Heartwarming / Ghost of Tsushima

One of the best parts of the game as a whole.

• Being able to pet foxes, as pictured above, after honouring shrines to Inari. The fact that the foxes will always jump for joy afterwards is also very sweet to watch.
  • An update increases the heartwarming: pettable foxes will tap their feet in excitement, and it's now possible to occasionally belly-rub them.
• Before the final battle at Izumi village, Yuna suggests that she and Jin flee Tsushima and start a new life elsewhere. While it's not explicitly romantic, it's still easy to see how emotionally attached the two have become, especially since Taka's death left Yuna with little reason to leave the island.
• Any interaction between Jin and his horse. Some post-mission scenes show them napping together and Jin will often say endearing things to the animal. Which ends up becoming heartbreaking that the one companion that's been with him since the beginning ends up dying near the end of the 2nd act.
  Jin: You're a good horse.
  Jin: One day we'll go for a peaceful ride.
• Killing Khotun Khan whilst wearing the Ghost Armour can be very satisfying, as it was the final gift Taka made for Jin before dying at the Khan's hand. It feels almost like Taka is fighting beside you in spirit.
• After the True Final Boss, if you choose to spare Lord Shimura's life, Jin will say this:
  Jin: I have no honor. But I will not kill my family.
  • If you think about it, you can think of the 'I have no honor' line as a sort of Loophole Abuse. Since Jin has been branded as having no honor for becoming The Ghost, he is under no obligation to adhere to Bushido, and thus does not have to kill his uncle.
    • Lord Shimura looks relieved when Jin says this, probably because he's happy Jin found a loophole that allows them both to live.
  • Jin and Shimura's relationship, especially in the flashbacks where Shimura raises and trains Jin. Jin is determined to rescue his uncle in the first act and it's evident he sees Shimura as his father when he declares himself Shimura's nephew first when he meets Khotun Khan for the first time. Likewise, Shimura sees Jin as the son he never had and wants to formally adopt him. Which makes it all the more sadder when their relationship fractures over the course of the game. And even then, before their final fight and even if the player chooses to kill Shimura, they remain respectful to each other and display familial love for one another.
• Jin's behavior toward many of the people of Tsushima in general. He's endured a lot since the Mongols first landed on Komoda Beach, but he will gladly go out of his way to help people and comfort those who have lost their homes and loved ones despite all the trauma he himself has endured.
• Jin's interactions with Yuriko during "Ghosts of the Past". Yuriko is overjoyed to see that Jin is still alive and the pair spend a good deal of the tale together, Yuriko reminiscing about when Jin was younger, such as when he first learned to ride a horse or when he accidentally gave his uncle a black eye with a wooden kodachi.
  Yuriko: Lord Shimura and your father laughed so hard, I feared they would choke to death!
• While the "Peace for the Divine" mission can be rather upsetting, what makes it truly heartwarming is how much the foxes seem to trust Jin. When he discovers a dead fox and the desecrated Inari shrine, a fox will approach Jin and lead him to a nearby Mongol camp so he can avenge their slain brethren. And after Jin has killed the Mongols responsible, several foxes will approach Jin as though to thank him for his help, and the one who showed him the camp will allow Jin to pet him, all while he reassures the foxes that they are safe once more.
• Doubles as something a Tear Jerker, but there's a moment during "The Husband" when Jin and Masako are sitting by a ledge behind the Adachi estate. Masako says that she and her grandchildren would sit in that spot and make music together, tearfully lamenting that she'll never hear them play again. Jin wordlessly produces his flute and plays a short song for Masako, to which she responds with a genuine "Thank you."
• Shino from "The River Children" decides to move forward from her father's death by learning how to become a healer from her aunt.

Iki Island Expansion

• The numerous monkey, deer, and cat sanctuaries around Iki Island, where Jin can play his flute while remembering his mother. Even sweeter, when Jin finishes playing, he can feed the animals and pet them afterwards.
• Despite the role that Tenzo had in killing Jin's father, it's almost touching to see how much he and Jin come to trust each other during the story. Even after the truth is revealed, Jin willingly forgives him during the final battle.
• Jin meets a monk tormented by the Eagle's poison, who was convinced to hand his temple over to the Mongols. After remedying that, rather than chew out a man who is obviously suffering and in profound anguish, Jin assures him he won't be alone, sits with him all night, and plays the flute to help him return to himself from whatever nightmare he's lost in.
• It turns out Kenji can do good — knowing that almost everyone on Iki Island wants him dead and after everything he and Jin did to secure passage to the mainland, Kenji gives up his seat to the young fisherman who rescued him. Jin didn't ask or even suggest it. He did it all by himself.
• If you explore the island carefully enough, Jin can find a wooden stag figurine that he had carved for his father in childhood, and he even sounds both touched and shocked to learn that Kazumasa had kept it all this time. It goes to show that despite his awkwardness and hesitance, Kazumasa really loved Jin in his own way; he'd just struggled to return it in the way his wife used to.
• Tenzo bowing to Jin while thanking him at the end of the DLC. And if you have Jin bow back to him, Tenzo will lightly tease him for it, showing how far their camaraderie has come.