Heartwarming / Gyakuten Kenji 2

• When examing the Steel Samurai stand during case 1, Gumshoe immediately starts considering if he has the money to buy some Samurai Dogs. Miles catches him at it and Gumshoe starts reprimanding himself for how he shouldn't eat during a case. Instead, Miles tells him that he'll buy a box of Samurai dogs for him after the case is done. Miles is finally offering to pay for something Gumshoe wants. And poor Gumshoe is shocked.
• Raymond still firmly believes Edgeworth and Manfred von Karma are not so different. Then Gumshoe and Kay get sick of it, giving him a massive speech on Edgeworth's Character Development and how he's no longer an Amoral Attorney. Even Edgeworth opens up a fair bit more than he has in the series. (Raymond even lampshades it.)
• Larry continues to go by Laurice Deauxnim, honoring his mentor's memory even long after her death. Furthermore, his drawing of Kate, Scones and Courtney shows that he has improved greatly since Trials and Tribulations. Elise made no mistake taking him under her wing, and would probably be proud of his progress.
• Should you tell Franziska about Kay's Laser-Guided Amnesia, she immediately starts showing concern for Kay. She especially takes note of her extensive injuries and is understandably unnerved by her shift in personality, and implores Miles to restore her memory as soon as possible. She can't even be blamed for laying into Miles for "letting this happen."
• The ending of Case 4, where Kay regains her memories when Edgeworth gives her the promise notebook.
  • In that case, it was more like... "I am Kay Faraday...The Great Thief Yatagarasu!" ("The Great Truth Burglar" starts up)
• Surprisingly enough, one of the possible dialogues for presenting wrong evidence to the Big Bad in the second game contains one of these. Shields tells Edgeworth he believes in him and encourages him not to give up. It's actually very empowering for the player given what usually happens in wrong evidence dialogues.
• A very surprising one happens during the ending of the second game. Gumshoe finally gets his salary raised for once!
• Edgeworth's Get A Hold Of Yourself Man to Sebastian Debeste, Edgeworth actually trying to help him in a Stealth Mentor way after he almost broke down mentally was really touching.
  Edgeworth: We are prosecutors. And as prosecutors, we stand in the courtroom. And in that case, isn't it our duty to shed light on the truth? Exposing crimes and bringing criminals to justice. Even if that criminal is your own father. That is your duty as a prosecutor. Didn't I promise you? That if you have the courage to stand up, I will show you the way. And if you cannot do it alone, then we shall do it together.
  • Franziska's attitude to Sebastian as well, which really displays how she's become more kind and empathetic since she was first introduced into the series.
• At the end of the game, Dogen saves Simon, asking for his life to be spared out of love for him. Dogen then returns to prison with Simon, but assures him that they are simply going home.
  • Further, Dogen saved Simon and Horace's lives, getting them out of the frozen car they were stuck in, and dropping them off at an orphanage.
• The bittersweet moment between Knightley and Simon in the Detention Centre. Even if Simon no longer considers him a friend, Knightley is almost like a different person.
• There's a parent-and-child theme running throughout the game, showing many varieties of these relationships, from unhealthy to very healthy to families of choice. Seeing this theme culminate in Edgeworth taking on a borderline Papa Wolf role with Kay in case 4, a nearly fatherly tone in his support of Sebastian when he calms him down and pulls him out of the Despair Event Horizon in case 5, and the way he actually communicates fine with John despite claiming to be no good with kids is very rewarding and might cause the shed of Manly Tears. His father would be proud of him.
  • To go with this, on the other side, Justine initially presents herself as distant and unfeeling towards Edgeworth and co. but in the last two cases she mellows considerably, showing she has a soft side and feels bad for Sebastian when Blaise craps all over his son's incompetence. It finally culminates when you learn she has an adoptive son and anything he does or has happen to him can turn the normally-stoic Justine into a zealous and passionate mother. It showcases another side of her not seen before.
  • It's really a moment of insight into her relationship with Sebastian throughout the game until now. Her efforts to put him in control over critical investigations and defend his terrible judgment against everyone else are frustrating and obstructive, and strongly imply that she has a secret agenda. It turns out she's a Reasonable Authority Figure busy undermining Blaise, whom she already knows is both corrupt and abusive. Taking Sebastian under her wing gives him at least one person in his life he can trust for support, which he will need even more if all goes right, and appointing him to cases gives her more influence without letting on to Blaise that she has plans of her own.
• Quite a lot of the last scenes in the game are heartwarming, but this exchange really stands out.
  Edgeworth: The only way to right these contradictions of the law is by joining the court system. The one who could save Simon Keyes was not an attorney, but rather a watchman of the law: a prosecutor. I shall face the contradictions of the law as a prosecutor.
  Raymond: .......... I get it. That's just like you. But you know... it won't be easy. You're not aiming for the ordinary. Instead, you're planning to fight the law itself.
  Edgeworth: I know. However, someone must.
  Raymond: Yeah, yeah. I believe in you, too. Both the law and people can grow, you know. I'm sure you can pull it off. After all, you're Gregory's son. Gregory would never give up, no matter what. His eyes always saw only what lied straight ahead. Miles... Your eyes when you chose to live as a prosecutor looked just like your father's. It looks like you've grown a little. I really want Gregory to see this.
  Edgeworth: Thank you very much, Mr. Shields.
  • Probably worth noting Shields earlier said Gregory was probably watching over Edgeworth and was proud of him.
  • And that to this day, eighteen years later, Raymond wears Gregory's hat and keeps a picture of the two of them on his desk, which he talks to sometimes. He later gets a picture of himself with Miles to put next to it and tells the picture of Gregory how proud he would be of his son. He even made sure the second picture was taken in the exact same spot as the first.
• There's something heartwarming in that Gregory Edgeworth is so very like Phoenix Wright, moreso than he is like his son. It's as if when Phoenix decided to become serious about being an attorney after Case 3-1, he took on Gregory's spirit. After all, he couldn't be more different from when he was still an art student to when he's in his first case, defending Larry. And in that way, it's as if Edgeworth was put back on the right path because of his father.
• In relation to the note about the theme of the game above, this is the game that really highlights on Kay and Edgeworth's relationship, which is less like that of a brother and sister, or lovers, or friends, but that of a father and daughter. Even before her memory loss, Edgeworth constantly says things to Kay that a father would say to his daughter. He scolds her gently, even when he's experiencing Anger Born of Worry when she is amnesiac, and in the third case, he's always telling her not to do things with all the air of a parent telling their child not to touch something; sometimes stern, sometimes calm, and even with his eyes closed, so he's not even looking at her. Kay's responses tend to lean towards her more childish dialogue and either express disappointment, surprise that he figured her out without her saying or doing anything, or cheerfully offers a reason why her doing that thing she was told not to do isn't that bad.
  • It definitely becomes clear in Case 4, where he is always at Kay's side, always defending her, always believing in her (even though she doesn't believe in herself), while Blaise Debeste misses no opportunity to insult his own son and cut him down. And the contrast only becomes stronger once you learn that Sebastian isn't so much a Smug Snake getting his comeuppance as a "Well Done, Son" Guy who doesn't realize how pathetic he looks in the eyes of others — and that Blaise is an utter bastard.
  • And the game's Big Bad picks up on it too; despite seeing them together only for a little while, he knows that endangering Kay will rile Edgeworth and bring out his best effort.
• A short but sweet line in Case 3 comes up twice: "A father can work miracles when his son is watching." It's first said— er, thought, by Gregory Edgeworth (sadly, he was referring to the upcoming trial which he lost and was killed immediately after), and then said again later by Dane Gustavia (also sadly, he was just bullshitting and didn't actually care one bit about his son).
• In Case 3's flashback portion, it's implied that Badd intervened to stop Jeff Master's intense all-night questioning session. After it turns out that Gregory and the others can't give anything to the suspect, Badd gives Master Kate's chocolates on their behalf so Master can restore his blood sugar.
• Edgeworth has some encouraging words for Judge Courtney when she is disgusted with herself for failing to operate a fair and impartial trial when someone she loved was in danger.
  Edgeworth: Judge Courtney. I am not as well acquainted with the Goddess of Law as you are. However... isn't that goddess also a mother of other gods? The law makes exceptions for extenuating circumstances. It understands a mother's heart. I'd say perhaps your Goddess sympathizes with you more than you think.
  • And at the end of the game
    Edgeworth: Your Honor... I do not intend to speak regarding your ideals. However, the greatest judge I know... is one overflowing with humanity. Even during a trial, that judge experiences happiness, anger, sadness, and joy... but nevertheless always hands down the correct verdict in the end.
• Shelly de Killer's Hitman with a Heart moments. First by helping Edgeworth get justice for Worthy Opponent Ethan Rooke (despite Shelly having nothing to gain and his freedom to risk by doing so), then by sparing traitorous client Simon Keyes for fellow assassin Sirhan Dogen's sake.
• The Logic Chess between Edgeworth and Sebastian after the latter gets kidnapped. Unlike other Logic Chess sessions where Edgeworth corners his opponent through his words, Edgeworth is now consoling the emotionally broken Sebastian. He's patient with Sebastian, letting him vent in order to calm him down and get to the truth. Even after he gets all the information he needs, Edgeworth helps guide Sebastian on the path to become a better kind of prosecutor than his father, and offers his help in showing him the way if he's willing.
• John refuses to seek revenge on Sirhan Dogen, not because he's forgiven him — he hasn't — but because doing so would make his mother and everyone else who cares about him suffer.
• Even Manfred Von Karma gets himself a minor one. When discussing the matter of Gustavia's connection to the victim, Gregory brings up the fact that Dover's sherbet was described as delicious to be strange for a novice baker. Manfred retorts that his wife is also not a professional cook, but he considers the meals she makes him to be as delicious as a master chef's. With an attitude like that towards his family, it's clear why Franziska still has some respect for him even after his arrest.
• It's mentioned by Regina that since Moe took over as the ringmaster, several divisions have been established between all of the acts which caused some friendly rivalry with everyone trying to outdo the others. Seems that Maximillion's wish for everyone to try better finally came true.