Snake having at least some rights to lash back at Naomi's life-threatening meddling with FOXDIE virus, he choose to let Naomi's vengeance dies with him, knowing that she and her brother Grey Fox are merely victims of the twisted world. And he would go on and live.... for others by working to stop global arms race under the name Philanthropy in MGS2.
  • Gray Fox's Obi-Wan Moment, where he takes a moment to reassure Snake that there's nothing wrong with the way either of them have spent their lives, and to wish him the best for the future.
    Gray Fox: Snake, we're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting was the only thing... the only thing I was good at - but at least I always fought for what I believed in. Snake... farewell.
  • Master Miller, Or rather, Liquid Snake, interrupting a codec call during Snake's self-loathing rant to the Colonel over the guilt of letting Meryl get kidnapped, fundamentally telling him to stop beating himself up over his mistakes and how that road will lead him to madness - to understand some things just happen and are outside our control. For these words to be coming from Liquid Snake, with no benefit to him in encouraging Snake like that nor any merit in trying to cheer Snake up, it could be seen as the singular act of brotherly kindness that a man like LIQUID could manage for his brother amidst trying to manipulate and eventually kill him. Perhaps he saw it as some means of giving Snake some peace before trying to end his life once and for all?

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