Heartwarming / Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U

For examples in the other games in the series, go here.

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• Mega Man finally showing up in the series, because many fans asked for him, so they gave the fans what they wanted. Even better, Mega Man's Final Smash involves summoning four other Mega Men to help him.

• As a secret unlockable character, Luigi usually isn't revealed until after the game is released. However, seeing as how it's The Year of Luigi, they decided to give the man in green the spotlight for Super Smash Bros. 4 early, further showing that Nintendo hasn't forgotten about Mario's younger brother.
  • Luigi gaining Poltergust as his Final Smash in Smash Bros 4 seems go the way of showing that Luigi has finally embraced his strengths and positiveness towards his self-confidence, especially if looking to the outcome of events in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
  • The Poltergust Final Smash replaces Negative Zone, Luigi's old Final Smash in which he dances(?) and creates a large area of negativity. Not to big a deal until you read the ending sentence to Negative Zone's trophy description: This technique is a reflection of the dark side he embraced in his brother's shadow. After a full year to himself, he's come to terms with the fact that he's been in his brother's shadow for far too long, that he is his own man, he's not a second banana. However he still has the utmost respect for his brother, and replaces the negativity from Negative Zone and grabs the Poltergust; He's no longer a clone.
• Kirby and a Luma dancing together at the end of Rosalina's reveal trailer. They even hi-five with their stubby arms!
• The old red biplane from Pilot Wings and the new seaplane from Wii Sports Resort in flight together is pretty epic. It represents two generations of Nintendo in one place!
• The Smash Bros. Direct had a quick one. When Rosalina sends her Luma out to attack Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong swoops in and carries her off the stage for it.
• Pac-Man joining the fight is cool for different reasons, but someone else put it best when describing what his inclusion means for Smash Bros. and Nintendo (also counts as a Moment of Awesome):
  "Whether you're a fan of the character or not, with the introduction of Pac-Man, Nintendo just pulled the video-game equivalent of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." This is an incredible achievement that should be noted

  This means that Nintendo has pulled off something unheard of - something no other company has come close to accomplishing. They have brought together four gaming legends that each started the entire industry from four separate corners of the art form. Mario from Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega, Megaman from Capcom, and Pac-Man from Namco. These are four characters and companies that made the very foundation of what gaming is today, and now, in one giant collab hosted by Nintendo, they will all be in the same game together for the first time to fight it out in a celebration of the art.

  This is literally on the same scale as Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse being in the same scene together from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and will probably never happen again for a long time. Nintendo literally blew E3 out of the water culturally with this. So yes, the hype is very high, but the weight of this should drive it even higher! +1 Respec' for the Big N."
  • These◊ images◊ pretty much sum it up.
  • This becomes more Heartwarming in Hindsight when not only did Capcom and Sega gain one new fighter each (Ryu and Bayonetta, respectively) as DLC, but another iconic game company was represented with arguably one of the most popular requested characters at that point—Cloud Strife. That's five gaming companies celebrating gaming as a whole—with six characters across the four guest companies. Wow.
  • And then Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrived. As stated in the above message, a crossover with Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man would probably never happen again for a time. Well, not only did Ultimate bring all four of those icons (and the three third-party DLC characters) back, but Konami returned with Snake, and also added another of their known franchises to the mix with Simon and Richter Belmont. Plus Ken from Street Fighter also joined the roster. And then Joker was announced as DLC, meaning Atlus gained representation. This was followed by Square Enix throwing their OTHER most well-known franchise into the mix with Hero (and later, two of their other most recognizable characters in Sephiroth and Sora), followed by Banjo-Kazooie (and later, Steve) and Terry Bogard representing Microsoft and SNK, respectively. Plus Namco Bandai brought their second most important franchise into the fold with Kazuya Mishima joining the roster. Across 89 playable fighters, there are now nine companies celebrating gaming—Nintendo, Konami, Sega, Capcom, Bandai-Namco, Square Enix, Atlus, Microsoft, and SNK. With a combined 18 third-party characters. And that's not going over the NPCs such as Assist Trophies and Spirits! To say that calling Smash 4 the gaming equivalent of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is all but obsolete now.
• Chrom, Robin, and Lucina are still True Companions as in their source material, fighting in each others' names. Even though he's not playable, Chrom still fights with Robin for his/her Final Smash. And as in the game, female Robin could be Lucina's mother and male Robin could be her husband, adding another layer of closeness between the characters.
  • Anyone who's played through Awakening knows how close and protective Lucina wishes to be of Chrom. To see her rush right at Captain Falcon and Robin coming to both lord's aid can cause a tear to form.
  • Taken even further between Chrom and Robin during the latter's Final Smash. When calling Chrom to the battlefield, both already deploy their strengths to aid each other for (Robin's) victory. Chrom is seen catching the opponent off-guard from behind, presumably per Robin's given strategy. Chrom then proceeds to slash the opponent fiercely to smithereens along with Robin barraging with his/her spells. In the Fire Emblem: Awakening fandom, it's universally regarded as the best and most heartfelt presentation of the unbreakable bond between Robin and Chrom, a common theme occurring throughout their game. It's also a classic Battle Couple moment if Robin is female.
  • Chrom has been shown to cameo in Robin's Victory Pose◊. Watching him seal the victory to his beloved (or best friend) will leave you heavy with heartwarming feelings.
  • In addition to that, he cameos in Palutena's Guidance for Robin, and vouches for his ally... all while Palutena and Viridi poke fun at him not being in the roster and being too similar to Ike.
  • On the subject of Male!Robin and Lucina, defeating Lucina when playing as Male!Robin will change his victory quote to "Lucina, I hope I didn't hurt you."
  • Speaking of victory poses, sometimes, Lucina will say, "Father! I've won!" Regardless of the series, how can that not bring a smile to one's face?
  • Going a bit further, her Character ending has Chrom right behind her as she prepares for attack.
  • Robin's Final Smash deserves to be mentioned again. When s/he was revealed as part of the roster, many fans speculated his/her Final Smash would involve Grima in some form. Instead, Robin calls on his/her closest friend to help out, not the evil dragon god, reinforcing that his/her ties to his/her True Companions are more powerful than Grima's hold on him/her.
  • During the introduction trailer, after he saves her from Captain Falcon, there's a moment where Robin pauses and turns to check on Lucina, then gives her a reassuring smile and tells that everything's going to be okay now. It's a small but poignant moment reflecting the strength of the bond between the two.
• Sakurai asked Ubisoft for some artwork of Rayman for trophy reference material. Ubisoft gave him a 3D model rendered specifically for Smash.
• In Shulk's reveal trailer, he borrowed a catchphrase from someone. Players of Xenoblade know that the quote belongs to Reyn, Shulk's best friend since childhood. Even if Reyn doesn't show up, Shulk shows the bond they share. Also, fighting alongside Dunban is just heartwarming, considering no matter how dark it got for him, Dunban was always there for Shulk.
• Master Hand and Crazy Hand brofisting at the start of their boss fight in Classic Mode can sort of be one. The creator and the destroyer teaming up to reign in a naughty trophy getting too big for its britches. Similiarly, on higher difficulties, Crazy Hand exiting the battle when Master Hand transforms into Master Core could be taken as him deciding that the battle is now in the creator's capable hands, now that he's going all-out and not holding anything back.
• Before Lucas returned as DLC, he was still with Ness in spirit; some of his specials are available for Ness as custom abilities. After his reveal, Ness is no longer alone.
  • Heck, even his trophy is heartwarming (and somewhat tear inducing, as it cements the fact that he isn't coming back and it sort of plays up the ambiguous ending of his native game).
    Before adventuring, Lucas was a timid, cautious boy. His journey has made him a stronger person. Maybe he met someone to spend his life with... Hang on—we're moving way too fast! For now, remember that Lucas and Ness are favorites in the hearts of EarthBound fans.
  • Remember that moment in Subspace Emissary where Ness saved Lucas from Porky? Well, Lucas returned the favor, Big Damn Heroes style. Before Bowser can deliver the final blow to Ness after everyone seems to have been beating the crap out of him all day, we hear a "PK Fire" and "Lucas Comes Out of Nowhere!" (No, really, that's his introductory splash.) The fact that Lucas comes in when Ness needed him the most is super heartwarming!
    • Also of note from Lucas' reveal trailer is that Lucas has a smile on his face when he first appears. Considering how hard the kid's life has been, this little detail is surprisingly heartwarming.
    • There's also a shot of Lucas protecting a dazed Ness from Bowser's flamethrower with PSI Magnet, further adding to the heartwarming.
  • Also, Lucas's All Star victory screen has him and Claus floating on a pink, heavenly background. D'awwwwww...
  • His ending movie has a quick shot at the end with Him, the Duck Hunt Dog in it's Labrador retriever costume , Peach in her red dress costume, A Wild Gunman, and his alternate costume of his brother Claus). It's a nod to his family with the gunman as Flint, Peach as Hinawa, and Duck Hunt as Boney. It's a nice touch to see that warms the heart considering the hardships the family faced.
• The fact that many of Duck Hunt's attacks involve barely missing getting shot may well seem like a normal Call-Back to Duck Hunt, until you realize it's probably the hunter watching out for his dog.
• Ninten can sometimes be seen on the Magicant stage, mostly in flashbacks showing his first encounter with Loid and him playing with his dog. After all these years, it's rather nice to see Ninten again.
  • Adding onto the Magicant love- you know the Magicant you've been fighting on this whole time? That's Ninten's Magicant. ^*  More specifically, It's the Magicant of his grandmother Maria, made from her subconscious, but it's still from his game.
  • Adding on more; as with the Cameos of Ninten, Ness and the other Chosen 4 in their original 16-bit forms can sometimes be seen near the Lumine Hall while the text "I'm Ness" scrolls by. Considering that Ness' Magicant is in his mind, the Lumine Hall displays Ness' thoughts, and this stage is where you first discover Ness in this game, it could just be Ness playing back a memory to greet you in his own funny little way.
• Before Roy's reveal as DLC, Nintendo made it clear they haven't forgotten about him; Marth has a costume alt that looks like Roy's Melee garb. It seems his old Fire Emblem friend hasn't forgotten about him either.
  • Roy's return is this in and of itself for his fans, but even moreso is just how much he's grown. Sporting a fresh new look just for Smash and with some retooling to his moves, he not only fights much more like he did in Binding Blade, but is closer to a Luigi or Falco type semi-clone. He's come a long way...
  • In his trailer, Roy is about to take a Falcon Punch on the face... when out of nowhere, Lyn swoops in for a protective slash. For Fire Emblem-fans getting into the series through series' first localized game, this must had tucked into their heartstrings in a very satisfying way.
    • Gets even sweeter for people who ship Eliwood and Lyndis from Fire Emblem: Blazing Blade together.
• The Koopalings in Bowser Jr.'s trailer. Sure, the Koopalings could have been hidden off as "alts" similar to how Female Robin was shown at the end of Robin's trailer as a short portion. But the Koopalings were introduced shortly after Bowser Jr.'s moveset was shown ... In a sense, Junior was inviting the rest of his family to join the fight. The Koopalings aren't blood-related to him, but they're still his friends and foster siblings, and they deserve a shot at Mario, too.
• Speaking of which, the way that Junior utterly DECIMATES Mario's gang in his trailer is pretty uplifting considering his usual role in the series.
• Mewtwo's return. It's awesome that Sakurai and the development still listen to their fans long after the game is released.
• Zapdos' trophy description may bring a fuzzy feeling in your heart (and a tear to your eye) from nostalgia:
  "Gazing up at dark storm clouds gathering in the sky, many children must have once wondered if the Pokémon they saw in the second movie was in the clouds. An innocent and childish dream, perhaps... but even today as adults, the sound of thunder might just bring back memories of this Legendary bird Pokémon."
• The Pic of the Day after the 50 Facts Extravaganza. The first picture showcased is the original cast of the first Smash Brothers game on Battlefield. It's heartwarming to know how far the series has gotten since the N64 days.
• The trailer for Duck Hunt's reveal illustrates why it's not just "Duck Hunt Dog" or "Duck Hunt Duo", as it shows that the Zapper operator/Hunter is a key member of the collective character as well. It's capped off by the dog performing his signature laugh as the duck seems to smile at the operator, who holds the zapper proudly. This is referenced for their Palutena's Guidance conversation, where she explicitly tells Pit that they are a trio.
  • Just before that, the duck and dog high five. It shows them off as friends when they may have once been enemies, which is really touching.
  • Additionally, it lays to rest the idea that the operator is trying to shoot the dog and is actually protecting him.
  • There's something to be said about the transition to HD in Duck Hunt's Reveal. Almost like a heartwarming welcome back after not seeing them for a long time.
  • There's also something about how Nintendo must be aware of the dog's nasty reputation of irritating decades of players. However, none of the trailers were about beating the ever-loving crap out of the dog as much as the player wanted, but instead a simple invitation with as much respects as other characters. It's like Nintendo saying: "He's a rascally bastard, but he's our rascally bastard."
• Palutena's Guidance for Mega Man is basically her, Pit and Viridi freaking out at how Mega Man is back, complete with screaming the names of his weapons.
  • Basically, it's the equivalent of Nintendo hugging the Blue Bomber's fans, especially considering how much of a cold shoulder Capcom has given him since Inafune left the company.
  Viridi: Hey, look, it's Mega Man!
  Pit: Is that really him? It is really him! WOW!
  Viridi: I hope he busts out his Mega Buster!
  Pit: I wanna see his Charge Shot!
  Palutena: Flame Blast!
  Viridi: Leaf Shield!
  Pit: Rush Coil!
  Palutena: Metal Blade!
  Viridi: Spark Shock!
  Pit: Air Shooter!
  Palutena: Crash Bomber!
  Viridi: Slash Claw!
  Pit: Flame Sword!
  All three of them: HARD KNUCKLE!
• Palutena's Guidance for Kirby has Viridi gushing over how "Squishy and adorable" he is, in a tone that comes close to Baby Talk without mispronouncing any words. This coming from the ever prickly Goddess of Nature makes it even more adorable.
• Palutena's Guidance for Luigi has Pit immediately stand up for the man in green when Viridi starts putting him down. Pit even manages to impress Viridi when he mentions The Year of Luigi!
• The presence of the Commander Video trophy can count as one since it represents the cooperative relationships and solidarity between independent game developers and industry giants like Nintendo.
• The track Donkey Kong Country Returns (Vocals) is essentially Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong singing together.
• Doc Louis appears alongside Little Mac in all of his victory poses, and a few of his quotes are sure to bring a smile to your face. Especially taking the Tear Jerker ending that the Wii version of Punch-Out had into account.
  "You're lookin' mighty good, son. Just like old times, huh?"
  "Ain't you flashy? You makin' my eyes water, son."
• That awesome Star Fox stage? Orbital Gate Assault? The stage was developed over the course of AN ENTIRE YEAR! Star Fox may not have had a game in a while, but Nintendo clearly cares about it and its fans.
• Lucario's Congratulations picture for All-Star has a Villager offering him chocolate, with a Pikachu behind him.
• The Conquest for the week of December 15th through December 19th, 2014 was "Ties that Bind". What were the teams? "Brotherly Bonds", Mario and Luigi, "Father and Son", Bowser and Bowser Jr., and "Emblem Warriors", Robin and Lucina.
• Mewtwo's All-Star congratulations screen in the Wii U version◊ is a minor heartwarming moment, but it still counts nonetheless. Seeing Mewtwo and Dr. Mario together, both of whom haven't been playable in a Smash game for thirteen years, is sure to have any Melee fan cry tears of joy. Or tears of laughter, since that screen is hilarious.
• Dark Pit's All-Star congratulations screen in the Wii U version shows him and Pit resting together on a plane's wing. When you consider Dark Pit's usual demeanor, it becomes even sweeter.
• The Palutena Guidance for Male Wii Fit Trainer has Palutena ask Pit if she works him too hard, only for him to reply by saying that serving her gives his life meaning and that he'll always be at her service, a very cute display of loyalty to which Palutena replies to with "You're so sweet, Pit".
• Roy's reveal trailer.
  Roy: Don't forget about me. I've returned at last!
  ROY SEALS THE DEAL!
• All the jokes about the two Roys can be pretty funny, played further by reveal pictures on the official website which showed Fire Emblem's Roy getting back at the Koopaling. Yet, Roy's 3DS ending pictures shows the two together, and not fighting for once. The two made up!
  • Which then becomes completely Heartwarming in Hindsight if you play as Roy Koopa in Mario Kart 8: one of his anti-gravity tricks has him posing very identically to Lord Roy's Taunt from Melee! Consider then how Mario Kart 8's release preceded the reveal of both Koopalings and Lord Roy long before they would be all together in one game...
• Cloud motherfucking Strife getting into Smash at all is a massive case of Heartwarming. Final Fantasy VII was the game where Square Enix left Nintendo's systems and sided with the competition for its home-console games. The first six games and a few of their remakes were on Nintendo systems, and with all of their leads having been in a fighting game already, any of them could have been chosen; Bartz and Terra clash with Cloud on the popularity front, Onion Knight's Cartoon Physics would fit right in with Smash Bros, and Firion's Walking Armory would provide him with plenty of special moves. But no, they picked Cloud, based solely on the fact that he was the most recognizable Final Fantasy lead. You know what that says? "No hard feelings." It says "Welcome to the battle" with arms spread wide and a joyful smile.
  • In Cloud's trailer, he cuts a balloon with his sword that's carrying a piece of cake. Standing behind him is the Villager, who is very happy by this.
  • Cloud's last two variants of his Advent Children costume remove his left sleeve to reveal a ribbon tied around his arm, worn in honor of his late friend Aerith. It just shows that Cloud is a lot more thoughtful than he lets on; even in Smash, he's thinking about his friends, alive or dead. His final SOLDIER outfit gives another bit: his clothes take the coloration of another fallen friend of his and the previous owner of the Buster Sword, Zack Fair.
  • A few years later, Cloud's appearance in Smash was followed up with the multiplatform release of Final Fantasy VII for the Nintendo Switch, which presents the feeling of "coming home" for both Cloud and the franchise as a whole.
• In Bayonetta's reveal trailer, when she's beating on Pit, Dark Pit jumps in to help him. Granted, he tells Pit not to be a wimp, and gets his ass kicked in short accord, but it's nice to see him come to his other self's rescue.
• In Corrin's reveal trailer, his siblings, united by their love and concern for him, completely drop their animosity towards each other. Almost all of their commentary is either worrying about him, due to the opponents he'll face in Smash, or being proud of him for coming so far. Sakura and Elise are especially concerned and proud of Corrin.
  Sakura: They look tough...
  Elise: Not a problem for my big brother!
  […]
  Sakura: Wow, he's really mastered [the Dragon form], hasn't he?
  Elise: What did you expect?
• The DLC costumes can be seen as this this. Even if a character couldn't get in the game for one reason or another, you're still provided with a way to play as a character you really wanted to get in, like King K. Rool or Chrom. The characters might not have made it in, but it's clear Nintendo is trying to give us the next best thing.
  • Even better? No more than four of those Mii Costumes (the Inklings, Chrom, King K. Rool and Isabelle) got added for Ultimate, making it more of a way of saying "you're getting in next time."
• An odd example, but it's rather sweet that instead of laughing at the player, the Duck Hunt Dog finally laughs WITH the player... assuming you play as Duck Hunt, anyway.
• A costume example, and a very touching Mythology Gag: one of Captain Falcon's alternate costumes is based on Ryu Suzaku/Rick Wheeler from F-Zero: Legend of Falcon, the anime in which the captain famously performed a Heroic Sacrifice and passed the title of Captain Falcon over to him(and with a ‘’Falcon Punch’’ no less). It's a nice nod to the anime and Ryu's character.

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