"You saved me and my brother many times. You were by my side and protected me. I wanted to thank you. Thank you, truly. I'm grateful."
All spoilers are unmarked!
Season 1: Knights of Hanoi Arc
- Episode 1 "My Name's Playmaker": Ai fully intended on sacrificing himself or going on the run forever to stop the Knights of Hanoi from destroying the rest of the Cyberse. And from what we know, Ai wasn't liked by the rest of the Ignis, meaning he was willing to do this even for people who found him annoying.
- Episode 3: "First Contact":
- It's subtle, but the way Shoichi looks out for Yusaku, believing what he says about "sensing things" and shutting down his business for a day to help him program is kinda sweet. He even drives over to his home once he figured Yusaku was going to go back in VRAINS, delivering the Decode Talker card which had finished materializing in the hotdog truck.
- A villainous example: Revolver is shown to be taking care of his bedridden father. Given the common trend of Abusive Parents in the franchise, in a way it is an almost cathartic sight to behold.
- Episode 5: "The Bell Rings on the Count Of Three":
- Go returns to his gym after being defeated by Playmaker and wonders how he's ever going to face the children of the orphanage after that loss. Then the light turn on and we see the children applauding Go for his exciting match. Despite what Go thought before, the children still see him as their champion and hand him their home-made champion's belt, which Go accepts with a wide grin. Some shots after it even show him happily playing with the children, his spirits clearly lifted after being so down and angry before.
- Go Onizuka would have made Yuya proud with his entertainment dueling style. By the end, Yusaku was enjoying their duel, even if his stoic nature doesn't allow him to change expressions.
- Episode 8 "The One Who Commands the Wind": Yusaku falling for an obvious trap because it gives him a chance to help Aoi.
- Episode 11 "Roar of the Magazine Varreload": Playmaker actually smiles when Ai returns after Fire Prison was destroyed.
- Episode 12 "Impregnable Defending Dragon Firewall":
- Akira getting very emotional after Aoi wakes up from her coma, relieved that she is okay.
- When Yusaku leaves LINK VRAINS, he asks Shoichi whether or not Aoi is alright.
- Episode 16 "Infiltrate SOL's Cyber Fortress":
- Ghost Girl shows her soft spot by giving Aoi the chance to help Playmaker in his task as Blue Angel, at the same time giving Playmaker some extra chance of success and Aoi some of the freedom her brother is denying her.
- Yusaku checking for Aoi at school. Considering she has nothing to do with the Knights of Hanoi anymore, it's a nice sign that Yusaku can actually care about something else.
- Episode 17 "Flawless AI Duelist": A double example from both sides Akira was ready to drop the mission immediately for the sake of Aoi, and Ghost Girl stopping him and telling him that he should trust her ability to take care of herself.
- Episode 19 "The Incident Buried in the Darkness": Akira, after looking into the Data Banks on the Lost Incident now wants to help Playmaker return to a normal life. While Playmaker obviously isn't having any of this, Akira's intentions are pure and knowing what kind of background he already has, Akira will shoulder Playmaker's issues as well.
- Episode 20 "Unyielding Justice: As if to respond to him in kind, Playmaker utilizes Firewall Dragon's effect to send Tindagle Hound and Tindangle Angel from the graveyard back to Akria's hand, causing Tindangle Acute Cerberus's ATK to fall to 0, paving the way for lethal damage. Bear in mind that Firewall Dragon could simply attack directly through an earlier card effect or return Acute Cerberus to the Extra Deck, making Playmaker's choice of moves superfluous. The reason he did it this way? He noted how Tindangle Hound and Tindangle Angel represent Akira and Aoi, and made sure they were kept out of the GY, stating that they still have something to live for and shouldn't follow him into the darkness. Playmaker didn't want to get the innocent involved in his revenge.
- Episode 22 "Blackened Sun: Go's friendship with Makoto; defending him from bullies when they were younger and despite being opposites they got along well.
- Episode 23 "Genome's Giant": Yusaku showing a great deal of concern for Go during his duel with Dr. Genome and eventually going off to help him.
- Episode 24 "Dark Mask's Burden of Fate":
- When Playmaker makes it there, he does not directly interfere with Dark Onizuka and Dr. Genome's duel, but rather attempts to encourage GO to win in his own special way.
- It's small, but the fact that Playmaker/Yusaku is actually willing to work with Go and let him duel the Knights of Hanoi shows that he's starting to trust other people a little more.
- Because of his demotion, Akira has been home more recently to Aoi's delight. While that matter was resolved, Aoi is still conflicted about the more recent events that happened. Akira initially thinks that Aoi does not want to be with him, but Aoi gently reassures him that is not the case and is glad that they can interact for a change.
- Emma, seeing how conflicted Aoi was about wanting to help Playmaker/Yusaku and Go or listen to her brother, reveals her identity to her and convinces her to go back to Link VRAINS.
- Episode 25 "Virus Deck Operation":
- When Blue Angel is dueling Baira, she is cheered on by 3 kids who are cosplaying as some of the main character's signature monsters: (Cyberse Wizard, Gouki the Great Ogre, Trickstar Black Catbat). The message conveyed was clear: They are rooting for the main trio to defend Link VRAINS from the Hanoi.
- In addition, it shows that despite how her duel with Playmaker ended, the damage was not permanent and her fans still love her.
- Episode 26 "Three Draws Leading to Hope": After Blue Angel defeats Baira, Aoi is seen eating dinner with Akira, who congratulates her on a duel well fought.
- Episode 29 "Kusanagi Report": While it also doubles as a Tear Jerker in present, this photo
◊ of the Kusanagi siblings is pretty adorable. - Episode 37 "The Motherly Tree:
- Akira's last thoughts after sacrificing himself not to burden Playmaker are for Aoi and the fact that they'll be together again.
- Despite Spectre's taunts, the fact that Playmaker holds back when Akira's taken hostage, putting his safety (and let's remember Akira originally pursued and trapped him) before his vengeance shows that he's not completely consumed by it, and he actually cares about people.
- The glimpse at Spectre's backstory gives us a rare Yu-Gi-Oh! character depicted as a baby and awww even Spectre is absolutely adorable as a baby
- Episode 39 "Bullet Buried in Darkness": During his Duel against Revolver, GO declares his determination to protect LINK VRAINS so the orphanage children can continue to smile.
- Episode 42 "Stardust Road's Guidance":
- After seasons of strained rival-father relationships, it is nice to see Revolver and Dr. Kogami care for each other as much as they do. Doctor Kogami is willing to put his life at risk, if not lose it entirely, to allow his Son to overcome a rough Data Storm, while Revolver immediately ends a duel in a draw upon seeing his father's heart rate become erratic.
- Ai is willing to sacrifice himself to save Playmaker, even though Playmaker said in the previous episode that they aren't friends. Sure, he comes back a few minutes later, but Ai believed he would die, but did it anyway.
- The fact that Ai got out of the duel disk meant that he somehow managed to find a way to escape some time ago offscreen (presumably with Roboppi's help), and would have gotten out of being Playmaker's hostage but chose to stick around. Despite the way Yusaku treats him, Ai enjoys being in his company.
- Despite how Yusaku says he only sees Ai as a hostage in the first season, he does smile every time he returns and was concerned for him every time something made him disappear with the situation above being a good example.
- Episode 43 "Birth of the Ignis": It's subtle but the fact that Ryoken/Revolver knew about Playmaker/Yusaku and Shoichi and yet did nothing about it shows a bit of his hidden kindness as he could have just refocused the Knights of Hanoi's efforts to finding Yusaku and not Playmaker. It also shows that Revolver values his rivalry with Playmaker, and not Ryoken's battle against Yusaku, as his duels with Playmaker seem to be the only time where he truly enjoys himself.
- Episode 46 "The Circuit That Draws the Future":
- Yusaku letting Ryoken leave. Yusaku wanted Ryoken to find his own path and let him leave to search for it. It's because Yusaku knew he would come back. Whether to continue what he began or finally befriend Yusaku, Yusaku let Ryoken make the decision for himself.
- Yusaku releasing Ai, because he knew that Ai wanted to go back to the Cyberse world, and allowed him to do so.
- Following this, it is hinted that Yusaku may actually miss Ai despite seeing him as an annoyance.
Season 2: Ignis Warfare Arc
- Episode 47 "Playmaker's Return":
- Ai and Linkuriboh hugging each other after being separated for many years and seeing that they both are the only known survivors of the Cyberse World.
- Aoi thanking Yusaku for finding and bringing her to a hospital in episode #8.
- Akira is angry at his boss Queen for setting a bounty on Playmaker and asks why they need to hunt him. Queen tells him that Playmaker still has the Ignis, she also tells Akira that he himself is in charge of the Bounty Hunter team, after that he looks visibly angry about this since not only did Playmaker save him, but he also prevented the destruction of LINK VRAINS and saved everyone absorbed by the tower including Aoi, Go, Emma and many other people.
- Ghost Girl was also invited to be a Bounty Hunter for SOL Technologies to hunt Playmaker, but she doesn't intend to accept it, because she still owes him.
- Shoichi visits his brother Jin who was starting to recover after hearing the truth of the incident. Shoichi also invites him to live with him inside his hotdog stand and that he just wants to be with him. Too bad Jin got attacked by an avatar during the conversation and got his soul stolen from him.
- After finding out what happened to Jin, Yusaku immediately heads into LINK VRAINS to pursue the avatar.
- Ai reuniting with Yusaku after three months. Ai first tries to tell him what happened with the Cyberse world, but Yusaku tells him to save his story for later. Instead of feeling down as usual whenever he does that, Ai feels happy knowing that Yusaku hasn't changed a bit and that it feels like the good old times again. Ai then gives Yusaku cards he found in the Cyberse World including Linkuriboh. After looking at the cards, Yusaku smiles and says that the cards aren't bad. Considering what Linkuriboh does, he definitely appreciates the gift Ai got for him.
- Episode 51 "Man Who Gave Up Charisma": Soulburner is simply fanboying over Go Onizuka and the fact that he's able to duel him. While he becomes disappointed by his obsession with Playmaker and his decision to abandon his Charisma Duelist life, Soulburner tells him that he is his inspiration, being one of the three duelist to take on the Knights of Hanoi directly, and a very powerful duelist as well, it took him out of his depression to find Playmaker and help him on his missions.
- Episode 53 "Bounty Hunter Blood Shepherd":
- When Aoi insists on going to LINK VRAINS with Emma to help uncover the truth, Akira lets her, telling her to return safely. This shows that while he still cares about Aoi's safety, he knows that Aoi is ready to go to LINK VRAINS.
- When Aoi reveals her new avatar to Emma, Emma acts like a Cool Big Sis and is pleased to see that it resembles the Ghost Girl avatar's outfit, commenting on how mature she looks, and even names it Blue Girl.
- Episode 60 "Brave Max the Loser":
- Also Akira, Emma and Aoi worrying about the fact that SOL Technologies is hunting Playmaker even though they are working for them and are technically his enemies. They all are clearly very grateful to him and owe him a lot for saving them from the Tower of Hanoi.
- Blink and you miss it, but when Aoi greets Yusaku at their school, she smiles at him. Compare that to how she treats Takeru and Naoki, where she brushes off the former and coldly greets the latter, and one can see that she is warming up to him.
- Soulburner sacrificing himself so that Playmaker isn't caught in Blood Shepherd's trap.
- Episode 63 "Reincarnating Flame": This episode reveals that Flame already managed to help Takeru overcome his trauma by giving him a speech that he's the one limiting himself and that he needs to go forward, get himself reborn and seize the future with his own hands.
- Episode 64 "Turning Point":
- When Shoichi knew that his little brother Jin got traumatized from his experience from the Lost Incident. The first thing he does is stop his focus on sports and instead start studying programming in order to find the people responsible for Jin's trauma and help his brother recover. It really shows how much he cares about his brother if he's willing to do all that so that Jin can recover and go forward.
- Also noted with how he refers to Jin as his dear younger brother (the words that Shoichi used can also translate into "most beloved"), showing his strong love for him.
- Playmaker (though he goes by "Unknown" at this point) saving Shoichi, then Shoichi returning the favour by helping Playmaker escape from the nights on Hanoi.
- The sheer fact that Yusaku, who was clearly a lone wolf at the time, actually took Shoichi's advice and went to Cafe Nagi to meet him. Yusaku didn't have to meet up with him due to his personality, but knowing that he did show up meant that he really wanted to trust Shoichi and was willing to team up with him to get revenge.
- Episode 65 "Playmaker's Breath": Just seeing Playmaker/Unknown and Unnamed's interactions is just heartwarming in general. Even though they just met for a day or two, they were already an unstoppable team.
- Episode 66 "Earth Ignis "Earth"":
- Despite Kusanagi's wariness over Earth's message on the forum, Yusaku still wants to check it out in hopes that there might be a clue to finding Jin's consciousness. This causes Kusanagi to ease up and trust Yusaku's judgment, showing that Jin is always his first priority.
- Despite Ai's nature as comic relief, he genuinely cares about his Ignis friends as shown when he interacts with Earth who he names and how he talks about the other three Ignis.
- Ai naming Earth. Also Earth naming Aqua, first Ai tried to give her a name for convenience, but then Earth decides to do it himself and gives her a name that while it still makes it obvious what her Attribute is. It still is better then what Ai tried to give hernote .
- Episode 67 "AI's Longing":
- Playmaker tells Earth three reasons why he and Ai are partners, which moves Ai's heart. Seeing how he found Ai annoying in Season 1, it's a huge upgrade. Not to mention, Playmaker still remembers how Ai saved him from falling after revealing that he had no lost memories. It shows that Yusaku does have a sense of gratitude and he is slowly developing into a kinder person.
- Earth's relationship with Aqua. They are both close and trust to each other a lot. Aqua also knows that she shouldn't show him her stance on humanity, because she knows he will just follow her side.
- Episode 68 "Secret Meeting":
- Yusaku is shown to be interacting with Roboppi directly for the first time. He even takes them out to Kusanagi's truck, which is their very first time outside. They get fascinated with the sights and even befriend a butterfly.
- Yusaku tells Takeru to stay at the truck just in case if the place Ai went to could be a trap. Seeing how Soulburner got stuck in a trap back in episode 60, Yusaku's words show that he doesn't want Takeru to be captured again.
- Even if they tried to forcefully reprogram him to their side, Windy and Lightning treating Ai like an old friend and equal. Lightning in particular outright states that despite how they treat him, all the Ignis consider Ai the wisest of their kind.
- On that same token, Playmaker and Ai believing in the possibility that humans and the Ignis can coexist peacefully and trying to convince Lightning and Windy of that even when the latter attempts to convert him to their side via Data Storm.
- Episode 70 "Tuning Bullet": In a weird way Ai calling out to Windy when the Knights try to kill him after Revolver defeats him in a duel, shows us he truly cares about his fellow Ignis. Despite the fact that Windy along with lightning tried to kill him in order to rewrite his data which in turn happened a few minutes before and learning that Windy possibly killed or at least crippled his partner.
- Episode 71 "Declaration of War":
- The reason why Flame is for coexistence between humans and Ignis? It's because he sensed that his partner, Takeru, has unlimited potential.
- Playmaker's tone changes when talking to Jin. He normally uses 'omae'(a rude way to say 'you' in Japanese) when talking to someone, but he uses 'kimi' (a polite way) when talking to Jin.
- Episode 72 "Clear Perfection":
- Playmaker comforting Ai when he gets upset from seeing the fake Cyberse World destroyed, because it looks like his home.
- Playmaker actually follows Ai's advice that he should defeat Bohman now. Playmaker could have just not listened and told him to shut up as usual, but Ai told him sincerely he felt troubled about this after hearing a voice that tells him Bohman is too dangerous. Playmaker had enough reason not to do that and follow his own judgement, but he decides to follow and trust Ai's judgement or rather instinct instead.
- In general this episode really shows us how far Yusaku's and Ai's relation went despite Yusaku's denial of being friends.
- Episode 73 "Light Blade that Slices Despair":
- Ai reveals to Playmaker the upgrade of his Skill, Neo Storm Access. Playmaker tells him he has remarkable timing to finish it at this moment. Only for Ai to tell him he lied and that he could always use it, but kept it a secret. Playmaker smiles and says that's more like him. This whole exchange feels a lot more like acquaintances or rather friends who have known each other for a long time instead of hostage and hostage-taker.
- Remember when Ryoken said he would never be Yusaku’s friend and when Ryoken said he still regretted being Yusaku’s voice of hope? Well, he bothered to create a program that would protect Yusaku from being attacked like how Jin was attacked and delivered it personally to Yusaku. It’s not like he copy-and-pasted that program from the internet. Ryoken must have taken a lot of time to meticulously code with his knowledge of the Ignis algorithm; Ai even called it an incredible program.
- Also, Ryoken could have had one of his Knights deliver the program in his stead. After all, Yusaku knows how all of them look like and Ryoken visiting was quite dangerous as without him, the Knights would lose its leader. Ryoken didn’t do that because he knows Yusaku would trust him and trust him a lot. Seeing as how Yusaku installed the program immediately after Ryoken told him what it was, Ryoken was right.
- Ryoken words his reason as the enemy of his enemy is his friend, but it’s probably more than that. After all, based on that logic, he could instead have done nothing and watched as Lightning—another one of his enemies—take out Yusaku and Ai—another Ignis—before facing Lightning himself. It’s not like he and his Knights didn’t have the skills nor motivation to do so. It’s because Ryoken cares about and respects Yusaku so much, he would take the time and risk to go out of his way to protect Yusaku. He even said that after Yusaku survives his fight against Lightning, they will settle the score. Because Yusaku is someone worth doing that for. Ryoken is starting to warm up to Yusaku.
- Episode 74 "Captured Ignis":
- Yusaku or rather Playmaker meeting up with Akira in real life so that he can tell him about the situation of the Ignis. He even tells that in the worst case scenario that he's the last hope for LINK VRAINS. It's really touching that Yusaku trusts Akira enough to tell him that information in case he would fall against them especially when consider how much of a loner he was at the beginning.
- Earth rescuing Aqua despite the fact breaking the prison she's kept in would injure him and when they are pursued by GO, he pushes her off so that at least she's safe.
- Episode 76 "Memories Brought Back":
- Aoi and Miyu's friendship. Miyu befriended the lonely Aoi when no one else did. They played together, but it was only for a brief time until Aoi protected Miyu by lying to her mother that she lost Miyu's mother's ring and not her daughter. Aoi's lie was the end of their friendship, but Miyu never forgot Aoi for her memories were strong enough to allow Aqua to find a fragment of them.
- Akira reassuring Aoi about the lie she made. It shows how good of a person he is as a brother to Aoi (despite being siblings for only a year or so at the time) and as a person in general.
- Akira's statement about the Ignis and how he believes humans shouldn't do what they want with them because they aren't God.
- Aqua built a monument for Earth in his domain. His grave is a tree with a stone attached in the middle and covered with branches that form a heart-shaped motif.
- Aqua trying to heal Miyu from Lightning's virus. Despite not meeting her formally, Aqua was still willing to heal her Origin but the attempt became futile. Also, Aqua's unwavering determination for coexistence despite knowing the atrocities SOL Technologies did to Earth. The reason for her strong attachment to humanity is because of a fragment of Miyu's memories containing Aoi, who Miyu still considered a dear friend despite their friendship being brief.
- Aoi sleeping on a couch in Emma's apartment. Aoi is usually reserved and keeps to herself, so seeing her being open with Ema shows how much she has matured throughout the show.
- Episode 77 "Siblings in Conflict":
- Aoi is essentially Miyu's Ryoken. The drive to meet her again after six months of torture was what allowed to persevere through the Lost Incident. Also, she wore her hair in pigtails, most likely to remind herself of Aoi.
- Aqua stated that Aoi saved Miyu while Aoi believed it was the opposite for Miyu had changed her. She only had Akira, so Miyu coming into her lonely life was a blessing for her.
- The fact that Kengo and Emma's father still thought of Kengo before his passing despite abandoning him and his mother.
- Ghost Girl's account isn't deleted after Blood Shepherd hesitates to do so after hearing about their father's last words.
- Ai and Flame happily greeting Aqua after she partners up with Aoi. And then the three Ignis and their partners riding off, determined to stop Lightning.
- Episode 79 "Speed of Light - Lightning":
- It's fully confirmed that not only did Aoi/Blue Maiden join Playmaker's group, but Emma/Ghost Girl also joined them in preventing Lightning's goals.
- Emma meets her brother Kengo Dojun/Blood Shepherd at their father's grave. She asks him to join Playmaker's team in their battle against the enemy Ignis. He refuses, but tells her to stay out of the Ignis conflict for her own safety. This shows that despite their strained relationship, the siblings still care about each other in their own way.
- Episode 81 "Arrived at the Summit": When Playmaker meets GO again who still wants to beat him in order to regain his pride. The first thing Playmaker does is not immediately fight him despite what he did to Earth, but rather plead to him to fight with him once more since Lightning's faction is currently a big threat to humanity. Even though GO refused, it's still heartwarming for Playmaker to keep pleading to GO to fight together as comrades once more instead of immediately fighting.
- Episode 82 "What's Beyond Instincts": Aqua gets her Crystal Heart card back. Both Ai and Flame mention how Earth will be more at peace now that his most important card is in safe hands, easing Aqua's mind.
- Episode 83 "Irregular Meeting": Yusaku, Ai, Takeru, and Flame's heart-to-heart moment at Stardust Road. Yusaku believes he is at fault for what happened to GO Onizuka, but Takeru manages to tell him otherwise. Yusaku then tells Ai to live their lives in hiding from bad humans who would try to use them for nefarious purposes. Ai and Flame are moved by the fact that they have lives. This moment shows off Yusaku's character development profoundly as he cares about Ai and smiles the most he had ever did.
- Episode 84 "Past That Cannot Be Quieted":
- Yusaku allowed Takeru to duel Ryoken because Yusaku wanted Takeru to sort his feelings out; Takeru would not be able to work with Ryoken if he still held ill will. In other words, Yusaku strongly implied that he no longer holds ill will toward Ryoken, the leader of the Knights of Hanoi.
- After Ryoken revealed his identity, Yusaku stepped in and revealed that Ryoken was only eight during the Lost Incident and that he in fact saved them. Proving that even after all this time and all that has happened, Yusaku is still grateful to Ryoken.
- Takeru realizing that Revolver calling him to the meeting despite not being a programmer was Ryoken's way of apologizing for what had happened back then. He compliments Flame and tells him that he understands humans much better than himself. The whole moment was heartwarming since Flame is usually the hot-headed one of the two, so their roles had switched.
- This bit of dialogue before the Tower of Hanoi was reactivated is quite interesting. In other words, Yusaku STILL wants to find a new future with Ryoken in it and Ryoken even considered the possibility. Looks like Ryoken really is starting to warm up to Yusaku!Yusaku: "We believe in different futures. But by working together on this plan, we may find a new future."Ryoken: "I'll remember that."
- Bohman and Haru's interaction. Bohman considers Haru to be special to him for he is his little brother. Haru thinks otherwise since he was ordered by Lightning to be his younger brother despite being created before him. Haru seems to be developing emotions that he cannot comprehend because of Bohman.
- Episode 85 "True Tears":
- While Playmaker, Soulburner, Blue Maiden, Revolver, and Spectre are on their way to Mirror LINK VRAINS, Blue Maiden almost falls off her board...but she's saved by Playmaker who proceeds to tell her to be careful, not knowing what will happen to her if she gets lost in the void between Mirror LINK VRAINS and Old LINK VRAINS.
- The episode delves a little further into Bohman and Haru's relationship. After Haru is instructed to duel Blue Maiden to buy Bohman time to get ready for the upcoming battle, he stops by to see him one last time and Bohman advises him not to duel Aoi not because he doesn't have faith in him like Lightning, but rather concern for the fate of his brother. In general the episode showed that Haru was ordered to be Bohman's younger brother despite being created first and once Bohman's consciousness was perfected, Haru was ordered to be his servant instead and seemed as if he genuinely liked the idea that he and Bohman were brothers. Despite Lightning orders and knowing full well what their relationship really is, Bohman still considered Haru his younger brother and wanted to protect and make memories with him as an older brother would do for his younger sibling. Meanwhile, despite Haru's indifference to how Bohman felt, he genuinely did enjoy being Bohman's brother, and his defeat/deletion brought Bohman to tears assuring Haru that they'll always be together
- A special mention goes to Blue Maiden who when Haru tried to write off her relationship with Akira as not a real sibling relationship since they aren't blood related. Aoi retorts that even if her and Akira aren't blood related they still had each other when they had no one else, they made memories together, genuinely enjoy being around each other and that their hearts are connected even if they are step-siblings, a speech that leads Haru to the realization that he and Bohman are brothers since they bonded in a similar way, regardless what Lightning said. Extra points for Aoi Zaizen for feeling that way and calmly explaining that to Haru when most likely S1 Aoi/Blue Angel would've been immensely rattled/bothered by that comment and lashed out at Haru for it which shows how much she's grown since then.
- Episode 86: "Wisdom of the Deprived": A subtle one from both Spectre and Playmaker. When being confronted by Lightning, Spectre mentions that he felt an emptiness in his chest when he sensed Earth's death 10 episodes prior, Playmaker describes what Spectre felt as losing a part of himself and Ai immediately asked if Playmaker is saying that he is a part of him since he was created from him like Earth was for Spectre, to which Playmaker of course rights off. Regardless of Spectre's allegiance to the Knights of Hanoi or Playmaker's at times insistence that he and Ai aren't friends, both of them do care about their Ignis in someway since they are essentially a part of them since they were created from them.
- Episode 87: "Chain Destruction": A subtle one, but after Spectre is defeated the shock and concern in Revolver's voice as he watched him fall and Spectre apologizing to Revolver for losing is heartwarming in the sense that you see that Revolver genuinely cares about Spectre and that they are really friends since we don't get many moments of them interacting outside of business.
- Episode 91: "Proud Maiden":
- Akira encouraging Aoi to keep up the fight against Bohman and not give up hope and win the duel. This shows Akira's trust that Aoi is not a little kid anymore and that he trusts her to keep up fighting.
- When Blue Maiden knew she couldn't win against Bohman, in her last moments she apologizes to Aqua for reaching their limit only for Aqua to reply that It Has Been an Honor to be her partner.
- Bohman letting Aoi Zaizen/Blue Maiden meet her brother one last time so that she can say goodbye as a sign of respect to her fighting spirit and because he knows how painful it is not to say goodbye to a loved one since he lost his "little brother" Haru.
- Episode 95: "Radiance of the Phoenix": When Soulburner manages to get an advantage by rolling the fire attribute to help increase Pyro Phoenix's ATK points, Playmaker is shown to be smiling.
- Episode 96: "Lightning's Crime":
- When he sees that Lightning and Revolver are dueling, Playmaker rushes to them. He is still injured from his duel with Kusanagi, but he tells Ai that his pain is nothing compared to Soulburner's, who just lost to Bohman. He then makes the following vow:Playmaker: "I won't let everyone's sacrifices go to waste. And I promise to get revenge for my team!"
- When he sees that Lightning and Revolver are dueling, Playmaker rushes to them. He is still injured from his duel with Kusanagi, but he tells Ai that his pain is nothing compared to Soulburner's, who just lost to Bohman. He then makes the following vow:
- Episode 98: "The AI Crosses the Line":
- Revolver's change in mindset. Before, he wouldn't care about the sacrifices that came for his goals. Now, he hesitates and then ends his turn without harming Jin and Specter. Faust and Genome even talk about it.
- Revolver calls Ai by his name for the first time before turning into data.
- Episode 100: "Twisted Utopia":
- Playmaker telling Bohman how he changed from being lonely and revenge-driven because he met different people and opened up his horizons.
- The montage of the people Playmaker considers his friends. It starts with Soulburner, then Flame, Blue Maiden, Aqua, Go, Earth, Ryoken, Ghost Girl, and then ends with Kusanagi.
- Episode 101: "Unwavering Instinct": Playmaker officially referring Ai as his partner for the first time with confidence.
- Episode 102: "Entrusted Wishes":
- Ai reveals he managed to create a backup of himself in case of his death. When he returns to Playmaker, the his response is a warm smile to show that he's just happy that Ai is back while giving the comment he came back early this time.
- Aqua and Flame using their remaining power to give Ai the powers of the Ignis absorbed by Bohman so that he alongside Playmaker can defeat Bohman.
- The first 4 attacks of Firewall Dragon Darkfluid show the auras of the Ignis (except for Lightning and Ai) to show that they support Ai and Playmaker in spirit although they currently aren't with them and yes this includes Windy which is extra heartwarming since this shows that he truly wasn't a bad Ignis if it wasn't for Lightning.
- Bohman's last thoughts during his death were about Haru and how he hopes to be together with him again.
Season 3: Ai's Rebellion Arc
- Episode 103: "Journey to the End":
- Miyu awakening from her coma. Later in the episode, Aoi tells Yusaku that she came back from visiting a friend in the hospital, implying that the two reunited off-screen.
- Yusaku's interaction with Aoi and Takeru. With the former, they aren't as awkward like they were back in season 2. With Takeru, it's still the same back in season 2, but Yusaku is seen smiling constantly at Takeru's presence.
- Kusanagi giving Yusaku and Takeru free coffee for life.
- Ai placing a bouquet of flowers on front of five gravestones. The flowers are all the dead Ignis's color schemes from their eyes, streaks, and body color.
- Episode 104: "Declaring a Crime":
- Kusanagi tells Yusaku about Jin's recovery. He lost his memories of the Lost Incident due to Lightning, but it is helping him positively progress with his recovery that there is a chance he can be discharged and restart his life.
- Knowing that Ai has yet to return, Kusanagi tells Yusaku to begin anew with his life.
- Episode 105: "Intercept":
- Yusaku hears from Naoki that Aoi wants to talk to Playmaker and instead of hiding his identity or sending her a message as Playmaker, he decides to reveal his identity to her and Akira which shows he trusts them enough to keep his biggest secret.
- Yusaku and Aoi spend time alone together in a park after Akira departs for work. Aoi takes advantage of the opportunity to express her thanks to Yusaku in the form of a handshake for the countless number of times he helped her and her brother. A very wholesome (if rather awkward) moment indeed.
- Episode 110: "Ai's Sad Frustration":
- As Ai summons his @Ignister monsters, Pandor notes that each monster represents Ai's feelings for each corresponding Ignis, Playmaker even sums it up nicely: "Ai's deck shows he cares for his friends".
- Episode 112: "SOL's Decline":
- Despite the rather brutal means he took to take charge of it, Ai is surprisingly kind to the employees of SOL, even though he's firing them. He not only gives them time to get personal items from their desks, but he also gives them a huge severance package.
- Ai reopening Link VRAINS with all of its features unlocked for free. Especially if you wanted some companies to do the same for dead online games.
- Ai giving Roboppi their own island for their service, complete with it being populated with adorable animated appliances.
- Episode 118: "Reckless Proposal"
- It's subtle, but Ai engaging in some shenanigans during the duel. While there were moments of him being his old klutz self even in his previous duels, this is the first time he does so intentionally. Despite the stakes and the whole tragic situation around the duel, it shows how at ease he is with Playmaker.
- Doubles as a Tearjerker, before and during the summoning of "The Arrival Cyberse @Ignister", Ai briefly sees the spirits of the 5 deceased Ignis, just the look on his face and his statements show how much he cares about them. Even their spirits aligning with their respective monster during the summoning shows that they are symbolically uniting together.
- Episode 119: "Self Breakdown"
- When Ai mentions how losing your friends breaks your heart, Playmaker asks if he wants to break his heart by sacrificing himself, since they are friends.
- Episode 120: "Connected World"
- Yusaku telling Ai the meaning of his name to which Ai then replies he feels that way about him.
- The resolution of some of the major players in the series is shown after the three month time-skip starting with Ai returning everyone's consciousness data:
- Jin now lives with his brother helping him with his hot dog truck. Aoi is shown much happier than she has been throughout the series frequently visiting and asking when Yusaku might return.
- Akira is now the CEO of Sol Technologies managing the current version of Link VRAINS.
- Also the reason why Jin and Akira are working there, is so that Yusaku still has a place to return in both the real world and Link VRAINS in case he returns.
- Ghost Girl and Blood Shepard returned to their bounty hunting and now working together.
- Go returned to being a professional charisma duelist.
- Takeru is taking Kiku into Link VRAINS for the first time.
- Revolver and the Knights of Hanoi are now monitoring Link VRAINS protecting it from threats as a form of atonement for their misdeeds.
- The stinger shot shows the return of Playmaker with what appears to be Ai's data. This ends up even more heartwarming in Duel Links, which confirms that Ai is indeed alive and well.
