Heartwarming / Guilty Gear

Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

Guilty Gear -STRIVE- has its own Heartwarming page.

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Guilty Gear to Guilty Gear XX:AC

• Many of the game's scenes which involve Dizzy and her interaction with other characters.
  • In GGX, she makes friends with the most unexpected people considering that she is a wanted criminal and a feared command-type Gear. She makes friends with Potemkin, a military man, Ky Kiske, a police officer and former Crusader^note Whom she'll later marry, and especially, Johnny, a pirate who takes her into his group.
  • In the Drama CD, we learn that Dizzy's wish is to have a friend that will accept her despite what she is. Later when Jose, Dizzy's only friend, apparently abandons her, Testament says the words "I'm with you" and tells themself that their new purpose in life is to protect her. This is very heartwarming when you connect it to Testament's story which they narrated earlier where they were a kind person who was turned into a killing machine.
  • One of the paths in Dizzy's story mode in XX ends with an encounter between her and That Man. Rather than act antagonistically towards her, That Man encourages Dizzy to live on in spite of her reputation as a Gear, proclaiming her to be a beacon of hope for the world, and he imparts these words to her just in time for the Jellyfish Pirate Crew to arrive into the scene to get Dizzy back. It's a nice insight not just into Dizzy's character, but for That Man's as well, showing that despite his status as an antagonist, his motives aren't all that bad.
  • In Accent Core, Dizzy and Testament fight over the idea of trusting humans. Realizing that Dizzy is determined to live as a human, they tell her never to see them again. Instead of being hurt, Dizzy kindly replies that Testament will one day learn to forgive humans and they will see each other again.
  • For that matter, in spite of all their aggression and misanthropy towards humanity, if Testament beats Kliff in AC+ Arcade Mode, their win quote is a meek "Father...I..."
  • Dizzy's has an ending in Midnight Carnival where Sol calms her down after she loses control of her power. She wakes up crying, feeling warm and comforted and asks herself if Gears like her have parents. Sol watches her from afar.
• Johnny's moments with May and the members of his crew, despite the fandom's joke of Johnny being a paedophile. Johnny (as we know it) is a womanizer with dashing looks and sex appeal. But still, he chooses to stick with his adopted family, and treasures May the most. It is stated in his profile that his father died from a Gear attack when he was 13, yet still, he looks for Dizzy because she's clearly in danger and happily takes her into his crew.
• In the Battle of Rome, Ky fights an army of Gears alone with no means of escape, all to save a single person while Sol does the same to rescue him. In the original timeline, Ky dies and Sol cries at his demise. In the current timeline, where things are better, the young captain (who is in fact dead serious all the time) smiles in relief when Sol arrives.
  Ky: Ah, nothing... if you're here, I feel safe.
• Venom's and Millia's respective endings in Accent Core where they finally move on from losing Zato and agree to stop fighting each other. This is much more poignant because of Venom's love for Zato that is never returned. Despite Millia betraying the man he loved most, Venom, knowing that Millia suffered the same as he, pardons her crime.
  • After Millia and Venom's confrontation, we have Eddie, the beast that lives in Zato's corpse, asking Millia to remember him before he dies. Millia agrees and vows to herself to keep on living to carry on the memory of the people she killed.
  • Venom's 2nd ending shows an alternate scenario where Venom disbands the Guild and lives on as a billiard player. He meets a boy named Eddie who has lost his home. Venom decides to take care of the boy as he reminds him of his memories with Zato.
• The GG Xtra Manga offers a scene where Ky meets Kliff, his idol, for the first time. Ky, who is around 7 years old, runs alone in a snowy town and tells himself that if he doesn't fight he'll just die. When he arrives at where Kliff is, the commander asks if he lost his mother. Ky replies that she's dead and he wants to fight in the war. Kliff tells him that he might get killed, but Ky remains determined; finally, Kliff raises his Dragonslayer on Ky and scares the shit out of him. Kliff explains that he's just a kid but is really impressed. He pats Ky's head and tells him to survive in five years and meet him again. Ky runs off crying with a brave face.

Guilty Gear 2

• In Sol's short story, Sin, who is just physically 4 years old gets in between Sol and Ky who are beating each other up. The little child tells Sol to stop because his mother, who is also there, cries when Ky gets hurt. The anti-social and foul- mouthed Sol did stop punching Ky.
• Sin's dialogue with Ky at Missions 15 and 16 in Overture. Ky arrives with an army to help Sol and the others defeat the Vizuel Army. Sol leaves Sin with his father and an awkward meeting follows. After exchange of words, Ky admits to Sin that he wasn't a good father to him and explains his duty as king. Sin is then annoyed at Ky because he's "always right" and asks him why he cares more about other people than his own family, but soon after, the kid promises his father that he'll "save his ass" for his mother's sake. After a father and son tag team versus the lolita Valentine army, Ky sends off Sin to follow Sol. Sin hesitates to leave his father in the middle of battle and the two have the following dialogue:
  Ky: Now hurry. And son, come back alive for your mother's sake.
  Sin: Don’t... start acting... like my dad! The old man is my only dad. But at least... now I know that you love Mom. That's why... the same goes for you. If you die and make Mom sad, I'll never forgive you.
  Ky: Yes. I promise.
  Sin: And one more thing! If you wanna act like a dad, don't talk so formally. Just "hey you" or "what the hell" is fine.
• The part where Sol is trapped in the dimension alone and thought of never being able to go back home is a heartwarming scene once you realize that the anti-social Sol considers going home.

Guilty Gear Xrd and Revelator

• Ky's official bio information has been slightly modified. His dislikes are no longer listed as Sol, and his likes have been changed from "smiles" to... Sin and Dizzy.
  • And Dizzy's reunion with Ky and Sin in Xrd melted many a Guilty Gear fan's heart. Topped off with Sin finally calling Ky "Dad".
• In Zato's arcade opening, he is seen floating in a dimensional prison after being resurrected, a prisoner of his own thoughts. Once those thoughts turn to Millia, though...
  Zato-ONE: "Perhaps the outside is not so bad..."
• Whenever Sol and Ky have a friendly conversation that shows how much their relationship has evolved, particularly; when Ky asked Sol why he cared for Dizzy and Sin even if he vowed to kill all Gears. Sol can't answer and Ky tells him that he should not be consumed by his past and that they [He, Dizzy and Sin] are his new home.
• All the efforts Sin goes through to make Ramlethal laugh and learn emotions. This includes giving Ram a magical puppy, partying with her and Elphelt for an entire day, and telling her why he believes in God.
• Sol Badguy is distrustful and a bit mean to Elphelt most of the story, but when Elphelt is being robbed of her will, he's the one most passionate about trying to save her, relentlessly pushing her to fight against the Universal Will's control over her.
  Sol: When I went into the Backyard after Justice, you stopped me. Now I figure that was part of your plan. But the reason you gave me... something about how people shouldn't be alone. If that's not a lie... PROVE IT TO ME!
• Ramlethal gaining emotions through the efforts of Sin and Elphelt, to the point of caring for a dog and making a Heel–Face Turn and negating Elphelt's self-destruct mechanism. She even swears to find Elphelt with tears in her eyes, no matter how long it takes for her to find her sister.
  • Related to the above is that even Bedman pitches in on the effort, once he realizes Ramlethal is no longer a blank slate. He immediately yells at his employer for trying to make him kill "a young woman", and shows Ramlethal that an exact replacement of something is not the same as the original.
• Faust's character development as The Atoner, especially his concern for May's well-being and connection to whatever is happening in Japan. This especially shows in the finale, in which he corners Chronus, but dismisses murderous revenge in favor of interrogating him about what's going on in Japan.
• Chipp taking time out of his busy presidential schedule to track down May and give her a well-deserved What the Hell, Hero? for panicking over her illness and running away from the Jellyfish Pirates. Her reunion with Johnny and the crew definitely counts as well.
• One of the flashback scenes, with Fred and Aria bickering Like an Old Married Couple. Even That Man, back when he and Sol were on speaking terms, gets in on it.
• Using Johnny's Treasure Hunt, which on hit steals a precious item from the opponent for Johnny to use as a substitute coin, on Ky and Dizzy reveals that their precious items are a picture of Dizzy with a baby Sin (for Ky) and a family portrait of the Kiskes (for Dizzy). Using it on Axl causes him to retrieve a pocket watch which, as Revelator's Story Mode shows, contains a photo of Megumi.
• While the circumstances aren't ideal, Dizzy waking up in May's cannon when hit by her instant kill gives her a line that instantly proves how happy she is with Ky.
  Dizzy: Is it this dark already? I should prepare dinner.
• Ky's literally starry-eyed reaction to Dizzy's Instant Kill has a foot here and another on Funny Moments, since it shows that he loves Dizzy with all of his heart - including her immense power that caused her so much pain in the past.
  • To reiterate: Dizzy's Instant Kill consists of her causing Necro to miss with a massive nuke-style attack that causes the opponent to give up at the sheer display of power. Most characters are shown with a look of pure shock. Ky's is more like "That's my baby!"
• I-No going out of her way to comfort Axl with a speech after Jack-O' reveals that the latter isn't human to begin with and that he may have lost his chance to return to his own timeline for good can come off as this, seeing as it's a rare out-of-character moment for a rather villainous woman to do something nice for somebody else just like she used to before her Start of Darkness. Given that in -STRIVE- we learn that I-no is Megumi - or at least an older, more cynical Alternate Timeline version of her. Axl's speech about how his girlfriend would support him in his decision was truer than he knew.
• When the Universal Will tries to tear down humanity to Sol's face by point out all of their flaws and reminding him that he's just a monster in their world, Sol replies with what can only be considered all of his character development in one short speech. He's finally gone from a cold loner to realizing he has people around him that care.
  Sol: You like fireworks?
  St. Maximus: ...Hah?
  Sol: I make it a habit to be alone. Always have... That's the path I've chosen. The world I've started to like. Then all of a sudden a whole bunch of people start to butt into my peaceful life with ideas of their own. I'm in love with this, I want to protect that, I want to rise up, I want to reclaim those, I want to redo everything... You can see how that'll get on a man's nerves. It's like watching fireworks. But you know, that's helped me realize something... That I'm not just "one," I'm "one of many." My world existed in a box of freedom that was handed to me. So, you try and change the world according to your plans, but in doing so you affect and are affected by others... How's that any different from what you're trying to do!? This world's like one huge-ass firework. How the hell can I miss it?
• Sol getting Aria back. For possibly the first time in the series, he looks and sounds hopeful for the future..
• From REVELATOR 2 After Story A, Ramlethal and Elphelt meet up with Ky, Dizzy and Sin for breakfast, while they're discussing whether the crowds would want Dizzy or not as Ky's consort. When Dizzy offers to stay in hiding, Elphelt protests and pulls out a newspaper and reads part of the main piece, that of reader submissions from the citizens singing praises to Dizzy, calling her an angel or a goddess, and really wanting her as their Queen. This makes Dizzy cry Tears of Joy, since it means the normal crowds are warming up to her.
• In the same scene as above, after years of speculation and Revelator confirming it the players finally, finally get to hear Dizzy refer to Sol as "Father".
• Before all of that we are treated to a scene with Raven and That Man (now referred to as Asuka) having a chat before going their separate ways. Throughout the whole talk Raven makes it clear that he has cherished their time together and now thinks of Asuka as a genuine friend. Coming from someone with the kind of baggage he has really drives the point home.
• Millia, Venom, and Zato have gone from bitter enemies from the previous games, to True Companions. Millia and Venom are a lot more amicable with each other, especially since they both loved the same man. Zato after his revival starts off empty, but start becoming more determined to live on thanks to his feelings for Millia. While it may take a lot of time for Millia to start to love again, she can at least look at Zato in a new and improved light without the baggage that came with it in the past.
• Dizzy's Episode Mode sheds more light on her and Ky's relationship, namely how they first met in a flashback sequence, and how Ky's responses to Dizzy's question on the value of power despite hurting someone else somehow encouraged her to be not as fearful of her own powers. Fans had asked for such things before, and Rev 2 did not disappoint.
  Dizzy: "You have such a strong heart... I wish I did, too."
  Ky: "Perhaps you feel that way because you don't have a chair in your heart."
  • Adding on to the flashback, after Ky's defeat by Dizzy, he reminisces on how she reminded him of Sol when she demanded to know why Ky didn't finish her when he had the chance, long before any of the three realizing their exact relationship to each other. Ky brings her to probably her first Tears of Joy.
    Ky: "Heh heh... You just reminded me of someone... '"Bend your words, and you bend the emotion that you wished to convey."' I wanted to show you... That some humans are able to handle your power."
• Rev 2's After Story B, in which Venom remains resolute in his loyalty to Zato in the face of a group of corrupt Assassin's Guild members, refusing to assist them in creating their own profit-focused branch of the Guild. As it turns out, they were merely sent by Zato to test his determination and principles. Zato then provides Venom a deed to a shop and some disguising tips, allowing him a new, peaceful life as a baker, free from the Guild.
• Sol and Ky's fight. Specifically, how Ky reacts to Sol goading him by calling Dizzy a monster. Note that at this point, Ky knows Sol well enough to know he doesn't mean what he said, but he still responds by flipping out and kicking his ass so hard that Sol's left flat on his back in the middle of a smoking crater. It just goes to show that it doesn't matter who you are or what your intentions were, you don't speak badly of Dizzy in Ky's presence.