Heartwarming / Tales of Xillia 2

As Tales of Xillia 2 is a sequel to Tales of Xillia, be prepared for Late-Arrival Spoilers!

Even if this game is pretty dark, it still has some heartwarming moments.

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Story Events

• In the fractured dimension where you meet Alternate Milla, you quickly learn that nobody eats or appreciates her cooking. Either because they still revere her and think she shouldn't do such menial things (the villagers) or because they can't stand it (Alternate Muzét), until Elle arrives and absolutely loves her cooking. Even if Elle is saying that her cooking is only third, after her father and Ludger, it's quite clear that it means a lot to Alternate Milla.
• While chasing Julius, Ludger and Alternate Milla find him humming the Hymn of Proof, a family lullaby that he used to hum for Ludger, who absolutely loved it as a child. Julius even talks about a time when he and Ludger got lost and wandered around until morning to make their way back, all while Julius was humming the melody. Even if it made his throat hurt the next day.
• The option to hug Elle after Alternate Milla sacrifices herself.
  • And the fact that Elle is clearly pissed off with everyone in that scene, except for Ludger.
  • Worse, if you consider how Alternate Milla asks Ludger to take care of Elle, making it sound like a mother asking her husband to take care of their daughter.
• Late in the game, after fighting Rideaux a third time, there's an option to convince Gaius to not kill him or let Ludger handle him. Picking the former, Rideaux begins to mock Ludger for being used by Spirius. Ludger loses his composure, but Gaius remains unfazed, though his actions state otherwise.
  Gaius: "Don't let it get to you."
  (Gaius walks over to Rideaux and punches him)
  Gaius: "Just the empty words of a sore loser."
• Around the above scene, there is also Ivar, who is once again left humiliated after a lost battle and failing at his job. The scene plays out in two ways, depending on which character you asked to hold the Spirius agents in the main entrance.
  • If Milla was left behind, Jude will convince Ivar that failing is simply a learning experience and the two seem to reach an understanding. Considering their relationship in the previous game, it's nice to see the two burying the hatch.
  • If Jude was picked to hold the agents off, Milla tells Ivar that it's true he failed multiple times, but that she still remembers the loyalty he displayed when he was her handmaid and thanks him for his service.
• The fractured dimension Julius makes after defeating him at Marksburg's Harbor. Everyone is alive and well, which includes Bisley and Rideaux, of all people. Despite the two giving Julius and Ludger so much grief and pain in the past, Julius still has enough heart to forgive them and let them live normally in this dimension, even if this dimension's existence will end soon. It could also be interpreted as another proof of Julius's deep brotherly bond toward Ludger by showing that what Julius wanted the most had become forgetting every hardship he had in the prime dimension and living with Ludger as brothers normally instead of exacting revenge.

Character Episodes

• Leia's 2nd Character Episode has a fractured dimension, where she and Agria are working together in journalism and are friends. Sort of. And it all came about, because Agria took the hand Leia offered her at the Nia Khera Hallowmont.
• One of Rowen's Episodes contains a fractured dimension where King Nachtigal is still alive, but is a Good King and not a Tyrant as he originally was and it's because of a memento of his sister's. While the moment is also very tearjerky and it does come to a battle, the battle is more treated like a friendly sparring match between two old friends, rather than the life-or-death showdown in the first game.
• Muzét's 2nd Character Episode has her go off to collect harpy feathers, to create an accessory gift for the entire party. While she creates them, the rest of the party are all shocked by them and distrustful of Muzét's intention. And then Gaius is the first one to pick up the harpy accessory and place it in his hair, saying that it's actually quite nifty.
  • And during a skit before getting the feathers, Muzét wonders about Gaius' favorite color, thinking of making the gifts color-coded. Gaius doesn't know exactly what that matters, but admits that he has begun to take a liking to the color blue, because he now associates it with Muzét.
• Pretty much any character's final Character Episode, because of the work they have put in and finally come out on top.
  • Leia has found a different passion in her work and begun to be more serious about it, learning that her articles can be lacking her personal rants, but still be informative and actually have an impact on society.
  • Alvin goes back into business partnership with Jurgen and the two of them are finally getting their feet off the ground much better.
  • Despite her well-intended actions generally causing more problems, the party learns that Muzét merely wants to become close friends with them as they are with Milla and, now that they understand, they are much more open to the idea.
• Couples as a tearjerker, but Gaius' 2nd Character Episode pits his party against all four of the Chimeriad in a fractured dimension. Despite the battle, they tell him that they consider (their dimension's) Gaius to be a very good friend of theirs. This makes Gaius realize that the Chimeriad in the prime dimension must have thought of him as a friend, too.
  • The 3rd Episode as well. Kyle and Tanner's group want to go on a field trip to the Sapstrath Deepwood with Ludger, Muzét and Gaius. While the party slips away to take care of some pesky monsters, the others set up a surprise present for Gaius. Kyle and Tanner begin to call Gaius 'Big E' and consider him a part of their group. They give him the camera as a gift and take a group photo, with Gaius in the middle: while it's subtle, you can see Gaius smiling.
• In Elize's fourth chapter, the party enters a Fractured Dimension in which Elize is adopted by Jiao. While Elize is initially reluctant knowing Jiao's role in her original timeline, Jiao's affection grows on her. Jiao is even willing to bend the rules and allow Jurgen to live when he is discovered to be collaborating with poachers when Elize begs to let him live. Even when the situation ends badly due to Jiao being a Catalyst, he apologizes right before the dimension collapses telling Elize she is his 'sun, moon and stars'.
• In Alvin's fourth chapter, the party ends up in a timeline where Alvin proposes to Presa before heading to the Harrowmont. Alvin being Alvin the ring is the Catalyst. Alvin gets the ring, but Presa accidentally gets shot by his alternate self. As she lays dying, she tells him she never regretted their relationship for a moment and Alvin tells her he feels the same way.
• Milla's third chapter has her trying to befriend Elle after Alternate Milla's death. It doesn't go very smoothly and Milla realizes that she needs to work on better understanding Elle's feelings. When it's brought up again that she won't be able to stay in the human dimension indefinitely and will have to leave the group again, Jude grows somber for a moment before Milla tells him that she also needs to be more understanding of his feelings which helps him cheer up a bit before Ludger leaves the pair alone. While Milla and Jude's feelings for each other may have been more vague in the first game, they really seem to have cemented themselves into a firmer Official Couple status this time around.
• Jude's final chapter has him accompany Celsius to various important places from her memory as she remembers a human who once fell in love with her. As a result the spots are all quite romantic and involve some sort of gesture that lovers are supposed to perform on a date. Jude and Milla perform each one without hesitation. The episode eventually culminates with Celsius asking Jude and Milla if they can really achieve such a coexistence between human and spirit kind and then challenging them to a battle to test their resolve. The whole thing ends with the team's victory and Jude rescuing Millia in a Diving Save while reaffirming his feelings for her as Celsius looks on with hope for the future between humans and spirits.

Skits

• During a skit, Gaius reveals to Muzét and Ludger that, as king, he only gets about 30 minutes worth of sleep a day and his assistants more. Both are shocked to learn this, only for Gaius to doze off and Muzét suggests they let him be for a while. Ludger agrees.
• One skit has Rowen talk about how he never actually settled down and have a family of his own. Milla tells him that he still has time and can still try to have one, but Rowen says that there's no need for that. He considers the party to be more of a family for him than he could have ever hoped for.
• The skit 'The King And Elle' has Gaius be the only one in the group, who actually succeeds in cheering up Elle after Alternate Milla dies.
• During Milla's last character episode the group travels to a fractured version of the Temporal Crossroads. Milla comments that coming back to this place brings back lots of feelings and memories for her and so she's becoming a poignantalist. If Ludger responds with a Flat "What" then the conversation will go further and Jude will talk about all the feelings he has had being around Milla again, leading to lots of blushing and the two declaring themselves both poignantalists while Ludger smiles on in the background.

Other

• Gaius' new perspective. He attempted to destroy an entire world (or just the technology, in the English version). Instead of simply being killed at the end of the first game, Gaius decided to pull himself together and began to roam Rieze Maxia and Elympios, so he can better understand the people and how to be a good king.
  • There's also his growth in his relationship with Muzét. Before, she was merely a tool that he could and did use to achieve his goal, but now they are clearly friends. Maybe even more.
  • Getting to around rank 8 of affinity with Gaius. He says he doesn't think of Ludger as a rival, or enemy, or subordinate. He thinks of Ludger as a friend.
• For that matter, Muzét's new perspective. She used to be so dependent on other people, she willingly slaughtered people and spirits, just for the sake of having someone to follow. Now, she's learned to think for herself and yearns to not be alone anymore, wanting to become friends with those close to her.
  • Her progression with Ludger is small, but sweet. When her Affinity for Ludger is maxed, she apologizes for teasing and flustering Ludger post-battle, since he's from Elympios and not used to spirits. And while the entries for the Character Episodes aren't really meant to be taken seriously, there's a short entry for when Muzét's Affinity is maxed out: Ludger has a crush on her.
  • One of her dialogues, when you increase her Affinity level, really shows how things changed.
    Muzét: "I suddenly find myself feeling this strange sensation when I am near you. I don't think I would ever have felt this way, if I didn't come to this world. Ludger... I will say this once. Thank you for the way you treat me and the way you look at me."
• A wrong number resulted in Elize becoming friends with Marcia, the chancellor of Elympios. While they do have a falling out later on, when Marcia sends a group of Exodus terrorists to be executed, Elize's 4th Character Episode has her go through an experience that makes her realize how naive she has been about the world. When talking with Marcia again, she tells Elize that it's true that growing up includes acknowledging the harshness of the world, but that it doesn't mean that Elize needs to change who she is. And that people like Elize are necessary for many people to keep themselves checked.
• The ship-teasing moments between Alternate Milla and Ludger.
  Alternate Milla: "I'm not worried about you, you know."
  Ludger: (unconvinced snort)
• Ludger's background image for his phone is Rollo, his dear pet.
• How the various characters hum the Hymn of Proof over the course of the series. Julius does it in an easygoing manner, while Jude uses a more uplifting tone. Milla goes the triumphant route and Victor hums it very soothingly. There's also Ludger, who hums it in a gentle way and, finally, Elle who hums it rather happily in one of the endings.
• The interactions between Leia and Alvin in this game. Considering the last game ended with them barely on speaking terms due to Alvin almost killing her, it's extremely heartwarming to see how much they've mended their relationship since then.