Heartwarming / Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia

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"Ana! Why don’t you accept his kind offer?"

• Episode 0:
  • The montage of Dr. Roman preparing for the future he saw, knowing just how much he sacrificed to be ready for humanity's incineration. In spite of having a new life, Roman spent it working towards protecting humanity.
  • Dr. Roman and Mash bonding. After seeing her be treated like a doll, Romani's compassion comes as a relief and we get a sense of just how much Mash meant to him. We get to see him introducing her to Sherlock Holmes and Anderson's fairy tales. We even have Mash watching the Jeremy Brett series with Roman!

• Episode 2:
  • Ana being brought out of her shell when a guardsman offers her some sweets to eat.

• Episode 3:
  • Fujimaru and Mash's first night in Uruk as everyone gets to feast and know each other.
  • When Ana holds some silver coins in her hand, the closeup reveals images of Enkidu printed on them. Gilgamesh cherished Enkidu so much that he even had his kingdom's currency reflect it.
  • Around the tail-end of the episode, Ana asked for Fujimaru and Mash's help to eliminate some monsters in Uruk's underground. Ana explains these monsters were held to be responsible for the spate of recent deaths-by-illness in Uruk. It was eventually revealed that they seem to be targeting the house of the kindly flower house-keeper they met earlier—one of the few people who treats Ana without suspicion and with warm kindness.

• Episode 5:
  • Much of the Episode shows Gilgamesh at his most positive traits: he shows himself to be very good/amiable to the children at the streets, he is quite reasonable despite being an all-business boss (at least in demeanor)—and quite unusually for him, he even takes Mash's comment on him playing hooky from work in stride. This also helps further humanize him as someone who has learned enough from his experiences in life. Which makes it way more heartbreaking when, at the end of the episode, he finally faces off with "Enkidu"—the reminder of his biggest failure and defeat.

• Episode 6:
  • Fujimaru and Ushiwakamaru have several moments in which the former reveals he's read about her history and even considers her one of his childhood heroes, to which she's truly touched by and admitting he's the first who's ever understood her since her big brother.
  • Fujimaru choosing to untie Ishtar when the undead of Kutha rise at night so she can escape without issue, despite their rather antagonistic relationship so far, because of her actions in aiding Uruk. Even though it's actually Ereshkigal in control at the time, she's still touched and chooses to wipe out the undead for the heroes, and becomes further touched when Fujimaru thanks her for it.

• Episode 8:
  • Amidst all the awesome, Ushiwakamaru gets a Patrick Stewart Speech before she unleashes her Noble Phantasm that calls back to an earlier heartwarming moment, making it all the sweeter:
    "We are Heroic Spirits! Shadows of humans who once existed, engraved into human history. Our reward for the restoration of humanity will be our continued history."
    "That's right, a child who admired Ushiwakamaru, existed a thousand years in the future. That fact alone allows me to fight! It makes it all the worth risking this temporary life for!"

• Episode 9:
  • Fujimaru, Mash, and Merlin meeting up with Ana again and their happiness at seeing her up and feeling better. They also reassure her when she apologizes for not being of more use in Nippur, and Fou climbs up on her shoulder and nuzzles her cheek. The entire scene is extremely sweet and adorable.
  • The entire fireside chat between Fujimaru and Ishtar (or, rather, Ereshkigal possessing her while she sleeps) is very adorable, but special mention goes to when he assures her that no, he doesn't hate her, and he wasn't going to run away from her.

• Episode 10:
  • In a roundabout way, the fact that Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Warrior has a roundabout way of fighting Uruk and the Three Goddess Alliance counts as one. Being genuinely heroic spirits who know that Tiamat is serious about killing humanity in their time, they go through the motions of killing and abducting the men, while resurrecting them afterwards and keeping them safe as a reserve army that they can deploy when the alliance breaks down. The fact that they're doing this while coming off as the kookiest of the goddesses' camps is a feat in and of itself.

• Episode 12:
  • Fujimaru quickly comes to Ereshkigal's defense even after learning she is a part of the Three Goddess Alliance, insisting she's not a bad person and hoping they can talk out their differences even as his friends are preparing for a fight. They may not have had a lot of time together, but he clearly cares about her.

• Episode 13:
  • Almost everything after Ereshkigal reveals her true form is extremely heartwarming. Fujimaru expresses his happiness that Ereshkigal is actually a good person who likes humans and was trying to protect them in the only way she knew how, and welcomes her as an ally and friend. Meanwhile Ereshkigal, for her part, turns into an Adorkable blushy mess for most of the scene but is encouraged by how Fujimaru treats her, and promises to return the favor someday. (And those who played the game know that she makes true on her promise.)
  • Ishtar's reason for going down to the underworld in the original myth was concern for Ereshkigal. Ishtar disliked how Ereshkigal remained cooped up in the underworld with no company and wanted to go down and encourage her to step out every now and then. She didn't understand the necessity of what Ereshkigal was doing by remaining in the underworld at all times, but the gesture proves that despite their rivalry Ishtar really does care about Ereshkigal.
    • Related to the above: who's the first person to react when Ziusu-dra seemingly cuts Ereshkigal in half (he actually severed her contract with the Three Goddess Alliance)? Ishtar, who launches a flying kick at the old man. No one gets to harm Ishtar's sister while she's around.

• Episode 18:
  • At the start of the episode, Gilgamesh gives Fujimaru and Mash some honest praise at a time when it's needed. They had been blaming themselves for releasing Tiamat ever since they heard that only 500 citizens of Uruk were still alive. Gilgamesh urges them not to think of them as only five hundred, but as a whole five hundred. He then reveals to them that his vision showed that nobody was going to survive, and that he had seen himself alone in an empty world. Therefore, the very fact that five hundred people yet lived was a major victory in and of itself, and they thus still had reason to hope. It works, and Fujimaru and Mash both appear to be more at ease after the talk.
  • Lost and without a sense of purpose, Kingu eventually decides to steal away to the top of Gilgamesh's palace. Eventually, Gilgamesh finds him. While he makes clear that he has in no way forgotten all of Kingu's actions against him and Uruk, he also continues to treat him with uncharacteristic respect. When Kingu (clearly still confused) lashes out as to why he is doing this (while his body is slowly falling apart, for that matter), Gilgamesh nonchalantly tosses a Holy Grail—very likely the one he denied Fujimaru early in the series—to heal Kingu. Gilgamesh then spells it out: while he is definitely his own person, his possession of Enkidu's body still makes him the Chain of Heaven, Gilgamesh's trusted weapon and friend—and why wouldn't he protect/help that which succeeds/stands for his best friend?

• Episode 19:
  • During Tiamat's advance on Uruk, she attempts to snipe Fujimaru from a distance. However, Gilgamesh sees it coming and takes the bullet for him. After attempting to downplay his injury and continuing his defense of Uruk, he leaves him and Mash with some last words of wisdom before they descend to the underworld. But what really cements this moment as heartwarming is that it shows how far Gilgamesh has come as a person. That, of all people, GILGAMESH would perform a Heroic Sacrifice for someone else.
  • As Kingu becomes the Chains of Heaven to hold back Tiamat until Ereshkigal is ready the camera cuts to Gilgamesh several times. He watches wordlessly as his friend sacrifices himself to save Uruk, grateful that this time he did not crumble to dust in his hands, but stayed a Beast and fought as a true hero should.
  • When Merlin returns from Avalon after being slain as a Servant, Fujimaru and Mash are overjoyed to see him again, alive and well. It's so touching it even gets Merlin to blush!

• Episode 20:
  • When Merlin holds off multiple Bel Lahmu with a Caliburn replica, he happily reminisces of his time training Altria.
  • Ishtar is devastated when she sees that Ereshkigal is disappearing due to breaking the taboo not to interfere. Ishtar simply holds Ereshkigal in her arms as she disappears.
  • Despite all the destruction she's caused, Fujimaru still sympathizes with Tiamat's sorrow of being abandoned by her children. He gets her to stop her Reality Marble by assuring her she's loved and that humanity must move on.

• Episode 21:
  • Merlin's final farewell
    Merlin: Fujimaru, Chaldean Stargazer. A pioneer that no one will ever remember. Your battle is one I will always honor. May you have a good journey until the end. At your journey's finish, I pray that the skies will be bright and clear for you.
  • As Fujimaru laments his inability to save more people it is Gilgamesh consoles him by acknowledging that he and Chaldea were what were needed to survive the day.
  • Gilgamesh doesn't let himself vanish as a Servant until he sees that the last of his people are going to be okay. Then he lets go.
    • Incidentally, the fact that some of them did survive; the survival of the 500 who went to the Northern Wall after Tiamat attacked wasn't clear in the game.