Heartwarming / Katawa Shoujo

I guess that for Hanako, simply having someone, anyone, to be there and love her would be special. The fact that Lilly and I can now share that role for her is something I think I will always be grateful for.

Spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

Heartwarming moments in Katawa Shoujo.

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Emi

• Hisao's reaction to Emi's confession:
  Hisao: It suddenly strikes me that she's worried that I'll reject her. What a silly worry for her to have.
• The moment in Emi's route when Hisao first admits he loves her while she was sick and in bed.
  • And when he admits it after Rin leaves them on top of the roof towards the end of the route. He notes himself that he savors being able to say it and mean it.
    • A similar scene gets to play out if you pursue her while at her house, but then choose the right options to make it up to her after talking to Misha of all people. The confrontation at the track plays out with her pushing Hisao away again, but he breaks her down pretty simply, and the entire thing refreshes just how their relationship developed, probably doubling the impact of it. (It should be noted that, aside from noting Emi's reactions, there's no narration. Hisao isn't thinking about what he's saying, and is speaking from his heart.)
      Emi: Determination? What do you know about determination?
      Hisao: I know that there's a girl so determined to take care of a total stranger that she'd steal his food at a festival. I know that there's a girl so determined to help me with my own problems that she'd draw up a complete dietary and exercise plan, and that she'd not only draw up the plans, but she'd follow them with me, even when she couldn't run. Determined enough to keep me at arm's length that she'd put herself through emotional pain if she thought it was the right thing to do. Although, there's one thing that this determined girl didn't quite plan for, which was that I might feel that same kind of determination to keep her from being hurt. I fell in love with you, and I refuse to let that be thrown away because you're afraid of losing me.
  • The final H scene and the scene after it are this so very much, especially in comparison to her two other H scenes.
  • The moment at the graveyard, where Emi finally tells Hisao about everything she lost in her accident, and why she keeps some distance from everyone. It also doubles as a Tearjerker.
    Emi: I tried not to fall for you, but I did. And then I tried to keep you at a distance [...] But I've been so scared, because I don't want to lose you, and I might anyway...
  • "Even if there's no chance of catching her, I'll still run after her."

Hanako

• Hisao playing chess with Hanako in the tea room during her Act 1 ending.
  • The previous Hanako scene, "Quiet," could also count. Near the end of the scene, after Hisao and Hanako had spent most of the day in the library, Hanako (after struggling for a moment) manages to get a "thank you" out to Hisao for spending time with her. While a simple thing in itself, for someone like Hanako, it's a different situation entirely.
  • Honestly, almost any scene that puts Hisao alone with Hanako has heartwarming moments as you get glimpses of her personality that she would have never shown to a relative stranger.
• Hanako's Good Ending. So many feels come from this scene. Especially when Hisao's Love Confession pops up. The two of them pouring their souls out to each other is extremely affecting as they tear down the hypothetical walls they had built to hide themselves from each other. The raw emotion of the scene combined with the simple melody of "Innocence" brings on the tears, too.
  The wall between us is going away, even if it hurts so badly to bring it down.
  • After that, the fact that Hanako of all people is able to kiss Hisao in public without a care in the world, despite how shy she is speaks volumes of how much she's grown thanks to Hisao and how much she loves him.
    Hanako: Then please accept my first gift to you, Hisao... (kisses him)
  • A touching moment in the ending is the final image, where Hanako's scars are facing away from the camera, and towards the people in the background, all of whom are staring. And she doesn't care. Not only that, but the looks they give aren't "Oh wow, someone is actually kissing the scarred girl?!" but rather "Daawww, that's so romantic!" from the girls (including Molly, who seems to be very happy about it), and "Man, how am I gonna match that?" from the guy.
• Hisao taking a chance and revealing his surgery scar to Hanako, especially in light of how the story progresses from there. It's a huge gamble and could very easily go wrong in real life, but it shows how far Hisao is willing to go to show Hanako how much he trusts her, and Hanako picks up on that. Imagine how excited she must be to learn that Hisao trusts her enough show her his vulnerability that it inspires her to do the same.
• Hanako taking off her blouse, exposing her scars to Hisao just before her H-scene. That scene manages to evoke pretty much every emotion there is, but "heartwarming" is prominent among them.
  Hanako: This is me... All of me.
  • Hisao's response is pretty heartwarming as well, especially from Hanako's perspective. She has faced bullying from countless people, including ones who she thought were her closest friends. Most people have been repulsed just from the sight of her. When she meets a guy who she likes, and who opens up to her about his own past and disability, she decides to do the same. After revealing her scars to him, she has no idea how he's going to react. What does Hisao do? He tells her she's a wonderful person and kisses her.
• Hanako's early birthday party due to Lilly leaving for Scotland. Her cradling her presents with teary eyes. This is all.
  • Hisao's thoughts as the two hug (i.e., the page image) put a cherry on the cake:
    Seeing the two like this makes me appreciate the fact that I'm privy to such an intimate moment. Even Akira can't help but smile at the sight. I never would have thought I'd manage to find new friends so quickly, and I'm all the more thankful that of all people, these two are the two I befriended.
• Hanako's last scene in Lilly's good ending shows her in the library, where she first met Hisao. In contrast to her running away that time, she discusses her plans to travel with Naomi from the newspaper club and showcases how much she has opened up.
  Maybe Lilly was right. Although I may offer Hanako any help I can possibly give, I feel as if I know she doesn't need it.
  She really has grown.
• Hanako's smile. It really is the most heartwarming thing about her.
  • Particularly when it starts being her first reaction to you in encounters with her, rather than being preceded by fear.

Lilly

• During Hanako's birthday party in Act 2, Lilly and Hanako hug, with the picture being the page image, and the caption being Hisao's thoughts as it happens.
• During Act 2 of Lilly's route, when Hisao calls her for the second time while she's in Scotland. He feels bad for the first time, when he only called because he didn't know how to handle Hanako's temporary depression. He makes up for it a few days later, when Lilly has been on his mind the entire day and he genuinely wants to hear her voice again. After some pleasant smalltalk, he decides to make the first step in admitting his feelings for her:
  Hisao: We... um, I... miss you.
  (short silence)
  Lilly: I miss you too, Hisao.
  Hisao: (after hanging up) That light, tentative, almost shy voice. Her warm and soft tone... I'd simply be lying to myself if I were to say that I don't recognize this feeling for what it is.
  Hisao: With thoughts of Lilly dancing on my mind, I start anticipating her return. Today has been a most excellent day.
• The Act Three scene "Crescendo". Gods, that scene is beyond belief. It contains Lilly's Love Confession for Hisao, for one thing. Another moment comes a couple of scenes later, when Hanako shows up few afterwards and is happy for them and she already guessed they had feelings for each other some time before.
• Lilly telling Hanako why they are friends, and that she never pitied her. Extra touching if you've seen Hanako's bad end.
• During Act 4, when Lilly is setting up the paper work to transfer, she asks Misha to bring her some papers in braille. However, instead, Shizune brings them to her... and they show of CG of the two girls smiling, reconciling at long last.
• Another touching moment is after Lilly reveals her family's plans to bring her to Scotland, when Kenji comes out of his room as Hisao walks by. He notices how distraught Hisao looks, and offers him a helping hand, offering to talk about what's bothering him. The scene is depressing enough as it is, the fact that we get a heartwarming moment from Kenji and not a funny one just turns the whole scene into a major Tear Jerker.

  Kenji: If you ever want to talk about it, I'm, you know, here.
  Hisao: Thanks, Kenji.
  Kenji: Hey, it's cool. That's what friends are for, right?

• And of course, the good ending. After a truly depressing series of scenes, Hisao is alone in the hospital as an aftermath of the Race for Your Love scene. He is emotionally ruined, believing that it was All for Nothing and he will never see Lilly ever again... Then he hears the music box...
  Random YouTube commenter: That feel when it took you 10 seconds to realize why the music box is playing.
  • This of course leads into the most heartwarming scene of the entire path, specifically in the final lines of narration. So much HNNNG.
    Our pasts may be scattered and at times overshadowed by sadness, but they're also an irrevocable part of our lives and personalities. Even if I could change a single thing, I wouldn't, because my past is what led me here. That's why, even with all that's happened to us before, and all that may well befall us... together, we'll keep walking forwards. Forwards... towards the future. Our future.
  • From the same scene, Akira casually letting them know that she's back with her boyfriend, and even gotten him a passport to come with her to Scotland. Seeing what happened between Lilly and Hisao at the airport most likely made her realize that breaking up with him was not what she really wanted, just like Lilly didn't really want to move to Scotland. Even though Akira leaving for good is the most bittersweet part of the ending, it's nice to know that she won't really be alone.

Rin

• In "Creative Pain," Rin tells Hisao that she prefers not to think when she's painting, and that him being there helps her with that. Hisao asks her if there's anything he should do to help her not think, to which she replies "just be," implying that merely his presence is enough to comfort her to work.
  • She says something similar in her Act 1 ending, "Clouds in My Head." The two of them talk in circles for a few minutes about possibly going to see the festival, before Hisao says that if she wants he could let her be alone. She replies, "I like it if you are here." Hisao stays next to her, noting in his narration that her presence is something he enjoys also.
• The rooftop scene in the second act. Despite his inability to communicate with Rin, Hisao finally opens up and admits how much he resents his condition. Rin replies by simply hugging him, something she was also afraid would have startled him. When she leaves the rooftop, Hisao stays behind, cries for the first and last time about his condition, and leaves his depression behind, determined to now be a better person. Never before has the inclusion of a meme been so sweet.
• Despite all the frustration he's been feeling with Rin throughout her preparation period for the exhibit, Hisao still does little things for her, like peeling oranges and taking her out into the city.
  • The scene where he peels oranges for her is especially sweet. Feeding a loved one is an intimate act in its own, and it gets even more intimate considering oranges are a favorite food of Rin's she doesn't get to enjoy much for obvious reasons.
• During her second sex scene, Hisao becomes worried about his heart (after Rin touches his chest scar) and starts overthinking his relationship with Rin. Rin answers by telling him he should stop worrying about the future and the past and be there with her now. She then tells him to move closer... and closer... and closer.
• A simple line at the end of her route: "I love you". After her entire character arc focuses on how Rin cannot understand herself nor communicate with others, these words become that much more meaningful.
• The entirety of Rin's good end, when she no longer tries to force herself to be the artist others want her to be, and is content with how she is.
  Rin: Hisao? What's the word for when it feels inside your heart that everything in the world is all right?
• The over-arching theme of Rin's route: acceptance. For all the times Hisao gets frustrated with Rin, and for all the times he can't understand her, in the end he comes to accept her for who she is with love and support, just as Rin comes to accept herself, with both managing to connect with one another despite it all.

Shizune

• During Shizune's Act 1 ending, "Throwing Balls", Hisao is generally feeling depressed after a bout of fatigue brought about by his heart condition. He finds himself talking to Shizune, who being deaf cannot hear him (Misha had fallen asleep) but manages to get a good idea of his emotional state anyway. Not willing to allow Hisao to wallow in self pity, Shizune simply stretches out her arms to implore Hisao to look at the beautiful scene of the Festival around them and the moment snaps Hisao out of it. This results in the only Act 1 ending where Hisao admits to falling in love with the Heroine in question.
  • "Just a little bit."
  • At the start of Act 2 Shizune and Hisao converse by writing notes, he asks if the fact they went to all the stalls he had built at the festival was another of her games. She tells him it wasn't and she actually did it because she could tell he was depressed, and wanted to cheer him up.
    Shizune's note: I thought that because you had made those stalls, they were the most important ones. We had to visit them, because everyone should be able to appreciate the fruit of their labors. I wanted you to be able to see and enjoy what you had done.
• Also add Hisao asking Shizune to be his girlfriend at Tanabata in the end of Act 2.
• Shizune, Misha and Hisao's scene together at the end of Act 3 (assuming you are not a two-timing monstrosity).
• The part where Hisao shows Misha around the school, telling her about the time he spent with her and Shizune, and urging her not to push Shizune away, like he did with his old friends and Iwanako. It's one of the best demonstrations of his Character Development throughout a route.
• Shizune's and Hisao's conversation on the Roof late in Act 4 of her Good Ending where Shizune thanks Hisao for bringing Misha back to her old self. She also talks about proud she is of how she was able to cheer up Hisao from when he first came to Yamaku and how that gave her hope and that "was why I like you."
• Shizune, in the next to last scene of the Good Ending path of her route, is explaining to Hisao that all that she ever really wanted was to have other people open up to her, something that her deafness made extremely difficult, that part of the reason why she joined the Student Council, and why she was pushing for it to do so much, was because she figured that that best way she could do that was do things that made others happy and involved. It is there that she realizes that all this time, Misha has always been there for her opening up to her and that she lost sight of her original goal. She then vows to be a better friend to her from now on.
• "Infinity", Shizune's good ending: With Shizune, Hisao, and Misha taking a picture with a musketeer pose while vowing to one day see each other again.

Other

• Minor example, but there's something really sweet about hearing Kenji talk about his ex-girlfriend, and actually speak fondly of her, rather than going off on an anti-feminist rant. Moreso when he admits...
  Kenji: "I miss her..."

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