Heartwarming / Overwatch

Just a time-bending pilot, her girlfriend, a talking gorilla scientist, and a sentient A.I. having Christmas dinner together.

Moments pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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Cinematics

• From the cinematic trailer:
  • Brian, the cynical older brother, takes a great risk to help out the heroes by sneaking forward to take the gauntlet. Tracer tells him later that the world could always use more heroes.
  • The look of awestruck reverence on Brian's face as he hands her the gauntlet and watches her go.
  • Timmy's (Brian's kid brother) excitement at hearing one of his heroes speak her catchphrase is pretty cute.
• The bonding between Winston and most of the Overwatch team. Here's a photo of him and the team at a ceremony.◊
  • The only time we see Winston happy outside the flashbacks is looking at pictures of his comrades. The best moment? Seeing his friends pictures flicker across the display when he recalls them.
• The scenes where a younger Winston is interacting with his surrogate human father, Dr. Harold Winston, in the Recall short. They're exactly like a father interacting with his baby son, and it's downright adorable.
  • The ending. Overwatch is back in action!
    Tracer: Winston?! Is that you, luv?! It's been too long!
    Winston: Yes... (smiles) Yes, it has.
  • Especially considering how close Tracer and Winston are. He saved her life and is basically the reason she can even walk around and interact with the physical world at all.
    • Their closeness might even be an indicator for how they both feel about their unique lives. Winston is a giant gorilla, and even as a well known hero, he's still not really able to go out there and socialize, let alone get a family or anything other people consider normal. Likewise Tracer's instability could make it difficult for her to go out there and be a normal woman, too; plus, both of them are completely alone with that feeling of isolation, which seems to bind them together.
    • Which makes it sadder when Tracer and Winston are on opposing teams; Tracer actually says "Sorry, big guy" if she kills him.
  • Despite Athena constantly reminding Winston of the consequences of recalling Overwatch to active duty, essentially nagging at him not to go through with it, the instant he presses the "Yes" button, Athena confirms she is recalling all agents - triumphantly. She's just as exuberant to get the old team back together as he is.
    • Then there is the fact that well over a dozen of Overwatch Agents immediately answered the call. No matter where they were or what time it was, the second the call came they answered.
• From the theatrical teaser, We Are Overwatch:
  • Some despairing soldiers fighting a war regain their hopes upon Pharah's arrival.
  • A human civilian caring for a wounded omnic civilian, with Reinhardt shielding them from mob attacks.
    • Analysis of other trailers, in addition to a now-deeper knowledge of the characters only heightens this. It's not just some random human helping a random omnic: they were seen, arm-in-arm, in the 'Alive' short. They're a couple. And Reinhardt is a veteran of the Omnic Crisis, in which he fought in the frontlines alongside the rest of Balderich's Crusaders. Despite having fought a war against its kind and lost all his fellow Crusaders to them, Reinhardt refuses to let any further harm befall the fallen omnic, or its partner. "We are honor" indeed.
    • Not only are they a couple, but they show up in every cinematic involving King's Row. In the Null Sector cinematic, which is set before the events of Alive and We Are Overwatch the Omnic is using his body to shield the humans, including his future lover, from encroaching Null Sector extremists.
  • Mercy descending from the sky like an angel and compassionately reaching out her hand to a child trapped in rubble.
  • Overall, establishing the tone of hope that shines past much of the shadows in the universe.
• The beginning of the Alive short has a few of them, like a girl and an Omnic civilian holding each other, Tracer's joy at hearing Mondatta's speech, and a little kid's reaction when seeing her attending.
  • What adds to this is that King's Row is actually one of the more contentious areas of tension between humans and Omnics, since the city was largely built on an Omnic labor force. And despite this, there's still a sizable crowd of both rallying together for peace.
• From the Are You With Us? trailer:
  • Winston referring to the agents of Overwatch as a family.
  • Winston eventually deciding to ditch his script and just speak from his heart to rally the former agents of Overwatch back into action. And based on the premise of the game, it worked.
• The Dragons Animated short has the finale. After Genji turns the Dragons back on him, Hanzo realizes who Genji is, and despite Genji having his blade at Hanzo's throat, Genji refuses to kill him. Even though Hanzo nearly killed him in the past, being the very reason Genji was turned into a cyborg who hated himself so long, Genji still forgives his brother for everything because he knows Hanzo's realized he was on the wrong side. Even with Hanzo still not a hundred percent certain, Genji leaves, still showing hope that Hanzo can make it right.
  Hanzo: Real life is not like the stories our father told us. You were a fool for believing it so!
  Genji: Perhaps I am a fool to think there is still hope for you...but I do.
  • Every year, on the same day, Hanzo breaks into his family's castle and offers incense to honor Genji. Despite his family being his enemies, he's willing to risk being captured by them in order to honor his brother's memory.
  • And when he battles Genji, thinking he's yet another anonymous assassin, Hanzo reacts aggressively to him speaking Genji's name.
  Hanzo: You dare lecture me about honor?! You are not worthy TO SAY HIS NAME!
• In Hero, Soldier: 76 takes a grenade to save the life of a girl named Alejandra, giving up his chance to capture the criminals in the process. It goes to show that even as a hardened vigilante and the ruthless Anti-Hero, he still values the safety of the innocent over his own vendetta.
  Soldier: 76: Old habits die hard, I guess. Run home, kid. It ain't safe out here. [Then tosses her the purse the gangsters took from her.]
  • Not only that, but the ending implies that 76 secretly followed Alejandra home to make sure she actually got back safely, instead of trying to track down where the Los Muertos thugs ran off to. He really does care.
  • You never see his face, but when Jack sees Alejandra get home safe, you can tell by the arch of his eyebrows that the old soldier is smiling under his mask.
  • He also does what he can to avoid killing the thugs. He's not unwilling to do so if it's the only solution, but if given the option, it's clear he prefers a non-lethal (albeit painful) takedown.
  • And at the end of the short, after being saved by Soldier: 76, Alejandra takes an old Overwatch poster she had previously dismissed, presumably to mount it in her room. Meeting Soldier: 76 obviously had a very inspiring effect on her. Jack's still got it, even if he doesn't want to admit it.
    • The poster prominently featured Jack Morrison, who Alejandra, knowingly or not, was saved by.
    • This ending took even more nuance when you consider her mother's line in the beginning about how Alejandra will one day have to make a decision that will affect the direction of her life. Instead of choosing to join in with the Los Muetos to beat up and hate on the Omnics, 76 helped her to chose hope and look up to the Overwatch heroes in her mother's story.
  • This exchange:
  Alejandra: You're one of those heroes, aren't you?
  Soldier 76: ...not anymore. [walks away]
  Alejandra: [under breath, smiling] ...I think you are.
• The short The Last Bastion further fleshes out the relationship between Bastion and Ganymede, with the small yellow bird going from mistaking Bastion for a part of the forest to quite possibly its closest friend, even helping the old robot to come to its senses after it reverts to its Omnic Crisis-era programming. It's not unlike the relationship shared between veterans with PTSD and emotional support animals, pets specifically designated to help those with disabilities.
• You have to admit, there's something kinda cute about Junkrat's sheer, unbridled joy near the end of Junkertown - The Plan when Roadhog finally gives him the go-ahead to light the fuse. He's like a big kid who just got permission to open his Christmas presents. Which contain explosions for his enemies.
• From Rise and Shine: Snowball sacrificing its power source to give Mei the power needed to finish her equipment, and Mei's reaction to Winston's Are You With Us? Also, Mei making sure to install a solar panel to re-power Snowball.
  • Upon waking up from cryostasis, Mei's second order of business (after freshening up) is to prepare tea for herself and her colleagues. Before she departs from Ecopoint: Antarctica, she leaves hot tea in front of each of her colleague's malfunctioned cryopods, in their personal mugs.
• From Honor and Glory: When Brigitte is trying to convince Reinhardt not to rejoin Overwatch, she says that her father (Torbjörn) hated how Reinhardt was forced to retire. Despite their vitriolic friendship, Torbjörn may have been Reinhardt's closest friend in Overwatch.
  • When Balderich sacrifices himself in a last stand against the Omnic invaders, he gives Reinhardt a look of pride when he gives him his hammer.
  • Reinhardt giving Balderich his hammer so that he won't abandon his team again, and when his shield fails, he protects them by using himself as a human shield.
  • At the start of Reinhardt's flashback, Balderich was revealed to be A Father to His Men and was the one who was initially invited to join Overwatch. When Balderich is fatally injured, he decides to fight a legion of Omnics himself in order to allow his soldiers and fellow Crusaders to escape. Rather than blame Reinhardt for causing his injury, he gives him his invitation token and tells Reinhardt to protect his team and join Overwatch in his place.
• Shooting Star shows Hana Song as a far more sensitive and caring girl than her persona as D.Va would lead one to believe. Specifics moments include:
  • Her in-game ultimate started as a last-ditch move to defeat a Kisshin when it had grabbled and damaged her MEKA. It was either self-detonate and risk herself in the explosion or allow the Kisshin to kill civilians unchecked.
  • When the public thinks she's living the high-life out of battle, she's actually hanging out with her friend, Dae-hyun, in her garage.
• In Reunion,
  • McCree rarely shoots directly at Ashe or the Deadlock Gang during their shootout, instead aiming for Non-Lethal K.O.s. After defeating them, he chooses to send them rolling towards their hideout on a payload instead of turning them in. McCree may be a vigilante, but he still cares a lot about his former comrades!
  • Ashe's bike has a picture of her and McCree as friends stuck to the base of the handlebars. Compare this to her last words to him.
• Storm Rising:
  • In the intro, Mercy swoops down to pull Genji away from a pair of Talon vehicles that are careening toward him. It's both awesome and heartwarming at the same time.
  • There are some dialogues where he says he's glad to talk to her, she's happy for his company, and they promise to get dinner together after the mission. Awww...
• From the "Zero Hour" trailer for Overwatch 2, Winston's faith in his friends is rewarded as Genji, Reinhardt, Brigitte, and Echo all arrive just in time to back them up against a massive Omnic Titan and help rescue some cornered civilians. Moments later, Mercy descends from the sky to help a wounded Mei, in a Call-Back to the "We Are Overwatch" trailer.
  • There are many little details in the opening scene of the trailer calling back to other characters in the franchise. We see Winston sitting in a transport, looking at the empty seats adorned by names of former teammates. Mei is introduced (sitting in a massively over-sized seat normally reserved for Reinhardt), and soon after it is revealed that the transport is piloted by Tracer, who has a photo of her girlfriend Emily taped to the control panel.
  • Each of the seats is personalized for the Overwatch Member who sat in it. Not just with gear they may need for a mission(Such as extra biotic grenades in Jacks seat, or tools built into Torbjörn's), but also pictures of their friends and family, such as Ana's seat having a photo of her holding a baby Fareeha.
  • Mei, a scientist and not a trained combatant, sees a line of explosions coming, and her first instinct is to put up an ice wall to protect the nearby civilians. Was nearly a Heroic Sacrifice, and still left her badly hurt, but she showed where her heart was.
  • One of the first things Tracer does after the fighting is over is to introduce Mei to the returning Overwatch heroes. Before that she greets Brigitte like a loving aunt, squishing her cheeks and commenting on how much she's grown. (The fact that Brigitte dwarfs Tracer by a considerable margin makes this even more adorable.)
  • Snowball, Mei’s robot companion, happily plays with a little girl who had been caught in the crossfire once the battle is over. Her giggles and gleefully chasing after him just sells it.
• In the "Kiriko" short, Kiriko talks and signs with a mute girl.
  • After Mr. Yoshida is shot, the first thing Kiriko does is lay a healing charm on him. The second is to bring the little girl to safety. The third is a curb stomp battle.
  • Despite Kiriko and her mom's different views, they make up at the end.
  • There's also an Audio Description version of the short, describing the scenes for those unable to watch it.
• "Genesis" features the story of the Omnic Crisis. With the God-Program Anubis overriding the Core Programming of all Omnics, there was only one hope: Aurora, the first Omnic ever built, had achieved true sapience. In order to break Anubis' hold on the Omnics, Aurora sacrificed herself to grant that same sapience to all of them. The Crisis ended because the Omnics were given the chance to choose to stop. And while many Omnics chose to continue fighting, many more of them threw down their weapons, and others even chose to help Overwatch stop Anubis.
• "Calling" begins with Sojourn visiting a coffee truck picking up a few drinks. When she attempts to pay for it, the owner waves it off. She simply drops the bill in his tip jar instead, before they share a fist bump, clearly a regular routine for them. Even better, a photo in her house suggests that the barista was an old Canadian Special Forces comrade.
• The aftermath of the Rio battle has the team returning victorious to Gibraltar with new recruit Lucio in tow. When he asks Brigitte where everybody is, she admits that they're all they have at the moment. Cue Cassidy disagreeing with Baptiste, D.Va, Pharah, and Zarya in tow.
• In the intro cinematic of Gothenburg, Torbjörn showcases his character development by defending Bastion from the furious Reinhardt:
  Torbjörn: Wait! He isn't one of them! It's okay. I've been taking care of him. He may be the last of his kind. Look (chuckles) Bastion won't hurt you!
  Reinhardt: What? Bastion? It's not a pet! It's a killing machine!
  Torbjörn: No...not anymore.
  Reinhardt: How many friends did we lose to these things in the old war? No, now, you put your whole family at risk-
  Torbjörn: Reinhardt...that war was a lifetime ago. I've changed. He's changed! The only one who hasn't changed, is you.
  • During the ending for Gothenburg, Reinhardt seems to have actually come to like Bastion, complimenting the omnic and willingly accepts him into the reformed Overwatch.

Comics and Short Stories

• At the end of the "Dragon Slayer" webcomic, after Reinhardt saves the town by putting an end to the Dragons gang, his mechanic Brigitte is seen having used some scrap metal to give a little girl's stuffed lion a suit of armor to resemble Reinhardt's. The little girl loves the improvement.
• If there's some things that truly humanizes Symmetra and making her the Noble Top Enforcer in spite of being surrounded with corrupt co-workers in Vishkar, it's her monologue in "A Better World" comic, where after she parted ways with a little girl, she thought that she truly wanted to give the girl and eventually everyone else around her a better life with what she does, showing that she's not doing all those works for dominance or profit, but pure altruism. And if you're feeling a little more optimistic, the last scene when said girl looked at Symmetra sadly at her lining up with Vishkar workers, she might not be that hateful, but instead still believing in her to be the same good person that saved her during the fire, one can wonder the possibility of the girl becoming the voice that vouches for her good heart to other heroes like Lucio later.
• A surprising one from Junkrat, of all people in his and Roadhog's comic. After they're surrounded by cops after being set-up to take the fall for an insurance fraud scheme, Junkrat, who tries talking the officers down at first (as he thinks the set-up was a legitimate turn for the two), immediately goes on the offensive when an officer tells another to "keep an eye on the fat one". It's a strange thing to see the jovially Ax-Crazy Junkrat this furious over a comment that Roadhog himself doesn't acknowledge one bit.
  Junkrat: DID YOU JUST CALL MY FRIEND "FAT", YOU PIG?!
  • Also counts as a Funny Moment, since Junkrat called Roadhog "the big tub" mere seconds before exploding on the officers.
  • Meanwhile, Roadhog, who doesn't seem to mind any comments about his weight, is already pulling Junkrat behind cover to protect him from the officers' gunfire.
• In "Old Soldiers", after years of believing each other to be dead, Soldier: 76 and Ana reunite and team up.
  Ana: I don't care about your war, but I do care about you. You need me, Jack. You need someone to watch your back.
  Soldier: 76: And here I thought I was supposed to be recruiting you.
• In "Junkenstein", we see the original Overwatch members (including McCree and Angela) back in the good ol' days having a party with each other for Halloween. It starts out with McCree telling a spooky story, with Reinhardt following up with his own (the titular Junkenstein).
  • In the end, surprisingly enough, it turns out that Reyes used to be a bit of a goofball; he shows up late to the party, but uses the opportunity to Jump Scare Reinhardt at the door, and laughs about it with the others. Sure shows that perhaps the information that he was such an unpleasant person in the past may not be so accurate.
• Since it's effectively the game's first Christmas special, Reflections has a lot of fuzzy little moments. We see present-day Overwatch members and their interactions for the holidays. The main story features Tracer blitzing around stores for a last gift, also taking the time to stop a thief and receive a present from an adorable family. She and her girlfriend, Emily, also manage to make it in time to visit Winston, right before thinking he would have to spend the holidays alone again.
  Winston: I can finally spend the holidays with my family again. And I have a good feeling about next year...
  • There's a somewhat understated aspect to the comic that makes it quite touching if you look at it as part of a greater whole. Here we take just a little break from the action and see, despite all the drama and chaos surrounding the current events, things have the potential to settle, and both heroes and villains are permitted some respite to gather their bearings and observe the holidays in their own ways. They may be larger than life, but they're still people, and people need a break from time to time.
  • London is one of the most troubled cities in the setting, and appears to constantly be swinging from one period of turmoil to another. Here, we get to see it during a rare period of calm. Nothing's perfect, and that element of tension remains (as evidenced by occasional scrawl of graffiti seen), but the city appears much more orderly and pleasant now. Christmas is here, people go about their daily business, and there are much fewer signs of discontent and turmoil. People rebuild and life goes on. Tracer herself ended her previous appearance in miserable straits, but here we rejoin her in much better spirits for a simple (well, as much as can be for her) evening in town or at home with her girlfriend. Considering the context, it's reassuring to see that she's managed to hold herself together. After everything that girl has been through, she really deserved that kiss.
  • A family that Tracer had helped earlier manages to track her down and gives her a gift of their own to show their appreciation. Even in the era when Overwatch was forcibly shut down amid public outrage and being associated with it can get you labeled as a criminal, there are still people who support their heroes and are grateful for what they do.
  • It's only a small cameo, but with how Tracer actually possessing a magazine with Symmetra on the cover seems to actually reassuring that not everyone disliked Symmetra just because she worked with Vishkar (or it could be just Emily buying that). Tracer is probably the most cheery and idealistic character in the Overwatch (both the game and organization) and while Vishkar is on the radar of Overwatch thanks to their incident at Rio, she sure is mature enough to not deduce that everyone there are evil, and some of them may deserve redemption.
  • In a series of frames seeing several in-game heroes in general having good times, including Genji writing a letter to Mercy, Roadhog and Junkrat taking a wild joyride out of a theme park together, and Torbjörn dressed as Santa alongside what appears to be his wife as Reinhardt reads stories to his grandchildren alongside Brigitte.
  • Though overlapping with Tear Jerker (enough that it provides the picture for that page), there's just something a little heartwarming about seeing Widowmaker mourning Gérard on Christmas. This proves that she has just enough humanity in her to regret at least one killing and showing that she is still capable of loving someone through all the brainwashing.
  • Another Tear Jerker overlap is the frame showing Reaper standing in an alley watching a happy family cross the street. Remorseless, sociopathic murderer though he may be now, you have to remember that he did have a family and friends that loved him, and it was only his jealousy that caused him to throw it all away. One can't help but wonder what life would be like for him if he could've been content to stay in the background.
  • Hanzo appears to be a bit happy in the comic; it appears that Genji's words from their encounter in "Dragons" have gotten through to him. Plus, Hanzo's had a haircut and appears in more casual clothing. Hanzo is usually antisocial and prefers to be alone, so seeing him with other people may mean that he wants to change his way of life.
  • While the apparent nature behind the frame with Soldier 76 and Ana may appear gloomy at first, it's reassuring to see that these two old soldiers haven't forgotten each other.
• Bastion's comic, "Binary" is mostly about the fallout of people seeing a Bastion unit roaming around in the woods. The heartwarming comes from showing a side of Torbjörn that shows he might not be as distrustful of Omnics as it seems.
  Torbjörn: Whatever you're up to.. You don't fool me. I know what you are. I know what you're capable of. Come on! Take a shot! Follow your programming!
  Bastion: (Offers him some of the sticks they were using to help beavers build a dam) Boop. Wzzzz. Woo.
  Torbjörn: Something's different about you...
  • This is followed up by Torbjörn saving Bastion from the soldiers who were helping him hunt them and then taking them with him. Even though he acts like a Grumpy Old Man, the look on his face when Bastion offers him a flower and the fact that he took it shows that he really does believe that there's something different about Bastion.
• From the new Uprising Cinematic, previous attempts to smooth over Human-Omnic relations in King's Row are shown to have been ruined by group of militant Omnics, Null Sector, who attacked King's Row and began killing any humans who were unable to escape. In the midst of the chaos, an Omnic, implied to be one of many, is shown trying to help a group of survivors evade Null Sector kill teams, putting itself between them and the oncoming attackers.
  • That same Omnic and the blonde woman behind him also appeared in King's Row during the chronologically-later Alive short — as a couple! Horrific though Null Sector's uprising was, a little good came of it.
  • Even when she's just barely recovered from her chronal displacement and is cleared for duty, Tracer is still willing to immediately throw herself right back into the fray when she sees that her home and its people are in danger. She's helpful just by her own nature, but her dedication to helping others in spite of the hurdles life keeps putting in her way is what really makes her a hero.
  • The way other characters, particularly Mercy and Morrison, express concern for Tracer is pretty touching. Even in the midst of Overwatch’s decline in which they’re likely becoming pretty jaded with it, you can tell they see a lot of potential in the girl and want to make sure she gets the chance to live up to it.
• In "Searching", Zarya manages to overcome her Fantastic Racism and prioritizes rescuing the Omnic hacker Lynx over apprehending Sombra. This is very significant because earlier in the comic, Zarya offhandedly remarked that she would have killed Lynx without a second thought if she had good enough reason to.
  • And who gives Zarya the lead she needs to find Sombra? It's Alejandra, the little girl from "Hero".
    • Even the gentle way Zarya speaks to her, acknowledging their similar names and being a friend to her before asking for more information.
• "Stone by Stone":
  • Symmetra bonding with Zenyatta over their shared confusion with Idioms.
  • Symmetra is there in the first place to repair a statue of Aurora, the first Omnic ever to achieve sapience. She went on a journey of self-discovery, at the end of which she achieved a transdescent state and sacrificed herself to grant sapience to all Omnics. As "Genesis" reveals, this was how the Omnicide Crisis was brought to an end.
• The "New Blood" miniseries follows Cassidy in his quest to not only reunite with his previous comrades in time for Overwatch's recall, but encountering new recruits who are all too eager to join up with the team. The world could always use more heroes, and it's finally earning a lot more.
  • Issue #1 sees Cassidy reuniting with Ana, years after she was presumed dead. He's ecstatic and relieved to see his beloved comrade alive and well, and share a genuine heart to heart after many years of absence.
    You thought you'd change so much, had so much had so much news to tell her. All those cold years after Overwatch came apart, runnin' as a mercenary, dodgin' the law... but sittin' here with Ana makes all that feel like a distant dream. Like you're back with family.
  • Issue #2 also sees Pharah reuniting with Ana. While much more bittersweet in tone — evidently Fareeha did receive her mother's letters informing her she was still alive, but was still dealing with some longstanding issues — Ana ultimately encourages her daughter to seize the opportunity to join Overwatch, apologizing for having tried to hard to drive her away for years until her disappearance. While Fareeha still has some reservations to consider, she clearly takes her mother's words of comfort and support to heart.
  • Issue #4 expands on Zarya and what she feels is most at stake in her fight — as her squad hears the news of an Omnic invasion and mobilizes towards their position, Zarya instead chooses to head towards the village of Novoanskoye entirely because her family is located there. What's more is that even though her commander deems the village as "already lost", he instantly understands why she wants to head there and grants permission to do so.

Gameplay

• If Lúcio and D.Va are on the same team, they'll ask each other for their autographs. It's nice to know that the heroes have their own interests outside of the battlefield and actually take a moment to show respect to people they admire and to fanboy/fangirl.
  • This applies to the interactions between Tracer and Mei, who show a certain degree of hero worship for each other.
  • There's also, of all things, Reinhardt nervously asking D.Va for her autograph. For a friend, of course.
• Most of the interactions between Zenyatta and Genji, as it is clear both cares a great deal for each others. For example, on Hanamura, Zenyatta will be excited to be in his pupil's hometown and will ask him to show him around.
  • Even on opposite teams, they see their duels with each other as a test between master and apprentice, and hold no hard feelings for the other upon scoring a kill.
    Zenyatta: (after eliminating Genji) I win this round, Genji.
    Genji: (after eliminating Zenyatta) I have the upper hand this time, master.
  • Genji will also show his concern for his master when a Zenyatta on his team is killed.
  • Zenyatta in general, really. He's such a Nice Guy toward everyone, one can't help but wonder why would anyone hate him, unless they just had general Omnic distrust.
• The interactions between Mercy and Genji. Mercy was among the rescue team that saved Genji from the brink of death, and although he was ashamed with his cyberization at first, thanks to Zenyatta's tutelage, he has come to appreciate Mercy's help. This is solidified by a unique line of dialogue Genji has when he is revived by Mercy.
  Genji: You have saved me again, Dr. Ziegler!
  • He'll also cry out in anger and/or concern if she gets killed near him.
  • It's clear from their in-game interactions and him writing her a letter in the "Reflections" comic that Angela and Genji care for each other beyond just on a professional level, and for Genji (a former playboy heir of a yakuza clan) an openly sincere relationship of any kind would've been rare.
• The very existence of the city of Numbani. Despite the Fantastic Racism and frequent hate crimes against Omnics, there's still a part of the world where human and Omnic relations are allowed, even Interspecies Romance. And further, compared to most of the other maps (especially King's Row, where anti-Omnic rhetoric is the worst) which looks anywhere from normal to run down, Numbani looks like a genuine utopia.
• When Hanzo gets an epic (5 likes/upvotes/commendations) on his card at the end of the match, one of his lines is "You honor me!". Really nice to hear him say that if you're familiar with his backstory and current state.
• Bastion, being a Mook used in the Omnic Crisis, gets hate from a lot of the cast. This only makes the few positive interactions - from Mei, Lucio, and Zenyatta - all the more heartwarming, especially given the happy beeps that it responds with. Lucio does his best Bastion impression, while Mei informs Bastion that it would make a great research assistant.
  • Most of Bastion's interactions with the bird, Ganymede are pretty adorable too. Ganymede can be often be seen out of battle happily nestling on Bastion, or even inside its cannon. One of the highlight intros shows Bastion's point of view as it follows the bird's landing, then a little heart symbol will show up next to Ganymede.
• Anytime Soldier: 76 uses his Biotic Field, he'll always call for his teammates to fall in with him and heal up. He may be a ruthless vigilante now, but deep down, Jack Morrison still cares for the safety of others. Old habits die hard, indeed. Likewise, the quotes he used makes him sound like a doting dad, maybe ascending the Dad: 76 meme before it was even a meme.
  "C'mere and get stabilized!"
  "Anybody want some healing?"
  • For Soldier players themselves who trigger the Biotic Field when their own health is full to heal teammates, even if this means depriving themselves of it should they need it in a critical moment during said ability's long 15-second cooldown, it's still a nice show of teamwork.
  • Blizzard seem to have taken this on board, with a new Tracer interaction being datamined with him where she calls him dad after he warns her a little..
• Whenever Mercy uses her Resurrect to revive an ally, they're always ecstatic to be alive and able to fight again. Some examples include:
  Junkrat: Thanks mate, I owe you one.
  Mei: You're a lifesaver!
  Genji: You have saved me again, Doctor Ziegler!
  Soldier: 76: Thanks, doc.
  Ana: Thank you, Angela.
  Winston: Thanks Dr. Ziegler!
  Widowmaker: You must really like me.
• Ana Amari's motivation for fighting? She wants to give Fareeha a better future.
• One of the conversations between Ana and Pharah make it seem like all of Pharah's animosity towards her mother has evaporated with her return. As it turned out, her animosity was directed at Overwatch, as she saw the organization did nothing as her mother struggled with her personal demons.
  Ana: I'll be watching your back out there, Fareeha.
  Pharah: Then I have nothing to worry about.
• Ana and Pharah have some heartwarming interactions when they're on the same team.
  • When Ana scores a kill and Pharah is there to witness it, she says: "Mum, you're amazing!"
  • When Pharah scores a kill when Ana is around, Ana proudly says: "That's my daughter."
• Ana also happens to be the one person that Soldier: 76 will have nothing but good things to say when they're allies, compared to his old grouchy self. Really. Also, Ana flat out just called him by his real name, not even using the code-name, showing how close they were.
  Soldier: 76: I'm glad to have someone like you watching my back.
  Ana: It's good to have someone you can trust.

  Ana: For a man of your years, you're looking pretty good, Jack!
  Soldier: 76: Well, all that stuff they pumped into me has to be good for something...
• Ana's interactions with Reinhardt are also heartwarming. The fact that Reinhardt addresses her with a calm tone of voice instead of his usual boisterous tone makes them even moreso. Reinhardt also gets the friendliest responses from Ana, Soldier 76 gets some witty remarks but an odd compliment now and again whereas Torbjörn gets sarcastic responses.
  Ana: Reinhardt, I must say you are looking quite well. This life must agree with you.
  Reinhardt: And you are looking as lovely as ever.
• One of Ana's sprays is a picture of her as a young woman cradling baby Pharah. Awwww...
  • One of Ana's emotes is her taking out a holographic picture of a young Fareeha and smiling at it. Awwwwww~....
  • She also gets a Halloween "Trick or Treat" spray, where instead of it being a kid-version of themselves, it's of her and Fareeha enjoying Halloween together.
  • The theme for sprays in the Uprising event seems to be pivotal moments in the character's pasts, and Ana's spray for this event is titled "Newborn". It features her holding a newborn Fareeha, along with their father.
• Ana's Stepford Snarker personality. What we've seen of a younger Captain Amari seems to show that she was a much more stoic, serious-minded soldier in those days much like current Pharah. However, after having a couple of decades to get away from war and recover some of her self-esteem, she can now find the humor in her situation, as well as put her enemies right in their place. Her age and wisdom also make her a perfect Team Mom for her new teammates, with the snark making her just that much more lovable.
  Ana: (before the round starts) There's nothing I haven't seen before. Stick together, we will complete our mission./ Look after yourselves out there. I'll get us home safe.
  Ana: (while healing a teammate with her Biotic Rifle) It's just a scratch; you'll be fine. / I've seen worse; you're going to live.
• Sometimes players will go out of their way to help their teammates, like in this example^note Mercy's flight ability, Guardian Angel, only works if she has an ally to fly towards. Soldier: 76 runs up to her line of sight so she can fly back, saving her from the bottomless pit.
• No matter how disillusioned Soldier: 76 is towards Overwatch, to the point where his quotes on Watchpoint: Gibraltar show that he just wants the place to go down already, he'll say this little gem to himself occasionally, making it pretty clear that he still considers the days when they were all saving lives, being good friends and just having fun being his fondest memories. Old habits die hard indeed.
  "Lotta memories of this place... they weren't all bad."
• The existence of Lúcio and D.Va, especially Lúcio. Neither of them have any connection to Overwatch whatsoever, they both come from fairly mundane origins, but they still fight for what they believe in. Even with Overwatch's fall, there are still people willing to step up and become heroes.
  • Lúcio especially is said by developers to be a response to Tracer's statement that "The world could always use more heroes."
• Winston being Winston.
  Winston: I can't wait to see you all in action!
  Winston: Sorry it's a bit messy here, I- I didn't expect company...
  Winston: *upon jumping into an enemy* Pardon me!
  • Better yet, his heartfelt, if a bit awkward interactions with other team-members.
  Tracer: Winston! You're an animal! *giggles*
  Winston: Empirical evidence suggest that I am, in fact, a real animal.

  Mei: I love your glasses, so cute!
  Winston: Oh, uhm, thanks. I like yours, too!
  • Then there's his interaction with Reinhardt when they're on the same team:
  Reinhardt: Winston! It is our duty to protect our comrades!
  Winston: I am right behind you, sir.
• What was Zarya doing before she enlisted to fight against aggressive Omnics? Training to become a world-class athlete. She willingly gave up the prestige, fortune, and fame at the last minute in order to protect her people. Though, this comes with a Tear Jerking reason: Growing up, she found her village was at the front line of an Omnic attack, so when she heard about the new crisis, she Jumped at the Call because she did not want the village she was from to experience the same tragedies again.
  • If you are having a hard time to believe Zarya is too much of a racist, don't worry. Her 2017 New Year Resolution affirms that her heart is very much in the right place.
  "My new year resolution? Peace on Earth."
• How overjoyed many of Ana's old teammates are to see her again. Mercy offers to try and fix her eye, Reinhardt earnestly says she is looking lovely as ever, Soldier: 76 finally has a casual conversation with an old teammate and Reaper is less homicidal than usual around her. McCree, the Perpetual Frowner who hardly has a single happy line to his name, is unfailingly polite and respectful towards Ana; someone he'd had to have admired in his earlier days on the team.
  McCree: It's an honor fighting by your side, ma'am.
  Ana: Heh, you always were a charmer.
  • This goes a bit further when, in a later patch Pharrah asks him where he got his shooting skills.
    Pharah: McCree! Where did you learn to shoot like that? Was it Jack? Gabriel!?
    McCree: Always was a good shot, but I got a few pointers from the best… That’d be your mother.
• Reinhardt fought in the Omnic Crisis, the Omnic almost invaded his homeland, and still, in the Cinematic trailer, he protects a damaged Omnic in King's Row.
  • Reinhardt in general is this, as he is often described as being the very heart of Overwatch back in the day, to the point where his forced retirement was a major factor in Overwatch's degradation and eventual fall. He is just, noble, selfless, and always ready and willing to throw himself into the fray to protect his allies and the innocent. This line in particular truly cements his character.
  Reinhardt: Don't worry my friends! I am your shield!
  • Sometimes when he's on an objective trying to capture it, he declares to his teammates "JOIN ME IN GLORY!" He wants glory not just for himself, but his teammates too!
• The Christmas event is absolutely adorable, for the simple fact that almost every single hero gets a festive voice line. Including Reaper asking "Where's your holiday spirit?", various characters wishing the others "Happy Holidays!" or "Merry Christmas!", Mercy declaring herself their "guardian angel", and more. For all these characters have been through, it's nice to see them all having fun.
  • The special game mode, Mei's Snowball Offensive, opens with Mei playfully throwing a snowball. Everyone plays as her, and it's hard not to get caught up in the silly, cheerful spirit of Mei and her brawl. Even Soldier: 76 ends up going along with it as the announcer!
  • Look closely at Roadhog's Rudolph skin. More specifically, his gun. Examining it in the Hero Gallery reveals that it has a sticker saying "From Junkrat" on it. Awwww!
    • Furthermore, if you look closely at Junkrat's Christmas spray, the one that has him sprawled over a beach chair enjoying the sun (because Christmas takes place over Summer in Australia), he's very clearly fist-bumping some off to his left. If you then look at Roadhog's Christmas spray, he's doing the same, fist-bumping someone to his right. It's nice to know that even violent, dangerous criminals can enjoy the holidays, and proves that the two are, indeed, Vitriolic Best Buds.
    • Similarly, the sprays given to Pharah and Reinhardt seem to feature them both ice-fishing together.
• In some rare occasions in Skirmish some players may refuse to fight each other, this may not be much but for console players who don't have ways of clearly communicating to other players or enemy players then this is very heartwarming because it means that the enemy is accepting a surrender or accepting when a player refuses to fight and will acknowledge that when a surrendered enemy kills a teammate who had attacked them during the surrender, they're doing it out of self-defense and not for fun.
• This video just shows that even enemies can become friends via gameplay. Two Roadhogs were fighting each other at Watchpoint: Gibraltar and the first threw off the second to a cliff, stuck in the mountains and unable to die. The second Roadhog at first was understandably pissed and hooked the first Roadhog to his death... but then realized he's stuck forever there until the game would end later. What did the first Roadhog do? He helped the second Roadhog anyway by hooking him back to the main surface. And the video ends with the former enemies running back together to the main battlefield without shooting each other in the back.
• Many characters have lines expressing their happiness at being on Watchpoint: Gibraltar: Soldier: 76, Ana and Torbjörn remember fond memories of being there, Pharah will say she had always dreamed of being stationed at Gibraltar, Genji has a newfound appreciation for the scenery, Winston apologizes for the mess at HQ because he "wasn't expecting company"...
• In contrast to the usual depictions of Iraq as a war-torn zone thanks to The War on Terror, it's a refreshing change of pace for the Oasis map to depict Iraq as a positively glistening place of beautiful architecture and scientific advancement, one that many of the heroes approve of.
  Zenyatta: What a fascinating place! Can science alone unlock the path to enlightenment?
• Junkrat, despite being an insane criminal who likes to cause chaos and destruction, is the only character with a voice line for celebrating each in-game event so far, and even has one where he says "Happy birthday!" and another where he says "Have a nice day!". Looks like he isn't above wishing fun and happiness to others.
  • Additionally, for Lunar New Year, he doesn't say "Wishing you prosperity/a prosperous new year", he actually says the phrase in Mandarin Chinese, with surprisingly good pronunciation. Maybe he's been learning Chinese from Mei!
• Characters like Roadhog and Winston can sacrifice themselves to protect the team, Roadhog players can use the hook to pull the RIP-Tire to themselves and Winston players can use the Barrier-Projector to contain Dva's Self Destruct ultimate but may not be able to escape in time.
• The entire reason Orisa was created: Efi Oladele, a child robotics genius, took what was quickly sold off as a failed security bot (the OR-15 that had been destroyed at the Numbani airport, an event which Efi witnessed), rebuilt it, gave it a personality core, and its own name to suit a hero. There are several sprays that show Orisa and Efi interacting in various adorable ways, like one where Efi is riding on Orisa's shoulders.
• Orisa herself. Sure, she may be a battle robot by birth, but just the fact she basically acts as police in Numbani, not a single one line directed at her allies is a command but a request/suggestion, even going so far as to contact emergency services (if her unlockable voice lines are any indication) AND still being committed to BEING a first responder even as she's tearing through enemy combatants just shows how much she cares about the people she's been entrusted to protect. Even further, with this kinda backstory, if she remains a faithful protector of the innocent and continues to engage in community-friendly policing, she could easily become a turning point for the anti-omnic sentiments for at least some people.
  Orisa: I do not dream as humans do. But it is my desire to become the hero Efi believes that I am.
• Whether or not the lines are romantic or merely indicative of deep friendship, hearing Genji and Mercy discuss exchanging chocolates for Valentine's Day/White Day is really cute. They sincerely care about each other.
  Mercy (On Hanamura): I got you some chocolates, Genji. Swiss, they're the best!
  Genji: Thank you, Angela. Perhaps you could share them with me?
  • When Genji returns the favor, Mercy clearly appreciates it, even as she expresses comical exasperation.
  Genji (On Hanamura): Angela, I have some chocolates for you. ...Not Swiss.
  Mercy: *sigh* I suppose it will have to do. Thank you, Genji.
• Even Widowmaker can get one, albeit overlapping heavily with Tear Jerker. The Uprising event came with a spray◊ that showed her as Amélie with Gérard on the day of their wedding. Though definitely sad knowing what would come, to see her as her previous Nice Girl self, looking genuinely happy, as opposed to the smug satisfaction of killing people, was something that many wanted to see. It reminds us that she truly was human. And perhaps deep down, she still is.
• In Uprising, both Reinhardt and Mercy are extremly kind toward New Meat Tracer, from Reinhardt reassuring her and complimenting her, to Mercy saying she'll "be watching over [her], Lena. I won't let anything happen to our newest recruit.".
• Hanzo has multiple voice interactions with only two characters: his brother and McCree. Both of them are trying to break through his self-hatred—Genji by trying to get across that he has truly forgiven him and McCree by offering honest compliments and overtures of friendship. Even after everything he has done, those two will not allow Hanzo to destroy himself. Then you realize that McCree knows that a murderer can be redeemed—after all, he was.
• After the Lunar Colony update, there's a new voiceline added for Tracer that triggers whenever she's at Horizon or King's Row. What's the line about? Tracer wondering if she has time to visit her girlfriend, Emily. Hear it here.
• For Winter Wonderland 2017, Orisa gets a puppy. All together now: "D'awwwwww!!"
  • Hanzo also has a voice line that this year he is going to buy two cakes, one to take home and one for a snack. He even laughs while saying it! It is nice to see that he is doing something nice for himself around Christmas.
  • Apparently Torbjörn's wife makes good apple pie, and she has some saved just for Mercy. This, probably more than anything else, reaffirms that the members of Overwatch are still family after all that has happened.
  • It has been confirmed that Pharah and Reinhardt go ice fishing together. Reinhardt is a bit of a sore loser.
• In a weird way, D.Va comparing Winston to gorillas in "those old video games" shows that despite the concerns by today's real-world classic game fans that people are forgetting the foundations of video games, people in the Overwatch universe are still acquainted with 20th-century video games roughly a century later.
• One of Brigitte's pre-game comments with Bastion has her ask him if he's liking the "new armor Papa made" for him. Not only is Bastion happy with it, but the fact that Torbjörn made armor for an Omnic just further shows how much he seems to care about Bastion.
• Torbjörn in general has shown incredible Character Development on his views on Omnics, to the point where he throws himself between Reinhardt and Bastion when he sees them about to fight in Invasion. Just look at how his quotes have changed for certain maps between 1 and 2:
  Torbjörn (in King's Row): "If you ask me, the Brits have their heads on straight! Omnic rights? Pah!" / "I can't believe I fell for all that anti-Omnic claptrap."
  Torbjörn (in Nepal): "This place is like a terrible culmination of a thousand of my worst nightmares! Are you kidding me?!" / "I'm a little... embarrassed of some things I said here. But I'm doing my best to learn."
• During interactions between Junkrat and Roadhog, some heartwarming moments can be heard through interactions but mostly in their own way. Examples include Roadhog telling Junkrat to stay out of trouble then Junkrat gladly responding that he'd be on his best behaviour. Other examples come from Junkrat's interactions such as congratulating an allied Roadhog on a kill by saying that he could always count on him and when an allied Roadhog is killed then Junkrat will say an Only I Can Kill Him line.
• Once he was added to the game, Sigma gets a couple. He openly praises Mei's work when they're on the same team, and gets nostalgic with Winston about their time on the Horizon Lunar Colony.
• Whenever any heroes says "Hello" to a player, you'll notice how very joyful their facial expressions look. Hell even Widowmaker smiling makes this better.
• Though it crosses over with tearjerker, some characters have special voicelines if a teammate close to them dies in gameplay. For example, if a friendly Tracer dies near Soldier: 76, he tells her "You fought with honor, kid".
• Junkrat gets another one in an interaction with Hanzo, asking what's on the archer's mind. When Hanzo responds that he's thinking about what he's lost, Junkrat responds in a rather empathetic way. He a little confused, but he got the spirit.
  Junkrat: Wot, your keys? Arrows? Snacks? I've got snacks. Cheer up!
• There's a certain warmth to Kiriko's interactions with the Shimada brothers thanks to their near-familial ties; since she's the daughter of their mentor, both Genji and Hanzo - in spite of their somewhat strained relationship with each other - care for Kiriko like a little sister or niece, and she clearly reciprocates the feelings. She's noted to be closer to Genji between the two due to their shared interests in their younger years, often playfully ribbing him like a younger sister but still holding a ton of respect for the man.
• Ramattra, upon seeing Ganymede asks why a bird is following the latter around:
  Bastion: (explains in beeps)
  Ramattra: Interesting. Well, if I see any twigs, I will let you know.
  • Baptiste questions if Ramattra really wants him (Baptiste) to heal him, as Baptiste is human:
  Ramattra: A helpful human would certainly be a welcome change of pace.

Story Updates

• A letter from Torbjörn to his wife following his injuries in the 'White Dome' incident is full of heartwarming. There is him reassuring her that he will make a full recovery, hoping to be home in time for the birth of their child. He talks about how Reinhardt is nearly always by his side, how he had already intended to make the big guy the coming child's godfather, but has also floated the possibility of letting Reinhardt name the child (presumably Brigitte). And speaking fondly of Angela, who paid him a visit. Overall, the letter shows that under his gruff exterior is a man who loves his family and friends.

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