Whatever I did to deserve you, it couldn't have been enough.
— xkcd
No, they're not all about whatever the author finds attractive. Sometimes they're about making you feel really good inside.
The following series were simply too Heartwarming for folders and have been moved to their own pages.
open/close all folders
#-D
- The 10 Doctors
- 8-Bit Theater
- Achewood
- The Adventures of Dr. McNinja
- The Adventures of Wiglaf and Mordred
- Agents of the Realm
- Alice And Kev
- Alien Loves Predator
- Always Raining Here
- And That's How Equestria Was Made!
- Archie Sonic Online
- Archipelago
- Ask Drunk Chara
- Ask Frisk and Company
- Ask White Pearl and Steven (almost!) anything
- Associated Student Bodies
- Aurora (2019)
- Avalon (1999)
- Ava's Demon
- Awful Hospital
- Awkward Zombie
- Axe Cop
- BACK
- Bad Machinery
- Bar'd
- Batman and Sons
- Be the Sea Dweller Lowblood
- Better Days
- Between Failures
- The Bikini Bottom Horror
- Bits And Bytes
- Bittersweet Candy Bowl
- Black Adventures
- Blade Bunny
- Blade Under Mask
- Blindsprings
- Bomango
- Bowsette Saga
- Boxer Hockey
- Boyfriends.
- Brawl in the Family
- Breaking the Deal
- Bunny: Gore Justice
- Buttersafe
- Camp Counselor Jason
- Camp Weedonwantcha
- Carpe Diem
- Carrot Cake Storybook
- The Cartoon Chronicles Of Conroy Cat
- Charby the Vampirate
- Check, Please!
- Chibi Mikusan
- The Chosen Four
- City Face
- Cobweb and Stripes
- Collar 6
- College Roomies from Hell!!!
- Commander Kitty
- Consolers
- Ctrl+Alt+Del
- Cuanta Vida
- Cucumber Quest
- Cursed Princess Club
- Cyanide and Happiness
- Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures
- Dark Heaven
- Darths & Droids
- Dash Academy
- Dead Winter
- Dear Children
- Deer Me
- Demon Candy: Parallel
- Demon King GF
- Digger
- Distortion Nuzlocke
- Doc Rat
- Doki Doki Literature Girls
- Dolan
- Dominic Deegan
- DOUBLE K
- The Dragon Doctors
- The Dreamer
- Drowtales
- Dumbing of Age
E-K
- Eerie Cuties
- El Goonish Shive
- Ennui GO!
- Ensign Sue Must Die
- EQG Crossover
- Erfworld
- Erma
- Everyday Heroes
- Everyone Is Home
- Evil, Inc.
- Evon
- Exterminatus Now
- Façade (2013)
- Fake News Rumble
- Final Fantasy VII: The Sevening
- Fire Emblem Heroes: A Day in the Life
- Flipside
- Follower
- Forever After
- The Fourth
- Frankieand Stein
- Freefall
- Friendship Is Magic
- Fuzzy Knights
- The Gamer
- The Gamercat
- Ghosts of the Future
- Girl Genius
- Girls Next Door
- Girls of the Wild's
- Girly
- The Glass Scientists
- Goblins
- Go Get a Roomie!
- Grand Blues!
- Grim Tales from Down Below
- Growth Spurt
- Grrl Power
- Gunnerkrigg Court
- Handplates
- Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name
- Harbourmaster
- Hark! A Vagrant
- Harry Potter Comics
- Head Trip
- Hello Cleveland
- Hetalia: Axis Powers
- Homestuck
- Housepets!
- How I Became Yours
- Hyperbole and a Half
- The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob!
- Jack
- JL8
- Kaiten Mutenmaru
- Katamari
- Kevin & Kell
- Keychain of Creation
- Kid Radd
- Kirby Adventure
- Knite
L-P
- Lackadaisy
- Lady of the Shard
- The Last Days of FOXHOUND
- Leftover Soup
- Lemonhead and Lollipup
- The Legend of Mr. Satan
- Lessons Of Dog World
- The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal
- Lightbringer
- Las Lindas
- Legio Arcana
- Lily's Poke-Madhouse
- Lil' Char and the Gang
- Lola and Mr. Wrinkles
- Long Exposure
- Looking for Group
- Love and Capes
- Loving Reaper
- Magick Chicks
- Maliki
- Manly Guys Doing Manly Things
- Man Who Speaks In Hands
- Megamanspritecomic
- MegaTokyo
- Ménage à 3
- Milk And Mocha
- minus.
- Misfile
- Mob Psycho 100
- Modern MoGal
- Mokepon
- MOLEBASHED
- A Moment of Peace
- Monsterkind
- MonsterPop
- Mutant Ninja Turtles Gaiden
- Muted
- My Cardboard Life
- My Deepest Secret
- Namesake
- Nana's Everyday Life
- Narbonic
- Naru-Hina Chronicles
- Nedroid
- Nerd & Jock
- Nerf NOW!!
- Niels
- No End
- No Rest for the Wicked
- Nodwick
- The Non-Adventures of Wonderella
- Not a Villain
- Nuzlocke Comics
- The Oatmeal
- Oceanfalls
- Of Mice and Mayhem
- Oglaf
- One Piece: Grand Line 3.5
- One-Punch Man
- The Order of the Stick
- Original Life
- Our Little Adventure
- Out-of-Placers
- Ow, my sanity
- Ozy and Millie
- Pacificators
- Paradox Space
- Paranatural
- Pebble and Wren
- Penny Arcade
- Persona 3 FTW
- Phoebe and Her Unicorn
- Pixie and Brutus
- Platypus Comix
- Plume
- Pokémon-X
- Polandball
- Power Puff Girls Doujinshi
- Prague Race
- Precocious
- Princess Chroma
- Problem Sleuth
- The Property of Hate
- PS238
Q-Z
- Questionable Content
- Rain (2010)
- Random Doom
- The Remarried Empress
- Riverside Extras
- The Rock Cocks
- Rock Paper Scissors (hiruda)
- Rogue Diamond
- Romantically Apocalyptic
- Roommates
- Ruby Nation
- Rusty and Co.
- RWBY Quest
- Sabrina Online
- Sakana
- Sandra and Woo
- Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
- Savestate
- Scandinavia and the World
- Schlock Mercenary
- Sea3on
- The Search For Henry Jekyll
- Second Empire
- Sequential Art
- The Shadow Shard
- She Is Still Cute Today
- Ship War AU
- Shortpacked!
- Silent Horror
- Sinfest
- Sister Claire
- Skin Horse
- Sleepless Domain
- Slightly Damned
- Sluggy Freelance
- A Softer World
- Something*Positive
- Spare Keys for Strange Doors
- Sparkling Shimmer
- Spinnerette
- Stand Still, Stay Silent
- Sticky Dilly Buns
- Strays
- Strong Female Protagonist
- Subnormality
- Sunstone
- Super Effective
- Survivor: Fan Characters
- Tales of the Questor
- Their Story
- This Is the Worst Idea You've Ever Had!
- Through Ravens and Songbirds
- Times Like This
- Todd Allison & the Petunia Violet
- Tripping Over You
- Trying Human
- Tweep
- TwoKinds
- Unsounded
- V The Vampire Vigilante
- Vampire Cheerleaders
- Vampires Dont Belong In Fairytales
- VG Cats
- Vinci and Arty
- Walkyverse
- Batman: Wayne Family Adventures
- Weak Hero
- Weapon Brown
- Weregeek
- White Noise
- Wonderlab
- Wooden Plank Studios
- xkcd
- Yellow Peril (Jamie Noguchi)
- Zebra Girl
- Zoophobia
Other Examples
- This Fans! strip is a good example.
- And the final panel of the final story of the first run, here.
- And of course nothing says CMoH like a Gondor Calls for Aid moment. "Richard...liege and lord... your army awaits.". Complete with Aragorn's speech;
Meighan: Oh my God...Shanna: Shh!
- This episode of Secret of Mana Theater where Seth pays his respects to a fallen foe.
- The last few panels of this strip of Erfworld could definitely be considered. Jillian's reaction to Ansom's death is understandable, but seeing a normally stoic Vinny break into tears makes it that much more powerful. Certainly no one expected to see the two of them share a hug.
- After the Handsome Lech-Psychopathic Manchild protagonist of Least I Could Do has a vision of his own funeral during a Near-Death Experience, he tells his friends he's thought about some things and that there's a girl he needs to see. While they bet on which one of his many, many current or past girlfriends he would be going to see, he instead stops by to see his five year old niece and play with her.
- This too. Full stop, bold period. Nothing more.
- Rayne buys Mick a puppy to cheer him up. Jerk with a Heart of Gold indeed.
- The final chapter of A Miracle of Science. Two — or is it three? — likeable, slightly damaged characters who've had a budding romance throughout the story get to fly off into the sunset together. D'aw.
- Sluggy Freelance: Torg showing up to spend Christmas with Zoe after all her family and friends have been abandoning her because of her Jerkass radio show personality.
- Also the denouement of That Which Redeems, particularly where Alter-Gwynn shows Torg the redemption card and when he returns to Zoe (possibly the only Sluggy strip with no dialog — it doesn't need any).
- Yet another Torg/Zoe moment here when he comforts her after she gets fired.
- Nana's death in Nana's Everyday Life. For some reason. Emotions are confusing.
- Because at that point that was the kindest thing the universe could do to her.
- Ctrl+Alt+Del. Yes, Ctrl+Alt+Del is capable of them, if you're willing to accept it:
- The It's a gamer's life series
- Ethan's marriage proposal.
- Billy Mays makes it to the pearly gates
- Ethan's marriage vows.
- Gets even better with Lilah's side of their marriage vows. Dawwwwwww....
- Digger Manages these surprising frequently, especially when Ed gets to speak.
- Ed's story is not only a heartwarming moment but a great Tear Jerker too. Oh Ed...
- This comic. The next one also.
- He's also a good argument for the creation of a Crushing Moment of Heart Breaking page.
- This and the two following Vinci & Arty strips - after a big fight, the titular characters forgive each other. What makes it touching beyond belief is that the only words used are the lyrics to Ben Folds' The Luckiest in a semi-narrative form.
- Of all things, Adventure Log, a sub-strip of VG Cats, managed to pull this off.
- Red caught his first Pokemon! From the other side comic, Super Effective.
- Both are touching, but this one takes the "aww" up to eleven. The comic came out two weeks after Christmas due to unexpected delays, but Scott didn't want to give up on it.
- The above-mentioned Christmas comic has touched the hearts of people who have given up on VGCats. Well done, Scott.
- Red caught his first Pokemon! From the other side comic, Super Effective.
- This and the following strip in Sheldon are especially heart string tugging. After finding a to-do list that was written years ago by his dead wife, the grandpa is sitting down staring at it when he suddenly pauses, looks up and smiles. In the last panel, we see him in the yard fixing the back gate, as it was one of the things written on the list for him to do.
- PvP, this strip. Anyone not touched by this has no soul.
- The reunion of Zimmy and Gamma in Zimmy's nightmare world in Gunnerkrigg Court. Creator Tom Siddell's comments for the page are simply, "Here it is. The only thing Zimmy could ever give a damn about."
- This little moment, after Robot's return.
Antimony: Robot, I'm so sorry I caused you all this trouble. I should have told you to come back after you crossed the bridge.Robot: Don't apologise. You see, you gave me something I'd never had before. You gave me a choice. - Killroy And Tina: "Hey. You're not alone, Tina. Don't forget it."
- In The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob!, Galatea finally learns what kindness is, here and here.
- The 10 Doctors
- This strip. Dozens of companions from different times, places, worlds... and every single one of them would give up their life for the Doctor. The Brigadier sums it up best:
The Brigadier: All we have in common is you, Doctor. You are worth the risks. We need you. That's how you've touched the universe. We're not giving you up that easily.
- Damn it, he did it again. Best. Beach Party. Ever.
- This strip. Dozens of companions from different times, places, worlds... and every single one of them would give up their life for the Doctor. The Brigadier sums it up best:
- Loserz: This is beautiful.
- The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, during the epilogue of Punch Dracula, especially Mitzi's speech to Gordito.
- Gordito's ripoff of The Wasteland. Touching, until a few comics later when Dark Smoke Puncher calls him out on it.
- Only Dan McNinja could make a moment both badass and heartwarming: "You didn't bring enough." and the following page.
- Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures
- The end of the Perfect Date mini-arc — 'Nuff said
- Even in Abel's angst-ridden backstory, there is hope.
- This page of The Last Days of FOXHOUND.
- This one, too. It defines Liquid's Character Development perfectly, in such a way that you feel guilty about killing him later.
- This page of Sins, when Pride receives mail from Jin, the youngest, sweetest, and most innocent host of the sins, to her demonic foster family.
- Cheer!: "I can't follow you this time...But I'll be in the crowd, cheering... Even if you can't hear me...I'll be cheering... Altogether now: Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!! (And Squee!)
- Exploding Dog, when it's not being ridiculously funny or gory (or both), has had a lot of these. Case in point: this one.
- This episode of Darths & Droids. Weird though, considering Annie is playing both characters.
- More recently, this. Every geeky tabletop roleplayers completely understands how huge it is.
- Looking for Group: "Death?"
- This Dreamless page.
- Starslip Crisis has Mennon's secret sacrifice. He sacrifices the only chance he has to see his love ever again by using it to save his crew and their families.
- This Striptease comic. The main character Max has been seen wearing the same shirt since the very first strip, and it is easily overlooked. The author reveals its symbolism in a flashback to an ex-girlfriend he had back in college. The best part? He does it to give his Alli, his on-and-off girlfriend and main rival in the comic industry a chance to continue her comic at the cost of his entire career.
- Slightly Damned. Buwaro, a demon, deciding to use his adoptive angel father's last name even though he doesn't remember a thing about him.
- Said Buwaro confessing his love to Kieri, an angel. And her response.
- This page of Problem Sleuth. So touching it actually warmed the final boss's heart.
- Captain SNES: The Game Masta has a moment. Hey stop snickering! It's true! When talking about the events in Nexus, Alex's Capator has problem saying the word died. Alex goes on to mock him about it not being a curse word even if it is a four letter word. The Capator admits that it scares him...Which leads to Alex aplogizing to him. D'aaaaaaaw.
- Wave of Hope. Even if it can't magically fix everything, it shows that Videoland's decay isn't irreversible, and things can be like they were again.
- Red String: Eiji and Reika's Relationship Upgrade, anyone? "So, does this mean we're not 'friends' anymore?" "Yeah. I think so." (handclasp), "I want to kiss you", the First Kiss, and a large collective Squee from the fanbase.
- Count Your Sheep has quite a few of them - as is to be expected from a comic about a little girl, her single-parent mother and an imaginary sheep - but these two in particular are great.
- This minus. strip.
- The very first strip of City of Reality gives you a pretty good idea of what kind of webcomic this is going to be.
- Todo realizing that even in Magic World, good still exists, and people are still worth saving.
- Subnormality:
- The title characters of Penny and Aggie putting aside their rivalry to stop the bullying by Karen and her clique. A particularly powerful moment, as it came at the end of the comic's most gut-wrenching chapter, with both characters at their lowest ebb.
Penny: Ready to save the world, you post-ironic post-yuppie?
- Also their moving from allies to genuine friends in these strips.
- Melody, in Aggie's dream: "The best part of me...is standing right beside me."
- When Aggie gets in trouble with the principal for commandeering the P.A. system to announce her candidacy for student council president, she asks her father whether he's angry with her. Nick's affectionately ironic response: "Standing up to authority for principle, trying to reach the kids who think like you...Your mother and I are furious."
- In the first VG Cats strip of 2010, Leo does something that makes the shippers Squee.
- The Thanksgiving strip of Super Stupor. Even anti-heroes need a little love.
- "Hey look! It's Dad!" *knock* *knock* D'awww.
- This strip of Cyanide and Happiness. Say what you will about the webcomic as a whole, but it has its moments.
- In Tales of the Questor, Quentyn is in the stables looking for a mount for his dragon fighting mission and has just been disillusioned almost to tears about unicorns. Suddenly a horse trader speaks up and says he has a mount that could be suitable for the famous Raccoonan knight. At that he leads them to Ember, a tiny horse that was part of a unsuccessful breeding project for mounts for Dwarves, but now was likely to be sold to some princess. However, the trader makes an offer of it to Quentyn, and the little horse affectionately nuzzles up to the Raccoonan to seal the deal.
- Just read through Housepets!, and you'll probably feel more than a few tugs on the old heartstrings.
- Two of the last comics in the storyarc "It's a Wonderful Dog's Life".
- Left-Handed Toons: Just take a moment to read it. "...Son? Did you know...that I love you?" "Dad!" "Son!" * picture fluttering down*
- Sequential Art: They made Scarlett cry. They. Must. Pay.
- In Boxer Hockey, the entire flashback to Rittz and Skip meeting as kids is touching, but this moment in particular is just incredible.
- Ah, Ansem Retort, home to Black Comedy, extreme crassness, nonsensical plots, tap-dancing along lines, Villain Protagonists... and one scene of the main character and his wife walking along a peaceful street, arms around each other, at the end of another season. More proof that if anything runs long enough, eventually something sweet is going to sneak in around the corners, whether or not the author wants it to.
- Hug.◊
- Original Life: Last two panels. Guess who gets to put her ideas into practice?
- Ménage à 3: Yuki has recently stated, despite her phobia, she wants to try and work through it for Gary.
- Pretty much all of ''Selkie.
- Freefall concludes over nine years of Ship Tease.
- This◊ strip of Musta Hevonen (The Black Horse) invokes this trope. Literally.
- Impure Blood: Elnor persuades Roan to help her — looks like the beginning of friendship.
- Pauline's funeral service in Our Little Adventure was very nice. It was kept fairly light-hearted and tasteful and ended with Julie's cute little parody song of "When She Loved Me" by Sarah Mclachlan as she and the adventuring group saw Pauline's ashes fly away back toward her home island.
- This◊ strip of Murphy's Law which shows not only Matt's but Radic's character development also manages to be one of these.
- In Dubious Company, Tiren changes allegiances to the Imperial Guard. Some later Navel-Gazing ends in this strip. The moment carries on for the next 5 or 6 pages.
- In Erstwhile, when Maid Maleen admits to the prince that she's Maid Maleen.
- These comic strips about the seventh-gen video game consoles as friends.
- Sunset Grill (link) has several:
Murdoch: Seal's good. I don't sell no watered shit.
Julia: How much?
Murdoch: Make an offer.
Julia: ...two hundred doles.
Murdoch: A hundred.
Julia: But— I can —
Murdoch: No, you reckon you can scrape two hundred up. Pay me a hundred.
Julia: ... I don't understand you.
Murdoch: Yeah, I'd caught that. - Both these strips from NIMONA (the former being the Christmas Episode).
- In Alice And Kev, when the poor Sims-girl (The Woobie incarnate) finally gets a much-needed hug.
- The "Boggle!" series is dedicated to producing Heartwarming Moments rather than funny ones.
- Tumblr artist "nateswinehart" makes a webcomic bemoaning how people younger than him seem to be accomplishing more with their lives than he is. Another artist, "kitsiinabox" adds an ending in which another character comforts him, saying "Just because we're not the fastest doesn't mean we won't get there."
- In honor of Kirby Star Allies' release of the second wave of Dream Friends, Matthew Taranto himself drew a celebratory comic that appears to be related to Super Smash Bros., only for the Smash logo to be revealed as Adeleine's paintbrush and Ribbon's wing, then we see them happily leap into action with Kirby and his friends (including Marx).
- One episode of Nerd Rage Comic has Bowser asking Peach why Mario frequently invites him to play in the spinoff games. Peach points out that outside of Luigi, Mario doesn't know anyone else like him - so he goes out of his way to invite Toad, Yoshi, and everyone he does know, because that's just the kind of guy he is. Bowser is actually moved to tears by the explanation!
- Ben Hed (Pixie and Brutus and Lola and Mr. Wrinkles) can be heartwarming even in his one-off comics in Pet Foolery. "Foster" starts with a leather-clad teenage girl, Hannah, snidely asking her brother if he was raised by wolves after he eats spaghetti with his hands. It turns out her foster family are a couple of wolves and their human son, and the comment (apparently one of many) deeply hurt her foster father, who walks out of the room to recover. After the mother wolf talks him through it, they return to the table to find a teary-eyed Hannah shoveling her spaghetti into her mouth with her hands. It's enough to make both wolf parents smile.